iii

"Wanna go for lunch?" Curtis looked up to see his girl, Detective Miller, looking at him from the door of his office.

"I wish." Curtis said as he smiled at her a small, doppy smile that made her heart melt. Something that she would never tell anyone. Ever. Not even him.

"Why not?" She asked and stepped into the office a little more.

"Got a meeting in Fish Town at one. I got to leave pretty soon." Curtis explained.

"Fish Town?" Kat asked curiously. This was the first she had heard of this meeting. Curtis nodded. She was a cop, and knew how to get information when she wanted it so he knew he needed to get out of there.

"I'll see you at dinner, okay?" he said and stood up, gave her a quick kiss and left, leaving her behind bewildered.

"Did you talk to the foster parents?" Asked detective Stillman.

"Yeah, couldn't think of any enemy's. Really torn up." Scotty said as they all stood in their boss' office. "They cared so much."

"The principal didn't know anything either, though gave us two names of kids that Sarah regularly had arguments with." Kat explained.

"Apparently she was really close with the Adriana girl. Treated her like a little sister." Lilly said,

"Scotty, you knew her right?" asked Stillman.

"Yeah, on a different case a few years ago. She might remember me and open up." Scotty said. Stillman nodded.

"Good thing to try."

They all stood there, thinking about how they could get the kids to open up to them. Kids that were scared of the police that wouldn't talk to them.

"Hey mom." Kat turned around as Veronica walked into the office.

"What are you doing here?" Kat asked. The others looked away as they tried to give the two privacy in the small office. Leaving was an idea they hadn't thought about.

"Well, I got dress coded and sent home so I decided to come here since grandma is at bingo." Veronica explained, "What-"

"What do you mean, "dress coded"?" Kat asked as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Well… my shirt may or may not have no sleeves…" Veronica trailed off.

"Veronica Miller! You know those types of clothing is not permitted at your school, or at home!" Kat said exasperated.

"Sorry," Veronica said though she didn't sound sorry at all. "What's the case?" she asked. Before someone could say that she wasn't allowed to know, Nick spoke.

"A foster kid your age was murdered just over a year ago," He said. "I just got an idea." He added as a look of realization appeared on his face as he looked over at the teenager. Kat looked between the two as she realised what we was talking about.

"No. No way," Kat said. "No way in hell is my daughter going there." Kat said as she glared at her partner.

"Going where?" Veronica and Scotty asked at the same time. Lilly, who seemed to know what Nick was thinking spoke up.

"Vera has the idea that Veronica should go to the school undercover cause then the kids will open up to her."

"I'll do it!" Veronica said with a smile.

"No, no you won't," Kat said as she glared at Nick, "No way am I putting my baby in danger."

"Come on Miller, it is the only way we will find out what happened." Nick said.

"It is actually a sort of good idea." Scotty agreed. Kat glared at the two.

"No way am I allowing it," She said as she stood her ground.

"Come on mom, please. I promise not to do anything that could endanger my life. You heard Detective Vera, it might be the only way to find out what happened." Veronica pleaded.

"I agree to let you." Stillman said.

"But boss!" Kat said in shock as she turned to stare at him.

"It might be the only way Kat." Kat glared at him but nodded, knowing not to go against what her boss said.

She exited the office pulling Veronica with her and over to her desk to sign her up for the stupid school. She knew most of it was done online but the rest she would need someone to go in for. And she knew who was going to have to do that, no matter how much she hated it.

"How long has she lived with you, Mr. Jones?" asked Madam Jefferson. Jarrod Jones sat in one of the chairs with Veronica beside him.

"Three years." Jarrod said. It was technically true, two weekends a month Veronica would come and stay with him and his wife.

"What do you specialize in, Veronica?" Madam Jefferson asked the fifteen year old nicely.

"Ballet," Veronica said with a smile. Madam Jefferson nodded and wrote it down. "I love English though." Veronica added.

