Chapter 1
The explosion was quick, nearly painless. Nearly…
Susan sat at her desk just as she had every other night after work. A reheated plate of leftovers – on tonight's menu, meatloaf and potatoes - sat waiting for her at the small kitchen table. Wafts of steam came from the plate, the aroma filling her small apartment. Sitting a couple of feet away, she reached out, lifting the plate to her – tonight she'd go for a more casual dining experience. Taking a long pull from her beer she perched her fork above the plate as she entered her encrypted password to start up her laptop.
Clicking on the internet icon she waited as her homepage- Say it Here - loaded .
"Ugh! Hurry up! Slow…slow…slow. Let's go!"
Some, she knew, would call her obsessive but she didn't care. She loved spending her free time talking anonymously. She loved being able to say what she wanted when she wanted with no consequences. The world of blogging and message boards kept her sane, really. She was able to get out her day's frustrations. It helped her make it through the tomorrow she knew she would inevitably be waiting for her, one that was eerily like her today.
Logging in to the site, username Googleliscious; password OhYeahBaby! and she was on. Noticing a new email in her inbox she quickly clicked the envelope icon to see who had what to say and why. As the new page loaded, she took a bite of the still piping hot meatloaf, taking a sip of beer to cool down the bite before burning her tongue. As she set her beer down beside her laptop she heard an odd clicking sound and suddenly everything went black.
Chapter 2
Detective Jane Rizzoli made her way into the building pulling her purple latex gloves from her jacket pocket. Snapping them in place, she carefully made her way over toward her partners, Det. Frost and Sgt. Korsak. Frost looked a little worse for the wear, still not used to seeing bodies after 2 years. He would learn, it would all change – it always did.
Nodding toward the men, she made her way into the interior of the apartment, now covered in black soot - reeking of wet wood and burning flesh. "Yay…my favorite…" she thought inwardly, never one to say such things out loud. Reaching the center of the living room she stopped, looking down at Doctor Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Boston.
"Whadda we got?" she asked.
Without looking up or stopping her examination of the body, Maura responded, "What do we have, Jane." Always one for perfect grammar she often corrected her friend, more out of habit than judgment.
"What do we have, Dr. Isles?" Jane accentuated the word for Maura, smiling down at the back of the honey blonde's head.
Maura rose, straightening out her form fitting emerald green Dior skirt (with matching jacket, of course) with her gloved hands and moving a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiled and looked at the detective. "Susan Fuller, age 22. There was some type of explosion causing severe damage to her upper body and head. Death was likely instantaneous." Maura said, removing her gloves and gesturing to one of her lab technicians to get started at removing the debris she had marked as necessary for testing as well as Susan's remains.
She took hold of the detective's arm and moved her away from the scene, making more room for her crew to work.
"What's that?" Det. Rizzoli asked, pointing to something on the table.
"A laptop computer. It seems she was using it when the explosion happened. It will be bagged and brought to the lab for testing. I'm sure Det. Frost will be able to access the information on it once I am done accessing it for fingerprints and tampering."
"Sooo…," Rizzoli drew out the word, "you think that was the source of the explosion?"
"You know I can't say that until I fully examine the evidence, Jane." Maura answered, picking up her kit and making her way out of the apartment, passing Frost and Korsak on the way. "Gentlemen," she said, nodding her head.
"See ya Doc!" they said in unison as they too made their way outside.
"Come on, Maura, you gotta give me something!" Rizzoli exclaimed, frustrated that she had to wait – she hated to wait and had never waited as long as she had since one Dr. Maura Isles made her way on the scene – her scene.
"Just be patient, detective. I'll have a report on your desk this afternoon. I'll bring it up when I pick you up for lunch at one," Maura said, sliding into her blue Toyota Prius. "I'll see you back at the station. At one!" She waved from the window, pulling away from the curb and into the early morning traffic, leaving Jane standing on the sidewalk, mouth slightly opened, still waiting to speak.
"Aarrgh ! Come on Frost! We're heading to the station!" She said, getting into her midnight blue Crown Victoria, her cop car as Maura called it. Frost left Korsak's side, not able to get out of there fast enough. Screeching the tires, Jane pulled away headed toward the precinct. She intended to get there before Dr. Isles.
Chapter 3
Jane heard the click-clack of Maura's 3 inch Jimmy Choo's making their way to her desk. Feeling a hand on her shoulder she turned her chair to face the Medical Examiner.
"Here's the report, Jane. The explosion most definitely came from the laptop. I just haven't been able to pinpoint the exact source yet. It was internally rigged so the suspect list should be fairly short. I found two sets of fingerprints – Susan's, of course and another yet unidentified thumb print. We're running the print through the national database. I'll let you know as soon as we have something. I already gave the laptop to Frost. I'm sure he's already looking into getting Susan's personal files off of it." Maura looked tired.
