Chapter 6:Work and Play

"What do we have?" Lindsay asked entering the scene and approaching Jess.

"Toni Miller," Jess nodded her head towards the victim. "Thirty-nine year old; worked as a student assistant at Holy Cross Middle School."

"Who found her?" Stella asked as she and Lindsay set to work processing and collecting evidence.

"Her fourteen year old daughter, Leslie." Jess nodded towards the visibly shaken teen talking to the uniform, "She left for school and, when she thought her mother had gone to work, she came back for a day of hooky and found her mom like this."

"Looks like she was stabbed numerous times," Lindsay said.

"Yeah and it was a short window," Jess replied. "According to Leslie, she and her brother Seth left for the bus at eight. Seth got on his bus but Leslie came back; she said when she got here it was around 8:30 give or take a few minutes."

"Rigor is consistent with that time frame," Stella said.

"Husband?" Lindsay asked.

"Divorced nine years and not in the picture," Jess replied. "But, I'll run him."

"She put up a fight," Stella commented, "maybe we'll get lucky and she got a piece of her killer." She scraped underneath the victim's nails and held out the evidence bag to collect her sample.

"If you two are good here, I'm going to get Leslie out of here. She's going to be traumatized enough," Jess said.

Lindsay and Stella nodded their heads in agreement.

Jess rubbed her eyes; they were starting to burn from staring at the computer screen. "Don't concentrate too hard," Don said approaching her desk. "We wouldn't want you to hurt anything in your pretty head."

"Is that coffee for me?" Jess asked pointing to newly poured cup he was holding; she could still see the steam coming from the top.

"Nope."

"It is now," Jess yanked the cup from his hands.

Don rolled his eyes and sat next to her, "So why do you look like you're about to blow steam from your ears?"

"How does someone just disappear?" Jess asked. "I've been sitting here for an hour searching for my vic's ex-husband and I can't find him."

"No known address?" Don asked.

"Nope, there's nothing. I have a record of the divorce and then it's as if he dropped off the face of the earth. No credit cards, no accounts, he hasn't paid child support. His last known address was my vic's." Jess stated frustrated.

"Maybe he changed his name," Don suggested.

"Maybe, but there would be a record of that," Jess reminded him. "I need to find him. Not only to ask questions about Toni: he also has two minor children who are currently in the care of the state."

"Keep looking." Don assured her, "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Jess shrugged.

"I have to run," he said as he saw Danny and Mac enter the precinct. "I think there might be something on my case. We still on for tonight?"

"Sure, that is if I don't end up working through the night." Jess replied.

"Enjoy my coffee," he smiled walking over to meet Mac and Danny.

Jess smiled taking a sip just as the phone at her desk rang.

"Angell," Jess answered.

"Hey, Jess,"Stella's voice rang through the other end, "Lindsay is on the way over to get you. I want the two of you to go and talk to Toni's co-workers and some of the kids she worked with. See if they could think of anyone who would want to hurt her."

"Sure," Jess said. "The husband angle is a bust: I can't find him. Maybe Adam can do some of his computer voodoo and look for anything I missed."

"I'll have him look into it," Stella replied. "Oh, and Sid finished his work up on Toni. She was stabbed seventeen times."

"A bit excessive, don't you think?" Jess asked.

"Yeah just a bit. But there was no sexual assault. The only weird thing was the marks on her back and buttock; it looks like she was whipped," Stella informed her.

"Whipped? Like with a belt?" Jess questioned.

"Not sure with what yet; Hawkes is on it," Stella replied.

"Let me know what you find," Jess said.

"You too," Stella said as they both hung up.

Lindsay and Jess walked through the halls of Holy Cross Middle School. "This place gives me the creeps," Lindsay remarked.

Jess glanced at her, "It's a school, a place where children come to learn. How in the world does in give you the creeps?"

"Takes me back to my school days. All of a sudden I feel thirteen and like I've been called to the principal office," Lindsay explained.

"Spend a lot of time there?" Jess grinned.

"No more than any other rebellious teen," Lindsay laughed. "You?"

