Authors Note: Long wait again, I know, bad Hannah. This chapter got kind long so I split in two, the next one should be up in the next few days, hopefully. This one is almost entirely case focused with a few shippy moments slipped in there. Special thanks to; lily moonlight and afrozenheart412 for the reviews.

Chapter 7

Emily and George Hail had been happily married for twenty years, George was a surgeon and Emily was a school teacher. Ashley had been the oldest of their three children, she was in her final year of school and already had her future planned. She wanted to be a doctor, she already did volunteer work at the hospital three nights a week. She was the complete opposite of all the other victims; she was from a happy family, had a bright future ahead of her, had her head in her books and was actually an asset to society.

"She was a good girl, Detectives," Emily repeated for the fourth time in their conversation. Jess and Don had gone to Ashley's home that morning to speak with her parents, they'd been notified last night of their daughter's death and they'd arrived to a scene of grief. Both of Ashley's siblings were old enough to understand what was happening, her brother was fifteen and her sister was nine, it was painful to watch them trying to comfort their parents.

"Was there anyone you know of that Ashley didn't get along with?" Jess questioned.

"No, she wasn't perfect but she was a good girl, all she wanted to do with her life was help people, she didn't deserve this," Emily replied breaking down again and Jess watched as Ashley' little sister gave her mother a tissue and wrapped an arm around her.

"Was there anyone who had some influence over your daughter, a friend maybe, who could convince her to go somewhere she wouldn't normally go?" Don asked, turning to the father and allowing Emily a break from the questions. They needed to find out where the killer had crossed paths with Ashley Hail, why he'd broken from his usual M.O. to kill her.

"Ashley didn't associate herself with people like that, her friends are good people. She wasn't the type of person to get herself in trouble, to allow her friends to get themselves in trouble, she'd sooner call me and have me sort things out than let anything get out of hand," George told them as he sat beside his crying wife, resting a hand on her back to comfort her. "Her friend Nicole was probably the most influential person in my daughter's life outside of the family, the two of them were close to inseparable, have been since they were little. Nicole isn't like that though, the two of them could be mischievous when you put them together but they would never get involved in anything they really shouldn't."

"So Ashley was pretty close to Nicole?" Jess asked and George nodded.

"Nicole is like family," he replied and Jess made a mental note to make sure she spoke to Nicole, there might be things Ashley wouldn't tell her parents that she could easily have told a close friend, perhaps Nicole would know where the killer could have come across Ashley. "You think she was involved in something don't you?" George accused. "I can tell you Detectives, you're wrong."

"We're not saying your daughter was up to anything, we're just trying to determine where your daughter's killer might have come across her. She's very different from the other victims, almost everything about your daughter's death is different, we need to find out why," Don told them and Jess could tell he was choosing his words carefully, trying not to upset the family anymore than they already were. "Did your daughter mention anything out of the ordinary, maybe a concern that she was followed or someone hanging around her that she was concerned about?"

"No, nothing like that and believe me, my daughter would have told me," George stated. "And before you ask, I haven't noticed anyone hanging around the house or seen anyone out of place when we've been out."

The little girl started to cry and Jess decided they had enough for now, the family needed their space to grieve. She looked at Don who had obviously come to the same conclusion she had as he slipped his notebook into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you for your time, we're very sorry for your loss," Don said. "We'll see ourselves out."

The two of them left, neither speaking until they were in the car and Jess let out a sigh, talking to the families was always hard. She was running on empty right now though, this case had been an emotional rollercoaster and seeing the grief of Ashley's family, having to question them through it was almost more than she could handle right now. She needed a break; she needed half an hour away from this case and all the bodies of young women.

"I'm gonna call Danny and have him take Lindsay to speak with Nicole. We are gonna go get the breakfast we skipped this morning," Don told her as he dialled his cell phone and Jess wondered when he had learned to read her mind.

"I'm not going to argue."

