Author's Note: Thank you for continuously reading my story. I also saw some of you followed and added it into the list of your favorite stories. A guest reviewer asked why the year 2006 and if the 911 case will be the center of this story. My answers are: 1). I've chosen 2006 because I already had an outline of the whole story and each character's timeline and 2006 was the best year to start it with; 2). No, it's not the center of this story. I made the case longer because Nadia is on it. And I want to capture the moments when Bo and Lauren met again after a year. Here's the third part.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost Girl and the characters. I just used them for my story.
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Chapter Three
New Haven Police Department
District 9 East Shore
New Haven, CT
Bo and Hale got out of their patrol car and went to where Lauren's car was parked. They saw that both passengers were already outside and Vex was on the phone.
"Ciara, Lauren and I are both okay. Yeah, she's here with me. We are in the middle of a police investigation. No, no not that. Please we will explain it to you later when we get home okay? Do you want to speak to her?" Vex turned to Lauren. He pointed to his phone and mouthed, "No?" Lauren shook her head. "She said no Ci. Okay bye." Vex laughed. He looked at Lauren. "She said she'll just call you on your phone."
Lauren huffed and rolled eyes. "Yup, she's calling now." She answered her phone. "Ci, I'm okay. Have you talked to Dyson? Oh, you already told him that I'm missing?" She looked at Vex and frowned. "Well I'm not. And now, he'll also tell Ryan. Great." She looked down. "Don't worry too much. We'll talk later. Bye, Ci." She looked at Vex and said, "This is getting ridiculous. Why is there a need to tell Dyson? Dyson will surely call me. Then of course, Ryan will also have the urge to check on me." Lauren saw that Dyson is calling. She ignored it.
"Why don't you just answer it and give him your standard reply? He won't stop calling you," Vex said.
"Fine. If he demanded a longer explanation, I'll give you the phone." Her phone rang and she answered right away. "Hi Dy. Yes I'm okay. We'll talk later. I promise. Just don't tell Dad okay? I miss you too. Bye." She sighed. She saw Bo and Hale approaching them. She smiled at them. "Are we not going inside?"
Bo answered, "No not yet Lauren. Mendoza or Torres will radio Hale or me if the suspect was already booked and put into a room for interrogation. We need to make sure that he won't see the two of you. We are doing this to protect you." She smiled.
"Thank you Bo," Vex said. "I know that I inserted myself into this case but I really do appreciate all of these."
"No problem. But we are ones who should be thanking you and Lauren because you are going to help us identify the suspect. And by doing so, you are risking your safety. Right Hale?" Bo asked.
"I agree with my partner here." Hale answered. "By the way, you were both busy talking on the phone earlier."
Vex raised his right eyebrow and understood what Hale is doing. He smiled. "Yes Officer Santiago…"
"You can call me Hale, Vex," Hale interrupted.
"Thank you Hale. Yes we were talking to Ciara and Dyson. Ciara is our friend and housemate and Dyson is her boyfriend. Dyson is also Lauren's cousin. Both of them were worried about her."
"Well there's nothing to be worried about. For Christ's sake, we are among police officers here." Lauren said. Her phone was ringing again. "See Vex, Dyson told Ryan and now he's calling too." She answered the phone. 'Ryan, Dy told you." She huffed impatiently. "Well, Vex and I are okay. There's no need to worry. You're in New York right now? No, it's okay Ry. Just go home. Have a safe trip. Bye." She closed her phone and looked at Vex. "He's in New York and he wants to cancel his flight home and come here."
"Oh Ryan, the jetsetter. He wants to rescue his princess but princess here doesn't want to be rescued. Why oh why?" Vex looked at Hale. Hale looked back. What is he trying to tell me?
"I'm not his princess Vex. I'm not anyone's princess so stop your insinuations." Lauren frowned.
Vex turned his eyes to Hale. Hale nodded. Thank God he got it.
Bo watched the two men having their own conversation while Lauren seemed oblivious of the fact.
"Who's Ryan and what's with the princess thing?" Bo asked. There's something about Ryan. She intended to find out.
"Ryan is one of our friends. And Lauren here doesn't want to be rescued as a princess." Vex told her.
"Well I think that's because she deserves to be rescued as a queen." Bo smiled at the men while she winked at Lauren.
