by Kelly Goode
Carson reversed the images and Blake watched the screen with interest. He noted the landmarks that the alien scampered around and thumped the desk with frustration.
‘Clever bastard doubled over his trail and used the puddles to mask his scent. No wonder I couldn’t find him last night.’
Blake was the best tracker ISCU had. He claimed his skills came from his time spent in the army, but as it was something he rarely talked about, Carson didn’t know much more than that.
‘So what do we do now?’ she asked, but Blake didn’t get a chance to answer as the chief’s office door opened once again.
‘Towers, are you still here?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Meet me upstairs. You’d better come too, Holloway.’
‘On our way, chief,’ Blake replied, gently pulling Carson to her feet. She swayed slightly and it was only the firm grip on her shoulders that kept her from collapsing again. Her mouth felt dry and her heart pounded inside her chest. She’d rather face a crazed desquamater any day over a summoning to the boardroom. No one entered there unless something serious had happened, and rumours said that some agents never even returned.
19
‘Don’t look so worried,’ Blake said to Carson, as she followed him to the second floor. She was a little out of breath from negotiating the stairs with sore, stiff legs and she entered the large boardroom red-faced and sweaty. She silently cursed her luck that the two cleaners she’d singled out yesterday were already inside. The guy, as predicted, looked even better without his white coveralls on. Even though he was sitting down, she could tell he was tall - almost as tall as Blake. He had wide shoulders and a mop of dark hair. He looked up when she entered and smiled. The corners of his deep blue eyes crinkled and even from that small interaction, she could tell that he smiled often, which made him a definite newbie.
Carson returned his smile as she subconsciously tried to tame the tufts of scorched hair around her ears. She cringed when she thought back to what Tom had called her earlier - an oven baked turkey – and wished, just once, that when she met a hot guy, she didn’t look like someone had beaten the shit out of her.
‘Right, perfect, the tech team are already here,’ Tom said, as he extended his hand to the woman.
‘It’s an honour to meet you, sir,’ she said, but when she shook his hand, Carson noticed her smile was tight, like it might actually hurt to show that small amount of emotion.
‘And you too, Lydia. Doctor Malone spoke very highly of you during our meetings. In his absence, I’ve called you here for an update. I assume you already know Carson Towers and Blake Holloway.’
‘Only by reputation.’
Lydia made that sound like an insult and Carson was about to ask her what her problem was, when she felt Blake’s hand settle against the small of her back. She bit her lip to curtail any catty remarks and settled on glaring instead.
‘This is Adam Freeman,’ Lydia said, with a cursory wave of her hand. ‘He was introduced to the team a few days back. His father plays golf with someone important, so I’m on babysitting duties. As if I don’t have enough on my plate already.’
Adam’s cheeks reddened at being so blatantly disregarded. He clenched his jaw so tightly that Carson could almost hear his teeth grinding together. Tom didn’t notice the tense atmosphere and motioned for her and Blake to sit down at the table. Carson was relieved at the prospect of getting off her feet and it took a considerable amount of effort not to just flop into the plush upholstered seats.
‘Malcolm Plummer’s demise is no longer being considered a routine disposal case,’ Tom said, taking a seat and folding his arms over his chest, and Carson wondered whether it was an attempt to cover up his Christmas tie mistake. ‘With the emergence of a jaktten at the scene, a shape-shifting alien species so far never encountered in a hostile situation, I’m being badgered for results from above. Is there anything you can tell us about yesterday’s collection and detection processing?’
‘Adam, why don’t you take the lead with that?’ Lydia replied, with a condescending sneer.
‘Oh right, well, ok, let me think,’ he started, as his blue eyes widened in alarm. He resembled a kid who hadn’t revised for a test. ‘We recovered plenty of trace materials. Hair, blood, and tissue.’
‘And?’ Tom asked.
‘And we’re analysing all possible matches to the database.’
‘And?’
Carson squirmed in her chair, finding it uncomfortable to watch him struggle to recall some fact or nugget of information that would placate his superior. He looked to Lydia for support, but she just stared down at her hands. It was obvious he wasn’t prepared to recall the forensic evidence that the chief wanted and that the cold-hearted bitch had dropped him in it. Carson’s chest ached each time she drew in a breath, which indicated she needed another dose of painkillers and unless someone said something, she was going to be trapped inside the boardroom for a very long time.
‘Have you established any DNA matches?’ Carson asked, and was pleased to see a glimmer of relief on Adam’s face.
‘Yes! Well no actually. The desquamater’s DNA didn’t match any other crime scene we’ve processed to date.’
‘That can’t be right. That skin-peeler had priors. He killed four little girls - Liv, Tisha, Amy, and Bonnie. His DNA must be on our database.’
Adam shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, it came back clean, but there was another DNA source of interest.’
Lydia held her hand out as if to indicate that Adam should stop talking.
‘There was nothing interesting about it,’ she said, her eyes blazing with an unspoken warning, which he ignored.
‘Lydia, I told you-’
‘And I told you that you contaminated the sample. I’m sorry, Chief Melman. Adam made a rookie mistake in processing the sample and the DNA indicator gave a false-positive for human cells. I assure you it won’t happen again.’
