Your Case or Mine
Chapter 15
"August Booth? Our August? What the hell is he talking about?! He can't really expect us to believe this bullshit!"
Emma was staring incredulously at the phone, unable to believe what she was hearing. David had called them back as soon as Gold's lawyer had arrived and they'd been listening to the interview via loudspeaker in the observation room.
August owned a bar down the street from the station. It was all the cops' local hangout, and as a hands-on owner who often tended the bar too, he knew most of the cops by name. He was an unassuming guy, and had always made Emma feel comfortable, despite her not really knowing all that much about him other than that he was from Maine and had wanted to be a writer, but instead ended up opening a bar.
Killian looked nonplussed, unsure of who August was, but listening intently to the interview to hear what kind of evidence Gold apparently had that he was so generously passing on to them.
There were CCTV photos of August with the first victim, dated from the night of the woman's murder. They appeared to be talking outside his bar, and the woman, Taryn Wheeler, seemed visibly upset, according to David's explanation of the photos for Emma and Killian. A minute or so later, the photos showed them walked away together. It was certainly enough to warrant checking into, but Emma refused to believe a known criminal over a seemingly nice guy like August without doing the due diligence first and ensuring the legitimacy of the information.
She sat listening, silently infuriated, as Gold calmly explained that he employed August for the odd 'moving and handling job', often short notice and always cash in hand, though he refused to elaborate further on what exactly those 'jobs' entailed. Clearly they were less than legal, but he chose his words meticulously, and it was very obvious just how accomplished he was at navigating on the fringes of the law, and exploiting legal loopholes.
Emma huffed, unsure if she was more exasperated and disappointed by the fact that this information could potentially hold some truth, or that she'd apparently misread someone so very badly.
Killian was eyeing her carefully from the comfy chair as she sat perched on the sofa, but she ignored him. His gaze kept darting back to her with every scoff and clench of her jaw, and it was only adding to her annoyance.
Gold offered a little more in the way of evidence to stack against August - proof that he'd employed him for various 'miscellaneous' tasks, including a tape recording of August disclosing, in what sounded like a formal interview, that he had a juvenile record for breaking and entering.
As well as that, Gold also informed them that he knew about the children's group home link, and that it added to his suspicions about August. Still, he continually shut down Graham's persistent attempts at finding out how he knew about the link between the murders and the group home, when it was information they'd withheld from entering the public domain. He flippantly told them he had his sources, and firmly redirected the conversation, glibly reminding Graham that he was there of his own volition, not to be questioned as a suspect or an accomplice.
When Graham acquiesced and asked him to elaborate on why that information added to his suspicions, he informed them that August had grown up in the system. So, in Gold's eyes, the man had motive, considering all the victims had given up a child. And 'didn't it make sense for a child whose own family didn't want him, who was raised in an institution rather than a home, to grow into a man who had little empathy and harbored resentment toward those who willingly gave up a family'?
Killian wanted to reach out and hold Emma as he saw the flicker or hurt and anger in her eyes when she heard Gold's judgemental assessment of August. But her expression hardened immediately and he thought better of it, his disdain for Gold only growing.
He had a history of breaking and entering too, Gold was informing them now, and a penchant for lock picking. Breaking into the group home wouldn't have been particularly difficult, and it wasn't far from August's apartment either. Gold sighed emphatically as he recounted, in his calm and detached manner, finding the stack of files on his desk in his office one morning, with a scrawled post-it on top in August's handwriting, with a request that simply said "please return these".
He had photographic evidence to back up his claim, David informed Emma and Killian as they listened silently to every word that was being said. It didn't sound good for August. And as skeptical as they'd been going into this interview, they had to all admit, the evidence was rather compelling, if not relatively circumstantial until they'd verified things.
The interview ended shortly after, and David hung up to go and thank Gold for his time and cooperation, despite having to grit his teeth to do so. The man was as shady as they came, and none of them would take his word for anything. Before he'd even left the station, Emma knew David would have people verifying records and such across as many databases as required.
Meanwhile, Emma was still staring at the phone, in a state of mild shock that someone she'd known and liked could have been fooling her with his nice guy persona for so long. She'd considered him somewhat of a friend for years now. Well, more an acquaintance really, but they always exchanged pleasantries at the bar, he knew her favorite drinks and gave her snacks on the house when he sensed she'd had a bad day...that was often as far into friendship as Emma liked to get. So yes, she'd considered him a friend.
