Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue or any of the characters.
Sorry it has taken longer than usual to update. I was travelling for work all last week and didn't get a chance to finish the chapter before I left or do much work on it while I was away.
As always thanks so much for the reviews and favs and follows and for reading. I always love to hear what you think of this story so please let me know. I really do appreciate feedback.
I proof this myself so the mistakes are totally mine (and it's really late and I should probably re-read this again in the morning but I really want to post it).
Hope you enjoy.
…
When Gail woke she found Holly sitting cross-legged on the bed next to her with a photo album in her lap. Holly had found an old t-shirt of Gail's to wear and her hair had that disheveled appearance that came from having spent a good part of the night before having sex. She was focused intently on the photos, although a hint of that lopsided smile quirked the corner of her lips.
Gail couldn't believe how beautiful Holly was, how utterly sexy, even like this or maybe especially like this with her mussed up hair and the old t-shirt that strained rather provocatively across her breasts so Gail could the see firm, round shape of them outlined against the thin material. It made her think of last night and how Holly had moaned when she touched those breasts, tweaking a nipple between her fingers or taking it between her lips and biting down gently but with enough force to make Holly give a sharp cry of pleasure.
Holly must have become aware that Gail was watching her because she looked up from the album and her smile widened. Gail literally felt her heart swell and the emotion she felt was so huge, so all consuming, that for a moment she thought she couldn't contain it within herself and it would spill out across the bed and she wouldn't be able to stop it. Then she realized that of course it had already spilled out, this love that enveloped both she and Holly.
It struck her then how strange it was to experience these feelings, these huge and wonderful feelings, back here in her family home. After all it was a place were love had always been conditional and happiness had been drowned out by guilt and angst and all things Peck, and where before Holly nothing could ease the oppressive yoke that settled upon her once within it's four walls.
Gail knew she was grinning like an idiot back at Holly. How did she get so lucky to find this woman? This amazing, smart, caring, sexy nerd who loved her, even all the dissonant and uncertain parts of her, those recalcitrant fragments that eventually made everyone else run but seemed to make Holly more determined to stay.
'You're awake,' Holly said.
'And you're snooping,' Gail replied but her tone was light and she was still smiling.
She stretched then, raising her arms above her head, making the sheet drop to her waist. The movement drew Holly's eyes to Gail's naked torso and the look on her face was so desirous, so adoring that it caused Gail to draw her bottom lip between her teeth at the thrill that rippled through her.
True to her word, Holly had been unrelenting in bringing her to orgasm again and again last night until Gail had lost count and her voice became hoarse from crying out Holly's name. Not that Gail hadn't returned the favor and she knew that beneath the t-shirt Holly bore the telltale marks of the pleasure she'd given her and they both wore the heady smell of each other smeared across their bodies.
Despite the intervening hours of sleep, Gail still had that post-sex feeling, her body languorous, replete, those feel good hormones not having completely subsided, making her skin tingle faintly, responsive to the slightest touch and it seemed even that look from Holly.
'You were gorgeous as a Goth,' Holly said returning her gaze to the album and tilting the book to show Gail the photo she had been examining and which had caused that little crooked smile of appreciation Gail had noticed when she woke.
'The black hair was really striking with your blue eyes and against your white skin. You looked,' Holly paused searching for the right word, 'sort of delicate but beautiful and scary all at once.'
'Really,' said Gail moving to sit up so she was leaning against Holly's side.
'I bet you would have totally ignored me at school or tormented me,' Holly said.
'Oh no, I kind of liked the nerds. They were so preoccupied with geeking out over their nerdy pastimes they didn't give a shit about banal things like who was dating who or if they had the coolest clothes or the latest phone or the fact that they were pretty much at the bottom of the school hierarchy. I tormented the jocks.'
'And yet you dated Nick.'
'He might look like a jock but he was a tortured soul and my Goth heart found that dark twisty side of him very attractive.'
'Was sex with him good?'
'Why do you even care,' Gail said, screwing up her face, 'I like sex and sex with guys I dated was generally good, but just nowhere near as good as sex with women. I mean you know that. Wait, are you wanting me to compare you with Nick?'
'No, no,' Holly protested quickly, 'it's just he was your most significant relationship before me and I don't know. You were with him longer than we've been together.'
'And I plan on being with you longer than I was with him,' Gail smiled, 'and with Nicholas, with any of the men I dated, it was never like this. After sex, I never wanted to be close to them. Usually if I was at their place, I'd get up and go home. I mean I cared about Nick. I thought he was it for me but then I didn't know any better. I didn't know then that what we have was possible. So there is no comparison.' Gail shrugged and took Holly's hand, running her thumb across the outside of it.
'I wonder if you would have taken any notice of me if we had met at school.'
'Oh god Holly, I would have fallen for you even if I'd been born deaf, dumb and with no eyeballs.'
