The devastation within the cry Jackson Teller let loose reached into a place she thought was previously numb. That cry had her rethinking her initial conclusion of Teller being an active participant of the tragedy that lay before her. Patterson took a couple of steps back, which led her to the front door. She scanned the scene outside, Mitch Turner; Tara's lawyer had just arrived and the detective was informing every one of the bodies that were found within the kitchen.
"I knew it. These people really are Godless." Patterson mumbled to herself as she step to the detective, "I want CSU down here immediately. I want to know every last thing about what happened in that kitchen, right down to composition of the goddamn tile."
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Roosevelt's deputy and she dreaded what she knew was around the corner. The next step.
"Deputy Sheriff Cane. Unfortunately, Sheriff Roosevelt is lying dead on the Teller family's kitchen floor. Along with the bodies of Dr. Knowles and Mr. Teller. Get your kit, there's a suspected murder weapon on the floor that needs to be brought in."
Patterson turned from a stupefied Cane and walked back into the house, she watched as Teller still cradled his wife's body. Sympathy was an emotion that didn't seem to ring true for Patterson in regards to Teller right now, but she knew it was a card that she was going to have to play sometime in the course of this investigation.
She turned back to Cane as he was grabbing his kit from the inside of his truck, "I would suggest you call in for back up Deputy," she called out.
"What for?" Cane pondered in a daze from behind the truck.
Unbeknownst to him, Patterson heard the rhetorical question and decided to not let this sit as an unanswered question, "Because Deputy, once the despair is too hard to maintain, anger will take over. And it's going to take a combined effort of hell, heaven and earth to place handcuffs on Jackson Teller."
Over At The Ice-Cream Shop
"Smoke and bathroom break," Tig stood as he grabbed the leash of his furry, four-legged friend. Happy and Rat both got up and decided to accompany them.
As all four exited the front of the shop, Bobby turned to the back and glanced at the clock.
6:36
In his mind Bobby worked everything out. There was no way that Patterson would show up late to Jax's, hell knowing that bitch she would've been parked outside of the house at exactly 5:45. Not to mention, Jax left ten minutes before six, knowing that it only takes ten to get home. Before the thought of something being up crossed his mind, Tig and crew reentered the shop.
"Just saw CSU speeding down mainstreet." Hap announced to everyone.
"Hey Chibs, did Juice ever call you about Gem?" Tig's instant worry was to the matriarch who was nowhere to be found. "Unser said she was in bad shape, and we all know what happened last time she was in a bad place," Tig said glancing to his right at Abel who was transfixed with Legos in front of him and Thomas who was fast asleep Chibs arms.
Chibs gave a slight shake of his head. The mention of Juice left a pang of betrayal behind and his head flashed back to Jax's words earlier today. The mention of Gemma had him worry though, poor thing has no idea what's going on.
"Hey Chucky give a call to Unser over at the lot, see if he ever found out about Gemma. Tig you call Nero. Happy try Juice. I'll try calling her again," Bobby bounced out orders, while keeping his bubbling fear of his President's wellbeing down. In the background he heard a 'I accept this'.
CSU. If there was a time it had nothing to do with Samcro, please let this be the day.
Unser's Trailer
Gemma, still in shock and numbed by today's events, rested in Unser's lap. All the strength she had remaining only left her with the ability to cry and accept the false comfort of a dear and old friend.
A ring cut through the silence of the trailer and paralyzed the spine of Gemma. She begrudgingly raised her head to allow Unser to reach over for the phone. Nervously, she watched Unser like a hawk, looking for any signs that may indicate the reveal of Tara's death and her guilt.
"Yeah, she's here with me, you guys don't worry. I got this. How are all the guys dealing." Unser glanced over to Gemma and mouthed Chucky.
"Well okay then. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." Unser placed the phone on the table and turned to Gemma.
"What did nubs say?" Gemma asked while wiping the tears from her face.
"They're just like you sweetheart. They're all coping and getting through this. We'll get through this sweetheart just like we always do."
Back At The Ice-Cream Shop
"Nero said he doesn't know where Gem is, apparently they got into it today. Said she planned to head over to Jax's to fi," Chucky's smile interrupted Tig. Chucky continued to talk with Unser and pointed at the phone, indicating Gemma was with Unser.
"She's with Unser over at the lot and he said he's got her," Chucky informed everyone while placing the phone back on the receiver.
"Well I got no answer from Juice," Happy gave a look to Bobby as if asking if he wanted him to go out and scout.
"It's 6:41. Juice isn't our main concern. She's a little late don't you think," Bobby got up, placed a hand on Abel's head with his good arm as he walked by him. Bobby went over to the window and looked out.
All the guys gave a once over of each other dreading what the alternative could mean. Chibs eased out the stool and quietly walked over to Bobby with his Tommy boy fast asleep in his arms.
"You really don't think she would back out the deal now or run do you Bobby," Chibs shook his head, answering his own question, "she's not the type to leave the wee ones behind. Not over her dead body."
Bobby glanced over at Thomas in Chibs arms, "That's what's got me concerned."
Just as Bobby turned his body, the sound of sirens pierced through mainstreet. Five squad cars sped passed the ice cream store. Bobby looked back at Chibs and then to Tig, Hap and Rat.
