Two
K's apartment was dark and old looking. The wallpaper looked to be peeling at the edges and the floors were stained everywhere. Even as the morning rays peaked through the broken shades the apartment was depressing looking. The living room kitchen combination had a single table and chair with a small television on the counter.
In her room was a small twin sized bed with a desk shoved against the wall piled with paper and ink pens. Her clothes lay all over the floor from the day before when she was looking for a nice dress to wear to work. Her phone's light came on showing the time to be six in the morning before the alarm set went off.
K's eyes opened quickly at the crude sound and sat up in bed rubbing her eyes. She wanted to lay back down and curl into a ball enjoying the warm fort she had made for herself but she had bills to pay.
She sat up and moved quietly into the empty living room doing stretches to get her heart rate going before moving into a small routine of crunches and pullups. She pushed wet hair from her neck as she moved into her old acrobatic routine keeping her muscles loose.
K quickly showered in the rusted bathroom praying every second that the unpredictable water stayed warm just long enough for her to get the soap out of her hair. Moving quickly to get dressed she looked at her one and only dress laying on the floor where she left it. Her eyes traveled to a pair of black jeans and she bit her bottom lip. Would she dare to wear the same dress twice or walk in with a nice shirt and a pair of pants. She blinked a few times before sighing in defeat.
The wind in Gotham whipped around widely as K walked the empty streets. Her sneakers providing more comfort for the walk than those damned heels that clanked around in her bag. She found it easier to keep her gun in hands reach when she was wearing a simple button down shirt with her navy coat over. Her slightly wet hair was up in a pony tail waving in the wind. She moved to replace her glasses on her nose. Too lazy to put in her contacts for the day.
A few cars here and there drove past her journey not a single one offering her a second glance. It didn't matter to her as long as she kept her pace she would be at work within a half hour. The wind picked up again making her shiver slightly. A car drove past her this time it slowed before moving into an alleyway and backing into the street.
K tensed reaching for her gun her heart fluttering in her chest. The car backed out and moved to her slowing to a stop just a few feet away from her. The window rolled down. K felt her heart jump into her chest. Her gripped tightened on her gun.
"Hello there!"
The voice made K drop her hand from her gun and take in a deep breath, "Goddamnet Ed. You scared the shit out of me!" A smile curled her lips as she walked forward and opened the door slipping in.
He rolled up the window and drove in a clear u-turn smiling softly. For once he was quiet. The shadows cast by the rising sun played off of his more handsome features. If she would have guessed at the time she would say that he was a lady killer. She sat back and marveled at how spotless the car was. Not a single speck of dust. She grew self conscious. Would she leave marks on his clean car.
"I appear in the morning but am always there.
You can never see me though I am everywhere.
By night I am gone, though I sometimes never was.
Nothing can defeat me but I am easily gone.
What am I?"
K looked over at Ed due to his sudden burst. The answer was so blatantly obvious she felt a bit insulted at its simplicity.
"The Sun." she answered softly watching a smile start on the man's lips.
"I would have also taken sunlight." He quipped before looking back onto the road, "If I may ask, why work here?" he asked causing K to look up. She waited for more questions and a babble of reasoning as to why he asked the question but he waited patiently for her to answer.
"I didn't have any options. No where to go, no money to go anywhere. Gotham U offered me a full scholarship I took it. I have a bad habit of getting caught in traps."
"Like a mouse!" Ed exclaimed and then laughed making K jump in her seat. She chuckled awkwardly and nodded pulling her legs closer to herself.
"Yes." She agreed watching the buildings pass them by.
"You startle like one too. I wonder why that is?" he murmured in thought making K look over at him slightly. His face was crinkled in thought.
"I don't like my personal space invaded." K stated softly from her seat as Ed pulled the car into a space. They both exited and walked to the police building. Edward held the door open for K and she walked in bowing her head with a small blush on her cheeks.
They both walked into their office and sat down at their separate desks. The door was opened and a man ran in.
"We have a John Smith and Jane Doe on the streets Ed." The man looked rugged. One of the men that had come into the office the day before.
Edward jumped up and grabbed a jacket shrugging it on. The blue fabric had Forensics on the back he looked at K happily and threw a jacket at her.
"Oh no. I am just a criminologist. I don't go to the field." The man at the door rolled his eyes. Edward put a hand up.
"Harvey..." his voice was a low warning.
"Are you sitting in the forensics room?" he asked and I nodded, "Do you help track down the killer?" He asked sweetly and I nodded again, "Then get the fuck up and lets go already!" he yelled suddenly making K jump and snatch the jacket from Ed. She followed the men through the dark hallways and hid her tears. Her heart was jumping wildly at being yelled at.
Ed show her a smile from his position and noted when she wiped her eye. His mouth twisted and he looked forward straightening his glasses. At a left turn they had made it into a garage. Edward motioned for K to follow him into the forensics van while Harvey ran into a car.
The van smelled dusty and looked very unkempt. Edward kept his frown while trying relentlessly to dust off objects within his reach all while driving. K played with the broken zipper on her 'new' blue forensics jacket.
