Mairel- My next fic? Hadn't thought that far ahead!
Vivian received a call on her mobile whilst still at Joanne Richmond's house.
'What is it?' Joanne asked. 'Have they found her.
'Mrs Richmond, I'm very sorry,' Vivian said sadly.
'Oh God no,' Joanne said, her hands covering up her mouth. 'What's happened? What's happened to my daughter?'
Vivian explained to Joanne what Jack had just told her. Joanne's rigid frame seemed to crumble as she took it in that Paul had killed Melissa, and tears started to fall down her cheeks. She had lost not only a daughter but also her husband.
It was hard too for Will Holmes. Danny went to tell him what had happened.
'...I'm so sorry,' Danny finished. He felt bad for being so hard on Holmes when it was so clear now that he really had loved Melissa. Holmes covered his face, and shook his head. When he finally composed himself a little, he removed his hands and looked Danny straight in the eye.
'He's going to pay this time, isn't he?'
Danny nodded. 'Paul Richmond is going to be locked away for a very long time.'
At the office, there was a sad feeling in the air. It was always like this, when the person who had been missing turned out to be dead. It was quite a contrast to the upbeat, happy atmosphere they had when they had just found someone, alive and well, and reunited them with their loved ones.
Sam was filing away Melissa's case late that evening. She pulled down the photograph of the smiling blonde girl. Jack was right, she did look a lot like Sam had done when she was younger. Perhaps to her father she had just been a cheap tart and a whore, but in Sam's eyes she was just a girl who had fallen for the wrong guy.
She could see how Will Holmes had fallen for her. She looked just like her mother, but younger and if possible prettier. And now she was dead. Sam always got a shiver down her spine looking at as photograph of someone who was dead; when it had been taken, they had been alive.
'Are you alright?' A voice startled Sam and made her spin around. It was Jack, walking out of his office.
Sam smiled weakly and nodded.
'You should be getting home, it's late,' Jack said, looking at his watch.
'Nothing much to get home for,' Sam shrugged. 'I was just thinking about this poor girl.'
'It's tragic,' Jack sighed.
'I just don't understand how a father could kill his own daughter,' Sam said shaking her head. 'No matter what she had done, she was still his daughter.'
'Richmond was a man used to solving his problems with violence. I guess he just couldn't cope with his anger and disappointment with his daughter, and just lashed out.'
'Do you think he killed Sandy Holmes?' Sam asked.
Jack shrugged. 'He seemed to proclaim his innocence as much as Holmes object it.'
'Don't you think if he'd confessed to killing his daughter, he would have confessed to killing Sandy as well?'
'Not necessarily,' Jack shook his head. 'Perhaps he thought confessing to two murders would make his situation even worse. Or maybe he had been saying he was innocent so much that he came to believe it himself. I think he would have been more than capable of killing Sandy, if he could kill his own daughter. If he really did love her that much it could have made him angry enough to do it.'
'What a horrible way to express love,' Sam shuddered.
'I guess some people can't express their love properly...' Jack stopped. The topic of love was risky territory. 'I should go.'
'Don't go,' Sam said softly. 'Melissa reminded me of myself in some ways. After what you said about picturing me to look like her at that age, it made me think. The similarities go beyond looks. I mean, both falling for the wrong man...'
'Don't Sam...' Jack said sharply.
'Why?' she asked. 'Why must we keep pretending? Don't tell me you don't feel the same way.'
'I do love you Sam,' Jack said, lowering his eyes. 'But like a daughter or a sister.'
'Not like a daughter or a sister! I've seen the way you look at me. What's the point in lying to yourself?'
'The point?' Jack asked. 'The point? The point is, nothing can ever happen between us Sam. No matter how much either of us wants it to. Our job won't allow it, and I'm still married, remember?'
'I know,' Sam sighed. 'But can't you just, for one moment forget about all that? Stop thinking about what's wrong or right, and just do what your heart wants you to.'
Jack looked at Sam, and look in his eyes took her breath away. For a moment, they just gazed at one another, and then tentatively, Sam moved closer. Jack's silence permitted each step. When she stood before him, she spoke.
'Just...for one minute, forget everything. Pretend it's just you and me,' Sam's eyes begged him.
Jack slowly lifted his hand up to Sam's cheek. As if mesmerised, he caressed her soft skin. Sam lifted her head, and kissed him on the lips.
'This isn't right,' he said, shaking his head.
Sam looked up at him with pleading, loving eyes. Jack felt like he could drown in those eyes, and slowly they made him forget his inhibitions. This time he kissed her. Sam felt almost as if she were in a dream, he was so gentle and tender. But as passion overcame him, he kissed her more forcefully.
Finally Jack pulled himself away and they looked at each other breathlessly.
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. 'Do you...do you want to go for a coffee?'
Sam smiled. 'I'd like that.'
