Just A Little Walk In The Park
Jesse walked into the bedroom just after eleven to find, to his surprise, that Rae was sitting up in bed waiting for him. She had been tempted to return to the living room, but knew that her temper would get the better of her.
"Hey, I thought you would be asleep, are you all right?" Jesse could see that his wife was anything but all right.
"No, not really, did I hear Michael earlier?"
"Yeah, Jo decided that it might be better if she went home tonight, you really hurt her feelings you know."
"I guess I'll call and apologise tomorrow, but she just got me so cross, how dare she say that I don't consider you and Ana? I know I haven't worked that much since she was born, but I was careful, I have always been careful, I've been a cop a long time and I'm still alive and functioning, maybe not completely, but I will be again, and nothing that has happened has made me want to be anything but a cop, I don't really understand the phrase, but I guess 'it's in my blood'. I can't think of any other way to describe it."
Jesse had been getting undressed while Rae was talking, but he had listened to every word, and after he climbed into bed he sat, his back against the headboard, and waited for Rae to move over a little and then he pulled her close to him. He loved to feel her bare skin against his own, and he was glad she had stopped wearing nightclothes again once she got home from the hospital. "We never really had the discussion that Steve and Jo need to have did we?"
"No, I guess not, I've always known that you would rather I did something else for a living, but I also know that you wouldn't try to change me. Jess, I hated it too when we weren't together, and I know I have made your life way more complicated than it ever was before I arrived from London, but I love you, and I need you, really need you, in my life."
Jesse was silent for a moment, he could hear the emotion in Rae's voice, and when he began to speak it was evident in his own voice too. "Rae, when Alex comes tomorrow I want you to tell him to book you into the Willows whenever you're ready to go and they can fit you in." Jesse felt Rae's surprise as she moved in his arms.
"Why, you were so against it, what made you change your mind?"
"You did. Honey, I saw you when Steve got that phone call, and even if you hadn't said anything I knew that you were just desperate to go with him, I can't stop you from having your own life, and tonight I realised, as I listened to you and Jo, that you couldn't give it up, not without a fight, you need to go and to know that you have given it your very best shot, before you accept that you can't be a cop anymore, and I really, honestly hope it's a decision you never have to …. Mmm." Jesse found that he was unable to speak anymore as Rae turned to him and began to kiss him, her tongue finding its way into his mouth and then his hand moved up, and after a moment's hesitation began to move through her hair.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Amanda had called Ben Chapman back to the bus depot, and arranged for her deputy to come and remove the contents of Steve's truck. Once there was a guard standing, his back to the jar, to prevent any contamination of the crime scene, she had moved her obviously extremely shaken friend over to her own car. Steve had sat, without a word, in the passenger seat and put his head in his hands. As she eased herself in behind the wheel, however, he began to talk.
"Oh, God, Amanda, tell me he was dead, this time he had to have already been dead."
"Steve, I don't know, but I sure hope so, I'll tell you once I've carried out a full examination of the … the evidence." Amanda looked over at the tall man sitting next to her. Steve had no colour in his handsome features, and he still looked as if he could pass out at any time. "Let me run you home, Dave Marshall is gonna take everything back to the lab, and I will deal with this and the foot in the morning, there is nothing you nor I can do tonight."
"No, not yet, I won't be able to sleep anyway, Jo's staying with Rae and Jesse, and if I shut my eyes, all I see is … well, you know what I see, how could anybody do this, Amanda? I know we joked about it to start with, but this is … this is just … barbaric. Why did he have to park the car in my spot? Somebody else could have this to deal with instead of me. I have a drive by shooter that killed six of my colleagues, and now I have body parts to cope with, and … and…" Steve's whole body seemed to sag, and with what seemed an extreme effort, he lifted his head, leant it back against the headrest and closed his eyes, but the image of his truck assaulted his senses once more and he opened them again.
"Steve, what's wrong? I know you have a heavy workload, but there's something more, isn't there?"
