"So, James Scott. Can you confirm you have a relationship with Allison Cobb?"
Adam began sitting in front of the blond boy in the interrogation room.
Hailey pressed the file against her chest watching James's eyes dart between Adam and Kevin, before slowly nodding.
"I guess Allison is pretty upset. You know, after what happened to Gabriella…" Kevin continued.
"Well, she was definitely upset this morning." Adam added, spreading a photo of Allison on the table.
James looked at it for a few seconds before looking up at them.
"Why am I here?" His voice was flat, but he trembled saying the last word.
Adam thumbed through the papers in front of him.
"You see, there is something wrong with Gabriella's life. We know that before she died she was a little weird."
Hailey couldn't take her eyes off the boy in front of them. James thought he was invincible, that his family could save him in any situation. But then, he ended up realizing that in that the moment he was alone, in a police district, for a murder case.
"Yeah, Allison told me she was acting weird, she thought it was for breaking up with that guy..."
"Trevor?"
James scoffed at Kevin and spat out the last words, "Yeah, the junkie."
"The junkie..." Adam repeated slowly.
James nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets before continuing, "But I hardly ever saw Gabriella. So I don't understand what you want from me."
"I've always hated guys like him." Kim muttered beside Hailey making her giggle.
Voight snorted crossing his arms over his chest, "He's making me tired. We're getting nothing from him."
"I don't know." Hailey reasoned out loud, "I can't go in, right?"
Voight studied her in silence and by now she was really used to that inquiring look, but she had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
"Do you want to go in?"
She shrugged indifferently, her gaze sliding to the guy beyond the glass, "Why not."
"Why not." The Sergeant repeated, "Okay. Let's play your game then."
"Maybe with Kim?"
She knew she was testing his nerves, but she also knew it would be the best technique to get what Voight wanted: the murderer.
At a nod from Voight, Hailey followed the other woman to the door of the interrogation room.
"Come on, I have your back." Kim hit her shoulder with hers and she nodded, clutching the papers in her arms.
They took over from Adam and Kevin and she smiled at James.
"Hi James, I'm Detective Burgess and this is Hailey."
"I really don't know why you're keeping me here. What do you want from me?" He shook his head impatiently, as his hands continued to clench in fists under the table.
Hailey opened the file, "Just…talk a little."
"I don't know who killed Gabriella, if that's what you want to know from me."
"I get it. But I'm here to talk about something else."
James stared at her silently, a hint of curiosity glinting in his eyes.
"You're 28, right?" At a nod from him, she continued, "Have you ever thought about having children? I mean, we've thought about it." She made a casual gesture between her and Kim before continuing, "But we're women. Maybe it's different for men? Do you want children?"
James paled slightly as he pushed his back deeper into the chair - like he wanted to put more distance between them.
"Children?" He repeated slowly.
Kim anticipated her and smiled gently at him, "Yes, children. I guess you talked to Allison about it."
"We…I don't know."
"Okay. And Gabriella, did she want children?"
James opened his mouth looking at her with wide eyes, before hiding his expression behind a veil of indifference.
"As I told to the other cops, I didn't talk to her often."
"Yeah, you said it, it's true." Hailey nodded, placing her hands on the table and leaning her back on the chair. She stood staring at James silently and when he frowned at her, she smiled gently at him.
"Gabriella was killed and her body was left in a park. As if she was worth nothing. But she was worth, she was worth a lot, right?"
"Yeah, I…" James sucked in air, "I guess so."
"But you didn't hang out with her much, you said that. Sorry." Hailey shrugged indifferently, "Okay, James. Honestly, I need you. There are some things we don't understand here."
He looked between the two of them confused, before nodding.
"Well, do you think it's possible that Trevor, in a fit of rage, killed her? I mean, she had broken up with him. Gabriella had hurt his feelings. We think it may have been him, but there really is something I don't understand."
"Yes…" James nodded wordlessly, "Yes, it could have been Trevor, yes."
"The junkie, right? That's what you called him with the other cops. "
"Yes, him." James nodded again, this time relaxing in his chair. And finally, Hailey was able to see through the facade of indifference that he had had until a moment ago.
