Hiding Within The Betrayal

Chapter Forty Four: Heavy Duty Kitchen Scissors

By the time I dared to venture out of my office, an hour or so had passed. Leaving it so long, I had hoped that all the gossip about my outburst would have subsided since they had so much work to be getting on with. After all, it didn't make me look good, I was going to simply brush it under the rug, deal with the private company when we had found Ethel Donson. This wasn't the case as they were evidently still talking about what went off and weren't subtle about it.

Merely had I opened the door, every single head in that room spun around and discussion dropped like an atomic bomb. Conversations between pairs or small clusters were killed off like flies with insecticide. Arguably, they could have been about the case, that is off course if they hadn't immediately cut off their own sentences as soon as they realised that I had come into the room and then returned immediately to their tasks. There was an eminently distinguishable ten seconds where no one said a word - when that passed, things involved with the case started to be mentioned. A notably obvious cover up for the fact that they had been talking about their boss and what had happened earlier. In short terms, I was utterly embarrassed.

I slipped over to Tess. The only member who sat alone. She waited for me to speak first, "So what has the team got done this morning?"

She turned to some sheets on her desk, moving things around as she spoke, avoiding looking at me directly, "Oh, you're best of asking them, I haven't had a chance to speak to them yet. The phone's been-"

"Right." I responded.

Tucking the strip of hair that fell in front of my eyes back behind my ears, taking a deep breath to ready myself. I was still wound up over what had happened and how it had taken this long for me to find out. More than anything, I was prepared to just up and leave.

I turned away from Tess, about to join the group when she stopped me, "Detective?"

Looking back at her, "Yeah?"

"I've just got off the phone to one of the companies who are involved in the search for children of the Flesh Monster cases. They were the team who solved the first murder and they wanted to speak to you about Ethel..."

Why would an outside team know about the case we were working on? Then it hit me, Patrick was a mole. He hadn't just told people about me but about everything that went down in the office. Shaking my head, "Well this is our case not there's, we can't even be sure if it is homicide, we have no reason to believe that the girl is dead." She bit her lip. I knew what that meant. Trying not to get irked, "Spit it out."

Tess wiggled side to side before responding, "It's just that- Well, there's been two calls this morning already about the case we are working on. Seems that word about Ethel's unusual disappearance has-"

"I'm done listening!"

Without letting her finish, I turned into the room and strode off. Joining the team who I had instructed the previous day to find links between past Flesh Monster cases and outs to see if there were any comparisons which would determine how we went forward. It became undoubtedly clear that they hadn't got any further than they had since I last checked in on them. For clarification, that was the day before. Out of frustration, I slammed down the paperwork back onto the desk in front of them, "So is anyone going to explain why we are no closer to an answer than we were yesterday?"

They all looked between one another before a few shit excuses popped up. 'We couldn't access the files, 'they only released vague points about it' and even 'what you asked for was too vague' that was when I lost it. I couldn't deal with them. Normally, I admired every person in that office, they followed what I set them and together worked to help make me look good when I found the child but this was different. They hadn't followed my instructions.

It was as if they had gone back to having a primary school mentality, too busy talking to be able to continue with what I had asked them to do. They were supposed to be gathering information to help narrow down what we needed to look for in Ethel's case. I made it very clear that if we were able to pin it on the Flesh Monster that it would change the way we looked at it. If we could be highly positive in saying it was him then we could calculate how many days we had left before we found her face skinned and hung up like some modern wall art.

I bashed my hands against the table, causing all of them to lean back startled, "If we do not find this girl then I will blame you for her ending up dead, do you hear me?" Even the few who were known for snapping back didn't dare say a word, "If you all do as I say then we might actually solve this case." I stood from the table waiting for them to move but it was as if they were in slow motion, "Now!" I ragged. Like that they set off like working ants.

Still in a world pool of emotions, I thought taking a step out of the office would cool me off. I was about to walk out of the office when I thought about everything. A lightning bolt of emotion struck my chest, I knew that a few minutes away from it all wasn't going to change anything. No part of me wanted to be there, I cared deeply for the case but I had no intention of doing anything about it after what went off. Maybe the team took my lecture to heart and would carry on with work but I was in no shape to do so. I went back over to Tess.

Before she had the chance to question me, I spoke in a low tone so that no one would overhear, "I'm taking the rest of today off. Don't be surprised if I decide not to come in tomorrow. Make sure that they stay on track. Forget about the admin work until I'm back, it's not important. I want you on the case."

Her eyes shook, "You can't just leave!"

"Watch me."

And I did. I left. Walked straight out of the office without another word. Got into my car and drove home. She rang me twice before I turned my phone over to airplane mode.

By the time I got home, I was ready for an easy afternoon. That's when I remembered what was in the backseat. I saw it in the reflection of the interior mirror. His hoodie. The only remaining thing I had of his. The only attachment I had. A reminder that it was real. I lent over and grabbed it marching with it into the block of flats.

I raided the kitchen draws for the scissors. The heavy duty kitchen scissors that he would always put back in the wrong place. When I located them, the draw got slammed back in. I snipped. Over and over again. Left, right and center aimlessly. Hacking away at the expensive hoodie in the way that I wanted to slice him. When I was finished with the bundle of fabric, I tossed it to the ground. But I still wasn't satisfied. I grabbed the lighter from the bottom draw and headed to the bathroom for a can of deodorant before taking the shreds and leaving the building. Tossing all of the items into the passenger seat I drove out to the nearest clearing. I walked for what felt like miles before finding a good spot. I threw the shreds of hoodie to the ground and clicked the lighter. Spraying close to the fabric, I swung the lighter towards it. Roaring flames singed the edges of the hoodie. Watching it go up in flames. I screamed. In tears of animosity. Watching the last memory of him burn to ashes.

I stayed out for most of the night. Ignoring the rest of the world even when the sun fled the sky.

I couldn't care less.

By the time I returned home, sleep came easy.

When I awoke the next day, I didn't need to check the time to know that I should have been at work. But I had no intention of going in. I couldn't care less about working on the case. I hated my team. I hated everything. Why wouldn't I after what happened?

I hadn't been up an hour before the drinking started. Watching reruns of old TV shows in yesterday's clothes looking like a homeless person. I slept on and off for hours.

A knock came to the door and I wasn't even sure that it was what I had heard.

I hadn't ordered a take away. Not that I could recall at least. And I certainly wasn't expecting company. I was too curious though. Bothering to get up from the sofa, I made my way to the front door. Another round of impatient knocking came. I didn't check who it was when I fell into the door frame as I unhooked the chain. Pulling open the door. I was less than pleased with the face that greeted me. I didn't appreciate being interrupted.