You're All I've Got Tonight
Disclaimer: My name is Brigitta and not Joanne Rowling, so I can not claim any rights to the Harry Potter series.
To: Current Readers
From: Starlight-Mist
Subject: Just a Quick Note
Alternate-Universe crime stories are incredibly hard to find! When you really think about it, AU stories are incredibly common, but most of them revolve around coffee shops, high schools, colleges, secret lives, business, and marketing. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I the only one? Lastly, if anybody feels this story is too graphic to be T-rated story, please tell me; I will immediately change the rating to M.
※ NYPD CSU - New York Police Department Crime Scene Unit
※ ME - Medical Examiner
Favorites (2), Follows (9), Reviews (3)
Please see the ending note for reviewer replies.
Chapter Two
The Creep by the Dumpster
(Published on 2/6/2016)
"How could you do this to me, Laura? I gave you everything I had!" the killer cried, grabbing a half-eaten hamburger from the dumpster and stuffing it into her mouth as his chest heaved with unshed tears. As Laura choked on the greasy lump of meat and bread, he removed his knife from his boot and flicked it open, the blade gleaming sinisterly as he raised it over his head.
"Why, Laura? I tried so hard? WHY?" he sobbed as he sunk the blade into her side, his heart and mind clouded with anger, pain, and hate as her last words echoed in his head.
Laura gasped for as he pulled the knife out of her body and raised it again, but the damage was already done; blood poured out of her wound and she could feel death coming already. The knife sunk into her body again, and minutes later, he jumped out of the dumpster and shut its lid on her mutilated body, wiping the blood off of his knife before slipping it back into his boot.
'I really am a creep,' he thought to himself as tears streamed down his face. 'A freaky-deaky creep.'
- - END OF PREVIEW - -
Paperwork and desk duty seem to be the only constants in law enforcement, Hermione noted as she sorted through yet another stack of papers. Although her office was still a bright pink, her partner was still a hot coffee-dumping lunatic, and her life had been turned upside down and inside out, Hermione was settling into her peaceful new life.
However, the peace never lasted too long.
The door to her office flew open and Draco strode into her office, "Get up, Grumpy Granger. Snape just assigned us our first job as a unit, a multi-murder case from Sacramento. You have fifteen minutes to pack your bags, make arrangements with your landlady, and meet me back here. Chop-chop! Our flight leaves at 12:00 and our ETA is about 6:30."
At his last statement, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to stare at him, a look of total horror stretched across her face.
"Come on, Granger, get those little legs moving, come on!" Draco barked, impatiently clapping his hands together.
"Malfoy, are we taking an airplane?"
"What are we, Granger? Wizards? Witches? Of course we are taking an airplane! Now get those short little drumsticks you call legs moving!"
A few hours later, Hermione was ready to scream bloody murder, if not to commit one herself.
"Malfoy, please be aware that I am more than happy to strangle you with your own spinal cord," she growled from behind clenched teeth as Draco reminded her that they were currently flying in a gigantic metal bird - one that was hovering approximately a long way above the ground.
"Scared, Granger?" Draco smirked, knowing perfectly well that his partner was uncomfortable with their form of transportation.
"Yes, so would you please stop?" Hermione pleaded, tightening her grip on the armrest until her fingers turned a pinched white. Relenting on his cruel torture, Draco reached his hand into his computer bag and pulled out a case file, opening it up and spreading its contents out on his lap.
"One month ago, the body of twenty year old Laura Pelance was found stuffed in a dumpster. Based on the amount of blood they found in the dumpster, she was killed there. The police were unable to find any leads on her murderer. Two weeks later, Emily Whitemare and Victoria Barnett were also found in dumpsters. Just four days ago, the body of Mora Clark-Gables was found in a dumpster two blocks away from where Laura Pelance was dumped. The only relation between the four victims, other than the ten centimeter serrated blade which was used to deal them varying numbers of stab wounds, were their facial features and college," Draco announced, reading over the initial police reports.
"They were all so young and pretty," Hermione commented, releasing her death grip on her armrest and looking over the photos.
"Deal with the facts and forget the opinions, Granger. The only thing that opinions do is cloud your objectivity," Draco retorted, sending her a disapproving look. "In fact, I have no idea why Snape put you on our team: psychology has no place among scientists. Although psychologists are quite beautiful specimens."
"Eww, Malfoy. Did you just hit on me?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose as she peered down at the stab wounds.
"No, I was not. I just find it common for psychologists to be hot," the blonde responded, sneering at her.
"Whatever you say; just keep your thoughts to yourself next time. You said that the first victim, Laura, was killed in the dumpster? Were the others killed in the dumpsters too?"
"My inclination is that they were actually killed in a dumpster, though probably not the ones that they were found in," Draco answered, though he gave no explanation.
