Cranked this second chapter out pretty quickly, so I'm proud of myself there. Also, have a lot of good ideas I'd like to see myself write, so I shall keep plugging away!
Hope you all have enjoyed it thus far; sorry if the build-up is a bit lengthy. But hopefully this chapter makes up for that a bit by getting things rolling.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think below!
"So what're your plans for next week?" Chris asked casually, taking a swig of his beer. He was lounging comfortably on the couch in Kate's living room, absently rubbing the foot Kate had deposited in his lap from her spot perpendicular to him. Her toe twitched suddenly as Chris accidentally tickled the bottom of her foot and she seemed to just realize the gentle ministrations he had been making. Her look of surprise she shot him around her laptop screen, which sat on her lap, must have looked like one of her glares because he widened his eyes innocently and lifted his hand off her foot.
"Sorry," he offered. Kate's softened her look into a sideways smile and considered pulling her foot out of his lap, not wanting Chris to be getting the wrong idea of why she'd invited him over. But damnit a foot massage was just too good to pass up right now. She wiggled her foot again, urging him to continue. Chris chuckled and began rubbing her foot again.
"Um, I'm not sure," she said, answering his question finally, her eyes fixated on the laptop. She glanced up at him. "Probably spending it by myself. Drew went down to St. Louis yesterday to be with his girlfriend and her family."
"What about your aunt? Weren't you planning on spending some time with her soon?" Chris asked, his eyes flicking back from the hockey game on TV.
"Emily? I haven't talked to her in a few days. Maybe I'll give her a call..." Kate said absently, her voice drifting off as she focused more intently on something on her laptop. Chris watched her for a few moments, waiting to see if she would continue her thought, then he groaned as the realization hit him.
"You're not working are you?" he asked incredulously, setting his beer on the coffee table and reaching for the computer. Kate clutched it up defensively and bent the screen down so he couldn't peer over the top. "Come on, Kate, it's the weekend! You deserve at least one day off!"
"I'm not! I'm just... curious. I'm looking into something really quick," she said quickly, putting the foot that had previously been in his lap on Chris' chest to keep him at bay. The look on her partner's face told her he obviously didn't believe her.
"Are you still looking into that Halloween case? They labelled that cold months ago, Kate. The whole thing was a dead end. You're just going to drive yourself nuts keeping after it like that," Chris complained.
The case that had tortured Kate for nearly two weeks had seemingly ended suddenly that night in historic Old Town Salem. The body of the woman found in her home had been the last body to turn up and just as confounding as all the rest, since no murder weapon was found and there were no good guesses at a motive. After two months of no further leads or evidence or victims found, local police had labelled it a cold case and FBI had shelved it as well. But Kate just couldn't shake the feeling of strangeness when she thought about it all.
The things they had found had been written off for the most part as harmless trinkets of a Wiccan follower or someone who was playing a game of pretend: the boiling pot of distburing "stew", an old recipe book filled with unreadable text, and then what linked the woman's death to those of the transients - a small, cloth bag containing animal bones, dried herbs, and hair. The whole thing had left a bad taste in her mouth.
And then there had been that car she'd seen leave the scene. When she'd gotten back to the office after that hellish night, she had run a quick search for cars matching its description and license plate, but gotten no results. It was just another piece of the puzzle she couldn't write off that easily no matter how hard she tried.
"Fine," Kate said with a sigh, shutting the laptop screen and setting it on the coffee table. She crossed her arms over her chest and tucked her feet unerneath her. She focused her eyes on the hockey game and refused to look at him. Chris sighed and rolled his eyes, slumping back into his corner of the couch.
"Come on, Kate, don't be like that," he muttered. Kate shot him a look.
"Like what?"
"Like that. All irritated just because I called you out on being a workaholic," Chris said pointedly. Kate suddenly pulled herself to a kneeling position on the couch, jabbing her finger into his shoulder. Her green eyes flashed dangerously.
