June 27th, 1900 Hours
Steve pulled up the driveway to Trina's farm and shut off his Silverado. He climbed out dressed in his rented tux, which he felt was a bit stuffy. He walked up to the front door and knocked, immediately causing Jack to start barking. He heard Trina yell at the coydog to be quiet and he immediately quieted down.
Trina opened the door and Steve's breath caught in his throat for a few seconds. She was wearing a long navy blue evening gown with a split up the left side; one strap made of jewels and the other made of material with a sash around the arm on the jewel side giving the dress a Greek goddess look. She was wearing silver open toed heels, and had her hair in a French twist with curls framing her face.
"Hi Steve." She smiled. "You clean up so well. You look so handsome."
"Thank you…..you look stunning. Really gorgeous." He smiled.
"Thank you. I rarely get a chance to really dress up." She blushed a bit.
"I better keep a close eye on you tonight. The other guys are gonna be trying to steal you." He said, making her chuckle. "You ready?"
"Yes, we can go." She shut the door behind her. Steve gently put his hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards his truck.
He helped her into the passenger seat before climbing in the truck himself and driving the truck towards the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center where the ball was being held. As they pulled in they could see many cars in the parking area, obviously this was a big event in the area.
Steve helped Trina out of the Silverado and offered her his arm as they walked into the resort together. The mayor's ball was being held to raise money for various charities. Several local politicians and police representatives would be in attendance.
They walked into the conference center which had been beautifully decorated and set up for the event. A live band was playing, an illusionist was set up as well and on the opposite side of the room was a palm reader. They spotted Jerry talking with Sheriff Flair at the bar.
"Damn Borden, you're in town for a month and you show up with a date that looks like model." Flair said. "Trina, nice to see you."
"Hi Ric, glad to see you." She chuckled and hugged him.
"Trina, I have never seen you look so pretty. Seth would fall over if he were here." Jerry smiled.
"Thank you….I think." She laughed.
"A lot of good entertainment and food here." Flair said. "Borden, make sure you speak with Mayor Bischoff while you are here."
"Of course, after all it is his party." Steve said.
Steve ordered them a couple drinks as they made chit chat. Jerry was very much like Steve and didn't like schmoozing with politicians. Ric on the other hand had huge personality and loved making the rounds and sharing big stories.
"Have you guys tried the buffet yet? Lots of food there." Michael Cole walked up to them, he was on the Parsons city council.
"I think we'll head that way now." Steve took Trina's hand. "If you'll excuse us."
They made their way towards the large buffet that had been set up. Steve never let go of Trina's hand and she didn't complain.
"Trina, so nice to see you here." They heard. They turned and saw District Attorney Damien Sandow approaching them.
"Damien, how have you been?" she let go of Steve and hugged him.
"Not bad. I didn't expect to see you here." Damien smiled.
"I am here with Steve. Have you met our new County Detective?" she asked.
"Yes, I was glad when we filled that spot. How are you?" Damien shook hands with Steve.
"Good, just enjoying the evening." Steve said.
"We were just getting something to eat but I hope to see you later." She smiled at Damien.
"Oh try the crab cakes, they are delicious." Damien said as they excused themselves.
"You know him well?" Steve asked.
"I have known Damien for years. He was a young attorney just getting started when daddy died. Damien handled his will and such. He also helped when mama died." Trina said.
They made it to the buffet table. As they were moving down the line, telling the staff what they wanted on their plates a woman in a red cocktail dress walked over to them.
"Trina, I didn't expect to see you here. Aren't these events for higher ranking officers?" the lady smiled.
"Hello Nikki. I was actually invited by our county detective." Trina said while rolling her eyes.
"Oh, is that who this is?" Nikki eyed Steve. "Last I heard you were dumped by that mechanic for his baby mama."
"Well that will teach you not to believe everything you hear. By the way, you married yet?" Trina took her plate. "Excuse me, my date and I are going to enjoy our dinner."
Trina grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him away from the buffet line. He walked with her to a table and pulled her seat out for her, then took a seat himself.
"Who was she?" Steve asked.
