A/N: I just want to point out that Reid's mother Emily and the Emily that Luke works with are two different people. Emily Oliver is in her now 60s. Luke works with Emily Stewart. Just so you aren't confused.
Chapter 10:
Luke ushered Amber inside.
"Okay slow down. What do you mean Pete is missing?"
"When I went to the police station to get his help with the evidence again, Jack said he hadn't been to work in two days. It wasn't like him, so Margo sent a patrol car over there, and he wasn't there."
"Maybe he was just out?"
"His cell phone was there, his car keys, and wallet."
"Yeah, that's weird. "
"I don't have a good feeling, Amber."
"We don't know anything yet. Let's just let Jack and Margo investigate. "
"I have to do something. I'm going over to the crime scene. Maybe I can help them. How are we going to get the evidence for Dr. Rosenthal?"
"I'll work on it, Amber. Just promise me you'll be careful."
"You too, Luke."
Luke hugged Amber and she left.
Luke opened his phone.
Is your offer for help still open?
depends. What do you need?
we need to break into the OPD to get the evidence.
And why do you need me?
As a distraction.
I'll meet you there in 20.
No, we'll have to wait until tonight. Meet me at my apartment.
That sounds incredibly dirty.
Whatever.
I have a better idea. You come here. I'm not your slave
What the fuck ever. I'll be there in ten.
Luke knocked on the door.
"Luke! Oh my gosh! How are you?"
Katie dragged Luke inside and gave him a giant hug.
"I'm great. "
"Twice in a matter of days? I feel so lucky!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I've been a crappy friend lately."
"I would never imply that Luke."
Katie just smiled at him and ushered him in.
"Reid is in the back watching cartoons with Madeline and Jacob."
"Reid is watching cartoons?"
"Yep, Jacob insisted and Reid couldn't resist his puppy dog eyes and pout. Seems to be guys with deep chocolate eyes is his weakness."
Katie winked at him then and went into the kitchen before Luke could respond to her .
Luke could hear faint noise toward the back of the condo. He follows his hears until he is standing in the family room.
Reid is sprawled out across the couch, fast asleep with Madeline curled into his chest, and Jacob enthralled in the cartoon.
Luke cleared his throat, and Reid jolted awake.
He got up and put Madeline in her swing and started it.
"Hey, Luke."
"Hey. I didn't know you were good with kids."
"Well, I've had enough kid patients over the years to have to learn."
"I'm impressed."
"So, you need my help in causing a distraction so you can sneak in to steal evidence?"
"Yes."
"And you do realize what could happen if we get caught?"
"Yes."
"So, basically you are okay with sending me to jail."
"Hey, I would be in that cell right along with you."
Reid just looked at him with his arms folded.
"Fine."
"So you'll do it?"
"Yeah. What time are you thinking?"
"How about nine?"
"I'll only do it if you take me out for dinner first."
"You want me to take you out on a date?"
"Dinner, Luke. Food. I mean if you are going to be putting my perfect record in danger, then I expect some sort of compensation."
"Fine. How about Al's?"
"No. I want Lobster and Steak. We're going to the Lakeview."
"God, you are so frustrating."
"Do you want my help or not?"
"Fine. Meet me at the Lakeview at seven."
"You're not even going to pick me up?"
"You are the one who said it wasn't a date!"
"It's not, but the least you could've done was offer, Luke. I mean, really."
Luke just rolled his eyes and headed toward the front door.
Katie was sitting at the table working on a scrapbook,
"Luke, wait a minute."
Luke stopped.
"Hey Reid come here for a minute."
Reid walked out into the kitchen.
"Can you watch the kids for a few hours, while I run some errands?"
"I guess…"
"Great. Hey, Luke, do you want to take your best girlfriend out for lunch?"
"I'd love to, Katie."
"Having lunch with Luke and leaving me alone with your kids, is your idea of errands?"
"No, I do have to go to the post office, but Luke and I haven't talked in a while, and I want to catch up."
"Katie, I've been out of the state for 16 years, and you don't want to catch up with me?"
