19 Victim Support
Daniel had stayed about five steps behind his dad since they'd left the car in the hospital parking lot. He didn't want to have to go with Alex or his grandpa, he wanted to watch his father, see what he did when he was working and so, not only did he keep his distance, but he stayed silent too, hoping that he would, for a while at least, be forgotten.
There were two uniformed officers in the main hallway of the ER and Steve went straight to them.
"Guys, where's Detective Yeager?"
"In the doctors' lounge, Sir. She told us you knew where it was and to wait here for you. Now we'll go to the OR. She said that it was almost impossible to get to someone there, but that we should be on hand just in case."
"The victim survived?" Steve was astounded, he hadn't called on his way in because he'd been too close and in too much of a hurry, but also, he knew, he hadn't wanted to hear about Susan's death over the phone.
"Oh yeah, barely. Twice they had to revive her before she even got to the operating room." It was the other officer now, and Steve saw that he was looking just a little grey.
"Are you alright?" Steve had, almost unconsciously, begun writing down what the two officers said.
"Yeah, I don't like hospitals, never have, but it goes with the job so I just swallow hard and think of the overtime."
Steve smiled a small smile, but he wanted to be on his way. "If you need me I'll be in the doctors' lounge." He didn't wait for a reply but strode down the hallway, and his son, quietly and carefully, followed him.
ooo
The two hospital security guards both had a mug of sweet tea in front of them which they'd been told to drink down before beginning their statements. Rae had made herself an herbal tea with one of the bags she kept in her jacket pocket. The three of them were sitting around the table, looking at each other but saying nothing.
The notes that she'd taken when speaking with Susan were running in audio form through her mind, dark hair, glasses, and a goatee beard. She had been in touch with the public relations department at the station and knew that by now they would have passed on details of Dominic's new appearance to the papers ready for their Thursday editions. Rae realized that it would do no good, he wouldn't look like that the next time he went hunting, and she wondered what parts of his routine, his signature, he would feel able to change other than his appearance. Maybe they should mention the hair, although it seemed that the victims were dead before that happened, the feet, they could tell the media about the feet, but even then, when that happened, they were as good as dead, incapacitated and probably so terrified that escaping was beyond them.
"Rae." The one word made her look up and she saw her husband standing in the doorway, he was shaking, his face was haunted and she rushed towards him.
"Jesse? It's ok, Honey, it's ok." Rae looked around, she didn't want to embarrass him or the security guards, but if Jesse didn't sit down she was sure he would fall down instead.
"Rae!" This time her name was said with an urgency and command that only came from her partner and she looked up the relief evident on her face.
"Steve, I have to get Jesse somewhere that he can rest." Rae had her arm around him now, and Jesse was leaning against her, needing her presence, her reassurance, his eyes closed as he listened to her. "The security guards, I haven't started to interview them yet. My … my notes are on the table. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Steve had taken in the entire scene in one glance. He nodded, looked into the doctors' lounge, saw the notebook, the men, even the clock on the wall, and then smiled.
"Go, I'll read over what you've got so far and then start."
Rae just nodded, Steve had all the information that she did apart from her talk with Susan, and so she knew she didn't have to say anything else. Instead she carefully turned Jesse so he was facing in the direction of the elevator and then, slowly, they walked away leaving Daniel sitting quietly outside the doctors' lounge wondering what was going to happen next.
ooo
Steve watched his two closest friends as they left the ER, not turning away until the doors to the elevator closed and he could no longer see them. A movement by his side reminded him of his son's presence and he sat down, his long legs stretched out in front of him as he made himself comfortable.
"I'll get a nurse to check if Grandpa or Alex is available. I have no idea how long I'm gonna be here. Or I can call Mom, Juan can come get you."
"Dad, please, I won't tell anyone what I see or hear, but please let me stay, just a while longer. Get Juan to start out in an hour. I'll get up for school, I promise."
