Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated my story for quite a while now. I'm working on it (excuses, excuses!) If you noticed, my story has a new image cover of Bo and Lauren. And I wanted to thank Lizwiz275 from Twitter for the picture. I really wanted to do my own image cover but alas I don't have the skills. Anyways, I know you wanted more BoLo interactions but be patient my darlings, it's coming! And again, thank you all for the reviews, follows, favorites of the story and for yours truly.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost Girl and the characters. I just used them for my story.
Trigger Warning: Some parts of this chapter will describe scenes of physical abuse so I changed the rating to M.
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Chapter Eight
They rode the elevator towards the fourth floor. When they reached Room 409, they knocked and was told to come in. As they entered the room, they were greeted with a sense of foreboding. The partners saw four people inside. They looked at the person lying in the hospital bed. There were bandages all over her body.
"Hi Dr. Woods. I am Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis and this is my partner Police Officer Hale Santiago. We are hoping to get your statement regarding what happened last night." Nadia smiled and nodded.
Bo looked at Dr. Holland.
Dr. Holland smiled. "Mr. and Mrs. Woods, these were the officers that responded to the 911 call. They were also the ones that facilitated your daughter's rescue and the eventual arrest of the suspect."
Nadia's father smiled and shook the hands of Bo and Hale. "Thank you officers for rescuing our daughter. Her mother and I were very anxious when we received the call from the hospital. We didn't know what to expect but seeing her like this..." His demeanor changed, his brows were furrowed and lips quivered. "She's our only child and when... when we found out what he did to her, I really wanted to go the police station and wring his neck and watch him die. But I can't, I'm not like that. I just wanted to avenge my daughter."
"Thomas..." Nadia's mother was trying to pacify her husband by rubbing his back.
"She was married to that twat for 3 years and I never saw my daughter happy with him, never." He looked at his daughter. "He was always had been a bad influence on you Nadia. I don't know why you married that scoundrel."
"Dad..." Nadia whispered.
"Thomas... this is not the time to blame our daughter. What she need right now is our love for her. Please calm down." Nadia's mother pleaded.
"Sandra... I... I can't. Especially when she's like this." He sighed. "Excuse me Dr. Holland, officers... I need some fresh air." He stood up and walked out the door.
"Please excuse my husband's behavior doctor, officers. It's just very hard for him to accept all of these."
"We can't really say that we understood what you and your husband were going through right now ma'am because we're not parents yet but my partner and I would like to assure you we will do our best to solve this case and give Dr. Woods the justice she deserves." Bo smiled warmly at Nadia's mother.
"Thank you officer. If you will excuse me doctor, officers I need to go after my husband." She looked at her daughter. "Nadia, I need to go after him. He was very distraught and I need to distract him before he do something wrong. Please talk to these officers. They need to know the truth." She rubbed her daughter's arm soothingly. When Nadia nodded, her mother walked out the door to look for her husband.
"Dr. Woods, my partner and I really need to know if you are ready to answer our questions about what happened last night."
"Yes officers. I will answer them as thoroughly as I can." She smiled.
Dr. Holland spoken up. "Nadia, I will be here to guide you and the officers." She looked at Bo and Hale. "If Nadia will feel any discomfort at any time during the interview, I will need to stop it. Understood?" The officers nodded.
Bo started the recorder.
"This is Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis of the New Haven Police Department District 9; here with me is my partner Police Officer Hale Santiago. It is 2:25 in the afternoon of the 16th day of September 2006 and we are in Room 409 of Yale New Haven Hospital where Dr. Nadia Woods is currently confined. Dr. Woods, can you tell us what happened on the night of September 15, 2006?"
Nadia sighed and said, "I was peacefully sleeping in my room when my husband woke me up. I was caught off guard because I didn't expect him to be home. I thought he already went back to Delaware on Wednesday. I was with him at the airport and saw him past the check-in."
"Did you see what time was it when your husband woke you up?"
"I actually looked at my watch and saw that it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon."
"What happened after that?"
"I actually didn't get up immediately because I was nursing a nasty headache and I already planned to sleep through it. But he was adamant in waking me up because he said we needed to talk. So I woke up and found him in our living room. He was pacing up and down while he was muttering to himself."
"Did you hear what he's saying?"
"No. Honestly, I was already afraid of what would happen. I knew that there's something going on. I thought he would scream at me because I saw that he was furious. But when he talked to me, his voice was eerily calm."
"What did he say?"
"He asked me where I was the previous night. That was September 14, Thursday. I told him I was out with my friends. And then he asked me to name the friends that I was with, so I did. When I finished, he just looked at me. We were standing in the middle of the living room just looking at each other. And then his eyes flickered. He sat down on of the chairs. And then he spoke up. He asked me take off my clothes. At first, I couldn't believe what he asked of me to do then he asked me again. When I didn't move to do what he asked, he slapped me repeatedly until I fell down." She started to tear up. "He forced me to stand up and he asked me to take my clothes off again. I told him no so he punched me in my stomach. I folded up and he kicked me. He told me to stand up but my body was already in pain. When I didn't move, he knelt down and started taking off my clothes forcibly."
"I fought him officers. I punched him in the face but he was so strong, so strong that I couldn't stop him from stripping me down. I thought he was going to force himself into me but when he saw that I was finally naked, he stood up. He was my husband but at that very moment, I couldn't let him see me naked so I covered myself with my clothes. When he saw me do it, he told me to hand him my clothes or else he will kick me again. I was already in pain so I gave him my clothes and cover my nakedness with my bare hands. He laughed and laughed like he was possessed. And then suddenly stopped. He folded my clothes and put them on one of the chairs. He walked to the back of the couch. That's when I saw the whip. He hid it at the back of the couch. He walked towards me and he suddenly whipped me. He shouted and shouted while he repeatedly whipped me. He repeatedly called me a liar." She wiped the tears that were falling down. Dr. Holland sat at the edge of her bed and rubbed her back.
"Nadia, are you still okay to continue?" The doctor asked.
"Dr. Holland, I'm okay. I would like to finish this today so the officers can do their job."
"Thank you Dr. Woods. Please continue." Bo said.
"He continued the whipping. And he cursed me again and again. At that time, I couldn't move and I just laid there. He suddenly stopped. I thought that was it. But he came back and he was holding a stick. That was new, he didn't use that to me before. My breath hitched when the first strike landed on my skin. He did it repeatedly until I couldn't feel anymore. And then I fainted."
"How did you know that you fainted?"
