Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Crossing Jordan.

Unforeseen

Chapter 25 – Ethylene Glycol

Woody sat down at his desk while he waited for the call to go after Avery. His head pounded from exhaustion. It felt heavy, like it was filled with lead. This weight forced pain to spread from the crown of his skull, through his neck and into his back. He let it fall onto his desk to relieve the tension. The next thing he knew Jordan was whispering to him.

"Wake up Farm Boy." He looked up to see her golden eyes staring down at him.

"Jordan, I wasn't sleeping," he exclaimed.

"Of course not. I'm sure you were just resting your eyes. That snore was very convincing." He blushed as she said this. "However, I need your help."

"What do you need?" he asked with concern.

"I can't get over how he could strangle them without them fighting back. You be Avery."

"I don't know if this is a good idea Jo. You knew Abby."

"Woody, Garret is going to need to know why his daughter didn't fight to survive."

"Yeah, all right but if I notice it bothers you, we stop."

"Okay, I'll be Jenna McGill. I've just spent the night at my favourite jazz club with my boyfriend. He had to leave early."

"I've been watching you and now that you are alone I decide to approach you. You remind me of my wife and I'm drawn to that."

"You sit down and we start talking. I realize we have a lot in common and I agree to go somewhere else and talk."

"We leave and go to a motel room."

"Why would she willingly go to a motel room if there is no evidence sex ever occurred?"

"What if he drugged her and then took her?"

"Nothing shows up in the tox screen."

"Well what doesn't show up in tox?"

Jordan contemplated this and then suddenly her face lit up. "Ethylene glycol!"

"Huh?"

"Antifreeze, it shows up in kidney deposits rather then in the blood stream."

"Okay, well what are the symptoms of someone who has ingested antifreeze."

"Shortness of breath, they feel weak, their skin looks jaundice."

"Okay so we're sitting at the bar talking and I've been watching you. I know you've had a few drinks. When you aren't looking I slip some antifreeze into your drink."

"I begin to feel dizzy and faint."

"I offer you a ride home. I convince you that you've had to much to drink."

"I fall asleep and you strangle me."

"How did I get your body inside?"

"You didn't. You left me in the vehicle. You pulled over on a back road and cover me up in the backseat."

"Next I go back and pick up Elizabeth Montgomery. Wait, why wouldn't he have had sex with them."

"It's not in his vision?"

"It doesn't make sense."

"Let's go to the morgue and I'll check their kidneys."

Woody followed Jordan out of his office. "Do you need a ride?" she asked softly, concerned with how tired he seemed.

"Yeah sure." He followed her to her car and climbed in the passenger's seat.

"I'm sorry Jordan." She looked over at him with confusion.

"For what?"

"When my father died, he died an abusive alcoholic. I always blamed him for being weak and leaving me to take care of Cal. I became a cop because I knew that was probably the only thing that would have made him proud and I promised myself I would never be weak like him. Up until Wayne Riggs pulled that trigger, I'd always felt bullet proof. In the hospital I lost my stability, I lost myself. I was weak, just like my father. I had failed him and myself. I was so angry and then you came to me, pleading for me not to leave you. I was angry that you needed me when I no longer felt strong enough to be able to take care of you. Mostly I was just mad at myself for failing you. When I saw you after my surgery, I just became so angry but I couldn't explain it. All this love I felt for you had turned to rage. I didn't feel like I deserved you any longer, that you deserved someone who could take care of you. Someone who wasn't weak."

Tears streamed down Jordan's cheeks. "You aren't your father Woody. You are one of the strongest men I know. No one is bulletproof. I still need you but not to take care of me. To love me and take care of my heart." She looked into his eyes. Tears slid down his face as well. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

As they pulled apart he whispered, "I do love you Jordan. I've never stopped."

"I love you too Woody."

"Now let's go solve this case.

Kevin Holden stepped off the elevator and walked over to Emmy's desk. "Can I help you?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes. I was asked to come down here. My name is Kevin Holden."

"Who asked you?"

"Some man. He didn't give me his name."

"Mr. Holden what are you doing here?" Woody asked, as him and Jordan stepped off the elevator.

"Some man called me and told me to come down."

"Emmy, why don't you set him up in the conference room? We'll go find out who called you," Jordan explained before she disappeared behind the swinging doors.

"Bug," Jordan called, as soon as she entered trace.

"Yes Jordan?" he asked calmly.

"Did you call Kevin Holden?"

"Yes I did. Is he here?"

"Want to tell me why you called him?"

"I want to exhume his sister's body."

"Didn't you get the autopsy reports?"

"They are being sent by courier. I need to see the body myself."

He walked past her and ran into Woody in the hallway. Woody eyed him suspiciously. "You want to explain to me what is going on?"

"I want to exhume his sister's body."

"Do you have the authority to do that?"

"Well Dr. Macy isn't exactly around to clear it."

"Did you ask Walcott?"

"I couldn't get a hold of her."

"Bug you can't just go around exhuming bodies. You need permisssion."

"Then get me permission," he said daringly.

"I need a reason. I can't just tell her it is because you want to."

"I want to be sure Mark Avery didn't kill his wife."

"Don't you have the autopsy reports?"

"All the reports can tell me is why the person convicted of her murder was convicted. I want to see the body for myself."

Woody flipped open his cell and dialed Renee's number.

"Walcott." He explained the situation carefully hoping she wouldn't just shut them down.

"I don't know Hoyt. Digging up someone's loved one based on speculation? I guess if it's necessary."

Woody hung up and grinned at Bug, then the two of them entered the conference room. "Mr. Holden, this is Dr. Vijay and he would like to ask you a question."

"Yes," he said with confusion. His eyes surveyed Bug with suspicion. "What is it Dr. Vijay?'

Bug suddenly felt nervous under the man's gaze. "Uhh, well, we have reason to believe there is a possibility that Mark Avery killed your sister and we would like permission to exhume the body."

"Excuse me?" He shouted indignantly.

"If it is true than we will make sure he pays for it."

"You want to dig up my sister from the ground because of speculation?" His words were filled with anger as he stared resentfully towards Bug.

"You said yourself that you didn't believe it was her photographer," Woody interjected.

He received a glare from Kevin as he said this. "It doesn't mean I believe it was Mark," the man replied tersely.

"We have evidence to convict him of the murder of 11 women. How do you know he isn't capable?" Bug added.

"I thought he was killing them in the image of my sister."

"We aren't sure."

"And because you aren't sure, you want to rip my sister up from the ground, from her place of rest?"

"I understand how it sounds but…"

"She went through so much. She had such potential and then everything was taken from her."

"We understand but shouldn't the real killer pay for what he did to her?"

"When my sister died, my mom also died of an aneurysm. She couldn't handle the stress of her daughters death."

"We're very sorry for everything you've been through, but wouldn't your mother want the real killer to receive justice?" Tears spilled from his eyes now.

"I guess so," the man muttered despondently. Woody slid the form over to him. "But you find out who really killed my sister."

"We will Mr. Holden, you have my word," Woody promised as the form was slid back to him with Kevin's signature on it.