Wall

2

A few hours after that call, he got a call from Mr. Ormond, his boss, and that’s how he got to be in the office again. Slouching into his chair while loosening the grip on his coffee to place it on the desk, he found himself looking at that very same case file he saw before, but updated.
Barely able to stop himself, he picked up the papers and began flicking, moving to the end to see any updated evidence or critical points. Amidst his intense reading, he barely noticed it when a young man walked in, awkwardly shuffling through the door and closing it behind him. He stood, fumbling with his fingers, nerves.
He coughed, attempting to get the older man’s attention, but he was too quiet. Tugging at the collar of his uniform shirt, the nervous boy opened his mouth to speak. “Uh... hi, sir!” he practically yelped, voice cracking with his anxiety. This caused Mark to jump slightly, almost elbowing the mug of coffee off the desk. He flung the file short and looked at the other man standing ahead. He was an average height, taller than Mark anyway, and he had short, dark, curly hair. His uniform was messily put together, like a child who just learned how to dress himself, and his round chocolate-brown eyes were expectant, scanning Mark nervously.
“Who...are you...?” the detective mumbled, looking up at the figure swaying slightly ahead of him. “David Flores?” he answered as if it was apparent. “I’m going to be training with you...?”
Sighing quietly, Mark lifted himself from his seat, standing to shake David’s hand. “Mark Acker, I’ve been in this job longer than most of the others, alright? That’s why I’m a detective.” He sternly let out, not raising his voice. “But, I’m not really good with talking, okay? So just watch what I do and figure it out; if you really need it, ask for help.”
“Okay, sir! Ah, by the way, you can call me Dave. I’m happy to be working with someone so experienced!” the excitement on the younger’s face was as plain as day. Mark found it inappropriate but decided he knew better than to comment, leaving his snarkiness at bay for the moment.
The greying man went back to flicking through the case, purposefully avoiding looking at the new kid, focusing so hard on looking busy that he wasn’t even reading. “Ah... Mr. Acker, we have a new map we used to pinpoint the last locations of the missing people if you want to have a look. Oh and, a new one came in about...an hour ago? There are officers out there at the scene, but...yes, the map is there for you to look at!” his words were jumbled as if he was talking just to talk, but still, it piqued Mark’s interest.
“Let’s go see it, then.”