Steve sat for a minute, and then he turned, "How do you deal with knowing that Ron is in danger every day, you aren't even in the same city and able to be with him?"
Amanda found herself smiling inwardly, Ron had picked up the keys to his new apartment the previous weekend, having found what he wanted almost immediately, and in two days time would be moving to LA permanently, but they still hadn't told anyone yet.
"I put my trust in him, and the fact that he is a good agent, and I put my trust in God. Steve, I can't do anything else, I love the man, but I know that his job is vital to who he is, without it he wouldn't be the Ron Wagner that I … adore." Amanda felt the blush as it crept up her face.
Steve smiled, he had known that she would be able to explain her feelings succinctly, and he placed his large hand over her smaller more delicate one and squeezed it. Amanda moved over and kissed him gently on the cheek. "She'll get used to it, Steve, and if she doesn't, well, you know that we are all here for you, and always will be."
"Yeah, I know, but I love her, Amanda, I can't imagine my life without her, and I thought she felt the same way about me."
"Oh, I think she does, but it's a real hard thing to accept. It's big and scary and it'll take her time to get it into perspective. But she will, and she has all of us here for her too, she only needs to ask."
As Steve was about to reply there was a light tap on the passenger window of Amanda's car and she inserted her key into the ignition and then pressed the button to lower the window.
"Ah, Lieutenant, could you come back over to your truck?" Ben was looking a little shaken himself as he spoke.
Steve managed to repress the shudder that threatened to overwhelm him and, with a nod, opened the door and got out. He walked slowly across to his Ford and looked into the back of it. The jar had been removed and Steve could see a piece of paper lying where it would have been hidden by the container.
"Whoever is doing this left you a note." Ben looked across at his colleague. Steve Sloan was his superior officer, and was normally the consummate professional, but right now he looked like he had just enough energy to stand up, and not a lot else.
"Has it been dusted?" Steve looked down and he could see that the paper had a slight layer of powder across it.
"Yeah, it was clean as a whistle."
Steve leant over and picked up the piece of paper by the corner, he wasn't surprised it was clean, everything else had been too. He slid it into an evidence bag, just to be on the safe side, and then with a deep breath he began to read.
Lieutenant, or can I call you Steve? I feel we know each other so well,
I was going to save this till last, but somehow I found it a little disconcerting to have on my shelf staring at me as I got my cornflakes. What luck that you were at the bus station at the same time as me, have you worked out who this is yet? Maybe you need a little clue, but not this time, I'm sure that you have checked missing persons, there is just one problem with that, one of the victims at least, hasn't been reported missing, ah well, some times you can't get a break can you?
I wonder could he be 'a little priest?' No, that would be too easy!
Take care Steve,
S. Todd
Steve's immediate reaction was to screw the paper into a ball and throw it away, or better yet rip it to shreds, but he knew that he couldn't do that, and so with a sigh he watched as Ben took the evidence bag and moved over to his car with it.
"So, is my truck gonna be impounded or can I have it?" Steve looked over at the young man as he walked back towards him.
There was a laptop computer set up by the side of the vehicle and a picture of an enlarged fingerprint took up the entire screen. "No, it's all yours again, the only prints belong to you, and well, you didn't put that in there yourself did you, Steve?"
"No, Ben, I did not!" Steve's eyes blazed and the young man realised his mistake.
"Sorry, Sir, that was uncalled for."
"I'll see you at the station. I'm gonna head in and get this written up… Amanda, thank you, I'll see you tomorrow about lunch time?"
"Sure, Steve, are you ok? I can run you home; the report will wait until the morning."
"No, I want to get it out of the way, and I have a feeling I will sleep better once it's done." Steve kissed his friend on the cheek and squeezed her arm gently. He felt her hand on his shoulder, and then she moved off, in that graceful way she had, towards her car, and Steve turned and climbed into his truck.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
By the time Steve arrived back at the station, having first taken a detour through the nearest carwash, twice, it was getting late, and he knew that once he had written down everything that happened, he would be glad to get home and take another shower and then sleep until morning. Once again he didn't plan to come to work until after the funeral, although this time that would mean arriving at the precinct about one o'clock, after he had seen Amanda.
