Hello again everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to get another chapter written but I find myself continuously pouring over what I've got down and then edit it so much. Rewrite and change things. I haven't been happy with what I've got for some time. I'd love to see your thoughts on this story. What else do you want me to go over? Anything specific you'd like me to add? Thanks for your reviews, they have been so kind. I really appreciate it :) Please let me know your thoughts.
Okay, well she isn't in the library. Great. Now what? Those idiots in the main hall reception said that they saw her come down to talk to Bonnie, who is MIA at the moment - how convenient, and overheard her saying she'd be in the library. Unless they were messing with him. Debra hasn't liked him since he called her out in front of a bunch of people for not doing her job.
Fuck. The only other person in the library dusting the shelves is Marta the cleaner. One of the cleaners. He questions her about Jill and if she's been in the room but Marta absently shrugs. Mostly concerned with trying to get her work done, Marta doesn't really respond.
'I saw her. But she left out the door.'
Chris inhales. There are multiple fucking doors in this library that all lead to different places in this hellhole. Which one? Well, Marta wasn't sure. She's just dusting shelves.
He does a quick sweep of the main floor - she is not here - before moving to the upper level. But she isn't there so now he has to decide what doors to check. He decides to start with the easiest one on the library - with the stupid statue. He can eliminate that area.
He opens the door and blinks from surprise. Nice. Gambled correctly. A sense of relief washes over him. Now Irons can't say anything to him. Cuz he knows where Valentine is. She hasn't looked up to acknowledge his presence. Fair. She has photocopies of all his case notes around her, a pad and pen in her hand as she is sitting with her back to the statue. She quickly jots something down.
It's also then that Chris doesn't know what to say to her. He debates just leaving. Let her work on whatever it is she wants. But he kinda wants to have her work on whatever in the S.T.A.R.S office. At least he can keep an eye on her.
Well, he should have expected this. He was a downright dick to her yesterday, so this is going to be tricky. But she's also trying his patience. What, is the office not good enough for her?
'Can I help you?' Jill wonders, without looking up at him. Her tone is even, not friendly and warm like it was yesterday. Again, fair. He didn't do much to earn any of her niceties.
'Yeah. Wanna tell me why you're here and not in the office? Couldn't let anyone know where you were - I have to hunt for you?'
Jill is silent for some time. 'I hardly think my not being in the office would bother you. I thought you'd have been happy.'
Chris nearly agrees with her but not when his career is on the line.
'Normally I'd agree with you but…' he trails off, unsure of how to finish that sentence. Jill must have noticed his inability to finish his thoughts because she glances up.
Jill stares for a second before lowering her gaze back to her notes. It's to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Brad, Joseph and Forest all came in this morning incredibly hung over. It also looked like they had been in a fight. Chris's current state confirmed that.
He has a slight black eye under this right eye and cuts on the bridge of his nose, cheek and left eyebrow. She's rather curious to know what started it, however, she assumed if he wanted to pick a fight he would. She decides that it's none of her business - no matter how curious she is. He'd probably tell her fuck off anyway.
Jill begins folding up papers and organizing others.
'Look, I thought rather than waste your time with my questions I'd try to catch myself up. I know you...immensely dislike me and the fact that you have a partner now, so I thought it'd just be easier doing this out of the office so things could be normal for you. At least for a few days.'
Her voice again is flat and monotonous. There is barely a hint of emotion in it. It almost makes him feel bad. She's right though. He would rather she do this elsewhere. And yet, he needs to keep up the charade of giving a fuck about her. She seems more than capable and truly she doesn't need to be babysat. He thinks back to something Forest said when they were all sitting on the curbside drinking whiskey after the bar fight.
You can't project your hatred of Irons and Wesker onto Jill. She's innocent and hasn't done anything wrong.
Fucking Forest always delivers good advice when he's drunk. And what's worse is that he's right.
'Chris? Are you listening?' Jill's voice cuts through his thoughts and he frowns. She closes her eyes; obviously sad he wasn't paying attention to her.
'No, I wasn't.' He answers automatically without thinking. Jill gives him a defeated smile. Like she expected that response.
'All I asked was what did you want me to do? It's your call.' Jill looks like she's already given up on him as she continues to gather up her things and carefully organize them into a folder.
Great. Now he has to decide what to do with her. Where he wants her to be or not. Fuck why does he have to make all the decisions about her. Why can't she figure it out? She stares at him with those blue eyes full of...nothing. She looks like she's questioning everything. Like why she joined this police force and why she was paired with someone like him.
The sun went down long ago but as he came back to the office to grab something he forgot, he's rather surprised to see Valentine seated at her desk, quietly reading the case notes as she absently drew circles in the corner margin.
He almost felt bad when she and Barry came back from lunch - they all griped that he'd never taken any of them out for lunch of course Barry responded that they all started within the same timeframe so no way - and he visibly watched her become depressed. Stepping into the room she grew quiet, the smile and lighthearted attitude she had died.
She took her seat across from him and quietly opened up her notes where she left off. The awkward silence got worse. Forest's words keep bouncing in his mind. He has to stop projecting his hate onto her. Fuck…
'You know, staying late isn't going to win brownie points with me.'
Jill straightens up a bit but doesn't turn over to him. She merely flips a page. Fuck. Ouch. Nothing. Again, he has given her every reason to hate him.
'No. I know. Nothing I do will get me anywhere with you, I've got that. I'm just trying to do my job.'
She learns fast, that's for sure. She's trying to keep their interactions as minimal as possible. So why is he feeling...guilty all of a sudden?
'Right…'
Jill turns over to him with tired eyes and a look that stares into him. It almost asks him why he's here, why did you try to be your version of nice to me.
'Well, have a good night, I guess.' Jill replies and just goes back to her notes, highlighting something of interest to her.
Dismissed.
He thinks about her comment all the way home. She's astutely guessed that the less they interacted the happier he'd be. That's why she took the initiative in getting herself caught up on the case, removing herself from his sight unless forced to be in the same room with him and even if she had questions regarding building layout or anything else, she went to Barry first.