"You alright there, love?"
Killian asked softly, snapping Emma out of her thoughts. She glanced over at him momentarily before leaning back on the sofa, pressing a thumb into her temple to try and fend off the headache beginning behind her eyes. The day had been a lot already, and the new information wasn't helping.
"Yeah. I'm okay. Just...August. Man, you think you know someone."
She shook her head, something that felt a lot like betrayal sitting heavily in her chest. Yet another person in her life who was turning out to be something other than what he'd made her believe.
Killian was still watching her, studying her, and she sighed, shaking her head.
"Y'know what pisses me off though? How Gold said August was in the system like it was some kind of disease, or that it made the idea of him being a crazy, psycho serial killer more believable. Not all of us become the bad guys. And I always read August as a nice guy."
He could understand her anger, and how painful and infuriating it had to be hearing someone suggest that her background, one she'd had no control over, could be some kind of precursor to a life of crime and violence. But he couldn't help but wonder if that was the only reason she was indignant and angry, and defending August...or if there was something more to it. The idea of the bartender, whom he only vaguely remembered, having something more than easy acquaintance with Emma made that small, jealous part of him rear its head.
"Gold doesn't know what he's talking about, Swan. And for that, he's lucky. He's also a hypocrite; suggesting that growing up an orphan predisposes you to a life of crime, and yet there he is, practically the kingpin of the criminal underworld."
He scoffed and shook his head. Emma smiled tightly, but she looked more than a little disillusioned.
"Did you know him well? Were you two...close?"
Killian asked, trying for nonchalance but falling a little short as he focused on picking at an imaginary piece of lint on his jeans. Emma eyed him, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Are you asking that in a professional or personal capacity?"
She replied bluntly, and attentively watched his expression for an answer. Killian swallowed, at a loss for words for a moment, thrown off kilter at the straightforwardness of her question.
"Answering a question with a question…"
He mumbled, feeling the tips of his ears burning and knowing she'd noticed his much-too-obvious tell. She was perceptive to a fault, his Swan. He glanced up at her as she sighed and rolled her eyes, but there was the smallest hint of amusement in her tone when she spoke.
"Are you really getting jealous right now? Of a guy who might have murdered a bunch of people?"
Killian clenched his jaw, hating to admit that yes, he had felt an unwelcome flare of jealousy at the idea of another man being close to his fake wife. And yes, he did feel somewhat ridiculous for that, when the man in question could potentially be the very person they were trying to bait.
"Why would I be jealous? I know nothing about the man. Other than that, as you said, he could have murdered a bunch of people. I was simply asking if you knew him well because…" he paused, racking his brain for a plausible reason other than that he was jealous, "I don't know, perhaps he may have said something to you at some point that didn't seem important at the time, but could be relevant now."
Silently congratulating himself on his on-the-spot improvisation skills, Killian ran a hand through his hair and met Emma's unconvinced gaze. She raised her eyebrow and gave him the smallest hint of a smirk with a shake of her head.
"Nice save. We were friends, sort of. And I don't make friends very easily, in case you hadn't noticed. August was a rare exception, but I didn't really know him. Clearly. He's been running that bar for as long as I can remember, and he always seemed like a nice, normal guy. He'd give us free food and drinks when he sensed we'd had bad days, but he was like that with everyone. I didn't know he was in the system, he never talked about that. Everything we talked about was...surface stuff. Small talk. He was more interested in my day than talking about his own."
"I'll bet."
Killian muttered under his breath and clenched his jaw. Emma rolled her eyes again. She couldn't deny that the little display of jealousy was somewhat amusing to her, but she was pointedly ignoring the fact that it was also kind of attractive on him. She didn't usually entertain jealousy from a guy, and it could feel a little too possessive sometimes. But on him, it was more endearing than annoying. Especially because she could tell he was embarrassed by it, and was actively trying to quash the feeling.
But there were a lot of other feelings warring in her heart and her gut, alongside the amusement and attraction stirred by Killian's responses. There was disappointment and betrayal, and a tiny spark of hope that maybe Gold was just spinning tales. But if that was the case, then he was purposefully trying to mislead them, which suggested that the truth could hurt him in some way.