The report, surprisingly, seemed to write itself, and although Steve thought for a while about the fact that the note was exactly the same as all the others even though it seemed to have been written in a hurry it didn't take long for him to realise that S. Todd was playing with him, probably took his paper everywhere with him, and had planned to leave the jar there right from the start, whatever he said in his letter. Once he had decided that it wasn't long before Steve was climbing back into his very clean vehicle and heading out towards Beverley Hills. It was after ten when Steve parked his truck, although this time he put it in the garage, not wanting a repeat of his earlier gift, and then he made his way into the house through the laundry room and into the kitchen. As usual, when he arrived home after the last meal of the day, there was a note on the counter and a plate of food in the refrigerator. He had eaten dinner with Jo before they went to see Rae and Jesse and so the plate contained just a snack and Steve ate it standing looking out of the window at the lights below him. Somewhere out there was a man who had dissected two bodies, frozen them, and now was taunting him with various parts knowing that there was no way that the LAPD or the coroner's office had any idea who the victims were, or where their murderer might be.
With a heavy sigh Steve put his plate in the dishwasher, went back to the refrigerator and grabbed a soda. Three bottles of beer smiled up at him, but he shut the door on them, tonight he didn't need the effects of alcohol, he needed a clear head to help him sort his day out. Somewhere there must be a clue, but he had no idea where to look.
Slowly Steve made his way up the stairs, he wished that Jo was home, he guessed she wouldn't want to talk about his day, but just having her warm body to press his up against made so much difference to the way he felt, he smiled as he realised where his thoughts were taking him, and decided to make the shower a little colder than usual.
As he got to the top of the stairs he heard his name being called, soft and low, and he turned to see his dad standing in his own doorway. "Steve, Son, come here a minute."
"Dad, what is it? Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine, but I don't know that Jo is. She came back from Jesse's, in fact she called and had Michael go and get her. She wouldn't talk to either of us when she got back …No, Son, not couldn't, wouldn't." Mark could see the worry as it crossed his son's face, and he could also tell that Steve was getting near to exhaustion himself.
"So, you don't know why she came home? Did you call Jesse and Rae to ask them?" Steve thought it probably meant that the evening hadn't gone well, and he knew that he should have been able to stay and help her understand, but once again the job had gotten in the way, just as it would time after time, year after year, and he wondered whether she would be able to cope with it, with him, and the life he knew he had to live.
"Steve." Mark placed a hand on his son's arm, and felt him jump. "Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. No, I didn't speak with either of them, I didn't want to intrude, and Michael said Jesse had told him that he would call in the morning, so I let it be. She went straight up to your room, I don't know if she's asleep, I knocked when I came up but there was no answer."
"Thanks, Dad, I'll go check. I'll see you in the morning. And I need to know about this plan of yours."
"Ah, my plan, I told you I thought we could open up the beach house for this weekend, invite everybody over, just like we used to, get me used to being back there, I have to go back before long, although I know you don't want me to, and if I am fine this weekend, then I will probably just stay there."
"Dad, no! It's too soon, and … and I'll worry about you!"
Steve's voice had risen when he heard his father speak, and both men heard a door open across the hallway.
"Steve, is that you?" Jo's voice was weak and shaky and Steve could hear the fear in it.
Still looking surprised at the news his dad had just thrown at him, Steve turned and hurried across to where Jo was standing, he would have to find out the details from his dad in the morning, he knew that his fiancée needed him more.
"Honey, yes it's me, let me put you back to bed, come on, shhh, baby, it's all right." Steve could feel her shoulders heave as she leant into him, and he carefully guided her back into the room. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his father smiling at him, not only out of gratitude for the gentle way he was treating Jo, but also, Steve knew, because he had gotten out of explaining himself, again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The alarm woke Steve at half past seven, and he turned it off as quickly at he could. He was annoyed for dozing, because he had been awake at a quarter past seven, and planning to turn the damn thing off, and then the next thing he knew it was ringing loudly.
