In Hot Pursuit (Nydanna & MST3K 4ever)

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] 12-24 hours? Cynthia was running on steam as it was, she didn’t think she could pull an all nighter. Still, she didn’t have much choice in the matter. Kevin was right. They needed to get some major lead in a very short time if they didn’t want the feds crashing in on their little party. It wasn’t nearly enough time and she knew it. They had gotten more information in the past few days than she had solo, but they weren’t nearly close enough to name a suspect. She was going to have to think about a way to stall, even throwing Rollands under the bus would work out in their favor if necessary. Of course she’d planned on telling the man that he was going to be named as a suspect to cover up their continued investigation, so that really wasn’t much of a big deal.

Cynthia felt a bit guilty for not going up with Kevin to see Holsted, but the way she saw it, there wasn’t anything she could do other than make an already tense situation even more awkward. She nodded in acknowledgement to Kevin’s words, but didn’t look away from the phone in her hand. The meeting with Rollands and his partners had been postponed, but she still needed to warn the lawyer of what was coming his way. While Kevin was out of the car she made the call, already cringing at the idea of what she was going to say.

Dialing up the law firm, Cynthia spoke briefly with the receptionist, identifying herself and requesting to speak to Rollands directly. “It’s extremely important that I speak to him now.” Cynthia emphasized, almost positive that the man would try to make her wait, but to her surprise the hold music was cut off and she was greeted by the cool voice of the very person she’d requested to speak with.

“Don’t talk till I’m finished.” She started, pausing just long enough to ensure he wouldn’t interrupt her before continuing. “You’re going to read about yourself in the paper, and it’s going to say we’re looking into you as a suspect for a series of murders.” She heard Rollands make a sound, clearing her throat in warning and pressing on rather than waiting for him to cut her off. “Roll with it. You’re not a suspect, but someone wants you to be. Act pissed off, have a press conference, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do, but go along with it. You could be saving a life or two…..if such a thing matters to you.”

Cynthia paused again, letting Rollands digest her words and going over the warning she was about to make. She needed the man to protect himself without being paranoid or turning vigilante. “We think you might be a target. I don’t know if the plan is for you to be a victim, or what they want to do. I don’t think they’re watching you, but keep your eyes open and if you see anything suspicious I want you to contact me directly. And I know you’re not going to be complacent with this, but I need a list of cases that you received threats for, victims that are pissed off that you let a killer walk back on the streets. I don’t need the case information in detail, just the names involved and who made the threats. Get that to me as soon as possible, and don’t make me have to get a subpoena. I’ll be in touch with you soon. I’ll email you my contact information. Make sure you save it, because in a few days, I’m going to be one of the best friends you’ll ever have.”

She ended the call, refusing to give Rollands a chance to argue with her. She’d done what she needed to do, and she hoped she’d be getting a list of names that might lead them to their killer. Now she just needed to wait.

Kevin’s return wasn’t as bright as she’d been hoping. The news wasn’t good, and she was feeling a bit even guiltier that she hadn’t gone up with him. “Holsted’s tough. He’ll pull through. The man’s too stubborn to let his heart get the better of him.” She hoped that was the truth, but really she didn’t know. It didn’t sound good at all, but she wanted to hope for the best and believe the worse.

The other news was a bit better, although Cynthia had a few other names she would have liked to hear. She didn’t know Gonzales all that well, and she had to trust the opinion of West on the man. “So how’s that going to work out for us? I can keep Railly quiet for a week. I’ve already called Rollands and told him to expect his name to be smeared for the time being. Didn’t give him much of a chance to say anything, but I’m positive he’s not thrilled. I also asked him to send me a list of threats against him and the cases they’re related to. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a name that matches what we’re looking for.” She needed to work on a profile, but first they needed to start looking for their latest victim.

“Hey….you think you can go through the missing person? I want to start working on a profile, and there’s a friend in the bureau I want to run it by before I’m ready to hand it off. I should have done it a while ago, but I’ve been too busy chasing my own fucking tail.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin wished he could share Cynthia’s appraisal of Holsted’s situation, but in the back of his mind he was already having visions of the two of them in their dress uniforms with several other MCU Detectives at a grave side. Kevin knew that Cynthia wouldn’t show it, but she would be taking Holsted’s passing hard. Kevin had just gotten to know Holsted and he wasn’t looking forward to what was to come. Not to mention with Railly in charge Kevin was certain that somehow someway City Hall and their politicians would screw things up for them as much as they could until Gonzales took over officially. Leaving him to play janitor and making his first few weeks as difficult as possible and hoping he would quit. Kevin shook his head for a second to clear his mind. His less than positive experiences with City Hall was clouding his judgement badly here. Who knew maybe things might work out for the best in the end was a thought that entered his mind.

When he heard what Cynthia had done for Rollands he replied with a nod, “Okay that works for me.” Kevin meant it too, and even if he didn’t it didn’t matter, because it was done now and there was no going back. Rollands was now in the loop which made Kevin more than a bit nervous. To him it was like Batman asking The Penguin to help stop The Joker, but they were at a point of doing whatever it took to get things done. Kevin said, “Rollands isn’t going to be a typical person to work with, so sadly we may have to do things a bit differently because I think we know Satan, I mean Rollands, well enough that somehow someway he’s gonna turn this to his advantage.” Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, “It is what it is Cynthia.”

Kevin nodded and said, “Sure I can tackle the missing persons part. I got a friend in their department see if they can help me out a bit. Just drop me off near the Department it’s only three or four blocks over from MCU. I’ll get the files and meet you back there.”

Just then his phone rang and he saw it was Olivia from MCU. Knowing that it wasn’t Gonzales Kevin could surmise that it wasn’t about Holsted. He shook his head and said answering the phone on speaker, “You know if you keep calling me like this people are going to start to talking about us.”

Olivia replied in almost hushed tone, “Given the current situation I’d prefer that. Things here just went from bad to oh please shoot me now.”

Kevin asked, “Okay Olivia who do I have to kill to restore your pleasant disposition?”

Olivia said, “Railly is already here and in the Captain’s office. He says he’s here until further notice. Thought I’d give you the heads up and yes he’s already asking about your case especially.”

Kevin looked over at Cynthia and mouthed shaking his head, “Oh shit.” He said, “Okay so City Hall really is taking their time in letting MCU adjust to the Captain being gone.” Kevin thought for a second and said, “Olivia, have you given him the Departmental Orientation? You know the one that has to be done by the book? That’s got buy us at least a day or two.”

Olivia replied, “If this part of our conversation ever gets out I’ll deny it but…” There was another pause and Kevin could tell that Olivia was smiling as she said, “I love you Detective West. You do the covert sneaky stuff better than I realized. Well done Kevin.”

Kevin said, “Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone about our conversation. Besides I don’t think Railly is gonna be there as long as he thinks. It seems like the Mayor is gonna want things sped up.”
Olivia asked, “How do you know?”


Kevin replied, “Just a hunch. Take it easy if Railly gives you anymore trouble call me. I know a couple of hackers we’ll slash his credit rating. Bye.”

Kevin hung up and said, “Between the case and the upheaval at the Department we are in for an interesting time.” He looked over at Cynthia and said, “Well at least it won’t be boring.”

Once they arrived at the Department Building Kevin got out of the car and said, “I’ll call you when I get back to MCU. We’ll see where we go from there. It goes without saying avoid Railly at all costs he sees either one of us it could be all over for us and we might as well give City Hall our files then and there.”

Kevin got out of the car and made his way into the Department. Once in there Kevin headed for the Missing Persons Division. He entered their hub and found the person he was looking for. Kevin approached the desk of a red headed woman reading over a file. Kevin sat down on the corner of the desk and asked, “You never call, and you don’t even text me. What does a guy have to do to get your attention?”

The red headed woman looked up and smiled as she said, “Neither do you. I was beginning to wonder about you.” She stood up and Kevin and her embraced. Kevin asked, “How you doing Erin?”

Erin replied, “Not bad. Scott is now a full-fledged teenager. Who is determined to send me to the nearest Mental Hospital before then end of the year.”

Kevin nodded and said, “I thought I was the only one who had that effect on you Detective Keen. I’m hurt now.”

Erin replied, “Well with you I knew I could keep you in check with the promise of sex or at least a sporting event of some kind. What’s on your mind?”

Kevin said, “I’m at MCU now working a case and I need access to the files from about the last two weeks. Women, Caucasian, probably 18-45, between 5 and 6 feet.”

Erin nodded and replied, “Reasonable enough.” Erin wrote down some information and gave it to him. She said, “It’s the access to our database save you the trouble of hauling files all over the place.”

Kevin folded the paper and said, “Thanks Erin. Anything you need before I go?”

Erin nodded and replied, “Scott is playing baseball again this year his coach says with a little more work he could crack all county.”

Kevin said, “Sure. I’ll call him tonight and set it up.”

Erin said, “Thanks Kev.”

Kevin and Erin looked at one another for a moment and he said, “You look good Erin.”

She replied, “Thanks, so do you.”

Kevin said, “I wish we….”

Erin said, “Me too, but things happen like that in life.”

Kevin nodded and the two said their goodbyes. Kevin made his way back to MCU making sure to avoid any possible places Railly was sure to be. Once he was back to his office Kevin closed the doors, closed the blinds, and texted Cynthia he was back and going through the database.[/Fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] The news about Raily wasn’t a surprise at all. He would work in a pinch, and if any of the brass was trying to get eyes and ears into their investigation before someone a bit more bullheaded took the position, this was the perfect chance. The only thing that they could do to avoid it was try to keep out of the office as much as humanly possible, and give the vaguest details to the temporary captain. She could give him just enough details to keep Raily and City hall off their backs, and it would mean throwing Rollands into the hot seat for the time being. They would understand why she wasn’t dragging the lawyer into the station in cuffs, and they would certainly understand why they were being meticulous about their investigation. A lawyer could easily get themselves off, and if they didn’t do it themselves, they had lots of high powered friends who would lend a hand. Cynthia was now positive that letting the entire world believe that Rollands was their suspect was going to work out for the best, even if the man himself wasn’t crazy about the idea.

Dropping Kevin off, Cynthia made her way to MCU, ducking past Holsted’s office to avoid being interrogated by the new acting captain. She just barely managed to sneak past his door when it flew open, but before he could spot her, she quickly ducked into the next room. She remained there until she was certain she was in the clear, letting the fading footsteps of Raily signal her chance for freedom. She darted down the hall to her office, the door closing softly behind her and the lock switched on to avoid any interruptions. The phone call she was about to make could not be interrupted, not even by the building burning down over her head. This was something that she should have done a while ago, but because of the lack of victim identities, had been put off much longer than she’d cared for. Now that she had at least a few victims’ names, and a bit more information about possibile motives, Cynthia was positive that she could come up with a profile far more accurate than one she could have pieced together at the start.

Her phone was in hand long before she dropped down into her chair, the device ringing only twice before a masculine voice with a thick Southern accent responded. “Special Agent Brewster. How’s it going down there in the swamps Matthers?”

“It’s going to hell in a handbag, Brewster. How’s the North treating you?” Cynthia responded with a hint of a smile, feeling the stress of her situation briefly fading into the background. Samuel Brewster was one of her kind. A child genius who had spent most of his life with his nose stuck in a book and his mind working far too fast for others to understand. Like her he’d chosen to go into law enforcement. The only difference was, he’d been swayed to join the big boys at the Bureau rather than remain wasting away as a detective. They had gone to school together, only parting ways once it came time to find a career. He’d gone back to his home state of Louisiana, while she’d returned to Florida. They’d reconnected briefly when his unit had been sent down to help with a kidnapping, and during that time they’d vowed to keep in touch. They stayed true to their word, although most of their conversations generally had to do with cases they were working and their chats were spent bouncing ideas between each other.

“So, whatcha got for me? I know this isn’t a social call. Not this early in the day.” Brewster was sharp, and unlike Cynthia didn’t struggle nearly as much with emotional constipation. He had always teased her that she would have stumped Freud, which in her opinion was more of a compliment than anything else.

Cynthia broke down the case, giving him the victims she knew of, the information about Rollands without giving away the man’s name, even her suspicions about the graffiti. The more information she gave, the clearer the profile became, and by the time she’d spit it all out, she was confident that she knew exactly who she was looking for.

