JT watched the scene from afar. It was painful and he longed to intervene, but he knew it would only make things worse.
The meeting carried on, Malcolm on one side of the room, the officers of the team he had been assigned to on the other. Their crossed arms and expressions didn’t need profiler skills to be decoded.
They didn’t like Malcolm. No, worse than that, they despised him. JT shook his head. He didn’t get it. Malcolm had been cleared of all charges and the Marshalls had even sent an official apology, yet the profiler was still ostracized.
JT had seen how officers would turn away from him, leave rooms he entered, whisper behind his back... He couldn’t understand it.
It hadn’t been that bad when Malcolm had first come in to help Major Crimes. Even if at that time his legacy had already been causing some rumors. Police stations were like high school in that regard.
But never had it been so much like... Civil war almost. Except if it was a war he probably would be on the losing side, given how little support Malcolm currently had.
JT shook his head before picking up his ringing phone.
“Major Crimes, DI Tarmel.”
“Hey JT!”
“Dani! Voice of an angel!” JT grinned. His partner and boss had been at a police conference for only two days but JT had been missing them.
Them and the fact that with only him, no new case would come in and he was stuck with catching on paperwork.
“How’s the conference?”
“Interesting! It’s a shame you couldn’t come!”
“Yeah... Well someone had to hold the fort.”
Dani’s laugh reached him.
“How are things?”
He didn’t have to read through the lines to know what she was asking. He sighed.
“Well.... Nothing new.... Davies and his team are.... Well.... They are... But Bright seems to be handling himself.”
Dani’s doubtful hum told him she was just as unconvinced as him. A distant voice could be heard over the phone.
“Sorry JT, I have to go. Keep an eye on our profiler, will you?”
“Yeah. Will do! See you on Friday!”
JT looked back to the conference room but it was empty. He saw the inspectors back at their desks. He hesitated only a second before picking up random papers to go to the copier.
“I would say I’m sorry but then I’d be lying.” He heard Davies say to one of his lieutenants.
The man laughed.
“That theory was crazy boss. Better for him to see it now than later. I mean, come on? Fake kidnapping?”
JT would have like to listen longer, but he was starting to get weird glances.
He went back to his desk. The pile of waiting files had only barely diminished.
JT hadn’t seen Malcolm for the rest of the day. But he had stayed focused on his work and taken the opportunity to leave early, for once going with Tally to pick up their son.
The next day, JT had to spend half the day in the basem*nt, putting files away in the archive room. That’s why he didn’t notice anything amiss at first.
But the afternoon finally came and he suddenly realized he couldn’t see Malcolm around. An uneasy feeling crept inside him. He went up and went to the break room. Then he looked over to the most secluded desks where the profiler would usually be found but nothing. Just to be sure, he checked Gil’s office.
Malcolm would someone hide in there if he was feeling particularly overwhelmed.
Still nothing.
JT told himself he was getting paranoid. Malcolm didn’t have to be at the station every day. And with how things looked with Davies, surely the profiler wouldn’t come in.
Right?
But even thinking it, JT knew he was lying to himself. Even when things were bad, Malcolm would come in. Especially if he was on a case.
And he knew Davies’ team case was not closed. A woman was still missing.
He took out his phone.
Hey bro, you around? He texted to Malcolm.
He stared at his phone, wishing for the answering dots to appear for minutes before realizing he looked stupid and that Malcolm could be busy.
He went back to his desk and sat down.
He tried to concentrate on the work to do but he kept glancing at his phone.
No answer came. After two more hours he tried calling. It was sent straight to voicemail.
The uneasy feeling that he started feeling earlier came back with a vengeance.
He hesitated for a moment before making his way to Davies’ desk. The man was reading from his computer, a concentrated frown on his face.
He cleared his throat.
The man looked up, eyeing him up and down with a disdainful look.
“Yes?”
“Hi. I was wondering, would you know where Bright is? I need him for.... A thing....”
“A thing?” It was clear the man didn’t believe him. And didn’t care. “Well, I didn’t see your crazy ass profiler since he tried to sell us his bullsh*t theory about our vic faking her kidnapping.”