Jo was still fast asleep beside him, but his own tiredness and the knotted and dishevelled state of her hair showed just how much of a restless night she had spent. He had heard her call out a couple of times, the first had been his name and he had soothed her demons and she had quietened next to him, her head resting gently on his shoulder, but the second time it had been Rae she called for, and he couldn't calm her as quickly, she'd had tears in her eyes, and Steve had wanted desperately to wake her up, if only to tell her that he loved her and it would be all right. Now though, she was sleeping peacefully, and so he climbed carefully out of bed, and, grabbing his robe, headed towards the shower room two doors down so that the sound of the water wouldn't disturb her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jesse had beaten his alarm clock to a pulp just after six, having put it on snooze first. Never again would he volunteer to cover for someone, even Alex, after a set of nights. Rae had rolled over in bed and Jesse had smiled, for a while she hadn't been able to do that, the position she assumed when she got into bed was the one she was still in the following morning, but now she had begun to be able to move in her sleep, and Jesse knew that although it still caused her pain, most of the time with the help of strong painkillers, she could cope with it. At night she still had the additional help of a sedative, but Jesse was just as scared as Rae was of another premature baby, and so they had cut it down until she was taking just enough to help her off to sleep and no more.
"Hey, handsome, you look tired." Rae looked up at her husband; he really was the most wonderful man in the world. "Lie back down; we can have a cuddle before you have to leave can't we?"
"You know if I get back into bed with you now I won't go to work, and Alex needs today off. You'll be ok won't you? Jo's at home, and Mark will be at the beach house by lunch time."
"Is he going home? I didn't know that." Rae looked a little puzzled. She was sure that Steve would have mentioned something.
"No, Jo told me last night, they're opening up the beach house. Mark is going over today, and then Steve and Jo will be there as well for the weekend, and anybody who wants to go is welcome. I said we would go Saturday, I think that Alex and Shannon will be there too, and I'm sure Amanda will bring the boys. But that is the weekend; it's today I'm worried about, leaving you here with Eliana all day." Jesse tried not to make it sound as if she couldn't cope. Rae seemed more relaxed, and he didn't want to be the one to change that.
"Jesse, I'll be ok, I have plans for today. I am going to make Shepherds Pie for dinner tonight, that will take a while, and I want to spend some time with Eliana before I go away, work out what clothes to take with me, I have e-mails to reply to, that sort of thing."
"And what are you gonna do after breakfast?" Jesse was rewarded for his sarcasm by his wife sticking her tongue out at him, and with a smile and a laugh he headed for the shower.
He hadn't been in there more than a couple of minutes when he felt Rae's hand on his back, and he turned to see her standing in the shower with him.
"I know we can't do what we used to do in here, but I just wanted to be with you."
Jesse smiled and took her into his arms, the feel of her warm and wet body against his was almost too much for him to bear, he ran his fingers through her short hair, the water in it making it soft and smooth, then he began to kiss her, and he felt his hardness rub against her, "Rae, is this enough for you?"
"Yes, my darling, for now, it's enough, I just needed to feel you, to be like a normal woman again." Rae's right arm was slightly more mobile than it had been, and she slowly ran a finger up Jesse's chest.
"Oh, Rae, Honey, let me take you back into the bedroom." He saw her nod, and without another word he scooped her up in his arms, grabbing a towel as well as he passed them. He gently put her onto her feet, and then began to rub the towel down her back, planting kisses on each part that he dried. Soon Rae was shivering under his touch, not from the cold but from the passion rising within her, and when Jesse moved round to dry her front and placed his mouth over one nipple and teased his tongue back and forth over it, it was all she could do to stop her knees from collapsing under her. Slowly he looked up at her and then carefully pushed her back onto the bed, and Rae surrendered herself to him with a sigh of pure delight.
