He still wished he was in that restroom.
Finn didn't want to leave so abruptly but he knew better than to ignore Charlotte when she needed him to report back to her. Walking into her office without knocking, he dropped all pictures and notes he took while spying on the funeral service. There was nothing there of importance to the case.
Charlotte frowned at the lack of progress made. "You were suppose to report back to me sooner."
"My apologies."
"May I ask what kept you preoccupied?"
Finn just shrugged in response. "I'm trying to figure out everything I can about the case."
Charlotte only nodded, taking a suspicious glance at his swollen lips. She didn't question him further but had an inkling on what her best detective was up to. She only hoped that it wasn't true.
"Very well. You're dismissed."
Walking into the office, Finn saw that the desk was a mess. Seth seemed to be finishing up his work for the day on the smaller cases that the department was settling. Seth was right. Charlotte didn't count on him to take on bigger investigations yet. Must be why Seth is so keen on offering help to Finn.
He falls back into one of the chairs and it's enough to snap Seth out of his work flow.
"Finn! How'd it go today, man? Find anything new? Charlotte left me and Bayley's crew in charge of these papers as you can see. Needless to say it's been pretty hectic."
Finn didn't say anything for the moment. His mind just kept going back and forth, not knowing what to say. His face began to heat up thinking about what happened earlier today. Did Finn do the right thing? He wasn't sure at the moment. All he knew was that there was no going back. Not after what happened between them. Truthfully, he enjoyed it.
"Nothing interesting showed up at the service. But I think Charlotte is getting impatient with me."
"Charlotte Flair? Getting impatient with you? What, did you tell you that or…?"
"You know the chief. She gets that tone in her voice when progress is not meeting standards. It's my own fault, though. I took too long to get back to her."
"Since when do you stall on your work? You're getting too vague on me, Finn. C'mon, I'm your best friend. If the stress of the job is becoming too much for you, just tell me and I'll tell Flair to take it easy."
"Well…" It wasn't the stress of the job getting him distracted. Not all the way, at least. It was that damn Dean Ambrose. "I might of had myself a little fun, is all."
Seth put his papers down, not fully interested in the conversation. "Oh? What sort of fun?"
"I met up with Ambrose today."
The silence that falls in the office is enough to make Finn lean uncomfortably in his seat, watching as Seth's eyes widened as he tries to put the pieces together.
"Finn...you didn't."
"Easy there, Seth. I didn't sleep with him if that's what you're thinking."
"Yeah, but the-...you-" Seth struggled to find words. "Finn, you know Charlotte and even the whole police department will have your head for this. Getting involved with a potential suspect? What were you thinking? I don't-"
"I claim he is innocent and I'll prove it to the rest of you too."
Seth groaned in frustration. "You need to find another suspect for us to investigate then, genius." He takes a moment to calm down and begins to unhook something from his belt. He slides it across the desk and to Finn's surprise, it's Seth's hand pistol. "Chief didn't want to give you one because she thought you still weren't ready to carry one for investigations yet. But considering that you're about to go deeper into solving this once and for all, I figure you can take mine. Just...be safe with it."
Finn stares at him, then hesitantly takes the gun and puts it safely away. "W-Why so suddenly? Don't you need it?"
"I'll be okay. I'm not doing anything dangerous where I might need it. Besides…" Seth sighs and hangs his head low. "You know what happened the last time one of us got in too deep."
Finn flinches at the remark and it's not long before Seth is called away by Bayley and Finn is left alone with nothing but the memory of Elias's face. Shut it away, he tells himself. He doesn't even realize how tired he is until he leans on the desk. A few sips from the flask in his jacket and he is pulled into his personal dreamland.
He remembers walking down this street. It's beginning to be sunset. What will he make himself for dinner tonight, he wonders. Doesn't stop the constant worrying from tugging the back of his thoughts. It's been a busy day at work. He had just helped Charlotte with the new evidence they had gathered from their latest investigation. If they were lucky, that means that they were getting one step closer from finding their guy. He could feel it.
He still couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong, though. He hadn't heard from him since that ominous call he received three nights ago. Charlotte and Seth became concerned as well. It wasn't like him to miss work and even if he did, he would have called in to let them know.
Where are you? Why won't you answer our calls? It's going to get dark soon.
As he walks down the street, it feels like everything is going in slow motion. He can hear the soft ringing of a cell phone go off. He thinks back to the phone call from him. He said he was getting close, but never stated on where he was. He said he would call back with more, But he never did. The air is starting to smell.
