Chapter One: Fresh Meat
Sunday, September 25th, 6:27pm
Jesse Swanson's surroundings were not at all what he had imagined when he pictured becoming a homicide detective for the Seattle Police Department. After six months working with sex crimes, he had finally been transferred to Homicide after multiple references and repeated pleas to be sent to the department. According to all of his superiors, he was only accepted because they had an unexpected opening and none of the other qualified applicants wanted the position anymore, but what mattered to him was that he was now an official member of the Homicide Unit.
In his imagination, he had pictured the building being similar to the large ideal spaces found on television shows and movies, but instead it resembled something along the lines of an office building. The entire first floor of the building was dedicated to the Unit's personal crime lab, something Sex Crimes had as well and most likely all the other departments too, so the detectives worked on the second and third floors. He had passed the second floor and it seemed to just be a hallway to the other end of the floor, but he was sure it had its purpose. Jesse's destination was the third floor, the one that looked like an office instead of where professional detectives dedicated their time to solving heinous crimes.
The end of the stairwell dropped off directly in front of an open dark wooden door with a frosted glass panel that read:
Seattle Police Department:
Homicide Unit
The nervous Jesse took a full and shaky breath, releasing his hair in the steadiest stream he could manage as he tread through the doorway. From the small landing outside this floor looked like an office where middle-aged employees would spend their day taking calls and receiving orders. Despite his expectations, walking through the door did nothing to change that feeling. It only revealed that the room was slightly larger than one would originally picture, the right side being home to a small kitchen and what appeared to be conference rooms while the opposing part of the room had a few windows looking out at the gloomy street.
Jesse was greeted to his new department by the overwhelming scent of coffee, but nothing good. Just by the smell, he could already assume that drinking the substance would cause more damage than anything else.
Immediately in front of him were four groups of two L-shaped desks. Each grouping was slightly separated from the next one to make a square pattern. The shorter side of each desk ran against the adjacent desk while the longer side of each was turned to face the center, making a walkway towards a door that resembled the entrance to the unit. The group closest to the entrance on the right side had two women seated at their respective place, they both had similar bob haircuts and didn't appear to take notice of anything outside of their bubble. Across from them were two other women, one with extremely dark hair and the other a perky blonde, both of whom looked up and gave him a warm smile.
The blonde leaned forward, her smile widening as she chimed, "Can I help you, sir?"
"I- Yeah, I think so. I'm- uh," Jesse's nervousness began to get the best of him, his words slipping before he was aware of what he was trying to say. He took a calming breath, his boyish charm returning to his features. "I'm here to speak to the Lieutenant."
"Her office is right there," the blonde giggled and pointed at the door he had been looking at only a few moments ago. "Just knock and she should let you right in."
Jesse took a few strides towards her and reaching his hand out to grasp hers in a handshake. "Thank you-" he cut himself off, his eyebrows knitting together upon the realization that he didn't know her name.
"-Jessica," she finished for him. "Jessica Martin."
He nodded towards her, heading down the pathway between the desks towards the Lieutenant's office. He took notice of the other two groups of desks, the one towards the windows being the home of a plump blonde woman. The group opposing them had two brunette women, one of whom was staring Jesse down with a stone cold look that could kill and caused him to look at the other detective instead. She was beyond attractive and very well aware of that fact judging from her low-cut shirt that exposed a great deal of cleavage. Though she was very pretty, Jesse diverted his attention and made his way towards the door and gave a few knocks on the solid wood. Upon hearing a muffled 'Come in,' he nearly shoved the door open and closed it with equal fervor.
"He was staring at my boobs," Stacie smirked. The voluptuous woman stretched her legs out on top of the bare wooden desk she was seated at, swiveling to the left to get a better look at the other detective.
Beca Mitchell placed her folded hands down on her desk, looking into the sly minx's eyes with visible annoyance overtaking her features. "Stacie," she sighed, "Everyone stares at them."
"Those puppies are like two black holes," called Amy's Australian accent. "You can't escape."
Ignoring the comment, Beca glared at the peppy blonde who had greeted the childish looking visitor. "What did he say, Jess?"
