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"Grab his gun, then throw him in the pond."
Mike hadn't been able to hold back the instinct that made him launch forward, trying to protectively position himself above his defenseless partner.
And yet, a strong set of hands was holding him back, jerking on him enough that his upper body was leaning slighty backward, nearly throwing him off balance.
The blow to the back of the head had knocked Steve out cold, the young Inspector collapsing just a couple of feet from the water's surface, his body going limp as he went down.
Mike tried to watch for signs of breathing, ensuring that his partner was still alive, just to have Morris step into his line of vision.
"You just couldn't leave it well enough alone, could you? You two had to keep digging and asking questions. Here I thought this nightmare would finally be over with when Alex decided to commit suicide, but no, down come you two fools to dig everything up all over again. Hopefully this…unfortunate incident with Carl will clear things up once and for all. I am sick and tired of dealing with this…petty business. Let's get moving, guys."
Mike watched in horror as Mears put on surgical gloves, then bent down to retrieve the .38 from his partner's holster before waiting for one of Morris's goons to help throw Steve into the shallow waters of the pond, his face disappearing beneath the murky surface.
Never breaking eye contact with the Lieutenant even when Mike turned his head to follow the disturbing scene, the Captain chuckled, taking advantage of his position in power.
"You see, first Carl incapacitates and drowns your partner, and then, in a tense foot chase through the woods, manages to kill you with the kid's service revolver before burying you, never to be found again. If that isn't perfect, I don't know. Then, all we need to do is find Carl, make sure his prints make it onto the gun, insert a convenient eye witness, and voila…"
"In case you've forgotten, we have your sister in custody and she will testify to Mears's and your guilt.", Mike growled coldly, his eyes drifting back to Steve's lifeless form slowly disappearing amongst the few feet of standing water, except for his upper body, "And if you kill my partner, no law in the world will be able to protect you from me. All of you!"
"Whoa, you're scaring me now.", the Captain mocked and shook his hand, "Betsy's testimony is worthless. Her connection to both of us make her a shaky witness at best. Nice try, Lieutenant. Come on guys, let's get moving. We haven't got all day to wrap this up."
"Don't do this, Morris. Steve! Get Steve out of there! Steve!"
Fighting the strong fingers digging into his upper arms, Mike was helpless when Morris's goons pushed him along, his gaze moving over to Steve and the last few air bubbles resurfacing next to his face.