Steve was torn, he had work to do, vital work, but he had a responsibility to his son as well. The fact that Daniel wanted to stay, to watch him work, thrilled him. But this was a serious murder case; all of them were, but this one even more so. He turned to tell his son that he had to go home but the look of expectance, of love on the boy's face made the words die on his lips.
"Just don't tell your mom, ok?"
"Sure, Dad, no problem." Daniel settled happily in his seat and Steve, with a deep sigh, got back to his feet and went into the doctors' lounge.
The two men had finished their drinks and were sitting, one looking at his fingers as he moved one thumb round and round the other, the second man, seemingly unable to take his eyes off what his companion was doing, followed the actions of the hands almost without blinking.
"Hi, I'm Lieutenant Steve Sloan; I'm guessing you know why it's now me and not Detective Yeager going to do the questioning."
"Yeah, she know that doctor?" The guard twiddling his thumbs stopped the movements and looked up.
Steve was so used to everyone at the hospital realizing that his partner was married to his best friend that for a moment he was confused. "Um, yes, they're married. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."
Gradually, as Steve made notes and Daniel listened from his vantage point in the hallway the first guard, who had introduced himself as Clinton Knapak, began to speak.
"Frank called us, he was hysterical y'know, said that he'd seen one of the nurses from here being stabbed. Almost everyone answered his call but we was closest and so we just took off. Todd ran round the back of the building and me, I ran down the path and came into the little garden from the front."
Clinton paused and the man Steve now knew as Todd went to continue but paused as Rae entered the room.
"Don't mind me, please just carry on." She sat down quietly on the last remaining chair round the table and smiled encouragingly. Her positive action seemed to help Todd and he began to speak, carrying right on from where his partner had stopped.
"I heard her scream, I was still the other side of the admin building and I raced round …" He paused, his face reflecting the horror he felt as he relived the moments when he saw both Susan and the most wanted man in LA right there in front of him. For a while neither man spoke, and Steve, after letting them gather themselves a little, tried to draw them back into the conversation.
"Look, I know this is hard for you, I also know that you have a real good idea who it was out there. Anything you can give us, anything at all, will help bring this investigation closer to an end. So, take your time, but try to focus on the little things as well as the big, because with your assistance we will get this guy sooner rather than later."
The room was silent, and Daniel took a moment to move into the lounge and sit down again on a more comfortable chair. The words his dad had spoken seemed to be working, both men were looking slightly more relaxed, more in control of the situation, and gradually the guard called Todd began to talk again.
"She was on the ground; there was blood on her back, high up on her back and her feet. He was standing over her, towering over her, although he wasn't that tall. He had her hair in his hand, pulling her off the path with it, like … like a puppet … and the knife, the knife was on her throat." This time he couldn't continue and Clinton began to speak again.
"I yelled at him, 'hey you' or something, I don't know what, and for a moment, he just stood, and then he … he sliced at her hair, and she fell. I guess I stopped, for a second, and he began to run, off towards the road, it's not far from there to the highway, and … well, Todd chased him, but he lost him. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. The guy is dangerous, extremely dangerous, and by doing what you did it looks like you saved Nurse Hilliard's life."
"She was conscious, you know, how could she be? I thought for sure she was dead, but she grabbed my hand, held it tight, Clint called the paramedics over, and then she did faint. Her hand just sort of let go of mine and … well, we haven't seen her since."
Steve nodded his head; he would need to speak with the crew who brought her in as well, and the guy who had spotted the attack in the first place. For a moment he looked up and into the eyes of his son, sitting inside the room now, a look of rapt attention on his face and Steve knew that it was going to be a long night for at least one of them.
ooo
The drive to Oak Place had been made in almost total silence. Once or twice Rae had heard Jesse try to stifle a sob, and she had glanced at him, not wanting to embarrass him or make him feel worse, knowing instinctively that he needed to be home first. Rae had left Jesse in the on call room on one of the surgical floors, not wanting him to be somewhere that he could be pressured into coming back to work. By the time the security guards had been interviewed Jesse had been fast asleep and so Rae had spoken to the paramedics as well, while Steve spoke with Frank Marshall.
