Chapter Ten

I'm gonna wait 'til the midnight hour
When there's no one else around

Andrew Strong – Midnight Hour

"Hey Messer, we got a case." I reported angrily, slipping the case file onto his desk. Danny glanced up at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Someone spit in your coffee today?" he asked suspiciously, catching a look at my expression.

"You're real funny you know that?" I snapped, rolling my eyes. Danny grinned at me putting his hands up in mock surrender.

"Whoa, where's all the hostile energy coming from?" he retorted, climbing to his feet and grabbing his fleece lined jacket. I shook my head and sighed, still unhappy about the whole situation with Mac, but unable to do a damn thing about it.

"Nothing…Thanks for looking after Thomas last night, and giving me and Flack a little bit of alone time. I appreciate it." I told him, trying to shift myself into a better mood.

Danny grabbed his kit from along side his desk and held open the door for me.

"It was no problem." He shrugged. "Besides me and the little guy had fun, stayed in, watched a game, he pretty much slept through the night."

We were walking down the corridor now, towards the elevator, I pressed the button for the parking garage after stepping inside of it.

"You wanna drive?" I offered, keys dangling from my fingers.

Danny replied by shooting me a wide smile before taking the keys from my hand.

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"Hey, what do we have here?" I called out to the back of a dark haired beauty. I cringed as Detective Angell turned around to face me. She looked at me equally as surprised, unease was etched on her face.

I bit my lip; it was going to be hard to keep this strictly professional.

Me and Detective Angell hadn't been out together on a case for long time ever since I caught her making a move on Flack during a bad patch we were going through. Safe to say me and Angell ignored each other, I was happy to ignore her as long as there was no repeat performances.

"Rape, the vic's at the hospital, she was beaten as well as violated." Angell tore her gaze away from me and flicked through her notebook.

"You wanna take the scene and I'll take the vic?" I asked Danny quietly. Danny nodded his reply, before picking up his kit and following Angell into the apartment building.

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The hospital was cold and clinical as most hospitals were. As I entered the room in which Melanie Dolan was about to be examined, I felt a cold shiver run up my spine. My heart truly went out to the young woman propped up in the hospital bed.

I shoved away the memories of my ex husband Mathew's hands running all over my body as he pinned my body between himself and the bed. I shook my head to clear it.

Six years ago Mathew had been released from prison for attempting to murder me. Despite being divorced over ten years Mathew had come to my apartment insisting he was still my husband, except he didn't find me there, he found Flack instead, setting up a romantic evening. When I eventually arrived home, I found Flack gagged and bound to a chair and was attacked by my psychotic ex.

Mathew had dragged me into my bedroom and tried to rape me, the only thing that had stopped him, was the fact I managed to get him so angry that he stabbed me instead. I snapped out of my reverie and focused on the victim.

Melanie Dolan's pretty blond hair was shoulder length, and covered only a portion of the bruising on her face. The thick hospital blankets were pulled up to her throat. Her eyes were on me instantly as I stepped into the room, surveying me in anxiety. I set my case down next to me.

"Hey." I said in soft soothing tone. "I'm Detective Carmen Devine."

Melanie's almond coloured eyes looked dull and lifeless. She didn't respond until I started moving towards her.

"I know what you've been through is a traumatic experience, but I need to see if you have anything on you that may help us catch your attacker." I paused for a second, seeing a flicker of something in her eyes.

"Will you be okay while I do that?" I asked gently. Melanie turned her head away before nodding. I bent down and flicked open my kit, before taking out the relevant tools.

"If at any point you feel uncomfortable, tell me and I'll stop straight away." Melanie nodded again as I picked up my camera.

"First, I need to take pictures if that's ok?" I asked cautiously.

Melanie shifted the blanket down to her waist before showing me the purple bruises on her wrists. I raised the camera to my face and took a picture.

"That's where he held me down…" I glanced up surprised at her meek voice. Her eyes were on me, alive and wide.

"He had some scarves; he tied them to the bed posts…" Tears were running down her face now. I felt my heart breaking inside my chest.

"I tried to fight…I really did, but he hit me and he wouldn't stop…" Her hands covered her face as she broke down into raw sobs.

I knew what she was talking about; I knew the utter feeling of helplessness that she had felt.

I set the camera down upon the bed and scooted over to the side of her bed.

"I'm so scared he's going to get me again." The words were muffled as I wrapped my arms around her. Her hands tightened on my shirt as she broke down completely.

"I promise he'll never touch you again, Melanie, I promise."

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The bedroom was a mess. It was clear to Danny that Melanie Dolan had fought her attacker. Shaking his head, he raised his camera to his face and took a picture of the rumpled sheets of the bed. He moved to get a closer look of the bloodstained scarves still attached to the bed posts. He took another picture before swabbing it.

He felt Angell's presence in the door way before she spoke.

