Our Lips Are Sealed
By starlitestarbrite2
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Cold Case, that is owned by the studios that make it. I own this plotline and I don't believe I have read a story with the same plotline or seen any shows with the same plotline. Any similarities are purely coincidental.
Author's Notes: Before I start, I'd just like to say that even though this story is set in 1989, the music comes from the 80's, so no nitpicking please. But it definitely is 80's music.
Synopsis:
Lilly and Scotty are called to re-open the brutal 1989 murder of a popular head cheerleader.
Chapter 2:
Detective Lilly Rush leaned back at her desk tiredly. Her blonde hair looked neater than usual that morning and Lilly took the time to marvel at how lack of sleep could do strange things as a person.
Nick Vera dropped a file on her desk.
"Annnd it's another cold one." He announced, as though this was a new thing.
Lilly sipped her latte, amused.
"Just how I like them." She quipped.
"Good morning, Rush, Vera." Said Detective Scotty Valens as he entered the office, his suit coat slung over his shoulder and a coffee in his hand.
"Valens, you're late." Smirked Lilly.
"I know, I'm sorry." Said Scotty, rolling his eyes. "So, what's the soup of the day?"
Lilly skimmed through the file.
"Dawn Rivers. 1989. Head cheerleader at Columbus High. Shot in the back 10 times after being tortured." Said Lilly.
Scotty was flipping through the manila file.
"Eurgh. Crime scene photo isn't pretty." He commented with a grimace.
Lilly inhaled sharply after glancing at it briefly.
"Why are we investigating it? Any leads?" she asked.
"Melody Timbs, her best friend – the one who found her – she's been harassed by a man over her murder." Explained Will Jeffries, entering the office and taking a seat.
"And she's innocent?" Lilly guessed.
"A lot of people find that hard to believe after the way she acted in high school." Said Vera, shrugging.
"A cheerleader too?" asked Valens.
Jeffries nodded.
"Not hard to see why they feel that way." Said Rush, smiling slightly. "Valens, let's go to Melody's house, look into these harassment claims."
Valens nodded. "I'll get the car."
Lilly was astounded at the sight of the house when she and Scotty arrived. A beautiful mansion sat behind a white picket fence and a beautifully manicured lawn. The house was like something out of a magazine.
She and Valens exchanged glances.
"Well off." Valens commented dryly.
"She's married to a plastic surgeon." Explained Lilly.
"Aren't they all?"
Lilly laughed. She and Valens walked towards the door. Lilly rang the doorbell.
"Hello?" asked a 33 year old Melody Timbs. The brown halter neck top and golden colour pants spelt money to Lilly.
Lilly saw her as the brunette cheerleader of 1989, brown hair curled in all the right places, soft blue eyeshadow and frosted pink lipstick. All cheerleaders in the 80's had frosted pink lipstick, Lilly remembered that distinctly.
"Detectives Lilly Rush and Scott Valens, homicide." Said Lilly, as she and Scotty showed her their badges.
Melody opened the door wider. "Come in."
Lilly looked around the lobby. There were photos of Melody with her husband and their three children.
"Nice house." She commented.
Melody smiled nervously.
She showed them to the lounge, where Lilly and Scotty sat down on a plush burgundy sofa.
"Ms. Timbs, you told our department that you're being harassed. Do you know the man who's been harassing you?" asked Scotty.
"Oh yeah," said Melody, remembering with a mixture of shame and distaste. "His name is Melvin Burgess."
FLASHBACK
September 25, 1989: Columbus High School Cafeteria.
"So, did you head about April Donovan?" asked Kirstin Jenkins, another cheerleader and friend of Dawn and Melody, smiling nastily.
Dawn, sitting across from her, fluffed out her long blonde hair. "No! Spill!"
"Apparently," Kirstin began, leaning forward in her her seat. "Her mom got fired from that second-hand store she was working at and now they're going on welfare. I heard from Tiffany that April is buying dog food to feed their family!"
Dawn snickered, so did Melody. "What is the dog food going to improve her art ability or something?"
Melody snorted with laughter. "So, Dawn, has that freak been harassing you lately?" she asked.
Dawn's blue eyes grew wide as she turned to talk about her favourite subject: herself.
"Melvin Burgess? Oh my God, yes!" said Dawn, an utterly disgusted look on her face. "No matter how many times I've told him to stay the hell away, he keeps coming back for more."
"You'll never drink again, right?" laughed Kirstin.
A shadow fell over the table.
"Hi Dawn." Said a scruffy looking boy, materializing seemingly out of nowhere." He pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Melvin, what don't you understand about 'never going to happen'? Can you go off to whatever Star Trek convention you come from and stay there preferably, like, forever?" said Dawn cruelly, while her cronies smirked.
Melvin looked as though he had been punched in the stomach. He dropped his head.
"Come on, Melvin, let's go." Said a pretty redhead in overalls, carrying her plastic orange tray with her tall, skinny boyfriend beside her. They were trying to comfort Melvin, who they were obviously friends with.
"What's wrong April? You don't have enough corners to work to feed your family?" Dawn snarled viciously.
April dropped her eyes, feeling wounded. Her boyfriend stepped in.
"Shut up, Dawn. Why would anyone want to take over your territory?" he asked. He put his arm around April and led her and Melvin away.
END OF FLASHBACK
"You and Dawn were quite the little charmers, weren't you?" said Lilly dryly.
Melody looked guilty.
"It was high school. I was a different person then. When you're a cheerleader, it's like you and your friends, who are also cheerleaders or jocks are in this airtight bubble- you rule the school. I've changed since then."
"You said that Dawn regretted drinking because of something to do with Melvin. What do you mean by that?" asked Scotty.
"One night, at a party we crashed- Melvin was there. Dawn got incredibly drunk and ended up giving Melvin a goodnight kiss. After that, Melvin was convinced they were meant to be. Dawn never wanted to have anything to do with him again." Said Melody.
"He was outside the bubble." Lilly put in.
"Exactly."
"And he's been harassing you, you say?" asked Scotty.
"I ran into him in the supermarket and he accused me, very loudly, of murdering my best friend!" said Melody, clearly upset.
"You see, if you ran into him by chance once, that does not count as harassment." Said Valens.
"What he said was harassment!" said Melody indignantly.
"He exercised his right to freedom of speech." Said Lilly, shaking her head.
"OK. Do you think he could have killed Dawn?" asked Scotty.
"Dawn was not the nicest person at Columbus. Many people could have killed her after the way she tortured them." Said Melody, shrugging slightly.
Scotty looked unconvinced.
"Look, my children were with me in the supermarket when Melvin accused me. I need you to prove to them and the rest of the people who knew Dawn that I am innocent." She said, pleadingly.
"We'll look into Melvin Burgess." Said Lilly, as she and Scotty stood up to leave. "We'll do everything we can."
Lilly and Scotty stood in the doorway.
"Please, you're my only hope." Said Melody.
"Goodbye, Ms. Timbs."
"What do you think?" said Lilly.
"Some desperate people do crazy things when they can't let go." Said Scotty, getting in the car.
"We'll get some lunch and call Vera to find out this guy's address. Then we'll find out where this guy lives." Said Lilly.
"Sounds great. Want Chinese?" asked Valens, turning the key in the ignition.
"Sounds great!" echoed Lilly.
Author's Notes: I know this chapter was short, I'm so sorry! I hope you guys are liking this story. Columbus High is just a place I made up.
Please read and review and I'll try and update soon.
;)starlitestarbrite2