The Lengths for Company

[Lola Green]

| Tagged: Levi Alexander Wolfe |

"Oh, I'm awake Bebe," she said as she patted the sleeping cat beside her. Lola Green had awoken from her afternoon nap -- the old girl found herself needing it more and more recently. Sleep was one of life's greatest pleasure, so how could she resent it. Since the seventy year old had retired, her day was mostly open towards anything. No schedule, though she tried not to miss episodes of Hells Kitchen and anything that had Gordon Ramsey in it.

Staring at the clock, Lola knew she better get dinner ready soon. Even though she lived alone, the granny did not like to eat out when she could very well cook for herself. Her mind thought of what her tummy craved for but at that moment, she did not want food. She wanted company. Her grand niece was in the academy so that was out of the question. The seventy year old had not socialized much except for the workers in the bakery. They made some mean doughnuts.

So the old lady did what she thought was reasonable. Picking up the phone, she dialled the Kalispell Police Department. Once the other line was picked up, she rushed her words for a better effect. "Hello, please. I think there's someone in my room...A break in...I live alone for heaven sake! Do your job missy and send someone here," she gave her address before hanging up immediately afterwards. Then she laughed. Alone at night in the empty house, Lola Green had a very good laugh as she waited for the knock on her door.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi was at his desk…again. He was starting to think they didn’t trust him or something. He had caught someone who stabbed a man. Not to mention a few other things. Levi was well deserving of his position. He was starting to learn however, that being an officer wasn’t all fun and games. The amount of paperwork alone was enough to make him question whether he wanted to stay or not. He was working on his pen flipping abilities before his sergeant came up to him with an order: to drop some supplies off. He was starting to think he was the department’s delivery boy.

Glad that he didn’t have to stay at his desk any longer, he rushed out and got into his assigned car. While driving, he took his time. The longer it took, the longer it would take before he’d be at his desk again. He was only about ten minutes from his intended delivery when he heard a voice come through the radio. “Officer Wolfe. Please advise. Suspected break in. Address sent to your GPS. Green residence. Known occupant: one.” Levi’s hazel eyes went wide with excitement. “10-4. ETA three minutes. Please standby.” He immediately flipped the switched as he heard the sirens and lights radiate from his car. He turned the car around and headed to the location.

As soon as he arrived, Levi turned off the sirens while the lights were still flashing. He approached the home slowly. Pulling out his pistol, his head panned around, not noticing any other cars in the area. He came to a halt when he reached the front door. Talking one hand off the gun, he banged on the door remaining quiet for a moment trying to hear what was happening inside. “KPD please open up.” He said, voice calm and firm. He felt the adrenaline racing throughout his veins. His heart was beating steadily as he waited for a response.

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

After the phone call, she wondered briefly if that was a wise thing to do. But that was done so she brushed the doubt away. The old lady did not need to worry. It was not good for her, said the doctors and mostly people younger than her who thought they knew what was good for her. Humph, what do they know?! She did not live for seventy years without knowing what her body could and could not take. But not worrying was certainly a perk. That she did not deny.

Putting on her fuzzy slippers, Lola Green made her bed by slipping a bolster and a couple pillows under the blanket to make it look like there was a sleeping figure underneath. She walked out but left the door ajar. "Bebe come out here!" Her cat was still sleeping on the bed. Sighing grumpily, she took Bebe and went to the living room. Just as the old lady sat down, she heard the faint sounds of the sirens. Police sirens. The closer it came, the louder it was. And the sound died as Lola saw the red and blue lights shining through her curtains.

"Show time, Bebe." Lola waited ten seconds before she greeted the low and deep voice she had heard through the door ten seconds earlier. "Took you long enough!" She whined as the door opened. "Good heavens child," she shrieked as her eyes saw the pistol in his hand. Since she was not a tall one -- who was at her age? -- the gun came up near her face which gave her a fright. "Don't you think you should put that away before accidentally shooting me or give me a heart attack? Knock softer deary! And what if the intruder heard you?" Moving aside, she made way for the officer to enter. "Didn't want to ruin his beauty sleep, now did we," said Lola sarcastically.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

As the officer waited, his head was turned facing the other side of the house, almost half expecting the person to go running out the back window any moment. His mind flashed back to the time he broke into someone’s house. That’s what he would have done if he had heard the sirens. He shook his head, realizing that it was beyond inappropriate to be thinking about that right now. His ears were on high alert, and not really hearing a struggle or any noise from inside made him worry a bit.