Adam looked as if he wanted to argue further but at the last moment, he closed his mouth and sat back in his chair.
‘If the tests were contaminated then it stands to reason that the desquamater could still have been at other crime scenes,’ Carson said, as she was positive that Malcolm Plummer had killed those other girls. There was no other explanation.
Tom stood up and paced the room. He tugged on the ends of his dark moustache as he thought things through.
‘Carson and Blake, I want you two to find out why the desquamater chose Malcolm Plummer as his host.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Blake and I said at the same time, and when I met his eyes, he winked at me.
‘Lydia, run the tests again and keep me informed of the results. I’m sure you’ll fill Doctor Malone’s position in the lab adequately while he’s on vacation.’
‘Of course,’ she said, getting to her feet. Her smile was once again more like a grimace, as she shook Tom’s hand and then Blake’s.
Carson struggled to her feet, pushing back the wave of nausea that accompanied the movement. She desperately needed those painkillers and something to eat. Lunch had been and gone, and she was running on empty. Carson held out her hand but Lydia didn’t even stop to acknowledge her. Fortunately, Adam was only a step behind her and he placed his large hand around hers and squeezed gently.
‘Don’t be a stranger,’ he said. ‘The door to the laboratory is always open.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I could go over those results with you and show you what I found that was interesting.’
His blue eyes expressed a desire for him to explain his mistake and Carson found it endearing.
‘I might just do that.’
‘Yeah, we might just do that,’ Blake said, coming to stand beside her. The two men stared at each other, their chests puffed out like strutting silverback gorillas
‘See you around, Adam,’ she said.
‘Not if I see you first,’ he replied, but then lowered his tone. ‘Something strange is going on here, but I need a little more time to figure
it out. I haven’t known Doctor Malone for very long, but he wouldn’t suddenly take a vacation in the middle of a case. He seemed distracted and nervous. I didn’t mess those test results up either, someone sabotaged them.’
20
As soon as the door to the boardroom closed, Blake jammed his hands into his trouser pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to reach for Carson. Her face was pale and there was a thin sheen of perspiration on her top lip. With all the shit he had going on in his life, why was his main concern that some lab-rat had flirted with Carson? He needed to get over this stupid infatuation and he needed to deliver that damn list. If he didn’t, he would lose his cover story within the department and everything he’d sacrificed since crashing on Earth would be for nothing.
‘I don’t like that guy,’ Blake said, as he rocked on his heels. He conceded that the kid was well-built, but he was confident he could take him in a fight if needed.
‘No shit,’ Carson replied, sinking into her chair again with a groan. ‘At one point, I thought you were going to pull out a ruler and start measuring parts of your anatomy.’
Blake frowned. ‘I’ll let that comment slide, as it’s obvious you’ve missed a dose of medication.’
‘What’s your problem with Adam?’ she asked.
Blake bit back his real response.
‘Something is off with him,’ he replied instead. ‘I can sense it.’
‘Like what?’
He had to be careful not to come across as jealous; even though that was exactly how he was feeling.
‘He’s too cocky to be a newbie.’
‘He was hardly cocky when Lydia dropped him in it. He’s just young and keen to impress, like you used to be, which was why the chief gave you the greatest partner in the agency.’
‘You two are certainly an anomaly. Not all partnerships are as solid as yours,’ Chief Melman interrupted, causing Carson’s cheeks to colour as she stared up at Blake. From that single look, he knew she was thinking about last night.
Don’t go there.
He shook his head in an attempt to chase away the image of him massaging her injured shoulder. Her wet skin had felt so damn soft beneath his palms that he’d wanted to spend hours exploring her body. No - he needed to stop thinking about her like that. He needed to get a handle on his feelings and the only way to do that was to act like a jerk. It was easier to deal with Carson’s anger than her desire.
‘Are you going to explain why we got the boardroom treatment, sir?’ he asked, ensuring his tone remained casual.
‘It was the easiest place to meet the forensic team.’
‘That’s a relief. I thought you were going to fire one of us for sure. I should really amend my report to explain how it was Carson’s fault that the jaktten got away and not mine.’
Blake kept his eyes fixed solely on Chief Melman so he couldn’t see the betrayal creeping onto Carson’s face.
‘You know what she’s like when she gets an idea in her head, sir,’ he continued, even though the words felt wrong coming out of his mouth. ‘I’ve been trying to keep her under control as you asked, but it’s proving harder and harder. Maybe you should let her sit the rest of this one out. She’s obviously not up to the task.’
‘What the hell are you talking about, Blake?’
Carson’s voice was almost a screech, which told him that his comments had hit their intended mark. She was no longer looking at him with those damn bedroom eyes, but with the glare of a lioness sizing up their dinner.
‘Your assessment is noted, Blake. I’ll take your suggestion on board.’
‘That’s bullshit,’ Carson replied, slamming her hand onto the table. ‘I’m fine.’
As if to prove that fact, she struggled to her feet.
‘I don’t know what you’re playing at,’ she said, directing her words at Blake and he felt every one of them like a punch to his gut, ‘but I will not stand here while you throw me under the bus.’