All they could do now though, was wait until David got back to them after they followed up on this possible lead. Part of her just wanted it all to be over, to put the killer away regardless of who it ended up being, so that he was no longer a risk to anyone, and they could all go back to their lives. But another part of her sincerely hoped it wasn't August, that she hadn't been wrong about him, and that everything Gold had told them was a lie. She knew that meant she and Killian would be staying in their assumed roles for God only knew how long...but she wasn't sure if that was really such a horrible possibility after all.
CS
"What d'ya think then? Ya reckon he's tellin' the truth? Ya really think August could be the perp?"
Will didn't want to believe it. He, along with pretty much the rest of the department, liked August. His bar had been the unofficial hangout for the entire precinct for as long as it'd been open. But if there was one thing that his job had taught him, it was that people were always capable of far more than you expected, be that for better or worse.
He'd spent the rest of the morning checking out the alibis Gold had given them for the dates of the murders, and so far every one of them checked out. Of course, he hadn't expected anything less than watertight alibis from a man who had evaded the law for years, despite being well known for his shady business practices and even shadier associations.
David had told him that he was going with him to pay August a visit at the bar, though neither of them was relishing the task. It was never easy to accuse or even just question someone they knew personally in relation to any crime, but especially when it was a crime so heinous and violent.
"I'm not inclined to believe anything that comes out of Gold's mouth before checking all the facts. But if that photograph of August with the first victim outside his bar on the night she was murdered is real...we have to question him. And even if he can prove to us that he didn't murder her, he could well have been the last person to see her alive. So either way, we have to bring him in. Right now, he's the only viable suspect we have, aside from Gold himself."
"His alibis all seem to check out."
Will grumbled, even though he knew they'd all suspected they would.
"Yeah, I didn't doubt they would. The man has backup plans for his backup plans. He wouldn't have walked in here if he thought there was any conceivable way we could pin something on him. And I'm loathed to admit it but these murders...they're not Gold's style. He doesn't get his hands dirty. He gets his cronies to do that kind of thing for him, and makes sure it could never be traced back to him."
David leaned against Will's desk. The weight of the case and the responsibility to protect Emma and Killian as best he could were sitting heavily on his shoulders. He was grateful that he had such a good team, both his own and Killian's, around him but he still felt ultimately responsible for bringing Emma home safe.
"I was just thinkin' though, Dave. What if it is August? Wouldn't this undercover adventure be a bit pointless? He knows Emma. He wouldn't take the bait."
A thoughtful expression crossed David's face as he considered Will's observation. He wasn't sure how well August and Emma knew each other - they certainly didn't hang out outside of her visiting the bar with her co-workers, as far as he knew, but he'd seen them talking and laughing together plenty of times. He couldn't imagine she'd opened up to him; that really wasn't Emma's style, even if she considered someone a friend.
"Good point. We'll test that theory on this little visit we're going to pay him. Emma has been conspicuously absent when we've been to the bar over the last week. If he is the killer, and she isn't on his radar yet, this could be quite a nice little trap."
Will looked a little confused, but he shrugged and grabbed his jacket, trailing after his boss out of the bullpen. It felt a little strange to be partnered with anyone other than Emma, and he knew that both himself and David were equally eager to close this case and get her home. It had felt like somewhat of a treadmill thus far; little solid evidence, very few leads and a mounting body count. The chief was on David's back about it, but Will was sure he was putting more pressure on himself than the chief ever could.
They opted to walk to the bar, located just at the end of the block, and when they arrived, August wasn't behind the bar. Instead, it was one of the other regular bartenders, a young woman everyone affectionately called Tink, serving the scant lunchtime patrons who were present. David couldn't even recall what her real name was, though she didn't seem to mind the longstanding nickname. Tink gave them a wave and a smile as they approached the bar, walking over once she'd finished serving the other customer.
"Hello there, fellas. Not used to seeing you in here during work hours. What can I get you?"
"Hey, Tink. Just wondering if the boss man's around?"
David replied, his tone light and casual. No use alerting her to the fact that her boss could potentially be moonlighting as a serial killer.
"Oh, no, he's been out all morning," she frowned, "Sorting out an issue with one of our suppliers or something. He should be back anytime-...oh, speak of the devil!"
As if on cue, and before Tink could even finish her sentence, August walked through the doors, shrugging off his jacket and doing a double take as he caught sight of David and Will.
