She didn't notice when she first walked in, anything ut the erie silence that sent a shiver down her spine. Pulling her piece out, she spun around the room, expecting her to be there again. Instead sitting on the mantle right over the fire place was a single white rose.
Ten Hours Earlier
"Last session." She said, he looked relieved, as he handed over the keys to the truck.
"We uh we just got a call."
And they were off. Driving silently to the crime scene, in a down town apartment building. It was a Senator's daughter.
She was lying face up in bed, her throat slit from ear to ear. Like a bloody smile, and clutched in her hands across her chest was a single long stem white rose.
"Her name was Dana Whitmore."
"Senator Whitmore's daughter?" Eames asked.
"Yes."
"What's with the rose?"
He leaned in close to the woman's face, eyeing the blood.
"Picking up on any interesting scents?" The ME asked.
"Nothing yet."
"Well I can tell you one thing, it wasn't natural causes." She said.
Eames walked around the quiet apartment, trying to get a sense of the killer, anything to help in the investigation. Ever sense meeting Jo, and the events that had transpired she seemed to be off her game, and that bothered her more then she was willing to let on to anyone.
"We should go talk to the Senator." Goren said.
"Of course." Eames followed him out of the apartment and back down the street to their car.
"You okay?" He asked her when they were alone
"Yeah." She lied.
It started right after the 'incident' she was having nightmares, and calling him in the middle of the night, he never asked in front of the captain or others if she was okay. He never told others about the nightmares that she was having, and he never told her about the night mares he had.
They spent the day interviewing suspects and grabbed a quick bite on their way back to the office. It was just like that last night before everything went wrong. About two in the morning to be exact and she got up to leave. He thought about offering to take her home but he didn't want to seem like he was coddling her.
When she walked in the erie sense of dread over took her and she pulled her service piece out. It wasn't until she saw the rose though that all the color drained from her face, and she fled her home back to the sanctuary of the car, her heart pounding, she dialed his number.
Goren was still at 1PP when his cell rang.
"He was here." She said, breathless.
"Where are you?" He asked. Hurry to the elevator.
"At my apartment, Goren hurry up and get here. I am locked in my car."
"Okay, I am on my way."
She hung up and immediately called the captain at home, Goren would call CSU.
"Captain, the killer we are looking for, he was in my house."
She knew she had to sound crazy even paranoid, dread overcame her, what if the captain didn't believe her.
"Are you still there?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I am outside, Goren's on his way over."
"I'll call CSU and head over there, listen if anyone approaches your car I want you to leave and go straight back to 1PP."
He wasn't taking any chances this time, he saw what almost loosing her did to Goren the first time around, there was no need for any of them to go through that again.
Goren was the first to arrive at Eames, he pulled his service weapon as he approached her car. When she saw it was him she started to get out of the vehical.
"Stay in the car Eames, I am going to go check your house."
"No, I will be safer with you."
"Eames," He tried.
"Either we both stay out here and wait for Ross and CSU or we both go into the house together." She was firm about it, so he waited out by her car for the patrol cars to pull up, along with their captain and CSU.
Logan and Wheeler pulled up ten minutes after CSU and the Captain had gone into the house. Goren was told to stay outside with Eames for her protection.
"Lots of fun tonight." Logan said walking up to the other detective. Goren glared at him and Eames didn't say a word.
"Alright, this is what it looks like." The Captain said reappearing. "There were no signs of force entry, so whomever this is, had away into your home. All he left was the rose, CSU wants to go over the place with more of a fine tooth comb in the morning, so for tonight I am afraid you will have to be put up in a motel. As for a change of clothing, they don't want you to disturb the scene so I am afraid you will have to go with out."
"Captain, I would rather not stay in a motel." Eames said, knowing she wouldn't sleep anyway.
"Well unless you have a better suggestion."
"She can stay with me." Goren said, surprised by his own voice.
"I don't think that would look appropriate." Ross said.
"Look I don't give a damn whether or not it looks appropriate. I am not going to risk loosing her again, she stays at my place where I know she will be safe. If I have to turn over my badge and gun right now."
"Goren." Eames said, trying to calm him down.
"That won't be necessary detective. All I was going to say is that it won't look appropriate, so if any of you four," eyeing Logan and Wheeler, "get it into your heads to tell IAB then I will have to tell them that I was not about to put two detectives into two separate Hotel rooms for one night, just so that the one would have a detail nearby."
"Understood," they chorused.
"Now as far as a change of clothing, and toiletries sir, I have some in my car."
"Alright, well you two are officially off this case, Logan Wheeler I want you to go to 1PP get their notes and start looking into this, Goren take Eames to your place and don't let anyone near her."