"Hey, you okay?" Jane asked, rubbing Maura's upper arm.
"Just tired, Jane. She was so young."
"I know. It makes it so much harder when they're young," Jane replied, tilting her head sympathetically. "Hey, how about that lunch you promised me?"
"Can I have a rain check? I want to get back to the lab to go through the rest of the trace evidence."
"Okay. You sure you're okay?" Jane asked genuine concern showing on her face.
"I'm fine. I'll see you later." Maura said, patting Jane's hand which still rested on her arm and left. "I'll call you if I find anything!" she yelled before pushing the button for the elevator.
"Me too!" Jane yelled out hoping Maura heard her as the doors closed, clanking together loudly.
Two hours later Jane was calling Maura. "Dr. Isles," she said, answering her phone.
"Hey, Maura, we found something. Come up here. Meet us in the media room," Jane said, placing her phone back in its holster on her belt.
When Maura arrived at the media room, Jane, Frost and Korsak were all there, looking at the screens on the wall. Each displayed a file from Susan's laptop. Jane popped the rest of a donut she had been holding into her mouth and wiped her hands on the much used napkin she held.
"Frost, can you enlarge that photo?" Jane asked, turning as Maura tapped her on the arm. Turning, Jane displayed a small smile, acknowledging her friend's presence. Maura, in turn, gestured toward Jane, in an attempt to wipe away some chocolate that was sticking to her lip. Swatting her friend's hand away, Jane turned toward the screen, a slight blush running up her neck. Clearing her throat she said, "Hey, Maura. Check this out. This girl was all over the internet, like all of the time. She logged in by 5:30 every night and didn't log off until nearly 2 AM. How she functioned at work I have no idea," Jane was excited, she was catching a break in the case – she loved the adrenaline rush. "This one website seems to have been her favorite – Say it Here. She stayed logged in the entire time she was on the net."
"What kind of website is it?" Maura asked. "I've never heard of it."
"Some kind of blogging/message board website. Members can write to each other on various topics or simply post statements. All done anonymously. "
"Jane, look at this. She went to this page more than any other on the website," Frost said, hitting enter on his keyboard. The screen jumped a little and cleared to show a picture of two women facing forward with Grant & Shaw written above.
"What's that?" Jane asked.
"Some kind of T.V. show," Frost said. He clicked on the message boards option and pulled up Susan's posting history. "Man, she posted a lot about this show. Look at this, 576 posts in 6 months."
"Can you pull any up?" Jane asked, looking at Frost.
"Sure. Here you go," Frost said.
"She had some heated discussions," Korsak said. "Googleliscious, what's that?" he asked, laughing audibly.
"That's her screen name. Sorry, her handle, as you call it," Frost answered, ribbing the older man for his lack of computer knowledge.
"Keep it up, Frosty and you'll see my handle – of my nightstick!" Korsak said, turning a little red.
Frost put his hands up as though surrendering.
"Enough you two," Jane said, laughing herself, nudging Maura. "Back to work, boys," she said, turning her attention back to the screen with Susan's posts.
"Hey, what's TGTGT?" Jane asked turning to Frost. He answered by shrugging his shoulders. "Click on that link," she said.
"It's an acronym," Maura said.
"An acronym for what?" Jane asked, looking towards the petite blonde.
"Totally gay, totally gratuitous touching," she stated matter-of-factly, looking at Jane, her expression totally serious.
"Really?! How…how do you even know that?"
"I've done extensive research on all topics that interest me," Maura answered.
"Of course you have," Jane mumbled under her breath. "What is it exactly, oh Wikipedia-one?" she said, smiling at Maura.
"It's a concept put forth by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community," Maura began to say, cut off by Jane.
"Can't you just say LGBT like everyone else?" Jane asked playfully annoyed.
Ignoring Jane, Maura continued. "Members of the LGBT community," she said, smirking at Jane, "believe there is subtext in many television shows which are randomly placed actions or pieces of dialogue at seemingly odd intervals and sometimes inappropriate times to draw in a particular audience type. It all started with Xena: Warrior Princess," Maura said, accentuating the phrase with gusto and a wave of her fist, looking at her dumbfounded co-workers. "Many believe that the success of Xena can be attributed to the show's subtextural content. You know," she said, looking toward Jane, "the tall, dark, beautiful Amazon fighting for good with her little blonde sidekick." This was accentuated by a sly, subtle, shake of Maura's shoulders.
