Running had never been about staying in shape for Tommy. It was a release. His way of putting a tough case behind him, burning off a little steam or clearing his head.
It had been two days since the incident at the Dolls House.
Yesterday had been a blur. He hadn't slept, going straight from the crime scene to the station. Not wanting to let Lindy's attacker out of his sight for a second. After the interrogation, he and Yaeger had spent the entire day booking that psycho and filing all the associated paperwork. Tommy didn't want to take any chances that he would get out on a technicality.
Through it all, he had only seen Lindy at the station for a few minutes... and, only at a distance. They hadn't really spoken since the basement.
As each foot hit the pavement, he tried, and failed, to focus on the cool morning air and the burning in his legs... and, not on Lindy.
Despite not having slept in over 36 hours, he hadn't been able to sleep last night. This time, it was because his mind had been racing all night, filled with thoughts of Lindy. Finally, at just past 4:00 a.m., he gave up trying to sleep and decided to head out into the brisk dawn to clear his head.
There was so much to process... Like, how close the Flirtual killer had come to hurting Lindy and far they were from catching him. The threat the "playroom" accomplice had passed along to Lindy during Tommy's interrogation. And, of course, the kiss.
As Tommy ran, he fought vivid flashbacks from that night.
He could still smell the damp cement of the basement and the gas from the blow torch, mixed with the light sweet smell of Lindy's hair.
He could still feel Lindy trembling in his arms. How soft and smooth the exposed skin on her back felt under his fingers. The feel of his lips on her silky hair as he softy reassured her that she was safe. The feel of her nipples through her thin silk top and his cotton shirt when she pulled herself in close to him.
He would successfully quell that memory only to have another take its place.
The feel of her soft lips when they kissed. The taste of the wine and Lindy's lip gloss.
This was the memory that he couldn't seem to shake. He doubted that the kiss had really even registered with Lindy given everything that transpired after. But he couldn't stop thinking about it. She had kissed him back... or had that just been for the benefit of those watching?
He was drenched in sweat and his legs were on fire when he reached his apartment after a 12 mile loop. Unfortunately, his mind wasn't any clearer.
Tommy walked into the station just before 7:00 a.m. with an extra-large black coffee in hand. Dropping down into his desk chair, he let out a big sigh. This was going to be a long day.
He pulled open his file on Lindy's sister. There was a picture of Sara that had been pulled from a sex slave trafficking site. It had come in the night of the sting, but Tommy had only seen it yesterday. With everything else going on, he had no idea how he was going to bring it up with Lindy. How much could one person handle?
He knew that he needed to tell her. He had promised and he knew that she deserved to know. But… all he could see was the terrified, trembling girl in handcuffs that he had held in his arms just over 24 hours ago.
Tommy was in Sgt. Walker's office when Lindy showed up at the Cyber Crimes Unit, having a quick debrief on the charges to be laid in connection with the Dolls House. He saw Lindy sit down at his desk, but couldn't just walk out on a meeting with his S.O.
When Lindy arrived at the Cyber Crimes Unit, she scanned the room, but didn't see Tommy or Yaeger anywhere. So, she dropped down into the chair at Tommy's desk and started to unpack her laptop. Tommy's leather jacket was draped across the back of his chair. It smelled distantly but distinctly of Tommy… pine soap and his light cologne. The scent instantly brought her back to the night of the sting. First, the kiss … then in the basement. She winced at the memory and turned her attention back to the desk.
She tried to shift a couple of folders off to the side of his desk, so that she could set up her computer. But they ended up falling off the side of the desk onto the floor. "Shit," Lindy mumbled to herself as she bent to pick them up.
Then among the fallen paperwork, she saw it. A photo of Sara.
Sara was posed seductively in an off-white silk negligee and heavy make-up. But, the expression on her face told another story. Her eyes looked sad and empty. Resigned.
There was a URL on the bottom of the print out. Lindy immediately typed it into the address bar on her browser. The site was still live. Her mind started racing. … What the fuck was going on?! Why hadn't they told her about this?! Why had Tommy been keeping this from her? She could understand if it was a dead lead… but it clearly wasn't.
Just then the door to Sgt. Walker's office open and Tommy walked out briskly. "Fuck," he muttered when he saw the look on Lindy's face. She had seen the photo.
"Lindy, let me explain. It came…" Tommy started.
Lindy's eyes were full of fire. She didn't let him finish.
"I let you use me for your cases. I let you use me as bait. I helped you on cases that had nothing to do with me… You promised you would help me find Sara…. That you would keep me in the loop and let me be part of the investigation. What the fuck is this?" she yelled referencing the photo in her hand. "And why is it just sitting in a folder when I could be tracking those assholes down and saving my sister?!"
She grabbed her laptop and shoved it into her bag. She grabbed the folder of Sara's case off the ground. "This is coming with me," she fumed.
"Lindy, wait…" Tommy pleaded.
"Don't even," she warned. "Stay away from me. I don't know why I trusted you. You couldn't save Ben… I have no idea why I thought you could help me save Sara."
Lindy slipped her bag over her shoulder, turned and marched down the hallway.
Tommy winced at her accusation. He started after her, but felt Yaeger's hand on her shoulder. "Let her go, man. She needs to cool down before you'll even have a chance that she will listen to you."
Tommy took a deep breath and just watched her walk away.