Aaaaaand they just keep getting darker.

Disclaimer - If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you don't recognize it, then I do own it. That's the way these things work.


"Captain Stone, do you have a moment?"
The older, raven-haired, man glanced up from the papers on his desk at the sound of the Detective's voice. "Of course. What can I help you with, Detective?"
"Our victim's name is Jennifer Reynolds. She is… was… a nurse at New York Presbyterian. Aaron and I have a friend who works the night shift there, I was thinking maybe I'd call him, ask him to come in, see what he can tell us" Tobias replied quickly, though calmly.
The Captain considered this for a moment, before nodding slightly. "If you think it will prove useful to our investigation, then I suggest you go with it".
"Thank you, sir".
The blonde-haired detective turned to leave his boss's office, but paused when the Captain spoke again. "Detective Grace… was there something else that you wanted to speak with me about?"
Tobias nodded in response, pivoting to face the older man, who had always been a sort of second father to him. "Yes, sir. I was wondering if, after we closed this case, I could take a couple of days off. I kind of met this cute girl last night, and I was hoping to be able to take her out to dinner this week".
Captain Stone raised his eyebrows, signalling the Detective to tell him more. "Kind of met?"
"Well, more like I stopped her from being mugged".
Recognition dawned in the older man's eyes. "And this would have something to do with the reason that Aaron and Ruby left the bar after you called them, correct?"
"Yes, sir".
The Captain smiled slightly. "Of course. You should really take time off more often, Detective. Especially since you've got a girlfriend now…"
Tobias smirked. "She's not my girlfriend just yet, Captain. Hopefully it won't be long before she is though".
The Captain nodded. "Noted. Now, get back to work, Detective".
"Yes, sir".
Tobias turned on his heel again and walked out of the door, pulling his phone from his pocket and automatically dialling a number. The person on the other side picked up after only three rings. "What can I do for you?"
"Joe, its Tobias. Is this a bad time?" the detective queried, noting the subtle hint of impatience in his friend's voice.
The man on the other side of the line sighed. "No, not at all, man. I just can't remember where I parked when I got to work, that's all".
"Didn't you mention a couple of days ago that you were going to start trying to save petrol by either walking or taking a taxi to work every day?" Tobias queried, remembering a conversation that they had had only a few days before.
"Ah, goddamnit. I did indeed. What would I do without you and your fantastic memory, Toby?" he chuckled.
"Be late to work every time, most likely" Tobias responded, shrugging.
"True, true. So, what can I do for you, old friend?"
"Are you familiar with a nurse called Jennifer Reynolds?" Tobias asked.
"Jennifer Reynolds… Sure, I know her. She works the shift before mine. Nice girl, if a little stubborn and strong-willed at times. What's going on, Tobias?"
"Could you come by the Precinct? I promise I'll explain everything when you get here".
"Yeah, sure. Anything you need, man. You know that".
Tobias smiled for what honestly felt like the first time that morning. "Good. I'll see you in 30 then?"
"See you in 30".
And with those words, the doctor on the other side of the line hung up. Tobias grinned at Aaron, who was still standing by the board, or the 'murder board' as they had officially termed it, putting the few new things they had learned about their victim onto the board. "I just talked to Joseph. He's on his way".
"He knew Jennifer or something, then?"
Tobias nodded grimly. "She worked the shift before his".
~Thirty minutes later~
"So, guys, are you going to tell me what's going on? Or are you going to make me guess?" the young doctor queried, looking back and forth between Tobias and Aaron.
"Jennifer Reynolds was found murdered in an alleyway just over two hours ago" Aaron said softly.
Joseph muttered something under his breath. "Who killed her?"
"That's what we're trying to find out. Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?" Tobias questioned.
"No. No, I can't think of anyone. Everyone at work loved her".
"Do you know if she was seeing anyone?" Aaron queried.
"I don't believe she was. But she did leave work strangely early last night. She said she had to meet with a man named Jason Gardner".
Interesting. Very interesting. "Had she ever mentioned anyone by that name before?"
"No".
Tobias sighed. They had a suspect, but they knew absolutely nothing about the man. "Thanks for your help. We'll call you if we find anything".
The three men shook hands, and Joseph headed for the door, pausing momentarily just before he stepped through. "Try talking to her roommate. She might be able to tell you more".
"Her roommate? What's her name?" Aaron queried.
"Karen Osborne".
And with that, he walked out of the room and towards the elevator, leaving the two detectives to their own thoughts.
~Ten minutes later~
"Karen Osborne?"
"Who is this?" the woman demanded.
Her tone was casual, yet clipped and direct. "My name is Tobias Grace. I'm a Homicide Detective with the 12th Precinct. Do you know a woman by the name of Jennifer Reynolds?"
Her voice softened immediately. "She's my roommate. And we work the same shift at New York Presbyterian. Please, what's this about?"
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Ms. Osborne, but Jennifer Reynolds was found murdered in an alleyway a few hours ago. Would you mind coming down to the Precinct to answer a few questions?" Tobias responded.
"I'm on my way".
Tobias sighed as he hung up, staring at the whiteboard, which had been neatly divided into two sides, one containing everything that they knew about Jennifer Reynolds and the other containing only a single name. Jason Gardner. "This has got to be the worst part of the job".
Aaron chuckled beside him. "Telling the family and friends? Nah, I think the takedowns are the worst. Remember three months ago when Ruby fell and hurt her ankle while chasing a suspect?"
"All too well. I kept telling her not to wear high heels on the job, but the stupid girl wouldn't listen to me" Tobias responded, laughing at the memory.
It was then that there was a crashing sound from the break room, followed by the sound of a young man yelling out in pain. Tobias muttered a curse in French under his breath. "Kyle must have tripped over again. Probably spilt scalding-hot coffee all over himself too… That kid really needs to watch where he's going"


In case you're wondering – Jason Gardner is the man whose name was the last word spoken by Jennifer Reynolds before she was murdered, Joseph Palmer is the childhood friend of Tobias and Aaron as well as the colleague of Jennifer Reynolds, Kyle Stevens is the accident-prone intern working with Tobias's team, and Karen Osborne is the roommate and colleague of Jennifer Reynolds as well as being Monica's older sister.
So now you know. And Monica will actually appear in the next one! And trust me, they won't all be this case-oriented. Most will actually focus on Tobias and Monica's growing relationship (with cases perhaps as a framing device).

Songs for the update:
Mermaid, by Train
I See Fire, by Ed Sheeran