"Because when I woke up, it was already 7 o'clock in the evening. I think I lost 2 hours of the day. It was already dark outside. He didn't turn on the lights. I saw him sitting at the couch. When he saw me looking at him, he stood up and went to the chair where he placed my clothes. He threw them to me and he said that I should dress up. My body was aching so my actions were kind of slow but he kicked me and said that I should put on my clothes. I slowly dressed up. He stood up from the couch and told me to sit down. And then I saw that he was holding the whip. I heard a whimper and realized that it was me. He stood over me and started whipping me again. I couldn't take it anymore so I shouted for help. His eyes got wide because it was the first time that I did that. He muffled my screams with his hands and I bit it. He whipped me again until I fainted again. The last thing I heard was the chairs moving around the living room like he kicked them. Then I just woke up this morning. My parents were already here and told me that I was found unconscious in the living room by the police. Officer Dennis, is it okay if I ask you something?"
"Sure Dr. Woods. What is it?"
"If I was unconscious, how did the police know about what happened to me?"
"Someone was sent to check on you. When she went to your house, she heard the last part where you called for help and the furniture moving around. Then she called 911. The 911 call was dispatched simultaneously to the police and the EMTs. Our station in District 9 was the nearest to your house so we were told to go there and check." Bo told her.
"I see. Someone was sent to check on me? Who did that?"
"It was Dr. Ellis, your department head."
"Oh. That was very kind of him. Who did he sent to check on me?"
"It was Dr. Lauren Lewis."
"What, are you serious? It was Lauren?" Nadia looked at Dr. Holland. "Is it true? How? Why?"
"It's true Nadia. He thought of sending her because well, let's be honest. No one would do it, except maybe for Dr. Carlo. But Dr. Ellis persuaded Dr. Lewis to do it. I didn't know how he did it. You should ask him once he comes over to visit you."
"So why not Adam?"
"I don't know. It was Dr. Ellis' call."
"So I owe Lauren my life." Nadia closed her eyes. "Oh my God, I was terrible to her in the past. I was such a bitch. I need to speak to her so I could thank her."
"You should do that when she comes over to visit you." Dr. Holland suggested.
Bo raised her eyebrow. Both doctors missed it but Hale saw and he cleared his throat to draw her attention. She blushed when she caught Hale's eyes. Hale shook his head.
"Dr. Woods, is it okay if we ask you some additional questions?" Hale asked.
"Sure officer. I have all day."
"Was it true that what happened last night was not the first time he did that to you?"
"That's true officer."
"Before this incident, how many times did he do it?"
"Twice this year."
"When did he start hurting you physically?"
"It all started after we celebrated our second year anniversary."
"What happened that day?"
"He accused me of lying to him. He also said that I was cheating on him with one of my friends."
"Did he mention a particular person when he accused you of cheating?"
"Yes."
"Who was this person Dr. Woods?"
"It was my good friend Dr. Adam Carlo whom he accused me of cheating with. But we are just friends. Actually he was the only friend that I have for the longest time. And he said I was lying when I told him that Adam and I were only friends and nothing more. He has this archaic notion that a man and a woman can't just be friends. I actually laughed when he told me that. He said the perfect example was us. We started as friends but eventually became a couple and got married. I told him that belief was preposterous. But of course, since he was so alpha male he didn't care about my opinion. That was the first time he physically hurt me."
"Was he always been jealous of Dr. Adam Carlo?"
"Yes. Even when we were not married yet, he was always been jealous of Adam."
"Did he ever tell you why?"
"He said that I was too close to Adam."
"Was it true, that you're too close to him?"
"I can't deny the fact that Adam and I are really close officer. I told you that Adam was the friend that I have for the longest time. We were classmates in the medical school. We were both doctors here in this hospital. We see each other outside of work. But that's it, we are just friends. My husband doesn't believe me."
"What are your living arrangements with your husband?"
Nadia was caught off guard by Hale's question.
"Well, we are not living together at this time."
"Why?"
"My husband is a real estate lawyer and he established his practice in Delaware where his hometown is. My residency is in this hospital so I need to be here."
"Were the two of you satisfied with that arrangement?"
"We compromised. He will come here once a month and vice versa. Good thing my family is also from Delaware."
Bo subtly looked at Hale. "When did this arrangement start?" Bo asked her.
"After the wedding. Originally, I wanted to marry him after my residency but he insisted that we do it after medical school. So we thought of that arrangement."
"So you've been seeing your husband twice a month in your three years of marriage?"
"Yes, that's correct. But after my residency, I will eventually come home to Delaware and will establish my practice there."
"If you and your husband were seeing each other only twice a month, do you think it is fair for him to accuse you of infidelity Dr. Woods?"
Nadia pursed her lips. She looked directly at Bo. "No Officer Dennis, I don't think it's fair."
"Do you think that he's also cheating on you?
"No, it never crossed my mind."
"Why?"
"Why? Because I know him officer. He won't do that to me. Never." She shook her head.
"Do you think this arrangement that you have with your husband took a toll on your marriage?"
"Initially no. I was okay with the arrangement but when he started accusing me of lying and cheating I can say that yes, it did."
"Was this arrangement with your husband a result of the status of your marriage?"
Nadia frowned. "Sorry Officer Dennis but I can't understand your question. What status?"
"The accused told the police that the two of you were secretly married. Is that true?"
She nodded sadly. "Yes that is true."
"So on my other question, do you think that because you were secretly married, you easily agreed with the arrangement?"
"I actually didn't think about that before but now that you asked me, yes I think so."
"Whose idea was it for the two of you to be secretly married?"
"It was both our decision. For what it's worth, ours is a long distance relationship but I promised to myself that I will persevere to make it through. I will finish my four-year residency then I will go home to Delaware. That was my plan. But I realized that a relationship means there should be a We and Ours. It should have been Our plan. We should've talked about it more."
"Do you think that this whole incident could have been avoided if you had seen each other more often for the past three years?"
"That is a difficult question to answer Officer Dennis. I realized that I could answer you either way but it will still depend on how I really know my husband. Before we got married, we were okay. There were no jealousy or accusations of lying and cheating. It all started when we got married. I thought that if we got married, we will be more secured of each other because we were legally bonded. But I was wrong. You got me thinking there. Now it's too late."
"Do you think that he hired someone to monitor your whereabouts all these years?"
The young doctor frowned. "Why did you ask that?"
"We are covering all bases Dr. Woods. We just thought that if you and your husband just saw each other in a month twice, how could he say that you were cheating on him? Or is he just assuming that you cheated?"
"I didn't think of that. I honestly don't know."
"Did he know someone from the hospital that you know of? We were thinking that maybe he hired a private detective to monitor you or he had a friend here in the hospital or in this city who will report back to him. Did you ever think of that?"
"Actually no, I didn't think of that either."
