Disclaimer- I do not own Heavy Rain. If I did we'd definitely be enjoying the Chronicles in their entirety right about now. :(
Had to chop this thing in half so I could focus on all the bits I wanted to. I suppose I could've tried to jam it all in, but it can wait. As much as I hate to say it, it can wait.
Recap time!
1. Jayden meets a suit that he could never agree with
2. Blake and Larry get an earful of a message meant for Madison
3. Jayden and Madison go over some concerns he's been having
4. Madison takes her chances by heading back to her place
5. And Jayden makes an interesting discovery back at the photo shop
Part 14
Yellow tape was still stretched across the entrance to her apartment, warning her not to cross it even though that was exactly her intent. Madison rocked back and forth on her feet as Blake talked to the cop he had stationed outside, and each second that ticked by only made her question her decision more.
Jayden was going to call. He sure as hell was going to ask questions, but that didn't matter right now. She had to hope that whatever he found over at the center wasn't important enough to interrupt this.
When Blake had pulled up to her building she had expected him to shove her into the back of his squad car. The peeved expression on his face told her her guess wasn't too far off, but all he did was approach her and cross his arms. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just cart you off to the station."
"Sure. Whatever you want to ask I'll do my best to answer. I've got information I think you've been looking for for a while now, and I'll see what I can do. However, I want just one favor."
"Favor?" That was the trick. She could see him grinding his teeth as he tried to stay 'cordial'. "I don't do favors. If you're going to ask for something, spit it out already."
"Fine." She pointed at her apartment. "I want access to my home. Whoever broke in did it for a reason and I want to see why. My guess is that you couldn't tell if something was missing or not. With me there I could give you a list. Just let me look around. That's it."
It wasn't a difficult concept to grasp, but there was still one huge problem with it. A journalist would be poking around a crime scene. His crime scene. If this was going to work he had to get comfortable with that idea, and stay comfortable.
Blake had looked between her and the building, refusing to let his eyes off of her for too long, and turned to spit on the pavement. "Fucking hell. I want to personally shoot whoever came up with the phrase 'public servant', because the police force does not exist to work at the beck and call of any idiot with information. Especially if the person on the other line happens to be a reporter. But," he took in a breath and let it out, "in spite of my gut telling me you'll lynch me again at the nearest opportunity, it's trying to tell me that you might have something important to say. Something worth my fucking time even. Do you?"
She nodded, keeping both of her hands behind her back; one of them was crossing its fingers so hard it hurt. "Yes."
"Then we'd better get this over with, because nothing would make me happier than answers to my goddamn questions."
One cop had stayed outside, while the other she had talked to, Lopez, had followed them inside to talk to Blake. As their conversation finished up, Lopez took a position a few feet down the hallway and kept an eye on both Madison's apartment and the elevator. Blake on the other hand, walked right over to Madison and jerked the tape at the entrance up. He didn't say anything, just gestured towards it with his head.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she put a hand on the frame and stepped inside.
Before she had moved quickly around the items that had been moved, thrown aside, or pushed onto the ground. She didn't want to think about the break in or focus on what it meant to her. There hadn't been any time for that. Now, as she stepped around the mess that used to be the bookshelves in her living room, she had no choice but to acknowledge it for what it was. An invasion. It was an empty feeling, one that sank deep into her bones and should have made her furious and disgusted. Right now, however, she was too worn to fight it, too shocked.
She jumped off of the upper level and walked into her bedroom, avoiding shredded papers and scattered clothes. Whoever had been here had gone through everything. Her jewelry was littered on the floor around her dresser, and older notebooks she had left under her bed were strewn across the comforter. She shuddered and made a silent vow to wash everything two or three times before wearing it. Underwear would either follow the same rule or just be burned on the spot.
Blake entered her room as she laid a hand on the board hanging above her bed, checking for all of the photos that mattered the most. Her dad, and brothers were still hanging in the same spot, and another photo of her mother remained as well. Ethan, Shaun, and Grace were still over on the right, but she felt a spike of panic when she couldn't find the one of Jayden she had taken in DC.
"Shit." she muttered, stepping back. Others were missing too, making her stomach turn. A picture of Shaun and Ethan was absent. A few others of her family were too. In fact, all of the photos which had her present in the shot were gone. All of them.