"I am not a workaholic! See? I'm sitting here, having a beer with a friend and watching the game. How does that make me a work-" Chris' lips silenced Kate as they met hers. Kate froze, her heart thudding heavily in her chest as all of her frustration fell away. Chris pulled back and studied her for a moment, his blue eyes dark with want. When he leaned in to kiss her again, Kate turned her face away at the last moment so his lips grazed the side of her mouth instead. She didn't meet his eyes as he stared at her, confused and slightly hurt.
"Chris, don't," she whispered, her voice low and soft. She spared a glance at him from underneath her lashes and her heart panged painfully when she saw the way he was looking at her. Chris reached over and with two fingers under her chin, turned Kate's face so she was finally looking at him.
"Kate," he started, the tone in his voice pleading. Kate was afraid of what the words to come out of his mouth next would be; partly because she didn't want to hurt him by telling him no, but partly because she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to tell him no. Frankly, she was downright petrified at being this close to a human being and she felt like a deer in headlights. She was an idiot for thinking inviting him over to watch the hockey game wouldn't be misconstrued by him and made into an invitation for something else. Chris licked his lips as his eyes searched hers. His hand moved up to cup the side of her face and his thumb passed over her lips with a feather light touch.
"Kate, I-" Kate's phone burst to life next to them on the coffee table, the ringing raucously shattering the emotion of the moment. Chris frowned and dropped his hand from Kate's face as she dove for her phone, grateful for the interruption. She swept it up from the table as she leapt to her feet and paced a few steps away before flipping it open.
"Hello?" she answered, breathlessly.
"Can I please speak to Ms. Katherine O'Neill?" a clipped, male voice crackled over the line. Kate frowned at the use of her full name, just now wondering who this was calling her.
"Yes, this is she," she replied. "Can I help you?"
"Ms. O'Neill, do you have a brother by the name of Andrew O'Neill?" the man asked in the same clipped tone. Kate's heart began beating a little faster and she unconsciously brought her fingers to her throat in concern.
"Yes?" she replied hesitantly.
"Ms. O'Neill, I'm sorry to have to inform you this way, but your brother's body was found this evening in the home of a Ms. Sophia Cardlow, who was also found deceased," the man spoke quickly, at least having the decency to sound sorry about the news he was delivering.
Time seemed to stop just then. Kate's vision darkened and her heart dropped into her stomach. Bile rose in her throat and she was almost sure she was going to pass out as she wavered on her feet. Kate reached a shaking hand out to the overstuffed armchair nearby, grabbed onto the arm, and leaned her full weight on it as she slowly sunk to her knees. She heard Chris leap to his feet to her left and rush to her; strong hands were immediately around her, helping her settle to the floor. The man on the phone was still talking, but Kate could barely make out what he was saying.
"... apparent murder-suicide-"
"I'm sorry, what?" Kate blurted, the phrase jolting her out of her stupor.
"Well, Ms. O'Neill, preliminary findings suggest that your brother killed Ms. Cardlow then himself," the man said apologetically. He continued talking again, but Kate wasn't listening anymore. They think her brother killed his girlfriend then killed himself? That was impossible. Drew loved Sophia. He was so happy...
"Ms. O'Neill?" the man on the other end of the line asked, bringing Kate back to the present once more.
"Yes?" she croaked, her voice breaking.
"Will you or another family member be coming to release the body?" Kate heard herself answer that she would be coming, but she lost awareness of the rest of the conversation. She heard without really hearing the man give her information about where Drew's body was being held and what she needed to bring with her. When the man finally stopped talking, Kate simply clicked the phone shut and let it drop to the floor.
"Kate. Kate! What is it?" Chris asked her urgently. He was still squatting next to her, one arm around her waist supporting her and the other now brushing hair out of her face as she turned towards him. Her affect was completely blank as shock set in, but her green eyes were positively mournful. She opened her mouth once, twice, trying to form words.
"I need to go to St. Louis."
Kate kept her head down as she pushed past the throngs of people in the busy airport in her efforts to get to the exit. She fought the urge to scream when what seemed like the hundredth person knocked into her, but settled for sending scathing glares in the perpetrator's direction instead. The flight in had been bad enough; full of turbulence and overly-chatty flight attendants. But this airport was really trying her patience. No one had ever accused her of being a patient person and now was definitely not the time to start.
