Chapter Text
Cruhteo said nothing as he concentrated on the road ahead of him. Sitting next to him, Saazbaum was equally silent, his gaze wandering on the Geneva’s landscape, fields and valleys not yet covered by morning dew.
4 in the morning calls of their department on a scene were rare, especially in this area of Lausanne, but they had been paiged for an emergency in a little village near the lake. They both were after all, the only duo of the Geneva homicide department that were willing to work anytime, and could be roused from sleep in the dead of the night.
At 2:33am, a neighbor had woken up for a glass of water, when she saw people hurriedly come out of the windows of her neighbor’s house, and drive off into the night. Concerned, she had called the local police. When the patrol car arrived, they first thought of a simple breaking and entering, but when Dr. Troyard hadn’t answered the doorbell after many summons, they circled the house to find broken windows. The room was plunged in the dark, but when rookie Maier had flashed her flashlight and saw what was definitely blood splattered on the walls and a mass that was so beaten it looked barely human anymore, it was clear this was not a routine call anymore. They had forced the front door and in the eerie silent house, found Dr. Troyard in his study, lying in a pool of his own blood.
Maier, once outside, threw up and then called backup and begin to perimeter the crime scene off. It was such a brutal and gruesome murder, and Dr. Troyard being a renowned scientist, that the Geneva homicides department was alerted and immediately dispatched their best detectives to drive to the scene, middle of the night or not.
Upon arrival, Cruhteo tucked his scarf safely so it would not contaminate the crime scene as he and Saazbaum got the first debrief from the forensic specialist. By now, the whole village was awake, illuminated by blue beacons. Some bystanders, still in their pyjamas or hastily thrown on coats were trying to get a look inside the house. It was a nice looking little home, but the garden was full of weeds and ivy growing on the walls. It could have been a cosy place if the interior wasn’t so bland. There was little to no personal touch to the living room, Dr. Troyard being known for being obsessed by his work.
Saazbaum exchanged a knowing look with Cruhteo ; there was a luxurious tv here, but nothing seemed to have been taken- whoever did this came with a goal in mind, and not some robbery gone wrong.
If the house was looking as sad as an ikea display, the study however showed it was a room much lived in. It was also absolutely ransacked, and with a body on the floor. Papers were laying everywhere, furniture was moved as if someone was looking for something very specific.
As for Dr. Troyard, one look and their experience told them he had been tortured, and had a very slow and painful death. There was blood on the desk chair, he had clear stress fractures around the wrists, likely from trying to break away from ropes, some still dangling from the armrest of the chair. His nails had been forcefully removed, and he had been stabbed several times on the hands and knees.
Cause of death would of course have to be determined later by the coroner, though a bullet through the skull seemed to have been the fatal blow. He had been tortured-likely for information, Cruhteo deducted as he saw an empty and wide open safe, and when whatever they were searching for was found, he was simply shot down. The room was very well protected, probably the most secure place in the house, as they found out it was soundproofed and without cameras, security and anti-theft measures taken by Dr. Troyard that sadly turned on him. Nobody had heard him scream, or the struggle inside the room.
Rapidly, Saazbaum and Cruhteo fell into their synchronized and efficient partnership. They had been working on cases like this for most of the decade now, and while one ordered the computer to be taken to get analyzed the other questioned the local officers. The woman who had alerted the police hadn’t seen any distinct face, nor she recalled the car the hitmen had taken off. They were hoping to gather enough intel before the media were tipped off. Dr. Troyard was renowned for his advanced searches on new energies, and word spreaded recently he had made a major discovery. He wasn’t seen much in the village, and lived reclused, endlessly working. The neighbors couldn’t even tell his daily habits- he had never made the effort to socialize with the rest of the village.
« What do you think so far ? » asked Cruhteo, standing next to Saazbaum.
« I will eat my left foot if it’s not professional work. The house alarms were breached and that was no amateur work. Troyard barely had the time to try to barricade himself in here before the security was bypassed. And then he was trapped. »
« Whatever they came here for, they found it. It’s a wonder he lasted that long,” grimaced Cruhteo. The coroner was noting that there were several burns and swelling, probably from broken bones. The scent of blood was overwhelming, but at least he had been found quickly. They knew how much a more decomposed body would stink.