"The killer is probably an insecure person, and the fact they chose a dumpster as the kill-spot suggests that they do not think very highly of their victims, more-likely considering them to be trash," Hermione stated, her shoulders unknotting as she continued flip through the pictures. "Using the knife may be a way for the killer to create a distance between their victim, making it easier to not feel remorse. If they were moved, just like you said, that suggests that the killer is worried about being discovered, further strengthening the concept of insecurity. Also, not how the killer starts with nine stabs, then diminishes to six, then four, then only two. The killer is learning how to kill."
"You got all this from a few measly photos from the kill sites?" Draco asked, unsure whether to be skeptic or impressed.
"I'm not done yet. I still need to figure out what triggered our unsub to kill these four women. They weren't killed a set number of days apart, which means there was probably a trigger. Also, seeing as there were four murders in this past month, we are looking at a serial killer. Now, serial killers tend to have some sort of a relation to their first victim, so we should see if we can find anything to link Laura Pelance to our suspects. Also, going back to how the killer is insecure we can assume that he is not socially adept, which means that he is likely to be in the disorganized group of serial killers," Hermione concluded as she opened Laura Pelance's case file to the front and began reading through the Medical Examiner's report.
Hermione suddenly looked up and asked, "Did you guys have another agent before I came?"
"Curiosity killed the cat, Granger," Draco snapped, tensing his shoulders in a way that reminded Hermione of how a turtle pulled its head into its shell when it was threatened. What happened to the fifth agent, or was there even a fifth agent in the first place? Hermione wondered as she opened her mouth to poke and prod a little more. However, the perfectly-timed arrival of a flight attendant had her immediately strangling her armrest.
"Why is it that you are only scared of heights when you are aware of where you are?" Draco asked curiously, raising a delicate eyebrow at her.
"Malfoy, can we talk about anything other than heights?" Hermione winced as her mind started to generate a list of all the ways to die in an airplane.
"Any preference of topics?"
"Just start talking, Malfoy," Hermione ordered irately, her shoulders locking into place.
"Well then, how many men have you slept with?" Draco asked, smirking at his terrified flight-companion. "Or women? No shame, and-"
"Malfoy! Please remember that there are other passengers here, some of whom are too young to be hearing such things!" Hermione reprimanded, causing the old lady sitting across the aisle from her to glare at her before turning back to her crosswords.
"In that case, I guess that the next best topic would be me," Draco sighed dramatically, examining his fingernails.
"Whatever! Just start talking if you want your clothes to remain puke-free for the rest of this ride!" Hermione threatened.
"Now that is a convincing argument," Draco declared as he scooted away from his new coworker. Nearly five hours after Hermione threatened Draco, the two agents finally deplaned, the younger one barely resisting the urge to kiss the ground when her feet made contact. The last five hours of their plane ride had been a taxing experience, and she had learned little-to-nothing about Draco, other than the fact that he favored green-and-silver ties over red-and-gold ties.
"What a refreshing flight. If everything goes as planned, we can be back on the same flight in a little less than three days," Draco yawned, stretching his arms high above his head.
"I look forward to it," Hermione muttered sarcastically as she picked up her duffel bag and marched towards the car that they had been provided with.
"Say, Granger, how are you feeling right now?" Draco asked as he jogged along next to her, a scheming look in his eyes.
"Other than the fact that I nearly just lost the contents of my stomach? Just peachy, I suppose," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes.
"I suppose that means that you can't drive," the blonde grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders and reaching for the keys that she held in her hand.
"What part about being fine means that I can't drive?" the agent demanded, shrugging her shoulder and throwing his arm off of her. She quickened her pace, but Draco easily kept up with her, using his long strides to his advantage. She scowled, stupid tall people and their stupid height and this stupid partnership.
"You said that you are feeling peachy, and we obviously can't have a vegetable driving! Get it? I'm so funny..."
"Peaches are fruits, not vegetables, and I am driving," Hermione argued as she looked down to adjust the strap on her duffel bag, which was biting into her shoulder, which unfortunately gave Draco the perfect opportunity to snatch the keys out of her hand.
"What? You can't do that!" Hermione exclaimed as Draco ran ahead of her and unlocked the car.
"Guess this is what you get for vegging out," he smirked, winking at before sliding into the driver's seat. "Now, hurry up and get in before I drive off without you!"
After Hermione had buckled in, the blonde stepped on the gas, reaching over to turn on the radio.
It's been a really, really messed-up week,
Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter,
And my girlfriend went and cheated on me,
She's a California dime, but it's time for me to quit her
"Ugh...I hate it when Californian radio stations make California jokes. However, since I like being the one who makes the jokes, this could be Heaven or this could be Hell," Draco grinned as he donned a pair of sunglasses, switched the station, then cranked the radio up louder.
"Oh brother, this is going to be a long trip."
"Yeehaw and Aloha! I send it right back attcha!" Draco cackled, accelerating.
"Eureka, Malfoy. This is California, not Texas or Hawaii."
Soon after they had departed from the airport, the two agents arrived at their hotel, still arguing about state-greetings. Parents pulled their children away, and grandparents looked down their noses at them until the hotel staff politely reminded them that there were other people in the vicinity.
