Sorry to leave you all hanging! It's been such a rare thing to get some moments alone to write, normally there's TVs on or people talking to me or I'm at work. But I actually managed to get a few hours alone today AND wasn't struggling with my chronic fatigue, so…I'd say "yay" but I think that's up to all of you, haha. ; )


"Paige. I didn't do it."

The officer lazily looked up at his charge. "You know her?"

"Yes," Tim said. "She was, well, we were…"

"We do have a history," Paige said, finally finding her voice, and glad she was able to say something productive as opposed to reactive. "If you think that means I shouldn't talk-"

"No, no," the officer said. "Scorpion is needed on this case, that's what I was told, anyway. I'll leave you two in private – peace," he corrected himself, glancing between the two of them again. "Don't try anything," he directed Tim.

"Is that really a necessary comment?"

"Just watch yourself."

Tim glared at the officer as he left the room. "What a bastard."

Paige equally wanted to say he's just doing his job and he's acting like he's already decided you're guilty. So she said nothing at all.

"Paige. Good to see you."

"I…certainly wasn't expecting this to be how my day went."

"You didn't know?"

"Not that the suspect was you. We weren't told much."

"Would you have still come if you knew it was me?"

I don't know. "It's a job, Timothy."

Tim nodded, folding his hands on the table. He looked down at them, almost intently. Paige waited. She didn't know how to do this. Finally, Tim looked up again. "I didn't do it."

"Just tell me what happened."

Tim sighed, folding his arms. "I don't know."

"Just walk me through the day, Tim. It shouldn't be difficult, it was what, three days ago?"

"Three or four," Tim said. "They don't know when she was killed."

"Do you?"

"Jesus Christ, Paige."

"Walk me through your day. No…" she made a wiggling gesture with her hand, "..meandering."

He shrugged. "We got up, we…" he trailed off, glancing up at her.

"You what?"

"Well, you know," he said.

She tried not to wrinkle her nose. "Got it."

"Then we had breakfast, she was going to run some errands and, I don't know, maybe hang at home, maybe see some of her friends. I was heading to the cabin. It was about a forty – five minute drive, I got gas on the way…and then I just started working. I don't have a timeline once I'm there. I don't keep track of things like that."

"But she was alive when you left."

"Paige, of course she was. She was my wife. The love of my life. The one thing that was mine, after all of those years of pain and trauma and uncertainty and abandonment. It was her and me. Us. I wouldn't hurt a hair on her head. I certainly never hurt you. I wouldn't have dreamed of it."

"This isn't about me," Paige said.

"No, of course." Tim nodded. "I know. It's about Lauren."

"Lauren." This was the first that Paige was hearing her name. Lauren. Lauren Armstrong. Armstrong? Tim was the type of person that wanted his wife to take his name, of that Paige was sure. But was Lauren the type to do it? Did she hyphenate, like Happy, Toby, Sylvester, and Florence? Or did she keep her surname all together?

"Yeah." Tim looked down at his hands. "Lauren." There was a long silence. "I cannot believe she's gone."

"And you have no idea what – "

"Of course I don't!" Tim snapped, glaring at her. "You know, just for one second, when I saw you standing in that doorway, I thought 'okay. Someone who knows me. Someone who will believe me.' I was relieved. Like you were a guardian angel summoned from nowhere to help me. But here you are, doubting me like everyone else."

Paige struggled to keep her voice measured. "Tim. I'm asking if you have any idea of why she was murdered. Did she have enemies? Is her employer currently facing a lawsuit? Does she owe anyone money? Was there some old flame still had it out for her? I'm not accusing you of anything. We're here to help." That wasn't entirely true - they were there to help, but to help the police, not Tim. Unless of course he was innocent. Then they'd help him as much as they could. "We're here," she repeated, quieter this time, "to help."

Tim was quiet again. Paige wanted him to say something, to fill the silence, so she couldn't hear everything rushing around inside her head. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be Walter, constantly questioning, usually unsettled, unable to drown out what was inside to focus on the world.

"Tim."

"Sorry." He scratched his chin. "There were two or three guys at her job. She worked at the movie theater. I used to sit outside in my car during her shift; she told me about these dudes and said they worried her. So I'd watch. I saw them a couple of times." He bit his lip. "I mean I don't know for sure that they were the ones…but that's all I can think of. God. I just wanted to protect her, and I couldn't even do that."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Paige said.

Behind her, the door cracked open. She looked over her shoulder and nodded to the officer. "Thank you for your statement, Tim," she said. She gave him a tiny nod. "Scorpion will figure this out. You know us. We get to the truth."

Tim nodded. "Thank you, Paige." His voice was quiet. Soft.

Paige turned and walked out the door, re-joining Masterson in the hallway.

"That's essentially the same thing he told us," she said in a low voice, once the officer had resumed guarding Tim and the door had clicked closed. "Do you have a feel on him? Since you know the guy?"

"You guys knew about us, didn't you? That we used to date, and that he worked with Scorpion. That's why you called us here."

Masterson said nothing, and the two women walked down the hall in silence before Paige broke it again, not being able to stand the swarming in her head. "He's a sweet guy. He's always been a sweet guy. And he's protective. He'd kill someone trying to hurt someone he loved, absolutely. But he isn't the type of guy who would do what he's accused of doing."

"Thank you for your input," Masterson said. They reached the main room. She gestured to one of the chairs. "Wait here."


Toby sat in the observation room, studying Tim's body language when the officer re-entered the room. His knee was bouncing. The officer sat down, and began reviewing Tim's statement, asking him to repeat certain parts, before easing into a couple of questions relating to Tim's prior relationship with Paige.

Masterson opened the door. "Mr. Quinn – Curtis?"

"Toby."

"Right. Toby." She eased inside the room and closed the door behind her.

"What does Paige think?" Toby asked.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to know what you think before we discuss any of your coworkers. Your skills as a behaviorist are unparalleled, and we want your completely honest opinion here, without bias."

Toby looked back into the holding cell. His stomach hurt.

He looked back at Masterson. "He did it."


Back with more of the group next chapter!