New character in this one folks, hope you like it!
xXBalorBabeXx, Yep, things got very real in that last chapter. Glad I surprised you!
Skovko, I will happily take the title of bad girl for this one! Can't have a good mystery story without a little mystery (and some cliffhangers) can we now?!
Guest, Glad you liked it!
Mandy, Oh my goodness. I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry you had a bad week. But sometimes things are not meant to be. There are so many opportunities out there, you just need to keep pushing on until you find the one that is perfect for you. That one obviously wasn't quite right. You'll get there *Big hugs*
ViolentHugger03, Just call me the Queen of Confusion! But I promise, you will get answers at some point (and possibly more questions, but answers eventually!)
Cheryl24, Well, I mean, it sure looks that way at the moment!
SkittlezLvr79, Ooh, yay! I'm so glad I caught you out there! I love when a twist is an actual twist and no one guesses it before I get there. Hope you're ready for a story full of confusion and (hopefully) more twists to come!
Minnie1015, Ominous music is the one thing I can't provide. You'll just have to add that part yourself! More Dean and Roman goodness to come (and some protective Roman in this one. Just a hint, but we are near the beginning, so plenty more time!)
Phoenix lord of rebirth, Aww, thank you! Well, you asked about the police, so allow me to present them to you in all their glory in this chapter!
Not-that-kinda-gurl, Haha! Luckily Roman's wife is a pretty cool character (I hope) although he should definitely know better than to lie to his wife!
XwwecoyoteX, As if I could forget the pigeon (he gets a name in this one and everything) and don't worry, the animals are going to be there every step of the way, helping (sort of, some more than others) to solve the mystery!
HannonsPen, Sorry to make you wait, but here it is, the next chapter! Totally glad I shocked you though (#writergoals) Guess you'll just have to keep tuning in to find out all the answers to you questions!
Back to the boys then...
SIX
The detective who turns up to oversee the investigation is like something from out of a nineteen eighties cop film, since not only is he a very grey headed old timer, but he is also chewing on an unlit cigar and surveying the scene like he is studying a painting that for the life of him he can't quite seem to figure out,
"So, now let me get this straight," he says for a third time taking the well chewed cigar from his mouth, "This broad hires you, but refuses to give you any details other than telling you to be here at six o' clock and you don't think to try and get a name out of her or ask why?"
Roman frowns,
"He did ask. He already told you, she wouldn't tell him what the job was."
"And the name part?" the cop asks lifting a brow, which is one of those ones that has been left to grow like bindweed, to the point that it looks like it has a life of its own.
"She paid up front. I didn't need a name for her and some folks don't like givin' 'em in my line of work."
Dean is sitting on the edge of the king size, staring obliquely down at his hands, which Roman can't help but notice are mildly shaking, along with his knee which is bouncing up and down, like maybe he's testing a rickety floorboard. Except that he isn't. He looks damn near crushed. The body has been taken away by the med techs, who had pronounced her dead about five seconds after turning up, based on the tinge of her lips and her responses, but he can still sort of see her and he knows Dean can too as the detective chomps back on his cigar and then chuckles,
"Your line of work."
"Hey," Roman looks up, feeling a flash of protective rage flutter over him, "Get off his damn back, this isn't his fault."
The detective and even Dean blink for a second, then the cop holds his hands up,
"Okay, easy big guy. You two have had one hell of a night here, I get that. Besides, luckily for you both we already have a name. We found her purse downstairs with her drivers' license in it. Her name was Ella Hurley."
"Wait. Hurley?" Dean blinks, "What, you mean like – ,"
"Christopher Hurley the billionaire philanthropist," the weathered detective finishes for him, "Yep. She's his wife. Or at least, I mean, she was his wife anyway, before all of this."
Roman frowns then shakes his head, feeling like he's missing out on something,
"Who's Christopher Hurley?"
