They were silent a moment and then Tyler said,
“Maybe if Malick goes to desk work, I should sign up for the police academy and we wouldn’t have to do so much sneaking around in the future. I could be your partner someday!” He was trying to be light, to finish off the evening on a less sombre note. Sarah’s returned smile was weak, but it was something.
Tyler stood up and stretched out his back. “There’s a bed in the spare room at the end of the hall there if you want it. I’m going to bed, I’m bushed. Fresh heads in the morning might see this message in a new light.” He saw her weigh up the idea of driving home on this dark night, especially tired and with a couple of drinks on her.
“I’ll stay tonight, thanks,” she said.
Chapter 14
IT WAS LATE IN THE afternoon when Sarah arrived at her desk. Malick was sitting across from her and he gave her a shamefaced nod as she sat down. He looked worried and she knew he was wondering if she had reported him or not. She smiled as best she could and then said to him,
“Come into the case room with me.” She went on ahead without him and he got up and followed her.
Inside the room, Sarah shut the door and turned to the confused Malick and said,
“I’ve had a small breakthrough in the Farmer’s Case.”
“What is it?” he asked, a look of relief coming over his face as he came to understand that Sarah might be looking to just gloss over the whole event at the store.
“There’s a message in the items he left at each scene,” she said pointing at the three images on the corkboard. “The first two say ‘There will be another’ but I haven't been able to figure out what the third one is yet to finish the message.”
“What?” Malick said looking at the photos more keenly now, “Where did you get that from?” Sarah explained the process and then how it had not worked in any way for the last photo.
“Wow,” he said, “That’s some work, were you up all night at this?”
“Not all night, but it was a late one,” she said, teetering on the edge of telling him about Tyler’s input. She hesitated. She didn’t want to be keeping secrets from him, but then she supposed he owed her one. If she told him, he would have to keep quiet about it to repay her loyalty in not reporting him as unfit for a return to active field service.
Then a firm ‘No’ hit her head hard. Now wasn’t the time to tell him. It would be better to see how things played out with him first.
“Have you taken this to the cipher team?” he asked, breaking her thought stream.
“Not, but am going to do that now. There’s a lead on Carson Lemond just in, a possible sighting in Washington I have to look into this afternoon.”
“Are you going there?”
“I’m not sure yet, I don’t want to be running all over the country based on sightings without anything else to back it up,” Sarah said, “But don’t worry, I won’t be taking you with me this late in the day. I know Tara would have a stroke if I did.” She was smiling and trying to be jocular but Malick’s eyes darkened a moment and no smile came to his face. She looked at him closely “You okay?” she asked.
Malick turned back to face the photos and sighed.
“I suppose we better talk about the store hold-up,” he said, “I’m assuming you didn’t report it or else I’d already be back home by now.”
“No,” Sarah agreed, “I didn’t report it.” She wanted to know where his head was at now, but Sarah was worried about pushing too hard and getting backlash that wouldn't help anyone. He turned to look at her,
“First thing I should say is I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need for that,” Sarah said, “I just want to be sure you're okay.”
“To work you mean?” There was sharpness in his tone, but he had done his best to manage it. Sarah was rankled by it nonetheless; she hadn’t done anything wrong for anyone to be getting snippy with her.
“That’s actually not what I meant, but now that you bring it up, perhaps it is something we should talk about!” She snapped back at him. “This kind of thing can’t happen a second time, Malick, you know that as well as I do. The wrong situation and we could have both been dead the first time!”
“I know, I know, I said I’m sorry,” he replied flushed. Sarah was about to wade in some more but somehow she managed to hold her tongue for the fraction of a second it took for her brain to get back in control of the conversation.
“Look,” she said, “You almost died. No one would think any less of you if you needed more time to be sure you’re ready to be back here.”
“I’m fine, Sarah,” Malick said, “I know I had a wobble, but I’m working through that and I promise you it was a one off.” His eyes were wide and his voice earnest but Sarah both saw and heard something in him that disturbed her. He had the wide eyed innocent look and cadenced speech of a junkie promising they were done with drugs. They were going cold turkey and didn’t foresee any trouble in doing so. This wasn’t what Sarah wanted and she began to regret not reporting the incident. It looked from where she stood that it might have been the easier thing to do in the end. She shook her head and Malick’s earnest face turned to one of growing disgust.
“What is it?” he asked and the tension in the room was thick once more.
“I don’t think you’re as okay as you might think you are,” Sarah replied softly, “Maybe it would be worth you talking to
