(CSI:NY intro starts to play).
Me: Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals... I don't need to be forgiven, yeah, yeah!
Oh, hi guys! Sorry if this took too long but I have vacations and I'm doing other things. Thanks again to harmony r (guest) for suggesting Hera's, Kanan's and Ezra's outfits (shirts and pants) and the present Kanan gave to Hera.
Some points to take into consideration:
1.- Hera is a CSI level 1, so she doesn't have too much authoroty, yet. Obi-Wan's training her and soon she'll take a small exam to become CSI level 2.
2.- There are some forensic terms here, please check the end notes to see the meaning.
Thanks for all your reviews, follows and likes! You guys are the best!
Chapter 48: You're Not Alone
Hera woke up at the sound of the raindrops hitting softly her window, she opened her emerald green eyes and glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 5:15 a.m. It said. She sighed and sat up in bed, Chopper hopped on the bed and rubbed against her. She smiled softly and scratched him behind his ear.
"Meow." Chopper meowed.
The young woman smiled. "Morning to you too, Chop." She said and got up from bed trying to forget what day it was.
After taking a shower and dressing up for work, she went to the kitchen. She opened a can of cat food and Chopper hopped on the kitchen counter and started to meow.
The CSI giggled. "Alright, just give me a second, Chop." She said and put the cat food in the pet bowl.
"Here you go, Chop." She said and put the bowl in front of the cat.
The cat meowed in return and started to eat his food, Hera rolled her eyes and went to prepare breakfast. As she sat down to eat, she turned on the TV and listened to the news, when she finished eating, she washed the dishes and finishing preparing for work.
"Okay, Chop. I'll see you later." The young woman said and gave a final scratch to his ear, the cat meowed again and Hera left the apartment.
The doors of the lift opened and the young woman stepped into the floor where the crime lab was located, she said 'hi' to technicians and officers she met on her way to the locker room. Once she left her jacket and her purse in her locker, she attached her badge to her belt and left the room.
"Good morning, Hera." Obi-Wan said as he walked into the breakroom.
"Good morning, Obi-Wan." The young woman said as she prepared herself a cup of coffee.
As Obi-Wan started to prepare himself a cup of coffee, his phone started to ring. "Kenobi." He said when he answered the phone.
"Alright, we will be there." The crime lab supervisor said and hung up the phone. "We have a 419 near Washington Square Park."
"I'll go for my kit." Hera said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "I'll see you at the garage." He said and walked to the door. "Oh, I almost forgot, I know you don't like to celebrate your birthday but, 'Happy Birthday', Hera."
"Thank you, Obi-Wan." She said and the older man left the breakroom.
The young CSI sighed and went to the locker room for her kit trying to forget that today was her birthday. Hera used to spend her birthday with her family when they lived in Ireland and she was happy but when she was seven – almost eight – her mother passed away and her world came down. A few months later, her father, her uncle, her cousin and she moved to a small town in Minnesota, USA called Gorse; when she was fourteen, she decided to stop celebrating her birthday. Her father asked her why she didn't want to celebrate her birthday anymore and she had told him that the week before her birthday, her mother passed away and she spent the day of her birthday crying and missing her mother, her father respected her decision and since that day, Hera had stopped celebrating her birthday.
"Hey Zeb." Obi-Wan said as he and Hera arrived to the crime scene.
"Hey guys." The detective said.
"What do we have?" The crime lab supervisor asked.
"Our victim is female, early thirties." The detective answered.
"ID?" Hera asked.
"None, I have officers looking for her purse in the dumpsters." Zeb answered.
"Well, let's get to work." Obi-Wan said.
The young woman nodded and put on her gloves and took out her camera and started to take photos of the crime scene while Obi-Wan collected fibers, DNA and other traces that were around and on the victim.
"We found her purse." Zeb said and gave to Hera a purple purse.
She opened it and took out the victim's ID. "The name of our victim is Mackenzie Wilde, she lived in Staten Island." She said. "The suspect didn't take her money or her credit cards."
"I'll send some officers to her house." The detective said.
"Hey Zeb?" Hera asked.
"Yeah?"
"Did Kanan come to work?" She asked.
The older detective shook his head. "He took the day off, he's busy with Ezra's enrollment in school." He said.
"Thank you, Zeb." She said.
The detective nodded and left.
After collecting evidence and taking photos of the crime scene, the CSIs returned to the lab and started to examine the evidence.
The young woman headed to Autopsy once she was back at the crime lab.
"Hi, Gregor." She said as she walked into the Autopsy room.
"Hi Hera, you arrived just in time." A man in his late fifties with tan skin and bald said.
"Really? You have our victim's C.O.D?" The young woman asked.
Gregor nodded. "Yes." He said. "The C.O.D. of your victim are three shots to the chest. The first two shots weren't deadly, however, the third one was a clean shot to the heart." The medical examiner said.
"Did you recover the bullets?" She asked.
"Yeah, all of them." He said and gave her a small jar with the bullets inside.
"Anything else?" She asked.
"I already sent her clothes to Trace." Gregor said.
"Sexual Assault?"
"None." He answered. "Though there's evidence she slept with someone a day before dying."
"Alright. Thank you, Gregor." The CSI said and left the Autopsy room.