"Besides the physical abuse, did he ever abuse you emotionally?"
"No."
"I have no other questions. Officer Santiago?"
Hale cleared his throat. "Had your husband ever been jealous of Dr. Lauren Lewis?"
"Lauren? No. How could you?" She looked at Hale's eyes. There's no deception or whatsoever. It was not a trick question. The reality dawned on her. "You knew about that? Who told you?"
"Dr. Adam Carlo."
"Adam? I will kill him." She covered her face with her hands. "You didn't have to know that. My God, she rejected me several times. Ever since we met, she never liked me. And then this. I owed her."
"I'm just curious Dr. Woods. Dr. Carlo told us that the two of you agreed to be Emergency Medicine doctors but you specialize in Genetics instead. Why? Was that because of Dr. Lewis?"
"No. I chose Genetics because of my husband Officer Santiago. I'd rather be a fellow resident to Lauren rather than to Adam. You see, he's really jealous of Adam while he didn't know about my feelings regarding Lauren."
"Was Dr. Carlo the only person he got jealous with?"
"Yes."
"We knew the fact that the second time he hurt you was the day after your birthday, May 22. What do you think triggered him to do that to you?"
"Well he informed me that he won't be here on my birthday but he promised me that he will be coming here the next day. But since it was my birthday, I went out and celebrate."
"With Dr. Carlo, of course."
"Yes. But we were with our friends. The same friends that there were on Adam's birthday. There was drinking and dancing. So I went home and nursed a hangover. When I woke up the next day, I realized that I had several missed calls. It was him. I was still in pain when he barged to the house and was very angry. He asked why I'm not answering my phone so I told him the truth. And then he started hitting me."
The last part was delivered in a monotone voice. That's the time the officers realized that it was time to stop the questions.
Dr. Holland also noticed it so she spoke up. "Officers, do you have any other questions for Dr. Woods? I think she needs to rest by now."
"That's all Dr. Holland. If we have other questions, we will let Sergeant Smith know so we could arrange another session with Dr. Woods." Bo answered. She looked at Nadia. "Dr. Woods, thank you very much for answering all our questions. We will be in touch."
Nadia nodded as she laid down on her bed. Bo and Hale shook Dr. Holland's hand.
"Dr. Holland, thank you for accompanying us. We will be going back to the station for the briefing of this case. Sergeant Smith will be in touch with you."
"No problem officers. Just let us know if you need anything that will help solve this case as soon as possible."
They went out the door and looked at the lobby searching for Nadia's parents. Unfortunately, they were not in sight.
"It would be better if we could talk to them for a bit. But they are not here so let's see if Nurse Henderson can add anything substantial to our case." Bo told Hale.
"Let's go." They found the nurse in her usual place. Hale smiled at her.
"Hi Nurse Henderson. Are you busy? Can we talk to you for a while?"
"Sure. I'm not too busy."
"Do you personally know Dr. Woods?"
"Well not really. She's kind of snob. She is a colleague and I am sad with what happened to her but still... well even Dr. Lewis is more approachable than her."
Hale winked at Bo. "What do you mean by that?"
"Dr. Woods has a reputation here. She thought highly of herself she can't even acknowledge us here in the nurse station." Something dawned on her. She looked at Hale. "So maybe that's the reason why you told me earlier about the saying being birds having the same feathers..." Hale nodded.
"If you will compare her to Dr. Lewis..." Nurse Henderson gestured. "... Dr. Woods is here..." Her hand was on her hips. "... while Dr. Lewis is here." She placed her hand above her head. Dr. Lewis' reputation precedes her anywhere she goes here in the hospital and she takes time to know our names. We understand her if sometimes she couldn't acknowledge us but brilliant minds are sometimes like that you know. There are too many things inside her head so she just pass us by. But Dr. Woods is just an average doctor so why won't she bother to know us?"
"Well that's Dr. Lewis to you." Hale smiled widely. "But you knew that Dr. Woods was already married?"
"Oh yes of course. Nothing, I mean nothing will be missed here in the nurse station especially if it's about the doctors' affairs you know. We know who's single, married, dating and those having affairs. Do you have a doctor in mind officers?"
"What about Dr. Woods and Dr. Carlo, Nurse Henderson?"
"To burst Dr. Woods' husband's bubble, no. They are just friends."
"Are you sure?" Bo asked.
"Is the Pope Catholic Officer Dennis? Of course I'm sure."
"What about Dr. Lewis?" Hale asked. Bo frowned.
"Well that one... no. I will be very happy for her if she find someone very soon. Too workaholic. But her friend Dr. Adkins, she's dating Dr. Lewis' cousin.
"Wow you knew that? How?"
"I can't divulge my secrets Officer Santiago." She winked.
"Have you noticed if Dr. Woods and Dr. Carlo are hanging out with other doctors?"
"Yeah well, I saw them sometimes with other doctors during lunch time."
Bo thought of another question. "Can you tell us if you have seen Dr. Woods' husband here in the hospital? Did he ever set foot here?"
"That's a good question and not an easy one to answer. I'm not here 24/7 but all I can is that in the span of three years that they were married, no one had ever seen her husband here."
"But how did you know how he looked like?"
"Another trade secret officers. Just trust me that what I'm telling you is true."
"Do you know if her husband has a friend here in the hospital?"
"I don't know about that. But I can ask around. I will have the answer once you come back."
"Yes that's fair." Hale nodded. "That's all then Nurse Henderson. Thank you for taking time to answer our questions."
"I didn't sweat. I thought you have more." She grinned.
"We will come back so hold the reins while we are cavorting with the enemies." Bo winked.
"Wait." She looked at Bo. "You two were the only police officers that I saw all day so it's you."
"What are you talking about?"
"A group of male doctors were talking about you, the deliciously hot policewoman in uniform." Nurse Henderson grinned.
Bo cringed. Hale answered, "That includes Dr. Carlo?" The nurse nodded. "Then do us a favor Nurse Henderson. Tell these perverts that Police Officer Bo Dennis is not available."
"You two are dating?"
"What?! No way!" Bo laughed.
"Hey! I'm not a bad catch." Hale pouted. "But seriously, spread that information."
"So you're dating someone right now, Officer Dennis?"
"Uhm... not actually. I'm just unavailable." Bo blushed.
"Oh you already committed yourself to someone else! That's sweet." The nurse gushed.
"That sounds right Nurse Henderson." Hale winked. Bo elbowed her partner.
"Okay, no problem officers. I'll spread that information."
"So we're going on our way. We'll see you again Nurse Henderson." Both officers waved goodbye to the nurse.
They walked out of the hospital until they reached Bo's truck.
