Part 2
After Cat's shift ended, she and Tess had a couple of drinks together before calling it a night and going their separate ways. As soon as Catherine got home, there was a note slipped under her door. The note had one word on it:
Roof
Vincent, she thought. Only he would leave a note like this. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, tossing the note into the wastebasket before leaving her apartment to go up to the roof.
"I met your doppleganger today," Catherine announced as she closed the door to the roof behind her. Vincent was sitting on the roof parapet, waiting for her.
"What?" Vincent asked with a slight chuckle. He hopped off the parapet and leaned against it. Clad in a long sleeved slightly fitted henley shirt , loose fitting jeans, and casual boots, he was tall and handsome as always.
"You do know what a doppleganger is, right?" Catherine asked as she stood next to him.
"Ofcourse I do, but I seriously doubt there's someone out there that looks exactly like me," Vincent chuckled again, shaking his head.
"You'd be surprised! I'm telling you, he could pass as your twin," Catherine looked up at him, trying to be humorous even though she was feeling nervous.
"Maybe you just missed me so much that you were imagining things," Vincent teased her, a grin appearing on his very handsome face.
"I swear, I wasn't imagining things." Catherine smiled but then added, " And no, I don't."
Vincent wasn't surprised by her response, he knew he hurt her by being with Alex. He frowned a bit and nodded then said, "Well, I just wanted to check in on you. I haven't heard from you in a few days and wanted to make sure you're okay."
"Well, I'm fine." Catherine responded slightly defensive.
"You don't sound fine." Vincent answered back, his brows furrowed.
Catherine took in a breath then smiled softly and looked deep into his warm brown eyes. She knew in her heart that he still cared for her, atleast as a friend as far as she knew. She repeated herself but this time more kindly, "I'm fine. I really am, Vincent."
"Okay," Vincent's expression softened. "Catherine, I'm sorry -"
"Vincent, it's okay," she interrupted him. She didn't want to go there with him. She didn't want to discuss what happened the last time they saw each other. "I just want to move forward and focus on my life right now."
Vincent clenched his jaw and nodded, fully understanding where she was coming from.
"Well then, I won't take up any more of your time." Vincent looked into her her eyes. He missed looking into her beautiful green eyes. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me."
Catherine nodded and said, "Likewise. Stay low, Vincent... and take care of yourself." She meant that. She didn't want to worry about him.
Vincent nodded and forced a smile, "I will."
With that, Catherine bid him goodnight. Vincent watched her for a moment as she walked away from him. I really do miss you, Catherine, he thought to himself. He knew he would never stop loving her either but he couldn't tell her that. He felt obligated to give Alex a chance for the hell he put her through all these years that she thought he was dead. But Catherine, he knew she would be the one his heart ached and yearned for. Always.
When Catherine got to the roof door to open it, she glanced back behind her to where she and Vincent were standing just seconds ago.
But Vincent was already gone.
Two days later, Tess and Cat weren't anywhere near finding any other information that would suggest anything other than suicide. They were just about to head home for the night when Evan called them down to his office at the morgue.
"Okay," Tess smiled to Evan, "What'dya got?"
"I have something interesting for you ladies," Evan walked around his desk and handed Cat a folder. It contained the preliminary toxicology results.
"What are we looking at here?" Cat asked flipping through the papers, Tess looking over her shoulder.
"I see the meds he was prescribed..." Tess frowned.
"Keep looking," Evan smirked, leaning against his desk.
"Traces of Pentobarbital?" Cat asked, looking up at Evan.
"Yep, it's generally used as a sedative," Evan answered.
"That's a euthanasia drug, am I right?" Tess asked, also looking at Evan.
"Well, it can be. Typically for animals in the kill shelters," Evan nodded.
"But when you say 'typically'... you mean what, exactly?" Cat's brows furrowed.
"I mean exactly what you're guessing. That it can be used on people, too, as in those stories you hear about doctor-assisted-suicides. Because you can't buy this drug over the counter."
"So this is why Joe is pushing this as a homicide," Tess shook her head, feeling bad.
"Sounds to me like he wants to know where his friend got the Pento," Cat looked over at Tess then back to Evan. "Evan, how are you going to call it? Mr. Taylor's death?"
He shook his head and sighed, "For now, I'm gonna say it's undetermined pending further toxicology tests. That'll give you ladies atleast another couple of weeks to try and find out where Mr. Taylor got it and if it was a suicide, or if someone made him ingest it. Good luck, ladies."
Catherine walked into her bedroom when she noticed movement outside of her bedroom window. She cautiously walked to her window then relaxed when she saw Vincent sitting on the staircase steps. She opened her window.
"Vincent," she smiled actually glad to see him. "What are you doing here?"
He was looking down at his hands, his jaw clenched, brows furrowed. She immediately knew something was wrong. Now she was worried.
"Vincent, what is it? What's wrong?"
He looked up at her, his facial expression was a mix of worry, fright, concern.
"I killed someone."
Catherine's shoulders slumped. "Vincent, come inside."
They sat next to each other on her bed and Catherine listened very carefully as Vincent explained to her what transpired just moments ago. He told her he was walking home when he heard a woman screaming. There were two men that had her pinned to the ground in an alley. He immediately ran to her aid but in the melee with the two guys, he turned into the beast. He told her one guy had a gun and tried to shoot him but missed. The bullet hit the other guy instead, killing him instantly. When the guy tried to shoot Vincent again, he broke the guy's neck.
"Catherine, I don't know what to do."
Catherine could see the anguish in his face and she could hear it in the way he spoke.
"Vincent, it was self defense. You're not a murderer. You were doing what you always do, you were saving someone," she gently placed her hand on his back.
"It doesn't make killing someone any easier," he looked up at her, his eyes full of emotion.
"I know, Vincent. I know."
Catherine gently gripped his shoulder. Vincent always found comfort in her touch. Only Catherine had that effect on him.
"Tell me where this happened. I'll go check it out."
"Catherine, you don't have to - "
"I want to. Please, tell me."
Vincent took in a deep breath. "It was near the secret clinic that Alex runs."
"Okay."
Catherine sighed, that was a down trodden area and it was out of her jurisdiction but that wasn't going to stop her from helping Vincent. She told Vincent to go straight home and stay low, and that she would contact him as soon as she could.