The silent detectives looked at each other and clearing her throat, Jane said, "Thanks for the lesson, Maura." Maura smiled, proud.
"What else?" Jane asked, looking toward the board.
"Well, then there's eye sex. That's when…" Maura was cut off once again by a stern look from Jane.
"Really, Maura? You're gonna go there?" she asked, perplexed.
"Well, no…I guess not," Maura said, pouting.
"Okay, let's get back to work. What do we know?" Jane asked, looking at her three co-workers.
"Well, our vic was young, attractive, worked 12 hours a day at Vantage Insurance and was basically a recluse after work. Neighbors said she was quiet and rarely spoke to anyone. She left for work at 7:30 AM every day and arrived home by 5:00 every night. Seems she was single – there's nothing on her computer to suggest that she had a boyfriend or any significant relationship other than the message boards," Frost said, clicking keys on the laptop. "Take a look at this," he said, bringing up a new screen on the larger, central monitor on the wall. "This member of Say it Here responded to nearly all of Susan's posts. Out of the 576 posts Susan left, "OneofMany" responded to over 500. They were nasty too," Frost said, clicking on a particular post.
Jane read aloud, "Listen you stupid BITCH! You know nothing, have nothing and will always be nothing! Your negativity and uneducated posts concerning something you clearly know nothing about need to stop NOW! If you don't stop, I'LL STOP YOU MYSELF!"
"Man, she was pissed," Korsak offered. "What is it with people – why be so nasty?"
"It's been proven that anonymous contact between individuals helps to alleviate the stresses of the day. It allows for a safe space within which one can release their frustrations without any repercussions. Adrenaline and endorphins are released, causing a feeling of euphoria, removing the weight of the world from one's shoulders, allowing the individual to just forget the day," Maura answered, dreamily. "It really does feel quite good," she finished.
Jane, looking confusedly at Maura's response to Korsak's obvious rhetorical question, rolled her eyes and continued. "Frost, if we subpoena the records for the website, can you find out who this "OneofMany" is?"
"Yeah, definitely. I'll make some calls," the younger detective said, standing and walking from the room.
"I'll head over to her office and talk to her co-workers again," Korsak said. "Maybe Susan told someone about this other poster," he said, leaving the room as well.
"Jane, I'm waiting on some test results from the lab so I'll be down in my office if something should come up," Maura said, leaving the detective's side.
"K. Call me if something comes up," she said, touching Maura's arm.
Maura nodded and made her exit walking briskly toward the bank of elevators across the hall. Stopping suddenly, she turned and came back, opening the large, heavy glass door and leaning in said, "Oh, and Jane?" Turning, Jane tilted her head to the side, "You have a little something," Maura said, gesturing to the side of her own mouth.
Embarrassed, Jane wiped at her own lip, removing a glob of chocolate from the donut she had been devouring before Maura arrived. "Come on!" she exclaimed.
Maura smiled, turned and continued on her way. As the elevator doors closed Jane swore she heard Maura say, "Payback is a bitch," but she couldn't be sure.
Chapter 4
Two weeks went by with no new leads. The warrant Frost secured for the website records had turned up little evidence. So far, all they knew was that OneofMany lived in Boston but they could not pinpoint their exact location as different ip addresses were accessed and public internet sources were used. They were able to get a possible geographic location but it was contained somewhere within a 25 block radius. Short of going door-to-door and risk harassing the general public, they had no choice but to randomly visit the internet cafes and hope for the best.
"Rizzoli," Jane said answering her phone. "I'll be there in 15," she said, standing. "Come on, Frost, we got another."
Frost stood, walking towards Jane and the two detectives made their way out of the squad room together. "Maura meeting us there?" he asked.
"I suppose," Jane answered huskily, still angry at the good doctor for leaving her with chocolate on her face.
They arrived on the scene, another apartment building, and made their way up the short flight of stairs leading into the building. Pushing through the small crowds of uniformed officers waiting outside the apartment they made their way inside.
Walking toward the M.E., Jane said, "What do we have, Maura?"
Looking up and smiling at Jane, pleased that she had used the correct grammar, Maura answered, "Maggie Taylor, female, 32. Another bomb, Jane. Same as Susan, upper body and head damage, death was instantaneous."
"She never knew what hit her," Jane said distractedly. "Is that her laptop?"
"Yes. I'll get it to Frost as quickly as I can."
"Maura, do we have a serial bomber here?" Jane asked, visibly upset.
"Without going through the evidence more closely it is hard to say. But, based on what I see here and what was at Susan's scene I would have to concede that the same person is responsible," Maura answered, waiting for the detective to react.
