I was kind of at a loss as to where to end this chapter. I'm worried I made it too long and the next one will be to short, but I think the flow is right even if the length is off.
Thank you everyone who commented. It makes a writer happy to know their words have not only been read, but enjoyed. Please keep the comments coming. The have helped me to fill in some missing pieces of the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli and Isles.
Every day for a week after the visit, Jane asked Maura if she had heard anything. On the seventh day, Maura had actually tried to call Arnie. She was told by the secretary of the department that he was away doing a month long professor swap with Oxford.
When Maura had given Jane this information she launched into a list of reasons he was avoiding them. Each was as nonsensical as the next and lacked any proof. When she told Jane as much, Jane pointed at her stomach declaring she didn't need proof.
The following morning when Jane arrived in the morgue with her standard question, Maura refused to talk about the professor again until he returned from Oxford. Maura was glad that Jane didn't push the point. The problem was, she was starting to put a lot more stock in Jane's stomach than she was the facts. She couldn't decide why that was.
Jane pulled up to the address that dispatch had texted her. She sat in her cruiser for a minute getting her game face on. She had been on desk duty for month, chomping at the bit to get back in the field. Watching all the other detectives actually go out and solve crimes had driven her crazy. She knew she had to get back out there. She felt the expected sense of excitement and relief when she was released to field work just that Friday and put back in the on call rotation.
What she had not expected were the nerves that she was feeling now that she was actually on scene. She took a moment, watching her knuckles turn white on the steering wheel, gathering herself. "You are a detective in special projects. You have worked your way back here over the last six months. You have earned this. You deserve to be back in the field. Whatever happens, you can take it. You are badass Detective Jane Rizzoli and you need to get in the game."
Jane opened the car door, stood up straight, squared her shoulders, and headed up the driveway toward the house.
As she approached the scene she noticed Crowe from homicide standing outside.
"Rizzoli, what the hell are you doing here?" Crowe looked confused and a little concerned.
"I'm back, didn't you know? I got called in on this one. Said there was hoodoo involved." Jane waved her hands in the air before thinking about the scars and shoving her hands in her pockets.
"Yeah, I heard, but for this one? Really?"
"What's going on Crowe?" Jane starting getting a bad feeling.
"No way Rizzoli. I'm not the one getting punched in the face here. The scene is yours." With that Crowe ducked under the tape and started for his cruiser.
Frost appeared by Jane's side looking a little worse for wear. "What was that?"
"I have no idea." She looked at her new partner, Barry Frost. He had gotten his badge while she had been on medical leave. He had cut his teeth in robbery and done a great job there. He was a technomancer. He could do things with electronic machines that really were magic. When Jane had first been told that, she wondered if technomnacers had existed all throughout history but had just now reached a point where there were machines they could affect. She kept forgetting to ask Maura about it. She was sure that she would know. "You alright?" He looked a little green. She had found out that Frost didn't exactly get along with dead anything. Why someone with a weak stomach was so determined to be a member of special projects, Jane would never know.
"Sure, never better. Why do you ask?"
"Just checking. Come on, let's see what's going on." With that Jane headed for the house.
Jane looked up as she walked through the front entrance of the home, stopping short on seeing Korsak standing there.
"I thought you were on vacation." She looked at him questioningly.
"I came back."
"Why?"
"I had a feeling."
"Wait. You came back from vacation after three days because you had a feeling?" The bad feeling that she had gotten from talking to Crowe was quickly becoming a sense of dread. "What the hell is going on, Vince?"
"You are going to have to see for yourself."
Jane moved around Korsak and headed for the living room where the victim was located. "Come on Frost." She tossed over her shoulder.
Maura entered the house and headed toward the room indicated by the officer in the hallway. As she entered the living room where the victim was she saw Jane, Vince, and Jane's new partner, Barry Frost standing near the body. He didn't look well.
"Hey Maura." Jane said without turning around.
She was a little taken aback. "How…"
Jane turned around with a sly smile across her face. "It's the heels. No one wears heels to a crime scene Maur. Especially a scene full of death and gore. Not to mention it's," Jane glanced at her watch. "ten thirty at night."
Even though the location was completely inappropriate she felt a sense of belonging at hearing her nickname. She had to admit, the past six months had been some the best of her life. She and Jane had become friends. They would go out to eat, have movie nights, and simply talk while sharing a meal. Maura was still excited by the fact that she had a best friend.
"Yes, well, one should always look professional."
"If your look is professional, then we are all a bunch of bums." Jane turned to her friend. She immediately saw Maura cringe. "What?"
"Your nose! What happened?" Maura pointed at Jane's face.