"We need to get to the station as soon as possible. Can you call Sergeant Smith and tell him we're on our way while I text Lauren and ask her if it's okay to pass by their house later." Bo pulled out her phone from her pocket. She texted Lauren and hit Send. She heard Hale ending his call to Sergeant Smith.
"What did he say?"
"He said to come right away. It was a good thing that we're done early. There's still time to review all the statements. We need probable cause for the continuous detention of the suspect within our station." Hale answered.
"Won't that be dangerous? Maybe it's better if he will be transferred to the correctional center immediately."
"I think that will be the first thing in our agenda on Monday." Hale looked at his watch. "It was good that we started early today. Even if we spend hours in the station, we can still get home at a decent hour."
"Oh yeah. That would be great. I need more sleep." She sat on the driver's seat and put on the seat belt. "So I have some good news. I forgot to tell you this morning." Bo started the truck and drove to the main road towards East Shore.
"Really? What is it?"
"Pops and I are planning to expand the business. Well, not actually planning but we already decided that it's time to change things. We need to attract the younger crowds, the working class, the locals, etc. The Dahl Riata will have a dining area on the second floor. Then Pops thought we need entertainment so all will be busy before the end of the year."
"Wow that's great. I haven't gone to The Dahl these past few months. It will be nice if we could hang out there sometimes. We should invite our new friends." Hale winked.
"Yeah sure. Even Kenzi and Tamsin suggested that. I think we can always invite Vex. For the two doctors, I think we need an advance invitation." Bo smirked.
"No plans of strutting your stuff at The Dahl sometimes?" Hale teased.
"What stuff? What are you talking about?" Bo was clueless.
"Uh entertainment, playing the guitars, singing?"
"Oh that stuff. Maybe... on special occasions, I can be persuaded." She winked.
"I'll remember that." Hale laughed. You need to talk to Kenzi about a piano and guitar piece that you two can play."
"Why the hell didn't I think of that? That's a nice idea Hale." She punched him on the arm.
"Well I have my uses." Hale smiled. They were already in the turnpike when Hale's phone rang. "It's the sergeant."
"Santiago wherever you and Dennis were, please hurry up. Lieutenant Jenkins called. He's on his way for the briefing."
"We're already in the turnpike sir so we will be there in a short while."
"Good. See you."
"What is it?" Bo asked.
"Lieutenant Jenkins will be there in the station for the briefing so we have to hurry up."
"Then I must step on it. I wish my truck has a siren."
"Well you have me, I'm your human siren." Hale did the sound of a siren.
Bo just laughed and shook her head.
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Westville New Haven
"I didn't know that shopping for groceries will take us three hours! It was crazy!" Vex laughed while driving. They decided to go to the Elm City Market so they could eat lunch after shopping.
"Well it's because it was the first time the three of us shopped together for a long time now." Lauren said. "We rarely spent time together outside our house so maybe we missed going out."
"Yeah that's it, we enjoyed each other's company." Ciara tapped Vex. "And you keep on adding items on our grocery."
"That's because I'll be baking my sinfully delicious chocolate-honey ganache layer cake anytime next week. I need to be prepared for that. You may consume it in seconds so maybe I will bake two of it."
"What? Are you going to start a bakery?" Ciara teased.
"Hey why not? Maybe I should follow Lauren's Grandma Maggie's example. But I need to learn how to bake pies. I should join you two later when you baked that blueberry pie so I could learn too." Vex said.
"You have a business to run right? You sound too enthusiastic."
Vex looked at Lauren, eyes pleading not to tell Ciara about what they talked about that morning. He cleared his throat. "Yeah well, I love cakes and pies. It's possible for me to have a bakery business on the side. It's time for a Tate to conquer the East coast."
"Well bake that cake first then let's see." Lauren winked at Vex, conveying to her friend that she understood. He breathed a big sigh of relief. "So we're home."
"Lo, are you going to teach me how to bake the blueberry pie right away?" Ciara asked.
"Just tell me when Ci. I have nothing to do for the whole day."
"Okay thanks. I'll be up to change clothes then we can start." She exited the car and carried the other bags of groceries.
Vex and Lauren got out of the car and opened the trunk where the other bags of groceries were placed. When Vex was sure that Ciara was inside the house, he turned to Lauren and said, "Lo thank you for not telling her. I just think that once she knew, she will tell Dyson. I was still reeling from all of it. Maybe because I'm still processing and I..." He gulped. "... know that it's final but I ran that business for 5 years and I just..."
Lauren rubbed Vex's back. "No need to thank me. I won't tell anyone unless you tell me to do so. Besides it's not my story to tell. You still have until December to run it so it's still yours. You can tell them next year when it's official. But right now, you're still running it so you don't have to tell the world." She smiled to him then suddenly she heard her phone's message alert tone. She opened the message and was surprised to know that the message was from Bo.
"Hi Lauren. Sorry if I didn't reply to your message this morning. Something came up. Can we stop by at your house later? You and Vex need to sign your statements so we could file them on Monday."
"Who was it Lo?"
"It's Bo. She wanted to know if it's okay for them to stop by here later so we could sign our statements."
Vex smiled widely. "So Officer Dennis will be here later huh?"
Lauren smiled shyly. "Is it okay to be this excited because I can't wait to see her again?"
"Awwww! Of course it's okay Lo. Tell her it's okay and invite them for dinner. Good thing we just bought our groceries. We can order pizza then let them have some of your pies."
"Well I can cook carbonara. It would be quick and easy." She texted Bo and smiled at Vex.
"Good thinking! Well let's get inside so we can tell Ciara that we have guests later."
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District 9 East Shore New Haven
Bo and Hale entered the station and saw that Sergeant Smith was waiting for them. He stood up and said, "Dennis and Santiago let's go at the conference room. Lieutenant Jenkins will be here in a few minutes. It will be a closed door meeting, just the four of us. We need to sort out all our evidence against Percy Saunders. We still have 6 hours to spare to make sure that he won't be set free. Do you gather all statements that we need?" Both officers nodded. "Very good." They heard a booming voice outside. The sergeant smiled. "Well it seems the lieutenant is already here. I'll meet him. The two of you go the conference room now."
They walked through the narrow corridors of the station. They were already turning the corner when Bo unintentionally looked inside the room where Percy Saunders was detained. She stopped in her tracks and looked at the man who accused his wife of cheating, who didn't believe her when she said she's not and who physically and repeatedly abused her. Am I looking at a monster? Only that now all she can see was a disheveled and disoriented man, muttering to himself. Well looks can be deceiving sometimes. Her musings were stalled when she heard Hale calling her.
"Where did you go?"
Bo walked towards the conference room. "I peeked at Saunders' room. I got curious, that's all."
