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Revisions Necessary - Community - Gen (Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir) - Words: 970
Written for the CaffeinatedMagic Prompt Table 01; Prompt: Two Left Feet
Summary: Detectives Barnes and Nadir are on the case.
Content Notes: None. PG
Author Notes: My deepest apologies to all crime dramas.
On AO3: Revisions Necessary
It was late at night - or early in the morning - on the community college campus, a light wind rustling the autumn leaves as the duo walked down the long cement pavement. The call had come in thirty minutes ago, the third call they'd received in as many weeks, and they'd exchanged a grim glance before suiting up.
"If we don't get a break on this case soon, we're going to have to call in the feds," Detective Troy Barnes said. One of his hands was resting on his hip, conveying both his jaunty attitude and his near exhaustion. The other was holding a small flashlight, turned off as the overhead lighting on the walkway was enough to see by. He knew he'd need it for the crime scene though: their perp never left evidence just sitting on the sidewalk.
Detective Abed Nadir stopped abruptly, his expression a furious scowl and his shoulders rising defensively in his slender suit. He waited until Barnes came back before he spoke. "We're not calling the feds," he said, enunciating each word carefully.
"More people are going to die if we don't stop this guy. There is a psychopath on the lose in our town, in our community, and if we can't stop him, we need to admit that and ask for them to call in the big guns." Barnes took his hand away from his hip and turned so that his face was fully illuminated by the nearby overhead light.
"The big guns? You want to go to Chief Winger and ask him to call in the big guns?" Nadir asked. His eyes narrowed and he huffed with derision. "Our careers depend on us breaking this case. Do you want to go back to directing traffic? Maybe watching over a crosswalk at an elementary school? That is not who I am, Barnes!"
"Our careers? How many more people are you willing to let die for the sake of our careers? One? Five? Fifty?" Barnes turned back to Nadir, his chin jutted forward in poorly suppressed anger. "Next think I know, you'll be going to Mayor Pelton and telling him that the good people here have nothing to fear. Maybe you're just dragging this out so that you can get the glory when we finally drag in this scumbag."
Nadir stepped back, his hurt at the accusation clear. "Is that what you think of me? I thought we were partners. I thought we were friends."
Barnes dropped his gaze, his facial features relaxing in the harsh florescent light. "We are. I'm sorry, man. All of this is just getting to me. I can't sleep, I can't barely even eat without thinking of all these crime scenes, each worse than the last. I'm not cut out for this."
"Let's just go look at the scene. Maybe there's something there this time that will help us. If we don't have any new leads by the morning, I'll talk to Winger," Nadir said. He placed his hand on Detective Barnes shoulder and squeezed lightly. "We'll catch this guy. I can feel it in my gut."
"Right, we'll get him." Barnes agreed and they walked the rest of the way to the scene of the crime.
Bright yellow police tape marked the small area next to the back door of the dormitories. Nadir stood back for a moment, getting an impression of the scene before he ducked under the tape and followed Barnes up to the patch of scattered wood chips.
Barnes laughed, the sound low and pained. "I can't believe it. I think we've got him. We've finally got him."
Nadir stood next to him and looked down at the mess. "What is this?" He crouched, letting Barnes direct his gaze with the flashlight.
"Our perp. He's got two left feet. There are no right footprints, only left. There can't be that many people who have a condition like that. A medical database could reveal the name, all we have to do is convince a judge to give us a warrant to access privileged patient information," Barnes pocketed his flashlight and swung the small camera up that he had slung over his shoulder. The bright light of the flash briefly blinded both of the detectives.
"Two left feet?" Nadir repeated, tipping his head to the side to get a better look at the foot prints.
Barnes nodded enthusiastically as he let the camera come to rest against his chest. "Yeah, haven't you heard of someone having two left feet? My grandma on my mother's side was always telling me that my grandpa had two left feet. Then she'd give me a cookie."
Nadir stood and turned back to survey the area around them.
"Hey, you don't think my grandpa's our perp, do you? I mean, he hasn't really been the same since my grandma left him, but I can't imagine he'd do this. He just doesn't have it in him!" Barnes ran one of his hands over his short hair.
"I don't think you grandpa is the man we're looking for. Come on, we should get back to the station. We've seen all there is to see here," Nadir said, ducking under the yellow police tape and walking away down the sidewalk and through the intermittent pools of light.
Detective Barnes placed one of his hands over the camera to keep it from thumping against his chest while he ran to keep up.
"Two left feet?" Abed asked under his breath as they strode away with an air of competent determination.
Troy held out his hands. "It's a real thing! Just like I said, my grandpa had it."
"Right," Abed said, shaking his head. "We'll go with it for now."
"I don't see what your problem is." Troy shrugged and then returned to his kick-ass walking away stride.
