Sorry it took me this long to update. I had a lot I needed to put into this chapter in order to get to where I wanted to be in the last chapter, but I had little opportunities to write it as I have been busy with exams and school work.
It was a complete replica of the last murder.
A woman was fund in her living room with her throat slashed. Her 15 year old son, Jonathan, and 7 year old, Charlie, were upstairs when the body was found. Mansell commented that Kent was practically a full-time parent now. Prick.
Llewellyn had apparently found a white mark on the victim's finger, confirming they had another missing husband to find. But with no leads or witnesses, it almost seemed an impossible task.
"Okay, Mansell, Timmy, I want you to go and find any CCTV footage available showing the area. Riley, Kent, I want you both to talk to the neighbour, see if he noticed anything suspicious. Miles and I will interview the woman who found the body." Chandler finished with a nod of the head, signalling everyone to leave the incident room.
As he and Riley made their way to the house, Kent asked "What's up with you and Mansell?"
"He's an arsehole." She replied without a second of thought.
"I'm fully aware of that, but I was hoping for a bit more detail." He joked.
She sighed. "He said that all ids ae annoying, little brats."
"Seriously?! Wow, Erica's hit the jackpot with him."
"Yeah, I guess you and the bss are the lucky ones." She replied with a smirk on her face. Kent quickly turned to look at her before shaking his head disapprovingly whilst trying to form words.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
Riley started laughing, amused by his defensiveness.
"Look at you! You love that child, and so does he. Natasha's obsessed with you, and she has good rapport with the boss. You're the perfect family! Have you even thought about where she's going after this?"
Kent paused. "I never got around to it." he said, softly. Riley gave him an incredulous look. "... I didn't want to get around to it." He added. "I guess I'll miss her a little bit."
"Well, you won't have to miss her if you-"
"Right, the neighbour's name is Philip Raymond, 46 years old, lives alone." He confirmed, changing the subject.
They knocked on the door.
"You'll have to think about it sooner or later."
Philip opened the door.
Hi, I'm DC Kent, this is DC Riley. May we have a word?"
-WC-
Mansell checked the street for any CCTV cameras, not noticing Timmy walking up behind him.
"There's none in the back street." He confirmed.
"Shit That would have given us a close view of the living room."
Timmy started to help look in the front street. He then brought up the situation concerning him and Riley.
"All I did was say that I didn't like children, but she got really pissed off!"
Timmy put an arm around his shoulder. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I totally agree with you. Kids are annoying. I have complete sympathy for parents."
Mansell smiled at Timmy. "Thanks, mate. It's nice to know there's someone on my side."
"No problem... Look, there's a camera." He said, pointing to a house across the street.
"Great. Let's just get the tape, then head straight back. I'm absolutely knackered." Mansell sighed. This elicited a chuckle from Timmy.
"Come on, then."
-WC-
Miles and Chandler were sat in an interview room with Janet Pudget, the victim's other neighbour, the one who found the body.
"How long have you and Danielle Carson been neighbours?" Chandler began with an easy question to let her settle into the conversation.
"About 3 years. We weren't close, but she was a nice person. I've never had problems with her."
"What brought you to visit her house last night?" Miles questioned, deciding to jump into the deep end.
"Well, erm, earlier that morning the postman came and asked me if I could give her a parcel because she wasn't in. I didn't see her come home at any point, so I just went over anyway."
"And the what happened?"
"I knocked on the door, but there was no reply. After a while, I decided to try the door, but it was locked, so I looked throught the window, and... and I saw..."
Miles took her hand from across the table in a comforting guesture. "Its okay, love. That's all you need to tell us." He ended his statement with a reassuring smile.
Upon leaving the interrogation room, Miles turned to Chandler. "She said the door was locked when she visited the house."
"So?" Chandler asked in confusion.
"Well, the door was apparently unlocked when the police arrived"
Realisation hit Chandler like a bullet "So either she's lying, or -"
"The killer came back."
-WC-
Kent was sitting in an interview room, waiting for Chandler to arrive. He was with Charlie - who was just sitting there, staring down at his lap - and Jonathan - who seemed torn about what he wanted to do, eyes wandering around the room for something to focus on. That's usually the best thing about an interview room, nowhere to look apart from at the detectives, but in this case it seemed to be troubling. Kent decided to help out.
"So, what year are you in at school?"
Jonathan smield slightly. "Year 11."
"Ah, GCSEs. What's your specialist subject?"
"PE."
"I was always shit at PE. Look at me, I could make a skeleton jealous." He joked.