"I'm so sorry," Hermione whispered, ashamed that she had been caught acting like a five-year-old in the middle of a hotel. However, her partner was completely unaffected as they checked in, then walked down the red-carpeted halls, cards in their hands and their luggage on their shoulders.
"Probably a late heads up, Granger, but I called ahead of time and arranged for us to visit the morgue at 7:45 to visit our four pretty dead women."
The two agent then entered their separate rooms and started unpacking their items. Sometime later, Draco was knocking at Hermione's door.
"It's open!" Hermione returned as she removed the extra pillows from her bed, contemplating where to put the fluffy annoyances.
"I was just trying to be polite by knock-...wait...why did you get the king-sized bed? And the balcony? And the fancy rolling-chair?" Draco demanded as he entered the room.
"Hey, if you really want it, you can have it...the disgusting king-sized bed, the balcony, the fancy rolling-chair. You can have the whole shebang," Hermione replied, replacing the pillows, closing the door leading to the balcony, and grabbing her still-packed duffel.
In the few minutes that followed, Draco and Hermione quickly switched rooms.
Why would any sane person turn down a room with a king-sized bed, a balcony, and fancy furniture? Draco wondered as sat down in the rolling-chair, having just finished smoothing down his covers. However, his musings were quickly cut short by a loud knocking on his door, undoubtedly the shorty that had just joined their unit.
"Malfoy, it's 7:30 right now. Didn't you say that we had a morgue-party at 7:45?"
"Granger! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Draco demanded as he rocketed out of his chair, grabbed his computer bag, slid his room-key into his pocket, turned out the lights, and rushed out of the room. After one incredibly heart-pumping ride which involved a lot of shrieking about the speed limit and Draco laughing like a maniac, Draco and Hermione had arrived at the Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital.
"Hey hey, is that a Draco Malfoy I spot?" the receptionist asked, grinning widely as Draco entered the building.
"Of course it is. How have you been doing, Scotty? How are the kids?"
"I'm doing just fine, and the kids are good; they grow up too fast though," the receptionist replied, clicking his ball-point pen twice before handing it to the blonde. "Now, is there anything I can help you with? I assume that you aren't back to work. We really miss you."
"No, no, sorry. I'm going to need access to the morgue for the dumpster cases," Draco answered as he signed in, then passed the implement to his partner.
"Go right ahead. We have an officer down there, but I trust you to be a good boy and not to use the facilitrees; the plants have never been the same ever since!" Scotty cackled, tilting his head at two large potted plants that stood next to one of the entrances.
"Aww, c'mon man! I was drunk!"
Scotty's laugh followed them down the hallways.
"I forgot that you used to work here, Malfoy," Hermione said; her counterpart just shrugged and continued leading the way. When they arrived outside the morgue, they introduced themselves to the young officer sitting next to the door.
"Pleasure to meet you, Agent Malfoy, Agent Granger," he answered, extending a stiff hand. "My name is Samuel Pelance. I suppose that you are here to work on the dumpster cases?"
"Your assumption is correct. Shall I get started?" Draco asked, tilting his head towards the doors.
"Go on ahead," Samuel nodded tersely, stepping back to let them in.
"Quite an uptight guy, if you ask me," Draco commented after the morgue doors closed behind them.
"Well, you really can't blame him. His younger sister is Laura Pelance, the first victim, which you would have known if you were researching the victims during the fifteen minutes we had before we left," Hermione said in a clipped tone as she handed him a lab coat and a pair of gloves.
"I see," Draco muttered guiltily as he snapped his gloves, located the four victims, placed them on the tables, and uncovered their bodies.
"I shall be leaving now," Hermione announced, wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell of death.
"Scared? Horrified? Repulsed? Disgusted?" Draco asked, picking up a magnifying glass.
"None of the above; I just want to go talk to Samuel, see if he can give us any help with the case. After all, his sister is the first victim, so she probably had a close connection to the killer. Maybe I can figure out what triggered the killer," she answered before exiting the room.
"Agent Granger. Is everything okay in there?" Samuel asked the second that Hermione exited the room.
"Everything is fine," Hermione nodded, watching as Samuel relaxed. "I just wanted to talk to you, ask a few questions about Laura. What was she like? What were her hobbies? What were her interests? Was she dating anyone? The standard stuff."
"Well, everybody liked Laura," Samuel began, swallowing to get a lump past his throat. "She was very sweet and always put others before herself. She liked to sew and bake, but her favorite thing to do was to talk. Laura was a very outgoing person and never hesitated to give an honest opinion; she talked to anybody and everybody. She was kind and compassionate."
"Was she dating anyone?" Hermione asked, jotting down a few more notes.
"Dating? Absolutely not," Samuel answered, firmly shaking his head. "Laura was a girl of her word, and when she started high school, we made a promise that we would always tell the other if we started dating anybody. We were pretty close, especially since our parents argued a lot during our childhood. Laura would always sneak into my room for bedtime stories. I think that my favorite childhood memories were making up stories for her. Laura would always sit on the floor and stare up at me as I talked."