Time stood still for them until glancing over his shoulder Jesse saw the bedside clock. "Rae, Sweetheart, I have to go, I am gonna be so late."
"Five minutes, Jess, just five minutes, please." Rae opened her eyes, and looked at her husband, she had never been left alone straight after he had made love to her, and she didn't want to start now. The relief she felt as Jesse gently moved away from her and then laid back down beside her was almost overwhelming, and she realised that she was going to miss him terribly when she left for San Francisco.
It was just after seven when Jesse finally left the house, he knew that he would just make it in time if the traffic was kind to him, and if it wasn't, well he had the perfect excuse to cover for his tardiness. Rae had stood at the door and watched him leave, a satisfied smile on her face. As she turned to go back into the house she heard Eliana begin to chatter away to her giraffe and the soft doll that Texas had brought back the night before. Texas, Rae sighed, she needed to speak with her friend, but she wasn't really sure what to say. Her own reaction the previous evening night had shocked Rae, and the fact that it had been her best friend that had received her tirade made her feel even worse. With a sigh Rae headed back towards the bedroom and began to get dressed. She had chosen her clothes the night before, and so, after about twenty minutes, she emerged, wearing a pair of jogging bottoms and a baggy t-shirt. Not the most elegant of outfits, but it was clean and comfortable, and more importantly, she had put it all on by herself.
Jo had felt the bed rise up when Steve got out of it, but she had waited until he had left the room before she opened her eyes and prepared to face her day. The words that Rae had all but spat at her the night before were still going round in her head, and she knew that she owed her friend an apology. She hadn't meant to accuse Rae of not considering her husband and daughter when she undertook dangerous assignments, but she knew that was how Rae had taken it, and it had to be sorted out. Also, she had left her purse in Rae's living room, and she needed to go and pick it up. By the time she had resolved to head over there after breakfast Jo was sitting at the dressing table trying to get her hairbrush through the tangles and knots that her disturbed night had caused. In the end she decided that a shower would be the best way to remove them, and so she headed into the bathroom, hoping that Steve would tell her his troubles when he came back to their room.
As the water beat down on her back Jo could see Steve's face from the night before. Although it had been he who'd helped her back into the bedroom she had taken over as soon as the door was closed. He'd been tense; every muscle in his well defined body taut and almost ready to snap. She had made him take off his shirt and pants, and then lie on the bed. Jo wasn't an expert masseuse, but gradually the gentle probing of her fingers had caused him to relax a little, and with silent agreement they had climbed into bed and turned the light out without talking about either of their evenings, both knowing that it would keep until the morning.
Jo began to work some shampoo and then conditioner through her hair, and as she ran a comb through it she could feel the hair unknotting, almost as Steve's shoulders had done the night before, if only their problems could be worked out as easily. With this thought still in her mind Jo climbed out of the shower and dried herself, then she headed towards the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. The two items worn together made her feel bright and crisp as a Texas winter's morning, and she had a feeling that bright would help her today. She was finally able to get the brush through her hair, and as she was pulling it back into two gold coloured clips the door opened and Steve came back in.
He hung his robe on the back of the door where it belonged, and, as he walked over towards his own closet, Jo could see that the bruise from the previous day had increased in size and severity. The abrasion in the middle of it was now a puckered and knobbly scab, although the shower had probably softened it some. Not really knowing how her actions would be received Jo moved over to where Steve was standing and gently placed her hand on his side. Then she crouched down a little and left a kiss just on the edge of the bruising. As she stood back up she felt Steve's hand move round the back of her and pull her close and then he was kissing her, gently, but passionately, and she gave herself up to him and began to kiss him back.
It took them a little while to come back down to earth after their kisses, Steve's hands had been exploring her hair as he had been exploring her mouth, and now she was sitting back at the dressing table trying to get the clips back in so they looked even.
"Steve," Jo could see him putting on the pants to his black suit. "What time is the funeral this mornin'?"
"Ten, why?"
"Do you think you could come home after it? I guess we need to talk don't we?"