"O, I was definitely bitten by the rebellious bug; I was a top student with an attitude. So yes, I was there a lot," Jess chuckled thinking about her own school year days. "But," she continued, "this is a great school. Good caring teachers and the principal is nice. Plus there are a lot of extracurricular activities. They really try to get the kids involved in things."

"How do you know so much about this place?" Lindsay asked.

"Umm…my niece goes…." Jess started to say but didn't finish because she saw Emma walk out from a classroom and walk towards them.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Emma asked.

Lindsay gave Jess a look. "I'm working," Jess replied. "Emma, this is a colleague of mine, Lindsay; Lindsay, my daughter Emma," she introduced; and then asked, "Why aren't you in class?"

Emma lifted her hand to show the bathroom pass she was holding. "Is this about the SA that died?" she inquired.

"How in the world do you know about that?" Jess asked.

"I didn't know her," Emma said. "Mrs. Miller worked with kids in seventh grade, but it's all over school. Mr. Wilson, the guidance counselor and Mrs. Peterson have set up some sort of grieve thing. The older kids are upset. Wait if you're here then that means she was murdered?"

"Go back to class, learn something." Jess said, "I'll see you later."

"Okay," Emma returned; she turned to go down the hall, but looked back at her mom,

"Are we still going out tonight or are you going to have to work?"

"Not sure yet," Jess said. "But Aunt Renee will pick you and Mikayla up after school just as planned. I don't know how late I'll be."

Emma nodded as she entered the bathroom. Jess and Lindsay continued to walk down the hall to Mrs. Petersons' office. "So… you have a daughter," Lindsay commented.

"I do," Jess replied.

"I did not know that," Lindsay hedged.

"I know," Jess laughed as she knocked on the door.

Jess leaned against the interrogation room wall; she stared at a thirteen year old. She didn't want to believe this child could be their killer, but this was where the evidence had led them. "Brent," Stella asked, "what happened?"

The boy looked terrified. "Nothing happened," Mr. Parsons answered for his son. "I don't know what you think you have on my boy but I'm telling you, you have the wrong person. He would never hurt anyone."

"DNA doesn't lie," Jess said.

"How did you get my kid's DNA? He's a minor, you can't take it without a parent present," Mr. Parsons exclaimed.

"Or guardian," Jess replied. "We had the consent of your wife and she was present."

"Brent's DNA was found under the Toni's nails," Stella said.

"Probably how he got those scratches on his wrist," Jess informed the father. "But I doubt that's how he got the bruises he's trying to hide."

"How dare you accuse me of hitting my kid!"

"I didn't mean to kill her," Brent blurted out.

"Brent, shut up," Mr. Parsons ordered.

"You didn't mean to stab her seventeen times; you didn't mean to continuously beat her with your belt while she bled to death," Jess asked.

"She was going to report me for selling coke. I would have been suspended," he replied. "I couldn't get suspended."

"Come on, Mom, let's ride the hurricane," Emma said running out in front of Don and Jess.

"No way am I riding that thing," Jess told her daughter and Don.

"You're really not in the mood for this, are you?" Don asked. "I know it was a hard one today."

"It was," Jess said slipping her arm around his. "But I try not to bring work home."

Don laughed.

"Well, besides you," Jess chuckled. "This is Emma time."

Emma ran back. "Come on you two slow pokes," she stated taking Jess and Don's hands and trying to pull them in the direction of the ride she wanted desperately to ride.

"Em, I'm not getting on that thing," Jess repeated.

"Oh I get it," Don said. "You're chicken."

"She is," Emma agreed.

"I am not," Jess retorted as they walked into the line for the ride.

"Really 'cause I think you are," Don smirked. "Bauk, bauk…."

"I can't believe you just made chicken noises," Jess said.

"Bauk, bauk," both Emma and Don repeated.

"Fine!" Jess gave in. "I'll get on that contraption."

"Yes!" Emma clapped her hands with excitement.

Jess looked up at the ride; she knew she wouldn't get sick. It wasn't the motion that bothered her: it was the fact it was a ride that was spinning in the air. She hated heights. She felt Don's arms slip around her waist, his chin rested on top of her head. "If you want I'll hold your hand," he said.

