From the Corner of his Eye
Pairing: Sean Bean/ David Wenham
Rating: R
Warnings: AU, violence, disability (blindness)
Summary: David Wenham was the perfect suspect. But even though he definitely had the opportunity, Sean just couldn't come up with motive and means.
Beta: moanahine *hugs 'n squishes*
Chapter 8
Sean growled, punching his pillow in annoyance as he turned once again. When had his couch become so uncomfortable? And if it had always been this uncomfortable, then why had he never noticed it before? He hugged his blanket, burying his face in the back rest of the couch.
Too bright. He had already closed the curtains and he had always thought that his living room was rather dark but it seemed that he had been wrong on that account as well. Damn.
He rolled his head from side to side, wincing as his vertebrae cracked audibly. Ouch. He would never, ever again offer a friend to crush on his couch. It would be inhumane. He turned onto his back again, staring at the darkened ceiling. He needed to sleep. Damn. Soon. If he remained awake for much longer then there would not be any point in going to sleep anymore. He was always in a crabby mood if he had not slept enough.
“Sean?”
“Fuck!” Sean rubbed his back, blinking up at the sudden outline that towered over him. “Ouch.” Somehow he managed to disentangle his legs from the blanket without hitting his head or anything else again.
“Sean?” David repeated, feeling for the couch as he took another step towards it. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah.” Sean sighed, frowning. “You just startled me, that's all.”
“And you fell.”
“Yes.” Sean admitted rather sheepishly, awkwardly climbing to his feet. “How'd you get out here?”
“I walked.” David dead-panned. Even in the semi-darkness Sean could see the other man shake his head in amusement. Well. Nice to know that he was still entertaining.
“No, I,”
“I counted the steps.” David grinned. “I'm blind not helpless.”
“Ah.” Sean hugged the blanket to his chest. “Did you need anything?”
“Yes.” David sighed. “For you to stop torturing the couch.”
“Torturing?” Sean repested, eyebrows rising to his hairline.
“Torturing.” David affirmed. “I could hear you hitting the poor thing.”
“Sorry.” Sean hugged the blanket even closer. Damn, but he was cold. And he was sure that he had not forgotten to turn on the heating. “I'll try to be quieter.”
“Why don't you just come to bed instead?”
Come to. Sean blinked, his heart beating as though he had just run a marathon. Well damn. Had he really just heard that?
“Are you sure?” He croaked, clearing his throat.
“I am.” Even in the darkness he could see David smiling at him. “I think we'll both sleep better if we are comfortable. And the bed is big enough.” David paused. “Unless you snore.”
“Snore?” Sean snorted. “No, I don't think so. At least no one has ever complained so far. You?”
“The same.” David held out his hand, obviously waiting for Sean to take it. “Bed?”
“Bed.” Sean grinned, talking the proffered hand. Maybe he would get some sleep after all.
~***~
Sean frowned, unsure what had woken him. Something was off. A low mumble and jerky movement at his side finally tipped him off.
“David?” He whispered, propping himself up on one elbow. “Are you awake?”
A stifled moan and another restless jerk were his only answers. “Damn!”
David was obviously having a nightmare. He froze , his hand hovering only inches above the other man's shoulder. Should he wake him? He had absolutely no idea how David would react to being woken unexpectedly.
“No....” David whispered, the word nothing but a pained moan. “Please... so much blood....”
Sean froze, jerking his hand back. Fortunately David did not wake.
“Scalpe....” David continued to moan, “In the pipe under the sink...”
Sean was completely unable to move as he listened to David's nightmare with baited breath but the other man did not speak again. He merely continued to whimper and tremble till he finally sank back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Sean lay awake for another hour, mind racing and thoughts whirring as he tried to make sense of what he had heard.
~***~
Viggo frowned at the office clock, sniffing at the coffee from the cafeteria in disgust. Ghastly stuff. And it seemed to get worse every time he bought it. He hated mornings. Getting up early was not the problem, but the rush hour and the sleepy, uncoordinated people were. And where the hell was Sean? He should have been here almost an hour ago.