The rest of the officers were now searching the house when a yelp came from upstairs. A young officer came down, pale, and said “I found a kid’s bedroom. Empty.”
Cruhteo felt his blood freeze in his veins and heard Saazbaum curse behind him. At that moment, an officer who was getting depositions came inside running, having heard from one of the closest neighbors that Dr. Troyard had a little boy that they saw sometimes playing outside by himself, and they were very worried.
“Extend the perimeter and organize a search. Get a description of the boy and set off the kidnapping alert. Quickly !” Saazbaum began to order around the panicked officers who were imagining the worst, like he was. These people had demonstrated they had no qualms in killing. This case could very well become a child’s murder too, and those were the cases where Cruhteo loathed his job.
“The boy is said to be around 6 years old-blonde, green eyes.”
“And his name ?” asked Saazbaum, dialing up the Geneva's headquarters.
“Slaine. Slaine Troyard.”
If he hadn’t been so close to the wall while they said the name, Cruhteo would probably never have heard the quiet, but distinct muffling coming from behind the wall. He turned. A bit above the floor, there was an aeration shaft. He looked more closely and tuned out the noise of the agitation in the room. Then he heard like a little shift, as if something very little was trying to hide. The shaft was big enough for a large cat or- or a tiny boy.
Cruhteo immediately crouched down to the floor, and sure enough, in the darkened space he saw the flicker of terrorized eyes. Cruhteo inhaled.
“Slaine ?”
Immediately, the room quietened. The shadow tried to blend into the wall. People were shushing the others and were very attentively looking at Cruhteo now. He ignored them.
“Slaine ?” he repeated, in the most gentle voice he could muster. “We are here to help you. I know you must be terrified right now.”
The eyes shifted from his face to something behind him and he heard Saazbaum quietly order to cover the body.
“Focus on me. I will not hurt you. They’re gone.”
A faint whining, but the little boy’s eyes stayed locked on his.
“I’m going to get the gate rack out now.” He made the effort to speak slowly and move even more slowly. He never had been good with kids personally, he never had nor even wanted any but he would not traumatize further a already terrified child.
The shaft was finally removed. From the light in the room, Cruhteo could now see a little boy, curled up on himself, trying to blend in with the shadows. Both of his hands were on his mouth and nose-to restrain himself to make noise, Cruhteo realized with a painful pang. His face was tear strained, he was shaking but he was still silent, and Cruhteo immediately understood that he had witnessed the whole ordeal. He was not the only one to reach that conclusion because he heard Saazbaum curse again behind him.
“They’re gone now. You’re safe. You can speak.”
Slaine’s eyes widened, but still his hands stayed clasped on his face. He was in shock and would not move, no matter how reassured.
“Can you blink to answer my questions ? Two blinks for no, three for yes. Can you do that ?”
Three blinks. He could work with this.
“Are you in pain ?”
Two blinks.
“Can you move ?”
Two, again.
“Do you want me to help you get out of there ?”
One sharp inhalation, and three blinks. Softly, Cruhteo advanced his arms down the space, and stopped when Slaine cringed away. He kept on talking to the boy, and when he saw his shoulders relax a little bit only did he continue. Finally, he could grab one trembling arm. Still going slowly, he carefully grabbed Slaine’s back, letting him have the time to adapt to his touch. He heard Saazbaum asking if there was a quiet place for him to be taken out, away from prying villagers. There was a little back door to a garden.
Cruhteo gently removed the fingers one by one out of the face of the boy. There was bloody scraps where his nails had been digging into the skin. The child was still being the most quiet he could, but Cruhteo could hear the hyperventilation in his breath. He needed to get him out now.
“Alright Slaine. I will now pull you forward. Don’t look into the room.” he hesitated, then awkwardly said “I’ll protect you.” It was Saazbaum who usually dealt with the children. He always had been more paternal than Cruhteo. The kids were usually afraid of his stoic face.