"Oh crap! I forgot. Frankie and I were playing ball. He threw an elbow."
"Want me to set it?"
"Maura?!" Jane eyes widened, silently asking if she was serious. Even though Maura had proven that 'the events' could be controlled, Jane still had moments of apprehension about it. She wasn't sure she would be able to keep control if pain was involved.
Maura made a show of putting on her latex gloves. "It's not a big deal." Maura reached up and grabbed her nose. "This may hurt a bit." If it was anyone else, Maura would have tried to use her power to take the pain out of it, but since things were so unpredictable she decided it was better not to. She applied pressure and felt Jane's nose realign.
"SON OF A….A bit Maura!" Jane jumped back. "Ow."
"Are you two done?" Korsak griped.
Both women looked at him. They could tell he was on edge. Jane started looking around the room taking everything in. She finally got down on her hands and knees. It only took her a minute to find it. "A teacup." She jumped back up to her feet and whirled on Korsak. "It he out, Vince? Did the Sargent escape?"
Maura looked around the room. The bound victim, the slit throat, the teacup, the punctured hands. Maura turned to Vince. "You knew this was a Hoyt crime scene and didn't warn us? Didn't warn Jane?"
"It's not Hoyt. I called the prison. He's in his cell. I didn't tell you because I needed your unbiased opinion. It's a copycat. That's all."
"The prison? The warden couldn't find his ass with both hands and a road map." Jane retorted.
"I didn't talk to the warden. I talked to a friend. He actually went to the cell and spoke with Hoyt face to face. He's in his cage, Jane." Korsak said calmly.
"Well this isn't just any copycat." Maura said. "The stakes in the hands show signs of growing into the wound."
Jane tilted the victims head to the side. "Also stun gun marks. Neither of those details ever made the press. It's an apprentice." Jane walked from the room.
The following morning Maura rode the elevator to the homicide floor to deliver the results of the autopsy she had completed the previous evening. As she stepped off the elevator she heard Jane's raised voice. She followed the sound and found Jane and Korsak in a conference room. The door was slightly ajar and she couldn't help but listen.
"There is absolutely no reason for you to do this!" Korsak voice was raised in anger.
"It's his apprentice. Who else are we going to talk to about it?" Jane was just as angry.
"Dammit Jane, it's exactly what he wants. You said yourself he pulled it last night because he knew you were back. You are playing his game."
"If we want to stop people from dying, then we are going to have to play his game, at least at first."
"No, we don't. We run this like any other case…
"THIS ISN'T ANY OTHER CASE, VINCE!" Jane raged.
Maura actually took a step back from the door at the sound of her voice. Jane's next works came quietly.
"I can't let his game, his toying with me, cost people their lives. If saving a life means I have to put on my big girl panties and go visit the son of a bitch in jail, then so be it."
"I'm going with you." Korsak stated.
"You can't. This conversation proves that you are just as invested in this as I am. I can't have you beat the crap out of him in the middle of the conversation. He would know he was wining. Also, Frost is my partner now. It would be a sign of distrust not to take him. You know that."
"I still don't like it Jane."
"Neither do I, Vince. Neither do I."
Maura had been so involved in the conversation that she didn't realize the two detectives were headed toward the door. All three exchanged looks of shock upon seeing the M.E. in the hallway.
Jane recovered first. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough." Maura answered.
Jane sighed. "Am I going to have to argue with too?"
Maura shook her head. "No. Your reasoning was sound and well grounded."
Jane could tell something else was coming. "But?" She encouraged.
"I believe my intestines feel otherwise." Maura said looking at the floor.
"Your gut, Maura. Your gut feels otherwise." Jane laughed. She made sure to look her friend in the eyes. "I'll be careful. No crazy Jane stuff."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Hours later Frost and Jane got back in the car to leave the prison.
"Well, that was a complete waste of time." Jane slammed the door.
"We didn't have any other play, Jane. It's not like you expected much to begin with. We just needed to rattle his cage. That's all."
At that moment both of their phones buzzed. The retrieved them at the same time.
"Dammit!" Jane exclaimed.
The message was from Korsak. The wife's body had been found.
As they drove up to the crime scene, Jane caught sight of FBI Special Agent Gabriel Dean. Korsak approached them as she and Frost exited the car.
"What the hell is he doing here Korsak?" Jane's frustration from the meeting with Hoyt was combining with the anger at seeing Dean.
"Relax Jane. They are just observing. Just observing. The Chief said it alright, but Cavanaugh says just ignore him."
Jane fisted her hands, then stretched her fingers, than shook her hands out. "Right. Ignore him. What do we have?"
