Rusty walks through the Murder Room toward Sharon's office. The solemn faces of the others worry him, but he decides to ignore them in favor of getting to the silence of the office. He picks his head up, hearing shouting coming from the woman's office. He hesitates a moment before opening the door.
"Mom, I don't see why it's any of your business who I date more or less what type of text messages I send." Eve places her hands on her hips, standing her ground in front of her mother's desk.
"You sent nude photographs of yourself."
"They were just of my breasts, don't be so vulgar. They were also obtained via an illegal search of Detective Sanchez's phone."
"It was a safety check." Sharon leers over her desk, her hands in fists as they lean on the table.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Rusty glances between them.
Eve looks toward the door, her face softening slightly when she sees the young man, "Hey, little brother."
Sharon nods, "Have a seat, Rusty." She motions to the green chair against the wall.
"Am I in trouble or something?" He does as told, dropping the backpack to the floor and watching the two women.
"Oh, I just got here." Eve puts her hands up, turning the chair sideways in front of her mother's desk before sitting.
"Yes, well." Sharon nods, walking around her desk. She does the same to the other seat, sitting next to her daughter, "Rusty, I got a call today from Homicide division and I have some bad news-"
"Is my mother dead?" He folds his arms, watching them.
"No." She shakes her head slowly.
"Daniel Dunn then?"
"That wouldn't necessarily be bad news. No, it isn't him." Sharon clears her throat a little, "I'm sorry to say that police were called to the scene of a suicide today and there they found-"
"How did she do it?" Rusty answers, his voice quiet. He knew exactly whom she was speaking of, "How did Sam do it?"
She swallows, nodding slightly as she sits back in her chair, "She hanged herself from her ceiling fan."
"Sam the...Your ex?" Eve shakes her head, "Holy shit."
"She told me she would. This is my fault." Rusty shakes his head, looking to the floor.
"Rusty." Sharon leans forward again, gently placing a hand on his knee to get his attention, "She wasn't stable. She wouldn't have threatened you with it."
"Stable is in the eye of the beholder." Eve slowly folds her legs at the knee, pouting a smirk, "She's right though, that's emotional abuse."
"What now?" He shakes his head, "What do I do? Do I do anything?"
"Well, that's where it gets a little tricky." Sharon nods, "You were mentioned in her suicide note as the cause for her death. She said you beat her during your time together and made her feel worthless. I've special requested Morales to do an autopsy which may be able to tell if there was any sort of beatings going on...I have to hear it from you though. Did you ever hit Samantha Merrick while she was alive?"
"You're seriously asking me that question?" Rusty gives her a look, "Are you joking right now?"
"It's a formality and I never want to doubt you, Rusty. I never have and I don't want to start."
"I've never hit anyone who hasn't hit me first." He shakes his head, "I'd never hit a girl."
"Good." Sharon offers him a smile, "I'll see what I can do. I called Gavin to-"
"You called him for me?" He watches the woman.
"Samantha's mother is pressing charges. Given that you're eighteen, she may be able to file a Civil suit."
"She's suing me?"
Sharon tilts her head to the side, "She's threatened it."
"I didn't do anything." Rusty shakes his head.
"I don't think she knows her daughter was crazy, which is why I called Gavin so that he can handle it and let the woman know that you are already legally covered." She nods, standing and walking back behind her desk.
Eve shrugs, watching her mother, "Just like that..."
"It will probably be dismissed. There are no grounds except for the letter and even that gives no other information." Sharon slowly goes through the box of evidence, "An autopsy should clear it up."
"Did she..." He stands, slowly looking to Sharon, "You said she hanged herself...did she suffer long?"
"They usually don't." Eve answers for her mother, "Usually the rope snaps the neck with force. If not, the rope, or whatever was used, pressed against her windpipe until she was finally gone." She nods, "There were a few at the hospital. I read up on it."
"You read up on what happens during a hanging?"
"What else was I going to do? Contemplate life?" She snarls the corner of her top lip, rising to wrap an arm around him.
"This um...this really sucks." Rusty says quietly, "Excuse me." He walks from the room.
Eve watches as the door slams behind him, "Go after him?"
"No." Sharon shakes her head, "He needs to cry and he won't do that in front of people."
"Oh." She nods, "That fight before...it all seems trivial now."