But as Slaine nodded and let himself be pulled from the enclosed space, he was very surprised to feel the child immediately gripping his coat and burying his face in his shoulder, shaking even more. Cruhteo didn’t waste any time, scooped him up in his arms and quickly strode towards the indicated corridors. Slaine’s breathing was getting louder, and more labored. He quickly got to the back garden -small, untidy but wonderfully concealed by trees and weeds. Cruhteo instinctively understood what to do next. He carefully helped Slaine to the ground and eased his instant fall on his knees, and rubbed his back as the child started to throw up. As he was finished retching everything in his stomach, Slaine started to wail. It started slow, like a high pitched whining, to become a full scream of anguish. Cruhteo didn’t try to shush him. He held him as he cried and cried and finally passed out, going limp in his arms. Cruhteo took off his scarf and engulfed the shivering boy. It may have been spring, but the early mornings were very cold. Saazbaum had finally come out, to tell him an ambulance was on the way. He looked grim, and Cruhteo was sure he had the same expression on his face as well.
They had an eyewitness.The aeration gate was not drilled in, which meant that Dr. Troyard last action was to make sure his son would be safe and not found by his murderers. The poor child had seen and heard everything, but they didn’t know if he would even be able to talk about it. It could take days, weeks, years, for him to process what happened . Even more to recover. Quietly, they started to ponder about what to do next. Somebody already had tipped off the media of the murder, and a news crew was on its way. Soon it would be a swarm of journalists and cameras. Revealing that Slaine had witnessed the whole ordeal would be extremely dangerous for him : the perpetrators would certainly come back to make sure no one would ever reveal their identities. And judging by the gear found on the scene, money wasn’t a problem for them either. But people would talk : while Dr. Troyard was an eminent scientist and respected scholar, few didn’t knew he had a son. Cruhteo had heard of him before, and he didn’t knew either. Nothing in the home was left to think a 6 years old was living there.
Slaine stirred just as the paramedics arrived. With a whine, he curled himself tighter in Cruhteo’s arms. Troubled, Cruhteo shot up a lost look at Saazbaum who in return just raised an eyebrow at him. He awkwardly hugged the toddler back, and convinced him to let the paramedics take care of him. He still couldn’t walk, and since he had been unconscious they took no risks and placed him on a stretcher and gave him oxygen to calm him down. He struggled weakly, but ultimately gave in and, exhausted, fell asleep soon as he swallowed a sedative pill. Cruhteo and Saazbaum couldn’t hide the presence of the ambulance, and quickly decided to tell the press for now that Dr. Troyard’s son was found unconscious and was to be hospitalized. Slaine being a minor, privacy and child’s rights protection would deter any media to dig up that he was a witness. Of course, the murderers would soon realize, and they quickly decided to get him protected at all times. Cruhteo climbed with him in the ambulance and left Saazbaum to deal with the rest. A long morning was awaiting them both.
Cruhteo let out a groan of bliss when he saw Saazbaum enter the waiting area with two large, strong and much needed coffee. It was now 9 in the morning, and Cruhteo had been guarding the child’s room since he was taken in.
Thankfully, Saazbaum waited until he finished his first sip before debriefing him.
Dr. Troyard’s murder had already been relayed on the morning’s newscast. They knew they would have to release a statement soon, but the boy’s protection was their priority.
« How is he ? I mean, as well as a 6 years old can be after witnessing his father’s murder. »
« Shock. Agitated sleep even after being given valium. The psychiatrist who saw to him when he arrived said he already showed signs of ptsd. Beside that, no physical injury. He still doesn’t speak. »
Saazbaum sighed deeply before gulping down his coffee.
« Marylcian called. » remarked Cruhteo, rather frostily.
« Oh. Oh no »
« He wanted to immediately interview Slaine. »
Saazbaum sneered. Marylcian was one of their coworkers and needless to say they never saw eye to eye.
« That’s not even his case and even if it was— this kid is in no state to be questioned. »
« That’s why I politely told him he could shove his ‘professionalism’ up his ass. »
Cruhteo allowed himself to have a tiny smirk as Saazbaum honestly laughed. Then, his brows furrowed.