Holly laughed, 'Gail only you could make a declaration like that so macabre.'
'But it's true,' Gail insisted.
'And weirdly romantic,' Holly laughed again, and Gail couldn't help but think that only Holly would see that.
'You saved me,' Gail said simply.
If Holly was surprised by the abrupt turn in the conversation, she didn't show it. She was getting quite used to Gail's habit of unexpectedly shifting from one seemingly unrelated topic to another.
'It was you who saved yourself. You stomped down on Trent's foot. I was just screaming hysterically.'
'No,' Gail said, taking the photo album from Holly and placing it on the bedside table, 'the fact of you saved me. I don't think I was very happy until I met you. Now I actually think I like myself.'
'Gail,' Holly said, tilting her head to one side, her smile warm and understanding, 'you did that. You choose to be happy.'
'You made it impossible for me to make any other choice, Holly.' Gail leant over and, cupping Holly's face in her hands, kissed her softly and slowly so the kiss was like a gentle caress that held everything Gail felt in that moment, love and happiness and gratitude and a kind of peace with herself. It was interrupted by Gail's stomach rumbling loudly and they both laughed.
'I think we need to feed you,' Holly said, moving off the bed and tugging Gail up with her.
…..
Frankie was sitting at the kitchen island drinking coffee when Gail and Holly came downstairs. They had showered first and Gail had supplied Holly with another slightly ill fitting shirt. Its tightness had forced Holly to leave an additional button undone and Gail found herself a little distracted by the extra cleavage on display.
'You know you are going to have to stop staring at my breasts once we get downstairs,' Holly said, 'that is unless you want your mother to know about one of your current obsessions.'
Gail whipped her eyes up to Holly's face. 'If she'd seen you naked she'd understand.'
'I think I'm happy to leave her in the dark on that one. I have no intention of showing her my breasts anytime.'
'Oh god no,' Gail said adamantly, a horrified expression on her face. 'Anyway it's your fault. I wouldn't stare if you didn't leave so many buttons undone. Why do you do that? Is it to give a hint of what lies beneath that white lab coat and that nerdy exterior?'
'Ha, who do you think I am? Clarke Kent? No it's because you like it,' Holly teased.
'But you wore your shirts like that before we dated, when we were just friends.'
'As I said, because you liked it. What do you think was one of the things that made me think you might not be quite so straight.'
'Oh,' Gail replied, 'was I that obvious?'
'A little,' Holly laughed, 'enough to give me hope that I wasn't reading the signals wrong.'
In the kitchen, Frankie regarded the two women with a smirk.
'Oh good, you're awake,' she said, 'the profiler flew in last night and is due to give a briefing at the station at 8.30am. The Superintendent wants you there too Holly. We're leaving in 15 minutes.'
'Geez, I wished she'd given us some warning, like told us last night,' Gail grumbled.
'Well, she intended to when she showed me to the guest room,' Frankie said, her smirk becoming more pronounced, 'but she changed her mind when she heard the noises coming from your room.'
'Oh fuck,' Holly said, her eyes widening and a blush spreading up her neck and across her face, 'Superintendent Peck heard us having sex. You heard us. Oh fuck.'
She didn't know which was worse, being overheard by Elaine or Frankie. Holly knew Frankie still had some residue feelings for Gail and she certainly didn't want to make her uncomfortable or unnecessarily upset her by flaunting their relationship.
'It's okay Holly, I think Elaine realizes we have sex,' Gail said matter-of-factly and Holly was too mortified about Elaine overhearing them to realize she was being gently mocked. When they first met Gail hardly ever heard Holly curse and now she wondered if she was driving Holly to it. Gail couldn't deny it. Holly's life had a whole lot more crazy with her in it.
'How can you be so calm about this, Gail? I just convinced your mother to take me seriously and now she's probably heard me incoherently moaning your name.'
'Um, actually at the time it was Gail calling out your name and there was nothing incoherent about it, it was quite clear,' Frankie said, plainly amused by Holly's discomfort, 'we all know Gail is pretty loud.'
There it was again. That reminder Frankie couldn't resist slipping in that she and Gail used to have sex. Only moments ago Holly was feeling sorry for Frankie. She didn't understand why Frankie did it. By her own admission, Frankie knew she didn't stand a chance with Gail and yet she persisted with these insinuations.
Was being obnoxious just part of Frankie's DNA, Holly wondered. Whatever it was, it annoyed the hell out of her, and Holly resolved, once this investigation was over, to find someone in her network of friends she could introduce to Frankie. Perhaps that would put a stop to it. She wondered if Lisa and Frankie would work. They probably deserved each other.
'Jeez Frankie, nothing like a sweeping generalization,' Gail said, thinking they hadn't actually been that noisy, conscious as they were of their surroundings and the fact that Elaine was due back at the house, so she knew Frankie was exaggerating.