She had called ahead to let Juan know that they were coming, and was relieved to see the lights all on and the door already open as she pulled up in front of the house. Jesse climbed out of the car, said nothing, but made his way inside, nodding at Juan as he did so. Rae made sure that the car was locked, pocketed her keys and then spoke quietly to the Spanish butler before watching him make his way down the driveway and back to his usual abode.
"Jess?" Her voice echoed around the entrance hall and she listened for a moment hoping that she hadn't woken her eldest daughter. There was no noise to indicate that she had and so, a little more quietly, Rae called his name again.
"In here." The two words were softly and hesitantly spoken, Rae followed them and entered the breakfast room which was still in darkness, and saw her husband, silhouetted by the light shining in through the French doors to the garden, sitting like a small child as far into the corner of the sofa as was possible.
Rae didn't know how to begin, what to say and so instead she sat next to him, carefully took his hand into her own and waited.
"I'm sorry. I stopped you from working; do you want to go back?" He looked at her, the fear in his eyes showing that 'yes' wasn't a viable option right now, not that she would have gone anyway.
"Of course not, what do you think I have Steve for?" She smiled, the love she felt, along with the need to protect and shelter him from the pain he was feeling, causing her to speak lightly to cover her emotions.
"I couldn't do it, I couldn't go operate on her, I was … so … so angry, so … how could someone do that, Rae? You have to catch him." Jesse was on his feet now, having pulled his hand from hers, and she swallowed down the anger she felt towards the man responsible for his comments.
"I know, and we're trying, but it's easier said than done."
"Then it shouldn't be. Talk to her, get all the information you can and then go get him. Please … Rae … go get him."
His anger hadn't lasted long, leaving as quickly as it had arrived, and he flopped back down beside his wife, turning towards her and finally letting the tears fall on her shoulder.
"When … when I saw her … and … I thought she was dead." He stopped, taking a deep breath that hiccupped into a sob causing him to cough, shake and fight for composure and Rae held him, saying nothing for almost five minutes as the tears fell again.
Rae waited, wondering what he was going to say. She knew that he had cared for Susan very much. Their relationship had be stormy but passionate, and she realised just how scared she still was that one day he might leave and return to his first love and his words when he felt he could speak again did nothing to allay her fears.
"Rae, she doesn't have anyone else, will you let me go sit with her?"
Numbly she nodded her head, willing herself to stay calm, to be helpful and supportive, when all she really wanted to do was to scream out NO. The realistic side of her knew that Jesse was just doing what he would for any friend, she knew how kind he was, it was one of the reasons she loved him so much, and it was only natural that he would want to help Susan. The jealous side of her though could think of all sorts of reasons why she should tell him not to go, but she knew that she wouldn't use any of them. Finally, taking a deep breath and finding a smile from somewhere she ran her hand through his tousled hair and kissed him lightly on the temple.
"Not tonight though, you need to sleep, I'll drop you off at the hospital in the morning on my way to work."
"But what if …"
"Jess, no, not tonight, you need a good night's rest. If she doesn't make it you being there or not will have little influence on the outcome. If she does, well then she will know you're there tomorrow, and it'll have been worthwhile."
Jesse nodded, he really was too tired to think about it any longer, his mind was spinning, a quiet evening in the ER discussing pleasant things had turned into a whirlwind of horror. The memories of rushing to save someone, having to do it again as the shock began to take hold, and then, the total inability to operate flooded his mind. He guessed he shouldn't have even considered doing it anyway, but his own reaction hadn't occurred to him and had surprised him with its intensity.
He got to his feet slowly, his entire body felt heavy, almost too heavy to move and he watched Rae make a cursory check of the room, missing Vicki's presence and he wondered how she was getting on.
