Watch Your Back

3- Damage Control.

That afternoon, at about three p.m, Edmund excused himself from Blakely's office on the pretext of going home early. He had been mulling over the best way to present his wrongdoings to Superintendent Bone for the majority of the afternoon, and he had concluded that the best option was just to explain his actions and offer to leave.

All the same, he felt like he had a pit of lead in his stomach, and also slightly wanted to cry. He thought it was shame - assumed it was shame - but truth be told he had begun to love this place as a second home, and he didn't really want to have to leave. 

Particularly because he knew, or rather hoped, that Hawes would eventually come back.

He stood next to a water fountain, and took a cup, to try and steady his nerves. He wished above all else that there was another way out of this scenario, but the more he searched, the less he found.

"Are you alright? You look like you're about to burst into tears."

Anna Kovlova was again, at his elbow, having magically appeared there, as she always seemed to do. 

"Yeah" Edmund lied. 

"Mmmm" Anna mused, clearly humouring him. "Blakely isn't that bad, is he?"

"Why are you talking to me again, all of a sudden?" Edmund shot back, aiming to be aggressive just so he could get her to go away. She glared, clearly put out.

"I thought you might want a friend. Or something. Since my aunt's left."

"Thanks for the sentiment."

Edmund threw the cup in the bin a little violently, and tried to make a swift exit. Anna blocked him.

"What's got into you?" she snapped, grabbing his arm. "What's happened? Something's happened. Tell me."

"None of your buisness!" Edmund retorted hotly, wrenching his arm away. "Whether you're acting for Cammie and Hawes or not. I don't care. None of you are sharing your problems with me, so I'm not fucking sharing mine with you!"

Later on, when Edmund looked back at that moment, he only saw genuine concern in Anna's eyes as she stared at him, seemingly trying to understand what he meant, and failing. At the time, blinded by frustration, he saw nothing. She had stepped back a little due to the sheer force of his outburst, and Edmund took his chance.

"Just leave me alone. Please" he sighed, pushing past her and stalking quickly off to Bone's office, leaning over to speak to his secretary, who, he noticed, wasn't Amy.

"Amy told me to tell you she's on holiday, D.S. Gray. She'll be back next week" the new receptionist smiled thinly, as Edmund showed her his I.D. card. She was pale, with dark hair and incredibly spindly fingers, decorated with jet black matte nail polish. 

"Cheers" Edmund replied, drumming his fingers on the top of the PC. "Do you know if Bone's free? I'd like a word."

The receptionist tilted her head to one side, quizzically, like a blackbird.

"I'll ask" she told Edmund, getting up and disappearing momentarily. Edmund's drumming fingers intensified, and the top of the P.C. was wobbling rather when the receptionist returned, looking curiously at him.

"He says go right ahead" she told Edmund, sitting back down at her desk and straightening the computer. Edmund passed her by without another word. 

Bone beamed at him as he opened the door and entered, which only made Edmund feel worse about the whole scenario. He sat down at at the Superintendent's request, and took a deep breath.