Levi was about to knock again when the door opened and from it a little old lady appeared. Scolding him nonetheless. Is she serious? Ignoring her words momentarily, he pushed past her, head scanning the room. Gun still in hand he looked back at her. “Are you okay?” He asked, beginning to wonder if there was even anyone else in here. The lady seemed calm about the whole thing, to say the least. If there was an intruder she would have either been hiding or he would have gotten to her already. There was no way she would have been able to answer the door. He had done it to draw the person out of the house, instead he was faced with her answering the door.

Wanting to say a few things, he bit his tongue, knowing that it was better to wait. He turned to face the woman, who was having too much fun with a potentially serious situation. “Ma’am. Is there someone in your house? Or are you here alone?” He asked, a bit annoyed with the whole thing.

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

The officer walked in without even putting the gun away. Showing Lola that he had ignored almost completely everything she had said earlier. Oh how rude! "Listen here deary," she said as she shut the door before turning to face the man standing in her hallway. His eyes darting around the room but not once landing on her -- even when he asked her if she was okay. Annoyed with his lack of attention, the seventy year old snapped her fingers in an effort to gain it. "Hey, hey..." He was taller than her so her hands did not come exactly right up to his face.

Once he did focus on her, she began on her reply. "Yes, I'm bloody alright." Her hands gestured up and down over her unharmed body. "I'm okay deary." Of course she always had been that night and was in no immediate danger. There was no break in. No intruder. No 'attacks'. Just an old woman sitting at home alone with her many pets who decided to fake a crime in order for some company there were not animals.

The officer caught on quick and the reality of what Lola did had finally dawned on her. Her objective for the night was clear but there were errors in her way. From the law shows she watched, she knew faking a crime was a crime itself. Oh dear. Instead of confessing, she followed through with the plan.

"If you had listened, I mentioned the intruder was sleeping." She gestured the way to her bedroom with the door ajar. "Saw a figure, you see? Didn't dare go in..." Lola nudged the officer and waited to see his next actions.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi’s eyes were scanning anything in his view. He was half attempted to call for back up, and honestly he was surprised they hadn’t sent someone else with him. His gun remained in hand, he wasn’t going to put it away until the potential threat was located and neutralized.

The old lady began snapping her fingers. Really? Focusing on her, he would still on occasion look around to see if there was any movement about the house. He listened to her say she was okay, although she didn’t have to tell him it was apparent by her behavior. The officer remained still, his breathing was slow and steady, and all his instinct were telling him that there was no real threat, well…except for maybe the little old lady herself.

Levi furrowed his brows as she continued to talk. Sleeping? Someone broke into her house to sleep? That didn’t make any sense. There had to be some confusion. Not wanting to dismiss any story she had told him, he leaned over slightly to the room she had pointed out. “How long ago would you say you realized there was someone in your room?” He asked, making sure to get this story straight. “And what exactly was it that alerted you to their presence?” He added, he had a slew of questions for her, but he carefully chose what he said, making sure that she had to paint the picture of what happened, not him.

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

Bloody hell, the officer was still at it. The fact that he did not put his weapon away -- even after she had told him to more than once -- irritated Lola more than it should. She did not want him to accidentally shoot her or her pets. Oh a stubborn one was he not? There was really no need for it but he did not know that. Of course the man was only doing his job but still. The old lady was used to having her way. Humph!

Moreover, he did not go into the room to inspect the "sleeping intruder" but instead stood outside the door questioning Lola, "the victim", even further. Feeling like a child throwing a tantrum, her features contorted and she stomped a foot. Hump! Hump! Hump! "Well officer," her voice drawled out. This was one part of the plan that she did not factor in. By now she thought she would get started on dinner already for the two, but nooooo.

I got home less than an hour ago and thought I'd have a shower. But then deary before I entered, saw the bedroom door opened and a figure there laying. So I called in. The lie she thought of came easily. But with seventy years into life, she knew a lie would only bite her in the end. A little unhappy with how the night played out, she knew the jig was up. "Ah, you're no fun deary." Lola said simply and left it at that before walking straight into the bedroom where the "intruder" slept.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi’s head moved between the woman and her room. He could tell that she was slightly irritated with him. Why, he did not know. If it was because of the gun she would have to get over it. He wouldn’t dare put both of their lives in danger, even though he had a feeling they weren’t.