"I've spoke to some of the neighbours, the one underneath said he heard movement at around ten this morning, but just thought the occupant was moving the furniture. Other than that nothing." Angell said to Danny's back as he straightened up.

"There was no sign of forced entry on the front door, but the entrance of the bedroom door had some scratches in the panel, indication there was no way she wanted to end up in here."

"You think she let her attacker in and then realized his intentions hence the scratches in the bedroom door frame but no forced entry on the front door?" Angell asked.

"It would explain a few things. Who found her?" Danny said picking up the camera and taking a picture of a broken lamp on the laminate flooring.

"Her roommate reported it, he was out celebrating his hockey team winning the league last night, said he got I around three am, and passed out in his room. He woke up early this morning and knocked on Melanie's door to see if she wanted breakfast, when there was no answer he opened the door to see her tied to the bed unconscious." Angell recounted to Danny who was still snapping away at various things in the room.

"We'll have to see if the story Carmen gets matches up to what you have and see if the roommate's telling the truth."

There was a silence between them as Danny donned his latex gloves and began bagging parts of the scene. Angell was the first one to speak.

"I was surprised to see Carmen here today; I thought she'd switch cases or something." Angell said softly, looking at her hands. Danny didn't look up from undoing the scarf from the bed post.

"She didn't know you were the Detective on the case." Danny responded.

"Oh." Was all Angell could say.

"I was hoping she kind of would of let it go by now." Angell said quietly as Danny bagged the scarf.

"You did come on to the guy who was going to be her husband." Danny said dryly

"I didn't know he'd proposed!" Angell burst out. Danny glanced at her over his shoulder.

"And that shouldn't be the sole basis of your argument." Danny pointed out.

"When it comes down to it, you knew they were going through a bad patch, because Don had confided in you. He didn't confide in anyone else, just you." Danny shook his head in disgust.

"You used it to make your move on him. I mean what were you thinking Angell?" Angell wrapped her arms around herself.

"I was lonely, and he was there. He was always so supportive, especially when my father died, when I didn't know what the hell to do." Angell whispered the confession, Danny could barely hear her. He turned to face Angell, studying her for a second.

"That's because he cares, he'd do it for anyone. It's not an excuse for you to jump him, the first chance you get." Danny told her, his face creased in disbelief.

"You can't just do that to people, especially not the ones in Flack's situation. It wasn't fair."

Angell nodded before crossing her arms over her chest and letting out a deep sigh.

"I just want to say I'm sorry." She murmured.

"Then you're best telling that to Carmen because I'm not getting in the middle of this." Danny told her firmly before turning back to process the crime scene.

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"Melanie, I'm going to continue with the examination now." I said softly. The younger girl's tears had stopped pouring down her cheeks now; she was beginning to pull herself back together now. There was a fire in her eyes, as she nodded.

I began by scrapping the evidence from underneath her fingernails. Then I continued by combing through her hair. I was being gentle as I could be under the circumstances. Melanie was quiet and compliant through the whole process, even when I asked her to open her legs.

I hated this part of my job, I felt intrusive as I took out several swabs. I heard Melanie whimper softly as I began to examine her.

"Do you want me to stop?" I asked clearly, I was beginning to feel upset by the distress I was causing the young woman. She shook her head reply, letting me continue. When I was finished I helped her pull the blanket up to her waist.

"I'm going to leave now, to process your evidence, is there anyone you want me to call, so you're not alone?" I asked Melanie in low soothing tones. Her hands were picking at the cotton of the blanket.

"My parents are flying in from Toronto, they'll be here soon." I nodded before taking something out of jacket pocket.

"If you ever need to talk, feel free to call me, anytime. I'm on all sorts of crazy shifts; I may know someone who can help a little if it gets too much to bear sometimes." Melanie pursed her lips together before nodding her response. I rested my hand on her shoulder for a minute sympathetic.

"You're going to be ok." I told her. She gave me a watery smile before I slipped through the door.

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A nurse moved towards me as I paused for a second in the corridor, feeling the energy run out of me. What had happened to Melanie Dolan was awful, I cold tell from the way she responded that she was a fighter though. She would get through this. I stepped away from the door.

"Detective Devine?" I turned my head, fixing my gaze on the homely blond nurse who was talking to me.

"Hi." I said as took the plastic bag from her hands.

"I'm Nurse Ramsey. That's what she was wearing when she came in. Every item is in that bag." I gave her a tired smile, glancing through the items.

"You're pretty though Nurse Ramsey." I stated honestly. The nurse gave me a knowing look.

"I just hope you catch that guy. He made a mess of her Detective. She has lacerations on her arms. She has several cracked ribs, her body is covered with cuts and bruises…We were even concerned for a while due to the swelling in her brain." The nurse confided before handing me the written report.

I furrowed my brow as I flicked through it.

"Do you mind if I take this?" I asked. The nurse shook her head.

"I hope you catch him Detective, for all our sakes." She spoke to me retreating back. I glanced at her over my shoulder.

"So do I."