"You shouldn't complain, at least you've got a boyfriend."
Emerson froze at the statement. How did he know that?
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"The DI. The one that's coming to speak to us." He said it as if it was a well known fact, whereas (in reality) not everyone knew. The commander would kill Joe if he knew a potential witness found out before him. The only reason the team knew was because they were there since day one, and it's hard to keep secrets in an incident room.
Jonathan must have saw the worry on Kent's face. "I don't mind. My mate's dad's is gay. All the girls at school talk to him, lucky sod." The fond smile on the boy's face didn't quite meet his eyes. "I might not see him again."
"What do you mean? Of course you will."
"But if my dad doesn't come back, then me and Charlie will probably have to live with our auntie in Norwich. We'll have to move school, make new friends-"
"It'll be okay. Your school might be better than the one you go to now, and I'm sure your auntie will let you visit your friends during the holidays. I promise things will be okay." Jonathan nodded.
"... I just want my mammy back." Charlie sobs.
At that point, Chandler walked into the room. "Sorry I'm late. DI Chandler." He held out his hand to Jonathan, who shook it weakly.
"How did the interview go?" The DC enquired.
"We got something that might be useful." Although it sounded like good news, the older man's voice begged to differ. He turned to face the children in front of him.
"So, you're Danielle Carson's sons."
"Yeah."
"And where were you at the time of the incident." The DC noticed how Chandler was choosing his words carefully.
"Upstairs. We were playing a new game I bought. We must have fell asleep though, 'cause all I remember is being woken up by a copper." He began to choke up. Charlie buried himself deeper into Jonathan's arms. Kent sympathised for them, he really did, but if they wanted to get anywhere in the enquiry, he would have to continue.
"How long ago did you dad leave?"
"About a week ago."
"Was it just the three of you in the house after that?"
Jonathan went to say "yes", but then stopped as if he remembered something.
"Where's Jack?"
The detectives glanced at each other.
"Jack?"
Charlie perked up, releasing his grip from Jonathan's arm to say "The Toy Man."
"He's been living with us for two weeks now." He looked at the shocked detectives. "What?"
"How close was he to your mother?" Chandler asked, cautiously.
Realisation struck the teen. "You don't think he's involved, do you?"
"Well... We can't be certain, but we have to follow all possible leads."
He scoffed. "I told her not to let that weirdo into the house."
"Why's that?" Kent enquired.
"It was just strange. He came to the house selling toys. Nobody does that anymore. Then, out of the blue, he has engine failure, but wouldn't he have known there was something wrong? Then again, his warning light wasn't flashing."
"But-"
"Exactly. My mam offered him a place to stay because he didn't have anywhere else to go and no money to go anywhere. She was always so soft."
"So he has no house? No hotel room?" Chandler felt as confused as the boy seemed to be. Nothing added up.
"He said he didn't. That's the ony part I believed, though, because he didn't sound like he was from around here. He had a scouse accent."
Kent noted it down. "Would you be able to give a description of the man?"
He pondered the question. "Erm, yeah. Average height, brown hair... I don't know the exact colour, but his eyes were dark, possibly brown, too. Looked around your age." He added, nodding towards Chandler.
"Thank you for your help." Chandler smiled. "It's very useful."
"No problem. As long as you catch him."
Kent gave him a reassuring look. "We will. An officer is going to take you to the room Natasha's in. I'll be checking on you later."
-WC-
From what Buchan had heard, they had found the missing husband, and this murder had been no different from the others.
He was thinking about thi whilst cleaning the archives (to make sure that the mould stays away). Thoughts were gnawing at the back of his mind; Is there any cases that could help? Why does this sound so familiar?
He couldn't reach the wall properly, so he pulled a file off the shelf to create a wider gap. As he did this, some papers fell out, scattering all around him. With a sigh, he went to collect them. As he shoved them back into their file, he glanced at the page. Realisation hit him, so he pulled the page back out and started to read the words more thoroughly.
"Eureka!"
Buchan burst through the office door, startling Chandler.
"Yes, Ed. Please, come in(!)"
"I'm sorry, Joe, but this is a matter of urgency. This is a case from Barry in 2011. Families were distraught as they heard about parents being slaughtered in their own homes-"
"Stop making this a pantomine and get to the point. I have things to do."
"The families in yur case are all isolated, have young children and a broken marriage, right?"
"Yes?"
"So were the families in this one. Police thought that the killer must have lived with them and provoked an argument between the couple, causing them to break up."
"That makes sense, but what's significant about the children? They're all talking about some 'Toy Man'."
