Chapter 21 The Results
When Lightning noticed she had missed a call from her boss, she felt nauseated. Usually, Amodar wouldn't call her unless something important came up, and if she missed something important, she would mentally kick herself.
At that moment, Lightning felt stressed, paranoid even. There was an array of things that Amodar could want, and the sergeant felt her mind swarming.
Soon, Lightning excused herself from Fang to take the call from Amodar in the hallway.
"Hello, this is the desk of Lieutenant Amodar. Are you reporting a crime, or can I get your name and number to get this call to the right person?" Amodar asked.
"Sergeant Farron, reporting in sir." Lightning said, noticing how wry her voice actually sounded at times.
"Farron, you finally answered my call? I tried to get ahold of you an hour ago." Amodar's voice was stern, "We finally have a report on that murder autopsy results." Amodar said, hearing her gasp.
"Are you serious? Anything of importance?" Lightning asked, "Also, did you want me to report to headquarters?"
"Not to headquarters. Need you to meet me at Bodhum Forensics." Amodar said as Lightning took note of the location.
"I can meet you there. I've been staying with Fang, and need to run home and grab my uniform, and I'll be there as soon as I can." Lightning admits.
"That sounds like a plan. See you as soon as you get here, Farron." Amodar said, dropping the call.
Fang was lying in bed listening to some jazz, noticing Lightning enter the room. "Who was that?"
"Okay nebby, that was my boss. Apparently, I'm needed at forensics, and I need to swing by home for my uniform before reporting in. I didn't bring it because Amodar wanted me to use some vacation time off after that early morning." Lightning said with a small yawn.
Fang got up and wrapped her arms around Lightning. "You know you are always welcome to stay with me. Plus, this had been one of the best weeks so far."
"I know, love. I would stay longer if I could, but I can't at this moment." Lightning said with a small sigh.
"I got work tonight at NORA House," Fang said, noticing the look of disappointment on Lightning's face.
"Could meet you there after I'm done, depending on how long I'm needed in downtown Bodhum." Lightning said.
"That'd be acceptable. Just you need to promise me something." Fang said.
"What's that?" Lightning asked.
"Promise me you'll be safe. Lately, when I've sent you out to work, you've come home stressed a lot." Fang said with a small sigh.
"Well, currently there's a lot of stuff going on at work. I don't need you worrying about me at this moment." Lightning said, "I'm leaving my suitcase here if that's fine." Lightning looked at her bag that was sitting in Fang's closet.
"Uh, Fang." She started, noticing the hesitation in her voice.
"What's wrong, Sunshine?" Fang asked.
"I don't know. Just a bit lost at the thought is all." Lightning admits.
"All good love. If you can think of what you wanted to ask me, don't hesitate to ask. It's my job to make sure you are okay because you are mine, and I am yours. Just a bit worried is all." Fang said, sitting on her desk.
Lightning walked past the desk, grabbing her gunblade and fastened it to her person before she wrapped her arms around Fang. They shared a kiss, and Lightning had a feeling of uncertainty in her bones.
"You sure you're okay?" Fang asked.
"Yeah. Come out with me and at least see me off." Lightning said as Fang followed her holding her hand.
Once she set her gunblade in the back, Lightning put her sunglasses on and rolled down the window.
"Drive safe, you hear me?!" Fang nearly yelled.
"Always safe, love." Came the promised words.
Lightning pulled out of the driveway and waved goodbye. She often hated leaving Fang, but that was because staying with Fang gave her a place to relax, a place where she could be herself without being judged, and to push aside things that stressed her out.
Things in Lightning's life were stressful. One, Serah was getting married to Snow, though Lightning had eased up a bit from her hatred towards Snow, there was still part of her that was bitter about the NORA leader.
Two, Lightning worried that she was stressing herself out. She'd need to set up a few boundaries with Fang because only hanging out with Fang, she realized she was head over heels, and it was sort of unhealthy. Boundaries would be placed, but it would be for the best.
Three, Lightning wondered if it was the best time to bring up the fact she had the idea of wanting to move out. If she moved out, it might better not only her relationship with Serah but also her relationship with Fang. Plus, Lightning wished to make amends with several people from her past.
After swinging by the quiet house, she realized Serah and Snow were out. Grabbing and dressing in her uniform, Lightning looked in the mirror and pondered things. Running a hand over the two stripes on her pauldron, she took a breath and gathered herself before going down the stairs, grabbing a bottle of water from inside the fridge, and got back in her car after locking the house.
