The reviews! You guys are awesome! You guys are wonderful and I'm so thankful for all of you. Thank you for your support! It means a lot! Also, if you have any suggestion for how to continue Joe, let me know. I know he was a bad guy, but I kind of like the weird relationship he's got with Beth. Anyway, thanks, guys!
-A
Chapter Eight:
Beth felt sore.
And she couldn't remember the last time that she had been that angry. Both at herself, for not seeing the signs, and at Gareth, for lying to her. She was angry because she could have prevented the trouble. She was angry because Gareth had willingly hid things from her. She was angry that she hadn't seen it coming.
The morgue had not been conducive to her healing. Nor had it been helpful for her sanity.
And, the investigation of Brian Heriot was becoming tricky.
And that's how Beth justified driving her black mustang out of the city, down the highway, and turning into the Rattlesnake Saloon at 8:00 p.m. She needed a drink, and quite frankly, she figured that Joe Kober might be a little more understanding than any bartender. So, she pulled into the gravel parking lot, turning off the engine and walked inside the bar. It was more crowded than the last time she'd been there, but it was also much earlier in the night. She walked toward the bar, and immediately, Joe recognized her, a smile spreading across his features.
"Doctor Greene! Back so soon?" He mused.
"Yep, Joe. Back again." Beth replied.
"Need more information? Find what you were lookin' for? Or more than ya bargained for?" Joe asked, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and pouring a shot for Beth.
"Found Mags and her husband. She was a little beat up, but 'ol Glenn just got out of the hospital. Actually, I was just here to drink." Beth explained. Joe stopped drying glasses and looked at Beth's face, knitting his eyebrows together.
"Gee, if I didn't know any better, Miss Beth, I'd say you were in a bar fight." He said.
"I was, kinda." Beth muttered, taking a shot of Fireball and ordering a Pabst Blue Ribbon.
"D'ya at least win?" Joe asked.
"Kinda. It was actually my ex-boyfriend. Jackass started drinkin', mixed with his crazy meds and he went psycho and tried to kill me, and that's the abridged version." Beth explained. Joe remained silent for a moment.
"He break your wrist?" He asked.
"Yep. See this?" Beth asked, pointing to her forehead, right above her right eyebrow, "Ten stitches. Smacked my head right into the glass coffee table. Kicked my puppy around. He was tryin' to kill me, told me so even!" Beth exclaimed.
"What happened? Tell me you shot his ass." Joe said.
"Not quite, Joe. Daryl actually just happened to walk in at the right him. Psycho sliced Daryl's face open, too. But Daryl beat him enough that he let me go." Beth told him.
"Figures. Daryl never did take to men puttin' their hands on the ladies. Merle didn't either. Of course, I don't. No matter how pissed I may get at the ol' lady, I've never put my hands on 'er, not once." Joe said.
"I just didn't see it comin', ya know?" Beth said, finishing her beer and ordering another.
"Ya never do, darlin'. Daryl may be a cop, but he's alright by me." Joe said.
"Did you know Daryl before he was a cop?" Beth asked, curious.
Joe smiled devilishly. "Yes ma'am, I did. He ran around with my crew quite often, followin' Merle around wherever he went. Of course, Daryl was just a kid then." He explained.
"I could kinda see that, ya know, between you an' me." Beth giggled. Joe laughed with her.
"Yeah, but he was rather tame even for the likes of a bunch of bikers. Merle was always the one in trouble, not Daryl." Joe said.
"Merle seems so nice, though." Beth replied.
"Oh, now he is. When meth was his lady, he would fight anyone for lookin' at 'im wrong." Joe told her. Beth nodded solemnly.
"Well, I like detective Daryl. I know you're not a fan, but Daryl's looked out for me." Beth said matter-of-factly.
"Who wouldn't, little miss? You're a walkin' ray of sunshine, 'cept when you're waving firearms in faces of people who might be a problem." Joe teased, winking.
"Sorry 'bout that." Beth apologized sheepishly.
"Don't. I'm gonna tell you something you need to know. Little girls like you? People will always think you're weak, that ya can't take care of yourself. Don't ever apologize for not takin' shit from anyone. You be bitchy if you need to. It'll keep you alive." Joe said.
