Unidentified

Chapter 2

"Detective Ashton?" Bryan called determinedly, if not a tad bit nervously, through the closed door.

"Come in," came a somewhat gruff voice from the other side. The man's intended polite and welcoming voice at that moment sounded so painstakingly fake. Bryan could figuratively see through him within a single instant without having even literally seen him yet. He could immediately tell that their work relationship would start off a bit rocky assuming that this guy was currently just putting up an act, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Without another moment's hesitation, Bryan reached his free hand towards the dull, metal doorknob, twisting it then taking a step into the dimly lit office. In fact, there was practically no light at all except for that coming from a computer screen. There was a bit of a greasy coating on the handle which Bryan, with much disgust, wiped onto his pant leg while shutting the door behind him with his heel.

"Excuse me," Bryan declared, clearing his throat. At that moment the man finally decided to look up from his computer (the only source of light in the room) to make eye contact. He pulled off a set of thick-rimmed glasses; he was presumably far-sighted. "You are Detective Ashton, are you not?"

Obviously trying to hide a scowl, the man replied, "yes, I am him. What can I do ya for?"

"My name is Bryan Cozart. I have been sent with, I'll be honest, very limited instructions by Chief Carlos Martinez to be your partner, Detective." Any trace of the false politeness was immediately erased from the man's face, replaced with a rather displeased and aggressive expression.

"The hell'd you say...?" He growled, standing up from his desk and taking a few menacing steps in Bryan's direction. Instinctively, Bryan began slowly backing up until he was pressed up against the door, the Detective only a few inches from his face, looking down slightly to glare into the eyes of the shorter and smaller Bryan. Ashton slowly began to raise his right hand, causing Bryan to flinch and close his eyes. A moment passed and suddenly the backs of his eyelids lit up. Taking a few seconds to blink and let his eyes adjust to the new light, he realized that that was all that the taller man was doing; turning on the lights; the light switch was just to Bryan's left after all.

"I said that my name is Bryan Cozart and that Chief Carlos Martinez sent me to be your partner." Now that the lights were turned on, he could see the man and the room much more clearly. The detective was indeed taller than he himself was; a solid six foot three inches Bryan estimated. He had dusty brown hair that was getting slightly too long as it was starting to curl over the man's ears and into his eyes. It wasn't a bad look, however, only making him look a tiny bit disheveled (okay, maybe somewhat more than a tiny bit). He had a five o'clock shadow and dark bags under his ivory-blue eyes, leading Bryan to believe that he often had difficulty sleeping, causing him to then oversleep and not have enough time to shave that morning before having to rush to work. Judging by the empty poptart package on the top of his overflowing trashbin, he didn't have enough time to eat a healthy and balanced breakfast either. What a shame.

"Fucking perfect. Just what I needed this morning!" Ashton shouted, throwing his hands into the air. He wore an old pair of tennis shoes, a set of baggy blue jeans, and a graphic tee that was tight around his shoulders and was tucked into his belt. Heck if Bryan actually knew what the graphics on the shirt were though; he was highly uninterested in anything that would be worth depicting on clothing.

"It's a pleasure to be working with you, Detective Ashton," Bryan said, trying to disregard the unnecessary attitude and make the best of what was, frankly, a shitty situation. "Just let me know how I can be of assistance, and I will gladly help."

"Look kid," Ashton said, shoving his index finger into Bryan's chest. "I don't need a partner. And even if I did need one, it certainly wouldn't be some punk-ass, fresh-outa-college newbie who thinks he's hot shit. Got it?" Bryan glanced from one eye to the other, trying to choose the best approach in this overwhelming situation.