After hanging up with the man from St. Louis, Kate had frantically packed a bag with a couple days worth of necessities, booked the first flight out, and called her boss on the way to the airport to say she wouldn't be in for a few days. At her news he had urged her to take more than just a few days off, but she had refused and promptly hung up. She didn't want to dwell on it. She barely wanted to believe it had happened. She told herself that she would only need the few days to retrieve Drew and hold the funeral, then she would be back at work. No big deal, right? When Chris had tried to comfort her, Kate had already emotionally shut down and he had found himself essentially holding an empty shell of his former partner. She hadn't responded to his touch nor looked him in the eye, even as her cab to the airport was pulling away from her front step.
Finally Kate emerged into the bright, mid-March sunlight and breathed an audible sigh of relief. It was warmer than it had been in Boston, but the air still had a pleasant nip to it she relished and found actually calmed her a bit. Her preference for colder weather had heavily influenced her move to New England from her home in Northern Virginia when she left for college. But with summer fast approaching, she new the cooler weather wouldn't be along too much longer.
"Are you available?" Kate asked a taxi driver who was leaning casually against his cab. The man nodded and popped his trunk so Kate could load her luggage. She tossed her suitcase in and then tossed herself about as unceremoniously as the luggage into the backseat. She handed the cabbie the address of the motel she wanted to stay at and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the window as the cab driver put the car into gear and started off towards their destination.
A light vibration caused Kate to open her eyes and fish her cell phone out of her purse. She had forgotten she'd turned it back on when her flight landed. She flipped open the screen and saw that she had four missed calls and five new texts. Sighing inwardly, she pressed the "ok" button to view her missed calls: Emily, Emily, Chris, and Emily. Three voicemails also apparently awaited her. Kate knew she wasn't being fair to her aunt by ignoring her at a time like this. Her Aunt Emily had practically raised Kate and her brother, but she just couldn't deal with actually speaking to another human being about any of this yet. Kate hit a few buttons and flipped through the new texts: two from Emily, one from Chris.
"Sweetheart, call me, please. I want to talk to you. Love-Aunt E."
"Katie, I want to make sure you're ok, call me. Love-Aunt E."
"Let me know when you land so I know you're safe. I'm here if you need anything. C"
Kate snapped her phone shut and turned her face back towards the window, letting the sun warm her face. She would talk to them later. Right now she just needed to work on continuing to breathe.
"Miss, we're here," the cabbie called, jolting Kate out of her light sleep. Kate didn't even remember closing her eyes, let alone falling asleep. She ran a hand down her tired face and nodded in quick thanks to the cab driver who was looking at her with a mix of worry and hesitation.
"Hey, um, would you mind waiting here for just a few minutes? I want to check in, but then I need to go rent a car," she asked after handing the driver payment for her fare. The driver nodded as he pocketed the cash.
"No problem," he assured her and she gave him a small smile before exiting the cab. Kate retrieved her luggage from the trunk and stepped up towards the main office of the seedy, little motel before her: The St. Louis Motel.
"How original," she muttered to herself.
A few minutes later, Kate was locking her belongings into her newly acquired room and heading back towards the cab. She instructed the driver to take her to the nearest car rental agency and settled back for another ride, eager to get a set of wheels of her own, even if they were temporary. She couldn't stand being a passenger, especially in a car. Her anxiety went into overdrive and she became antsy.
Thankfully the ride was short and before she knew it, she had paid the cabbie one final time and had rental car keys in hand. Leaning against the black, Chevy Malibu that would be hers for the next few days, Kate pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. It was barely nine o'clock in the morning and she knew the city morgue would just now be opening. She considered heading back to her motel room for a quick nap or at least going to grab a bite to eat, but at the thought of food, her stomach turned queasily. Attemping to nap she also knew would be just as pointless, seeing as everytime she closed her eyes, she saw her brother's body contorted in all sorts of violent manners. And Sophia; she remembered the last time she had seen Drew's girlfriend of nearly four years. She had a bright, sunny smile that matched her seemingly eternal cheerful disposition. The two had been so in love; even a stranger could see it within minutes of meeting them. How could Drew have killed her?
