Chapter Eleven – The Silver Lining Is You
Peter protested, as she knew he would but he didn't put up much of a fight. He frowned over the top of Etta's head.
"You'll call if you need anything, right?"
Olivia grinned.
"I hardly think Fiona Spark poses a threat to anyone."
Peter relaxed slightly.
"Ok I'll give you that one."
Olivia tugged one her coat, making sure her gun was on her hip. Rachel couldn't pick Etta up for another hour but Olivia was far too restless to wait. Even though she only had a couple of hours sleep under her belt, she could feel the hum of the case in her veins, urging her on. The echo of A.J's voice pushed her forward too. She wanted to find her friend, needed to find her.
"So Rachel will-"
"Be here at ten, I know. I'll meet up with you the lab?"
Olivia nodded as she patted her pockets one last time before to make sure she had everything leaning forward and kissing Peter. She ran a hand over Etta's head.
"Be good, baby girl."
Etta grinned and Olivia was still smiling as she finally made her way out the door.
She had done the decent thing and had called Fiona earlier that morning. So when Olivia pulled up in front of her home, Fiona was waiting on her front porch, Charles by her side, gently rocking in her chair. Charles leapt up the moment he spotted Olivia, snuffing as she got closer.
"Hey Charles."
He whined softly and pressed closer to her and she took a moment to give his head a completely scratch before heading to the porch, Charles close on her heels.
"Hi Fiona."
"Good morning Agent Dunham."
"Olivia, please."
Fiona nodded with a small smile.
"So polite."
"Comes with the job."
"Please have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Or coffee? I made some fresh lemonade last night, that should be nice and chilled by now."
"Lemonade sounds wonderful."
Fiona nodded and disappeared inside and Olivia sat down in a worn, comfortable seat, Charles settling beside her, leaning on her leg. She rubbed his head without much thought, her eyes wondering the quiet neighbourhood. It seemed like a perfect place to get lost in your thoughts, the lull of the city far, far away. Trees protected privacy and neighbours seemed to know each other here. It really was rather beautiful.
"Here we go my dear."
Olivia accepted the drink, the glass cool against her fingertips but paused when she caught Fiona shaking her head.
"You need to have the final ingredient."
Olivia extended the glass and watched as Fiona squeezed out some juice from a slice of lime before dropping it into the lemonade.
"There we go."
Olivia sipped the drink, tangy and not overly sweet, it was perfect and the chill from the ice made her feel a little more alert.
"That is wonderful. Thank you."
"You are welcome my dear. Now, you never did say what you needed from me when you called this morning."
"I wanted to know more about your relationship with A.J. When did you first meet her?"
"Oh, about two years ago. She was wondering down the street and she paused outside of the house. It was up for sale, had been for a while. I went to talk to her. It was a brief conversation and then she left. Six months later, she moved in."
"When did you start being friendly with her?"
Fiona sighed and Olivia caught the flash of sadness.
"When my Rodney died."
"I'm sorry."
Fiona smiled softly.
"He was a great husband. We met when we were just fifteen. We were married two years later and my son Miles as born two years after that. It was just us after Miles died."
"How did he die?"
"He was epileptic. Mild for most of his life but after he turned twelve, the seizures got worse. One night, he went to bed and simply never woke up. He had a massive seizure in his sleep."
Olivia swallowed. It was every parent's worst nightmare, dying before their children. It wasn't meant to go like that.
"It made it easier that it was something to do with his health rather than a tragic accident. I had twelve wonderful years with my son and for that I will always be grateful. Would you like to see a picture?"
"Sure."
Fiona leaned forward, her hand disappearing into the pocket of her pants. She pulled out a faded picture, curling slightly at the edges ,well-worn and well-loved. She handed it to Olivia with a soft smile.
"This was the day after he turned twelve."
Miles was a gorgeous little boy, all dark curls and wide grin. He was swinging from a thick branch under a tree, his skinny arms somehow holding his weight.