'Don't worry the Superintendent was quite relaxed about it,' Frankie shrugged.
In fact when she and Elaine reached the landing and heard the sounds of Gail and Holly very clearly having sex, Frankie had stopped abruptly and tried to back down the stairs.
'What's the matter?' Elaine had asked curtly, 'you're not prudish are you Detective? Sex is a very healthy part of a relationship and it's not uncommon after a near death experience for people to seek affirmation of their survival through intercourse. Anyway I find it hard to believe a woman like you with so many notches in her belt would be bothered by this.'
Frankie had blinked in surprise. Not that she was going to reveal any of that to Gail and Holly.
'Relaxed?' Holly asked.
'Yeah, totally unfazed. She told me it was natural,' Frankie replied.
Gail laughed. 'Oh my God, I wish I'd been there to hear my mother give you a lecture on sex. Oh that would have been priceless.'
Frankie scowled. 'I'm guessing you've already had the talk.'
'Oh yeah, many, many years ago.' As Gail started to shrug her stomach rumbled again, 'Is there any food?' she asked.
'Low-fat yogurt,' Frankie made a face.
A bank of refrigerators, with silver doors so shiny Holly could see her reflection, took up one half of a wall in the cavernous kitchen. Even the countertops and the bench at which Frankie sat were stainless steel and this, combined with the slate grey floor, gave the kitchen a cold, almost sterile look. Holly thought her lab was more inviting.
Holly had grown up in a warm, cozy kitchen messy with domesticity. It had an old wooden table that bore the marks of shared meals and laughter and homework done while her parents cooked, a shelf over-crowded with cookbooks and a refrigerator covered with the paraphernalia of a busy family - photos, reminders, invitations and merit certificates she and her brother Gabe had won at school as well as the occasional sports ribbon.
Holly wondered if the rest of the house was as impersonal. Last night Gail hadn't shown her around but had taken Holly straight to her room. If Holly had asked, Gail would have been able to tell her that Elaine's personal assistant kept track of family appointments from athletic meets to haircuts; that the only photos on display were the stiff, awkward family portraits and the mandatory shots of she and Steve graduating from college and then the Academy, most showing an unsmiling Gail. There was no need for cookbooks either as Elaine had a housekeeper who prepared dinner each day, unless Elaine was dining out or entertaining, both regular occurrences before the Pecks' fall from grace.
Holly opened the refrigerator doors one by one to search for food but found that Frankie was right. There were only a few cartons of low-fat yogurt and a bag of shriveled celery sticks that looked way past their use by date.
'Why all these refrigerators and no food?' Holly asked, 'is the Superintendent on some sort of diet?'
'Oh my mother doesn't eat regular food, Holly. You should know that,' Gail said drily.
Holly looked at Gail skeptically.
'She feeds on the flesh of the misfortunes and the mistakes and humiliations of the minions around her. That is enough to sustain her,' Gail deadpanned and Holly's expression became even more dubious.
'Ghoulish, Peck,' Frankie said.
'Oh alright, alright. Elaine used to host dinners and cocktail parties to schmooze the pillars of Toronto society. They stopped after Steve went to prison and my father was suspended. No one wants to dine with the disgraced'
'Well, we need to get you some proper food,' Holly said.
Gail smiled because Holly of course knew that after that rather marathon sex last night Gail would be hungrier than usual. If Frankie hadn't been in the room Gail would have kissed Holly.
'Will donuts do?' asked a peppy voice.
Holly and Gail spun around from their inspection of the refrigerators to see Chloe walking in holding a box of pastries.
'Chloe,' Gail exclaimed, making no attempt to downplay her relief at seeing her friend, 'what are you doing here? Are you okay?'
Gail moved towards Chloe but stopped just short of her and rocked back on her heels, her body suddenly tense, but then stuttered forward, her arms slightly extended and a little askew before coming to a stop again. She was caught between hugging Chloe and backing off, and Holly would have found the whole graceless dance amusing had she not known how difficult it was for Gail to be open about her feelings for her friends, particularly when it came to psychical displays of affection.
'It's okay, Gail. You don't have to hug me. My ribs are bruised anyway,' Chloe smiled.
It was enough for Gail to continue on and give Chloe a gentle but swift hug.
'That's for the donuts and I'm glad you're okay,' she said softly, and then added more loudly, 'So are you going to share those donuts.'
Chloe placed the box on the counter, undoing the lid to reveal twelve golden donuts with a variety of glazes and frostings. Gail reached for one with white frosting and sprinkles, sighing happily as she bit in to it.
'Simple pleasures,' Frankie said acerbically.
