Synopsis: Three weeks of leave goes faster than Lilly had expected. Before she knows it she's thrown back into the world of death and destruction after a fire at a warehouse reveals a secret that was meant to stay hidden forever.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case or William Blake's Auguries of Innocence, you couldn't trust me with them ;)
Chapter 1: Auguries of Innocence
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the Last Judgment draweth nigh.
Auguries of Innocence, William Blake
Rock music thumped dully out of the car speakers in a vain attempt to drain out his conscious, scolding him for what he had done. Sweat was trickling down his face as the car halted to a stop, scraping the hubcaps against the curb. It wasn't supposed to have turned out like this. He had meant just to scare her nothing more. He hadn't noticed that the gun wasn't on safety. It has been loaded and ready to fire. He had fingered the trigger, once again just to scare her. He wanted her to see that she should take him seriously, he wasn't to be joked about.
Gingerly he ran his fingers over the cut between his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. Slide-bite. The injury of amateur shooters. Remembering the reason he was here, he got out of the car. He looked around for a couple of minutes to make sure there were no eyes lurking in the shadows. Satisfied that he was alone he opened the trunk of his car and carefully lifted out the body before heading towards the nearby building. It was an old building, which had a frame made up mainly of wooden beams. He didn't know much about it's original purposes but it had been used as a warehouse for a small local business until recently. He tried yet again to take his mind off the weight over his shoulder by trying to remember what it was that they had sold. Furniture, maybe?
Working in the area he had learned that he main concern of the builders of these old buildings had not been security. He lay the body down by the back door before covering his hand with the sleeve of his coat and smashing it through the back window. From there he could easily reach in and turn the doorknob, effectively opening the back entrance. Luckily the lack of security in this area hadn't changed over the years.
He organized everything else quickly and carefully. It was hard since his hands were sweaty and he had a stress-induced headache. He had found everything he would need in the back of his car. He had seen this done on TV before and knew it was fairly simple. Newspaper, an oily rag, cigarettes and matches. Perfect inconspicuous fire-starter. Perfect cover-up.
From the safety of his car he watched as the flames climbed high into the night sky. Relief washed over him. It was over.
Lilly's eyes shot open and she was shocked, but relieved to find herself in her own house, in her own bed. "It was only a dream, it was only a dream she," consoled herself as she tried to regulate her breathing. She looked over at the clock; it's red digits glowing in the darkness. 5:27. Earlier than last night, but later than the night before that. She pushed back the blankets and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She hadn't slept through a night since she'd come home from the hospital. Well she had slept the first night but that probably had more to do with the medication that had still been in her system.
She was now up to her last few days of leave and although three weeks had seemed daunting at first it actually hadn't been too bad. She'd spent most of the first few days in bed, too tired and down to do anything else. Scotty had been around a couple of times over the first few days, bringing her up to speed with how their case was going. She had even received a phone call from Kite. She hadn't been there when he'd called but he'd left a message telling her that he'd been worried about her and he was glad she was all right. He had said she didn't have to call him back but he'd appreciate it if she did. Lilly was way past the point of caring about what he would or would not appreciate. She didn't return his call.
She was startled from her thoughts by the sensation of soft fur brushing against the bare skin of her arm. "Hey Olivia," she said gently stroking her. She had to admit Scotty had done a pretty good job of looking after them for her. She stood up and headed towards the bathroom. She had a long way to go yet before this day would be over.
By midday she was ready to leave. She had meant to leave earlier but had ended up on the phone to a friend and the morning had just gotten away from her. So this is what it's like yo have a normal life, she thought as she picked up her keys off the kitchen counter. "Chatting with girl-friends, shopping trips and manicures," she said as she stared down at her nails, which were an alarming shade of magenta. She supposed it was okay occasionally, but she could never live like this. She needed more excitement, more of a challenge in her life and that was what her work gave her. Although, she thought as she descended down her front steps, sometimes it would be nice if the toughest decision she had to make in a week were what colour to paint her nails.