The detective snorts back at him in derision,
"Come on son, have you never heard of the Hurley Foundation? They gave all of the money for the new kids wing downtown. Made all his money in overseas oil and now gives back to the community around here. How about you try maybe reading a newspaper. Although, I gotta say, he kept his old lady pretty quiet. Or used to, because the press are gonna be all over this one."
He grunts again like he finds it amusing and Dean flexes his shoulders and then stands up,
"Hey listen here, you freakin' no good, badge wearin' scumbag – ,"
Roman grabs his elbow then clears his throat,
"Uh, so are we free to go?"
"Yeah," the detective nods back at him sharply, keeping his shrewd eyes focused on Dean, who is pretty much fully vibrating beside them, like a kettle on a stove or a rocket primed for launch, "But make sure you swing by the precinct tomorrow to give me a statement. Oh and keep this to yourselves. Christopher Hurley doesn't know yet."
"Absolutely," Roman nods feeling angry himself, but keeping it back so he doesn't get arrested, or so he can stop his new boss from possibly doing the same thing, "Thank you for all your help this evening detective."
"Hackett," the old timer grunts in response, before narrowing his eyes and then removing the cigar tip, "Say son, haven't I seen you someplace before. Did you ever play college football or something?"
"Nope," Roman shrugs back, "Sorry, not me."
Which marks the first time in his life he has ever lied to an officer. Although he figures it's probably as good as any time to start considering the copper blonde pulsing beside him and clenching his fists up.
He grunts,
"Come on uce. How about we go ahead and get ourselves out of here so we can see how Brock and Seth are doing in the car?"
Pushing Dean in front of him they thread back into the hallway past a series of guest bedrooms and the room with the bay front, which happens to be an open plan living-kitchen, before stepping over the glass and out into the night.
Because of the sudden arrival of cop cars and not to mention the ambulance which had come screeching up, neighbors have started to pool on the sidewalk to see if they can get a quick look through the tape. Dean pushes past them all roughly,
"Freakin' vultures."
"Hey," someone stood in the crowd frowns back, as Roman holds up his hands in apology, even though he doesn't disagree with the word. Still the last thing they need is a brawl on the sidewalk and so he keeps up the rueful grin until they're free of the crowd, at which point Dean shoves the guiding hand off him and then kicks a fire hydrant in a burst of sudden fury,
"Fuck."
"Easy babe."
"I should have known Roman,"
"Known what?" Roman grunts, "That she was going to kill herself? Because based on the fact her family ain't out looking for her, or putting up missing posters, then not even they knew. So how could you possibly know what she was planning?"
"Because I was the asshole that saw her," Dean huffs, "I freakin' stood an' like, talked to her or whatever, an' I knew somethin' was up, but I just figured she was nuts."
"This isn't your fault," Roman says again firmly, grabbing Dean's shoulder and holding him still. Not that it makes the blue eyes meet his though.
"Maybe not, but that dick of a cop in there was right," he grunts, presumably meaning Detective Hackett, "I shoulda asked for her name, or like, turned her down. Except then she flashed that whole bunch of twenties an' – ," he blows out a snort then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a hefty looking wad of rolled up notes, "Here uce, you have 'em."
"Babe, come on," Roman frowns at him,
"It's blood money," Dean grunts, "I don't freakin' want it anymore, or like deserve it I guess, or whatever. So you have it, I mean like, spend it on your kid. Except I might 'a kinda used some to buy us those coffees, an' breakfast this mornin'. But I mean it, the rest of it is yours."
Roman smiles and then pushes it down again,
"How about you use it to buy food for the dogs and that god damn pigeon you keep in the office."
"Carl?"
Roman snorts. Because of course it has a name. Dean meanwhile seems to briefly think about the offer before itching at his neck,
"Well, I mean, she did like Seth."
"There," Roman nods, "And besides babe, you earned it. Because I know this isn't the job that you thought it was, but think about it this way, she wanted you here and if nothing else then you saved her from being – you know – discovered by someone who loved her. There ain't no coming back from that."