“So, what have you got? I know you’re just using me for a sounding board, so let’s hear it.” Brewster encouraged, Cynthia detecting his grin through his voice.

“Well….” She began, her confidence faltering now that she had someone on her level listening in. “Definitely a male, most likely white, but possibly African American between the ages of thirty and forty. He has some experience with law enforcement, enough to know basic forensics and the best way to keep evidence hidden if he leaves any at all. Highly educated, but I believe that there’s something in his background the prevented him from putting it to use. The victims that he’s chosen are all related to individuals who have claimed to be falsely accused, which suggests that there somewhere in his history he’s believed someone was falsely accused but later discovered that they were. I think he goes after the family members as a way to punish them. The connections to the lawyer suggests that he’s responsible for something as well. Possibly getting someone guilty off, or winning an appeal……something of that nature, although that might be a leap.”

Cynthia frowned as she pondered what else there was. There was something she was missing, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure it out. “I don’t think he started out wrong. He would have been a good student, involved with the community, but whatever event happened made it difficult for him to stay on track. I’m looking for a child of a high profile offender who claimed innocence and got away with it once, but ended up committing the same crime again. The shame of the crime was enough to ruin the suspects life, possibly enough to force them to change their identity. Chances are they’re not local. They would have moved far from their origins to avoid being recognized. The problem is, that could fit a lot of people, and I have no idea what could have triggered them to start killing. They’re good at leaving very little evidence behind, which tells me that either they’ve had practice in the past, or they’re damn lucky.”

Brewster was silent, Cynthia could practically hear the cogs working inside his head. “That sounds about right, but you’re missing something. Why go after the family? Why not just go after the person they think is guilty instead? You said that most of the family members weren’t close. Why target them?”

Those were questions Cynthia couldn’t answer. Frowning at the phone, she shook her head as if Brewster was there to see it. “That I don’t know. I’m going to have to give that a bit more thought. What about the rest of if though? Does it sound right to you?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. I still think you need to figure out why he’s picking the family members though. I might be way off base, but I think that’s pretty major.” He fell silent, then began to point out another something she hadn’t mentioned. “What about the graffiti? You said you think it’s just a calling card. What if it’s some sort of ritual? Like an OCD thing.”

Cynthia thought it over and didn’t automatically dismiss the idea. The crime scenes were nearly immaculate when it came to actual physical evidence, but the trash around the area would have been a nightmare for someone with that disorder. “Maybe…..I don’t know. It would fit given how clean things are. The bodies are practically unidentifiable, and there’s no evidence at all of the actual suspect. I’ll have to give it a bit more thought, see if it fits.” Someone with OCD wasn’t going to be too difficult to pick up on, not when you threw in everything else. “I think I’ll leave it out for now though. The rest should lead us to a perfectly good suspect, if we can find the guy that meets all the rest.”

“Well good, glad I could help. Are you going to call me for a social chat next time?” Brewster teased, Cynthia shrugging her shoulders until she recalled that he couldn’t see her.

“I’ll try, but I doubt it. Thanks for the help, Brewster. Don’t work yourself too hard.” She ended the call and glanced at her phone, noticing that West had texted her during her conversation. She didn’t respond right away, instead began to type out what she’d worked out for the profile, waiting until it was printed before finally vacating her office to search for her partner.

Knocking lightly on the door, she stepped in without waiting for him to open it for her. “Any luck yet?” She asked quietly, closing the door silently behind her. “I’ve got most of the profile worked out with a little help from a friend of mine in the bureau.” She hesitated, not wanting to bring up Brewster’s idea about the graffiti, but knew she couldn’t keep it a secret from West for long. “He thinks that the drawing might be some kind of OCD ritual. Maybe something that needs to get be done in the suspects mind to avoid getting caught. I’m not entirely sure. I mean, it would fit the profile and all, but I don’t know.” Sliding the page onto his desk, she dropped down in an empty chair. “I already know what you think. I’m just not completely convinced yet. If that was the case, it would be painted on the abduction site as well. At least that’s my opinion on it.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin entered the information he had into the database, and navigated through a series of drop down menus. He came up with three possibilities and on the surface either one of them could have been the victim, but if there was one thing that Kevin had learned from this case was that things were never what they seemed. He reclined in his chair ever so slightly and looked up at the ceiling as he let out a slight exhale. Regardless of who was getting ready to end up on Jordan’s autopsy table there were two other families who would still be seeking closure. For all his skills and drive Kevin knew he couldn’t give those families closure, and that frustrated Kevin to no end.

Turning his attention back to the screen Kevin opened up another tab and entered into the Dade County Court System Website. Using his credentials for MCU Kevin was able to dig up a little bit more on one of the possible candidates. He nodded as he found what he was looking for and replied, “Well that’s an interesting piece of information.” Just then his phone buzzed and he saw that it was Gonzales from the Hospital.

Kevin answered, “Hey Captain.”
Gonzales replied, “Detective just thought I’d pass the word along to you and you can pass it on to your partner only. I take command in 5 days The Mayor is looking to keep MCU running as smooth as possible, and he too realizes the dangers of a temporary command with the higher ups involved.”


Kevin said, “Great to hear sir. Looking forward to working with you. Any word on Holsted?”

Gonzales replied, “Looking forward to working with you and the rest of MCU as well. Rich is in ICU right now he’s heavily sedated it’s very…” Gonzales let out a slight exhale and said, “it’s very difficult right now. They’ve said the next forty-eight hours will tell the tale. He had another one on the table. I don’t know what your spirituality is Detective West but if you pray you better say one for Rich. How’s the investigation progressing?”

Kevin gave him an update and the two said their goodbyes. Kevin turned his attention back to the screen as Cynthia came into his office. He heard what she and said about the graffiti and nodded. Kevin said, “Fair enough, I can accept that. Okay I’ll let go of it for now.” Kevin got up from his chair and looked out the window for a moment. He said, “Gonzales called just a few minutes ago. He said Holsted is in ICU right now, he had another one on the table, and that the next forty-eight hours will be key for what happens next.” Turning back to Cynthia he continued, “He also said that he takes over in five days. They Mayor is really pushing this through. MCU was his creation and he knows how to keep it moving just right and that doesn’t include ass-kissers and politicians being involved too long.”

Kevin closed his office door, and began to walk over to his closet. He said, “I’ve got three possibilities for our victims, and one of them I’m feeling is ours I’d almost bet on it.” Turning back to Cynthia he said, “Keyword being almost.”

With that Kevin opened his closet and pulled out a bat. He slung it across his shoulders and said with a slightly raised eyebrow, “Hey a photographer never only has one camera, Springsteen has more than one guitar, and I have more than one bat. It’s part of my mystique.” Kevin walked back over to his desk and punched a few keys on the computer. His screen was projected onto a nearby wall. There were three pictures of three women. One had red hair, another had brown hair, and the last one was a platinum blonde.

Kevin pointed to the blonde and said, “This is Heather Craig age 28. The reason she might look somewhat familiar is that her face is on several billboards and buses. She is the weekend anchor for KGAL-8, and she was due to go on vacation at a spa but she never got there. The station filled the report when she was three days overdue and the spa said she never got there. The station is probably keeping things quiet at the time until they have something of more substance to report on.” He looked at Cynthia and said, “She is way too high profile for our killer. The heat he would get for something like this…” Kevin shook his head and said, “No way.”

Kevin looked back and pointed to the red headed one with his bat and said, “This is Robin Michaels age 34 homemaker married to Lance Michaels of the Michaels and Sherman Architecture firm downtown. A very ritzy and very high class firm the kids’ college is already paid for and they aren’t even out of junior high school. However, things aren’t as cheery as they appear. I remember Lance was investigated by a friend of mine about two years ago for domestic violence, but no charges were ever filed. According to the missing person’s report, filed five days ago by a next door neighbor of the Michaels named Carrie Levy a friend of Robin’s, Robin was going to meet with a lawyer to start the divorce proceedings. I checked the court database and Robin filed a restraining order against Lance last week. It would’ve taken affect today.” Kevin turned to Cynthia and said, “I know it seems like she is our victim with her dealings in the legal system, but she hasn’t had enough time to deal with it for any miscarriage of justice.

Turning back to the screen Kevin said, “Which leads us to our last person. Alicia Hooper age 24 works at Applebee’s part time and goes to college part time at the U taking Business Admin courses. I haven’t had much time to dig into her past. Her roommate filled the report six days ago when Alicia went out to a party at a club with some of her classmates. She never came home.” Kevin looked back to Cynthia and said, “I think if we do some looking into Alicia’s past we find another connection.”

Just then there was a knock at the door and the door opened. Raily was standing there in the doorway and he said, “Well it’s about time I met up with you two.” Kevin’s first thought was to hit him with the bat, but thought better of it.

Kevin replied, “Welcome to MCU. Hate to cut things short but we have a lead in our case.”

He walked over to his computer and shut it down hoping Raily hadn’t seen it. Raily said, “Now just wait a minute. Both of you! I am your Captain I order you to give me an update on this case.”

Kevin put his bat away and grabbed his jacket as he said, “We’re also Police Officers, protect and serve and all that sir. To be honest there isn’t much to say at this moment. We have our information in the files on the computer you can look at them all you want.”

Raily replied, “Don’t screw with me West. I want to know what you know. Now!”

Kevin said “Okay I know that right now you’re weaseling your way into MCU for City Hall hoping that you can say that you and the good ol’ boys at the Hall can have credit for solving this case. I also know that you’re a career politician, and lastly you’re here for less than a week.”

Raily stared at Kevin for a moment and said, “You think you’re so damn smart don’t you West? Well listen here both of you. You can duck and avoid me all you want, but I am giving you one order . That is to solve this case in three days or I don’t care where you are in this case you’re off the case both of you, and I will call in the Feds! Now what are you off to do?”

It hit Kevin like a punch in the gut. Three days and one day to do the paperwork, and then history would show Raily was the CO at the time the case was wrapped up. He would get the credit for this case. Kevin was now seething at this. He wasn’t going to let Raily and those jackasses stand on Rich’s hospital bed for their own glory. He wouldn’t care if Gonzales was the CO of record Gonzales was friends with Holsted and a good cop Kevin could accept that, but Raily getting the credit and shoving Holsted aside wasn’t something he could deal with.

Kevin replied, “What are we going to do now?” Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’re so far along in our investigation that we’re getting ready to go have sex on South Beach. We hear there’s a great three-star hotel that charges by the hour. What the Hell do you think we’re about to do? We’re off to conduct our investigation.”

Raily took two steps towards Kevin and with a finger in his face he said, “Watch it West! I may only be here for a little while but I can destroy you between now and then. Is that clear Detective West?”

Kevin looked at Raily’s finger, whistled and said with a couple of nods, “Nice manicure gotta be a professional job.” He turned his attention back to Raily and said, “Nice job on the threat, but right now we gotta job to do, so if you will excuse my partner and I we don’t have time to listen to you play third rate dictator.”

Raily just growled, “Three days both of you.”

Once he was gone Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, “Sorry about the South Beach crack I was tired of dealing with him and dumb questions. My suggestion we go see Rollands and get some kind of face to face time with him on this. Then we go visit Alicia’s apartment and see what we can find on her.” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Unless you got a better idea.”[/Fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia kept her comments about the new change in leadership to herself, more concerned with finding their potential victim than the politics of the unit. She never had been one to pay much attention to the inner workings of the game, not with all the ass kissing and constant scandals going on. Her job was to solve crimes, not to appease the mayor or anyone else. If she got a criminal off the streets and saved a life, she considered that all she needed to inform anyone. How she went about it wasn’t something that should matter unless she was stupid enough to forget the basic rules. She was a perfectionist when it came to collecting evidence and handling suspects. They were mirandized, given a phone call, and had their lawyers sitting with them if requested by the time she sat down at the table to interrogate. Her cases had never been thrown out because of her actions, and as far as she was concerned, that should keep everyone off her back.

The first two possible victims didn’t seem all that logical in Cynthia’s mind, her head shaking and hand lifting to wave them off dismissively. “No. It’s not either of them. They’re too prominent and would draw way too much attention. He doesn’t want the victims being the center of the media. He wants all the fame.” The third victim seemed the most likely, but they wouldn’t be able to tell much of anything until the autopsy report came in. “My bet’s on the last one. Young, virtual unknown. It would fit.” She didn’t like the idea of pinning her hopes on just one name, but at the moment she didn’t have much of a choice. “We’ll go take a look at Miss Hooper, and if need be, check up with the other two to see if there’s any possible connections. We still have to wait for the autopsy report, so we’ve got a bit of time to kill.”