Kate decided the short nap she had managed in the cab on the way in from the airport had been enough of a Godsend and she would just continue running on fumes. Kate entered the address of the morgue into the GPS she had rented along with the car and gave it a minute to register and find her a route. Once it began reading off her first set of directions, Kate got in and started the car, then pulled off into traffic in the direction the GPS indicated.
The clock changed to 9:24 am. A car horn blared in the distance. 9:25 am. Kate unconsciously twirled a plain, silver band she wore on her right ring finger around and around. Her eyes were fixated on the entrance to the morgue and hadn't left the front door in nearly ten minutes. While it had only taken her about fifteen minutes to drive from the car rental agency, she hadn't found the strength to actually go in and face what was waiting there for her yet.
9:26 am.
She knew it had to be done. It was the reason she had raced out of Boston in the middle of the night to be here first thing this morning. Her brother was in there, waiting for her. She had to go get him.
9:27 am.
Kate practically threw herself out of her car before she could change her mind and walked on stilted legs into the front lobby. The front room she stepped into had a stark, hospital feel to it that did nothing to help put Kate at ease. A couple of chairs sat in the middle of the floor as a sort of "waiting" area and informational signs and city ordinances papered two of the four walls in a haphazard manner. The industrial lighting overhead flickered spastically and Kate immediately could feel a headache coming on.
"Can I help you?" a nasally, female voice called from Kate's right. Kate's head swiveled in the direction of the voice and she saw an elderly woman looking at her impatiently. The woman was just about as grey and unwelcoming as the building she worked in, her rheumy eyes hard behind bright red, "cat's eye" glasses and her grey hair pulled tightly back in a strict bun at the base of her neck. Kate cleared her throat and approached the security glass the woman sat behind.
"Hi, yes, I'm here to sign some releases for my brother: Andrew O'Neill," Kate stated into the open circle of the glass, her voice sounding a lot stronger than she had expected. The old woman blinked slowly at her.
"One moment please," she said, and slid off her chair to shuffle off towards a filing cabinet behind her. Kate glanced anxiously towards a set of swinging doors to her left as the woman rifled through the cabinet in search of the papers Kate needed. Her years in law enforcement had taught her well to know what lay behind them.
"Excuse me, actually, can I go see him first?" Kate called suddenly, her heartbeat thudding loudly in her ears as her heart raced. The woman turned away from the cabinet and eyeballed Kate, her mouth pursing in disapproval at the request.
"Miss, I would need to ask my supervisor and-" she began in a slow, annoyed drawl. Kate didn't have the time or the patience to play this game. She yanked her badge off her belt and slammed it against the plexiglass of the security window.
"Please?" she nearly growled. The old woman's eyes shot open in surprise and her mouth formed a perfect "o." She managed a meek nod and pointed towards the swinging doors to Kate's left.
"End of the hallway on your right." Kate repocketed her badge and managed to send the woman what she hoped was an apologetic look.
"Thanks," she muttered gruffly and pushed through the doors.
The hallway before Kate was short and lit with more industrial lights that had a sickly, green tinge to them. She ignored the other doors she passed; her eyes focused on the one at the very end to her right. Without hesitation Kate pushed through the door.
"Whoa, you can't be back here!" a man dressed in scrubs exclaimed. "Do you have a visitor's badge?" Kate held up her FBI badge for the second time.
"Does this count?" she asked curtly. The medical examiner nodded and set down the clipboard he'd been holding.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know-"
"It's fine," Kate said, cutting him off. "I'm here to see Andrew O'Neill." The man gestured for Kate to follow him.
"He's over here. Just finished with him, actually," he said. Kate swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat as she walked with him to a wall of morgue drawers built into the opposite wall. The medical examiner ran his finger over a row of drawers until he found the one he was looking for and yanked it open.
"Here we are," he said. Kate's feet felt as though they were rooted in place as she stared at the black body bag lying on the pulled out drawer and she felt her heart leap into her throat.
