A/N: Sooo...I don't get any reviews... I know, I should be writing for the sheer joy of it, but I feel as though my work is unappreciated T-T. Please review this time around? .
When I look back on these times
And the dreams we left behind
I'll be glad 'cause I was blessed to get
To have you in my life
When I look back on these days
I'll look and see your face
You were right there for me
Faith Hill — There You'll Be (Totally Isabella and Aria's song! This song is definitely to be listened to while reading!)
Isabella sped the truck back to the lab, sinking in the information Alonzo had said. Aria had left her father a voice-mail and she had made the realization on the voice-mail. She had spoken to her maybe an hour or so before death. She weaved in and out of traffic again, the speedometer's needle going from 60 to 90. She pulled up to the lab and she and Mac jumped out.
"Do not tell anyone what we just heard. Only Logan, Danny, Flack, Hawkes, and Daniel need to know besides you and me", she instructed him. This changed everything. They had a rat in their midst. He chuckled.
"Of course", he replied. Daniel was working late that night, Kingston had joked about how much he was working. Logan had Nevaeh, he had no motive to want female cops dead. Danny, Don, Mac, and Hawkes couldn't have committed the murders, they were in New York when they all went down. Those were the only cops they could trust. Isabella swiped her ID and typed in her badge number to get the elevator running to the next floor. She drummed her nails impatiently on the rail in the elevator.
"Be careful on this, Isabella. It's very easy to crawl into a case and not come out", Mac said. She stiffened in shock. Was that what she was doing? She wanted blood for Aria's death, sure, but was she crawling into this case?
"I'll be careful, Mac. This is a solid lead, this blows everything wide open", she replied. Her heart was racing in excitement as the doors opened. She bounded out of the elevator. She quickly sent a text to the people she wanted close to the case and walked into the conference room.
Conference room. Now. Big lead on the case.
She leaned against the table with Mac and looked at the door. Danny and Don were racing each other in the hallway.
"Don't run. The poor lab techs have enough to clean up without your blood getting spilled", she called. She wore a smug smile as everyone piled in and sat down. She kicked the door closed with her foot, crossing her legs again and studying the people in the room. These were the people she trusted with this information. She glanced over at Mac.
"You wanna tell them or should I?" she asked. He chuckled.
"Just play the message", he replied. She pressed 'play' on the recorder and pressed a finger to her lips for them to be silent.
"Hey, Daddy, it's Aria. I just wanted to return your call, I'm sorry I missed it. We have a pretty major case that's been going on, and it's demanded all of my attention", Aria's voice was saying. It was quiet for a second.
"Oh my God, I just thought of something. The killings were getting worse and worse, and the last body was killed with a cop move. Oh my God, the killer's a cop. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God", she said. Isabella stopped the recorder and looked around the room.
"Do not share any of this information with anyone, and I do mean anyone. Our suspect list just narrowed down to the entire department", she said. Shocked looks were evident on everyone's faces. Hawkes was the first to speak.
"I spoke to Doctor Hamilton earlier and he said the defensive wounds on Aria were worse than on the other victims, which means she fought harder and longer. I'd say after she ended the phone call with her dad, she was killed then", he said. She nodded to him.
"The people in this room are the only ones on this case now. Flack, Messer, Hawkes, and Mac were all in New York when this went down, so they're cleared. Daniel has a solid alibi and I had stopped by to see Logan around TOD, so you all are clear. We have a rat in our midst", she said. Her eyes set on Don, who was listening to each word intently.
"Is there anyone around the bullpen that you can think of, someone who's listened a little too closely, or seemed pretty off?" she asked him. He frowned for a moment then relaxed his face.
"Well, everyone seemed pretty shaken up, but now that you mentioned it, one cop was hanging onto a conversation I was having with Detective Harding. His name was...Bud, I think?" he said. Isabella nodded. She knew Buddy Jones. He was a uniform with the Narcotics department with a blatant disrespect for everyone.
"I'd like you to look a little closer at his whereabouts without letting him know", she replied. He nodded. Her eyes flicked to Danny.
"Anything on your end? You've been hanging with the lab techs", she said. He shook his head.
