Chapter 11 :) sorry this one is a bit later than usual, I got writer's block earlier so had to take a break. But anyway, here it is, and i hope you like it :) and also don't forget to review and give feedback!
Chapter 11:
For about the hundredth time that week the four detectives and the ME were totally shocked. This case was by far one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, any of them had had to deal with from both a crime solving and an emotional perspective.
"Susie, please…don't do this. It's not who you are and it's not who you're meant to be. You're a good person, Susie. There's no reason for you to do this." Jane said, who had fear in her voice as well as empathy and determination. Despite having a gun against her head, Jane had always found it best to keep calm in situations like these, despite the turmoil of emotions inside her from the whole thing. She racked her brain for the right words, as she always did, while also trying to put herself in Susie's shoes.
"You don't understand." Susie said. "He…he…" She paused, trying to figure out how to explain, but eventually gave up. "…it doesn't matter. What does matter is that you, Jane, are going to come with me and the rest of you aren't going to report it or call for backup for ten minutes. Ok?" Susie said, as calm and collected as ever.
"And what if I don't come with you?" Jane shot back, staring Susie right in the eyes. Susie cocked the gun.
"Simple. You die." Susie said, not showing a flicker of emotion. Maura started forward, desperate to save her friend, but she caught Korsak looking at her. Don't, his expression said. Maura stopped, unsure what to do or if she should say anything. She studied Susie; her expression, her body, looking for anything that might give her away.
Maura watched as Jane continued to talk to Susie, trying to get her to lower the gun.
"Susie, why are you doing this? You had a good job, you can still have it, if you just put the gun down. I'll talk to the DA and say it was just a misunderstanding. You won't get charged or arrested." Jane said, almost pleading now. Susie placed her finger on the trigger and pushed it back slightly.
"No. I don't care about my job anymore. My reasons for doing this are my own. Now you have approximately ten seconds to come with me or I shoot." Susie said, so matter of fact that it scared Maura to see her senior criminologist like this. Then she noticed bruises on Susie's arms as her jacket sleeve had been pushed up a little. Maura's gaze went to Susie's face. She studied carefully, almost squinting in an effort to find what she was looking for. There. Under a thin layer of makeup, just below her eye, was a bruise, no doubt from a black eye. As subtly as she could Maura managed to catch Frost and Korsak's gazes, then subtly motioned to her arms and eye then to Susie. Frost mouthed 'distraction'. Maura nodded and took a step forward. Susie noticed immediately.
"I said for no one to move." Susie said, but she still hadn't moved the gun off Jane's forehead. At least she was now focused on Maura, who put her hands up in surrender.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk, that's all." Maura explained. She caught Jane's gaze and flicked her eyes down to Susie's arms. Jane saw what Maura had seen.
"Dr Isles. Always one for talk." Susie grinned.
"Susie, please. You don't want to do this. You don't need to do this. All of us here, whatever's happened, we will help you, Susie. And we won't blame you, me least of all, for what you're doing and what you've done." Maura said.
"You don't get it, Dr Isles. No one can help me. I have to do this." Susie turned her attention back to Jane. "And now, if you'll excuse me, time's up." Susie pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to slow down. Jane didn't have time to react, so as Susie pulled the trigger Maura through herself from where she stood and slammed into Jane, knocking them both to the ground as she literally felt the bullet whiz past her. Maura sat up in time to see Susie take another shot at Korsak, but Frost grabbed her arm and pushed it to her side while also wrestling the gun out of her hand. Susie struggled and fought, but Frankie grabbed her other arm and pushed it behind her while Frost did the same with her gun hand and together they managed to get the handcuffs on Susie. Maura breathed a sigh of relief then turned to check Jane, who she realised hadn't moved since Maura had tackled her.
Shit, Maura thought as she noticed that Jane's head was bleeding slightly. She checked Jane's pulse, and to her relief it was beating normally.
"Maura? You and Jane ok?" She heard Frost call out.
"Yeah, I'm ok. I think Jane whacked her head on the floor when we fell though. It doesn't look like anything serious however, maybe just a concussion and a bad headache when she regains consciousness." Maura replied. She looked behind her to see Frost and Frankie escorting Susie to the elevators. Korsak approached her.