She was comfortable with the plan. It was too soon to say with any confidence that any of the three missing women were their victims, and it used up their wait time by doing something other than sitting around idly in hopes the autopsy might give them information. She’d seen the body, there wasn’t going to be much to go on. It was too soon to try to get a hold of medical records, and with what little they had to go on, she doubted a judge would give them a warrant for those things anyway. Getting a little history on the three would be more telling than anything the ME had to offer them anyway. They knew what they were looking for, and what questions needed to be asked. Plus, it took them away from having to report on possible suspects until MCU had a captain that they needed to answer to. Of course as soon as the thought came into her mind, Raily was in the office. She felt herself tensing up as the man demanded answers, and while she let West handle it for the most part, she couldn’t help but feel her ire rise at the temporary replacement for Holstead.

She wanted to let things go, she really did. It would have been wiser to keep her mouth shut and simply continue with her plan while thinking of ways to thwart Raily. But as the acting captain of the unit left, she couldn’t help but storm after him, determined to put the man right in his place and let him know exactly what she thought of his leadership skills. “So in other words, you’re telling us to throw you a bone so you can act like you know what the fuck is going on, right Raily?” She spat out, her hands on her hips as she stopped the man in the middle of the hallway, not caring that the sounds of conversations and clacking of keyboards stopped in an instant. “If you think I’m fucking up my case because you want to look like you have some sort of edge in this investigation, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Raily spun on her, looking as if he was about to lay into her, but Cynthia was more determined then ever to shut the man up. “How about I go straight to the mayor and tell them our investigation got screwed all because you wanted us to out a suspect who has more ties and would keep us jumping through hoops to get evidence? Or better yet, why don’t I tell the reporters that the next victim falls on you because West and I are too busy running from their questions to do our damn jobs? Are you fucking brain dead? You’re an acting captain of this unit. The only thing you need to be concerned with now is making sure this investigation continues as it is, and our victim is identified in a timely manner. Once the brass assigns a permanent replacement for Holstead, West and I will fill them in on what we have, every last detail. But I’m sure as hell not going to hand over anything to someone who’s going to use that as a way to push themselves up the ladder. If the mayor has a question about our investigation, I’ll be happy to give it to him myself, or let West do it. But it’ll be a cold day in hell before I hand you anything.”

Spinning on her heels, Cynthia ignored Raily’s shouts of insubordination and reports, moving back to West’s office to address her partner. “Let’s go talk to Miss Hooper’s roommate. She’ll be able to give us some background and hopefully some info on her family. Chances are they’re not local if they’re not the ones who reported her missing.” Now that she was calm, it didn’t take long for her to return to her office and grab her purse, phone, and a copy of the profile she’d come up with. When she met up with West, she gestured for her to wait for her and quickly scurried to find Raily who had returned to his office, no doubt to file a report against her. Flinging the paper down on his desk, the woman smirked down at him. “Make sure you write down every word I said. I’ll be happy to repeat it for the record.” Raily glared up at her, snatching the profile up from the desk. “If you want to be useful, you’ll hand that out, but since it won’t get you a promotion, I doubt you will.”

She returned and motioned for West to follow, suddenly realizing that in her anger she may have gotten him into some trouble as well. “Sorry. If you get written up too I’ll explain that you had no part in it. I just couldn’t let that asshole walk around here thinking he could use our investigation to his advantage when he hasn’t done a damn thing.” She was going to have to watch herself until Gonzales took over. She had a feeling she’d just stepped into a wasp nest with her words against Raily. There was no point to drag Kevin down along with her because she’d failed to keep her temper in check. “I’ll go apologize when we get back, at least see if I can keep you out of it. You shouldn’t have to get a note in your jacket because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin had only one regret watching Cynthia tear into Raily, and that was all the pinheads who called her “The Ice Queen” weren’t there to see this. Only someone who truly gave a damn about their job and their partner would act the way that she did. When Kevin thought it was over Kevin started to say something but then Cynthia went back and laid into him one more time. When she apologized Kevin replied, “I’m not sorry you just said what I was thinking as well. Although you were a bit more direct, but in this case direct is what is needed at this time.” When Cynthia offered to apologize Kevin put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t you dare apologize Cynthia. This clown needs to know what the score is, and he needs to know that we know what is really going on.” Kevin glanced down at his phone which was buzzing with an ESPN update. He was somewhat annoyed at himself for not turning it off, but then he smiled and said, “Cynthia…” Kevin looked at her and said, “Raily is about to become our lap dog basically. Trust me on this one. I’m about to defang this snake once and for all.”

Kevin turned and marched back into the Captain’s office. Raily was furiously typing away on the computer, and he glanced over at the screen and then back to Raily and said, “Oh by the way Cynthia’s badge number is 30427 figure I’ll save you the trouble of looking it up. Anyway, acting Captain sir in the true spirit of the upcoming election I would just like to say…” Kevin positioned himself on a corner of Raily’s desk and began recording a video selfie. He said, “My name is Detective Kevin Peter West badge number 52508 of the Major Crimes Unit and I approve of every damn word that my partner Cynthia Michelle Matthers stated to acting MCU Captain Jeffery Raily,” Kevin shut off the message and e-mailed it to the Captain’s bulk e-mail account. Kevin knew Raily wouldn’t be able to resist the opportunity to destroy Kevin’s career, and could imagine that once Kevin’s name would be first on the report now. Kevin stood with his arms crossed and the cocky attitude was now replaced with one of great directness as he said, “You’re threatening to call the Feds….” Kevin uncrossed his arms and pushed the phone towards Raily and said, “Go ahead make my day. You’re bluffing though you just don’t know it, but you are.” Kevin knew Raily would have to call Division Chief Miller for approval, and Kevin was ready to fire the kill shot that would render Raily’s threats useless.

Raily smiled and said, “Please have a seat as you watch the slow sad end of yours and Detective Matthers’ careers.”

West smiled and took a seat as Raily dialed the number and the son of a bitch even had the nerve to activate the speakerphone.


After two rings Miller said, “Miller.”

Raily replied, “Division Chief Miller this is MCU Captain Jeffery Raily….”

Kevin interrupted, “Acting Captain.”

Raily glared and continued, “Sir I feel that the investigation that Detectives West and Matthers have been heading up is at a stand-still, and with another body being found clearly they are in over their heads which could lead to political implications for the Mayor and stain the reputation of the Department. With all that being said sir, I would like for permission to call in the State and Federal Law Enforcement agencies to take over the investigation from MCU.”

West gave a nod and pulled out his phone, and began playing the same songs that he played when he recorded Miller ranting against Kevin.

There was a brief silence on the other end as Kevin knew Miller was processing what this all meant. Finally Miller spoke, “Under no circumstances will there be any outside entities brought into deal with this case. Detectives Matthers and West have the full and absolute support of the Chain of Command to solve this case. You are not to interfere or make any demands of them is that clear Acting Captain? You are there for the next few days you are not to rewrite policy or destroy careers. Are we clear?”

Raily’s mouth hung open as he just stared at the phone. He then glanced up at Kevin who made a “finger gun” and as he dropped his thumb Kevin mouthed the word “Gotcha.”

Miller asked, “I said are we clear?”

Raily replied, “Yes sir I…”

Miller hung up and the dial tone rang throughout the room for a full three seconds before Raily hung up. West gave a slight smile to Raily and asked, “Anything else sir?”

Raily shook his head slowly and Kevin stood up to leave. He looked at the computer screen and said, “You might wanna consider just forgetting about that report. It’ll go up the Chain of Command, and then they’ll say you’re wasting our time and right now you’re not exactly on the Christmas Card list.”

The computer screen went blank as Raily deleted the report and with a great deal of seething in his voice he said with his eyes closed, “Get the hell out of here West. I don’t wanna see either one of you two again as I long as I live.”

Kevin turned and walked away. He looked at Cynthia as he walked away and said, “Come on I don’t think he’s gonna send us a friend request on Facebook.”

Once they got into Cynthia’s car Kevin buckled up and said, “Now that the nightmare of politics is over let’s get down to work.” Kevin pulled out his phone and said, “Alicia Hooper lives in an apartment complex that…” Kevin raised an eyebrow and said, “She lives in the same apartment complex as Janet Sochi.” He glanced over to Cynthia and said, “I know coincidence just thought it was interesting. Anyway she lives two buildings over. The report was filed by a young lady named Elizabeth Robins.”

The ride over was uneventful. Kevin’s joy of taking Raily out of their lives was balanced with the burden that at any moment he was expecting a phone call from Gonzales telling him Holsted was gone. When they arrived at Alicia’s apartment Kevin said, “Okay let’s see what we can find out.” Kevin walked up to the door certain that Cynthia was following him and knocked twice. A petite red headed young lady wearing blue shorts and a white tank top answered the door. She asked, “Can I help you two?”

Flashing his badge Kevin said, “Good afternoon Miss Robins?”

Elizabeth nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Kevin said, “I’m Detective Kevin West of the Miami Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit. This is my partner Detective Cynthia Matthers my partner we need to ask you a few questions about the missing persons report you filed on your roommate Alicia Hooper.”

Elizabeth nodded and said, “Sure yeah, come in. Sorry about the state of the apartment ‘Licia was the neat freak.”

Looking around Kevin nodded as it looked like a typical apartment for two college aged girls. Elizabeth sat down on the couch and Kevin sat in a seat across from her. He took out his notepad and said, “Your roommate had gone to a party at a nightclub the..” Kevin reviewed the name and said, “The Golden Lion. Did you go with her?”

Elizabeth shook her head and said, “I started to but my boyfriend showed up for a surprise visit from Pensacola where he’s stationed. Alicia was pretty upset that I bailed on her.”

Kevin jotted down a couple of notes and asked, “Had you noticed anyone suspicious lately, or did Alicia mention anyone following her or texting her?

Elizabeth shook her head again and said, “No, but I do feel sorry for whoever did this.”

Kevin asked, “Why?”

Elizabeth replied, “Hooper is not Alicia’s real name. She changed it a few years ago. It’s her mom’s maiden name her real last name is Scarfazzi.”

Kevin looked up and said, “As in the Scarfazzi Crime Family.”

Elizabeth nodded and replied, “Yeah she doesn’t talk about it or her family a lot. However, they are actually close all things considered.”

Kevin asked, “Did she ever say why she changed it?

Elizabeth replied, “She wanted to make it on her own name and terms. Her parents understood and her dad made sure that all the court records were sealed when she was 18.” Elizabeth’s phone rang and she said, “Would you excuse me? I’m expecting a phone call from my doctor.”

Kevin nodded and replied, “Sure we can wait for a few moments.”

Elizabeth left and Kevin turned to Cynthia and asked, “What do you know about the Scarfazzi Crime Family? I know a few things but let’s compare notes. I’m willing to bet if Alicia is our victim there’s no way our killer knew about who she really was with the sealed records. Not to mention if Carmine Scarfazzi finds out about this we're gonna have angry mobsters on our hands.[/Fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] "True, but I really should have kept my mouth shut. What I said might have been the truth, but Riley ist still a whiny ass. He's probably already on the phone crying that he was told off by a subordinate." The last thing either of them needed was to have brass hounding them. They were already walking a tight line with Rollands and allowing the press to spread word of his connection to the crimes. Things were going to crash down on their heads if they took one small step out of line, regardless of how clean the two of them were. No, neither of them had leaked to the press, but they were both well aware they had the information and were not doing a thing to keep it from being spread. Raily was the least of their problems at the moment though, but he could easily become a bigger pain in the ass if he went unchecked.


Cynthia rolled her eyes at Kevin's comments to their acting captain, her voice dropping as they made their way into his temporary office. "I'm going to get you for that. Better watch your back, Westie." She smirked mischievously, shaking her head. "You should have let him look it up. The work wouldn't kill him. It's probably the only constructive thing he'll do all day besides sit on his fat ass." Normally Cynthia didn't have such negative things to say about the other detectives on the unit, but she knew Raily, and knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to try to sabotage her case, either by running his mouth or trying to look more involved than he really was, and she did not appreciate that in any way.