"It sounds like Laura worshiped you," Hermione smiled, pausing from her note-taking.
"She meant the world to me."
Hermione paused a moment, quickly analyzing her notes before she spoke again, "Did Laura have any habits or any routines? Any weekly purchases? Did she have any enemies? Was there anything she said or did that made you worried for her safety? Did she look like anything was bothering her?"
"Laura liked her watermelon gum, so every Monday night, she would go buy a pack at this small convenience store called Carriage Convenience. I can give you the address. She also liked having her nails done every once in a while. You should talk to her friends for more about her daily habits. As for enemies? The only one I can think of is her cat, but that was only when she forgot to feed him. Laura was very forgetful. Is there anything else you need?"
"If you could give me the address of Carriage Convenience, it would be extremely helpful," Hermione answered, holding out her note pad; just as Samuel finished scribbling down the address, Draco opened the door, propping it open with his foot.
"Samuel, do you have a lab back at your police station?" the male agent asked, holding up a petri dish. "I was just examining one of the stabs on Emily Whitemare and found a small piece of skin that desperately needs an identity."
"Of course," Samuel nodded, peering down at the sliver of skin as Hermione took the petri dish out of his hand. "Anything I can do to find the killer."
"In that case, see you in ten, Malfoy," Hermione promised as she and Samuel began walking down the hall.
"Oi, Granger. You are forgetting something incredibly important," Draco called after her.
Hermione turned around, a sweet smile gracing her lips, "What is it now, Malfoy? Do you miss me already?"
"The only time I plan to cry over you is when I find your dead body stuffed in gutter. We still need to exchange emergency contact information. Yes, Granger, I probably just saved your life and a little thanks would be nice. By the way, my phone is in my back pocket, the left one to be precise," Draco snarked, causing Hermione to let out an incredibly pained groan.
Of all the places for his phone to be!
"I really hate you, Malfoy," Hermione muttered in embarrassment as she slid a hand into the pocket of his jeans and extracted his phone; elsewhere, a security guard choked on his coffee.
"My password is 1701. Do you have your gun?" Draco asked as Hermione entered his password, then punched in her phone number.
"Unless instructed otherwise, agents are required to be armed at all times," Hermione reminded him, as she set down his phone and pulled out her own, adding Draco to her list of contacts.
"See, Granger? I know how to save lives! You can put my phone on the edge of that table. No, not that one...yes, that one," Draco directed, gesturing with his gloved hands. "Keep me updated if you find anything; now get out of here and let me rest in peace...that came out wrong. Anyways, morgue-jokes aside, get out of here. Shoo."
Hermione didn't need to be told twice.
"Are you two new partners?" Samuel asked as they climbed the stairs, passed Scotty, then exited the Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital.
"This is my first week as his partner and this is our first case working together, hence not having exchanged our contact information, so yes, we are new to the partners thing. He splashed coffee all over me on my first day and ever since, he has been pretty hard to get along with."
"He splashed coffee on you?" the police officer asked incredulously.
Hermione nodded, then asked, "What about you? How long have you been working with the force?"
"I just got here seven months ago, and all I have been doing is paper work. Well, that was until Laura was murdered. I guess that they don't want me working cases after losing her."
"Don't worry. Once Malfoy and I solve this case, I am sure that the higher-ups will start assigning you cases," Hermione said reassuringly as she started her car, then pulled out of the parking lot.
"I look forward to it," Samuel said eagerly as he unlocked his police cruiser. "What did you do before joining the FBI?"
"I was on the NYPD Homicide Unit. The official name is NYPD Crime Scene Unit. My friends and I jokingly coined ourselves the NYPD Homicide Unit, and the name stuck," the brunette answered. "However, we also dealt with a lot of assault cases. There was always something to do..."
"I guess that crime is always like that, never-ending."
XxxX
"Is Sam Clark here?" Samuel asked, poking his head into the lab.
"Right in the back," a red-haired lab specialists answered as she stared down at the tray in front of her. Samuel nodded thanks, then led Hermione to the back of the room, where a middle-aged man was completely focused on whatever it was under his microscope - no pun intended.
"Clark?" Samuel addressed, tapping the lab specialist on the shoulder.
"Oh. What's up?" the specialist asked as he tore himself away from his work.
"Agent Granger's partner found a piece of skin on one of the dumpster murder-victims. We need an identity as soon as possible," Samuel replied as Hermione held out the petri dish; Clark stared at the sliver of skin for a moment before taking it into his hand.
"I'll see what I can do," the lab specialist answered as he took off the cover of the petri dish.
"Thanks. We will be down in the Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital morgue if you need anything, and my phone will be on at all times other than 9 PM through 5 AM."
Sam gave the two a thumbs-up before turning back to his microscope. Just as they were about to walk out of the lab, Hermione stopped, and turned back around. The woman who had told them where Sam had been was still staring at the tray in front of her; upon closer inspection, the tray was filled with scraps of paper.
