Chapter 2: Comfort
The entire ride to the crime scene, Adam was antsy. He simply couldn't help it, after his discovery. This didn't go unnoticed by the ex-FBI agent, Jo.
"Relax, Adam. It's just a crime scene. I guess we'll have to get you out to more crime scenes. Isn't that what you want to be working, anyway?"
"Uh, yeah," the younger man stuttered, breaking his reverie. He was honestly terrified to arrive at the crime scene, not knowing if the victim there would be the same girl from the blog earlier that morning.
"You know, my daddy used to say that a little bit of sun will help to take the edge off of nerves. Said that looking up at the sun, not directly, would help ya to see how bright everything is and how we all work together."
"Yeah," Adam mumbled softly as the pair pulled up next to a massive castle like structure nestled in a forest of trees.
"Here we go," Jo said softly and parked the car, snatched up her kit from the backseat and slammed the door on her heels, joining Flack at the edge of the curb. The detective glanced back at Adam and turned to Jo.
"He coming?" Flack asked and jerked his head back at the car, where Adam was still seated.
"Yeah, just nerves about the scene I think. It's not like he's out a lot," Jo remarked as Adam clambered out of the car with his kit tucked under his arm. He hurried to join the detectives and followed a set behind as Flack began to fill them in about the victim.
"Vic's name is Angelina Barlette. Sixteen years old. Her buddy over there told me that she found her sprawled on the floor in the bathroom in a pool of blood. According to her schedule, she was in the middle of chemistry with Professor Brown."
"What do we think of Brown?" Lindsay asked and joined the group.
"Students say he's a good teacher. They think he gives a hell of a lot of homework, but cares about the students individually. He helped to rebuild a student's home after it was destroyed by a fire last summer, gave some food to the more needy families of the school, your good Samaritan teacher."
"And the girl who found her?"
"Christina Tucchi. They were in the same class together. She said Brown was giving out tests and Barlette reacted badly, running out of the classroom. When she hadn't come back after five minutes, she went looking for her. Didn't expect to find her like this, I'll bet." Flack concluded as they entered the girls' bathroom on the third floor of the school. Right in the middle of the floor was the victim, laying in a pool of blood, just like Christina Tucchi had said.
"Wow," Adam heard Jo whisper softly before he lost touch with the world. Part of him was relieved, relieved that the victim wasn't the girl from the blog earlier that morning, however, half of him was gnawing at his inner self, wishing he could have done something for her. But he couldn't. He hardly even knew this girl, let alone could he blame himself for her death. Adam mentally slapped himself and forced a hold on his emotions as he dropped his kit and snapped a few pictures.
"High velocity blood spatter, cast off stains on the ceiling," Lindsay said and took swabs of the blood on the wall.
"Killer hit her more than once," Adam filled in to Jo and Lindsay's surprise. He saw Jo smile ever so slightly as she inspected the body with a gloved hand.
"COD is probably blunt force trauma; I'm thinking from the indents in her skull, probably a pole or a softball bat."
"Could be a heat of the moment type of thing. A pole probably isn't a weapon of choice for a high school student," Lindsay remarked and glanced back down at the victim, obviously stirring up something inside of her. Outside the crime scene, a tormented scream wailed throughout the hallways, echoing in the bathroom.
"I have a lot of respect for Flack, having to do that," Adam murmured softly into the lens of the camera.
"Just part of the job, Adam," Lindsay reminded him gingerly, still looking down at the victim. Suddenly, the CSI snapped and slipped down from the ladder.
"You okay?" Jo asked and turned sharply.
"Fine just need a few be back soon," Lindsay rushed and bolted from the scene, running into Danny on the way out. She made a left and disappeared down the hallway until she reached a closet, anything to let her calm down.
"What just-" Danny began as Jo shook her head.
"She just took off. Didn't sound okay. Go find her," Jo said and turned back to the body. Danny rushed out of the bathroom and stopped a few students in the hallway, asking where the pretty dirty blonde went, and they pointed him in the right way.
"Linds?" Danny called and knocked lightly on a lit up closet. After a moment, he slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Lindsay sat on a couple of paint buckets, head in her arms, trying to hide from the world. He grabbed a stool and placed it down in front of her, seating himself on top of it so they were looking eye to eye.
"Hey, Danny," Lindsay whispered in a coarse voice, avoiding his concerned gaze. She bit her lip anxiously and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Lindsay, look at me." Danny said to her, though she shook her head. "Linds, please."
"I can't. I just… I can't. I look at the vic and see them, lying there on the floor with the waitress." Lindsay cut herself off before she could continue and choked back a sob.
"Montana." Lindsay looked sharply up at Danny, tears welling in her dark eyes. "I know it's hard, but you're safe now. There's nothing you could do about this. This girl, I know she's young and she reminds you of what happened, but that's over. I can't make you forget about what happened, but I want to try to help you. You know, that's one of the things I love about you. You're passionate and motivated, you want to help these families, you want to do what the crime lab back home couldn't do for you. You want the families to feel a tiny bit of comfort in knowing the asshole that did this is behind bars, that they're safe again." Danny sucked in a breath of air, knowing what would come next wouldn't be easy to say. "You know what it's like to be in that victim like state. And you want to change that hopeless feeling for victim's families."
At the last few words, Lindsay's tough walls collapsed around her, leaving her feeling vulnerable. More vulnerable than she liked. She let the tears fall and allowed her head to sink into Danny's toned chest, wrapping her arms around his lean body. Danny pulled her onto his lap and wrapped her into his comforting embrace, feeling his shoulder dampen with tears. He hated to see Lindsay like this. She was so tormented with the past that she couldn't move forward with the future. He wanted to help so badly, but he didn't know how.
Finally, Lindsay had nothing left to cry, leaving the couple locked in an embrace in each other's arms.
"I love you, Danny," she whispered into his ear, burrowing her head into her neck.
"I love you too Lindsay. I love both you and Lucy, more than life." Lindsay laughed and pulled away, gazing into his eyes and biting her lip. Danny leaned forward and let his lips touch Lindsay's.
"I know," she responded quietly as they stood. Squeezing her one last time, Danny let go of Lindsay and took her hand in his.
"I was just about to head to Brown's room, how about we go together?" Danny asked and led her out of the janitor's closet.
"Sure." Lindsay responded and filled Danny in on Professor Brown as they turned the corner, holding hands like the high school students that littered the hallway.