"It's all the fucking same," Gavin pointed to the wall behind the bed, "Paint's the same," he glanced at Garrett's body, "No signs of a struggle," he turned to Richard, "Nothing new." He bit his lower lip, "The fuck am I supposed to tell Reggie?"
RK900 furrowed his brows as his gaze shifted from the frustrated brunette to the body on the heart-shaped bed. He approached the body and leaned in, "Hm," he slightly frowned, "No fingerprints."
"Ugh," the detective took a step back while shaking his head in disappointment. "Damn it!" he skid his shoe on the floor. "I'm tired of being ten steps behind this motherfucker!" Gavin squeezed his hands into fists, "I'm tired of being left in the dark!" he gnashed his teeth.
The android arched his brows as he walked over to his infuriated partner. He gingerly placed a hand on the officer's shoulder, "We'll find something," he reassured with a faint smirk.
"I'm just so fucking tired of being so goddamn useless," the brunette looked at Garrett's body, "What sorta cop sits around and waits for another victim to die in hopes that he'll get lucky and find out more about the killer?" he let out a disappointed chuckle.
"You're doing your best, Gavin," Richard's grip tightened, "Truth be told, I've never met someone as hardworking as you."
The detective jerked his shoulder away from the machine, "Hardworking but what's the point if there's no payoff?" he walked over to the bed.
RK900 eyed his colleague, his gaze following the agitated brunette. "Let's do a more thorough investigation," the android recommended, "We're writing this off too quickly."
Gavin brought a hand to pinch the skin between his brows before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Why?" he shrugged, "All we're gonna do is waste more time," he smiled sardonically, "We're not gonna find a damn thi—"
"Humor me," Richard stared at the detective with a fierce expression.
Gavin's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat as he found the android's authoritative cadence arousing. He glanced at his stoic counterpart for a moment before bringing his hands to his sides. "Fine," he expressed in a dejected tone, "What do we have to lose besides time anyway?" he folded his long sleeves up to his elbows.
The pair approached the body on the bed, kneeling closer to better examine Garrett.
The detective took out a handkerchief from his pant pocket and used it to move Garrett's left arm. "This guy's pretty fucked up in the head," Gavin grimaced, "He took the time to cut up the body then aligned all the parts back again," he shut his eyes, "like ruining a puzzle only to put it back together."
"It is disturbing," Richard stated in a hushed tone, "And very unfortunate," he drew his brows together.
"Shit, look at this," Gavin nudged his partner. "Look at these," he pointed to parts of the body, "I didn't notice how blunt these cuts were." He turned toward RK900, "I think you may be right about the killer acting on an emotional whim," he grimly expressed. "The way he cut up Garrett," the brunette squinted his eyes, "He was angry."
Richard took a look at Garrett's head, turning it to the side as he examined the familiar-looking indent caving in most of the sex bot's skull. "His memory card has been destroyed," the android shook his head in disappointment. "The indent is the same as all other victims. He used a crowbar," he pointed at the shape of the gash.
"There's nothing else unusual about the body," Gavin brought a hand to the bridge of his nose, "Everything else looks the same as our last case."
Richard placed Garrett's skull back on the bed then tilted his head to look at the wall. "Rage," the android rubbed at his chin, "Is that what you were feeling when you killed?" he stared at the painted word, questioning the suspect's motive.
The brunette turned to look at RK900, his glance quickly shifting from the android to the paint on the wall. He got up from his knelt position and approached his colleague. "Rage," Gavin repeated, "These messages don't mean anything," he shook his head, "None of them haveta do with each other so what the fuck is this guy trying to say?" he groaned.
"I sense that we've missed something," Richard tilted his head to meet the detective's stare, "Something very important," he stressed.
"What're you talking about, tin can?" Gavin folded his arms over his chest.
"There's a reason why our killer murdered Garrett in the evening," the machine gestured, "This is the only strand of information that doesn't fit in with our suspect's typical formula of murdering victims," Richard's eyes darted from the floor to the bed.
The brunette raised a brow and shifted his weight from one foot to the other but remained silent as he continued to listen to his focused counterpart.
"I know there's something here," RK900 expressed in a slightly desperate tone, "I know there's something we've missed."
