Chapter 2: Mistaken Identity
"Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for takeoff. The captain will turn off the seatbelt sign when you are free to move about the cabin. Thank you for choosing United Airlines and we hope you enjoy the flight to Houston Intercontinental Airport."
The flight attendant put the microphone back as the captain said, "Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff." The engine then began to roar at a high volume of the acceleration caused by the main controls in the cockpit. Dria always loved the takeoff when flying… then again she loved planes in general, since she grew up with her dad working on them in the military and as a civilian after he retired. Boy, do I miss seeing my dad work on the Tomcat… seriously… if only I could go back in time, or have the money to buy a Tomcat. Oh well, right now, I have more important things to worry about than past memories. For instance, moving… Why am I moving again? Dria leaned back into her seat after reaching the proper altitude; putting the hoodie over her side-fishtail-French-braided dark-brown hair, sticking her hands in the black Batman jacket pocket, and crossing her legs to keep warm from the cold air of the plane… This is why I wear a jacket and jeans on the plane, no matter what kind weather is at the destination. She then closed her eyes and remembered an event that happened roughly six months before:
"You think with the snowy weather, criminals would take a break," commented Detective Reichs while briefing at a crime scene in a Christmas tree lot.
"Yeah," replied Dria, "and let us spend time with our families over the holidays instead of trying to catch their dumb asses."
"Well, looks like the victimology fits the M.O. of our serial killer," Reichs said as Dria lifted up the plastic covering that was on top of the victim. "Victim's name was Kristen Villapos, 29, African American, just finishing up grad school at UTK [University of Tennessee Knoxville]. There is visual evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. Kristen may have been sexually assaulted, but we won't know until the M.E. report."
"There is the obvious to this victim compared to the others…. she isn't skeletonized… then again, it's below zero out here, which would cause the decomposition to slow down, a lot. Aside from that, I do think she was a fighter and got away before the unsub could finish her off. The dump site is different too. It's in a public place, so our guy wanted her to be found instead of hidden at the park."
"Yeah, a family-public place. I'm just happy no kids saw her, they'd be scarred for life. So, what's your theory? And how do we know it's the same guy?"
"Well, we've come to the conclusion that this guy boils their bodies in sulfuric acid while they're alive, correct?" Reichs nods her head. "With Kristen, there was more remorse, like the unsub personally knew her and couldn't bring themselves to burn her alive. We would assume from the bruises on her neck that she was strangled, but we won't know for sure until the autopsy… which will also tell us if this really is our guy. My only question is: was this on accident? It's not as brutal, so we can only hope our guy slipped up."
"Dria, every time we have one of these cases, you cease to amaze me. You sure you don't want to become a profiler for the FBI? You'd be amazing at it."
"No, I couldn't handle being away all the time and putting my life on the line when I have someone who's counting on me to take care of her, like I promised."
"Just saying, you could have a way better job than being in this hell hole." Dria gave her an oppressive look. "What? I'm sorry, but this place is a hell hole." They got into their Suburban and started driving back to the station.
"A real hell hole would be Phoenix… or worse, Las Vegas…" Dria mumbled.
"You're still thinking of those guys aren't you? Woman, it's been like…"
"A month… I know. I guess that event left an imprint on me, or something."
"Or, you're just thinking about the hotness of Zak Bagans!"
"Gah! No! That would be you… you man-crazy woman! In difference to what you might think, Zak Bagans is NOT the kind of 'perfect man' every woman makes him out to be. I mean, come on, he ran away crying like a little girl from a freaking donkey!"
"Hey, donkeys are mean and viscous… they bite a lot."
"Excuses, excuses… all I'm saying is that particular event made an imprint on me. Anyways, moving on, what do we have on the perpetrator?"
"Not much, just that he seems to be racist, victims always being of color."
"Well, maybe we need to interview the known victim's families. We might be missing something." *Phone ringing* "Dr. Kovach here. Yes. Oh my, really? Ok, we're on our way to the station anyway. Thanks." Dria hung up with a puzzled look.
"What's up?"
"Apparently, a young African American woman just came forward after seeing the media coverage of the latest victim. Since the vic's name wasn't given to the press, all they have is that another black woman was murdered. With this being an act of a serial killer, the public needed to be warned. Anyway, the young woman informed the station that her sister had been missing for a few days. They told me she has more information, but she won't talk to the officers at the station… for some reason she will only talk to me."
"That's strange… then again, you do have your PhD in 'people skills.'"
"Anthropology."
"Whatever, you know how to talk to certain people."
"Okay… whatever you say Reichs."
They pulled up to the station. "Although," Reichs said as they got out of the car, "I could never understand how you're so good with people we meet and deal with, but you're terrible at not letting some pretty boy get to you."
Dria rolled her eyes, "Can you just leave it alone? If I ever hear from the guys again, I'll make sure 'pretty boy' gives you a call, just so you can get off my back."
"Deal… as long as he lets me get on his back instead," teased Reichs while smiling with her tongue between her teeth.
An officer walked up to Dria, "The young woman is waiting for you in your office."
"Thanks, Matthews." Dria left Detective Reichs and walked to her office, taking a deep breath in preparation for conversing with a loved one of a victim. "Hi, I'm Dr. Kovach. You requested to speak to me."
The young woman stood up from the visitor's chair, entire body shaking with arms crossed and depressed expression on her face. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Kasey Villapos. I wanted to find out for sure if the woman they spoke of on TV was my sister. I brought a picture." She took out the small photo of a woman, who looked similar to her, from her purse.
As soon as Dria saw the picture of Kristen, her eyes got serious with empathy. "Ms. Villapos, I am so sorry to tell you this, but the woman found was Kristen." Right away Kasey was crying while trying to keep a calm face. Man, thought Dria, I love my job, but this part never gets easy. "I am sorry for your loss. If there's anything you need, please let us know."
Kasey nodded while using a tissue from her purse to wipe away the tears and blow her nose. "Do you know if she's connected to the other murders?"
"We won't know until the autopsy report. However, we do know that she didn't suffer like the other victims that were found."
"Why do you say that?" Kasey asked with a cracked voice.
"Your sister… she didn't die the same way as the others. They were burned with sulfuric acid inside and out… until they were only skeletons. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?"
"Might as well."
"Did your sister have anyone really close in her life? Like someone who was a best friend, or seemed like a brother or sister? We ask because whoever killed her had sympathy towards her."
Kasey shook her head, "We were very close, and she never mentioned anyone." There was a slight pause, and then Kasey put her hand to her mouth. "Wait… there was this one guy who tried to get with the both of us. I met him on an online group that's linked to the college for our major. We would hang out at the coffee place on campus. He seemed like a descent guy at the time, but then I would find him following me from work… class… the gym… everywhere. I reported it to the police, but there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he was a threat. That was until he kidnapped me." Kasey shivered and started crying again.
"It's ok, Kasey. No one is going to hurt you," said Reichs in comfort.
Kasey still had fear in her eyes. "You don't understand. I could never come forward with what I went through with this guy. I told my parents and they didn't believe me! I love my sister, but she would only do or say what my parents allowed. I then find out that she started dating the same guy who kidnapped and… tortured me!"
"Kasey, we know this is hard, but we need to know what he did to you. Please… help us catch this guy before he hurts someone else," Dria requested.
"He… he would burn me on my back with some kind of acid…" she turned around and lifted her shirt to show the burn marks. "He then told me it was so I could be free from the prison of my parents and that we could be together forever. To consummate our bond, he then would… rape me… repeatedly… then the last thing he did was use a knife to cut into my spine, so I would always have his mark. Then, one day, I wasn't bound tight enough to the bed I was kept on, and was able to get out of the house." Kasey then was crying like someone had taken the life out of her.
"Kasey… one last question… how long ago was this?"
Kasey was silent for a moment, catching her breath, "It was about a year ago… around Halloween."
Dria and Reichs looked at each other. "That's right when the murders started. Kasey, you will be under protective custody until we catch this guy. We do need your help one last time though."
"Sure, but what can I do?"
"Can you give a description to one of our sketch artists of this man? And describe as best you can of the place you were kept in?"