"Honey, I wish I could, but not today, it's just crazy, but I tell you what, I'll try to get a day off at the beginning of next week, or at least the afternoon, maybe we can go out into the countryside, get away from everybody and everything, just you me and a picnic basket, how does that sound?"
"It sounds wonderful, we could park up at the stables, an' carry on from there in the saddle if you would like." Jo smiled; she had been trying to get Steve to go riding with her for ages.
"Ah, no. The last time I sat on a horse was at a birthday party my dad threw for me at Ponyland, no, I like my idea better."
"Ponyland, that place up the coast a ways? How old were you, ten, eleven?"
"No, I was …. Well, it was a few years ago, about the time that Amanda began fostering Dion. What?" Steve looked at the amused expression on Jo's face, and felt the need to explain himself. "We thought it was going to close down, and Dad arranged it as a sort of final outing, except that it didn't close down, and CJ and Dion have been back loads of times."
"Well, I'm sure I can find you a pony or a small horse if you would feel more comfortable bein' closer to the ground… Steve, tonight, could we talk tonight, your dad will be gone, an' as much as I love him, an' I was pleased to help him, it will be nice to have our home back, we can head to the beach house a little later than we planned, an' then when we do go out next week we can just enjoy each other's company."
Steve smiled over at her and realised that although he was still worried about his dad, she was right, it would be nice to be alone again just for a couple of hours.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rae had decided that the most important thing to do, after feeding and dressing her daughter, was to make the dinner ready for the evening, so when Eliana became a little drowsy just after eleven she put her down for a nap, using the buggy so that she was close at hand should she stir, and then she began to get all the ingredients together for her meal. It wasn't an authentic shepherds pie, she knew that, but by using minced beef, ground beef, Jesse called it ground beef when he bought it. The thoughts of Jesse came up in her mind and she felt her heart begin to race. Shutting her eyes for a moment she tried to picture him working in the ER, helping people who were in pain and hurting. Rae could see his wonderful smile, hear the kindness in his voice, and her fear began to dissipate. She concentrated on her breathing for a moment, you know where he is, it's fine, you know where he is. Finally, after what seemed like ages but she knew was only a few minutes Rae was back in control of herself, she got a drink of water and sat at the table for a little while. Then with a sigh she went back to her cooking, picked up the jar she had bought that was a spaghetti sauce with the onion already chopped up in it, and ready grated cheese, all she had to do was fry the meat and peel the potatoes, then put everything together. The mashing of the potatoes was a bit of a worry, but she knew she would cope.
Once her meal was underway Rae checked on her daughter, and smiled as she watched her for a while, fast asleep in the buggy, one hand strangling the giraffe, Rae stopped thinking, 'strangling', she never used any derivative of that word, and here she was using it in relation to her daughter and so soon after feeling panic stricken, maybe life would get a little normality back into it after all.
The security phone ringing brought her out of her meanderings and she moved along the hallway to answer it, not wanting to disturb Eliana if she didn't have to.
Five minutes later Rae and Texas were hugging on the doorstep, tears in both their eyes, and then Rae was standing back to let her friend in.
"I am so sorry, what I said was out of line, I shouldn't have shouted at you, and I certainly shouldn't have gone off and left you and Jesse like a spoilt child."
"Rae, we were both at fault, I know how much Jesse an' Eliana mean to you, an' I was wrong to suggest you didn't think about them, I guess I'm just beginnin' to realize how much everythin' in my life could change if anythin' happened to Steve."
"Texas, I'm a great believer in fate, there is a day, already decided, when I will meet my Maker and nothing I do or say will change that. But it doesn't mean that I'm going to be stupid or reckless, I still take care in everything I do, but I can't change the future, and so there is no point in worrying about it. You love him, I know that, and all of a sudden you have a wedding date coming up, and he is going to be your husband, and that is way more permanent than a lover or a fiancé and you are scared of what you could lose. But you have to live for now, because if you don't, when the future does arrive, you will have nothing to look back on."