The officer held back a smirk at the little old lady’s attempt at a temper tantrum and the stomping of her feet was the kicker. His brows still furrowed he tilted his head slightly, a bit confused by her response. He had fully expected her to answer his questions. Instead he followed her into the roomed where she had claimed the intruder was sleeping. What she meant by him being no fun he wasn’t sure, but then again he wasn’t really sure of this entire situation. It just seemed so…off.

As they approached the room, he saw something under the covers. He holstered his gun, seeing as though the lady was in front of him and had no issue taking the lead. He felt confident there was no threat seeing as though she had contradicted herself earlier. Why was it now that she felt comfortable going into the room where there was a supposed intruder? He thought he knew. Regardless, she’d probably be happy that his gun was away, although it tempted him a bit to take it back out. If she wanted to have fun, so could he…

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

The officer followed her into the crime free room. Finally he holstered his gun. Took you long enough! "Ah, what made you finally keep that bad boy huh deary?" If he could not tell, that was a rhetorical question. Of course Lola realized that he too must had realized that there was no threat really. The old lady was in the room with the supposed intruder! Hump! That would be one hell of a story.

The man kept quiet and the seventy year old did not hear anymore questions from him. So she did not bother to explain the situation yet. Pretty sure he could put two and two together. He seemed like one smart fine lad.

She walked over to the aquarium where her tortoises were. "Aw, aren't you hungry dearies?" She cooed. Animals were the same as humans. They both needed food. No food would lead to starvation and then death. Lola Green was an old woman who loved her pets. They kept her company, it was as close as to human company she could get. "C'mere deary, help me feed Dolce and Gabana." She took out the container of salad -- fruits and vegetables -- she had prepared this morning. Her hand stretched to him. "Don't be scared, they don't bite."

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi remained behind the lady. He shook his head at her comment. His eyes darted to the bed where the ‘intruder’ was supposedly sleeping. It looked as though she had stuffed a few pillows under the covers to recreate a body. It was kind of…sad. The new question was why she did this. What did she think was going to happen? She must have known she would have been caught. Unless…she had a different story. Levi smiled inwardly at the thought of the simple story she could have gone with that would have kept her out of the trouble she was in. It was fascinating how quickly she had given herself up. It only piqued his curiosity more. What were her intentions?

He took a deep breath as he watched her head over to her aquarium. She began talking to her pets and he was becoming impatient. Although, now that he thought about it. This was much better than being stuck at his desk. Still, what she did was wrong. He raised an eyebrow when she asked him to help feed her pets. He folded his arms across his chest, “Ma’am. Would you mind explaining to me why you called in a false claim about a break in?” He asked sternly. He wasn’t about to just let it go. Even if she was older than him.

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

Instead of taking the salad from her, the young man folded his arms and continued to question her. She cursed mentally. What was it with the younger generation these days? They were so impatient and insisted demanded for their answers immediately. They were acting like they could not sleep without knowing it first. Pathetic. It reminded of her grand niece, Blair Collins, whom she had paid a visit recently. The little girl was adamant to solve the mystery behind the old woman's visit and would not stop until she got all her facts. What was all the fuss about? It was not like for Lola to die the very next minute.

Okay perhaps considering her age, the man was just taking precaution.

"Why don't you help feed them first deary? I'm not dying anytime soon, you'd get your answers soon sweetheart." Lola nudged the salad in his direction but still he did not budge from his cold posture. Her lips thinned as she realized he was not letting it go in the near future. "Fine," she said exasperatedly. "Well deary," the seventy year old began to explain, "look at me. Just an old lady. Widowed to be exact. Who lives alone with her pets. Why would I of all people report a false crime, hmm?" Walking back to the aquarium, she took bits of the salad to feed to her tortoises. "You're smart. Certainly I'm didn't lie to land myself in jail. So why, deary? If you're thinking murder, think again."