"That was Nikki, the biggest gold digger in the state of West Virginia if not the entire eastern United States." Trina rolled her eyes.
"I take it you don't like her?" Steve asked as he began his meal.
"She used to date Dolph…thank god that ended. Now the little tramp is dating John Cena, the county commissioner. And everyone knows she is pressuring him to marry her, but he doesn't want to. We're all hoping he wises up and kicks her to the curb." Trina said. "Of course Seth and me are betting the little witch will try using the old 'get pregnant to keep him' trick. To be honest I am surprised she hasn't done it already."
"Sounds like a crazy situation." Steve said.
"A regular soap opera. And she thinks she's such hot shit because she is with him. If someone with more clout and power comes along and shows her interest, she'll leave John." Trina said.
Steve chuckled at her story, enjoying her no holds barred opinions on people. He could tell Trina was definitely the type to call people on their bullshit and not apologize for it.
2100 Hours
Steve and Trina were on the dancefloor enjoying a few dances while the band played in the background. Both were enjoying the evening; the festivities and each other's company.
"Did they have mayor's balls in LA?" she asked as they danced.
"Yeah, they had them at least once a year to raise money for charity. I went to several of them after I moved up in rank." Steve said.
"This is my first one." She smiled.
"This one isn't so bad. Of course, we have been good at dodging some of the politicians. Looks like someone caught Jerry." Steve chuckled and indicated to where Jerry was seated at a table looking bored with a guy that kept talking to him.
"Oh that is John Laurenitis. He's a state senator that has his eye on being governor." Trina said. "Let's make sure we avoid him even if we have to hide in the ladies bathroom. He has the personality of moldy bread."
"Wouldn't Jerry get upset if I went in the ladies room with you?" Steve laughed.
"Nah, but once he told Seth, I would never hear the end of it." She laughed.
"Excuse me, can I cut in? I have to get away from Laurenitis." Jerry popped up beside them.
Trina burst out laughing.
"Sure, dance with Trina. I'll go get us something to drink." Steve chuckled as moved so Jerry could dance with Trina.
Steve walked over to the bar and ordered them a few drinks. As he waiting for them, Ric came around to get another drink as well.
"So Borden, what is going on with you and that pretty cop?" Ric smiled as he ordered.
"She is just my date for the evening." Steve said.
"Yeah right…you two been smiling all evening." Ric smiled. "I know Trina from working in the county for years. She is a great lady."
"She's been through a bad relationship." Steve said.
"I have seen her tonight, she ain't worried about that stupid asshole now." Ric said. Steve looked over at him. "Oh yeah, I know all about it."
"I will never get used to this small town thing." Steve shook his head as the drinks arrived.
As Steve made his way back towards the dance floor, he saw Trina and Jerry walking towards him laughing about something. Steve had to admit that Ric was right; Trina looked happy.
"What is so funny?" Steve asked handing her a drink.
"Just telling Trina a few stories about one of my ex-wives." Jerry chuckled. "Thank you for lending me your date."
"Glad I could help." Steve smiled as Jerry took off into the crowd. "Wanna check out some of the entertainment?" he asked Trina.
Without much thought Steve wrapped his arm around her as they made their way around the room. They could see the illusionist performing tricks off to one side. They stopped to watch as the illusionist made a cigarette disappear and then reappear. They chuckled and clapped with the others as they watched.
"I think they have a palm reader." Steve whispered as the illusionist 'made' cards change in front of the audience.
"I wonder if she can tell me who is gonna win the next Super Bowl? If she tells me Seattle is gonna be in the Super Bowl again, I might skip the whole season." Trina chuckled.
"Come on, it's a fun gag." Steve took her hand as they started walking towards the corner where the palm reader was set up.
As they approached the palm reader, they both chuckled at her costume. She was wearing a long skirt and a bandana around her head.
"Are we supposed to take this seriously?" Trina laughed.
"I told you it was a gag."
"Where did they find this lady?" she laughed more.
"Well, step up. Don't be shy." The palm reader said. "I am Madame Katarina."
Steve nudged Trina forward. Trina was skeptical but decided it might be fun so she walked up to the table.
