Gemotions

“He’s… in the witness protection program?” The detective, Mark, asked the secretary, his eyebrows raised. The secretary nodded solemnly. Mark fought to keep a straight face.

Detective Reynolds, his gruff mentor, had vanished, leaving behind a cryptic note and a case file on a particularly bizarre embezzlement scheme. Mark imagined Reynolds, under a new name, sipping cocktails on a beach, probably still grumbling about paperwork. A short, sharp burst of sound escaped his throat – a sound he realized he couldn’t place. He quickly composed himself, trying to ignore the grin that persisted.