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi couldn’t help but be fascinated by this lady. What was she expecting? For him to be all okay with her lies and wasting the departments time and resources. He had a feeling she didn’t realize he was trying to do his job. This wasn’t a social visit. He had a protocol to stick to, he had orders. One slight mistake could cost him his job. He checked his watch, realizing he had been there a while without responding back to dispatched. He pressed the button on the radio attached to his shirt. “Situation cleared. No backup needed.” He said flatly. His hazel eyes remained fixed on the woman. A voice came through the radio seconds later. “10-4”

The officer was tempted to laugh when she asked yet again for him to help feed her pets. He held back. He remained still, facial expression unchanged. He wasn’t going to budge. He refused. He was a bit relieved when she realized herself. Levi listened intently as the woman began to explain herself, if you could even call it that. He disliked her games.

His eyes narrowed on the lady as she went back to feeding her tortoises. “You really think calling the police is the best way to go about getting company?”

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

The man's calm and serious demeanor never once wavered. When he spoke into the radio attached to his shirt, when she spoke to him and even as she fed her pets. Those hazel eyes never once left the old lady. Frankly, Lola found it a little intimidating. The attention was unwanted. If he had shifted that attention from her to Dolce and Gabana, now that would be great. But of course the officer refused to budge and stuck to his rules. Hump!

Not long after, what the seventy year old thought came true. The man was a smart one and he pieced two and two together. His answer brought a laugh out of the old girl. Since you put it that way... Indeed the whole thing sounded quite ludicrious. It gave Lola a good laugh alright. "Oh deary, you crack me up. See you are a bright one. And yes that is exactly what I did, now ain't it?"

Once her tortoises were fed, she took the container as she started making her exit. "It probably wasn't the best. But it did its trick didn't it? It gets lonely sometimes living alone..." That was why she adopted her pets but it was not the same. They did not provide the human interaction she wanted from time to time. "Come on deary, join me for dinner. At least for the trouble you've went through." Her head cocked in the direction of the kitchen.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

The officer folded his arms. He was getting tired of this. All the ambiguity. He was surprised how chipper she had remained throughout this entire situation. He was completely amazed that she had made up a story to get someone to come over. Did she have no one else to call?

He watched as the lady laughed. He didn’t find it funny at all. Even if he was glad to be out of the office. The new question was how he was going to handle this. The thought irked him. He watched quietly as she made her way past him. He found himself shaking his head before he could even speak. “Mrs. Green. I don’t think you realize how serious this is.” He said sternly. He did feel quite bad for the lady, but at the same time he couldn’t just brush over what she did.

Levi let out a sigh, frustrated with himself and the situation. He rubbed the side of his face. “Look. I’m not going to write you a summons. I’m not gonna report what you did here today. BUT...” He said raising a finger. He needed to emphasize how serious the matter was, “If this were to happen again. I can’t help you. So please. No more false calls to the department. Okay?” He felt as though he was talking to a child.

“Unfortunately, I can’t accompany you for dinner.” He really did need to be getting back. There was a part of him that felt bad for her. “How about I give you this.” He handed her his card. “And if you find yourself needing a date for dinner don’t hesitate to call.” He offered sincerely. A small smile managed to make its way onto his cold face. He figured he was being reasonable enough.

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Tag: Lola Green

[Lola Green]

Lola Green could not help but feel like a child judging from the way the officer was speaking to her. She was seventy years old for god sake, not seventeen! His condescending like tone was beginning to push her buttons. The old woman had not went through life oblivious to these sort of activities. Even when she was younger she was aware of it. Of course then it was not her who had been making those calls -- she was quite the studious and rule abiding type back then. Or as she liked to call it, her life before she met her late husband.

Pre-Joseph.

The irritation that was slowly building up in the old lady died down when she realized the man was not going to charge her with anything. Not that she expected to be charged. She had not done anything wrong -- except for making a false call but that hardly would cost her a summon. Especially since Lola was offering a meal in exchange for -- company as well -- wasting the officer's time with the tiny lie. But noooooo.

One, he was rambling about how serious the situation was. Which of course, the lady understood. Whilst she appreciated him not ratting her out, she just bloody wanted to get on with the night like she intended. Two, the officer denied food. Well, specifically declined the offer for dinner. Her mind instantly thought that there was something wrong with him. Everybody wanted food.

The old woman took the card with a smile. "Thank you, deary." She walked back into the room and picked up the telephone. Punching the numbers as printed on the card, she listened to the ringing. "Hello, deary. Join me for dinner why don't you? I'm making steak tonight," said Lola without bothering to see if he had picked up his cell or not.