"Well, I believe that we have a place for you here. The last opening actually," Madam Jefferson said as she shuffled some papers around. "You'll start tomorrow. I just need to ask you one question, is your last name spelled with an ER or AR?"

"AR." Veronica lied with a smile.

"I have an appointment to see Rachel Strike," Curtis said to the front desk. The rehab was run down and not fancy like the one he had been in during a case in chestnut hill. Everything was dirty and the floors looked like nobody had cleaned them in months.

"Name," the lady said even though she wasn't looking through records to see if he did indeed have an appointment. He could have been there to hurt Rachel and nobody would know.

"Curtis Bell."

"Go in." the lady said and motioned for him to go passed the desk and into the actual clinic. He nodded a thanks and walked past the counter and down the hallway.

The further down he got the louder it became, till the point that he was sure he was in the right place. And he was correct when he walked into a room full of people. Most in the white hospital gowns.

"You must be Curtis Bell." A lady said as she appeared beside him in blue scrubs.

"Nurse Kelly?" he asked. She nodded with a smile and he gave her the one that he gave people in interrogation, a friendly one that made people trust him easily.

"This way, Rachel has been anxious to see you," She said and led the way down a different corridor.

This one had all different doors that Curtis had concluded lead to different rooms. Some of the doors were closed, some were open and empty. And some opened as they walked by, people looking out of them and at him. Their skin shallow, their eyes hollow.

Finally they reached the end door and Kelly opened it revealing a nice sitting room with one couch, a table and a chair. On the couch with matted, greasy hair sat Rachel Strike.

Rachel had once been exceedingly beautiful, with high cheek bones, full lips and a beautiful figure and flawless tan skin. Now her skin was pale and yellowing, her lips dry and cracked, her eyes bloodshot. She was hollow, her eyes were and her body.

"Curtis." She rasped and stood up. She threw herself at him in a hug. Something the A.D.A was not expecting. He hesitantly hugged her back, not exactly wanting to but did it because he knew it was the nice thing to do. And that was what he was. Nice.

"What do you want, Rachel." He said. He hadn't bothered to say she looked well, they both knew it'd be a lie.

Curtis Bell hadn't seen Rachel Strike since April of 2000. The day she had broken up with him because he wanted her to get help.

"I need to tell you something, something important." Rachel said as she sat down on the couch again. Curtis sat on the chair opposite her, not wanting to be too close.

"What is it?" Curtis said.

"I want us to get back together." She blurted out. He wasn't sure if this was the important information or not.

"I have a girlfriend, Rachel. I love her. I don't know you anymore. I don't think I ever did." Curtis said. He didn't want to let her down too hard, but after he said his words he felt as though he was being too harsh, but before he could correct himself of apologize Rachel spoke.

"That wasn't what was so important, that was just me trying." She said with a faint, ghost like smile which vanished as quickly as it appeared. "The reason I left you was because I was pregnant, Curtis. We have a daughter."

Curtis was stunned into silence. This girl, the one that had left him all those years ago, had a child. A child with him. He had a child. Well, another child than the one he already had with his ex-wife.

"Why have you never told me?" Curtis asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"I was scared, I didn't want her taken away from me at first. But then… I realized I couldn't take care of her. She deserves better." Rachel said hoarsely.

"What does she look like?" Curtis asked.

"Here is her school photo." Rachel said as she cleared her throat and pulled a folded photo put of her pocket.

Curtis took it and held it to the light so it shone on the girls face.

She was tan, full lips and dark brown hair. Her eyes were dark like his but her petite nose and full lips were Rachels.

"She plays Piano, plays chess, I'm pretty sure she used to be in dance or is by the school." Rachel spoke and Curtis was vaguely listening.

The girls was smiling at the camera, a smile so beautiful it could belong to a model. But in her eyes, it didn't reach them. They didn't look happy, full of joy like they should have. They were sad. Haunted by something that couldn't be found.

"May I keep this?" Curtis asked. Rachel nodded and Curtis stood up and fled the room, forgetting to ask her name.

I do not own anything to do with Cold Case