'You know donuts, or an early form, date back to the Medieval Ages in Europe. Apparently it started out as a deep-fried dough that Christians would eat as a treat on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent. It was also a way of using up all the butter, sugar and fat in the house because of course during Lent you were supposed to deny yourself those kinds of indulgences,' Holly said.
This time not caring that Frankie and Chloe were watching, Gail smiled and leant over to give Holly an unhurried kiss, leaving behind a faint trace of sugar on her lips. Holly ran the tip of her tongue around them to wipe away the sugar crystals and then smiled back at Gail. For an instant they held each other's gaze. If Gail had struggled to be open about her feelings an instant ago, now the look on her face was one of pure and naked love and it was mirrored by Holly's expression.
From her position at the kitchen island, Frankie felt like she was intruding on a private moment but then couldn't help thinking 'damn those two are hot together'. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chloe grinning like a sap. Typical. It was then that Frankie felt it. The jealousy. Not of Holly because she had Gail or Gail because she chose Holly. Frankie might be supremely confident about her attractiveness to women but she wasn't delusional and she knew that Gail had never looked at her the way she was looking at Holly.
No, Frankie realized with some surprise she was jealous of what Gail and Holly had and she had never experienced. It didn't make her bitter, well not anymore prickly than she was already, but rather there lodged in her heart a longing that she couldn't ignore. While this revelation was not entirely unwelcome, it unnerved her. This was not who she was, Frankie thought. She was a love 'em and leave 'em girl, always moving on before things got stale. Frankie was so unsettled by this unexpected turn that she felt compelled to break the bubble of bliss that seemed to have settled around Gail and Holly. She found herself speaking, although her words sounded gruffer than she intended.
'What are you actually doing here Price, besides delivering donuts? Shouldn't you be off work, recuperating?'
'Dov and Matt are here to drive you and Gail to the station, so I tagged along with them. I couldn't stay at Gail's last night – apart from the mess the forensics made dusting for prints, the Superintendent didn't want to risk Trent returning - so I stayed with Dov. Anyway the Superintendent wants me at the briefing with the profiler. I can't go out on patrol, but I can help out at 15.' Chloe's upbeat answer gave no indication she was offended by Frankie's tone.
'But are your ribs okay?' Gail asked.
'A little tender. But I'd rather be at the station doing something to catch these guys than feeling sorry for myself at Dov's.'
'And how much mess did forensics leave?' Gail grumbled, though it was obvious from her next comment that she was feigning displeasure. 'I mean as the girlfriend of the Deputy Chief of Forensics,' Gail turned to Holly, 'I thought I'd get some special consideration but they don't even clean up after themselves. Clearly you need to teach them some basic protocols Holly.'
'It wasn't too messy considering how thorough they were. I just didn't get a chance to clean it up,' Chloe reassured Gail.
'So Chloe, if you and Frankie and Gail are going in with Dov and Matt, how am I getting back to the station?' Holly asked, ignoring Gail's teasing.
'Oh, you'll be riding with me,' Elaine said as she came into the kitchen and then added, without seeming to take a breath, 'really Gail, donuts. It's barely eight in the morning.'
Gail rolled her eyes and Holly pointedly reached into the box to grab one of the donuts. Taking a bite, she said 'Mmmm, these are delicious.'
Gail had to stifle a laugh. She was well aware that her health conscious girlfriend found donuts overly sweet but clearly Holly was willing to eschew her wholesome eating habits in defense of Gail. The way she said 'mmm', drawing out the sound, her voice husky and suggestive made Gail wonder if Holly had decided she didn't care that Elaine had heard them last night.
Elaine peered at the box of donuts with distaste and then slapped a copy of the Toronto Star on the counter.
'How did know Martha Fisher find out Trent tried to abduct Gail and attempted to strangle her. Someone on this investigation is leaking to the media and it's playing right into Trent's hands. Publicity is what he wants. Can you imagine how powerful it makes him feel to have the whole of Toronto spooked.'
Elaine was literally vibrating with anger, so much so that Holly thought if it were possible for steam to come out of her ears it would have. The Superintendent's expression was accusatory as she looked around at the four women in her kitchen.
'Calm down mother,' Gail said, 'It's not like any of us here are the leaker. We're just as angry as you are about this.'
Elaine regarded Gail for a moment.
'Well, any ideas who it could be?'
'The leaks started before you took over the investigation and brought in additional officers, so my guess is it's someone on or close to the original team.'
'That makes sense,' Frankie agreed.
'And it's not me or Frankie or Chloe and it certainly wouldn't be McNally or Dov or Chris and I trust Matt, even if he can run off at the mouth sometimes. The only other three officers who've worked with us closely are Anna Robinson, Todd Pedersen and Gerald. I don't think it is Gerald. Ever since his stepfather went down, the job is all Gerald has, even if he's barely competent at it. Which leaves us with Officers Robinson and Pedersen. Somehow I don't think it is Robinson. She strikes me as someone who is loyal'
'By Gerald, I take it you mean Officer Moore,' Elaine said.