"Shit! Shit!" Jane muttered. "We have to keep this quiet. This getting out to the media could cause hysteria," Jane said, running her hand through her hair. "Okay, Frost, we need to get back to the station – go through Susan's history again with OneofMany – see if we can find anything at all that tells us if she knew this person. Maura, I need you to get that laptop to Frost as quickly as possible," she said, turning toward the ME as she and her partner made their way out of the building.
"You'll have it this afternoon, Det. Frost," Maura said, addressing the young detective.
At 11:30 Maura made her way into the media room, carrying the newest vic's laptop. Handing it to Frost, she went and stood by Jane, waiting as it was plugged in and easily accessed.
Turning toward Jane she said, "Same as Susan's. Internal implement caused the explosion."
"Any ideas, Frost?" Jane asked turning toward her partner.
Looking up from the laptop he thought for a moment, "Maura, come look at this," he said.
Frost pointed to the USB connector for the laptop's mouse. "Do you think this can be it, Doc?" he asked, looking at Maura.
"Hmm, maybe, Frost. I'll take the laptop back down to the lab for safe removal of the implement and have it brought back to you for your database analysis," she said, carefully lifting the laptop and carrying it safely in both hands.
"I'll call you soon," she said as she passed by Jane, not looking from the laptop.
"Thanks, Maura. Good one, Frost," Jane said, smiling proudly at her partner. "Maybe we just caught a break."
"Maybe," Frost said, "but we won't know for sure until I get my hands into those files."
Chapter 5
Making her way to the café, Jane resolved herself to just one more cup of coffee. Filling a large to go cup from the communal coffee station she wondered what was taking Maura so long. She and Frost had spent the better part of three hours waiting. Waiting and pillaging through Susan's online history. She was obviously struggling with some obsession issues – she was crazy about that Grant & Shaw show. There were arguments with at least two other bloggers. OneofMany proved to be the worst of the two actually threatening Susan on numerous occasions. Frost was working on getting OneofMany's real identity. This case needed momentum – finding OneofMany would offer just what they needed.
A low buzz and a vibration at her hip told her Maura was ready. Checking the message, she smiled –
Jane – need to see you at once. Have found something interesting. Meet me in the lab.
"Finally!" Jane exclaimed out loud. She headed quickly to the elevator and pressed the down button. Waiting impatiently she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, bouncing a little. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She headed down to Maura.
Even before the doors opened, Jane was making her way out of the elevator. Sprinting down the brightly lit, white walled hallway, she made the sharp turn to Maura's lab and pushing open the doors, barreled into the room like a woman on a mission.
"What'd you find, Maura?" she asked, walking toward the Medical Examiner.
Looking up, Maura noticed Jane's stance, hands on her hips, her weight resting on her left foot, head tilted, eyes glaring. "Nice," she thought then quickly shook her head, hoping the raven haired detective didn't notice the change in the color of her eyes as they slightly darkened and as the blush that had been always threatening, crept it's way up from her chest toward her neck.
"I examined Maggie's laptop as well as Susan's and found the same tampering at the USB port both women used for their mouse connection. There was very intricate wiring installed that was connected to a small but powerful explosive constructed from C4. Once the mouse was plugged in the charge was activated and within three minutes the explosion occurred. Neither woman would have had any indication that anything was wrong with their laptop."
"Wow, you're amazing, you know that? I'll bring Maggie's laptop to Frost," Jane said excitedly. Taking the laptop from the Medical Examiner she quickly headed toward the heavy, silver doors leading out of the lab. Stopping abruptly, she turned, smiling at Maura. "Thanks, Maur." And before Maura could utter a word, Rizzoli was gone. As quickly as she came she left.
"Well, that was interesting," Maura mused, standing and walking the fifteen feet to her office. Removing her lab coat and hanging it on the back of her door she decided to call it a day. Picking up her Coach purse she turned off her desk lamp and headed out.
The Boston sky lit up in a hundred different colors it seemed as Maura made her way out into the brisk twilight hour. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, Maura turned her head toward the sky, squinting as the sun made its last journey across the sky. It was a beautiful evening, one meant to be shared with someone special, preferably sitting outside a café, sipping an espresso and laughing loudly with your head thrown back, not caring who heard or what they may be thinking. An idea flooded her mind and she walked to her car as quickly as her heels would allow her.
Maura stopped at the market and picked up a few necessities. A box of Movie Theater butter popcorn, Jane's favorite, and a six pack of beer. Stopping at the liquor store she bought one of her favorites – a crisp, sweet Pinot Noir. She headed home and made the final preparations. It was Friday and she knew Jane would be up for some TV and beer. As if on cue, her phone rang. It was Jane's ring – she had found the perfect ringtone – Janie's Got a Gun by Aerosmith. The song was Jane, so Jane it was almost comical.
