Member-only story
Cases From the South Side Branch: The Apprentice and the Missing Child (Part I)
First day on the job as apprentice detective, what could go wrong? A young child goes missing. Who’s responsible? And will they be found?
Tumelo was excited and nervous to begin her apprentice position at the South Side branch of the Social Welfare Cooperative’s investigation division.
She had just completed her degree program, in investigative social work, class of 2072, and wanted to put the skills she learned to the test.
Oh she had solved cases before, and she was confident in her ability, but they were mock investigations, and lives were never on the line. Would he fair as well in the real world? She wondered.
As was the case with all investigative social workers, Tumelo had to complete a year apprenticeship, under the guidance of a senior investigator, before she could receive her license.
The South Branch office was relatively small compared to the other branches, but it was also the first and oldest branch.
It had been founded in 2045 as part of the Forensic Reform Act, which established the Social Welfare Cooperative, in an effort to restructure the criminal justice system, largely…