"So?" She jumped when Blake addressed her, spinning in her spot to face him. "Any of this mean anything to you?"
"Yeah, actually." Her arms curled around herself as she walked away from the photos, trying to ignore the gross violation of her privacy. "I can tell you right now that they've taken photos of my family and myself, so if I pissed this guy off, I pissed him off bad."
She went down the small corridor peppered with papers and stopped by her computer desk, recalling how her laptop had been placed outside of her apartment like a gift. "My laptop was with me so they didn't steal that, but..." She pulled open the drawers on the side only to confirm what she suspected. Most of her work and printed notes were on the floor, or possibly on the dining room table. "They did go through almost everything that I've stored here. Papers, notes, articles. Basically everything that I didn't keep at work. I think there might even be a CD or two missing, but I can't remember what would be on it right now."
"Can't or won't?"
It was an honest question. Blake watched her closely from the passage to her bedroom and she frowned as she backed away from the mess in front of her. "I can't. I just...it's still a lot to process."
"Maybe I can jump-start it then." he said, following her into the dining room. "Have you spoken to your family recently?"
"No. If I knew about this sooner I would've, but they live in Ohio. I don't know if this creep's aware of it, but I don't want to take any chances."
Blake nodded, all right with the answer, but still not done yet. "Any others?"
Ethan and Shaun came to mind, and it hurt to even include them after everything that had happened before. "Yes. There was a picture of Ethan and Shaun Mars there, and that's gone too."
"Fucking hell." Blake scowled and kept on going. "Have you seen them within the last couple of days?"
"It's been a few days, so I need to follow up with them too." She was half tempted to start dialing up everyone right now, but didn't want Blake to slap the phone out of her hands. "I can't give a better answer than that."
"Did you have cameras hooked up in your apartment, or does this building have its own security system?" Blake asked.
She chewed on her lip as she tried to recall the spiel they told her when she had first moved in. "The place itself doesn't, but the hallways should have a few cameras set up. You've got to go to the owners for that."
"Who are?"
"Ronald and Margie Wilson. Sorry, I don't exactly have a card on hand."
"Cute. Guess I'll have to go directly to them with you as a reference. Now are you going to keep on trying to sass me, or are you going to actually do something useful?"
Useful? I called you, asshole. Bite me.
Searching the rest of her place didn't take long, and didn't turn up much else. No valuables were missing, only mementos, and that struck too close to home for comfort. Any pills or medicine she kept on hand were also intact, but when she checked her sleeping pills three were missing. She remembered taking one or two recently, but had no real clue where the other could be. Waiting until Blake's back was turned, she slipped them into her pocket for safe keeping, and resumed her search.
It eventually led her back to her computer desk. Her answering machine wasn't blinking, and when Blake noticed her checking it, he walked right up and pressed the playback button.
"Ah, this damn thing." He turned to her. "I'd listen carefully if I were you."
The answering machine beeped and she sighed when a message from Emmy came on. Of course she'd be worried after she dropped the film and ran. She would give her a call later once she was done at the department-
Alyssa's choked words made everything come to a stop. Blake saw it all. The way her eyes opened wide in shock, and the way her hands shook as she covered her mouth. It was impossible to hide. Madison didn't move an inch while the message played.
Play by my rules and I'll play by yours.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, Blake was standing right in front of her.
"What was that?"
"...A message." she replied, her tone flat.
"I got that. From who?"
"I don't know. I..."
A phone started ringing and she jumped, startled by the unfamiliar ringtone. Blake on the other hand was pissed, and made sure the person on the other end knew it. "This had better be fucking important!"
Seconds later, the anger was gone. What replaced it was shock. "What?"
How does the saying go? Lightning never strikes twice? That whatever awful luck a person has isn't so bad that the same event won't be repeated?
Well, it's bullshit. All of it is bullshit.
Jayden's held his head in his hands as he sat in the hospital waiting room, flashes of red coming and going behind his eyelids. The Christmas lights, the flashing of the ambulance, the bits of it dotting Alyssa. As he replayed the events that led them both there, he was always too late, always a step behind.
The car skidded and whatever force was behind it was still enough to knock Alyssa right off of her feet.