"Jane, hi," Maura breathed into the phone.
"Hey Maur. What's up?"
"I was just about to call you. I have your favorite popcorn and a six pack – up for a little TV?" Maura asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, sure. I'll be over in an hour," Jane said, smiling into the phone.
"Great! See you then. Oh, Jane, bring a jacket."
"A jacket, really? Why?"
"Just bring a jacket – you'll see," Maura said, hanging up the phone before more questions came and she would be unable to answer them. Not being able to lie was a real bummer sometimes.
Maura spent the next hour in her backyard getting everything ready. Right on time, her doorbell rang. Jane.
"Hey, Maur," Jane said, walking past the petite blonde.
"Hello Jane," Maura said, closing and locking the door.
Heading into her kitchen she found Jane opening a beer. "Mm, thanks Maur, just what I needed tonight. This case is driving me nuts. I just don't get it. I have never been this stumped before. I mean, why can't we find OneofMany?"
As Jane took another long drag of her beer Maura poured herself a glass of Pinot. "Come with me Jane Maura said, looping her arm with Jane's. She steered them to her back door and stepping out, Jane stopped abruptly.
"What the…Maur, what's this?"
"Well, it is such a nice night and I wanted to be outside. I know how hard you've been working on this case and I thought it would be nice to sit out here, maybe watch a little TV," Maura said, waving her arm toward the large screen that she had set up against the back wall of the house "enjoy some quiet time."
Jane tilted her head and her eyes softened at this gesture. "So, what's our pleasure tonight?" Jane asked with a voice an octave lower that normally and nearly a whisper.
"Even though it is Friday and we're not on duty for the next couple of days I thought we could use a little inspiration. I found the first season of Grant & Shaw on Netflix. It might help the case to understand exactly what was so appealing about this particular show to both of our victims."
Maura's backyard was as big as Jane's whole apartment. Right in the middle of it Maura had an outdoor living room built complete with a couch, loveseat and recliner. Maura had taken a seat on the loveseat as it was closest to the screen and patted the spot next to her, gesturing for Jane to join her. As she sat, Maura pressed the play button on her remote and handing Jane a bowl of popcorn she leisurely put her feet up on the large, square ottoman and sat back to enjoy the show, her hands confidently folded in her lap.
The opening credits started – the song was upbeat, a little cheesy, Jane thought. The show centered around two women, Grant & Shaw who were lawyers working at different firms. Grant, a criminal lawyer, looked strong, tough even. She was beautiful with long black hair and crystal blue eyes. Shaw was a real estate lawyer and was softer, more feminine than Grant. She was shorter with blondish hair and green eyes. She too was beautiful. The women had been friends since college. Shaw was from the Midwest and decided to stay in NYC after graduation. Grant was from NY – leaving was not an option for her. They moved into the same building – their apartments just down the hall from each other. They often got together after work to go over their caseload. In the first episode Grant was struggling with a difficult defendant who had murdered seven women. She was struggling with having to represent such a disgusting human being but knew she had to stay strong. Shaw supported her in every way – made sure she ate, slept, kept her mind clear and made sure that every once in a while she smiled.
Maura contemplated as she watched this show much these characters were like her and Jane. She wondered if Jane was thinking the same and turned to look at her friend. Jane's profile glowed in the moonlight and Maura caught herself staring just a little too long as Jane turned her head, smiling.
"Like the show?" She asked.
"It's okay, a little sophomoric for my taste. Not something I would watch on a regular basis. What do you think?"
"It's just TV, a little frivolous."
"Is watching it helping at all?"
"A little. I can see why everyone that comments on the message board thinks they're a couple. The responses to Susan and Maggie from OneofMany were full of anger and hate. They had posted about how silly it is to think that Grant & Shaw are a couple and OneofMany responded fiercely, making statements about politics and the plight of lesbians, taking the show very seriously and putting so much social responsibility on it and its writers. "
"So, this is good, then. We know we're looking for a woman and very likely a lesbian. Has Frost made any progress on finding OneofMany?" Maura asked, turning fully to face her friend.
"He said he thought he was getting close. We know the general area for her location so if we need to knock on doors then we'll have to do it."
"Why don't we lure her out?"
"Lure her out? How?" Jane asked, her curiosity peaked
"Well, we can become a member of Say it Here and start posting like Susan and Maggie. We'll get OneofMany so angry she'll have to strike again," Maura said matter-of-factly.
"Not a bad idea, Maura. I'll call Frost in the morning and get it set up," Jane said, smiling, taking a sip of her beer.