"Piecing together a message?" Hermione asked, noting the blue writing.
"Yeah. Our computers are getting updated, so that's the only reason I'm doing it by hand," she answered, looking up at Hermione.
"Try pulling this piece down here, turning this piece sideways, and then moving this over," Hermione suggested as she pointed to some of the scraps; the lab specialist did as Hermione had suggested. "Now, move the duck-shaped piece, the one to the left of that one, up and then turn it ninety degrees to the right.
"How did you do that?" she demanded, excitedly pointing at the word that had just appeared. "A pull, a turn, and a slide and voilà! The word 'unconditionally' appears, just like magic."
"I have had a lot of experience piecing together messages, and when I was young, I liked doing crosswords, word searches, and brain teasers," Hermione shrugged before turning to Samuel. "Would you mind if I helped out for a few minutes? It has been a long time since I have done anything like this..."
"Feel free," the sandy-blonde haired officer answered, pulling up a chair as Hermione donned a pair of gloves and started twisting, flipping, and readjusting the scraps. Beside her, the red-haired lab personnel glued the pieces together.
"You have really beautiful hands," Samuel commented, leaning his forearms against the table.
"Who, me?" the red-haired woman asked, her eyes widening in surprise when Samuel nodded.
"Thanks," she answered, shyly brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "When I'm not solving crime, I am a hand model. Now, pardon me, but I don't know your name."
"Samuel. Samuel Pelance. I don't know yours either."
"Susan. Susan Bones."
"Wait! Your name is Susan Bones?" Hermione exclaimed, jolting in surprise, nearly disturbing the word she had just pieced together. "By any chance, do you know anyone named Ginny Weasley? Flaming red hair, freckles, shortish, brown hair?"
Susan nodded vigorously, "Ginny and I worked together before she was reassigned to the NYPD."
Hermione laughed, "What a small world this is. I'm Hermione Granger, and Ginny was one of my partners before I joined the FBI. She talked about you all the time!"
"That would be Ginny for you. How is she doing?" Susan asked as Samuel helped with putting together the message.
"She is doing great - still alive and fully intact. She texted me a few days ago saying that she thinks her boyfriend is going to break up with her, so I have been stocking up on salted-caramel ice cream. Best breakup ice cream ever...salty-sweet and perfect for gaining calories!"
Both women laughed.
"Well, it looks like we are done with the note," Susan sighed as she looked down at the completed message. "Thank you, Hermione. I hope everything goes well for you! Can I send Ginny my phone number? I lost it after my phone was wiped."
Hermione nodded, then handed her phone over to Susan, who quickly texted her phone number to the other red-haired girl.
"Thanks again!" Susan waved as the two exited. "I hope to see you around again, Samuel!"
Samuel sent her a soft smile, then raised his hand in farewell.
XxxX
"When do you think we will catch Laura's murderer?" Samuel asked Hermione as they walked towards the Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital morgue.
"It really depends on what Malfoy can find," Hermione answered, "but according to my friend, Pansy, Draco is very good at finding things that are often overlooked, and finding connections in the weirdest ways. I would place my bet on a few days. Four at most, or so I hope...I only packed for four."
"Really? My friends have been working the case for a months without any results. What makes you think that you can do it faster?" Samuel asked, surprised at her reply.
"You know my friend Ginny, the one I mentioned earlier?" Hermione said, slowing her descent down the stairs. "We had been working a case for a few months and were still stuck when one of the other officers walked in and immediately found a lead. His lead led us right to the killer. Patience and dedication can only go so far. Having another pair of eyes on evidence can be very helpful."
Samuel nodded as Hermione opened the door the morgue, then asked, "One last thing...does seeing death ever get easier?"
Hermione didn't even need to contemplate the question.
"Yes."
With that, she closed the door, and asked, "Did you find anything, Malfoy?"
"Hey there!"
Her hand immediately flew to her gun.
"Relax, Granger," Draco laughed, coming up behind her and pointing to his computer, which was proudly displaying the three faces of Pansy, Theo, and Blaise. "I set up a video conference with the others back home so that they can be part of the case."
"Who did you think I was?" Theo grinned as Hermione lowered her hand from her gun.
"The last time someone used that pickup line, it was a pedophile who liked murdering little girls with a-"
"Alright. Time to quit the chatter; we have a killer to catch," Draco said, snapping on a new pair of gloves. "Now, since you asked what I found, I just took the measurements of the stab wounds. I also found a small piece of the knife in one of the wounds on the unlucky Laura Pelance."
Draco," Hermione said warningly, "please keep in mind that Laura's older brother is waiting outside this very room for you to find her murderer, not to comment on her ill-fortune."
"Wait...did you just say older brother? Is he hot?" Pansy asked, her face looming in the screen as she shoved Theo and Blaise out of the way.
"People, we need to stay focused," Draco interrupted, disgruntled that his workplace was being turned into a chat room.
"Great way to ruin the mood," Pansy pouted, tossing her hair over her shoulder and sticking out her tongue at him.
