I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year!


Cadaver #4

"Alright, are we all set here?" Pope asked looking around the staged house. The front was made to look like nothing had happened, a couple of fake blood drops on the floor leading to the back of the house. Two bloodied children dummies laid faced down, and two of the adult dummies had bullets in their heads.

"Yes, sir," One of the Prep guys answered, pushing his cart of props back down the hall.

"Clear out!" Another Prep shouted, circling his finger in the air. The ten or so Preps stopped their work and packed up their tools.

"Okay, good," Pope muttered as the once swarming room froze as everyone left. He glanced over their immaculate work, Let Sharon figure this one out, Pope thought.

Sharon was the first one in that morning. Her heels on the ground and her legs tucked under herself. Provenza arrived next, carrying the daily newspaper and a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Detective," Sharon mumbled looking up from her magazine.

"Glad to see you here early," Provenza muttered. Sharon hummed her response, no longer interested in the conversation. Provenza shrugged off his sports coat and loosened his tie as he sat down. Provenza started his crossword puzzle for the day, but found himself looking up frequently at the young woman. He studied her habits: she licked her pointer finger to turn the glossy gossip magazine's page, she tucked and untucked her hair multiple times to block the warm sunlight and to move it from her face. Her features were slim and slightly sunken, Provenza found himself wondering what her parents look like. He wondered if she had any siblings, or if she was just Daddy's only princess. He wondered if she would ever open up about herself or if, she'd stay quiet and bottled her whole life. Most of all, Provenza wondered if she had an outlet; a way for her to let go of all the trauma they experienced on the job. He had to admit she was a damn good Detective, but that wouldn't save her ass from a future DUI or anything else.

Tao was the next to arrive. He yawned as he took his seat, placing his briefcase on his desk. He situated himself in his chair before opening the brown leather case to remove his laptop.

"Good morning," Tao muttered to the two as he pulled open the screen.

"Morning," Sharon muttered back. She watched as Provenza set his crossword down in defeat and reclined in his chair.

"How's your girlfriend?" Provenza asked looking at the young man.

"She's not good. She, um, lost the baby, a miscarriage."

Sharon's head snapped up.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry," Provenza mumbled studying the man. "If there's anything we can do, anything at all, we're here for you. Right, Sharon?"

"My condolences to you and your girlfriend," Sharon whispered. Tao nodded and blinked behind his glasses a couple of times.

"Thank you."

Flynn barged into the saddened room with a vibrant smile on his face. Provenza latched to the happiness in the man and asked, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Flynn just winked at the man and smiled, "My little secret."

Provenza laughed and shook his head, "You meet a girl?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"Gentlemen," Pope said as he entered the room of smirking Detectives. "We have two things on our agenda today: first, there's a crime scene in the garage for you guys to check out. Second, I'll be evaluating you interrogation skills." The men groaned at the mention interrogations, none of them had done particularly well in the Academy, and neither thought they would be any better today. "You will all interrogate the same woman and find out the actual story that happened downstairs You'll figure out her position in the household, and her alibi for the events. After that, I'll introduce you to every Detective's worst enemy: paperwork. You'll file a proper report on the case with the reconstruction of the crime. I want a detailed profile on the 'killer' and the motive. Are we clear?"

A series of, "Yes, Sir," flitted to Pope's ears.

"Good. Now get started on the scene, I have a meeting to attend to, but I'll be back to watch everyone's interrogations," Chief Pope had been called by the Chief of Police to his office to discuss the events of this trail division. Pope watched as the four shuffled from their desks to the elevator, Provenza animatedly talking to Detective Flynn. He watched as Sharon walked in front of the men and practically ignored them. Pope sighed and wondered if she was ever going to properly engage with the men in the group or if she would stay forever closed off. Pope walked through the secret hallway to the Chief of Police's office. He knocked lightly and was told to come in.

"Chief," Pope greeted with a small bow of his head in respect.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. I have a very busy schedule, but I needed to know how my trial division is working. Major Crimes, was it?"

Pope nodded, "Yes, Sir. I have the four top of their class Detectives from the Academy."

"And how are you training them differently from Priority Homicide?"