« Why is he prying anyway? »
« Beats me. » Cruhteo shrugged, but he made a mental note of not overlooking that. Their loud, obnoxious coworker wasn’t often showing such interest in their cases.
Dr Soma Yagarai finally stepped out of the room Slaine was sleeping in. He nodded at Saazbaum, then stepped outside to smoke, mentioning to Cruhteo to follow him. Saazbaum took no offense and continued to guard the room. He would soon hear about it anyway.
Yagarai stayed silent for a while, and Cruhteo didn’t press him. They had been friends for a long time-well, since Saazbaum’s accident.
« We are hesitating to give him too much medicine for his nerves, because he is so young it could have devastating effects on the long term. He doesn’t speak, but he can nod to our questions. He is well aware of what happened to his father. Still can’t coerce him into eating- I might need your help on this » began the doctor, raising an eyebrow at him.
« Wait. Me ? » frowned Cruhteo.
« You are the first person he saw after that traumatizing ordeal that helped him. He still clings to your scarf. If he has indeed bound with you, even just a little, that would already be a huge help. »
« Anyone in their sane minds knows I’m not good with kids. Once I smiled at a little girl and she cried- stop laughing, it’s true! »
« ‘Teo, you’re not good because you’re afraid of them. »
« Now that’s preposterous. »
« It’s not. You are afraid of screwing up and hurting them. So you’re awkward and maintain a cold, safe distance from them because you don’t want to hurt like you were once. »
Cruhteo bit his tongue and pointedly looked at the horizon. Yagarai had that annoying sense of seeing right through people, but it’s also what made him an amazing doctor.
« I still wonder how Marito stands you. » he groaned back, but without much bite. Yagarai only beamed.
« So you will help him ? »
« Oh, fine. » relented Cruhteo. « But don’t say I didn’t warn you »
« Isn’t that a song quote ? My, Cruhteo, and here I thought you were an elderly victorian era man stuck here. There is still hope for you.”
Cruhteo only answered by a rude universal sign language as he strode back into the waiting area, Yagarai’s laugh soon hushed by the doors.
“So, what did he tell you ?” asked Saazbaum, casually looking over his shoulder. “Wait- are you really googling ‘how to talk to babies’ right now ?”
The blond man didn’t gratify him with an answer, still frowning at his phone, as Saazbaum’s grin kept growing.
“You do realize that he’s 6 years old. They are past the formula and diapers stage.”
“Hopefully.”
“That’s a fact. ‘Teo, you once said to me that you didn’t like newborns because they had ‘no political understanding’. If I’m correctly understanding what you’re trying to research, you’re gonna need serious help.”
“Yeah no shit, Saazbaum !”
They were bantering about toddlers and their prehensive thumbs when in the room, there was a yell followed by a loud crash sound and worried exclamations that made them immediately sprang into action, barging in the room, hands already reaching to their holsters--
There was no one but nurses in the room, and they were trying to hush a trembling form under a table. One of them eyed them, and whispered hurriedly “he had woken up and immediately went to hide- get those out of my sight now” as he rose to meet them, his colleagues still trying to reassure little Slaine.
They could hear pitched and labored, quick breathing, and a tentative quiet whine. Slowly, Cruhteo crouched and felt so sad at the sight he was momentarily taken aback. Slaine was trying to blend in with the white walls, his hands on his mouth, Cruhteo’s scarf in his arms and dropping on the floor. His eyes were closed and refused to be touched, no matter how much the nurses were trying.
Yagarai had entered the room again and had a pointed look at Cruhteo that clearly meant “it’s up to you.”. The blond man sighed and then got closer to Slaine. Soon as he spoke, Slaine eyes immediately opened and focused on him.
“Hello, Slaine. Do you recognize me ?”
There was no blinking this time. The child nodded.
“You are safe. You are in a hospital. Nobody here will hurt you.”
Slaine didn’t show a reaction to that, and Cruhteo was making sure to repeat what Yagarai whispered to him. But still he kept to the wall, his eyes darting between Cruhteo and the nurses. It wasn’t working much. Cruhteo sighed internally, and simply sat on the ground, and a little awkwardly, gestured to Saazbaum.