Rae seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled. "I would imagine that the dinner with her folks is over now. I wonder what they thought of her new boyfriend." Their nanny had asked for an extra two days holiday so that she could introduce her young man to her mom and dad. Rae and Jesse knew how hard she worked, how much she did for them and had been happy to grant her request. After the attack on Rae and Anneya though, they'd had to work hard to persuade her to continue with her vacation plans and both of them hoped that she was having a good time.
Once the checks were done, the two of them climbed the stairs together and made their way into their suite of rooms via the nursery to check on their daughters. Both little girls were fast asleep, their innocence shining brightly as they dreamt.
ooo
Rae stood in the shower for longer than usual letting the water beat down comfortingly on her body. She had insisted that Jesse wash first, knowing that he was exhausted and needed his rest more than she.
He hadn't argued, just nodded his head before leaving his clothes in a pile next to the laundry basket and disappearing into the bathroom. She had tidied up after him with a tolerant smile, turned the bed down, and written I love you on a small piece of paper that she left on his pillow. The same note had moved across the bed by the time she returned. The addition of three kisses and a little heart made her smile and she looked over at her husband as she began to pull open the drawer with her nightwear in.
"No, Rae, don't." The words, spoken with a longing and insistence, which thrilled her, caused her body to respond and she turned and climbed into bed, moving closer to him as she did so.
"It's you I love, you I need, always, Rae, always." His lips found hers then, and as his fingers began to move gently across her back she let her jealousy and uncertainty dissolve as she melted into his embrace.
ooo
The alarm ringing relentlessly next to him made Daniel groan and put his head under the pillow. Still he could hear it, its volume getting louder the longer he let it go unanswered. Finally, getting out of bed and moving across to his desk, he thumped it, hard, and silence returned.
"It's your own fault, if you put it by the bed you wouldn't have to get up to switch it off, but if you put it by your bed you wouldn't get up!" Daniel shook his head, now he was talking to himself, tired and crazy, what a great way to start a Thursday.
By the time he got downstairs he was at least awake, and seeing both his mom and dad at the breakfast table again, as well as his Uncle David was enough to make him smile broadly as he said his good mornings.
"Your Daddy told me that he was mighty proud of you last night." Jo smiled back at her eldest son, she had neglected him since Jayden had been born and was glad that he had been able to remain with Steve as long as he had.
For a moment Daniel was silent, but then he looked at his parents. "I never really thought about all the work that goes into a case, y'know. I wondered why you would get Grandpa or Jesse to help sometimes. But last night, just in that one place, you had five people to speak with, and everyone had something different to say, a different perspective to put on things."
Steve had been nodding his head, delighted at the interest that Daniel was taking, but also pleased that he seemed to see a slightly bigger picture than most people and then his son spoke again.
"Still, it was a shame that I didn't see you pull your gun, slam someone to the floor and then arrest them. That's what you usually do, isn't it?" Hoping that his dad wouldn't see Daniel stole a glance at his mom, his grin telling her that he was joking.
He was about to reply, to tell his son that police work was ninety percent paper work and leg work when he saw the glint in his eye, the amusement on his face and that of his mom and he put his head back and laughed, "Ok, you got me."
David had been watching, enjoying the family life that his sister had without saying a word. He'd thought that when he married Debbie and they had their child that he was settled for life. He had a woman he loved dearly; a beautiful daughter and then it all disappeared. He had received mail that morning, not that anyone else knew yet, and it just added another layer to his mountain of problems, and he knew that this time it could cost him millions.
ooo
The trip back to his apartment had been fraught with dangers, both real and imaginary. Every car that passed him, every person on the sidewalk, seemed to be looking at him. He had blood on his shirt, his jeans too were soaked with it, but he couldn't change, couldn't get rid of any of it until he got home. In the end he had found a dark but empty alleyway and waited there until the cars and pedestrians had thinned to a trickle before he made his way, hugging the buildings and staying away from street lights, home.
