"Do you think you and your partner are gonna have to arrest the girl, you've seen last night?"
"I don't know about that, but now that we have three bodies in our hands, I guess we'll have no choice but to announce it as an official investigation. It means that we're gonna have to report it to our captain.." At the end, Catherine could consider Gretchen's case as an crime of passion from the way she was sauvagely attacked by her doctor or more like her killer.
"Everything?"
"Yup, everything..." Hands into her pockets, Catherine was watching the other half part of team CSU taking the two bodies off from the ground and to put each of them into a black bag, so they could be send to the morgue. She and Ash were standing under the Central park's bridge through the heavy rain, snow and cold. Accordding to the team and Ash, the bodies looked they were put to down, recently and seemed like they were both buried alive. But that could be false, if Tanaka could work on them by now. After they heard Medina's annoncement, Cat and Tess decided to split things up as she went with Ash to get a look on the bodies, when Tess decided to stay back the hospital with Medina.
With no sight of Cheng, Medina's partner, at all. He hadn't shown up to the hospital when they were first called, but he did, when the two bodies were found. The asian detective was standing close to the CSU team as he was watching them doing their work. That guy seemed to freak out Ash like a lot. He was no Raizo, but still, he freaked him out.
"It's my least favorite part of the case here. The real Gretchen Hermandez is dead and two female bodies were found today. There's nothing to escape that fact.." The black haired next to her side just nodded at that as she added with a question.
"What about the Tyler case, the one that has got Medina, all obsessed?"She turned her head at him, but Ash wasn't so convincing when he said this.
"I have no clue, she couldn't be a prostitute, she looked far too clean..With scars and bruises, not to mention that her heart was stolen and with that weirdo scar on her back, though.." He almost had added the history she had with a certain but not so inoncent ADA, Gabriel Lowan. Rumors from her grieving parents were that he had abused her making her suffer Stockholm syndrome. However, Cat knew better, if Tyler gave up everything for him, it was to save him from the beast, even if it meant by stealing a few formulas from Murfield's secret laboratories. Two female bodies were found and buried for who knows how long, into the ground that sounded so familiar for Cat...
Patrick had mentioned something like two girls from the club had taken at least two weeks off for vacation and Gretchen who was under the name of Lena was working long hours for the expensive surgery. Tess had tried to talk her out of it and the next day, she ended dead on that gurney. With Gretchen dead, Lena's cover was over.
"Too bad, I can't work on them.." Ash groaned being all envious, that caught her off. "What do you mean, you can't work on them? You're the one who practiced on Tyler, no?"
"Yeah, but only because Medina and Nguyen kinda forced me to do it at the departement, but it was simple to do it, without all the gory stuff you see on t.v. It was pretty easy to define that she was shot five times, had bled to death and to had her heart snatched away..."
"But still, I don't understand why, you cannot practice your work, when your partner can do it?"
"Tanaka works at the Benjamin Hospital and she usually helps me a lot, when she has some spare time. Let's just say, I've made a mess back there and got fired for it.." When Catherine made a face back at him, he tried to explain as he let out a long sigh.
"However, my name got cleared and I got my liecense back, but still I don't think I can ever step back up there, or even have the guts to ever go back.."
"When did that happened?"
"I believe it was near December to New Year's, but I ended up ok, at the end. Charges were dropped, stating that I had drugs hidden in my locker. Which was false, I guess someone was trying to frame me. But that was a longtime ago and, since your departement needed a new M.E, after Evan's death, I volenteered to work for the time being.." Cat could tell that he wasn't telling all the truth, but the fact that Ash had spent a few days in prison for a crime, he did not commited and got out of it, worried her for a minute. Did he also said that he and Vincent shared a past, as well? She wasn't so sure if she could trust the new guy here.
"Okay, that's enough of talking here, gonna have to face the rain soon or later.." She walked out from the bridge spot as she made her way through the heavy rain as Ash followed her behind her back. Holding an umbrella under himself, Nguyen stared at the bodies who were covered in black garbage bags as they were getting ready to be sent into the ambulances while the forencics cops were working on finding evidence on the aera. He spot an very soaked and frustrated Cat walking big steps with her boots onto the snow to his direction. With her hair glued to her face, but most of them couldn't hide the burning redness on her cheeks. No matter the weather, whenever it was raining or snowing that heavily, she did not looked pretty with this angry expression. Ash did not looked any better at all. He had bloodshot eyes, like he had cried or more like he had the most terrible hangover ever. The black coat belonged to him, but the clothes couldn't hide their mistfit on him.
"You must be Detective Chandler, Vargas's partner. I'm sorry if we haven't had the chance to meet before..."
"Nyugen, right? I'm not here for any formal greeting here. I'm here to see the bodies. Both female, I've heard from a certain and familiar black crow.." She identified Medina in other words, with unpleasent tone through her voice.
"You want to see the bodies? It's rainning here, Detective, all evidence could erase-"
"Then, make it quick, here. Or else, I'll report to my captain, that you and your partner held not one, but two dead 's an colloboration between the two depatements, no? If we're gonna be honnest here, it better be without any secrets. And, I'm not sure if you know this, but I do hate secrets. We're helping you with Tyler's case, you do the same with Gretchen and these two. Is that clear? You surely don't want to see me getting mad here, because you won't be too happy with the results. I'd run if I were you..." Boy, was she getting mad here, or what? Nguyen tried to not look offended when she threatened him, like he and his partner were stealing their case from them. From what he had heard from Captain Ward, Catherine Chandler was usually the quiet and wiser one, while Tess Vargas was a little hothead and loud. What he ended up seeing was quite the opposite here. With a sigh, he mentionned for both of them to come close to him. Under his black umbrella, so that all evidence could be spared. "Okay. Kostopoulos, you unzip the bags and look at them.."He eyed both of them, with a warning sign. "But be quick here, we can't let any evidence go away here.." With a nod from the female detective, Ash unzipped both bags to reveal theirs paling faces as he managed to stop his movement to theirs shoulders.