The older woman picks her head up from the box, looking to her daughter above her glasses, "Just...calm down with him. He's a good detective, a good man, and if you're distracting him so much that the others are looking up his phone records to see what you're saying to him, you have to calm down."
"I'm not doing it on purpose."
"Eve-"
"I'm not doing this for fun. I'm doing it to see if I still feel."
Sharon shakes her head, "To see if you still-" She pauses, "This is just...This is all just for that?" She puts a hand up, shaking her head harder, "I don't want to know."
"You asked. You wanted to know. He asked that I be his girlfriend only recently and I agreed, but before...yes, that's all it was." Eve nods slowly, "Rusty's hurting and none of that matters right now...He needs you."
"I know how he works. He runs until he can be alone." She glances to her daughter, "You're right." She nods, walking past her, "Where do you think he went?"
"Janitors' closet, bathroom. The spots are limitless."
"You aren't helping." Sharon shakes her head, motioning for the young woman to follow and help her.
Eve sighs, rising from her seat to walk next to her.
Provenza returns to his desk with Flynn next to him, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Did you find out anything?" Sykes perks her head up.
"Samantha Merrick was an only child and her mother is crazy, so apples don't fall far from the tree." Flynn nods to her.
"She did, however, just lose her daughter and I think she's..." Provenza shakes his head slowly, "She's trying to guard herself into thinking it didn't happen. I don't think she's going to file anything."
"Thinking and knowing are two different things." Sanchez leans forward in his desk chair.
"She won't." Andy shakes his head, glancing over to see his wife and stepdaughter walking out of her office, appearing as if they were searching for something. He motions over, glancing between the people who had been there the entire time.
"They're fighting about Sanchez." Tao smirks.
"Wouldn't have known except Amy had to tell her we were doing a search." Buzz folds his arms.
"You searched my phone?" Julio looks between the two technologically savy men, "You looked through my phone."
"You were distracted. It was dangerous." Tao watches him, "I apologize, but we felt it needed to happen. I'd expect the same done with myself if the situation ever arises."
"Which it never would because you're married." He glares ever so slightly.
"I didn't think it was right, but it's done and..." Sykes shrugs, "It's done."
Flynn looks to them all, nodding slowly before focusing on the man sitting across from him, "Julio, you're with my step-daughter?"
"Yes." Sanchez answers simply.
"Since the Ball?"
"Yes, Lieutenant."
He glances back toward his wife and Eve as they continue to walk the hallway, "Fine."
Buzz clicks through some things on his computer, finally looking at the links to the surveillance cameras in Interview Room two, seeing Rusty sitting on the desk, sobbing. He looks up before jogging over to his boss, "Captain?"
"Have you seen Rusty?" Sharon Raydor looks up at him.
He nods, "Interview two." He glances to Eve, "Might want to stick back with your boyfriend."
Eve sighs, understanding the entire division knew of their relationship, "If you need me-"
"Yeah." Sharon nods, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze before jogging toward the other room. She stands there a moment, attempting to compose herself before opening the door, "Rusty?"
"Get out." Rusty replies calmly, looking away from her, toward the wall.
She swallows, watching him intently, "I won't leave, Rusty."
"Please..."
"No." She steps closer, "We've been together for over two years now and I have never held you back and kept you from...running off and crying behind closed doors, but I can't anymore."
"Go away." He says again, nearly growling.
"This wasn't your fault. This had nothing to do with-"
"It had everything to do with me. If I just would have sucked it up-"
"You'd be even more unhappy and then where would we be?" Sharon shakes her head, finally reaching out to touch his arm.
Rusty instinctively moves away from her, "She'd be alive."
"Gavin is going to clear this all up." She tries to wrap an arm around him once more.
"Get out!" He yells at her, inadvertently pushing her away and into a chair when he moves again. Rusty slowly realizes what he has done when he notices her wince. He swallows, "Sorry."
"It's...It's okay." Sharon shakes her head.
"I'm...I didn't mean to-" Rusty slowly reaches a hand to her.
She takes the opportunity of his defenses being down to wraps her arms around him, "You don't always have to run away."
"I hurt you." He whispers.
"It's just a bruise. Not like I don't obtain them on my own. I'm not exactly the most graceful human around." Sharon shakes her head slowly.
Rusty bites his lip, afraid of hurting her again. He gently wraps his arms around her in response. He was now several inches taller than her than he was only two years ago.
