Overkill

Five

"Sarah Bennet," her phone rang three times while she was reading the new file. She ignored it each time, not wanting to lose concentration when she was so focused.

"Sarah, where are you?" It was Scott. He sounded worried.

"At the Jackson Police Department, why?"

"I'm at the hotel you were supposed to be staying in, but they're telling me you checked out a few days ago." His voice was higher than it normally was, he was panicked.

"Why are you there? You could have just called me." She flipped the paper she was reading over to the left side of the folder and picked up the next one.

"I have been, you haven't been answering. I even asked Darcy if she's heard from you, she says she hasn't, the two of you were supposed to go to lunch or something and it never happened. I called White, but he has been quite vague with any information I ask for."

Rolling her eyes, she ignored the feeling stirring within her knowing he's been checking on her, "Scott, what do you want? I'm kind of busy here."

"I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're safe." He seemed worried but Sarah didn't have time to coddle him, she had a case to solve and he was the one thing that could distract her from doing so.

"I'm fine, Scott, I've been staying with Mark. Now, if there isn't anything else, I really have to get back to these files. I've connected the three recent murders. Jackson has a serial killer."

Silence.

Shit. Is he going to make a big deal about her staying with one if his agents? "Scott?"

"Yeah, uh... You're sure it's a serial killer?" his voice was wavery, adding to the worried tone he was carrying.

No mention of where she's staying, good. That's just another argument she would love to avoid.

"Yeah. From the looks of it, there's more than one perp." She laid the paper she was reading back in the file and walked to the door. Allowing the door to close behind her knowing she had her keycard clipped to her belt loop, she made her way to the vending machine in the hallway.

"Ok. Send me copies of what you have, maybe a fresh set of eyes will be able to help push this along faster."

"That's ok, Scott..." she smacked the side of the machine for spitting her bills back out at her for the third time, "...you've got things to do there." The machine spit the bill out a fourth time causing her to let out a loud growl. It was well into the evening, if she was going to be here any later, she needed caffeine. Growling through her clenched jaw, she turned around and leaned against the machine in irritation.

"What's going on over there?"

"I need caffeine, was trying to get a Red Bull but this machine is from the 1980s, I swear," turning back towards the machine, she scowled as she looked at the Red Bull.

"You're pouting at the machine, aren't you?"

"Shut up. No." She was clearly pouting. She could hear the chuckling on the other end of the phone. She missed his laugh.

"You and your caffeine. Lord help those that you're working with if you can't get any right now."

"Shut it, Mathews," she growled, but it only caused him to laugh.

"Stay safe, Bennet. Watch your six."

"Laters, Mathews."

She ended the call and stood at the machine a moment longer, annoyed. Turning back towards the room she noticed the door opened. Didn't I close that? She slowly pushed the door open and peered inside, no one was in there. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around, suspicious. Turning around, she looked down the hallway in both directions, but it was empty. Shrugging it off, she stepped back into the room, letting the door close behind her.