Buchan stroked his chin in a overzealous display of thought. "Well, the could be an incentive. A way to get into the house."
"You think he's befriending the children, coming to the house, and living there?"
"I know it sounds strange, but it's worth a thought."
Chandler sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. It fits what Jonathan told us. Good job, Ed."
Buchan smiled. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an archive to clean."
He walked towards the door, smiling at the approaching DC.
"Hello, Timothy."
"Mornin', Ed. Sir, could I have a word?"
-WC-
The incident room wa silent. Kent and Chandler had arrived earlier than everyone else, which often happened. Kent was sitting at his desk, same as always, but something was different this time. He was being unusally quiet.
There was no idle chat, no tapping of fingers against the keyboard, not even the rustling of papers.
And it wasn't as if it was just at work; He'd been like that at home too.
Chandler decided to just leave it. Something was probably on his mind, and if he chose to tell him, then he'd be all ears. But, until then, he'll just have to wait.
As if he'd heard Chandler's thoughts, Kent got up from his desk and headed towards the office, gently tapping his knuckled against the door to let Joe know he was there.
"Emerson?"
"Hi." Kent offered as a greeting. He seemed to not want to look at Chandler, eyes scanning every other part of the room.
"Is something wrong?" Chandler prompted, hoping it would get an answer.
"I was wondering," Luck's on my side today. "What's going to happen to the Natasha after all of this?" I spoke too soon.
Of course he'd thought about it, but he usually stopped when he realised where his mind had taken him. He didn't think he was ready for that.
"Why do you ask?" Was the only question he trusted himself to say.
"Just thinking. Jonathan and Charlie will be going to live with their auntie, but Natasha doesn't seem to have any other family."
"There's not really much we can do about that. It's out of our hands."
Kent suddenly became very interested in his own, which he was currently wringing in a display of nervousness. "There might be a way around that-"
"Why do we have to talk about this now?" Chandler jumped in, scared at where the conversation was going.
"Well, we can't keep putting it off. I'm worried about her."
"You shouldn't be getting attached. Don't build a relationship you'll be unable to continue."
"But what if I could?"
Chandler's heart skipped a beat at the implication. Ken't not the only one who'd thought of that option, but it seemed too far-fetched, especially in their situation. With two mental illnesses between them, neither of them can really think about children. What am I talking about? We can't think about children, full stop. It's a preposterous idea.
"That's impossible."
"She's just a kid, Joe. You can't just leave her somewhere. She needs care. And I care about her."
"Where are you going with this?"
"It's just- I have a feeling, that-"
"Great . Another feeling." Annoyance was gnawing at him, making his skin itch, though he was unsure why. "I thought you would have learnt by now. Feelings don't help anything; they just make things worse. If it wasn't for one of your 'feelings', then maybe Morgan would-"
"What?" Kent finally met his gaze, hurt seeping through.
He didn't know where it came from. The anger. It just erupted from him without warning. He never meant to say it.
"Em, I-"
"You told me you wouldn't use that against me, Joe. You promised!"
The anger in his voice struck a cord within Chandler. He made a promise to himself to never hurt Kent again. It had happened too many times in the past. But now, he'd ruined it.
"I'm sorry, Emerson, I didn't-"
"What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird since yesterday. Have I done something wrong? Again?"
Chandler had stood up and begun to walk around his desk towards the younger man. "No! Of course not! Look, let's forget about this, okay. What do we always-"
Kent scoffed. "You know what, Joe? This isn't Kent and Chandler's problem, but it's not Joe and Emerson's problem either! This is Joseph Chandler's problem!"
At that moment, Riley and Mansell's laughing voices swept through the air, breaking the tense silence that had filled it earlier. Kent left the office with a quiet "Fix it.".
-WC-
Miles looked around the incident room. So much has changed since Timmy transferred from Liverpool. Riley and Mansell has stopped talking to each other, Kent seemed to be going through mixed emotions and Chandler seemed distant.
But somehow, Timmy seemed to be a link between everyone. He was friends with everybody except Miles.
Why was everyone drawn to him? And what was it about him that made Miles not trust him?
-WC-
Timmy walked up to Riley's desk.
"I haven't had a chance to ask, but are you okay? Mansell was completely out of order saying what he did."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Timmy. It's nice to know there are still some decent people out there." She smiled.
Timmy returned the guesture. "What about Kent? He's pretty decent too."
"Well, yeah, but not like you."
"That's true." He joked, earning a laugh from Riley. "Listen, just ignore Mansell. Cheer up a bit. You shouldn't let people like him get you down."