Lauren blushed and bit her lip. Hale was momentarily shocked by his partner's boldness but he eventually smiled while shaking his head. Vex smiled and commented, "Why Officer Dennis, I didn't know you were a smooth talker."
"No I'm not, I'm just telling the truth." She smiled shyly while still looking at Lauren.
Vex smiled wickedly at Lauren's inability to speak at that moment. "Cat got your tongue Lo? Got anything to say about that?"
Lauren clears her throat. "I think that she is just being chivalrous." She looked directly at the officer's dark brown eyes. "Thank you Bo."
Bo gulped as she was mesmerized by Lauren's eyes. "You're welcome Lauren."
Just as the friendly conversation continued, Bo's radio crackled. "Dennis, Santiago you can now bring our visitors here in the station. The suspect is already brought into one of the interrogation rooms."
"Copy sir." Hale looked at his companions. "It's showtime folks. Let's do this." He looked at his watch. "Wow, it's already 9 pm. We should go inside so we could still go home in a decent hour."
"I have a question Bo and Hale; is it always like this? I mean you'll just go on without eating dinner?" Vex asked while walking towards the station. "I also need my coffee."
"Dinner? Shit, what time is it again?" Bo looked at her large 38mm Swiss Mara Chronograph watch. "Hale, when was the last time we ate?" She glanced at Lauren and Vex. "I get cranky when I'm hungry. And no, usually we had our dinner at home. It's just that we get caught up with this case."
Vex looked at Lauren and whispered to her ear, "I think your woman has an appetite. Remember, the way to your woman's heart is through her stomach." He wiggled his eyebrows. Lauren elbowed him. "She's not my woman," she whispered back. "Yet." Vex quipped.
"Oh yeah yeah. 5 pm I guess." Hale knew how cranky Bo gets when the pang of hunger and headache settled into her. "We can call and have something delivered here."
"I really need coffee right now. I get cranky when I don't get my coffee at this hour." Vex whined.
"Okay. Let us first settle inside then we'll order while I write the report. Vex, I also need to get your statement regarding your identification of the suspect. But before we do that, you and Lauren should first go outside the room where the suspect was brought in so you can really look at him. We need to be sure that the man inside that room was really who we thought he is." Bo stated.
"I agree with that plan of action." Hale smiled. "Guys, please follow us."
They went inside the station and sat on the chairs where the desks of Bo and Hale were.
There were few policemen remained. The atmosphere inside the station is calm and quiet.
"Bo, I'll bring Lauren and Vex to identify the suspect. You'll start writing the report?" Hale asked.
"Yes I will. Go on so we could order food. I'm already feeling the headache."
Hale brought Lauren and Vex to their station's officer-in-charge. "Sergeant Sir, these are our witnesses to the 911 call Officer Dennis and I responded to in Fair Haven Heights. This is Dr. Lauren Lewis and Mr. Vaughn Tate. Dr. Lewis and Mr. Tate, this is our officer-in-charge, Sergeant Caleb Smith. Sir, I will bring them outside the interrogation room in order for them to officially identify the suspect."
"Good Officer Santiago. Let me accompany you. This way Dr. Lewis and Mr. Tate." The sergeant walked ahead.
They followed the sergeant into the hallway until he stood outside a room. He turned to them and said, "This is the room where the suspect was being held by now. We will be looking through a one-way mirror. Here we go. Dr. Lewis and Mr. Tate, please take a good look at the suspect and tell me if you really know him and please state his full name."
Lauren and Vex looked inside the room and there they saw the suspect. Lauren looked at Vex and nodded. Vex sighed and said, "Sir we know this man and his name is Percy Saunders."
The sergeant smiled, "Okay. Now we have an identification. But we still need to know his relationship with the victim."
"Sergeant Smith, all I can say is that when we were in Yale the victim and the suspect were friends." Lauren stated.
"Hmmm that's interesting." The sergeant said, looking at the man inside the room.
"Sir, if you allow me I'll get Dr. Lewis and Mr. Tate back to our desks so we could get their official statement?" Hale asked.
"The sooner the better for all of us Santiago. Get Dennis to finish the paperwork so you can check the status of the victim tomorrow. If the victim is still unconscious, you need to talk with her doctor. This is your case now, yours and Dennis'."