Jo smiled at her friend, and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"And why couldn't I have said that last night instead of storming off? I'm so sorry."
"Honey, it's all right, I insulted you an' your relationship with your family, I would have thrown anyone who did that out of my house, so you were politeness itself compared to me. Rae, can I smell somethin' cookin'?"
"Oh, mince and potatoes!" Rae turned and hurried, as much as she was able, back to the kitchen. She picked up the wooden spoon and carefully stirred the meat, letting out a sigh of relief when it moved around the saucepan without the hissing and sticking sounds that meant it was burning. Then she turned the gas off under the potatoes and looked back at her friend. "Shepherds Pie, we have Alex and Shannon coming over for dinner tonight, and I am determined to cook it myself. Jesse will be exhausted, and I don't want him to have to come home and prepare the meal."
"Michael could have done it for you, you know that."
"I do and thank you, but this way it is my meal, and I want to show Alex that I am improving." Rae turned the heat off under the meat as well, and then she carefully picked up the non-stick saucepan and rested it on a rubber mat as well as leaning it against a deep sided dish that she had wedged on the counter. Gradually the meat and sauce poured into the dish, and when all of it had transferred itself Rae put the pan down with a bang.
"Rae, I could have done that bit, nobody would have needed to know."
"I would know, but now I can leave it for a while, the potatoes need mashing, but I don't think I can cope with that yet. Let's go sit and chat for a bit."
Jo was just nodding her agreement when the security phone buzzed again and Rae looked over to see her daughter stir as she went to answer it.
"Hello…? Oh, ok, no I'll come down, have him wait a minute." Rae turned back to her friend. "Do you fancy a little walk to the gatehouse? I have to sign for a package."
"Only if I get to push the stroller." Jo smiled and released the brake on Eliana's wheels and then followed her friend outside into the spring sunshine.
It wasn't a hot day, but it was pleasantly warm and the flowers were just coming up in the front gardens of the houses in Rae's street. It wasn't very far to where Rae's package was waiting for her, and the two friends enjoyed the short journey together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Steve had helped his dad to pack his things into Michael's car, and told him of his and Jo's plan to arrive a little later than planned. He had headed straight for Community General after the funeral, excusing himself from the wake after just over a half hour. Amanda was waiting for him when he arrived, and he could tell from her face that he wasn't going to like her results any more than she did.
"Ok, Steve, I think that the foot was removed after he was dead, no I don't think, sorry, I know, there is no bruising now, and I would be surprised if we get any parts that were removed before death, other than the remainder of the arms. The contents of the jar though weren't removed after he was dead…" Amanda paused while her friend took in what she was saying and saw him lose some of his colour at her last piece of news.
"Oh, God, Amanda, I … I can't begin to think of the agony he must have gone through. He would have passed out wouldn't he?"
"Steve, I would love to be able to say yes, he would have done, but I don't know, that wouldn't show up, but like I said the foot was cut off after the guy was dead, so …"
"So the shock could have killed him?" Steve saw her nod her head. "What else, do you have more?"
"The dust on the sole of the foot, and the little bit that was in the bus station locker, it's cement powder."
"Cement? I guess that is why it was a light colour."
"Yeah I guess so. It doesn't help us that much, unless they are being kept at a home improvement store, but then I think everything would have been covered in it. My guess, which is all it can be right now, is that this is just someone's personal supply of cement."
"Maybe he plans to sink the parts he can't get rid of to me."
"Maybe"
"Anything else, what about the jar that the … well, the jar from my truck."
"Nothing, just an ordinary jar, no prints, no dust, nothing, just an ordinary jar."
"So that's it, you don't have a smoking gun then?" Steve shook his head, he knew the answer, and knew that the question wasn't helpful.
