Chapter 2
Steve couldn't stop shaking. From his car, he watched the crime scene activity continue although he was quite sure he couldn't explain what was going on at that moment. He saw Detective Emma Lopez pull up and get out of her car. She spoke briefly to both the Medical Examiner and one of the uniformed officers before taking a look at the body. She turned back to the officer and he pointed in the general direction of where Steve's car was parked. Opening the door, Emma slipped quietly into the passenger seat. She was filled with compassion as she looked at Steve.
"You had no idea?"
Wordlessly, Steve shook his head.
"I'm so sorry," she said, softly, reaching over to squeeze Steve's hand. "Have you told your dad yet?"
Steve shook his head again. "I.he." His voice broke. "He's going to be devastated."
Like you aren't, Emma thought to herself. Out loud she said, "We'll get him, Steve. We'll get the bastard who did this."
Steve finally looked at Emma and the grief on his face nearly took her breath away. "I want you on the case, Emma."
Nodding, she replied, "I'll clear it with Captain Newman. Don't worry."
Emma left Steve in the car while she spoke with the Medical Examiner again and arranged for one of the uniformed officers to follow them to the beach house in her car. Gently she guided him from the driver's side, around the front of the car and back in on the passenger side. Reaching into Steve's jacket pocket, she found the keys and inserted them into the ignition. Resisting the urge to floor the accelerator, Emma drove away from the crime scene without a backward glance.
***************
The trip to Malibu was completed in near silence except for the crackle of Steve's police radio. Turning into the Sloan driveway, Emma watched her car pull in behind her and the black and white unit bring up the rear. The uniformed officer stopped long enough to return Emma's keys before rejoining his partner and driving away.
Steve watched them leave. "I wish I could go with them."
Emma didn't know how to reply. "I'm going to go talk to the captain. Call me if you need anything." "Please." Emma turned back at the sound of Steve's voice. "Could you.would you come in with me before you leave? I don't.I just don't think I can get through.he'll want the details and I can't handle that." he trailed off.
"Sure."
Steve led the way up the steps and into the house. He could hear his father's footsteps coming to meet him and had to resist the urge to turn and flee. There was no way to avoid this. In less than two minutes, Mark would know the devastating news.
"I'm glad you're home. Carol's still not here and I'm - " Mark rounded the corner and saw that Steve was not alone. "Sorry. I didn't realize you had someone with you."
"Dad, you remember Emma Lopez don't you?"
"Yes of course." Mark looked closely at Steve. "What's wrong? Did you find out something about Carol?"
"Dad, I have something to tell you and I think maybe we should sit down."
Mark's unease grew. "I don't want to sit down. Just tell me what you found out."
Steve steeled himself for the inevitable. "Dad, Carol's been - "
"Was she in an accident?" Mark interrupted. "Is she in the hospital?"
"Dad, she's.she's." Steve couldn't force the words out past the lump in his throat.
Emma stepped forward. Despite having delivered this news to dozens of other families during her career, it never got any easier. The experience usually left her feeling weak and nauseous for hours afterward. And this time it was compounded by the fact that she had a personal connection to the family. Ruthlessly shoving her personal feelings aside she faced Mark.
"Doctor Sloan, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Carol was found murdered earlier today." She paused briefly to let that piece of news sink in. "A patrol officer found her in an alley. It appears that whoever did this dumped her there. She didn't have any identification on her, but we're certain it's Carol. Ben Moeller was in the process of transporting her to the morgue when we left the scene."
Mark shook his head vigorously. "This must be a mistake. It can't be Carol. If there wasn't any identification, how can you be so sure it's her?"
"Steve was - "
"Dad," Steve interrupted. "It isn't a mistake. I already identified her." He paused and swallowed hard. "It's Carol." Mark appeared not to hear him. "It can't be Carol," he repeated. "This has to be a mistake."
"Steve has already positively identified her as Carol," Emma repeated, gently.
Abruptly, Mark turned and headed for the front door. Steve asked anxiously, "Where are you going?" He didn't think his dad was in any condition to drive.
"To the morgue," he replied, impatiently. "I want to see this Jane Doe for myself."
"Why?" Steve wanted to spare his father having to see Carol in the morgue.
"If this really is Carol, and I'm sure it won't be, then, as her father, making a positive identification is my responsibility."
Steve could tell his father would not be deterred. It was going to take a trip to the morgue to break through Mark's wall of denial. Steve knew the next few hours would not be pleasant and, despite his desire not to see again what he'd already seen, he also knew he could not leave his father to face this alone.
"Wait. I'm coming with you."
Emma had seen the myriad of emotions fly across Steve's face. "Do you want me to come too?"
"No." Steve locked the door behind him. "You need to get back to the crime scene. Call me when you know something. Anything."
Emma nodded and watched as Steve slid behind the wheel. Mark was already seated in the passenger side staring straight ahead. Her heart ached for the genial doctor who was so obviously in denial and for Steve who more than anything had wanted to spare his father the pain of seeing his only daughter lying in the morgue. Emma knew the next few weeks were going to be difficult for them, but she hoped to ease their pain by finding the person responsible for doing this. Sighing, she flipped open her cell phone.
"It's Lopez. Tell me what you know and it better be good."