Captain Noble had already asked for him twice and he was rapidly running out of excuses for Sean's absence. He sighed, shaking his head. He needed to work. I was, after all, what he was getting paid for.
He jerked, startled out of his reverie by the ringing of the phone. Probably Noble again. With a last shake of the head he grabbed his jacket. Time to go and get his errant partner . They needed to talk.
~***~
Sean yawned, tugging at his arm, which had fallen asleep sometime during the night. He frowned. His arm was refusing to move. There seemed to be some kind of weight pressing down on it. He opened his eyes, still frowning. The weight was of a blond, tousled nature and firmly attached to David's head.
With a soft smile Sean gave in and allowed himself to run an appreciative hand through David's hair. The other man was resting peacefully, no trace of his nightmare remained to marr his features. He looked serene, the very picture of peace and tranquility .
He sighed, pillowing his head on his free arm and enjoying the opportunity to look at David, to study the other man's features without interruption. David reminded him, in a very weird way, of the way he had looked like himself a few years ago. There was no striking resemblance, except maybe for the rather prominent nose they both shared, but there was something about his features. Something familiar and welcoming.
Only a few seconds later the violent ringing of the doorbell shattered Sean's moment of peaceful contemplation.
~***~
David sighed, yawning and stretching as agitated voices woke him from his slumber. Someone was having a discussion nearby, a rather agitated discussion that bordered on an argument. He stretched again , pondering what to do. He had immideately recognized Sean's voice, and if his memory did not fail him completely, then the second voice belonged to sargeant Mortensen. Hm.
The voices were too low for him to understand what was being said, but he suspected that it had something to do with the case. Why else should Mortensen be at Sean's first thing in the morning?
He frowned, sniffing the air. Nope, no coffee. No breakfast either. Still, he would have to use the bathroom soon anyway, so he might as well get up. Get up and find out what exactly Sean and Mortensen were talking about. Still yawning he got up, listening to the echo of his footsteps as he headed for the door.
~***~
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
David automatically took a step backwards. Phew. That was not what he had expected when he had opened the door.
“What the fuck is wrong with you Sean?” Mortensen continued. “Not only do you not turn up for work, you're also sleeping with the suspect? He's in your bedroom and wearing your fucking clothes!”
“He is not a suspect, he is a witness.”
“Oh yes.” Mortensen's voice was possibly vitriolic. “And that makes it alright.”
“No, but... Viggo!”
David winced as the door slammed shut and silence reigned once more.
“I guess we overslept, huh?” He said finally.
“Yeah.” Sean chuckled darkly. “I guess we did. Apropos,” he walked over to David, “How did you sleep?”
“Well enough.” David grinned. “Especially if one considers the fact that I slept in an alien environment.”
“Alien environment?”
David crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know what I mean.”
“I guess I do.”
David licked his lips, nervously shifting his feet as another uneasy silence fell. He could sense how close Sean was; he knew that he only had to reach out to touch the other man. He shuddered. And maybe kiss him again.
“I started the coffee just before I let Viggo in.” Sean told him. “Do you...”
“Thank you.” David uncrossed and re-crossed his arms. “That's nice of you.”
“I'm late for work.”
“I gathered as much from you partner's outburst.” David said dryly. “You should go.”
“I know, but...” Sean trailed off again.
“But?” David prompted.
“I'd have loved to have breakfast with you.” Sean said instead of a real answer.
“I'm not much of a breakfast-eater anyway.” David grinned into Sean's direction. “I'd really like that coffee, though.”
“Of course. I'll just go, get dressed.” Sean said, starting to move towards David. “I really don't want to throw you out, but...”
“I'd have to leave anyway.” David said, smiling awkwardly. “I'll just go wait for the coffee.”
“I'll be with you in a moment.”
Fuck. David closed his eyes, just as Sean moved past him and into the bedroom. He hated mornings after. And this had definitely been much more awkward than any morning after he had ever experienced. Damn.
~***~
“Thanks again for the jacket.” David said, shivering slightly.