Will glanced at David, who slipped into one of the barstools and kept his expression neutral. August greeted them genially as he rounded the counter.
"Afternoon, gentlemen! What can I get for you?"
David. drummed his hands on the bar and Will followed his lead, taking the seat beside him and waiting to see what tactic David would use.
"I'll just have a root beer, mate. Thanks."
"Aye, same 'ere. Still on the clock and tha'."
Will offered, and David gave him a cursory nod when August turned to grab two chilled cans.
"So, a lunchtime call? Unusual for you two. And I haven't seen Emma in here with you guys lately. Is she alright?"
August asked casually, his back still to them as he dispensed the contents of the cans into glasses. Will gave David a pointed glance, and received a grin in return. Whatever plan he'd formulated was apparently going well so far.
"Oh, she's fine. She had a mountain of vacation time, workaholic that she is, so I made her take some of it. She's taken a few weeks off; I assume she's spending some quality time at home with her husband and itching to get back to the office. That woman doesn't know how to relax for longer than five minutes."
He chuckled with a shake of his head. August had returned with their drinks as David was talking, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Husband? She's married? Huh...I never knew that. She doesn't wear a ring and she never mentioned a husband…"
"She's not really a talker. You know that. And most of us don't wear our wedding rings on the job. I only found out she was even getting married because she needed a few days off for the two of them to elope a couple years back. She has no family; we're the closest thing she has to it, and I didn't even know she'd had a baby til last week."
If possible, August's eyebrows raised even higher, and his eyes looked about ready to pop out of his skull. If he was acting, he was most certainly doing an Emmy-worthy job of it.
"A baby?! I'm pretty sure I would've remembered her being pregnant; she's got a perfect body and I don't think she could hide a pregnancy," he laughed with a shake of his head, clearly thinking David was toying with him, "Nice try though. Is it April 1st already?"
David stared at him blankly, and Will threw back his drink to avoid throwing it at August. He knew David was probably tempted to do the same, but he held his nerve, his voice calm and low when he spoke again.
"Firstly, don't talk about Emma's body to either of us. She gets that bullshit enough and I have a feeling you wouldn't say that to her face. So don't say it to us. Secondly, I'm not joking. She had a baby when she was just a kid herself and she gave it up. Perhaps don't laugh about that if she ever talks to you about it."
David tipped back his drink then too, slamming it down, the remainder of the drink in the glass sloshing over onto the counter. August looked equal parts horrified and ashamed, and he muttered apologies as David shook his head and stood up. Will was confused, still under the impression that they were going to question August about his whereabouts on the nights each of the victims had been killed. But instead, David was heading for the door, glancing over his shoulder and eyeballing Will, silently telling him to follow.
He gulped down the remainder of his root beer and hightailed it after his boss without another word. When they were outside and at a safe distance from the bar, Will turned to David, annoyance in his tone.
"What the hell 'appened to questionin' 'im? He's been suspiciously 'out' all mornin' an' you're not pullin' 'im on it? You gonna lemme in on whatever scheme you've cooked up?"
"I told you, it's a trap. He now knows the details he needs to know, if he truly didn't already, that make Emma a perfect fit for the victimology. Now, we put a detail on him and see what he does with that information. If he makes a move that looks even remotely like he's targeting her, we arrest him. I'm not messing around when it comes to her safety out there. And if he doesn't do anything that strikes us as suspicious...then we'll pay him another visit and ask him about his interaction with the first victim."
Will was impressed. David had mastered the art of the lure, after so many years on the job, but now more than ever, they were relying on it to work. They'd sat and waited for the killer to target Emma and Killian, but instead they'd ended up with a higher body count and no answers, with the chief riding their asses and pressuring them to close the case as media interest mounted.
CS
Emma wasn't the most patient of people, so sitting around waiting for any developments was a surefire way to drive her crazy. Killian suggested they utilized their time doing something productive, partly to dissipate and distract from the awkward tension that had settled between them that day, and Emma eagerly agreed.
So, they'd holed themselves up in the study once again, rearranging their makeshift evidence wall and inputting the possible new leads they'd received that morning. Their conversation remained focused on the case, and Killian called Belle to run some searches for them too, as they tried to figure out possible connections between August, Gold and each of the victims, as well as anything linking August to the group home (other than geographically).