Deadly pale and covered in dirt, one had a messy dark hair while the other had a pale pink haircut, their eyes were both open as if they were in shock. Catherine couldn't put a name for both of them, but she knew that they were from the club, that both Lena and Gretchen were working. Those girls coulda had screamed for help, but nobody came to their rescue, when they put under by their killer. The word fear represented their faces as Cat observed their expressions, each of them.
She just couldn't imagine their fear. Dark. Alone. Pleading. Screaming. Chocking. Need. Air. Please, help me... Their voices ere very loud and clear through her mind like they were reminding her of an unforfogettable and terror event that she had experimented herself...
"Please, please, please!"
She remembered that night, when she implored these three men to not kill her and spare her life, crying like a child. A certain and mostly dead guy, Vincent Keller had saved her, but did someone had come up to these women, who were ten times in more serious danger than she was? No. Nobody came or even had cared for them. She felt lucky when her ex-flame had come over to save her, but now, she kinda had wished that her mother's guilt had died with her. Kinda had wished that Vincent hadn't saved her, after all. Escape all the pain.
"Were they declared as missing persons from before?" She managed to blurt out.
"I'm not sure about that, Medina and I weren't here two from weeks before. Means that you and Vargas would have to go through them, to find out.."
"You know the exact cause of death here, Nguyen?" The detective just shrugged his shoulders.
"Not sure about that, Detective, but from I believe, I think they were both buried alive. So maybe from asphyxia.."
"And nobody reported them missing?"But Nguyen kept defending himself.
"I told you, I wasn't there when it happened. And besides, who cares about two prostitutes that ended up in vacation or turned missing? Nobody would care here..." Damn.
"I'll ask Tanaka to let me do the autopsy on both girls..."Cat turned to look up to find an very thoughfull Ash, who looked like he was also trying to solve the mystery."I don't know about the asphyxia thing here. But my guts is telling me that there's more than the struggle to hanging in breathing..." He added back.
"You'll think about doing the toxicology here, figuring out on what went through them?"
"There's no sign of struggle on their throats, but I do see some dried blood coming out from their mouth. Both of them.. I don't know if they were shot or poisoned, but I'll ask or beg Tanaka to let me do the autopsy, because there's more than that here..."
Were they poisoned? Ash seemed to believe it.
"It's gonna be all over the news here..." Had muttured Catherine with a frown as she was watching the bodies zipping up as they were being transported to the ambulances when the M.E tried to reach up Tanaka about letting him do the job.
...
"Who's dumb enough to watch the Looney Tunes cartoon, here?" Sitting on the floor, Ed was waving his tail up, like he was happy. Vincent seemed like he agreed with the happy dog, lounging to the couch like he own it like a king. A coffee mug on the left hand, he turned his head at J.T as he pointed the tv with his free hand, as he defended it;
"What? It's Ed's favorite cartoon show!"
"Since when dogs have a favorite tv show?"
"Come on, J.T, let the dog have fun once in a while. They are much like us humans, than cats.."had followed Regan back who remained with J.T at the bar. "And besides, my son also watch that show, by the way.." That caught both of the guys's attention here, mostly J.T who was astonished as he stared at an very shamefaced blond haired girl who tried to not look back at him or at Vincent. She hang her head down, fixing the mug that was held by her hands.
"Your son? You have a kid, Regs?" Regan just shrugged her shoulders, being all shy, like she used to be almost ten years ago.
"When you were gonna tell us?"
"None of you asked.."
"Well, he just did by now.." Looking shocked as he was, Vincent wasn't expecting this to happen. From what he could remember about Regan, he knew the girl who was always shy and could barely say a word that sounded intelligible, at least to him. However, she looked totally different today, like she finally had managed to gain confidence on her own way. But he didn't remembered her dating anybody from the time he had left the hospital for the army, unless that souvenir hadn't came into his mind yet.
"Okay, you guys had caught me off of guard here, I do have a kid..That's true.." J.T whistled at that remark as he followed being excited with this;
"Woah..I mean do you have pictures of him? And how many? What's is his freaking name? Come on, Regs, tell us!" With a encouraging sigh, she raised her head up and looked at the both of them in the place. "Well, I..I.. I named him Vincent, with Alex's permission, of course.." She looked back at the sitting and stunned man, who didn't know how to express his feelings at the thought that Regan had decided to name her son after him. He was out of words, as he shook his head here.
"Regan..I..I.."
"It's okay, I mean, I..I..I thought that you had died at the field back at war..So..After I gave birth, I told Alex of what she have would thought if I named my boy after you and she said that it would honor you, if I ever did it and that it wouldn't upset you.."
"Upset me, why would it upset me..?"
"I don't know, I thought it was weird at first, but when the nurses had brought up my son into my arms, I just felt like it was there. Like this little red face had known his name already and Alex had accepted it.."She believed for a second that she was messing up with her words, feeling more shy as her face was getting more redder. Quite an embarassing moment. Feeling flatered than he ever had felt, Vincent had dropped his coffee mug on the table in front of him and jumped out from the couch and landed before of an very frightening but surprised Regan who kinda had stepped back. He tried to explain;
"Don't be ridiculous, Regan. I feel very flatered that you named your kid after me. All this, is just a little overlwheming to adjust, but it's great.."
"Sorry, I didn't wanna to make you feel uncomfortable, I just.."She tried to answer, but got cut off when Miguel had penetrated into the place. "Guys, check up the news, you've got to hear this! Switch it to channel 6!" He pointed the television breaking up the awkward moment between them. J.T volunteered to step in as he took the controler and put the channel that Regan's boyfriend told them to do so. Much to Ed's despleasure who wanted to see his favorite show and had barked loudly at J.T's movement.
