A/N: I finally reveal the ACTUAL stalker in this chapter and if you're looking for the major hint that I dropped, it was in chapter 10 in Quinn's section. The last thing is a haymaker is a type of combat punch. If you need to see it, go to YouTube and watch Lucy Liu take one in Payback. Thank you so much for continuing to read, I love you all!
Chapter Fourteen
Rachel climbed through the layers of sleep, blinking slowly as the small streams of light that had snuck through the heavy-duty curtains of her hotel room made it impossible to stay asleep. It didn't take long to realize she was still wrapped up in Puck's embrace and memories of what had transpired the night before easily began to heat her skin. She curled into his embrace, and ran her fingertips over his chest, relishing in the peace of the early morning.
The stalker had targeted her and had even attempted to terrorize her fathers, which was unspeakably upsetting. Rachel had always been strong but this person picked at the seams of that strength and she didn't know how much more of that strength she had left. Of course her friends gave her strength and she loved Quinn and Kurt, but Noah was different. With everything that was going on in her career, having him with her was probably the only thing that was keeping her sane at this point.
Honestly, she just wanted all of this to end. The scary thing was that despite Aubrey and the other law enforcement involved, she had no idea when that would be or if it would even end with Adam. Puck stirred next to her and she watched as he slowly woke up.
"Morning," he rasped groggily, a small smile playing on his lips. "How ya feelin'?" he asked, snaking his arm tighter around her waist and pulling her closer if possible.
"I'm happy…about this." It went unsaid that she was still upset about what happened to Cooper the day before and didn't know what to think about Adam's arrest.
"Yeah. Me too," he replied as she kissed his chest. "We should probably head down to the precinct. See what they've got going on."
Rachel snuggled closer to him and sighed softly. "Not right now. I'm not ready to let this feeling go just yet."
Puck kissed her temple and Rachel knew that despite his penchant for not talking about his feelings, the action told her everything that she needed to know from the man in her bed.
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With a few hours of sleep under her belt, Aubrey prepped to get Adam Shipley back into interrogation. The kid had lawyered up fast yesterday afternoon and with the shooting outside of Rachel's building, it was safe to say that she had gotten a little distracted. But now, she was ready for round two and was to go in for the knock out. Detective Hayden had returned to Ohio to start work on a new pressing robbery spree in Lima and she was given back up in the form of NYPD Detective James Rice.
She washed her hands in the freezing water of the women's bathroom in the 34th Precinct. A toilet flushed behind her and Aubrey lifted her eyes to see the tired, red-rimmed eyes of Quinn Fabray.
"You doing okay?" Aubrey asked, drying her hands with a scratchy brown paper towel ignoring the green part of her personality that would complain about the apathy for the environment. The girl in front of her was emotionally spent and she deserved her full attention.
"Like you give a shit."
Well, that response certainly wasn't what she had expected from one of Rachel Berry's closest friends. "Excuse me?" Aubrey questioned
Aubrey had always had a temper and used it to her advantage. Even as a young child, she had wanted her way and had often gotten it from her parents. But as a cop, she had had to get that part of her under wraps and normally it wasn't difficult, but the hatred flowing from the blonde's green eyes made her blood boil.
"You did all this. You claim you're helping Rachel but somehow my boyfriend is behind bars and our good-natured, selfless driver spent last night in the surgical wing of Lenox Hill. Do you care to elaborate on how exactly you're helping the situation?"
Quinn took steps towards Aubrey and held herself to her full 5'6" height, even though the pretty detective still had two inches on her. Aubrey forced herself a deep calking breath even though her hands at her sides shook slightly with anger.
"Quinn, you're upset over what's been going on but there is no need to get confrontational. You don't want to be arrested for assaulting a cop. It doesn't look good…"
Quinn held up her hands innocently. "Just looking for answers…clues even. You know how that is."
Quinn backed off and went about washing her hands while Aubrey quietly seethed at the girl's comment. Aubrey stormed out after her, riled by the exchange and was extremely ready to nail her boyfriend with the crime and finally wipe the floor with snot nosed blonde.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Puck walked into the station with Rachel, the girl all but glued to his side. Mike and Matt leapt up to see how she was doing and she was unable to get away before Puck intercepted the warpath she was headed on in the direction of the interrogation room and pulled her into the corner to speak in private.
"What?" she snapped, crossing her arms.
"Look I'm not trying to come at you so just settle the fuck down. I need a favor."
"And what's that?"
"I need a gun permit." Aubrey's face screwed up in annoyance but before she could wave him off, he continued. "The guy had a gun Aubrey. A gun. What is it going to take to stop this guy? A haymaker isn't going to do me shit against a bullet."
"I don't exactly have carte blanche here, Puckerman. And she's got daggers for me," Aubrey replied, gesturing towards Quinn who was watching Aubrey like the hunter who just shot Bambi's mother.