"My whole life, I've always been the smallest, the youngest, the weakest. I was always Maggie or Shawn or Lori's sister, I was the tiniest Greene. People still don't take me seriously. Gareth didn't. I'm still mad, Joe. I'm mad at myself for not seein' the signs, I'm mad Daryl had to save me, I'm mad that Gareth did that to me. And I'm mad that no one is doin' anythin' about what he did! They just let 'im go, like it was no big deal!" Beth exclaimed angrily.
"They let him go? Are you shittin' me?" Joe asked in disbelief.
"No, I'm not. Because he's the mayor of crazy town, they let him walk out like it was nothing." Beth huffed.
"No, no, no. See, that's where our justice system seems to fail us. I know I'm not the most saintly man in this here parts, but there are men worse than me. Hell, a lot of 'em work for me, and no one ever gets off easy. But men like that guy you were seein'...They get off easy." Joe nearly growled.
"He lied to me, Joe. He hid his schizophrenia from me. He lied from the beginning. If I'd known, I might've seen it coming." Beth said. Joe's jaw tensed.
"He lied, huh?" He asked. Beth nodded.
"That's not okay. See, I have a code, keeps things with my boys from goin' Darwin every few hours. And part of that code is you always tell the truth. Always." Joe said.
"I was honest about everything with that guy, Joe. Told 'im 'bout the time I tried to off myself, which I'm not proud of, told 'im I wasn't plannin' on getting serious right away. Told him what I was afraid of, what I hated, what I liked, my faults, all of it. He told me he didn't have anythin' to hide." Beth huffed.
"Darlin', people with nothin' to hide usually don't feel the need to say so." Joe said, grinning.
"Guess you're right." Beth shrugged.
"I still find it a little comical that you're in here tellin' your problems to a convicted felon." Joe said.
"I don't trust the bars in Atlanta. For some reason, knowing you're kind of a scoundrel makes me trust you a little." Beth told him.
"Scoundrel would be right, but I do appreciate the business all the same, ma'am." Joe teased.
Beth laughed, "Well, what can I say? You're a decent bartender."
"Well, just outta curiosity, what's this man's name? What's he do for a livin'?" Joe asked.
"Dr. Gareth Turner is a professor at Georgia State. They allow this guy to teach and he's a few cans short of a six pack." Beth said.
"Huh. That's interesting. There was another Dr. Turner in here not long ago, a man named Alex. Think he's a morgue guy. And he was in here with Shumpert and Crowley. Bout two weeks ago." Joe said absentmindedly.
"Alex? Alex Turner? I work with him, Joe!" Beth exclaimed.
"Oh, you do?" Joe asked.
"Yeah. That's Gareth's brother. He's always been nice to me." Beth said, stunned.
"He works for Brian Heriot, some kind of research that Heriot's pharmaceutical company, apparently." Joe said flatly. Beth's eyes grew wide, her heart thumped in her chest.
"Joe, I don't have time to explain." Beth said, standing up, and dropping a $20 on the bar, "But there is something very important that I have to tell Daryl. I appreciate the drinks, and the conversation. Enjoy your evening."
"So Alex is connected to Brian Heriot the serial killer, huh? Just connecting that now?" Joe asked.
Beth stopped, turning around, her eyebrows knitting together. "Yeah. I'm not even gonna ask, but yeah." She said.
Joe nodded toward her as she waved, running out the door and into her mustang. The entire way back to Atlanta, she was going nearly 95 miles an hour, the V8 engine roaring as she tore into her parking spot in front of her apartment. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, throwing open the door to her apartment. Jake and Daryl looked up from the couch, Daryl jumping to his feet.
"Beth?! What the hell's goin' on?" He asked frantically.
"Daryl! Daryl! I have to tell you something! Right now!" Beth huffed, putting the wrist in a cast to her forehead. Daryl tilted his head slightly, walking toward her.
"What's the matter, Greene?" He asked softly, afraid something was very wrong.
"I was at the Rattlesnake Saloon tonight and—" Beth began.
"—You went to the Rattlesnake Saloon?! Why the hell were you at the Rattlesnake Saloon?!" Daryl asked angrily.
"Daryl, let me finish!" Beth hissed, "Anyway, Joe mentioned that this guy—a Dr. Turner who worked with the morgue—was in the bar a few weeks ago with Shrumpert and Crowley. He WORKS for Heriot, Daryl! Alex—Gareth's brother—he works Brian Heriot. He's a consult, does research for the pharmaceutical company on the sly. He's got the experience—a BS in chemistry and biology. He was a genius in medical school. Daryl—I think—I think he's Brian's inside guy." Beth finished, leaning forward. Daryl lifted his eyebrows in obvious surprise.