"Okay sir, thank you." Hale looked at the two friends. "C'mon let's get back to Bo so we can order our food. I'm already starving."
"And I really need that coffee. Is it okay with you and Bo that we order at Dunkin Donuts?" Vex asked.
"We loved Dunkin Donuts. Let's get back to Bo. She's not kidding. She will be crankier if we don't order right now." Hale laughed.
Lauren raised her right eyebrow. "Then let's order now, shall we? I'll list down the orders. Vex, is it your usual?"
"Yeah of course. Don't forget the espresso shots okay?"
Lauren rolled her eyes. "What about you and Bo, Hale? "
"Let me ask my partner." Hale tapped Bo's desk. "Bo, before you begin with the paperwork, tell me your order. I don't want you to let the banshee out."
Bo blushed and cleared her throat. "You know the usual."
Hale looked at Lauren. "The usual would be a turkey, cheddar and bacon sandwich, a bagel with cream cheese, an egg and cheese wrap with ham, two choco butternut doughnuts and a large cappuccino. Mine would be a ham and cheese sandwich, an Angus steak and egg wrap, two Boston crème doughnuts and a large iced latte.
"That's only for the two of you?" Lauren grinned.
"I can still add another bagel with cream cheese and a choco butternut doughnut but not today. I'll just sleep after this so no need for the extra calories." Bo grinned.
"Wow, I envy you Bo. If I eat like that this," Vex pointing to his abdomen, "will be just one big mass of fat."
"It's in your genetics Vex. Bo, I think, has fast metabolism." Lauren looked at Bo. "But you are not an ectomorph. You are like a mesomorph, an athletic type of body." She looked up and down at Bo' body. "I think you have an exercise regimen that you really follow. And you eat healthy sometimes. If my theories are correct then maybe you're an athlete when you're in college?"
Bo bit her lip. She can't help but to be conscious on how Lauren looked at her. Is she doing it as a doctor or as a woman? Either way, for the first time, it is okay for her to be ogled at. Other times, she felt like she's been sexually objectified and she really hate that because in those times she felt that she's just a piece of meat and nothing more. She wanted to delve more into it in her mind but right now, she has to answer a hanging question. "Yes Lauren, I am a varsity basketball player when I'm in college."
"Me too." Hale winked.
"So we're a bunch of athletes. I am a varsity swimmer in Yale," Vex said. "And Lauren here is a varsity distance runner."
"But when we first saw you, you were in a bike. And I think that it's not just your hobby or something." Bo looked at Lauren.
Vex answered for her. "You are correct Bo. In fact, she's also a swimmer like me."
"I can speak for myself Vex." Lauren turned to Bo and said, "I'm sort of a triathlete and when you first saw me, I'm trying to train for an event but it petered out because of lack of time. I said 'sort of' because I haven't competed in any triathlon event although I really want to."
Bo nodded. It's time for her to ogle at Lauren. "Yeah I can see that." She smiled, her dimples showed.
Lauren blushed and looked away. Damn this woman. She doesn't like to be one-upped. "So can we call in our orders now?"
Vex smiled wickedly. They are still on it. Lauren definitely met her match. "Oh yeah, I'm really famished. I really need that coffee."
"I'll call them in." Hale said. He looked at the list. "Really, a Box O' Joe of macchiato? And with a shot of espresso each?"
"I will share the coffee with the others but the shots of espresso are all mine." Vex winked. "Coffee ran on my veins Hale. It's my water."
Hale shrugged. He went to the telephone to call the orders in.
"Wow, I liked coffee but not like that." Bo laughed. Then she looked at Lauren. "Hey, have you told him about the bad effects of drinking too much coffee?"
"I've been telling him since we were students in Yale. He said he was born with coffee in his veins so I don't bother to lecture him anymore. He's stubborn when it comes to coffee."
Vex laughed. "Okay lay them on me, you two. But it won't stop me from having espresso every day. Lo, I already ordered that espresso machine that I told you about and it will be delivered to the house in a week or so."
"See? Stubborn." Lauren shrugged. "So tell me, where are you going to put that espresso machine huh?"
"Right in the center of the kitchen counter. Boom!" Vex looked at Bo. "So you also like coffee? Do you buy the beans and have it grinded at the store? Because if you were doing that, I suggest that when you buy coffee tell them to mix 50% Arabica and 50% Robusta. That mix has more flavor and less acidity."