“No problem. Yours is still wet after all.” Sean sighed, watching David from the corner of his eye. The morning could have been wonderful, but it had been more than awkward after Viggo had showed up. And things were continuing to go downwards. Shit. As if they had not had enough awkwardness the evening before. He winced. And it had been his fault. Still, he had at least been honest.
He looked up, watching silently as a black car slowed down, pulled over and stopped right in front of them.
“Your taxi's here.”
“I heard.” David turned to smile at Sean . “Would you help me to the door?”
Sean nodded, remembering just in time that David could not see him. “Of course.”
Sean remained silent as David talked quietly with the taxi driver. He was loathe to see the other man go, but he knew that there was no feasible alternative. And he also knew that part of his reluctance was due to the fact that going to work was bound to end in another confrontation with Viggo. And that was something he really was not keen on.
“Sean?”
“Hm?”
Sean gasped as David suddenly grabbed him and pressed a heated kiss to his lips. He moaned as an insistent tongue demanded entrance. The flavour of coffee and David exploded on his tongue as hands buried themselves in his hair and a lithe body pressed him against the side of the taxi. He gasped helplessly, as the need for oxygen drove them apart again.
“Goobye, Sean.” David whispered against Sean's lips, their breath mixing once more.
Dazed, Sean watched as the taxi - and David with it - disappeared, still completely shocked. He grinned broadly, just as the taxi vanished completely from his sight. Seemed like there were still welcome surprises left in the world. And maybe Viggo would not be so bad to bear after all.
~***~
Okay. Enough was enough. Sean slammed the file shut, glaring at Viggo across the room. He was sick of this.
“Are you going to talk to me anytime soon?” He snapped, his anger increasing even more as Viggo continued with what ever it was that he was doing, completely refusing to even look at him. “Or do I have to suffer your silence for the rest of the day?”
Icy silence remained his only answer. Sean pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, suffering sigh. Great. Why had he thought that things might not be so bad after all?
“And what,” Viggo said, perfectly mimicking Sean's aggressive stare, “Would you have me say?”
“I don't know. Something. Anything.”
“Anything?” Viggo's laugh was brittle and completely without humour. “You do know that I should report you to Noble, don't you?”
“You wouldn't.” Sean hissed. “Nothing happened. And even if it did, it would be none of your business.”
“I don't care who you sleep with,” Viggo retorted, “As long as it isn't the fucking suspect.”
“Witness.”
“Witness, suspect, whatever. It doesn't matter. You're jeopardizing everything we worked for.”
“We?” Sean laughed bitterly. “I have no idea what you were working on, but what ever it is, you definitely didn't tell me. And you most certainly didn't do what I asked you to.”
“You know,” Sean narrowed his eyes even more, snarling as Viggo stood up, “I don't have to listen to this. Really. Not from you.”
“Oh god.” Sean buried his head in his hands, groaning as the door clicked shut. If Viggo went to Noble now, then he was fucked. Well and truly fucked.
~***~
Sean stared listlessly at the strange tea concoction he had ordered. He had no idea what exactly it was and he did not care, either. He also had no idea whether Viggo had reported him to Noble or not, but he was beyond caring. Everything had gone to hell in a hand basket . Absolutely everything.
Unless he managhed to find and arrest the murderer before Noble could get a hold of him and assign the case to someone else. He could, of course, hope that Viggo would overlook the whole situation with David but at the moment he sincerely doubted that he could be that lucky. Right now he had really absolutely no idea what to expect from his junior partner.
Sean was so lost in his musings that he did not notice the quiet shadow that had followed him into the coffee shop, slipped into a booth nearby and kept on watching him. David, however, had. And acted immediately.
~***~
“Listen, officer.” David leaned down on the counter, grateful to finally be able to rest his weight on something. “I need to speak to Inspector Bean. Now.”
“Inspector Bean is not in.” He could hear the man sigh and shuffle some papers. “I already phoned his office. Twice.”
“But I need to speak to him.”
“And I already said that I cannot help you.” The police officer said. “And you're keeping me from my work.”
