"I wasn't expecting to see you this soon." Hawkes said to Lindsay as they walked into the building.
"I was in the middle of dinner. Becky made pasta."
"Sounds nice."
"So how long ago did Danny call you?" Lindsay inquired.
"What?"
"I know Danny better than he knows himself sometimes. How long ago did he call you?"
"About twenty minutes." Hawkes admitted.
Lindsay sighed and rolled her eyes.
"He's only worried because he loves you."
"I know." Lindsay flashed her badge to the uniformed cop outside the building. "What floor?"
"Between the third and fourth." He replied.
"Is there a lift?"
"Just through the doors and straight back." He replied.
"One two three." Hawkes said as they made a decision using rock paper scissors.
"I'll see you when I get down." Lindsay walked in and towards the elevator.
"Stairwell?" Hawkes asked.
"Through that door Doctor."
"Thanks." Hawkes went to begin the climb up the stairs as well as searching the base of the stairwell for clues.
…
Lindsay exited the elevator on the top floor and walked towards the stairwell door.
"The stairs are out of use." A uniformed officer.
"I'm Detective Monroe with the crime lab." She flashed him the gold of the badge on her belt.
"Sorry detective."
"Have you cordoned off the whole stairwell?"
"Yes Detective."
"Which floor did the victim live on?" Lindsay inquired.
"Next floor down." He replied.
"Thank you." Lindsay ducked under the tape as he held the door open for her. She pulled out her torch and began to examine the whole stairwell as she made her way down to the body.
"Hey Bryan." Lindsay said when she reached him.
"About time someone got here."
"We've been here a while." Lindsay assured him. "Hawkes started at the bottom and I started at the top."
"We're still waiting for someone from the ME's office."
"That would be me." Hawkes replied as he reached him.
"He's a one stop service." Lindsay smiled.
"If you want to evacuate, we'll process the area around her and her body." Hawkes told him. "Once we're done and we've sent the body to the morgue we'll take a look around her apartment. But the autopsy won't get done until tomorrow; they're a little backed up. There were a couple of fatal car accidents earlier."
"We'll process anything we find tomorrow." Lindsay added.
"Not tonight?" Bryan asked.
"We both clocked out at 6." Hawkes told him as Lindsay started taking pictures. "And we're not on call tonight so technically we shouldn't be here. I mean Lindsay ran out on dinner with her sister."
"Don't worry she made plenty of pasta sauce and Danny will keep her entertained." Lindsay replied. "Maybe she can convince him that getting married isn't such a bad idea."
"I'll leave you too it." Gears replied.
"You want to get married?" Hawkes asked.
"What?"
"You said something about Becky convincing Danny that getting married isn't such a bad idea."
"I didn't mean me. Becky and Matt are getting married." Lindsay explained.
"So you don't want to get married?" Hawkes asked.
"In the future yes, when I don't have people sending me bombs in the mail."
"To Danny?"
"Who knows what will happen in the future, but Danny really doesn't seem to need to be at a stage where he wants that kind of commitment and he's not ready to make that kind of life altering decision. But then again it surprised the hell out of me when he suggested moving in together." Lindsay shrugged. "So how long do you think she's been dead?"
"At first glance I'd say no more than a couple hours, and cause of death looks like a broken neck and she doesn't have a purse." He took her cue to change topics.
"I'll keep snapping." Lindsay took some more pictures.
TBC