"Ah. We can't avoid to be curious after all the information we have gathered." They sat while waiting for their superiors. "You know, the one thing that I really can't wrap my head around was how their marriage survived with the amount of time they spent with each other for the last three years." Hale was incredulous.
"They just survived. They didn't thrive though. Look at what happened to them."
"And remember, they had a weird history. They met at Yale when Dr. Woods was maybe 18, then he was 20. He was expelled right? Then they both came from Delaware." Hale thought for a minute. "Well shit partner, we didn't ask Dr. Woods if they knew each other before they were in Yale."
"Oh yeah we missed that." Bo frowned. "We'll just tell Sergeant Smith about it. We can still get that information from Saunders or from Dr. Woods' parents."
Sergeant Smith barreled into the conference room. Bo and Hale stood up. Behind him was Lieutenant Leroy Jenkins, as well as the other officers who helped Bo and Hale with securing last night's crime scene.
The lieutenant went at the head of the table, the sergeant beside him and addressed the officers in the room. "Good afternoon Sergeant Smith, officers. Let's sit down and discuss the case."
The sergeant discussed the initial details of the case – the 911 call, how the victim was found, how the suspect was caught and all the details done to ensure the investigation of the crime was flawless and up to the NHPD's standard. He also discussed the forensic side of the crime and happily reported that he put a rush on the prints obtained from the crime scene.
"Very good sergeant. May I say good job on the initial handling of this case." His eyes roamed around the table and ended up at Bo and Hale. "You were the officers that responded to the 911 call, I presume?"
"Yes sir, you are correct." Bo answered.
The lieutenant looked at the sergeant. "So you gave them the case?"
"Yes sir. Police Officers Ysabeau Dennis and Hale Santiago are competent officers. They have the best record here in District 9."
Lt. Jenkins nodded. "And the others?" He eyed the other officers in the room.
"They helped with the case sir." And he went to introduce the others to the lieutenant and dismissed them.
When the other officers left, Sergeant Smith turned to Bo and Hale. "So what are the updates?"
Bo urged Hale to talk. "Sir we already got the statement of Dr. Nadia Woods. We also talked to Dr. Patricia Holland, her attending physician and Dr. Albert Ellis, her boss at Yale Hospital."
"When we spoke to them, we found another two potential witnesses." Bo added.
"Who are these people and how can they help us with our case?" The lieutenant asked.
Bo and Hale told them about Nurse Henderson and Dr. Adam Carlo.
"Hmmm interesting. Let's listen to your recordings first then we determine the need to formally talk to them."
They first listened to Dr. Holland's interview.
"In this interview you determined that there was a pattern to the suspect's physical abuse of the victim. Good job on catching that officers." The lieutenant praised. "You mentioned that when you were talking to Dr. Holland, a Dr. Carlo came. What did he say?"
Bo apprised Lieutenant Jenkins about what Dr. Carlo told them.
"So he said he knew that the victim's husband was jealous of him? Such arrogance! And he didn't do anything about it?" He turned to the sergeant. "I'll ask you Sergeant Smith, if your friend's husband got jealous of you what will you do?"
Sergeant Smith considered his superior's question and answered, "Well I will call him, buy him a drink and assure him that I'm just a friend and there's nothing to be jealous about."
"Good answer." He looked at the officers. "Did you ask him that?"
Hale answered. "No sir but we will definitely ask him if we are going to officially get his statement for the investigation."
"Okay. What about the fact that he was kind of a knight in a shining armor to her on the first two trips to the ER? It was him who brought her to the hospital right?" The others nodded. "She called him?" Another nod. "My question is why? Why him? Why not her other friends? He's the man her husband was jealous with right? So why do you think Dr. Woods called him when she knew that her friendship or association with Dr. Carlo was the cause of her pain?" His voice was escalating, his eyes were demanding answers to his questions.
"Maybe because Dr. Carlo was the only available friend she had that time? Maybe they are just really close, she can't think of anybody else and she trusted him that much? Or maybe she thought that she had nothing to hide and was innocent of the accusations her husband thrown at her?" Bo answered.
Lieutenant Jenkins turned his eyes to Bo and smirked. "Good questions Officer Dennis. Did you ask Dr. Woods about that?"
Bo looked embarrassed. "No sir, we didn't think of that."
"Well now you have another reason to talk to her then I guess." Lieutenant Jenkins winked.
Bo blushed. Lieutenant Leroy Jenkins was kind of a legend in New Haven Police Department. Police officers like her looked up to him. Some say he can be their next chief of police once the current one retired.
"Yes sir, we will take note of that." She said.
"Sergeant, officers maybe you are thinking why my line of thought was like I'm blaming the relationship of Dr. Woods and Dr. Carlo for everything that happened. Well I'm not. Let's say I'm just covering all the bases. Mr. Percy Saunders or the future ex-lawyer Percy Saunders will likely use that for his defense. And we are not going to let him do that. So on Monday, Dennis and Santiago talk to Dr. Carlo again. And also to Dr. Woods. We need that information. Check with her attending physician first. See if you could also talk to the victim's parents." The lieutenant ordered. "Sergeant, make sure that the court order for the unsealing of the victim and suspect's marriage certificate will be issued first thing on Monday, okay?"
"Affirmative sir." Sergeant Smith murmured. The officers nodded.
"Alright let's listen to the next interview."
The lieutenant leaned on his chair as the recorder was turned off. "I want to focus on our main witness, Dr. Lauren Lewis. Do you know which part of the country Dr. Lewis is from?" The others shook their heads. "You don't know? Well, it's not actually pertinent to the case but I'm just curious. Let's see here. Dr. Lewis is a fellow resident of the victim in the Genetics department of Yale Hospital and a classmate in the Yale medical school. What else do we know about her in relation to the victim?"
The sergeant spoke up. "Sir she's also on the same residential college in Yale with the victim and the suspect."
"Really? That's interesting."
"If you want sir, you can read the statements of Dr. Lewis and another witness, Mr. Vaughn Tate." The lieutenant nodded. "Officers, where are the statements?"
Hale stood up and patted Bo on the back. "Sir let me get them from our file. Excuse me."
The sergeant turned to Bo. "Dr. Lewis and Mr. Tate haven't signed them yet?"
"No sir, but Hale and I will be going to pass by their house tonight and have them sign the statements.
"Good."
Hale re-entered the room and passed the written statements to the sergeant. The sergeant in turn gave them to the lieutenant.
The lieutenant retrieved his eyeglasses and started to read. He grunted once or twice while perusing the statements. "So our main witness was bullied by the victim and the suspect when she was still a freshman in Yale? Talking about coincidence! Now Dr. Woods owed her life to Dr. Lewis. How's that for vengeance huh? Let's listen to the statement of Dr. Woods."
