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Observation
Stephen Raitt had secured himself an egg & cheese on an English muffin and a coffee. He was sitting in the food court washing the former down with the latter when the man showed up.
There was no mistaking it, the man appeared from the hall to Raitt's right and walked straight into the orchard.
"Shit!" Raitt muttered a profanity under his breath because things were unfolding far too quickly. He used the flash tracker on his VoxBox rather than calling Jenn and losing time.
Jennifer got a low beep and an image on her screen. She saw enough of the man in the orchard to set her adrenalin in motion.
"Good boy, Stephen"
Then she was moving towards the tubes. It took her four minutes to get there.
Raitt had recycled the paper & plastic wrap from his hurried meal, and was standing to the right of the tube array where she'd be sure to see him.
"Where is he now?" Jenn was looking towards the greenhouse.
"By the crime scene tape, just to the right there, he's gone under it, he'll be in when we get there."
"Good job, let's go get this bastard." Jenn seemed determined.
They were close enough to hear the glass & aluminum door open, the hint of a footfall on the wooden floor.
Raitt had caught it. "He's in." Raitt breathed quietly. "Boss?"
Colavito knew what was coming. She spoke before she looked back at him. "It'll be okay, Stephen."
"He'll have a knife."
"I know."
Raitt smiled. "Good. You sound like my partner & boss again."
Colavito smiled, clearly pleased. "Partner?"
Raitt's smile broadened. "A man can dream, can't he?"
Jenn leaned sideways into Raitt before she answered. "A man who can dream can have it all, Stephen."
"I love it when you talk dirty!" Raitt's grin surfaced once more.
"You want dirty talk? If this is our guy, we have no real justice system lying around up here." She looked at him squarely. "If he's it, I say we tazer him down, then it's knife blades, close in. That's what I want to do. Are you with me?"
Raitt took a moment to decide. "I'm in, given the circumstances. Is that enough?"
Jenn pulled her taser. "It's good enough for me at this juncture."
"You need to know it's *only* because of the circumstances." Raitt believed in due process.
She glanced at him as they approached the green house. "I'm no different, now shush!"
Ten metres, the inside of the greenhouse a blur through the condensation.
Jenn cursed under her breath. "Shit, I can't see a damned thing."
Raitt agreed. "Yeah, I say we just try to be fast, surprise him"
Jenn nodded. "Ok, you go in first."
Raitt nodded and started moving fast, Jenn behind him.
Raitt's hand found the handle quietly. He checked fast for Jenn behind him. She was.
He raised his brows & she nodded. He turned the handle and opened the door quickly; they stepped in together, Tazers raised.
But the man who'd just stepped in was gone.
There was no mistaking it, the man appeared from the hall to Raitt's right and walked straight into the orchard.
"Shit!" Raitt muttered a profanity under his breath because things were unfolding far too quickly. He used the flash tracker on his VoxBox rather than calling Jenn and losing time.
Jennifer got a low beep and an image on her screen. She saw enough of the man in the orchard to set her adrenalin in motion.
"Good boy, Stephen"
Then she was moving towards the tubes. It took her four minutes to get there.
Raitt had recycled the paper & plastic wrap from his hurried meal, and was standing to the right of the tube array where she'd be sure to see him.
"Where is he now?" Jenn was looking towards the greenhouse.
"By the crime scene tape, just to the right there, he's gone under it, he'll be in when we get there."
"Good job, let's go get this bastard." Jenn seemed determined.
They were close enough to hear the glass & aluminum door open, the hint of a footfall on the wooden floor.
Raitt had caught it. "He's in." Raitt breathed quietly. "Boss?"
Colavito knew what was coming. She spoke before she looked back at him. "It'll be okay, Stephen."
"He'll have a knife."
"I know."
Raitt smiled. "Good. You sound like my partner & boss again."
Colavito smiled, clearly pleased. "Partner?"
Raitt's smile broadened. "A man can dream, can't he?"
Jenn leaned sideways into Raitt before she answered. "A man who can dream can have it all, Stephen."
"I love it when you talk dirty!" Raitt's grin surfaced once more.
"You want dirty talk? If this is our guy, we have no real justice system lying around up here." She looked at him squarely. "If he's it, I say we tazer him down, then it's knife blades, close in. That's what I want to do. Are you with me?"
Raitt took a moment to decide. "I'm in, given the circumstances. Is that enough?"
Jenn pulled her taser. "It's good enough for me at this juncture."
"You need to know it's *only* because of the circumstances." Raitt believed in due process.
She glanced at him as they approached the green house. "I'm no different, now shush!"
Ten metres, the inside of the greenhouse a blur through the condensation.
Jenn cursed under her breath. "Shit, I can't see a damned thing."
Raitt agreed. "Yeah, I say we just try to be fast, surprise him"
Jenn nodded. "Ok, you go in first."
Raitt nodded and started moving fast, Jenn behind him.
Raitt's hand found the handle quietly. He checked fast for Jenn behind him. She was.
He raised his brows & she nodded. He turned the handle and opened the door quickly; they stepped in together, Tazers raised.
But the man who'd just stepped in was gone.