"My grandfather and I shared the love of coffee at home. My two other housemates do not share that craving although they wanted their coffee in the morning. Our coffee at home was actually that, your mix. He said a friend of his suggested that."
"Your grandfather's friend is a wise man. But have you ever tasted other coffee varieties such as Liberica and Excelsa?" Bo shook her head. "Yeah well, they are less popular than Arabica and Robusta. But they are delicious. Most coffee crops that produce these kind of varieties were grown in Asia. Have you heard about Kopi Luwak?"
Bo nodded. "Yes I heard about it. They said it's the most expensive coffee in the world. Have you tasted a cup? I read the reviews and they said it is expensive because it's rare and not because it has superior flavor."
"Yeah well I agree. Vex here bought a pound of Kopi Luwak. At first we were excited to taste it because he bought it $ 100.00 a pound but we were so disappointed. It tasted bland. Vex and I just swallowed it but Ciara can't take the flavor and she vomited all over the sink." Lauren laughed. "We haven't touched the bag of that coffee until now. Maybe if Dyson and Ryan visit us, we can serve them Kopi Luwak. What do you think Vex?"
"That's naughty Lauren. You're going to prank them? No, I don't think so. Ciara already told Dyson about it. She tells Dyson everything now. No secrets between friends, that's what happening since they officially became a couple." Vex lamented.
"Well we won't tell Ciara. Don't worry, leave it to me. And hey are you jealous?" Lauren wiggled her eyebrows.
"What? No, of course not. Why will I be jealous? Ciara is not my type." Vex scowled.
Lauren turned to Bo. "When we first arrived here in New Haven and in Yale we met Ciara. Ciara and I were in the same residential college while Vex was in another college next to us. Ciara told me that she liked Vex. But when I showed her a picture of me, Vex, Dyson and Ryan, Ciara liked Dyson more." She looked at Vex. "Weren't you over that yet?"
"Hey, that was 11 years ago and yes I was already over it. And besides I don't really like blondes." Vex frowned.
"Well you say that now. After all the blondes that you have dated in the past." Lauren smirked.
"Ha ha ha, you're funny." He turned to Bo. "What about you Bo, do you have any preference?"
Bo answered, "No preference. But I really like a certain blonde."
Vex smiled. "Really? Is this blonde in our vicinity right now?"
"She's certainly is." Bo looked at Lauren.
"Nice preference Officer Dennis." Vex winked at Bo.
"Are you two done?" Lauren asked, not meeting their eyes. She's obviously not accustomed to Bo's brand of boldness right that very moment. She saw how Bo looked at her. It is the look when you became surrounded with someone's eyes in such a way you feel special and beautiful. No one had ever looked at her that way. Till now. Her heart is beating fast. Just breathe Lauren. I need to do this. She looked at Bo and asked, "So," she cleared her throat, "are you done with the report?"
Bo nodded slowly and bit her lip. "Yeah, I'm finished. Let me print it. Then maybe we can finally eat. I feel a headache is coming and then I will be cranky." She stood up, turned around and waited by the printer. What's gotten into me? I should not have said that. I should not have looked at her that way. What if she panicked and ran away from here?
Vex looked at both women. He realized both were struggling to hide whatever they were feeling inside. Insecurities? Yeah, Lauren has lots of it. But Bo? He wanted to know more about her.
Then suddenly Hale came, carrying their food. "I didn't call our orders in. I realized that there's a Dunkin Donuts branch nearby, just 7 minutes from here. I got Mendoza buy the food. I had bribed him with two sandwiches and a large coffee. Here you go." He distributed the food.
"Gimme gimme my coffee. Ahhhhh perfect!" Vex drank his coffee and smiled. "Now I can answer all your questions officers."
"Let us eat first Vex. If we are not going to eat any minute now, Bo won't be the only person who is going to be cranky." Hale smiled.
Lauren turned to Bo and smiled. "Bo, can you please give me the report now so I can read it while I'm eating?"
"What? No. You should eat first then I'll give you the report. When was the last time you ate today?" Bo looked at Lauren.
Lauren thought for a second before answering. She bit her lip. "Lunch. But it was a late lunch, like 1 pm."