The show long forgotten the two friends sat together, talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company long into the night.
Chapter 6
Monday morning found Jane hunched over a laptop computer looking over Frost's shoulder. He was signing up for membership on Say it Here and taking instruction from Jane. She and Maura had worked out a plan for the type of person they should create based on Maura's profile of the suspect, OneofMany.
"Morning!" Maura exclaimed as she moved into the squad room, four cups of coffee in hand. Handing out the cups, she took her place at Jane's side. Jane smiled, placing her hand momentarily on Maura's silk clad arm. Enjoying the feel of the fabric, she closed her eyes for a second, savoring the moment. Opening them, she saw Maura watching her, head tilted, a sly smile on her face. Clearing her throat, Jane turned her attention back to Frost.
"Make sure "TwinkleStar" Jane gestured with her fingers, "is young – in her twenties. Single, straight and outspoken." She looked to Maura for affirmation. Nodding her head in agreement she took a sip of her Chai Tea, waiting for the detective's next move.
"TwinkleStar, that's cute, Jane. Did you come up with that name?" Maura asked, looking at Jane with soft eyes.
Jane ignored Maura…again…
"Oaky, we're ready to post. Who wants to start?" Frost asked, turning to look at Jane and Maura.
"I will," Maura said excitedly.
"Have at it, Doc." Frost rose from his seat and gestured for the doctor to take it.
Placing her tea carefully on the glass top desk Maura positioned her hands over the keyboard. "Okay, let's find OneofMany," she said navigating the website easily. She found the message board dedicated to Grant & Shaw and quickly found a post from OneOfMany. "Hmm, look at this, Jane," she said, pointing to the screen.
Jane bent over to better see the screen, her head right next to Maura's. "What am I looking at?"
Maura hesitated for a moment, feeling Jane's closeness and quickly recovered herself. "Look at this; it was posted yesterday, after we were at Maggie's apartment.
Jane read the lines very carefully, twice.
OneofMany -The first came slowly, no confidence. The send was better, felt a little stronger with one under the belt. But…you know what they say…the third one's the charm…
"This is the one Jane. We need to respond, to emasculate her. Make her feel foolish and unworthy."
Jane nodded her head and watched as Maura's fingers danced expertly over the keys.
TwinkleStar - OneOfMany…sounds like u can't hold ur own. U sound cowardly to me.
"Maura, you gotta say more – get meaner. Here, let me try," Jane said, angling the keyboard so she could take over.
TwinkleStar - Ur nothing but a weak, insignificant piece of shit! U have nothin', r nothin' and will never be nothin'. U troll these pages looking for what? For some innocent person to hurt? To maim with ur hatred. U roam these pages looking for significance in you trivial life. Maybe you should go out and get one!
Send.
"Okay, now we wait and see what happens," Jane said, reaching for her coffee left on the other side of the desk.
Within ten minutes the laptop was chirping, letting them know they had a message.
OneofMany - Maybe I'll come and get U instead! U have no idea! NO IDEA WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH! I'll find U – I've done it before and I'll do it again!
"We made someone angry," Maura said in a sing-song voice, starting to type.
TwinkleStar - Oh I think I know exactly what I am dealing with. A weakling who probably can't get it up. Come on, find me, I dare you.
Within one minute of hitting "send" the chirping started again.
OneofMany - I'm on you already! You're near the center of the city. I will find you!
Frost jumped in, typing quickly.
TwinkleStar - BRING IT!
And that was it – no more communication. Now they had to wait. Frost had tapped into various ip addresses the final one ending up at a cafe four blocks from the station. If OneofMany was as good as she seemed to be, she should find them by the following day. The plan was to set up Jane inside the cafe with a laptop clearly navigating the Grant & Shaw site while Frost and Korsak waited in a van parked across the street.
"I want to be there, Jane."
"Maura, it won't be safe. I can't put you in danger."
"Where you go I go. We're in this together. I want to be there, please, Jane."
"Okay, but you stay out of sight. Don't get involved no matter what happens.
"I won't, I promise," Maura said, raising her right hand, making her oath.
"We'll all meet at the cafe at 7:00 tomorrow morning," Jane said to the team.
"Got it," Korsak said.
"I'm going to stay here for a while and see if I can find OneOfMany. I'll see you guys at 7," Frost said, turning back to his monitor.
Jane and Maura walked out of the squad room together and down to the parking garage.
"See you tomorrow, Maura."
"Tomorrow it is," Maura responded getting into her Prius.
Jane watched her leave and started her own car. She headed out of the garage and turned right, pointing her car toward home.
Chapter 7
"Where's Frost?" Jane asked Korsak.