"What is your name?" Madame Katarina asked.
"Trina." She answered but silently thought that if this lady was legit she would know her name.
"Trina, let me see your hands." Madame Katarina said.
Trina held both her hands out and Madame Katarina grasped both her hands and closed her eyes, seeming to go into a short trance. She then opened her eyes and began studying Trina's hands.
"You are devastated at the fact you have never found true love." Madame Katarina said. "But you shouldn't give up, it is closer than you think."
Steve chuckled. "You probably tell something similar to all the single ladies. You're holding her hands, you can see and feel she doesn't have a wedding ring. So like all these fortune tellers, you start talking about tall, dark and handsome."
Madame Katarina looked at him, then reached out for his hand. She carefully traced the lines of his hand.
"You too have been hurt in your personal life, but the recent big changes you made in your life will help heal your heart." She said.
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Madame Katarina." He said, but was skeptical.
Trina smiled at the palm reader as they made their way around the room. Mayor Bischoff spotted them making the rounds and hurried over to them.
"Detective Borden, could I see you for a moment?" the mayor asked.
"Of course. What can I do for you mayor?" Steve asked, keeping his arm around Trina.
"Oh good, you have Officer Conley with you." Bischoff said. "Any progress in the murder of those two girls?"
"Mayor, I don't believe this is the time or place to discuss an ongoing case." Steve said.
"Well I have been speaking with some of the members of the chamber of commerce and they are worried these murders are gonna affect tourism." Bischoff said.
"Mayor, I assure you we are doing everything we can." Trina said.
"I am confident in that, I have spoken to both Flair and Lawler. It's just….a huge chunk of this area's economy depends on tourism. If these murders scare people and they don't feel safe traveling here….we could lose a lot of money." Bischoff said.
"Mr. Bischoff, as she said we are doing all we can. Everyone is putting in long hours, tracking every lead and trying everything we can think of to help solve this case. We all understand that the safety of the public is first priority." Steve said.
"Just stay on it and keep me posted. We need this case closed quickly before it affects the local tourism." Bischoff said.
"We'll do that. Now if you'll excuse us, we were just about to step outside for a breath of fresh air." Steve said and guided Trina towards the door leading to the back patio.
They step out onto the patio, finding no one else was out there. It was a nice break from the crowd and noise inside.
"Can you believe him? What does he think we are doing?" Trina was annoyed with Bischoff.
"He was being a politician." Steve sighed.
"And what really pisses me off is that he is so worried about money and losing the support of the chamber of commerce. It doesn't seem to bother him a bit that two women have lost their lives, one family is grieving and another family that we can't find is trying to find their missing loved one." Trina said.
Steve smiled at her, proud of the way she put the victims first in a case and had compassion for the right people.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked him.
"Just enjoying you being you." He smiled.
"You know, I am really having a good time tonight. I am glad you asked me to come." She smiled.
"It is turning out to be a good night. Of course it's just because you are here with me." He winked.
"Oh please, if I wasn't here you would still have a good time." She chuckled.
"No, if you weren't here, I would be bored making small talk with people who have nothing in mind but votes and their own agendas." Steve wrapped his arm around her.
"Well I would be lying if I said I would enjoy being here without you." She admitted.
"Lucky we came together then." Steve tilted her head up.
He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted. She leaned in closer to meet him halfway. Gently their lips met in a soft kiss; no pressure from either side just running their lips across each other's.
"That was….." Steve started.
"I can't believe you would say that!" Nikki stormed out onto the patio yelling at John who followed her out.
"You know how I feel." John said calmly.
"Let's get out of here before she starts the waterworks." Trina grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him around the arguing couple and back into the mayor's ball.
"Excuse me for a few minutes, I need to use the restroom." Trina smiled at Steve.
"I am going to say hi to a few people." Steve nodded as Trina hurried off to the ladies room.
She walked in and was relieved to find that there was no line. She quickly used the restroom and was careful to make sure her dress was neat before she left the stall. As she was washing her hands she saw Naomi Knight walk in. Naomi served on the city council in Parsons.
"Naomi, it is so good to see you!" Trina smiled.