"That was 8 hours ago! No, you eat first then you read the report."
"But I can multitask. I do this all the time. Please." Lauren looked at Bo with pleading eyes.
Bo huffed. "Fine. But can you do it after eating your sandwich? Read it while you eat your desserts which consist of…" She looked at Lauren's food. "…two doughnuts and two muffins? Wow! Hey you also like choco butternut?" Her eyes twinkled.
Lauren blushed. "Yeah I love them. I have a sweet tooth obviously."
"That you do. Please eat your sandwich now. You haven't eaten for 8 hours. I'll be cranky now if I were you." Bo told her.
"Okay I will. But ahm, I can only eat one muffin. So the other one is for you." Lauren winked at her.
Bo's jaw dropped but recovered immediately. "Well uhm thank you." She reached out for her turkey sandwich, peeled out the wrapper and took a bite.
Vex and Hale laughed. Vex spoke up, "Hey, you two have officially known each other for only 4 hours and you are already talking about your eating habits? How domestic!" He thought, "How fast the moments between them turned from angsty to flirty. Oh how to be a fly on the wall for these two."
Both women glared at him.
"Well you know I'm already on my 4th cup of coffee. So I'm alive, full of energy and no filter. So Hale, how much for all of these?"
"No big deal Vex. I'll let you pick up the tab next time." Hale winked.
"So the two of you," he pointed to Hale and Bo, "you are going to eat all of these now?" He looked at the food on Bo's table.
Hale answered while munching, "Of course. I'm already on my wrap so it won't be long now. Maybe we can start to interview you."
"Let me read this report real quick then we can have the second part of the interview." Lauren stated. She looked at her watch. "It's already 10 pm. We should be starting soon so we can all go home."
Both officers nodded their agreement.
Hale wiped his mouth and stood from his desk. He sat in front of Lauren and Vex. "As we have told you earlier and I will reiterate once again, thank you for being here and helping us on this case. Dr. Lewis, Mr. Tate we will use a recorder for this interview."
Lauren and Vex nodded. "We understood Officer Santiago." Lauren said. She turned to Bo. "Officer Dennis, I already read the report you've written. I found it accurate so I'm going to sign it now. Do you have a pen that I can use?"
"What? Have you already read all of it?" Bo smiled at her.
"She's a speed reader with 100% comprehension." Vex answered while munching the last morsel of his sandwich.
"Vex, I told you repeatedly that it's a disgusting habit to speak while you're eating." Lauren chastised him. "I'm sorry. He's like a child sometimes," she told the police officers. "And yes, I already finished reading it. It's a skill I acquired when I'm in primary school."
"Hey, it's a nifty skill to have. I wish all of our witnesses were speed readers. It will save time in waiting for them to finish reading our reports." Bo sighed.
"Sorry mom!" Vex smiled at Lauren. "Okay, I'm finished. Please, we can start the second part of the interview."
Hale turned on the recorder.
"I am Police Officer Hale Santiago. With me is my partner Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis. We are in District 9 Station of the New Haven Police Department. It's September 15, 2006 at 10:05 PM. Sir, can you state your full name, home address and occupation."
"I am Vaughn Exequiel Tate. I live in 96 Marvel Road New Haven CT and I am businessman."
"How do you spell your name?"
"V-A-U-G-H-N E-X-E-Q-U-I-E-L T-A-T-E"
"Thank you. Can you tell us your relationship with Dr. Lauren Lewis?"
"Dr. Lauren Lewis is my bestfriend and we live on the same house."
"Please state the reason why you went to the Dr. Nadia Woods' house."
"I came because I am concerned that Dr. Lauren Lewis was not answering her phone. I thought that something has happened to her and someone will call us and say that her body was found in a ditch."
Lauren glared at Vex. "You don't have to tell them that. That's ridiculous," she whispered.
Vex whispered back, "But that's the truth. I don't want to lie."
Hale turned off the recorder. Bo and Hale can't help but laugh at Lauren and Vex. "We appreciate your honesty Vex. Thank you." Bo smiled at him. Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Can I continue my statement now?"
Hale nodded, once again turning on the recorder.
"I am really concerned so I called her phone 8 times. I waited for 5 minutes so I can call her again when I heard my phone rang. She was calling me. I answered my phone and said she's okay but she's…" He looked at Lauren "… in her car and waiting outside a house. It's a little vague for me so I told her to give me the address so I can personally check what's going on."