"Back to the point, no pun intended, we should start creating a profile of the knife. We know that the knife is ten centimeters, and according to the tip I found, it is steel. Now, we know that it has a serrated edge, and that there was a small nick in it. Blaise, have you finished making the program for murder weapon profiles?"
"It is still being refined for ease of access, but aCute should work well enough, so take it away, Pansy," the dark-skinned man answered.
"Just saying, Blaise, but a program meant to identify murder weapons really should not be named aCute," the short-haired brunette declared as she pulled up the program and began inputting their variables. "It should be named something meaner, like Sharp Stabbing Implements."
"We can save this conversation for later," Theo reminded her as the virtual image of the knife rotated on all their screens. "For right now, you should send me that image so I can find out what company manufactured the knife. After I find the company, you should go get a warrant for a full list of all people living in California who have bought the knife. Now, since it is 10:00 back here, I say that we should call it a night. You guys should go eat dinner. We'll call or text if we find something."
After all the goodnight's and happy-eating's were exchanged, Draco closed the lid of his computer.
"Did you see any Chinese take-out places while you were on your way to the police station? I am seriously craving some lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, and fried rice," Draco complained as he packed up his computer bag, then exited the morgue.
Hermione shook her head.
"In that case, you can search for take-out places as I drive us back to the hotel. And before you ask why I am driving, it is because I deserve it," Draco answered haughtily as he took the keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of her face, making the brunette go cross-eyed. "You can drive all day tomorrow, as long as you find some Chinese take-out. Yes? Good deal, huh?"
"Sure. Fine. Whatever."
Soon after arriving back at their hotel, Draco and Hermione were sitting in Hermione's room, waiting for their take-out; while the blonde agent watched TV, the latter poured over the case files, furiously scribbling down notes on whatever she deemed necessary.
"Do you ever stop working, Granger?" Draco asked as he turned off the TV and looked over at her.
"I have a hard time falling sleep, and the harder I work, the sleepier I get. It makes sense to me," she grunted, laying out the crime-scene pictures side-by-side in chronological order and scanning for any connections. Though he was tempted to ask if she had night terrors, like he did, Draco resisted. The two still barely knew each other, and asking such a bold question could ruin all chances of forming a bond of trust between them, and in their profession, it was important to trust. When she was ready to open up and share more about herself, she would do so, but until then, they were just a stranger that he would be working with. She was just another outsider; an incredibly infuriating outsider who could analyze him, just like he analyzed death.
Before Draco could continue his train of thoughts, a knock sounded at the door: the take-out guy!
"What did you get?" Hermione asked, setting down her pen as Draco closed their door and set the bags down on the counter.
"Let's see...lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, egg rolls, kung pao chicken, white rice, spring roll, stir fry, and fortune cookies," Draco named as he pulled out boxes and boxes of food.
"What in the name of all things sacred, Malfoy? We can't possibly eat this much for dinner," Hermione sputtered, staring at all the food that Draco had procured.
"Who said that this is dinner?" Draco asked as he grabbed a paper plate and fork from the bags of necessities that he and Hermione had purchased on the way home. "If I eat sparingly tonight, we should have just enough for tomorrow's breakfast."
Hermione watched in sheer amazement as the blonde helped himself to a little bit of everything, then began munching away at his mountain. As she grabbed a plate and served herself, she told him, "Malfoy, you are never, ever ordering again. Especially if it is Chinese take-out."
Later that night, Draco discovered the reason why someone would happily turn down a room with a king-sized bed and a balcony.
"I really hate you, Granger," he muttered, staring in disgust at the large stain in the center of his sheets.
- - THE NEXT DAY - -
As Hermione was brushing her teeth the next morning, there was a loud knock at her door.
"Give me a moment," Hermione called as she spat out a mouthful of toothpaste froth, washed down her sink, shook out her toothbrush, and put it back into her toiletries bag. Sliding her feet into her slippers and tightening her robe, Hermione exited the bathroom and opened her door.
"I just got the results for the piece of skin you found, and you are not going to like it," Draco declared as he barged into her room and set his computer on the edge of her bed.
"Good morning, Malfoy. Great to see you today. Please, do feel free to make yourself at home," Hermione snorted, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she closed her door behind her.
"Yes, yes, thank you," Draco muttered as he typed in his password and started clicking at things; Hermione curiously walked over to stand behind his shoulder as he double-clicked something. The next thing she knew, a face had appeared on his screen, another window showing a DNA match just below it.
"No," Hermione whispered, staring at the face in horror.
XxxX
"Samuel Pelance, you are under arrest for the murder of your younger sister, Laura Pelance, and three other have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you," Draco announced as he closed a pair of handcuffs around the officer's wrists.
"W-What is this all about?" Samuel stammered.
"The DNA tests that Sam Clark ran show that it was your skin that I found, and surveillance shows that you either exited your apartment at the approximate time of each murder or were already out," Draco answered. "Furthermore, you purchased a ten centimeter Hunter-Aide knife just about eight months ago. Everything is pointing to you, Samuel."