"He just said he was here to talk to Gail," Jessica explained with a shrug.
"He's probably some new lab tech downstairs," Stacie offered, placing her thumb between her teeth seductively.
Fat Amy rolled her eyes at her busty friend's suggestion, stating, "The fetus is Mitchell's new partner, boobs-for-brains."
Stacie raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "These tits have gotten us both out of some deep shit, so I don't want to hear it."
"I am not babysitting that fucking kid," Mitchell bit out through clenched teeth. She thought back to her last partner, remembering how quickly he had requested a transfer. He hadn't even lasted a month.
"Gail will have your badge if you run him off too," Ashley reminded from her loyal position next to Jessica. "How many does he even make?"
"Eight," Amy, Stacie, and Jessica simultaneously droned.
A small snicker came from the corner that had been silent up to that point, causing Beca to bark out, "Shut your goddamn mouth, Kori."
"Mitchell," Jessica chided, her head tilting ever so slightly.
The brunette exhaled slowly through her nostrils, stating sarcastically, "I am so sorry, Kori. What I meant to say was will you shut the fuck up." Beca saw the thin blonde's mouth purse, leading her to almost whisper, "Please?"
Knowing very well that was the best she was going to get out of the hot-headed detective, Jessica gave her a genuine grin. Despite everyone else being fairly pleased with the brunette's almost civil nature, Kori's only response was to ignore the others and turn back to her friend Mary Elise.
The conversation would have continued down its raunchy path if it had not been for the sound of Lieutenant Abernathy-McKadden's door swinging open. Each detective's eyes landed on the familiar blonde woman and the new recruit, Gail's heels clicking against the tile floor as she came to tower before the seated and quick-tempered Beca.
Steel blue eyes bore into her superior's gaze, not wavering for even a second to glance at the fresh meat that stood behind her. Mitchell's mouth was pressed together in a hard line, though this was not visible due to her balled fists resting against her lips.
"Detective Mitchell," Gail's radio voice soothed, "I would like for you to meet your new partner."
The boy standing behind the Lieutenant stepped out from his hiding place, reaching his hand out towards Beca and greeting, "I'm Jesse."
Beca didn't move a muscle, didn't even blink, causing the boyish grin on his face to falter as he quickly took a step back. Both her demeanor and her wardrobe of all black sent a chill down his spine like the one he experienced each time he watched a horror movie.
"Detective Swanson needs you to show him the ropes and tell him what everything is," the Lieutenant said evenly, making no part of her statement questionable.
Mitchell growled out, "Get someone else to do it."
"Everyone else has a job to attend to," she informed.
"I have better things to do than-"
"You won't have to worry about any of your other priorities if you don't listen to me," Gail asserted. "Am I clear?"
Though mumbled, the words were still audible as she responded, "Crystal, Lieutenant."
Gail acknowledged the answer with a slight nod of the head, her heels once again clacking away as she went back into her private office.
Beca remained in her seat, not moving an inch as her eyes appreciated the grey sky in order to ease her temper. After some time, an uneasy Jesse coughed in order to remind the other brunette that he was still there. Dark blue eyes shot towards him, sizing him up before gazing into the depths of his soul as if searching for every secret he had ever hidden.
Realizing that the behavior could cause the young man to go to an early grave, Stacie stood from the seat she had been preoccupying and motioned towards the workspace before her, "This is yours. I just tend to be here whenever no one else is. I actually work over there," the sultry brunette pointed across from Beca, "with Fat Amy."
"Excuse me?" Jesse asked, taken aback by the name.
"It's so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back," the woman in question interjected. "But 'Fat Amy' is nowhere near as bad as the things we all call Stacie to her face."
With a forced yet still incredibly attractive smile on her face, Stacie went on, "You already met Jessica, but her partner is Ashley Miller." Ashley gave a small wave to the boy. "And over there you have-"
"-Kori and Mary Elise," Beca's icy tone declared. Stacie perked up at the statement, silently informing Jesse that her answer was correct.
"Don't worry, Mitchell will never hate you as much as she hates them," Amy stage whispered while her eyes roamed the duo mentioned before.
