CH1
Kate had made it to lead detective in record breaking speed. There were whispers about her all through the NYPD. She was probably the prettiest homicide detective in all of New York. To her credit she had planned on being a lawyer just like her mother and dad were. Right up until her world collapsed around her when she and her dad got home and found a pair of homicide detectives waiting for them.
Kate had started spiraling down a deep dark hole just a few weeks later. The Kate Beckett that was now trying to find her way out of that hole was now a completely different person. Her dad had found the first bottle of alcohol and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, …..
Kate had pushed and worked and fought to get into the NYPD Academy. She started out at the low end of the totem pole. She was working hard to get up the proverbial ladder. Being a woman made it harder. Being a pretty one only made it worse. If some on them weren't trying to get into her pants they were talking about her behind her back that she was sleeping her way to the top.
It took one day for her world to change in a big way. It almost felt like a bad Sci-fi movie, except that she had lived it.
"Beckett we got a body drop. You're with me, let's move." Lead detective Sullivan had called out.
Once in the car and driving to the scene. "This is going to be your first. I'm going to hang back and give advice at the scene. What you do and say is going to show me and the others what you have learned. Try not to screw it up. Just one last piece of advice. A site visit is not a racing contest. Think your way through what you want to accomplish and ask questions that you actually want answers to.
You are not expected to know everything. You are however expected to know what to ask to get the answers we need to solve the case. And remember, breath through your mouth if it is ugly. It helps keep the smell from getting to you and prevent the gag reflex." Sullivan tells her.
"Yes sir, I'll do my best." Kate responds secretly happy.
Once at the site they exit the car and approach the scene crossing the tape that the uniforms have put up.
"Doctor Parker, this is Detective Beckett. She is going to be lead on this case. Beckett this is the lead ME, Dr. Parker." Sullivan introduces them.
"Beckett, this is Dr. Lanie Parrish, she is going to be lead on this case. I'm only here for support on this one." Parker tells her.
"Dr. Parrish." As Kate extends her hand.
"Beckett, it's a pleasure. It's nice to see a friendly face in the land of men. And call me Lanie, please."
Kate chuckles a little. "It's a pleasure, and call me Kate." As they shake hands. "What have we got?"
"Male, Caucasian, looks to be late 20's possibly older though it's hard to tell." Lanie starts off with.
"Cause of death?" Kate asks.
"Based on visual inspection that one would appear to be easy, but I'll be able to confirm when I get him back and on the table." As Lanie pulls back the cloth covering him.
"He had his head cut off?" Kate is shocked.
"Looks like. Based on the part of him that is left it was not sawed off or hacked off. It appears to have been done with one swift solid cut." Lanie explains.
"Like a Guillotine?" Kate asks still shocked.
"Well if it was it would have to be portable, since it wasn't left behind."
"Any ID?"
"Nope. No watch, no rings, no wallet, no ID on the body. Just this watch that wasn't on his wrist when we got here."
Kate kneels down to pick up the watch. "Gloves Beckett?" Sullivan advises.
"Already way ahead of you." Kate holds up her hands.
Kate picks up the watch and looks at it with a shocked look on her face.
"You ok Kate?" Lanie asks noticing the look.
"It looks like my father's watch. You sure he was late 20's?" Kate asks with a little fear.
"Well without his head it is a little hard, but yea, late 20's early 30's at best. Certainly not old enough to be your father, sweetie. It's alright, I'm pretty sure it's not him." Lanie tells her while placing a hand on Kate's arm.
Kate pulls out a bag and drops the watch into the bag and seals it closed then hands it off to be added to the evidence they collect.
"What do you want me to do with the bag detective?" An officer asks that she handed the bag off to.
"Add it to the other evidence that we collect." Kate responds just a little put out at the question but it does not transfer into her voice.
"You want an empty bag placed into evidence?" The officer responds, clearly lost in her answer.