"I don't understand," Samuel mumbled as Hermione clapped the handcuffs around his wrists. "The only one of the four dumpster victims that I knew was Laura, and that was because she was my sister."
"In that case, can you explain why we found your skin under her fingernails?" Draco asked, leading him away.
"I have no idea how my skin would get there, but I swear on my own life - I did not kill Laura or any of the other three victims."
Fifteen minutes later, Samuel was sitting in the interrogation room.
"Samuel, since you are so adamant about not having murdered these four women, can you tell us where you were on the nights of the murder? We are going to need an alibi for each account."
"Agent Granger," the sandy-blonde haired man said, "Do you remember what I said to Clark yesterday about my phone?"
"You said that he could call at any time, as long as it wasn't 9 PM through 5 AM," Hermione recalled.
"Exactly. For the half-year, I have been spending my nights over at my girlfriend's place, mainly why I tell people not to call at that time. If you want an alibi, I can give you her number."
Draco and Hermione exchanged looks.
XxxX
"Draco, Sam lied to us," Hermione stated as she hung up the phone.
"So he wasn't at his girlfriend's house?" Draco affirmed.
"Wrong Sam, Malfoy. I'm talking about Sam Clark, the lab guy who did the analysis on the piece of skin that we found," Hermione corrected. "Can I see the sheets Blaise sent us this morning, the ones that listed all the people who had bought a Hunter-Aide knife in this area?"
Taking the sheets from his hand, Hermione quickly read through the list of people.
"Well, what do you know," Hermione whistled, pointing to a name at the bottom of the list. "Lewis Clark. I bet that he has some sort of relationship to Sam Clark!"
"Brothers, perhaps?" Draco suggested as he pulled out his computer and searched Lewis.
"And would you look at that?" Hermione commented as Lewis' profile came up. "Lewis Wall is the younger brother of Sam Clark, accused of stealing money from Carriage-...wait a minute! That is the convenience store that Laura bought gum from every Monday night! Get Blaise to check the security videos."
Draco nodded and immediately contacted Blaise.
"Woah...that is pretty cool, Blaise," Hermione remarked as Blaise took over control of Draco's computer and pulled up the convenience store's videos. "Can you find the night that Laura was murdered and speed it up?"
As people flew in and out of the convenience store, Draco and Hermione watched the screen, intently searching for any sign of Lewis and Laura.
"Stop, right there," Draco ordered as Lewis came into the view of the camera. "Would you look at that - our suspect works the evening shift! He must get to know Laura pretty well, considering that she bought gum every Monday night. Continue going, Blaise, but slow it down a little."
People continued coming in and out of the store, and Lewis continued to ring them up for the next few minutes, but then Laura entered the store.
"Look at him, watching her every move. Really creepy, if you ask me," Hermione muttered, her eyes glued to the screen; beside her, Draco silently agreed.
"Draco, he is touching her arm, suggesting familiarity. She is buying the gum, and whoa...what on earth is he doing, leaving the register unattended?"
The investigating agents watched as Lewis led Laura out of the store, his arm on the small of her back.
"Look at how she is holding herself," Hermione pointed out, gesturing to Laura. "She is clearly uncomfortable with the way he is touching her. Blaise, freeze it for a moment and zoom in on his left boot. Can you get it any further?"
"Too pixelated if I try to go any more," came the reply.
"Okay, that's fine. Tell me, does it look like there is something in his boot?" Hermione asked.
"Definitely. Look at how there is a slight lump there - roughly the right size for the knife, according to the program I'm running it through."
"Good work, Blaise, but now what?" Draco asked as Lewis and Laura left the store.
"We wait," Hermione answered. "Lewis probably murdered Laura during the next few minutes. He should be coming back soon, and if he is covered in blood - seeing as all the murders were incredibly violent, then he is the killer."
The three Aurors waited in silence, only stirring when the door of the store opened again.
"Well, it looks like we found our killer," Draco said gravely as Lewis took off his shirt, threw it in the trash, and donned one of the t-shirts that hung on the wall behind the counter.
"I say that we go after Lewis and have Samuel check out Sam's place," Hermione suggested as she scribbled down the locations of Lewis' apartment and workplace. "Sam definitely lied to us about whose skin that was, making him an accomplice in murder."
"Go start the car as I set Samuel free. Please, though...don't drive off without me!"
"I swear, this morning was a complete accident!"
"Bologna!"
"It is ba-low-nee, not ba-log-na!"
"Whatever - you got my point!"
Not too soon after Hermione had started the car, Draco and Samuel came rushing out.
"Step on it," Draco announced breathlessly as he closed the door and reached for the buckle; Hermione did not need to be told twice, immediately stepping on the gas, navigating through the busy streets of Sacramento.
The moment that they arrived at Lewis' apartment, Draco and Hermione drew their guns, rushing through the doors and up the stairs, ignoring the shrieks and stares that came from around them. Both agents moved together, quickly arriving at the killer's home. A single nod from Hermione was answered by another by Draco, who then turned the knob and let himself in.
