Crimson Kiss
by: raileht
Summary: A descent into madness leaves more questions and little answers.
Disclaimer: The ones you don't know are mine, the ones you do aren't.
Rating: T, to be safe
Spoilers/Timeline: nothing specific.
Warning: Disturbing themes. Violence, blood and graphic details. Possible character death.
Note: Just something I dreamt about. I make no promises. Blackout is still the main priority in my list of works in progress.
-o0oo0oo0o-
TWO
"What is she doing here?"
"I cleared her, you got a problem with that?"
"She-she can't be in here, she—"
"Pull the other one, kid," Detective De Luca grunted, waving the younger officer off as they stood at the threshold of the bedroom of the three story brownstone apartment.
The younger man walked off, but not before looking at his superior then his companion who spared him a look as she stood next to him. Instead, her attention was in the room itself, staring at it with dark scrutinizing eyes, taking in every possible detail.
"They're ready to write this off as an attempted suicide," De Luca said, taking in the elegant and expensively designed bedroom where everything was neat and in order. "But since I knew you'd be sniffing around anyway, I talked to some people and they let me bring you in here, s'long as you don't go anywhere without me."
"They didn't have a problem with my ties to the case?"
"They did," he answered gruffly, "Bitched about it actually, but you've worked with us before and I talked them into it. Seems like this old goat still has a pull in this city…told them you might see something I can't, providing your knowledge…"
Kalinda Sharma nodded, her eyes taking in the red dress on the neatly made bed, "If they're ready to write this off as an attempted suicide, why'd they bring you in from Homicide?"
De Luca shrugged, "Don't know. Probably wanted to be sure, but that's not why we're here. What do you see?"
"Clean," she said simply after a beat. "She was getting ready for a date."
He nodded, "Mhm, with Kurt McVeigh. Ballistics expert, worked with him before too. Good guy. Any idea how he knows her?"
She nodded, "Expert witness in a few cases, but nothing recent."
"So they met through work?"
"Yes," Kalinda answered.
"Have they been seeing each other long?"
"Can't say," she shrugged, "She's private."
"It's not every day there's something you don't know," De Luca commented, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
"I didn't say I don't know, I said I can't say," she replied without looking at him then turned her head to the open door at the other side of the room, "It happened in the bathroom?"
He nodded, motioning towards the open door a few feet away from where they stood by the double doors. The door had been left wide open and just inside, Kalinda could see it had been left empty. The forensics team had gotten their evidence, she knew and she didn't expect to find much anymore herself, but she went in anyway, bypassing the bed and heading straight to the open door.
"McVeigh drops a couple of minutes before eight, rings the doorbell, nobody answers," De Luca began the narrative, "He has a key so he went in, headed up to her room and heard the music. He assumed she was late getting ready so he decided to let her know he was there…comes in, sees the dress on the bed, spots the lights in the bathroom…"
Kalinda reached the door just then, standing just outside the master bathroom and it didn't take her long to smell the eerily familiar scent of blood. She'd been on the job long enough to smell it even with the scent of what she assumed was lavender from the unlit candles on the sink, the metallic smell hanging heavily in the air and straight into her sensory memories.
"He found her unconscious in the tub, arm hanging and blood dripping, didn't take a genius to figure out what happened," De Luca went on, his tone unusually sober and lacking the gruffness it usually had. "He pulled her out, got blood on his pants in the process and put her on the floor. Grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding, called for help…tried to get her to wake up, but she didn't. She'd lost too much blood by then already."
She took in the pool of smeared blood on the floor, a mixture of deep red and spilled bath water, turning the dreadful darkness into lighter shades, pinking at the edges. Investigators would have taken samples already and she didn't feel inclined to do so. This isn't what she came for.
She could feel De Luca standing behind her, but she didn't acknowledge him as instead, her mind flashed to an image of what could have happened in the marble bathroom only hours before.