"Guy walking his dog. Dog got loose and actually found the body. Never would have found her otherwise."
Korsak, Frost, and Jane made it to the body. As usual they found Maura kneeled down over it.
"Well, this is strange. She's laid out like she sleeping." Jane stated.
Maura pulled a needle out of the victim's neck. "She's only been dead around 24 to 36 hours."
Frost asked the obvious question. "Why didn't he bury her?"
"That's good question?" Was Jane's only answer.
Hours later Jane appeared in the morgue. "Hey Maur, how…" She stopped dead when she saw what she was going. "Why are you doing a rape kit on the dead body?"
"It was suggested by Agent Dean. I didn't want to on principle, but my curiosity got the best of me."
"And?"
"It's positive. And they are still alive."
"You mean…"
"Necrophilia, yes."
Jane shivered. "This case just keeps getting worse."
Both women whirled around and Frost blew through the doors. "Korsak just got a call. Hoyt's out!
An elevator ride later, Cavanaugh's office was crowded with people. The warden from the prison was there, along with Frost, Korsak, Jane, and Maura.
Everyone was looking at the Captain's computer screen. It was replaying the security footage of Hoyt's escape.
"What happened?" Cavanaugh asked the obvious question.
The warden cleared his throat. "He was believed to be suffering from an appendicitis. Two different doctors assured me that was the case. He was taken to an offsite facility for the operation."
"Where were the guards?" Frost asked.
"They aren't allowed in the OR." The warden answered.
"Did they even know what type of monster they were operating on? Were they even warned?" Jane asked.
"They just knew he was an inmate. We gave his name, but not a criminal history, no. It was deemed an emergency operation."
As the video reached the end, everyone watched Hoyt standing over the dead surgical team, slicing his hand, and holding the bleeding palm up to the camera.
"If that wasn't a message, I don't know what is." Frost said.
Jane was chewing on her thumb. "It's a message alright."
"Rizzoli I want to put you in pro…"
Jane cut the captain off. "No. He's not running me out of my house. It's not going to happen."
Cavanaugh took a deep breath. "Fine, but I'm putting a unit out in front of your place."
"Fine." Jane looked around. "It's late, I was going home anyway." With that Jane turned and left the office without another word.
"Come on Janie, let them put you in protective custody."
Jane was twenty minutes into a conversation with her brother that she didn't want to be having. It certainly wasn't doing her nerves any good. "No Frankie. I'm not running. Not this time."
"He's trying to kill you!"
"We're cops. Lots of people are trying to kill us."
"Jane!"
"Alright." Frost had watched one of this best friends and his partner argue for almost half an hour. Neither of them was going to change their minds. "Come on Frankie. She's made her decision. We can't make her go into protective custody, but she can't stop us from sitting out in front of her house all night, either."
Jane gave them both an incredulous look. "Really!?"
With that both men left the apartment, Frankie being dragged most of the way. Jane closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been home forty minutes before the two of them showed up. What she needed most right now was peace and quiet.
That short moment of tranquility was quickly interrupted by a knock at the door. She knew Hoyt wouldn't knock first, but she was tempted to open fire anyway because whoever was bothering her deserved to be shot.
She looked through the peep hole and just banged her head against the door. She undid the locks and opened the door. "Ma! What are you doing here?"
"My only daughter is hunted by mad man and you don't think I'm concerned?"
"Of course you are concerned, but why are you here? If he shows up what are you going to do?"
Angela looked sheepish for a moment. "I'll call for Frank, Frankie, Frost (he's such a nice young man), the two officers in the patrol car, and the FBI agent downstairs"
"Pop is here…" Jane's mind locked up as the full sentence filtered through her mind. "What FBI agent?" She walked over to the window and looked at the street below. It was easy to pick out the standard issue federal government automobile. That made her decision so much easier. She grabbed her gun, badge, keys, and a bag she had packed earlier.
"Where are you going?" Angela asked.
"I'm not letting Hoyt dictate my life. I'm certainly not going to let any of you do it, either." With that she walked out of her apartment.
As she made the street, she walked over to the FBI agent. She knocked on the window. He rolled it down just enough to hear her speak. "Special Agent Dean, to what do I own the honor?"
"You should be grateful, Rizzoli, I'm here to protect you."
"You mean use me as bait?"
"Well, at least you are being useful. I know that's a unique feeling for you."
Jane put her palm against the side of the car. As she concentrated she jammed all the locks in place on all four doors. When Agent dean wanted to get out of the car later, he would have to crawl out through a window.
"Glad I could be of service." With that Jane turned and walked away.