"You got startled by Detective Harvey earlier." Edward noted making K shrink back into her seat farther.
"Yeah I did." she murmured softly.
"You scare easily." Edward noted thoughtfully.
"I startle easily, yes." she said looking around the van picking out dust particles floating in the air and waving them away. Her attention was drawn to the city streets. The dark shadows that danced along even when the sun shined brightly above them. The people that walked along the streets keeping their eyes on the ground. They walked past one another pushing into those who took too long in the walkway. They passed an alleyway where she could see a man leaning against the wall with a woman on her knees. K looked away and sighed softly.
"Did you hear me?" Edward asked making K look up from her hands. She shook her head and gave a soft 'no' in response.
"What is something people fear,
Yet love to see at the finish line
Makes a book close its pages,
And kills our favorite songs?"
K looked back at her hands twisting her fingers slowly and taking in a deep breath. She thought hard about the riddle catching a few dust partials in the rim of her glasses. She closed her eyes and thought.
"If it is too hard for you I can..."
K lifted a finger forcing Ed to stop talking as she thought.
"The End." K spoke looking up at Edward earning a crooked grin. He looked back at the road moving to park the van. They looked over the scene quickly glancing at the tape and looking at the blood trails. Silent and quick they exited the van pulling out markers.
Quietly they walked along looking at the ground and placing markers where there was evidence. Each person was careful as they danced around the blood making sure to get none on their shoes or temper any of the evidence. K nearly tripped over her own foot. Ed reached out quickly and grabbed her arm with surprising strength pulling her back to her feet. She nodded at him and turned to place the marker. He leaned forward and took a short sniff. She made a face but said nothing more. The rest of the marking went without much fuss. The police was already walking behind where they had marked taking pictures and talking. Gordon and Harvey left already following a surprisingly fast lead.
The two worked like a well oiled machine. Marking and walking together in silent harmony well until...
"It is funny isn't it" Ed spoke more outloud to himself but K rolled her eyes kneeling to the blood splatter that told her a story, "How each piece falls into a puzzle that we get to solve every day!" He seemed like an excited puppy. K stood up and turned around.
"Yes, it is completely funny that these two people died creating a puzzle for us. Ha-Ha" K growled out walking past Nygma. He opened his mouth before closing it like a fish out of water. She leaned to look at the man. He lay in a strange position. His arms crossed and his clothing straightened.
"Remorse..." K murmured looking at the wound in his chest and back to the blood splattered wall. She then turned to the woman. Her face was slashed with multiple knife wounds to her chest and abdominal area. The wounds were shallow done by someone who was weak, "Anger, hate..." K stood and closed her eyes taking in a deep breath. She let it go and opened her eyes. It was night and the world looked much like water. She was in her zone.
The man and woman stood still in the crime scene area. A shadow came into view. K pointed to the man.
"You... there..." he moved wordlessly placing his back to the wall. K looked at the wound from where she was, "Turn around." She ordered and he moved. The wound on his back was small. The entry wound which meant that the bullet went straight through. A gun was quick and easy for the man but not the face. It was someone who loved him.
K looked at the woman, "Look at me." she ordered making the image of the woman flash to look at her. K turned her head and observed the woman before looking at the shadow.
"Jealousy and hate..." The shadow was beginning to take on a female form.
"Are you okay?" Edward placed a hand to K's shoulder shattering the images into daylight. She felt annoyed and angry but pushed it away and turned to look at him.
"It was a woman." she said making Edward raise his eyebrows.
"She shot the man in the back. She didn't want to see his face but still felt betrayed. The shot went through. That is an exit wound. The flesh is pushed out and the wound is big. She moved him that much is clear. She showed remorse by straightening his clothing making him look nice even laying him down away from his own blood." K walked around the man looking up as Edward started speaking.
"This woman must have been cheated on with Jane Doe. The anger in the stabbing. The defacing. She was stabbed much more after death. The ones on her middle show almost no bleeding." K and Ed looked at each other. Edward smiled tightly. K cracked a half smile and walked to the wall searching for the slug that must have been wedged into the wall but there was no bullet. No casing either. She stood and looked around. Come to think of it there were no weapons at all.
"She was smart, no weapons. No trace." K said standing up Edward nodded and crossed his arms, "Maybe we will have the luck of running into some fingerprints or DNA..." K knelt besides the woman and picked up the Jane Doe's hand looking under her fingernails, "AHHA!" K yelled making Edward look down at her perplexed.
"Skin and blood under her fingernails?" Edward asked making K nod her head happily her glasses flashing the light. She pushed them back up her nose and looked down with a big grin, "See.. Funny." He said making K shake her head and sigh softly.
"We need to get the bodies back to the ME and take everything down." A policewoman said walking to the two Forensics standing over the Jane Doe. K nodded and walked away with out another word even as Edward moved to protest. He looked at the Policewoman and stuttered a bit before running after her. She was an obedient little mouse he had to give her that.