Clary had dominated his mind then. His hands were covered in her blood as he watched her choke to death in front of him, and as he fell to his knees beside Alyssa he was ready to see the same thing repeat itself over and over again.
Red. It dotted her face, but wasn't spilling out. He yelled for an ambulance as he tried to make sure she was breathing.
He had already washed his hands three times since entering the hospital, but it didn't matter. He could still see it, almost smell it if he concentrated long enough, and it lingered. It always lingered.
Jayden pushed his hands through his hair and sat back up, clasping his hands in front of him. He stayed like that, still as a statue, his mind completely blank for as long as he was able. It was supposed to be easier that way, but like any problem it wasn't meant to be ignored. Not when every blink brought it back piece by piece, emphasizing the shot, the crash, or the aftermath.
Loud voices began to spill into the empty waiting room, and he glanced up only to be wrenched out of his seat and slammed against the nearest wall. His brain kickstarted back into motion, focusing every bit of attention on Carter Blake.
"You fucking son-of-a-bitch!" he snarled, his hands inches from Jayden's neck. "You killed her! You waltz in here with no jurisdiction whatsoever and the first thing you do is get her killed? I should send you back in a fucking body bag, you goddamn waste of space!"
The pressure around his neck increased as he stayed silent, but still managed to return the ire, not caring about any of the shouting happening around them. Hands curled around Blake's arms, and it took more than one person to wrench him away, putting a good amount of space between the two. That's all it did, however, as Jayden continued to stare him down, nearly snarling himself.
"Jayden!" A hand reached for his chin and forced it to the side, bringing to his attention the woman standing in front of him. Worry came off of her in waves, and she was directing it all at him. Madison. She kept a hand on the side of his face as she looked him over and he'd never seen her so pale. Her eyes met his and he blinked back at her in confusion as he tried to connect the dots, but then it hit him. They were here. All of them.
He removed Madison's hand and backed away as the hospital staff finally stepped in, but it was too late. There had been a very clear line drawn between the two, one that he didn't want made clear in front of anyone in the local police force, let alone Blake.
He let himself be pulled aside by Ash as Blake and another officer followed the doctor, and Madison drifted after them, her eyes going between the doctors and them. He kept his on anything but her. It wasn't hard to tell that she wanted to reach for him again, but she stayed put. Instead she tried to grill Ash for answers, but he knew as much as they did. Brushing off every question thrown at him, he waited until she was done to give a non-committal answer and she stopped bothering him after that. They all had no choice but to wait until Blake got back, for all the good that would do.
However, Blake didn't show up again. The other officer came over, eying the two of them closely. "I'm Lieutenant Larry Cartwright, and I'd like to apologize for the Sergeant's behavior. I do want to know exactly why you'd be here and involved with this investigation, Agent Jayden."
He pursed his lips together and shook his head. "It's complicated."
"Lieutenant?" Madison stepped forward. "I can explain. I was about to talk to Sergeant Blake when-"
"Hey, hold it. Just hold it." Cartwright interrupted, holding his hands up. "Whatever we're about to do, we're not doing here. Both of you have some serious questions to answer, and you're heading down to the station right now whether you like it or not, capiche?"
"Fine, I already agreed to do that, but how's Alyssa? Is she okay?"
"About as okay as someone who got hit by a car can be, I guess. Er, that didn't come out right. The doctor says she'll be fine, but the rest is between her and them." He motioned to Ash. "If you could take these two down we'll be there once this is wrapped up."
Ash pointed them towards the doors, not even bothering to acknowledge Cartwright, and Jayden dragged himself down the brightly lit hall with Madison by his side.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said, her arms wrapped around her. "When Blake mentioned what happened, I thought that maybe... God, I should've gone with you. I should've been there for everything."
"Yeah, actually you should've. You scrub the place for clues top to bottom, and then leave a large problem like that unsolved? Did you even test it?" She gave him a confused look and he ignored it. "I'm no genius with locks, but I'm still trying to figure out why walking out of that place without opening that door would be a good idea."
"Test it? Of course I tested it..." Her face went blank and that was the only warning he had before she slapped him. Almost full-force, if he had to guess through the sharp flare of pain.
Ash pulled her back just in case she wanted to add another layer of pain on top of that, but she didn't fight him. She just wiped a hand over her face and walked as fast as possible towards the doors.