"No, that is where I stop. I can't tell you anything else. He is Caucasian, you knew that all ready, male, from the size of his foot I would definitely say six foot if not maybe a little more, his blood type is O negative, from the blood works I have had back he had no hereditary, terminal or transmittable diseases, and all that adds up to nothing we didn't know before. The note tells me nothing either. The lab boys went over it, I looked at it, it is ordinary paper you can buy at any supermarket or dollar store, written on with an ordinary ball point pen. Until he slips up, or decides he wants you to know more, apart from an apparent liking for Sweeney Todd, there is nothing to work on here."
"Well, gee, don't sugar coat it!" Steve looked at his friend. The folder on the desk in front of her was a little thicker now than it had been, but the information was almost similar to having just circumstantial evidence. "Well, I guess I had better get to the station, I have bus terminal videos to look at, missing persons files to go through, and a report to go over with the captain, because there is no way he is gonna let what I wrote last night go without some explanation. Amanda, thank you, anybody else and I would be sceptical at the lack of evidence, but you are the best there is, and if he has you stumped then he must be good."
Suddenly embarrassed by the kind words from her friend Amanda turned to tidy her desk, not sure what to say. She felt his presence by her side, and then with a wave of his hand he picked up his copy of the report and left the lab.
Making his way back towards the elevator Steve remembered that Jesse was working, and so he pressed the button for the floor of the ER and walked out into an almost unnaturally quiet area. Jesse was sitting in one of the chairs reading the paper; Wil Collins was in another seat doing the same.
"And they say our health service is overstretched." Steve moved over towards Jesse and flicked his fingers on the top of the paper.
"Hey, I was reading that! Hi, Steve, how did it go last night?" Jesse was concerned to see Steve blanch a little. "Steve?"
"You haven't seen Amanda this morning then?" Steve was answered by a shake of the head. "Look, I could do with a coffee, do you have five minutes?"
It took three times that long, but Steve filled Jesse in on what he had found the night before, and then Jesse explained to him what had happened after Steve had left to attend the crime scene. "They were both upset, Steve, but they're friends, they'll make it up, in fact I'll just give her a call, I'm sure they've been in touch all ready." Steve nodded, grabbed a cookie from the tin by the coffee machine and slumped into the saggy sofa, there wasn't really a dignified way of sitting in it, and Steve had long ago decided to let the stuffing surround him, and fight his way out of it when he needed to leave.
Jesse put the receiver down and tried the number again, he still got no reply and so he called Rae's cell phone, nothing, feeling the panic rising inside him he turned to his friend. "Steve, do you have Jo's cell number, could you call her?"
Steve could see that Jesse was suddenly very worried, and so without a word he took his phone out and speed dialled his fiancée's number. This time it was he who waited, and when there was no reply called through on his home number.
"Good afternoon, Walter's residence." Michael's calm and collected voice cut across the air.
"Michael, Hi, it's Steve, is Jo there?"
"No, Sir, Madam went to spend some time with Mrs Travis and Miss Eliana. She will be back in time for afternoon tea."
"Ok, if she calls, get her to leave me a message on my cell, or if she can get through to me, to let me know where she is. Thanks, Michael." Steve disconnected the phone, and turned. "She's not home, Jess, and I can't reach her."
"Steve, I have to go, will you come with me? All Rae was doing today was playing with Eliana and getting the dinner ready." Jesse was running down the hallway as he spoke, and Steve had to hurry to catch him up.
"Nurse, I'm going out, Wil, I can't get hold of Rae, I'll be back as soon as I can." Jesse punched the elevator button, jiggling up and down the entire time. "Come on, come on." After what seemed like an eternity to him, Jesse watched the doors open, then he and Steve were inside and he was banging on that set of buttons instead.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On a good day it took Jesse half an hour to get home from the hospital, in Steve's truck with the siren going they got there in twenty minutes. The guard opened the gates as he saw the car approach and Steve screeched to a halt outside Jesse's house.
The front door was flung wide as Jesse rushed inside. Steve looked round in the front garden for a moment before entering, to find his friend coming back towards him.
"The dinner's half made, Jo's coat is here, but she's not, and Rae and Eliana have gone, they just aren't here!"