"Tell him to calm down! I don't know how to talk down to a dog!"
"You do know how to pep talk me down, calm down, Ed!" Had ordered his master when Ed couldn't hide his fear when the archivewoman who was an african american woman through her mid thirties in a red suit, appeared at the flat screen, despite the cold and heavy rain that was trying to mess up the interview, she managed to say this.
"Can't say how many bloody cases the NYPD departement would have to go through this year, but it turns out that after that mysterious case about Tyler Steveson's death, cops had found out three other women dead in a very early morning. One of them were identified this morning, Gretchen Hermandez, by the duo female cops. Detectives Catherine Chandler and Tess Vargas. Gretchen Hermandez, escort girl from the Esperanza club was found dead this morning, at NY General's Hospital by an routine nurse while the two unditifided women were found buried into the cold and heavy snow..The M.E, strongly believes that the two of them were poisoned since there were no sign of struggle. Two autopsies would be done by the time of being.."
Two other bodies were discovered at the same time when Gretchen was found? Was that the woman that Vincent had heard Catherine talking with, last night? No, she said that she was going to arrest Lena, if she ever does do something wrong. From a moment he thought Tori had put her nails on Gretchen's skin here, but since there's no autopsy done here, he couldn't tell if she ever had done it or not. If Lena, Cat's old friend was into it? Watching the news where Ash and Catherine had denied any comments until Captain Ward would make an official press conference in the early days to come.
"So the hospital is gonna be on investigation, since they were the last people to had seen the victim coming in here?" had interrupted Regan as she was trying to figure out the situation.
"Maybe surrounded by cops, since most of them had let her in..." had responsed Miguel who was focussed into the news with a frown, he folded his strong arms against his black shirt. "The staff would be watched in every careful move.."
"Why, you say that?" To answer her question, Miguel pointed the tv as the news kept on following with this;
"Detectives from New Jersey, Cheng Nguyen and Santiago Medina are also involved into these new cases, as their departement had agreed to collaborate with the NYPD, about the Tyler Stevenson's mysterious and death case. ADA, Gabriel Lowan has been accused to be responsible of the death of his late and secret girlfriend, Tyler Stevenson, by her parents who managed to identified her body found a few days ago and wanted to purse charges against him. The ADA had remained silent to these charges according to his lawyer.."
"You think, that Gabe could be in trouble, by now?" had whispered J.T as silent as he could close enough to Vincent who shrugged his shoulders, like it didn't mattered.
"Or maybe exposed as a beast? Yeah, that could happen. I mean, no one had found out about me killing beasts like Zach or Curt..Yet.." J.T gave him a terrified look at that meaning, as the archivewoman followed;
"Till now, we're waiting for Captain Ward's word about these women's deaths and we'll let you know about it, soon enough..."
"Did she just said, Medina and Nguyen? I am sure I heard those guys's names somewhere.."Had revealed Miguel lost in thought. Vincent tried to not look affected by Regan's boyfriend's tone as he asked this;
"What do you mean?"
"It's maybe a rumor I've heard, but I think that one of them is invistigating Chandler, that the Internal Affairs or FBI weren't too convinced about Reynolds's arrest and had forced one of the guys to follow Chandler in every step..." Just to hear Miguel's words out, Vincent had wished that he wasn't worried about Catherine, but he was in fact for her future and for himself. If one of the New Jersey cops were spying on Catherine's cover about the reason of how her father got arrested and found out the truth behind these murders that he was forced to do by Reynolds's orders, both of them could be exposed to the light. Mostly him as a beast, an experimented subject gone wrong by the U.S government. Next to him, J.T gulped very hard as he was about to be found guilty. He turned to his friend was now showing a nervous smile at him. However, he wasn't so happy that his friend had held secrets from him.
"Got anything to say, buddy?" Vincent had said as he folded his arms against his chest as the professor winced in shame. His heartbeat was telling the truth by speeding up a little irregular than it used to be. J.T smiled as if he got caught, like he was trying to steal a cookie from the jar, this time.
"Got any gummy worms to share, Big Guy?" It's gonna be a long talk.
...
"You must be out of your mind, Tori, I wouldn't had wanted you to be killed.."
"But you did had tried to have me blown up at my father's appartement and then, at the dungeon where J.T was held by an maniac.." Before he could get to me and Vincent.
"And I am telling you, it wasn't me who tried to kill you this time and keep your voice down here..." It's been a few minutes that the red haired woman was demanding answers from the ex-FBI Agent and she was getting very impatient as he kept saying that he had no idea about Curt's affair with Murfield. Although, he'd been given orders to kill him and finish all the creatures and that both included Tori and Vincent.
"What If, if I don't want to? Would they put me into a psychiatric ward? Just how much did my father had paid that company of yours?" That sounded a little sturbborn feeling here.
"About Curt, I don't really know, I mean, he was into Murfield's secrets experiments, from years before the army had collabored with them. We're talking about almost thirty years ago..."
"But it went wrong, no? He had no idea that it would had affected his wife and kid, uh? My mother and I. Both of us had suffered for its stupid mistakes.."
"Before you can add anything else, Tori, I really had no idea that the experiments could go on into transmission-"
"You liar!" She exploded pointing at the man hiding behind his prison's bars, Bob had shivered at her frustruation. Tori, looked nothing like her dad anymore, but more of a victim whom exacted answers from him. She took deep breaths as she tried to calm down as Bob managed to take the situation.
"You have to believe me, I had no idea that beasts genes could be transmitted down and I think your father had no clue, either.."