"You serious?" Daryl asked, whispering.
"Yeah." Beth replied. Daryl bit his lip, nodding. He reached for his cell phone on the end table, and dialed Rick's number. He demanded Rick head over right away, before hanging up. He then dialed Morgan's number, and told him the same thing. The two arrived at nearly the same time, coming in with curious looks on their faces.
"Daryl. You said this was important?" Rick asked.
"It'd better be, 'cause I just left my son at home by himself. "Morgan said.
"Yeah, it's important. Beth, tell 'em what you just heard while you were out carousin' with felons." Daryl said, motioning for her to speak.
"Okay, so tonight I was at the Rattlesnake Saloon..." Beth began, again.
"What the hell were you doin' over there, girl?" Morgan asked.
"Would ya shut up an' lemme finish?"Beth hissed. Morgan sat back, apologetic, and nodded.
"Okay, so anyway, I was there, talkin' to Joe about Gareth, an' he mentioned Alex. He mentioned a 'Dr. Turner' that was workin' for Brian an' he was also workin' in the morgue. I asked 'im, an' it's Gareth's brother. Alex. I can't be sure, but I think he's Brian Heriot's inside guy. He could just not know what's goin' on, or he could be tamperin' evidence. He could be screwin' around. I just don't know!" Beth exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
Rick bit his lip, sighing heavily. "I'm callin' in an some other detectives. This isn't necessarily homicide's department." Rick said flatly.
"Who you gonna call, Rick?" Daryl asked.
"Ghostbusters, Daryl." Rick said sarcastically, Daryl rolling his eyes, "You know who it's probably gonna be." Rick said.
"If it's Douglass, we're cool. Richey though, I'll be pissed." Daryl replied.
An hour later, Detective Douglass and Detective Richey showed up. Richey, with his cowboy hat and handlebar mustache, greeted Beth with an eager smile, looking her up and down.
"Well, hello, ma'am." Detective Richey said, grinning.
"Cut the shit, Axel, she ain't interested." Daryl hissed.
"Right. So, what we got here?" Axel asked sheepishly.
"Seems we got a pathology resident with ties to our suspect in the Heriot campaign killings." Rick explained, "Dr. Greene here found out about it."
Detective Douglass, who Axel referred to as "T Dog", extended his hand toward Beth, and she shook it.
"So ma'am, can you tell us what you know?" T Dog asked. Beth sighed heavily, before beginning.
"Well, see, I just recently ended a relationship with a schizophrenic college professor named Dr. Gareth Turner, on account of he tried to kill me. Now, I was frustrated an' drove over to the Rattlesnake Saloon..."
"You went over to the Rattlesnake Saloon?!" Axel interrupted.
"Nobody talk until I'm done!" Beth hissed, continuing, "Alright. Anyway, I mentioned my frustration to Joe Kober, who told me offhandedly that a Dr. Turner who worked in the morgue came in and was talkin' to two guys named Shrumpert and Crowley who work for Brian Heriot. Apparently, accordin' to Joe, Alex works for Brian Heriot on the sly, does research for his pharmaceutical company. He's got the qualifications—a BS in chemistry and biology, graduated top of his class from Emory and Emory School of Medicine. He's a genius. But, I think he might just be Heriot's inside guy."
T Dog bit his lip nervously. "You think we need to call our morgue guys?" He asked.
"I'd say so. Dr. Peletier and Dr. Jenner might wanna be privy to that information, so would Dr. Mamet." Axel said.
"Well, then, we need to call them." Rick said, leaving no room in his voice for question.
"Then call 'em." Daryl repeated.
"Alright. Let me call Carol, ask 'em all to get over here." Beth grumbled, reaching for her cell phone.
To say that Carol, Dr. Jenner, Dr. Mamet, and Dr. Porter were surprised would be an understatement. They all agreed that they needed to keep an eye on Dr. Alex Turner, who was now suspected of tampering with evidence, which could earn him a hefty stint in prison if he was discovered to actually be doing. Beth was overwhelmed by it all, and if she were being perfectly honest, just wanted these people out of her damn apartment. Finally, after deciding that Carol, Beth, and the other doctors would feed information to detectives as they saw fit, Rick, Morgan, T Dog, and Axel left. Of course, Axel tried to get Beth's phone number, to which Daryl promptly told him to leave before he threw his ass out. Beth was quite relieved, though exhausted, when everyone finally left just before midnight. Beth sat down with Jake, who was growing quite rapidly, next to her on the couch, leaning her head back and sighing heavily.
