Lips White As Snow

14- The Beginning Of The End.

Feeling oddly numb, Edmund wandered back inside, down to Hawes's now empty office. It still smelled faintly of jasmine, which to Edmund, had become awfully comforting over the past few months.

He sat at his desk, facing the big, empty, wooden monster of Hawes's desk, but found its emptiness disturbing, so he turned around, facing the wall. The silence was almost painful.

His phone, as ever, broke it.

Edmund lazily flicked it on, suddenly feeling his stomach drop and his heart rate quicken as he recognised the number of the sender. The text read:

Long time no see, dearest Edmund.

Anxious, Edmund tried to steady his shaking fingers, and was attempting to formulate a reply when another message came through.

Come on. Don't say you've forgotten me. H.H.

Looking furtively outside through the window slat in the door, and seeing no-one, Edmund quickly replied.

How could I?

Ping.

You flatter me, Edmund, honestly you do. How are you finding your work?

Edmund's anxiety was slowly rising up his throat and into panic. He wished he could ignore the texts, but he somehow felt he couldn't.

Fine... I guess.

Ping.

Excellent. I wonder if you could do me a little favour.

In the back of his mind, Edmund had foreseen this scenario and replayed it a million times. He had hoped it would never come to pass.

While he deliberated, it seemed the mystery texter was getting impatient.

Come come, now. Tit for tat, and all that.

Edmund played one of the only cards he had, one that he'd planned on using during the many nights of deliberating this problem over and over again.

What happened to not trying to blackmail me?

Ping. The responses were getting faster.

I never said I was. I said we were friends, didn't I? Friends do things for each other, don't they?

The rhetorics were beginning to make Edmund question himself. He knew they were, and it made him feel all the more helpless.

Ping.

I'll admit, you're not exactly being the most co-operative, young man.

Edmund, spurred into action, blasted out a response before he'd had chance to properly consider it.

Well, you've not told me what I've got to do, have you??

Ping.

Fair point - I suppose. You're going to try and find something for me. A small metal key. Shaped like part of a broken diamond. Cynthia Hawes has one. Her brother Cameron, another. I may as well clarify that if you refuse, you'll lose your job in a heartbeat. A policeman can't be using information and resources from unidentified sources, now, can he?

Sensing an escape, suddenly, Edmund replied with shaking fingers.

Hawes is out of town. I can't.

Ping.

Thanks for that. I might find it useful later on. You might as well get started on Cameron then, since he's so fond of you. The key is only small, about a centimetre square. You'll have to ransack his flat, and trust me, he'd rather you did it than me.

Hawes's small office was beginning to feel very claustrophobic. Edmund sat up on the desk, to try and lessen the feeling of oppression. He remembered what Hawes had said about his not being invincible. He hadn't disagreed, but he was really feeling it now.

What do you need this key for?? Why are you getting me involved??

Ping.

You do ask a lot of questions, don't you? My my. It's barely worth the amusement - but then there is the fact that your betrayal will doubtless be the most heartbreaking for them both. As for the key, never you mind. It's old business.

Edmund couldn't help but feel like he'd jumped into a spy movie. It didn't make his situation any the less precarious, but all this talk of keys and betrayal felt a little melodramatic. He couldn't help but voice his concerns.

That's awfully melodramatic of you.

Ping.

Where do you think the ideas for all those stories came from?
You have a week, before your job goes down the drain. Ta ta. H.H.

Knowing he was beaten, Edmund chucked his phone down on the desk, and really, really tried not to cry.

"Shit" he muttered bitterly.

HAWES AND GRAY WILL RETURN IN THE SUMMER OF 2018
~~~

Long time no see, dearest readers...

Now, I'll be the first to admit I've been away A LOT. But I feel that if I'm gonna take a hiatus, I'm gonna take a hiatus at the end of a book!!

Basically, I'm about to embark on my exams which will get me into University, and I know for a fact I'll be doing nothing but work from now till the end of June. Consequently, I'm going to take a break from Wattpad just to get my exams done, and then, with any hope, I fully intend to attempt to write the entirety of the fourth Hawes & Gray installment in the month of July, as I already know roughly how it's gonna go down.

So, yeah, that's my life, and that's the plan.

Rach xxx

UPDATE AS OF 06/07/18 : IT'S JULY. THE FOURTH HAWES & GRAY TITLE IS "WATCH YOUR BACK". LET'S GO.