"Holy shit, wait," Gavin's eyes snapped open, "Wait, wait, wait!" he gestured excitedly. "Oh God!" he brought his hands to his head, "I'm such an idiot!" he shouted.
Richard took a step back, his partner's enthusiasm catching him off guard. "I'm afraid I'm not following, detective," he stated with a puzzled expression.
"The Eden Club has a surveillance room!" the brunette grinned ear-to-ear, "They have cameras in the lobby," he motioned with his hands, "I remember when I came here for the Tracis a couple months back, Chris and I saw a room full of monitors that were recording activity within the place."
"Gavin," Richard started, "Our suspect wears a coat, scarf and hat."
"You're saying he acted on a whim, right?" the brunette asked, "Sure, we may not see his face but maybe we can learn more about him if we see his body language," he shrugged, "Any sort of footage we have on the guy can help. Worst case scenario is we find absolutely nothing and we're back to square one."
The android stared at his counterpart for a few seconds before opening his mouth. "You're right," he nodded, "We should have a word with Dion."
"What do you mean we can't fucking look at the cameras?" Gavin leered at the anxious manager.
"N-no, it's just we have a policy here," Dion tried to explain, "We—uh—have this motto that 'discretion is our guarantee' and it would get me into a lot of trouble if I—"
"Does it look like I give a fuck?" the detective grit his teeth.
"Um," the manager's eyes darted from the angered brunette to the unamused android, "W-well, I really don't have the authority to grant you access int—"
"Ugh, blah blah blah," Gavin rolled his eyes, "Do me a favor and give me the key to the surveillance room," he stretched out his hand, "Before you really start to piss me off," he warned through narrowed eyes.
"I can't," Dion shook his head, "You don't understand, I could lose my job."
"You're going against direct orders from a police officer," Richard interjected, "You do know that disobeying could very well lead to an arrest," the machine cocked a brow.
Sweat rolled down the manager's forehead as he swallowed hard.
"Come on," Gavin insisted, "You wanted us to find the killer and we're trying to find the killer," he stared at the redhead, "Do the right thing here."
Dion averted the detective's hostile stare, intimidated by the aura that he emanated.
"Dion," the brunette hissed, "Hand it over," he demanded.
The manager bit at his lower lip as he drew his brows together. He gazed at Gavin, "Alright," he sighed, "I'll give you two the key but please," he sifted through his pockets, "Try to be as quick as possible. I trust you'll only need a few minutes," he stated as he plopped the key in Gavin's palm.
"I knew you'd see reason," the brunette smirked as he began walking towards the room, "We'll only take as long as we need," he motioned Richard to follow.
Dion watched the pair approach the surveillance room with a nervous expression plastered on his face.
Gavin inserted the key into the lock and twisted before opening the heavy door. The lights in the room automatically turned on as the door swung open. "Shit," the brunette peered inside, "Look at all these fancy-ass monitors," he whistled while walking into the room.
"Eden is a very popular facility," Richard glanced around while shadowing his shorter counterpart, "It would be odd if they didn't have," he air quoted, "Fancy-ass monitors."
The detective sniggered as he looked at the control panel, "Taking even the most inappropriate times to make fun of me," he traced over several buttons, "Why am I not surprised?"
Richard lowered his lids, a smile sprouting on his face, "I like teasing you."
The brunette flinched as the android pressed up against him from behind. "Now's not the time for this," he whispered, embarrassment evident in tone.
RK900 nodded, "I understand," he nuzzled into Gavin's hair, "But just so you know, I'm taking you home after the investigation and treating you to a well-deserved break."
"Mhn," the detective shuddered, blush highlighting his cheeks as the android trailed kisses on the back of his neck. "I can't f-focus if you keep doing that," he placed a hand on the panel for support.
Richard pulled away with a guttural chuckle, "My apologies," he slid his hand down the brunette's back. "I'll continue at the apartment," he stated in a suggestive tone.
Gavin let out a shaky breath before shooting an irritated look at his partner. "Perv," he dismissed as he resumed looking at footage of the club.
A few quiet minutes went by as the pair tried to figure out which video clip had the information they were looking for. Richard examined the set of monitors on the right while Gavin looked to the ones on the left.
