Author's Note: I'd like to thank Superlc529, KenH, phnxgrl, SSTrans and ArgylePirateWD for their reviews. KenH: I try to have fun with the research. Some things are harder to find than others, but that's what makes it interesting. This chapter starts the next day. Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Hanson looked up in surprise when Jo came into the precinct. "I thought you would be taking the day off."
"We've got a killer to catch. I'll be stuck at the precinct doing the donkey work today." Jo navigated her crutches though the bullpen and reached her desk.
"Need me to get you anything?"
Jo sat down. "A coffee would be great."
Hanson grabbed her mug. "One precinct coffee coming right up."
Henry walked up to her desk after Hanson headed to the break room. "I'm ready to make my report."
"That was fast. We just got here."
"I was up late last night crafting a demonstration piece. Lucas should have emailed you the video file by now."
Hanson returned with Jo's coffee. "Here you are, Jo. Hey, Doc, ready to tell us the C.O.D.?"
"I am. Our victim was killed with a homemade gun. It was crafted using PVC pipes and homemade gunpowder. It's a crude weapon, unless you know what you're doing."
"A zip gun." Hanson had returned to his chair. "You sure, Doc?"
"I built one last night and test fired it this morning. Lucas should have emailed you the video by now."
Hanson checked his email. "Here it is." He opened the file and pushed play.
On the screen Henry was in the ballistics lab. "This is a test fire to confirm C.O.D. and murder weapon for Mr. Crocetti."
Henry loaded a hand loaded bullet into the "gun" with care and then pointed the pipe gun at the ballistics dummy a couple feet away. On the side of the gun was something that looked similar to a sliding latch on a public bathroom stall door. Henry flicked the latch up and the gun fired with a soft pop. The bullet hit the dummy and injuries similar to those sustained by the victim appeared on the ballistics dummy.
Hanson was impressed. "That is both amazing and terrifying. Why wasn't it as loud as a normal gun?"
"The gunpowder was homemade from the raw ingredients used to manufacture gunpowder. It is difficult to make working gunpowder from raw ingredients without having the ingredients go through a refining process first. The explosion is therefore less violent, which means the bullet's speed is greatly reduced and it makes a lot less sound."
"How do you know everything you know?"
"I am always doing research on anything that interests me." Henry handed Jo the folders Lucas had shown him the night before.
"Except technology." Hanson stood and looked over Jo's shoulder.
"I understand some technology. It is simply one subject I lack an interest in pursuing at the moment."
Lieutenant Reece walked in. "Detective Martinez, what are you doing here? I thought you were injured."
"I can still work at the precinct, Lieutenant."
"All right. Where are we on identifying Mr. Crocetti's killer?"
"I don't have the identity of his killer, but I have discovered the C.O.D., the murder weapon, and a possible way to draw out his killer by using the cross that was recovered yesterday." Henry handed Reece the letter Abe had written last night giving consent to use his shop for a sting.
Reece looked over the letter. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"It may be the only way to draw him out. We know he's desperate to reclaim the cross." Henry glanced at Jo for her support and she nodded. "My roommate is more than willing to help out."
"I'll have to run this up the chain of command, but I do like the idea. Keep me posted."
A few hours later, the Lieutenant received the approval to set up the sting. A surveillance team was sent to wire the shop with Abe's supervision. Jo had also asked to be allowed to watch the monitors in the back room in case she'd seen more during the accident than she thought. The Lieutenant told her that as long as she didn't try to apprehend the suspect, she could.
While everything was being set up, Jo went down to the morgue to talk to Henry. "You're going to have to watch what you say for the next couple days."
Henry smiled. "I think I can handle it."
"Right. Because you've gotten so good at lying." Jo sat in one of the chairs in front of Henry's desk. "How long have you worked in the morgue?"
"I started working here five years after Abigail left."
"Twenty-five years?" Jo was shocked. "How has no one noticed?"
"M.E.'s usually only work here ten years or so before the sheer number of bodies make them long for a quieter environment. The exception is Dr. Washington. I avoid him as much as possible so he'll forget I'm here. Also, I haven't been here constantly for that long. I've worked here off and on for twenty-five years."
Jo smiled. "I'm liking this honest Henry."
"I've never wanted to lie to you, Jo. It was simply necessary to avoid the curiosity of others. Scientists would love to figure out why I am the way I am. I'm just not too keen on the process they would use."
"I'm fairly certain live dissection isn't allowed anymore."
Henry looked away. "You might be surprised what's allowed in the name of scientific knowledge. Especially when it is not public knowledge."
"I guess." She was quiet for a moment. "The first case we worked, when I got shot, did you…"
"Yes, I did tackle Hans Koehler off the roof of Grand Central Station. You saw it correctly the first time. One more lie that I've told you."
