When DC Kent entered the incident room half an hour after his shift started - again, for the second time in one week - DI Chandler was very close to loosing it. The young man was everything but his usual clean professionalism, unshaved, his shirt hanging lose from his trousers, the waistcoat misbuttoned and the hair looked as if it had given a home to one of London´s countless pigeons. This was rebellion, an uprising, almost betrayal of the whole universe against him Joseph Chandler. The world fell out of place ever since he asked Morgan out.
The rubber band did quite well regarding the circumstances. It was the seventeenth and the skin of both wrists was sore from the snaps. But considering the constant yelling of light switches and pins, pens and chalk of being counted and properly aligned to restore some order in this world were muffled now, it had really helped. And now this!
„You dun have to sleep in the bloody barrel,lad. You smell like a distillery." Miles threw at their youngster."Get to your place I´ll fetch you a coffee and we have a talk."As the team stared at the youngest DC´s walk of shame to his desk, DI Chandler said to himself that enough was enough. Something had to be done. So he got up - sat down - 1-2-3 - align phone, watch, tiger balm, rubber ball - wipe over desk twice - tock - tock - get up - sit down - align - snap „Stop this Joe!" The sharp pain disrupted the OCD episode yet again.
Of course the murder of Morgan had been painful. It had been such a relief to breach through to someone outside of work, to let somebody in at least a little. And it had seemed as if fate had just slapped his face to see her murdered within ten minutes later. But then he only knew her for some hours. And his feelings of frustration had been quickly exchanged for self doubt as a victim and witness was killed under his watch and his team started to decompose in front of him.
Buchan hardly left the archive any more, Riley had asked for a transfer two weeks ago, DS Miles started thinking aloud about early retirement and the young DC Kent began a very disturbing drinking habit. Weirdly enough, Mansell buried himself in paperwork. Joe didn´t know how to handle this, first of all because dealing with emotion scared the crap out of him, secondly because there was no new case to take their mind of this 40 hour shift. Only tons of paperwork which damned the entire team to relive the bogeyman case over and over again.
As the pain of the snap oozed away the DI slipped out of his thoughts about the last eight weeks and finally came to the conclusion that this was the solution. A new case, he knew how to handle that, how to lead an investigation. This was it. So he picked up the phone to call the police captain.
„...after all Kent. This has to stop. If you carry on like that you´ll loose your job maybe even your sanity! Why are you taking it this hard anyway?" Emerson Kent shyly looked over the rim of his coffee mug. Blinking his eyes nervously at Miles and mumbling into his cup. „I know. But it was me who left the door open. All this is my fault." „Right yeah! You think your god right?" „No!" „Well how then did you manage to kill her with an open door? This stops right here young man ..." subconsciously Miles fell into the disciplining tone he usually used on his 10 year old „ you musstn´t punish yourself for the deeds of someone else. She was a hurt mother who had just lost her son and her actions have nothing to do with you. For what if the wind had opened the door or Morgan had went outside to use the bathroom. You can not be accounted for an unfortunate series of events, so don´t let guilt eat you up from inside. Understood?"
The slow nod was the signal for Miles to get up from Kent´s desk and as he turned to go back to his own he added: „And don´t you worry about him" with a nod towards the separated office „I´ll handle that if you need help."
„Thanks." Kent took another sip from his mug in order to drown this beast of an hangover in a tsunami of caffein but miserably failed by burning his lip. What Miles didn´t know was that it was not the guilt of leaving the door open he tried to drown in Jamesson. Rather the guilt of still having heavy feelings of hatred and disgust for Morgan Lamb, who´s funeral was beautiful and who´s friends had painted a vivid picture of a caring and loving person, funny and delightful. And still his jealousy got the better of him when the DI ran out of tiger balm during the wake and the constant snapping of the rubber band was heard during the ceremony, as Joseph Chandler clearly was in the midst of an emotional crisis.
The alcohol was supposed to clean Emerson from inside, to disinfect his thoughts from the distain for a beautiful and kind woman. He felt guilty because he didn´t regret at all that she was dead. He just regreted what it had done to his team and above all to DI Chandler. And this was not right. The young man could not accept this ugly part of himself so he attempted to suffocate it with a little help from the Irish distilleries.
He had just finished his coffee when Chandler swung open the office door, almost enthusiastically, and walked up to Miles desk. „Now that we are all present." - a stern look thrown at Kent - „I´m happy to tell you all that we have a new case." Reliefed sighs and mumbles filled the incident room. „Finally" Miles said. „I have just talked to the Police captain and he has informed me that the narcotics division in Camden is missing a informant and they are asking for help with an undercover investigation. I know that this is not what we usually do, but I thought we all could use something new to get our mind of recent events. You finish the rest of your paper work while DS Miles and I go to Camden to get the files and information. I´ll meet you all back here at three and then we start our new case."
