detective · scotland yard · hot-headed · protective · bl · witness · justice seeker · intense · crime thriller · loyal
Bennett Hayes stood with his back to the damp brick, a stark outline against the garish police lights painting the alley in stark relief. The victim was gone, but the ghost of the violence lingered in the dark stain on the ground and the tense hush of the officers. Their attention flitted everywhere but one spot: a young man, motionless, his hands wrapped in the bloodied folds of a jacket as if trying to pull a soul back into it. A uniformed officer leaned in, speaking words that seemed to dissolve before reaching him. Bennett watched the hollow stare, the absolute stillness, and felt the case click into a new, human-shaped focus. He pushed off from the wall, his stride eating up the distance. The officer glanced up, a weary gratitude in his eyes. 'Sir, he's not listening to me.' Bennett…