While JT often called Bright crazy, he knew he never meant it like the man in front of him did.
“Right. Thanks.” He answered through clenched teeth.
Now alarm bells were ringing in his head.
Malcolm had a theory on a case. And he wasn’t believed. He knew all too well what that meant.
And it didn’t mean good news.
No. He told himself firmly. Surely there is another explanation. Malcolm has learned to call for backup.
JT nodded to himself.
It didn’t stop him from taking his coat and exiting the offices. He would go check Malcolm’s flat. It would be the best place to start. And with luck he would find Malcolm there and they would have a drink together.
He forced himself to not use the blue lights in his way to Malcolm’s flat. There was nothing to hurry about.
He parked in front of the building. Ringing the bell gave him no answer so he made his way to the back of the building and the emergency exit. He quickly climbed the stairs and peered inside Malcolm’s flat. It was dark and silent. It was obvious it was empty.
Malcolm could be out but JT didn’t really believe it. He knew what he had to do. Even if he wasn’t fan of the idea.
Jessica answered her phone at the second ring.
“Detective Tarmel! What can I do for you?”
JT felt bad for ruining what sounded like a good mood.
“Hi, Mrs Whitly. I... I was wondering if you had talked to Malcolm recently?”
Her laugh was only slightly forced.
“While I would love to say otherwise, my son is still as bad at communicating as ever. Why?”
“It’s probably nothing but.... Would you mind sending someone at the loft with the keys? There’s something I’d like to check out.”
“I’ll be here shortly.” The woman answered, the phone getting silent.
JT grimaced. He hadn’t wanted to worry her but he knew he had to check out the inside of Malcolm’s flat.
It took Jessica only fifteen minutes to arrive, her heels clicking on the pavement.
“What’s going on?” She asked him as she unlocked the door, letting JT in.
“I’m not sure yet. It could be nothing, honestly.” JT answered as they climbed the stairs.
They entered the flat to find a mess of open files on the kitchen counter. It was obvious Malcolm had been working on a case.
“What’s all this?” Jessica said.
JT didn’t answer for a moment, observing the files. It made no doubt Malcolm had been working on Davies team’s case by himself. Judging by the notes and post-it notes lying around, it was clear he had some theories.
“Looks like Malcolm was working on a theory. I’ll have to read all this. I’m not familiar with the case.”
“I’ll make coffee then.” Jessica decided, commanding the kitchen.
Soon the rich smell of warm coffee filled the flat and JT settled to go through the casefiles.
At 6AM, JT entered the precinct. He had slept a couple of hours slumped in Malcolm’s sofa but still felt exhausted.
He was, however, focused on his task. With the help of Jessica, he had managed to make sense of Malcolm’s barely readable handwriting and they had managed to figure out the leads the profiler had been working on.
She had wanted to go check them out but JT had convinced her they couldn’t go in blind. Especially as they weren’t sure exactly where to go.
So JT had taken some rest and was now the first one in. He settled at his desk and started working, pulling out records and CCTV.
He barely noticed as other people started arriving. His task felt never-ending. His eyes were burning with the hours spent staring at grainy pictures.
He had already crossed three potential locations. Only two were left and he could feel doubt creep on him. What if he got it wrong?
Malcolm had been missing for almost two days. What if it was already too late?
No. He couldn’t think like that. Malcolm was stronger than anyone gave him credit for. And knew how to talk himself out of many situations.
He shook himself and focused back on his screen.
Two more hours passed before, finally, something got his attention.
He had been watching the tapes of a crossroad near a building Malcolm had marked. It was a pretty empty neighborhood and, if it wasn’t for his current problem, he would think this camera a waste of public money.
He watched as a shadow entered the screen. A very familiar shadow. He watched as Malcolm pasted himself against the wall on the left side of the screen. He was obviously trying to blend in but his expensive coat still looked very out-of-place in the deserted industrial area.
He seemed to be observing a building outside the field of the camera. It took 30 minutes before he moved out of the picture.
