Crow's Nest [✓]

Chapter 27

The hours ticked by slowly, the detectives working tirelessly on their cases. Some leads dried up, and some turned out to be dead ends. It was almost night when Thomas walked back into the bullpen. He was met with a tired but focused atmosphere. Everyone was exhausted, but determined to finish what they had started.
Liam was busy at his computer, his eyes lids fighting to stay open and every few seconds his head would nod forward as if dozing off, only to jolt awake again.

Thomas caught sight of Harry, sitting at his desk, one he had borrowed for the time being, his head buried in some paperwork.

With everyone distracted and focused on their own tasks, Thomas had managed to sneak a moment of privacy to do some research on his own.

He had been searching for any information about the name 'Boris'. He had come across several potential leads, from a man in the local Russian orthodox church, to an ex-convict with a history of violent misdemeanors.

Thomas had been able to rule some out quickly enough, but a few still seemed promising. He decided to keep this information to himself for now, not wanting to share it until he had something solid. After all, how would it sound if he told everyone he had gotten the lead from the gangster they were trying to nail down?

While Thomas had been searching for 'Boris', Harry had his own mission. He had started his research on 'The Doc', trying to find out as much as he could.

He had spent hours on the internet, digging through old newspaper articles, old police files, and even some medical journals. He had managed to piece together some more information about The Doc. He seemed to be a mysterious figure, known for his knowledge in the medical field and possible connections to the drug world.

Both Thomas and Harry had been keeping secrets from each other lately.

Thomas was hiding his research on 'Boris', reluctant to share any information that wasn't a sure lead. He had his reasons - he didn't want to risk Harry's reckless nature putting him into potential danger.

Similarly, Harry was also keeping things to himself. He had been researching 'The Doc', and hadn't told anyone about it yet, especially Thomas. He had his own reasons for this - fear, paranoia, a sense of superiority that he could find something before the other.

The tension hung heavily in the air between them. Both detectives were clearly preoccupied with something, their thoughts far away from the case before them.

Harry glanced up from his paperwork, catching Thomas's eye for a moment. There was a flicker of something - guilt or something else - in his gaze before he quickly looked back down.

Thomas met Harry's gaze, holding it for a moment. There was a brief, silent conversation that passed between them.

Thomas could see that Harry was hiding something. There was something in his eyes that betrayed his usual carefree demeanor. But rather than calling him out, he waited. He wanted to see if Harry would come clean on his own.

Gibson's words echoed in Thomas's mind, adding to the tension between him and Harry.

He knew that Gibson had suspected something was off about Harry. And as much as Thomas trusted his partner, he couldn't shake that feeling of unease.

And now, with Harry clearly hiding something, it was getting harder to ignore the doubts creeping into his mind.

Just then, two uniformed officers entered, escorting a nervous-looking man with them. It was Jake, the bartender from the Rusty Nail.

The officers brought him over to Thomas and Harry, explaining that they had called him in for questioning. He looked around anxiously, clearly intimidated by his surroundings.

As soon as Jake saw Harry, recognition flared in his eyes. He clearly remembered the fight from the other night.

"Hey, you," he said, his voice a mix of wariness and surprise. "You're the guy I had to patch up a bit."

Harry chuckled dryly, recognizing Jake as well. "Yeah, that's me. You did a good job on those bandages, by the way."

Thomas, who was listening in on the conversation, felt relieved. Harry's alibi for his whereabouts the night Johnathan was killed was checking out. But that didn't mean the rest of his story would hold up to scrutiny.

He quietly jotted down a few notes while subtly watching Jake for any signs of deception.

The officers led Jake away, handing him over to Lockwood to be questioned separately.

Thomas watched as Lockwood led him into a separate interview room, closing the door behind them. The soundproofing in the room completely cut off any chance of eavesdropping.

Thomas let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He was eager to hear what the bartender had to say, but he knew he had to wait.

Frustrated that he couldn't listen in on Jake's interview, Thomas turned his attention back to his own work. He spent some more time going over some the information he had gathered, trying to come up with any connections between 'Boris', Flint, and Johnathan. Thomas looked at his notes he made so far.

Johnathan Keith, age 28. High School drop out. His mother, Hannah Keith had died when he was 17 and his father was practically non-existant. Johnathan worked for Richard Flint as a part time drug dealer and sometimes even muscle. He was known for having a bit of temper on him and liked hanging around younger people in the clubs or bars to scout out his next customers. Lucas Anderson was one of many. Johnathan's normal dealing places included 'The Sailor', 'The Rusty Nail' and some other bar which was registered in Flint's name.

Lucas had a relatively close relationship with Johnathan since the parents knew about him, meaning Johnathan visited Lucas a lot. To pick up money and deliver the drugs? No, that would be too risky. They had a 9 year age gap, so they weren't school buddies either.

Thomas continued to think about it, millions of theories filling his head. He made a mental note to go ask Lucas about his relationship with Johnathan when he wakes up. Thomas looked up at the clock hanging on the wall across the room. It read 10PM, meaning he could go home to his bed he so dearly carved. But he wanted to stick around until the Chief gave Harry the thumbs up to coming back to the investigation. Thomas looked over to Harry's desk, seeing it was rather quiet, only to realise he wasn't there.