Intrigue

Chapter 22

Chapter 22 - Sean's POV

The evening inside Malcolm's workspace was the first time him and I had met up and didn't go beyond kissing. It was strange to think what our relationship had been mostly based on, and it was no wonder that Malcolm had thought that I hadn't wanted to commit, and was only in it for the good stuff. I had been, until the good stuff had become each moment I spent with him.

I'd spent the rest of the evening with Malcolm at his garage, until I remembered that I had promised PC Clark that I'd be following the patrol route myself. So I set off, denying Malcolm's offer for him to come over to my apartment afterwards. The truth was that I still felt a bit shaken on the way I'd acted with him earlier, of forcing myself on him, even if it had been just a kiss... or a makeout session, or whatever.

But my confrontation with Ella had been very similar, and I had seen the look in her eyes, one of terror, at seeing me in front of her house. Something like that didn't really go away, especially for her, since it wasn't something she had invited. This, together with the comments John kept making whenever we'd spoken, had made me feel very guilty, for the way I'd treated her, and for hiding the truth from Malcolm.

I caught upon my administrative work on Sunday, and made plans with Malcolm for Monday evening. It would be my turn to take him out. But before I did that, I needed to get something else out of the way. I'd never be able to enjoy my time with Malcolm if I didn't speak to Anthony Grittleton before.

And so, I took on the Sunday night shift, telling my superior that I had to check up on some processes that were carried on in our state's prison facility. He'd delegated it to me a few months before, and, apparently, that was how Grittleton had come to know about me, although we'd never met. My reputation had delivered me right into his arms.

I wore my uniform, together with my military boots, and took the physical evidence I'd obtained through John. I parked a few metres away from the building, and, heart racing, pinned on my badge, which I'd left in the motorcycle compartment when meeting Malcolm. I exhaled deeply as I removed my helmet. I was nervous about meeting Anthony.

I picked the physical evidence, which was neatly placed in a file, and walked towards the prison facility. I stopped in front of it, to buy myself some time. Ugly, imposing grey walls - I hadn't expected anything different. I switched on the recorder on my phone - if Ella had taught me anything, it was to take precaution with everything. I took out my identification card and passed it to the guardian in charge, explaining that I was the delegate and needed to have a look around since it was part of my area of specialisation. Technically, I wasn't lying, but I felt nervous as he looked me up and down as if in distaste, evidently not amused by my long hair and open necked shirt, both against police force regulations. I was checked for drugs, and then was let in.

Little did they know that the person with most access to drugs was one of their inmates. Or maybe they did know, and shut up about it, like I used to.

I soon found myself inside, standing next to another guardian, who also frowned at me. "Are you going around the cells?" he asked me.

"I need to check area D5," I answered him. I'd done my research, I knew where Anthony's cell was.

"Alright. The inmates of that section are currently in the yard, since they just finished their chores. You'll be able to take a good look around before they come back. Do you want me to come with you?" He was in his fifties, and seemed to be bored. I didn't blame him. I read his tag. Chief Saunders.

"That's okay," I smiled at him. "Carry on. I can handle this."

He eyed me. "You're young," he commented. "Listen, you know the section, D5, right? Mostly murderers and thugs. I wouldn't hang around there for long if I were you. They should have sent someone with you."