"Well, I think it's possible." Kim broke into the conversation before spreading the photos of the crime scene and Gabriella's body in front of James, tapping here and there on various details.
"See, Gabriella was pregnant with Trevor."
James immediately denied with his head, "They hadn't hung out in months. She couldn't have been pregnant with him."
The fact that James wasn't surprised at the news of her pregnancy was so obvious that Hailey would gladly laugh.
Kim leaned against the table, "They kept hanging out. Gabriella confided in him."
James stared at her, silent. And Hailey took advantage of it.
"Help me here, James." She started pointing at the photos of Gabriella's body, "I'm convinced she was killed by someone who loved her, who respected her. But I'm just as sure it wasn't Trevor."
"But..." He started stammering looking at her, "You said it was Trevor..."
"I lied, I'm sorry." Hailey smiled slowly at him, "Because Trevor didn't kill Gabriella. And you know it well, don't you?"
James stared at her again, impassive. But then his gaze slid over the photos scattered across the table and, after what could have been a century, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"I respected her."
She nodded calmly and slowly, prompting him to continue.
"I'm sure of it."
"But I just should have married Allison. This is what had to happen - what our families wanted."
"But you wanted Gabriella, didn't you?"
"I…we had been dating for a few months. And…I knew it was wrong but I didn't know how to go back."
"You were the father of her baby."
"Yes. And…" James angrily wiped another tear away, "Last night she started saying we should have told the truth, that she would have told Allison about the cheating. She didn't want to get rid of the baby. And I was afraid."
Hailey leaned back in her chair releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Kim leaned on the table taking the lead of the interrogation and she finally let herself go adrift.
A girl had died and no arrest would ever do her justice. And this was simply a fact.
...
"Hey Upton."
Hailey paused at her name being called, only to see Voight standing in the middle of the bullpen. She stood staring at him in that strange game they had been playing all day, until he nodded at her.
"Good job."
"Thank you, Sergeant. It was a pleasure to work with you."
He looked at her skeptically and she continued with a light laugh, "I'm serious."
She waved a hand in his direction before turning her back and walking down the stairs. She was almost at the gate when Jay reached her by jumping the last two steps.
"I'll walk you out, let's go." He opened the gate letting her pass first and they slipped among the agents crowding the entrance.
"So...it's been an interesting day." He began by pulling the collar of his jacket around his neck.
"Definitely, yeah. But I enjoyed it."
He smiled and they were silent until her car.
"I have to finish some things here in the district, but I thought tonight..."
"Yes, absolutely!" She nodded, glad she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts, "Can you just come to my place? We can order a pizza."
"I was waiting for you to ask. I don't think I have the strength to go out to dinner."
Hailey looked up at the white sky that promised snow. Jay was standing in front of her and it seemed absurd to have spent all day around him. It had been thrilling and scary at the same time. Everything he did, the things he dealt with on a daily basis were awful and he was still a good man. He hadn't been swayed by the poisoned world that surrounded him every day.
"I'll wait for you for dinner then."
"Should I bring beer?"
"There is no need." She answered getting into the car.
And, like the night before, Jay waited to see her leave before turning back.
Hailey dragged herself home and straight into the shower. She felt that the day had been endless and all she wanted was a sweatshirt and a pair of warm socks.
The hot shower spray managed to loosen her back muscles and, for the first time in hours, she realized what had really happened. It wasn't the first time she'd been a consultant for the police, and it wasn't the first time she had been on a murder case. But there was just something, in the elegant pose of Gabriella's body, in her youth and in James' stupid arrogance that hit her hard.
She knew that probably, if she had been alone all night, she would have done nothing but repeat in her mind the events of that day, Trevor's dull pain and James' disbelief for what he had done.
She just hoped that, with the company of Jay, all those thoughts would be less noisy.
...
"Hey. Come in."
Hailey greeted him with her hair still damp, a comfortable sweatshirt and a pair of pink socks that warmed her feet.
She had sat in front of her closet for half an hour thinking about what she should wear. But when her gaze fell on the sweatshirt, she really had no more doubts. She had preferred comfort to elegance and she strongly had hoped that Jay would not care.
Hailey led him into the kitchen finishing setting the table but then she realized that he had not followed her and she went back to look for him. He was standing in the middle of the living room looking around.