"Well, Sir, although Priority Homicide is a completely different Division, I am training the Detectives I have in the very way Chief Taylor had trained his men. They're in what I'm calling the evaluation stage. As of right now, I give the Detectives a series of organized and staged crimes which they observe and make conclusions to," Chief Pope explained.

"And who will you choose to run the division?"

"Out of the four there is one woman, who I believe is more than fit to run the division. She can walk onto the floor of one a staged scene, and immediately tell the case from its smell. The one of the staged scenes the other day was a young male who had overdosed on meth. Sharon, the woman in the group, immediately announced it was an overdose on meth. Never in my lifetime, have I seen a Detective, wet behind ears, announce the cause of death without even seeing the body," Chief Pope said with much pride in his Detective.

The Chief of Police nodded in amazement, "But, if I understood correctly, she was the cause of the jumper?"

Chief Pope let out a sigh, Time to deal with his skeletons. "I wanted a real person up on that ledge so that the Detectives could get the feel of an actual jumper. I guess my background check on her was poor. Apparently she was suicidal and I didn't manage to see that. Her death is to be blamed on me. In all honesty, Sir, Sharon was the only one from the group who stepped up to the microphone. The three men barely made a move for the instrument."

The Chief of Police nodded again saying, "Alright, I would like to observe this woman if I could."

Pope nodded and said, "Sure, she has an evaluation in interrogation at noon. If you would like to sit in on that, Sir, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I'll be there. You are dismissed Chief."

"Chief," Pope saluted, leaving the office and shutting the door behind himself with a sigh. Sharon Montgomery was going to start her climb up the ladder.

The four Detectives exited the elevator and looked at the house that was constructed overnight.

"Twenty dollars that it's a robbery/ homicide," Provenza bet.

"Twenty it's a robbery/ double homicide," Flynn wagered. Provenza scuffed and the two men looked at Tao and Sharon. "What do you guys want to bet?"

"Twenty it's a robbery/ homicide," Tao said in agreement to Provenza's guess.

The group looked expectantly at Sharon who stared with wide eyes at the house.

"I don't normally like to gamble, but I say twenty on it being a robbery with four dead."

Provenza snickered and mumbled something that sounded like, "She's dead wrong." Tao and Flynn looked as if it would be a possibility.

"What are your reasons for that, Sharon?" Flynn asked looking at the woman.

"Well, even though this is a constructed house, it's nice and cozy. There's a pink tricycle on the front porch, meaning there is at least one child. The green dinosaur means another child. Two children, a girl and a boy. Most mother's will raise one kid, but two, on her own? That doesn't happen often. Two children, two adults," Sharon's reasoning made the utter most sense to the men. A fragile smile spread across Sharon's lips as she said, "Mind as well just pay up now."

Being men with egos, they refused and muttered that they had to see the bodies to before they paid up.

The four entered the house and saw nothing seemed to be disturbed in the entry way, meaning the family had let the killer in without a struggle. While the men trailed down the hallway, Sharon went to explore what looked like the family room. Little girl and boy toys scattered the floor. Dolls and their clothes laid on a table, Legos and dinosaurs littered the floors. Choosing her footing carefully, Sharon made her way to the picture frames that hung above the fireplace mantle. The framed pictures of the family hung on the walls in ornate frames. The family of four was repeated in most of the pictures except for one. The one picture held five people, the family and what looked to be a Grandmother. Sharon studied the older woman's frail features. Her wrinkled skin, hazel eyes, white hair, and brown glass. Carefully, Sharon took the picture down and removed the photo. Sharon looked over pictures of the family again, choosing to take the photo of the family caught mid-laugh, and happy. Picking her footing back to the hallway, Sharon went to explore what looked to be the Father's office. The man had hung his awards and diplomas with pride above the tall backed leather chair. Examining them carefully, Sharon learned the Father's name was Wilfred, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology out in Boston. The Grandmother in the picture was his mother, there was a picture of Wilfred kissing the older woman on the cheek as she leaned closer to her son's lips with a proud smile plastered to her face. Sharon smiled and took that picture too. The men were still in what seemed to be the kitchen, examining the bodies. Sharon smirked when she counted four.