„Jason Baker, 22 years old, heroin and crack addict, gay prostitute for six years, institutionalized 4 times for theft and possession. He was an informant of DS Thomas. DS Thomas works with the narcotics division at the Camden police department who are currently investigating three drug related killings to which one of them Baker was an eyewitness. He´ll be our contact person during this case. Welcome to Whitechapel."
„Thank you very much DI Chandler, and all of you for volunteering to help us." The DS was lean and tall much like Joseph Chandler who was standing beside him as both of them presented the case to the team. But unlike the DI the DS had something rough and wild about him, his thick chestnut hair with few strokes of grey was the only hint that he had passed his thirties. He was not dressed formal at all, in jeans and a white shirt. He didn´t bother to wear his jacket as it was an unusual hot July afternoon.
„..since we cannot go undercover in our own district. Jason Baker was supposed to meet me last friday to talk about a power shift in the dealing hierarchy of North London. He knew the second and the third victim, as they were his dealers. Sam Obatego, 34, was shot in the back of his head from short distance. This was witnessed by Jason as he was using Obatego´s bathroom to shoot some of his purchase. He was found by us when we explored the crime scene. Obatego himself was not a user, he only distributed to the street dealers. Same as the third victim Travis O´Hare, 27. O´Hare came to London two years ago and brought along quite a reputation from Belfast. Dealing, assault, sexual offense, pimping, gunrunning ect. He established himself quite fast, within 3 months, in Haringey, running opiates and fire arms. He was found executed like Obatego in his appartment last tuesday. Nothing on the site indicated any sort of fight, which seems off. At least in the last case. O´Hare is described to have the temper of a burning cat and was known for being a vicious fighter."
While DS Thomas revealed a complex investigation which had been going on for at least a year, explaining hierarchies, gang relations, affiliations and loyalties as much as costumer habits and so on to his colleagues from the East End, DI Chandler supported him by pinning up photos, drawing connections and writing cues. Strangely he seemed to know exactly which topic would be the next to be addressed by DS Thomas like it was some sort of difficile choreography both of them had practised for years. When DS Thomas concluded the scenario the team had been audience to a masterpiece.
Within an hour him and Chandler had managed to fill them in all the facts and he would summarize what the Camden department needed them to help with. „Jason Baker was last seen on Thursday night in Soho, to check the club scene for Johns." He tapped on the photo of the missing, pale fragile kid, with dark hair and eyes, showing a scallywag´s smile on the picture. Somehow this boy appeared innocent and sweet, despite his story. „We don´t know yet what happend to him and it´s not clear if his disappearance is at all connected to the killings we´re currently investigating. First we need to gather new information on Jasons whereabouts thursday night, if anybody had seen him. Since he might be endangered by an open investigation I´d rather not stir things up to much. So for now I need two detectives checking the club scene tonight."
As DS Thomas scan went through the team his eyes firmly singled out Emerson Kent, as everyone else was fast enough to step back just in time, and the poor lad too hung over to realize, was now standing in the middle of them. „Perfect fit, indeed." DS Thomas commented. Miles, Riley and Mansell started chuckling and Emerson felt the heat of a flush pricking up his neck. At least he had managed to get himself decent enough to be the center of attention before the meeting started. „Our little Raspberry boy is up for some creamer, ey" „Oh shush!" Riley cut Mansell short. „Don´t be such an idiot!"
„I´m sorry DS Thomas. DC Kent is one of my best detectives, he works thoroughly and considerate. I´m sure he will be of great help. Nice way to show initiative Kent, I really appreciate it." Chandler said encouraging and gave a grim stare in Mansell´s direction. „Let´s go to my office and discuss further. Kent you go home and change. The DS and I will see you at seven back here. Miles, Riley and Mansell you´re done for today, since you´ll be working alone tomorrow morning." This said Joseph Chandler and Ian Thomas went to the DI´s office.
„Actually that was the best that could happen right now. You´ll be back on track in no time, since he thinks you just volunteered. This will kick you back in his good graces." Miles said to Kent padding his shoulder while they were leaving the station.
Several hours after his last dose Jason felt the withdrawal taking over his entire body. He was chained to a ceiling, his arms hurting, sweat pouring over his naked upper body. Then he came back. „You have been a very naughty naughty boy, Jason. Your redemption will need sacrifice." And then he pressed something on Jasons head that pierced the skin on the young mans head down to the skull and blood started dribbling down his face into his eyes while inflicting excruciating pain that made him faint.