Lindsay looked through the passenger side window of the car as she and Danny made their way to the school Ashley Hail had attended. It was coming up on lunch time and she was sure that Ashley's class mates would have noticed her absence by now. According to Don and Jess, Ashley's parents had claimed she never missed school unless she absolutely had to. In the last two years she'd had a sum total of three days off, two when she could barely get out of bed to go to the bathroom never mind school and one for her grandmother's funeral. The lack of her presence in her classes would not have gone unnoticed by students or teachers and they knew for a fact that the school had not yet been notified.

"You're quiet," Danny commented as the school came into view. She felt his concerned gaze on her and she had known despite her efforts not to let it show that he would be able to tell something was wrong.

"I'm fine Danny," she replied, the car coming to a stop in the parking lot. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"This is a tough case Linds, none of us are sleeping well, there's nothing wrong with that," Danny said and Lindsay looked at him with the smallest trace of a smile. She had a tendency to be too hard on herself, she knew that and so did Danny, when she struggled with a case, she saw it as a personal failing.

"It's just... I'm finding this one a little hard," she admitted, knowing it would do her good and that Danny wouldn't judge her for it.

"A lot of young women, girls really, are losing their lives here Lindsay, you'd have to be inhuman for it not to get to you," Danny stated taking her hand from her lap. "If you need to talk..."

He trailed off and Lindsay smiled, genuinely this time, he was fine until he realised he was talking about feelings and sounding like a 'softy' at least in his opinion. "Thanks."

They both got out of the car then and spotted the Principal standing near the entrance to the school. They had called ahead to let him know they were coming, that their visit was regarding a student but they hadn't been specific, it hadn't felt right at the time to tell him over the phone so they'd opted to do it in person.

"You must be Detectives Messer and Monroe," the man greeted them; he seemed apprehensive but given that their presence couldn't mean anything good Lindsay wasn't surprised. "I'm Gavin Daniels, the principal here. I'm sure whatever you're here to tell me isn't a conversation for the open so why don't we go to my office."

They followed Daniels to his office; the students were still in class so the hallways were more or less empty. Daniels office was much like Lindsay remembered her own high school principal's office being, she'd been there enough times to remember it. She and Danny took a seat opposite the principal who straightened his suit nervously.

"We're here about Ashley Hail," Danny informed him, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, her absence has already been brought to my attention, it's unusual for her not to be here, even more so for her parents not to have notified us," Daniels replied. "Is she alright, has something happened?"

"I'm sorry Mr Daniels but Ashley Hail was murdered last night," Danny told him and Lindsay watched as the older man paled, his eyes widening and his hands going to the desk to steady him even though he was sat down. They allowed him a moment to absorb the news, to wrap his mind around it before continuing.

"I know this is a shock but we need to speak to you and to Ashley's friends, anyone who might know anything," Lindsay said gently and the man nodded, taking another moment to gather himself back together. "If she saw the school's councillor recently that would be a good place to start."

He nodded again. "I'll have her brought here right away."

He used the intercom on his desk to speak to his receptionist asking for the woman to get the councillor.

"How are her family?" he questioned.

"They're still trying to process everything," Lindsay told him and he nodded his head yet again, words seeming to elude him for now. There was a knock at the door a moment later and a young woman stuck her head in.

"Eva come in, this is Detective Messer and Monroe with the NYPD, Detectives this is Eva Brandon, she's the school guidance councillor," the principal introduced. The woman smiled and shook their hands, curiosity and wariness warring for dominance over her face. "They're here about Ashley Hail, she was killed last night."

"Oh my God," the woman exclaimed, her legs going week and her hand going to the desk for support. "Ashley's dead."

Danny moved aside to let the woman sit down for which she gave him a grateful nod, the tears in her eyes just about held back for now. "You've seen her recently," Danny deduced from her reaction and the woman nodded, giving Daniels a small smile as he handed her a glass of water.

"She's been a regular visitor for the last couple of years," Eva told them, her hands shaking as she held the glass. "She's a very committed student from a family with a lot of drive and high expectations, she often felt the weight of them and would come and talk to me when she felt she needed some release from it. She's really gone?"

"I'm afraid so," Lindsay replied. "We believe she was killed by a man that has killed several other women."

"The ones from the news?" Eva asked. "But they were all.., prostitutes and drug addicts weren't they, Ashley wasn't like that are you sure it was the same person?"

