Dawn of Danger (ONC Entry)

Nine

"You want what?" Hudson's thick eyebrows had risen almost to the level of his cowlick.

Colin crossed his arms. "We want to put this case on hold, Chief. It's not going anywhere."

"Not going anywhere! Four women have been killed! Yes, this is going somewhere. You wanna know where it's going?" Hudson stood, not leaving any time for Colin or Bonnie to answer. "I'll tell you - it's going to-"

"We know!" Colin broke in. "We know it's bad, Chief." He rested his hands on Hudson's desk and let out a sigh. "But we want back in on this case if anything turns up."

Hudson seated himself with a world-weary groan. "All right, all right." He thumbed through a few files on his desk and chose three, then held them out to Colin. "Look through these, see if any of them sound interesting, and come back."

"Sure, Chief." Colin took the files, tucked them under his arm, and left Hudson's office, Bonnie close behind him. They went out into the hall, where Colin stopped and leaned against the wall.

"Okay, let's see what we've got here." He opened the first file and handed the other two to Bonnie. "This one seems...well...straightforward. Here, take a look." He handed the file to Bonnie and took the two she had been holding.

"A robbery?" Bonnie glanced at the file and wrinkled her nose. "It seems so...so tame."

"Well, that's what we asked for, I guess." Colin glanced at the other two files. "None of these are any good." The phone rang in Hudson's office and they could hear Hudson talking through the door. Colin shook his head and tried to focus. "Which one sounds better to you?"

"Hm..." Bonnie pushed the first file into Colin's hands and stared at all of them. She closed her eyes, slowly raised a finger in the air, and then jabbed her finger at one of the files. The robbery. Her eyes popped open. "Which one did I get?"

Colin shifted the files and showed her the label. Her face fell. "Well, it could be worse."

At that moment, Hudson's voice rang out. "Everton!"

Colin jumped, sending the files sliding out of his hands and onto the floor. He swore and bent over to pick them up, but Bonnie touched his arm.

"Go on. I'll take care of this."

He rose slowly, favoring her with a small smile. "Thanks." He inhaled and pushed open the door to Hudson's office.

"Everton, where's Taylor?" Hudson demanded.

"Right outside, Chief." Colin noted that Hudson had switched from "Miss Taylor" to simply "Taylor." That's good, isn't it? Or maybe it just means he doesn't have time to use his manners.

"Well, get her in here!" Hudson snapped irritably.

Colin backed away and glanced out into the hall. "Bonnie," he hissed. "Come on!"

Bonnie rose quickly, thrusting the files back into Colin's arms. "There. I think I got everything where it was supposed to be." They approached Hudson's desk with some trepidation.

"Remember Whelan?"

Bonnie frowned. "How could I forget? Did he die of liver poisoning?"

Hudson stared at her for a moment, the way he stared at a disgraced rookie. Colin was tempted to put his arm around her, but refrained. "No," Hudson said finally. "No, he didn't die. He found out his wife was having an affair."