"Ma'am?" the doctor questioned when Kate didn't make a move to speak. Kate tore of her eyes from the form of her brother and looked at him.
"Thank you," she stated, even managing a small smile. "Would you mind actually giving me a moment... alone?" The medical examiner eyed her strangely but then nodded slowly.
"Sure. I have some paperwork I need to complete anyways," he said finally, and retrieved his clipboard before leaving the room. Kate watched him walk away until he disappeared through the swinging door and then she turned her gaze back towards the black bag. She felt as though an eternity passed before she reached out and slowly drew the zipper back, exposing her brother's face.
"Oh, Drew," she murmured, tears welling immediately in her eyes. Her brother almost looked like he was simply sleeping with his eyes closed and almost peaceful expression on his face. That is if she wanted to ignore the circular, bullet hole tunneling through his right temple. Kate tremulously reached a hand out and touched his cheek, jerking it back involuntarily at the coldness of his skin. She choked back a sob that bubbled to the surface and furiously wiped away an errant tear that tracked down her own cheek. She refused to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness and she refused to lose herself right now.
Kate zipped the body bag back up over Drew's face, not able to stand looking at him like that anymore. She quickly pushed his drawer back into the wall, closed the door, and practically fled the room and hurried back to the main lobby. Kate burst through the main set of swinging doors and emerged in the dimly lit front lobby. The elderly woman at the front desk jumped at her sudden entrance, dropping the stack of papers she held in her arms with a loud "thump!"
"I'm ready to sign those papers, now," Kate said, wincing as the woman glared at her for causing her to drop the papers. Kate waited impatiently at the window while the elderly women retrieved the papers she had previously gathered for Kate and shoved them at her through the narrow slit at the bottom of the glass. Kate smiled at her in thanks then silently made a face as the old woman ignored her and turned away to pick up the dropped papers.
As she flipped through each page, signing where needed, a low rumble from ouside distracted her and caused her to look out through the window into the parking lot. A large, jet-black, older model sedan pulled up next to Kate's parked rental car and turned off. Something in her memory clicked and she glanced at the license plate: Kansas. As she stared, paperwork momentarily forgotten, two men stepped out of the car dressed in simple black suits. They stood together conversing and she could see now they were young, probably even close to her own age. The taller one said something to cause the other one to punch him on the arm before jerking his head in his direction as he headed for the morgue's front door. Seconds later the door jerked open and the two men walked through. Kate's eyes met those of the shorter man as the two approached the security window. When he saw her, a roguish look glinted in his hazel eyes and he smirked.
"How you doin'?" he asked. Kate snorted and glanced back at the taller man who was with him. He simply flashed her an apologetic glance before she shuffled her papers off to the side of the counter so they could access the window.
"Can I help you boys?" the old woman drawled at them.
"Yes ma'am. I'm Agent Clark and this is Agent Kent. We're here to see two bodies that were brought in last night," the shorter man said brusquely. At their introductions, Kate peered at them from underneath her eyelashes, watching as they pocketed their badges. She saw the elderly woman shoot her a glance as if to say "There's more of you?" before she jerked her thumb towards the twin, singing doors. The two men nodded their thanks and disappeard through the doors. Kate turned back to her paperwork, but paused her pen above the next signature line. She chuckled to herself. Agents Clark and Kent? Really? Kate lowered her pen and moved back to the window.
"I'm sorry, I just realized I left something back there. Would you mind if I went to get it really quick?" Kate asked the woman behind the window, pushing her forms in through the slit at the base of the window towards her. The old woman just sighed angrily and pointed towards the swinging doors.
"Damn kids, nowadays. No respect for authority," she muttered to herself as she snatched Kate's papers away from her. Kate ignored her ranting and walked quickly through the twin doors. She heard the two men talking amongst themselves and followed their voices right back to the room where Drew's body along with the others was being held. Stepping through the door, she saw both men bending over Drew's body, poking every few inches of exposed skin.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kate snapped, her hand instinctively resting on her holstered pistol that sat on her hip underneath her light jacket. The two men jumped, obviously not expecting any interruptions. The taller one raised both hands up in front of his chest as he saw her flash her gun, "guilty" written all over his boyish features. The shorter one noticed the reaction and elbowed him before donning a disarming smile and pulling out his badge again for Kate.