Kate snatches the bag back from him and looks at it. "It's gone! I just dropped the watch in it seconds ago. Where did it go?" Kate starts searching the ground.
Sullivan steps up. "Beckett?"
"Honest, I dropped the watch in the bag with my gloves on, sealed it and handed it off. Now it's gone." Kate defends herself.
"Dr. Parrish?" Sullivan asks.
"She's right, I watched her drop it into the bag and then seal it closed. Dr. Parker?" Lanie turns and asks.
"I agree, I watched her handle the watch with gloves. Pulled out an evidence bag and drop it in. Then she sealed it closed." Dr. Parker confirms.
Detective Sullivan takes the bag. "It's sealed and there are no holes and no watch. I'm sorry Beckett but I'm going to have to ask you to go with this officer and be searched."
"But sir, I didn't, …" Sullivan stops her.
"You know procedure Beckett. You were the last to handle the evidence and now it's missing. We need to rule you out by having you searched. When we find the watch and it's not on you, you are back on the case. Until then, …." Sullivan trails off and summons a female uniform over to escort Kate to the Precinct for a thorough search.
Her first case was turning into a disaster. She had lost evidence and had been stripped and searched and had everything on her cataloged and noted. Right down to her tattoo. How humiliating!
Kate was re-dressed and sitting at her desk when Detective Sullivan stepped up next to her. "The watch wasn't found on you. It wasn't found at the crime scene. Dr. Parker and Dr. Parrish stated that there was a watch at the scene. They watched you examine the watch. Watched you bag it and seal the bag and hand it off. It wasn't in the car that brought you here.
The officer that you handed it off to was also searched and it was not found on him either. And a search of the car that brought him here also came up empty. There was a watch and now there isn't. Care to explain Beckett?"
"I don't know sir. I know I had it, bagged it and handed it off. I didn't do anything else with it. I know I didn't take it. Do we still have the bag? Maybe it's not the same bag I handed off? Was there a storm sewer drain that it fell down into? … No, that doesn't make sense either. It was in the bag and now it's not." Kate looks at him puzzled. She knows precisely what she did.
Sullivan looks at her like a light bulb went on. "Wait here, don't move from that chair." He points at her and takes off.
About 20 minutes later he comes rushing back and while walking past Kate motions for her to stay and steps into Captain Montgomery's office.
Kate can see him talking to the Captain. "WHAT?!" The captain yells out thru the still open door. Followed by watching Sullivan still talking to him. Kate can't see the face of her Captain but by his hand gestures he is obviously saying something and it's not looking good.
Detective Sullivan finally exits the Captains office and comes over to Kate and pulls up a chair and sits.
"Seems you have a reprieve, of sorts. The bag this missing watch was in is now also missing."
"WHAT?!" Kate responds a little more softly than her Captain apparently did. "I didn't take the bag either sir."
"And no one is saying that you did. And there's more. His prints are not in the system. It's going to take a few days for his DNA test to process to see if we have a match to anyone. And without a head or prints it is going to become difficult to ID this guy.
Someone is working on trying to find his dental records. So long as he remains a John Doe the Captain is willing to overlook the missing watch and the missing bag it was in. But if we get a DNA match or his head turns up, …." Sullivan trails off.
"And what do I do?" Kate is worried. Her first case and she screws it up. She just doesn't know how.
"You're on desk duty until DNA results come back, which is going to take a few days." Sullivan tells her.
"Paperwork." Kate sounds dejected and is.
"Yup, and there is a nice big pile of it over there." Nodding to a big pile on a desk near hers. "Get started." And Sullivan gets up and heads for the morgue to talk about DNA and dental records.
Kate doesn't take a lunch break. She is far too worried about what is going to happen to her career plans. A homicide detective who can't keep track of evidence does not sound good. However she is not really interested in doing paperwork either.
So Kate decides to take a break and go talk to this new ME they have. Maybe she can answer a few questions for her.
