Close to the Victim

Chapter Four: Walk Away Scott-free

Sebastian Scott

His badge mocked him as he started getting ready for work again. He dreaded seeing Hale again and assigning him a new homicide. He wasn't finished with Gordon's case. As he showered, every droplet rang against the back of his deep scars as a private torment to go further.

As much as he sought the truth he despised it in its absolutes.

The revolving door of his regrets, however, pushed him forward. He wanted to hate Sam for what he did to his father, but Bash couldn't deny Sam was right. His father didn't look back and something told Bash that his father knew of Sam before he came to the house that day.

Bash ran his hand through his wet charcoal mussed hair. Spitting out his peppermint flavored toothpaste, he avoided his reflection and continued to get dressed. Laura had promised she'd make an effort for Gordon, that gave Bash some relief but not much.

He turned his autopilot setting on for the commute. It wasn't as if he hated his job, he just wished that there wasn't that much hate and vengeance filling the family plots like a connect-four board. It reminded him of his own family and how he was forced to keep his father's secret.

But the truth was there was only ever one case that Bash wanted to solve besides Gordon's now.

It was the case of how Sam got in. Did his father invite him in? Did he? Why couldn't Bash remember anything of that day before being locked in that toy trunk?

But no matter what he did he couldn't get the answers or the closure he searched for. Before he could wish again for the letters in his crossword life, Sully called him.

Bash answered with a tap. "Well if it isn't the other grieving widower in the department."

Sully ignored his remark and barrelled straight towards the reason for his call. "I just got the results from the lab on Marilynn."

Bash sucked in a hesitant breath. "Shouldn't you keep out of this investigation. They could get you for tampering with the evidence or something."

"I know...I know, my friend did the autopsy. I was far away from this but he called me to tell me the results and Bash, it's bad."

Bash palmed his forward as he exited the taxi. "What is it now? Did another one of your spouses take a nosedive into a car trunk without water or what?"

"No..." Sully's voice was choked up as he paused. "Marilynn was pregnant but it's not mine or Charlie's. Please don't tell this to Emma. I want her as far away from this as she can get. She killed my wife and she doesn't deserve the satisfaction of answers about Charlie's death."

"How does this connect to Charlie and why'd you tell me, Sully? I'm off the case."

Sully gave a plaintive sigh. "Because I know you'll do the right thing with this information." And with that vague statement he let the phone call trickle to a silent beep and the line disconnected. All Bash could think was man, Sully's wife gets around like the plague.

Finally, Bash rounded the stairs but when he reached his floor he saw her. Glistening along the shroud of smugness and resentment, Gordon was a Goddess reduced to a fallible human being. She didn't say anything but she packed up her boxes with a dejected coldness.

He edged his way towards her as if he was stepping on pins and needles. But with one more step he was face-to-face with the emerald spades of her sharp digging eyes and all the low hanging insults he could pick at. It was easy to challenge her, but to give sympathy would only hurt him.

Bash ignored the guilt wavering in his bleating chest and he ached to murder this discrepancy of hatred and replace it with normalcy.

Gordon filled the awkward silence with a fearful smirk. "You're trying to figure out how to mess with my head without thinking about how you told Laura to help me. I get it, I don't want to like or owe you anything either. Let's just call it even. Nuisance to other nuisance, it's alright."