#salbert

Saul waits Robert out, giving him enough time to recover from the sudden fall before flipping through the pages of that morning's police report. 

It read conclusive on the alibi despite the incriminating murder weapon, one which had previously been within Robert's possession hours before the killing. The time frame certainly left no room for doubt that Mr. Small had been the one to commit the ghastly crime but things just hadn't added up. There were no blood stains of the victim's on his clothing to account for or shoe prints leading into the crime scene, outside of the ones that stopped near the entrance of the forest, and Robert's phone records added up. 

It was all very circumstantial despite appearing to be an open and shut case.

Saul glanced away from the file and down towards Robert's struggling form, catching him in the midst of an awkward body roll that failed to seat him upright. His handcuffed wrists and shoulders would no doubt be sore as soon as they'd discharged him from the station. 

Robert misinterprets the patient staring as a sign of interest and purposely inclines his head a bit further, jugular exposed, and chest pushed a tad forward from having to accommodate any more strain to his cuffed hands. 

He tops off the entire display by making certain Saul is very aware of how far his shirt has hiked up and just how low his jeans have fallen on his pelvis. "If you play good cop you might get me out of more than just these cuffs." 

"I'd like to see you out of my station Mr. Small," He motions for someone just out of Robert's line of sight to come forward before readdressing him. "And in those traffic school classes next week or else your next visit will be a bit more permanent." 

Saul exits the cramped holding cells to make way for the new visitor and as soon as Robert recognizes the familiar denim jacket, that is definitely not Cole's, he wants to throw up. 

Robert's silent the entire procedure of his release, making a point of avoiding even having to look in Cole's direction to verify his suspicions. Suspicions he has absolutely no right to justify with anger because he'd been the one to put a hold on anything romantic in the first place. 

He suggested they continue being just friends while he worked on himself, there was no promise of more but Robert thought he left enough room open for hope.

Apparently he fucked up all of that progress by ruining a few month's worth of sobriety overnight. 

He was an idiot. 

"Sorry you had to pick me up, especially since you looked like you were in the middle of getting fucked." And now an even bigger asshole for letting the petty part of himself take out that anger on his ride home. 

The car suddenly sweeps to the right side of traffic, parking half hazardously across an emergency lane before coming dangerously close to tipping into a road side ditch. Cole angrily switches on the hazard lights before exiting the vehicle. 

Robert watches Cole walk a few feet alongside the road, trying to get a grip on his anger while Robert attempts to distinguish between the symptoms of an oncoming heart attack or adrenaline. 

All findings indicate it may very well be the latter until Cole comes out of nowhere to get directly in his face. "What the hell?" 

"I spent the early hours of my morning in police questioning, Robert. They kept me until fucking," Cole glances over to the dash before setting his sights back on him. "Three forty-five in the afternoon so they could verify all of the information I was giving them. So as your alibi, do you mind telling me exactly why they found your whittling knife on a mutilated body in the the woods?" 

"What do you mean mutilated?" 

Cole looks at him, really looks at him, and telling from the way he deflates under the question he's relieved by Robert's genuine confusion. "A hiker up at Maple Bay forest came across a body while he was walking. They said the body was mutilated beyond recognition and that the wounds were inflicted by a knife, as well as what was most likely some sort of animal. They said maybe the animal came afterwards and thought it was just another dead carcass?" 

Shit, if it was up near the bluffs then it more than likely had to be that creature Robert had seen dragging something in the woods. "Did they say what type of animal, a bear, maybe a cougar?" 

Cole draws back to drop into the driver's side as he thinks it over. "They said they need to do more coroner work but it was lot of claw lacerations...Robert, you could have been killed. If they're calling this murderer by the name of the Dover Ghost then something is up." 

"What did you say?" 

It was fucking him, it had to be. 

"The Dover Ghost. That detective that you were giving a hard time back at the police station, Saul Graves, is the guy that's heading the investigation."