“Do you remember him ?”
A little, hesitant nod.
“This is my friend and coworker, detective Saazbaum Eichwald. I didn’t tell you my name, didn’t I ?”
Slaine shook his head, his breathing slowing down a little.
« I’m detective Cruhteo Weissmeyer—» he hesitated for a bit, and then decided to go for the truth.
« We are both in charge of your father’s case. We are here to protect you and find those who did this to your dad.»
At this, Slaine stilled and finally let his gaze rest on Cruhteo, appraising him with all the might of a 6 years old. There was a beat of silence, and the boy nodded as his breathing calmed.
Cruhteo forbade the sigh of relief to cross his lips, and continued to focus his attention on Slaine. His panicked breathing had ceased now, and while he wasn’t crying he was still silent.
Well. One step at the time.
« I will make sure that nobody will hurt you here » he continued, ignoring his years of experience that were screaming at him that he knew better than to makes promises to the victims, to get personally involved. But Yagarai had been right, there was no denying there was a fragile bond between him and the kid- and even if he knew he should walk away, he couldn’t either, for reasons he refused to admit to himself- for now. So he kept on soothing the boy, trying to find the words that in Slaine’s place he’d wish he would hear. Cruhteo may not know much about children, but he did know that they understood way much more than adults thought.
Slowly, he managed to coerce Slaine into getting out of his hiding spot. The child eyed the syringes in the nurse’s hand’s warily.
« If you calm down enough, they won’t have to prick you- they can give you something to drink instead” he supplied on a whim, mentally cringing because he hadn’t checked if they had anything other than injections, then relaxing when a nurse swiftly excused herself from the room, the syringe with her. Slaine tensed shoulders sagged a bit -Cruhteo couldn’t blame him. He hadn’t liked shots much when he was young either.
The boy sat on the bed, looking pointedly at his feet, then inhaled and gazed at Cruhteo again. He then hurriedly took off the scarf that was dangling from his shoulders and started to fold it, careful as he fumbled around with the soft wool.
Cruhteo stared at him, at loss for a moment, as Slaine wordlessly offered him the scarf back.
« Don’t worry, you can keep it. I don’t mind. » he said softly, surprised to find he meant every word of it.
Slaine continued to stare at him but nodded and brought the soft wool closer to him. Cruhteo turned to go sit on the desk chair near him, and nearly stopped when he heard the quietest « thank you ». Slaine had curled up like a ball, his head buried in the scarf.
« You’re welcome » Cruhteo answered, sharing a look of relief with Saazbaum. His voice sounded hoarse from the scream he had let out earlier, but it was still progress.
Slaine thanked the nurse who came in with his medication, dutifully finished his glass and even allowed himself to be tucked in.
He was out in minutes.
Saazbaum was waiting for him outside, answering a phone call with a grim look on his face.
« Higher ups notified us that Dr. Troyard was working on an important project. And our technicians just confirmed that his laptop as well as several important classified reports he had been handed. » he told Cruhteo after hanging up.
« He must have discovered something big, for him to be silenced like that. »
« And we have no idea what. »
« Have you made any progress on the kid’s relatives ? »
At this, Saazbaum sighed and shot a look full of compassion at the closed door.
« Dr.Troyard had a visa for both his son and him. From what we got, he wasn’t staying in the same places for long. The house was a furnished rent, besides the changes made to the office. Papers said Slaine Troyard’s mother passed away when he was 1. No relatives from her or him back in Norway are fit- it’s already an administrative nightmare trying to evaluate his assets. »
Cruhteo frowned.
« So he’s… ? »
« Automatically declared a pupil of the state and will end up in the system here, yes. »
« Hm. »
Saazbaum shot him a pointed look that Cruhteo pretended he did not see.