"Where were you when you received the call from Dr. Lewis?"
"I was at home waiting for her." His tone made Lauren looked at him very closely. There's something going on. She'll talk to him later.
"So you ask for the address from her and she gave it to you."
"I insisted. So I went out the house and hailed a taxi. I told the driver the address and said that if he will get me into this address in 5 minutes, I will pay him the meter plus $ 50.00. So he did that and I was there."
"What happened when you got there?"
"I asked Dr. Lewis what happened but you guys went out the house and was dragging a man to the police car."
"What happened next?"
"I got curious and asked Officer Dennis about the man. She told me that he was the suspect of a crime and the victim was Dr. Nadia Woods."
"What was your reaction?"
"I was shocked."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't know that she's the victim and we were outside her house."
"Did you know the victim?"
"Yes. She was a schoolmate way back in college in Yale."
"Are you friends with the victim?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because she's rude and she's a bully."
"She bullied you?"
"No. I was not the one that she bullied." He looked at Lauren, who at that time was looking down at her shoes.
Bo and Hale looked at each other. Hale turned off the recorder. He turned to Lauren, "This is off the record Dr. Lewis. You were bullied by Dr. Woods when you were in Yale?"
Lauren nodded sadly. "She and another friend of hers."
"Don't tell me this friend is the suspect Percy Saunders?" Bo asked her, exasperated.
"Yes, it's him." She saw Bo's face. "Are… are you angry with me?"
"What? No, no of course not. Why would I? If I am angry with anyone right now, it's with Percy Saunders. He's a scum of the earth."
The four of them contemplated this fact when they saw Sergeant Caleb Smith approaching them.
"Dennis, Santiago are you through with the interview?"
"Not yet sir, we're on break right now." Hale answered.
"Okay. Just to inform you, we got a search warrant to search Dr. Woods' house. Mendoza, Torres, McBride and Carson were on it right now. Her attending physician called me a while ago and told me that the victim's injuries were not limited to weals as you have observed Dennis. There were others…" He sighed. "We need to search other weapons that he used on the victim. The doctor told me that she expects the victim to wake up tomorrow so be sure to be there. Make it afternoon okay? I already did an initial interrogation with the suspect. He said he's a lawyer himself so he didn't want a separate individual to act as his lawyer. And he said he was secretly married to Dr. Woods."
"Well that was huge, considering we did not find any identification on him." Bo stated.
"I told Mendoza to search documents that will further identify the suspect's relationship with the victim. If they won't find anything, we'll just go to the County Clerk's office. I already ordered tests to know if he's under the influence of drugs. He underwent the Breathalyzer and no, he's not drunk."
"Sir, if they are secretly married we can't just go to the County Clerk's office and ask to see their marriage license. A confidential marriage license is legally binding, just like a public license but it's not part of the public record. These licenses are not open to public inspection, except for a court order." Bo explained.
"So we also need a court order for that. I should have known. Well, I can call now but if ever we get a court order the marriage license can wait until Monday. Thanks for the heads up Dennis." Bo nodded. "Please continue your interview. I will call for that court order now."
"Whoa, that was one heck of information!" Hale shook his head.
"I also don't like the fact that she has injuries other than what we saw. That's awful." Bo added.
"Can we continue the interview?" Vex asked.
"Wait. Let's discuss this off the record. It was established that Dr. Woods and Mr. Saunders were bullies in college, correct?" Bo asked. "And Dr. Lewis, you were bullied by these two?" Lauren nodded. "We can stop there. I don't think Dr. Lewis should tell us how they bullied her and why. That won't help our case Hale. The mention of bullying actually won't help us either. But it's already mentioned and recorded. Maybe we can talk about the aftermath." She looked at her partner.
"I'm sorry Lauren, I shouldn't have mentioned the bullying part." Vex looked at Lauren, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.
"It's okay Vex. I think we need to mention it to establish the character of Percy Saunders, don't you think officers?" Lauren asked.
"I agree. Dr. Lewis, we need to ask you about what happened after the fact. You told someone about the bullying, correct?" Lauren nodded. "Aside from your friends?" She nodded again. "So we continue the interview with you, Mr. Tate then it is Dr. Lewis' turn."