Kate enters and spots her sitting at a desk doing paperwork. Christ! They have this hated stuff down here to?
"Hey Dr. Parrish, …. I mean Lanie. Sorry force of habit I guess." Kate kind of flinches at using the wrong greeting.
"Hey Kate, it's good to see another female face around here. Just a little too much testosterone flowing around here for my taste. Not that that's bad. Just that most of it is carrying guns. Not sure those two things go well together yet."
"Does this mean you already have your eye on one particular testosterone flowing person?" Kate teases.
"Maybe. How about you? Anyone catch your eye?"
"No, too many 'Alpha Males' around here who already think the wrong things. Besides work and sex don't mix well I'm guessing."
"Anyone outside of work then?"
"Still no. Work takes up most of my time. And most of the guys I do meet run for the hills as soon as they find out what I do for a living and that I carry a gun I could shoot them with."
This gets Lanie to start laughing. "I could see where having a gun shoved under their chin if they tried anything would kind of kill the mood."
"Actually I was thinking of pointing it at where they live and not their chin." Kate counters laughing.
"Oh you play dirty Kate Beckett. But I'll find you someone to like. Mark my words."
"Oh joy, a blind date. Just what I need." Kate rolls her eyes.
"So did you come down here to talk about men or something else?"
"Actually could you tell me how long it takes to do a DNA test?" Kate asks shyly.
"I wouldn't be too worried about that watch sweetie. You and I both know you put it in that bag. Where it went after that, …." Lanie shrugs her shoulders. "As to how long, that one is easier to answer.
DNA tests can't be done instantly like they are on television. For identifying family members, the test can take 3-5 days, for forensic DNA tests about 7-9 days, and for mitochondrial DNA the test can take 8-9 weeks."
Kate's whole look falls into a bottom less abyss. "8-9 weeks? I might as well start looking for a new job now." Kate sinks down into her chair.
"Oh cheer up girlfriend. That test isn't what we will be doing anyway. For what we want to find out should only take 5-9 days. For you, say a week tops. Even if we have to give it to the FBI it should only take them a day at most to cross reference and get back to us.
You'll be back out there in no time. Trust me. Have you got time for a glass after work tonight? There has to be someplace around here to go." Lanie invites her for a glass of wine.
"There probably is and I would love to go, but I have a date with a hot tub tonight, so I'll take a rain check."
Lanie understands. "Ok, but no drinking alone. That only leads down a path you don't want to go. Trust me."
"Oh I already know that and I swear, there will be no drinking involved. Just a tub full of hot water, a few candles, maybe a little something in the water and a good book to lose myself in."
"Oh I've got my work cut out for me with you. I can see that clearly now." Lanie tells her grinning.
Kate just rolls her eyes. "I better get back to my paperwork before they come looking for me. I'll see you later." And Kate heads back to her desk and her own mountain of the dreaded stuff.
Having finally reached a time to go home but with a giant pile of paperwork still to do, Kate drags herself through her front door. Dead tired. Not so much physically but mentally. It had been a rough day and a hot bath to unwind in sounded like a really good idea.
Going into the bathroom to start the water and pour in some crystals to add a little soothing to it. Back in the bedroom she started removing her work clothes. Her gun and badge went in the dresser drawer. Next came the boots which allowed her to flex her toes for the first time in hours.
Next came her bracelet that she was wearing. "Wait, I didn't put on a bracelet this morning." Actually Kate didn't wear any jewelry to work. No rings, necklace or bracelets. She even debates with herself each morning if she should wear her mother's ring on a chain around her neck.
Confused she starts to take the bracelet off. "Please don't take me off!"
Kate spins convinced she is not alone. Steps over the nightstand to retrieve her gun and starts to search her apartment.
Finding no one she goes back to the dresser to take the bracelet off after putting her gun down.
"Please don't take me off. I'll die if you take me off and bag me."