Welcome to a secret world that hides beneath the surface of the mundane. It is a world of urban legends and rumors, a world of astonishing deeds and epic battles. Meet its enigmatic inhabitants. Learn their secrets, their desires, their beliefs, their hopes and their dreams. Listen to the tales of pain, injustice, compassion, kindness, courage, teamwork, love, sacrifice and hope. Meet the guardian angels, the warriors, the philosophers, the priests, the phantoms and the wanderers. But remember – once you enter this world, you can never truly leave it.

ENTER THE MERIDIAN: Juggling Patience 

Catherine Chase was a patient woman. She had to be. After all, she was a captain of Meridian City Police Department. When she screwed up, everyone she was responsible for got screwed over. So every single day, she forced herself to gather every last ounce of her patience and face arrogant thugs, self-righteous lawyers, snooty members of the city’s “elite”, self-assured crime bosses and other pains in the ass.  She learned to tolerate them. Really. She did.

So why was she feeling an overwhelming urge to throw the phone against the nearest wall?

“…Someone reactivated the old Yep-Leung accounts. Within days, small portions of Yep-Leung money went through several secure accounts around the world. Some of it wound up in private accounts. Some of it wound up in the hands of individuals that are watched by several local, national and international law-enforcement organizations. But most of it went into an account that belonged to…”

“Remus,” Catherine cut him off, “Last time I checked, all Yep-Leung accounts were frozen and seized by the feds.”

“Except for the accounts Feds didn’t find,” Rem smirked.

“What are you talking about?” Catherine scoffed, “I was there. Feds combed through every inch Yep-Leung records…”

“Cat, do you think I am a fool or are you just in denial?” Rem retorted

He called her “Cat”. That bastard. How dare he! How dare he!

“I was there too, you know,” Rem continued coldly, “As a matter a fact, I seem to remember a certain pretty blonde asking me if the Feds really found everything.” Catherine scoffed, “I told her that there was no way to be sure. Yeps were scheming, power-hungry vipers. They were good at hiding things. But that’s not what it’s about, is it?”

“How very perceptive of you,” Catherine said sarcastically.

Rem acted as if he didn’t hear that sentence: “You knew that I was going to tell you that most of Yep-Leung cash wound up in Travis Warden’s wallet.”

Silence

“For all I know you could of put it there just to make my life miserable,” Catherine finally retorted.

“Why, I’m hurt!” Rem gasped melodramatically, “Do you honestly think that I would frame an innocent lawyer just to spite you? You know me better then that. If I really wanted to make you miserable, I would’ve bought your apartment building. I would have replaced your entire wardrobe with cute, flowery dresses. Hell, I would’ve given Miyoko Takenouchi a key to your car. Screwing with some lawyer’s bank account… isn’t it the kind of thing that usually makes you happy?”

He had a point there.

“Unless, of course, he’s not just another guy,” Rem smirked knowingly, “Could it be that the ever-so picky Catherine Chase actually fell for the “bottom-feeding fungus” she so abhors? I never thought I would see the day.”

This is an expensive phone. If anything goes wrong, I would have to pay for it out of my own pocket. Catherine repeated it like a mantra, hoping that it would keep her from doing anything stupid. Like hurdling the phone into the wall. Yeah. The wall. So spotless…

“You don’t have to believe me,” Rem’s voice suddenly turned serious, “I am just trying to look out for you.”

“Well, don’t,” Catherine growled

“As you wish,” Rem sighed in resignation, “Be safe.”

And with that, he hung up.

Dammit.

Dammit dammit dammit!

A coffee mug slammed into the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces.

It was her favorite mug, too.

Dammit. 

Ever since Simon died, Catherine couldn’t get into a decent relationship with anyone without Rem finding some dirt on him. She wanted to believe that Rem did it because he didn’t want her to be happy with anyone else. But she couldn’t. Rem was a lot of things. Possessive wasn’t one of them. 

Catherine shook her head. She’d been in a lot of relationships. Only two of them were with men she truly loved. Remus Knowell and Simon Culver. The two men couldn’t be more different. One was an heir to the one of the world’s largest international corporations. The other was a son of a factory worker. The only thing Simon inherited was his mother’s gambling debts. Despite his youthful looks, Rem was a few years older than Catherine. Simon was five years her junior. Rem was very high cultured (which, at times, made him completely unbearable). Simon…was not. The only thing that they seemed to share is a sense of humor and ability to aggravate Catherine to no end.

Travis was somewhere in the middle. He was rich, but not too rich. He wasn’t a slob, but he wasn’t as well mannered as Rem.  Travis was her age, which Catherine thought was rather refreshing. But most importantly, she could actually relax whenever he was around. 

RING!!!

Catherine swore under her breath and looked at the caller ID.

[ TRAVIS LEE WARDEN ]

Well, so much for relaxation, she thought and picked up the phone.

“Hey,” said the voice on the other end of the line. He sounded rather pleased with himself.

“Hey yourself,” Catherine shot back.

“Listen, I’m kind of in a hurry,” Travis continued, “so I’ll try to keep it short. What are doing after work?”

Catherine quickly glanced at the schedule on her desk: “Nothing important. Why?”

“Well, a friend of mine told me that there was this great French restaurant over at the North Shore. I’d love to check it out, but I don’t think I can judge it fairly without a second opinion.”

“Is this a creative way to ask me out?” Catherine smiled.

Travis chuckled: “You’re good.”

“In that case, I would love to.”

“Brilliant,” Travis exclaimed, “I’ll pick you up at seven. Take care.”

Before Catherine could get another word in, he hung up.

She buried her face in her hands.

She just agreed to go out on a date with a guy who might… no, is involved with something illegal. 

Catherine knew that she could use this opportunity to get closer to Travis and find out what he was up to. But she also knew that dealing with criminals was a lot like trying to get a ride in Sagetown – one wrong move and lots of people (innocent or otherwise) could get hurt. 

Damn you, Remus Knowell! Catherine thought, If only you would of told me this tomorrow, I could have had a nice, enjoyable date. 

She heard a knock on the door.

“Come in!” Catherine yelled

“Are you sure?” a voice behind the door asked, “You sound pissed.”

“I am not in the mood, Davis” Catherine grumbled, “Unless you have something important, I suggest you make yourself useful somewhere else.”

Lieutenant Takeru Davis, Catherine’s loyal right-hand man, peaked into her office.

“Well, I was going to tell you that we arrested Andy Verge,” he said, “but if you think that’s not important…”

“Andy Verge!” Catherine exclaimed, “As in self-proclaimed “gentleman burgler”? Where is he!”

“In the interrogation room,” Takeru smiled, “I told Peterson to save all the fun until you get there, but he’s been restless lately.”

“I am there.”

Normally, Catherine would leave this sort of thing to her men. But right now, she needed anything to get her mind off Travis, Rem and everything they represent.

Catherine grinned evilly. This was going to be fun.

To be Continued…