JT scrambled for the surrounding CCTV he had found but Malcolm didn’t appear in any other tape.
“Bingo!” He said out loud.
He jumped out of his chair and to the door. Reaching the ground floor, he flagged down two street cops and told them to come with him.
The blue lights and siren took care of the New York traffic and soon they arrived near the place Malcolm was last seen.
“Okay, we don’t know what we’re stepping into, so be careful guys.” He instructed the other cops.
The two men in front of him nodded and they all drew their guns.
They approached the small building Malcolm had been observing. JT clocked the security cameras and frowned. While the building looked ready to crumble, the cameras were shiny new.
He pointed them to the men with him and saw their muscles tense.
Something shady was obviously going on there.
They reached the door and, once again, a camera observed them. JT knocked at the door, making sure to not be in front of it.
No answer came. He pounded more loudly on the door.
“NYPD. Open the door! Now!”
He waited for a couple minutes before nodding to the two officers.
He lifted his gun and started knocking the door down.
It took two strong hits but then the door opened.
“NYPD!”
They filled in the room but it was just a huge empty space. He gestured to the officers to check the doors on the left while he crossed the room to the back where a door was.
He pasted his back to the wall and reached for the doorknob. The door opened inside and he waited a few seconds before bending in.
The room he entered was smaller and looked lived in. It reminded JT of a safe house.
Distantly he heard the all clear from the officers.
“Damn it, where are you Bright?” He mumbled, looking around himself.
He almost went out the door when he noticed a metallic cabinet. Closed by a padlock. The hair on the back of his skull dressed. He knocked against it.
“Bright? Are you in there?”
He held on his breath, and then, he heard a weak scratching noise.
“Find me a bolt cutter!” He hollered to his colleagues.
“Don’t worry man! I’ll get you out in no time!”
No time felt like an eternity. But finally, they managed to open the cabinet.
A gust of rancid air hit them when the doors opened and the three cops’ noses creased. JT had to bite his lips to stop his gasp.
Malcolm looked awful, his eyes wide and fearful, his hands bloody. It was obvious he wasn’t really with them, tucked in the corner of the cabinet, whimpering softly.
“Call for an ambulance.” He instructed the man to his left. “Bright, hey, Bright, I’m here.”
He tried to reach inside the small space but Malcolm retracted from him.
“It’s okay, Bright, It’s me, JT. I’m here for you.”
Malcolm just kept panting, his eyes jumping from one place to the other.
JT took a step back.
“Look, you can get out now.”
Seconds passed. But then Malcolm tentatively reached forward. When he realized he really could go out, his eyes widened and he propelled himself out like a devil out of his box.
JT was so surprised hu stumbled back but quickly rightened himself as Malcolm took only one step in the room before flopping down on the floor.
“Bright!”
JT kneeled next to the profiler who was mumbling to himself under his erratic breaths.
EMTs erupted into the room just as JT opened his mouth to try to reassure Malcolm.
The two women quickly settled down to assess Malcolm.
“What happened?” A stern-looking red-haired woman asked.
JT quickly summarized what he knew as the other EMT worked.
“BP and heartrate are through the roof. There might also be some metacarpal fractures I think.”
“Sir, can you hear us? We need you to try to calm down okay?” The first EMT asked to Malcolm.
When he didn’t answer, she turned back to JT.
“Do you have any medical history?”
“Ah yes, yes! A second!”
JT took out his phone. After all the times Malcolm got hurt, Gil had made sure each member of the team had a summary of Malcolm’s prescription and main issues. Just in case.
The detective couldn’t have been more grateful for it. The woman quickly scanned the file, her face focused but unreadable.
“Okay. Thanks.”
She turned back towards Malcolm and her colleague and they started exchanging medical terms and orders that were far above JT’s knowledge.
All that he knew was that they injected Malcolm with something and that it finally helped calm him, his laboring breaths finally going back to normal, his eyes closing.
“We’re going to take him in. He is dehydrated and, from what you showed me, possibly experiencing some withdrawal. His hands also looked like they took some damage.”