Following the print out of stairs to the next room, Sharon entered the 'second' floor. There were four doors. Sharon walked to the firs door and entered that room. It was the little girl's room, pink walls, bedding, and throw rug over the hardwood floors. The little girl had a simple room: the toddler's bed was beneath the window (which had pink and white polkadot drapes), a small wooden book shelf, and a wooden desk. Sharon smiled as she studied the bookshelf. It was Princess stories galore there, ranging from the Disney Princesses to actual monarchy stories. Sharon ran her hand over the hand carved desk, perhaps the father had built this for his little girl. There was a picture taped to the desk, a blonde little girl sat in her Grandma's arms, the two holding the story of Cinderella in their hands. Sharon picked gently at the tape and freed to picture.

Sharon opened the second door, the little boy's room. The walls were a dark blue, and had deep green dinosaurs on them. The dinosaurs seemed to rule the room, just like the little girl's room, the boy had dinosaur bedding, and drapes. He also had a bookshelf, smaller than his sister's, and it held prehistoric books, and pop-up dinosaur books with moving jaw and feet. Sharon smiled as she examined the boy's desk. Same as the Girl's it held a picture of the boy sitting in his Grandmother's lap, showing her how the feet moved on his dinosaur. Sharon peeled the tape, careful to not wreck the picture, and added that to her pile. Sharon walked back into the hall and opened the third door. The small bathroom had a tub, two sinks, and a toilet. One sink had pony holders circling the faucet, with a hair brush, and Belle toothbrush. The other sink had a comb and dinosaur toothbrush. Smile Sharon went to the fourth and final door. Opening it slowly, Sharon walked forward. The master bedroom was a relatively big space, big enough to hold a queen sized bed, wooden armoire, and two small nightstands. A television was mounted to the wall, there was a walk in closet that could fit Sharon's wardrobe three times with space left over for twice the number of her shoes. Sighing with envy, Sharon examined the clothes. On the left was casual outfits: jeans, loose tee-shirts, sweaters, and such. On the right were Armani suits: pant-suits, skirts with matching tops and jackets, complete with a pair of matching heels. Sharon let her eyes drift over the kitten heels, strappy heels, pumps, and pointed heels. With another envious sigh, Sharon left the closet and headed for the ensuite. Same as the children's bathroom, there were two sinks, and a tub. There was also a shower, and tall cabinets with bathing salts and different hair products.

"Wow," Sharon whispered into the air, this was a dream bathroom.

There were no pictures in the master bedroom that Sharon could take and use in her interrogation. Returning to the 'first' floor, Sharon went to take her look at the bodies. The two children dummies lay in a puddle of their own fake blood, and the adult dummies were face up, one shot to each of their head, execution style. The males stopped destroying the kitchen looking for the gun and knife used on the family and watched as Sharon looked at the mess.

"Looks like, the family knew the killer, there was no disturbance in the front entryway until here. But why is only these back two room destroyed?" Sharon asked. The kitchen connected a dining room, and a television room. The dust on the wooden table in the television room showed where the television had once stood. Wires hung from the ceiling where speakers could've been mounted. In the dining room, the China cabinet had been picked clean, and the silverware had been taken. It almost looked as if the killer knew where all the valuables would be.

Sharon sighed, smiled, and said, "I'm going to interrogate that woman the Chief has for us. I expect my sixty dollars on my desk when I walk out of the interrogation room."

The men smirked. Flynn said, "You had a good call on this Sharon."

"Thank you, Detectives," Sharon said, hanging her head and walking swiftly from the house with her pictures.

Using the elevator, Sharon made it up to the division's floor. From there she walked into interrogation room one.

"There she is," Chief Pope said from electronics, pointing at the screen for the Chief of Police to see.

"Hi, my name is Detective Sharon Montgomery. You can call me Sharon, what's your name?" Sharon asked shutting the door and setting her manilla folder down. Silence filled the room. "All right, so you don't want to talk? This will just make things harder for you ma'am. Do you know these people?" Sharon asked pushing the picture of the whole family without the woman in the background.

Silence.

"Ma'am, I could help you. No one is accusing you of anything just yet. I'm just here to figure out what happened. That's all," Sharon took a comforting approach. In the Academy, they taught how to gain trust of the suspects, then use that trust to the detectives ability. A cruel way to make friends, but at least it worked.