"I'm Stacie Conrad," the foxy woman shook the new recruit's hand. "And this incredibly charming person to my left is Detective Beca Mitchell."
Attempting to lighten the mood, Jesse laughed and asked, "Do Amy, Kori, or Mary Elise have last names?"
"Amy can tell you on her own time, but the Devil's Twins-" Beca was cut off by Stacie's hand clamping over her mouth.
"We don't talk about it," Stacie interrupted, her tone full of joy at the fact she wouldn't have to listen to Beca fight with the reclusive pair. Without another word, Conrad began her strut back to her desk. Her eyes widened for a split second when she looked at Fat Amy to signify that she couldn't handle being the middle-man between Beca and another new partner.
Jesse took his seat with an air of caution, worried that the woman next to him would kill him in an instant. He began to play around with the computer just to make himself feel less awkward when he heard the whisper of the barely audible voice beside him.
"What?" He murmured, afraid his voice could set her off.
Beca shut her eyes tightly and said in a forced calm, "The lab is on the first floor, interrogation rooms and holding cells are above that, and behind you are the conference rooms. We have meetings with other departments there and collaborate on cases. There's a kitchen to the right of the entrance, but that's fucking obvious. Rule Number One: If you make a goddamn mess then clean it up. That goes for the kitchen and your job."
"Thanks, Be-"
Beca's eyes flashed open as she cut him off, "Rule Number Two: You can call me Mitchell. Under no circumstances can you call me by my first name or any nickname you think is clever. It's not clever. It just pisses me off."
"Understood," he gulped. Jesse observed out of the corner of his eye as Mitchell preoccupied herself with the computer screen, not paying the smallest bit of attention to him. "So- uh- I heard that you've had a lot of partners."
She chose not to respond. Instead she froze, one hand on the mouse and the other in the shape of a fist over her mouth as her steel eyes inched to glare at him.
"I didn't- Not in a bad way. Like- The Lieutenant told me about it. I just thought- maybe I could bring it up. Break the ice," Swanson stumbled over his words, each one becoming more reckless and shaky as the icy stare remained unmoving.
"You're my eighth partner in seventeen months. So far, I like you more than I liked the others." Her eyes went back to the screen as if she had never even seen him to begin with.
Jesse allowed a small smile to overtake his features, "Good. I was worried you hated me and I think we could be awesome partners, like in that movie-"
"I do hate you," she stated with no emotion. "We're not friends, Swanson. I'm not going to make small talk with you or go out to lunch with you. If you ask me about the fucking weather, I'll shove your skull through a window so you can see. So if you don't want me to end your life right here then you'll shut up and act like an adult because I'm not here to babysit you."
In place of a usual response, Swanson gave a quick thumbs-up before searching the desks across from him for any form of true human contact. What he was greeted with was Stacie and Fat Amy both in a mixture of shock and something that could only be joy. Jesse felt as if he was on the very edge of an inside joke, to where every single person in the room was in on it and he was only aware of the fact that there was a joke to begin with.
From Beca's point-of-view, there must have been a god out there looking out for her because the second she noticed that Jesse seemed to want to speak again was the same moment that her phone began to ring. Without a millisecond of hesitation, she jerked the piece of plastic off its stand and against her ear.
"Homicide, Detective Mitchell speaking," Beca spoke the line with more excitement than intended.
"Bloody Hell, Mitchell. You sound like you're excited that someone got murdered," the familiar British voice lectured. Beca huffed into her end of the phone as a response. "Listen, we got a Caucasian female down by Pike Market. It looks a lot like the girl they found about a week ago, but I think you should check it out."
"Already on my way," the brunette hung the phone back up and stood, grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. Beca glanced up to see Jesse staring back at her, confused as to what had just happened. "Get your coat, dumbass."
Sunday, September 25th, 7:42pm
The newly paired duo pulled up behind a Seattle Police Department car that had the lights blaring, leading Jesse to put his hand up to cover his eyes. Mitchell was out of the vehicle the moment she shifted the gear into park, leaving Swanson to figure out for himself that he needed to get out or be left behind. After a brief moment of disorder, he hopped out and jogged to catch up to the quick and meaningful strides of his mentor.