« Wait- isn’t Darzana’s girlfriend in the administration ? »
« Mizusaki ? »
« Yeah, wasn’t she in the foster system herself ? You should call her, she could facilitate the kiddo's situation. »
« Good idea. Besides, I heard Darzana’s office will likely take the case. »
« You do that, I’ll go check with the coroner to see how’s the autopsy’s going. »
He nodded as he pulled out his cellphone, Saazbaum already disappearing in the hallways. They had a long day ahead of them.
Cruhteo threw an irritated look at the door. Yagarai had somehow cornered him into having a meal with Slaine, the little boy having troubles to eat. He had slept for most of the previous day as he and Saazbaum worked, and had a very short rest on that night before they were back to the hospital. So far, they had no lead and it was frustrating. This was the work of paid professionals and they had been very careful erasing every evidence of their passage. And now, he was sitting on a little table in front of Slaine’s bed, a tray with prepackaged meals in front of them.
He didn’t know what to say. Small talk felt stupid, the silence stretching awkwardly. He carefully erased any intonation of exasperation off his voice ; it wasn’t Slaine’s fault if his two friends had ganged up on him like that. Slaine still looked meekly at his feet, avoiding to look at him.
He inhaled sharply -this was a meal with a six years old, he had been in situations worse than that- and started serving them both plates of what was in the packages. He frowned at the sorry excuse of mashed potatoes.
“It’s important that you eat, even though I understand why you wouldn't, hospital food is disgusting” he interrupted himself, cringing. He was supposed to encourage the boy to eat, not give him even more reasons not to ! He was about to rectify his aim when he heard a little snort. Slaine actually had smiled a bit at his sentence. He felt the corner of his own lips lifting, and started to eat. After a few seconds, Slaine mirrored his actions, adjusting his grip on the plastic cutlery.
Such a polite child, he thought with a bit of sadness. He really didn’t deserve this.
He tried to show enthusiasm at the food, but he knew he was doing a poor job of it.
“Oh this is just- this is… this is awful,” he groaned, giving up. Slaine giggled a bit, and ate some more.
“It’s.. not very good” he whispered, a bigger smile on his face. Cruhteo inwardly cheered -that was the first sentence he heard the kid say, and decided to continue on with honesty. The nurses may be angry with him afterwards, this was worth it.
“It isn’t, indeed. I’m not supposed to tell you that. They want you to eat.”
Slaine kept his smile, his legs swishing against the bed. Cruhteo felt bemused. This was the first time he felt so comfortable with a child.
“I'll tell you what,” he began after a few moments of silent eating, “You eat what you can here, and I’ll bring you some baked sweets from outside. Deal ?”
The boy thought about it for a second, then smiled as he took his dessert, on his own this time.
“Deal.”
Cruhteo nodded, satisfied. It was a shameless bribe, but if there was someone that deserved to indulge a little, it certainly was him. He had noticed how he hadn’t eaten most of his plate.
From there, he managed to keep Slaine talking, asking him about his favorite food, hobbies. He learned that he liked to learn, that his favorite food was strawberry jam sandwiches (he had said it with a wistful look on his face) and that he drew. Mentally he noted to ask Yagarai about bringing him some papers and crayons, with a little bit of chance they could get something to help them with their investigation.
He carefully avoided to remind him about the previous night- this was the first semblance of normalcy the boy was displaying, and he knew he definitely couldn’t conduct an interview without a professional present. For legal reasons, and he didn’t have that much faith in his nurturing capacities either.
As he excused himself to leave, finding himself sincerely sorry to leave him -was he getting softer with age ?- Slaine surprised him once more.
“One of them had blonde hair like you.”
Cruhteo inhaled. A first clue.
“Thank you. Do you think you could remember enough to describe that man to one of our artists ? To help us ?” he breathed, wondering if he hadn’t jinxed it.
“I’ll try to do it” gulped Slaine, looking deeply unsettled and he mentally cursed himself. The boy wasn’t ready yet.
“He… He had a mask like the doctors have. That’s all I can think of. I didn’t see his face clearly. I’m sorry.”
A chirurgical mask ? Interesting.
“I see. Thank you Slaine. Every detail is important. And you don’t have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I’ll call the nurses so they can give you your medicine, alright ?”
He turned to the door, lost in thoughts. This case was becoming just more bizarre.