She didn't know what West knew, but she certainly wasn't nervous about Raily's threat. She'd never been pulled off a case before, and she didn't plan to start now, regardless of how messed up the situation was. The leads were just starting to come in, the connections were being made, and now that they had a profile, they were only a few steps behind. Would they catch up before another body dropped? That depended on how chatty their other witnesses were. They still needed to talk to Haas, and Rollands' brother. Would they want to talk? She doubted Haas would be willing to divulge anything to her, but maybe he'd talk to West. As for Rollands' brother.....that remained to be seen.


Tuning out the conversation between West, Raily, and the unseen person on the phone, Cynthia continued going over the game plan for their investigation. She didn't know if they'd be lucky enough to hit their victim on the first try, but if they were, that would at least point them in a direction, one she hoped would maintained a connection to their lawyer friend. She made a mental note to remember to mention the name when they questioned their victim's family to see if they gave any reaction. If they were lucky, they wouldn't have to dig much further.


Once the phone call ended, Cynthia decided to pay attention, reveling in the dismayed look on Raily's ruddy face. Her lips curled in a smirk as she rose to her feet, grateful that her wasted time had at least given her the opportunity to watch Raily become flustered. "Well, this has been pointless. That's ten minutes of my life I'm not going to get back. Next time you want to show your ass, why not do it with someone that doesn't have better things to do." She grumbled at the man, ignoring him in favor of dashing out of the room to head off to their next destination.


She was silent throughout the drive, and during West's questioning of Alicia's roommate. Cynthia listened carefully, but asked no questions and did nothing at all. The news about Alicia's real last name was all she needed to hear to dismiss the woman as their victim, even though West seemed like he was already convinced. It wasn't until they got back into the car that she actually voiced her doubt.


"She's not our vic." Cynthia was confident of this. "Our perp does his research. He knows the families of his victims better than he knows the victims themselves. He would never draw attention to himself that way." She shook her head, twisting in her seat to look at her partner. "Plus, he wants all of the attention on himself and his crime. Killing a member of a crime family, especially one as infamous the Scarfazzis. Plus, they have ways to track people down that we can't....we're bound by the law, the Scarfazzis are not. He wouldn't risk getting offed by the mafia before he caught. I'm not saying he wants to be caught, but he wants to be discovered....and he wants people to know why he's killed, and who he is....."


Starting up the car, Cynthia began to head back to the station, deciding they needed to do a little bit more digging into their victim. "We need to dig a bit more. Maybe we missed something...." Everything about Alicia matched, but that was before they knew of her family's history. "We're looking for nobodies. People that wouldn't really be noticed by anyone other than their families. The news would be more about their murders than anything else." Sighing, she let her foot off the accelerator, driving slowly to hopefully buy them some time. "We'll have to see if the ME has anything for us when we get back. I know it's probably a bit too soon to expect anything, but you never know."

Worst case scenarios, they'd have to wait till the autopsy was finished before they found out who their victim was. Best case scenario, there was already a hit in the system and their victim was already IDed. She doubted that was the case, but she could hope. "We'll go talk to the doc first, see if he has anything, then we'll do another scan....branch it out to the neighboring counties as well. We already know he'll go up to Tampa, he might snatch them up from all over the state...maybe all over the country." She didn't want to think about having to search the entire country. If they were lucky, their killer kept things at least statewide, and even that would make their job difficult.[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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As they drove on Kevin was seething that he missed something along the way. Every instinct told him that Alicia Hooper was in that alley. Everything matched up just right, but Cynthia was right about the killer being careful. How could he have been so wrong about this? What did he overlook? What variable did he leave out? As angry as he was at himself what made it worse than them wasting their time was the fact that they once again had to start all over again with trying to find out who their victim was.

Something inside though kept telling Kevin that he was right. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something told him that Alicia was lying in their morgue. Then as the passed by an Olive Garden it hit Kevin like a thunderbolt. He said, “Alicia is in our morgue.” Kevin looked over at Cynthia and said, “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about on this one.” Kevin pulled his phone and opened up his police database app. He quickly began punching the keys and within seconds appearing on his phone was a picture of Don Scarfazzi with his daughter Katrina taken from surveillance footage. Katrina claimed to be Alicia Hooper that was a fact now. Kevin showed the picture to Cynthia and said, “Same nose as dear old dad. Turn the car around please. I want some answers from our young lady. She just lied to us and I wanna know why.” Kevin was now focused and just staring straight ahead, but he realized that when he talked to Katrina he needed to be calm about it. She was hiding something and it was something worth lying to the police over which peaked Kevin’s interest even more.

Once they got back to the apartments Kevin didn’t even wait for Cynthia’s car to come to a full stop as he was already out of there. Kevin walked to the front door and was going on the leap of faith that Cynthia was behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. “Alicia” answered and said, “Hi Detective West.”

Kevin replied, “Hello again, I just have one more question I completely forgot. Can we come in?”

“Alicia” said, “Well I’m getting ready to go out, is it going to take long?”

Kevin replied, “That depends on you It’s only one question though.” Kevin showed her the picture from the phone and asked, “Why did you lie to us?”

Katrina turned pale and Kevin thought she might pass out, but she didn’t and motioned for them to come in. The door was closed and Katrina sat on a bar stool and asked, “What gave me away?”

Kevin replied, “Olive skin is a dominant trait in Italians. The young lady in our morgue has fair skin and freckles on her. It was the picture of the nose that sealed it for me. Not to mention for someone who just found out that their roommate was dead you were pretty calm about it. Like you were expecting us sooner than later, and now back to the original question. Why did you lie? Please keep in mind you have wasted our time already and I’m ready to run you in on any charge I can come up with so please don’t lie again.

Katrina bowed her head and then looked up with one tear falling down. She said, “I want to escape from my family. I am supposed to get married to Eddie Tollanzo, but I don’t love him. I’m being married so the families can come together.” Katrina’s voice shook as she said, “I’m a peace offering basically. I have no freedom or say what so ever in this matter. Once Alicia hadn’t come home in two days I knew she was gone. I saw my chance and thought I could switch places with her somehow. I would just slip away and start my life over.”

Kevin studied Katrina for a moment and realized that she was telling the truth. Kevin replied, “That isn’t as easy as it sounds starting over with a clean slate, how did you figure on doing this? Your father is a very powerful man he could find you easily.”

Katrina said, “My boyfriend Daniel is a computer wiz. He knows how to hack better than anyone I’ve ever seen. He was going to basically do it all online and by the time everyone figured it out we would be in the wind. Look if I agree to tell you all things about my family will you look the other way, and help us out? I know all kinds of shit about them. Names, dates, all that jazz." Katrina took a deep breath and said, "I’m pregnant and if my family finds out my father will kill Daniel.” She shook her head and said, “Daniel is nothing like anyone in my family. He wears glasses, sleeps with a retainer, has allergies like you wouldn’t believe, but he is so sweet and caring. He treats me like a human being and I don't want anything to happen to him.”

Kevin rolled his eyes for a moment and then closed them as he shook his head. When he opened them pulled out his notepad and said, “I believe you. I might be able to help you out, but that depends on you and the answers you give me to my next set of questions.” Kevin sat down and asked, “Did Alicia have any court dealings in the past that you knew about?”

Katrina replied, “She was attacked about two years ago. It was an open and shut case, but the arrest report was filled out improperly and the guy who did, Brant Wilson, his dad is a very powerful man, who managed to have Brant’s arrest record expunged, and moved Heaven and Earth to keep it out of the press. The night Alicia disappeared was the first time she had been out in a year.” There was the connection to the other cases that they needed.

Kevin wrote down the names and asked, “Did Alicia talk about the case much?”

Katrina replied, “Not a lot. She was seeing a therapist. Prior to this Alicia was such a happy and trusting person. In many ways I envied her, but then the attack happened and she changed, however she was starting to comeback to being her old self. My dad even offered to have Brant taken care of, but I told him not to.”

Kevin nodded and said, “I think we’re done here. Anything else we need we can probably get from her therapist and family members and court records.” Kevin stood up and wrote down a name and a number. Kevin gave her the number and said, “His name is Roger Samuelson he’s an FBI agent. Tell him Detective Kevin West sent you to collect on his bet. They will probably want some information on your family like you offered to us, and he can make sure you and Daniel get into WIT-SEC.

Katrina replied as she took his note, “Thank you.”

As they headed back to the car Kevin said to Cynthia, “Two things, I know I’m a rank sentimentalist, but she is looking to make a clean start and she’s scared. Fear can cause people to do dumb things not to mention Daniel seems like the nerd who got lucky in love. Secondly, as much as I rage against the FEDS a lot of times they’re not all bad. Samuelson and I met through Larry at a Christmas Party at Larry’s about two years ago. He’s a fellow Pittsburgh transplant and currently with all my other friends in Bradenton.” Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, “The number I gave her was his cell phone. I figured I’m not going to be the only one who has his vacation screwed up. If I know Rog he’s gonna drop everything to help her out especially if it involves the Scarfazzi Crime Family. My guess they're in WIT-SEC or protective custody before the end of the day.”

Once they got back in the car Kevin buckled up and said, “Now assuming we don’t run into any more worthless would be politicians and lying Mob princesses we might be able to do some real actual detective work concerning this case. My suggestion we take a closer look at Alicia’s court case. Unless you want to go talk to Haas and Rollands and anyone else we can think of.”[/Fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] It had been three days since the body of the last victim was discovered. Three days with no new leads, no clues about the woman’s identity, or any real progress. In those three days Cynthia was nearly pulling her hair out trying to figure out where to go next, and she was getting nowhere with it. DNA had already ruled out the few potential victims they’d had, and the end of the day they still had no name for their victim. She had been pissed, but not nearly as pissed as when Rollands called demanding a one on one meeting with her that Friday. She had agreed, keeping it quiet from West until she had absolutely no choice but to let her partner know her game plan which had yet to be devised. There hadn’t been much time for anything, not when she had to spend every minute of her time on the clock perusing through missing person’s files and fielding calls from the press.

It was a few minutes before lunch time, and she was where she had been for the past three days; stuck behind her computer. She and West still had people to interview, but those trips were effectively on hold until Riley was taken off as acting captain, and their permanent captain was finally assigned. As much as she hated the down time, she couldn’t complain too much. Sticking to the station kept Riley’s mouth shut, and for that she was grateful. But why did computer work have to be so damn boring? Florida was a huge state, and dozens of people went missing from it every day. She had at least seven potential victims she had to follow up on, and none of them felt very promising to her. She had to at least follow up, if only to rule them out completely.

Cynthia was currently looking over the missing person’s report for a Bethany Thompson when the phone at her desk began to ring. Her eyes narrowed in a glare before she huffily snatched the phone up from the receiver, nearly barking into the mouth piece. “No comment! How many times….”

“Detective Matthers? My name’s Lacey Lawler. I was directed to call you about my little sister…….did I call at a bad time?” The voice on the other end of the phone stopped the tirade that was about to come tumbling out of her mouth. Straightening up in her chair, Cynthia reached over to grab a pen and her writing pad, preparing to take down al the information she could get from the phone call.

“Sorry about that. My phone’s been going nuts with reporters. Lacey, you said? And your sister’s name is?” Cynthia wasn’t ready to get her hopes up just yet, not without any information to go off of. She’d had a few of these phone calls over the past three days, and they’d all been a bust. She fully expected that this one would be no different.

“Tracy Lawler….I know, rhyming names. My parents were strange. She’s ten years younger than I am and they thought that would be a way to make us close.” The woman on the other woman explained, ending her story with a heavy sigh. “Anyway, Tracy’s a little on the wild side…..she’s a stripper. She was supposed to go to Vegas last week with her friends, but I just found out that she never showed up, and no one’s heard from her since. I would have called in sooner if I’d known that. Her friends all assumed that she stayed home, but when I went to her place everything was still there…..her purse, her car…..no one’s fed her cat in at least a week. The poor thing was skin and bones.”

Cynthia was quick to start writing everything down, asking for as many details as she could. Tracy worked at a club called The Painted Lady, had no boyfriend that Lacey knew about, and the last person to hear from her was her boss on the day she was supposed to leave for Vegas. After getting a physical description of Tracy, Cynthia made a request. “Do me a favor. Can you meet me at her place in an hour? I’ve got to go get my partner and we’ll head over to gather some evidence.”

“Sure, if it’ll help you find her. I’ll head over there now. I have to feed the cat anyway.” Tracy paused, her voice cracking once she began to speak again. “You don’t think you’re going to find her alive, do you?”