Silence.

"Alright, I've got all day," Sharon said leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. The woman reached up and touched the picture. She placed her thumb over Wilfred's face.

"You can't hold me for more than twenty-four hours without an arrest," The woman mumbled.

"Do you know them?" Sharon lightly pushed.

The woman removed her thumb from Wilfred's face and looked Sharon in the eyes, "Never seen these people in my life."

Sharon held up her pointer finger and said, "That's one lie." Sharon produced a second picture, this time the family of four with the woman in the background. "Yes you have. Are you close with your son?"

"No. I avoid him at all costs, he dishonored our family name by marrying that… that whore!"

Sharon smirked slightly, "Did you know you have grandchildren?"

"No. I refuse to be within ten miles of that woman. I don't give a damn about her children."

"That's your second lie to me, be carful when you lie next," Sharon said holding up a second finger and producing the two photos of the little girl and boy with the woman. "How often do you visit the house?"

"I already told you! I wouldn't go within-"

Sharon started putting up a third finger.

"Fine, fine!" The older woman surrendered. "I help out around the house daily."

Sharon nodded and continued the questioning, "Where were you this morning?"

"I only help out in the afternoons, I arrived at the house at my normal time: three-" The Grandmother tried. Sharon started to put up the third finger again.

"Try again."

"I arrived at nine this morning."

"Did you know the family was murdered at nine this morning, too? Would you mind clearing this up? I don't believe in coincidences."

The Grandmother's shoulders fell, "I killed them," She muttered almost inaudibly.

"Excuse me?"

"I walked in at nine this morning, bringing in the groceries with no help from Wilfred, or his whore of a wife. The children came down, ungrateful brats, demanding breakfast and lunches. I work day and night for these children! Never once have they ever mentioned their appreciation! I had enough, that demand was my last straw. I screamed at the children, who in turned threw back their own retorts. Wilfred, my son, and his whore came down, disrupted by the noise, and took the children's side! Saying I was nothing more than their maid. I wasn't family to them, I was a slave. I shot Wilfred and his whore in the head, then strangled the children. I saved the little girl for last, she was the worst in the family. She died last. I stared into all their glassy eyes, horror stricken eyes. Nothing, and I mean nothing was more gratifying than their eyes. You know the eyes are said to be the passage to the soul, the only place their soul will be is Hell. I made sure of that."

Sharon stood quickly, her metal chair echoed in the silent room when it hit the floor. She stared into the camera in the back corner of the room and said, "There's a confession."

Pope stood with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling proudly at the woman.

"Well, that has got to be the quickest confession I've ever seen," The Chief of Police commented, watching Sharon leave the room. "She has great manipulation skills, and the selective use of photos to prove a point, wow. Best I've ever seen from someone straight out of the Academy. How much power are you willing to give her?"

"As much as she needs to become the best," Pope responded, happy the Chief of Police saw what he saw.

Sharon returned to her desk where the necessary paperwork for the closure of the case sat. There was something almost comforting about the paperwork. Sharon actually almost enjoyed the paperwork. By the two minutes into the paperwork, Provenza walked up and to the interview room, placing a twenty on Sharon's desk. Sharon smiled and muttered her thanks and wished the man luck with the interrogation. Sharon finished the paperwork in five minutes flat. She was piling the papers in an orderly fashion when a slim blonde walked into the room. Her light blue top and matching cardigan worked perfectly with the black flowing skirt which ended modestly below her knees. The slightly curled hair made Sharon envious. All in all, the woman was stunning.

The blonde caught Sharon's gaze and her lips curled in a small smile, "Hi," she greeted with a southern twang. "My name is Brenda Leigh Johnson."


To the Guest who was asking about Flynn's heritage: Provenza, and Sanchez have called Flynn Latino in the show… I'm pretty sure they have. I'm almost positive Flynn is Latin (please correct me if I'm wrong here).

To Labyrinth01: I had completely forgotten about Brenda! Thanks for mentioning that, I slipped her into my overview and I can tell you, she adds a lot to the story! ;)

Please review!