"I believed you in the hospital, you know. When you said I'd been in shock then and under the influence of morphine now. That explanation made more sense at the time. Before I knew the truth about you."
Henry nodded. "In a world that believes immortality to be a myth, me surviving a fall of that height without injury would seem rather strange."
"When did 'Adam' find you?"
"I don't know, exactly. But he made contact for the second time after that fall. That was him on the phone in your room. He said 'That looked like it hurt.'" Henry paused. "I was terrified to find out that someone knew my secret and was planning on using it to torment me."
"The man who attacked you with the sword, he was working with Adam?"
"Yes. 'Adam' was working as a therapist. My therapist."
"I've met Adam?"
Henry nodded. "Yes. Anyway, Clark Walker was already suffering from delusions. It was easy to change those delusions so he would believe he was immortal. Adam was using him as a decoy to test me."
Jo shook her head. "The more I hear about him, the more I understand why you had to trap him in his own mind."
"Quite." Henry picked up the phone as it rang. "Dr. Morgan speaking."
It was Hanson. "The team just called. Everything is set up. We're headed over. Have you seen Jo?"
"She's down here. We'll be right up." Henry hung up. "Everything's ready. We should go."
Jo stood up and grabbed the crutches. "After you."
Two days later...
Waiting. Waiting was never fun. A website for Abe's antique store had been created and the cross was the featured item. At night, the cross was placed in the safe in the basement. Abe had been sitting in the shop reading and waiting for someone to inquire about it for that entire time. With no one asking about the cross, it had been in the safe for two nights now with uniforms guarding it as a precaution. Jo had practically lived at their house the entire time. Henry would go to work when he was called, but he only stayed as long as he needed to before coming back home.
Jo's bruise had changed colors and was looking worse and more painful, but she'd gotten to a point where she could walk with just a slight limp. The crutches stayed next to the monitor just in case she needed them. Hanson had also stopped pointing out when he noticed Jo and Henry getting along. Henry was glad because it meant he could stop trying to fake his attempts to make things right with Jo.
Jo and Henry were playing chess again. As long as there was nothing going on in the store, they didn't have to watch the monitors closely; with all the cameras, microphones and other cops around though, they couldn't just talk, so they played chess. The first few times they'd played, Jo had lost in just a few minutes. She had gotten much better since then. This time she was almost keeping up with him. It was her turn and she was studying the board. She raised her hand a couple times, but both times she pulled back.
She finally moved a piece. "Check."
Henry moved a piece between his king and her bishop. "Checkmate."
"What?" She looked at the board. Until Henry had moved his knight, her king wasn't being attacked directly. Now that her king was under attack by his knight she saw that there was nowhere for her to move her king without another piece taking it. "Oh."
"That was a much better game. You're learning."
Jo smirked. "Did you play as a kid?"
Henry smiled. "Yes, with my father. Seems like it was ages ago sometimes."
"Heads up. Someone's coming in." Hanson brought their attention to the monitor, not noticing the knowing smile Jo was giving Henry.
A man walked in. Abe looked up from his book and greeted him. The man nodded and started wondering around the store. His eyes darted everywhere and his head was constantly moving. He looked at Abe a lot and Henry found himself worrying about his son's safety. Abe didn't appear to be too worried about it and made a show of returning to his book.
The man started for the desk and Abe put his book down again. "Can I help you find something?"
"I saw online that you'd recently added a Russian Orthodox cross to your inventory."
"Oh, yeah, yeah. I keep those kinds of pieces in the back. I'll go get it." Abe went into the back room and grabbed the display box the cross was in. "Here it is. The display case doesn't come with. It'll cost an extra $60 if you want it too."
"What's that cord on it?" The police had added a GPS cable to the cross in case the suspect managed to get away with the it.
"That is to make sure this piece doesn't walk away. All my high value pieces have one. I'll take it off once it's sold."
"How much?"
"Well," Abe paused, "the appraisal I got when it came in was about $300,000. I'm willing to go $275,000."
The man nodded. "What if I told you this is stolen merchandise?"
"I'd tell you you're wrong. My appraiser is tapped into all that. She would've said something."
"Listen, old man. I know it's stolen 'cause I'm the one who stole it!"
Jo nodded. "That's a confession to the theft."
Hanson lifted his walkie. "Move in."
Officers entered the front door. The man took one look at them and bolted around the counter into the back room, shoving Abe out of the way. Jo grabbed one of the crutches and used it to trip the fleeing suspect. He went down hard and a bit of piping come out of his pocket. The man reached for it, but Jo kicked it away from him.
Hanson pointed his gun at the suspect. "Don't move! You're under arrest for burglary for now. We'll see what else shakes out later."
A/N: Stay tuned!
