In Plain Sight - Part 1

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Over the recent days, Kevin felt the noose getting tighter around his neck. His options were running out. If he were to run away, he would draw too much attention to himself – especially with how much he meant to Sarah and how much she was trying to hunt down Ian Avery. He didn't have a bank account, he lost his $20,000 per month income, he was no longer enrolled in college, no longer receiving financial aid and the world knew of his existence in South Arbon.

Sarah's excitement and enthusiasm went in waves over the next few weeks was well, still unable to get over the fact that her little squad managed to dust up some Ian Avery fingerprints – yet slightly disappointed that she was unable to dig up any further evidence. Sleepless night after sleepless night, Kevin worried about every surface he touched as to not give Sarah any more leads. If she did, eventually she would start to see a connection between every pair of Ian Avery prints she'd dig up and everything Kevin had touched – a strange coincidence with only one explanation. Luckily, she hadn't caught on for some time. Kevin continued his charade of being sick, utilizing his mittens every time he stepped outside.

More weeks went by without further progress on the Ian Avery case, according to Sarah. The sleep began to be more productive, slightly, as he worried less and less about being caught. He hadn't touched an obvious surface in over a month since the fingerprints were first discovered. Sarah was getting more and more frustrated as she seemed to have lost her one and only lead. The media hype maintained the same theories sprouted up that Ian Avery wanted to leave fingerprints as a warning sign that he may strike again. Apparently after looking through the Chronos Coffee surveillance videos, no one was able to spot when exactly Ian Avery came in – though Sarah was able to see when she and Kevin came in. Most people seemed convinced that Ian Avery left South Arbon.

Sarah came so close, but was nearing failure. The hype and attention that the South Arbon police department received after Sarah's finding was no longer sufficient to keep her boss happy. Kevin would see the underlying fear and worry in Sarah's eyes when they would meet – she was at the brink of missing out on her dream. Perhaps she was about to get let go? Not good enough to find one of the world's most infamous criminals after leading a team to find his fingerprints? Well that's just too bad.

Kevin decided to take a joy ride on a cooler than normal August night in his borrowed flower truck. The sky was cloudy, and the smell of rain began to fill the atmosphere – he felt almost better. Peaceful. Almost – good. The wind grazed his face from the open window. Everything seemed fresh.

His window was down. The air felt refreshing. On an open South Arbon road, he thought to himself maybe I can just leave now. Escape. Then again, with Sarah losing traction with her investigation, Robert cooling off after discovering Ian Avery was in South Arbon, a steady income – though miniscule – remained sustainable. If he were to continue, he would have all the time in the world, once again. If Sarah would drop the Ian Avery case all together, that final obstacle would no longer hold him back. She was his only threat. No one else cared enough to investigate further anymore.

Suddenly, he heard a siren behind him, a police car – red and blue lights flashing violently. A cop. Fuck. Kevin tried not to panic as he pulled the car over. He wasn't speeding, in fact there was no reason that he thought of to be pulled over. Kevin maintained his composure as he saw the police officer approaching in his side view mirror. The young looking officer came up to his window, "Sir, hi! Do you know you have expired tags?" The unregistered car. Kevin blinked slowly, coming to terms with the ridiculous misjudged choice he had made. "I'm going to need to see your license and registration."

Kevin reached for his wallet, and pulled out his ID card, "Yeah, officer, this is a company car, sir. It's not registered to my name but here's my license," he said with his heart pounding. He handed his fake ID to a police officer.

"Thanks Mr. Demarcos. Give me a minute." The police officer ran his ID card through a portable scanner. Again. And again. The police officer paused and tried again. "It's showing up your name, but some information is missing, Mr. Demarcos," he looked at him and shined his flashlight into the cabin. He sighed. "Alright listen, we don't have to make a big deal or anything but with the crime going on here lately – I won't be giving you a ticket but I'll need you to come down to the precinct with me to verify a few things. I don't know why your file is missing info but we need to get that fixed up – I've never seen this sort of thing before," Kevin looked at him confused, "It's right down the street, I'll follow you down to the station. We just need to run a few things to get you fixed up in the system."

Kevin looked at him in disbelief of his suggestion. Follow him down to the police station? It would surely be the end of the road for him. "Am I being detained?" It was a question he knew he could ask, but he didn't know what good it would do.

The police officer shined the flashlight in Kevin's face. "You're not being detained, Mr. Demarcos, but you will be if you continue driving with missing information in your file. I'm giving you a chance here, bud. We need to get this figured out. Just head straight down to the precinct and I'll follow you."

There were no other options. There was no other choice. If he sped off, it would be a police chase. If he resisted in any way, he would be detained. Reluctantly, fearfully and with no alternative that would look suspicious, he obliged.