Kasey nodded. "I will try my best… all I can remember was his name was Gary Sanders… and the place he had was like a cabin, out in some wooded area."
"We'll look it up," commented Reichs, "thank you for all of your help, Kasey. Officer Williams, would you take Kasey to Rachel so she can get a sketch made up?" Williams nodded from the doorway and gestured Kasey to lead the way out of the office.
*Beep beep* "Oh," Dria said while looking at her phone, "looks like Dr. Brent has some things to show us with Kristen's autopsy."
(Meanwhile… unbeknown to Dria)
"Let's hope this trip isn't for nothing," commented Nick while getting off the plane. "She didn't seem too happy the last time she saw us."
"Correction, she wasn't too happy with Zak," inputted Aaron, "… hence, why he didn't come on this trip with us. Besides, I've been talking to her, you know, email, text, whatnot." Nick rose an eyebrow, "I can see what you're thinking, Nick, there is no 'romantic spark' between us. We're like long-lost best friends. She's actually not interested in finding romance because she's happy with her job and daughter."
"Daughter? That's interesting," Nick sighed.
"What?"
"Nothing, let's just get a rental and get to the station… or school. Hopefully she'll be there. I highly doubt they'll give us her home address, security purposes of course."
"Ok, sounds like a plan. Maybe we can see the school she works at, too… with the 'Body Farm.' Seriously, how creepy, but cool, does that sound?"
Nick just rolled his eyes at Aaron. After waiting around for 30 minutes for the Hertz shuttle, they patiently waited for help at the car rental. After another 30 minutes, they were able to get their usual rental, GMC Terrain.
"Do you think she'll be annoyed or happy to see us?" asked Nick while setting up the GPS to find the hotel, the school, and the station. "I mean, she shouldn't turn us away considering we flew all the way here."
"Technically, I flew the farthest, almost 2,000 miles to get here, while you only flew under 1,000 from Boston. She will at least appreciate me flying all the way over here, so there," Aaron stuck his tongue out at Nick.
"Fine, you win. Remind me again why we're doing this?" Nick questioned as they parked at the Hilton Garden Inn.
"We are doing this because we need her," responded Aaron as they walked through the lobby door to the front desk. "We don't have to tell the world, but she would be able to get much better evidence. A big plus that I'm hoping will convince her is the fact that LVPD is a better place for her skills… with being able to identify skeletal remains that is."
"Here is your room key, sirs," said the concierge with a raised eyebrow while handing the key card to Nick.
Nick raised his left hand pointing to his wedding ring. "Married to a beautiful blonde with a beautiful daughter, thank you."
"Did that guy just assume we were a couple?" asked Aaron as they walked to the elevator.
"Apparently," Nick sighed while pressing the 5 level button.
"Ok, just because we got a room together does not make us gay. Hello, having one room with two beds does not mean we're together. Now if we were sharing one bed, then I'd understand the concern. Luckily, we have frequent flyer miles, so the tickets weren't too bad. Anyway, I say we freshen up a bit, then head to the school to see if we can find Dria there first," commented Aaron as they got to the room.
"Alright, let's go in a few hours, before the work day ends. I am taking a much needed nap," yawned Nick while getting comfortable on the bed.
"Fine, while you nap, I'm going to get some grub… the plane food isn't that great."
Nick waved a hand at him as if saying, Yeah, yeah, just go away and let me sleep.
Aaron made it down to the lobby and saw there were pamphlets for dining. Hmm… what sounds good? Oh! Noodles & Company is just around the corner. Man, I haven't had food from there in such a long time. The guys will totally be jealous. Aaron walked out of the lobby to the restaurant down the street. The whole time he was walking, he was staring down at his phone posting on Twitter and Facebook, so he didn't notice people looking at him in shock. He caught a few glances as he got in line in the restaurant, Eh, just GAC fans in shock at seeing the famous Aaron Goodwin… and probably wondering where Nick and Zak are… especially the ladies with Zak. There are some positives at not having him around.
"Hi there, good sir," started the cashier. "What can we get started for you?"
"Hi, could I get the Indonesian Peanut Saute, small, with a large drink?"
"Of course, would you like a soup or salad to go with that, sir?"
"Sure, how about a small tossed green salad."
"Ok, I've got a small Indonesian Peanut Saute and tossed green salad with one large drink. Anything else, sir?" the cashier was remarkably calm compared to the rest of the staff.
Ok, wonder why these people are more afraid than excited. Do I have a noticeable ghost attached at my hip or something? "No, thank you, that will be all. Could I have it in a to-go bag please?"
"Of course, sir. Ok, your total comes to $8.66." Aaron hands the cashier a $10 bill. "Out of 10, $1.34 is your change. Your order will be ready within a few minutes."
Aaron sat down at one of the booths and waited for his order to be ready. Number 203… hopefully it won't take long, my stomach is in complete knots.
Five minutes go by… "Number two-oh-three, your order is ready." Thank God that was quick. Aaron got up and grabbed his food. "Thank you for choosing Noodles & Company, have a wonderful day and we hope to see you again." The food service worker who handed him the food had a big smile… That's the weirdest smile I've ever seen. These Tennessee people are definitely strange.
Aaron walks out with food in hand and noticed the people around him were staring at him, hovering away. Ok, what is going on here, why do these people keep staring at me? "Take a picture, people; it'll last longer, geez."
He made it to the hotel and went up to the room, finding Nick passed out cold, snoring. Aaron turned on the television, looking for something to entertain him while consuming a mouth watering entrée. He ended up finding some cartoons, Bugs Bunny of all characters. If only Scooby-Doo was on. I can't wait to get out of this weird town. Hopefully, Dria will be convinced of our idea rather quickly so we can get home.
*Ding-ding* "This is your Captain speaking. I have turned on the seat belt sign, so if you please, remain in your seats as we descend into Houston."
The flight attendants finished up taking the trash of all the passengers, checked the luggage cabin down the aisle, then took their seats in the designated areas in the front and back of the plane. Now the fun part, waiting to get off the plane and rush over to my other flight. I really, really hope the gates aren't too far apart. This is one of the worst airports to be running around in. Dria stared out the window, she could see the sun loosing light from setting over the horizon. God, you do make the most beautiful art. Science will never understand true beauty.
*Ka-thump* *Sound of rubber tires hitting asphalt* *Wooooooosh* The airplane was slowing down as it landed on the asphalt air strip. Dria could see the flaps of the wing pointing downward and the spoilers of the wing pointing upward. I've strangely always found that interesting, when the parts of the wing move to help the aerodynamics of slowing down a plane that was previously going a few hundred miles per hour. Good God, I'm such an aeromechanics' daughter. The plane had stopped at the terminal and people had begun to get off. Good thing I my seat was towards the front. Well, here we go. Dria grabbed her carryon suitcase and backpack, and then followed the few passengers in front of her off the plane through the ramp connection. Ok, I'm at gate A35 and I need to get… hmm, A40. Well, that's not too bad. Dria followed the signs to where her gate would be. Ah, here it is… wasn't far at all.
"Flight 276 from Houston to Las Vegas is now boarding." Dria went with the line to scan her ticket and board the plane. The second she sat down in her 12A seat, a flight attendant came up to her with a huge and friendly smile, "Excuse me Ma'am, are you Ms. Alexandria Kovach, seat 12A?"
Dria looked at the flight attendant with a deer in the headlights look, "Yes."
"You have won a first class seat for no extra charge! So, if you would please follow me, I will show you to your seat for this flight."
"Ok… thanks, I guess," Dria responded with hesitancy while grabbing her suitcase that she had just put away in the overhead storage.
Dria followed the flight attendant to the first class section of the plane, and was directed to the first row on the pilot's side of the plane. "The window seat is yours Madam." Dria just shrugged and put her suitcase in the overhead compartment; then slid into the seat with her back pack tucked in the small compartment in front of her. Wow, she thought to herself, this is a first. Now I can actually dose off comfortably… I just hope that the person sitting next to me isn't 'yabby.' I can't stand it when people decide, 'Hey, maybe this random person would love to hear me blab the whole time we're flying.' Right. Well, maybe I should just put in my headphones and stare out the window, people usually don't bug someone who has headphones in. Oooh, Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin… awesome song to does off to. Dria sits back in her seat, closes her eyes and lets the music take her over, drawing her back to that eventful memory…
"Alright Dr. Brent," Dria said as she got off the elevator to the coroner's office, aka, the basement of the police station. "What do you have for us on Kristen's autopsy?"