Hale turned on the recorder.
"Mr. Tate, who did Dr. Woods bully in college?"
"It was Dr. Lauren Lewis.
"Was there someone with her when she did?"
"Yes, there were two of them who did the bullying."
"And who was the other one?"
"His name is Percy Saunders."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I am sure. Dr. Woods and Mr. Saunders were on the same residential college as Dr. Lewis."
"Officer Dennis, do you have any questions for Mr. Tate?" Bo nodded.
"Mr. Tate, were they the only ones who bullied Dr. Lewis?"
"Yes."
"Did you have any knowledge of other students that Dr. Woods and Mr. Saunders bullied during that time?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell us how many of them were?
"There were five students, excluding Dr. Lewis."
"That's all. Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Tate."
Hale turned the recorder off.
Vex blew a breath. "Well that was surreal. I've never thought that I will undergo something like this."
"You did well Mr. Tate." Bo smiled.
"Considering my big mouth and all." He sighed.
"Do not beat up yourself Vaughn. It happened 11 years ago." Lauren reached out and tapped his arm.
Hale turned to Lauren and said, "It's your turn Dr. Lewis." He turned on the recorder.
"State your full name, address and occupation."
"I am Lauren Lewis. I live in 96 Marvel Road New Haven CT. I'm a medical resident at Yale New Haven Hospital."
"How do you spell your name?"
L-A-U-R-E-N L-E-W-I-S
"From Mr. Tate's interview, he mentioned that Dr. Nadia Woods and Mr. Percy Saunders bullied you when you were still in college. Is that a fact?"
"Yes that is true."
"When was this?"
"It was the year 1995."
"How many times did they bully you?"
"I didn't count."
"Shit." Bo commented. Oh my God. I'll kill Percy Saunders with my bare hands. Bo scowled while tapping her fingers on her desk. Vex saw her and looked into her eyes. He saw anger that she's trying hard to quell. This woman has a fiery temper. Lauren will be ready for her. He thought.
Bo saw him looking at her. She smiled. It looks like he's looking into me and he understands. He's been Lauren's protector all his life. I need him to be on my team. I need him to be my ally. She nodded at him. He winked.
Hale continued, "Did you tell anyone about this incident other than your friends?"
"Yes. I took it up with the first-year counselor and he acted swiftly. I was called in the office of the head of the college together with my friends and the bullies."
"What was the action taken by the head of the college?"
"Mr. Percy Saunders was expelled from Yale and Dr. Nadia Woods was given a reprimand for her actions."
"Why was Mr. Saunders expelled while Dr. Woods was just reprimanded?"
"Mr. Saunders was already a third year student that time. And it was not the first time he bullied a freshman. Dr. Woods that time was just a freshman like me."
"Officer Dennis, do you have any question for Dr. Lewis?"
Bo nodded. "Dr. Lewis, how did you know that Mr. Saunders and Dr. Woods were friends? I mean, he's already a third year student and she's only a freshman."
"They were always together. All the activities inside our college, they were always together. Except when it's time to sleep of course. The rooms for boys were separate from the rooms for girls."
"When they were together, were they friendly to each other? Did you observe any kind of tension? Like Dr. Woods was just forced to be with Mr. Saunders?"
"No I didn't see any of that. And to answer your first question, they were friendly to each other. It was not forced."
"Okay, that's all I think. Officer Santiago?"
Hale shook his head. "No, I think that's all. Once again Dr. Lewis, thank you very much for your help." He turned off the recorder.
"I can't still wrap my head on the fact that they were secretly married." Lauren said.
"Well he can lie about that." Vex shrugged.
"I don't think so. He won't lie about that because if he will think hard, in admitting that they were secretly married his case would be more complicated. Once Sergeant Smith gets the court order to open their marriage license to public, his case will be upped to domestic violence. Am I correct?" Lauren looked at Bo and Hale.
Bo nodded. "And besides, he said he's a lawyer. He would know the consequences."
"That's another thing. He was expelled from Yale but he still became a lawyer. What school would accept an expelled student?" Hale asked.
"All I know was that his family is influential this side of America. Maybe that's the reason why he was accepted by another school." Vex stated.
"Really? I didn't know that. How influential?" Lauren frowned.