Huh. That's what guilt feels like. Forest is right. Jill hadn't done a damn thing to earn his coldness and yet he finds himself unable to stop. He likes to work alone. And his mind tells him that if he keeps her at bay long enough, Irons or Wesker will get frustrated and reassign her to a different person.
In all the years he's been at RPD, he's never felt this conflicted before. It's just...what does he do?
It was a question that stalled him all month. Jill and her place as his partner. Well, she didn't view it as a partnership, she was just a reluctant tag along. Reluctant shadow. When they went to a crime scene or anything that had her forced to talk to people, she always introduced them but never used the term partner. Even if asked, she dodged the question with another question.
She even finally stopped asking him to call her by her first name. Which was good because he was getting tired of her asking. Whatever routine they had it was working. For now. The drive to any crime scene was done in silence. She never spoke to him about anything and instead floated her theories and ideas to the rest of the team because she felt more comfortable with them. Good. He liked that. But that guilty feeling never went away. He was getting exactly what he wanted.
He knew she felt as though she didn't belong or fit in. Whenever their group would head out to the bar for a drink, she was always invited. But she declined. She told Barry one night in the hall beyond the office door just before they left that she didn't feel welcome there.
Why not? Of course you're welcome to join us.
No. I don't think it would be a good idea. I want everyone to have a good time. Me being there...I just don't think I'd be welcome.
Brad offered to take her out for dinner to make up for the isolation he'd been putting her through the last month and she accepted. Barry gave him an earful the next day. He wanted more of an effort on his part to make Jill feel more comfortable around him. Why, though? What was the point?
He is not even concerned with projecting his hatred onto her anymore; he's just wondering how he recovers from the incredibly rocky start. She'd be suspicious of any of his actions. He once asked her if she wanted a coffee when he decided to go get one and she looked at him like he had three heads. Crinkling her nose at him because Chris Redfield never speaks to her and certainly never does anything nice for her.
And just last week she finally stopped wishing him a good night. She just...decides that she's had enough of the night and packs her bags. She'd gotten him to start staying later with her but he wasn't sure why he was doing it. Who was he trying to appease?
Chris watches her slowly slide her coat on and just walk towards the door. She opened it softly and shut it quietly. It hit him then. He fucked up. Badly. He broke her. In a month. He knows she fucking hates it here. He sighs and leans back in the chair. Great...
Jill smiles a bit when she sees Brad waiting for her in the lobby. It's just so nice to see someone who isn't such a dick all the time. Especially someone who appreciates her company.
Going to dinner with him will be such a nice break in the week. It's just so hard to keep a positive attitude when you have a literal storm cloud following you around all the time.
Imagine her surprise when she's asked to join Irons in his office the next day. She figures she's in for trouble. Or will be fired. The typical array of emotions follow her all the way up to where the office is. No one knows what's going on, either. And Chris is downstairs, only sort of late. She saw him when she was walking to see Irons, confused as he pointed to her and frowned. Whatever. Like he cares.
She knocks lightly and recalls the room and all the taxidermy. So she braces herself for not only Irons and his lecherous gaze but also the gaze of many other creatures too.
When she enters, she's surprised to see Wesker standing behind Irons as well. Her heart rate jumps and she feels her stomach flip. Wait, is she actually being fired?
No, she can make a case to them to keep her. She actually has some really great theories about the case. Some connections missed by the team. Then she wonders why the hell she wants to fight to stay in a place like this. She's miserable.
'Good morning Chief Irons, Captain Wesker.' Jill smiles brightly and tries to observe whether or not they notice how nervous she is. When she's nervous she talks faster and without pause for breath.
'Jill.' Wesker acknowledges with that same cold tone. God, she has no idea about him.
'Ms Valentine,' Irons begins, a drawl in his voice. And that unnerving stare. 'I just wanted to see how your first month was going.'
Oh. Unexpected. Huh. She blinks. Lie. Her brain tells her. Things are amazing. Just say that. It's easy. Bullshit them. She's good at that.
'Quite well, thank you.'
Maybe if she keeps her answers short and vague enough, she can get back to work. She has so much digging to do regarding her theory and she needs all the time she can get with it.
'Really? And Chris has been…' Irons leaves the sentence unfinished. Is this a trap? Jill can't read a damn thing on Wesker's face - not surprising. Even Irons is unusually blank. But then again...what allegiance does she owe? Does she want to cause more trouble or keep the status quo? Seems like an easy enough choice.
'He's been fine. Tough but fair.'
'Tough? What do you mean exactly? Elaborate.' Wesker folds his arms and Jill swallows a lump in her throat.
'I mean he doesn't...baby me. Which is fine. I don't like to be micromanaged.'
'I've just noticed there is not a lot of interaction between you two,' Irons baits and Jill tries to hide her shock. This is such a trap!
'Right, well, we both prefer to work independently before we collaborate.'
Why the fuck is she doing this, this lying and covering up for Chris? Bonnie warned her she would just start doing it. Without reason or explanation. Well fuck if she wasn't right…
'You don't find him...difficult?' Irons responds and Jill presses her lips together.
Jill just wants to cut the bullshit. How can she do so diplomatically?
'I'm not sure what to tell you, Chief Irons, Captain Wesker,' Jill finally replies. Honesty is usually the way to go but...she feels the guilt eating at her already. She can't throw Chris under the bus. It'd mark her and taint everything going forward. 'I mean, I saw what he was like on my first day-...'
'Again I do apologize…' Irons comments and Jill merely shrugs.
'That's who he is, so I accepted that and we do our best to collaborate on ideas and theories. He doesn't belittle me or make me feel less than like I've experienced in the past working with people. He's just not one for idle chit chat, from what I see, so I engage when I need to. That's all. Things have been fine.'