Steve couldn't stop shaking. From his car, he watched the crime scene activity continue although he was quite sure he couldn't explain what was going on at that moment. He saw Detective Emma Lopez pull up and get out of her car. She spoke briefly to both the Medical Examiner and one of the uniformed officers before taking a look at the body. She turned back to the officer and he pointed in the general direction of where Steve's car was parked. Opening the door, Emma slipped quietly into the passenger seat. She was filled with compassion as she looked at Steve.
"You had no idea?"
Wordlessly, Steve shook his head.
"I'm so sorry," she said, softly, reaching over to squeeze Steve's hand. "Have you told your dad yet?"
Steve shook his head again. "I.he." His voice broke. "He's going to be devastated."
Like you aren't, Emma thought to herself. Out loud she said, "We'll get him, Steve. We'll get the bastard who did this."
Steve finally looked at Emma and the grief on his face nearly took her breath away. "I want you on the case, Emma."
Nodding, she replied, "I'll clear it with Captain Newman. Don't worry."
Emma left Steve in the car while she spoke with the Medical Examiner again and arranged for one of the uniformed officers to follow them to the beach house in her car. Gently she guided him from the driver's side, around the front of the car and back in on the passenger side. Reaching into Steve's jacket pocket, she found the keys and inserted them into the ignition. Resisting the urge to floor the accelerator, Emma drove away from the crime scene without a backward glance.
***************
The trip to Malibu was completed in near silence except for the crackle of Steve's police radio. Turning into the Sloan driveway, Emma watched her car pull in behind her and the black and white unit bring up the rear. The uniformed officer stopped long enough to return Emma's keys before rejoining his partner and driving away.
Steve watched them leave. "I wish I could go with them."
Emma didn't know how to reply. "I'm going to go talk to the captain. Call me if you need anything." "Please." Emma turned back at the sound of Steve's voice. "Could you.would you come in with me before you leave? I don't.I just don't think I can get through.he'll want the details and I can't handle that." he trailed off.
"Sure."
Steve led the way up the steps and into the house. He could hear his father's footsteps coming to meet him and had to resist the urge to turn and flee. There was no way to avoid this. In less than two minutes, Mark would know the devastating news.
"I'm glad you're home. Carol's still not here and I'm - " Mark rounded the corner and saw that Steve was not alone. "Sorry. I didn't realize you had someone with you."
"Dad, you remember Emma Lopez don't you?"
"Yes of course." Mark looked closely at Steve. "What's wrong? Did you find out something about Carol?"
"Dad, I have something to tell you and I think maybe we should sit down."
Mark's unease grew. "I don't want to sit down. Just tell me what you found out."
Steve steeled himself for the inevitable. "Dad, Carol's been - "
"Was she in an accident?" Mark interrupted. "Is she in the hospital?"
"Dad, she's.she's." Steve couldn't force the words out past the lump in his throat.
Emma stepped forward. Despite having delivered this news to dozens of other families during her career, it never got any easier. The experience usually left her feeling weak and nauseous for hours afterward. And this time it was compounded by the fact that she had a personal connection to the family. Ruthlessly shoving her personal feelings aside she faced Mark.
"Doctor Sloan, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Carol was found murdered earlier today." She paused briefly to let that piece of news sink in. "A patrol officer found her in an alley. It appears that whoever did this dumped her there. She didn't have any identification on her, but we're certain it's Carol. Ben Moeller was in the process of transporting her to the morgue when we left the scene."
Mark shook his head vigorously. "This must be a mistake. It can't be Carol. If there wasn't any identification, how can you be so sure it's her?"
"Steve was - "
"Dad," Steve interrupted. "It isn't a mistake. I already identified her." He paused and swallowed hard. "It's Carol." Mark appeared not to hear him. "It can't be Carol," he repeated. "This has to be a mistake."
"Steve has already positively identified her as Carol," Emma repeated, gently.
Abruptly, Mark turned and headed for the front door. Steve asked anxiously, "Where are you going?" He didn't think his dad was in any condition to drive.
"To the morgue," he replied, impatiently. "I want to see this Jane Doe for myself."
"Why?" Steve wanted to spare his father having to see Carol in the morgue.
"If this really is Carol, and I'm sure it won't be, then, as her father, making a positive identification is my responsibility."
Steve could tell his father would not be deterred. It was going to take a trip to the morgue to break through Mark's wall of denial. Steve knew the next few hours would not be pleasant and, despite his desire not to see again what he'd already seen, he also knew he could not leave his father to face this alone.
"Wait. I'm coming with you."
Emma had seen the myriad of emotions fly across Steve's face. "Do you want me to come too?"
"No." Steve locked the door behind him. "You need to get back to the crime scene. Call me when you know something. Anything."
Emma nodded and watched as Steve slid behind the wheel. Mark was already seated in the passenger side staring straight ahead. Her heart ached for the genial doctor who was so obviously in denial and for Steve who more than anything had wanted to spare his father the pain of seeing his only daughter lying in the morgue. Emma knew the next few weeks were going to be difficult for them, but she hoped to ease their pain by finding the person responsible for doing this. Sighing, she flipped open her cell phone.
"It's Lopez. Tell me what you know and it better be good."