While she was still on the line, Belle also informed them that the CSI lab had just sent through some new findings, showing that in the victims' homes, one of the french doors at the rear of each of the houses had slight scuffing inside the locks, suggesting that they'd been picked at some point, and could potentially have been how the killer had gained entry.
Emma added that to the evidence board, and drew a connecting line to 'lock picking skills', which sat in the rapidly-growing list under August's name. She sat on the edge of the desk, stony-faced, while her eyes darted over everything they now had on their homemade evidence board, taking it all in.
Once Killian had hung up to let Belle go to conduct the list of searches he'd given her, he tentatively moved to perch beside Emma.
"It isn't looking so good for him right now…"
He said gently, and Emma scowled, tensing up a little, but he quickly covered her hand with his between them on the desk, his eyes remaining on the board for a moment before moving to meet her wary gaze.
"That's no reflection on your ability to read people, Swan. So, please, don't think it is. We can all be fooled by people we care about."
He shifted his eyed back to the board as she considered him in silence, the weight of his words sitting heavily in the air and reminding her that they really were kindred spirits. He still had his hand over hers, and she was making no move to brush him off.
"Who was she?"
Emma asked softly, and he frowned, turning a confused gaze back to her once more.
"What?"
"The woman who broke your heart. You've mentioned before that you had your heart broken too...so who was she?"
She saw Killian's jaw work as he looked down at his hand on hers, the war raging in his head so painfully evident on his face. Finally, he swallowed thickly and found his voice.
"Her name was...Milah," he took a shaky breath, and Emma suspected it might be the first time in years he was allowing himself to say her name out loud, "We...we were in the Navy together. She was my superior; I was a Lieutenant, she was my Captain. There were rules about that sort of thing, but we ignored them. She was the only thing I cared about more than the Navy, and it made me reckless. I was in my early twenties, so sure that our love could survive anything, and she was older and more wary of consequences. She was fiery and stubborn and she drove me crazy. I loved her...more than anything in the world."
Emma's heart constricted as she watched the pain dancing across his features, reliving memories he'd buried long ago for the sake of moving on and healing. But he hadn't healed; in some ways, he was just as broken as she was, and she saw that now more clearly than ever.
"What happened? I...uh, I mean, you don't have to go into it, if you don't want to. Just tell me to mind my own business-"
"No. I want to...I'd like to tell you. I haven't talked about her for many years. I've avoided it for long enough, and you told me your story. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you."
She remained quiet, turning her hand under his and gently lacing their fingers together. A silent gesture of support. His gaze flittered over her face, his pained expression softening a fraction with her gesture. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed her hand and continued.
"My brother, Liam, was a Commander in our platoon. He didn't approve of what we were doing, but I ignored all of his warnings and advice. And then Milah ended it. She said she'd been keeping something from me the whole time we were together, and that she couldn't keep lying. She was married, apparently. I was just her bit on the side. I went off the rails a little bit, but I was fortunate enough that my brother had a fair bit of leverage within the Navy, and some well-connected contacts here in the US. So, instead of being dishonorably discharged at the behest of a woman who got what she wanted and then discarded me, breaking my heart in the process...I moved here. Well, initially to Washington D.C. to work in the International Operations Division. But it was there I found, completely by accident when acting as a consultant for a case, that I was actually rather good at behavioral analysis."
He smiled ruefully, rubbing his thumb in circles against her hand and staring into space, deep in thought. Emma knew what the burning sense of betrayal felt like; she'd experienced it too many times in her life. And she also knew that wounds that ran so deep rarely healed fully.
"I'm sorry she did that to you…"
Emma said softly, not really knowing what else to say or how to properly articulate that she knew how it felt, and that she hated knowing he'd had his heart broken too. Killian sighed, shaking his head.
"I was too. And when I heard a few months after I moved here that she'd died...I didn't want to care. But I did. I still loved her, despite the fact that I blamed her for derailing my life when she broke my heart. Knowing she'd died broke me all over again, and I hated her for that, for quite a few years. It took me a long while, and quite a few therapy sessions, to realize that I blamed myself for her death, to an extent. It was an accident; no one's 'fault'. And I got a letter from her lawyer, after her funeral that I didn't attend…"
Killian ran a hand through his hair with a shaky sigh, struggling as he recounted memories long-repressed, before continuing.