"Frost and Frankie are taking her to interrogation. I'll stay with you until Jane wakes up." Korsak said. Maura nodded, grateful for the support and the protection. A split second later she heard Jane moan and saw her eyes flicker open.
"Jane? Jane its ok, take it easy. You hit your head hard on the floor when I…when I tackled you." Maura said, rather sheepishly. She knew she'd never hear the end of it. Jane reached her hand out to Maura, silently asking for help to sit up as her head pounded like hell. Maura grabbed Jane's hand and let her lean on her for support as she sat up.
"Ow!" Jane shouted and grabbed her right shoulder.
"What? Jane, did you get hit?" Korsak asked, immediately concerned. Maura carefully removed Jane's hand from her shoulder and lifted the sleeve of Jane's t-shirt to get a better look, folding it back.
"Ow! Maura, don't touch it. Don't…OW! DON'T touch it!" Jane said through gritted teeth. Maura couldn't resist a smile at her friend's obvious dislike that she'd been hurt. Jane wasn't one to show weakness, but when she was hurt, she hid it as much as possible. Especially when she was upstairs in the office, around all the guys.
"It's ok, it's just a graze. I'll put a gauze on it and it should be healed in a few days." Maura said, and went to get the supplies for the dressing. Korsak stayed knelt next to Jane.
"Korsak, what if we can't figure this out? What if this is the one case we can't solve?" Jane gazed into her former partner's eyes, looking for any sign of hope he had for this case. Korsak placed his hand on her good shoulder.
"We'll find him Jane. Until then, I have no doubt in you. And you shouldn't either. This is a tough case, sure, but it's not the first one either you or I have dealt with. We'll get through it." Korsak said. Jane smiled at him, grateful for his confidence.
"You know, Korsak's right, Jane. You will get through the case and get it solved. It just requires...a bit more work, that's all." Maura said. Always the optimist, thought Jane.
"Just a bit more work? That's all?" Jane said, bringing her second finger and thumb close to each other to illustrate her point. Maura laughed and Jane smiled. Maura finished dressing the graze, then together she and Korsak helped Jane up.
"Ok, I am seriously ready for a beer." Jane said, brushing her hands on her pants.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Except that you've got a suspect upstairs waiting to be interrogated, who also happens to be my senior criminologist and who I will also probably have to do a tox screen on." Maura stated. Jane death stared her. Korsak couldn't help but laugh at Jane's reaction of being declined a beer, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Come on Jane. We'll get this done as soon as possible and then we can all go to the Dirty Robber to go over the case. I think we all need to get out of the office for a bit, and with all of us there you'll have enough protection if anyone tries anything." Korsak said.
"Fine. Maura, you're coming with to interrogation. You're the best one and the most qualified out of all of us to observe and determine any symptoms or signs that Susie displays to indicate if she was drugged or not." Jane said as she walked away. Maura sighed and shared a glance with Korsak as they followed Jane to the elevators. They all knew that she still had to do the autopsy on the second victim as well as get the results of the DNA test. But she had already confirmed the cause of death as well as the injuries the woman had sustained, and someone in the crime lab would text or call her when the results were in.
"Oh, and by the way Maura, nice tackle. It might have even been worthy of the NFL." Jane smirked. Maura looked at her, uncertain, before deciding that Jane was joking and gave her a playful shove.
"Hey, Korsak, can you give us a minute?" Jane asked. Korsak glanced at the two of them before nodding and he walked into the elevator. Once the doors were closed, Jane turned to Maura, more serious.
"No, but really. Thankyou." Jane said.
"For what?" Maura asked, genuinely confused.
"For saving my life. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now. So thankyou." Jane said. Maura smiled, not in a joking way this time, but it was a kind and understanding smile.
"Well you would've done the same for me. In fact, you have done the same for me. So you're welcome." Maura replied. As she did, she thought back to when she had unknowingly dated a serial killer who killed women, cut their arms off and then encased them in plaster. And then there was that other time when she and Jane had been fighting and Maura had almost died and lost her leg in a car crash, but it was thanks to Jane that she'd survived and kept her leg.
Maura smiled again at the detective, and the two women wrapped their arms around each other in a hug before calling the elevator.