My first multichapter Vegas fic. Feedback is greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
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"Yeah, well, it's always been like that,"
Two men, sitting at a bar. One staring into his drink as if it contained the secrets of the universe, the other writing something in a small notebook. Working out how much this was costing him, he had said once when asked about it. The other man wasn't convinced, but didn't say anything. The guy always bought him a drink or three, so what if he was a bit odd?
The man glanced up from his notebook long enough to glance at the clock.
"Shouldn't you be getting to work?"
"I'm late! See ya tomorrow, maybe,"
"I'm always here. You know that," On his way out, the other tried to glance in the notebook, but it was already covered.
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Idiot.
Most people are idiots, really, but he took the cake. So happy to tell me everything I want to know, I only have to do a little careful prodding for the most intimate details. This one was the easiest to arrange. A battered woman, there are more of them in Vegas than there are stars. Such simple… pleasures.
I paid for my drink, even though I hadn't really drunk it. I was too preoccupied. My companion had run up quite a bill, but it was worth it. This was just too perfect.
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The woman stared blankly up at the sky, if staring was possible with both eyes nearly swollen shut. She had been so badly beaten it was almost impossible to see a face in the grotesque mangling of vaguely human features.
Sara shivered, and knelt down beside the corpse.
"She was beaten to death," she muttered, more to herself then Gil, who was standing a few feet away, looking around.
"She was killed here," The young police officer who had been made to watch the body was nearly as pale as the body, and kept swallowing as if he was going to be sick. Sara resisted the urge to say duh. No drag marks, blood smeared everywhere…
"Any evidence yet?" asked Gil, crouching down next to her and frowning intently at the body. He reached out with a gloved fingertip and touched the swollen cheek.
"Still warm. Our guy can't have got far,"
"Shall I alert the other officers, sir?"
"For what? Detain every person within fifty miles of here for questioning?" Gil raised an eyebrow at the officer, who looked like a rabbit caught in headlights, and continued. "Until we get some evidence, it could be anybody. For all I know, you killed her then called it in,"
"No, sir, I could never-," Gil raised a hand, and he closed his mouth instantly.
"What's your name?"
"Adam Reynolds, sir,"
"What does this look like to you, Adam?"
"A tyre mark?" His face brightened. "He left by car!"
Gil shook his head pityingly. Did they just let anyone into the force these days?
"No, that mark runs under the body, which means unless he drove around a bit first before leaving that was there before,"
"Oh,"
"This was a domestic," said Sara, still staring at the woman's battered face.
"I thought I taught you better than that, Sara. We don't know for sure,"
"Sir? They're ready to take the body,"
Sara nodded to show she was all done. There wasn't really any evidence. She had found a recent-looking stain on the woman's jacket, and some stray hairs trapped in a buttonhole, but not much else.
"Take her away, Adam,"
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That was too easy. The next, however, proves a little more complicated. Maybe I will have a challenge. I will enjoy that.
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Hodges glanced up from his work as the door opened. Gil walked in, coming over to the body for a moment before going to stare at the X-rays of her face that were pinned to the wall.
"What have you got?"
"In a case like this, it would be easier for me to count what wasn't broken," Hodges bent over the body on the table. "Multiple fractures to ribs, arms, legs, face, you name it, it's broken. Cause of death, massive internal bleeding,"
"Find anything interesting?"
"Yeah. It's a bit weird though," He gestured to a tray filled with various odds and ends. "It's as if someone put the strangest things he could think of on a body, just to confuse us,"
"Such as?"
"A yo-yo in her shoe, a white powder that turned out to be icing sugar in her hair. That stain on her jacket was a mixture of hair conditioner and curry sauce,"
"It seems they have a sense of humour. Did you identify her?"
"Teresa White. Seven hospital stays in the last three months, all for various fractures, bad cuts, burns etc. The X-rays show many bruises and healed breaks as well,"
"What's her address?"
"227 Marsh Street,"
"Thanks,"
Gil left without another word.
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Nick was going back to work after a coffee break when he saw Sara in another room, staring moodily at something on the table. She was so absorbed in it she didn't seem to notice him come in.
He looked over her shoulder at the photo that held her attention so effectively.
"Ouch," he said to himself when he saw the woman in it. This must be the case Sara was working on with Gil. Sara jumped, her head snapping round to see who it was. She relaxed when she saw Nick, but didn't look any happier.
"Someone broke nearly every bone in her body. They put all these weird things on her like… like… it's just some sick game to him. Like he just wants to see us running around in circles trying to find him, following dead leads…" She sighed, and returned to staring at the photos. "This wasn't the first time either. They were always getting domestic disturbance calls to her house. I went to tell her husband she was dead. I don't think he even noticed. He was high on something,"
"Sara… I'm sure you and Gil can find this guy. He's got to have left something useful behind with all the… stuff,"
"If he has, I can't find it," Sara stood up, and hit the desk so suddenly Nick jumped. "There's nothing I can do, I know, I just feel so useless,"
"Nick?" Greg's head appeared at the door. "I think you might want to see this,"
"I've got to go,"
"Bye," Sara had sat back down. Nick followed Greg out, hoping she wouldn't stay there too long. Maybe he could talk to Gil, get someone else to take this case. It seemed like Sara's worst nightmare.
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They're still puzzling over that other woman. What a pity. I thought they were smarter than that. Unfortunately, there is no time to waste. Things will go as planned. But first, I have a very special person to meet.