And she took a few steps closer.
"Hi Jay." She laughed at him when he finally focused on her.
"I like your place. It's so…you."
"Uhm, is that a compliment? Because I know it's messy and…"
Jay laughed shaking his head.
"It's perfect, Hailey."
And, for the first time in hours, her thoughts were silent.
They stood in the dim light of the living room and she didn't really think she could be so comfortable with him. It was the first time he had been there, but there was no embarrassment at all.
They were probably both too tired, that was what she continued to repeat to herself. But when Jay looked down at her, her memories of the night before crashed against her with force.
It seemed like a century ago that she'd almost kissed him, but in the dim light, with his eyes clear on her, she couldn't think of anything else.
She couldn't really think of anything other than his gaze and when she opened her mouth, she almost laughed at the absurdity of her words.
"The pizza will arrive in fifteen minutes, I think."
He tilted his head slightly, not looking away and remaining silent. A slight smile slid across his lips and she could almost imagine the mockery he was thinking.
But then he was still there, standing there looking at her.
She breathed through her teeth, "Fuck."
And before she could really understand what she was doing, her hands were behind his neck and her lips were on his.
As she had imagined several times, his kiss was soft and firm at the same time - so much like he was.
Hailey leaned against him as her hands pushed his head towards hers.
Jay slid his arms behind her back holding her against his body and moaned into her lips as her fingers ran through the short hair at the nape of his neck.
The sound slipped into her like a balm and the pounding thoughts of that day vanished into her fog brain.
Jay pushed her and when her back hit the wall, she leaned even more against him. It was right, it was…it was just what it was meant to be.
"You were pretty hot today." He mumbled as he crawled down her neck.
When Hailey felt his teeth on her collarbone, she could swear she couldn't think anymore.
She pulled his hair until she smashed her lips back into his and when Jay laced his hand into her hair, she whimpered into his mouth.
Jay was everywhere around her and she couldn't even think clearly anymore.
She didn't know exactly how long they went on like this, not until the ringing of the bell startled them both.
Jay moaned against her neck and she narrowed her eyes trying to regain her calm.
"I no longer feel like pizza. Leave it, he'll go away."
"Jay, come on." She thrust her hands against his chest laughing, "Jay. It's pizza."
He groaned again before taking a few steps away from her.
He ran his hands through his hair looking at her and she ran away, toward her door, away from him - away from his solid trust slipping inside her with every glance of him. And far from the effect he had on her.
Hailey wasn't used to losing control. She had learned many years ago that the only way to deal with her life was to keep her mind in check. Nothing that could surprise her, nothing that could disappoint her.
But Jay was amazing, even in the smallest things. He was simple and kind, he was someone to rely on. Damn, it was so easy to rely on him. He had this aura of solid calm that surrounded him and that had attracted her from the first moment.
And despite the darkness that lived inside him and that they had talked about sometimes - the same darkness that made him think he was worth so little in life - he was without doubt one of the best men she had ever known. And she had only known him for a few weeks.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she joined him in the kitchen and she was amazed at the ease with which he adapted to her place.
She glanced at the living room and suddenly the idea of sitting at the table seemed so uncomfortable that she changed her mind.
"I have an idea, come with me."
She invited him to take everything was on the table and he agreed without questions but glancing amused at her.
It was only when she placed the pizzas on the coffee table in the middle of the living room and threw some pillows on the floor that he seemed to understand her intentions.
"Are we gonna eat sitting on the ground?"
"I love to eat sitting on the ground." She smiled at him shrugging.
Jay laughed shaking his head and sat on the ground next to her, "You're crazy."
"Eh." She took a bite of her pizza, "You're the one who's dating me."
Jay smiled slowly as he placed his hand on her knee and gave it a light squeeze, "Pretty true, yeah."
They ate in silence for a few seconds, his hand still resting on her knee was warm and pleasant and she would certainly not complain.
"So..." He began breaking the silence, "You kissed me."
Jay dropped it with feigned indifference and Hailey hid her smile behind her hair before lifting her face to look at him.
"I did."
He nodded and squeezed her knee again, "And it was amazing."
And when he reached for her, Hailey was finally no longer afraid to close her eyes.
