I'll Help You Hide From Them

Kept in the Dark

On the way to my desk, I can't help but notice an eerie silence spreading in earshot of me. There's also a more discomforting amount of stares in my direction. I notice on the other side of the room a few officers haven't noticed that I've entered the room so I simply sneak over to them, looking at their monitor to see a map with a flashing "A" icon on it.

I curiously read all the information I can see while listening in on their conversation.

"We need to find him now!" One of them almost yells.

"We will but maybe it's got something to do with – oh Detective Woolnough! How are you today?" One of them interrupts himself while they hide everything on the monitor.

"Feeling a little more like defective Woolnough." I dryly reply. "What were you looking at just now?" I check curiously.

"A tagger broke out of jail." One of them blatantly lies.

"I thought you two were also homicide. Did this tagger kill someone important?" I ask, playing along a little.

They look very flustered before one of them think up an answer. "Lemmings, you remember him, he retired not even a month ago."

"Oh no, he was so friendly." I sigh, not at all convinced but putting on appearances to avoid having them totally panic even more than they are already. It doesn't stop me from continuing poking around. "I should see his family and let them know that the best people I know are working on it."

"No, it's fine. We're currently tracking the tagger down. We'll talk to the family the second we have good news." They are almost panicky at how I'm reacting.

"Is there anyway I could aid the investigation? Lemmings was almost like a mentor to me, I should at least be allowed to help seeing as it's an all hands on deck situation." I suggest.

They're just about to politely decline when I'm called by Laurence.

I look around again, lip-reading some officers mention something about a shooter. My eyebrows form a curious frown but I head towards Laurence's office, aware of all the eyes in the room following me.

Kier gives me a concerned look but stays quiet.

"Drew, I think you should spend the rest of the day at home." Laurence starts.

"Is this about the prison escapee?" I confront.

Laurence and Kier exchange a worried glance. "What do you know?"

"Something about a prison escapee and a shooter. The fact that I'm being sent home in what seems to be some kind of protective custody means that the shooter probably is the same man who shot Ralph. Does that mean you have a name?" I challenge.

"Drew, you know that even if we have, I wouldn't be able to tell you. You were taken off the case for a very good reason." He points out.

"But Kier knows, the whole police know! He shot my partner right in front of me!" I snap.

"Drew, control yourself!" Laurence warns.

I nervously look at Kier, feeling guilty about that outburst. Kier looks a little upset to hear about how his brother was killed but I can tell he's staying strong for me.

"What about the case? Am I supposed to just let a killer walk?" I challenge.

"You will continue investigating the case under protective custody. We can't risk you being in the cross hairs much longer. This is the only solution which will benefit all the parties involved." Laurence coolly replies.

"By that you mean you can keep me tied to my desk before you can use the next cuts to get rid of me. Hell it means you no longer need to pay for my rehabilitation so why not?" I growl.

"It's not like that Drew. After you've been through such a traumatising experience the best action is to monitor you closely so that we can see what you're ready to go back to and what you're not. You haven't even properly passed your psyche evaluation and with your physical rehabilitation it's a stretch to say you pass standards in the least." He sternly points out.

Even though I've been thinking all this, it hurts to hear my Captain of all people tell me these facts. "Does this mean I have to turn in my badge?" I quietly ask.

"You should try to train yourself to pass the physical tests and really work hard to pass the psyche evaluation. I know Dr. Illingworth will help you with that in any way he can so you're in good hands." He tells me to reassure me. "Until then, you should hand over your gun. It's not a good idea for you to keep carrying it while you're still unstable."

I don't hesitate in handing it over but instantly feel worried to lose my only sign of security. Laurence puts it away in his drawer, locking it to make sure I don't steal it from him.

"Kier and a handful of officers will escort you home and keep you safe." He tells me before nodding at Kier to guide me out.