Chapter 5
"Jane, can you come down here?" Maura's voice was urgent over the phone.
"Sure," Jane replied and sped out of the bullpen, towards the morgue.
"What's wrong?" She asked, catching her breath.
Maura looked down at MJ's body. "She was pregnant."
"Shit."
"It was in the early stages," Maura said softly.
Jane reached for her hand. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"Everything. Especially you having to deal with this, when we're having a bad day."
Maura smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry too, I overreacted last night. I know what this job means to you and I was being selfish."
"Its OK babe," Jane said, kissing Maura's cheek. "Tell me what we've got here."
"So basically, she was raped, strangled, stabbed and left for dead?"
Maura nodded. "The person who tried to strangle her was probably not strong enough to finish the job, hence the stabbing."
"But a guy would be strong enough, unless he's like, I dunno, twelve or something," Jane frowned.
Maura nodded again. "If I can get DNA samples from the men she was in close contact with, I can find out if one of them did it."
Jane made her way to the hotel where Chase was still staying.
She was greeted by Stanley in the lobby. "Detective, how nice to see you again! Are you coming to interrogate the rest of MJ's friends too?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "Is Chase in her room?"
"Yeah," Stanley said. "I'll got up with you, I'm heading there anyways."
Stanley opened the door with his keycard. "CC? You here? Mrs Carlson?"
"Chase's mother's here?"
"Yes, she showed up early this morning."
Chase emerged from the other room, wearing a long black t-shirt and black tights. Her eyes were red from crying.
"Detective Rizzoli, I didn't expect to see you here," she said quietly.
Jane apologized. "I'm sorry for barging in like this, but I wanted to tell you in person. Can we have a moment alone?" She stared pointedly at Stanley.
"Stan, my mother is in the other room. Will you keep her company, please?"
Stanley nodded and closed the door adjoining the two rooms.
"What happened?" Chase asked.
"Let's sit down," Jane said gently. They made their way to the couch and sat down.
Jane noticed the dark circles under Chase's eyes. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm OK," Chase said.
"We found MJ's body."
Chase gasped. "I- can I... Can I see her?"
"I'll take you down to the morgue, but we need to talk first."
"There's more?" Chase choked.
Jane nodded. "Did you know that she was pregnant?"
"Oh my God," Chase whispered. "She didn't tell me it worked."
"What worked?" Jane asked, slightly confused.
Chase held back her tears. "We were gonna have a baby. We failed so many times, we were about to give up."
Jane saw only pain in Chase's eyes. "You didn't know it worked," she stated softly.
"And now its too late," Chase whispered. "How did she die? Were her last moments painful?"
Jane sighed. "She was stabbed, but whoever did it, they tried to strangle her first. Maybe they weren't strong enough, or they..." Realization dawned on Jane. "Or they were out to get the unborn child," she concluded softly.
Chase let her tears flow. "I didn't just lose the love of my life, but our child too."
Jane felt great sadness for this person she barely knew. "I hate to ask you this now, but is there anyone she could've told?"
Both women jumped in shock as the door flew open, Jack Newman and Jack Kelly walking in.
"Oh, sorry, we didn't mean to intrude," Newman said, smiling nervously. Kelly didn't look sorry.
Chase spoke first. "Get out, guys. Please."
They retreated instanly, Kelly slamming the door loudly.
The other door opened, and a woman in her early fifties walked into room. "Charlotte, what is all the commotion about?"
Jane was confused, until Chase answered.
"Mother, a moment please," she sniffed.
The woman turned to Jane. "Are you another one of her dyke friends coming in for a quick fuck-around?"
"Mother!" Chase jumped to her feet. "This is Detective Rizzoli, in charge of finding MJ's killer."
Jane held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs Carlson."
The woman took Jane's offered hand, a blush creeping onto her pale cheeks. "I'm sorry for my outburst, Detective, but I'm sure you understand, this is a hard time for all of us."
Jane nodded. "Its all good. I've been called a dyke before, but I'm not fucking around with your daughter."
Chase smiled thankfully at Jane. "Mother, could you give us a minute?"
"Actually," Jane interrupted, "I'd like to speak with you too, if that's OK, Mrs Carlson."
"Please, call me Helen."
Jane winked at Chase. "Right then, Helen. What was your relationship with MJ like?"
"She was like the daughter I never had," Helen said, staring at Chase coldly.
"Mother, please behave," Chase pleaded softly.
"Did you spend a lot of time with her?"
Helen nodded. "When they weren't on tour, everybody would stay over at our house. MJ and I became quite close friends."
Chase fell back into the couch. "You talk as if touring is something of the past, mother."
"Well, I assumed that now that this thing blowed up, you've come to realize your mistakes. Isn't that you you are settling in here, in Boston?"
Chase sighed. "I'm not settling in here, mother. I'm just staying until the case is solved."
Jane watched the exchange curiously.
Helen clacked her tongue in disapproval. "Come home with me, to England."
"This is my life, mother. I can go where I want."
Jane stepped back into the conversation. "You know, don't you?" She asked Helen.
