Chapter 11
"I'm going to need your clothes," Sara informed Alex, as she walked towards her.
"I-I figured," Alex stammered. "But I don't have anything else to change into."
Sara reached into the bag she had with her and pulled out a set of coveralls. "You can change into these," she said, handing them to Alex.
"Mind giving us a little privacy?" Alex asked Nick, who hadn't moved from her side.
"Oh, yeah," he replied and walked into the hotel hall.
"You guys stay in the bathroom for a minute," Sara called to Warrick and David.
As Alex removed her clothes, Sara noticed the tattoo on Alex's back. "Nice tat," Sara remarked, causing Sophia to turn and look at it as well. "How long have you had it?"
Alex, not thinking anything of the question, responded, "About eight years. Got it in Myrtle Beach on a Spring Break."
Sophia made a note about the date of the tattoo. Both Sara and Sophia were aware of the video and Nick's observation. It was the reason Sara asked in the first place.
As Alex handed her clothes to Sara, Sara observed wet spots on Alex's cast. "What's that?" Sara asked.
Alex looked at her cast. "I don't know."
She went to touch the spots, but Sara stopped her. "I'll do that," Sara said, getting out a swab to take a sample of the matter. It tested positive as blood. "I'm going to need that," Sara pointed to Alex's cast.
"My cast?" Alex questioned.
Sara nodded.
Alex shrugged. "Ok. I was going to get it taken off in a couple days, anyway. Saves me a trip to the doctor."
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She ran her fingers through her now black hair. Damn that Alex, she thought. She had to go and dye her hair. And in turn, she had to dye her hair black too. She hadn't planned on it. She was sure Alex wasn't going to get bail and so the trail would have to stop at two. But when Alex did manage bail, she had to be prepared. She could get one last one in.
She never thought she'd get the opportunity to kill even one, actually, so three was a real treat. The first had been planned, for a long time. The first, Erin, was the one true victim. She was the one her husband had cheated with. Erin was the one she wanted dead, but afterward, she had so much pleasure from it, she wanted to do it again. And after number two, the excitement and her hubris had gotten the better of her and she decided on number three. Damn pride, she scolded herself.
However, until she met Alex, she had been drowning her anger in alcohol. But the first day she met Alex, she knew she had found the perfect scapegoat. She knew Alex had three strikes against her: the resemblance, the knowledge to do it, and a past very few people knew about.
It was chance that she and Alex even met. As she knew the story, Alex had been kidnapped and nearly killed. And when Alex got out, she needed some assistance, that's where she came in. She was working as an in-home aide.
When Alex first opened the door, Jana Sparkman couldn't believe the resemblance. They were the same height, same hair color, same skin tone, and same face shape. Of course, Jana was older, wore glasses most of the time, and had her hair in a bun, so the resemblance wasn't really apparent to anyone else. But with her hair done just right and only a passing glance, a person would be hard pressed to tell the difference. However, Alex never noticed it. She was so doped up most of the time, but who could blame her after all she'd been through?
Jana also soon learned Alex had the knowledge to commit the murders. She had a degree in biology and a surgical kit. Not to mention the subscription for Valium, which would be perfect for knocking a person out. Especially when the supposed killer is hindered by a cast. Things were shaping up for Jana.
Then, the clincher came. One day while Jana was picking up, she found a manila folder with some articles in it. From the photos accompanying the article Jana could tell it was Alex even though the story mentioned the girl's name was Lexa Corbett. Jana was going to ask Alex about it, but she was asleep and Jana didn't want to wake her. So she left, and plan was solidified.
Of course, that was the day there was a second attempt on Alex's life and she had to be a little more careful. Alex stayed with a friend for three weeks and this made Jana's plan a little more difficult. However, she convinced Alex she was still needed. So Jana was still helping her out and had started to collect her evidence—hairs, Valium, mannerisms, the ID, clothing styles, etc.—right under everyone's nose.
But now her careful planning had gone to shit. She'd gotten too caught up in her own grandeur. She didn't want to leave Vegas though. Watching Alex's trial was going to be half of the fun. Now she didn't know what she was going to do.
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Alex once again found herself in an interrogation room. This time, however, it was Sam who was with her. The questioning from Sophia hadn't started yet.
"What happened, Alex?" Sam asked. "I thought I told you to stay home."
Alex, still in the CSI coveralls that Sara had given her after taking her clothes, rolled her eyes. She hated being scolded like a child. "I couldn't sleep. I needed to get out, so I went out."
"And?" Sam was impatient with her.
"And I ran into Greg. We went back to his place."
Sam gave her a questioning look.
"Nothing happened," she told him.
"Didn't think so," Sam half-joked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she replied, giving him a playful poke.
He just smiled wider and shrugged his shoulders.
A big stupid grim crossed Alex's face. She knew what he was getting at and it was true; she couldn't deny it. Then she shook her head and the smile off her face, trying to get back to the real subject at hand. "Anyway, he kicked me out after about 20 minutes and then I went home. There was a knock on the door and then…" she shut her eyes tight, trying, once again, to remember.
She pictured herself that night. She was so angry by the time that she got home, that she had kicked the door shut. She remembered as soon as she heard it slam, there was a knock and it startled her. She couldn't imagine who would come by this late at night. She opened the door and saw…herself.
"And then?" Sam tried to end her silence.
"Every time I think about opening the door, I see myself when I open it. But I know it's not me," Alex tried to explain.
"Ok, let's go back. Greg kicked you out?" Sam asked.
Alex sighed. "Yes, we got into a fight."
"Didn't you guys break up a few days ago?" Sam tried to clarify in his own mind.
Alex nodded. "When we ran into each other, we really ran into each other," Alex started.
"Huh?" Sam didn't understand.
"Moshing," Alex responded. "We were moshing. And, I dunno, it…"
"Re-ignited the flames of passion?" Sam laughed.
Alex gave a wry smile. "Something like that, and so we went back to his place. But, before anything really happened my phone rang and we got into a fight over who it was."
"Who was it?" Sam questioned.
Alex paused. She debated how much Sam actually needed to know. The answer she came up with: everything. "It was Nick."
"Nick?"
She sighed again. "Yes, Nick, the guy who saved my life."
Sam nodded; he remembered that story.
"And to make a long story short, Greg was jealous for all the right reasons, decided he'd had enough and kicked me out," she said.
"So, you were angry?" he asked.
She gave him a dumbfounded look. She didn't know if he was asking what she thought he was. "You think I could have done this?"
He held up his hands. He wasn't trying to make her defensive. "No, I don't. But these are things they will ask you."
"Yes, I was angry. But like I said, I went home and someone came by," she replied.
"And you don't remember who?"
"Like I said, I just see myself, but it's just my mind wanting to put someone behind the door," Alex told him.
Sam remembered something he'd read in Brass's notes from earlier that evening. He flipped through the folder looking for them.
"What are you looking for?" Alex asked.
He held up his hand, motioning for her to wait. When he found what he was looking for, he spoke. "Right here," Sam replied, handing her the page.
She read the page Sam handed her. "Wait, the clerk said it was someone who looked like me, but older?"
Sam nodded. "Maybe it was you."
Alex once again thought back to last night with the idea that the person behind the door might be someone that looked like her. This time when she opened the door in her mind, she saw her. And it was the key that unlocked the entire night's events.