“A chirurgical mask ? it doesn’t make sense. Do you think he is sure of this ?”
“Well, ask him yourself.” growled Cruhteo. Saazbaum had the decency to look embarrassed.
Four days had passed. Dr. Troyard’s autopsy report had came, and more questions along with it.
Just as they suspected, he had been tortured for hours before being shot in the head. The ballistic had given them a generic bullet, from a gun easily procurable on the black market. No fingerprints. And no sign of whatsoever Dr. Troyard was researching. He had been a careful man. Too careful, even.
“We’ll have to interrogate him soon, anyway.” mused Saazbaum. Cruhteo sighed. He had already made arrangements with Yagarai. They couldn’t afford more delay. There had been a leak in the press, and there was now a permanent guard in front of Slaine’s room. In the hallways too. The reporters had gotten the hospital’s name, and there was a swarm of reporters barely restrained by the security.
They marched to the playroom they were told the interview would take place, with a psychiatrist, social worker and nurse ready to assist. The more distractions there was, the better.
Slaine was scribbling on a sheet of paper when they got here. His drawings were cryptid at best- long figures clothed in black, one with a blue mask, a circular shape with green on it, and a disturbing amount of red. At least, he was talking now. He was a bright kid, more in advance than his peers but behind them in terms of socialisation.
They were ready to begin when there was a commotion in the hallway. Their hands flew to their holsters when the door busted open. A man, smartly dressed and with a perpetual expression of disdain on their face, started to yell.
“This has been going on long enough ! This child needs to talk, stop coddling him at once ! Have you forgotten how to do your work ?” he erupted, waving his badge to the security.
“Marylcian, what are you doing here ? This isn’t your case !” Saazbaum growled, annoyed.
“Well someone has to stop stalling and ask the right questions. He has had enough time. We are all pressured by the press and the government.”
“Saazbaum-” Cruhteo started.
“Sir ! You have to leave now !” boomed the offended psychiatrist in return, adding to the chaos.
“Do you know how many emails I’m getting every day, Eichwald ?”
“Do I look like I care you moron-”
“SAAZBAUM !”
All of them turned to Cruhteo, who was kneeling to the ground. Slaine had dropped to the floor and was hyperventilating, and they registered the beginning of a high pitched scream. He puked as he tried to retreat in a corner, totally panicked, his hands screwed on his face.
“I have to get him out of here- Deal with this idiot before I lose it-” Cruhteo said quickly, already reaching for Slaine as Marylcian’s voice raised to a higher level, disgusted by the boy.
Cruhteo lifted Slaine in his arms and the boy immediately threw his arms around his neck, crying hysterically. He went past bemused security guards and took Slaine back to his room, shouting to nurses to not let anyone save them and Saazbaum enter.
The noise abruptly stopped as he stepped into the room and started to instinctively rock Slaine in his arms, shushing him with words of comfort in french, lapsing back into the familiarity of his native language as he often did when he was stressed- and even if he was certain that Slaine did not understand what he was saying, he soon calmed, his breathing labored. He smoothed his hair, repeating the same words and comforting gestures over and over when Slaine was overcome with a new fit of panic, until he fell asleep out of exhaustion. He tucked him in carefully as Saazbam and Yagarai arrived into the room.
“That son of a bitch,” fumed Saazbaum. “All this progress, lost ! If he ever pulls this again, I’ll kill him.”
Cruhteo stayed silent, deep in thoughts.
He took Saazbaum to a corner of the room while Yagarai checked on Slaine.
“The gun the ballistic found… Isn’t it a commonly used model in the police ?” he asked, pieces of the puzzles starting to assemble in his mind.
Saazbaum’s mirrored grim expression told him that he immediately understood what he was referring too.
“That would explain why he was so interested in the case… Oh fuck.”
“He wore a chirurgical mask… Marylcian is a gemaphobe… The kid had a trauma response soon as he heard his voice.”
Saazbaum inhaled.
“What do we do now ?”
They both looked on the sleeping, shaking form in the bed.
“We protect Slaine. And we find enough proof to get a warrant.”