"What about Vincent? You think he had a single clue of what he would had to go through? What about Catherine?" He narrowed his thick eyebrows, as he wondered this. "What about Catherin-"But he got cut off as she followed with an sudden rage that she couldn't manage to control. "Yes! Catherine! You seem to forget that if it wasn't for Vincent, you wouldn't had never, never meet your precious little daughter, if it wasn't for him. Catherine might would have been dead, if he hadn't come in. So, you do owe him a huge and big favor here!" The red haired woman had angry tears who threatened to come out as she blurted out the last words that came through her mind. Catherine had mentionned to her that Vincent had saved her, a couple years ago. Before all the chaos had begun. Tori's stupid choices lead Vincent to do bad choices. No wonder he doesn't want to do anything with her now. Reynolds had stood stunned at this answer, as if he couldn't believe it. The man that he had formed to kill beasts was the one that had spared his daughter's life from years ago?
Vincent Keller had saved his daughter? That was impossible, it had to be..He destroyed that man's life by taking him and by-
"Tori, where the hell have you been?" Speaking of beast. Gabe managed to come in passing through a security guard who tried to follow him. However, the former female beast ignored him as she demanded an answer from the old silver haired man, who stood in shock. And boy was she pissed, or what?
"I. Need. An. Answer. Now..Don't make me do this.."She said through her grinding teeth.
"Tori, I.." But it was too late. The red haired woman passed her hand through the prison gates and grabbed his wrist with 'less' force as she wanted to. "Tori!"had shouted Gabe in alert as Reynolds was taken back by her sudden grisp on his hand.
Her eyes widened open as she was being transported to many different places one by one that she couldn't count. Whitened and speeding flashes of a couple that were dating, had fun and had sex. A doctor and a agent. Reynolds meeting another man in a suit with blue eyes along with the doctor, an asian woman who could had been pregnant. The man in suit and herself had wedding rings. Reynolds spying on that woman and two little girls, mostly his own girl that he had abondoned behind. Labs that went wrong like everything, from a couple years later. Men and women lashing and killing out of control at the field were running like uncontrollable creatures. An horrible mistake from the government's choices and gotten the order from them to get these creatures killed. Oh my God.. Tori tried to gasp for air as she was experimenting these vicious visions..
"Tori.." had whispered Gabe in shock not sure what to do at the moment. Tori couldn't hear him since she kept on letting the visions go and on-. But after of what it seemed to be an eternity, she snatched her hand away from Reynolds in shock as she tried to stepped back from him in horror. Leaning to the wall, she rose up her green orbs at him, in fear. Oh God. What on earth did she just see in him? Both of the men were staring up at her, waiting for her to react as she pointed, directly at the man who was protected behind those gates. Trying to regain her breathing in control, she added this as if she warned the old man.
"You stay the hell out of my life, you're much more of a monster than Murfield used to be.."And she walked away from the Bob's cell, as she was decided to get out of this damned and filthy place, under the two men's worrying watch.
"Just, what's going on, with Tori? Lowan.."
"I have no idea.."
Just, what's going on, with Tori? Gabe couldn't put the right word into the problem, but he could tell that Tori was acting very strange here. The same thing had happened to the appartement, not long ago. He remembered being so distraught after he came back home and had confessed his heart to her about Tyler. And later had occured with the hand on the shoulder. A simple and nice gesture, thanking her for being so compassionate. But he had no idea of whatever she was going through. Ever since she got that transplant surgery, she seemed very different than before.
He had sent a warning message to Vincent, this morning. Thinking, she may be out of control. Now, he actually believes that she's really out of control.
...
"So, let me get this straight here, you and Vargas were both invastigating on Sandler and Hermandez, from the very start?"
"Not officialy, but we did ask questions concerning the case to the girls back at the stripper club. A man named Patrick had pleaded me to help Sandler to stop from killing her husband..Lina, an barmaid had known Hermandez, but barely had known Sandler and Álvarez, the guy was occupying the financials records of the club, so.." Trying to keep Álvarez and Lina's affair away, for the moment. It wasn't a good idea, but until she could confront the barmaid to face the truth about the affair. Not that she didn't believed Lena, but she wanted to make sure.
"To kill her husband, you said? That's a little a too much here.."
"From what I've heard. Gretchen had agreed to take her place, meaning they've switched identities, to make it easier for her to look on him, under someone else's name without getting caught.."
"And I believe you didn't take as an important case? I presume.."
"It's not like I wanted to believe in him, but I wanted facts and proofs. Patrick had forgot or did not mention of any of the switching thing, because he was afraid. Not only for himself, but for Sandler. So Det. Vargas had agreed to help me out on finding answers.."Had admitted Cat, trying to look formal and professional, despite her drenching clothes from the heavy rain and Medina looked a kid that went out too much at the rain to play the tough guys on the streets.
"And the two of you ended up talking to them...And out from talking to anybody and that includes me.." Captain Ward didn't looked too much pleasant at these news. Both Cat and Medina were sitting before his desk as they managed to explain the situation, Cat, mostly had to explain the other case about Lena and Gretchen's cover. But with three girls dead, things were getting hard for them to be quiet here. Catherine knew she should've had said something about Lena's running and trying to stop her husband of her own, but she wanted to see it from her own eyes. "Sandler didn't wanted to cooperate at all with any cop. She stated that she could handle her ex-husband on her own, I tried to talk to her down, but it didn't worked and left, as for Hermandez, Vargas would explain it to you.." She shoved out a breath when she added this;
"You ask, officer Pitt, sir, he was the one who had brought Patrick into the station and had asked for my help. I was about to the leave the station, when I saw him there..." Looking grim, Ward just nodded and looked back at Medina who just stayed silent, during the conversation.
"What about you, Medina? You've known about this?"
