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“This one’s labelled as a suicide. What’d you think?” Gavin asked, indicating to his desk. Richard leaned over the desk to look at the case files Gavin was studying, then he looked down at Gavin and smirked.
“I think you look very attractive from this angle.”
“Fuck off, I’m attractive from all angles.” Gavin growled.
“I meant, you look very attractive when you are underneath me.” Richard leant down, pecking Gavin’s lips. Gavin scowled.
“Work now, play later.”
“I think if it’s labelled as a suicide, that perhaps it was a suicide.” Richard studied the files. “She has bruises and self-inflicted scars, suggesting an inner struggle with herself. One scar on her wrist is vertical, a cut commonly intended to kill. She is a common example of a suicide victim.” Richard turned to Gavin, who looked… Disappointed.
“However… If this were a suicide, she would have used her dominant hand…” Richard pointed to the photo of the girl lying on the floor with a bullet wound in her left temple and a gun in her left hand, then to the suicide note next to said photo.
“This letter was written by a right-handed person. She supposedly ‘shot herself’ with her left hand. She did not write this letter.” Richard frowned. “Someone shot her and made it look like a suicide.”
“Knew it!” Gavin slammed his fist against the table. “Can you tell who it was from the writing?”
“No… But I can compare it to a sample of handwriting… I have an idea.”
Gavin contacted everyone the girl knew; Family, friends, even her University professors.
“We just wanna ask a couple of routine questions. If you could just sign this with your full name as proof that you came in today, that’d be just swell.” Gavin had told them, handing them a form about some fake confidentiality agreement Richard had made it. Richard then took the form and scanned it against the letter, but each time, got nowhere.
“Sorry I’m late.” A man smiled as he sat opposite Gavin at his desk. “Work, you know?”
“Yeah, um… We just wanna ask a couple of routine questions. If you could just sign this form to prove you came in, full name please.” Gavin handed a form over. “Who’re you again?”
“Er, Thomas Kingston. Elizabeth’s step-father.” The man smiled, quickly signing the paper and handing it back. Richard’s LED circled yellow as he scanned it before turning red.
“Gavin.” Richard whispered. “It’s a match.”
Gavin didn’t remember what happened next. Apparently, he’d sworn and punched the man, and Richard had been forced to pull him off before handcuffing Thomas.
Now he sat opposite said man in the interrogation room, Richard behind him with a blue LED.
“That form you signed, your handwriting matched that of the ‘suicide note’ found in your daughter’s room. Tell me,” Gavin leaned forward, “Why did you write your daughter’s suicide note?”
“Step-daughter.” Thomas muttered.
“Why?!” Gavin snapped.
“Because she was in my way.” Thomas smirked. Actually smirked . Gavin wanted to punch his pretty little teeth in. “She was always the center of her Mother’s attention.”
“She would be. Anyone would be if they’d skipped two years of school for over-achieving and then studied to be a doctor at University.” Gavin scowled. “You killed an 18 year old girl, with 18 years worth of knowledge and experience and personal pain and a promising future, because she was in your fucking way ?”
“She had plenty of warnings.” Thomas shrugged. “I broke her arm once to get the message across. She might have been smart but she was never clever.”
“Fuck you!” Gavin stood, slamming his fists on the table. “You murdered an innocent child! A child who was fucking relying on you to provide safety and security!”
“She was an inconvenience.”
“Wanker!”
“So, how long is my sentence?”
“If I had my own fucking way, I’d fucking hang you!”
“Go ahead, Sonny Boy!” Thomas spat. Gavin froze.
The fuck are you, Sonny Boy? Papa’s got a new toy.
You really gonna test me, Sonny Boy?
Shut the fuck up, Sonny Boy, or I’ll fucking make you!
Sonny Boy! You can’t hide forever!
Get down here so I can fucking kill you, Sonny Boy!
Are you fucking crying, Sonny Boy? Fucking waste…
“Hey! Think I broke your fuck toy.” Thomas sniggered to Richard. Richard took Gavin by the arm and all but dragged him out the room before picking him up bridal style, his LED flashing red. Gavin buried his face in Richard’s chest as Richard carried him to the bathroom. Once inside, he placed Gavin down on the counter and locked the door.
