Chapter 4
It wasn't until the next morning that the case broke wide open for Jane and Frost. She again marveled at the luck they had with the building access control and available surveillance systems. She and Frost were able to work through the list of people in the building at the estimated time of death looking for possible suspects. Dr. O'Malley's preliminary autopsy helped narrow the time of death down to between midnight and 1 am.
He was also able to conclude that the cause of death was the blunt force head injury. There were no other injuries outside of small defensive wounds on Miller's hands. O'Malley had been correct and there was tissue under three of his fingernails that did not match his DNA profile. The DNA from the recovered tissue was being run through CODIS to try to help identify a possible suspect.
A review of phone and telecommunication records showed Miller did conduct an overseas conference call with a client in France. That call ended at 11:55 pm. As Jane and Frost were reviewing the building access logs for that time frame a possible suspect appeared. A female colleague, Ashley Vincent, was seen entering the building at 11:25 pm. She was seen on CCTV heading to Miller's office. She was also the last person seen entering Miller's office that night. She exited the office at 12:37 am and she was crying. Vincent did not log into her desktop computer or make any calls from the office.
Jane and Frost brought Vincent in for questioning. It only took Jane about fifteen minutes while in the interrogation room to get Vincent to break down and admit that she and Miller had been having an affair for about six months. Miller was trying to call off the affair. He insisted that he would never leave his wife. Vincent confessed to hitting Miller with a metal statue that had been on a bookcase in Miller's office while fighting about whether he was breaking off the affair. She told Jane where she threw out the statue.
Jane and Frost always appreciated the cases they could close in less than 48 hours. It wasn't often but on occasion they were able to get a quick closure. They spent the remainder of the afternoon finishing up the paperwork for the case but as the evening approached they were both ready to relax.
"Since you are still flying solo want to get a drink at the Robber tonight?" Frost asked as he was saving the last of his documents for the case file.
"Sure. I think Korsak can join us for at least a couple too," Jane said with a smile. A night out with the guys would help her avoid being at her place alone. She missed Maura more than she thought she would when the Baltimore trip came up. Tonight was her last night to be alone so any distraction the guys could be was just fine with her.
Jane tracked down Korsak and he was up for a couple of drinks. They all left the station and headed to the Robber. Jane ordered the first round.
"When is Maura back from Baltimore?" Korsak asked.
"Tomorrow. She should be in by 6," Jane answered and didn't try to hide the anxiousness in her voice.
"Long week for you, huh?" Frost asked with a sympathetic smile.
Jane hated to admit that it was. She should be able to go a week without seeing Maura. But the truth was it was killing her not being able to see her each day. Jane suddenly realized how much she had taken for granted the fact that not only did they spend every night together but she got to see Maura each day at work too. The station just wasn't the same without Maura in the building. And Jane couldn't even sleep at Maura's without her. She had been holed up at her own apartment ever since Maura left for the conference.
"I'll admit that I've missed her more than I thought I would," she offered. It was as close to an admission of being needy as she was ever going to give either man in front of her.
Korsak smiled. He was happy for both Jane and Maura. He had wondered about them as a couple for years. He had sat back and watched as Jane would push people away and not let anyone get too close. He had worried about her and was fearful that she would always be alone. When Maura entered the picture he had watched in awe as Jane seemed to open up to her in ways he had never seen her do with anyone else before.
And Jane was good for Maura too. As he got to know the medical examiner it was clear she was not always comfortable around people or in social interactions. But Jane seemed to power right through her hesitations and pulled Maura out of her shell. The more time Maura spent with Jane the better she was with social norms and interactions.
They complimented each other. Vince had heard of such things. He'd married three times thinking each time he had found such a thing. But his marriages couldn't hold a candle to the depth of the relationship he watched develop between the two women. What Jane and Maura had was unique and special and it was an honor to be even a small part of it. That honor was something Korsak never took for granted. "Don't worry Jane it will be tomorrow night before you know it."
Jane enjoyed the evening with Frost and Korsak. About two hours into the night Korsak had excused himself to head home. He had a slew of animals he needed to attend to. Frost and Jane decided to stay for one more drink before calling it a night. Frost made his way to the bar to get the drinks. While Jane waited her cell phone vibrated.
The first thing she noticed was the message was coming from a blocked number. That immediately put her on notice. Then she looked at the message.
Tomorrow. 11 am. MJ O'Connor's. Come alone.