"Promise?" Jess asked.

"Of course," Don replied.

"Do you promise not to mock or laugh when I start to scream like a little girl?" Jess asked.

"I promise," Don laughed.

Emma turned around. "I didn't promise, so I get to mock right?" she giggled.

Jess and Don sat on the bench next to the carousel that Emma was riding. After the Hurricane Jess definitely needed a break from the rides. "Did you find the ex afterwards?" Don asked. He caught the look on Jess's face, "Oh sorry, I forgot you don't like to bring work home."

"That's not it." Jess sighed, "I did find him."

"Oh, that's good; means the kids have a parent to go with," Don said.

"Nope," Jess replied, "he doesn't want them. He's remarried with another family: Leslie and Seth would be an inconvenience. But they won't be staying in the system; Toni has a brother and he agreed to take them."

"How does a man abandon his children?" Don asked, but regarded it the moment he did considering who he was talking to. "I just mean…"

"It's okay," Jess assured him. "I don't understand it either."

"Do you mind if I ask about her dad?" Don asked.

"No," Jess replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything you want to tell me," Don answered.

"He was my high school sweetheart. When I found out I was pregnant, Jake promised to be there. And he made good until just after Emma's first birthday. Jake wanted, and I wanted him to, go to college. He had postponed for a year because of Emma; so, he went to school and that's when he started to drift away from us. College is a lot more fun when you can go to the frat parties and not worry about your child," Jess said.

"So he hasn't been around since she was a baby," Don said.

"He walked back into her life when she was six. He assured me, he would be around this time. That he had grown up and was ready to be a father. Because I was so naïve, I believed him; let him into Emma's life. He stuck around just long enough for her to be crushed when he left again." Jess said, "I hate the guy; if I hadn't sworn to serve and protect, I would like nothing more than to wring his neck. But Jake is her dad and I try not to project my feelings on her. I wish she could have a relationship with him; I want to keep the doors open, but I don't want Emma to get hurt either. I try to tell her good things, but Emma won't talk about him."

"I don't know what to say," Don admitted.

Jess shrugged, "It's Jake's loss. I mean look at her." Jess said as Emma pointed that she was going around again, "She's amazing. And we're fine; we have each other. I have an amazing support system. My life is easier without Jake in it."

Don smiled as he leaned in to brush his lips against hers. "Yuck," Emma said approaching her mom.

"You know what: I take it back, she's not so amazing," Jess smiled jokingly.

Emma stretched out her hand. "Cotton candy money and I'll leave you to make out," she said making a face at the words make out.

Jess blushed.

"How about we come along too?" Don suggested.

"That works too," Emma smiled. "Oh we should ride the Farris wheel afterwards."

"Ugh!" Jess said. "You two are on your own."

Don and Emma laughed both walking ahead calling out, "Bauk, bauk."

Don carried a sleeping Emma upstairs to Jess's place. The sugar high had run out on the way back from the carnival and Emma had fallen asleep. Jess unlocked the door and the three entered. "Take her on into her room," Jess said. "The one on the left."

Don nodded and walked into Emma's room carefully placing her on the bed. Jess walked in right behind. She pulled off Emma's sneakers, covered her up with a blanket, and gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead.

They both exited the room and Jess cashed onto the couch. "I'm so tired," Jess said

Don sat down next to her and Jess let her head rest on his shoulder. Don pulled the throw off the back of the couch and pulled it up around Jess. "Are you staying?" she asked.

"Do you want me to stay?" Don asked.

"Would I have just asked you if I didn't?" Jess laughed.

"What about Emma?" Don asked.

"She is out for the night. And we already talked about this: Emma is fine with you staying over," Jess informed him.

"You discussed it with Emma," he repeated.

"Of course, I talk to Emma about everything. The conversation was PG but I wanted to make sure Em was fine with the idea." she explained closing her eyes.

"Come on," Don said taking her by the hand and pulling her off the couch. "Before I have to lug you to bed too."