"They didn't seem affected by the deaths until Aria's", he replied. His phone went off and he answered it. He was quiet for a second, then his eyes bugged. He hung up the phone and looked up at Isabella.
"That was Lindsay. The connection with our two cops back home brought them here on a lead. Two of their friends were murdered and they both received a text from the same cell that called them here, promising to give them information. She traced the number and it was a burner cell. Is there anyone here that took a trip to New York besides you?" he said. Her eyes flicked to Daniel. He shook his head.
"Mind looking into that, Danny? That gives us a really solid lead, we're getting close", she replied. This was a good meeting, they were getting close.
"I'll run the prints we found on the doorknob into the system, see if we can't get a match", Logan said. She smiled wider. This was a very good meeting. Mac looked at her.
"I don't think you should go anywhere alone, Isabella. If this guy's bold enough to take down a lead CSI, there's no doubt he'll go after you, too", he said. Internally, Isabella groaned, but she merely nodded.
"Wrangler will start sleeping in my room. If he hears even anything, he'll start barking", she replied. She checked her watch. It was two in the afternoon and her belly growled with hunger. She stood up and walked out of the room. Upon opening the refrigerator door, she saw her lunch was eaten. In the span of one day, she had lost her best friend and some stupid lab tech ate her lunch. She closed the door with a sigh and yelped when she saw Don standing on the other side.
"Did I scare you?" he asked teasingly. She gave him a stern glare.
"Next time you sneak up on me like that, I might hurt you", she replied, crossing her arms. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
"You hungry?" he asked. She started to shake her head, but her stomach snarled its protest. He chuckled.
"I've been here a week and I still have yet to try these famous hot dogs you were so argumentative about", he said. She rolled her eyes and pulled away.
"Then I guess I'd better rock your world then, huh?" she replied. She slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had said.
"That sounded wrong", she said. Luckily, Don had a similar sense of humor. He let out a laugh and nodded.
"And I was so looking forward to it", he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and tugged him after her. She couldn't deny her body food no matter how stressed the day was. The elevator ride to the precinct was short and they walked out of the precinct, to the garage where her car was parked. He let out a low, appreciative whistle when he looked at it.
"This is your car?" he said. She smirked and nodded. She unlocked his door with the key and reached over to flick open the lock on the driver's side and slid in.
"It's got a V8 Hemi engine. Zero to sixty in three seconds", she replied. She pressed the key into the ignition and pressed down on the clutch with a foot to start it. The engine roared under her as it sputtered to life. Her crappy day was always made better when she felt the rumble and roar of her Camaro's engine under her. She flicked the stick into reverse and drove backwards. She shifted the car into drive and drove out of the garage.
"I didn't think you knew how to drive a stickshift", he commented. Her smirk flickered into a haphazard smile.
"I learned how to drive a stick before I learned how to drive an automatic", she replied as they drove down First Street towards Rayer's. Her turn signal flicked annoyingly at the turn lane and she drummed her fingers on the arm rest. She revved the engine under her to keep from stalling out. She knew Phil would be devastated at the news of Aria's death. When she parked the car and got out, Philip Rayer was already coming out of the store to greet her.
"Isabella, long time no see!" the elderly man said. He was in his late sixties with white hair and kind gray eyes. He had known Isabella, Aria, Logan, and Ian all of their lives. The four of them had been going to Rayer's since they were kids. His eyes set on Don.
"Who's this?" he asked. Isabella looked down.
"A friend. He's a nonbeliever in your amazing hot dogs", she replied. Phil saw the hurt on her face when she looked down.
"Want me to punch him for ya, sweetheart?" he asked in a low voice.
"No thanks, Phil. He's cool", she replied. Don chuckled. Phil looked around.
"Well, where's that pretty friend of yours, Aria?" he asked. Pain shot through Isabella's heart as she looked up.
"Aria died last night", she replied. Her voice sounded foreign to her as she said the news. No matter how many times she said it, it didn't sink in. Every time she turned a corner, every time she looked at the elevators, she half-expected to see Aria jumping out and saying it was a joke and what a great joke it was. It wasn't going to happen. Phil's eyes saddened.
"That's a real tragedy right there. She was a wonderful woman", he said. She nodded and hugged the old man.