Jill notices the exchange of glances that Wesker and Irons give one another. As if they are trying to see if there is any lie to her words. Hopefully not. She's covered Chris's ass by just giving specks of truth. Truths that they would already be well aware of. Can't refute that.
She won't tell them how shitty he's made things here for her, made her regret taking this role and seriously made her consider moving back to California. Is it too late to change career paths? She's halfway finished that law degree. She could always just pick that back up.
But it's the people that keep her here. Well, not Chris. Or Wesker. Or Irons. No, it's her teammates and the other officers in RPD. She's had some fantastic conversations with Marvin - he can really make her laugh.
Irons dismisses her and Jill smiles as she heads out, pausing to remind them that if they have any further questions to let her know. Wesker turns to Irons as he sighs and rests his elbows on his desk.
'Well, Captain, what do you make of that?'
Wesker folds his arms and ponders the question. 'I think the truth lies somewhere in between.'
'I suppose the other option is to haul Redfield in here and see if their stories align,' Irons suggests and Wesker pushes the glasses up further on his nose. 'Unless you think it'd be a waste of time.'
Jill Valentine is smart. Wesker knows this. It is highly probable that she's covering for Chris, the question is why. Why do that to someone so sour? What does she get in return? It isn't as though that will fix things between them.
'Bring him in.'
Irons is surprised by Wesker's demand. Truly he thought that Wesker would be convinced and this issue would be put to bed. Of course, now that means there is going to be nothing but attitude from Chris the whole time. Snarky comebacks and general distaste for the whole process of being in here. Chris has made it known that he isn't a fan of being in this office. And so he debates trying to see if Wesker could be persuaded otherwise. Nah, not worth getting on Wesker's bad side.
Irons regardless picks up the phone and dials an extension. He's met with an angry greeting.
'I need to speak to you. In my office. Yes, now. No it can't wait,' Irons hangs up the phone and sighs. 'You know, Albert, I'm not one to question your motives, but why the fuck did you hire Redfield?'
Wesker smirks. 'He is incredibly good at his job. When he wants to be.'
Irons scoffs. 'Well, a couple of years have passed since his heyday. He's worn out. Washed up. And a fucking drunk.'
They hear footsteps outside the office door. Wesker glances down to Irons. 'Possibly, but, he never ceases to surprise us, does he?'
Chris enters without knocking and has an angry glare to his face. Irons offers him a chair but Chris merely stands at the door and folds his arms.
'Well? What's this about? I'm trying to get some work done.'
Irons rolls his eyes. 'I highly doubt that.'
'Come down from your ivory tower and find out,' Chris replies and Irons is nearly ready to throttle him when another voice cuts in.
'Redfield!'
Wesker's stern call of his surname only offers a warning. Don't do it again. Chris attempts to get a hold of the anger. He doesn't feel like apologizing, however. Because, where is the lie? Irons never comes out of his little office unless it's to hit on the female officers, staff or city clerks.
Or to meet with Wesker. Chris has always wondered how Irons got this job. There's no way he was promoted. Not with the rumours he's heard over the years. He has to have been given this position, so what was the kick back?
Whatever Irons does, he certainly doesn't lead them by example. So how can he give respect if it isn't earned?
'I wanted to see how Jill was getting on with you,' Irons begins and that truly wasn't a question that Chris saw coming because he assumed he'd done something bad enough to warrant a trip to the principal's office.
'Fine.'
Wesker and Irons wait for more. Chris doesn't say anything further. Irons decides to probe further.
'That's all-...'
'Can I get back to work now?' Chris interrupts him and turns to head back to the office. Wesker's voice causes him to stop.
'We're not done yet.'
Chris walks back and leans on the doorframe. 'Okay…'
'Is there a reason you've been icing her out of everything?' Irons questions and Chris frowns. Icing her out? Hardly. He just...doesn't really talk to her. Is that icing out? She goes around to the others on the team, even Bravo. So what's the problem?
'I'm not icing her out.'
'Every time I'm down in the office the two of you are on opposite sides of the room. Are you showing her the ropes or not? Because from what I'm hearing-...'
Chris stands taller and folds his arms, cutting Irons off. 'What have you been hearing?'
'That you're ignoring her.'
'Who said that?'
Irons scoffs. 'Like I'm going to reveal my sources.'
'I'll find out eventually,' Chris reminds him and then frowns. 'Was it Valentine? She was in here before me. What'd she fucking say?'
Ah, so he assumes that Jill has confessed everything. And now he's worried this means he could be reprimanded. Could work to their advantage.
'Conversations like that are strictly confidential.' Wesker bluntly reminds him. Chris glances over his shoulder to formulate some kind of plan. And what he'll say when he confronts Valentine.
'Well, I'm sure she's exaggerating. A lot.'
Weak defence, even by Chris's standards.
Irons rests his elbows on the desk once more and wonders where they are to go from here. He hasn't really admitted to doing what Irons thinks he's doing but also hasn't really refuted it either.
'I thought you'd have been over this by now. You're acting like a petulant child over this issue.' Irons tells him and he thinks he just saw something snap in Chris. Not often he gets a subtle reaction such as that one.
'Listen. I don't know what to tell you. She comes to me when she wants to. I stay late with her, hell, she leaves before me sometimes. We collaborate when we need to. I can't make her like me.'
'You'd better figure out how to be more likable. She's not going anywhere, Redfield. So suck it up.'
Chris rolls his eyes. 'Obviously. I know that.'
Wesker eyes him. 'Apparently not.'
If he doesn't leave now, he may not have a job. What the fucking hell do the two of them know? 'Fine. Got it. I'm fucking leaving now.'
Great, the day is ruined now. He and Valentine are gonna have one hell of a talk.
Jill sees the looming shadow over her desk. She internalizes her sigh and turns over her shoulder. Oh fuck. Well, Chris looks livid. He leans down into her ear. She can feel the eyes of the office on her.
'We need to talk. Now.'