"His family practically owned the state of Delaware when we were still in Yale. But now, I don't know. So Bo and Hale, maybe you need to inform Sergeant Smith about that." Vex advised.
"How the heck will they own a state?" Hale asked.
"Business holdings primarily. They own a lot of businesses and as a result, they can control the economy of the entire state." Vex sighed.
"There's one thing I am sure of. If he's really a lawyer, he will be disbarred once he's proven guilty of his crimes. He can no longer practice law." Bo stated.
"This will be huge partner." Hale looked at Bo. "Sergeant Smith said this will be our case from now on."
"What? Is he serious? We just barely made it in our second year as police officers. Surely, he can give it to more senior ones."
Sergeant Smith approached them. "Dennis, I gave this case to you and Santiago because you two started it. We will have all the resources that you need in order to bring this case into a satisfying end. Rest assured that my support will be unwavering for the both of you. You two has a good record so that's another factor to consider. You need to take on bigger cases like this."
"Thank you sir. But we need to inform you about something Mr. Tate told us about the family of the suspect." Bo stated.
"What is it? Care to share Mr. Tate?"
"Sir, this information was actually known to me 11 years ago. I am not sure if this is still the present situation but the family of Percy Saunders had lots of businesses in Delaware. They practically owned the state in those times. I am thinking if it's still their current status, they may come to rescue their family member in any way they can, as far their influence can reach." Vex stated.
"That's interesting. Well, it is a good information that I can't ignore. Thank you for telling us. I will look into it. But as of now, let's focus on the more tangible aspects of the case. But don't worry, I will take this up to my superior. I also would like to personally thank you and Dr. Lewis for assisting us, especially Officers Dennis and Santiago, on this case." He shook hands with Lauren and Vex. "I'll go ahead and call Lieutenant Jenkins regarding the Saunders family. Excuse me."
"Wow, I've never imagined that a 911 call will turn into a big case." Bo sighed.
"I agree." Hale said.
"So officers, if you need our help just give us a call. Wait, I have a couple of calling cards here. I'll just write my personal phone number at the back. How about yours Lo?" Vex looked at Lauren.
"Oh just write my phone number together with yours at the back."
"Alright. Let me get my phone, I don't remember..."
"I thought you already memorized it. Well let me write it down." She scribbled her number under Vex' personal number. "There."
Vex gave the cards to the officers and smiled. "So..." he looked down at his watch, "whoa it's already 11:30 PM. Time flies by when you are enjoying it."
"You enjoyed it?" Hale laughed.
"Well it's a different kind of experience but I really enjoyed your company officers. I mean, what happened to Nadia was sad and awful but I thought what we went through this evening was sort of a unique moment for the four of us that I know we won't forget for the next few months or so right?" They all laughed. "And I hope that Lauren and I gained a couple of new friends, Bo and Hale? If that's okay with you guys?"
"No problem at all Vex. We like that, right Bo?" Hale looked at Bo.
"Of course." She smiled. "Let us accompany the two of you to the car."
The four went out of the station and walked to where Lauren's car was parked.
Well, this is it. What would I tell her? Goodbye? See you around? Are you dating someone right now? Shit, I'm confused. Bo frowned while walking through the parking lot.
They stopped in front of the car.
"Bo, Hale we should be going now. I know that you will still work on the case after this so see you around guys." Vex shook hands with Hale and clapped his right shoulder. "See you Vex, I'll take you up on your promise." Vex nodded and smiled. He turned to Bo and she was utterly shocked when Vex kissed her cheek. He took advantage of this and leaned to her ear and whispered, "I'm counting on you Officer Dennis." He leaned back and winked.
Lauren was not surprised with her friend's action and she remembered the first time when she met Bo and Hale. She knew how to do this. She first went to Hale and hugged him. "Thank you Hale and see you around okay?" "Alright Lauren, see you." Hale hugged back and smiled. Then she stood in front of Bo. She smirked and told her, "I know that I didn't say goodbye properly the last time we saw each other but now, I'll take this chance to change that." She invaded Bo's personal space, hugged her tightly and whispered, "See you around Bo. Take care." The shock Bo felt left her rooted to where she stood. She can't move, she can't even speak. Before Bo can hug her back, Lauren was already gone.
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Author's Note: Please read and review. Thank you.