"I'm Agent Clark and this is-"
"No, you're not," Kate said sharply, cutting him off. The man looked taken aback and glanced back at his "partner" who gave him a small shrug. "Give me your badge."
"What?"
"I said, I want to see your badge," Kate repeated, holding out her hand and motioning impatiently. "Agent Clark" scowled and tossed it to her. She flipped it open, examining it for a few seconds. Chuckling, she flinged it back at him, hitting him hard in the center of the chest with it.
"Yea, bullshit. You're not FBI," she said with a smirk.
"And how do you know that?" the shorter man argued defensively. Kate pulled out her own badge and dropped it open towards them.
"And because you spelled 'bureau' wrong," she quipped, snapping her badge shut and putting it away. The two men exchanged looks, knowing they'd been caught.
"So, before I arrest you for impersonating federal officers, who are you and what are you doing to my brother?" she said in a low, dangerous voice. Her admission that the body they had been examining was a member of her family caused them to exchange glances again.
"My name is Sam, and this is my brother Dean," the taller man offered in a gentle voice. Dean gave her a small wave. "You said this was your brother? Do you know what happened to him?" Kate shifted her weight, relaxing slightly, but didn't remove her hand from her weapon.
"All I know is that the police think it was a murder-suicide. That he killed his girlfriend then shot himself, but I don't believe it," she said, her throat tightening with emotion. Sam nodded empathetically and stepped away from Drew's body towards Kate as Dean zipped the body bag back up and reshelved Drew.
"Why do you say that?" Sam asked softly. There was something about his demeanour that put Kate at ease and the way he was looking at her sympathetically calmed her. Kate took her hand away from her pistol and wrapped her arms around herself instead.
"I just- I just knew him and he isn't... wasn't that type of person, you know? He loved Sophia, like really loved her and he was so happy..." The tears Kate had forced down earlier came surging back to the surface and she cut herself off mid-sentence, turning away from Sam so he wouldn't see her cry. A warm hand rested gently on her shoulder as Sam waited for her to gather herself. Kate ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath to calm herself before she turned back to meet Sam's gaze. He's so tall, she thought to herself. Even at 5'10" she had to crane her neck back to meet his eyes.
"I'm fine," she whispered, twisting her shoulder slightly in order to dislodge Sam's hand, growing uncomfortable with his close proximity. He sensed her discomfort and took a step away from her to give her some space. She flashed him a silent look of appreciation.
"Sam, I don't think this is our guy," Dean cut in, walking up to stand with his brother. "I'm not even really sure this is related to your pal, Zach. I mean the M.O. kind of matches, but..."
"I don't know, Dean. According to..."
"Kate," she offered when he realized they had never gotten her name.
"According to Kate, here, I think it is related to Zach," Sam countered, looking back at Kate who frowned at him, puzzled.
"What're you guys talking about?" she asked, looking from brother to brother. Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean simply gave her a dismissive smirk, winked, and clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder, steering him towards the exit.
"Oh, nothing. We actually need to go, now. It was nice meeting you!" he exclaimed with false cheer.
"Wait!" Kate called after them. Sam stopped first and then Dean, both turning to look at her. "You guys were in Salem about a month ago, right? The night that woman died in her home?" Sam looked caught off guard and Dean narrowed his eyes at Kate, taking a step towards her.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"I saw your car in the alley that night. My partner and I were the lead agents on the case; not only with the woman who died but all those drifters who were found," Kate explained, crossing her arms over her chest. She narrowed her eyes right back at Dean and took a step towards him, too, so they stood only a foot apart. She was on the end of her emotional rope and tired of being jerked around by these two. She could tell they knew something they werent telling her. And who was this Zach person they kept talking about? "Who are you guys? And I don't just mean what are your names. I mean... who are you?"