"We're sure, DNA confirmed it. There's a lot about Ashley's death that doesn't fit with the other crimes, we need to find out why," Lindsay told her. "You said she often came to talk to you when she felt under pressure, when she needed a release, is it possible she had other ways to get that release, ways she wouldn't have told people about?"

"Absolutely not," Eva replied immediately. "Ashley definitely felt the pressure but she was one determined young woman, she had her mind set on being a doctor and she would never do anything to jeopardise that. She always handled whatever was thrown at her and when it became too much she would come and talk to me."

"She must have had something though, some way of coping with it all outside of her sessions with you," Lindsay said knowing that as much good as talking often did, a way to blow off steam, some sort of coping mechanism was also needed to keep from buckling under pressure.

"She did," Eva smiled. "She and her friend Nicole would rent some movies, buy as much junk food as they could and spend a night watching movies and being teenage girls, makeovers, painting toenails, talking about boys and clothes, just a break from everything that stressed them out."

"Nicole was her closest friend right?" Lindsay asked remembering the brief conversation with Don and Jess.

"That's right, Nicole Peters, the two of them were inseparable and both equally ambitious, Nicole wants to be a lawyer and they were both prepared to work hard for what they wanted... Oh God does Nicole know?" Eva asked.

Lindsay shook her head. "Not yet, her family were only informed in the early hours of this morning, they haven't had the chance to let others know yet."

"She'll be devastated... may I be present when you speak with her?" Eva questioned and Lindsay gave her a small smile.

"I think that would be very helpful," she stated and then turned to Daniel's who was stood close by listening in. "You may also want to notify her parents, I'm sure they'll want to take her home after we speak with her."

The man once again nodded his head and left the room, most likely to have his secretary call Nicole's parents.

"When was the last time you spoke with Ashley?" Danny questioned from where he was now standing beside Lindsay's chair.

Eva looked thoughtful for a moment. "It was in her last session with me... four days ago."

"Had she mentioned anything strange, a feeling she was being watched or followed, anyone hanging around that she was concerned about?" Lindsay asked and Eva shook her head after a moment.

"No there was nothing like that and I believe she would have told me if something was wrong," Eva replied. "However anything she didn't tell me she undoubtedly told Nicole, like I said, the two of them were inseparable, they were each other's rocks, I doubt there were any secrets between those two."

"Then we'll need to speak to Nicole."

Nicole was brought out of class as her father arrived; he had demanded that his daughter not be questioned without his presence. Danny and Lindsay had taken the opportunity to speak to a couple of the teachers, all of whom were shocked and upset by the news, all of them with nothing but praise for Ashley and none of whom had any useful information for them. Nicole arrived in the Principal's office and took a seat on the couch next to Eva, her father standing close by as Daniels introduced the two detectives.

"This is about Ashley isn't it?" she questioned, her voice terrified but sure of the answer.

"I'm afraid so," Lindsay replied softly, leaning forward slightly in her chair. "Ashley was killed last night."

There were tears in the young girl's eyes that she blinked back as she nodded her head, her expression giving off more maturity than any girl her age ought to have. She bit her lip, clearly battling with her emotions but at the same time reaching for Eva's hand by her leg, searching out that little bit of support. Lindsay found it slightly odd that she didn't even look at her father, who was standing right next to the couch but she wasn't here to delve into their family relationships.

"I knew something was wrong, she didn't turn up for class this morning, I tried to call a few times but it keeps going straight to voicemail," Nicole stated as she looked at both detectives. "I guess you have the phone though, right?

"We do," Lindsay replied, it had been in Ashley's purse. "I know this is hard but we need to ask you a few questions, is that alright?"

"Yeah," Nicole said, glancing at Eva who gave her a small smile and nodded her head.

"Did Ashley ever mention any concerns she had about someone, maybe some who gave her the creeps, someone who was always hanging around her?" Lindsay asked, Danny sat back in his chair, allowing Lindsay to lead knowing the girl would likely respond better to a woman.