"State your name."
Jayden signed and kept his hands folded in front of him on the desk. "Norman Jayden."
"Occupation?"
"Special Agent with the FBI. I'm a criminal profiler."
Cartwright made a note and continued down the list. "Relationship to the Ms. Alyssa Jameson?"
"None. How is she?"
"Injured, but sleeping comfortably. Doctors say she might be ready to answer questions in a few days, but that's our business, not yours. Relationship to Ms. Madison Paige?"
He had been tapping his fingers, but stopped. "Close acquaintance. I kept in contact with her after we met during the Origami Killer case as a way to see how Shaun Mars was doing." he answered carefully, trying to ignore the way the side of his face still burned.
Cartwright raised an eyebrow, but wrote it down. "We were going to make a call to Washington to check with your superiors, but I figured I'd at least give you a chance to explain yourself first. Why are you here, Agent Jayden?"
"I was on medical leave. I haven't been here in a while, so I figured a change in scenery would be nice."
"Nice. Okay, I guess I can understand that. And?"
"...And Madison Paige was looking into the case. I offered to look into the photo center to save her some time and found Ms. Jameson while I was there."
"You offered?" Cartwright chuckled and Jayden didn't even try to look amused. "In normal circumstances I'd say that's great, but part-time heroes get people killed on criminal investigations."
"I'm aware of that." Jayden replied, his mouth a thin line.
"I'm sure you are. And I'm sure you're also aware that it wouldn't take much to charge you with criminal trespass or hell, obstruction of justice. You've cost us an important lead here, and though I think you've earned a C in effort for saving Alyssa, I think things could've gone a lot better."
The small, smug smile on his face made Jayden want to punch him. Repeatedly. "Of course."
"So...I think you need to watch your step, both you and your reporter friend. You've cracked serial killers, so this should all be old hat to you, but whoever was keeping Alyssa there is someone not to be messed with. A lot of planning was involved here, and he probably would've kept her indefinitely if you hadn't stumbled onto her location." He moved his notepad to the side and pulled out a small folder. "And judging from these photos, this psycho's been active for a long time."
He spread a few of the photos over the table, and Jayden tried to take in as much as possible. Old photos and new were scattered in front of him, some large, some small; a few were even taken with a Polaroid camera. Not a single photo was of a murder, but every photo had a subject that could've been involved in one. "Are these all victims?"
"We're still going over them, but I figured I'd poke your brain while you were here. All off the record of course. Any of these people look familiar to you?"
Men and women of all walks of life stared back at him, and he didn't recognize anyone. "Sorry, no dice."
Cartwright sighed. "Figures. Not even this one?" He held up a photo of a brunette woman searching through the grocery section. "She was pretty famous for a while. Ever see Captive Audience?"
Captive Audience? Captive... Wait a minute. "That was a show a while back, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, though I'd call it more of a soap opera. She was the lead and the main hook was that the cases done on the show were based on the actress's previous police work. Neat idea, not the greatest execution, but it wasn't all that bad. What's weird about finding this here is that the actress went missing shortly after the show was cancelled." He tossed the photo down and shrugged. "No one was able to figure out what went down, but I think we have a much better idea where she could've ended up now."
Jayden leaned forward to get a better look at the photo. He had to agree with Cartwright, but the new picture wasn't one he wanted to see at all.
"Are we going to go through the usual questions? Name, occupation, etc?"
Blake paced around the small room - smaller than the other interrogation room if it was possible – and Madison didn't want to take her eyes off of him. Her nerves were frayed, his temper was one second away from exploding, and neither of them wanted to be there, but she had information to give, and she wanted to end this as quickly as possible so she could get out of this cramped box.
Blake grinned, showing his teeth. "What, you think those are a waste of time? Too bad. Everything's going on the record right now, so you might as well just get it over with."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm Madison Paige. I'm a journalist. I work for the American Tribune and I currently have an interest in this case."
"And that would be?"
"I wanted to find out who had arranged the robbery and the killing of the hostages. I also wanted to find the ass that did that to Alyssa, because he has no right to run free."
"When did you start working with her?" Blake asked as he took a spot against the wall to her right. "Or was she feeding you information before this?"