Bo observed the lieutenant's facial reactions while he's on listening mode. I bet he's a good poker player. His face was a mask of serenity. But when the recorded was turned off, he stood and started pacing. "That was... that was... I can't... wow! If I'm the father of the victim, I will kidnap Mr. Saunders and I will do the same to him. Good thing we are law enforcement officers so we will do this by the book." He sighed. "Now at least we have the testimony of the victim, we can transfer him to the correctional center on Monday. Sergeant, we need to do that first thing on Monday okay?" The sergeant nodded. "So Dr. Woods cleared Dr. Lewis and Dr. Carlo. I also don't think that Mr. Saunders was in any way jealous of Dr. Lewis. We need to ask Mr. Saunders about Dr. Carlo. There's something missing here and because of that, we need to dig deeper. And it has something to do with Mr. Saunders' other life in Delaware."
His words were met by the curious faces of his subordinates.
"What do you think Officer Dennis?"
Bo was quite unsure if she will air her thoughts but it was there on the back of her mind while she was driving. She cleared her throat. "Sir I was thinking while we were waiting for you. Officer Santiago and I were discussing about the victim and the suspect's marriage. Then it came to me that there's a possibility that Mr. Saunders has another wife, there in Delaware."
"I agree. There's no way a person can start a married life with that kind of arrangement. Why marry in the first place?" The lieutenant tapped the table. "Mr. Saunders is from Dover, Delaware. I will call a friend in Dover Police Department to help us trace that information. I will keep you updated about that as soon as possible Sergeant Smith." The sergeant answered, "Yes sir."
"I'm also curious on how Mr. Saunders knew about his wife's whereabouts. What do you think of that Officer Santiago?"
"Sir it's possible that Mr. Saunders has a mole here in New Haven. It can be a friend or a private detective that monitors Dr. Woods' affairs in and out of the hospital. We already asked Nurse Henderson if she knew anything about that and she said personally, she didn't know anything. But she said she will ask the other employees in Yale Hospital."
"Good. So you need to formally get the statements of both Dr. Carlo and Nurse Henderson. Check their schedule first. That will be your assignment first thing on Monday morning. Is that clear officers?"
Bo and Hale nodded.
The lieutenant turned to Sergeant Smith. "I need to speak with Mr. Saunders. The three of you may observe outside the room okay?"
They all stoop up and went over the room where the suspect was detained. Lieutenant Jenkins went inside and sat opposite Percy Saunders.
"Mr. Saunders, I am Lieutenant Leroy Jenkins of the New Haven Police Department. I have some questions for you. And I will ask you again, do you want another lawyer to represent you other than yourself?" The suspect shook his head. "Please speak up Mr. Saunders. This interview is being recorded."
Mr. Saunders looked at the lieutenant and said, "No Lieutenant Jenkins, I don't need another lawyer."
"So be it." The lieutenant leaned on the table and placed his hands on the table. "Mr. Saunders, we already talked to your wife and her attending physician. We were told that what happened last night was not the first time you hurt her. We have in our hands the hospital records for the first two times that your wife was brought to the ER. She told us that the reason you hurt her was because you were jealous of Dr. Adam Carlo. Is that true?"
The accused looked down but did not answer.
"Mr. Saunders, we have all the evidence in our hands. Once the forensic evidence was handed to us, you need to start talking or else..."
"Or else what?"
"Then we'll just see you in court Mr. Saunders. You're a lawyer, you know what will happen next. You know what you did. You will be a convicted felon. You will be disbarred, your license to practice law will be taken away from you. And on Monday, you will be moved to the correctional center. Think about it."
Percy Saunders looked up and said, "Ask Nadia and Adam about Miranda Hamilton."
"And who is Miranda Hamilton, Mr. Saunders?"
"She's a nurse in Yale New Haven Hospital." He looked down again. "That's all I can say for now."
Lieutenant Jenkins raised his eyebrow. "We will ask them about Miranda Hamilton and once we knew who she is, I'll come back here and you will talk to me Mr. Saunders. Remember, you are the accused. You are not the victim, understood? So lose that attitude. We are not afraid of you or your family." He got out of the room and talked to his subordinates. "We need to know who Miranda Hamilton is. Sergeant, call Yale Hospital and tell them that we need to know the schedule of the people that we need to talk to. Officers, you need to talk to Dr. Woods' parents. You must string all those interviews on Monday. Write up the reports then let them sign."
The sergeant and officers nodded.
"Then we all have our assignments on Monday. We need to reconvene as soon as all interviews are done. But we do it in my office at Union Ave." He sighed. "Sergeant, let Officers Dennis and Santiago have their day off tomorrow so they could start fresh on Monday."
Sergeant Smith nodded. "Let me accompany you in your car sir." He looked at Bo and Hale. "You can go home now or do the paperwork for the interviews that you have done today."
Hale looked at Bo. "Sir we'll just do the paperwork on Monday. We need to go to Dr. Lewis' and Mr. Tate's house for them to sign their statements."
"That's fine officers. See you on Monday. Goodnight."
"Goodnight sir."
"What a day! Now I really wanted to get out of this uniform. Are you going to take a shower?" Hale asked Bo while going to the locker room.
"Yeah I will. See you in 20 minutes," answered Bo.
Since no one was around, she hurriedly got out of her uniform. Still wearing a white shirt and a boxer shorts, she took out her robe and a towel from one of the hangers. Although she was alone, she didn't want to walk around the locker room naked. Unlike the other women officers, she was very conscious of how she handles herself in front of them. It was a habit she picked up when she was a varsity basketball player in college.
She went to one of the shower stalls and took off her undergarments one by one until she was naked. She turned on the shower and let the water flow down her hair. She lifted her head so the water could touch her neck before running down her skin; trickling around each shape of her body and down her legs until it parted with her naked body to mingle on the floor and fall down the small drain in the middle of the stall. She washed her hair thoroughly before her hands went down to the other parts of her body. She felt the familiar pull of arousal when she's touching herself like this. But she can't feel like that right now, especially when she suddenly thought of Lauren. Shit no, doing it right here when I'm thinking about her is not right! She hurriedly washed the remnants of soap off her body. I wish there's a cold water shower here. She turned off the shower and toweled herself dry.
She reached out for her duffel bag on the bench right in front of the shower stall. She quickly retrieved her black sports bra and a pair of black panties. She wanted her undergarments like that, they should match. Next was her black combat pants then her red and black flannel long sleeve roll-up shirt. She went to her locker and got her black combat shoes. She checked herself in the mirror. She consciously touched her hair. It was the bane of her existence. She'll just comb it then that's it.