The candles would have been lit, the scent pervading in the bathroom. She imagined that the scent would have been pleasant and not too overpowering and paired with the warm glow in the dimmed room, it would have given off a nice relaxed feeling, perfect for a long bath before a date. The mood would be light with music playing in the background, bubbles and all. It would all be so typical of a woman getting ready for a date, but perfect enough not to fit this particular one.
"Was she unhappy at work? Pressure? Stress?" De Luca asked, observing the area, but knowing he probably wasn't seeing what she was and it wasn't just because she was a woman. This one had instinct that surpassed his, even with all his years on the job. "Anything that could make you think she'd do this?"
"Make my boss kill herself?" she shook her head, "No."
"I've heard of her," he mumbled, "This doesn't seem like something she would do."
Kalinda nodded, "She was getting ready for a date, left work earlier than usual," she said, tilting her head to the side slightly. She wasn't seeing the woman she knew from work now, just some random person she pretended she knew not too much about. She was detaching herself from the scene, thinking like an investigator, leaving the personals for later. "Got her dress out, took a bath, played some music…she was looking forward to this."
"They hadn't seen each other for a week or so," De Luca said, "He was out of town on business. Phone records show he called her when he said he did to confirm she wasn't ditching him. Apparently, it's happened before."
"Life of a lawyer on call," she muttered, "Did they find anything?"
"Nothing, except a half-empty glass of wine, which they took in for analysis," he answered, "And what was used to make the cut."
"What was it?"
"Letter opener," he answered, "Antique, sharp with an ivory handle, expensive. It was engraved with her initials so no questions on ownership."
"Where was it found?" Kalinda asked then waited for a beat before turning to De Luca again when she didn't get an answer. "Tony?"
De Luca gave her a look, but remained silent.
She nodded, slowly, immediately understanding what he was trying not to tell her. She turned towards the bathroom again, seeing past the images in her mind and returning to the unlit candles, the heavy scent of blood in the air and the blood smeared floors.
"…not in the bathroom."
-o0o-
Sinatra played in the background as she got ready, smiling to herself as she pulled the dress out from her closet and laid it on the bed. It was something she had found and immediately fallen in love with at the shop one Sunday afternoon. It was simple, but beautiful and she hadn't been able to make herself wear it to work and have it just end up like any other outfit. Instead, she kept it for a special occasion.
And that night, the date felt special enough to wear the beautiful creation that fit her like a glove.
Still dressed in a black silk dressing gown, she grabbed the glass of wine on her bedside table, taking a lazy sip while wondering if she should tell him she decided to start the night off without him. She grinned, shaking her head slightly before putting the glass back, deciding she'd keep this one drink to herself. He would just tease her about her fondness for the grape anyway.
Heading back into her walk in closet, she checked her reflection in the mirror on her vanity again, reaching up to tuck an errant lock of blonde hair back in place before continuing on to her shoes. Satisfied with her hair and makeup, she turned away from her reflection with a small smile and stepped further into the closet. She emerged with a pair of black Christian Louboutin peep-toes, laying them down by the side of her bed just as the sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house.
She checked her watch, frowning when she saw what time it was.
If that was her date, he was half an hour early.
Chuckling slightly and tying her dressing gown tighter around her body as she exited her bedroom, she couldn't help but feel the touch of giddiness she hadn't felt in quite some time about a date. Usually the brush of dread would be there and had it been any other man, she would have scoffed at such an early arrival, but not this one.
She smiled, thinking to herself he was a lot more eager than she had thought.
-o0o-
"Let me know when you have something. Thanks."
Kurt returned to the waiting area just in as Will was hung up his phone. A few of the nurses had somehow taken pity on him and decided to give him a pair of scrubs to change into after showing him a place to wash up in. Someone from the police department had come, taking his statement while Will sat by next to him stoically, declaring himself as his legal counsel.
He'd given his statement while still covered in blood and he had allowed them to take his clothes into evidence. He didn't care as long as he was allowed to stay.
Now, dressed in a pair of dark blue scrubs, he sat himself down wearily on one of the seats in the waiting area, bending at the waist and rubbing the back of his neck with one cold hand while the other planted its elbow on one knee. His hands were cold and red, rubbed raw after his efforts to clean the blood off his skin.
