Author's Note: So... I have decided to try my hand at a Rookie Blue fic. It is a bit different than my normal stories, so I decided... why not try it? As I mention in the brief synopsis, this story is set after 'Heart Breakers, Money Makers'. I almost gave up on this story when I watched the newest episode, 'Deal With the Devil'... for everyone's sake, who are watching the American episode line-up...I will not spoil anything for you... you will get your chance to see it too. But instead of giving up, I decided to continue on and hopefully make-up for the way things seem to be going for favourite ladies! So, without further ado... Chapter One.
"Serve. Protect. And just get back safe," Staff Sergeant Shaw said as he stared out into the parade room watching as the officers stand up in a disorderly fashion and walk over to the board to see who they were paired up with for the day. As he peered out at the group his eyes train on the brooding figure of Gail Peck as she rolled her eyes at whatever her fellow officer, Chloe Price, had said after they had saw their names on the board. Oliver could kick himself for his idea to have the two women partnered together for the day, but he knew his friend, Gail, was still upset about the break up between her and Holly and he hoped that Chloe's upbeat personality could help break the shell that Peck replaced around herself. As he turned his back from the room to head back to his office, Oliver heard an exasperated sigh from Gail and the words, "Let's just get out of here before I do something I regret to you." As he closed the glass door to his office, Staff Sergeant Shaw let out a sigh of his own and hoped that his and Celery's idea worked out as they planned.
"So..." Chloe said as she and Gail walked out into the corridor heading to the parking lot in the back, "Who's gonna drive? It's my first day off desk duty since the shooting and well, I was wondering if maybe you would let me drive."
The last part of her statement came out rushed and full of hope. Officer Peck rolled her eyes again as she stares at the back of the chipper red-haired officer, " I don't understand you at all, Price. You were shot in the neck. You have a blood clot that could possibly go to your brain and yet... you are still as annoyingly cheerful as you were before all of this happened. How can this be? And no... you don't get to drive. Who's to say you won't black out or something on the road and we both get killed?"
Chloe opened the door to the outside and stepped into the glaring sun, "I guess I have an upbeat personality, is all. I can't let any of this get me down, and besides... the doctor cleared me for patrol. She said the blood clot is breaking up and should be gone within a week, so you don't have to worry about me wrecking the squad car. You know, maybe that is why Oliver put us together. He may think that my cheerfulness will help you, it has been a few weeks since you actually had a smile on your face. Maybe he thought..."
"I am going to stop you right there, Chloe..." Gail snapped as she opened the patrol car's driver side door, " Because if you think for one minute that Oliver arranged any of this, I am going to have to tase you and then I will have to explain why I showed police brutality to a fellow officer and, quite frankly, I am not in the mood to do all of that right now." Gritting her teeth, Gail smiled a harried smile as she closed the driver-side door, "Just get in the damn squad car... and don't speak to me during this whole ride. The shift will go better for both of us if you keep quiet."
The two women rode in silence for several minutes as the Toronto morning traffic crept by them. " I wonder..." Chloe started as she stared out the passenger-side window, "why did you and Holly break up anyway? Did you cheat on her or something? Did she cheat on you?"
Peck let out an annoyed sigh as she slammed her hand against the steering wheel, "You just don't know how to shut up, do you? I don't want to talk about it, okay? Now please... shut up before I have to use the roll of electrical tape in my pack to make you keep silent."
Chloe put her hands up in surrender, "Okay. Okay. I just wanted to know what happened. I don't know... you guys just seemed so happy together and from what Nick told Dov... I just thought maybe you needed to talk to another woman about what happened... maybe you would open up more. I know Officer Collins isn't exactly the best person to talk to since you two were supposed to get married a few years back and then when you guys finally did get back together he left you for McNally and all. I just thought that maybe you would open up to someone you haven't dated is all."
Gail's grip tightened on the wheel as she turned the car down an abandoned alleyway, No way in hell I am going to continue this conversation while driving, she thought as the patrol car rolled to a stop. "Look, whatever he told Epstein is confidential... and I am going to take care of Collins as soon as our shift is over. He had no right to tell Dov what he told him, sure I might have overreacted to what Holly's bitch of a friend was saying, but Holly had no right to agree with her either. She didn't even defend me against them! I went to get us a couple of drinks from the bar and by the time I got back, her 'doctor' friends were tearing me apart! 'She's not good enough for you.' 'How can you date a police officer, Holly? You have nothing in common!' 'I guess you will just have your fun for now, but what will happen when the fun goes away?' And she just sat there listening to them say this stuff, I mean, how was I supposed to react?" Gail stared at the shocked officer next to her and realised that she screwed up big time... the look on Chloe's face made Peck realise that Price had no idea what had happened that night at The Penny and that it was she, Gail, who had told the irritatingly nosy woman in the passenger seat everything that she didn't want to share. She took a deep breath and stared out the window into the grimy view of the abandoned alleyway. Gail was thankful that the smell had not penetrated the car yet as she noticed that something slimy and black had dripped from the bag that hung from the mouth of the dumpster onto the street during the time they were parked there.
The blessed silence was cut short by Gail herself when she turned back to Officer Price, "Look... just forget I said anything. I have just had a few bad weeks is all. So we broke up? What does it matter? I am sure she will find someone else as will I. For now let's just forget that I actually said anything to you out of the ordinary, okay?" Peck patted the still stunned Chloe on the arm and put the squad car into reverse. "I could use a cup of coffee, how about you, Price?"
