Author's note: Thanks for all the brilliant and wonderful reviews so far, guys. It makes my day everytime I see one in my inbox! Now, if any of you watch Law & Order: Special Victim Unit, the following may sound familair. I got the idea from an episode of SVU from season 11 where something similair happened to Olivia Benson so if you have any questions and thoughts about it, let me know.
VII
Kate wasn't used to sharing her space. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had stayed at her apartment any longer than a couple of hours. She was a private person and enjoyed her space away from others but somehow hearing Megan stumbling around in the guest bedroom and then the bathroom was almost comforting. For once there wasn't just the silence and the soft buzzing of her refrigerator. There was the sound of another person, someone she could share with, and it didn't bother her one bit.
Once she heard the shower being turned on, Kate picked up her cell phone and called Curtis. He answered before the phone had even rung once. "Any news?" she asked as she walked across her apartment to the living room window and stared outside. It was another grey day, with thick clouds packed together in the sky. "How did Ethan get on?"
"I was just about to call you," Curtis replied and she could tell from the sound of his voice that there had been a break through. "They didn't find anything."
"Come again?" Kate asked.
"Tommy and Adam," Curtis clarified. "They went over the security footage from the restaurant where Megan was supposed to have met Jonathan McEldery. They found him but not Megan. He arrived, sat at the table for a while and ordered a couple of drinks but there's no sign of Megan. He leaves after half an hour and that's it."
"But he left a message on Megan's voicemail asking her to meet him there," Kate said slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. The wheels in her brain were turning and she tried to fit the pieces together but there were too many gaps. Something in this picture didn't make sense. "So why was he there but not Megan and how did Megan end up with gunshot residue on her hands and her blood on his body?"
"That's the real interesting part," Curtis said. "Ethan got the results back from that blood test you asked him to do plus a few more that he thought could help give us some answers. The blood found on the victims clothing that belonged to Megan? Turns out there's something wrong with it."
"What do you mean, there's something wrong with it?" Kate asked, her voice shifting as the anticipation kicked in. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the shower being switched off. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she attempted to remain focused on what Curtis was telling her. "What did you find?"
"When Ethan ran the tests, he found a small anomaly," Curtis said slowly. "In normal DNA about 80 percent of the markers are methylated." He paused, as if he waited for Kate to react but when she didn't speak he carried on. The brief moment of silence only increased the tension Kate was experiencing and she released her breath when Curtis spoke again. "In the blood we found none of the markers are."
Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"
Curtis took a deep breath. "Ethan did some research and came across a study by scientists from Israel performed a couple of years ago. Following their method, it is possible to take a random phial of blood, spin out the white blood cells..."
Kate gasped as she suddenly saw the bigger picture. "And white blood cells are the only ones that contain DNA..."
"Exactly," Curtis said and Kate could tell from the tone of his voice that he was both excited and worried. "It creates the possibility that someone took Megan's DNA, amplified it and added it to any random blood sample, making the sample entirely Megan's."
"My God," Kate breathed and turned around when she heard footsteps behind her. Megan, her hair still damp from the shower, walked into the living room dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Both items belonged to Kate but she couldn't remember the last time she worn them. The shirt was a little big on her and fell around the redhead's slender frame. Kate managed ti tear her eyes away from Megan and looked back out of the window, the grip on her phone tightening. "Assuming this is what happened, and assuming we can proof it, this means someone tried to frame Megan for murder."
"What's going on?" Megan asked, her curiosity sparked by those last words. Questioning green eyes searched Kate's face. "Something you wanna tell me?"
Kate beckoned her to be silent. "Did Ethan find anything else?"
"Yes, the original reason he looked at the blood sample from a different angle," Curtis said. "When we tested the sample for alcohol, it came back negative. There wasn't a single trace of ethyl glucuronide, supporting the theory that the blood found on the body wasn't Megan's, or at least wasn't left there the night Jonathan McEldery died. Even a small amount would have shown up in the toxicology."
"This doesn't make any sense," Kate said softly. "All this proves is that Megan's blood didn't have alcohol in and most likely was planted. It doesn't tell us who killed Jonathan McEldery or how Megan ended up with alcohol poisoning. Last but not least, Megan fired a gun. Her hands tested positive for GSR and she's got the obvious Beretta bite."
"At least we're a step closer to identifying it wasn't Megan who killed him," Curtis tried. "Still no trace of the gun though. Adam and Tommy are still looking."
"Don't hold your breath," Kate said and hung up. Slowly she turned to look at Megan and found the other woman staring back at her. She was struck by the vulnerability in Megan's eyes. Megan wasn't the type of person to let anyone in on her feelings and emotions but Kate could read them in her eyes. Megan looked tired, as if the strength to fight and appear strong had slowly slipped away from her. Kate took a deep breath and gestured towards the couch.
"What was all that about?" Megan wanted to know as they sat down. She curled her legs up underneath herself.