The ride to Bodhum Forensics was more nerve-wracking than anything. Lightning had been alone in her thoughts, something she considered dangerous in itself. However, soon as she arrived, she parked, placing her parking pass onto her mirror before stepping out of her car and clipping her sheath to her uniform before walking inside.
Flashing her badge to a nearby guard, she was escorted towards the room where Amodar awaited her arrival. Jihl was there too with Rosch.
Amodar greeted Lightning before the party walked into the lab, where two doctors were busy looking at a body from the morgue.
"Dr. Jiro and Dr. Eri, have been working extremely hard on the autopsy report for Raiden. When they said they had a report regarding our murder case, I was certain that they were pulling our legs; however, they actually have some report." Amodar said.
"Well, that's good news." Lightning said, glancing at Jihl.
Jihl didn't say a word as she sighed.
"Raiden was a good man. It's a shame something bad happened to him." Came to her answer as she slid her glasses up onto her eyes.
"You've been working extremely hard, Jihl. I'm surprised you haven't taken much time off lately. You have Rosch, and as your second in command, you know you are always welcome too. Why you push yourself this hard, I haven't the clue." Amodar said.
"I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind. Working out a new training exercise for my troops in PSICOM. As for Rosch, he's keeping busy working with my troops as well. Plus, he's been running errands for Dysley lately. Plus, we got a lot of work to do with the holidays coming up between now and next year. I have started on next year's training models and several cases my troops are figuring out. I don't know if the Guardian Corps can say the same." Jihl's voice came off as mocking.
Lightning looked at the PSICOM commander, astonished.
"Jihl, for PSICOM's director, you clearly underestimate me," Amodar said.
"Well, I've seen your models. I'm not impressed. If you are dealing with a six-year-old case, and have such a villain wanted, you better know how to deal with him. From what I've researched, Caius Ballad is powerful and could easily wipe out your troops with ease." Jihl warned.
"I knew him briefly. I knew that my father trusted him once. I don't know if he is friend or foe, but I remember seeing him when I was 15, and then got the news from Cid Highwind." Lightning said, "I just remember he was powerful as Jihl states. However, I don't know what to believe. Caius was the type of person who always had a chip on his shoulder, and my father knew that. I remember not trusting him, but I wonder if his return is a good thing or a bad thing." Lightning said, looking at Jihl and Amodar.
"Well, Farron makes a point. You were one of the last people to see him before he went missing." Amodar states.
"True," Jihl said with a sigh.
Lightning glanced at the lieutenant colonel and didn't say a word. Keeping an eye on Jihl was something she often noticed herself doing, but there was something about Jihl that rubbed her the wrong way. The way this woman held her composure, the way she looked so fake and acted so fake, made her wonder why. Why did Jihl hate Guardian Corps, and why did Jihl only show fake pride for her fellow men?
Either way, Lightning knew that Jihl was probably up to something, but she pushed the thought aside.
Soon they were in the morgue, and Dr. Jiro and Dr. Eri were hard at work, performing an autopsy on another body, while their interns observed.
Though Lightning wasn't one to get squeamish by the inner cavities, it did cause her to feel slightly nauseated.
Amodar took notice. "Concentrate on your breathing Farron, often usually the best way to deal with a nauseated stomach. It's a smell that you'll get used to, but it just takes a few times dealing with the morgue." He said, noticing Jihl, who was looking at several reports.
"Amodar, we have the report for you." Dr. Eri said she discarded a pair of rubber gloves and washed her hands in a nearby sink.
Once Dr. Jiro finished, the other doctors and interns took over after discarding gloves and washing his hands.
The group was led to another room as the two doctors pulled a report and several x-rays and projected them.
"There had been blunt trauma. However, what caused blunt trauma is a mystery in itself. The trauma, however, had been inflicted here and here." Dr. Jiro started looking at the x-ray, pointing at his head.
"Someone had to have hit him over the head, and then we found several stab wounds, with accurate stabs. Whoever did it had did it in such a way they hit vital, and it was instant. However, the only problem from our case, showed no DNA, showed no prints, and even the cloth found on Raiden had nothing but the victim's own prints." Dr. Eri said.
Lightning questioned the autopsy, Amodar looked uncomfortable, and Jihl looked unimpressed.