Jane stared at her phone trying to decide what to make of the message. She knew where the bar was but that didn't really help with her understanding of either who was sending her a message or what exactly it was all about. MJ O'Connor's wasn't a bar she frequented. If she remembered correctly she hadn't been there in over two years.
"Jane?" asked Frost was he returned with the beer. He couldn't make out what the look on Jane's face was or why she was staring down at her phone. "Everything ok?"
Jane wasn't exactly sure what was going on so she really didn't know how to answer him. "Umm, yeah. Everything is fine," she said returning her phone to her holster.
"Was that Maura?" he asked not completely convinced by her answer.
"No. She's going to call later tonight," Jane said dismissing the conversation as she grabbed her beer from Frost. She quickly changed the subject and they enjoyed their last beer with each other before heading out. Jane decided to worry about the message and the possible meeting tomorrow.
R&I
John powered on his laptop and waited for the startup menu. A few keystrokes to enter his password and everything launched. As he watched the screens and programs all load he thought about how much his business had changed with the advancements in technology. It was all so simple now. No more briefcases and duffle bags full of money to carry around. No more secret night drops in remote locations. Now it was simply a matter of a secure internet connection and offshore account information.
He launched his browser and accessed his particular offshore bank site. He signed in and pulled up the account he want to review. In a matter of seconds he had his answer. The money was there. No doubt wired immediately after his meeting yesterday. He again marveled at how thirty seconds of the right keystrokes had just made him a quarter of a million dollars richer and halfway to the half a million this job would earn him.
How easy it all was these days. He looked one more time at the account and was satisfied that the money was in order. He entered a new account number and was in no way surprised that the required funds were as they should be. That too had been taken care of. Now it was time for him to start his first task.
He opened a second tab on his computer and began to set everything up. He had memorized the name and account information from the paper yesterday. Soaking and destroying it in his beer was a rather old habit from back in the days before electronics ruled the world. But it made him feel safer to destroy anything written down for any of his jobs. But, his memory was excellent and he was able to easily recall the necessary details to enter into the computer.
It only took ten minutes. Switching between the two open tabs he was able to set up the first of the electronic wire transfers from the second account into the newly established one. Usually, he could do this kind of thing in about five minutes but he was bouncing the transfers off of a few extra sites just in case someone tried to follow the money trail. The path was now sufficiently hidden.
Ten minutes. That's all it really took to start to destroy someone's life. He leaned back in his chair and looked at his laptop screen. Yep, technology sure had changed his field. Before any of this he simply would have been asked to kill the woman. But now, now he was asked to do this instead. He wondered which was crueler: death or destruction. When his time came he knew what he wanted. He wanted death.
R&I
Jane got home and was greeted immediately by Jo. The dog was all over Jane the minute the front door opened. Jane picked her up in the midst of one of her jumps and let the dog say a proper hello. She couldn't help but laugh as Jo's tongue did a number to the side of her face. "I missed you too," she said affectionately to her. Before she got settled she grabbed Jo's leash and attached it to her collar. "Come on, before it gets any later." She headed outside for Jo to walk around and go to the bathroom.
About 10 minutes later they returned and Jane took off the leash from Jo's collar. Jo took off running and that too made Jane smile. The dog was a bundle of energy and it was just best not to get in her way sometimes. Jane wandered into the kitchen opening the refrigerator when she got there taking out a strawberry. She looked around for Bass and didn't immediately see him. She headed to the bedroom and found him hanging out in the corner.
She carefully approached and sat down next to him. Slowly, he poked his head out from his shell. Jane had decided that they had finally gotten used to each other. She was even beginning to believe he might even like her. Or at least not hate her anymore. He didn't retreat into his shell when she approached anymore and he would even take food from her hand. She felt that was progress. As she sat she offered him the strawberry. He took it but slowly.
"Yeah, I know. I miss her too," Jane said. For a moment she could swear he almost nodded in agreement. She rubbed the top of his shell and wondered if that was even the most comforting place to pet but she was too afraid to try to pet him anywhere else. She made a mental note to ask Maura if he liked anything better. "She'll be home tomorrow." With that reassurance, Bass finished his strawberry and Jane stood up.
Ten minutes later her phone rang. She answered it on the first ring. "Hey Beautiful," she said as the smile spread across her face.
"Hi!" greeted Maura. "It is so good to hear your voice." The raspy nature of Jane's voice was always a turn on for Maura. There were times when she could be blissfully content to just listen to Jane talk. About what she did not care.