Mitchell already knew where the body would be located since she tagged along after Stacie and Fat Amy got a call last Saturday about a victim in nearly the same place. She diverted her path from the street down an alleyway, ducking beneath the yellow police tape with practiced ease.
"Mitchell!" One of the officers waved at the pair heading towards the end of the alley.
"Evans," the small detective called out, a smirk gracing her features as she came to a stop beside a well-built blonde man.
"I've not seen you in a while," his pleasing British accent grinned.
"Only when there's a body involved," Mitchell stated, squatting down beside a large pile of discarded trash and boxes. "Any ID?"
The girl before her couldn't be more than 20, but that was even hard to tell from how bruised and bloody her face was. Her body was tossed aside atop the pile of garbage as if she belonged there. She was clad in what one could assume was originally a well-fitting blue dress, but was now torn to shreds and littered around the area. You could tell what belonged to her because it was covered in the crimson of her blood.
Luke's smile dissolved, remembering that they were there for a reason. "Yeah, it was in her wallet. Driver's License says her name is Peyton Woods, 25."
"It's fake," Mitchell said without even looking at it.
"Why do you think it's fake?" Jesse asked. Luke's head shot in his direction, finally taking notice of the fact that there was another person there. He gave him a once over before returning his attention to the detective in front of him.
"There are a few bars near here, but they actually card there. Just look at her. Young, pretty girl goes missing on a Saturday night and no one calls it in. I doubt that ID is real."
"Peyton Woods probably isn't even her real name," Luke added. "I'm going to radio in and see if we got any new missing person calls in the last few hours."
Luke walked back towards where Mitchell had parked, leaving her, Jesse, and another officer who was smoking towards the alley's opening. Mitchell continued to survey the girl, trying to see anything else that could help figure out why she was killed. Her black hair was matted together with a mixture of dried blood and dirt, but the constant rain of that Sunday evening had washed some of it out and allowed more blood to run down her face. Mitchell studied the girl's legs, noticing the nearly black bruises that littered her thighs in patterns of five.
"We need to call Sex Crimes," came Mitchell's solemn sigh.
"What?" Swanson inquired, moving a bit closer to the detective to see what she had seen. "I thought there was a case like this not long ago."
"There was," Beca explained. "She was found around here, but that looked more like a drug deal gone bad. This… This wasn't the same guy."
"I'll make the call," Swanson said obediently, jogging towards the car where he had left his phone. He passed Luke as he made his way back to the body, looking more distant than he had before.
"Mitchell," the young man bent down beside her. "There was a call about two hours ago. Mom said her daughter went to her friend's house last night and never came home. When she called them, they said her daughter didn't come over. Peyton Wallace, 18, black hair and green eyes."
"I think this is her," Mitchell mumbled. "Swanson is calling in Sex Crimes now."
Luke glanced at the girl's legs, spotting the bruises just like his friend had not too long ago. "I'll wait here for them."
"No," she shook her head. "I'll stay. You can go see if anyone's jaywalking near the Space Needle."
The officer couldn't help but grin at the joke, looking over at the detective. He pushed up against his knee, standing to his true height once again before Beca did the same. "Is that kid your new partner?"
"Yeah," the acid in her tone was clear. "He's annoying as hell and tried to act like we were friends."
The blonde man chuckled, removing his hat for a brief second to readjust it. "You know, I remember another detective who acted like you two were friends."
"Don't," Mitchell deadpanned.
"How are the other replacements?" Luke didn't have a death wish, so he diverted the conversation to a different topic.
"All they do is fuck police officers and half-ass their investigations," she bit out.
"They've been there well over a year, so I'm sure they're doing something right."
"You can always come back," her voice tried to give nothing away, but Luke had known her too long and knew there was a hint of the old Mitchell in there. A part of her that truly did miss seeing him at his old desk.
"I'll see you around," his hand pat her on the shoulder as he walked away. He turned once to look back at her and say, "Not all of us have that Mitchell determination."
"Make sure no kids are loitering by gas stations," she quipped with a smirk. He threw his hand over his shoulder to flip her off as he turned the corner with his fellow officer. She shook her head at his actions, glancing once more at the girl on the ground before following his path.