Not an are you busy can we chat, but an actual discussion. Oh no. That can't be good. Jill nods her head silently and rises. She follows him out of the office and can feel the eyes on her back. What could this possibly be about? Surely not the conversation she had with Wesker and Irons. She didn't say anything!
Chris leads her up to the third floor and towards the clock tower door. Jill's heart is pounding. Almost as loudly as Chris's fist when he bangs on the door to alert anyone in there. Considering this spot seems to be where everyone goes if they need to have heart to hearts or a quick fuck during work hours, one can never be too careful. Probably because there is only one way in. Unlike the rest of this building and its secret passages. When she learned that fact, she wondered what the hell else was wrong with this place.
There are no noises of acknowledgement so they head inside. Jill swallows and watches Chris put a sizable distance between them. He folds his arms and Jill becomes entranced by the ticking of the massive clock above them. She has a feeling this isn't going to end well.
'What the fuck did you say to Wesker and Irons?' Chris questions, clearly not wanting to waste any time, and Jill closes her eyes. She knew this was coming. Did they try to pit the two of them against one another?
'What do you mean? I didn't say anything. All they asked me was how we were getting along. So I just...told the truth without telling the truth.' Jill replies and Chris turns around to glare at her.
'What the hell does that mean?' Chris questions and Jill glares at him while she folds her arms and shrugs.
'All I said was that it was obvious you didn't want to be partnered with someone. So we do our best to work together. That was the gist of it.' Jill remarks and Chris frowns.
'That doesn't make it any better.'
'I can't make a positive out of a negative, Chris. We do our best to exist and do our jobs. I can't make you like me. And I know you'd prefer to continue working alone. I don't have to tell that to Irons or Wesker, you've made that quite clear yourself. So. We good?'
So she indirectly stuck up for him. She was right. Gave them half-truths. And she makes a good point. They know how much he loathed being paired with someone. That wasn't her doing, it was his. So he can't blame her for that. It's hard not to take his obvious anger at both Wesker and Irons out on Jill.
'Yeah. We're good.'
Jill heads out, rolling her eyes. Not even an apology. Of course, why would she expect anything like that? She quickly heads down to the exit and hears the door open again slowly and then shut. Yeah. No. Not even going to wait for him. It just makes her so mad that he just doesn't get it or doesn't seem to give a shit how his terrible attitude makes the environment so stifling. If this is how things are going to be, then she'll need to find a way to get out of this place before it takes her sanity too.
Chris watches Jill hurriedly get away from him. Yeah...this...this isn't going well at all, is it? Whatever this dynamic is between them, it can't possibly go on forever. Sooner or later, something has to give. Either he'll blow up at her or she will. After all, she's been internalizing the rocky start they experienced, and each interaction they have it just gets shorter and slightly curter. She's running out of patience and understanding with him. Or maybe all that's happening is just waiting for a match to blow it all up.
Chris is surprised to walk back to the S.T.A.R.S office and out of the corner of his eye he can see Jill and Brad quietly conversing about something. When Brad puts his hand on Jill's shoulder, Chris can see her visibly relax before she inhales deeply and exhales.
'You got this…'
It's all he hears from Brad before Chris walks back into the office and takes a seat. He counts down the minutes before Jill and Brad walk back in together. When Jill takes her seat beside him, it's silent. She says nothing. She merely reaches for one of the file folders and opens it to the crime scene photos and coroner's notes. She's trying to build theories about the person they've discovered.
Why does it irk him that Jill's going to Brad? Now that's something that deserves to be given more of a careful consideration. Something's off. Still, though, he shouldn't worry - it isn't his business. Whatever Jill does with her own time doesn't concern him.
Doesn't mean he can't keep an eye on her…
Jill glances up to the numbers listed on the exterior brick facades. Damn, this is a nice area. Everyone's lawns are just perfect and so are the flower gardens. Wow...so where is…? Oh, uh, there. Ninety. This is it. Hm, probably also an older model F-150 sitting in the driveway was a deadass giveaway. Sticks out against all the beige Buicks and Cadillacs.
Jill feels incredibly awkward being here. She hates it and just wants to go back to the station. But, Chris was a no show so she had to cover his ass again. Now there was something big happening at one of the cabins up in the Arklay mountains campgrounds that was needing their attention.
So she had to get Bonnie to get his address so she could pick his no doubt hungover ass up and fly over to the Arklay trails. Which wasn't exactly the quickest drive in the world. God, she really needs to stop this, this constant covering for him. She's risking herself and her reputation as well.
She didn't learn her lesson two days ago when she was hauled in for a talk about the first month at the station and how she and Chris were getting along. They aren't but they are! - and she feigned a smile. At least that's what she constantly tells herself.
Jill stops the squad car along the boulevard and turns it off. This is fine. It's fine. Oh god, why is she so nervous? The admonishment that she knows is coming? How mad he's going to be at her for daring to come by his house and grab him?
Jill grips the steering wheel. She continues to psych herself up. How much is this going to cost her? She gets out of the car and closes the door. She can't even attempt to act confident because she just knows this isn't going to end well. Her eyes keep falling to the ground even when she attempts to lift her gaze the closer she gets to the front door the more she panics.
Okay. She inhales deeply once she's on the porch and her hand hovers against the door before she swallows her nerves and knocks a few times. She takes a step back and doesn't realize she's been holding her breath until she can hear the footsteps behind the door and the tumblers unlock.
Jill blinks as a younger teenaged girl dressed in a Nirvana t-shirt and denim cutoff shorts stands in front of the door. Her bright blue eyes are inquisitive and she's looking Jill up and down. Her dark coloured hair is swept up into a ponytail with a couple of wisps falling around her face. She's holding a black coffee mug to her lips and she raises her eyebrows as she takes a long drink from the mug.
'Um, good morning. I'm Jill. Just wondering if Chris is still here?'
'Oh, you're Jill, huh? Yeah, Chris is still here,' she smirks like she's sharing a secret with Jill - which goes right over Jill's head. She pauses as she obviously hears something behind her. Jill hears another voice bellow to them.