"The letter was from her, and she'd asked her lawyer to have it sent to me if anything happened to her. I always thought that a little odd, but she was the kind of woman who liked to have all her affairs in order," he grimaced, "I suppose that's a bad choice of words, but you know what I mean."
Emma nodded, wishing she was better with words and knew how to comfort him. Instead, she just squeezed his hand again gently, and he squeezed back, offering a small smile of gratitude.
"What did the letter say?"
She asked softly, not wanting to pry if he didn't wish to give her all the details of his past. But the detective in her was more than a little intrigued. And she'd thought her past was complicated.
"That she was sorry for all she'd put me through, but that she hadn't told me the whole story. Yes, she was married, but she'd been estranged from her husband for many years. And she'd only done what she'd done to keep me 'safe'. That never really made sense to me, and she didn't elaborate. I assume she meant from the consequences of our relationship being found out. She went on to say that she'd heard a promotion was coming up, and that she knew I wouldn't have taken it, because it would've meant leaving our platoon. Leaving her. And she hadn't wanted to be the reason I turned down a promotion, when the Navy was so important to me. Ironic, really, considering she was the reason I ended up leaving the Navy behind altogether."
He scoffed lightly, the words bitter on his tongue. He still had her letter, stashed away in a box with the other few scant items he had to remind him of their time together. He'd never been able to bring himself to get rid of them, no matter how bitter and resentful he was after their breakup.
"It's hard to trust people again when you've been betrayed like that," Emma said quietly, "I know after Neal...I never really opened myself up to anyone, because part of me just assumed they'd always leave in the end, so what was the point?"
Killian gave her a sad smile of understanding, and there was an easy, companionable silence between them for a few moments, no words needed to convey the quiet comfort they were giving one another. Eventually, Killian spoke again.
"I honestly didn't think I'd survive that year of my life. I had to leave behind the only career I'd ever wanted, the woman I loved, and my brother. I thought I'd hit rock bottom, and I'll admit, I turned to the rum far more often than I should have. Especially when Milah died, and then just a few months after that, my brother died too. He was deployed and he got sick. They didn't know what it was, and he'd...he passed within days. I lost the only two people I'd ever cared about within months of each other. It was...a bad year, to say the least."
Emma stared at him, her heart aching for the man who had come to mean far more to her than she was really ready to think about. Pushing herself up off the desk and letting go of his hand, she moved to stand in front of him, finding his gaze and gently cupping his cheeks, thumbs brushing tenderly over his scuff.
"They were lucky to have had you in their lives. And I'm sure they knew that. I know it doesn't make losing them any easier…" she let her hands move to rest on his chest, her gaze dropping too, "but I bet they'd be proud of you, if they could see you now. You help so many people, and you have a good heart, Killian. Even with everything you've been through, you haven't let it turn you cold. Most people aren't that strong."
She could feel his heart beating beneath her palm, and then his arms were moving to pull her closer as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She leaned into his embrace, one arm around his shoulders and the other instinctively moving to cradle his head. They held each other like that for long moments, until he pulled back and gave her a weak smile.
"Thank you, love. It seems we're kindred spirits, you and I."
"What do you mean?"
He let go of her with one arm, bringing his hand up to gently thumb at the dimple in her chin, a soft and intimate gesture that had her pulse fluttering.
"All that we've been through hasn't quite managed to break us, or change our hearts. You're stronger than you know, love. And despite the circumstances," he gestured to their evidence board, "I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to get to know you. I certainly never expected anything like this when we went home from that bar together."
Killian chuckled and Emma could feel the blush rising on her cheeks, so she rolled her eyes and swatted his chest. The heavy weight of the past that had hung over them like a cloud as he'd told her of his heartache now seemed to have lifted slighty, but neither of them made any kind of move to break their embrace. It startled her a little if she thought too much about how easy it was just to be in his arms, to let down her walls enough for him to see this softer side of her.
"I haven't...felt this comfortable with anyone since Milah," Killian quietly admitted, "I mean, I haven't exactly been a monk all these years, but this...this intimacy, I haven't found this with anyone else. And I'm not asking you for anything, love. I just...wanted you to know that you've helped me heal a part of me that I never thought could be healed. I'm grateful for that."
Emma swallowed the lump of emotion that had lodged itself in her throat, and words escaped her. She stared up at him with wide eyes, hoping he could see all the things she had no idea how to say. He'd helped her heal too; he'd shown her that maybe her heart wasn't just a useless, empty shell now, and that there were still some people in the world worth putting her trust in.