Jane got out of the taxi, handing the driver some money, and walked up to the front door of her destination. It was either here or a hotel and she felt much safer here. She knocked on the door.
"Really?" Jane responded as Maura opened the door. Even at night, not expecting company, the doctor's hair was perfect, she was still wearing make-up, and the lounging clothes she was wearing cost more than Jane made in a week. "Do you ever look like you aren't about to have a photo shoot?"
Maura ignored the comment. "I've already made up the guest room for you after you called." She moved aside to let Jane enter. "What happened?"
"My apartment was invaded. Frost and Frankie pretty much followed me home. My mother showed up to spend the night after I got rid of them. To top it off, that ass Dean is out in front of my building using me as bait."
Maura just shook her head, leading Jane to the kitchen.
Jane halted. "What the hell is that, Maur? You own a dragon?"
She looked at Jane and then at her pet. "You know owning dragons is against the Mount Fuji Accords. Dragons are independent sentient creatures with their own language, culture, and history. They are not beast. In fact their musical arts are considered some the finest ever composed. This," Maura pointed at her pet. "is a drake. They are distantly related to dragons like we are distantly related to great apes. Drakes cannot speak, don't expel chemicals from their mouth, and have the intelligence of a German Shepard. Also, while there are two species of micro dragon, they are not this small. They are specifically mentioned in the Accords as being animals. His name is Bass"
"Bass?" Jane took a step back from the creature. "Old boyfriend?"
"No. Dr. William M. Bass. He started the body farm to study the different ways the human body can decay. It's quite…"
Jane held up her hand. "No. We are not discussing decay of any type. I came here to get a good night's sleep, not have nightmares." Jane looked at Bass. "Does your dragon bite?"
"Did you listen to anything I said? He's a drake and no he doesn't bite." Maura just shook her head. "The guest room is over here."
As they walked into the room Jane couldn't help but be impressed. "Wow. This is really nice."
"Thank you."
"How long can the human body go without sleep?" Jane dropped her bag on the floor by the bed.
"Hallucinations begin by day four, followed by slurred speech, shortened attention span, then death."
"You are better than google."
"You have to be careful on google. Much of what you find is very rarely rigorously pear reviewed."
If she didn't know better she would have though Maura was joking. She walked over and laid down on the bed. Maura followed her, laying down beside her.
"Are we having a sleep over or is this your way of saying to like me?"
Maura just smiled at the question.
"You said Dean was at your apartment?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"He stopped by here earlier. He wanted me to come down to Quantico tomorrow to consult on a case."
Jane propped herself up on her elbows to look at Maura. "What case?"
"I don't know. He wanted me to agree to a gag order before going, so I declined." Maura kept staring at the ceiling.
"A gag order?" Jane flopped back down on the bed. "I knew he was hiding something. Korsak has friends in the FBI. I'll see what he can find out."
"It's a shame he has so many undesirable attributes because physically he is quite appealing." Maura stated.
"Hot Maura. He's hot." Jane gave her a skeptical look.
"You would tell me if you were a cyborg, right?"
"No. No I don't think I would."
The silence stretched into minutes until a thud from the kitchen caused Jane to spring from the bed. "It's just Bass. It's alright. It's just Bass."
Jane laid back down. She consciously laced her fingers together and placed them on her stomach so she would stop playing with her scars. "I've never been so scared in my whole life."
Maura awoke to a phone ringing. She knew it wasn't hers and after a few moments recognized it as Jane's ringtone for Frost. She didn't open her eyes but heard Jane's side of the conversation.
"What?"
"Really? No one?"
"Keep it off the radio and hide your car."
Maura felt Jane nudge her shoulder.
"Get up. You are not going to like what is about to happen."
On the car drive over, Jane explained her plan to Maura.
"No." Mura said when she was finished.
"No?" Jane asked.
Maura pulled out her phone. "I'm calling my team. You can't leave that much evidence just sitting out to be destroyed Jane. Think of all the things it could tell us."
Jane looked away from the road. "Like what?" She turned her head back. "We know who killed her. We know how. We know why. What will the body tell us that we don't already know? This is our chance to catch them both. The body is in the middle of nowhere. We weren't supposed to find her yet. We wait for them to come back to it and all this is over."
"I don't like this." Maura crossed her arms across her chest.
"I told you that you wouldn't."
Hours later, after convincing Maura to go home and setting up lookouts at both entrances of the park, Jane and Korsak sat in a cruiser where they could overlook the body. The sun had set over an hour ago and Jane was getting antsy.
She picked up the walkie. "Anyone see anything?"
"Negative." Frost answered.