Then, she felt something cold press against her upper arm, and her eyes sprung open.
"Here. Figured you could use it." Daryl mumbled, offering her a can of her favorite soda—Mountain Dew. She'd acquired an addiction to the soda in medical school, and now she went throw cans of the unhealthy green liquid.
"Thanks." Beth sighed, taking a big gulp. "It's not that I don't enjoy being the center of police investigations, it's just that I really hate people in my apartment. And they're always here! I don't know why they like me that much, I'm not even that appealing."
"That ain't true." Daryl offered, and Beth looked up, "You're the sassiest smart ass I know."
Beth stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, you're not so bad yourself. At least you managed to peel that creeper Axel and his handlebar mustache of horror off of me. He's worse than Dr. Porter, and Dr. Porter grabbed my ass."
"Axel's the creepiest sonbitch I ever met." Daryl said seriously, "Michonne's slapped the livin' shit out of 'im more than once."
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Beth said, laughing loudly, "But then again, it doesn't surprise me."
"It's true. She used to be in the gang unit. But she transferred over to SVU a few years ago after 'er son died. Axel was SVU then. They transferred 'im right quick after she complained." Daryl explained. Beth's eyes softened.
"Her son died? Michonne had a kid?" Beth asked.
"Yeah, little boy. Name was Andre." Daryl replied quietly.
"What happened to him?" Beth asked, biting her lip.
"Michonne's boyfriend, name was Mike I think, he was on drugs. Didn't let nobody see it, but one day Michonne was at work and he got high, Andre drowned in the bathtub. Mike overdosed. 'Bout killed her. She was gone from work for two months I reckon." Daryl told her.
"That's...Terrible." was all Beth could say.
"Yeah, yeah it is." Daryl replied.
"How long ago was it?" Beth asked.
"'Bout three years ago now. I dunno. I worked the gang unit a little while 'fore I transferred homicide." Daryl said.
"Why'd you go homicide? Seems depressing." Beth said propping her feet up on the end of the couch.
"Rick. We were partners. After all that shit went down with Lori—I couldn't jus' leave 'im by himself." Daryl said, stretching out in the chair.
"Lori was like a sister to me. She'd lived with us my whole life. When she died, I guess a little piece of me died with 'er." Beth admitted.
"Beth, why'd you go to Joe's bar tonight?" Daryl asked, not accusatory or with an underlying tone, just genuine curiosity.
"Because I'm angry, Daryl. And Joe, well, he didn't judge me. He didn't look at me like 'oh, poor little Beth Greene'. He saw me for who I was, not Maggie or Shawn's baby sister, not Doctor Greene. He saw me as the chick that wasn't afraid to stand up to him. That's why I went." Beth admitted. Daryl stared at her for a moment, chewing the skin around his left thumb.
"Alright." He replied, nodding his head.
"You don't know what it's like to always be the younger, weaker sibling. The one always taggin' along. The weak girl who can't take care of herself. I feel so stupid that I couldn't see the signs, Daryl! I should've known! I'm a damn doctor!" Beth exclaimed, her voice cracking ever-so-slightly. Tears began to sting her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wouldn't cry. She didn't want to, at least.
"I was always taggin' 'round Merle an' 'is buddies. That's how I knew Joe. Merle was a druggie, but he was my brother, so I just followed 'im 'round wherever he went. Truth was, 'fore I went to college, I was just some redneck asshole, with an even bigger asshole for a brother. I was nobody, nothin'. I coulda wound up bein' one of those degenerates in prison just as easy as I did a cop." Daryl said, bowing his head.
"That's not true, Daryl. You're somebody. You saved my life. Some redneck asshole would never do that. You're a great man, Daryl Dixon. You're a good brother, and a good friend. And you could've let Gareth beat me to death, but you didn't." Beth said matter-of-factly.
"One time, me an' Andrea, right before we broke up, we were fightin' real bad. 'Cause toward the end, that's what we always did, we fought. An' I remember her eyes getting real big, an' she looked at me an' said 'You're just a piece of white trash just like the rest of your family'. An' I'd never admit it to 'er, but right then I knew I didn't wanna be with 'er any more. Broke up a few days later." Daryl told her.