But she had no idea how to verbalize her gratitude, so she simply translated words into actions, because she knew he'd understand. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she brought her lips to his in a soft, slow kiss that seemed to slow down time. He responded immediately, the arm that was around her pulling her even closer, and his other hand sliding into her hair. There was just a gentle, simmering heat beneath the kiss, and neither made any attempt to deepen it.
A few moments later though, the shrill ringing of Emma's phone had them breaking apart. He rested his head against hers, reluctant to let her go, and she sighed, eyes still closed as she willed herself to pull away.
"That could be important."
She whispered. He nodded, despite tightening his hold on her, and she finally summoned the willpower to turn out of his embrace. They both felt the loss keenly, but she shoved that feeling down as she reached for her phone. When she saw the caller ID, she frowned, and looked up at Killian in confusion.
"It's August…"
She said, suspicious as to why their main suspect was suddenly calling her out of the blue. He gestured for her to answer, and grabbed a pen and paper from the desk as she did so.
"Hello?"
She answered, warily. He'd never called her before, and she wasn't even sure she recalled exactly when she'd gotten his number.
"Emma, hey. It's August. From the bar?"
"Uh, hi...this is unexpected. Is everything alright?"
She made eye contact with Killian and he watched her intently.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Just hadn't seen you in awhile and then Dave and Will came into the bar and they said you had vacation time. With your husband."
Emma bit her lip, conscious of keeping her tone casual and making her responses as natural as possible.
"Yeah. I just have a couple weeks off…how did you get my number?"
"You gave it to me last year. The Halloween party at the bar, remember?"
With this jolt to her memory came a slight flash of relief. Yes, she had given him her number of her own accord, when she'd lost her phone at the bar during the massive cleanup operation following the Halloween party, which she'd stayed to lend a hand with. She'd asked August to call her phone to locate it in the mess of orange and black streamers. So he hadn't somehow managed to acquire her number by more nefarious means, which was somewhat comforting.
"Oh, right, yeah, I remember. So, what is it you're calling for?"
She moved the conversation on and August chuckled.
"Sorry to interrupt your vacation time. I was just wanting to say...well, congratulations, I guess. This phone call seemed like a much nicer idea in my head, because now it just feels a bit weird and awkward to have called you."
Emma frowned, her confusion only deepening.
"Congratulations for what?"
"Uhm, well, getting married. I didn't even know til Dave mentioned it today. I thought he was joking. Yeah...this is definitely awkward!"
He laughed, his discomfort palpable. Killian was looking at her expectantly, but she just shrugged.
"Well, I've been married for a few years now...but thanks."
Emma said slowly, injecting a slight note of amusement into her tone and hoping she didn't sound too suspicious. August chuckled again.
"I kinda felt like a shitty friend for not knowing you were married. I wouldn't have sent drinks over to you from that guy the other week if I'd known…"
A stab of panic rendered Emma speechless for a few seconds, as she vividly recalled August seeing her leave the bar with Killian. But being quick to improvise in high-stakes situations had always been something Emma had excelled at, and she held her nerve as she found her voice.
"Ha...well, funny story. The guy I left the bar with that night...that was my husband. We sometimes like to...I don't know, keep things...interesting, if you know what I mean."
She laughed a little nervously, as Killian watched her with amazement, and tried to ignore the heat she could feel no doubt coloring her cheeks. August didn't answer immediately, but cleared his throat and chuckled once more.
"Not gonna lie, I'm kinda relieved. You never seemed like the type of person who'd cheat on her husband."
"I'm not. And my husband is right here if you wanna make sure I'm not lying."
She replied flatly, indignation flaring in her chest. Killian wasn't even her real husband and yet she couldn't stand the idea of anyone thinking she'd cheat on him. August stuttered and stammered as he tried to respond.
"Oh, no, Emma, that isn't...I-I didn't...that wasn't what I-...shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of that. I wasn't. I swear, I was just...I shouldn't have called, I'm sorry. It seemed like a nice idea, like I said. I just wanted to say congratulations, for whenever you got married. I never knew. That's all. I'm gonna...go now. Sorry for bothering you on your vacation time. I'll see you soon."
