Partners (Phanfic au)

Chapter 2

Dan pushed open the door to the bar, leading the way toward the drinks. Phil, close behind him, held his hands in the pockets of his coat. Together, they sat down at a table.

"So, Phil," Dan started, "What do you think about this case?"

Phil replied, "I think we can solve it."

Biting his lip, Dan nodded awkwardly, "Mkay... Well... How about yourself?"

"What about me?" The black-haired man asked.

Dan shrugged, smirking, "Well, how successful have you been with the ladies recently, Phil?"

Glaring in Dan's direction, Phil opened his mouth, "In the five years you've known me, when have you ever seen me with a woman?"

Tapping his chin, the younger man thought hard, "I don't think-"

"Here you are! The usual, boys!" Yelled a waitress, setting two Manhattans down in front of them.

"Thanks," Dan said, nodding in her direction.

Phil picked up his drink and took a swig, then spoke, "I was experimenting earlier."

"With what?" Dan asked.

"Many things. But one thing in particular caught my attention. Upon inspection of the bruises of the girls, I noticed that they all had the same shape," Said the older man. "A hammer. So, I tried out different ones on one of the cadavers in the lab."

As he was in mid-drink, Dan turned to face the floor and spat his drink, "You what? Phil! You can't just do that, he has a family!"

Phil shrugged, "They won't miss the body." Slapping a hand to his forehead, Dan took another long drink from his beverage and set down the empty cup. "Anyways, I found the murder weapon."

"Phil, that's not your area of expertise-"

"Howell, I could start my own company if I really wanted to. Now, please, if you would just listen to what I have to say for five minutes... I matched a hammer from the hardware store on the road where they found that girl's body," Phil stated, proudly finishing his drink before locking his cold gaze on Dan's eyes.

"You mean Caroline," Dan replied.

Phil shrugged, "Whatever her name was."

Staring into the man's eyes, Dan found himself lost. A slight twinkle of feeling in Phil's eyes facinated the him, captivating him in his gaze.

"Hello, Howell? Are you even there?" Phil asked, waving a hand in his face. "I said all of that for nothing."

"All of what?" Dan asked, snapping out of his trance.

"I said that these girls have to be connected somehow. I'm sure Mandy could figure it out for us and let us know so that we could solve another puzzle," Phil muttered.

Dan nodded slowly, "That's all this is to you, isn't it? A puzzle."

Looking around for the waitress, Phil shrugged. Dan rolled his eyes, fixing his hair in his phone screen. Eyes fixed on his reflection, Dan picked up a vibe from something in the background.

A man in a hat and trench coat held a newspaper up, reading it- or so it seemed. He had a camera stuck up, peering above it and straight at the pair.

Dan whipped around, spotting the man. Almost instantaneously, the man rose and sprinted out the door. Rising from his seat, Dan rushed out after him, leaving Phil staring after him with furrowed brows.

"Dan!" Phil screamed. But Dan didn't stop. The bell above the door rang, and by the time he got a look around the man was gone.

Returning to the table, Dan huffed and puffed. Out of breath, he said, "He was recording us. I... I couldn't stop him."

Black fringe laying neatly on his forehead, Phil let out a small chuckle, "Just another one of our little fans, I suppose." His laugh proving to be feigned, his face went stone cold.

Brown eyes fixed on Phil, Dan said, "It's sobering to know you're being followed." The waitress began to approach, but Dan held up a hand, "No, thank you. Phil, no more drinks. That man had something to do with the case. I know he did. I guarantee you that there's something on those tapes!" Suddenly, he pointed at the camera in the corner and stood, rushing to the manager.

Phil stood slowly and followed after him, rolling his eyes. Hands gripped the manager's sleeve as Dan explained. Phil stopped in his tracks, watching his partner scramble around the man.

Finally, Dan motioned for him to follow as the manager led them to the security room. Once inside, the black-haired agent halted, watching the screens.

A security officer rolled back the footage of the camera watching over the table. A man, face scarred up, sat down at the booth behind Dan's chair. Carefully, Phil observed as he set down the paper and pulled up his trench coat's collar to meet the brim of his hat. A few minutes later, the partners came in and sat down. Immediately, the man picked up his paper, sticking a camera up over the edge to watch them. As Dan rose to pursue him, the man's coat was revealed to be stolen.

"PJ's Tailoring Services! They sell coats there, right? And wasn't it recently broken into?" Dan screamed.

Phil, sighing and rolling his eyes, said, "Yes. Now, let's pay for our drinks and head over there so we can solve the puzzle, please."

Almost immediately, Dan darted out of the small room and through the bar. He threw a handful of cash at their waitress on the way out, screaming, "Keep the change!"

Phil followed behind him, calmly tracing the way to the tailor's in his mind. At each turn, he watched Dan frantically stop to think, then swerve in that direction.

In the dark, Phil sped up his pace. When Dan was in his sights, Phil slowed down a bit, following him the rest of the way.

As long as I can see him, nothing can happen to him.

Dan halted in place when he reached the tailor's, then ran to open the door. As the older man was a ways off, he watched as Dan tugged at the doors.

"It's locked, Dan," Phil stated.

"I know that!" Dan screamed back.

Phil walked up next to him and stared at the doors blankly. Without hesitation, he reached down and grabbed a stone. Raising it up, he took two steps toward the door and prepared to launch it in.

"Phil, stop! That's not right, you'll be arrested!" Dan yelled, pulling on Lester's sleeve.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite duo!" Yelled a familiar voice. "Breaking into my shop, yeah?"

Dan turned, red-faced, "Hiya, Peej."

Brown, curly hair bounced as he approached, smiling, "Don't worry, Agent Howell. I'm not calling the police." Green eyes settled on Phil as he stepped in front of him, still grinning, "What is it you need now, Lester? Before you break my window, please?"

Letting out a puff of irritation, Lester straightened his posture and tossed the stone aside, lacing his fingers behind his back, "You had a theft recently."

"What about it?" PJ asked.

Dan swallowed, then opened his mouth to speak, "The thief is a murderer, Peej."