JT couldn’t stop the vision of a panicked Malcolm trying to fight his way out of the darkness. He winced.
The EMT put a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, it looks like you found him in time. I’m sure he will be fine.”
JT forced himself to share her optimism.
Being in a hospital waiting room with Jessica Whitly was an experience, JT thought. The woman looked out of place in her expensive clothes, her sharp heels clicking loudly as she paced. The detective was feeling sorry for the other people in the room; the noise was very irritating. He was dealing with it only because his own worry kept him rooted in his chair.
Tally had offered to come in with refreshments but he had convinced her to stay with Junior instead. There was no need to pay a nanny to wait for news. He would keep her updated anyway. Just like he kept updated Gil and Dani. They both had caught a flight earlier and were making their way back to New York.
Finally, after hours, a doctor finally came in. Apparently, he had been briefed by the nurses that Jessica had been harassing because he walked towards them without asking for their identities.
He presented himself before guiding them out of the waiting room to a nearby office. It set JT’s nerves on edge. Usually being led apart meant bad news. But the EMTs were reassuring. His heart raced with worry and he wondered how Jessica could look so collected.
“Well, M. Bright’s injuries were limited, given the circ*mstances. Bruising and some cracked bones in his hands. Nothing life-threatening. For a time, we were more concerned with dehydration and the chemical imbalance given his usual regiment. We treated him for that and it looks like his condition is stable. I’d like to keep him under surveillance for 24 hours just in case but he should be good to go by tomorrow.”
JT deflated and he heard Jessica sigh in relief.
“Oh, thank God. Can we see him?”
The doctor nodded.
“He became very agitated when he regained consciousness so we had to give him some meds so he might still be a bit out of it.”
They heard Malcolm before seeing him. So much for being out of it.
“Look, I am fine and there’s no reason I have to stay here.”
“Sir, we’re still levelling on your usual medication and fluids. The doctor wants to keep you under observation.”
“And I promise I’ll take my meds and drink plenty of electrolytes.”
They entered to see Malcolm sitting up on his bead, trying to reach from the needle stuck in his arm while a stern looking nurse hold him back.
“Malcolm!” Jessica exclaimed making the profiler groan. “You will do as you’re told!”
Under the harsh hospital light the man looked pale and exhausted, bruises visible on his face and arms. JT noticed the bandages on several fingers.
The nurse used the distraction created by Jessica’s arrival to push Malcolm back against the slightly elevated bed.
“Don’t make me tell them to tie you to the bed.”
“Mother!” JT smiled at Malcolm’s almost whiney tone. “What are you even doing here?”
“Where else should I be when my son is in the hospital?”
Malcolm rolled his eyes. And then he seemed to finally notice the police officer in the room.
“JT! You’ve got to call Davies! I was right! Marcella faked her own kidnapping! She was hiding in that safe house! I heard her talk to a man! I think she was cheating on her husband and...”
“Right, right Malcolm, slow down bro!” JT interrupted what would most surely have become an epic psychological dissertation. “I already called him. He’s on it with the CSU, last I heard they were searching for a car.”
Malcolm nodded, deflating a bit.
“I was right.” He mumbled, almost to himself. JT thought the meds might be finally kicking in.
“You were. And I’ll make sure Davies mentions that in the file.” JT said.
“You shouldn’t worry about that now darling. You better rest.” Jessica interrupted as it looked like Malcolm would answer.
The profiler’s eyes lifted. JT smiled. His phone chimed.
“That’s Dani and Gil. They just landed. They’ll be coming here soon.”
Malcolm groaned.
“Why did you call them?”
JT lifted a brow.
“I am not dealing with them if I hadn’t.” He answered. “And now, I think I’ll go back to my wife. She sends you her best by the way. Knowing her, you can expect food soon. Just so you know.”
It made the profiler smile. JT knew that despite how much he usually hated food, Tally’s famous desserts will always be accepted and enjoyed.
And if it helped Malcolm get over what happened to him the past few days, he knew his wifewould be only too happy to provide.
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