Dean shrugs,
"I guess, an' hey, thanks for comin' with me an' like, tellin' that cop where to go an all that shit. Kinda not used to havin' people stickin' up for me."
"Partners, remember?" Roman smiles back, moving the hand that is gripping Dean's shoulder so that instead it gives him a clap on the back, "So now how about we head home and try and get a little shuteye? It's been a long day babe,"
Dean gives him a smile. A weak one granted and kind of lopsided, but a smile nonetheless and Roman figures that's what counts,
"Because everythin' is gonna seem better in the mornin'?"
"Probably not," Roman shrugs, "But it damn sure can't be worse."
Moving his hand to the back of Dean's neck line, he prods his new boss in the direction of the car, which is still sat silently where they had parked it with Brock and Seth asleep in the back. Brock is stretched out lengthways and is snoring, which makes the folds of his jowls flap up and down, while Seth meanwhile has curled himself up into a fuzz ball and then snuggled in right beneath one of Brock's paws, which is actually pretty damn cute all things considered, but doesn't last since Seth shoots up like a dart and then tries to attack them as they clamber back in again. Ambrose frowns at him,
"Hey, settle your tea kettle here. It's me."
Although Roman figures that might be the problem given that they had left them alone for two hours, which is how long it takes when having witnessed a suicide for all of the hoopla to be over and done. Brock busts loose a wet snore in the background as Dean fires up the engine,
"Fuck. Let's get out of here."
The rest of the drive is pretty much silent, which Roman actually finds kind of weird since in the whole two days that he has known Dean Ambrose, he has kind of gotten used to him never shutting up and singing and drumming and eating and scratching. So having him mute feels all kinds of wrong, although he does at least follow the bigger man's directions out through the city to the cosy suburbs on the Southern side and then to a blue painted house with a basement that evidently needs cushions and a new lick of paint. There are lights on in the front and a muted glow in an upstairs window, which Roman knows means his daughter's night light is on and that she's happy and safe. Unlike poor Ella Hurley.
Dean nods approvingly,
"Holy crap dude. Nice place."
"Thanks," Roman smiles moving Seth onto the backseat, where the little marshmallow snuggles back into Brock again and then starts growling at something in a nightmare, "You can come in if you want, have something to drink, since I figure I still kind of owe you for the coffee."
Dean looks down at his hands,
"Nah, m' good, an' besides, I need to get these two jerks home again."
He thumbs over his shoulder at the two sleeping dogs and Roman nods and then squeezes his shoulder,
"Next time then babe and I'm gonna hold you to that."
By the time he gets inside Dean has already pulled off again with an unhealthy sounding bang from the station wagon's exhaust, which clearly startles Seth since Roman hears the runt barking even through the god damn double glazing of the house.
"Roman?" his wife calls out from the kitchen, "What was that noise?"
"Nothing baby girl," he grins, dropping his case down and then peeling off his jacket as he stretches out his shoulders and then heads towards her voice. She is stood by the cooker in her Halloween onesie reheating some food,
"Have you eaten?"
He kisses her,
"No."
"Okay that's fine because I saved you some chilli and there's cornbread in the oven. Did you have a good day at work? Oh and guess what. Dina Mendez who works down in the blood labs has a niece who might need a new place to stay, so I thought this weekend if we painted the basement then – ,"
Roman moves towards her and sweeps her up into a hug, stopping her talking by burying her against him and then holding her tight like he might never let go. Which he might not since all he can think about is poor Ella and her husband finding out what had happened to his wife.
Her hands move up and then clench in his shirt front, giving him what he needs as she looks up in concern. Not to mention a lot of bewilderment,
"Baby, are you okay?"
He smiles at her,
"I am now."
Same time, same place next week. Hope you're all there. This story is going to have lots of twists and turns, starting with the next chapter, when Dean finds something that doesn't quite add up...