“It is your work to help citizens.” David retorted. “And I need you to help me by finding Inspector Bean.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning as the man on the other side of the counter remained silent. “Please.” David said after a while. “I have reason to believe that he is in danger. Grave danger.”
“Of course.” David grimaced at the sarcasm in the other man's voice. “I am also in danger, Mr Wenham.” The police man continued. “I am in grave danger of losing my patience.”
“But...” David shook his head, frustration welling up inside of him. He had to do something. The foreboding feeling of running out of time was getting worse. “Habib.” He said, smiling. Yes, that could work.
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Constable Habib.” David clarified. “I'd like to speak to Constble Habib.”
“Whatever.” David released a sigh of relief as he heard the man punch some numbers into a phone. Finally.
~***~
He frowned as he recognized the man who had just entered the shop and was now, together with the police constable that accompanied him, heading straight for the Insepector . The guy from the crime scene. His watcher. And if he was not mistaken, then the constable had also been at the scene. This was too much to be coincidence. And he did not like it at all.
Every time he saw the guy his sense of deja-vu strengthened, taking him back to the first woman he had killed again and again. It was more than mere chance, more than just coincidence. Still, he failed to see the connection just yet. He exhaled a long-suffering sigh, burying his face in his hands.
He longed to get rid of the detective's little friend. Wanted to see him on the ground, pale and bleeding and saved, staring up with no life whatsoever left in those blind, blue eyes.
A crackling sound drew him out of the silent rage he had been sliding into. He had to concentrate on something else. The small change clattered hollowly on the table as he put it down. Cautious not to arouse any suspicion he left the shop, his hand toying with the hilt of the hunting knife that he kept hidden in the pocket of his coat. If there really was a connection between his first victim and the detective's toy, then the toy was an intolerable risk.
~***~
“Constable Habib.” Sean looked up, frowning as a shadow fell onto him. “What are you doing here?”
“I found someone who was looking for you. Or rather ,” Constable Habib smiled, “That someone found me.”
“David.” Sean smiled as he finally noticed the other man, who had been half-hiding behind the Constable.
“Well.” Constable Habib coughed , just as David opened his mouth to answer. “I'll leave you two to it, then.” Sean's eyebrows rose as she winked at David, patting the other man's shoulder. “Good luck.”
“Good luck?” Sean repeated, his eyes immediately gluing themselves to David's face as the other man sat down “Why is she wishing you luck?”
“Because she didn't expect you to be in a good mood?”
“I see.” Sean said dryly, waving at the nearest waitress. “Coffee?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sean barely resisted the urge to reach out to the other man. Better not to indulge in a public display of affection right now. The shop was way too close to the station and there were always at least a few officers here. “So I take it someone at the station heard Viggo's and my discussion?”
“People love to gossip.” David shrugged. “Is it as bad as they say it is?”
“How bad do they say it is?”
“Habib said that you could be taken off the case.”
“Oh, that.” Sean took his spoon, twirling it around. “It is.” He gave David a crooked smile . “I'm still officially on the case, though. And I have no intention of going violently.”
“That's good to know.” David smiled. “I...”
Sean frowned as the other man hesitated. “You what?”
“I've got new information.” David hesitated again. “The killer called me.”
Fuck. Sean frowned, feeling the desperate urge to hit his head against the table. David had only come because of the murderer. “I think we'd better talk about this at the station.” He said, frowning. “Once you're done with your coffee.”
“But...” David sighed, shaking his head as he trailed off. “Okay.” He nodded, obviously reluctant to agree. “But you won't like what I have to say.”
“I kind of suspected that much.” Sean said dryly, watching over the rim of his mug. He had really hoped that David had come without a specific reason. Other than missing Sean or talking about what Sean had secretly started to call “the kiss”. The kiss that his mind insisted on replaying time and again, driving him to distraction with the memory of David's lips on his, David's hands in his hair and David's body pressed against his. He shifted uncomfortably, telling his mind to change the fucking subject already. It would be better for all of them. Or at least much less embarrassing.