Much to their surprise, there were two people in the room.
"Hands in the air, ye merry explorers!" Draco ordered as he pointed his gun at the Sam and Hermione pointed hers at Lewis; the two brothers did as told.
"Was that really necessary, calling them explorers?" Hermione questioned as removed a pair of handcuffs from her pocket, her gun still trained on her Lewis.
"Of course it was," Draco retorted as the two FBI agents handcuffed the brothers. "Lewis Clark, you are under arrest for the murder of four innocent women. Sam Clark, you are under arrest for being an accomplice to your brother's murder, and covering up evidence. Both of you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."
XxxX
"I killed them," Lewis admitted, staring across the table at his interrogator.
"Yes, you killed them in the dumpster behind Carriage Convenience with a ten-centimeter, serrated Hunter-Aide knife. I also know that after every murder, you would throw out the bloody shirt and take one of the shirts hanging on the wall behind you. I know that you moved the second, third, and fourth victims and that you called your brother after committing the first murder. I know that you asked him to cover up all the evidence that you were at the scene of the crime. I know that your brother sent us Sam's record this morning to throw us off and give you two time to come up with an escape plan - a ploy which obviously didn't work. I know so many facts about your murder, except for why you killed them," Hermione stated, her eyes cold.
"Because, they were pretty...they were pretty and I loved them," the four-time murderer laughed ruefully.
"If you loved them so much, why did you kill them? Tell us the real reason."
"I asked all four of them out, and they turned me down. I am lanky and gangly. I have acne peppered across my face and have to wear glasses. Who could love someone like me?"
"Does body build really matter that much? Everyone is unique and should be proud to be. Acne? It can be overlooked - everyone deals with it at some point or another. Glasses? Your eyes are the window to your soul, and if you can't see out of them, who will try to see into them?Who will look into your soul and know when you are feeling down? Besides, glasses help keep your horizons broad. Lastly, there is always someone out there who loves you. Now that I have completely killed your petty excuses, I want you to tell me why you killed them."
Lewis looked down at his hands. "Because, the first one called me a creep after she turned me down...a creep."
"So, you killed the first one out of rage, then took out this rage on the other three when they turned you down? You killed them because you were afraid?"
Lewis nodded, twisting his hands as he avoided looking back up at Hermione.
"I see," Hermione said before standing up and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.
"What did you learn from explorer number one?" Draco asked.
"He asked Laura Pelance out, and after turning him down, she called him a creep. The other three were killed because he was scared that they would call him a creep after turning him down," the brunette replied softly.
"Not bad, Granger," the male agent acknowledged. "Case closed, and back to D.C."
Hermione froze, then groaned, "Malfoy, we forgot to call Samuel and tell him that we have both of them in custody!"
"Oh, shoot."
XxxX
"Aww, come on! Why did I miss all the fun?" Samuel whined as he entered the station.
"Because we are the FBI and you are just a lowly police officer?" Draco suggested, to which Hermione slapped him on the arm.
"Respect the police, Draco. Don't let me ever hear you trash-talk them again," she growled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Gee, Grumpy-Granger. What's with the attitude?"
Hermione slapped him yet again, "I was a police officer myself, Malfoy, so I would appreciate if you quit giving my brothers and sisters a hard time! We spend just as much time as the FBI does, saving lives and fighting crime!"
"Hey! You know what? That rhymed!"
"You totally missed the point I was trying to make, Malfoy."
"Then what was the point?"
Samuel snickered as Hermione slapped Draco a third time, then started a lecture on respecting others.
Later that evening, after yet another horrible flight, Hermione was peacefully taking a bubble bath. As she snacked on grapes and cheese and flipped through the last few pages of her favorite book, the music that was softly playing from her phone was interrupted by a loud ringing.
Glancing over at where her phone lay, right next to her gun, she let out a sigh.
"What is it now, Malfoy?" she demanded as she answered her phone.
"Snape just gave us a new case...New Hampshire, this time..."
"But we just got back from Sacramento!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, but yes-way, Granger," an incredibly annoying voice announced as her bathroom door creaked open.
Moments later, an ear-piercing shriek was heard throughout D.C.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BATHROOM!"
Inspiration Song: "Creep" by Radiohead (Album: Pablo Honey)
A Special Thank You To: ApriltelloIsMyOTP, who was my first reviewer
ApriltelloIsMyOTP: There is no way I can thank you enough, so this is the least that I can do...
Guest (Guest): It always feels good when you catch a story when it is just starting!
SereniteRose: Thank you so much, especially since you are such a faithful reader of my stories.
This is the longest chapter I have ever written, a little over eight-thousand words, and "You're All I've got Tonight" is already my third-longest story. If anyone is wondering, it is currently January 2012 in the story and the song on the radio was "Tonight, Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae. Smiley faces to anyone who got the "Hotel California" reference that I made!
Please pardon any mistakes, as I normally edit my own work, but feel free to give me a gentle correction if you see a glaring error.