The hair, at least he had some of her hair, and the time spent brushing it lovingly, fixing it with a barrette and putting her name on it, had calmed him enough that he could think what to do next.
All night part of him had waited for the bang to come on the door, the cuffs to click around his wrists, but nothing. There was never any sound in his hallway anyway, but somehow it seemed even quieter than usual.
As the sun came up he had finally dropped off to sleep on the sofa, the hair now in its space in the third bedroom, the photos too up on the wall, and he felt more at peace. She might be dead, she might not, and that was causing an ache inside him that wouldn't go away, but from the recognition point of things, well, he would never look like Nika ever again, he had no need to worry. He knew though, that he would need to keep a low profile, at least for a week or so, but now that he had Susan's hair, Susan's picture to keep him company he was sure he could do that.
ooo
Rae had arrived at the station a little after a quarter to nine. Eliana and Anneya were with Sally and she had dropped Jesse off at the hospital, his car still being there from the night before. The plan for her to spend the Thursday at home had been shelved as soon as Susan had been attacked. Anneya, still silent and scared, had been tearful in the car but Sally had cuddled her close, stroking her hair and then introduced her to the new baby again, even though they had met before. Gradually, over the course of ten minutes or so, the little girl had begun to relax, picking up toys, putting them back down, until she found a wooden train set. The engine was attached to four open carriages, each one with two different shapes cut inside it, and there were eight passengers and a driver, with corresponding shapes as their base, all of them had to be fitted into the right places. Anneya, as always nowadays, in her silent world, sat on the carpet and began sorting the little men out. Rae had taken that opportunity to leave. Eliana was already mothering the baby and Sally, nodding her approval, watched as Rae slipped off to work, knowing that her children were both safe and happy for as long as she needed to be away from them.
She smiled as she drank her coffee, thinking back to the previous evening. Rae knew that Jesse's lovemaking had been the result of an almost primal need to regain control of his life, but she had needed it too, needed to hear him tell her that she was the most important woman in his life, and now, even though she was still worried about him, about Susan, and about them being together, she felt confident that he would remain with her.
A copy of the interview notes from the previous evening was on the desk in front of her and, looking around, Rae tried to catch sight of her partner. He was easily spotted talking intently with the Captain and so she picked up the first sheet trying to concentrate on that, all the while wondering what it was they were talking about.
The piece of paper just told her that Mark, Amanda and Ron were coming to Beverly Hills on the Friday evening to discuss the Red Rose killings, and he would like both Jesse and herself to join them too. She made a note in her diary and then began to read through the other pages. Steve's notes, as she would expect, were detailed and comprehensive. As she read them she sympathized with the guards who had witnessed the attack and found Susan, and marvelled at the level headedness of the paramedics who had got her to the ER in record time keeping her as stable as was possible in the process.
One of the things that Rae did want, however, wasn't there and so, picking up the phone, she dialed the familiar number and then waited for the main switchboard to answer her call.
"Hi, this is Detective Yeager, LAPD, North Hollywood Precinct, could I speak with Frank Marshall please?"
The line went silent for a moment or two and then she heard a voice in her ear.
"This is Frank Marshall."
"Hi, Mr. Marshall, this is Detective Yeager, I'm sorry we didn't get to meet yesterday, but I wonder if you could do me a favour."
"Sure, Detective, if I can." The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little surprised, and Rae had to smile.
"What I need is a map of the hospital and grounds, especially the grounds, with all the security cameras and the areas they cover highlighted on it. Do you think you could provide me with one?"
"Um, yeah, I guess so. I'll need to speak with my superior first. Can I call you back?"
Rae sighed; she wanted to get things done quickly, but she guessed that the man just wanted to protect his own position.
"Detective?"
"Yeah, sorry. Ok. Call me back, and then I'll get a black and white to come over and pick it up."
"Are you on the same number as Lieutenant Sloan?"
