Chapter 38
"Your moms' case file, Kay? How did you…"
Kay arched a black brow at him then rolled her dark eyes. "Are you forgetting? My dad. The Police Chief. Ringing any bells?"
"But you…"
"Oh please, Chad. It's not like it's really that hard to snow one of Harmony's 'brilliant' detectives. Luis wasn't on duty. Marty was easy. Men, for the most part, are all dumb as rocks."
A smirk was on Chad's lips as several scenarios of how the whole escapade could have went down played in his mind. "Do you really expect there to be anything in that file that will help you? The truth about your moms' disappearance was never explained, and now the file's closed…"
"It's a start," she huffed in annoyance. "Look…are you with me on this or not? I don't have to put up with…"
"Kay! Kay…just chill, alright. I told you I'd help. I'm helping," he said. Reaching a hand out for the file. He dropped his hand to his side when Kay tucked the file against her chest. "If you want me to help, we have to work together on this. Kay," he sighed in exasperation.
"Right," she said softly, almost in a daze.
"Kay. Whoa, girl. Snap out of it."
Kay's head jerked at the snap of his fingers in front of her face, and she handed the file to him as she rose from the park bench. "Out of it. Satisfied?" she grumbled.
Chad leafed through the pages in the file, scanning them for anything of striking importance and finding nothing out of the ordinary. "I guess the best place to start would be the last person who saw your mother before her disappearance…" he suggested.
"We're going to see my sister."
"Jessica?" Chad's brow creased in confusion, his chocolate eyes flitting across a scribble of names across the bottom of the first page. "It says here Ivy Crane…"
"Well, we're not going to see her," Kay snapped. "The woman's a pathological liar. You can't believe anything that comes out of her mouth. We're going to see my sister. She talked to Mom before…" she trailed off. Dark eyes fixed on the ground at her feet.
"Okay," Chad finally agreed. "I need to give Mitch a quick call at the station…"
"Chad, you don't have to…" Kay mumbled.
"Look. I'm the boss. Well, technically Sheridan is, but she put me in charge. It's my call."
Kay gave him one of her rare smiles.
"Just give me a few, okay?"
Okay, she mouthed.
Chad punched 2 on the speed dial and waited for someone to pick up.
Kay ducked her head in embarrassment, caught staring as Chad glanced up at her.
And the smirk on Chad's lips was back to stay.
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"Gwen…"
She heard his voice, of course. But it sounded so far away.
"Gwen," Hank prodded gently.
"I'm sorry, Hank," she apologized with a tight smile. "I was just…oh God, Hank," her voice broke as she turned glistening blue eyes on him. "She's already so…I'm not sure she's strong enough. I'm afraid asking her to dig deep and remember that night again will push her over the edge. I'm not certain she's not already there."
Hank sighed heavily. Wearily. "I know, Gwen. Believe me," he entreated. "I know. I mean, I **knew**, but I guess I didn't know really. The extent. Sheridan's an emotional basket case. Recovering her memories of what happened the night Martin disappeared may destroy whatever hold she has left on her sanity. But there's no other way, Gwen. There's no other way to find out. Sheridan's the key to that night. You said so yourself."
"I just don't understand it," Gwen sighed. Covering her face with her hands and hunching over on the park bench.
Hank lay a comforting hand upon the small of her back. Waiting. Ready to listen.
"Eve put Sheridan under hypnosis years ago. If Sheridan is the key…why did Eve say what she did? She cleared her, Hank. You were there. What made her do it?"
"A better question might be who?" Hank said quietly.
"Oh, I have a few ideas," Gwen said bitterly. "But it doesn't hurt to be sure."
Hank studied her with contemplative brown eyes. "Do you want to drive or should I?'
Gwen rolled her eyes at him, shoving the outstretched set of keys away. "It's your car."
"That makes sense," Hank grinned, rising to his feet and offering her his hand.
Gwen slipped her hand into his with a smile.
It was time to pay Eve a visit.