Kate took a deep breath. "Curtis thinks that the blood found on Jonathan McEldery's body wasn't actually yours."
"Not mine?" Megan asked and arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? The DNA test proved that it was mine. It was what landed me in jail."
"A standard DNA test showed that the blood was yours," Kate clarified. "It didn't make any sense to me so I asked Ethan to run a load of other tests. First off he checked for the alcohol content in the blood sample and the test came back negative. There wasn't even the smallest trace which would suggest that you were sober at the time of the shooting, which seems unlikely. Added to the fact that Tommy and Adam can find no evidence of you actually meeting Jonathan, it made Ethan dig a little deeper and he found that your DNA has been fabricated."
"Fabricated? As in fake?"
"Yes," Kate answered. "Someone took a random blood sample, filtered out the white blood cells and added your DNA. They wouldn't even have needed your blood. Anything with your DNA on will have been enough. The process is so simple that any Biology undergraduate can do it, which is a scary thought." She heaved a sigh and stared down at the hands in her lap. "This leads me to my next question..."
Megan's green eyes found Kate's blue. "Who hates me enough to set me up for murder."
"It's beginning to look that way," Kate admitted. "The only thing that now ties you to Jonathan McEldery is his message on your voicemail and the GSR on your hands. We can't explain how that last one happened and we haven't found out why he contacted you and why you never went to meet him." She swallowed and peered at Megan through her eyelashes. "What is the last thing you remember, Megan?"
"Leaving the lab," Megan said. She sounded sure of herself. "We'd just wrapped up the Lancaster case and I'd promised Lacey I'd drop her at Todd's for the weekend." Her eyes narrowed as she managed ti replay the events in her head. "I picked her up from a friends' house, drove over to Todd. He invited me in but I said I couldn't stay…."
"Why?" Kate asked softly.
"He's my ex-husband and an idiot," Megan answered through gritted teeth. "Do I need a better reason?"
"I guess not," Kate smiled and fought to ignore the sudden warmth that came to live in the pit of her stomach. Every time Megan slated Todd, she felt a sense of hope. She knew better than to let it guide her but she couldn't deny it either. She let her blue eyes trail over Megan's face. "So that was Saturday evening. All of this happened on Sunday. Do you remember what you did that day?"
The pained expression on her face told her that Megan was trying to remember. "I must have gone home." It sounded tentative. "I didn't have any plans for the weekend." Realising that it made her sound sad and lonely, she looked up. When she saw the way Kate studied her face she knew the blonde understood. "I was going to catch up on some paperwork and went out for lunch…"
"Where did you go?" Kate asked.
"The usual place," Megan answered. "Sheila's Bistro, a couple of blocks from my apartment…"
Kate dug her phone back out of her pocket and scrolled through the numbers until she found Tommy's. she brought the phone to her ear and waited for the detective to answer. "Hey, it's Kate," she said when she recognised his voice. "Megan remembers going to a place called Sheila's Bistro. Could you check out what time she was there and what time she left? What time did Jonathan McEldery leave that message?"
"Not until seven pm," Tommy answered and Kate frowned.
"Time of death was around eight o'clock."
"Why does that matter?"
"Because it would have taken Megan almost that long to get to him, even on a Sunday night," Kate said and sat up with a jolt. "He wanted to meet her on the other side of town. At best it would have taken her forty-five minutes to get from her apartment to the restaurant." Her heart pounded in her chest and next to her Megan sat up, hope flickering in her eyes. "Did Curtis tell you what they found?"
"The DNA sample?" Tommy asked. "Yeah, he explained it."
"So?"
"So what?"
"Surely this is enough to talk to the judge and have the charges dropped?"
"Kate, Megan still had GSR on her hands…"
She sighed. "I know."
"I want to prove her innocence just as much as you do but…"
"I doubt that," Kate answered and glanced at Megan. "But I know what you're saying." She hung up and left the phone on the couch's arm rest. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she wondered about the events that had led them to this very moment. "I wish I knew what's coming next."
"Do you think I could see him?" Megan asked timidly. When Kate looked up she tried to smile. "Jonathan, I mean. Do you think I could see him?"
"I…" Kate began and her smile faltered a little. "Megan, I'm not supposed to let you near the morgue until all of this is over." Megan nodded but the sadness reflected in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I understand."
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Kate asked softly. "Between your dad and Jonathan?"
Megan fell back into the pillows on the couch and ran her fingers through her wet hair. "They used to work together. They were both accountants and between them they had some of the wealthiest clients in Philly. Daddy used to say that he knew everybody's dirty secrets because he was the one who saw where their money went. I think they had some shares too. I remember him and Jonathan talking about the prices going up and down. And then one day…" Her voice cracked. "I heard him shouting over the phone at Jonathan."
"Do you remember why they were shouting?"
