For starters, I'd like to thank you for all the reviews you gave me. I am glad to see that you don't hate me as much as I thought you would xD. Anyway, enjoy again:).
"Hey guys do you have any idea where Maura is?" Jane asked entering her office. "I can't seem to find her anywhere."
"She took some days off." Korsak replied. "And to tell you the truth, her timing couldn't have been worse. The guy who replaced her is a total idiot, just got out of med school. And as if this wasn't enough, we have a crime on our hands. A very ugly one if you ask me. Frankie discovered it."
"The poor guy could barely hold his lunch." Frost laughed. "But hey, I am not really the one to talk, am I?"
"Can I take a look?" Jane asked and Frost handed her some pictures. The detective froze when she saw them. "I know who did it." She said. "Maura is in great danger. I have to find her."
"How do you know?"
"The man we're looking for is Giovanni Gilberti. He's a mechanic."
"A mechanic? Jane these cuts seem to be very professional. Just like a coroner would do it." Korsak pointed.
"It's a sign for Maura. Like are the letters that are carved on the victim's skin."
"You know what they mean?"
"Life long best friends forever." Jane smiled. "You see, Giovanni was Maura's boyfriend. The only problem with him was that he was not exactly what Maura wanted. So she asked my help, and we tricked him into thinking we were… you know."
"LLBFFs" Frost laughed. "As in…"
"Yes, exactly like that, Frost. Hey, Maura was desperate to get rid of him."
"Exactly how convincing were you two?"
"As convincing as we had to. And I swear, Frost, if you don't wipe that stupid smile off your face, I am going to kick you right in the-"
"I got it, I got it." Frost grinned. "OK, so you think this Giovanni guy did this?"
"I never thought he was capable of that, but he kept saying that Maura is his soul mate and all that. I guess he took the breakup a lot worse than we two thought. We have to find her and warn her. Meanwhile, I'm going to get Giovanni here for a little talk."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Detective Rizzoli. We have to talk." A man interrupted them and Jane threw him a questioning look.
"I am Benjamin Macrae, but you can call me Benny. I'm the new coroner."
"Only until Dr. Isles come back." Jane pointed out and regretted it immediately. Truth is, if they had met under different circumstances, she would have thought that this Benny character was pretty hot. Sure, he was there and Maura wasn't, which already meant that he had just lost a brownie point from her, but there was something really attractive about him. Maybe it was his deep voice, maybe it was the way his lab coat fitted him, revealing all those slender muscles he had underneath it, or maybe it was just the contrast between his incredibly blue eyes and his dark hair, but Jane knew for sure that she was going to miss him when he would leave.
"Dr. Isles is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I saw the crime scene with my own eyes. As you could see from the photos, there is a lot of blood, a little too much I would say."
"Did you test it?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Did you test the blood on the scene? Do you know it's blood?" Jane asked.
"I think it is obvious, Detective Rizzoli. Sure, I will test it, but it's more than a safe guess to say that it is blood."
Jane couldn't help a smile. Sexy as hell and making assumptions. Her type of guy. Not her type of coroner though, but she was going to get used to this.
"However, Detective, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Benny said.
"You can call me Jane you know."
"OK then. Jane… I found some finger prints on the victim and I took the liberty of searching them in your database."
"Let me guess. You didn't find anything."
"I did, actually. They are the same prints that are on the murder weapon. A scalpel."
"Wait. The killer used a scalpel?"
"Yes."
"Great so he wants us both."
"Actually, Jane, the fingerprints belong to Dr. Isles."
"Those on the scalpel you mean?"
"Both."
"You're wrong."
"I am sorry, Jane, but I think it's a safe guess to say that Maura Isles is our main suspect."
"I don't do safe guesses when it comes to my best friend, Mr. Macrae. Giovanni is probably trying to frame her."
"Rizzoli, my office, now!" Lieutenant Cavanaugh shouted from his office and Jane rushed to his call.
"Don't tell me those words, Cavanaugh. Just don't." she almost begged him.
"I'm sorry Rizzoli. You're off this case."
"Maura Isles is in danger!"
"Maura Isles is probably the one who did it, Jane. You see? This is exactly why I need you to step away. You are too involved emotionally speaking."
"You're damn right I am. She's my best friend!"
"I'm sorry. We are all off the case anyway. Given the fact that Dr. Isles is one of us and we might all be subjective... Someone else has taken the lead."
"Who?" Jane asked angrily.
"The FBI."
"What now the feds are in for a single murder?"
"Three murders apparently. The one that Frankie found is the third one. There were two others. Same MO, same signature."
"The V-cut and the letters?"
"Yes. I know that you don't want to accept this, Rizzoli, but we will have to consider Dr. Isles guilty until proven otherwise."
"I'll see what the feds have to say about that."
"You would really fight with them over Maura?"
"If I have to, yes."
"Rizzoli, I don't want to get into traffic just because your girlfriend chops people, alright?"
"You won't. It's all on me. Now, who is the one that leads the investigation?"
"I wish I could say it's good to see you again, Jane, but since I know the feeling's not mutual at the moment…" Gabriel Dean said, entering the room.
"I should have known. Did you ask specifically for this case?"
"Jane…"
"Did you?"
"You needed somebody to be besides you with all this madness Jane. I'll let you know what we'll find. Also, I am sorry to say, but this new Benny guy of yours can't do the autopsy on the victims anymore. We'll take care of anything at the bureau. You just tell him to hand over anything he found to us."
"She didn't do it, Gabriel. I know that." Jane's voice was softer now. "I need you to help me prove this."