"He's a cutie"
"It's the smile. He got it off his father."
"Sound like my daughter. She's the same."
The words about Etta were out before she could stop them. Fiona made her feel strangely comfortable and she could see why A.J had chosen to open up to her. Usually, Peter and Etta weren't mentioned when they were on a case. You never knew who might be listening. Peter was the same, keeping Olivia and Etta to himself.
"You have a daughter?"
Olivia couldn't help the smile.
"Yes. Henrietta Elizabeth. She's Etta for short. She's almost five months old now."
Olivia pulled out her phone, showing Fiona the pictures that were always close at hand.
"Oh she is simply beautiful."
"I like to think so."
"You're right, she does have a stunning smile."
"She gets her serious look from me. It's usually right before she gets herself into trouble."
She paused on a picture of Peter and Etta, one of her favourite ones. It was same one she had gotten printed out and added into the family album that Peter was always obsessing about. Etta and Peter were both laughing about something, Etta's tiny face scrunched up, flashing that gummy grin.
"Oh so that handsome man you were with yesterday-"
"Yup. He's my husband."
"Well, you have a beautiful family."
"Thank you."
Fiona sighed, sipping at her drink.
"I was out here, crying, rather beside myself when I saw A.J watching me. She ducked back inside and came back out a few moments later, holding a bottle of brandy. She came over and we sat and drank until the sun lowered and the bugs starting coming out to feast."
"So she approached you?"
"Yes, she did. She just listened as I ranted and raved. I was angry that Rodney had left me. It was irrational. He wasn't to blame. He had always had a funny heart. It just finally caught up with him."
"It's normal to be angry."
"It took me a little while to understand that. From then on, every night, A.J would come over and we would talk. At first, she didn't want to talk about herself, asking me about Rodney and Miles and our lives together. It took a couple of months before she seemed to realize that I could be trusted and she started talking."
"What about?"
"First her job and then about Mike. That's when I mentioned that she should get a dog. The only creature I could ever think of that made a perfect combination of company and security system."
Olivia glanced down at Charles, who had lay near her feet, his body still pressed into Olivia's leg. She could see how that would work. She didn't know many criminals that would go near a house with that huge dog sitting there waiting for them.
"She wanted a little dog but she fell in love with Charles and he with her. Completely devoted. A.J had a tendency to forget herself sometimes, not eating, not sleeping but she never neglected Charles. Only the best food for her boy, let me tell you."
Charles whined lightly at the sound of his name and Olivia ran her fingers over his ears.
"Fiona?"
"Yes?"
"Why didn't you report A.J missing?"
Fiona shook her head.
"When A.J was writing, she often got a little lost. I knew that she was working on something, so I didn't bother her. I just assumed that I kept missing her. By the time I realized that something was wrong, you were already here."
"I see."
"Do you think Mike did this?"
Fiona's voice was soft but it didn't matter, it still held a hard, angry edge.
"I don't know Fiona."
"You know what he did to her, don't you?"
Olivia nodded.
"Do you know why she didn't report him to the police? She had more than enough evidence to get him put into jail."
"Love is a funny thing. She kept telling me that she still remembered the way he was when they first met."
"What changed?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think A.J could really put her finger on it either. For a smart girl, she was rather blind."
"How often did he come over?"
"Before Charles, at least once a week. I was over there more than once, making sure that I went over as soon as I saw his car. He behaved himself when I was there, but I hate to think what he did when she was alone."
"And then after Charles?"
Fiona shook her head.
"Just the once, when Charles attacked him. A.J was in a panic, thinking that Mike would have him put down. I told her he wouldn't dare because the police would demand to know the circumstance of the attack."
Olivia nodded, taking a deep pull on her glass of lemonade.
"Fiona, A.J mentioned you in one of her tapes."
"Oh?"
"Yes, she said she was going to ask you some questions about an Alfonso Cutler."
Fiona frowned.
"No, she never did."
"Why would she need to ask you about that?"