'Claire, you seen my coffee?!'
'Nope.' The girl, Claire, replies back as she takes another long drink from the mug. Jill tries to hide her surprise. Oh dear god. There's two of them. Two Redfields. Oh god. Help…
'It was in a black mug.'
'Haven't seen it.' Claire shoots back and gives Jill an impish smile. Jill was told by Barry that Chris had a younger sister. It doesn't seem real. Two Redfields. She wants to die...oh god, how could she handle two of them. She can't even handle one.
'Are you lying?!'
'Probably. Definitely, maybe not.'
'Shouldn't you be at school?!'
Now Jill hears the rustling coming from over Claire's shoulder but she doesn't seem bothered by the tornado of rage that's behind her. This is so awkward.
'I'm taking Friday off. A long weekend.'
'It's Thursday.'
'Extra-long weekend.'
'Get your ass to school!'
The calm in which Claire deals with the impatience must mean she has the patience of a saint. She's undisturbed by anything Chris is saying, almost acting as some kind of Zen like force to the anger that defines Chris. And still Jill hasn't been able to say a word. What could she even say? Claire just drinks knowingly from the mug, she's clearly bemused by this whole scenario.
'Get your ass to work!'
Jill winces at the challenging tone that Claire dishes back. How the hell does she get away with it? Siblings. That's the only pass.
'I-...' Jill tries to interject but Claire pulls the mug from her lips quickly having heard footsteps behind her that grow ever closer.
'Oh shit,' she has a laugh in her voice as she dumps the remaining contents into the little side garden. She turns over her shoulder when Chris appears behind her. 'Hi.'
'That's my fucking coffee,' Chris reaches for the mug and Claire twists out of his way, she shrugs in response.
'Oops.'
'Damnit, Claire, I-...'
'We have a guest,' Claire motions over to Jill and Chris looks up and frowns. Jill offers a small smile as the emotions drain from his face.
'What the fuck are you doing here, Valentine?'
She nearly answers back with her own snarky tone. What does he mean what? He has a job to go to! Claire shoves the mug into his hands as she heads back inside. Her side eye warns Chris to behave himself.
'Nice to meet you, Jill!' Claire calls as she heads up the stairs to gather her belongings for school.
'There was an incident at one of the cabins in the Arklay campgrounds. We were asked to investigate.' Jill responds with just an even tone. Chris glances over his shoulder as Claire comes down the stairs with her backpack.
'So, why are you here?' Chris wonders and it takes everything in Jill not to roll her eyes. Why is she here? Such a great question. What's the answer? She's an idiot? She's dumb? She's only trying to get into his good graces? What is the answer?
'Well, you didn't show up. And thankfully Wesker hadn't noticed yet, so I thought I'd just come and pick you up rather than leaving a message with Bonnie and then having you drive out to the campgrounds.
'But maybe I should have just done that. Jesus Christ, I was just trying to be helpful. Why fuck did I even bother?'
Jill states angrily and doesn't know why she's mad, she figured this was how the interaction would go. She just turns around and heads back to the car, slamming the door shut just as Claire pushes Chris out of the way to stand on the porch with him.
They witness her start the car before her hands go to the steering wheel and grip it until her knuckles are white. Claire arches an eyebrow and turns up to Chris.
'Well, I don't know what you're on about. I think she's great.'
Chris eyes her. 'Claire, shut up about things you have no idea about. And get to school. You're late enough.'
Claire smirks as she notices Jill drop her hand out of sight. Oh, is she going to leave Chris here? That'd be amazing.
'You're really going to lecture me about being on time?' Claire wonders and Chris rolls his eyes. 'Hey, your ride is leaving.'
Chris watches Jill begin to move the car away from the boulevard and finds himself frozen in place. What the fuck is she doing? Seriously?
'What the fuck?'
Claire smirks. 'Well you did ask her why she was here. And she told you. But you asked her why she personally was here. So she decided it wasn't worth it and took off.'
Chris glares at his sister, handing her back the mug, while he trots to catch Valentine before she ditches his ass entirely. Claire nearly laughs out loud when Chris runs in front of the car and it forces Jill to slam the brakes on. They angrily stare at one another before he moves around to the passenger window. Jill lowers it a speck. How the hell can she think about going to school when Jill is currently battling her brother? This is just too engrossing to pass up. And hilarious.
Whatever he says to Jill, it's enough to get her to pop the locks and Chris angrily throws the door open and shuts it. Damn, Claire sighs, she had hoped for more of a show.
The way Chris described Jill was some uptight rookie who followed the rules and was a general annoyance to him. Yeah, maybe because he was such an ass all the time and how this situation was literally the worst thing in the world to him.
Jill's got a little spark in her. A little fight. Maybe Chris just isn't used to being challenged by anyone other than herself. She's allowed to, she's his sister. But anyone else? Fuck no, feel his wrath.
Ah, this is going to be truly incredible. Chris may have finally met his match.
They say nothing on the drive out to the Arklay campgrounds. Jill also hasn't lessened her grip on the wheel. Her glare is unwavering. Well, at least she's getting comfortable showing emotion around him now. Well, an emotion that isn't always a quiet sadness. He knew there was an unbridled rage hiding in her. No doubt because of him.
He wonders if he should actually thank her. It would have saved a trip for him. And after how terribly he's treated her, she still made the effort. Well, what about this case they're going to anyway. Maybe if he can get her talking, she'll just not be mad anymore.
'So, what's waiting for us at-...'
'There is no us.' Jill interrupts him and Chris rolls his eyes.
'Fine. What…' he pauses and tries to figure out how to phrase the sentence that doesn't involve the terms. 'Just update me.'
Jill glances over to him and stares at him. Next time, he's on his own. Fuck this. She's tapping out. Nothing matters. He's never going to get it. He doesn't care about her or anything that isn't himself. So, why should she?