Blake knew where he wanted to throw her - on top of the huge boardroom table, without his boss watching him.
‘Enough bickering,’ Melman snapped. ‘We have another pressing issue. I didn’t mention it in front of Lydia or Adam, but Doctor Malone is missing rather than on holiday.’
‘What do you mean missing?’ Carson asked, and her anger was instantly replaced with concern.
‘He didn’t show up for work yesterday and he’s not answering his phone. I put through a retrospective annual leave request to cover his unexplained absence, but he should be in the laboratory as he is every other damn day of the week.’
‘Do you think something happened to him?’ Blake asked, even though he already knew the answer. Doctor Malone’s speciality was alien forensics and he kept his life’s work within these four walls. There was no way he would have walked away from that without good reason.
‘Lydia said his computer was missing when she arrived for work yesterday, so she assumed he was working from home. Now I need you two to stop squabbling like children and try to find a lead on Doctor Malone. We’re running this alongside the Malcolm Plummer case.’
‘Why?’
‘Because the last thing he submitted was his theory of why the desquamaters were targeting children. I never read the report, as it went higher up the chain of command, but I don’t like coincidences, and this feels like a big coincidence to me.’
Carson visibly winced at the mention of the girls.
‘Liv, Tisha, Amy, and Bonnie,’ she recited, almost on autopilot and Melman walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.
‘There’s no easy way to say this,’ he started, and Blake found it strange that the chief was approaching Carson in such a soft manner.
‘What happened, sir?’ he asked.
‘Another little girl was taken last night.’
Blake heard Carson gasp and she doubled over as if the air had been knocked from her lungs.
‘Where?’
Carson’s voice was barely a whisper.
‘Now don’t go blaming yourself,’ Melman said.
‘Where?’ she repeated.
‘Brentwood High Street.’
Blake just had time to grab her before her legs gave way. She staggered into his arms and he didn’t think twice about lifting her from her feet whether the chief was watching or not.
21
Blake carried Carson from the boardroom and carefully descended the stairs. Her brain was still trying to process the way in which he’d scooped her into his arms like a scene out of a movie. Never having been one to swoon over Alpha men before, she hated to admit that resting her head against his shoulder made her feel delicate and protected. Her fingers automatically curled around the back of his neck and twisted through his mane of dark-blond hair. She closed her eyes against the dull ache that pounded against the inside of her skull and breathed in the scent of his skin. The gentleness with which he held her was a surprise, and she was genuinely sorry when he put her down again. For those few seconds, she’d been fragile - an emotion that she didn’t indulge very often. She’d felt vulnerable in his arms, but now had to bounce back tougher than ever to mask that moment of weakness.
‘So what do we do next, sir?’ Carson asked, as she tried to decide which blurry image of Tom was the real one. Her vision was hazy and so was he.
‘You are going home,’ he stated, as he retrieved a large map and laid it across an empty desk. He spent several minutes instructing Blake to place colour-coded pins against places of interest. Carson quickly worked out that the green pins were for the houses where the four dead girls had been taken from, yellow pins symbolised any places that needed searching again and one solitary red pin marked where the latest little girl was snatched from. That pin glowed like a beacon of failure and she struggled to swallow the lump of regret that filled her throat.
‘You want me to go home,’ she repeated. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Blake was right earlier. You shouldn’t be here. You need to rest. You’ve clearly not r
ecovered from those grenades last night.’
‘But I’m fine,’ she protested, even as her head throbbed in disagreement.
‘Maybe I didn’t make myself clear, that was an order not a request.’
Tom’s attention did not shift from the map and Carson knew arguing with him was futile, so she switched to sulking instead. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the two men that she’d come to rely on most. Blake’s eyes briefly met hers, and he mouthed silently that he was sorry. He seemed genuinely remorseful - the bloody turncoat. She still couldn’t believe the rubbish he’d spouted about her being unfit for duty. Carson didn’t want his apologies. She wanted his balls, in a vice or on a plate, it didn’t matter.
‘Go home, Carson,’ Tom barked.
‘Shall I make sure she gets to bed, sir?’ Blake offered.
Carson was grateful that Tom was preoccupied with pins otherwise he would have seen the guilty look cross her face at the thought of Blake putting her to bed. Their eyes met again and when he realised that what he’d said could be misinterpreted, he quickly backtracked.
‘I mean I’ll take her home and make sure she goes to sleep, sir. Nothing else.’
‘I know what you meant,’ Tom replied, ‘but I need you here. Towers can take a taxi. We need to continue our search for the missing jaktten. It’s not a coincidence that another little girl was taken in the same area where he made his escape. He must know more about the desquamaters’ plans than we anticipated. He might even be in on it too. I wish I’d seen that damn report that Doctor Malone had completed before he disappeared.’
‘A jaktten wouldn’t help another alien kill a child,’ Blake replied firmly.
‘So say you, but as they are an unknown species, we don’t really know what they are capable of. Damn it, I want answers. I want to find Doctor Malone and I want to send every one of these aliens back to the hell-hole they came from.’
Tom rubbed his forehead, a sure sign he was getting worked up again.
