#thread: tfa

Eddie stared down into the gaping maw in the community centre floor, the pool waters a floor beneath him reflecting the early hours of the dawn that were beginning to break through the windows. Orange hues danced on the blue waves as pieces of the ceiling drifted from one end to the other. On any other day, Eddie would have been fast asleep by now, a mere hour or two away from waking up to go to work. He could feel his stomach beginning to rumble. Some coffee or even a slice of buttered toast would be a godsend right now. 

What really struck him was how quiet the community centre was now. An eerie tranquillity had descended. Some medical staff moved here and there, attending to the wounded who remained. Firefighters were among those on their feet. Two passed by Eddie, carrying a black body bag between them. Eddie was resolute in his judgement. Somebody would pay for this. He already had a few suspects in mind, but the deputy reminded himself that it was unwise to jump to any conclusions. That’s just shoddy detective work, his father’s voice reminded him. 

Speaking of shoddy detective work, Mac was the last member of the department he would ever want to be paired up with. Yet here he was. Christ, even Southby would have been preferable. Eddie knew the rumours all too well and it was a constant thorn in his side that one of his colleagues was in with the people who killed his father. In a word, she was corrupt. There was nothing worse to be in Eddie’s mind. Oliver was just an idiot. 

Still, Sheriff Baxter had ordered them to work together and he was nothing if not a follower of orders. Eddie moved away from the hole slightly and pounded one of his feet on the floor, then moved away and pounded again. Not hard enough to cause anyone alarm. He was just testing. 

“No way this was an accident.” he called out to Mac, though he didn’t bother to look at her. “Floor’s too stable over here to just cave in. I’ll bet our gas leaker and whoever did this are one and the same.”