'All I know is there is some kind of incident at the cabins. A group of people checked in three days ago. When they didn't check out this morning, and housekeeping couldn't get a response after knocking, a maintenance staff member used a master key to open the door and apparently discovered a horrific crime scene. The housekeeper fainted.'
Ah fuck. This better not be related to the other bizarre murders that have been popping up recently. The ones where there are literally no leads, the victims can't be identified because there isn't much left to work off of and those they could get next of kin are themselves useless because they claim that their family members were model citizens. With no enemies or a double life somewhere.
They're just...running out of avenues.
'Great...' Chris sighs and Jill eyes him.
Storm is rolling in. Out of the west. Fuck, hopefully it doesn't rain while they're at work combing through things. That's never fun. And the risk of losing key pieces of evidence due to the rain is on the back of his mind.
Also this silence is quickly going from uneasy to stifling. She says nothing, does nothing but concentrate on the road. She keeps the radio on low, a crackle every now and then sparks life into the car for which he is immensely grateful. He used to crave the silence, and would silence her with a look if she tried to make conversation.
Now though, it's uncomfortable. But why? What makes the change so...difficult? Is it because, maybe, he wants to get to know her now? He's the only one in what feels like the entire station that doesn't have some kind of relationship or bond with her. And he's supposed to be her partner.
Well, supposed to be. Yeah, he decided they were nothing early on and so she's just accepted that and interacts with him when they need to before she moves away from him just as quickly.
Also, she just keeps trying. For fuck sake she drove to his house to grab him so he wouldn't get in trouble with Wesker. Well, trouble may be a bit of a strong word but whatever. How long will he be lucky enough to count on her to bail him out? Whether he wants her to or not? She's gotta be reaching a breaking point, right?
She comes to life when talking with literally anyone else. Especially Brad. Chris shifts in his seat - Jill notices but says nothing. Why does that make him...annoyed? He shouldn't be. If she's got a friend then great, means she'll bug him less. Not that she bugs him a whole bunch now anyway but still.
Yeah. No. The thought still just doesn't sit right with him. Why?
He should thank her though, for driving out to get him. It would probably surprise her. She may even welcome it. He can't vocalize the words. Simply can't. He's rehearsing a whole fucking speech in his head but the moment he glances to Valentine and catches sight of her angry glare, he thinks twice and decides against it.
It's the same mental battle until he finally works up the courage to just say fucking thank you to her when he turns over she's gone. Chris blinks and frowns. What the, oh. They've arrived and Valentine is already heading towards the yellow police tape. Fuck. So much for that. He looks out of the passenger window. Coroner is here.
Chris exits the car and watches as Valentine converses with an officer standing watch over the crime scene. He lifts the yellow tape and she ducks under, thanking him. The officer drops the tape just as Chris arrives. So he lifts it himself and eyes the officer.
'Asshole.' Chris tells him and the officer shrugs while looking on ahead.
'Dick.'
Chris rolls his eyes and watches Valentine disappear into the cabin door only to come out again after seconds and questions the officer by the door. She looks pale and in disbelief. Huh. That bad? Well she did mention someone fainting at the scene.
He pauses at the bottom step and Valentine glances over to him.
'It's...not good.'
'What isn't? The crime scene?' Chris wonders and she nods her head. She heads back in and Chris notices who the officer is on duty by the door and greets him.
'It's fucking bad in there, Chris. You have breakfast?'
'No time this morning. Why Justin, you first on scene?'
Justin nods his head - he looks a bit green in the face. 'Yup, wish I wasn't…'
Chris heads into the wooden cabin. Surprisingly spacious. A small kitchen immediately to the left beside a sliding glass door at the other end. A log fireplace in the back half with a couple of chairs, breakfast table and a staircase leading up to what is no doubt the loft with the bedrooms.
Rounding the corner, Chris was actually rather glad it was a hectic morning and that he hadn't had a chance to drink or eat anything. The scene is horrific. Valentine is over by the coroner, nodding absently as she points out various things under the sheet.
Sure, okay. So they're just going to ignore the pools of blood he can see as he rounds the corner of the closest sofa. The blood splatter that is all over the sofa, walls, fucking lamp shade? It's literally everywhere.
Five sheets. Five bodies. Hang on...a blood trail leads away from where the group met its demise. It leads upstairs and so he follows it. Judging by the trail, this person was injured but managed to get away, though they did pause halfway up the stairs. There is a large collection of blood on the step before the person moved once again.
It leads down the hall. Bathroom immediately to the left. One bedroom and the end of the hall and two on his right. The trail leads to the end room. A bloody handprint on the wall where whoever it was that was running away braced on the wall. It appears again on the door frame of the second right hand bedroom. They pulled themselves forward. No doubt having lost so much blood, it'd be difficult to keep moving from whatever they were running from.
Yeah...there it is. Chris sighs as he pauses in the doorway of the bedroom at the end of the hall. The room is in disarray. Lamps have been tossed and broken. There was an attempt made to push the desk in front of the door but the effort was abandoned. Carefully stepping around the desk, he can see the outstretched arm of another victim, partially obscured by the bed.
He frowns. And chunks of flesh seem to have been bitten off? He bends down for a closer look. Doesn't look like they were made by an animal. Damn what a mess. The victim looks young, too. Female. He stands up and surveys the room. Just, blood everywhere. This vic didn't stand a chance.
She may have gunned for the window, it's partially cracked, but obviously didn't make it. Chris walks out of the room just as Valentine comes up the stairs. She peers around him and arches an eyebrow.
'Yup another one.' Chris confirms and she sighs.
'Is it-...?'
'Just as bad as the others? Yeah.' Chris interrupts. He watches Valentine fold her arms and try to ponder out a solution. The viciousness just doesn't make sense.
Chris walks by her and heads downstairs where the coroner is still examining the bodies. He notices the broken glass from the patio door. Well, at least they know how the intruder got in.
The coroner glances up briefly and goes back to making notes.
'Can I help you, Chris?'
