The Adventure Continues

[abrightboy]

For thatsfascinating.



The villa Malcolm rented was in the Languedoc, not far from Marseilles, south of Avignon. It was a very historic region, though Malcolm was particularly not interested in visiting Marseilles again. There was a charming village nearby the villa and if they were going to go to an historic city for a day, he'd rather make the trip over to Montpellier, where he'd never been at all, much less with Dr Whitly.

The villa had six bedrooms. As the driver brought their luggage inside the bright and spacious main room, Malcolm handed him some folded Euros and thanked him and shut the door behind him.

"First choice of a room is yours," he told Edrisa with a smile. "But you might want to explore first."

Comments

[abrightboy]

"No, Edrisa, look at me."

He'd spotted her already, slumped in the corner, her dress torn, but not removed. They'd disturbed him. She hadn't spotted her yet. He'd rather she didn't.

[thatsfascinating]

She looked at Malcolm, her expression stricken.

"But we have to find her," she insisted. She turned toward the police officers. "You have to find her," she repeated.

[abrightboy]

"We found her," he said quietly, looping his arm around her shoulders to guide her towards the door.

[thatsfascinating]

"What?" She resisted a little, but was still being moved toward the door. "What do you mean we..."

And then it dawned on her.

"Wait..." She twisted in his arms, trying to look over her shoulder and back into the darkened building. "Wait... Is she in there? Is she okay?" She turned back to him, her eyes wide. "Is she okay?"

[abrightboy]

He shook his head faintly, keeping a tight grip on her to steer her to the door. "She's not okay. Come on."

[thatsfascinating]

Oh god. They were too late. They did everything they could and they still couldn't save her.

She felt the strength drain from her body, and she turned toward Malcolm, leaning into him, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"I need to sit down," she whispered.

[abrightboy]

Despite being a little dizzy himself and the awkwardness of his cast, he wasn't letting her sit on the ground. He scooped her up into his arms and continued walking out of the building. When they got outside, he spoke to one of the officers in French, who helped him carefully get Edrisa into one of the squad cars, Malcolm sliding in beside her.

It didn't take them to the police station. It took them back to the villa.

[thatsfascinating]

She held on tightly as Malcolm scooped her up, and didn't protest when he and the officer helped her into the squad car. When Malcolm slid in next to her she turned toward him and gripped his hand, burying her face in his shoulder.

When they had been driving for a couple minutes she looked up, looked around, her brow creasing.

"Wait...aren't we going to the station?" She looked at Malcolm. "Don't they need to talk to us?"

[abrightboy]

"They're going to send an officer to the house tomorrow to take a statement," Malcolm told her. "They understand what happened in there."

[thatsfascinating]

"But..." Her brow creased deeper. "Your head. He hit you really hard. You should see a doctor."

[abrightboy]

"Edrisa, you're a doctor. I'm sure you can look after me. It's just a little concussion."

[thatsfascinating]

She gave a slight, bare nod. "I can do that," she said, her voice very thin.

She looked down at her dress. The bodice was torn where the man had grabbed her to drag her into the building. There was a white powder on her cardigan and her bodice and her arm and her hand, and for a moment she thought it must be wheat. She lifted her arm to her nose and sniffed the powder, and knew immediately it wasn't wheat.

"Gunshot residue," she said quietly, mostly to herself.

[abrightboy]

"We'll get you cleaned up when we get back," he promised.

[thatsfascinating]

She nodded absently.

"We'll have to clean you up, too. What do we do if you need stitches?"

[abrightboy]

"We'll go to the hospital," he replied. "But only if we have to."

He'd rather they stayed where it was safe and warm.

[thatsfascinating]

She nodded. That made sense.

She stared down at her lap.

"Do you think they need help with the body?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

[abrightboy]

"They have people," Malcolm assured her quietly. "The killer's been dealt with. She doesn't need analyzed; she just needs taken care of."

The car pulled up at the villa and Malcolm stumbled getting out, but he steadied himself on the car and reached for her.

[thatsfascinating]

Again, a nod. "I can't do anything for her," she whispered, then frowned. "Except I killed the man who hurt her. I guess that's something." Edrisa wasn't one for revenge, and she never would have shot that man if she had any other choice. But at least he would never hurt anyone else.

When they got to the villa, Edrisa saw how Malcolm stumbled and immediately went to him. "Bright? Are you okay? Are you dizzy?"

[abrightboy]

She'd saved everyone who would have come after that victim. That was definitely something.

"Just a little," he admitted. "I'm okay." He gave her a weak smile. "Let's just go sit down."

[thatsfascinating]

If circumstances had been different, she might have been proud of herself. Maybe she still should have, considering she saved Malcolm's life as well as her own. But people died.

She nodded and took his arm, drew it across her shoulders, and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Come on," she said, leading him toward the door.

[abrightboy]

As they made their way inside, Malcolm looked at her.

"Gil would tell you you're a hero right now, did you know that?"

[thatsfascinating]

She looked up at him for a moment, her expression a complicated mix of gratitude and sorrow.

"I saved you. That's what matters most."

And it was true, even if she was tortured by the fact that she had killed someone, and they were too late to save the girl.

When they got inside, Edrisa brought Malcolm to the couch and eased him down, then sat next to him. "Look at me.. let me see your pupils."

[abrightboy]

"Not just me," he said urgently, letting her steer him onto the couch. "All the girls he would have killed after her. He was on a spree. He never would have stopped until someone stopped him. And the authorities here couldn't find him. How long would it have taken?"

He did look at her when she asked him to, even if he was still talking animatedly.

[thatsfascinating]

She gave him a faint smile, adding a hint of agreement and pride into the gratitude and sorrow. It faded quickly, though.

"I've never killed anybody before," she said softly, cradling his face to hold it steady while she looked into his eyes. "Hmm..." She sat back, drew her phone from her pocket, and turned on the flashlight.

"Okay," she said, looking up and raising her phone. "Look at my nose, okay?"

[abrightboy]

He did as he was told.

"Your nose is really cute," he informed her. Important information.

"It's good that you don't feel good about killing someone. Even a monster. Means you're not a sociopath. But you still did the right thing."