Note: I have changed the rating to M with this chapter just in case because a) while very very slight, there's still an increase in swearing and b) because very soon the story will probably get more violent.
I hope you enjoy this update and keep reviewing :)
Chapter 7:
Jane sat on Maura's couch, back in her regular clothes, with a cold beer in hand. She'd barely spoken a word since she'd been released. She was still mortified that this had happened and was deeply worried how it might affect her career. Everyone had been so supportive and kind when Maura and Frankie had brought her back to BPD. Cavanaugh had agreed to let Frost and Korsak fill her in on the case, so long as she didn't start working it. Something was off, something the guys couldn't see, but Jane couldn't place it. At least not yet. She knew working the case would be detrimental to her and possibly get her in even more trouble than she was in now, but she was a detective; it was who she was. And right now Jane couldn't stop thinking about the new evidence, mainly the neighbour. By now Frost and Korsak would have finished interrogating him and she was dying to know the outcome. But the whole thing about Susie tampering with the evidence was the heaviest thought currently in Jane's mind. The situation felt weird. Susie was very loyal, especially to Maura, and she just wasn't the type of person who would go dirty without a good reason. At the back of her mind Jane was thinking of one person in particular who could quite possibly be behind this, but she refused to acknowledge it. She was stressed enough right now.
Jane was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the door open and the soft footsteps that approached her.
"Jane?" Maura said.
"Huh? What? Oh hi Maura." Jane said. Maura looked at her with concern as she sat down on the couch. Jane had her 'I was deep in thought' face on and it didn't take a genius to work out what Jane had been thinking about. Maura placed a reassuring hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Jane, it's going to be ok. Everyone's working as hard as they can to clear your name. And you're out now; that's a start, if not a good one." Maura said.
"Yeah, I know. It's just…I just keep wondering who did this, you know? Who would be so desperate enough to set me up like this? And even if it's someone who I've never locked up, who I've never even passed on the street before, why would they do this? And the fact that Frost could trace Reed's burn phone, which is supposed to be untraceable in the first place, seems off. I mean, even if he was working with someone, why would you have a traceable burn phone if you were trying to set someone up. Unless…" Jane trailed off and put on her thinking face mixed with her 'uh oh' worry face.
"Unless what?" Maura prompted. Jane looked straight at her.
"Unless whoever is setting me up wanted me to get out of jail to make it easier for them to get to me. What if the burn phone being traceable was part of plan? And the prints, and the changes made to the evidence in the crime lab. Do you really think that Susie did that willingly?" Jane said. Maura sat for a minute, thinking.
"No, I don't think Susie would have done it willingly. But we have no evidence to say otherwise. And Susie hasn't been back in the lab for a couple of days." Maura said. "And why would someone set you up so that you go to prison, then plant the evidence that gets you released? Maura asked.
"Because my name hasn't been cleared yet. And I'm on parole, which it makes it easier for whoever 'they' are to get to me because if I run, I look even guiltier, but if I stay, then technically I'm not a cop, which means no badge or gun to protect me." Jane explained. Maura nodded. The true meaning of Jane's last words hung in the air between them. That not being a cop right now, without a gun, made her even more vulnerable than before. Which meant that if Alexandria's killer was after Jane, he or she would be making their move against her sooner than either Jane or Maura liked.
"Come on." Maura said, standing up.
"Where are we going?" Jane asked, confused.
"I'm taking you to the Dirty Robber. You need a proper drink and some time to take your mind off things." Maura said.
"Oh great. Does this mean more victims?" Jane said sarcastically as she stood up. Maura looked at her accusingly.
"Oh hey, you've been arrested before! So now we're partners in crime. Yay!" Jane joked, smiling. Maura glared at her as they walked out the front door.
Frost and Korsak walked back to their desks, both frustrated with the interrogation they had just done. The only words Reed, the neighbour, had spoken after two hours was 'I want a lawyer'.
"Nothing. An absolute f***** waste of time." Frost said as he slammed the file onto his desk. Frankie looked up from where he was sitting at Jane's desk. He'd been using her computer for research for the case.
"Bad interrogation?" He asked.
"You can say that again." Frost replied.
"While you guys were in there, I had a thought. You remember how the victim's family went missing when she was young?" Korsak and Frost both nodded. "Well, I dug into their case and I managed to simulate what the family would like now, with help from the sketch artists, particularly the brother." Frankie said.
"Ok, except even if the brother was somehow still alive, we've found no link so far between their disappearance and this current case." Frost asked, perplexed as to why Frankie was bringing this up now.
"Yeah, I know, but check this out. This is a speculation of what the brother might look like now if he was still alive," Frankie said, handing the picture to Frost and Korsak to look at. "And this is Alexandria's neighbour." Frankie said, handing them the photo that Maura had pulled from police records.
"They do look a bit similar, but I don't think it's enough to say that they're the same person." Korsak said.
"That's what I thought at first. But then I ran both pictures through facial recognition." Frankie said as he walked over to the trace room at the end of the office. He sat down at one of the computers and pulled up the pictures, which he had scanned before. He placed them side by side and ran the facial recognition program. When it was finished, both Korsak and Frost were completely bewildered and shocked.
"Oh my god Frankie. You did it." Korsak said in amazement.
"That's the guy who killed Alexandria. It has to be. The only question is, after all this time, why would he kill his sister who had already lost so much? And who is he working with?" Frost asked. The three of them gazed at the man on the screen. The facial recognition results showed over a 90% match between the simulated picture and the photo.
"You don't think it's him who's behind this, do you?" Frankie asked, finally voicing his suspicions. Luckily his two workmates knew who he was talking about with elaboration.
"No, it's probably not. There are plenty of other people out there who are just as likely to be behind there." Frost said, more for reassurance than for anything else. "Korsak? What do you think?" The young detectives turned towards the older sergeant for his opinion. He was a silent for a moment.
"I think we should call Jane and warn her and Maura. Just in case. If it is him, its better she know and be on the lookout that not." Korsak said. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep the worry out of his voice. Because now they all had one person in mind. And it was just a matter of time.