Finn turns his head and is now frozen. From shock? From horror? He can't tell. All he could see are the terror in those dead eyes staring back at him, the blood now staining his shoes. Finn clutches his chest. It's not real, it can't be.
The body beneath him is Elias.
Someone shakes him and Finn wakes up with a jolt, gasping for air. He takes in his surroundings and sighs as he sees it was only a nightmare. Only it wasn't a nightmare was it? It was like reliving a memory. A memory he tries desperately to forget. Turns out the person who has woken him up was Alexa Bliss, who is now looking down at him with a strange gaze.
"You, uh, doing good there, Flynn?"
He growls, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "My name is Finn. And yes, I'm alright."
"Well, good. Because Sami and I need you to check something out. Right away."
When they get to the forensics lab, Sami is standing over a table looking exasperated. There are photos and papers placed in front of him and Alexa shakes her head as she looks down at them too.
"Sami? What's going on?" Finn asks.
Sami begins to tap nervously on the table. "We got a serious problem here, Finn. It's vital to your investigation, so we thought you'd have a right to know."
"Well, what is it?"
"...The evidence that we were running has been tampered with. It's not only the current tests we're running like the fabric, everything has been messed with. The photos and papers we have here show that the evidence we had gathered was either contaminated or tampered. None of the evidence has come out clear!"
Finn runs over to the table, skimming through the papers and looking over the pictures. Nothing of value is being found. Whatever evidence they were gathering was being flushed away.
"There has to be a mistake. Have you two gone over everything carefully?"
"I have kept an eye on everyone once we started suspecting something was up," Alexa explains. "Nobody messed up. If anything, they actually came to Sami when they found out something was wrong. There's no way someone could've contaminated this without us finding out. Something's up."
"Alexa and I tried salvaging all we could, but I'm sorry Finn. This evidence is useless now and we can't go off by a fifty-fifty chance."
"What're saying is….someone here is messing with our investigation. And there's no telling if this person even works in the forensics lab. Shit…"
"We'll keep our eyes open," Alexa interjects. "Me and Sami. But I hope this doesn't stall your case any further."
"She's right. I don't know how that evidence got tampered with, but we'll have a look at the cameras in here soon. See what we can find and if we do, we'll get back to you."
Finn nods softly to the both of them and notices how late it's getting. It's best to take note of this and get some sleep for the rest of the night.
But getting sleep proves to be a hassle, his mind going back to nightmares or wondering who would have messed with the evidence.
It's almost noon by the time he arrives outside the apartments. Waiting outside proves to be boring as all hell but Finn takes the liking that it's not raining anymore. While he waits, a bearded man waves over to him with a smile on his face, heading towards his own car.
"You need help with anything, my friend? You've been standing there for quite some time. It might not be any of my business but I am the landlord of this place."
Finn gives his kindest smile off to the bearded man. "I'm fine, sir. Just waiting for someone."
"Okay then. Just don't want you to get in trouble, that's all. Word around the street is that there's been a killer out there. I swear, nowhere is safe anymore."
The bearded man shakes his head in disapproval and walks inside. Just as he does, Dean comes out and Finn straightens up. He doesn't want to talk about yesterday, at least not for the moment. Despite everything, Finn had to remember that he had a case to solve. Judging by the body language, Dean feels the same way. But Finn could still feel his heartbeat pick up when Dean comes close.
"I know where you can look first," Dean informs. "There's one guy I know who hasn't given me all the answers. I'm assuming you're gonna recognize his name when I say it."
"Is it...Braun Strowman?"
He grins back. "Smart detective."
"Only the best in this city."
"But you're right. I tried being getting answers out of him once. Almost ended up getting a glass thrown at my head. I know he had something to do with her death. I just know it. But the asshole won't tell me anything."
"Where would we find him?"
"He owns the club my sister was seen last. It's closed until tonight, but I'm pretty sure he's there right now."
When they get to the nightclub, the drive is mostly silent with the exception of Dean cracking his knuckles. Finn spots only two cars parked outside the club, but there doesn't seem to be any trace that someone is here regardless. Dean doesn't wait for him before he heads for the back exit and starts pounding on the door, leaving Finn to rush after him. It takes a minute before a dark-haired woman answers the door, looking up at them with a sneer.
"Ambrose, you know you're not welcome here. Now leave, I need to make sure we have everything ready for tonight."
"Sorry, Ruby. But I'm not in the mood to hear it. My friend and I want to see Braun. I know he's here."
"Then you can go off and cry about it. Leave!"
Finn halts the door before she can close it. "Not a chance. I'm a detective who would like to have words with your boss. If he won't see Dean, he'll see me."