"Your moms' case file, Kay? How did you…"
Kay arched a black brow at him then rolled her dark eyes. "Are you forgetting? My dad. The Police Chief. Ringing any bells?"
"But you…"
"Oh please, Chad. It's not like it's really that hard to snow one of Harmony's 'brilliant' detectives. Luis wasn't on duty. Marty was easy. Men, for the most part, are all dumb as rocks."
A smirk was on Chad's lips as several scenarios of how the whole escapade could have went down played in his mind. "Do you really expect there to be anything in that file that will help you? The truth about your moms' disappearance was never explained, and now the file's closed…"
"It's a start," she huffed in annoyance. "Look…are you with me on this or not? I don't have to put up with…"
"Kay! Kay…just chill, alright. I told you I'd help. I'm helping," he said. Reaching a hand out for the file. He dropped his hand to his side when Kay tucked the file against her chest. "If you want me to help, we have to work together on this. Kay," he sighed in exasperation.
"Right," she said softly, almost in a daze.
"Kay. Whoa, girl. Snap out of it."
Kay's head jerked at the snap of his fingers in front of her face, and she handed the file to him as she rose from the park bench. "Out of it. Satisfied?" she grumbled.
Chad leafed through the pages in the file, scanning them for anything of striking importance and finding nothing out of the ordinary. "I guess the best place to start would be the last person who saw your mother before her disappearance…" he suggested.
"We're going to see my sister."
"Jessica?" Chad's brow creased in confusion, his chocolate eyes flitting across a scribble of names across the bottom of the first page. "It says here Ivy Crane…"
"Well, we're not going to see her," Kay snapped. "The woman's a pathological liar. You can't believe anything that comes out of her mouth. We're going to see my sister. She talked to Mom before…" she trailed off. Dark eyes fixed on the ground at her feet.
"Okay," Chad finally agreed. "I need to give Mitch a quick call at the station…"
"Chad, you don't have to…" Kay mumbled.
"Look. I'm the boss. Well, technically Sheridan is, but she put me in charge. It's my call."
Kay gave him one of her rare smiles.
"Just give me a few, okay?"
Okay, she mouthed.
Chad punched 2 on the speed dial and waited for someone to pick up.
Kay ducked her head in embarrassment, caught staring as Chad glanced up at her.
And the smirk on Chad's lips was back to stay.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
"Gwen…"
She heard his voice, of course. But it sounded so far away.
"Gwen," Hank prodded gently.
"I'm sorry, Hank," she apologized with a tight smile. "I was just…oh God, Hank," her voice broke as she turned glistening blue eyes on him. "She's already so…I'm not sure she's strong enough. I'm afraid asking her to dig deep and remember that night again will push her over the edge. I'm not certain she's not already there."
Hank sighed heavily. Wearily. "I know, Gwen. Believe me," he entreated. "I know. I mean, I **knew**, but I guess I didn't know really. The extent. Sheridan's an emotional basket case. Recovering her memories of what happened the night Martin disappeared may destroy whatever hold she has left on her sanity. But there's no other way, Gwen. There's no other way to find out. Sheridan's the key to that night. You said so yourself."
"I just don't understand it," Gwen sighed. Covering her face with her hands and hunching over on the park bench.
Hank lay a comforting hand upon the small of her back. Waiting. Ready to listen.
"Eve put Sheridan under hypnosis years ago. If Sheridan is the key…why did Eve say what she did? She cleared her, Hank. You were there. What made her do it?"
"A better question might be who?" Hank said quietly.
"Oh, I have a few ideas," Gwen said bitterly. "But it doesn't hurt to be sure."
Hank studied her with contemplative brown eyes. "Do you want to drive or should I?'
Gwen rolled her eyes at him, shoving the outstretched set of keys away. "It's your car."
"That makes sense," Hank grinned, rising to his feet and offering her his hand.
Gwen slipped her hand into his with a smile.
It was time to pay Eve a visit.