Cynthia really hated this part of the job, especially since she lacked the ability to lie without sounding like an idiot. “I’m sorry, Lacey. I can’t really answer that right now, but I would prepare yourself for the worst.”

“Damn it! I knew I should have gotten her counseling after that asshole molested her. I told my parents if they didn’t get her help, she’d end up troubled when she grew up. She probably ran off with one of her deranged customers and who knows what they did to her.” The rant caught Cynthia’s attention, especially the part about Tracy being molested. It wasn’t something she was going to question over the phone though, but it did add a sense of urgency to meeting up with the distraught woman.

“Listen, Lacey. I’m getting my partner right now. Do you have time to answer some more questions? It’d really be helpful in finding out what happened.” Cynthia already had an idea what happened, she just needed a bit more information to tie it all together. After confirming that Lacey had plenty of time to talk, she hung up the phone and raced to West’s office, not even bothering to knock on the door. “Get your stuff. We’ve got to go. I think I might have found out who our victim is. We’re heading over to get some DNA samples for the doc..”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin was starting to question if he and Cynthia were on a wild goose chase with this case. Staying at the station and keeping a low profile was becoming annoying to him. Yes, they had managed to defang Riley for the most part, but there were still procedures to be followed and Riley made sure that every “T” was crossed and “I” was dotted. If there was one thing wrong then the request was denied, and Kevin and Cynthia were put at a standstill. Kevin had left the missing persons search to Cynthia since he struck out. Finding out that Alicia Hooper was actually alive and well was a blow to the case. She wasn’t missing she just decided to elope to Orlando with a drummer from a Nirvana cover-band. Katrina and Daniel were probably in Wit-Sec by now which was a small consolation for Kevin. However, seeing the pictures of the vacation, which was now done, that he should’ve been on appearing on his friends’ Facebook page was annoying him to no end. He would see one and say thru gritted teeth, “I hope you got sunburn,” or “If there’s any justice in this world you took a fastball off your head at some point. Kevin was bitter about not going, but he didn’t mean anything he was saying about the guys, and he was sure that eventually the scales would balance. About the only thing that was giving him any sort of consolation was the countdown clock on his desktop screen. It counted down the minutes until Riley was out of there and Gonzales was in place.

As he reviewed the case file Kevin’s phone rang and he answered, “West, MCU.”

A familiar voice on the other end said, “You couldn’t be the only one whose vacation was screwed up by work, could you? You had to screw up mine too.”

Kevin chuckled as he replied, “What are friends for, how you doing Roger?

Roger Samuelson his friend in the FBI, who Kevin called about Katrina, replied, “Not bad my man listen thanks for sending Katrina my way. I’ll tell you what she is singing better than Adele on her best night. She gave us names and dates you name it. Little did the family know that she was keeping a running diary of everything that was going on within the family. Wow! Her brothers and their associates are looking at more days in prison than they got left on the planet that’s for sure. The Prosecutor is thru the roof happy. He says this is the easiest case he has ever had. Her boyfriend too was the kind of kid we would’ve given wedgies galore too. That kid seriously is marrying out of his league. Think Leonard and Penny on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ only her Leonard makes the guy on TV look like The Rock.”

Kevin asked, “I noticed you left out the old man what’s his story?”

Samuelson replied, “The minute he found out what happened he had a major stroke. He’s on a respirator and probably won’t ever walk out of the hospital. If I had to guess he’s gone by the end of the month. Either natural causes or someone slips in the room and suddenly he forgets how to breath even with a ventilator.”

This reminded Kevin of Holsted and what he was going through. Holsted’s condition was on a gradual decline and he was on a ventilator. Kevin was expecting a phone call anytime now saying that the end was near, but he didn’t dwell on it especially in front of Cynthia. Knowing she didn’t take death well, and that whether she would admit it or not she would take Holsted’s passing very hard.

Kevin shook his head and said, “Well I guess there’s a sense of justice in all of this.”

Samuelson replied, “Yeah. Anyway my man just thought I’d call and say I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you for this, and not just because of the vacation either.”

Kevin asked, “What’s up?

Samuelson replied, “Thanks to you and this case I’ve been promoted out of here. I’m on my way to the main building in DC.”

Kevin chuckled again and said, “Again, what are friends for? Congrats my friend it’s well deserved.”

Samuelson replied, “Yeah but moving up there is gonna be a bitch. Not to mention, the cost of living is unreal, but luckily the Bureau is not forcing me up there until the end of the school year so Tommy can finish out here, and gives Teresa time to job hunt. All that being said, thanks Kevin this G-Man owes you one. Anything you need gimme a call and I’ll do what I can. I’m also sending you a care package it should be at your place sometime today.”

Kevin said, “Hey thank you Rog.” Just then Cynthia stuck her head into his office and finally had some good news for them. Kevin nodded once and said, “Listen Rog I gotta go duty calls.”

Samuelson replied, “Go get the bad guys and take it easy Kev.”

Kevin said, "Aloha Rog." He hung up the phone grabbed his jacket and followed Cynthia to her car. Kevin said, “Been a while since we actually went out into the field. I hope we remember how to do it.”[/Fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] “West, if you’ve forgotten what to do in the field after a few days, I may have to trade you in for a new model.” Cynthia quipped, not entirely sure if her partner was joking or not. It had been a slow few days for the both of them. Being at the MCU as much as she had, especially on a big case made her antsy, or as antsy as someone like her could get. This wasn’t the biggest case she’d had, but it certainly was turning out to be the longest. She couldn’t recall ever going nearly as long on any other case without at least a few suspects. They still had a whole lot of pieces but nothing that could complete the puzzle enough to give them a solid direction to go in. She hated it, but not nearly as much as she hated the feeling that she was failing. She never failed!

Once they were both settled into the car, Cynthia gave a brief description of who they were meeting and what little background she had on their possible victim. “I probably would have shrugged it off, but the fact that she has a history is too much to ignore.” Was there a chance that this was a case of a lost soul going down the wrong path and getting tangled up with the wrong crowd? Cynthia couldn’t rule that out entirely. It was better to dig in for more info and find out for sure that this wasn’t their victim than to make any assumptions. Tracy sounded like the type of victim their killer went after though, a virtual unknown with some sordid past connections to at least one sleazebag. What were the chances that her molester had gotten off for his crimes? It happened often, more than she cared to think about.

There was another dilemma that had been bugging Cynthia over the past few days as well, one that she had planned on discussing with her partner when they had the chance. Now she had the opportunity, but she wasn’t sure it was the right time. What if Tracy turned out to be their victim? They’d find out soon enough, but it wouldn’t really bring them any closer to finding a suspect. They were hitting more walls than anything lately, and what they both needed was a few days off to take their minds off the case and hit back harder after a bit of downtime. Would West go for it? She wasn’t sure, and with a potential victim’s ID dangling in front of them, it didn’t seem like the best time to suggest it. Still, if they didn’t do something soon, they were both going to end up burning out before the case even came close to making it to an arrest.

“You’re probably going to argue, but as the senior detective at the MCU, I’m going to ignore it.” She really did need to work on her people skills. She had gotten better, but she was still not quite where she assumed she should be. “We’re both taking the weekend off.” She glanced over at her partner, eyes narrowing challengingly at him before he could even think to open his mouth. “We need to. The papers are going to be running with Rollands as our suspect, which should buy us at least a few days without any more bodies. Even if we get a decent DNA sample, it’s going to take a few days to get the results back. We’ve been going at this now for weeks with barely any breaks. If we don’t take a day or two off, we’re going to start fucking up, and that’s not something we can afford.”

Pulling up in front of the trailer that had been Tracy Lawler’s home, Cynthia set the car in park and yanked the key from the ignition. There was no sign of anyone inside, or even around the place which meant they still had a few minutes before Lacey would turn up. It was probably better that way. It gave her the chance to argue her case should West feel the urge to fight her on what she wanted to do. “Take the weekend off, Westie. Go out on a date. Hell, go out on a dozen of them for all I care. Get your head out of the sewer and this damn case. We come back Monday and we’re both thinking clearer. Whatever you do, don’t spend the entire weekend obsessing about this case. We both need a minute away, and no one is going to argue with that.” No, there were too many cops that burned out pressing through a case without taking a breather, a few walked away, some ate a gun, and others, they simply ended up destroying their careers in some way or another. It wasn’t healthy to keep going at it like they were. By the end of a month, they’d both be going insane.[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin replied back to Cynthia’s quip about a “new model” by saying, “Oh come on now, I’m still under warranty here. Besides after what we’ve been though with this case so far, I don’t even wanna think about giving up on this one. Not to mention this clown touched my ride.” He took on a more “serious” tone as he said, “Between two guys Cynthia that’s personal.” Kevin let out a small chuckle to tell Cynthia that he was kidding with her.

The ride over was quiet and Kevin, being the world class detective and wise ass that he was, could tell that something was weighing on Cynthia’s mind. He wasn’t expecting Cynthia to tell him anything if it was personal, because that wasn’t the type of person that she was and if it had to do with something the case she would’ve told him already. The gray areas of working with someone like Cynthia at times were sometimes more frustrating than dealing with City Hall politicians and the cases themselves. However, Cynthia had come a long way since their first day so Kevin wasn’t going to get too frustrated. He just had to remind himself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Although, Kevin felt like there were times that even those builders had it even easier than he did.

Then out of the blue she finally said what was on her mind. At first, Kevin didn’t know how to react mainly because Kevin didn’t think that Cynthia was the type to take time off. She explained herself as they sat in the front of the trailer and Kevin just studied the trailer while listening to her. When Cynthia was done Kevin looked over to her. He said, “First off, please don’t ever pull the senior ranking thing with me please. You are my partner and as long as you got sound logic and good reasoning behind your actions I’ll go with you. We’ve been through enough that I trust you Cynthia.” He gave a brief nod and said, “You’re right. We do need to walk away from this one for a couple of days.” Kevin looked back to the trailer and said, “When I was in Homicide we would call it avoiding quicksand.” Kevin looked over at Cynthia and said, “That’s when you and your partner would be working a case and then you make one wrong step. Then the next thing you know you’re struggling to regain any momentum, but you just keep sinking further and further.” He let out an exhale and said, “I hate to say it but right now you and I have zero momentum in this one. I struck out with the missing persons lead, and next thing you know we’re gonna be chasing phantoms. Even if we gain a bit of momentum with what’s in front of us it’s not going to be the key that unlocks everything here. Our killer is way too smart to allow one slip up to undo everything he’s building up to whatever that happens to be.” Kevin looked back to the trailer and said, “I have a rough slash potential idea what I’m doing this weekend, and I will follow your…” he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Orders Senior Detective Matthers….” Kevin smiled at that and continued, “My question is what are you going to do this weekend? I’ll relax a whole lot more knowing that my partner is not working this case either.” [/Fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] What was she going to do? Cynthia cast another glance at her partner, lips pursed together and her brow furrowing in thought. “I don’t really have any plans other than sitting in my apartment.” She wasn’t planning on doing anything with the case, but she also had no other way of distracting herself from it. Max hadn’t returned yet, and if he had, he hadn’t contacted her yet. It was probably better that way, made him less of a target. She knew that she could organize things around her apartment, perhaps catch up on a bit of reading. Would he believe it? Cynthia didn’t know, and t was a bit of a stretch to ask that of him. “I’m not going to do anything with the case. Once I clock out Friday night, I’m not going to even think about it until Monday morning.” Of course that meant avoiding the TV, newspapers, and the internet, but she could give all of those up easily enough.

“And I wasn’t exactly trying to pull rank on you, West.” She smirked over at him, glancing out the windshield to watch a big red pickup truck pull up in front of her car. The woman who slipped out behind the driver’s seat wasn’t at all like Cynthia expected given her name. She was petite, tidy, and dressed extremely conservatively. “That would be Lacey….she doesn’t look like a Lacey, does she? Maybe I’m judging her by her sister, but she looks….normal.” Cynthia glanced back at West, another smirk stretching over her lips. “And for the record, Detective West, I do not plan on working on the case. But, should you feel the need to check up on me and make sure I’m not smuggling witnesses into my apartment to do interrogations behind your back, you’re free to stop by.” Perhaps if he knew he could stop by at any given time over the weekend to ensure she wasn’t working on the case, that would put him at ease. That was as far as her assurances could go, at least for the time being.