"Well, her hyoid bone was broken, indicating that she was strangled."
"Just what we thought," inputted Reichs.
"Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, excluding scar tissue in the genitalia, like the others; so there was no sexual assault, it was consensual with whomever. The one thing that did stick out, however, was the mark on her C7 Cervical vertebrae. It was very distinct, like someone purposely stuck a knife or other sharp object in the neck and tried to saw the bone."
Dria and Reichs looked to each other. "That's the signature," they said together.
"There's a healed scar on her skin, very small, can only see with a microscope. The healing looks as though it was done at least a few weeks before she was killed. The procedure was done very carefully, like he has medical background or knows someone who does, considering the other victims weren't as 'neatly' cut as this one.
"Thanks Dr. Brent," said Dria as they got back into the elevator.
"So this guy made his 'mark' on Kristen, just like the other victims," stated Reichs.
*Beep beep* "I just received a text from Sheriff Jones. Apparently, the sketch that Rachel made from Kasey's description was a big hit in the town. They have someone in custody upstairs. We need to get Kasey back to give a positive ID on this guy."
"Alright, I'll go pick her up." Reichs got off on the first floor, leaving the station to pick up Kasey.
*Ding* Dria had just arrived to the 5th level of the building, where the police force had their interrogation rooms. All she could hear was yelling from a man that was being held by two officers: "I am not a serial killer!" Wow… that voice sounds really familiar… Dria thought to herself. "My name is…" Wait… can't be… "Aaron Goodwin!" Fudge noodles! What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks is he doing here!? Zak better not be here. If he is, there will be some heads spinning so fast, it'll make owls coo-coo-crazy.
"What is going on here!? Why do you have Mr. Goodwin in custody!?" Dria was already furious that he was even there to begin with… but for him to be arrested was a crime in itself. Aaron would only hurt a fly, nothing more or less. What is wrong with these people!? Were they born yesterday or something?
"He matches the surviving victim's description of our perpetrator," a short, medium build, blonde officer said while holding up the sketch that Rachel the sketch artist put together.
"A witness's sketch of a person isn't always the best to go off of for finding someone. They do help, but only in giving an idea of what a person may look like. For all we know, the suspect could have shaven his beard so he wouldn't be recognized. Rachel, did you scan the sketch into the system?" Rachel nods. "Can you make a copy of this without the beard?" Rachel nods a second time, typing into the computer to make the changes, and prints out the copy requested. "Bingo," smiled Dria.
"Can you please, let me go? I haven't done anything wrong!" pleaded Aaron in the interrogation room. "If you don't believe me than could you grab Dria Kovach, or Alexandria Kovach, or Dr. Kovach… however you know her by, please?"
The officer just looked at him as though he was some crazy nut job, but shrugged and walked out of the room… it didn't hurt if he asked Dr. Kovach if she knew this crazy lunatic. Within seconds, Dria was right there ready to walk in the room, when the officer had a surprised look on his face.
"I've got this," commented Dria. The officer just rolled his eyes and walked down the hall to the main patrol room. Dria couldn't help but laugh at little, before walking into the interrogation room.
Aaron had his head in his hands on the table, looking like he was about to have a heart attack from all of the stress. Dria sat down in the seat across from him, gently placing the case file in the center of the table, so she would not frighten him. After hearing the paper hit the table, Aaron slowly looked up from his hands, "Oh! Thank God you're here Dria! I was beginning to lose my mind! Please tell them I had nothing to do with… I can't believe I'm saying… killing people!" Dria just looked at him with a slight smirk. "What!? Come on Dria! You know me by now, I mean we've been talking for months! Do you really think I'm capable of doing this!? Besides, you know my alibi… being a part of a famous television show that lets me travel the world all the time."
"Aaron, Aaron…" Dria started, while keeping herself from laughing. "What are you doing here? You should be in Vegas… with… ugh, Mr. Pretty Boy. Oh God… please don't tell me he's here too?" Dria had a small look of worry on her face.
"No, don't worry. It's just me and Nick."
Dria sighed in relief. "Ok, Aaron, start from the beginning."
"Not until you get me out of here, please."
"Ok… fine. Just so you can see… here," Dria opened the case file and pulled out some photos, "is the sketch our one witness was able to give our sketch artist."
Aaron looked at the sketch, "Wow… now it all makes sense. Apparently, I have an evil twin running around."
Dria couldn't help but laugh at that. "Exactly why I had them make a sketch without the beard," she pulled out the second sketch that Rachel printed out.
Aaron looked relieved, "Thank God. Does this mean I can finally get out of here?"
Dria giggled, "Yes, Aaron, you are free to go."
"Wonderful! Is there a Starbucks around here? I need a good cup of joe."
"Actually, there's a place that's better than Starbucks. How about I treat you in return to this huge misunderstanding? Plus, we can discuss why you're here."
"Sounds good to me."
"Ok, I'll meet you in the lobby. I need to finish up here, hopefully there won't be much more I need to do to close this case."
"I'll send the cavalry if you're longer than 15 minutes," joked Aaron. "The cavalry meaning Nick… if he has actually woken up yet."
They both laugh, then get up to leave the interrogation room. As soon as they walked out into the patrol room, it became a crazy animal zoo. Dria walked Aaron to the elevator to get down to the lobby, then turned back to the chaos to see if she can calm it down. She sees Reichs with Kasey over by the viewing room.
"What's going on, Reichs?" Dria asked as she walked up to them. "Why is everyone going crazy?"
Reichs just sighed with a tired expression, "We've got our suspect."
"Well, that's wonderful isn't it?"
"Yes… except, there were at least five men in our town who match the description in the sketch."
"Oh, I see. Well, then, Kasey, are you strong enough to look at the line up?"
Kasey had a drained face, "Yes. I can most certainly point him out. If you are not convinced of my testimony of sight alone, then you should know… he has a giant mole…"
"Ok. Where would this giant mole be?" asked Reichs.
"On… on… th-the top of… his… his…" Kasey was nervous and stuttering.
"Yes, Kasey," Dria pushed, "spit it out, you can do it."
"ON THE TOP OF HIS BUTT CRACK!" Kasey burst out, so the whole station became silent. Then, within seconds, silence turned into bursts of laughter.
"Oh grow up you crazy fools!" Dria yelled at them. "Can't you see this woman has been through enough already!? Now, why don't you all just bugger off!?"
The officers standing about the room then did as Dria asked, and went back to doing their duties: some leaving the vicinity and others were staying behind to complete paperwork.
"That's better. Now," Dria said as she turns back to Reichs and Kasey, "Reichs, you think you can handle the remaining of this case without me? I'm afraid some business with the GAC has come up." Reichs raised her eyebrow. "No, don't worry, he isn't here, sorry to disappoint. However, his team is, so I must find out why they're invading my job."
Reichs laughed, "Yes, I can take it from here." Kasey was already looking at the line up and was able make a hand signal of the number three, then started shaking again.
Dria took in a deep breath and exhaled as she walked away from her partner with a smile. Now to figure why in God's good name are Aaron and Nick here in Knoxville. Dria found Aaron in the lobby and led him outside to a privately owned coffee shop that happened to be across the street from the police station. Dria and Aaron got their coffee and sat at a few cushion chairs that were towards the back of the café, away from the crowds, so they would be able to hear each other.
"Alright, Aaron… spill," Dria was getting impatient.
"So… basically, since you left us, we've been trying to get back to normal. Scheduling trips to more known haunted places, going to the haunted places, trying to get evidence, just like we always do. There was just something out of place… we weren't able to get even close as good as evidence as the time you investigated with us. So, it occurred to us, we had to try to get you to investigate with us again, if not permanently."