"Yes, that's right; I'll talk to you soon." Rae heard the man bid her goodbye and then, unable to take the investigation in the direction she wanted Rae wandered over to where Cheryl was sitting and an idea suddenly flitted through her mind.
"Hi, how's it going?" Cheryl heard Rae's voice and looked up; she had been so busy lately, at work and home, that she and her friend had very little time to talk.
"Not bad, well, not bad for here that is." Cheryl looked down and groaned as she saw her covered desk.
"What are you working on?" Rae was curious, there seemed to be a lot of different folders in front of the other cop.
"Don't ask!" This time Cheryl rolled her eyes and heard her friend laugh. "I'm having a cold case morning, and right now I'd rather be anywhere but here. These old cases always make me feel such a failure. All the successes seem to fade away as soon as I start to look at the ones I haven't solved."
"Well, I could take your mind off them for just a minute, if you would like."
"Sure, what is it you want?" Cheryl smiled and took a drink of coffee as she relaxed back in her chair to listen to what Rae had to say.
"Did you hear what happened to Anneya and me on Tuesday?"
"Yeah, I did, are you both ok? I'm sorry, I should have asked."
Rae waved her apology away with her hand and then began to talk again. "He knew who I was, knew who Texas was. Cheryl, have you or Martin seen anyone hanging around?"
Cheryl shook her head. "We can't see the road from our place, but I'll ask Martin if he's seen anything when he's been doing yard work. One of the things about Oak Place though, is that somehow it's easier to see in from the road than it is to see out from the house, if you get what I mean."
"Yeah I do. I guess it's because you have the opportunity for a full vision splay from outside, whereas inside the windows prevent you seeing round corners."
"What did the guy look like?" Cheryl was worried when she saw Rae look away. "Rae?"
"I … I don't know. I was so scared, scared for my baby, scared for me. All I could think of was keeping Anneya safe, and then … then when I was shot, I couldn't think about anything but being shot. I have no idea what he looked like. I think he was taller than me, mainly because most people are, but also, the gun was flat on my neck, which would mean he didn't have a problem holding it there, and … and when he hit me, well, if he was shorter than me, he wouldn't have been able to do that, would he?" Rae had sat down as she spoke, and looked up in surprise as she felt Cheryl's hand cover her own.
"Rae, your instincts took over, you're a mom, of course you would protect your child first, and it's not that long since you were injured, it will still be at the front of your mind." Cheryl paused for a moment thinking of something else she could ask which, hopefully wouldn't upset her friend quite so much. "If you don't know what he looked like, how about sound? What sort of accent did he have?"
"Texan, a deep voice, and the accent was very strong. Stronger than Texas's, and … I don't know, maybe slightly different too, as if it was from a different part of the same area." Rae looked at Cheryl, not sure if what she said made sense, but Texas, the state, was so big that she imagined that people from one end of it would sound totally different to those from the other.
"Ok, so Texan, male, probably taller than you, anything else."
"His name is Wayne McCaulay and he used to be a cop."
"How do you know that?" Cheryl looked astounded. She hadn't asked for the guy's name because it hadn't occurred to her that Rae would know it.
"He's been targeting Texas for a while, and he told Jesse who he was and what he had done."
This time Cheryl smiled, a beautiful smile that lit up her whole face. "Oh I love it. He is so confident he's bound to fall. Do you know who's dealing with this?"
"Yeah, someone at the Beverly Hills PD. Why? Are your fingers itching?"
"Oh yeah, they sure are. I'll talk with Martin, and I'm gonna look this guy up; get me a picture and description. I know he might have changed but it's a start."
"And your cold cases?" Rae looked at the discarded and forgotten folders on Cheryl's desk and heard her groan.
"Oh that's it, ruin my day! Thirty minutes, I've earned thirty minutes off, then I'll go back to people like Marmaduke Fox and try and work out who killed him. Deal?"