But she suddenly remembered that her bike was still in the station. So she got her black leather jacket, helmet and gloves from the locker.
She went out of the women's locker room and met Hale in the lobby.
"We need to pass by my house so I could drop my bike. After that we go to Lauren's house. She invited us for dinner."
"Cool. Okay so I ride your bike then you drive your truck?" Hale teased.
"Of course not. Get in the truck now please." She loosely gathered her long hair at the top of her head and made the 'pineapple' technique. She put on her leather jacket, gloves and helmet and texted a reply to Lauren. She started her bike, opened her eye shield and looked at Hale. "See you at the house okay?" She rode away and left Hale. He just shook his head and started the truck.
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Westville New Haven
"So what are we going to do while we wait for our special guests?" Ciara asked, smiling widely at Lauren. "Finally, I will meet the beloved Officer Dennis."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Are you going to be this exuberant the entire evening?
"Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how the evening will go."
"What about we taste that blueberry pie that you baked Ci?" Vex asked.
"Aren't we going to wait for them? If we are going to eat the blueberry pie then our appetite for dinner will be ruined." Ciara pointed out.
"Not my appetite." Vex pouted.
"We should wait for them. Can we just watch a movie?" Lauren suggested.
"Can we at least eat some snacks while watching? I'm a little bit hungry." Vex said.
"Popcorn?"
"Of course."
"I also like a Coke. How about the two of you?" Vex asked.
Ciara looked at Lauren. "I'll just have water. I'm building up my appetite since we're going to eat pizza, pasta and pies later."
"Me too. So what are we going to watch?"
"May I suggest Devil Wears Prada?" Ciara grinned. She held up a DVD copy of the movie.
"I looooove Meryl Streep. She's a fellow Yalie." Vex smiled. "The movie was released this June. How come we already have the DVD?"
"I just found it near our new LCD TV. Actually we have 20 new movie DVDs, including this one. I think the movies were just released this year. When I saw them lying around, I gathered the DVDs and kept them here inside the cabinet." Ciara opened the cabinet below the TV rack and brought out the said DVDs.
"Great. I officially love Netflix." Vex grinned. He scanned the movies. "Hmmm I would love to watch The Fast and The Furious but I don't think it's the night for a testosterone-filled entertainment."
"We should watch it when Dyson and Ryan are here." Ciara added.
"Oh no, not with Ryan. Remember, he's a businessman who sold cars. He will just talk and talk about cars and no one would understand the movie. I've already experienced it once. I won't stay for the second time." Vex disagreed.
"Vex, can you go with me in the kitchen so that I could start making popcorn? Let Ciara prepare the TV and the DVD player for the movie." Lauren stood up from the couch and walked to the kitchen followed by Vex.
Once they reached the kitchen, Lauren turned around and whispered, "Do I look okay?" She gestured at her loose pink long-sleeved shirt and brown capri pants outfit combination.
Vex chuckled. "You looked cute and adorable. Did you plan this look? You also tied your hair up."
"Of course not." Lauren snorted. She reached up to open the cabinet where the popcorn bags were stored. "How many popcorn do you think we can consume?"
"You know that she will like you even if you wore a sack or a burlap." He assured her. "Why don't we pop three bags and see where it goes?"
They walked back to the living room with their snacks and drinks. They saw that Ciara was already sliding in the disc into the player.
Lauren's phone beeped for an incoming text. She read it and smiled. "They're on their way."
"Good. Let's get it on with the movie, shall we?" Vex grinned.
"I suggest that we now order the pizza. That will take 30-45 minutes right?" Ciara suggested.
"Okay, let me call Town House Pizza." Vex dialed the pizza house delivery number. "I'll order 2 large pizzas, one Meat Lover's and one Al Fresco. Add in 3 orders of Jalapeno poppers." He looked at Lauren and Ciara. "Do you have anything to add?"
"One garden salad please."
"Mine is the Greek salad. Thanks."
"Got it." He repeated the orders to the order taker. When the call ended he said, "The food will be here in 45 minutes. Now, what can we do?"
"Watch Meryl Streep charm us with her acting flair." Lauren grinned.
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Downtown New Haven
As expected, Bo reached their destination first. She parked her bike on the usual spot near their house. She carried her helmet and gloves planning to put them inside the house before Hale arrives. She was looking for her keys inside the pocket of her leather jacket when she saw Tamsin sitting at the stairs in their back entrance, a lighted cigarette in her hand.
Bo raised her eyebrow and muttered, "I didn't know you smoke Tam."
The taller woman jumped up and cursed loudly. "Shit Bo, I thought I'm having a heart attack. You caught me off guard. Why are you here? I thought you and Hale are going to see Dr. Lewis tonight."
"Yeah we will. I just dropped off my bike. Hale was driving the truck. He will be here in a few minutes. When did you start smoking? Where's Kenzi?"
"She's with Nate. They just left 10 minutes ago. I started smoking a year ago."
"How many of that every day?"
"Just 2 to 3 sticks."
"Don't let Pops see or smell you okay?"
Tamsin shrugged.
"What are you doing here? You are usually out at this time every Saturday." Bo looked at Tamsin's bruise. "How's the pain? It's now more blue than black."
"Tolerable. It's the reason why I'm not out there banging it with someone else. Besides, I haven't gotten any number last night because of this damn bruise."
"You really have a dirty mouth." Bo grimaced and shook her head. "Why don't you go upstairs and rest?"
"Yeah I will as soon as I finished this." She pointed at the cigarette. "I will be starting the sketch for the restaurant later."
"Good." They heard the honk of the truck. "Hale is here." Bo sat beside Tamsin and checked her ankle holster. Tamsin saw the gun. "You still carry that when off-duty?"
"Of course. It's just a precaution. And I'm like naked if I don't carry a gun when I'm out."
"Is that Glock 26?"
"Yes."
"What about your side arms?"
"Glock 17." Bo stood up and shake off the dirt in her pants. "I need to go now. Can you put these on the side table near the television?" She passed the helmet and gloves to Tamsin. The blonde nodded. "Thanks. Put more ice on that bruise okay?" She didn't wait for a reply and walked towards her partner in the truck.
She slid up the passenger seat and turned to Hale. "Let's go. I'll just text Lauren that we're on our way." She pulled out her phone and texted a message to the doctor.
Hale typed in the address of their destination to the truck's GPS navigation device while Bo turned on the radio. After a few beats, the beautiful and soothing tenor voice of Darren Hayes was heard throughout the truck, belting I Knew I Loved You.
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
Bo sighed and changed the station. She frowned when Styx's Love at First Sight made its presence known.