"Reid, we talk every day."
"Whatever."
Luke just grinned and waved at Reid who scowled at him.
Katie and Luke left then.
As they slid into their booths at Al's, Katie grinned at Luke.
"What is with the giant Cheshire cat grin?"
"Nothing. I just miss seeing you two like that."
"Fighting?"
"No, being yourselves."
"Whatever, Katie."
"I'm being serious, Luke. I remember when you dated in high school. Your constant bantering and sarcasm was cute. Everyone knew how much you two really loved each other and even when you tried to mask it with pretending to hate one another, you really didn't."
"Well, I can assure you the hatred is real this time."
"No it's not. You and Reid are both horrible liars. Even if you want to believe that, you and Reid both have underlying feelings of love and affection there."
"Did you seriously ask me to take you to lunch just so you could tell me how much I still love Reid?"
"No. But I couldn't pass the opportunity up. You do love him, even if you refuse to acknowledge what your heart is saying. I want both of you to be happy. You are my two best friends, and I hate seeing friends unhappy. I mean take Henry for instance, he and I became very close after Reid moved away, and he ended up married to a woman. Everyone in this town knows he's gay, he knows he is gay, but he refuses to accept it."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I think you know why. You remember Reid's parents? Henry's is ten times worse. His father is a Baptist minister."
"So, he's trapped in a loveless marriage?"
"He married one of his best friends who was afraid she'd never get married. It's convenience."
"That is truly the worst thing I've ever heard."
"Yes, it's bad. But you want to know what is worse? Having the opportunity to be with the person you love and not taking it because you are stubborn and stupid."
"Katie, come one. It's not that simple."
"Yes, it is that simple. You made a mistake, and both you and Reid have suffered for it for years. Reid never got over you, Luke."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, he never dated again. He had a few flings here and there, but he never gave his heart to anyone else."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I want you to understand."
"Understand what?"
"Understand that he is still in love with you after 16 years."
"And how will he feel when he realizes you told me?"
"I hope by the time that comes, you will stop lying to yourself and you'll man up and realize you love him to and then you'll go find him and make him yours again."
Luke sighed and threw his napkin in his plate.
"Love isn't always enough."
"You're right, but what you two had was more than love. You were friends first, you completed each other, you made him better, he made you stronger. Do you realize how many people were jealous of you two?"
"It's in the past, Katie. Some things are meant to remain there."
"And some things are meant to be resolved."
"Can we not talk about this anymore?"
"Luke, if you let him move on with someone else, I will never forgive you."
"Katie…"
"I'm serious."
With that Katie stood up kissed Luke on the cheek,
"I hope you make the right decision."
Luke watched helplessly as Katie disappeared through the door.
Suddenly his cell phone was buzzing,
They found Pete's body on the roof of the newspaper.
Luke paid for the bill and left in a hurry.
He arrived back to the newspaper to see Margo and Jack on the roof.
He arrived and was waved through.
Amber was shaking and crying in the corner.
"Amber, when did they find him?"
"Just a few minutes ago."
"WOAK happened to fly over during one of their traffic reports, and the pilot saw the body. He called it in."
"I came as soon as I heard it on the police scanner."
"You have a police scanner?"
"What good reporter doesn't?"
Luke just shook his head.
"Is everyone else still inside?"
"Yes. We have everyone working double time to get the paper finished early, in case we're told to leave."
"Okay. I'll call Emily and see if we can perhaps set up a temporary base until the investigation is done."
Luke stepped into a corner and called Emily.
Ten minutes later he was called over by Jack and Margo. He spent the next few hours making sure all the employees were interviewed and gathering up all the evidence he needed for the case. He knew he wouldn't be back in the newspaper for quite some time.
Finally at six, he left Emily in charge of overseeing the transfer of the equipment to a warehouse, so they could set up a new base of operations, and he headed home.
He headed to his apartment. He took a shower and got dressed.
Finally around seven he headed to the Lakeview.
He waited at the bar with a root beer.
Twenty minutes later, Reid stepped in.