"She passed things by me sometimes. I have a slightly morbid obsession. I like serial killers, you know cold cases and the such."
"But she never mentioned that name to you?"
"No. Why?"
"She interviewed him said that he seemed a little off to her."
Fiona shrugged.
"I don't know what that would have been about."
"What about the name Heather? Do you know it?"
Fiona smiled.
"Now that one I know. Heather Fogleigh. Spelt L-E-I-G-H"
"Who is she?"
"A criminologist that A.J consulted with sometimes. She would use her to do the research, create profiles, you know things like that. I met Heather last time she was here. A fascinating woman."
Olivia noticed the sound of a car but ignored it until she felt Charles stiffen against her leg. He raised his big head, a growl emerging from low in his chest. Olivia, glanced up following where Charles had his eyes locked. A blue sedan had made its way down the narrow road, parking just behind Olivia's truck. Charles started barking as Mike emerged from the car, his whole body vibrating against Olivia's leg. Mike looked up, taking in Olivia and Fiona sitting on the porch. He said nothing, keeping his head down and heading to the front door. Olivia stood before he had a chance to go for the door handle.
"Mr Cullen, may I help you?"
Mike raised his eyes with a frown.
"No, you may not. I know what I want."
"I'm afraid Mr Cullen, that A.J's home remains part of our on-going investigation at the moment."
"So?"
Olivia could feel Mike watching her as she stepped off Fiona's porch and made her way up A.J's little path until she was in front of Mike. She hadn't realized that both Charles and Fiona had followed her until she heard Fiona whisper softly to Charles.
"Watch, Charles."
She heard Charles huff, his hot breath traveling across her leg. Olivia frowned.
"She is still missing and the home needs to be searched top to bottom for evidence. What is it that you need?"
Mike's eyes flicked towards the door.
"Something personal."
"Does it belong to you?"
"Everything she owns belongs, in some part, to me."
Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't scared of Mike. He was scum. She didn't feel pity either, she felt nothing but revulsion.
"Actually, since you are divorced, you have no claim on anything in that house. So, Mr Cullen, you need to leave."
She saw the clenching off the fists and the way he stiffened but she didn't back down. She wasn't a kid anymore. Raising a fist at her didn't cause her fear, it simply hardened her resolve and made her hatred blaze brighter.
"I need to get into the house."
"Why?"
"Because you know, as well as I, that A.J is dead. And I know that she did the right thing and left everything to me."
"A.J is missing. And we will find her."
Mike sighed.
"I have every right-"
"You have no rights here. You need to leave. Or I will arrest you for tampering with evidence. Your choice."
She saw the anger flash in his eyes a second before he moved and she managed to turn her body, the blow glancing off her cheek. It still carried enough force to push her back, causing her to stumble. She watched, her eyes tearing from the blow, as Charles leapt at Mike, teeth bared, going for his arm. He latched on with a tight grip, causing Mike to scream. Olivia ignored the ache in her face and moved forward again, grabbing Mike by the back of his shirt.
"GET THIS FUCKEN DOG OFF ME!"
Fiona moved forward, kicking Mike hard before turning to Charles, her voice soft.
"Charles, drop."
Olivia could almost see Charles considering the order before, somewhat reluctantly, releasing Mike's arm. Olivia ignored the blood and howl of pain from Mike, pulling his arms behind his back, slipping on a set of cuffs. She left him there, face down in the dirt, as she ran a hand over her cheek. It was already starting to swell.
"Oh dear, are you ok?"
Fiona was by her side, her hands soft and crinkled as she examined Olivia's cheek with a critical eye.
"I'm fine."
"That's going to leave a bruise. Your husband won't be happy."
Olivia managed a smile before dragging Mike up. He kept struggling until Charles moved to her side, gazing at Mike, teeth bloodied and bared in a silent warning. Mike got the hint and stopped struggling, his protests dying on his lips.
"Well, now you've done it Mr Cullen. Assaulting a federal agent is always a bad move."