His lips were still soft against hers and it was so easy to sigh against him and clasp her hands behind his neck as if she had done it all her life.
Jay kissed her slowly - as if he could do it for a lifetime. And, maybe for the first time in a long time, Hailey hoped he really had this chance - to kiss her like this forever. Just taking their time, getting to know each other.
He pulled away by tracing her lower lip with his fingertip, while her eyes were still closed. For so long she had been afraid to close her eyes and surrender to someone else, but finally now that fear was gone.
She sighed shakily before opening her eyes again and looking down at his hand, now returned to his place on her knee.
"Yeah, it was amazing." She murmured still overwhelmed.
And his hoarse laugh slid into her like a balm. Jay smiled at her returning to focus on his pizza as she continued to stare at him for a few seconds.
It was a comfortable and relaxed silence, as if they had done it forever - as if they could do it forever.
Jay cleared his throat as he took a sip of beer, "So you've met my unit."
"Is Voight always so…disdainful?"
Jay shook his head in amusement, "Eh, definitely a way of describing him."
"I don't like him, but whatever. It's just your problem." Hailey touched his beer with hers and shrugged.
"He may be a little…hard, to deal with."
"Rude. And overbearing." She added.
Jay looked at her silently, tilting his head. She could read in his expression he wanted to ask for more, but he surprised her by grabbing another slice of pizza and dropping her speech.
"So tell me, how long have Kim and Adam been sleeping together?"
She dropped it there randomly as they were cleaning the kitchen and clearly heard Jay freeze behind her.
"What?"
"Kim and Adam." She repeated slowly.
Jay was looking at her in shock.
"Do they still sleep together? But how…?"
"I'm kidding!" She laughed out loud hitting his chest, "They were together though, weren't they? There was a lot of sexual tension in there today."
"Yes, they dated, yes. God, that was what I wanted you to notice. You are…"
Jay shook his head still in wonder and Hailey laughed as he walked into the living room.
"Yeah, you can start with the list of compliments."
Jay joined her after a few seconds and sat down on the couch next to her. His head bent back and his eyes closed. Hailey turned on the TV then folded her legs against her body.
It wasn't really how she thought the evening would go, but she would never complain about the simplicity she could fall into in the most everyday things with Jay.
"I'm honestly beat. I don't know how much company I can be tonight."
"Not a problem." Hailey hit his thigh with her foot causing him to open his eyes, "How long have you been awake?"
"Two days, I think."
"Poor boy." She said reaching out until her hand slipped behind his neck.
"No, Hailey." He pulled away from her shaking his head, "If you do that, I'll fall asleep."
She laughed at the absurdity of his words.
"Sleep then."
Jay poked his lower lip in a silly childish grimace, "I was just thinking about kissing you again."
Hailey smiled as she knelt on the couch before moving towards him, then letting her lips slide over his slowly. She felt his smile in their kiss and her heart fluttered a little faster.
"I like this plan." She whispered after a few seconds as her hand stroked the side of his neck.
He hummed with his eyes closed as he moved towards her.
One hand slipped behind her back while the other was still on her side.
Hailey pulled away from him tracing the line of weariness under his eyes, before letting her hand run behind his neck and through his hair.
Jay groaned with his eyes closed, reaching out imperceptibly to her touch.
"Get some sleep, okay?"
"I don't want to sleep, no." He shook his head opening one eye.
"Jay." She stroked the back of his neck, "Let it go. This is a good night to rest."
They were silent for a few seconds with the noises of the TV in the background.
"I'm not really a lover of physical contact." He whispered to her when she thought he was already asleep.
Hailey chuckled, "I see it."
"But this is good. So yeah, feel free to continue."
She saw him smile with his eyes closed and she couldn't help but think that with him, even in silence, her thoughts were calmer. They no longer overwhelmed her, no longer suffocated her - she could breathe more calmly simply by hearing him breathing slowly beside her.
And maybe it was already too late to be frightened by the feeling of trust he instilled in her.
Okay so, the case is over and, woah, I enjoyed writing it!
I'll be quick and thank each of you - who reads, who reviews and who writes to me in PM. You're so great and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story - it's amazing.
And thanks to one-cpd, just to be so patient with me.
Talk soon, H.