Ruby's eyes soften for a second before she sighs and opens the door without another word. Hesitantly, she leads them towards the back to his private office and Finn feels gently around his waist, hand landing on the gun. Having it there feels like it's weighing him down. Dean elbows him, letting him know that the door to Braun's is now open.
The two don't even get a word in before the door slams shut.
"I thought I told you to drop the whole thing!" Braun bellowed.
"You're not telling me everything you know! I know there's something you don't want me to know. I'm here to get real answers."
Braun's eyes land on Finn and breathes harshly in his direction. "And who the hell are you?"
"I'm Detective Finn Balor. If you won't give Dean the answers he wants, perhaps you can tell me instead. Is that alright with you, Strowman?"
He spits out the words like poison and Braun looks as though he's on the verge of throwing him across the room. He probably could, Finn thinks, but he's not afraid of Braun. He's come across men like him constantly in his career. His stare down with Braun is interrupted, however, when Dean steps in front of him, shielding Finn from the monstrous man.
Braun chuckles with little humor. "This is just like you, Ambrose. You don't know when to stop, do you?"
"You know what we're asking of you," Finn remarked behind Dean. "Tell us what you saw that night."
"I've said all that I've needed to say! The girl showed up, left, and never came back. End of story. Now get the hell out."
"If I may add a few interesting details to your case," Finn continues. "You're nightclub here is very popular, right? Lots of people come here. How, out of everyone who shows up, did you spot his sister? Not only that, but you kept an eye on her. Answer me that. Why?"
Braun now has fire in his eyes and pushes Dean aside as Finn could feel his fists begin to clench. "You might be a detective, but I don't have to tell you everything I know. Since you and this moron are so desperate to find out what's going on," A crack of the neck and he goes on. "You're right about one thing. I did know that the girl would show up and never come back. Does that mean I killed her? No. I got sources. If you want more detail on that, don't come crawling to me. Go find a man named Kevin Owens. I'm sure Dean here knows exactly who I'm talking about." He opens the door where Ruby is already waiting for them to leave. "That's all I'm saying to both of you. Now get the hell out of my place."
Finn is about to protest for more answers until he sees Dean already heading out. He gives one more look to Braun, a look that says that it's not over between them. That Finn will be back to get the answers that he deserves.
When he gets to the car, Dean is waiting in the driver's seat and Finn can feel the wave of anger that washed over the other man. Tapping on the window, Dean looks back at him and his muscles visibly begin to relax, but Finn won't let him off the hook so easily.
"I'll let you drive us to where we need to get, but first you need to tell me how you know this man Braun was talking about."
"...I might've...gotten into a fight with him in the past."
Again, Finn wanted to smile at his bashfulness. "You just make friends with everyone, don't you? How bad I fight do I need to worry about?"
"How bad is 'we both ended up with black eyes?' Really bad?"
Finn chuckles softly and makes his way into the car. "Let's hope he isn't still mad at you."
"Doubt it. Kevin and I both hold grudges. But what does Kevin have to do with any of this? All he does is run a small shop. Did he...actually play a part?"
"Don't know. We'll find out as soon as we find him. Could just be a red herring, so don't get too excited."
Driving towards wherever they were going, the feeling of having another person by his side for this investigation began to put Finn in a state he didn't want to be in. It kept reminding him of the days he and Elias would solve cases together. Why? Why couldn't his brain take the hint and stop replaying his past mistakes? Wasn't it bad enough he already blamed himself constantly for what happened to his friend? Why did the visions of him keep coming back? It's making his hands shake. The distant ringing of that last phone call from Elias is starting to creep back into him. Stop it, stop it, sto-
"Hey, you feeling okay there?"
For the second time in two days, Finn gasps for air, not knowing that he had his eyes closed. Hurriedly, he takes the flask and swallows all he can before he starts feeling like himself.
"I'm fine!" He didn't mean to yell it out but it's too late.
Dean seems unfazed, more concerned about the flask in his hands. "You sure it's a good idea to be drinking while you're working?"
"I'm good. I can hold my liquor well."
"If you say so, Finn. I'm not gonna argue with you. I only asked 'cause you looked out of sorts there for a second."
Finn doesn't want to admit that Dean is right, but ever since returning to the job, things have been getting tougher to manage mentality wise. His mind starts rewinding to a few short moments ago and Finn catches himself staring at Dean again.
"...You didn't have to put yourself in front of Braun for me. I'm very good at defending myself if I have to."