Gail nodded and wondered how her mother had found out that this was Duncan's nickname. Truly her reach verged on the superhuman. All those people she had being her eyes and ears on the force gave her an omnipresence that might have been impressive if it weren't so alarming. Elaine was probably wasted on the police force, Gail mused, her ability to gather even seemingly inconsequential information would have made her well suited to intelligence.
'I bet it's that homophobic asshole, Pedersen,' Frankie said.
'What do you mean, homophobic,' Elaine turned to Frankie.
'Exactly what she said,' Gail shrugged.
'There is no room on the modern force for that kind of attitude,' Elaine cut in, her voice stern, 'why haven't you reported him?'
'Mother, those things can be hard to prove. Often it's just a snide comment, said as an aside and you can't be 100 percent sure you heard it right. Anyway, people in the force already make assumptions about you when they know you're gay, and if you make a complaint there are still a lot of people who brand you a troublemaker and who'll go out of their way to make life difficult for you. You have to pick your battles'.
How unfair it was that Gail always butted up against obstruction because of who she was, Holly thought. The Peck name had been a millstone, in the first place because it was synonymous with police royalty and more recently because it spelt corruption, and now, from what Gail was saying, it was clear her sexuality was used as a slight by some of the people she worked with.
Yet once Gail had identified she was gay she never wavered from it, never hid it. In fact from the moment she and Holly admitted their attraction, Gail never doubted the rightness of it. Holly was filled with admiration for Gail, thinking this conviction showed a strength and resolve that understandably others coming to terms with their sexuality under similar circumstances - at a relatively late age, with controlling parents who had a very different plan for her future and in a work culture that was not always supportive - would have found hard to maintain.
'Still if we don't stamp it out, if we don't challenge those attitudes then they will prevail,' Elaine insisted.
'It must have been similar for you, as a woman breaking into the ranks, when you first joined the force Superintendent,' Holly said.
Elaine nodded.
'And I bet you didn't complain?'
'No, I found other ways of dealing with it. I have a long memory.'
'Don't worry, we have ways too,' Frankie's smile was slightly evil as she recalled sending Pedersen dumpster diving, 'and it can be slow for some but attitudes are changing on the force. It's not an issue for most people.'
'Yeah, it's just the occasional idiot like Pedersen,' Gail agreed. 'Actually I know just how to trap him,' she added excitedly, 'let's feed him some misinformation. If it's in tomorrow's paper, we'll know it's him.'
'Like what?' Frankie asked.
'We'll tell him the killer has left Toronto. That he panicked as we started to close in and we believe he has fled to the US.'
'Trent will hate to be seen as a quitter, so it has the added benefit of increasing the pressure on him,' Holly said.
'Yes,' Elaine agreed, 'which could work out well for us. It's a good plan.'
…
'Don't break her heart again,' Elaine said.
'Pardon,' Holly said, totally unprepared for the Superintendent's remark
The first part of the car ride to 15 had passed in near silence. Elaine had commented on how fine the day was and Holly had concurred. Really Holly should have guessed that Elaine had a reason for maneuvering to get her alone in the car.
'Don't break Gail's heart again. Like you did when you went to San Francisco.'
'Um, it was a mutual break-up, Superintendent.'
'Really,' Elaine quirked an eyebrow.
The action reminded Holly of Gail and she was startled by how disconcerted she was by this.
'And call me Elaine. It's a little strange to be calling each other by our titles given that you and my daughter are,' Elaine paused and took one hand off the steering wheel which she waved vaguely in the air.
What was Elaine trying to say, Holly wondered. When she and Gail were what? Having sex every chance they got, including in Gail's childhood bedroom in the family home. No she couldn't think about that not when she was stuck in a car with Gail's mother. Not when she could recall every part of last night in vivid detail. Not when her body still had that post-sex hum, that feeling that was equal parts contentment and bliss, her muscles deliciously stretched but relaxed, her skin bearing marks reminding her of how Gail had paid attention to nearly every inch of it.
'Are you serious about her?' Elaine asked and Holly realized she'd never know what that little wave of the hand referred to.
'Completely.' Holly saw no reason to conceal this from Elaine.
'Well you're better for her then those idiot boys. They had no idea how to handle Gail, and Detective Anderson was completely wrong for her too.'
'Um, I don't think of myself handling Gail or that Gail needs to be handled.'
Elaine once again waved her hand, but this time it was dismissively.
'You're good for her. That is all I'm trying to say.'
'Oh,' Holly couldn't conceal her surprise, 'I think we're good for each other.'
'Do you want children?' Elaine asked abruptly, ignoring Holly's comment.