'Doctor Warren, how are you?' Chris winces when she glances up with an expression of annoyance on her face. 'Right, uh sorry. Stupid question. There's another victim in the upstairs bedroom. End of hall.'
She seems pleased. 'Well, at least I know where this blood trail goes.'
What blood trail? It's indiscernible. Not to an expert, of course. It just all looks like a giant pool.
'Is this the same MO as the others?' Chris wonders and watches Valentine descend the stairs, Dr Warren notices and seems perturbed.
'Uh, excuse me? Everyone? Can you all stop trampling around my crime scene? If you need to feel useful, then carefully search outside and place markers when you find something.'
Taking the hint, Valentine goes outside along with a couple of officers. Dr Warren likes things to be preserved. The evidence to remain just as it were - with as little interference from outside influences as possible. Too many hands and feet wandering around increases the risk of something getting tampered. Or destroyed.
'That mean me, too?' Chris wonders and Dr Warren glances up to him. There is a tiredness to her green eyes. She was supposed to retire this year but judging by the strangeness of the cases that seem to be landing on her desk…
The newly purchased retirement home in Spain may have to wait a bit longer.
'No. At least not yet,' Dr Warren replies. She carefully lifts the closest victim's head. She sighs. 'Yes. Same MO. But I'll need more time. So, would you kindly…?'
A sweeping motion of Dr Warren's hand indicates that she's done conversing and wants to be left alone. Okay, well, time to see what Valentine is up to. Chris carefully follows the same path the others did, taking care to avoid a pile of broken glass.
Valentine is over by the trail leading from cabin five to the administrative cabin speaking with what he can only presume is the maid. Another man is sitting on a bench in coveralls. Staring into nothing, but his knee is bouncing up and down rapidly. Must be the maintenance man. He seems nervous and anxious. A couple of times he's glanced over his shoulder into the thicket of trees.
Chris makes his way over there and is surprised to see the guy jump when he takes a seat beside him. The maintenance guy is younger than Chris first thought. Early thirties. Blonde hair a mess, eyes bloodshot and red. Tiredness or something more? Pupils are a little dilated…
'Hi, Chris Redfield. You're the maintenance guy?'
The guy stares at Chris's outstretched hand and reluctantly takes it in a brief handshake before he draws his hand back and shoves it into his pocket.
'Um, yeah. Jeremy Evans.'
'Been doing this long?'
'What? Maintenance work?' Jeremy wonders and Chris nods his head. 'Um, about five years now? My, my dad knows the owner. Wanted me out of the house, tired of my freeloading. I didn't like it at first but the job grew on me. I actually enjoy it now.'
'You work every day?' Chris wonders but Jeremy shakes his head.
'No, no. Just the weekdays. Scott. He comes in on the weekends.'
Chris watches him fidget a bit more. Okay, maybe not tired. 'You okay? You seem...antsy.'
'Yeah, yeah. Just, uh, I dunno. Man, you been in there?'
Chris eyes him. What the fuck kind of question is that? 'Yup. I have been. Kinda why I came over to talk to you. You let the housekeeper in, right?'
'Amy? Yeah. She, she went to the admin cabin where I was hanging out with the manager, Ken? She said she tried a couple of times. Tired of knocking. It was the last room she had to take care of before she could leave. Had to pick up her kid or something. Ken made me take the master key and let her in.
'We knocked a few more times but nothing. It was really silent. And those kids were loud. I was looking over my work orders when they checked in three days ago. The one girl had a laugh that was shrill enough it could have rattled the windows.
'Said they were there to party for a few days before moving on. I guess they were just stopping over. Didn't say where they were from or where they were going. I left. One of the pipes burst in cabin twelve and I needed to fix it.'
'The cabins busy this time of year?' Chris wonders and Jeremy shrugs a bit.
'No, not really. They came about three weeks early. Once the nearby colleges get out and stuff, then we're slammed until the end of October. College kids, families, tourists. All that. It's really hectic.'
Chris frowns again when he catches Jeremy looking over his shoulder into the thicket of trees. 'Want to tell me what's really going on? You seem nervous.'
Jeremy inhales a few times before shaking his head. 'I'm fine. Just...the scene is in my head. I see it when I close my eyes.'
Chris believes him. But that's not the reason for the anxious leg bounce and constant over the shoulder checks. No. Something else entirely is bothering him. He just has to keep fishing for information. Baiting it out of him if needed.
'Do a lot of regulars book up cabins?'
Jeremy nods his head. 'Yeah a couple of times a year. Usually they're nice.'
'You must get to know a lot of people then, doing the job you do. Probably get a good sense of the type of people that stay on the grounds.' Chris replies and Jeremy shrugs. Through, Chris can see that his words make Jeremy smile a bit.
'Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I try to keep an eye out for everyone. Especially the camp counselors. A lot of the kids' camps are run by volunteers and they're just kids themselves.' Jeremy explains and Chris nods his head. He recalls some of the RPD getting sent out of the cabins because of some rich bitch people causing a scene or two over the years.
'So, nothing unusual happened in the last few days then, or you'd have noticed,' Chris surmises and Jeremy instantly looks over his shoulder. Nothing but a deafening quietness behind them.
Though when Chris tunes in it is rather...unsettling. The air is just...different. Like something may still be lurking out there. The killer, no doubt.
'No one odd checked in to any of the cabins, if that's what you mean.'
Ah, but the way Jeremy finishes that sentence...he's been a witness to something. Chris is done fishing for information. It's time to be blunt.
'Okay. Listen. I know you saw something. So cut the shit. What was it?' Chris demands and Jeremy blinks from the sudden shift in demeanor. He swallows his nerves. What was the point, would he even believe what he says? It's probably just a coincidence.
'Christ...what the fuck man?' Jeremy wonders and puts his hands up. 'I saw something okay? But I don't know what it was. I was finishing up late last night, doing some electrical rewiring for a new cabin that we just built and I had to walk by the...well their cabin. I saw someone in the bushes. Couldn't see them too well, even when I shone my flashlight on him. But he was tall, maybe your height? And he swayed a lot. I thought he was drunk, or, like, high or something. But he was just...standing there, swaying and staring at their cabin.