"Nope, I just minded my own bussiness and followed the work I was ordered to do..." However, Ward managed to defend Lowan, even if he wasn't present here. After Medina and Nyugen had barged into the station, Ward had found time to study them both and from he had heard and seen from the staff, wasn't so great to endure.
"Or more, about the work you're obsessed to finish. I don't think you'd find anything guilty about Lowan being abusive towards his late girlfriend. Despite the bruises on her body, the changes of him being guilty are very thin here..If you want to prove him guilty, you're gonna have to find something more deeper than that..." The crow man next to Cat just groaned in disgust, but what Ward had for her wasn't better either. "As for you Chandler, you shouldn't have had kept this case in secret between you and Vargas. Three women had died in different hours, but at the exact same day and an official invistagation is about to be declared by now.." She nodded as she understood his jugdement, refering about Gretchen and the two others girls as he added this. "You and Vargas would have to find Sandler and her boyfriend of hers..." And how, are they gonna do that? She lost any lead of where Lena could have gone into, ever since last night.
"But without any warrant, we can't get access to their things or to their places. Sandler's only place is the stripper club that she works. Other than that, no one knows where she or Patrick lives.."
"A searching warrant is on its way as we speak, you don't have to worry about penetrating into Sandler's work or bedroom, without breaking any damn rules. Now, try to track Patrick's phone calls through your phone and catch him.."He spoke firmly back at her who kept insisting. A searching warrant was in the works? She just couldn't believe it. They really wanted to catch Lena and they were sure.
"But we don't know for sure if Sandler was the one who killed Hermandez-.."But her captain wasn't having none of it at all. He slapped his desk with his fist as she got cut off by his very anger voice.
"And we have three bodies lying on our shoulders! Do me a favor, Chandler, don't try to deceive anybody here! If both Sandler and her boyfriend are responsible, well you can go and arrest them together! Am I that clear?" Cat held her breath as she nodded in silence.
Three dead bodies were found today. One that was mauled to death as its organs were snatched out. The rumor said it was unhuman, more of an dangerous animal like. It couldn't be Vincent, she spent the most of her undercover time with him, last night. What about Tori? Catherine wouldn't say if she got rid of her beast genes, like Gabe did. She wouldn't trust the former female beast. But what about the girls that were buried underground? That was unexplained. According to Ash, there were no single of struggle or strangle, but poisoned. Just how many days? Were they down there?
He practictly had begged Ward to let him do the autopsies and left Tanaka to do Gretchen herself, at Benjamin hospital. Both of them were working on them as she and Medina were both sitting at Ward's office. With a sigh, she rose up from the chair and left the office without even excusing herself, under their watch. As she've reached up to her desk and noticed her partner's head who was still following whatever work she was doing at the moment.
"You're comforting yourself by watching a couple porn videos online, now?"
"Not if my mind was focused on a half human creature and a friend on the run. Tanaka is still practicing the autopsy and I'm still waiting for her to call back..What about you? You think, you can trace Patrick through your phone?"
"I'm not so sure about that, he may had called from a phone cabin, but it's worth to try. Ward had told me that a searching warrant is on the works, so the invistagation is official now.."
"It's not good news, I mean for your buddy. Go and leave your phone to the tech, Tucker, he'll do it in a few minutes while I try to reach Lena's uncle in Chicago, he'd like to know, I believe, about his niece by now.." had replied Tess back as she took the phone from the desk and dialed the phone number from her block note paper as Catherine went to the evidence room where an slim guy in uniform with a weird long brown long hair tied up to an ponytail, that needed to be washed was standing before his desk with a computer. Tucker was hired to guard the place and to help the cops to trace untracing phone calls.
"You think you can trace a certain Patrick guy, without checking my other phone calls? Please?" Tucker was a weird guy for everyone here, but not that stupid. He raised an big and bushy eyebrow at her.
"I'll try, but don't blame me if I end up listening to an anonmyous caller. Can't really trust them, you know?"He asked back, trying to not look offended by that question. He could see that Cat struggled to find the right words about justifying her reason.
"I do know that, but can't you just at least skip them, and foccus on the real guy, here?"
"Can you just delete your phone calls history, if you're that supscious of me finding them, private?" But she shook up her head, saying that it wasn't an option, at all.
"I'm sorry, I can't risk that. Patrick, the guy that my partner and I are trying to find here, may have been an anonmyous caller, I believe and deleting them- without knowing- is also a risk too.."
Would she be able to keep them all together and without letting Tucker know about the previous phone calls she that made for Vincent, before? Tucker just sighed over this and lift up his hand to her phone as he told her that he was going to be careful about not to answer the other phone calls. Cattherine just thanked him and walked back at the front when Medina walked out from Ward's office. She kept walking, trying to ignore the guy behind her back.
"Chandler, we have to talk here.."
"Not now, I'm gonna have to change clothes, can't get sick from the rain.."
"Ward has just received the warrant for the club.." Cat stopped her tracks at that revealation and swun around at the man. Ward made it fast. Supsicious, she stared him back. "He received the searching warrant?" That was fast.
"Yeah, as we were talking at the office, a call was made and your captain took it and put on speaker. Someone, a man with a deep and husky voice saw a certain brunette walking towards NY General Hospital. Around eleven to one clock of the morning...I can still remember that hard look on your captain's face and it didn't looked that much good at all.."
"And that warrant?"
"A few seconds after that call was made, from judge Danielle Harrisson's accord was , boy, Ward was mad as hell..."But Catherine went on with more questions as she walked close enough to block the european detective from walking away.
"Did that person gave an description about that woman?"
"It was dark and late. So I don't believe he saw much of a thing, but he remembered that she walked just the way that a whore would walk on the street..." She gulped at that point. Could Lena do such a thing like that? Hang on a minute, Medina had said that a man with with a deep and husky voice was the one who made that call?
