Tim paced in front of the whiteboard, flanked by Grey and Lucy. The image of Dim’s corpse flashed on screen.
“His name was Dimitri ‘Dim’ Novak,” Tim explained. “He was part of a documentary crew Lucy and I worked with last year. Got obsessed with us. Started… copying me.”
“Copying?” Alice repeated, still pale from the alley incident.
“He cut his hair like mine. Bought the same boots. Even got Kojo’s breed of dog.”
“He what?”
“It was weird,” Lucy added helpfully. “But harmless… at the time.”
Angela leaned forward. “So, what changed?”
Tim crossed his arms. “He vanished months ago. We thought he’d just moved on. But clearly, someone didn’t like what he was involved in.”
Grey nodded. “Now he’s dead, and whoever did it might think they took down a cop.”
Alice clenched her jaw. “Which means they could still be gunning for you.”
---
9:15 AM – Captain’s Office
Alice leaned against the wall, arms folded.
“I’m fine,” she said flatly.
Tim raised a brow. “You dropped to your knees and sobbed when you thought I was dead.”
“I thought it was you. Of course I panicked.”
“I know.” His tone softened. “I should’ve warned you about Dim before. I didn’t think he was still around.”
Alice glanced at him, expression unreadable. “You didn’t think someone impersonating you was important?”
“I thought it was over. A blip.”
She sighed. “A blip doesn’t end up in a bloody alley.”
He moved toward her. “I’m sorry, Al. Truly. If I could’ve spared you that moment…”
Alice looked away. “I saw your face in that blood. You don’t forget something like that.”
---
11:03 AM – Surveillance Van, Chinatown
Lucy played audio from a phone recovered near Dim’s body. The voice on the other end was muffled but tense.
“Drop location confirmed. If you mess this up, you’re dead. Juicy too.”
Alice frowned. “Who’s Juicy?”
“That was Dim’s contact,” Lucy said. “He used her as a drop-off partner. No idea where she is now.”
Tim added, “And Dim had ties to arms trafficking. It’s possible this is more than mistaken identity.”
Alice’s eyes sharpened. “Then let me go in.”
Tim blinked. “What?”
“I don’t know Dim. I’m not emotionally attached. I can pretend to be Juicy. Get close to whoever set this up.”
“No,” Tim said instantly. “You’re too close to this.”
“I’m not,” she argued. “And I can do it, Tim. Let me help.”
He hesitated.
Lucy stepped in. “She’d be good. Juicy was chaotic and bold. Alice can do chaotic.”
Alice smirked. “And I look great in leather.”
---
2:12 PM – Bar on 6th Street

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Rabbit Hearts & Bulletproof Vests || Tim Bradford??
FanfictionAlice Hartwell never wanted to be a hero - just someone who could run toward the chaos and still feel the world's poetry through it. But when she joins the LAPD as a rookie and is paired with the infamously hard-edged Tim Bradford, she finds herself...
Double Trouble
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