It had been almost surreal, stepping into the washroom and seeing his reflection on the mirror. He had somehow gotten blood on his cheek and he had no idea how it had gotten there, but he did feel his heart stop when he saw the garish smudge on his face. It had dried up into a brownish color, standing out clearly against his paling skin. He had stared at the smudge, frozen in place and for a moment, morbidly hypnotized before his stomach suddenly made a fierce lurch.
The force had been hard enough to make him scramble towards the toilet, falling to his knees and emptying his stomach of its contents, retching violently enough to make his eyes feel the sting of tears. He knelt there until there was nothing left, dry heaving in loud harsh gasps before collapsing against the wall, his heart racing and a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin.
It was all he could to make himself get up, pushing himself and leaning against the wall for support, his knees shaking while trying to get his heart into a safer speed and his breathing back to its regular pace. The small room had spun a little and he had to close his eyes for a few moments before forcing himself to move back towards the sink. His eyes were swimming slightly and he avoided his reflection as he hastily turned on the faucet full blast, grabbing the soap he'd been provided and began to furiously scrub his cheek.
He wasn't sure how long it had taken, but he had furiously rubbed on his face harsh enough to make his skin turn red and hot. As soon as he was sure he'd gotten all the blood off his face, he had leapt straight to his hands, parts of it having been cleaned already from the treatment he'd given his face and did the same furious scrubbing he'd done prior.
Changing into the scrubs, he made sure to clean the blood of his body as well, the little that managed to seep through his clothes and tried to ignore the fact that it was her blood he was furiously trying to get off his skin. He didn't dare look at the drain, unwilling to watch more of her blood swirl into nothing with the water and the soap, unwilling to face the reality he'd just been dealt.
Instead, he hurriedly changed into the scrubs, only braving to look at himself with another wash of his face and hands, scrutinizing eyes making sure he hadn't missed anything, made sure he'd gotten everything off.
He couldn't take seeing her blood of his skin again.
"The police are at the house," Will said after a moment, sitting across from him in a similar chair though both men avoided looking at each other. He was still dressed in his suit, his coat draped onto the chair next to him while he held on to his phone with both hands. "They're not ruling this as an attempted, uh, suicide yet."
Kurt looked up, his eyes meeting the younger man's as they both happen to glance at each other at the exact same time. He gave him a look, "You can't seriously think…"
"No, of course not," he said, swallowing a little. "But right now, that's how it looks…she-she wouldn't do this. It's…impossible."
"Damn right," Kurt said, snapping slightly then shook his head, covering his face with both hands while resting his elbows at the knees, rubbing his face wearily. "I'm sorry…didn't mean to snap."
"It's fine," Will said, shrugging slightly, glancing at the unforgiving doors at the end of the hall again. "Considering everything that's happened, you're holding yourself together quite well."
Kurt nodded, "I just…she wouldn't do this."
"She wouldn't," Will agreed, "I've got Kalinda on it…someone did this to her...we need to find out who and why."
He nodded, "I should have gotten there sooner."
The lawyer shook his head, "I heard what you said…you arrived earlier than you'd agreed…if anything, you arrived just in time to save her. This wasn't your fault."
The older man shrugged, letting his hands drop from his face as he let his head loll forward, bending at the waist further until his head was almost between his knees, "I hear you…but I can't listen."
Will nodded, "I understand."
Kurt sighed, "Who would do this to her?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
-o0o-
She took her time reaching the door, humming along to the song she could still hear playing softly from her bedroom. As she passed a mirror in the hall leading towards the foyer, she glanced at her reflection, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear and silently thankful that she was finished doing her makeup already. Silently, she playfully damned the cowboy for being so early. She had hoped to make herself presentable and on time, being early was just downright playing dirty.
Knowing him, she was sure he would still make fun of her for being not ready yet, even if he was early. She wasn't sure what she would do to him then, but for sure, she would incite some form of punishment for his making fun of her, which was, as she now knew, something he liked to do for fun. He was a cute tease.