"She's pissed about Adam. If the kid is guilty, she needs to get the fuck over it. But if he isn't, I want to be armed. I read up on it while Rachel showered. Law enforcement can push through the order. I figure you get someone here to do that and I'm going to go take a crash course on safety."
Puck had never really put that much thought in owning and operating a gun. Sure, when he watched Jason Statham kick fucking ass on the big screen, he kind of wished he could do what he did but the guy was an actor. But now, it kind of felt like his hand was being forced. Rachel hated violence of any kind but he had to do whatever was necessary in order to protect her. He hadn't talked to her about the decision but he needed to allow this as a part of his job.
No more was this about some pansy ass letters and creepy photographers. The guy had taken the first step to the point of no return and Puck was just making sure that he was equally prepared.
"Let me go talk to one of the guys. No promises."
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Kurt made Rachel a cup of Earl Grey tea and watched as Quinn paced back and forth, Adam's lawyer on the phone in the corner. Rachel had called him to come to the station and keep her company and he could understand why. The vibe in the precinct was incredibly uncomfortable.
"She's going to make herself sick…" Rachel commented taking the cup from her friend and letting the warmth seep into her hands.
"Do you think Adam did it?" Kurt asked her, turning his eyes to Rachel.
Rachel shrugged one shoulder. "There's no resounding answer. I mean, all the 'facts' seem to point that way but for him to be so tender to Quinn and so nice to me…was it all just to get closer to me? Because if so, bravo. He should look into getting an acting gig after he loses the orange jumpsuit."
Kurt cracked a smile at Rachel's momentary sardonic humor. "How does Puck feel?"
"Noah is keeping his views very quiet so I'm not sure what to deduce from that."
"And where is said beautiful male specimen?" Kurt questioned craning his neck to look around the precinct.
"He had to take care of a few things. Probably something to do with the apartment."
Kurt held a hand to his chest, a moment of silence for the ruined masterpiece that was his interior decorating on Rachel's apartment. "Speaking of the apartment…what are you going to do? Shame to lose that address."
Rachel knew that Kurt meant nothing by the comment. Sure, the address was a great one and the building had been cozy and safe, until now. Now, it was all ruined.
"He…took away my peace. My security. I can't live there anymore. I'll start looking for something else once this is all over."
"Well, my guest bedroom has your name on the door surrounded by big gold stars if you need it." Rachel hugged her friend but smacked his arm playfully when Kurt asked if she would be getting Puck's input on the her future place. "A future love nest perhaps?" he questioned, eyebrows raised questioningly.
"Noah and I are nowhere near that point," Rachel answered after she acted scandalized. But she couldn't help the flush that flew up her cheeks remembering the night before and earlier that morning. Who would want to? Her lips curved into a small smile and Kurt quickly caught on.
"You two had sex!" Kurt cried out loudly and several pairs of eyes flew over to where they were seated. Others couldn't be bothered with them.
"Shhh," she hissed and ducked her head and stared at the table, avoiding any and all eyes. Her sex life was not meant to be spread amongst the members of the NYPD and possibly end up on Page Six of the Post.
"Oh come on, I didn't even say his name," her friend said in hushed tones. "But seriously, how was it?"
Rachel latched onto the fabric of Kurt's shirt and pulled him close. "There are no words," the actress informed him and Kurt smirked. For a girl of an extraordinary number of words, the sexual prowess of one Noah Puckerman had certainly rid her of that habit.
Rachel gasped and Kurt could see that the suspect in her case was now present in the room. She caught Adam's gaze as they brought him from the holding cell and led him to the interrogation room. The guy looked every bit a mess. Not so much from guilt as far as she could tell but with his clothes rumpled and a fresh bruise on his left cheek, he looked nothing like the proper-coifed agent that had been dating her friend.
"Kurt, something is telling me that he didn't do this," Rachel said softly.
Kurt was about to ask her if it was her psychic power tapping in but the look on her face told him that now was not the time. The look on her face was worth much more than teasing her about some sophomore year admission in the choir room. The source of Rachel's expression? Quinn's begging of the uniformed cop for just a minute with Adam.
Heartbreaking was the one word that he thought described the sight. Adam leaned his forehead against Quinn's as his arms were still pinned behind his back in handcuffs. Neither could hear the words that he was saying but the tears on her friend's cheeks yielded her to believe furthermore in his innocence.
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Adam was uncuffed and ordered to sit in on the steel grade factory chair. His lawyer, Michael Houston III, took a seat next to him in a well-tailored suit for the second time in two days. Aubrey walked in, another guy with her. He didn't recognize him as the other detective who had driven him back in the unmarked car after his wonderful silver accessories had been added to his wrists.
"Substitute?" Adam asked, wanting an introduction without being overtly demanding.
"Detective Hayden had to return to Ohio. This is Detective Rice with the NYPD. After all, you did most of this shit on his turf," Aubrey sassed. Truly, after dealing with his girlfriend she was cranky and wanted this shit done with for good. She hated New York and wanted to get back to Los Angeles, where the sun was shiny above the layer of smog and the criminals were more her breed.