"Don't know. He was still working when I left at 9 last night," Korsak answered.
Suddenly, they heard fast footsteps coming their way. Frost rounded the corner nearly knocking Maura over. "Sorry Maura, are you okay?"
"Yes, Barry I am fine. Are you okay?"
"I am. Jane…Jane her name is Eileen Walker. She is an electrician, owns the company. She is single, lives alone," Frost was out of breath by this point.
"Good work, Frost. Let's get set up – we got a perp to catch."
The cafe was small but big enough. They had set up at 7 as planned. Jane sat facing the door but was positioned so that her laptop screen was visible. Maura sat at the back of the shop, pretending to read the paper while sipping on cup of steaming coffee. Korsak and Frost were tucked away in an inconspicuous van parked across the street listening to and seeing everything. Their voices came in clear to the earpieces both Jane and Maura wore. Korsak and Frost would let them know when any female approached the cafe.
At 10 AM a suspicious person approached. It was a female around 5'7" with dark brown hair. She was wearing blue jeans, a dark blue t-shirt and black biker boots. As she reached for the door, she looked in both directions and entered the cafe.
Heads up Jane, Maura. We got a live one.
Jane and Maura both looked up, toward each other and nodded their heads. They were ready.
Jane sat so she could see the door and started checking out the website just as OneOfMany made her way in. She stepped up to the counter and ordered a large coffee, black. Grabbing her cup she walked past Jane and made her way toward the back of the room. The back where Maura was.
"Dammit!" Jane internally chastised herself for ever letting Maura come here. She stayed alert and kept her eyes on Maura without drawing attention from OneOfMany. Everything seemed okay so far. Then OneOfMany made her move – not on Jane, on Maura.
"Anything interesting in the paper today?" OneofMany asked, facing Maura.
Maura looked up, first to Jane then to the stranger who was inching closer. "Well, there's an article on infectious diseases and their toll on primitive society. I'd say it's interesting. Would you like to read it?" Maura asked, offering the paper to the woman.
"No thank you. I'm more of a sports section person myself."
"My best friend is the same way. Can't miss a Red Sox game. It's actually kind of cute…" Maura caught herself and looked to Jane to see if she had heard. "Of course she heard, Maura, they can all hear everything," she thought. "Well, maybe she'll think it was all part of the act. Yes, she will, I'm sure of it." Maura turned her attention back to the stranger. "I'm Katie," Maura said, reaching out her hand. Jane smiled across the room proud that Maura knew not to use her real name.
"I'm Eileen," she answered, smiling and taking Maura's hand, holding it a little too long. "It's nice to meet you, Katie. Would you like another cup of coffee?"
"That would be wonderful. Thank you," Maura said looking at Jane and shrugging her shoulders as Eileen stood.
"I'll be right back."
Maura smiled and nodded her head. What do I do? Maura mouthed to Jane. Sensing her distress, Jane stood and made her way to the counter as well, joining Eileen.
"Hey," Jane said to Eileen.
"Hey," Eileen answered, eyeing Jane suspiciously.
"I see you talking up that hottie over there," Jane said, nodding in Maura's direction.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
"No, just wish I had the guts, you know. The only chicks I talk to are on the web."
"You need to branch out. What kind of websites to you go to?"
"Social media, blogging and message board sites are my favorite. I especially like Say it Here," Jane set the bait.
"I'm on that site too. What's your screen name? Maybe we've talked."
"TwinkleStar. I know it's stupid but I thought it was cute and it's what my ex used to call me. What's your screen name?"
Eileen looked closely at Jane. "OneofMany." The words uttered were barely a whisper.
"Here's your coffee. That'll be $7.25," the skinny, blonde associate named Mike said.
Eileen paid for the coffee and turned to Jane. "Maybe I'll see you on the boards, TwinkleStar," she said heading back to Maura.
"Here you go, Katie."
"Thank you, Eileen. Who were you talking to?"
"Oh, that was no one. Just some chick who was sweet on you but didn't have the guts to talk to you. I think she was jealous."
"Hmm…interesting," Maura said, taking a sip of her freshly brewed coffee.
She sat and chatted with Eileen for another fifteen minutes. "I have to get back to work. It was nice meeting you Eileen," Maura said reaching out her hand once again.
"Can I have your number?" Eileen asked, taking Maura's offered hand.
"Sure. Do you have a pen?" Maura proceeded to give Eileen a fake number to go along with her fake name and left the cafe. She headed across the street and making sure that Eileen couldn't see her climbed into the van.
"Oaky, that was weird," she said, sitting next to Frost.
"You did good, Doc, er, I mean, Katie." The three coworkers and friends laughed and then listened closely as the drama unfolded.
