Wrestling the Kraken

Mahone

Mahone

Mahone entered the station, heading for his desk. He saw the captain and some suits, standing at the back.

"Mahone!" The captain yelled, waving him over.

He walked steadily towards them, as they stopped and turned to watch him.

"Captain." He said, looking from him to the suits.

"Mahone, these guys are here to pick up whatever you got on those Rose Murders." The Captain said, pointing to the agents. Their faces were placid, and they both rested their hands on their belts.

"Cap. We're not really just going to hand it all over to these guys." Mahone pleaded.

"It should have been turned over on the first day." The suit on the left said.

"We could have prevented the second murder from happening." The one on the right said.

"Is that right?" Mahone replied, standing squared with the two men, chin up.

"Alright, alright." The Captain chimed in. "That's enough of that. I swear it's like a grade school playground here some days. Mahone hand over everything you got. I don't want to hear anymore about it. And I mean everything, you understand?" The Captain pointed a finger at Mahone.

"Got it Cap." Mahone answered, not taking his eyes off the agents. Their smug grins made up his mind. He would give them everything alright, but he would solve the case before they could. This was his case and he would be the one to finish it. High profile or not.

Walking back to his desk, he saw Angela sitting in his chair.

"Oh, Mahone, there you are. I'm having trouble with seven across. I was thinking 'problem' because of the 'O' in the third space, but it's only seven letters. I need eight." She said, staring at a crossword puzzle.

"Is that today's puzzle? Let me have a look." He said, glancing over her shoulder. "Another word for danger?"

Stavo was counting on his fingers. "What about trouble?" He said. "It's got an 'O' for a third letter."

"It fits." She said.

"Nah, won't work. You see, four down is going to give you a 'Y' at the end of it." Mahone said. He picked up a pencil and wrote a word down in the space. "There."

"Oh, that's good. I usually can get them, but I've been stuck on that one word too long." Angela said.

"You just gotta keep checking the words around it. Get some more clues." Mahone said, straightening up. He walked over to the board he had set up with the leads.

"Well what's the word?" Stavo asked.

"Jeopardy." Angela said, getting up. "Thanks Mahone." She left, heading back to her office.

"Like the show?" Stavo asked.

"No, not like the show. Jeopardy, it means there's danger." Mahone said, packing everything up in a box.

Stavo rose from his desk and came beside him. "Whoa, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Got to hand it all over."

"Just like that? We're off the case?"

Mahone gave Stavo a look.

"You're still gonna work it, aren't you?" Stavo said in a low voice.

"Of course I am, you kidding me? I made copies of all this stuff already. I'm gonna set it up at home."

"Looks like I'm going to your place for dinner. You cookin'?"

Mahone stopped packing and looked up at Stavo.

"What?"