"Shane an' I fought a lot, too. He was always wantin' more from me than I was willin' to give 'im. He just wanted sex—that's what every conversation led to. An' I halfway considered it, but I decided I wouldn't, 'cause I wanted 'im to love me for me. An' now that I think about it, I think the only person outside my family that ever cared 'bout me for me was Zach, an' he isn't here anymore. Shane told me once, 'you ain't got the balls to be a doctor. You ain't strong enough to keep your head together'. An' that hurt, 'cause all I ever wanted to do was go to medical school." Beth said, tears filling her eyes and spilling over this time. She didn't care, she'd let Daryl see her like this.
"You don't ever let anyone try to tell you that you ain't smart, Greene. You're the smartest person I know." Daryl said, conviction in his voice.
"What made you go to college and be a cop?" Beth asked.
"I was tired of bein' that redneck asshole. I grew up in Orchard Hill Georgia. Ain't nothin' to write home 'bout. Everyone in that town knew me an' my whole family as the white trash in the run down house on the edge of town that wasn't worth a dime." Daryl said sheepishly.
"You're from Orchard Hill?" Beth asked. Daryl nodded.
"I'm from East Griffin!" Beth exclaimed. They were both from King County. It was a small world after all.
"No shit, doc. Wait...Are you related to the Greenes who run Greene Farms?" Daryl asked.
"That'd be my daddy. He's also the vet in town." Beth replied.
"I've been out to your farm once, with Rick. It's been years though." Daryl said, his face lighting up. Beth had to admit that she thought he looked cute like that.
"Truth is, Rick kinda pushed me into bein' a cop. I started out as a young rookie right out of the academy, goin' to school at night over at Georgia State. They paid for it, actually. I got a double major. Took me four and a half years, but I graduated. I was 23." Daryl said, a proud gleam in his eye. Beth couldn't help but smile.
"What's your degree in?" Beth asked.
"I got a double major; sociology an' neuroscience. Jus' finished my masters degree 'bout a year ago." Daryl added.
"Are you serious? That is awesome! Holdin' a full time job? Workin' like that? That's tough." Beth said, smiling widely. Daryl smiled back, nodding.
"Ain't nothin'." Daryl mumbled.
"But it is. Why sociology? Why neuroscience?" Beth asked, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder.
"Wanted to know how criminals think. How murderers think. Always had my sights on homicide." Daryl replied.
"That's really cool, Daryl. Seriously. You gonna get your doctorate?" Beth asked, her eyes bright.
"Thought about it." Daryl replied, "But what'd I write on? What'd I do? Teach college for a bunch o' kids that don't care?"
"Good point." Beth laughed, You're not half bad, Daryl Dixon."
"Neither are you, Beth Greene." Daryl replied.
"That's the first time you called me by my first name." Beth said, matter-of-factly.
"It ain't a terrible name. Figured if we're gonna be on friendly terms I might as well start usin' it." Daryl mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.
"Friendly? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were sweet on me." Beth teased.
"Psh—you wish." Daryl smirked. Beth laughed again—this time harder. Something about Daryl made her feel much safer than she had in a long time. She couldn't help but notice how his eyes lit up when he actually smiled. Beth felt her eyes droop as she yawned—then she stood up, stretching out.
"Well, Daryl, I'm gonna head to bed." Beth said, "But I appreciate the talk. Thanks for everything. I 'preciate it. G'night."
"Night, Beth." Daryl offered as Beth trailed down the hall, Jake following behind her. Though she'd swore she wouldn't let that dog on her bed (because he'd be reaching 140 pounds full grown), she wouldn't say no to his big, brown eyes. She crawled into her bed, feeling the heaviness in her eyelids, as she sank under the covers. It was refreshing, to feel the soft warmth of the bed. Jake snuggled around her feet, groaning slightly.
Beth wasn't quite sure how, but her talk with Daryl, as well as with Joe, made her feel better. Daryl, somehow, understood her, and she understood him. Maybe they could be some kind of awesome-murder solving team? She didn't know. Right now, all she was focused on was getting some sleep, and putting her troubles of the past few days behind her. Beth just wanted one night of peaceful sleep, free of Gareth, or someone getting kidnapped, or some kind of murder that needed to be dealt with.
Beth was happy, though. Because for the first time in a long time, someone saw her as Beth Greene. And oddly enough, that person was the last person she ever expected.