Autobot Angel
Chapter Three: Silent Partner
A/N: I do not pretend to be an expert on crime. So if the case seems a bit clumsy, you have been warned. My story is more about the people (and Autobot) involved.
Prowl leaned back against the wall, listening to Speedle's music and watching the CSI work on a new case. It had been a solid two weeks since the shooting in the jewelry store and Speedle was back on the job. His slip in the jewelry store had been written off as resulting from blood loss, though the mystery of the bullet remained. Speed had kept his mouth shut about his 'Autobot Angel' as he'd dubbed Prowl. Prowl had been amused and the title stuck. For the Autobot's part, he'd told Speed about Autobot City and the shuttle ambush. Speed had listened, letting the Autobot paced and hiss about how he'd failed his comrades. Prowl heard about the CSI team, learning about each member of the team. He'd seen all of them too, watching as they talked to Speed and warned him about pulling the same trick again. The Autobot had also made a note to bug Speedle about his gun. Prowl figured he'd have help in that particular department. Calliegh had threatened to pester Speedle every week about his gun. She'd kept her word too. The day Speedle returned to work, Prowl in tow, she'd been waiting with the air of a lion about to pounce. Speedle had eyed her and held up his gun cleaning kit as a peace offering. Prowl grinned at the memory and turned his attention back to the new case. A woman had been shot in her home and Speed was processing the trace evidence he'd found on the woman's shirt.
Speed jerked back from the microscope, frowning. "Her shirt has gravel on it."
"Is her husband a construction worker?"
Speed kept his gaze on the microscope. "No husband and the neighbors said she didn't have a boyfriend."
"Was she working on her house before she was shot?"
"Didn't look like it." Speed scowled at the microscope. "Her house was like a fortress. Saw four locks on her front door, locks on every window, security system, the works. Neighbors said they hadn't seen her much at all recently."
Prowl's eyes narrowed. "She was being stalked."
"Possible."
"How do you find out?"
"Talk to her friends. Find out what she was like. Could be this is from something in her past. I'll check her financials, see when she bought the locks."
"The gravel means her attacker was a construction worker?"
"Could be." Speed looked up and spotted Alexx coming. He bent back to his microscope, rechecking the evidence. As Alexx walked in, Speed was jotting notes on the gravel in the case file.
Alexx walked up and glanced down at Tim's notes. "Find something Timmy?"
Tim rubbed his hair. "Gravel. Pretty fine. She didn't look like the type to be working construction."
Alexx nodded in agreement. She held out the autopsy report and spoke as Speedle took it. "Cause of death was a gunshot, through and through. Went right through her heart. Poor thing didn't feel a thing. I ran a few tests and found that right before she died, she was terrified. All the indicators are there."
Speed scowled, flipped through the autopsy report. "Thanks Alexx."
"No problem, Timmy. Just catch this guy."
Tim flashed Alexx a smile. "Don't worry Alexx, I will."
"We will," Prowl put in from the corner.
Alexx left, glancing back as Speed prepared to head out. She'd felt like there was someone else in the room, a protecting someone. She still remembered what Horatio had told her about the jewelry shop. Had someone been there, looking out for her Timmy? Alexx paused before she turned the corner, looking back as Speed gave her a wave. She saw a flash of something, a flash of white and black.
A/N: Well? What do you think? Please Read and Review