Together, they walked from the office.
Vivian received a call on her mobile whilst still at Joanne Richmond's house.
'What is it?' Joanne asked. 'Have they found her.
'Mrs Richmond, I'm very sorry,' Vivian said sadly.
'Oh God no,' Joanne said, her hands covering up her mouth. 'What's happened? What's happened to my daughter?'
Vivian explained to Joanne what Jack had just told her. Joanne's rigid frame seemed to crumble as she took it in that Paul had killed Melissa, and tears started to fall down her cheeks. She had lost not only a daughter but also her husband.
It was hard too for Will Holmes. Danny went to tell him what had happened.
'...I'm so sorry,' Danny finished. He felt bad for being so hard on Holmes when it was so clear now that he really had loved Melissa. Holmes covered his face, and shook his head. When he finally composed himself a little, he removed his hands and looked Danny straight in the eye.
'He's going to pay this time, isn't he?'
Danny nodded. 'Paul Richmond is going to be locked away for a very long time.'
At the office, there was a sad feeling in the air. It was always like this, when the person who had been missing turned out to be dead. It was quite a contrast to the upbeat, happy atmosphere they had when they had just found someone, alive and well, and reunited them with their loved ones.
Sam was filing away Melissa's case late that evening. She pulled down the photograph of the smiling blonde girl. Jack was right, she did look a lot like Sam had done when she was younger. Perhaps to her father she had just been a cheap tart and a whore, but in Sam's eyes she was just a girl who had fallen for the wrong guy.
She could see how Will Holmes had fallen for her. She looked just like her mother, but younger and if possible prettier. And now she was dead. Sam always got a shiver down her spine looking at as photograph of someone who was dead; when it had been taken, they had been alive.
'Are you alright?' A voice startled Sam and made her spin around. It was Jack, walking out of his office.
Sam smiled weakly and nodded.
'You should be getting home, it's late,' Jack said, looking at his watch.
'Nothing much to get home for,' Sam shrugged. 'I was just thinking about this poor girl.'
'It's tragic,' Jack sighed.
'I just don't understand how a father could kill his own daughter,' Sam said shaking her head. 'No matter what she had done, she was still his daughter.'
'Richmond was a man used to solving his problems with violence. I guess he just couldn't cope with his anger and disappointment with his daughter, and just lashed out.'
'Do you think he killed Sandy Holmes?' Sam asked.
Jack shrugged. 'He seemed to proclaim his innocence as much as Holmes object it.'
'Don't you think if he'd confessed to killing his daughter, he would have confessed to killing Sandy as well?'
'Not necessarily,' Jack shook his head. 'Perhaps he thought confessing to two murders would make his situation even worse. Or maybe he had been saying he was innocent so much that he came to believe it himself. I think he would have been more than capable of killing Sandy, if he could kill his own daughter. If he really did love her that much it could have made him angry enough to do it.'
'What a horrible way to express love,' Sam shuddered.
'I guess some people can't express their love properly...' Jack stopped. The topic of love was risky territory. 'I should go.'
'Don't go,' Sam said softly. 'Melissa reminded me of myself in some ways. After what you said about picturing me to look like her at that age, it made me think. The similarities go beyond looks. I mean, both falling for the wrong man...'
'Don't Sam...' Jack said sharply.
'Why?' she asked. 'Why must we keep pretending? Don't tell me you don't feel the same way.'
'I do love you Sam,' Jack said, lowering his eyes. 'But like a daughter or a sister.'
'Not like a daughter or a sister! I've seen the way you look at me. What's the point in lying to yourself?'
'The point?' Jack asked. 'The point? The point is, nothing can ever happen between us Sam. No matter how much either of us wants it to. Our job won't allow it, and I'm still married, remember?'
'I know,' Sam sighed. 'But can't you just, for one moment forget about all that? Stop thinking about what's wrong or right, and just do what your heart wants you to.'
Jack looked at Sam, and look in his eyes took her breath away. For a moment, they just gazed at one another, and then tentatively, Sam moved closer. Jack's silence permitted each step. When she stood before him, she spoke.
'Just...for one minute, forget everything. Pretend it's just you and me,' Sam's eyes begged him.
Jack slowly lifted his hand up to Sam's cheek. As if mesmerised, he caressed her soft skin. Sam lifted her head, and kissed him on the lips.
'This isn't right,' he said, shaking his head.
Sam looked up at him with pleading, loving eyes. Jack felt like he could drown in those eyes, and slowly they made him forget his inhibitions. This time he kissed her. Sam felt almost as if she were in a dream, he was so gentle and tender. But as passion overcame him, he kissed her more forcefully.
Finally Jack pulled himself away and they looked at each other breathlessly.
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. 'Do you...do you want to go for a coffee?'
Sam smiled. 'I'd like that.'
Together, they walked from the office.