"CSU and five cages leaves a bad taste in my mouth," Bobby told the guys, as he walked back to his chair Thomas squirmed in Chibs arms. The loud sirens interrupted Thomas' sleep and with a disgruntled look on his face, he opened his eyes and let out a wail that surpassed his father's own.
Jax and Tara's Home
As CSU arrived, Patterson knew she couldn't delay talking to Teller any longer. He had to get up, so the crime scene could be documented and detailed. There was mush needed work to be done. She walked over to the CSU guy and raised a hand as they approached the house.
"Give me a minute before you guys go in. The husband is with her body, I'm going to try to talk him down. Get him to put the body close to how he found it." Patterson motioned for Deputy Cane to come over.
"Radio-in to your back up and tell them no sirens, we don't need to startle him or set him off in any way."
"Why the precaution ma'am? He's broken." Cane wondered.
"He's an outlaw, who has his own path to justice. Yes he is broken, but in order for him to find the strength necessary to get up, I'm going to have to get reason to take its place. And trust me once it does, the only thing reasonable for that man will be anger and vengeance. So the moment we get him to move, have those cuffs ready because there's no way in hell Teller is coming with us without them. And if he does leave without them then trust me on this one to, calm and collected is much more dangerous then rage. It means he's thinking all to clearly." As Patterson walked towards the house Cane followed.
"Do you need me to go in with you?" Patterson lifted and dropped her hands with an incredulous look on her face.
"You really think Teller is going to respond well with a whole lot of uniforms storming into his home? Tell your back up no sirens. That's all I need for now deputy. I'll go in on my own." She turned, took a deep breath and entered the house again.
The scent of bleach and blood burned its way into her lungs. She walked into kitchen and took in the scene once again.
Jackson Nathaniel Teller and Tara Grace Knowles. Jesus, their names alone were opposites. His was a strong name and hers was so gentle.
The only sound in the house was the 'I'm so sorry's coming from Teller. She took one more deep breath and approached this man the only way she thought made sense. She scanned a part of the floor that wasn't covered in blood, as she did so; she took a long gaze at Eli and felt deep hurt for the man lying dead.
She kneeled to the floor and placed a hand on Jackson's foot.
"Jackson. You know what needs to happen next. And for that to happen you need to let go of the body. CSU needs to come in and do their jobs." Patterson leaned forward to try and catch his eyes. To try and make some sort of emotional connection to Teller.
Jax raised his head as if the entire world was placed upon his shoulder and stared at Patterson. His face was coated with tears and as red as the blood that stained the floor. He looked down at Tara once more and just smiled.
"My job was to protect her. To love her. To shelter her. And now she's lying on her kitchen floor dead."
Patterson sighed, "Jackson the only way figure out the why, the how and who which led to her death is for you to get up. You have to put her down."
Jax started to move Tara out of his arms, "The why was because she loved me, the how was because she chose to stay by my side and the who…"Jax placed her head in the blood in which it first laid when he found her.
He stood as Patterson rose to her feet and they meet each other's eyes.
"The who will feel how personal this is for me." Jax walked over to where her Tara's purse sat on the table next to her keys. He felt the tears subside and the anger, the need to hurt someone or something come to the surface.
Patterson walked past Jackson to glance out of the opened door. She once again scanned the front yard, her eyes first took in the back up that had arrived and then they gazed left. To the little tricycle turned over in the grass, forgotten, and ball next to it. She then immediately thought of the children and her heart sank to a new low when the realization hit her. She just stood their and let that weight sweep over her and looked up to Deputy Sheriff Cane and nodded.
She looked back at Teller who was just standing over his wife's purse, deep in his own thoughts.
Now.
She signaled for them to move in.
"Mr. Teller, we need you to come with us. We are not charging you for anything here yet, but we need to bring you in for questioning. The how of this situation depends on you Teller. I don't want to walk you out of here in handcuffs, but if need be it will happen. So I'm asking you for your full cooperation in the investigation of Sheriff Roosevelt and Dr. Knowles' murder."
Jax looked at Patterson, a sneer developed, and the change in his eyes had her step back. The despair was finally too hard to maintain and rage was about to take its place.
"Yet? Are you standing here, in my kitchen where my wife – the mother of my two sons, lays dead less than a foot away from me with the thought that I had a hand in her murder?"
"Not at all Mr. Teller, however, there's a gun that I'm assuming is covered in your finger prints and a dead sheriff with bullet holes in his back. In the days that I've known you, ignorant hasn't crossed my mind. You are very well versed in the law Mr. Teller since you preside on the other side of it. And protocol would have me take you in, for questioning. Please, Mr. Teller do not resist." Patterson turned her head to her back-up and placed a hand up telling them to hold off for now.
Jackson glanced back at his wife, and let his body follow his eyes. He just stood there for what felt like eternity and stared at Tara. And with each second his eyes lingered on her, death washed over him. He sharply turned, which led to the officers moving their hands to their waists, and simply said, "My sons."
"Call my mother, if you can't get ahold of her then call Chibs Telford and tell him what happened. They're all still at the ice cream shop with my sons. They need to know. My sons need a place to sleep tonight, Tara packed all their stuff up so nothing is here. Everything is in her car, back at the shop." Jax shifted his feet and shuffled towards the group of people and just muttered a weak, "let's go."