"Language, detective," Houston said sarcastically.
"Bite me," Aubrey retorted, leaning on the table and looking dead straight into Adam's eyes. "Tell me how you did it. Got close to the blonde, played just the tip for shits and giggles, all to terrorize to terrorize some new movie star? Why? She blow you off? She make more money than you and that's just unacceptable?"
"Leave Quinn out of this," Adam answered tiredly. He had had a hell of a night in the lovely cell of the 34th Precinct. A few bums, a guy in the drunk tank, and a guy that didn't like the way Adam had been looking at him filled his quota of crazies for the next year.
"Sorry pal…Quinn is in this. You ripped her friend's mattress to shreds and covered the walls in pig's blood. Probably had that shooter set up before you even got nailed. What drove you to that point?"
"Like I already told you, detective, I didn't do any of that. I don't know what you think you have on me and I certainly don't know anything about a shooter."
"Yes, Detective Isaacs, please elaborate what's keeping my client in your fine establishment," Houston added, clearly bored.
"I'm sick of your shit," Aubrey muttered and pulled the Lima crime scene folder from Rice's hands. She immediately began flipping the photos onto the table, followed by photos Rachel's apartment. Adam automatically cringed at the sight of the destruction.
"Oh, I'm sorry maestro. Uncomfortable seeing your own handiwork?"
Adam didn't respond so grabbing the clear shot of the footprint, she jabbed her pointer finger at it.
"Know what this is genius? Footprints. Size 10." She flung the lab report of the matched Ferragamo loafer to said print as well as the shoe's limited release information. "Out of all 500 pairs sold, your name is the only one on that list that had that much access to Rachel."
Adam's jaw hung open as he continued to stare at the photos and flip through the lab report.
"I'm one jury panel away from a guilty verdict unless you want me to get the ADA down here for a plea deal."
"Shit…" Adam muttered
"Finally scared that we caught onto your brother?"
"No, because you've got the wrong guy."
His lawyer sat forward and pointed at the lab report and ordered Adam to start explaining. "Adam, it's in your best interest to start talking and fast."
Adam shook his head firmly. He had another plan as he needed confirmation from the only other person who could give it.
"I need Rachel in here. She needs to know what's going on."
Aubrey looked to her NYPD partner in what had felt like the knockout round until this point. Rice shrugged his indifference but offered one stipulation.
"I have no issue with the girl being in here as long as he's cuffed."
Adam quickly offered up his wrists to the metal shackles as Aubrey went to retrieve the center of the case. Timidly, Rachel entered the interrogation room.
"Not exactly Law & Order huh Rach?" he questioned, showing off his handcuffs that were tight around his wrists.
Rachel offered a tight smile and wrapped her arms around her torso, obviously uncomfortable.
"Start talking," Aubrey said impatiently.
"Rachel…all this….it's Eric."
Rachel gasped, covering her mouth with both hands and it was clear that tears were swimming in her eyes at the mention of that name. Personally, Aubrey felt as if they had just skipped three chapters.
"Eric who?" Rice questioned asking the question on the other three minds in the room.
"Eric Christiansen, my first manager before Quinn. He was assigned to me by the studio when I got Batman but we had some…issues and we terminated the working relationship."
Adam shook his head sadly as he didn't want to air the girl's dirty laundry but it was necessary. "Rachel, please forgive me but you have to tell them what happened, why he would be so hell bent on all this."
A tear fell down Rachel's cheek and she wiped it away roughly. "Eric got handsy in my trailer about three weeks into shooting. He cornered me…and despite me saying no," Rachel said, voice cracking on the last word, "If Chace hadn't been coming to run lines, things could have been a lot worse."
"And why do you think he's the guy?"
"When I left London, I came to see him. He didn't outright mention that he was going to hurt himself but he sounded bad on the phone."
"You two are friends?" Aubrey asked quizzically.
"We haven't really stayed in touch since he was fired. We e-mailed occasionally, texted. Phi Delta Theta brothers at Texas A&M, he got me the interview with the agency since he graduated earlier than I did. We were friends up until…Let's just say that his life kind of went to shit after that. He went to rehab but he's back on something and he's definitely drinking."
"And the shoes?"
"Who do you think introduced me to labels? I'm from Kentucky. It's not exactly the capital for Gucci production."
Aubrey groaned and stalked to the corner of the small interrogation room. No one said anything as the lead detective on the case wrestled with this new information.
"Rice, put out an APB on Eric Christiansen. Mr. Houston, you're client is free to go pending cooperation in the aiding of said APB. Rachel, get Puckerman back here. He needs to be briefed on what's going on and you need to get somewhere safe."
"The hotel?"
"No longer on my list of safe," Aubrey muttered and left the interrogation room.