Dria rolled her eyes, "So, when you say 'we,' you mean all of you? Including the one who can't stand women whom have a mind of their own?"
"Yes, all of us, including Zak. I know you probably won't believe this, but Zak was actually the one who came up with the brilliant plan."
"Oh boy, this I've got to hear." Dria sat back with her arms crossed in the cushioned chair to fully relax. She had a nervous smile, thinking, Why would pretty boy do such a thing?
Aaron took a deep breath, "I know you two didn't say goodbye on good terms, but… he does feel bad for being a jerk. So, with that said, he knew the best way to convince you of our idea where if Nick and I came instead, since you got along with us the best."
"Technically, I got along the best with you, Aaron. Nick was just… there… same as Billy… which by the way, I'm sorry Jay didn't join you guys on that investigation, that would have been cool to meet him too."
"Don't worry about it, he had family stuff to take care of. Anyways, I think you connect better with me because I understand your religious side of things. The guys, Zak especially, are really open to anything… why they're not afraid of demonic entities."
"Which makes them, stupid, in my opinion… most of all Zak… he doesn't have the slightest idea what he's messing with. You guys have been playing with fire, hello!" Aaron could tell Dria was already frustrated. Shaking her head, she sighed, "Moving on, what's your point?"
"My point being, you would actually be protecting us, saving us, in a way, because you know what truly is evil and what is good. I love this job, but I'm tired of being dragged into the places where there's crazy demonic activity. I mean, my marriage got ruined because all we would do is taunt the spirits in places to 'do something' and it would end up being an evil entity, attaching itself to us, coming home with us. Aren't you all about helping people?"
"Well, yeah, I love helping people, but working with dead people and live families is completely different than working with the supernatural. I use science and common sense to solve these cases to bring closure to the families left behind."
"You said your expertise is working with bodies that have become a skeleton, correct?" Dria nods her head. "Well, wouldn't you be better off working in a desert? Where the heat and dry air help the, uh, tissue or whatever dissolve better?"
"Aaron, you surprise me. I never thought you'd be a brainiac at heart. Yes, you're correct, the desert would be better. However, I have a few concerns: I love my job here, so why would I want to start somewhere new? Having a daughter, I don't want to drag her with me, making her leave her school, her friends. I was a military brat, but wasn't dragged all over the place like most and I want to keep it that way for her. She's been through a lot in her life and this year, she's finally making friends and opening up to people. I just want to keep her safe from the life she used to have."
"She's adopted? I always thought with the way you talked about her so much, she'd be your own flesh and blood."
"I treat her as if she were my own flesh and blood… & there's a long story to the whole adoption thing, which maybe someday I'll share with you… but for now… I just want what's best for her, you know?"
"Nick has a daughter too, you know."
"Yeah, I know, but doesn't he live in Maine or something?"
"Yeah, New England basically, but he does come to visit sometimes…" Dria just stared at him, You're not convincing me Aaron. "Ok, ok, I get it, sorry, bad example. The point I was trying to make was that we would do our best to help the both of you feel welcome. You know, try to make Las Vegas your home. Also, we would ask you to move after the school year finishes, for your daughter's sake, so it would be easier to move during the summer. Please, Dria, please? It would be so much better if you were around." Aaron gave a puppy dog look.
"Fine, I'll talk to Kiora… but… even if she's ok with it, I'd still need to make sure I have a position over there. I mean, it's highly doubtful that the Police Captain over there will be ok with a new hire taking time off every other week."
"Well, we are famous… we can put in a few words around the law enforcement." Aaron winked, hoping that she was coming around to the idea.
"Don't bother. I'll see if my pull can help. Then… there's getting a place to live and moving everything there… it's just a hassle… I don't know if I want to do it."
"Well… the best thing to do about it is… you can probably guess… pray."
Ok, Aaron… you've got me there. Fine… Lord, what do you think of this?
"Fine, I'll let you know within the next few days. In the meantime, I guess I could show you around. I could even show you guys the Body Farm at the school I work at."
"Dude! That would be awesome! Let me get a hold of Nick… he's been sleeping since we got here… *Monster from Muppets singing on Aaron's phone* "… well, speak of the devil. Not literally of course… but… anyway you get what I mean." Aaron answered his phone and walked away, talking to Nick.
Out of the bliue, Dria was suddenly smelling a men's cologne, that was incredibly strong, taking over her senses. Wait… I don't remember smelling this when Aaron and Nick came to Knoxville… why does it smell like Calvin Klein? Wait a minute… only one person wears that…
Dria woke up, still on the plane, noticing that nightfall had engulfed the sky. As Dria tried to sit up in her chair, she noticed some extra weight on her left shoulder. She slowly turned her head to see who decided to fall asleep on her. Seriously, who would have the nerve to fall asleep on a lonely woman, who is but a stranger!?
Dria looked at the figure, breathing softly beside her. It was a man, who looked to be her age, if not a few years her junior. His skin was a flushed neutral color and perfectly smooth. The muscles in his legs and arms were simply defined, with robust shoulders. Though his shoulders are not nearly as robust as Zak's, thought Dria, but he's overall the happy-medium that most women want in a man's physique. His arms were crossed as though to keep warm from the chill of the high altitude. Dria's eyes shifted from his arms, to his shoulders, then to his face. From the position she was in, she could only see portions of his face. Her eyes then set on the rosy cheeks and thin lips that do nothing but exemplify his masculinity. His mental protuberance proved that his face was long with a nose slightly larger than of average. I know this face… Dria couldn't see his eyes, but she knew they would be milk chocolate brown with a slight hint of chamois.
Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire you have got to be kidding me! This cannot be… him! Oh good Lord, please don't let him recognize me if it is! Dria wished and hoped that the man wouldn't wake up. Within seconds, of course, the man began to wake up. It was due to her racing heart rate, gaining speed every second with the nerves in her entire body shaking like a dry leaf during autumn. Dria saw as he was gaining consciousness to his surroundings, he pushed out his arms and legs in front of him to stretch, which then pushed his head more into both the seat and her shoulder.
"Oh!" he exclaimed at the realization of Dria. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" Riiiggght, dude… riiiggghht, Dria rolled her eyes. The man moved to sit upright in his chair and had his face turned to her out of courtesy of conversation. Within a moment of the man and Dria locking eyes, he had marvel look on his face. "Dria? Alexandria Kovach!?" The man was beginning to get excited, bouncing in his seat Shit… it is him. I knew it from the second I smelled that cologne. Great… and by the look on his face, he's recognized me. Fan-freaking-tastic! Dria just gave a fake smile to confirm that he knew her. "Oh my goodness!" he blurted out while pulling her to him for a hug. "It has been way too long! Since our graduation from SDSU, right!?" He then leaned back into his seat, exposing his pearly whites with a smile curved from ear to ear. Great, just great… that smile still gives me butterflies… ugh!
"Hi Byron," Dria nervously laughed. "I didn't expect to see you here… on a plane… from Houston to Vegas." I actually didn't expect to see you ever again after college… God, you sure do have an acute sense of humor.
"I know, right!? What are the odds!? Well… how have you been? I would have thought you were to still be in San Diego."
"No, I moved to Tennessee for grad school and ended up getting a job there. What about you? I thought you were going to stay in San Diego too."
"I actually was visiting my family in Houston, I only get to see them certain times of the year. However, I no longer live in San Diego as well. I now live in Vegas, got a better job offer than the Blood Bank. So, you're visiting Vegas or passing through… maybe party with friends or something?"
"Ha!" Dria laughed. She didn't want to tell him her business that she was actually moving to Vegas herself, but she figured with it being a big city, she'd had as much chance of running into him as she did in her home town. "Umm… I am actually in the process of moving there for a better job, too. I wanted to fly from Tennessee to make sure the house is ready for when the movers come within the next day or two."
"No way! Really!? That's awesome!" Dria gave another fake smile. "So… it's just you? You don't have any family of your own or husband or something?" Byron got quiet then, he knew he was asking too personal of questions, but he really wanted to know.
*Ding-ding* "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the seat belt sign. Please stay in your seats and fasten your seat belts as we descend into Las Vegas. Thank you for choosing United Airlines and we hope you have safe travels."