"How's the conference?" Jane asked genuinely curious. Maura had delivered her keynote address the night before but she was on a panel for today and Jane was hoping that went well.
"It's been very informative. The speakers were very good this year and the participants had a lot of questions. We had a very active panel session this afternoon. I would call it a complete success."
Jane couldn't help but pick up on Maura's excitement. As much as she missed her Jane was glad Maura had gone to the conference. She always got excited to learn about something new and could easily get wrapped up in explaining an answer to someone. Jane always loved listening to Maura but sometimes the answers and topics were just a bit over her head. "I'm glad today went so well."
"How about you? Where are you with that lawyer's murder?" Maura knew Jane liked to close cases quickly. She had mentioned the night before that she felt they would catch a break once they reviewed all the data.
"Case is closed. Our suspect confessed this afternoon."
"Excellent!"
"I told Frost all our future homicides should only happen in buildings with strict access controls."
Maura laughed. "Unfortunately I don't think that's how it works."
"I suppose not. But this one was easy and I'll take it. I'm just glad it means unless I catch another case tomorrow we should be able to spend the entire weekend together. We have a week's time to make up for."
Maura laughed again, "Neither one of us is on call this weekend. So we will definitely be able to make up for this week. If I have my way, you won't see daylight until Monday."
"Don't tease a girl who's stuck here all alone," Jane said playfully.
"It's not a tease. It's a promise," Maura said with a hint of seduction in her voice.
"We may not make it all the way to Monday. Your mother called and wants to review wedding guest lists with everyone on Sunday. I don't think we can get out of that."
"Watch me," was Maura's only answer.
Jane couldn't hold back the laughter. "Why Dr. Isles, where are your priorities?"
"My priority is you. So they are exactly where they should be. Mother can wait one more day."
Jane smiled and sighed contentedly into the phone. She had been walking around the apartment but finally sat down on the couch and finished her conversation with Maura. After she ended the call she channel flipped for a while and watched the end of Sportscenter before deciding to call it a night. She was just happy that tonight was the last night she would be going to sleep alone.
R&I
The sound of the key entering the lock and the opening of the front door never registered. Neither did the quiet growl turned excited pattering of dog paws running across the floor. Nor did the footsteps getting closer and closer seem to disturb the sleeping detective.
Jane's breathing fluctuated just a bit when the bed slowly dipped from the weight that was suddenly being added. But not enough to wake her. What finally did the trick, what ultimately woke the sleeping beauty, was the sensation of Maura's lips being pressed against the base of Jane's neck. Slow, rhythmic kisses being placed on Jane's exposed neck and shoulder elicited a soft moan from Jane and that brought her back to a reasonable level of awareness.
"Maura?" she breathed out in a whisper not sure if it was real or a dream. She felt two arms wrap around her from behind and the pressure being applied from the lips massaging her neck increased.
"Hi," was Maura's response also barely above a whisper.
Jane's mind finally caught up to the situation and she rolled over onto her back opening her eyes fully for the first time. "What are you doing here?" but with an amazing smile that blew Maura away. Even in the darkness of the bedroom Maura couldn't think of a sight more beautiful than what was currently in front of her.
Instead of immediately answering her Maura chose to occupy both their lips with a kiss. She captured Jane's lips with hers and savored the feel. She let her tongue graze across Jane's bottom lip and got the desired response. Jane's lips parted and Maura's tongue gained the access her desperately wanted. Both women let themselves get consumed in the moment.
"I couldn't stay away another night," Maura said when they finally broke from the kiss.
"You knew you were coming home early when we spoke didn't you? How could you not tell me?" Jane asked but leaned in for another kiss before letting Maura get out an answer. A deep, passionate kiss reminding each woman how much she missed the one now in front of her.
"It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I had told you," Maura finally answered when they had to break for air again. "And besides, you never specifically asked me when I was coming home on the phone earlier."
Jane pulled Maura in close to her and rolled herself on top. Looking down into the purest set of hazel eyes she would ever know all she could manage in that moment was a simple declaration. "I love you."
Maura reached down and grabbed the bottom of the t-shirt Jane had worn to bed. In one fluid motion she had it over Jane's head and tossed to the ground. Returning her attention to the hovering beauty on top of her she had her own simple response. "Prove it."
The night turned into the best homecoming either had ever experienced.