Dean gives him a quick glance. "I wasn't gonna let the guy do something awful to you. He's got a bad temper and he looked like he was about to snap you in half. And...you're welcome."
Finn sees the smirk Dean is giving off and ends up doing it himself before they finally arrive at their destination. It's slow today, so when they enter the small shop, there is only the cashier present.
"Kev! Long time no see, asshole!"
The cashier looks up and curses under his breath. "Ambrose. Ah, shit. What is it? Here to get your other eye punched in or are you gonna buy something?"
"Actually, I believe my friend here would like to ask you a few questions."
Finn grins at the persistence and steps forward, showing off his badge. "What do you know about the murder of Dean's sister?"
Kevin's eyes widen as he looks between Finn and Dean. "I...I don't know anything about it. I mean, I learned about from the news but that's it."
"You sure? Because a little birdie named Braun Strowman sent us here. I'm positive that means you know something."
He starts backing away from the counter, eyes darting to some kind of back room. "He must be trying to save his own ass. I knew nothing about that girl other than she was related to Dean over there. And Dean...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that happened to you, buddy. That...that had to hurt."
Finn beats him to the door and sees the nervous sweat beginning to form on Kevin's forehead. "What's with the rush to get in this room?"
"Look...whatever Braun told you, it's a lie!"
"He didn't tell us anything, but I think you just admitted to me that you know something."
A quick look through the glass windows, Kevin makes sure there is no one there or any familiar cars parked in front. "Okay, okay," whispers Kevin. "I do know a few things. Braun does too. But I need to make sure I won't get arrested for this. I didn't kill anyone. That's the truth."
"Depends on if you're still involved. Cut the crap and tell us."
"Let's compromise. I'm not really allowed to tell you this. They got ears all around me. If word gets out that I'm talking to you, I'll…" He sighs. "I'm just a messenger. I just pass down to Braun what I'm told to do! If I don't, I'm a dead man! I receive the pictures and-"
He takes out a key and his shaky hand moves Finn out of the way to unlock the door. Inside lies a desk and various other furniture, like a break room. He points out the small drawer in the desk.
"I can't tell you who sent me the pictures because if I do, I'm next. I know it. I'm tired, though. I'm tired of doing this. I never knew how badly...I just needed to save my own ass."
Passing each other a confused expression, Dean and Finn make their way to the drawer and what they find leaves them petrified. Inside the drawer is a plethora of various photos of random people with red X's over the face. On each one lies a date and Finn realizes what they are. They were the pictures of the past victims of his case. The many faces of the people he couldn't save in time. All the people he let down with his lack of effort. And that's when he saw a familiar face.
Amongst the assorted victims, he found Elias's face. The air in his chest began to tighten as he held up the photo and everything else in his vision became a blurry mess. He could sense that Dean was trying to say something to him, shaking him, attempting to snap him out of it. But Finn is becoming too overwhelmed and the next thing he knows, he immediately runs out of the shop.
"Finn! Where are you going?! Finn!" Dean shouts out to him but it's no use as he hears the entry door slam shut.
Dean inspects the photo that Finn had dropped and assumes it had to be important to make a tough guy like Finn run out like that. Someone he knew? He stuffs the picture away in his pocket, saving it to ask Finn about it once he finds him. Oddly enough, though, he can't seem to find a picture of his sister anywhere in the pile of photos. When he turns to Kevin, no amount of gentleness is expressed when he grabs him roughly by the shoulders.
"What the fuck is all that? What did you do, Kevin?!"
"It's not my fault! I'm forced to help keep this a secret!"
"Who the hell gave you those pictures? Who killed my sister?! Answer me!"
"I can't! I'll be next, you hear me! I'll be next!"
Frustrated, he pushes Kevin hard into the wall. "What about the other innocent people out there who might die? Huh?"
"Ambrose...I can't…"
"Just shut up and stay right there! I need to find Finn."
He didn't know why he was running, he just needed to get out of there fast. How could something like this be hiding underneath him? This killer was just toying with him. All his failures to catch his culprit have come back to haunt him. What was he doing wrong? Whoever must've been behind this was probably laughing at him. He wanted to throw something in anger, not concerning himself that he just left Dean alone to deal with Kevin Owens. Finn shook his head as he began walking fast, watching ambulance trucks pass by him to the corner. When he looks forward, he sees a woman running towards him and to his surprise it's Alexa. With tears in her eyes.
"Finn?! Oh, thank god!"
"A-Alexa? What's going-"
"Finn, you have to come with me! Now!" She sobbed.
"Wait, slow down, what's the matter?"
"It's Sami! He's been in a hit and run!"