"Thanks, love."
"Hey, what's up with Kent?"
"He and the boss had a falling out."
"That explains a lot. I always say; never let feelings interfere with work."
-WC-
Chandler arrived home, finding that it seemed larger and quiter. He went to put his keys in the bowl by the front door, but paused when he saw a note attached to it. Dropping his keys into the right place, he picked up the note and read the words he was expecting.
'Stopping at Erica's
- Kent'
The use of his surname spoke a thousand words. He felt any wither of happiness he may of possessed leave his body at the thought of Kent not being there, leaving him feeling depressed, stressed and tired.
Flats never meant much to him. They were just places to eat and sleep in his eyes. However, looking around the empty space, he noticed how many memories emitted from everyday objects he would never give a thought to.
The desk where Em would sit, reading a file or doing some paperwork, whilst sing along to that band he likes - Colour of Something.
The kitchen where Emerson would not cook food.
"You can't keep living off takeaways. It's not healthy."
"As much as I appreciate your concern for my health, I like eating takeaways. Plus, it's easier than cooking."
"But it's... unsanitary. You don't know what they're doing with your food."
"Yeah, but cooking's unsanitary too. Getting grease or juices or whatever strange things that lurk in food on your hands, then you touch something else and get it on there, and then-"
"You scare me, Emerson."
"You're welcome."
The alcohol cabinet which still contained the bottle of whiskey that factored in the beginning of it all.
But all he was left with was a case with no rational suspects, no leads, no witnesses, and now... No Emerson either.
-WC-
Chandler arrived at work very early the next day after a night of tossing and turning in an empty oversized bed. He missed having Kent around; holding him as they slept; being woken up with lazy kisses or the smell of breakfast and a cup of green tea waiting for him. He'd have to talk to him at some point.
But that obviously won't be right now, he thought, as he saw a familiar mop of blonde hair run towards him.
"Timmy, what's wrong?"
"There's been a reported sighting of the killer."
Chandler was filled with shock, panic and excitement at the same time. "How can we be sure it's him?"
"He fits the description we got from Jonathan, even down to the accent, and he appears to be armed with a weapon that is possible to be the murder weapon."
"Where are the others?"
"They're not here yet, but I've called them. They'll probably we on their way to the place of sighting now."
Chandler turned to get back to his car. "Come on, then. We have not time to lose. You drive, since you know the address."
"Yes, Sir."
It wasn't long before they were in the car and on the road. Timmy glanced at Chandler.
"Are you okay, Sir? You don't look too good."
"I didn't get much sleep last night."
Timmy nodded slowly. "Was it because of Emerson?"
"I would prefer not to talk about it. It's none of your business, and we have a job to be doing."
Timmy smirked. ""Oh, Chandler. Look at you. With that charming smile. That incredibly dull personality. I can't tell if Kent left because he was angry or he was scared he'd continue to self-harm if you mentioned those bloody bins again."
"Excuse me?!"
"Don't be upset. You're nice. It's your thing. But it drives people away. It drove McCormick to suicide, from what I've heard."
"Why would you say that?"
"Oh, Chandler, I try, believe me, but you'd have to have the patience of a saint to spend more than a day with you. And, well... I'm no saint. Okay, confession time. I never was a detective. But, do you know what I love? Kids. When they see me, they come running. They think I'm a toy salesman. The Toy Man! They'd all cry, their little faces. I'd go town-to-town, door-to-door, selling my wares. Getting to know the kids. Getting to know their mums. I'd be a bit hopeless. Be a bit cheeky. And then I'd say, "Oh, no! My car's broken down!". They'd say "Oh, you could stay here then, if you'd like?" People can be so nice. Anyway, I'd settle myself in, we'd be a nice little family. I'd never want it to end. But families never last. Dad fights with mum, dad walks out, and the kid's heart gets broken. Then it all ends. Ruined. When I cut their throats, I know it's bad, but the feeling, Joseph. Evil is like travelling first class. Try it once and you'll never go back. Not that you'd ever understand. Because you'll always be plain. And boring. Isn't that right? Unloved. Alone. Unloveable. I'm sure someone will remember you. Or, maybe not."
Timmy put a hand into his jacket and pulled out a gun, showed it to Chandler then put it back.
"I bet you won't even go out with a bang."
Just a note for those who don't know, Barry is a place in Wales... I felt like I needed to add that in case somebody thought some bloke gave the file to Buchan.
Anyway, the next chapter is going to contain a bit more information concerning how Kent and Chandler got together, as well as an interesting revalation.