"You said that call was made by a man with a deep voice, did he gave a name? In case if we'll have to contact him back.."
"Yeah, he sure did.."
"And, what's is his name?" Oh God, she was afraid of the answer he might give up to her. "Medina, I need a name here.." She blurted out, nervously as he added this with his brown eyes watching her trying to preserve her cool.
"That whacko hero guy, Vincent Keller..."
...
"NYPD! Everyone here, get the hell out of this place!" Lina was startled in surprise by an certain female detective's voice that had bursted into the place. She was serving a client as an awfully and loud knocking sound was heard. One waitress came to open the door when she saw the two detectives from the other day coming into the club. Both Chandler and Vargas. The poor and distraught blue haired waitress went to hide behind Lina's back as she said this with much control and calming voice as she managed to hold;
"What's going on here?" Both of the girls walked to her sight. Lina only had the chance to meet Catherine. But today, sweet kitty girl was no longer patient and reasonable. Her eyes were screaming with fury and desperation here.
"We need to check up the place here, from what we know, I believe you weren't so honest to the authorities about knowing a certain Gretchen Hermandez who was found dead this early morning..And the fact that you might had known Sandler, from the past..."
"And what it has to do with the club?" She turned back to the other female cop who was filling the ex-stripper the rest of the reason they were here.
"My partner Det. Chandler wasn't finished, she believes that one of the strippers was caught off at the night of Hermandez's murder and thinks it's one of the girls here. So we need to check the place, including the girls's rooms like all of them here.." The strawberry blond haired woman's eyes went big at that, that was unexcepted.
"You can't do that! You have no proof!" But Tess added again, helding up a gloved hand to Lina from talking.
"A call was made today and some guy- whom I won't declare his identity, has said that he seen a woman walking around the hospital, during the time before the murder was made. And he said that she was walking like a whore down at the street..."
"We have a searching warrant to dig to all rooms here, so if I were you, I'd would back off by now, or else you'll have to deal with me here.." But the barmaid was not affraid Cat's fair warning as she gave her glare look, that meant -the don't you even dare do it here-thing.
"Trust me, you don't want to mess with her.."had revealed Tess when Catherine had brought up the warrant from a certain judge Danielle Harrisson, whom had agreed to help them on the case. Lina stared at the paper with wide eyes, like her world was about to fall apart here. With a frown, Tess had added back; "Come on, Lina step out of the way and let us do our job here, or else you gonna to face judge Harrisson's bad behavior.."The ex-stripper backed away from them as Catherine said this; "Call the girls and the guys to get out of the place, we'll gonna sneak up everything in here. And I mean, everything here.." Her voice went cold like ice. Confused and spooked custumers, waitresses and all the sleepy strippers stepped back from them as Cat and Tess rushed up to the stairs in hurry.
"You sure, about this, Cat?"
"Let's just get this over, I need my mind to be clear here..You go and check the right side when I'll go for the left one..."
"Wanna check Gretchen's room, or more like Lena's place, since they did the switching part?"
"Wouldn't hold myself back, for nothing..." The other cop nodded and they split to go and search for each room as they begin to work. Back at the precinct, Tess who tried to hold on, on a call trying to get Chicago authorities was spooked by an very and frustrated Cat that was cursing about Medina being an ass, over and over. "You got yourself in a fight with him?"
"I wouldn't say that, but you were right about him, being an ass. Ward had received the searching warrant to search into the club, to penetrating through Lena and Gretchen's working place..."
"Gee, that was fast. I mean, the fact that we both held an case behind Ward's back. Now, I think it's official. Usually a searching warrant takes a whole day to get. What provoked Ward?"
"I'll tell you this, he received a nice call, just a few minutes after I left the office to give my phone to Tucker. You'll never guess who called Ward.." She could sense anger through her partner's features on her face.
"Who did?"
"Vincent called, I've checked and heard the call at Ward's office. The three of us, Ward, Medina-ass and I heard the call. Medina had the call recorded so that would explain everything..." Tess stood up from her desk as she watched her partner put her coat back on, not bothering about her drenching clothes and that she was about to get wet and soaked up, again. "It was his voice, Tess. I've heard it quite and clear. And he's about to break Lena down by blowing her up to justice, before I can do it on my own..." Her tone was shaking, despite the will for trying to be the strong one here.
Did Vincent had betrayed Catherine enough? First with Alex, Tori and with Lena, now? He wanted Lena to be exposed? It should be a good thing, no? Stopping Lena from comitting the unreaperable, like killing her soon ex-husband. But Catherine wanted to take care of that case in private, without any bad things to happen. But with three bodies on their backs, it was impossible to keep it quiet.
It was his voice, Tess. He's doing it again..
She hated to see Cat breaking down because of him. Just to see her enduring the mess he makes her carry on her shoulders, while he's having all the fun and that she has to pay for his consecquences, like she had no choice.
Once she's done with the searching room work, she'll be happy enough to kick Vincent's ass, for betraying Cat's trust again. Tess swore that thought to happen in the near future.
"Tess!" Down on her knees, Tess looked up from the under bed, she turned her head to her partner who stood at the door's entance, holding something shiny and silver in her gloved hands with a frown. This was bad news.
"Found anything?"
"I did.." With a gloved hand, Catherine raised up an silver but small gun. Quite small to say. Under her partner's confusing stare, she added; "And you know where I've found it? Under Gretchen's bed, which means under Lena's bed in there.."
...
"Vincent Keller comes out from the shadows after almost ten years of hiding. Amnesiac and recovering from a gunshot wound and just a few days after Reynolds's arrest..."
