chapter word count: 483
noir heart: forty-two
Silence reigns in the captain's office, an uncomfortable tranquility that usually descends whenever Jane is deeply suspicious about something, or someone. It's her preferred environment in that sort of situation; once, she had managed to make a drug dealer confess his sins and give up his buyers simply by staring at him without uttering a single word.
Hans shifts awkwardly in his seat, and clears his throat as he tries to meet the captain's imperious gaze. "Is something wrong, Captain Moors?" he asks innocently.
"No," she answers, void of emotion, "I'm just waiting for the punchline."
The I.A. detective nervously chuckles. "It's no joke. I truly think Frost should be assigned to that investigation."
Jane narrows her eyes as she tenses in her chair, her body taut and her mind alert. "Why?" she asks.
"Well, surely a man with such intelligence, deductive and observational skills is wasted on high school graffiti?" he offers with such false praise that it makes her stomach turn.
"That may be," she speaks slowly and cautiously, "but I can't help thinking there is an ulterior motive here."
Hans' forced smile grows, and his eyes twinkle with amusement. "No such thing, Captain."
"What if I refuse, and choose not to be a pawn in your little game?" she challenges him.
Hans chuckles darkly, and rises from his seat with a victorious air that arouses the temptation to punch him in the face, "That would be a shame, considering what happened to the last decorated captain to sit in that chair."
Oh, he went there. Jane too rises from her seat, feathers her fingertips across her desk and leans towards him with an expression as cold as the Arctic, "I don't respond well to threats, Detective Southernisle." she growls, and to his credit Hans seemingly has the good sense to flinch a little.
"Call it what you want," he attempts an airy tone as he shrugs, "I merely wanted to offer my opinion."
He turns away from her and casually saunters to the door, and Jane, sensing a weakness in his obvious desire to place Frost in a potentially precarious position, straightens up and folds her arms as she prepares to mercilessly exploit it.
"It's a shame when brothers fight." she observes solemnly.
Hans whirls round and fixes her with a hostile glare, one that screams that she didn't just touch a nerve, she hit it with a tactical missile, "Adopted brother, Captain! Adopted! You would do well to recognise the difference."
Jane allows herself half a smirk at how easily Hans took the bait, something he too notices judging by how he screws up his face in self-admonition. Sensing his disadvantage, he turns and prepares to leave, but not before adding, "Frost stopped being my brother the second he chose to betray our family."
plot twist directed by m. night shyamalan. gasp.
special thanks to: whimsical acumen, bobberoo98, jpbake, edgar allan snow, hornedgoddess, eburnim, stefalove, lunasnoir and oninoko for reviewing!
(that's quite a few people O.o)