"Trina, I saw you earlier." Naomi came over to hug her. "It has been too long since we had lunch together."
"Oh I completely agree. I just…..well things were so crazy. And now we got that double murder case." Trina said.
"By the way, who is the new man I saw you with earlier?" Naomi smiled.
"Steve Borden, the new county detective."
"I thought he looked familiar but I just couldn't place him. You two been together long?" she smiled.
"I'm not sure exactly what we are." Trina said. "Naomi, what do you think of dating an older man?"
"Honey, these days, if you find a good man who has a job, treats you right and doesn't run around on you, who cares about age!" Naomi chuckled.
"Well, I really like him….a lot. I guess I am just afraid of getting hurt again." Trina said.
"You'll never know if you don't take a chance. And don't let his age bother you. If you are happy that is what matters." Naomi said.
"I've missed spending time with you." Trina smiled.
"You needed time to heal. I understood." Naomi smiled back. "Call me soon and let's have lunch or go shopping."
"I would love that. I will call you soon. And say hi to Jimmy for me." Trina hugged her again.
Trina hurried back out into the conference room where she saw John Laurenitis had cornered Steve. She hurried over to rescue him.
2300 Hours
"It is getting late, you ready to head out?" Steve asked Trina as the party was winding down. They had spent a wonderful evening dancing, talking and making the rounds.
"Yes, Jerry took off a few minutes ago." She smiled.
"Come on, I will drive you home." Steve took her hand.
Together, they walked out of the resort waving goodbye to a few people as they walked. It had been a great evening. Both Steve and Trina had enjoyed spending the evening together and were feeling closer to the other, but neither spoke of it not wanting to make things uncomfortable.
Steve helped her into the passenger side of the Silverado and then climbed in the driver's side. He immediately took off his tux jacket and tossed it into the back of the cab. He started his truck and headed back towards Davis.
"Tonight was really fun. I got to see some people I hadn't seen in a while." She smiled.
"And listen to some crap that the politicians were spouting." Steve laughed.
"Laurenitis has always been as useless as a milk bucket under a bull." Trina said. "But I think overall it was….." her cell phone started ringing. She hurried and picked it up. "Conley…oh hell….we'll be right there….yeah we're on our way." She hung up. "That was Jerry. Some campers just called in and reported they found a dead body on Cheat Mountain on the Tucker County side."
"Not again." Steve sighed as he turned the truck towards Cheat Mountain.
"Jerry said it wasn't a usual camping area…guess it is some kids partying and camping. I know the area he told us to go." Trina said.
Steve followed the directions Trina gave him as he drove them towards Cheat Mountain. As they got off the main road, Trina was glad that Steve had 4 wheel drive as they had to go through some rough off-road to get to where they were instructed to go. As they pulled up, they could see Dolph, Seth and John had already arrived. Dolph and John were getting supplies out of the vehicles, including LED lanterns.
Trina and Steve climbed out of the Silverado. As they walked over Dolph and Seth immediately began whistles and catcalls at Trina being so dressed up.
"Okay boys, that is enough." She rolled her eyes.
"Never saw you dressed that way at a crime scene." Layfield joked.
"Now come on, she had a date." Seth smirked.
"Hope he liked that dress." Dolph winked.
"He did." Steve said as he draped his tux jacket over Trina's arms. "Now what is going on here?"
"The kids over there called it in." John pointed to a group of teenagers standing wide-eyed between two tents near a campfire. "Apparently one of the boys tried walking a long distance away to use the bathroom and found a dead body….minus a head."
"Oh no." Trina sighed. "We better get up there."
"I'll finish talking to the kids. They are pretty shook up." John said. "Seth, go with them."
The others began walking up the hill where the kids had said the body was. Trina was walking carefully due to her high heels but refusing to let that slow her down. Finally their lanterns shined upon a body lying between a couple trees.
"I think we can say for sure we have a serial killer on our hands now." Seth sighed.
"I'll start searching the perimeter. Trina, assist Dolph. I don't want you hurting yourself in those shoes." Steve said. He could see her starting to protest. "No arguments, besides the victim needs you now."