"No, I had no idea who she was, though she did know of me. You were still hunting down Johns and Alexander, so it was pretty early in the investigation. I bumped into her outside of my apartment when I was on my way home one night and she told me she wanted to talk. She never told me who she was, and always agreed to meet in quiet, isolated places. The facts that she gave me pinned everything on Johns and Alexander, but not once did she ever mention anyone else."
"No mention of NUL?"
She shook her head. "No. She seemed just as confused when I tried to confront her about it, but she said that she was going to look into it and disappeared soon after."
"So that's when you decided to get your hands dirty."
"If you want to look at it that way, yes." she conceded, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. "Though all I did was go to former employees for their views on what was happening."
"And the odd break in was just a fluke, right?" he asked, walking closer to lean on the table edge.
She tensed, and wished for the first time in her life that she had her crutches nearby. "I don't make a habit of it."
"Really? So you'd rather send in some pathetic bastard instead, right? They get to hang while you slither off scot-free."
"Do you want me to say it, because I'm not afraid to. It's my fault. I gave him the means to go there, and I don't want any of this to come back to him. Not one bit." Blake started laughing, and she flinched. "I'm being serious."
"And where do you come off thinking you actually have a say in this?" Blake stood up again and resumed his pacing. "Sending an off-duty desk jockey like him on an errand? Yeah, I think we can all agree that the major fuck-up was on your end. But that's only one reason why we're here."
He slammed a hand down on the table and leaned in. "You haven't told me what's going on here yet, and after that mess you owe me."
I don't owe you anything! her subconscious tried to argue, but she didn't have time for that. Instead, she aimed for the obvious link, one that would catch Blake and hold his attention. "Steven Blondt. He used to work for OKC Corporation."
"We've already got that."
"His car might be used in the crimes! There's a possibility it's either being used by him or stolen. He also maintained contact with Alyssa after both of them went to the same company. Don't you find that strange? That they would both work at one company for years and then suddenly pack everything up to leave?"
Blake thought it over for a second. "Are you saying she might be involved?"
"I don't know, but it fits together too well to ignore." She started to reach for her jacket, but hesitated, not wanting to have Blake confiscate her notes. "I also managed to tail a blue truck to the photo center, but I didn't get their plates. It was a blue Ford, but it looked like one of the older models with tinted windows."
He stood back up as someone knocked on the door, and Lieutenant Cartwright popped his head in. "May I?" Blake waved him in and he walked over with a manila file folder. "Thought she should have a look at these."
The file hit the surface of the table and Blake talked to the Lieutenant. The other officer must have been talking to Jayden while she was in here with Blake. Smart move on everyone's part, especially after what happened at the hospital. ...And even though she hated to admit it, she was glad that they hadn't shoved both of them into the room at the same time. What he said had dug deep and hurt. Hurt in a way that she was familiar with, but hoped would never come her way again. The feeling was going away, but until it did she wanted some space; even if it was in a cramped little box with Blake.
She picked up the folder and let it fall open. Photos of all kinds were inside and she felt her stomach drop. There were more photos of women than men, but no teenagers or children. A few were familiar enough to tug at her memory, but in the end she could only identify two. One was a soap opera actress and the other was a reporter that had gone missing in California three or four years ago. She remembered reading the article on his disappearance and sharing it with her coworkers at the Tribune.
"I know these two." She pointed at the actress first, then the reporter. "I think that's Diane Connors, and the other is Louis Kripke. He was a reporter in California, and she was an actress on that crime show..."
She snapped her fingers as she tried to remember, but Cartwright filled in the blanks. "Captive Audience."
"That's right! I think they both disappeared. No one ever found their bodies, so both of their cases were looked into and then forgotten."
The details seemed to pique Blake's interest. "Any reason why you'd know about either of them?"
"I used to watch the show, and as for Louis, well...we watch out for our own. We always have." She sat back in her chair, and when they turned away she knew the conversation was over. They gathered up the photos, and Blake turned towards the glass wall, drawing his thumb across his throat.
The feed was cut, but she didn't bother to look up. "She'll be okay, won't she?"
Blake turned back towards her and folded his arms. "Depends on what you mean by okay. She's alive, if that counts for something."
Madison let a tired smile make its way onto her face. "It certainly does."