Hera walked into her office after leaving the bullets in Ballistics, she frowned when she saw a small note on her desk, and she took it and read it.
"Hera,
I know you don't like to celebrate your birthday but you don't have to spend it alone, so we decided to invite you to have dinner with us. We will see you around 8:00 p.m in Alfredo's.
Love,
Kanan and Ezra."
The young woman smiled warmly at the note and returned to work, this time with a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Tom." Hera said when a lab technician gave her the ballistics report. "Obi-Wan, we have a suspect." She said.
"I'll talk with him, you stay here and finish analyzing the victim's clothes." The older CSI said.
"I will." Hera said.
She opened the evidence bags that had the clothes and started to examine them. After she found fibers, hair and DNA, she started to analyze them.
"Hey, Hera." Matthew said when he saw the young woman.
"Oh, hi Matthew." The CSI said and returned her attention to the computer screen waiting for the DNA results.
"I was thinking…how about we go to the movies tonight and after that, we can have dinner in one of the best restaurants of the city?" The older CSI asked hopeful.
"I don't think so, Matthew. Besides, I already have plans for tonight." Hera answered.
"Oh, well." He said and chuckled nervously. "How about we go out any other day?" He asked.
"I don't think so, Matthew." She said, then her eyes lit up when the computer gave her the DNA results. "Sorry, I've to go."
"Yeah, sure." The older CSI said disappointed.
Hera walked into the station looking for Obi-Wan, she found him in one of the interrogation rooms and knocked on the door. Obi-Wan got up and exited the room.
"Hera, I'm happy to see you." The crime lab supervisor said. "Please, tell me you have good news."
"I do have them." She said. "I have the results of the DNA we found inside the victim and it also matches with the hair and blood we found on her clothes. The good news is our suspect is in the system." She said and gave him the folder with the DNA result.
Obi-Wan's eyes widen in surprise and glanced at the interrogation room where the suspect was being held. "Good job, Hera." He said.
"Thank you." She answered.
"Now, let's interrogate this guy." He said and the two CSIs went inside the room.
Two hours later, Hera was back at the lab; she and Obi-Wan had managed to get the suspect to confess why he had killed Mackenzie Wilde near Washington Square Park. The suspect had told them that he and the victim were lovers and admitted having sex with her the day before her murder but he also suspected she was cheating on him, so he decided to follow her. He was right when he saw her with another man, so he confronted her and killed her in an attack of rage.
Hera sighed tiredly as she took her jacket out from the locker as well as her purse, she smiled softly when she saw a photo of Kanan and Ezra she had and pushed the thoughts of the case aside, she closed her locker and left the room.
The CSI arrived back at her apartment around 5:30 p.m. and took a quick shower, then, she changed into a light blue strapless dress with a silver belt. She put on a black coat and black high heels and left her apartment to meet with Kanan and Ezra in Alfredo's.
"Benvenuto." The hostess said when she saw Hera.
"Hi." The young woman said.
"Do you have a reservation?" The hostess asked.
"Uh, yes. I think it's under Jarrus." The CSI answered.
"Let me see." The hostess said and checked her list. "Oh, yes. Here is it. Please, follow me."
The hostess led Hera to a small table for three and sat down to wait for Kanan and Ezra. Ten minutes later, she smiled when she saw father and son walking to their table, both were wearing gray pants and black shoes, the only difference was that Kanan was wearing a dark green shirt and Ezra a dark blue shirt. The detective smiled when he saw her and whispered something to Ezra.
The little boy let go of his daddy's hand and ran towards Hera.
"Hey sweetie!" She said and picked the little boy up.
The little boy gave her a big hug and she kissed him on top of his hair. "How are you?" She asked.
"Goo'!" Ezra answered.
Hera smiled and looked at Kanan. "Hey." She said.
"Hey." He said and kissed her briefly on the lips, then, the three of them sat down at the table.
"What do you want to eat bud?" The detective asked as he looked at the menu.
"I dunno." The raven-haired boy said.
"What about Alfredo fettuccine with grilled chicken?" Kanan asked.
"It yummy?" The three-year old asked.
"Of course, bud." The detective answered.
After having dinner, Kanan whispered something in Ezra's ear and the little boy looked at Hera. "Hera?" He asked.
"Yes, sweetie?" She said.
"Daddy say 'ou don't like your birthday." The little boy said.
"That's true."
"But he also say 'ou don't have to be alone." The three-year old said.
"You know what, Ezra? You daddy is right." She said. "I don't have to spend it alone, I have both of you." She said.
The little boy smiled widely. Kanan cleared his throat and took out a small silver box.
"That why we decided to give you this." He said.
Hera frowned but opened the box anyway, she gasped when she saw a golden necklace with a locket, she opened it and smiled when she saw a photo of Kanan and one of Ezra and below the photos, there was a small inscription that said: "You'll never be alone, you have us."
"Thank you, love. This is beautiful." She said with happy tears in the corner of her eyes.
"You're welcome." He said.
Hera maybe didn't like to celebrate her birthday since her mother passed away but now with Kanan and Ezra in her life, she had a new reason to celebrate it. She loved them with all her heart and she was sure they would always be there for her.
C.O.D: Cause of Death.