"Not really, there's a guy in a couple of our classes that has a crush on her, he keeps trying to talk to her and he's kinda weird, he gives all the girls the creeps but... I don't think he would hurt her," Nicole stated.

"She ever mention having the feeling she was being watched or followed?"

"No, she would have said something, not just to me but to her dad or a teacher, she was pretty sensible," Nicole replied with a small smile that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "When we would get in a car she would always remind people about seat belts."

Lindsay smiled. "Did you ever notice anything, someone hanging around, someone staring at her, anyone that made you uncomfortable?"

"No, Ash and I spent a lot of time together but I don't remember seeing anyone like that," Nicole replied.

"Did the two of you ever go anywhere you shouldn't have?"

"I don't think I like where this is going Detective, my daughter would never involve herself in..."

"Daddy, stop it," Nicole interrupted. "They have to ask these questions, it's their job and if it helps them find whoever hurt Nicole then I'll answer anything they ask. A friend of ours had a party, Joey Finn, he doesn't exactly live in a great party of the city, his mom works here so that's how he got in the school, he wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. He's a really nice guy though, kinda like me and Ash, head in his books, he wants to get a good job so he can buy him and his mom a nice house. It was his eighteenth birthday and he invited us to his party. I don't think he expected us to turn up but we had some free time before Ash had to be at the hospital she works at so we decided to just head over there for an hour."

"You did what?" her father questioned angrily but Nicole ignored him.

"It was Ash's idea," she smiled fondly. "She thought it would be a really great surprise for his birthday because we knew he didn't think we'd be there. So we bought him a couple of nice birthday presents and we went to see him. The party was actually pretty nice despite the neighbourhood, his friends were all very polite and Joey was so happy that we showed up, genuinely surprised but I think it really made him happy that we took the time to go there. We had something to eat, gave him his presents, wished him a happy birthday and then left. Ash went to work and I went home to do some homework."

"That was very nice of you both," Lindsay told her, making a mental note to check that out.

"You don't think that was it do you?" Nicole questioned fearfully. "You don't think that's where whoever did this first saw her. I mean, it could have just been random right?"

"We don't believe it was random," Lindsay told her sympathetically. "But at this point we have no way to know where this person came across her. Can you tell me when this party was?"

"It was just a few days ago, Friday afternoon, we were both supposed to be going to the library. I thought it was a good idea, I agreed to go, if I hadn't..." Nicole told her, panic edging its way into her voice.

"You couldn't have known and we still don't know that was where this person saw her. You were doing a nice thing for a friend, no one can fault for you that," Lindsay assured her and Nicole nodded, once again blinking back tears. They got little else from Nicole, just a couple of names that were worth chasing up, more to eliminate them than anything else and Nicole left with her father.

"Nicole definitely gave us a lead worth following up, I wonder why Joey wasn't in school today," Lindsay stated as she and Danny got back in the car. They'd asked to speak to Joey once Nicole had gone home but they'd been informed he wasn't there, neither was his mother.

"That's a question for Don and Jess to ask him," Danny replied.

"Poor Nicole, she's got a pretty nasty road ahead of her," Lindsay stated, knowing from personal experience that getting over losing your closest friend, especially at such a young age, was hard, at times it felt impossible.

Danny reached over and held his hand out for hers, keeping his eyes on the road and she took it, took the support he was offering her. "She's a tough kid, it'll be rough but I think she'll work through it, and she'll be stronger for it."

She knew there was hidden meaning in his words as his fingers squeezed hers. "She's far too mature; I think she was possibly the most mature person in that room."

"She's got a good head on her shoulders and she certainly knows how to put her father in his place," Danny stated. "My guess is he wasn't quite prepared for how quickly she'd grow up when he was pushing her for all those years."

"You have to wonder how much of being a kids she's been missing out on, playing in the park, parties, teenage rebellion," Lindsay smiled and Danny smirked.

"I think she's rebelling in her own way, she definitely isn't being told what to do," Danny replied and Lindsay conceded his point. Apparently Nicole didn't need tattoos and boys in leather to rebel against her father, just common sense and a stubbornness to stick by what she wanted to do rather than what her father wanted. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm gonna starve."

TBC