"You tell me seven, and then proceed to be a half hour late?"
"I got a phone call from Chris Hughes. He said they had another victim of hemlock poisoning."
"Pete was poisoned by hemlock?"
"Is that who Mr. Hennings is?"
"Yes. Pete Hennings. Amber used him to get the evidence for Dr. Murdoch."
"Looks like, she'll be needing to get evidence on him now."
"So clearly, someone was trying to send us a message. The killer knows that Amber got help from Pete, and killed him and threw him on the roof of the newspaper."
"Who besides you and I knew about Amber getting his help?"
"I honestly don't know."
Their food finally arrived and both were silent as they ate.
Luke pulled out the case file from his briefcase and set it on the table.
"So we know for sure that the only people that know we are working on this is You, Me, Chris, Amber, Alison, and Casey. "
"So you and I are the only ones to know that all three died of hemlock poisoning. Amber knew about Dr. Murdoch and Rosenthal and got the evidence for Dr. Murdoch proving how he ingested the hemlock. Casey is an orderly and claims he saw a strange person coming out of Dr. Rosenthal's office about a half hour before he died, which could be Amaria Middling. Alison said she was on Dr. Murdoch's rotation the night he died. "
"This is really making no sense. There has to be an outside person at work here."
They tried to make connections for another hour, until the realized they weren't getting anywhere.
"We need that evidence."
Reid looked at his watch,
"It's about nine right now."
"Alright, let's go."
Fifteen minutes later they were at the evidence locker.
As they were walking in, Reid pointed out an officer that was leaning against the wall taking a smoke break.
"He's gay."
"How do you know?"
"How do you not?"
Reid walked over to the officer and started flirting with him.
The man seemed into it and barely noticed Luke who snuck by him.
The officer in the cage was dead asleep.
So Luke reached his hand in the window and pressed the button.
The loud buzzing reverberated in the steel warehouse.
He thought for sure the man would wake up, but he didn't.
He managed to sneak in and find the box relatively easily as they were put in by date.
He found the box for Dr. Rosenthal's office and saw tea grounds in a bag.
He figured that was what he was looking for and grabbed them.
He wasn't sure if any evidence of Pete's house would be processed yet, but he decided to stop and see.
To his unbelief there was a box labeled with his name on it.
When he opened the box he saw another bag of tea grounds.
It could not be a coincidence.
So Luke grabbed the bag and shut the box. He shoved the bags into his pockets.
Just as he was about to head out he saw the other man had awoken.
The door was slightly open still, but if he tried to go through it, it would most likely make a noise and alert the officer to his presence.
So he texted Reid.
I'm stuck in here.
Give me a minute.
Five minutes later the other officer was coming in off his break and the one inside the room was leaving.
Reid came in behind him and stopped him.
Luke could see Reid spin the officer around and start kissing him.
Luke's heart caught in his chest and he felt like someone had just punched him.
He took the opportunity though and suck out past Reid with his tongue down the officer's throat.
When Reid didn't join him a few minute later he finally texted him.
You can quit shoving your tongue down his throat now. I'm outside.
A few minutes later Reid left with his hair tousled, lips swollen, and shirt messed up.
"You seriously had to make out with him?"
"Hey, you needed a distraction."
"I was hoping you'd be a rude jerk, not play tonsil hockey with him."
"We got results didn't we?"
"I would say. Did you at least offer to take him to dinner and relieve that erection you gave him?"
"Is somebody jealous I was making out with someone other than him?"
"Get over yourself Reid. It was disgusting. Anyone would be offended by that show."
"Whatever you say."
Reid was still grinning at him.
"You think this is funny don't you?"
"What? The fact that I get to make out with a hot guy in a uniform and that it pissed you off? Yep, I find it hilarious."
"You are such an ass."
Luke was fed up. He got in his car and sped away, leaving Reid alone without a ride.
He knew it wouldn't be long before he'd get a text from Reid.
He was right. Not even a minute later his phone buzzed.
You're going to pay for this, Luke.
What he didn't realize was that the text wasn't from Reid at all.