Kill Or Be Killed

Chapter Five

Scale Number: 1

Kalayavan leaned against the front fender of his own truck with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes glued on the screen door of Caterina's house watching her shadow move around the kitchen. Every few minutes or so, she would appear in the window over the wink as she wiped it down for the hundredth time. Probably to keep herself from cleaning up what she was really itching to clear away.

He was overwhelmed with the urge to go in and make it disappear for her, if only to take away a fraction of her anxiety.

However, that wasn't what a real officer of the law would do, so there he was waiting for the real Unies to show up. Once they had asked their questions and removed the body, he could make sure there wasn't a single drop of blood left for her to stress over. Although he was against having an actual report filed.

Not that it would be something difficult to manage. It wasn't like the small town police station had NASA level security.

Until then, his woman would have expectations of what was supposed to happen, since she knew the way the system worked. It was a role he was ready and trained to play, anything that allowed him closer to a target.

He watched as her head appeared in the small four panel window again. She was extremely still at first this time around, just standing there with her head bowed. Her shoulders started heaving heavily as an indication she was crying. Reminding him of the broken woman he'd first found over a year ago.

After her husband's 'accident', it has taken her several weeks before she could even get out of bed for more than a bathroom break. When she finally did, it was to throw herself into this new job at the store, having left her position as an educator. Very slowly turning into the outgoing woman he had come to have strange addictions for.

But it was also clear something had happened while he was training new Esasens, something that had altered the way Caterina relearned to carry herself. When she was still around people, it was almost as if nothing was off. Unless someone knew her the way he did, they wouldn't have been able to see how she always made sure to keep distance between herself and others. Or the way she recoiled from being touched when it was unavoidable. Even at home she was different, curled up as if protecting herself from an unseen evil.

He was unsure of how he'd missed it, even when there were days where he didn't have the ability to observe her, like when she left the house while he was working. It was still no excuse, it was his fault he wasn't here to protect her then as well.

The crunch of tires on gravel was the only thing that tore his eyes away from the woman in the window. Watching as the coroner's van pulled alongside Jessie's transportation, and a patrol car beside that. Pushing away from his truck, Kalayavan met them in front of the two vehicles.

Two of the four men were wearing dark blue coveralls while the other who were in full uniforms matching those of the local department. They were all sporting serious expressions as he approached, flipping open the flawless fake badge to identify himself soundlessly.

He turned to look over his shoulder, finding Caterina more composed as she went about cleaning the sink again. Returning his attention to the men, finding their own eyes returning to him. He pricked at the thought of them looking at her, "As I told dispatch, name's Agent Black, and I'm currently in the middle of an investigation, involving the owner of the property. Who was home alone when an agitated coworker came over uninvited. As she was already under observation, I stepped in and dispatched the assailant." Kalayavan knew that they probably already knew Caterina, and would have questions of their own later. Especially why she hadn't told them about her involvement with the FBI. "Oh and gentleman, this is confidential. So as far as Ms. Clade is aware, I am just officer Kal, an extra body who was assigned to help your department. "