Dria was silent, Why should I tell you anything, Byron? You have no right to ask me such questions, especially something as personal as that. "That is none of your business," she sneered. "I don't mean to be rude, but you really have no right to ask. We haven't seen each other in what, eight years? I'm not in the mood to be all buddy-buddy, alright?" Dria could not wait until she got off the plane, get away from this man.
Byron leaned back in his chair as the plane landed on the ground. "Dria, I am sorry. You are right; I shouldn't have asked such personal questions. I hoped that by now, you would have forgiven me for the past."
Dria stayed silent, staring at her feet, until the plane reached the gate. "I forgave you long ago, Byron," she said as she got up to retrieve her things. "I just don't think I could ever trust you again." Standing practically directly in front of him, Dria looked at him in the eye as she said those piercing words. She could see in those chocolate eyes the hurt in honesty, but she didn't regret what she said.
"I can understand that. I hope that while we are in the same city, once again, I can gain your trust back." Byron stepped aside into the aisle so she may pass to get off the plane. I definitely have missed those sky blue eyes, he thought to himself as they stared at each other when Dria moved out of the seats, to the cockpit of the plane
The hatch of the plane had opened and the remote controlled bridge connected the plane to the platform. When the flight attendants gave the okay for people to start getting off the plane, Dria, being the first in line, gave one last look to Bryon as to apologize, then quickly walked the bridge to the platform, then to the gate. Byron was supposed to have been directly behind her, but he purposely took his time grabbing his things so that there were about a half a dozen of people between them. I wish I could have talked to her longer, convince her that I have changed, he continued thinking as he got off the plane. But for now, she just needs space and time. I just hope I see her again soon. For so long have I hoped we would cross paths again… and now… it's like I have a second chance.
Dria looked back only once as soon as she reached the gate, to see if Byron was following her. She was both relieved and disappointed that he didn't come after her. I didn't think it was possible to bruise his ego, oh well, another encounter come and gone. I do wonder why our paths cross one more time… especially now… why now? Ugh! I'm about to start a new chapter in my life, and he shows up? I bet You think it's real funny, Lord? Well, ha-ha-ha! Since Dria didn't have check-in baggage, she was one of the few people who walked through the entire airport just to get to the main exit that leads out into the departure pickups.
Of course, my plane had to land on the other side of the airport. Well, I'm here. I'm glad Aaron was nice enough to come pick me up. I mean, I could have just taken a taxi to my new place. Well… I guess a good way to look at it is that he's just trying to be a good friend, make me feel welcome here. He's still trying to convince me to give Zak another chance, just to be friends. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was right. I could use more friends anyway, moving to a new place, not really knowing anyone yet. I did try talking to him, since Aaron and Nick came to Tennessee, you know? Through the usual ways of communication: Facebook, Twitter, texting… the usual. I did try, Lord, You know that. We just always seem to end up arguing, and it's really annoying. Anyway back to reality… ok, where is Aaron? He said he'd be waiting by the parking lot. I guess I'll have to call…
Dria was thinking of calling Aaron, but her thought and action of pulling out her phone was ceased because there was someone waiting for her. This someone was roughly about six foot, had spiked black hair with hints of silver from the moonlight mixed with the street lights. He was dressed in all black, as usual, with arms crossed, leaning against a black 2014 Dodge Challenger with red racing stripes.
"Oh, you've got to be shitting me," Dria said out loud.
"Nice to see you too, Princess," the man said with a grin.
Dria just stood where she was on the sidewalk, staring at the broad man from about a twenty-four foot distance. "What the hell are you doing here, Bagans? I wasn't supposed to see you for another few days for the lockdown."
"I'm sorry to disappoint," Zak said while spreading his arms open, then putting them back down as though he meant to shrug. "However, Aaron sends his regards… he had a family emergency." There then came a scratching noise from inside the car: *Ruf-Ruf*
Dria watched as Zak moved from the hood to the passenger door opening it. A white collie-looking dog with a black patch over the left eye jumped out. Dria gasped because she knew exactly who this creature was. Dria then kneeled on the ground to be eye level with the back of her hand facing the dog, making the animal more in comfort.
"Uhh… what are you doing? Why are you kneeling on the ground?" Zak was puzzled and curious. The dog then slowly started walking towards Dria, with her ears slanted back and head partly down. I hope she doesn't get freaked out like the last time, Zak thought.
"Awe, Gracie! Come here girl, I won't hurt you," Dria said with a sparkling smile, making the dog perk up with excitement. Gracie smelled her hand, then ran Dria over licking her, making Dria lose her balance and ended up lying on the ground. Laughing and playfully screaming, Dria softly pushed the dog off of her so she could sit up. "You are such a good girl! Yes, you are, you beautiful, beautiful girl!" Gracie was wagging her tail with as much enthusiasm as she could for her size.
Zak walked over and let out a hand to Dria, "I'm sorry about that. I rarely see her do that to people."
Dria took his hand to stand up, covered in white hair, "Thank you and no worries, I love it when dogs trample over me with affection like that." She laughed a little while Zak just smiled. "Also, to answer your questions, I get down on my knees like that because I know dogs are easily timid when meeting a new person. Getting down to their level makes the new meeting less stressful for them… most of the time..." Wow… I can really see his eyes in the moonlight. They're more of a rain-cloud gray-blue then hazel… hazel is so overrated anyway.
"Hmm…" he hummed. They started at each other for half a minute, until Gracie started licking Zak's hand to let him know she wanted to go home. "Well, shall we go then?" Zak took her bags and put them in the trunk. Then he walked over the passenger door to not only let Gracie back in the car, but for Dria, trying to be a gentleman.
Dria was surprised at this: I never thought in a million years that he would be a gentleman like this to me, after all the arguing we did. "Thank you," she could barely voice. They both got into the car and began driving to their destination.
"Aaron gave me your address, I hope that's ok."
"No, that's fine." Zak had some music on in the car, but it was too soft for Dria to hear to decipher what kind of music it was. She loved music; however, she wasn't much interested at the moment because she was tired. With it already being nearly midnight, Dria dozed off.
Zak saw how tired she was and figured that she'd be going home to an empty house, with no furniture most likely. I must be out of my mind, Zak thought to himself. He then turned down a different street to take her home to his house, instead. Hopefully, my 'roommates' won't bother her while she sleeps. Even if they don't, I know that she will freak out anyway, because she was brought to my home instead of hers.
Zak pulled up to his driveway and into his garage. "Dria?" he asked. "Dria, are you awake?" In response, Dria only snuggled more against the seat, making Zak smile. He then got out of the car to the passenger side, opening the door gently so Dria wouldn't fall out. Being as quiet as a grown man could be, with the dog breathing heavy and hitting her tail against the car, Zak facilely took Dria out of the seat and into his arms. With ease, he carried her legs from the knees with his right arm and the rest of her body with his left, lifting from her lower back. Her facial expression changed from contentment to discomfort when her head left the soft and cushioned headrest. Like magnetism, the gravity pulled her head to rest on Zak's chest, somehow making her content in comfort once more. She then nuzzled her face more into his shirt as though it were a pillow and pulled her arms tightly close to her chest, with her left hand on his right clavicle. I wonder if she'll ever believe me that I actually made her smile… well, she was unconscious when she did it, but still, it proves that she doesn't hate me… that much.
Zak thought it best to put her in his room, considering it was the only room of the house with a comfy bed and it was recently blessed to keep the spirits away. With being a gentleman, he'd take the couch. He carried her from the garage to his room, making sure to be careful on not hitting her feet on anything, especially the corners of the walls. When he reached the bed, he tenderly put her down, taking her tennis shoes off, and pulling the blankets over her.
"Sweet dreams, Dria," Zak said as he pushed away the bangs over her face. Wow, she is actually… beautiful… shit, what am I saying!? I still barely know this woman; she's not really my type either. Oh well, she seems like a good friend; and God only knows how much I need more of them… I definitely have been around the guys too long. Taking a deep breath, Zak then walked away from the bed to the door, he then turned around for one last look, "Gracie, are you coming?" The dog just looked up at him as to say, 'Nope, I'm staying right here.' "Ok, fine, be that way. You're lucky you're adorable." Zak then left the room, closing the door behind him. He went downstairs to sleep on the couch, letting the night consume him to sleep as well.
