Chapter 20

Xavier rode the elevator to the lab alone. Noh sent him to check on Mali's progress, but recently every trip to the lab reminded him of the conversation he had with Tan when making this same trek a few weeks ago. With three murders in the last month, they hadn't had time to go on their coffee date. Things had been quiet the last few days, no new bodies since Noh had questioned Hart so maybe this would be the week they could go. The team was sure Hart wasn't the killer but whoever it was seemed to be going out of their way to frame him for it. Xavier found Mali hard at work in the lab. Several machines hummed with life, as she scooted back and forth between eye pieces on her rolling chair, her lab coat billowing comically around her. Xavier swiped his badge and waited for the door to slide open.

"No one is allowed to step in my lab unless you bring me an offering." Mali extended her hand behind her without looking up from the eye piece.

Xavier countered by slapping her palm in a high five.

Xavier Wattanaluk I will end you and tell your sister it was an accident! Unless you give me something, preferably sweet, as tribute right now!" Mali fumed.

Xavier fished in his pockets and found a bag of sour apple candy; he had picked up on a whim in 7-eleven earlier. As soon as the bag touched her palm she snatched it, shoving her chair back she ripped it open and shoved a handful in her mouth. She looked like a goblin crouched over the spoils of war.

"When was the last time you left the lab?" Xavier asked tentatively not sure if the candy was enough to subdue Mali's inner goblin.

"For more than a cup of noodles and a shower? I don't know, what day is it?" she asked.

"Thursday?" Xavier answered tentatively.

"Mmm, about 3 days, I think? Thanya will probably come drag me home if I'm gone for too long. For some reason she's invested in my not dying here." She shrugged. Hey, did you ever go on that date?"

Xavier shook his head. "Not unless bringing him coffee back at lunch counts. We just haven't had any time. Now that we have a serial killer to deal with it's been all hands on deck." Xavier sighed. "But seeing him every day without making any progress is driving me crazy! I keep catching myself staring at him." Xavier clenched his teeth in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair ruffling it wildly.

Mali stood and walked over placing a consoling hand on his shoulder she leaned in looking him firmly in the eye.

"Sounds like you are in need of some post nut clarity." she said as though she were departing a deep bit of sacred wisdom.

Xavier rolled his eyes and groaned, shoving her hand off his shoulder. "Thanks, I'm familiar with the process now. Do you have an update on our evidence for me or not?"

"Oh, evidence yes, yes, yes! The medical examiner found some metal shavings in the wounds on Kisa and on the first victim which isn't crazy since they were stab wounds, so they sent the shavings to me to analyze. It is steel but I can't tell much more than that until I have a possible weapon to compare it to! However, that guy on your team I think his name is Tan? Designed a new toy for me, check this out!" She dashed across the lab and held up a white metal wand that connected back to the computer. "With this I can scan small things like the path of a wound and then use that to create a 3D model of the kind of weapon used to make that mark! Using this we came up with this long wedge shape." She pressed a button on her keyboard waking up the screen where there was a model rotating. My best guess is some kind of chisel or painter's knife! You find me something that looks like this I can test it against the metal shavings and hopefully we can get a match." She smiled brightly at him.

Xavier walked over to the screen and watched the model make a few rotations before picking up the wand from the bracket where it was resting. "Tan designed and made this in the last month, and it works?" he asked incredulously, unable to keep the awe out of his voice.

"No silly! He made it in a week! It took a few rounds, some testing, and adjustments before it was just right though. The first prototype was ugly let me tell you, it looked like a metal dildo made of half rusty spare parts! I'm thinking about asking him if he can make some other equipment, I have ideas for." She paused, watching Xavier turn the wand over in his hands.

It was perfect. It looked like it was made in a facility that produced medical equipment not by a guy with a work bench in a steel cage, in less than a week! Xavier thought.

"Is something wrong? You don't trust his ability or magic or something?" she asked, worried. She and Xavier teased each other a lot but Mali had the utmost respect for his skills and assessment of people and magic.

Xavier blushed and stammered as he put down the wand. "No, ..no, not at all! I've seen the drones and things Tan makes for the team and they are always exactly what we need. It's just that I seem to watch him all the time and I never saw him working on this, when did he even have the time, we've all been busy busting our balls on this case!"

"Wait a minute! Tan, Tan is the guy you are completely smitten with!" Mali exclaimed eyes wide pointing a finger at Xavier as though she caught him in a lie. Before cackling madly.

"Would you shut up! Yes, it's him. I don't want to hear any shit from you either since it turns out you are part of why he hasn't had any time!" Xavier gestured to the wand while glaring at her.

"I wasn't going to tease you; I was just going to compliment you on your taste in men… however don't you think you better up your game? I mean word is he's pretty popular and a lot of guys would kill for a chance or a second chance with him." She said in a you know what I mean look on her face.

"What?" Xavier started to ask for details before stopping himself, Tan's past and sex life wasn't his business. "You know what, never mind, I don't want to know. I'm going back to work. I'll tell Noh, what you found. Can you send me a copy of that model so I can show him?" Xavier drug his mind and the conversation back toward work.

"Oh, just ask Tan, he can access it." Mali offhandedly replied.

"Of course, he can." Xavier said resignedly as he headed for the door.

Xavier walked back to the elevator, his mind a blur of thoughts. The information Mali had given competed for his attention. On one hand a chisel or a painter's knife still pointed toward Hart and the art world. On the other hand, what did she mean a lot of people wanted a first or second chance with Tan! Was it others in the DSI or other agencies in the building? Just how much competition for Tan was he facing! Xavier jabbed the up button in frustration and sighed.