The luxurious material of her silk dressing gown swayed around her calves, her hand brushing against the bow she had tied on one side of her body, making sure it was in place just as she reached the door. A smile appeared on her face as she pulled the door of the foyer open, stepping into the small space between it and the entry door of her home, her smile growing wider as she saw a silhouette just beyond the frosted glass and wrought iron design, illuminated by the porch lights.
She took a deep breath before opening the door, prepared to say a happy welcome when she realized she'd been wrong to assume who would be on her front door that night. The smile faded from her lips, her face registering a look of slight disappointment for only a flicker for a second before she managed to control her reaction and took a step back, hiding her body slightly behind the door without really thinking about it.
"Oh," she managed to say, the smile on her face not quite as bright as it started out but it covered the shock she felt only seconds prior, "Hello."
The unexpected visitor smiled, "Good evening, Diane."
-o0o-
"You see my problem, right?"
Kalinda nodded, turning away from the bloody floors and turning towards the room again. She looked around, immediately spotting the marker that had been left just to her left, a foot or so away from the door of the bathroom. There were a few drops of blood, centered in one space.
"That were you found it?" she nodded towards the area, "The letter opener?"
"Yeah," De Luca nodded, "McVeigh never said anything about it, probably didn't notice it while looking around for her. She was tall…no use looking for a woman on the floor unless you have reason to, right?"
She ignored him, looking around the room, spotting the small desk a few feet away from the bed. There was a small book case next to it, filled with volumes and arranged properly even though the books were obviously different. She eyed the table, spotting a laptop, cell phone and the purse she'd seen earlier that day in the office. In her mind, an image flashed of the woman working there, late into the night. There was an office somewhere in the house, she knew, but she wasn't surprised there was a section in this room for work as well.
The letter opener could have just as easily come from there, seeing as there were a few envelopes, all open, on the desk, just underneath the purse. From the looks of it, they could just as easily be bills or junk mail.
"Did you find anything else?" she asked, almost absently as she looked around the room. Everything seemed in place, nothing disturbed, but somehow, it felt as if something was out of place. She'd never been in there before, never been on this level of the house and yet she could feel it. Maybe it was pure instinct, same one that had always served her well. "Fingerprints?"
"Found them," the detective answered, "But we're not banking on them too much. They could just as easily been hers, but it never hurts to check. The letter opener will be tested too, of course."
"What about the wine glass?"
"That one too, come on, kid, we're not exactly new to forensics," he grumbled, "Give us some credit."
"Did McVeigh touch anything?"
"According to him, he only touched the doors and the banister on his way up," De Luca replied, "And the bathroom door too when he pushed it open. Nothing else, well, except of course the tub when he got her out." He paused, "See anything?"
She shrugged, her eyes falling on the dress on the bed, "No."
De Luca's face fell, "Really?"
"Yeah, except…" she glanced at the shoes.
"What?"
"This wasn't an attempted suicide," Kalinda turned to the old detective.
"How do you know?"
She tilted her head towards the dress, "This woman set is a finisher, type who likes goals and likes reaching them…if she was planning to kill herself, she wouldn't have called up a guy who could arrive in time to save her."
"Maybe it was a cry for attention?"
Kalinda shook her head, "This isn't some teenager we're talking about. This is a grown woman with a mind of her own. She didn't get to where she was playing stupid."
"So you're saying…"
"Someone staged this to make it look like a suicide," she said simply, "And it looks real, almost convincing. It would have worked except whoever did this probably didn't count on McVeigh showing up."
"Tell me more," De Luca said simply, motioning for her to continue.
"Whoever did this wanted her to bleed to death, slowly," she glanced at the bathroom again, "So it looks real, like she really killed herself."
"What about the letter opener?" he tilted his head to the side, "Why leave it by the door?"
"Maybe a mistake," she shrugged, "Or maybe they were counting too much on you chalking this up as a suicide, no questions asked."
"So, we're not looking at a suicide…"
"No," the woman said, dark eyes meeting the detective's, "You're looking for a murderer."