Jane's frustration finally got the best of her. "Korsak, what is that smell? I've tried to ignore it, but it's getting worse."
Korsak stiffened in his seat.
Realization dawned on Jane. "There's an animal in here, isn't there?"
"No." The answer was in no way convincing.
Jane reached into the back seat to start looking and was immediately licked. "OH MY GOD! Something just licked me Vince."
Korsak turned around and pulled out a small grungy looking puppy. "This is Joe Friday. I found Joe on the side of the road on the way here this morning."
"I swear Korsak. Are you sure that your ability isn't finding every sad lost creature in greater Boston?"
She notice a grimace go across his face. "What?" When he stayed silent she brought out the big guns. "If you don't spill I will tell Frost about…"
"Alright. I might have sorta had a notion that maybe there was a dog off the side of the road about half a mile."
"Really?" Jane's eyes were wide. "That's how you find all these animals? You are lead to them?" Jane put her head in her hands. "I don't even…"
"Here." Korsak handed her Joe Friday. "Take her. I have to pee."
"Oh no. I'm not taking … her? Joe?"
"Josephina. Be back in a minute." With that he left the car.
As the minutes passed Jane began to get uneasy. Korsak should have been back. Her gut was telling her something was off. She quietly got out of the car, being sure to make as little noise as possible as she shut the door.
"Korsak?" She whispered into the night. "Korsak?"
That's when she saw it, a figure dressed all in black running through the woods.
"FREEZE!" Even as she said it she wasn't sure why. Force of habit she guessed. She knew there was no way that Hoyt or his apprentice was going to stop because she asked. She streaked into the darkness after the fleeing figure.
She had to admit that whoever she was after was pretty fast, for a boy, but they hadn't counted on Jane Rizzoli being after them. As she cleared a fallen log, it occurred to her that maybe she should have done hurdling in high school because she was definitely going to feel that stretch in the morning.
As the figure hit the creek running through the middle of the park, the figure slowed considerably. Jane saw her chance and launched herself form the creek bank, catching the figure in the lower back with her left shoulder. The figure bowed nicely and crashed into the water, Jane on top.
"Should'a played football." She muttered to herself.
"You are one butch …" Then sentence was cut off as Jane pushed the face into the water, then applied the cuffs.
That's when she recognized the voice. As she rolled the suspect over white hot anger licked up her spine. "Dean! What the hell are you doing here? How the hell did you find us?"
"I was chasing Hoyt, you moron. Leave it to you local cops to screw up a great idea."
Jane resisted the urge to hit him. She grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him to within inches of her face. "How did you find us?" He tried to look defiant. "Tell me or I hand cuff you to one of these trees and tell the FBI where you are in a couple of days."
"I have trackers yours, Frost's, and Korsak's cars."
That's was it. Jane was going to hit him. She pulled her fist back ready to break his jaw.
"Janie…" The name barely made it to her ears. "Jane."
She looked up. "Korsak?"
"Officer down. Help. Officer down."
Jane jumped up leaving Dean lying in the creek. "Korsak!" Jane started heading toward the voice.
She found him lying on the ground in a small clearing a few yards away. His hand was over this throat. She could see blood leaking out between his fingers.
"Hoyt got the drop on me." He said as she knelt down beside him.
"Shh. Don't talk." She pulled out her walkie. "Officer down. I need a bus, NOW!" She gave them their location in the park.
Jane slammed the breaks of the cruiser as she pulled into the field office of the FBI at sunrise the following morning. She had stayed with Korsak until she was sure he would be alright. The cut had looked vicious but it hadn't been deep enough to do any lasting damage. He had even promised to look after Jo Friday for him. She wasn't sure how she had gotten tricked into that, but the animal was now at her place having been dropped off while she was there for a shower and change of clothes.
Her lieutenant had made her release Dean as a professional courtesy even though she wanted to charge him with interfering with an ongoing investigation. She knew it wouldn't stick, but she at least wanted the satisfaction of see him in holding for at least a few hours.
Now, though, she was going to get answers. Dean was keeping something from her and her team. Not only that, he was spying on them. She walked in the building with a full head of steam. When she hit the security desk, she slammed her badge on the counter. "Detective Jane Rizzoli. I want to speak to the agent in charge."
The guard at the desk didn't miss a beat. "Yes Detective. He's been expecting you."
Jane hid her surprise behind her anger. If she was expected, this was either going to go very well or very badly."
In the comments last chapter, a guest asked about a pet dragon. I had been thinking about this idea the whole time, so I hope it lived up to some of the expectations.
My apologizes to anyone who likes Agent Dean. I don't have anything personal against the character, but I needed him this way for the story.