Beca and Jesse stood in front of the police line as another car pulled up along the curb. The two occupants quickly got out and made their way towards the pair, one being a larger black woman and the other appeared to be another new recruit. The small detective didn't let her disappointment show on her face that CR's old companion wasn't present.
"Mitchell," Cynthia-Rose greeted. She gestured towards the boyish grin beside the brunette, "I guess you've met my old partner here."
Beca glanced between the boy and the woman she had come to know over the years, raising one eyebrow at the statement. "Too bad you couldn't keep him."
"How about you show me and Denise here the crime scene," she suggested.
"No problem. Go start the car, Swanson," Beca commanded, handing him the keys as she turned to walk down the back street. Once they came to a stop, Beca began her intro, "Peyton Wallace, 18-"
"Luke gave me details," the woman with bright-red hair cut her off. Her voice was hoarse, yet soft as she explained, "I just wanted to talk to you alone for a second."
Denise picked up on the line, moving closer towards the body and away from the pair.
"Always subtle," Beca shook her head in admiration at the command of her partner.
"She transferred to Intelligence about six months ago," Detective Adams mentioned. "I would have told you sooner, but I didn't know where she went."
"Thanks for the update, CR," Mitchell said, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I appreciate it."
"Figured that's why you offered to wait on us," she shrugged. The bigger woman placed her hand on Beca's shoulder and smiled, "Just know I still expect you to wait around on me."
Mitchell's mouth curved in a smirk, "You got it."
"You should go easy on him, Mitchell. He didn't ask to be your new partner just like you didn't ask for him. It just happened."
Beca gave a curt nod and went back to her car, quickly taking her place in the driver's seat and taking off back towards the office. The ride was filled with awkward silence aside from the occasional scanner report coming through, but none of that required them. Mitchell glanced at the young man beside her, he was staring out the window at the passing street lamps glowing in the rain.
"I'm sorry," Mitchell spoke with a composed behavior. "You're still annoying, but you're better than all those other pricks."
"What?" Swanson's confusion was completely justified. For the past few hours they had known each other she had either glared at him or threatened him, but now he was receiving an apology. She was still as cold as before and that was the only thing that let him know it really was Mitchell.
"You do what I tell you and haven't asserted yourself as my superior," she deadpanned. "I like that."
"You're like my Obi-Wan-" Jesse started.
"Don't ruin it," was the last thing she said to him as she parked in front of the Homicide building. Being the obedient puppy that he was, he understood to get out of the car before she got pissed off again.
Sunday, September 25th, 9:18pm
The door of the apartment slammed shut behind her, covering the entire place with darkness once more. She didn't even need to turn the light on anymore in order to venture through the mess that she called home. Mitchell dropped her soaking jacket onto the cold tile of the kitchen, pulling the fridge open and bending over to get to the bottom shelf. The familiar frosty bottle in her palm sent a feeling of comfort through her that only it could.
She placed the cap directly above the counter, a swift hit to the edge being all it took for the metal piece to hit the floor with a small clatter. She tilted it back, swallowing the beer with ease and placing the empty bottle next to the sink. She grabbed another one and opened it the same way as she waltzed towards the bedroom, not caring to take off anything besides her shoes before sitting on the bed.
It was a habit now when she reached for the small plastic bottle on the nightstand, placing around six pills in her mouth and polishing off the beer to wash them down.
Beca Mitchell was well aware that the painkillers she took multiple times each day were dangerous and not meant to mix with any form of alcohol, but she was also aware of the numbing side effect they possessed. That's what she needed. She no longer felt the stabbing pain in her chest where the bullet had nearly torn her body to shreds two years ago, nor did she feel the throbbing ache throughout her entire body from exhaustion. That was exactly how she liked it.
Numb may not have been many other people's idea of perfect, but it was the only solace Mitchell had found over the years. She relished in the feeling as her eyes roamed the blank white canvas of the ceiling, hoping that she might get some form of sleep tonight.
I won't be posting this story much in the near future, but I wanted you all to get a taste of what it's about. I'm really excited for it and I hope you all are too. Hit up the reviews with what you think or message me on my Tumblr!