Chloe nodded her head in agreement and was about to reply when the radio in the car interrupted, '1519, we have a situation out at 173 Richmond Street. A possible B and E. No suspects spotted at the location.'
Clearing her throat, Officer Peck grabbed the radio and replied, "Dispatch, this is 1519. On our way." She turned to Price and smirked, "So much for coffee." Reaching for the switch, the blonde flicked the lights and sirens on and pressed down on the gas pedal.
The car raced out of the alleyway nearly hitting a red convertibleas Gail rushed to throw the car into drive, "Do these people know what flashing lights and sirens mean? It means stop you idiot!" She cried out at the driver of the car she nearly hit as they drove up the street.
"Richmond Street, isn't that the area where all those swanky houses are?" Chloe mused as she vainly ignored the Gail's rant at the driver of the other car.
"I think it is... that's a few blocks away from my parents house," Peck said as she turned left at the light and continued on down Westland.
Moments later the car pulled onto Richmond Street and Peck slowed the car down to a reasonable speed as they search for 173. "I'm sorry," Chloe said, breaking the silence that had formed around them.
Gail scoffed as she turned into the driveway of the house they were called to, "Sorry for what?"
"Sorry that you guys broke up. Did you get her side of the story? I mean, I am sure Holly had a good reason for not saying anything. Maybe she didn't want to start a problem in the middle of The Penny, I don't know... I am just speaking out loud, but did you ask her?"
Gail rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that day and cleared her throat, "Stop thinking out loud... you will give yourself an aneurysm. If she had a reason, she would have told me, but she didn't, okay? Now stop bringing it up, okay?" Gail ignored the stunned look on Chloe's face and reached for her radio, "Dispatch, this is 1519. We are at 173 Richmond Street. All is quiet. Has anyone else responded to the call and who placed the 911?"
'1519. 1520 is on the way. The next-door neighbour called it in, said that the door was open and Mrs. O'Neil didn't answer when he called her phone.'
"Right." Gail sighed, "Let's go, Price." She pulled her gun out and started toward the front door. "Smart neighbour... he didn't close the door after he called it in. Hopefully the techs can get a few prints off the door. Huh.. check this out." Peck stated as she entered the vestibule.
"That's a top-of-the-line security system!' Chloe exclaimed as she stared at the pristine white box with glowing LED screen on the wall. "I wonder why it is off? You think whoever broke in knew the code?"
"Or they knew whoever lives here. Come on... let's clear the house," Gail remembered the name of the occupant and tried calling out her name, "Mrs. O'Neil! Is everything all right? This is the police! Mrs. O'Neil!"
"Maybe she isn't home?" Chloe said hopefully.
"Then why was there another car parked in the driveway in front of the garage?" Peck asked as she led the other officer through the dining room.
"She decided to walk? She took a cab? I don't know, I am just trying to shake this weird feeling out of my head, okay?" Price said as she peered into the pantry as they walked into the kitchen, "Nothing seems out of place on the first floor and nobody is hiding in the closets. Should we check the second floor or maybe the basement?"
"I swear," the blonde officer started as she let out a low growl, "If this neighbour-guy was pulling a prank just to get us out here... away from our job... I swear I will run him in for obstructing justice or something! Let's check the basement first then we can go upstairs. Let's hope that Nick and Chris don't get here before we find out this is a false alarm."
"He is just a concerned neighbour, Gail... let it go." Chloe replied as she followed Peck down the basement stairs, "I would be concerned too if my neighbour had left their door wide open and they weren't answering my phone calls."
"Well, aren't you the nicest person in town?" Gail smirked sarcastically as she turned the corner in the nicely furnished basement of the home, "All I have to say is that I am glad I..." She stopped short when she noticed a slippered foot on the floor several feet in front of her. "Shit.."
"I knew something was going on! I really wished that she had went out for the day." Chloe moaned out as she wiped her right hand across her forehead. "Dispatch, this is Officer Price. We are at 173 Richmond Street and we have a 10-54. What's the ETA of car 1520?"
'This is Officer Collins. We just arrived, what's your twenty?'
Chloe sighed with relief as she listened to the echo of Nick's voice above their head, "We are in the basement Nick!" Price shouted as she moved closer to the stairway. "What are you doing, Gail?" She asked as she turned to see her partner kneeling over the body.
"I'm checking if she is still alive," Peck answered as she placed her hand on the victim's neck. A frown etched itself on her mouth as she took her hand away. Gail reached for her radio at her shoulder and clicked it on, "Dispatch, this is Officer Peck, requesting someone an ME."
'Roger that Officer.'
"What's going on?" Chris asked as he made his way down the stairs followed by Nick Collins.
"We have a body here. Not sure if it is the owner of the house, but seeing as she is wearing a housecoat and slippers, I can safely say that this is Mrs. O'Neil." Gail said as she glanced back at the woman on the floor.
"Anyway to tell if this was murder?" Nick asked as his head darted back and forth attempting to peer into the deep recesses of the basement.
"I didn't see anything to point in that direction, but we have to wait for someone from the lab to get here." Peck said as she looked around the basement. It was a newly renovated basement with a pool table in the far corner and a large LCD TV mounted in the middle of the wall in front of a large black leather sofa. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed a glint of metal in the darkness on the wall in front of where the victim's body had fallen. Gail raised her flash-light and the faint light fell upon another room. As she walked towards the room, she realised she was holding her breath and slowly let it out, "Hey guys... we may need to call Homicide just to be on the safe side."
"Why is that, Gail?" Chris asked as he moved closer to her.
"Because I think she was heading towards her panic room."