Chapter 9
Rating: R
Warnings: AU, violence, disability (blindness)
Summary: David Wenham was the perfect suspect. But even though he definitely had the opportunity, Sean just couldn't come up with motive and means.
Beta: moanahine *hugs 'n squishes*
Chapter 8
Sean growled, punching his pillow in annoyance as he turned once again. When had his couch become so uncomfortable? And if it had always been this uncomfortable, then why had he never noticed it before? He hugged his blanket, burying his face in the back rest of the couch.
Too bright. He had already closed the curtains and he had always thought that his living room was rather dark but it seemed that he had been wrong on that account as well. Damn.
He rolled his head from side to side, wincing as his vertebrae cracked audibly. Ouch. He would never, ever again offer a friend to crush on his couch. It would be inhumane. He turned onto his back again, staring at the darkened ceiling. He needed to sleep. Damn. Soon. If he remained awake for much longer then there would not be any point in going to sleep anymore. He was always in a crabby mood if he had not slept enough.
“Sean?”
“Fuck!” Sean rubbed his back, blinking up at the sudden outline that towered over him. “Ouch.” Somehow he managed to disentangle his legs from the blanket without hitting his head or anything else again.
“Sean?” David repeated, feeling for the couch as he took another step towards it. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah.” Sean sighed, frowning. “You just startled me, that's all.”
“And you fell.”
“Yes.” Sean admitted rather sheepishly, awkwardly climbing to his feet. “How'd you get out here?”
“I walked.” David dead-panned. Even in the semi-darkness Sean could see the other man shake his head in amusement. Well. Nice to know that he was still entertaining.
“No, I,”
“I counted the steps.” David grinned. “I'm blind not helpless.”
“Ah.” Sean hugged the blanket to his chest. “Did you need anything?”
“Yes.” David sighed. “For you to stop torturing the couch.”
“Torturing?” Sean repested, eyebrows rising to his hairline.
“Torturing.” David affirmed. “I could hear you hitting the poor thing.”
“Sorry.” Sean hugged the blanket even closer. Damn, but he was cold. And he was sure that he had not forgotten to turn on the heating. “I'll try to be quieter.”
“Why don't you just come to bed instead?”
Come to. Sean blinked, his heart beating as though he had just run a marathon. Well damn. Had he really just heard that?
“Are you sure?” He croaked, clearing his throat.
“I am.” Even in the darkness he could see David smiling at him. “I think we'll both sleep better if we are comfortable. And the bed is big enough.” David paused. “Unless you snore.”
“Snore?” Sean snorted. “No, I don't think so. At least no one has ever complained so far. You?”
“The same.” David held out his hand, obviously waiting for Sean to take it. “Bed?”
“Bed.” Sean grinned, talking the proffered hand. Maybe he would get some sleep after all.
~***~
Sean frowned, unsure what had woken him. Something was off. A low mumble and jerky movement at his side finally tipped him off.
“David?” He whispered, propping himself up on one elbow. “Are you awake?”
A stifled moan and another restless jerk were his only answers. “Damn!”
David was obviously having a nightmare. He froze , his hand hovering only inches above the other man's shoulder. Should he wake him? He had absolutely no idea how David would react to being woken unexpectedly.
“No....” David whispered, the word nothing but a pained moan. “Please... so much blood....”
Sean froze, jerking his hand back. Fortunately David did not wake.
“Scalpe....” David continued to moan, “In the pipe under the sink...”
Sean was completely unable to move as he listened to David's nightmare with baited breath but the other man did not speak again. He merely continued to whimper and tremble till he finally sank back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Sean lay awake for another hour, mind racing and thoughts whirring as he tried to make sense of what he had heard.
~***~
Viggo frowned at the office clock, sniffing at the coffee from the cafeteria in disgust. Ghastly stuff. And it seemed to get worse every time he bought it. He hated mornings. Getting up early was not the problem, but the rush hour and the sleepy, uncoordinated people were. And where the hell was Sean? He should have been here almost an hour ago.