"Deal." Rae smiled, as she did so her phone rang and she made her way back to her desk, her own few minutes rest already over.
ooo
Mark walked slowly down the hallway of the ICU until he got to the room he was looking for. It wasn't hard to spot, there were two cops standing one either side of the doorway. Stopping for a moment he showed his ID to the slightly less menacing of the two and then waited for his name to be checked on the list.
"Ok, Doctor Sloan, that's fine, you can go on in."
"Thank you." Mark could see the reason for his visit sitting, slightly hunched up, next to the bed. "Jesse?"
"Oh, hi, Mark."
"How is she?" He picked up the chart from the end of the bed, perusing it as he spoke. The details showed the injuries that Susan had received, the treatment she'd had both for the stab wounds and the shock as well as the medication that was being given to her.
"Ok, she's stable now. Her vital signs are good. She was lucky, Mark, physically she's gonna be fine, but mentally, it will take a lot of work I think."
He nodded; knowing that what Jesse was saying was very true. "Jess, I got in touch with her husband, he's flying over."
"Her husband? I thought they were divorced." Jesse looked up in shock.
"No, I checked her records, he's down as her next of kin, and he told me that although they are separated he had hoped that once she had been apart from him for a while that they would get back together again."
"Oh." Jesse didn't know what else to say. He wasn't interested in a relationship with Susan, but she had been injured while on a date, she had gone to the movies with him, and he was sure that she hadn't been home alone all the time between the two. But he was glad that her husband was coming, he knew how much he had needed to see Rae when he had been injured, at first that was, and he hoped that she would feel that way too.
"How long will it take him to get here?"
"About twenty, twenty-two hours, depending on customs. He has to change in London." Mark checked the time on his watch. "I would imagine that he'll be at the hospital in the morning."
"I'm off tomorrow, I was gonna come back and sit with her, but I'll stay away, help Rae find the monster that did this to her."
"That's a good idea, I'm going over to Steve's tomorrow night, review what he has so far. I'm guessing that you and Rae will be invited, Amanda and Ron as well."
Jesse smiled, just like the old days; the days that he still missed, but understood now were gone forever. Ron, Jo, Rae, they were added extras, they all brought something new to the mix, more experience, a different perspective, individual expertise, and he knew that, as a team, they were stronger for their presence.
ooo
By the time the morning was over Rae was beginning to feel disillusioned. Cheryl's mood had been catching and she had sat, going over page after page of notes, looking but not seeing, until in the end she had left her desk and gone for a walk down to the front desk and then out into the early afternoon sunlight.
Something was going on with Steve, she didn't know what it was, but he and the captain had been holed up together for the entire day, and that was almost unheard of when a case of the Red Rose Killer's enormity was making headlines. She had seen them look over at her more than once during their meeting and was beginning to feel that her life was being planned without her permission.
Rae moved over to where her car was parked, switched off the alarm, and leant up against it. The sun was warm on her face, and she closed her eyes and let the world slip away, just for a moment. In three weeks time she would have been a police officer for twenty years and, in the occasional quiet moment, had begun to question whether she really wanted to work at the same job for another twenty.
Days like today, when she was forced to go over and over murders committed by one person sure in the knowledge that they had absolutely no idea where he was, made her wonder if she would actually last the three weeks, let alone keep going until she retired. Her time in Los Angeles had been challenging from the start, but it had also been wonderful, happy, fulfilling, as well as terrifying and deadly too. She knew that, overall, she wouldn't change her life so far, but wondered whether, if she didn't consider the possibility of change in the future, she would still feel that way in one, two, maybe five years from now.
With a groan she pushed herself up off her car, reset the alarm and then made her way back inside. Tomorrow she and Jesse would have time to spend with their daughters, Anneya had a party to attend in the afternoon, and she was planning to take them out for the day on Saturday, maybe to Malibu, so they could see Mark and Alex, and then to Ben and Jerry's for ice cream before they headed home again. The thought of two days spent with her family cheered Rae considerably and, with a lighter step, she made her way back inside to do her job to the best of her ability for the remainder of her shift.