Maybe Gail had learnt her habit of suddenly changing topic mid conversation from Elaine, Holly mused. But where it was charming, if often bewildering, when Gail did it, Elaine simply appeared officious.
'Uh, that's kind of personal.'
'Well, you left for San Francisco when Gail decided to adopt,' Elaine said flicking the indicator on and smoothly negotiating through the traffic to reach the outside lane of the freeway.
'That wasn't the reason I left, except that it was too early in the relationship to test it with a child. We wanted different things. I spent two years regretting it.'
'So children aren't out of the question?'
Holly couldn't help but smile wryly at Elaine's tenacity. The woman just wouldn't give up.
'No. Children are a possibility, and that is something Gail and I have discussed,' Holly said, putting the stress on 'Gail and I' and thinking thank god they had talked about it last night, if only in passing.
Elaine gave a small smile and Holly couldn't help but think there was something triumphant about it.
…..
'Generally, serial killers are consummate role-players,' Agent Ed Pearce, the profiler from the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit was explaining to the team assembled in the Incident room.
Pearce didn't look like a conventional agent. His hair was a little shaggy and he had a beard that was mostly neat but certainly not close cropped. He was a little less than six foot and had a wiry build that suited his intense delivery. Gail was aware Pearce had several degrees in criminal justice and psychology, as well as a graduate degree in forensic psychology and had trained with the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. She got the sense he lived and breathed profiling. It wouldn't surprise her if he was somewhere on the autism spectrum.
'Serial killers can appear to be likable and harmless,' Peace continued, 'typically they are charismatic and often good-looking. This makes it easy to get women to trust them.'
That's certainly the way Trent presents,' Frankie said.
'Yes. He may lack empathy but Trent will know how to read people well and how to exploit their vulnerabilities. He'll use this and his charm to manipulate people into doing things they might not normally agree to. It's likely the victims consented to go with him, initially at least. Trent's attempt to abduct Detective Peck was outside of his usual pattern.'
'So why change his methodology now?' Dov asked, 'it's not exactly a refinement.'
Like Holly, Agent Pearce described Trent's approach to the killings as ritualistic - each murder would be carried out following the same pattern. The only deviation would be small refinements that Trent owed to serendipity rather than design. For example, he might find a more efficient way to tie the restraints or come up with a smoother line to convince the victim to accompany him; it might be in the humiliations he inflicted on his victims. However, in the main Trent would stick very closely to his script. He would methodically plan each rape and murder, becoming almost as consumed by fantasizing about the act as by the act itself.
'My guess is Trent's obsession with Detective Peck is making him act out of character, which is good news for us because this is someone who likes to always be in control. If he's unraveling it increases our chances of getting him.'
'He's likely to make mistakes,' Elaine clarified.
'Yes, and this is where forensics will be vital,' Pearce gave a nod in Holly's direction, 'He'll get sloppy about leaving evidence. The arm hair is an example of that. Trent's MO is typical of an organized killer. He takes the victims to a second location to kill them and then disposes the body at a third location. We are dealing with at least three different crime scenes so it makes it tough to collect evidence.'
'And that second location, where he takes the women, it's likely to be the same place each time?' Gail asked.
Pearce nodded in confirmation.
'So really we should be concentrating on the second location - where Trent kills the women. It's the one location, apart from the FindLove events, common to all his murders and it's probably where he's taken his latest victim.'
'Yes,' Pearce agreed, 'though if you haven't turned up any leads as to where that place might be I wouldn't hold my breath. Trent will be moving around Toronto, quite possibly in this neighborhood and anywhere else he thinks you're likely to be Detective Peck. He's arrogant enough to think he'll go undetected, that he's too smart to be caught. In addition to the APB you've got out on Trent, I'd recommend releasing his photo to the media, get them to identify him as a person of interest.'
'Won't he just feed off the media attention?' Frankie asked.
'It's a risk, but if it means the two and a half million plus people who live in this city are on the look out for him it could mean we'll catch him faster.'
'What about Aaron? How does he fit in?' Frankie said.
'I'd say he's a follower. A stooge. Trent would have also used his charm to manipulate Aaron. Most probably Aaron has strong feelings of inadequacy, he's someone with a chip on his shoulder who feels like the world owes him something. Trent would give him a sense of purpose and make him feel wanted, appreciated, something Aaron clearly didn't believe he got from his family. He would look up to Trent, be desperate for his approval.'
'So Trent gives him a sense of belonging,' Gail said.
'Yes and getting Aaron to participate in the killings reinforces that; it makes him complicit and would bind him to Trent even more.'
'And that, as we've found, makes Aaron less likely to tell us anything about Trent,' Elaine said, 'would you classify Aaron as a serial killer?'
'No, as I said he's just a follower. I doubt he even does the killing.'
'From what his brother Danny says, it sounds as if he likes to watch,' Gail said.