Captain Noble had already asked for him twice and he was rapidly running out of excuses for Sean's absence. He sighed, shaking his head. He needed to work. I was, after all, what he was getting paid for.
He jerked, startled out of his reverie by the ringing of the phone. Probably Noble again. With a last shake of the head he grabbed his jacket. Time to go and get his errant partner . They needed to talk.
~***~
Sean yawned, tugging at his arm, which had fallen asleep sometime during the night. He frowned. His arm was refusing to move. There seemed to be some kind of weight pressing down on it. He opened his eyes, still frowning. The weight was of a blond, tousled nature and firmly attached to David's head.
With a soft smile Sean gave in and allowed himself to run an appreciative hand through David's hair. The other man was resting peacefully, no trace of his nightmare remained to marr his features. He looked serene, the very picture of peace and tranquility .
He sighed, pillowing his head on his free arm and enjoying the opportunity to look at David, to study the other man's features without interruption. David reminded him, in a very weird way, of the way he had looked like himself a few years ago. There was no striking resemblance, except maybe for the rather prominent nose they both shared, but there was something about his features. Something familiar and welcoming.
Only a few seconds later the violent ringing of the doorbell shattered Sean's moment of peaceful contemplation.
~***~
David sighed, yawning and stretching as agitated voices woke him from his slumber. Someone was having a discussion nearby, a rather agitated discussion that bordered on an argument. He stretched again , pondering what to do. He had immideately recognized Sean's voice, and if his memory did not fail him completely, then the second voice belonged to sargeant Mortensen. Hm.
The voices were too low for him to understand what was being said, but he suspected that it had something to do with the case. Why else should Mortensen be at Sean's first thing in the morning?
He frowned, sniffing the air. Nope, no coffee. No breakfast either. Still, he would have to use the bathroom soon anyway, so he might as well get up. Get up and find out what exactly Sean and Mortensen were talking about. Still yawning he got up, listening to the echo of his footsteps as he headed for the door.
~***~
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
David automatically took a step backwards. Phew. That was not what he had expected when he had opened the door.
“What the fuck is wrong with you Sean?” Mortensen continued. “Not only do you not turn up for work, you're also sleeping with the suspect? He's in your bedroom and wearing your fucking clothes!”
“He is not a suspect, he is a witness.”
“Oh yes.” Mortensen's voice was possibly vitriolic. “And that makes it alright.”
“No, but... Viggo!”
David winced as the door slammed shut and silence reigned once more.
“I guess we overslept, huh?” He said finally.
“Yeah.” Sean chuckled darkly. “I guess we did. Apropos,” he walked over to David, “How did you sleep?”
“Well enough.” David grinned. “Especially if one considers the fact that I slept in an alien environment.”
“Alien environment?”
David crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know what I mean.”
“I guess I do.”
David licked his lips, nervously shifting his feet as another uneasy silence fell. He could sense how close Sean was; he knew that he only had to reach out to touch the other man. He shuddered. And maybe kiss him again.
“I started the coffee just before I let Viggo in.” Sean told him. “Do you...”
“Thank you.” David uncrossed and re-crossed his arms. “That's nice of you.”
“I'm late for work.”
“I gathered as much from you partner's outburst.” David said dryly. “You should go.”
“I know, but...” Sean trailed off again.
“But?” David prompted.
“I'd have loved to have breakfast with you.” Sean said instead of a real answer.
“I'm not much of a breakfast-eater anyway.” David grinned into Sean's direction. “I'd really like that coffee, though.”
“Of course. I'll just go, get dressed.” Sean said, starting to move towards David. “I really don't want to throw you out, but...”
“I'd have to leave anyway.” David said, smiling awkwardly. “I'll just go wait for the coffee.”
“I'll be with you in a moment.”
Fuck. David closed his eyes, just as Sean moved past him and into the bedroom. He hated mornings after. And this had definitely been much more awkward than any morning after he had ever experienced. Damn.
~***~
“Thanks again for the jacket.” David said, shivering slightly.
