Shadow

03

Ohm had always enjoyed going to the express mail room in person. It was fun to talk to the guy who worked there at the counter and he always finished the little task knowing the details about the volleyball championship, even though he had no idea who were the players that his colleague was referring to – he didn't even know the name of the guy working there, to be honest.

That wednesday, however, the task proved a little bitter. Ohm had entered the small room and despite having rung the bell there, no one had come to answer him. When the detective put his head through the opening in the glass above the counter, separating the sender's and clerk's side, he thought he saw two bodies lying on the floor. Despite being partially hidden by a table, it was obvious what activity they were engaged in at the moment. And the groans helped a lot if there was any doubt left.

Ohm didn't need to be a detective to notice that one of the people wore standard Bangkok Police uniform boots, the other wore leather boots with two buckles on the side with gold trim, the same kind Fluke always showed up wearing at the police station. Taken by anger at the realization of what was happening in the middle of working hours, Ohm left the room, slamming the door on his way out, to show the couple that they had been caught.

"He's shameless!", Ohm thought as he left the small room angrily and without leaving the document he needed to send to the DA that afternoon.

As he still trudged back to his own office, he felt his arm being grabbed from behind. It was Fluke panting hard, with his hair still disheveled, wrinkled clothes and a smug smile on his face.

"What's up? Leaving without greeting?", Fluke shot Ohm with a look that was meant to show he was extremely satisfied with what he'd just done. Whether it was about his activity with the delivery boy or about being seen by Ohm, only he knew and would most certainly refuse to share.

"Didn't want to interrupt your small transaction.", Ohm rolled his eyes and kept walking only to be stopped again. This time, Fluke hurried over and stopped in front of him, preventing him from going back down the narrow hallway.

"Oh, believe me, Detective! There was nothing small going on there!", Fluke's smile showed all his malice.

"Yeah, I've noticed that you like this kind of display, but this is a serious place to work! Give yourself respect!", Ohm scolded him, deeply hurt by his colleague's conduct.

"Well, that's what happens when I find someone willing to take care of my pretty mouth – he said, stretching his lips in a smug smile, using the same words Ohm had used to reject him that night at the bar that seemed so far away in the past now.

Ohm felt the impact of the sentence and turned around angrily, not sure where to go. He just wanted to be somewhere Fluke wasn't to remind him of the fact that it had been the senior detective himself who had turned down a casual fuck with the new unit's member, who seemed to be very motivated to offer him.

Realizing that he had pushed the other a little too far, Fluke decided to change strategy.

"Wait, if this is a work place, give me something to do then!", he said touching the detective's arm to get his attention.

"Why should I?", Ohm gave him a hard look.

"Because I'm the new recruit? Because you are my superior? Because I am asking for a chance to prove that I can do a lot more than fuck around this precinct?"

Ohm sighed heavily and decided to ignore the sexual provocation made by the other man. He thought for a moment and handed the document he had in hand to Fluke. "This is an official letter asking the DA to break Norman's credit card confidentiality. If we know what he spent that day on, we might find out where he met the killer. Give it to him and I might change my mind about you."