She nodded. "Dolph, what does it look like?" she asked as Steve used his lantern and began searching the area.
"No sign of decomp, skin is in good condition….she hasn't been dead very long." Dolph knelt down beside the victim.
"You sure it is female?" Trina asked.
"I can't say for sure until I do a full exam but the deceased is wearing female clothes, has manicured nails and full breasts." Dolph said.
Trina moved her lamp around the body. "No sign of blood. Just like the others."
"Based on her liver temp…..I'd say she's been dead 15-20 hours." Dolph said. "I'm gonna bag her hands."
"Dressed in casual clothes, shorts, sandals and Pink t-shirt from Victoria's Secrets." Trina said. "Caucasian, olive complexion."
"Based on just a visual inspection, I would say decapitation was done with same instrument as the previous two victims…but I won't know for sure until I get to the morgue." Dolph said.
"Tattoo on the ankle, vines and flowers. Might help in identifying her." She said.
"Seth, any signs of a bag, purse, anything?" Steve called out.
"No, not even garbage. This area isn't hiked on much." Seth called back.
"Let's get her to the morgue. I wanna get started on her autopsy. Gonna be a long night." Dolph said.
Steve walked over to stand near Trina as Seth helped Dolph with the body bag. "Ironic isn't it? Mayor Bischoff telling us about the pressure to solve this case and a few hours later we have a new victim." Steve shook his head.
June 28th, 0200 hours
Trina and Steve walked into the morgue. Both extremely tired, but pushing on with the case knowing time meant everything in an investigation. Both were still in their dress clothes from the party earlier that night. John had talked to the campers and found they had nothing to do with the murder, just happened to find the body. Seth had stayed behind with John searching even more of the area on Cheat Mountain.
"Dolph, what do you have for us?" Steve asked as they walked in. Dolph was pulling a sheet over the body as it laid out on his exam table.
"Well I got fingerprints for you to send to Charleston. The victim is indeed female." Dolph explained. "Based on her bones I'd say 18-22 years old."
"Rape kit?" Trina asked.
"Negative. No signs of semen in or on the body. No damage to the vaginal area or rectum. I also scraped under her fingernails, no foreign matter." Dolph said.
"Cause of death?" Steve asked.
"Strangulation, the same as Cheat Doe. Also she has no identifying marks other than the tattoo on her ankle and she has her belly button pierced. I estimate she is about 5 foot 2 inches tall." Dolph said. "Body appears healthy and tox screen is negative."
"How is this guy pulling this off so well? He is leaving us virtually no clues." Trina was getting frustrated.
"Serial cases are like that sometimes." Steve said.
"But people are dying and we're helpless to stop it." She sighed.
"Hang in there, we'll solve it. But you gotta keep your head in the right place." Steve said.
"You're both exhausted. Head on home and get some sleep. There isn't anything else we can do tonight." Dolph told them.
"That is a good idea. I will drive you home. In the morning I will fax her prints to Charleston myself." Steve said.
Trina nodded, realizing that her exhaustion was making her frustration worse. Dolph handed Steve a few folders and then they walked out of the morgue.
0230 Hours
Steve walked Trina up the sidewalk to her house. She unlocked the door and Jack immediately came to make sure she was okay and nothing was wrong.
"Are you sure you should drive home? You're exhausted. I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel. You are welcome to one of my guestrooms." She said.
"No, I will be fine. But thank you for the offer." He smiled.
"This is the first time I have ever had a date that included a crime scene." She said. "But before that, I had a wonderful evening. Thank you for that."
"I had a great time too before we were called out to work." He smiled.
She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "I hope you ask me out again sometime. Goodnight."
"Sweet dreams." He smiled as she walked into the house.
Author's Note- A very long chapter but I just couldn't find a good way to divide it so I decided to kick off the weekend with a long chapter for my loyal reviewers and fans. Love my fans. Big thanks to cdajr, Debwood-1999 (I love that you keep track of clues and are trying to solve it. Awesome!), Batistasprincess (Another awesome fan keeping up with clues), jcott3 (I loved Gibson), carlyrosanna83 for all the great reviews. They keep me working fast!