Dria woke up from the morning light escaping through the curtains over the window, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. Stretching like she usually does when she wakes up, Dria felt a warm and soft presence directly next to her on the bed, making her jump and slightly scream in shock.
"What the…" Dria turned around to see who was sleeping beside her. The being next to her was about four feet in length, roughly sixty pounds, had four legs, and completely covered in fluffy white hair, with a few black spots. "Gracie?" The creature beside her wagged her tail hard against Dria's legs while licking her face. "Ok, ok, down girl, down. What are you doing here?" Dria looked around the room, realizing she wasn't where she should be; and still in the same clothes she wore the day before. "Wait… what am I doing here?"
"Why don't you ask your oh-so-kind host?" a deep whispery voice broke the silence in the room, making Gracie leave the room in fright.
Dria gave a bored look at the blue glowing entity that was floating in front of the bed. "What on this crazy earth are you doing here, Tommy?"
"Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I won't stop looking after you."
"Even though technically I never really knew you while you were alive… you just wouldn't leave me alone when you found out I could actually see you."
"It's definitely more fun following someone who can actually talk back to you. I love the family I left behind, but seriously, you can only endure being ignored and unseen so much when you're dead."
"Blah-blah-blah, you'd like some cheese with that whine? Let me ask again, what are you doing here? I'm not in trouble, so I don't really need your help."
Tommy just rolled his eyes at her blunt comment. "Actually, Dria, that's why I'm here, to protect you from the not so good entities that are in this house."
"Well, since you seem to know everything, who's house am I in?"
"Your biggest fan," laughed Tommy, "the infamous Zak Bagans."
Dria opened her eyes wide, "Are you serious?"
"Duh…" Tommy stood with his arms crossed.
"I… am seriously… going to… injure him!" Dria yelled in frustration as she stormed out of the room, leaving her ghostly friend to disappear once more.
She ran down the stairs to find the host, who was nowhere to be seen. She could smell food coming from the kitchen along with the sound of a dog. Storming into the kitchen, Dria was beginning to blow steam through her ears.
"What the hell, Zak!"
"Good morning to you too, Princess," Zak replied as he turned from the pan of food on the stove to her. "Nice hair, by the way."
Dria touches her head, ignoring the nickname he called her (twice now) and sees that the braid came out. "What," she sighs in exasperation, "you expect a woman's hair to be perfect after getting an awesome night's sleep? Crap… no, I'm not saying that what I assume to be your bed is comfortable, well, I guess it is, but that's not what I'm trying to say here… ugh! Why am I waking up in your bed in the first place!? Also, I hear you don't live here alone. So, since you live with these evil things every day, it's ok to put someone else's life at risk!?"
"Dria, would you calm down please?"
"No! I will not calm down! I asked you to take me home! Instead, you take me to your home! I know most of the female variety wouldn't mind that, but seriously!? You'd think I'd be ok with this!? I don't care what the world thinks of you… you're definitely a real jackass!"
"Dria, please… would you just take a chill pill and come and sit down at the counter? There's someone joining us for breakfast I'd like for you to meet."
"I… oh… oh, good Lord, fine." Dria walked to the counter where the bar stools were and saw an older woman with blonde hair. Oh I see, he dates a woman between the ages of 18 and what, 60?
"Dria, this is my mom," Zak gave a hand out for the introduction.
"Oh, shit… oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say shit. There I go again… I didn't mean to call your son a jackass… wow, I suck…" Dria gives a nervous laugh, "How about I just start with my name? I'm Alexandria, the nut ball forensic anthropologist."
Zak's mom just laughed, "No worries, my dear lady. You can call me Ellen."
"Let's eat," Zak inputted.
The rest of the morning went by smoothly, with no more arguments between Zak and Dria; at least while his mother was there. They talked about the show, about each other's lives, etc. Dria was quiet for most of the chit-chat; simply just observing the interaction between Zak and his mom. Wow, he's a complete Ma-ma's boy. It's surprising though… like, it's not the kind of relationship most would think. They're like best friends more than mother and son, but what gets me is that they completely respect each other. I sure wish my mom and brother were like that.
Ellen then left, leaving Dria and Zak by themselves, creating tension in the air once more. Due to earlier frustration, Dria yelled at Zak to take her home, considering she needed to be there when the movers arrived. He obliged to her request, having her arrive at her new house minutes before the movers did. Even though Dria was still aggravated with Zak, she was surprised when he offered his help on moving the heavy and more difficult pieces of furniture or boxes. Zak was stunned that there wasn't a whole lot to move, just a few large pieces of furniture: like her queen size bed, her daughter's twin bed, the handmade coffee table and entertainment center, and a 48" flat screen. Everything else was already a part of the house, like the dresser sets, the living room set, etc. Wow, Zak thought, so she technically could have stayed here without the rest of her stuff being here. Well, first off, I had no idea; secondly, I wanted to show her that I can be a nice guy too. What are friends for, right?
Dria treated the few movers and Zak to pizza as a friendly payment for helping her move everything into the house. The movers then took off after they finished eating, leaving Dria and Zak in an awkward silence.
"Thanks, again, for your help Zak. I'm guessing this is the favor I get after what you pulled last night? You know… as a way to ask for my forgiveness?" Dria held back a small laugh.
"Did you ever think that I was just trying to be a good friend?"
"Zak… I was kidding… although, why did you take me to your house?"
"Honestly," Zak stated while sticking his hands in his pockets out of nerves, "I saw that you were passed out cold in the car and instead of waking you up, I thought it'd be better for you to just sleep. I also thought that you'd be alone in a new house, with no furniture or a place to comfortably sleep." Zak paused for a few seconds, thinking on how to ask the question in his head. "How did you know that I am, well, not alone, in my house? I mean, everyone who's a fan knows because of the interview I did with the Travel Channel about my house, but I didn't think you were a fan."
"Well… both from the show and from a friend who was in the room with me when I woke up this morning." Zak gave her a confused look, "I guess there's no use in trying to hide this, considering you already know about my 'gift' and my guardian angel…" Zak just continued to stare at her while standing in her garage. Dria sat down on the loveseat with her legs bent to the right side, with her left hand placed on the sofa arm. "I have a friend, who has been dead for a few years. When he took his own life, he didn't know where to go or what to do. We crossed paths because of a mutual friend we had, and from the way I was able to see him and talk to him, he decided to follow me from then on. In a way, he's like my second guardian angel because he helps keep the not-so-good spirits away when he feels like he needs to be my knight in shining armor. So, the whole thing with knowing about there being entities in your house, it was because he told me."
Tommy then appeared in the garage, standing next to Zak. "For someone who claims to 'sense' the supernatural, he doesn't seem to feel me doing this… which is kind of fun." Dria just watched as Tommy started poking him in the arm and side while also playing with Zak's headphones to his mobile that was in his pocket.
Dria was about to voice her opinion to Tommy when Zak said something that made her stay still, perplexed. "Let me guess, your so-called-friend is messing with me right now, isn't he?" It simply made her speechless, considering no one had ever been able to identify another being so quickly, especially since he wasn't even a medium. "Before you ask, I can tell he's here because of the sudden cold I feel around me, hence the goosebumps… and I was burning up just a second ago. There also is no airflow around me strong enough to lift my headphones like that. I have a sensitive touch, so I was able to feel him poking me; at least, I assume he was poking me. Lastly…" Zak took a deep breath, "you kind of gave it away, Dria, with the annoyed look on your face."
Tommy scoffed, "Know-it-all."
"Ok," Dria finally said after rolling her eyes from Tommy's comment, "I guess this proves that you really do in a way sense… them." Dria just laughed nervously, "Anyways, thanks again for your help. I'll see you later in the week for the meet up on the next investigation."
"I can stay and help you unpack, if you want, that is. I don't have much going on for the day. Maybe Aaron would be able to stop by and help too."