“No problem. Yours is still wet after all.” Sean sighed, watching David from the corner of his eye. The morning could have been wonderful, but it had been more than awkward after Viggo had showed up. And things were continuing to go downwards. Shit. As if they had not had enough awkwardness the evening before. He winced. And it had been his fault. Still, he had at least been honest.
He looked up, watching silently as a black car slowed down, pulled over and stopped right in front of them.
“Your taxi's here.”
“I heard.” David turned to smile at Sean . “Would you help me to the door?”
Sean nodded, remembering just in time that David could not see him. “Of course.”
Sean remained silent as David talked quietly with the taxi driver. He was loathe to see the other man go, but he knew that there was no feasible alternative. And he also knew that part of his reluctance was due to the fact that going to work was bound to end in another confrontation with Viggo. And that was something he really was not keen on.
“Sean?”
“Hm?”
Sean gasped as David suddenly grabbed him and pressed a heated kiss to his lips. He moaned as an insistent tongue demanded entrance. The flavour of coffee and David exploded on his tongue as hands buried themselves in his hair and a lithe body pressed him against the side of the taxi. He gasped helplessly, as the need for oxygen drove them apart again.
“Goobye, Sean.” David whispered against Sean's lips, their breath mixing once more.
Dazed, Sean watched as the taxi - and David with it - disappeared, still completely shocked. He grinned broadly, just as the taxi vanished completely from his sight. Seemed like there were still welcome surprises left in the world. And maybe Viggo would not be so bad to bear after all.
~***~
Okay. Enough was enough. Sean slammed the file shut, glaring at Viggo across the room. He was sick of this.
“Are you going to talk to me anytime soon?” He snapped, his anger increasing even more as Viggo continued with what ever it was that he was doing, completely refusing to even look at him. “Or do I have to suffer your silence for the rest of the day?”
Icy silence remained his only answer. Sean pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, suffering sigh. Great. Why had he thought that things might not be so bad after all?
“And what,” Viggo said, perfectly mimicking Sean's aggressive stare, “Would you have me say?”
“I don't know. Something. Anything.”
“Anything?” Viggo's laugh was brittle and completely without humour. “You do know that I should report you to Noble, don't you?”
“You wouldn't.” Sean hissed. “Nothing happened. And even if it did, it would be none of your business.”
“I don't care who you sleep with,” Viggo retorted, “As long as it isn't the fucking suspect.”
“Witness.”
“Witness, suspect, whatever. It doesn't matter. You're jeopardizing everything we worked for.”
“We?” Sean laughed bitterly. “I have no idea what you were working on, but what ever it is, you definitely didn't tell me. And you most certainly didn't do what I asked you to.”
“You know,” Sean narrowed his eyes even more, snarling as Viggo stood up, “I don't have to listen to this. Really. Not from you.”
“Oh god.” Sean buried his head in his hands, groaning as the door clicked shut. If Viggo went to Noble now, then he was fucked. Well and truly fucked.
~***~
Sean stared listlessly at the strange tea concoction he had ordered. He had no idea what exactly it was and he did not care, either. He also had no idea whether Viggo had reported him to Noble or not, but he was beyond caring. Everything had gone to hell in a hand basket . Absolutely everything.
Unless he managhed to find and arrest the murderer before Noble could get a hold of him and assign the case to someone else. He could, of course, hope that Viggo would overlook the whole situation with David but at the moment he sincerely doubted that he could be that lucky. Right now he had really absolutely no idea what to expect from his junior partner.
Sean was so lost in his musings that he did not notice the quiet shadow that had followed him into the coffee shop, slipped into a booth nearby and kept on watching him. David, however, had. And acted immediately.
~***~
“Listen, officer.” David leaned down on the counter, grateful to finally be able to rest his weight on something. “I need to speak to Inspector Bean. Now.”
“Inspector Bean is not in.” He could hear the man sigh and shuffle some papers. “I already phoned his office. Twice.”
“But I need to speak to him.”
“And I already said that I cannot help you.” The police officer said. “And you're keeping me from my work.”