On the grainy black and white video Maura watched as Eileen eyed Jane from her seat at the back of the room. The intensity was incredible. Even on the grainy screen you could see her anger and hatred. She unexpectedly stood and walked towards Jane. Walking past her she headed to the restroom. Jane took this opportunity to talk to her team.
"What do we know?"
"Nothing new, Jane," Frost said. "She's definitely pissed off."
"Yeah, I have a knack for pissing perps off, you know that Frost," Jane said smiling.
Just then the bathroom door swung open and Eileen came storming through. "Listen Twinkle, you better watch yourself. I know who you are."
"I know what you did, OneofMany. I know how you hurt those women." Jane responded, staying cool.
Korsak, Frost and Maura listened from the van, actually sitting on the edge of their seats watching the action unfold on the small screen. They waited for the signal from Jane. When she was ready for them to back her up she would push her hair behind her left ear. The gesture was normal for her and never seemed suspicious.
The argument inside the cafe was heated. Jane threw accusations at Eileen and she lunged for the detective, wrapping her hands around her neck. Mike stood behind the counter unsure what to do. "I…I'll go get help, he said," pushing past the struggling women and nearly falling out of the doorway. Korsak and Frost were there, catching him before he hit the pavement.
"Go, go," Korsak whispered to Mike, pushing him aside. "Ready, Frost?"
"You know it!"
The men crashed through the door, guns drawn, yelling at Eileen to let go. She spun both of them around using Jane as a shield and swiftly pulled out a knife, holding it to Jane's throat.
Maura watched from the van, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'll cut her! Back off!"
"Let her go, Eileen. You don't want to hurt her. Not this one," Korsak said, calmly negotiating for Jane's life. "You know this needs to end Eileen. You cannot hurt her, do you hear me?"
Eileen's resolve was waning and her grip on Jane loosened enough for her to get away. She drew her own weapon and Eileen looked at her confused. "You're a cop?" She asked quietly.
"I am. And you, Eileen Walker, are under arrest for the murder of Susan Fuller and Maggie Taylor. Drop the knife, NOW!" Jane yelled.
Eileen looked at the knife in her hand and a thought crossed her mind. Why not just die – right here, right now? Just as quickly as the thought came, Eileen plunged the knife into her own neck, blood sputtering, covering her shirt and the floor beneath their feet. Eileen stood for a couple of seconds before crumbling to the floor.
"Maura, Maura, get in here! She stabbed herself, Maura, hurry!" Jane yelled into her mic kneeling beside Eileen to pick up the knife and check her vitals. She as fading.
Maura sprinted across the street. Reaching the café she made her way inside to a gruesome scene. Eileen had severed her carotid artery and was bleeding out, fast. "Jane, get me towels from behind the counter, hurry!" Maura said, placing her hand over the wound on Eileen's neck. Hearing Korsak on his radio calling for an ambulance helped calm her somewhat as she hated working on living people. Jane handed her the towels and she quickly got to work checking Eileen's pulse, and applying firm pressure to the wound. Maura slowed the flow of blood and managed to give Eileen a chance at living. What kind of life she would have was not up to them – if she lived, Eileen would face a jury of her peers and be made to pay for her crimes whether in prison or a mental institute.
As these thoughts were floating around in that big brain of hers, the ambulance arrived and paramedics took over where Maura left off. After telling them Eileen's stats as best as she could, Maura stepped outside. She watched as the event continued, looking through the café window, the scene slowing fading to black as swarms of police officers passed in front of her line of vision. She stepped back, giving them room to work. Leaning against a light post she watched as Jane made her way through the throng of officers to stand by her side.
"Good work in there, Maura," Jane said, smiling at her friend.
"You too, Jane. "
They stood in silence as the gurney rolled by holding a still living and breathing Eileen. Jane felt satisfied with how the case panned out, how the team of four had worked so well together, how they always did. She caught herself smiling as Maura touched her arm.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked, concern washing over her face.
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About?" Maura asked, quizzically.
"About Korsak, Frost, you…How well we work together. How I could never do what I do without any of you."
"I feel the same way. Come on, let's get back to the station, get the paperwork done and head home. There's a six pack with your name on it," Maura said, smiling and starting to walk toward her car, Jane following closely 1behind.
"Ooh, movie night!"
"Actually, I dvr'd a documentary on the history of sex that I've been meaning to watch. You in?" Maura asked innocently, a subtle smile forming.
Jane hesitated, "Ugh…another documentary…" she thought. But she said, "Yeah, sure, why not? I could use a beer."
Jane quickened her pace to catch up with Maura.