'And that increases the sense of power Trent experiences as he commits these acts, because power is what he's getting off on here. Based on what we know about Trent he fits the profile of the archetype serial killer. Neglected childhood, unwanted by the step-mother, who mistreated him, literally abandoned by his father when the father died.'
'So the stepmother's death triggered this psychopathic behavior?' Holly asked.
'Yes. There is the report of him committing at least one alleged rape when he was at high school, which again fits the profile of a serial killer. They begin indulging in deviant behavior as teenagers, however it often takes a major event to tip them over the edge. The stepmother's death meant Trent was denied killing her or at least the satisfaction of punishing her for what he sees as her wrongs. The fact that the vics look like the stepmother means Trent kills her over and over again. To me that says this is about power and revenge.'
'And none of this is getting us any closer to finding the victim,' Gail said, clearly frustrated.
'We don't know for sure if he has another vic,' the profiler pointed out.
There was a small commotion at the door and Gail realized that while they had been talking her mother had moved over to speak to Oliver, who had appeared in the room.
'Actually, Agent Pearce, we do have a victim. Melanie Tovy. 24. Missing for the last two days and a member of FindLove. Our first priority is to find her,' Elaine said, her tone making it clear this was an order.
'But if we find Trent we'll find her,' Pearce said.
'We can't take the risk that he'll kill her before that,' Elaine replied, her voice clipped, her displeasure at Pearce's nerve in questioning her clear.
'Well, have you considered using Detective Peck as bait. It's a surefire way of finding Trent quickly.'
Holly half rose from her chair and Elaine stiffened but in the end it was Frankie who spoke. She realized in an instant that neither woman could publicly object to Pearce's proposal because of their relationship to Gail.
'That's not going to happen,' she stated firmly, 'it's too risky.'
'It won't be much different to what you are doing now. Just keep Detective Peck on the investigation, moving around the city. Trent won't make a move unless she's out there and when he does make a move we'll be ready because we'll surround Detective Peck with every spare officer you've got. He won't get to Detective Peck because we'll get him first'
'If it means we find Trent faster, I'm willing to do it,' Gail said softly.
'Agent Pearce, Detective Anderson, Sergeant Shaw, I'd like a word with you three,' Elaine said, 'in Sergeant Shaw's office now.' With that Elaine marched out of the room.
Holly turned to Gail.
'Please don't do this,' she said so quietly Gail had to strain to hear.
Gail stood and with a small nod indicated Holly should follow her. Once out in the corridor, she led Holly into one of the interrogation rooms.
'If I can be assured this is low risk, I can do this,' Gail said, taking Holly's hand.
'You keep saying that every time you go undercover in this investigation or go after Trent and yet just yesterday you told me you shouldn't be on this case, that it was messing with your head. And he came very close to taking you.'
'I know, I know but it just keeps coming back to me. I seem to be the key to catching Trent. I don't like it anymore than you do Holly. I wish we could just go away somewhere nice, hole up for weeks and forget about all of this'
Gail moved so there was very little space between she and Holly. Cupping Holly's face in her hands, she kissed her. It was gentle at first and then Holly was pulling Gail in, her kisses increasingly frantic until finally Gail drew back and regarded Holly with a worried look. Before she could speak, there was a knock on the door. When Gail opened it, she found Frankie standing there.
'It's not happening,' she said, 'you're confined to the station.'
Gail nodded but said nothing, though she swore Holly's sigh of relief was audible. In truth Gail was relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands. She had promised Holly, in fact she had made a promise to herself that she would not be reckless and, despite Pearce's assurances that she would be safe, she wasn't altogether sure his wasn't a foolhardy plan.
…
Chloe and Gail were eating lunch in the break room when Officer Pedersen swaggered in. You could tell by the arrogant way he carried himself that he was the kind of guy who let the uniform go to his head. He started a little when he saw Gail.
'Uh, Detective Peck, I thought you were off the case, you know on leave. I heard that guy tried to abduct you.'
'Yeah, well latest intelligence says he's gone into hiding. Can't take the heat. We think he's gone over the border to the US, so I guess he's their problem now,' Gail said casually, giving a nonchalant shrug to reinforce the impression that the case had been dropped.
'So the investigation is done?' Pedersen asked.
'Maybe. The team's out there chasing down leads but it's probably a lost cause.'
Pedersen poured himself a coffee and nodded.
'Uh, well catch you later. I need to make a phone call.'
Just as Pedersen was about to leave the room, Gail called out.
'Hey Pedersen, none of that is official yet, so keep it to yourself.'
Pedersen nodded, although Chloe was certain she saw a flicker of excitement cross his face. Once he had gone, she turned and looked at Gail.
'Smooth, Gail, very smooth.'
'Like taking candy from a baby,' Gail said with a smug smile.
…...