Rui's words kinda had haunted Medina who was pouring an second coffee refill. War hero, Vincent Keller didn't rang a bell to him. He heard about a guy that had been missing or been declared dead, after ten years on the news. However, he had never heard that name from before. Ten years ago, he was too busy of trying to sace his ass or more like he was trying to survive. For him, that day when terrorists had attacked the towers didn't mattered to him. He was living it that kind of attack in Moracco, but that was many years ago and he moved on. Did Chandler had really had crossed roads with Keller, what about the arrest with her father? Was Vincent Keller really involved, than it seemed to be? From what Rui had told him, before, the amnesiac ex-soldier got himself shot after protecting Curt Windsor's daughter, heiress Tori Windsor and then, he later had become a sort of celebrity to everyone, not to mention that he saved the whole staff of the police departement and FBI Agent Dana Landon from being taken hostage.
Putting his fingers through his hair, to bring them back, Medina walked back and sat at Tess's desk with his coffee cup, rethinking over and over about the case that he was forced to do so. He wanted to bust Gabe Lowan and be down with the Tyler Stevenson case, he didn't want to babysit an cop with her past meetings affairs.
"Don't forget this, Medina, you own me a favor here. If it wasn't for me to save your ass from prison, you wouldn't be a cop today, you'd rotting in jail as we speak.."
Hendricks was right in one point, he did save his ass from being in jail. However, the man wanted Medina to return the favor here. Just a few days before Nguyen and himself could go to New York, Hendricks had called him and told him to come to his office. Medina could still remember that day where he sat before a very frustrating Hendricks who sat behind his desk as he explained the situation;
"Grab the Chandler case and find something that I hadn't found from her. I believe that Chandler is covering something that she won't tell to me.."
"And what makes you say that she would confess herself to me?"
"Because you can be very tricky as well. You're a good cop Medina, and besides, you do know her partner as well, so I believe it won't be a problem for you to get her.."
He didn't wanted to risk his career once again. Now he was an father and lovely husband, with his wife Laura and his two kids. He didn't wanted to put them in peril again, by that stupid case. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even heard the tech guy calling for Chandler. He looked up to see an guy with a very long hair tied to a very long ponytail coming with another cop trying to get the missing cop here.
"What's going on here?"
"I'm sorry, I was looking for Detective Chandler, she told me track a certain Patrick guy through her phone and she looked like she was into a rush, so.."
"And, did you find him, Sandler's boyfriend? Got any clue of where he might be living?"
"The results didn't gave much. Most calls were made through a paid phone cabin and none of them were conected to that guy, but deputy Yi may have know more about Sandler's guy here.." So all those anonymous calls weren't coming from Patrick? From whom, were they coming from? What if Rui's theory was right? If Catherine had anything to do with that famous Vincent Keller, were the calls coming from him? Did they had any history between the two of them?
That woman was like a person with too many secrets, like she was a curse.
"A few months ago, an 911 call was made back at Lazzar Bar, a certain Patrick Garagoulis was caught to a fight and was arrested for one night, before his cousin could pay his caution out. A simple fight between friends, you know. As I was taking my break, I got that call. And when Tucker tried to trace a certain guy named Patrick with the description that Pitt had told, my curiousity got the best of me..." Deputy Yi had informed the detective that she went to talk with the other deputy who brought in the very famous Patrick and gave her an description.
"So that guy could be the same like the guy you had arrested for one night?"
"Yes, I remember, first shot ever.."Deputy Yi was a young asian woman much more younger than Chandler, she had a long jet black hair tied into a very tight bun as she wore the uniform with dignity by standing straight. Dignity pretty much that reminded him of an certain Zhang Ziyi from Memoirs of a Geisha. And she looked far more clean than Tucker here who kinda had the smell of a skunk on him. However, Medina shook his head, adding;
"From what you're saying, you do know this guy, by recognizing him at some picture?"
"A picture? That guy used to have a small record here, before his caution was paid. I'm sure it is still around these files. Tucker?"
"At your service.." He dropped down the papers on the desk and let his fingers searching for the right sheet, like he played an invisible instrument. Medina watched him do his job and got the sheet that he was looking for, Tucker slid down the picture in front of him as he said;
"That must be the guy that Chandler has been trying to find, the mysterious Patrick..Same face, same eyes, same height and weight, you got the profile.."
"Officer Pitt had said to me, that he looked exactly like that, when he came here and asked Chandler for help.."had followed Yi in return, as Medina studied the picture profile and the tracing phone calls from Catherine's phone. Most of them were through paid phones, but only one of them, was made by a phone call through a motel room, around 5:30pm. Motel room? Days Inn. Patrick had called Catherine around that time, through her phone calls. Leaning his back to the chair, Medina checked Patrick's profile as he said this:
"Sent two deputies to the motel Days Inn and ask if a certain Patrick Garagoulis had registered in the place..."
Later on, he called Nguyen demanding that they should consider of getting another warrant, but only if they can catch Patrick and force him to talk about everything, and that includes his little secret girlfriend Yalena Sandler, the fugitive. Something deep down in his mind believed the thing that Patrick was hidding her away, ever since last night at the bar, where she was with Chandler.
...
"Go talk to the girls, Cat, I'll call for back-up.." The interest in person stared at her partner like she had grown two others eyes at the back of her head.
"Back up?"
"Now that we have found a weapon that could lead us to Hermandez's murder, not only Lena is supscious, but all of girls may be. Including that sicky barmaid..I mean everybody could've had done it.."After they finished searching the rooms, both Tess and Catherine reached up the last stairs after they got an important evidence that was found at Lena's place, under Gretchen's bedroom to clear things up. The bar was left alone, now that all custumers, waitresses and strippers had left the place like they had to go through a fire exam call.
"And Alvarez? We'll have to find him, soon or later..." And where was Lena's husband in all this?
