The Taking of Eleanor Ainsworth

Chapter 24

He did not know if it was the stress of the case that was making him think strange thoughts or if it was the paranoia that had seeped into his bloodstream like a painful drug, that had obscured his mind and prevented him from thinking straight. He had always had his suspicions about his colleague but he had never believed them until that night.

David Hart was a strange man who tended to think in an unusual way, he was able to think like a killer and always caught the right guy, thats what landed him a job alongside Mitchell. Initially Lewis Mitchell was skeptical about having a new partner but as nine years passed they became the best of friends. Going everywhere together, he was there to support Mitchell when Lily gave birth to their first son and Mitchell was there to comfort Hart when his fiancé Georgina had a miscarriage. But now as Mitchell stood on the bottom step of the police station, the rain soaking through his clothes and adding an uncomfortable weight, he realised he did no really know Hart.

Hart was often if not always secretive, Mitchell understood Hart and his sister had a trouble upbringing but he never knew why. He has half Sri Lankan and British but sometimes by the way Hart spoke about his father, it was clear that he hated his father. Mitchell had only met Hart's sister, Isabelle Wilson once and from that encounter he could tell that they were both extremely close. After her suicide Hart took a turn for the worse and Mitchell tried to be there for him but Hart kept shoving him further and further away.

He attended Isabelle's funeral and that was were he met Hart's nephew, Isabelle's son Ryan Wilson. A lovely lad with bright blue eyes that stuck in his mind. Hart would bring Ryan to the station a few times and teach him a few tricks of the trade.

Ryan Wilson, Mitchell wandered how that boy was, he had not heard a peep from Hart about Ryan especially after his father was incarcerated for fraud.

He sighed and lowered his head, Hart was always busy lately, blaming his pregnant fiancé for his used up time and always looking flustered when he did arrive. He was never interested in the case, unless it involved the police getting closer to finding a suspect.

He would ask odd questions that would make Mitchell scrunch up his eyebrows and take a side ways glance in his direction. Hart, himself and Simon where the only officers who knew Yuri had the DNA sample. He ruled out Simon as Simon was with him the whole night working on the Evelyn's case and that only left Hart.

He snuck a glance at Hart from the bottom of the police station steps and realised he was not there, but instead was running after someone in the crowd. He turned back round and ran after Hart, making sure to keep a respectable distance. The weight on his body weighed him down but he kept running, turning a few minutes later when Hart turned but immediately backing up as he witnessed Hart confronting someone in the alley.

"They should start calling you the axe man." The person laughed, Hart grabbed them by the collar and shoved them into the wall, the hood fell off and from what Mitchell could make out, it was a girl with an uncanny resemblance to someone he had seen before, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"I wonder if your partner knows that you're actually a dirty cop ?"  The girl laughed folding her arms.

Mitchell shrunk back and hid behind further along the wall as Hart rose his fists and punched the girl in the eye. The rain was pelting hard against the floor and objects making it harder for him to hear what was being said. He shuffled closer straining his ears.

"Fine. He sent me to make sure Matthew is actually dead." Mitchell's eyes rose in disbelief, he had only spoken to Matthew's mother the other day, she did not tell him that something was wrong. Mitchell backed up and ran back the way he came, he had heard enough for one night, and was still confused about his partner.