"Zak, you don't have to do that, really. I'm picky on where things go… like I'm sorry to say, I'm kind of an 'unpacking-zilla.' Yes, I just said 'unpacking-zilla'… anyways, I don't want to make you guys think I'm a crazy mad woman."
"It would be no problem, honestly. Plus, I think it would be a good way for us to work as a team, you know? Like Aaron and I could just unpack the boxes, leave the items on the counter or table for you to put away, and then break down the boxes. What do you say?"
Dria thought for a moment, Well, unpacking will go by faster having the help… I just don't understand something… why is Zak being so kind and helpful? Maybe he did just have something up his butt during that investigation. Well, I do believe in second chances. "Ok. Call up Aaron to see if he can help. Just to warn you, if anything gets broken, I will help in the process of getting you to the other side, completely… meaning you won't be between worlds. Get it, got it?" Zak nods his head, "Good."
Zak calls Aaron up to see if he would be able to come help Dria out, which of course he obliged. Dria, on the other hand, went back into the house while Zak was on the phone and turned on Pandora on her phone, hooked up to a speaker set. She decided to start in her bedroom at the far side of the house to start unpacking, so she would hopefully be out of earshot; and thinking he'd be on the phone for a while, she sang along to the first song that came on: "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride.
She loved him like he was
The last man on Earth
Gave him everything she ever had
He'd break her spirit down
Then come lovin' up on her
Give a little, then take it back
She'd tell him about her dreams
He'd just shoot 'em down
Lord, he loved to make her cry
You're crazy for believin'
You'll ever leave the ground
He said, Only angels know how to fly
Pretending like she was singing with her mom, she put her soul into the chorus:
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
One Sunday morning
She didn't go to church
He wondered why she didn't leave
He went up to the bedroom
Found a note by the window
With the curtains blowing in the breeze
And with a…
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Dria yelled and grabbed her chest in freight as she turned to face the front of her room, realizing there was someone with a pulse watching her in the doorway. "Do ya have to sneak up on me like that!? I thought you'd be talking to Aaron for a while, so I'm sorry if I killed your ears… but ya know, sometimes you just got to let it out, no matter how bad you sound." Zak just stared at her with a small smile on his face, realizing she had finally changed from her hoodie and jeans to a regular t-shirt and long shorts. "What? Are you going to make fun of my singing now? Oh this will be good. Come on, let's hear it. How bad was I?"
"Dria, ever since we first met, you cease to amaze me. You have a wonderful voice, so don't let anyone tell you different."
"Oh… well thanks, I guess. I didn't think I was that terrible, I just know some people like my voice and some people don't. I just felt the urge to sing, so while I thought I had a few minutes to myself, I let it go, figuratively speaking."
"No worries. Aaron said he'd be right over." Zak walked up next to Dria to see the box she was unpacking. He noticed a few pictures: some of her and a guy, some of an older woman, and some of her and an older man. He tried taking a closer look to the picture of her and a random guy. "Who's this lucky fellow?" he asked with a tease.
Dria quickly grabbed the picture from his hands and stuffed it back into the box. "That is none of your business. Now, if you want to help, we can start in the kitchen, capeesh?" Dria started walking past him when he lightly grabbed her left arm, What is up with this grabbing my arm thing? Do you not understand 'no touchie?'
"Dria, you need to be more trusting of people. We're a team now, so why are you holding back?"
Dria looked up at the same blue eyes she saw just the night before. "Zak, for your information, I am just fine with trusting people. Just because we're a team and I let you into my home… well my new home that's not even ready to live in yet… doesn't mean I trust you. You may not have a problem with trusting people you just met, but for me, you have to earn your trust, it's never just simply given."
Zak just simply gazed back at her brighter blue eyes with a soft grip on her arm. I wonder why she carries so much anger and hurt. One would think being a religious person like she claims to be, she would have let it go… given it to God or whatever higher source she believes in.
"Zak," Dria spoke with a soft voice while looking away from his gaze, "could you please let my arm go?" He did as she asked, but instead of completely letting her go, he brought the same right hand up to her chin so her eyes met his once again. Shit… please don't kiss me…
Zak leaned forward, moving his hand to her neck so that their foreheads touched. His left hand came to rest on her right shoulder, "You're not alone, Dria. You now have people in your life who want to be there for you… and help you learn to trust in humanity again. I know you barely know us, but we're here for you… including Gracie."
Dria took a deep breath of defeat while chuckling at the Gracie comment, "I shall try to learn then… thanks." She gave a slight smile while Zak stepped a few inches back to look at her, making them both cave to the gravity pull of a moment. Until…
"Hey guys!" came a muffled voice from the garage area, making Dria and Zak snap back into reality. "Where are you? I thought you needed help unpacking?"
Dria moved away from Zak, walking out of the room to the main hallway that leads to the door to the garage. "Hey Aaron!" she gave him a hug as soon as she reached the open doorway where he stood. "Thanks for coming! We've got a lot to do!"
"Well, good thing I brought food!" Aaron held up a bag of Chinese food just as Zak came down the stairs as well.
"Sweet! Well, let's get started!" Dria led the guys into the kitchen to begin unpacking, making sure that they only unpack the boxes and not put anything away. During the rest of the day, the guys and Dria talked and laughed while getting each and every box open. Aaron was his usual goofball self, making the atmosphere relaxed, and surprisingly Dria felt more at home. There was a strange tension between Dria and Zak for the entire evening and somehow, even Aaron knew it. With all the boxes unpacked, all Dria had left to do was finishing putting the dishes, clothes and food away. It was then time for the day to end. "Thanks a lot for your help today, you guys! Seriously, I owe you both a dinner… or something," she laughed.
Walking to the door to say good bye, Aaron gave her a hug, "Well, we brought you out here, so it's the least we could do. Technically, Nick and I brought you out here, and Zak just needed to try to be his charming self so you guys would try not to argue for future investigations. Seriously, it's not fun being in the middle… I felt like an Aaron sandwich." They all laugh at Aaron's comment. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bro."
"Later, Aaron," Zak replied as Aaron walked out the driveway to his car, and then turned back to Dria at the door. "Listen, I'm sorry if I made you feel at all uncomfortable or irritated today."
"No worries, Zak, thanks again for the help. Have a good night."
"You too," Zak smiled a good bye with his hands in his pockets, and then walked out towards his car as well, leaving Dria by herself.
Yay… she thought to herself, now I finally get to sleep in my own bed. Oh yeah… can't forget I have the official hiring interview tomorrow… ugh. She closed and locked her front door, turning around to head down the hallway for bed, she saw her ghostly friend staring at her.
"Wow…" Tommy was floating a few feet away with his arms crossed.
"What?" Dria asked in annoyance.
"You like him, don't you? Don't bother denying it, I've been in your life long enough to see how you are with men you like or don't like."
"I admit I'm beginning to like him as a friend, but that's it. I'm done with romance, remember? My heart can't handle any more suffering."
"Whatever you say… but just so you know it does go both ways."
"Oh please! If there's anything, it's lust and attraction… there's nothing 'deep' in whatever is being felt here." Dria moved her arms around as to indicate the invisible force of emotion. "Gah! Why do you feel the need to meddle in my love life anyway?"
"Because I can… you could exercise me, but I know you're too kind for that."
"Tommy… you're an ass. Now go haunt someone else while I sleep, please."
"Fine… I'll just pop in and say hi to Kiora… she at least likes having me around." Tommy vanished, with a huge grin across his face.
Butthead. He's lucky I let him stick around. Dria walked through the kitchen, down the hallway into her room, taking just a few steps and flew herself onto the bed. Trying to push two certain people out of her head, she passed out as soon as she laid her head down on the pillow.
"Hi, I'm Alexandria Kovach, here for my hire interview," Dria said as she stood in front of the reception desk in her pant suit with her hair up in a neat bun.