“Let’s go see what Lacey has to say.” Cynthia was out of the car and moving to greet the woman, trying to remain as nonchalant as possible in spite of the growing sense of excitement. Lacey didn’t need to open her mouth to share her sister’s story for the detective to know in her heart they had their victim. Going off the assumption that the two sisters shared similar body frame and knowing what she did about the body at the morgue, it was impossible not to notice the resemblance. Of course, Lacey still had her head. Reeling herself in, Cynthia managed a subdued smile of greeting. “Lacey? Hi, I’m detective Matthers. We spoke on the phone.”

Lacey blinked, gave Cynthia a once over look and promptly offered her own sheepish grin. “Yes, of course. Sorry, but I was expecting someone…..older.” Older? That was the first Cynthia had ever heard that one. The comment did nothing to change the detective’s excitement, which was becoming harder and harder to stamp down. She’d feel a bit better once she had some evidence in her hands; at least that’s what she thought. Lacey was continuing though, and Cynthia forced her mind back to the matter at hand. “Anyway, this is Tracey’s place The property was my parents before they died. There used to be a house, but they were horrible at maintaining the place when they were alive. Had to have it torn down a year after they died. Fixing all the problems would have cost more. I wanted to sell the land and split the money between me and Tracy, but she couldn’t let go of it. Bought herself this trailer and settled in. She could have bought a house with the money we made from the land, but she wanted no parts of it.”

Cynthia let the woman prattle on while she unlocked the trailer, her eyes straining at the door as if she could actually see through it. The first thing she noticed the moment the door was finally opened was the strong scent of stale beer, old smoke, and cat. No sooner was the door opened when a flash of white came streaking through the darkened interior, a small bundle of fur crashing into Lacey’s ankles before she could even step inside. “Alright, alright, I know!” The other woman scooped up the cat, turning to Cynthia. “You and your partner aren’t allergic, are you? I thought I asked you earlier, but I can’t for the life of me remember now. I can’t stop thinking…..” For a moment Cynthia thought the woman would burst into tears, but she merely shook her head and continued on inside. “Not sure what you’ll be able to get out of here. Tracy didn’t spend a whole lot of time at home.”

The light was switched on giving Cynthia a better perspective of what they were dealing with, and a better idea of who their possible victim was. The trailer was filthy, littered with empty beer bottles, overflowing ashtrays, and the occasional ‘accident’ spot from the cat (At least Cynthia hoped it was from the cat). Lacey was maneuvering her way around the mess, flashing Cynthia apologetic grimaces every so often. “Sorry about the mess. Tracy never was good at housekeeping. Got those habits from our parents.”

Cynthia motioned for West to go dig for evidence, keeping close behind Lacey to avoid the rubbish strewn about the place. Rather than listen to the continue grips of Tracy’s bad habits, she steered the conversation in the direction she needed it to be. “Does the name George Haas sound familiar to you?” She asked, noticing the way the other woman tensed at the sound of the name. The cat was dropped to the floor as the woman turned to face Cynthia completely, the feline padding over to the detective once she shook off the fall. Cynthia barely paid notice to the brush against her ankle as the cat began to rub against her, it wasn’t until she felt claws digging into her pants leg that she bent down to scoop the animal up, petting her absently while listening to Lacey speak.

“You think he did it? I wouldn’t be surprised, although I don’t know why he would. Tracy never testified against him, not after she testified against that asshole who molested her. They were friends…..George and Troy, that’s the man that molested Tracy. Troy Davidson. He tried saying that George framed him during his trial, kept insisting that he never touched anyone, that it was all George. Jury didn’t buy it though. Took them a half hour to say he was guilty.” The woman shook her head with a sigh, turning back to her task of feeding the cat, who was more interested in Cynthia’s half-hearted petting. Her mind was reeling over the information she’d just received, and she was now even more convinced that the body they had belonged to Lacey’s sister.

“What about Gregory Rollands? Are you familiar with him?” Cynthia asked, watching closely for a reaction. Lacey shook her head, not turning to look back at all. “No, I can’t say I know anything about him except what I’ve read in the papers about him.” Cynthia wasn’t entirely surprised by the answer. Rollands had made the front pages more times then she cared to recall.

“Is there anyone who might be able to give us some details about the time before your sister went missing?” Knowing where Tracy worked, Cynthia already had a feeling that she was not going to enjoy the next stop on their quest to get answers. Perhaps she should put it off until they had confirmation that Tracy was their victim. With Lacey giving Cynthia the name of the club that she worked at and the few friends that she knew of, the detective set the cat down in front of her food bowl to begin jotting them all down. The Kitty Kat club? Just the name made her nose want to scrunch up, but she managed to maintain a straight face.

With the list complete, Cynthia was ready to call West and head out of the trailer as quickly as she could. The smell was starting to give her a headache, and they’d only been there a few minutes. Before she had the chance to make an escape, Lacey came out with a question that actually gave her pause. “Hey…..do you want the cat? I was going to call a shelter to come get her, but she seems to like you. I’d take her, but my fiancé is allergic. And if she goes with you, and Tracy comes back, I’ll at least know where to find her.”

Cynthia’s first instinct normally would have been to say no, however, something stopped her. To her own surprise, she didn’t have to think long on the answer and it wasn’t at all what she expected from herself. “Do you have a carrier for her? What’s her name?” The cat’s name was Missy, another unoriginal title that Cynthia would have complained about under different circumstances. As it was, she was too busy questioning her decision to take in an animal that she knew nothing about. How could she turn it away though? In a way she and the cat were kindred spirits, both left alone by the cruelty of another human being. It didn’t seem right to send the animal off to a shelter full of strangers, and while she was a stranger herself the cat didn’t seem to mind her.

While Lacey went off in search of the carrier and all the supplies she could send along with the cat, Cynthia went off to find her partner to see if he’d found anything. “Find anything good? I thought about bagging up a few of the bottles on the counter, but chances are the lab would be spending the next month trying to get something off them that would help.” Biting down on her lower lip, she glanced nervously at her partner. “I’m taking the cat home with me. Lacey asked me if I’d take her. Not sure why I agreed. I’ve never had a pet before. I don’t even know what to do with a cat…..”[/fieldbox]
 
[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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When Cynthia made her offer to Kevin about coming to her apartment to make sure that she wasn’t working on the case Kevin merely shook his head and replied, “Oh my dear Detective Matthers, lead me not into temptation.” When he heard what Lacey said about her expecting Cynthia to be older Kevin used every fiber of his being not only to avoid smirking, but to keep from making a wisecrack of some kind. The cat bolting across the door way almost made Kevin reach for his gun, but he restrained himself. Cynthia motioned for him to go have a look around. Kevin wanted to tell her, “If you don’t hear from me in 20 minutes call my mom and tell her that I love her, and make up something profound and meaningful for my last words please.

Kevin walked towards that back of the trailer. In most cases he would’ve moved the garbage aside with his foot, but he was convinced that part of what was holding the floor in place was the garbage. Kevin slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and opened the first door on the right. It looked like it should’ve been the guest room, but it was a glorified storage room. There were various boxes and piled on top of a double bed with a TV in the corner that wasn’t hooked up to anything. Kevin opened the closet and saw that was where Tracy had set up the litter box for the cat. It was clear that there was a reason that the cat was opting not to use the box. The floor even in its current state was cleaner than the litter box. If Kevin had treated Roxy in this way the SPCA would’ve been called on him, or knowing Roxy she would’ve let Kevin know in no uncertain terms she was displeased with her treatment. Kevin pulled out a digital camera and took a couple shots of the room before closing the door.

Kevin went to the next room down the hall and on the left. It was the bathroom and Kevin was afraid to see what he would find in there if he looked close enough. The bathroom looked like a biology lab that had been left unattended for a year. The smell was actually starting to make him semi-light headed to the point that he had to close the door and open a nearby window. Once he took a couple of deep breathes from the outside Kevin was ready to continue.

Kevin approached the last room on the left which he was fairly certain was the master bedroom. He rolled his eyes up and said in a whisper, “For God and King Richard.” Kevin opened the door and the room wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, it was worse. This was obviously the room where Tracy spent most of her time. There were TV dinner trays all over the room, cat food, and he didn’t even want to imagine what the stains on the bed were from. Although the discarded condom wrappers were enough of a hint which also told Kevin that Tracy was seeing someone, or possible even several someones. He saw a picture of Lacey, and Tracy holding the cat standing outside the trailer. Kevin looked at the date and saw that it was only six months ago. Kevin pulled out a plastic bag and put the picture in the bag. Then Kevin found something that caught his eye, but it was stuck between the mattress and the box-spring. It looked to be a book, but why would someone keep a book hidden away like that? Unless it wasn’t really a book, but rather something more valuable like a journal. Kevin was uncertain whether to touch anything because he was convinced that it would eat through his gloves. He looked at his hands and said, “If you dissolve away just know that it was nothing personal.” Kevin let out a huge exhale and grabbed the book. He opened the book and the first page had a date on it. It was the same date as the one in the picture and Kevin nodded and said, “Well, well, well, maybe it was worth it after all.” Kevin bagged up the journal and went back to meet up with Cynthia.

Kevin saw her standing there holding a cat. Kevin was able to figure out what happened. He said, “Cats aren’t that hard to take care of. Feed ‘em two to three times a day, scoop out their litter box, and if they walk up to you and purr give them your complete attention.” Kevin began to scratch the cat just under their jaw and the cat leaned in and purred very loudly. Kevin said, “We’ve had a cat in the family for years. The current one my mom got just after I graduated college.” Kevin stopped scratching under the jaw and showed Cynthia the picture, and said, “Note the date because, spoiler alert, you’re gonna see it again.” Kevin then showed Cynthia the journal and flipped to the first page. He said, “The dates match up. It may not yield much in terms of useful evidence but it can give us a better understanding into who Tracy was.” Kevin put the journal away and said, “Since you and I are taking the weekend off you can’t have this until Monday. I’ll give it to Olivia and she can hold onto it. Assuming Lacey lets us leave with it.”

Lacey walked out with a carrier and two bowls. She said, “The bowls aren’t much. I tried to clean ‘em up best I could same with the carrier.” Kevin showed Lacey the journal and asked, “Did you know that Tracy kept a journal?” Lacey replied, “No I didn’t. I wonder what she kept in it.” Kevin asked, “Would you mind if we made some copies of it to help us in our investigation. We’ll make sure you get it back within a week.” Lacey nodded and replied, “Sure that’s not a problem. Thank you for asking.” Kevin nodded and said to Cynthia, “I think we’re pretty well set to go.” It took some effort but Lacey managed to get Missy into the carrier. She let everyone know in no uncertain terms she was far from happy. Lacey said, “I almost forgot to give you some of her toys. I’ll be back.” Kevin leaned into Cynthia and said, “When we get far enough away from here stop off at the nearest pet store. I’ll pay for a new carrier, two new bowls, and new supplies for her.” Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, “You’re taking on a big enough responsibility I can help out a little bit with it. Besides I have a bit more experience with cats.”[/Fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia had given West the dirty work. It wasn’t anything against him, but she wanted get a feel for Tracy’s older sister, who was every bit as genuine about her sister’s wellbeing as she had been on the phone. It was obvious the older woman was trying not to think the worst, but knew in her heart that the likelihood her sister was dead was higher than the chances of her being found alive. Depressing as it was to be around someone struggling with the realization that their last remaining family member was most likely gone, Cynthia was not fazed by it. Still, she felt a huge sense of relief when she tracked down her partner to find out what he’d managed to gather up as far as evidence went. “Ugh….I hate going through journals. It’s like staring directly into someone’s head. Unless it’s a setup, there’s always something ugly in them.” She’d come across a fake journal only once, and it was easy to figure out how fraudulent it was after interviewing the writer.

She suspected that Lacey wouldn’t have any issues letting them take the journal. The only problem was, Kevin wasn’t going to let her even touch the thing until Monday. She wanted to point out that she was a fast reader and could probably have Tracy completely analyzed along with a list of names to investigate in a few hours, but that wasn’t going to cut it. She had been the one to suggest that they take the weekend off, it would look bad on her if she broke her word. She’d have the chance to go over everything on Monday, and hopefully have the names they needed to get started on interviews the next day. While she was busy thinking about the case, Kevin was already talking about her new pet, which still had yet to demand Cynthia put her down. With all the evidence they needed bagged and tagged, they just had to wait for Lacey to return with Missy’s toys. “You do know I’m perfectly capable of buying supplies myself right? I know I’m a novice pet owner, but I’m pretty sure I can get that much right.” Cynthia teased, but stopped when she remembered that West had just lost his own pet. Not wanting to sound callous, she backtracked on her comments. “But I guess I could use some help figuring out what to get her. I don’t want to get her something that might make her sick.”