Gail and Chloe had been turning over the case for the last hour. Elaine had set them the task of reviewing the case files in the hope they might find something vital or even small that had been overlooked. Or that's what Elaine said. Gail suspected her mother wanted to keep her out of trouble and at 15.
'You heard what Pearce said. Trent follows a pattern so that second location has to be somewhere he can access again and again without being disturbed. It has to be somewhere no one else knows about, apart from Aaron,' she said.
'Pearce was out of line,' Chloe said.
'He was just doing his job,' Gail replied, thinking it odd that it was Chloe rather than she who'd abruptly changed topic. Still Chloe was simply being protective and Gail realized that she liked that, knowing she had a friend willing to stand up for her.
'I don't like him.'
'You don't have to,' Gail said reasonably, 'but I think he knows his stuff. It has to do with patterns.'
All of sudden Gail spun around in her chair so she was facing Chloe and asked, 'Have we interviewed the girl Trent is alleged to have raped at high school?'
'Pastor Danny didn't know her name and there is no record of the complaint. Trent was a minor at the time and the charges were dropped. Why? Is it important?'
'What if Trent is taking the women to the same place he took that girl to rape her.'
'Andy and I spoke to Pastor Danny. He couldn't think of any places Trent and Aaron might use. '
'And he couldn't recall the name of the girl involved. A scandal like that which engulfed his family, he's bound to know her name. From memory it was a small school too. I think we need to pay the pastor another visit.'
'Uh Gail, you're not allowed to leave, remember,' Chloe pointed out.
'Yes Chloe I know. I'm going to ask my mother permission like a good little girl. Who've we got who could drive us there?'
'Chris and Andy.'
Gail smiled. 'We just need Traci and Nick and it would be like old times. Can you let Andy and Chris know we'll leave in ten.'
Elaine was nowhere to be found and nor was Oliver, so Gail phoned Frankie who was interviewing Melanie's parents.
'There will be four of us. We're all armed. We're going straight to the church compound and then back to 15, no detours. You can meet us there.'
Frankie had rather reluctantly agreed.
'Dov and I will finish here soon. Then we'll come straight over.'
Outside the door to Pastor Danny's house, Gail paused to unbutton her shirt. She was wearing a scooped neck t-shirt beneath it and the marks on her neck where Trent had placed his hands, though yellowing, were still visible.
Andy looked at Gail quizzically and asked her what she was doing, but Chloe nodded and said 'good plan.'
After that Gail knocked on the door. Danny's wife, Ellie, opened it. Her eyes darted to Gail's neck and then away again and then back briefly and then away. Gail hazarded a guess she wasn't normally this jittery. Soon they were being led into Danny's study.
Like Ellie, his gaze went immediately to Gail's neck.
'Trent did that to you,' he said heavily and Gail saw genuine sorrow in his eyes, 'I read about it in the paper.'
'Yes and he's taken another woman. If we're to have any hope of finding her we need you to be completely candid with us. What was the name of the girl he raped in high school?'
'I already told Detective Anderson, I don't remember. It was a long time ago. I'm not even sure I knew who it was back then. My father dealt with it, well with Aaron'
'Not an easy thing to forget,' Gail said harshly, 'it was less than 10 years ago.'
'Pastor Danny, we realize that event bought shame on your family and you don't want to relive it, but Trent has killed at least six women and if we don't stop him there will be more,' Chloe said gently.
'You think Aaron's involved?'
'Yes,' Chloe nodded, 'we're not sure how, but regardless we need to stop this now.'
Danny's eyes went again to Gail's neck.
'Ellie. It was Ellie.'
'Your wife?' Gail couldn't conceal her astonishment.
Danny nodded sadly.
'She was my girlfriend then,' he said indicating a framed photo on his desk. It showed a family grouping with an older man who was clearly Danny's father standing next to a woman who was roughly the same age. Danny's mother, Gail surmised. Danny was probably no more than 17 in the photo and he stood proudly with his arm around Ellie. Next to them were Aaron and a girl who Gail thought looked familiar.
'Who's that?' she asked, pointing to the girl.
'My sister Sarai. Her name is biblical. It means princess. My father was so excited to have a daughter he named her that. She has also left the church. She goes by the name Stacey now.'
Gail looked at Danny sharply. 'She was there that day too wasn't she?'
'Yes,' Danny said, his head bowed as if in disgrace.
…..
Excellent spotting by the guest reviewer who thought Stacey was involved – there was a reason she kept showing up. This crime is close to being solved and I'm thinking that might be a good place to end this story. I still have more I want to write about Gail and Holly so either I'll add a few more chapters post wrapping up the crime or I am toying with the idea of a sequel. I can't quite believe this story is up to Chapter 21 and has run over 100,000 words, especially as when I posted the first chapter I thought it might just be a one-shot. Anyway, thanks again for reading.