The receptionist looked up from her paperwork, "Ah, yes! We've been expecting you! Come with me and I'll take you to the Captain." The receptionist got up and walked to the elevator about twenty feet away, motioning for Dria to follow her. Dria followed her onto the elevator, where she pushed the number three button using a security key. Dria was shaking like a leaf with nerves. "Don't be nervous, hun. It'll be a piece of cake." Easy for you to say, Dria thought. I've worked my ass off to get to the position I had, so I highly doubt this will be as easy as pie… or cake… or whatever. The elevator doors opened to a floor full of cops walking every which way. The receptionist motioned Dria out, "The Captain will be with you shortly. Good luck!" Then the doors closed with Dria standing in a sea of people. Oh God, why am I doing this again?
"Ms. Alexandria, I presume," a low voice came from a large office on the left. To confirm who she was, her legs carried her to where she assumed was the Captain. When she walked through the door, she found an older lean man, dark skinned, with gray hair and beard. He reminds me a lot of my grandpa. "Please, sit down." He motioned to the guest seat in front of the desk, she quietly took the seat, looking at the name plaque on the desk: Captain James Woolley. "Now, I know we've done most of the interviews over the phone, but I wanted to see what you were like in person. A first impression of attitude means everything to us, considering we are the major party city of the west. Plus, with all of your recommendations, I knew this was too good to be true to have someone with your skills to work with us. Sure, we've had a few forensic anthropologists here and there, but they never seemed to really fit our lifestyle. Anyways, just like I ask everyone here at least once: why do you really want to work with our forensic techs, become our anthropology expert? I just want to see where you come from."
Dria was still shaking like a leaf, God, give me courage & wisdom. After taking a deep breath, she began telling her story in a nutshell: starting from when she was a child. "Since I was about eight-years-old, I have been fascinated by Egyptian mummies. When kids would get their parents to buy the most popular books of our class, I'd get mine to buy me anything and everything mummy related. As a child, it was only a small interest, making me different from the other kids in my school; but as I got older, I grew more to realize that this would be my calling, my future. I thought, at the time that meant becoming an Egyptologist; however, it wasn't until I started college that I realized the subject of Anthropology would be my destiny. I was interested in forensics at the time as well, so I received my AS in Forensic Technology from a community college, then went on to receive my BA in Anthropology from San Diego State and my MA/PhD in Osteology (under the Anthro major) from the University of Knoxville. Now, I'm in a place where my skills can really be put to the test, with the desert being one of the more common ways of drying human remains. All I want is to be able to bring families closure to losing a loved one, making sure that the remains do indeed belong to their loved one and finding out more on how and why they died. I can name any bone within the entire body with just a fragment in front of me… how many people can do that?"
As a response to her open-ended question, the Captain smiled, stood up from his chair, and reached out his hand, "Welcome aboard, Ms. Kovach." Dria stood up from the guest seat and shook his hand, speechless. "Detective Gonzalez?" he called out to the rest of the floor.
A middle-aged woman with ivory skin and short black hair poked her head in, "Yes, sir?"
"Could you show Dr. Kovach around our department? She will be our new forensic anthropologist so it would be good for her to see what/where everything is. Make sure you have her meet the scientists in the lab, considering she'll be working closely with them a lot on cases."
"Yes, sir. Dr. Kovach," the detective looked to Dria, "could you follow me please?"
Dria looked to the captain, "Thank you, sir. I look forward to working with you." She followed the detective after smiling at the captain in excitement. I got the job! I got the job! I got the job! Eeeeeek! I'm totally going to celebrate… somehow… I really need a dog or something… that would make Kiora happy.
"Dr. Kovch…"
"Oh, sorry… I tend to get lost in thought after something exciting happens."
"No worries, I'm the same way," the detective laughed. "I'm Detective Renee Gonzalez," she said as she shook Dria's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Dria responded as they went back on to the elevator. "I'm Alexandria Kovach, but you can call me Dria."
"Hmm… Dria… that's different." Renee pushed the button to the basement, "I'm going to introduce you to the forensic pathologist, Dr. Carrie Brown. I would have introduced you to the whole department upstairs, but you'll learn their names better as you work on cases… you'll be working the most with Dr. Brown and the lab rats… or sorry, scientists. By the way," the elevator dinged with the doors opening to the basement floor, "she's not really a social person, but I hope that if there's one person she'd get along with, it's you." They walked to the autopsy room, finding a tall blonde with an hourglass figure dressed in blue scrubs with protective gear while removing a liver from the dead man that was on the table. "Ah, Dr. Brown. May I introduce Dr. Kovach?"
Carrie just gave an annoyed look to Dria, then went back to finish weighing the organ she had in the scale. "Do you have to come bother me when I'm swamped with dead people? Renee, you know I hate being interrupted."
Dria spoke up before Renee could respond, "I completely understand how you feel. I could never get any work done with people intruding all the time. But hey, people seem to think it's no big deal when we're working with dead people, right?" Carrie looked up from her clip board after that comment. "I'm a forensic anthropologist; I have been working with dead people for most of my life." Technically, my entire life, Dria thought.
"Well, it's nice to know there'll be another anatomy expert. I guess I'll be seeing you." Carrie went back to writing on her clipboard.
"Thanks Dr. Brown," Renee lead Dria back to the elevator. "That's basically all you're going to get. She prefers being around people who no longer can talk back."
"I know the feeling," Dria smirked as they got back into the elevator.
"Alrighty, next we go to the lab," the detective sighed as she pushed the second floor button. "So… the few people you're going to meet here are the lab and fingerprint supervisors. They don't quite get along, if you want to put it into simplest terms. The lab supervisor has only been here for about five years, since he graduated with his Masters in Biology, emphasis in hematology. The fingerprint supervisor has been in our department since he graduated high school. You know, basically started as volunteer, became an intern while attending community college, then became a fingerprint analyst. Within about fifteen years, he became the fingerprint supervisor. You could probably figure out why they don't get along... men and competition, so annoying. Are you single?"
"Uh, technically, yes…" Renee gave her a strange look. "… I'm a widow. I haven't really gotten over it. Please don't…" she said as Renee opened her mouth to speak. "… it's a long story and I don't want to talk about it. Why do you ask on the single thing anyway?"
"Well, I wanted to warn you that Mr. Hemotology is a giant flirt and player… is really good at making a woman feel important. We've all fallen victim to it… including yours truly. However, that was when he first started here years ago, and now I'm a happily married woman. Although, I will not deny, he is fine," Renee laughs as the elevator door opens to the lab.
Dria and Renee got out of the elevator to the floor, with some people just staring at them and the others not caring to pay attention. One side of the floor was obvious as to what it concealed, with black powdery substance all over the floor and tables. Fingerprint analysis… one of my other most favorite things to do in forensics. A middle-aged man came up to them from a table full of objects that had been dusted in black powder. He had light blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, with emerald eyes, pale skin, and a standard physique dressed in a white lab coat with black dress pants.
"Dr. Kovach, I'd like you to meet Mr. Thomas Saia. Thomas, this is Alexandria," the detective introduced the two.
Kovach stuck out her hand, "Call me Dria. It's nice to meet you."
Saia responded with the handshake, "Likewise."
"I'm just showing Ms. Kovach around. She's going to be our new 'bones' person, so don't give her too much grief," Renee said with a smile.
"Wonderful, another crazy person with a degree. It's bad enough working with Mr. Know-It-All Hematology over there," Thomas nodded his head to his right side, pointing to a man in a white coat who had his back turned, working on a project.
"Ah, perfect, the last man for me to introduce you to on this tour."
"I guess that's my cue. I look forward to working with you," Dria commented as she was backing away. Thomas just gives a nod as to acknowledge what she said.
"Dr. Reynolds, I'd like you to meet our new forensic anthropologist," Renee said walking up to the man hidden in a white lab coat and gear.
"Hold on a minute, Detective. I need to perfectly measure this sample, or it will get ruined. We don't want evidence to be contaminated, now do we?" asked Dr. Reynolds with impatience and annoyance. He then was able to finish the task without spilling or contaminating the sample, leaving him to take off his protective gear to kindly meet the forensic anthropologist. As soon as his chocolate eyes met Dria's light blue, he lit up like a fire in the sky.
Dria on the other hand, wasn't very happy. I apologize ahead of time, Lord but… "Byron? You… you've got… to be fucking… shitting me."