Lacey returned with a plastic grocery bag filled with toys that chimed and tinkled with every step. Raising her brow at the sounds, she almost asked if all cat toys made that much noise but decided against it. What harm would a few bells do? She was so used to silence, Cynthia started to warm up to the idea of the patter of little pawed feet and tinkling of bells. It would definitely beat the drone of the TV she played for the sake of background noise. “Here’s here things. Sorry, I couldn’t find the carrier. Tracy must have it out in her car. She took Missy to the vet last week….I could get the number for you if you want it. It’ll save you some trouble to take her to the same vet. They already have her history.” Seeing no real urgency for vets, and desperate to get out of the filthy trailer, Cynthia set the cat down, grabbed a pen and one of her cards from her pocket and jotted down her cellphone number. “You can text it to me. The number on the back is my personal number. You can contact me on that for anything, including questions about your sister or if anything else comes to mind that you think might be important.”

Exchanging the bag for her card, Cynthia glanced down at Missy, who was happily rubbing up against her ankles while clawing away at the dingy carpet. Scooping the feline back up, she was ready to bolt out the door for a breath of fresh air, but managed to walk slowly toward it. “It will take a few days to get DNA results back. As soon as I hear anything, you’ll be the first person I call.” Breaking the bad news was never easy, but Cynthia had done it over a dozen times and by now had learned how to deal with it. It felt harsh the way she handled things, and even she wouldn’t want to receive any kind of news from her, but it was still her job, and something told her that West wasn’t disappointed at being spared the job.

“Thank you, detective. You’ll call me regardless, right? Even if it isn’t her?” Cynthia nodded her head, trying not to notice the tears welling up in the woman’s eyes. Not wanting to leave with the last thing being said a reminder of her sister’s disappearance, the redhead flashed a small smile of reassurance. “And don’t worry about Missy. I’ll take good care of her. You can come visit her whenever you want.” Lacey nodded her head, blinking back her tears but refraining from commenting. Cynthia waited until the other woman locked up the trailer and started to head for her vehicle before moving to her own car, Missy still secured in her arms along with the bag of toys. Once she was behind the wheel, she set the bag in the backseat, but had no idea what to do with the cat without a carrier. She waited for West to climb in, shooting him a look of desperation. “Do you think you can hold her until we get to the pet store? I don’t think I can drive with her in my lap.”

While she waited for her partner to take over holding the cat, there was another question that popped into her mind about a comment he’d made earlier. “And exactly what temptation was it you were talking about, Detective West? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were suggesting I was inviting you over for reasons other than checking up on me.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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Kevin and Cynthia had shared many experiences so far on this case. However, this was by far the most awkward one. Between not being sure of the identity of the victim, the state of the trailer, dealing with Lacey, and now Cynthia becoming an impromptu cat owner if someone had told Kevin about all of this is first reaction would’ve been to just stare at the person. Then shake his head slowly and say, “You’re bullshitting me. No way it could happen it’s like a deleted scene from ‘Bad Boys.’ Deleted for good reason to because there’s no way that can happen.” It was happening though and Kevin was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it. Although, he had to give Cynthia and himself credit in that they were handling it all in stride. The smell of the trailer was starting to give Kevin a headache. He was sure that once they got Missy taken care of and they got back to MCU Kevin was probably going to go home. While he was home Kevin knew would have to burn his suit just to get the smell out of it.

Not surprisingly Cynthia asked Kevin to take Missy while she drove. He gave a slight chuckle and replied, “Yeah cops have issues with people texting and driving I can only imagine how they would feel about a cat climbing all over you while driving.” Kevin took Missy into his arms and cradled her so that all four paws were touching Kevin in some way as Cynthia drove on. He said, “As long as she can feel her paws touching something it helps ease her anxiety.” Kevin used his left hand to gently stroke Missy under her collar and then noticed that the pattern in her fur moved. Kevin rolled his eyes and shook his head and said to Cynthia, “Okay bad news, Missy has fleas. Suggestion stop off either at a vet or a pet store with a groomer on staff for a flea dip. This is not something you do on your own. I’ve had cats in my life for years and even I have trouble giving them baths.” He then looked to Cynthia and said, “If we stop by there most of them have something to spray our clothing down with and your car. I speak from experience once they get out in space like this they tend to leap and multiple like Catholic Rabbits.” Kevin looked down to Missy and said, “I know it’s not your fault little one, but it’s obvious Lilly and Tracy weren’t too adept at pet care.” Kevin lightly patted his left hand and showed Cynthia a red dot and said, “Flea bites already.” Kevin was joking with himself about burning his suit earlier, but now he was considering dropping it in a vat of acid.

When Cynthia mentioned about Kevin coming over he shook his head and said, “Look, Cynthia I know I would have a hard time loosening up when it comes to walking away from something like this, and I know you well enough in that respect as well. Come on, how many times have we called each other with a theory or a lead? Anyway, we have a legit lead on a possible vic and something very enticing like a journal. It could be very tempting to spend the weekend going over things. I would just be making sure that you were respecting your own boundaries.” Kevin looked over at Cynthia and said, “Besides, many people see you as the ice queen, but I know you better than that. I’m willing to bet that you know how to cut loose. Not saying go out and get bombed kind of thing, but you have a bit of a wild side to you.” Kevin smiled at Cynthia and turned his attention back to Missy.

His phone rang and he could reach it. Pulling it out he saw it was from MCU and set Missy in his lap. Kevin stroked her and she eventually laid down as he answered putting it on speaker, “West, you’re also on speaker with Matthers.”

Olivia on the other end said with shaking in her voice, “Kevin…Cynthia…”

Kevin knew what this was and he just glanced over to Cynthia as he asked, “When was it Olivia?”

She replied, “Only a matter of time. He actually regained consciousness for about an hour then he had a mild heart attack but it was enough to trigger a stroke about thirty minutes ago. Brain activity is starting to decrease. They’re going to try and keep him alive, as it were, long enough for his son and his family to get here from San Francisco tomorrow morning. Then they’ll take him off the machines and let nature take its course. Gonzales is coming in within the hour to start moving in his items. He officially starts Monday but they want to get things moving now. Railey is actually being a decent guy at the moment.”

Kevin nodded and said, “I’ll stop by tonight and say my goodbye.”

Olivia replied, “Okay, most of the MCU staff is talking about meeting up tonight around 8 at Murphy’s and having a drink for Holsted.”

Kevin said, “Thanks Olivia talk to you later.” He hung up and put his phone away. Kevin looked over to Cynthia and said, “I wish I could say I was surprised by this, but I’m not.” Kevin began to stroke Missy under her jaw as she purred away. Kevin said, "Don't worry little one. You're going to a good home with a really nice young lady." Kevin leaned in and said, "Just take it easy on her okay? She's just learning the ropes." Kevin said to Cynthia, "Cats are really simple. Feed them about twice a day, when they come looking attention give it to them, and scoop out their box. You should also know cats usually take a lot of time to get to know people Missy came to you right away. She really must feel something for you."[/fieldbox]
 
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[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] “Of course she does. I’m sure fleas aren’t the worst the poor thing has.” Cynthia had claimed she wouldn’t take Missy to the vet, but now after giving it some thought she decided it was probably a bad idea. “I guess I should get her checked out. If she has fleas, chances are she also has worms.” It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford to have the cat checked over, and the last thing she wanted was for something to pop up on her after she took her new pet home to get her settled in. Why had she decided to take this responsibility upon herself again? Cynthia still couldn’t quite figure out what had inspired her to volunteer other than being tired of an empty apartment whenever she came home. “Do they even groom cats? That’s a job that I wouldn’t want to have.”


West’s description of her mad Cynthia chuckle loudly, not entirely sure the man knew her at all. “I prefer the Ice Queen rep. It keeps the CSI techs from getting too bold, and the other detectives off my back.” She also didn’t have much of a wild side either, but she let her partner believe what he wanted to. “Are you really suggesting that I lack complete self-control when I don’t have someone looking over my shoulder?” Clicking her tongue at him, she shook her head quickly. “I know when I need to take a break, Westie. I’ve been burnt out quite a few times in the past, and I’m not looking for a repeat, especially not with this case. Everything has to be on the straight and narrow. Every I dotted and every t crossed. This case is too big to let my ambitions of solving it get the better of me. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be tempted, but I’m not stupid enough to actually let my temptations take control.” She’d been working the case longer than he had, she knew that it was time for her to take a brief pause. Without constantly thinking about it, something new might actually come to her.


There was a pause in the conversation as West’s phone rang, Cynthia listening to what was said without saying a word. She was actually surprised to hear that Holsted had passed, believing that the Captain was far too tough to let a heart attack bring him down. There wasn’t anything that could be done about it though. She caught the final statement about the others meeting up for drinks and immediately decided against going herself. Instead she planned to go see Holdsted’s wife to offer what condolences and assistance that she could. Of course most of the other detectives would assume she was simply too stuck up to join them, and that was perfectly fine with her. She wasn’t on the job to make friends, and the way she saw it, the Captain’s widow needed more attention than anyone else at the moment.


Driving to the pet store in silence, Cynthia didn’t speak again until the car was parked and it was time for them to head into the store. “I’m going to go see Missus Holsted tonight. She’s probably a mess.” She commented, reaching over to rub Missy’s head lightly before taking her from her partner. “Like you said, I’m the Ice Queen. Let everyone think I’m too stuck up to socialize. Of course if you tell them what I’m doing they’ll probably call me a kiss-ass, so either way it’s a lose-lose situation for me.” Her popularity was pretty much nonexistent in the unit, but at last everyone knew she did her job well. “I’ll go drop Missy off at the groomers. Think you can grab whatever I need to spray out the car for fleas? Probably be best if we grab that first and spray it out then get everything else, that way it’ll have time to work before we get back in. The last thing I want is to walk around feeling like I have fleas jumping on me all day.” Just thinking about it made her skin crawl, she couldn’t imagine how poor Missy felt.


Once they were out of the car, Cynthia turned back to West just before the parted ways. “And for the record, I don’t have a wild bone in my body, although I’ve been bombed more than a few times. You’ve obviously never dealt with child prodigies. We’re notorious for finding ways to self-medicate. Alcohol is like water to most of us.” Shrugging, Cynthia turned back to the store, calling over her shoulder. “You could always admit that you’re lonely and just wanted to come hang out. I wouldn’t have laughed at you.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox= Kevin]


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Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, “If I did come over to hang out it wouldn’t be because I was lonely.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head and said, “Okay fine even I don’t buy that one either.” He shot her a quick wink and smirked as he motioned to the pet store and said, “I’ll take care of the flea situation.” Just thinking about it was making Kevin’s skin crawl. Dealing with Roxanne he was used to somethings but fleas were never an issue. He was certain that with Cynthia Missy was in good hands. Though she was not even a novice in the pet care arena Kevin had a feeling that Cynthia would be all right. As far as her not socializing with the rest of the crew at Murphy’s Kevin understood that, but there was no doubt if any of them said word one about her Kevin wasn’t going to hesitate to deck them.

With that he walked into the store and began to browse through the cat care section. A young lady walked up to him with long blonde hair and in a cheery voice asked, “Can I help you sir?” At first, Kevin was offended that he was being called “Sir”. Especially because he still had all his black hair, and the young lady was less than 15 years younger than him. However, Kevin decided to let it go and replied, “Maybe you can…” he read the name tag and said, “Deanna, a friend of mine and I just rescued a cat from a bad situation. She’s getting her cleaned up with the groomers and I’m looking to get rid of the fleas that we ended up with from her in the car.”

Deanna nodded and said, “Well we have a variety of sprays and lotions.” Kevin hated the prospect for smelling like flea dip or stripping down for lotions. So he nodded and in this case he played the desperation card. Kevin asked, “Deanna, do you work on commission?” She looked around and replied, “Yeah it’s a bitch to be honest with you.” Kevin said, “I bet. Well in this case I am about to make your day. Money is no object for us.” Deanna smiled broadly and said, “Well sir….” Kevin interrupted and said, “My name is Kevin go with that please.” She chuckled and continued, “Okay Kevin, we got a little something special for you. I usually recommend the lotions and sprays because people buy them in bulk. Anyway, if you will follow me.”