"Brad Pitt is invisible to all contacts, but it is true that we must find him and question him about his relationship with Lena, before we can bring her up with charges.."
"And before Vincent finds her..." The thought of him bringing up Lena to exposure was still big in her mind. It was his voice, she recognized it very certain of it. But, she also didn't wanted to believe that it was real enough. With the silver gun in a plastic bag in one hand, she was on her way to talk to the girls that were outside, when Tess's phone had rang. She reaching it out from her coat, Tess checked the ID with a grimace.
"Talking about beasts, there's Medina on the phone.."
"Put him on speaker, I want to hear him.." She stepped back to her partner who put her phone out loud for them to hear the other cop on line. "Hey, you just don't know how to stop, do you?"
"I'm happy to hear you too, Tessy, even if it means with your very lousy partner, as well..Turns out I did a little research on your buddy Patrick and the results are not so quite good..."
"What are you talking, about?"
"Did he ever said about a time when he was arrested for a fight and had stayed in jail cell? Before his cousin came over to save his ass, but that was a few months ago..Yup, we ended up finding a file. Police record.." The girls stood silent at this. Both Lena and Patrick had been playing behind their backs, by keeping secrets from them. Tess just shook her head as she shoved out a long breath when Catherine was getting tired by all this, like she was about to lose it in any moment. The two of them felt like they were tricked, from the beggining. Who knows, what hey're about to do later? Enough is enough, they'll have to bring Lena and Patrick in. It was over.
"What it has to do with the case? You'd think he has anger issues? A split personality thing going on?" had Tess asked like she was getting bored by now. "Wouldn't think it's possible. Anyways, the tracing calls didn't gave much as most of them were made by paid cabin phones, but only one of them was made through a motel room. Days Inn building. Looks like Patrick had spent the whole night there.." Tucker did a good job.
"You think this is where Lena joined him after your meeting at the bar, last night?" Tess looked up at Cat, who shrugged at that idea.
"It could be possible, I strongly believe, but to had her friend killed by the early morning. I think that Lena wasn't acting alone. A complice, could be true."
"A third person?"
"Well she had a alibi, a few hours before the murder had occured..."
"But that was before, Cat, before she left the bar. We still have no idea of where she might have been, after the killing.."
"I've sent two deputies to check the building a few minutes ago, to see if an Patrick Garagoulis had spent the night back there. And if he did, we'll bring him up to the station. I think it's time he has to face a few frighting charges.." had followed Medina breaking up ther conversation with a sigh.
"And what else?"
"And force him to make him talk about Lena if she had spent the night with him or that she was at the hospital, playing Dr. Giggles.."
"You said going on Patrick's profile files here, did you find an recent address of where he might have been in?"
"Other than the motel? He lived with a few cousins, but never a place on his own. But first, we'll try to track him down at the motel place.."
Tess hanged up the call and looked up to Cat, for an answer. "Got any ideas, now that Medina might have a lead to track our guy, Lena is in trouble here.."
"We could track down his family here, but I don't think it might work. I doubt his cousins even know where he might be living by now..."
"So?"
"Well, first, we'll have to drop the gun to the station to get it examinated. Find out if it's Lena's or someoneone else's gun. But now, we gonna have to find Patrick and make him talk.."
"What are you gonna do, if Lena turns out to be the killer?"
"Like I said before, we'll have no choice but to arrest her, even if I had tried to stop her from doing it.."had said Cattherine as her face sobbered. If Lena turned out to be the murder, she might have to stop her and hoping that she'll do it without shooting her, just like did with Vincent.
...
When the girls had come in a few thirty minutes later, Santiago Medina was waiting for them to show up at the precinct. The man had changed his clothes wearing an indigo shirt that both of sleeves were troussed up to his elbows and hands into his pockets, revealing hard and marked veins from his strong arms. He had a very mocking smirk on his face as he saw them coming in.
"Oh, look who's here? Big Kitty and Bad Rat, looking wet..." Tess just blow out her tongue like a kid would do to an adult, when she was about to be lectured.
"Back off! Jerk-ass, we have work to do.."
"I hope you don't mind if I ended up stealing your work, you girls are so slow..."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Both of Tess and Cat had suspended their walk looking up at the guy who couldn't to hide his smile from his mocking face, he let out an bomshell..
"The fact that the 'not so guilty' ADA has a crush on your kitty partner and the fact that you may have a surprising guest at the interview room. Number three..." Not so certain of what he was revealing to them both, Cat rushed away from them as fast as she could with the silver gun on her hand. Running upstairs and budged a few workers from her way, she oppened up the door from the investigating room. Where she found an hancuffed black haired guy with too familiar blue eyes, sitting at the table and in front of an very intrigated Nguyen. Patrick. The cops had found him had figured Catherine as his tired eyes fixed her. Did he stated about Lena? Because betrayal was into his features. She felt so sorry for him, but she did warn him about not making any promises.
"We found him at his motel room, the same room from he had phoned you the other night. He hadn't said a word ever since he was caught in by the deputies I've sent in. But he wasn't acting alone here..." Medina's voice had her jumped her out from her thoughts as he silently followed her behind her back. She turned her head back to him, it looked like Medina had more to say;
"What do you mean, he wasn't acting alone? How many deputies have you sent to the motel, Medina?" The male before her sight just chuckled as he mocked her dignity, he was getting on her nerves here. What else was he hidding? "Medina?" He folded his arms to his chest and said, much to her horror.
"I have your friend, Yalena Sandler, in the other room here, this bitch had tried to run away after her boyfriend got himself caught today.."
...
Shit, Lena is caught! Did Vincent had betrayed Cat, again? And Medina is not so patient anymore with Cat's many secrets. The next chap is on production, so I need a few supporting love from you beasties, here!
See ya!