"Something though doesn't add up. We either have an error on our part, or something happened with the autopsy report. It seems a page from our report is missing. Though we only get the occasional intern, and we have so many doctors in and out, it must have been a mistake on one of our men or women working here's fault." Dr. Jiro said as he looked at Dr. Eri.
"We had a few break-ins in the past, but don't think this was a break-in. Right now, we just think it's a mistake. However, should anything else come up, we can bring it to Guardian Corps attention or PSICOM." Dr. Eri said
"We're sorry for the mistake on our part." Jiro apologized.
Lightning felt a sickening feeling creeping in her chest.
"Well, you know to call us if anything comes up." Amodar said, "And you call my desk and only my desk in PSICOM division." Jihl said sharply. The two commanders were slightly angry with the results, and Lightning wondered if it was for different reasons.
Right now, Lightning knew that something had to have messed with the papers. She didn't buy this story at all. There was a creeping suspicion, but she knew more evidence was needed before she could actually test her theory.
Upon dismissal, Lightning went to her car. Tired, and noticing it was late, Lightning sighed, realizing she wouldn't make it to NORA House, and the fact she had a message from Serah, a letter from Fang, and a message from Vanille.
Vanille just wanted to know how she was doing.
Serah was wondering if she'd be home that night.
Lightning felt heavy.
The news of the autopsy report had been a weight on Lightning Farron's heart. All that hard work only to find out there had been tampering with evidence. Though it felt like a weight, she was told not to worry about it.
Winter was upon Bodhum, and Lightning could feel it in her bones. Sitting in her car, and seeing her breath, she turned on the heat and just sat there. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Fang after realizing that Fang's shift was probably over at this time.
"Hey, Sunshine." Fang's voice seemed joyful.
"Hey, Love." Lightning said softly, shivering from the cold.
"You didn't come into NORA House tonight. Everything okay?" Fang asked.
"Not really. Found out that the case went cold, someone tampered with evidence and the clue that I had fallen short." Lightning said with a sigh.
"And you're feeling pretty crummy now, aren't you love?" Fang asked.
"Mhm."
Lightning noticed snowflakes falling from the sky and gasped. "You get home safely?"
"Yeah. Luckily my shift wasn't that long, and Lebreau wanted me home before the snow came down. Question is, are you home yet?" Fang asked as Lightning heard her shift in her bed.
"Not yet. I'll be fine, though. Just thought I'd call you and see how things went tonight." Lightning admits.
"They're fine. We had no trouble, Just sort of busy. I think it was a good turnout. Usual crowd size. Nothing seemed out of place." Fang said before hearing Lightning hum.
"Long as you are safe, love." Lightning admits.
"Now, you get home safely. At least before the roads start to cover over in the snow." Fang said as Lightning heard Vanille's voice in the background, "Is that Lightning? Tell her I said hi, Fang!" Vanille said.
"Hello, Vanille!" Lightning said loud enough that the other girl could hear her.
"I'll message you once I get home." Lightning said with a yawn. "Talk to you later, love. Go home and get some sleep." Fang said softly.
"Wish you could stay on the phone with me." Lightning said with a small sigh.
"Yeah, but the holidays are upon us. I'll be spending them with you, and we'll be together soon." Fang promised.
"Love you, Fang." Lightning said.
"Love you too, Sunshine. Get through the rest of the week. I gotta go. Just let me know when you get home." Fang said softly.
Once Lightning drove home, she entered the house. Snow and Serah were asleep cuddled in a blanket, and Lightning felt sadness in her heart.
Though Serah was engaged, it didn't mean that Lightning didn't love her sister any less. Lightning hated Snow, but she was actually starting to come around towards the other even if she didn't quite see eye to eye with the man Serah would be marrying. However, Lightning smiled, noticing Serah sleeping, and it made her think of when the younger Farron would sleep next to her in a storm and when Serah needed her the most.
Also, Serah had made her dinner and left it in the fridge for her with a small note, "Welcome home, sis. Enjoy your dinner."
A small smile formed on Lightning's face as she ate in silence before she walked past the couches and up the stairs to her bedroom.
She soon shed her uniform from the day and got into pajamas after a nice hot bath before sending Fang a message she was home with a picture.
Fang sent one back with a small caption, 'Missing you already Sunshine' to which she smiled.
Lightning was just happy that though her hard work went undone, she had some pretty amazing people in her life.