Written for the CaffeinatedMagic Prompt Table 01; Prompt: Two Left Feet
Summary: Detectives Barnes and Nadir are on the case.
Content Notes: None. PG
Author Notes: My deepest apologies to all crime dramas.
On AO3: Revisions Necessary
It was late at night - or early in the morning - on the community college campus, a light wind rustling the autumn leaves as the duo walked down the long cement pavement. The call had come in thirty minutes ago, the third call they'd received in as many weeks, and they'd exchanged a grim glance before suiting up.
"If we don't get a break on this case soon, we're going to have to call in the feds," Detective Troy Barnes said. One of his hands was resting on his hip, conveying both his jaunty attitude and his near exhaustion. The other was holding a small flashlight, turned off as the overhead lighting on the walkway was enough to see by. He knew he'd need it for the crime scene though: their perp never left evidence just sitting on the sidewalk.
Detective Abed Nadir stopped abruptly, his expression a furious scowl and his shoulders rising defensively in his slender suit. He waited until Barnes came back before he spoke. "We're not calling the feds," he said, enunciating each word carefully.
"More people are going to die if we don't stop this guy. There is a psychopath on the lose in our town, in our community, and if we can't stop him, we need to admit that and ask for them to call in the big guns." Barnes took his hand away from his hip and turned so that his face was fully illuminated by the nearby overhead light.
"The big guns? You want to go to Chief Winger and ask him to call in the big guns?" Nadir asked. His eyes narrowed and he huffed with derision. "Our careers depend on us breaking this case. Do you want to go back to directing traffic? Maybe watching over a crosswalk at an elementary school? That is not who I am, Barnes!"
"Our careers? How many more people are you willing to let die for the sake of our careers? One? Five? Fifty?" Barnes turned back to Nadir, his chin jutted forward in poorly suppressed anger. "Next think I know, you'll be going to Mayor Pelton and telling him that the good people here have nothing to fear. Maybe you're just dragging this out so that you can get the glory when we finally drag in this scumbag."
Nadir stepped back, his hurt at the accusation clear. "Is that what you think of me? I thought we were partners. I thought we were friends."
Barnes dropped his gaze, his facial features relaxing in the harsh florescent light. "We are. I'm sorry, man. All of this is just getting to me. I can't sleep, I can't barely even eat without thinking of all these crime scenes, each worse than the last. I'm not cut out for this."
"Let's just go look at the scene. Maybe there's something there this time that will help us. If we don't have any new leads by the morning, I'll talk to Winger," Nadir said. He placed his hand on Detective Barnes shoulder and squeezed lightly. "We'll catch this guy. I can feel it in my gut."
"Right, we'll get him." Barnes agreed and they walked the rest of the way to the scene of the crime.
Bright yellow police tape marked the small area next to the back door of the dormitories. Nadir stood back for a moment, getting an impression of the scene before he ducked under the tape and followed Barnes up to the patch of scattered wood chips.
Barnes laughed, the sound low and pained. "I can't believe it. I think we've got him. We've finally got him."
Nadir stood next to him and looked down at the mess. "What is this?" He crouched, letting Barnes direct his gaze with the flashlight.
"Our perp. He's got two left feet. There are no right footprints, only left. There can't be that many people who have a condition like that. A medical database could reveal the name, all we have to do is convince a judge to give us a warrant to access privileged patient information," Barnes pocketed his flashlight and swung the small camera up that he had slung over his shoulder. The bright light of the flash briefly blinded both of the detectives.
"Two left feet?" Nadir repeated, tipping his head to the side to get a better look at the foot prints.
Barnes nodded enthusiastically as he let the camera come to rest against his chest. "Yeah, haven't you heard of someone having two left feet? My grandma on my mother's side was always telling me that my grandpa had two left feet. Then she'd give me a cookie."
Nadir stood and turned back to survey the area around them.
"Hey, you don't think my grandpa's our perp, do you? I mean, he hasn't really been the same since my grandma left him, but I can't imagine he'd do this. He just doesn't have it in him!" Barnes ran one of his hands over his short hair.
"I don't think you grandpa is the man we're looking for. Come on, we should get back to the station. We've seen all there is to see here," Nadir said, ducking under the yellow police tape and walking away down the sidewalk and through the intermittent pools of light.
Detective Barnes placed one of his hands over the camera to keep it from thumping against his chest while he ran to keep up.
"Two left feet?" Abed asked under his breath as they strode away with an air of competent determination.
Troy held out his hands. "It's a real thing! Just like I said, my grandpa had it."
"Right," Abed said, shaking his head. "We'll go with it for now."
"I don't see what your problem is." Troy shrugged and then returned to his kick-ass walking away stride.
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