Minority Report ~ Tarnished Halo

Listening In. ~ Danny

"Jesus Christ..."

Pausing the image on the shadowed figure bent over Ann Lively's drowning body, patting his pockets, searching for something more powerful than chewing gum.

Crossing to his desk, he pulled open the drawer, rummaging for the pack of smokes he knew would be there. Fingers shaking, he squinted through a curl of blue smoke at the stilled image, and turned a furtive glance to the door.

They were being set up. That much was certain. And not just Anderton.

/All/ of them.

His mind ticking over with the realization that the perpetrator had to be someone with unfettered access to the PreCog tapes, he huffed a bitter laugh, bowing his head.

"In-fucking-credible."

Glancing back up, he pointed at the screen, his words a low murmur.

"That, my friends, can only be one person."

Burgess.

Stilling at a shrill burst from his phone, his finger poised over the call button, he thought better of it and pulled his headset in place, redirecting the call.

"This is Witwer, how can I hel..."

Blinking at a shriek in his earpiece, he leaned across his desk, dark eyes narrowing at the Caller ID readout: 'J. Anderton.'

What the hell?

His eyes flying wide in the next instant as voices tumbled up to him through the earbud, he took a long drag on his cigarette and dropped it to the floor, stomping angrily on the remains as shouts for calm blasted through the headset.

Swallowing thickly, he shook his head, helpless as the situation on the other end of the phone spiralled into chaos. Who had called? John? His wife?

An anguished scream jolting him to his core, he scrambled for his car keys, only to slam back against his office wall, eyes wide, as two gunshots punctuated the mayhem.

Blinking slowly, he lifted his gaze, head canting to study the pencil embedded in his ceiling tile for a long beat, the arresting official's final words still ringing in his ears.

'Come on Agatha. Let's get you home.'