"About money," Megan said softly. "Dad said Jonathan had been wrong to do what he did. He should have told him about it but not it was too late. I didn't know it back then but Jonathan had been using the money he and dad looked after for gambling and he lost it all. He then tried to cash in some of the shares but only created a bigger problem. The morning dad spoke to him, several people came to the house to ask for their money. They weren't the type of men my mother wanted in the house."
Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Jonathan had lost mob money," Megan said softly. "I think my dad knew he was in with the bad crowd but there was very little he could do. But when the cops came he knew he was in trouble. Jonathan had forged his signature on most of the cheques and so it looked like it had been my dad who took the money, not him"
"I was twelve when it happened. " Megan swallowed hard. The lump in the back of her throat didn't shift. "I went to school that morning like I did any other day but I came home to a different world. The pain and the confusion I can still recall today. They say that trauma's the friend of memory, and the enemy of everything else." Megan looked around the room and her eyes found Kate's. What she saw in them made her heart glow and she averted her eyes, unable to bear the feeling that welled up inside of her. "You never know when a loved one steps out of the door, it could be the last time you see them."
Kate didn't know what to say. She stood up, walked into the kitchen and came back with two wine glasses and a bottle. She handed Megan the glass without speaking and poured the burgundy liquid in it. Megan watched it swirl around her glass as Kate sat back down before bringing it to her lips abd taking a small sip. The alcohol tasted bitter in her mouth.
Kate reached for the TV remote and switched it on.
"Oh, damn," Megan said, frowning at the flashing television screen that had the words 'Medical Examiner Charged With Murder' scrolling across it. A picture of her was plastered across the screen and the reporter was repeating the same old details over and over again. She stared into her drink, a twisted grin tugging at her cheeks. "That really isn't my best shot."
Kate leant back against the couch and grinned, struck by the humour in Megan's voice. "They've been showing that for days."
"Seriously?" Megan asked. "Don't they have anything better to do?"
"No," Kate answered. "You're the latest trend."
Megan took another large gulp from her wine. It didn't taste any better and it didn't help to make her feel any better either. Yet she finished off her glass with two more large gulps and put it down on the table, eying up the bottle. "I'm going to drink until my internal organs start a revolution and leave."
Kate wasn't sure if Megan was serious. "Do you think that's a good idea, considering the position you're in?"
"No, but unless you have any other suggestions it's the best I can come up with."
A knock on the door made them look up and Kate stood up. When she reached the door she peered through the spy hole before opening up. Lacey stood outside, a small suitcase beside her. Her face lit up when she saw Kate but her eyes widened with happiness when she discovered her mother sitting on the couch. Kate stepped aside so let her pass and watched how Megan leapt up and enveloped her daughter in her arms. Megan pulled Lacey close to her chest and kissed her on her forehead as the teenage girl wrapped her arms around her mother's back.
Kate was about to close the door when she realised Todd stood outside. She noticed him looking at Megan and stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind her after taking the key from the inside lock so she could let herself back in. She folded her arms across her chest as she eyed Todd up. "What are you doing here?" she wanted to know. "You were just supposed to drop her off for a couple of hours."
"Don't be so defensive, Kate," Todd said sharply. "I wanted to make sure Megan's allright."
"She's fine," Kate commented and gestured back at the door. "All things considered."
"You told her?!"
"Of course I told her! What did you expect me to do?!"
Todd shook his head and took a step towards her. He was a few inches taller than she was and towered over her. "Would you have done this for anybody else?"
"What's your problem?" Kate wanted to know. "Are you jealous?!"
"I have nothing to be jealous about," Todd countered. "It's never going to happen, Kate. Megan used to be married to me. I know it's never going to happen. She is never going to fall for you."
"I used to date you," Kate pointed out and she watched how his face fell. "Look what happened there." She lifted up her chin and a hint of arrogance and pride reflected in her eyes. "Megan needs a friend right now. She doesn't need some jerk who thinks it's OK to try and ruin her life even more. She's come a long way with Lacey and, just for your information; it looks like someone is trying to frame her for murder. Maybe next time you might want to hold back your judgment until you know all the facts. Megan would never be capable of doing what you think she did."
"Oh, come on, Kate!" Todd countered. "Don't tell me you didn't believe she did it!"
"Not for a second," Kate sneered. "I know Megan."
Todd jerked his head. "You just think you do," he reminded her and turned around. He started for the elevator. He pressed the button and looked over his shoulder as the doors slid open. "But there will come a day when you'll look at her and realise you never really knew her at all."
Kate didn't answer. She waited for him to be gone before going back inside and closing the door behind her. Megan and Lacey were sitting on the sofa and she could hear Megan's soft laughter. It sent her heart into overdrive and she felt the blush spread across her cheeks as she walked into the living room. All things considered, this was a surprisingly comfortable situation and she managed to find herself a spot next to Lacey, who had already discovered her DVD collection and insisted on watching The Notebook. Her eyes briefly found Megan's and she realised there was nothing she could do about this situation. And even if she could have, she didn't want to. She smiled and picked up her cell phone.
"So, who wants pizza?"