The two walked through the store to an area behind the counter and Deanna said, “This is for customers we know have money but since you said it isn’t an object for you.” She pulled out three silver pucks and said, “They repel the fleas sonically watch.” Deanna touched one twice and the puck shook a little, but Kevin noticed that three fleas jumped onto the counter. She said, “They’re good for up to ten feet in all directions and safe for pets. Starts working almost instantly.” Kevin asked, “How much?” Deanna replied, “All three for three hundred.” Kevin nodded and replied, “Sold American.” He gave her his credit card and said, “Wait, I need a few other items too. Will you follow me?” Deanna and Kevin put one of the discs in his pocket and he knew several others were jumping from him as they began to walk away from the counter. Kevin grabbed a cart and loaded it up with the cat care items that Cynthia would need from dishes, food, litter, a litter box, catnip, even a couple of cat toys. Kevin even had them put the cat grooming on his bill. Cynthia was taking on a huge responsibility with Missy, but he wanted to do what he could as well. Besides, Missy reminded him strangely enough of…Roxanne for some reason.

When he was done with the shopping spree Kevin dropped everything in the car including a disc in his seat. He walked over to Cynthia and gave her one of the discs and told her what it did and that there was one in the car. Kevin was expecting to see Missy a poor pitiful mess, but Kevin was amazed that she seemed to be loving the cleaning. No struggling not even so much as a mournful peep. Kevin said, “I think if she could speak right now she would tell you ‘this is a one-time deal!’ Don’t make this a habit.”

Just then his phone rang and he said, “Gonzales, I’ll be back.”

Kevin went outside the store and replied, “West.”

Gonzales asked, “Detective this is Captain Gonzales. How close are you and Detective Matthers being back here?”

Kevin replied, “Within the hour sir.”

Gonzales said, “All right I am calling everyone in right now. I want to address everyone at once. I am guessing by now you heard about Captain Holsted.”

Kevin replied, “I heard he is on life support for the time being pending the rest of the family arriving.”

Gonzales said, “It’s changed. His family from San Francisco told his wife to go ahead and withdraw his life support machines now. For all purposes, he’s gone now. By the time you all get back here he will be declared officially dead.”

Kevin was almost stunned speechless and said, “Yes sir.”

Gonzales said, “You and Matthers back here asap there are details to be worked out for the services.”

Kevin was going to reply but the call was already over. Kevin then went back to Cynthia and said, “Once we get Missy all neatened up and drop off the shopping supplies...” he motioned to her car and said with a smile, “I got you a few things for your new roomie. Gonzales wants us back at HQ he is calling in the entire crew concerning the services.”[/Fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia didn’t buy West’s story either, but kept her opinions to herself. If she was being honest, being in her apartment alone had become stifling. What was usually a relaxing, albeit, brief few hours of peace and quiet now felt more like torture than anything else. She used to love the time she could spend unwinding, but since the start of this case, and gaining a partner, she couldn’t quite settle down the way she normally did. If she didn’t have such good restraint, she probably would have been on the phone with her partner 24/7 trying to work the details of their case until it was solved. Kevin wasn’t actually bad company either, at least once they worked around her introverted quirks and his constant need to move around. She wouldn’t have turned him away if he came knocking for a social visit, but it probably would have ended up being the talk of the unit if he did. More likely, she would be considering how the entire station thought she only spoke to people involved in whatever case she was working.

She sat through Missy’s grooming, surprised to find herself more like a mother watching over a child than a pet owner. She wasn’t sure why she felt protective of an animal, she didn’t even think she was an animal person let alone a cat person. There was a strange kinship there though, and while Cynthia wasn’t particularly affectionate in the normal sense, having a pet didn’t feel like that much of a burden. A few scratches behind the ears, some food, and a clean place to live wasn’t much of a sacrifice considering what the poor animal had already been through. She didn’t hold it against Kasey though, understanding that the woman herself had a trauma filled life, and hadn’t fully adjusted to being a responsible adult. Her lifestyle was the direct result of the abuses she’d dealt with as a child, and the lack of proper response from her parents afterwards. It was a sad series of events that had ended with the woman’s death, that possibly could have been avoided if she’d gotten help when she needed it.

Putting her musings on hold, Cynthia peered up at West when he approached, giving him a curious look before turning back to watch Missy and the groomer. “I think she’s too grateful to have those bugs washed off of her to care that she’s in water.” There was also the days spent without her owner; no attention or food, and probably a fear that she might not receive either again, if cats worried about that sort of thing. The ring of West’s phone interrupted her current train of thought, and as he took of to speak to Gonzales, she turned her mind to the possible subject of the conversation. It wasn’t difficult to predict that it was about Holstead. Holding out hope that her Captain might recover seemed ridiculous given the last update on his status, which meant that the man was probably gone, or would be shortly. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about his loss just yet. As cold as it might sound to most people, she was unusually numb when it came to death; then again, her parents’ murders had probably robbed her of the ability to feel anything.

West confirmed her assessment when he returned, her lips twitching into a frown. As horrible as her lack of emotional response was, her first thoughts were probably even worse, and Cynthia decided again that it was best for her to keep her mouth shut. “She’s almost done. We should be back at the station within an hour.” Services. Cynthia hated the sound of that word. Funerals were not something that anyone enjoyed, but they were even worse for her. She stood out like a sore thumb with her lack of emotional responses amidst a sea of crying, mourning family members and friends. She avoided them when she could, but considering Holstead had been her captain since she joined the MCU, there was really o way she could.

She was silent for the remainder of the time, surprised to find that everything was already paid for once a freshly washed and pleasant smelling Missy was handed back over to her. Shooting Kevin a look, she narrowed her eyes slightly at him. “You’re as stubborn as a damn mule, Westie. You didn’t have to pay for any of it you know.” It was already too late for her to at least try to pay for something, so the only thing she could do was find a way to pay him back in the future.

With Missy secured in the carrier and inside the car, Cynthia wasted little time heading back to her apartment to drop everything off and get her new pet situated. She wasn’t ready to talk about Holstead or the case just yet, but she couldn’t keep quiet about the one glaring fact about the whole thing. “So is Gonzales official now? He must be if he’s calling everyone in. Any ideas when he’s going to start nagging us for information? I’d rather hold off on briefing him until we know for sure that Casey’s our victim.”[/fieldbox]
 
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[Fieldbox=Kevin]

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West shot a smirk at Cynthia for being called stubborn and said, “All part of the charm that is me.” Once they were back in route to the station Kevin said, “It appears that Gonzales is our Captain now for all intents and purposes yeah. I doubt we’re gonna get too many questions our way about our case right now, but I agree with not saying anything until we have our facts in order. Besides, ours is not the only case going on right now and not to mention he’s gotta check in with everyone else as well and go through the whole adjustment phase.” He then gave a slight nod and said, “I’d say we got at least 2-3 days before he gets to asking us about our case. By then the Coroner should have something back to us. If not then we tell him that we’re dealing with a potential forth victim and that’s all we can say at the time.” Kevin flashed his palms up and said, “That’s all that we can do for now.” He sat there and stroked Missy as she began to fall asleep hard in his lap.


Just then Kevin’s phone rang and he said pulling it out, “And the hits just keep on coming.” Kevin saw that it was Javy Espinoza calling him and he asked, “What’s on your mind Javy?”


Javy letting out a long exhale replied, “Fun and games Kevin. Fun and games we’re getting a new Captain in the next 48. Word is it’s gonna be Bill Maxwell from I-A a bit of a hard ass but plays it straight with his detectives. Until then Railey is keeping the seat warm. It’s like going from Adele to an ‘American Idol’ reject for now.”


Kevin could tell something more was on Javy’s mind and asked, “Talk to me Javy. What’s up?”


Javy replied, “Look Kev, you’re my bro we’re tight I’d take a bullet for you in a heartbeat, but the wisecracks and all that, which by the way I think work for you, right now I’m asking as a friend…” Javy let out another exhale and said, “Cut the Cap some slack for now man. He’s dealing with not only a change of command but he didn’t get to say goodbye to us like he wanted, and oh yeah he’s helping bury his best friend on the force. Just give him sometime before you give him the full West treatment.”


Kevin knew that Gonzales was going to have period of adjustment, and it was gonna be tough but Kevin didn’t realize that he was going to have to adjust as well. That there would be a time for him to get to know Gonzales as well. He had only gotten used to Holsted to have him now gone, and that was actually making Kevin feel a sense of loss. He said, “You got it bro. I’ll keep it cool for a while.”


Javy replied, “Thanks bro. Listen good luck with your case need anything I got your back.”


Kevin said, “Thanks Javy. Take care.”


Kevin hung up the phone as the arrived at Cynthia’s apartment. He looked over to her and said, “I’ll help you get set up. This is where my experience comes into play.” Kevin gently handed Missy back to Cynthia who was still sound asleep and said, “I can show the best places to set this stuff up.” With that Kevin grabbed the items from the back and once Cynthia let him in he said, “Okay the cat box should be out of the way but near a trash can, so your best bet for it would be in the laundry room.” Kevin quickly set it up and then took the bed and said, “Bed in a corner in the bedroom near a window.” Kevin put the bed down in a corner near a book shelf and said, “Now watch and observe.” He took Missy gently and laid her in the bed as a shaft of sunlight bathed her. Missy stirred briefly and then settled in. He looked over at Cynthia and said, “She feels safe and secure here. She trusts you Cynthia.” Kevin then set up her food dishes and when he was done Kevin said with a slight bow, “You are now officially a cat owner Miss Matthers with all the right and privileges there-in. Live it up.” Kevin stood up and said, “Hey, if I’m not allowed to shoot off my wisecracks to the Cap someone has to hear them. Congrats Cindy you won the lottery.” He smiled and said, “All though I know you well enough you can give as good as you get.”


Looking at his watch Kevin realized it was about time for them to get back to the station. He wasn’t looking forward to this and he knew Cynthia wasn’t either for that matter as he said, “All right let’s get on with it.”


When they arrived at MCU conference room it was standing room only. Kevin stood in the back with Cynthia just as Gonzales entered the room. Kevin looked around the room and saw that there was evidence of people weeping, and those about to weep. Gonzales stood at the podium as his eyes just briefly swept the room and said, “Good afternoon, my name is Captain Louis Gonzales, and I am your new Commanding Officer. I realize that many of you are mourning over the loss of Captain Richard Holsted. I am as well he and I were not only fellow officers but we lived on the same street and we came up through the ranks together. The Memorial for Captain Holsted will be a week from today at 11AM at St. Michael’s attendance and dress uniforms are mandatory.” Gonzales took a deep breathe and said, “I know you all are in mourning and grieving as am I, but we have jobs to do and people who are counting on us. I will be contacting you all about your current cases over the next couple of weeks.” Gonzales continued speaking about what he expected from them and what they could expect from him as Kevin’s mind began to drift back to the case and the possibility of Tracy being their victim. The diary held a lot of information but he promised that he would take the time off to rest and recover.


Kevin could tell that Gonzales was starting to wrap up when he said, “I look forward to working with you all and serving the public trust as well. I would like to speak with the following Detectives Angelo, Bryant, Green, Matthers, Smith, and West. The rest of you are dismissed.”


Gonzales approached them and said, “Next Friday at the service I am assigning you all to be pall bearers for Captain Holsted.” He looked to Cynthia and said, “Detective Matthers you will be the lead pall bearer.” Gonzales turned to West and said, “Detective West you will be our representative to the Security Detail. There will be several Federal and State Officials at the services including the Governor and our members of Congress. The last thing we need is someone looking for their 15 minutes of fame taking a shot at them. They’re meeting at City Hall tomorrow morning at 9am hope you didn't have plans for the weekend.” West nodded and replied, “Yes sir.” Others were assigned other duties but Kevin wasn’t paying attention to them.


Once the meeting was over and it just him and Cynthia he said, “Well so much for my relaxing weekend. Hope you get to enjoy yours.” He looked over to Cynthia and said, "Don't be surprised if I text you witty remarks about my meeting." [/Fieldbox]