"I always knew being a cop was dangerous. Was she murdered?" he asked. He never beat around the bush, always got right to the point. Isabella glanced at Don.
"Yeah, she was. We haven't caught the guy yet, but we're looking", she replied. Phil frowned.
"I know just the thing to honor Miss De Luca's memory", he said, gesturing them inside. He went to the digital sign maker he had and typed in something. Isabella looked out front. Instead of 'Beef franks $1.99', it read the sentence in bold red letters: 'In Loving Memory of Detective CSI Aria De Luca. She Will Never Be Forgotten'. He looked at Don.
"Here, I have just the thing you need", he said, shooing them to go sit down. Isabella sat down at the usual booth she had shared with her friends many a-time. Her eyes flicked about the restaurant, taking in the decor. It looked like a fifties diner, complete with jukebox. The wall next to them boasted a picture of four kids: Isabella, Aria, Ian, and Logan. She chuckled, remembering the picture. She had had braces back then, with neon green rubber bands. The four of them were smiling hugely. Ian had had braces back then, too. Don's eyes followed where Isabella's had strayed.
"That you?" he asked. She nodded, rolling her eyes.
"I was twelve or thirteen at that time. Don't make fun of my braces, I had really really crooked teeth back then", she said. He chuckled, taking a closer look at the photo.
"You look cute", he commented. She rolled her eyes. Her hair was super short back then.
"Naw, you do. Not a lot of people could pull off braces", he insisted. Phil had two baskets and set them down in front of them with Styrofoam cups of Cheerwine.
"Thanks, Phil", she said. He patted her shoulder before walking off. She took a bite of her chili dog with onions. The familiar taste of a Rayer's hot dog melted in her mouth as she chewed. There was no hot dog in the world that was better than Philip Rayer's hot dogs. She let out a soft moan as she chewed.
"Enjoyin' that hot dog, Pacino?" Don said, an amused look on his face.
"I never not enjoy a Rayer's dog, Flack. Seriously, it'll change your life", she replied. Phil had gotten him a chili cheese dog with onions. He surveyed his hot dog before gingerly taking a bite. The hesitance on his face vanished.
"See? It's that damn good", she said triumphantly. He chuckled and nodded.
"Holy hell, that's an awesome hot dog", he said, looking at the footlong hot dog.
"Wash it down with the drink, trust me", she told him. He took a sip.
"Careful with showing me stuff here, Pacino, I may never leave", he said. She let out a giggle. It felt good to laugh, even though this was by far the worst day of her life.
"That's Cheerwine. A cherry soft drink indigenous to North Carolina", she explained. He rolled his eyes as he chewed.
"Now you're sounding like an infomercial or a tour guide", he said. She balled up a napkin and threw it at him, frowning playfully. He grinned.
"So, you're better?" he asked. She shrugged.
"How do you say goodbye to someone you've known the majority of your life? There's nothing I can do, and I won't let myself grieve until this is all over. I know that's how she would have wanted it", she replied, looking away. He tilted her chin to look at her.
"This isn't your fault", he told her. Her heart thudded unevenly in her breast as they locked gazes. The simple feel of his skin on hers felt almost intimate. His fingers had gently cupped her face as he searched her eyes. She had never been able to get over his eyes, how gorgeous they were. They were almost too pretty to belong on a man.
"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty", she admitted.
"You'll be fine", he assured her. She frowned.
"I know, that's the problem. My best friend died today, I was upset and I cried for two hours over it, but now I don't feel anything. That's the scary thing", she said. She pulled away from his hand and started shredding a napkin. He studied her.
"It didn't sink in yet, is why", he replied. She allowed herself to look up at him for a moment. He was right. No matter how many times she said it, it didn't feel real yet. She chewed her lower lip for a minute, continuing to shred the napkin. Her phone rang.
"Pacino", she said with a sigh.
"Hey, Iz, it's Ian, I heard about Aria, are you okay?" her brother asked in a rushed voice.
"Yes, Ian, I'm fine", she replied. He hung up and she frowned.
"Musta lost signal", she murmured. Don frowned.
"Think we oughta get back 'fore anyone notices we're not there?" he asked. She nodded, slapping down a ten onto the table.
"Keep the change, Phil", she yelled as they walked out. Little did they know, they were being watched very closely...