"Okay, now. Let's wait for Gavin to talk about this." She gently strokes his hair, absently almost, "He's never failed me before and I don't plan on him starting to today." Sharon feels his shoulders slump ever so slightly as he feels relief rush over him, she smiles.
"Thanks, Mom." He replies softly.
"Yeah, so...Okay. Let's go sit in my office?"
"I can't just go home?" Rusty continues to hold onto her ever so slightly.
"I'd rather you wait until Gavin gets here. I'll order food if you'd like...Pizza or Chinese...whatever you'd like." Sharon adjusts how she holds him, slowly making her way to the door and back toward her office.
"Yeah." He swallows, pushing his hair from his eyes, "Sister Mary Robert said I need a haircut today." Rusty smirks, an arm around her waist as they walk.
"I can barely see your eyes, I think it wouldn't be such a bad idea." Sharon grins.
Eve watches as the duo return to her mother's office, having remained silent all the time. She looks to the group, "So…you've all seen naked pictures of me."
Andy rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair.
"Not exactly the best ice breaker right now." Sanchez looks to her through the top of his eyes.
Sykes giggles, motioning to the white board in the front of the room, "Sorry, we've been looking at naked bodies all day."
"You still haven't found that guy?" Eve shakes her head, looking to the board, adjusting her skirt, "Anything I can do to help?"
"How could you possibly help us?" Provenza gives her a look, his face nearly morphing into that of a bulldog.
"Well, I studied psychology in college." She shrugs, "Not exactly the best field, but sometimes when one studies something like that, they are able to notice things that others wouldn't necessarily see." Eve stands walking closer to the photographs, "For instance, this particular cut on the forearms of these women is very detailed and this one is exactly the same on all of them." She points, "Forearm, almost shaped like a biscuit that one would use in a biscuit joint..."
"Biscuit joint?" The older man leans forward, watching her, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"In woodwork, if you're building a table and need to reinforce a joint, there's a tool that easily edges little football shapes out of it. I'm saying, you need to be looking for a carpenter."
"Hawthorne…" Tao sits up in his seat, "Max Hawthorne-" He rises from his seat, walking over to the board and pointing to the picture of the man, "Max Hawthorne's father was a carpenter when he was young. He then began to sell his pieces, which were works of art really, and hit it rich. Let me show you." He walks back to his desk, connecting his laptop to the projector via a wireless connection, "Right here." He pulls up an article with pictures, "This is a living room coffee table that he sold for fifteen thousand dollars and that was one of the cheaper pieces."
"How would you put a cup of coffee on that?" Flynn raises an eyebrow, "Eve, how did you know about the biscuit joint thing?"
"I didn't want to take home economics in high school, so I studied wood shop instead. We used them all the time." Eve smirks.
"No one thought of this?" Provenza stands, shaking his head as he glances around.
"With all due respect, Sir, not many schools offer classes like that anymore." Sykes shakes her head.
"I'll call for a warrant to search his place and possibly his father's place-"
"Problem." Tao puts a hand up, "Max Hawthorn's father, Thomas, has been dead for ten years. His wife entered a retirement community about two years ago. The house has lied dormant for that long."
"Why is that a problem?" Provenza shakes his head, "We could just go and ask her if-"
"She entered the facility for Alzheimer's disease."
"Damn." He shakes his head.
"Why is that a problem?" Sykes shakes her head.
"We could go ask for permission from the woman, but a lawyer is going to try to say she couldn't make her own decisions and isn't in her right mind and whatever evidence we obtain there could be thrown out the window." Sanchez nods to her, then looks back to Provenza, "Get the warrant."
Provenza picks his phone up, sitting back down, "In the meantime, Sykes and Sanchez, bring in our suspect. I'd like to talk to him again."
"Yes, sir." Sykes nods, rising from her seat with the other man.
Sanchez smirks, leaning to his girlfriend and giving her a quick peck on the lips before jogging to the elevator.
Eve smirks, folding her arms before sitting at Sanchez's desk.
"That was great." Flynn smirks, "You just solved your first case."
"All thanks to wood shop in high school." She rolls her eyes playfully, "And we don't even know if it's him."
"Yeah, but we're closer now than we have been in months."
"Good job, kid." Provenza nods, the phone to his ear as he waits on hold, "Hellish hold world of holding."
"How poetic." Eve grins, leaning back in her seat.