“I am here, Gavin.” Richard whispered, approaching the counter that Gavin was sitting on. Gavin was trembling, holding his shaky hands in front of him as tears rolled down his cheeks. Richard panicked. He’d never once seen Gavin cry. “Gavin…” Richard dove forwards, wrapping his arms tight around Gavin’s shoulders, holding him close.
That only seemed to make things worse. Gavin struggled away, pushing and kicking and crying out.
“Fuck off!” Gavin screamed. “Get the fuck off me! Fucking asshole! Fuck you! Get the fuck off!” Richard’s LEd flickered yellow as he reached out to Connor.
Connor?
Richard?
Can you and Lieutenant Anderson meet us in the staff WC?
Of course.
Richard stood helpless, watching as Gavin continued to lash out, until finally, he stopped, raising his hands in front of his face.
“Please don’t… I didn’t mean to… Please…”
“Gavin, you are safe…” Richard tried to assure him, only to earn a soft whimper from the man. Richard wanted desperately to take the man in his arms and never let anyone harm him again.
“Richard?” A soft knock on the door alerted Richard that Connor was outside. He quickly unlocked the door and allowed Connor and Detective Anderson in before locking it again.
“What’s wrong with him?” Hank asked. Connor approached Gavin carefully.
“Gavin? What’s going on?”
“D-don’t fucking touch me!” Gavin cried, curling up as he shuffled backwards.
“Fuck, Connor, get back.” Hank whispered, pulling Connor back by his Police jacket. “He’s having a flashback or something… He feels like a kid again.”
“I believe our suspect triggered him with a particular choice of wording. He reacted badly when he said ‘Sonny Boy’.” Richard spoke quietly, as so not to trigger Gavin any further.
“Fuck… Okay, he ain’t responding to you so he won’t respond to Connor…” Hank muttered. “That leaves me.”
“But you are a similar age to his Father.” Connor tilted his head. “Surely, you will not be much help.”
“Ah, but I got one thing his Pop’s didn’t.” Hank winked. “A bit of human decency.”
Connor and Richard watched as Hank sat beside Gavin on the counter, whispering softly as he wrapped an arm around Gavin’s shoulders and pulled him to his chest. Gavin lashed out, hitting Hank with his arms as Hank started to whisper.
“It’s alright, my boy. You’re safe here. I got you, kiddo, I ain’t gonna let anyone touch ya, okay? I’m gonna keep you safe.” Gavin eventually slumped against Hank, giving up with resisting. Hank rubbed Gavin’s arm as he continued to speak softly. “We got you, kiddo. No-one’s gonna hurt ya while we’re here.”
“A-Anderson…?” Gavin looked up. Hank smiled down at him.
Fuck, he’d never felt so sorry for the poor asshole in his life.
“Hey, you feeling okay?” Hank asked. Gavin nodded weakly, resting against Hank. Hank didn’t mention it. “You had an episode, you sure you’re okay?”
“Don’t tell anyone.” Gavin muttered. “Please.”
“Kid, I’m an asshole but I’m not a psychopath.” Hank chuckled, ruffling Gavin’s hair playfully.
“You sure?” Gavin retorted.
“There’s my boy!” Hank smirked. “Take him back, Richard, he’s an asshole again.”
“Gavin…” Richard approached cautiously. Gavin sighed, hopping off the counter and walking up to the android, burying his face in Richard’s chest but not doing anything else to initiate a hug. Richard got the idea and brought his arms up to embrace Gavin. “I was worried.”
“Pussy.” Gavin muttered. Richard dropped the embrace and pressed a kiss atop Gavin’s forehead. “Thanks…”
“You two okay?” Hank asked, moving to Connor’s side. Richard and Gavin both nodded. “Cool. Okay, we’ll see you on the floor, okay?”
“Bye, Gavin.” Connor smiled as he left with Hank. Gavin would be lying if he said he hadn’t smiled back.
“Ugh… I never wanted anyone to witness that.” Gavin growled.
“You’ve had those before?” Richard blinked.
“Well, yeah.” Gavin shrugged.
“And… you were alone…?”
“Why’s it fucking matter?” Gavin muttered. Richard wrapped his arms around Gavin again and sat him on the counter, resting his forehead against his.
“It is not safe or fair for you to go through that alone. Allow me to stay with you to ensure your safety.”
“Did you just invite yourself to live with me?” Gavin asked. Richard nodded. Gavin shrugged. “Yeah, sure, why not?”