Love at first sight
I know that this can't be happening
No, not to someone like me
Love at first sight
It's hard to keep your balance
Moving past the point of no return
She looked at the radio like it's some kind of torture device. She bit her lip and changed the station once again. She scoffed when the lyrics of Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face worked its way to her ears.
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless skies
She turned off the radio. Hale giggled at his partner's obvious dilemma right that very moment. "Looks like the entities above were conspiring to get you in the groove partner!"
"Ha ha ha! I can't believe you found that funny huh!" Her arms were crossed defensively against her chest.
"You have to admit it's kinda funny! It's like all the radio stations decided to make it 'Play All the Love at First Sight Songs' day." When the traffic light turned to red, Hale turned and looked at her partner. "You know, it will be more unpleasant if you keep on fighting what you are feeling. Just let go. If you are going to keep a tight lid on it, it will just explode into your face sooner or later."
Bo's face softened and smiled. "Okay."
"Just be your charming self, partner. You are already drawn to each other. You are already friends, you even text each other now. That's not even possible two days ago!" He eyed his partner up and down. "And look at you, wow!"
"Yeah well thank you Hale. You're a good wingman." She winked.
"Thank you. Even though I have a tiny weeny crush on your object of affection?" He grinned.
"That's okay, she's crushable. I get it. As long as it remains as that, we won't have any problem at all." She sighed and looked at the scene outside. "The drive to their house was rather nice and peaceful," she observed.
"I agree, not too much traffic. Lots of trees and grass. And the houses were nice and big." Hale added. "We're near." The truck was now easing through Edgewood Ave. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be."
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Westville New Haven
Vex pulled his cellphone and texted a message. After a while, he saw Hale was calling. He answered right away.
"Hale, where are you and Bo?"
"Vex, we are already here in Edgewood Ave. So we're near right?"
"You are. Step on it man! I'm already starving. Don't tell me the two of you are not!" Vex chuckled.
"We actually are!"
"Okay, I already ordered the pizza."
"We are now turning on your street. See you!"
Vex turned to her housemates and announced, "They're near. Good thing I already ordered the pizza."
"I need to go to the kitchen and start preparing the pasta." Lauren announced and escaped to the kitchen.
"Lo wait..." Vex hollered. He looked at Ciara. He paused the movie.
"Uh uh someone is hiding." Ciara teased and looked at Vex. Vex shrugged.
"I heard that. I will just prepare the pasta noodles."
"Whatever Lo."
After a few minutes, they heard the sound of the doorbell.
"They are here!" Vex hurriedly went to the door and opened it. He immediately saw Bo, then Hale.
"Officers Dennis and Santiago, good evening! Come in." He smiled widely and winked.
"Hi Mr. Tate. Thank you for inviting us over." Bo smiled at Vex. "So how are you? Did you suffer from hangover?"
Vex laughed. "Not really. Although I need to take some pain medicine for the slight headache but I survived." He turned to Hale. "How's the drive?" He looked past them and saw the red Dodge truck parked outside. "Is that yours?"
Hale answered, "Although I was the designated driver tonight, the truck was Bo's."
"Wow, really?" He looked at Bo. "I never pegged you as a truck girl. I thought I'll see you with a Camaro or a Mustang."
Bo smiled. "Actually the truck was owned by my grandfather but he can't drive anymore so he let me use it while my car was still in the garage."
"So tell me Officer Dennis, is your car a Camaro or a Mustang?"
"Unfortunately no. It's just a Subaru."
"Near enough. Let's go this way." He led them to the living room where Ciara was situated in front of the television. "Bo, Hale I want you to meet Dr. Ciara Adkins. Ciara, this is Police Officer Ysabeau Dennis. And this one is Police Officer Hale Santiago." Ciara smiled and shook their hands.
"So you are the Officer Dennis that I have been hearing about these last few months."
"Last few months?" Bo grinned impishly, her dimples making an appearance.
"Uh did I say last few months?" Ciara cringed on her tactlessness. Thank goodness Lauren was in the kitchen.
Vex tried to save Ciara from losing her face, "Yes you did but maybe it slipped your mind but it has been only these last few 'days'."
"Oh yeah that's it." She cleared her throat. "Please sit down officers. We were watching a movie when you called."
The officers went to sit down on the couch but Bo hesitated and asked, "Where's Dr. Lewis?"
Of course you will notice that she's not here. "She's in the kitchen. Would you like to go there and see her?" Vex smiled. "Just go through that door, turn right and you can see the kitchen right away." He winked and looked at Hale. Hale snickered.
Bo blushed. "I just want to greet her, that's all."
"Oh partner, you didn't need to justify your actions to us. We understood. Go on. We're fine here. I'd like to know more of Dr. Adkins." Hale winked.
"Okay. Dr. Adkins, if you will excuse me." She put her hands inside her pockets and sighed.
"Call me Ciara. Go see Lauren."
She smiled and didn't wait for another word and she hurriedly went to the find Lauren.
Vex looked at Ciara and Hale. "So we're chopped livers now." He laughed. "I really wanted to know the updates on the case but I'll wait until dinner."
"Okay. I'm really looking forward in telling you all the information that we have gathered today. We also have some questions for you Vex and Lauren."
"That's fine."
"Dr. Adkins..."
"Call me Ciara Officer Santiago."
"Then please call me Hale." He paused. "Ciara, I also have some questions for you if that's okay."
"No problem Hale."
"Good. So what are you watching before we arrived?" Hale asked.
Ciara started the movie again.
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Lauren knew the exact time when she felt someone was staring at her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and her heart raced but she didn't feel scared. She knew it wasn't Vex or Ciara because they won't hesitate to announce their presence. She knew who it was. She stopped what she was doing for a second and blew a breath. She continued to focus on her task and let the person decide whenever she wanted her presence known.
Bo stood awkwardly by the kitchen's door when she found Lauren looking down at the table and doing something with her hands. She knew it was foolish not to let her presence known right away but she wanted to see this unguarded moment for a little bit longer. She stared shamelessly at Lauren – her flowing blonde hair that framed her beautiful face, her long and graceful neck, the slender built of her body, her lean arms and fingers. She wanted to do this longer but she knew it was borderline creepy to just stare. So she cleared her throat and announced herself.
"Hi Lauren."
She saw the blonde bit her lip and smiled slightly. She knew it's me. She can't help but to smile widely when Lauren finally looked up and met her eyes.
"Hi Bo." Finally.
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Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although it was not celebrated here in my country, I'm feeling the vibe because of my work. Please read and review. This is the longest chapter so far. Next would be more Bo and Lauren moments so stay tuned. Thank you.
Twitter: WonderChaser