“It is your work to help citizens.” David retorted. “And I need you to help me by finding Inspector Bean.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning as the man on the other side of the counter remained silent. “Please.” David said after a while. “I have reason to believe that he is in danger. Grave danger.”
“Of course.” David grimaced at the sarcasm in the other man's voice. “I am also in danger, Mr Wenham.” The police man continued. “I am in grave danger of losing my patience.”
“But...” David shook his head, frustration welling up inside of him. He had to do something. The foreboding feeling of running out of time was getting worse. “Habib.” He said, smiling. Yes, that could work.
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Constable Habib.” David clarified. “I'd like to speak to Constble Habib.”
“Whatever.” David released a sigh of relief as he heard the man punch some numbers into a phone. Finally.
~***~
He frowned as he recognized the man who had just entered the shop and was now, together with the police constable that accompanied him, heading straight for the Insepector . The guy from the crime scene. His watcher. And if he was not mistaken, then the constable had also been at the scene. This was too much to be coincidence. And he did not like it at all.
Every time he saw the guy his sense of deja-vu strengthened, taking him back to the first woman he had killed again and again. It was more than mere chance, more than just coincidence. Still, he failed to see the connection just yet. He exhaled a long-suffering sigh, burying his face in his hands.
He longed to get rid of the detective's little friend. Wanted to see him on the ground, pale and bleeding and saved, staring up with no life whatsoever left in those blind, blue eyes.
A crackling sound drew him out of the silent rage he had been sliding into. He had to concentrate on something else. The small change clattered hollowly on the table as he put it down. Cautious not to arouse any suspicion he left the shop, his hand toying with the hilt of the hunting knife that he kept hidden in the pocket of his coat. If there really was a connection between his first victim and the detective's toy, then the toy was an intolerable risk.
~***~
“Constable Habib.” Sean looked up, frowning as a shadow fell onto him. “What are you doing here?”
“I found someone who was looking for you. Or rather ,” Constable Habib smiled, “That someone found me.”
“David.” Sean smiled as he finally noticed the other man, who had been half-hiding behind the Constable.
“Well.” Constable Habib coughed , just as David opened his mouth to answer. “I'll leave you two to it, then.” Sean's eyebrows rose as she winked at David, patting the other man's shoulder. “Good luck.”
“Good luck?” Sean repeated, his eyes immediately gluing themselves to David's face as the other man sat down “Why is she wishing you luck?”
“Because she didn't expect you to be in a good mood?”
“I see.” Sean said dryly, waving at the nearest waitress. “Coffee?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sean barely resisted the urge to reach out to the other man. Better not to indulge in a public display of affection right now. The shop was way too close to the station and there were always at least a few officers here. “So I take it someone at the station heard Viggo's and my discussion?”
“People love to gossip.” David shrugged. “Is it as bad as they say it is?”
“How bad do they say it is?”
“Habib said that you could be taken off the case.”
“Oh, that.” Sean took his spoon, twirling it around. “It is.” He gave David a crooked smile . “I'm still officially on the case, though. And I have no intention of going violently.”
“That's good to know.” David smiled. “I...”
Sean frowned as the other man hesitated. “You what?”
“I've got new information.” David hesitated again. “The killer called me.”
Fuck. Sean frowned, feeling the desperate urge to hit his head against the table. David had only come because of the murderer. “I think we'd better talk about this at the station.” He said, frowning. “Once you're done with your coffee.”
“But...” David sighed, shaking his head as he trailed off. “Okay.” He nodded, obviously reluctant to agree. “But you won't like what I have to say.”
“I kind of suspected that much.” Sean said dryly, watching over the rim of his mug. He had really hoped that David had come without a specific reason. Other than missing Sean or talking about what Sean had secretly started to call “the kiss”. The kiss that his mind insisted on replaying time and again, driving him to distraction with the memory of David's lips on his, David's hands in his hair and David's body pressed against his. He shifted uncomfortably, telling his mind to change the fucking subject already. It would be better for all of them. Or at least much less embarrassing.
Chapter 9