'I called out to him, told him to beat it. And to get back to his own cabin or I was bringing the manager down. It's like he didn't hear me. So, I told him again to fucking beat it.
'And uh, so he finally seemed to, like, notice me or whatever, and he started to shuffle away. 'But like not towards the cabins or whatever - I wanted to see where he was going so I could let Ken know to keep his eye out for this guy. He went back into the woods. Like just started moving to the trees. But, fuck, you won't believe me. He turned to look at me and his eyes were like dead inside. There was no light in them. He was pale too, like he may have had a skin infection. It was just white and sallow. And he looked malnourished. I felt bad for yelling at the guy and yet...there was just something...evil about him.'
Chris finds himself unable to believe the story. How does that make any sense? 'That guy was probably fucking high. Cuz I'm looking at you, Jeremy, and I'm seeing dilated pupils and bloodshot eyes as well.'
Jeremy frowns. 'Fuck you. You didn't find a pile of bodies and puked in a bush at the discovery. I'm gonna have nightmares now. So excuse me if I smoked a little something to calm down before you all arrived and forced me to relive it.'
Chris rolls his eyes. 'Whatever, we're gonna need a sworn statement. So you'll be meeting with us again at the station.'
Chris notices Valentine starting to make her way over and he catches the stunned look in Jeremy's eyes.
'Wait, what? What the fuck man, I just you everything!' Jeremy exclaims and watches Chris rise.
'Yeah, and now you're gonna tell it again on paper. And don't think about moving. Or it'll get ugly.'
Jeremy frowns and retreats himself slightly. 'I thought cops weren't supposed to threaten people.'
'It's only a threat if you perceive it that way,' Chris reminds him and starts to head over to where Valentine is waiting. 'Don't fucking move.'
Jeremy scoffs when Chris is out of earshot. Fuck him. That guy doesn't need a buddy to do the old good cop/bad cop routine. That guy moves seamlessly between the two personas, Jeremy got dizzy.
Something moves out of the corner of his eye and Jeremy turns around, praying that it was nothing but some wildlife. It doesn't stop his heart rate from increasing. That fucking asshole. How dare he discredit what he saw. Jeremy reaches into his inner coat pocket to retrieve another joint. Whatever is out there is moving around and making a lot of noise. Fuck it. He inhales deeply. The anxious mind soothes itself nearly instantly.
And then he sees it again. This time, he is calm enough to confront whatever it is.
Jill glances up when Chris stands in front of her and motions to the guy behind him. He can also see how much Valentine doesn't want to be around him.
'He's high, so I don't know how reliable his story is,' Chris announces and Valentine nods her head. 'What'd you get?'
'Unfortunately, not much. Amy, the housekeeper, was busy cleaning a cabin on the other side of the grounds. When she came to this side, the room was supposed to be vacated already. Check out had come and gone.
'She always knocked as a courtesy and heard nothing so she assumed it was safe. But the door was still locked so she tried calling a few times but the curtains being drawn didn't give her the best view of the crime scene.
'She tried knocking a few times and then went to get the manager, Ken. And he told your maintenance guy to unlock the door for her using the master key.
'Apparently, they were having a pleasant conversation when she rounded the corner and saw the scene. She called the maintenance guy over and then fainted.'
Chris sighs. 'Great, so, not much help.'
'Give her a break. She was trying to finish up work to pick up her kid. No doubt she's gonna have nightmares from this.'
Chris eyes Valentine and he supposes he can see her point. He acquiesces.
'Fine. You're right.'
'And your maintenance guy?'
'Hanging out with the manager before Amy came in. Followed her to the cabin to let her in and saw the crime scene. Course, he smoked a bit to calm down before talking to me so he's coming back to the station for a deposition. But…' Chris pauses and goes over the little fact Jeremy mentioned.
'But what?' Valentine echoes and Chris shrugs.
'Said he saw some guy last night. He was working later to get some wiring done and when he was walking back he passed by this cabin and noticed someone lurking there. He couldn't tell if this guy was staring directly at the cabin or not but Jeremy - maintenance guy - said he told the guy to beat it.
'Here's where it gets odd, Jeremy said the guy turned to look at him and he appeared sickly and gaunt. Sallow skin and dead eyes.'
Chris can see he's piqued Valentine's interest. 'That might be the best lead we've got. Perhaps it was a vagrant looking to rob this group and the opportunity finally presented itself but something went sideways.'
Of course, it's plausible. It just doesn't fit the narrative in a way. The crime scene is so gruesome. The victims were butchered. And half eaten. Are they dealing with a pack of rabid wildlife? No, his victim upstairs may have been disemboweled but the bite mark on the neck...it did show signs of human teeth. At least from his quick glance. No doubt Dr Warren will confirm that later on. She'll certainly have her hands full.
'Well, let's see if his story changes. I'll just go…' Chris turns around and frowns. 'For fuck sake, I told him to stay there. Jesus fucking Christ.'
Jill rolls her eyes as she begins to follow Chris to the empty bench where their witness sat, apparently only moments prior. She watches Chris stomp over and scan the surrounding forested area.
And then the gunshot rings out around them. Suddenly she and Chris, along with two other officers, are running in the supposed direction of the noise. Fuck, what's going on? Did the killer come back to claim any trophies or to look at the crime scene again?
Jill can see that Chris has stopped abruptly and she slows her pace to a light jog as she comes to stop beside him. Chris looks immensely annoyed while she's stunned to see the body of the maintenance guy, Jeremy, staring up at the sky, wide eyed. A gun is in his left hand and the specks of what remains of his head are nearly at their feet.
'Oh, come on!' Chris sighs angrily and Jill closes her eyes. Suicide? Why? How? Over the murders?
One of the other officers arrives and shakes his head, announcing that he'll get Dr Warren. What an absolutely fucking nightmare.