"Four o'clock…nope…fast forward," the brunette whispered to himself as his eyes remained fixed to the computer screens.
"Gavin!" RK900 yelled with a hopeful smile, "I think I found him," he motioned the brunette to come to his side.
The detective quickly scuttled towards his partner with an optimistic expression. He leaned closer to the monitor, "Okay," he nodded, "Play it."
Richard tapped the play button on the screen and watched as the clip began.
The two observed a man in a long trench coat, scarf and hat enter the facility from a distance.
Gavin squinted his eyes as he tried to make out the man. "Ugh," he tapped on a button labeled camera 2, "Can't see him with this angle."
The man in the video quickly walked into the lobby and looked around for a bit. Dion then walked into the view of the camera and greeted the man. He pointed the cloaked figure to an array of androids available to rent out. The man nodded and dismissed Dion as he walked out of view.
"Shit," Gavin filtered through the different camera feeds, "Where'd you go, fucker?" he stopped at camera 6's feed, "There you are."
The man was observing Garrett dancing on a strip pole in the center of the hall. He stopped the android and pointed to a vacant room to the side. He then helped Garrett off of the platform and walked him to the room. The man opened the door and invited the android inside and immediately followed, the door shutting behind them.
"Damn it," Gavin looked at Richard, "Any footage from inside the room?"
RK900 shook his head, "The club doesn't record inside the rooms from what I've gathered," he glanced at the screen, "That's where the footage seems to end."
"Fuck!" Gavin slammed his hands on the panel. "Goddamnit!" he brought a hand to his face as he tried to stay in control.
Richard stared at the monitor for a few seconds, drawing in his brows as he narrowed his eyes to make out details. "Wait," he rewound the video just a bit to get a clearer shot of the suspect's back.
The detective stared at the machine, "What?" he asked, clearly upset.
"Look," Richard pointed to the screen.
Gavin contorted his face in confusion as he gazed at the computer for a bit. He then realized what his partner was telling him to look at. The brunette's eyes snapped open as horror dawn on his face. "Is that…" he retracted his head in disbelief, "Is that a badge on the guy's hip?"
The android turned to glance at his terrified partner, "It's a DPD badge," he arched his brows. "I can't make out the badge number, the film is too grainy," he continued in a hushed tone.
Gavin took a step back as he placed a hand on his forehead, "I think I'm gonna be sick," he began breathing heavily. "It's him," he expressed in a hysterical manner. "He came to my place right after killing Garrett," he began to tremble.
Richard's LED shifted to a steady yellow as he slowly approached his colleague, "Let's not jump to any conclu—"
"He fits the profile of the killer perfectly," the brunette brought a hand to his mouth, "It's fucking Travis," he bent over, "I'm gonna throw up."
"Gavin," RK900 speedily cradled his partner, preventing him from falling to his knees, "You're alright," he grazed the detective's cheek. "Even if it is him, he's been detained," he reassured, "There's nothing to worry about."
The officer pulled away from the machine and grabbed his phone. He wiped away tears as he looked through his contact list for Officer Chen. He brought the phone to his ear as he quickly exited the surveillance room. "Tina? It's Gavin," the detective exhaled, "Where's Travis?" he growled.
"Gavin, wait!" Richard ran after the brunette, "We don't know if it's him!" he shouted as he grabbed the detective from behind.
The officer slapped the android's hand away. "He's in a holding cell?" he asked Tina through the phone. "Fucking beautiful. Keep him there, I'm coming," he hung up.
"Listen to me, let's take this one step at a time and try to calm down, alright?" Richard gestured with his hands.
"Calm down?" Gavin raised his brows and smiled, "I'm gonna fucking kill him," he laughed.
"Okay," the machine gripped the detective's hand, "Let's just go and interrogate him as a start," he gazed at the unhinged brunette. "Then, depending on how the questioning goes, we can consider more," he shrugged, "Illegal options."
Gavin swallowed hard as a billion thoughts ran through his mind. His eyes shifted from the android, to the ground, then back to the android again, attempting to calm down. "Fine," the detective bitterly agreed, "But if I get even a single opportunity to maim him," he stared at the machine, "You bet your life I fucking will."