With that, he quickly hung up, and Emma couldn't help but feel the slightest pang of guilt. Reminding herself that he could well be their killer had her backtracking on that though. And even if he wasn't, he was still involved with Gold's criminal underworld dealings in some way. Sighing and shaking her head, she put down her phone and filled Killian in on the parts of the conversation he'd missed.
CS
"What the hell do you mean, 'August called you'?! Emma-"
"Are you gonna calm down and let me speak?"
David knew Emma was likely rolling her eyes on the other end of the line, but he was unnerved by how unruffled she was by the fact that their prime suspect was casually calling her up. He hasn't even known August had Emma's number, otherwise he would have suggested bugging her phone on the off-chance he'd call her.
But he did as she asked, and remained quiet as she filled him in on her conversation with August. When she'd recounted everything, David was quietly seething, and yet rather impressed by Emma's quick thinking when put on the spot about Killian.
"I think all of that is enough of a move in your direction for us to warrant bringing him in."
He said, itching to go back to the bar and drag the man in for questioning. Emma made a sound of agreement and he heard Killian in the background contributing his agreement too.
"Just...keep us in the loop. And I know you're as keen to close this case as we are, but we still don't have all that much to go on, not enough for a case against him anyway, unless he cracks and confesses or something. And I don't see that happening. So as revved up as you are...due process is still a thing, David. Don't haul him in and do anything that could compromise the case or land us with a mistrial down the road."
David shook his head, frowning as he watched Will scurrying over to his desk with a handful of papers, seemingly on a mission.
"I'm not a rookie, Emma. I've been doing this awhile, and I'm not going to compromise anything. We're going to ask him to come down to help with the investigation; he saw the first victim the night she was murdered, so we have plenty reason to be talking to him. And then we'll ask him how he knows Robert Gold. That should ruffle his feathers, and perhaps he'll slip up and either give himself away, or at least give us something incriminating on Gold in an effort to save his own ass."
"Can you email us the transcript from that interview? We've kinda got our own little evidence board going, to keep track of everything."
David chuckled, shaking his head again at his subordinate's inability to let go of the reins on her case, even out in the field without the facilities she was used to.
"Of course you do, I'd expect nothing less," he teased, before turning serious, "But yes, I'll make sure you have everything. Just...be safe, Emma. We've potentially got our guy in our sights now, but you're not out of the woods yet. We know he's organized and methodical, and we're well aware of what he's capable of, but at this point he doesn't know we have anything on him. So we're going to tread carefully and do this by the book. And hopefully we'll get you home soon."
Emma was quiet for a moment, and David glanced at the phone to check she was still on the line. Finally, she spoke.
"Go bring that son of a bitch in and get some answers. The people he killed deserve justice. And if he didn't kill them...then maybe he knows who did, or can help us figure it out. Either way, just get answers."
David nodded, as though she could see him down the line. He promised he'd do his best, and they said their goodbyes before hanging up. Grabbing his jacket, David made his way out to the bullpen and over to Will's desk.
"By the look on your face, you've stumbled onto something. And I want to know everything later. But right now, I'm going down to the bar and I'm bringing August in. He called Emma, and that's enough for me to want him in here, instead of out there. You coming?"
Will's eyes widened and he nodded, locking his computer and tugging his jacket from the back of his chair. He quickly chased after David, eager to be bringing August in, but also to fill David in on what he'd managed to find out in the last hour. It finally felt like they were getting somewhere, as various pieces of a puzzle bigger than any of them had anticipated began to fall into place.
N.B. So...August! Did any of you see that little shocker coming?! And we've finally got some of Killian's backstory, which I'd only hinted at previously. That will definitely come into play in future chapters too...I expanded upon it for very good reason (aside from just loving to write emotional, walls-down moments between Emma and Killian lol!). And there are plenty more twists and turns to come in future chapters too, in case you thought the August reveal was a big one lol.
Thanks, as usual, to everyone who's stuck with me and continues to read and support this fic. All feedback is thoroughly appreciated. And it's a joy to see that some of the loyal reviewers of this fic are being recognized in the OUAT Fandom Awards over on Tumblr. You guys so deserve those nominations, for all the kindness and support you show to everyone who creates things in this fandom!
On another note, this chapter is quite a milestone for me as a fic writer...it's made this the first fic I've ever written that has hit the 100K wordcount! I actually only noticed that yesterday, too! Yay for 100K!