"A mother always knows."
Chase gaped at Helen. "You never said anything!"
"You never listen," Helen countered.
Jane cleared her throat. "How did you find out?"
Helen sighed. "Stanley told me. I knew Charlotte was hiding something from me, and I asked Stan. He actually let it slip out."
Chase buried her head in her hands. "Can this get any worse?"
Jane laid a hand on Chase's shoulder. "I promise you, I'm gonna find out who did this."
Chase looked at Jane. "You know what it feels like to lose her, but you got her back. I'm not getting MJ back."
Helen stared. "So you are a dyke!" She shot at Jane.
"Mother! Get out!"
Jane chuckled softly. "I get it a lot, actually. More than Maura," she sighed.
"Tell me about her," Chase said softly, watching Helen leave.
"She's everything to me. We've been through so much. She's brilliant and funny without knowing it, she's a not-so-humble genius, but only because she can't lie. She gets all twitchy and hyperventilates." Jane glanced at Chase. "I'm here, if you want to talk."
Chase smiled. "Thank you. I just... I feel so lost, you know? Its like a piece of me died. A piece of my did die."
Jane took one of Chase's small hands in her own. "I want to tell you that it'll get better, but I can't. I don't know if it will. I haven't been exactly where you are, but I can understand some of what you are feeling."
"That's the most honest thing I've heard in a very long time," Chase said quietly. "Would you mind if I used it in a song?"
Jane cringed. "You wanna use my words?"
Chase nodded. "Some of it. I'm working on a song, its to remember MJ."
The two woman sat in silence for a while, still holding hands lightly.
"Would you like to hear it?" Chase asked.
"I'd love to."
Chase stood and went to the other room. "I'll be just a minute," she called.
Jane went to the window and stared at the great view of the city. Thisisthekindaplacerichpeoplecometowhentheyhaveaffairs,she mused. Andifsomeoneweretocomein,youcouldeasilyhideonthebalcony.Ifitwerealowerlevel,youcouldevenusetheledgesandshutterstogettothegroundsafelywithoutbeingseen.
She was shook from her thoughts when Chase returned, holding a jet black guitar. "Let's sit down."
Chase began strumming, and a feeling of melancholy stuck to Jane.
"Theworstpartisn'tthatIwon'tseeyouagain,
Its not that I can't touch you,
Its not that I will always miss you,
But knowing that you're really gone.
You were my angel,
My faith when I lost religion,
You knew me so well,
You read every emotion,
I didn't want to lose you,
I never thought I would.
I know that where ever you are,
You are the brightest star,
Like you were to me,
When you were mine."
Chase sniffed softly. "Its what I have so far, its not much."
"Its beautiful," Jane said honestly. "I think she's smiling on you for that."
"Can I go see her?"
Jane nodded. "Of coarse."
Chase drew her hoodie tighter, keeping the hood up and her face hidden. Jane walked very close, on high alert.
They reached the morgue with no trouble along the way.
"Maur?" Jane called.
"In here!" The reply came from Maura's office.
"Come on," Jane led the way. "Maur, we have a visitor."
Maura looked up, not surprized at all. "Hello, Chase. I gather you are here to say goodbye to MJ?"
Chase nodded. "I'd like that."
Maura pulled the white cloth away from the once beautiful face. She went no lower than the collarbone, hiding the Y incision.
Chase was staring at a spot on the wall.
"Its OK," Jane encouraged.
Chase reached for Jane's hand, finding the comfort and strength she needed to look down.
"She looks so fragile," Chase said, quite calmly.
Maura made to reply, but closed her mouth when she made eye contact with Jane. She knew that look, and she mentally took a step back.
A tear glistened on Chase's cheek. She made to wipe it away, but found her right hand too heavy. She dropped Jane's hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I did that."
"Its fine," Jane soothed.
Maura shot her a puzzled look, but Jane merely shook her head.
Chase turned away from MJ's body. "I've seen enough, thank you for letting me."
Jane passed the photo of the message found on the wall to Chase. "Do you have any idea what that could mean?"
"MJ is gone, but don't be scared, write a song, about the one who really cared. She won't return, let your sorrows out, tell the world, what you were all about," Chase read softly.
Jane waited patiently.
"This person want me to move on. They think that there is someone, perhaps themself, that cares more about me than MJ did. This person also want me to come out to the world, by writing a song about MJ."
"I wish I had that kinda depth," Jane grinned.
Chase chuckled. "That's just my interpretation."
"This person seems to know you well," Jane ventured. "Are you sure you can't think of anyone?"
Chase shook her head. "I really don't know."
Jane called Frost after she dropped Chase off at the hotel and collected the security camera footage. "Can you go through the tapes? I've got dinner with Maura, I'll come drop them off."
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Jane grinned. "Yeah, you do. You can choose if I have to bring them to you, or drop them off at your house."
Frost groaned loudly. "Just bring them to me, Rizzoli. And have fun with your girlfriend."
A/N: the next chapter will be the dinner... Yep, they finally get to that! Some fluff coming up to break the tention, methinks.
R&R? (: