Chapter 7:
"Agent Jenson."
Deidra picked her head up from the file she was digging through and found Lieutenant Seeper nearly on top of her, "Good morning, Lieutenant."
"Where were you last night?" he asked in a hurried voice.
"Talk about getting to the point," she chuckled a little and tried not to break her feigned innocence, "Analise and I stayed with some friends last night. It was a party to take our minds off of work. They even took our cell phones from us to get us to chill. Best sleep I've had in a while. Why?"
"You haven't been back home yet?"
"I wish," she sighed, "It was a little awkward showering somewhere other than my own bathroom."
It actually was quite weird to think about showering in the sewer. She felt a little better once Donatello showed her how their water purification system worked. Otherwise she probably would have risked the trek back to her apartment for her familiar shower.
"Then I got some bad news for you."
"Just what I needed…" she rolled her eyes with a sigh, "What's going on?"
"Someone, or something, broke into your apartment last night and wrecked the place. We didn't know where you were and the officers at the scene noticed your car in your parking space. At first they were sure that we would find your body somewhere in the debris."
"Though luck on that. Our friends picked us up and took us down to their place," she frowned in thought, "How bad is it?"
"Pretty bad in the living room, but your rooms were pretty much intact."
"Analise is going to have a fit. We just bought new furniture for the front room," she groaned and rubbed her head, "Well our friends did offer an extended stay."
"Some good friends."
"They got the room," she shrugged, "Why did you say 'something'?"
"There were witnesses that said that they saw a very large animal run through the building from your apartment," he explained, "They thought that they saw you and your roommate as well."
"Well, as many different people coming and going into that building, they probably saw someone. Very doubtful that it was me."
"You are okay, though?" he looked down at the bottom of her pant leg and caught a piece of a sports wrap near her ankle.
"Good eye," she smirked and lifted her pant leg to show him how small the wrap actually was, "Got a little too much of Jameson in my system last night and caught the end of the coffee table. Felt like a set of jaws when it happened too."
"Alright, party animal, let's get into briefing. The others are wondering about you too," he patted her on her back as they walked back to one of the briefing rooms, "At least now I can give them some answers."
"After the briefing," she frowned, "I want to nail this guy down."
"That's the Agent I was looking for. Here's the new files and photos we will be going over," he smiled as he handed over a small file. They walked into the room with the rest of the team already assembled. The others began to take a breath to ask Deidra questions, but Seeper put his hand up, "She's fine. She's was at a friend's place last night with her roommate. I just gave her bad news this morning. You can question her all you want after the briefing. Let's nail this bastard."
The others nodded and then turned their attention to the front of the room where Algut was ready to present. He cleared his throat and patted down the front of his suit jacket, "Sorry to be the bearer of worse news… There has not been another abduction, but there has been another body."
Deidra's eyes drooped a little bit and her shoulders slumped. She didn't think that they would have found the abducted victim before last alive, but she had that piece of her deep down in her stomach that always hoped.
"Her name was Francis Delone," Algut motioned toward the large screen behind him where a picture of a twenty something young woman smiled for the camera, "She was a twenty-three year old English student and was taken during a girl's night with some friends outside one of their regular bars. Some of her friends said that they were joking around with some of the passing cars, pretending to be hookers. Her friends looked away while she went up to a black sedan and when they looked back she was gone."
"That was smart," Edmunds huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Don't killers usually dehumanize whores?"
"Doesn't matter what they do or who they are," Deidra growled at him which made him sit up straighter, "A life is a life. And this girl deserves to get her justice against the sick-o who did this."
"Well said Agent Jenson," Darson nodded and then looked back to the front, "Please continue, detective."
"Remember this face, ladies and gentlemen," he looked at the screen, "Because the way we found her… is nothing like what she was."
Deidra prepared herself for gore and blood as she was used to. She wondered if the bastard had clubbed in her face or tore it off in some kind of experiment, but it was none of the above. As the slide changed the face of the once beautiful young woman switched to that of one that resembled something between a human and a canine.
"A mutant?" Deidra whispered the question. The others in the group leaned forward in their chairs as they took in the pictures from the scene. Darson had already seen the body and had run some tests, so she was more prepared then the others, but it still shocked her to an extent.
"Almost seems like one, doesn't it?" Algut asked and watched their reactions.
"I examined the body personally when it came in this morning. Along with the obvious changes in her physical shape, she was also sexually assaulted," Darson reported from a sheet of paper in her hand, "She was raped before the mutilation began."
"You mean mutation…" Deidra said hesitantly.
Algut went to the next slide which had a picture of the body and the surrounding area, "She was found a block from where she was picked up last week, right in the gutter."
"She's so different, how do we know it is her?" Edmunds asked.
"I took samples of the blood and ran it against her DNA profile that we got from her parents," Darson sighed, "But there was something that was… well, lack of a better term… added to her profile."
"Added?" Deidra tilted her head a little, "Is that even possible?"
"Apparently," Algut pointed to the next slide that laid out all the changes in her body, "Either that or this bastard is getting really good with a scalpel and grafting."
"Her profile had traces of canine, actual animal DNA," she sighed, "No specific breed, though. He could have used a mutt, or mixed breed."
"Would just the introduction of animal DNA do something like this?" Seeper asked from the back of the room.
"No," Darson shook her head, "Whoever we are dealing with knows chemicals and their reactions with living tissue. There has to be a chemical catalyst that I just can't identify. At least… not yet."
Deidra ran a hand through her hair in frustration and looked closely at the pictures on the screen, "Do we have any suspects?"
"A couple, but it's touch and go," Algut went to the last slide for this portion of the presentation which held pictures and small profiles of three men. All looked clean cut and what could be seen as charming, "We had three so far. One is Brandon Sanchez. He's an ex-boyfriend of one of the first victims, Chelsea Tilen. He also had connections with one of Miss Delone's friends. Not to mention he is in school to become a doctor. He's dropped out quite a few times despite being bright. And the cherry on top, his best friend owns a dark colored sedan."
"So why is he not being questioned?" Deidra asked.
"He is, but his mother is his alibi and this kid was breaking down in the hot seat," Algut shook his head, "I doubt he's our guy. Although you never know what kind of show these guys will put on for you."
"We might still need to watch him," Deidra nodded, "Next?"
"Alfred Sinclair," Algut pointed to the next guy down. His dark hair was tied back into a low ponytail and his glasses hung low on his nose. Deidra's ears perked up and she leaned closer to the screen.
'It couldn't be…' she thought to herself.
"That sounds like an alias," Edmunds said and looked closely at the guy in the picture, "Doesn't it, Agent Jenson?"
"Yeah, a lot like one," she narrowed her eyes at the screen, "What connections does he have?"
"One, he owns a black sedan and is listed as having an old residence in the area of most of the abductions," Algut went to explain, "He has some background in biology and anatomy. I don't know about his Chemical knowledge, but he is a good runner up."
"Why is he possibly a doubt?" Deidra asked.
"He's been missing for the past two years," Algut shrugged his shoulders, "Disappeared, really. We think that it was an alias like the doctor said and he took another identity. It's something we are checking into thoroughly."
"And the last one?" Deidra's head was still wrapped around Alfred, but the briefing needed to go on.
"Fredrick Shoemaker," Algut pointed to the last guy, "But he was taken off the list this morning."
"Why's that?"
"He was found dead by pain killer overdose in his apartment," he shook his head at the picture of the guy, "He had been dead for at least a couple of days by the time we found him. With all the trash that he had in his place, there was no wonder why no one called about the smell."
"I think we really need to focus on this Sinclair guy," Deidra frowned and clutched the new file with hers, "We need to find him, question him and take him down. I don't like how close he is to the un-sub."
"Let's get a plan set up here, folks," Seeper stepped to the front of the room while Algut sat down, "We don't have long. And neither does Miss Velmont."
Four hours after the start of the briefing Deidra stretched her arms over her head and rubbed her eyes once she made it out into the main hallway with natural light. She looked out the nearest window and at the skyline. It was only noon… so why did it seem so much later? Maybe she was just seeing a timeline from the victim's point of view. Time was running out.
"Agent Jenson?"
Deidra looked away from the window and back toward the briefing rooms they had set up as their command center. Doctor Edmunds stood awkwardly in the doorway and looked at her from top to bottom slowly, "Or is it Deidra?"
"We're in a business setting; I think that we should keep this all professional, Dr. Edmunds. Agent Jenson is strongly preferred."
"Right, of course," he nodded and walked into the room where a few officers were eating their lunch. He stood eight feet from her and looked between her and the view from the window.
"Can I help you?" she asked with her hands on her hips. The guy creeped her out, but she wasn't going to let him know that.
"The lieutenant said we could check with you after the briefing about last night," he said slowly as if checking his words before he said them. Perfection complex, Deidra guessed, "So, I was just wondering how you knew not to go home last night?"
She tilted her head a little to the side, "It's not like I knew or didn't know. I went to a party with some friends and my roommate."
"You two are close, huh?"
"You know," she crossed her arms with a loud sigh, "I really don't think you have any right to ask about my roommate or anything personal. So, let's just set some ground rules now. If I think you need to know anything about my life outside of this building or outside this case, I'll tell you."
"You talk to the lieutenant more than any of us," he shrugged, "I just thought that you might want another ear to listen."
"Lieutenant Seeper and I have gone through quite a few cases together. And I have enough support, thanks."
"Will you think of me as a friend, should you need one?"
Deidra narrowed her eyes at the man and then looked over his shoulder, down the hall near the front desk of the department. She noticed Analise had come in while they were still in the meeting and waved at her from down the hall. Deidra sighed in relief and looked back at Edmunds.
"Excuse me, Doctor Edmunds," she walked around him, "It looks like I have a lunch date waiting for me."
"Lunch date?" he asked and watched her walk to the front of the department. He saw the brunette at the front of the building with a medium bag wave and greeted Deidra. He examined her for a moment, but then walked away quickly once the girl tried to lock eyes with him.
Analise hugged her friend in greeting and showed her the goodies that she brought with her, "I thought that you'd need more nourishment than what you had from the vending machines, I just hoped that I had good timing today."
"Right on time, you don't even know," Deidra looked over her shoulder and saw that Edmunds was gone.
"Who was that?"
"The Forensic Analyst I'm working with," Deidra grabbed the bag and rummaged through it a little bit to find slices of pizza with different toppings and a couple of packages of sushi.
"What was with him? I looked at him and he ran," Analise followed Deidra back toward a quiet break area.
"Maybe he likes you," Deidra smirked and saw her friend make a face.
"That's a whole pasta bowl full of awkward sauce," Analise shivered and sat down at a table while Deidra pulled a five dollar bill out of her pocket. Analise picked it up and looked at it, "What's this for?"
"We had a bet that no one had animalistic features like Henry, but that guy in there takes the cake," she nodded toward where the analyst ran, "So, I'm paying up."
"He did have a heck of a nose. Not to mention his one eyebrow," she shivered again and then pocketed the five.
"He's definitely a creeper. If you are all I need to keep him away, bonus points for me," she set out the sushi and a couple of the meat topped pizzas, "Who made lunch today?"
"It's from Michelangelo and Splinter," she smiled and grabbed a piece of Hawaiian pizza from the bag, "They heard that I was coming to see you during lunch and whipped up something for us."
"That was nice of them," Deidra sat down and began to eat with her, "What do you think of Splinter?"
"I think he is a very nice guy. Wise too," she nodded her head as she bit into the slice, "Gave me some great advice on some art related work. He's a big fan of the renaissance era, thus the boys' names. I think he may get some inspiration running too."
"He had definitely good vibes, that's for sure," Deidra smiled and took a piece of sushi in a pair of chopsticks that were with it, "It was nice for him to accept us like that. I was thinking there would be more of a struggle with how Raphael and Leonardo were going at it."
"Maybe he sensed our position and wanted to help," Analise shrugged and looked at the clock on the wall, "How long you got for lunch?"
"About forty-five more minutes," she checked her watch, "Why, you got somewhere to be?"
"No, not yet at least, I just didn't want you to have to rush through lunch."
"Don't worry on that. I love sushi," Deidra chewed thoughtfully on the piece she had, "But we will need to talk about certain things I am not allowed to here after my shift today."
"Anything particular?"
"A few things," she nodded, "We will go over it in detail when I get back to our friend's place."
"Gotcha."
After lunch Analise bid Deidra good luck since she saw the strange forensic guy waiting by the briefing room. He reminded her of someone. Maybe it was the posture, or even the way he slinked away. Probably his lame escape above anything else. While working with Deidra she has seen a lot of guys slip away into the darkness or what they thought was an escape.
She looked down at her shell cell once she was back in the sewer system and pressed a button that loaded up a map. It was a great feature to have while they were down there. She had to thank Donatello for it later, not to mention finally giving her and Deidra a run through of how to get a hold of them. A few missed turns and a couple wrong pipes tweaked later she finally made it back to the lair and found the front room empty. She thought that Donatello would have been in his lab, but he probably got tired enough to get some sleep. After they had talked the situation over with Splinter last night he didn't head to bed like the rest of the group. He was too preoccupied in the puzzle of what that creature actually was. Analise could relate, she hated to leave a mystery or puzzle unfinished.
She heard faint hits coming from one of the tunnels. Leonardo was saying something about a dojo down that way last night. It sounded like two of them were sparing… and arguing.
"Leonardo and Raphael," Analise whispered to herself and went toward the kitchen area where she disposed of all the trash and put the left over pizza in the fridge. Michelangelo would more than likely want some later. She looked around for the turtle, but noticed his skateboard missing from the side of the door. He probably went out boarding in the tunnels.
"Good afternoon, Analise," Splinter greeted as he came into the kitchen and saw her empty bag, "Did Deidra enjoy her lunch?"
"Yes, she did, Splinter. Thank you very much for the sushi," she smiled and bowed her head a little, "Neither one of us has had it in a while. It was a great treat."
"A treat I will be more than happy to provide every once in a while," he chuckled and put a hand to the side of his mouth, "My sons are not very accustomed to the taste of fish. And I must say that I enjoy the company of others who will share the dish with me."
"Would you like some tea?" she asked with a giggle and got the tea pot filled with water, "I was going to make some of a new blend I wanted to try out. Not big on tea, but I thought that I would at least try."
"I would love some, thank you," Splinter sat at the small table to the side of the kitchen while Analise prepared it. She poured them each a cup and brought it over to the table.
"I heard Leonardo and Raphael," she sat down and took a sip of her tea, "Sounds like they are going at it."
"They spar with a great ferocity with one another," Splinter nodded, "It helps them understand one another better. Especially in areas where they cannot express themselves with words."
"Hm," Analise thought it over as she took another sip, "I have to ask. What made you accept us so easily into your home? We pretty much just threw ourselves into your lap, so to speak. Both Deidra and I feel a little guilty for it and feel like we should apologize."
"None needed," he chuckled a little after his last sip, "You are in need of help and you are good people. I can sense it, just as it seems you could sense it from my sons and I."
"That's true," Analise nodded, "It feels so comfortable in here. As if you could just be yourself. Sadly, there aren't many places that feel that way anymore."
"You and your friend are welcome to stay as long as you need," Splinter offered.
"Thank you so much," Analise smiled and thought it to be both strange and normal to be talking over a cup of tea with a giant, Japanese rat. It was so conflicting that she knew if she thought on it too long it would cause one giant headache for her later.
"Besides, I believe that a few of my sons would be most disappointed in your departures," Splinter interrupted her thoughts and looked toward the front of the lair where Michelangelo had just come back from his ride through the sewers. Michelangelo's face lit up once he saw Analise sitting with his sensei.
"Hey Ana, hello sensei," he greeted as he came into the kitchen and smelled over Analise's shoulder, "Whatcha' drinking?"
"A blend of tea I picked up from the store," Analise explained, "Would you like some? I can pour you-"
Michelangelo leaned over further and took a sip from the cup that Analise was still holding. Splinter watched as Analise blushed a little and then smiled to himself.
'Very disappointed indeed.'
"Tastes good, but tea isn't really my thing," Michelangelo explained and headed toward the refrigerator, "Was there any pizza left over from lunch?"
"A few slices," Analise cleared her throat a little and sipped from her cup again, "Deidra said thanks for the couple of slices she ate."
"No problemo," Michelangelo smiled and saw his sensei get out of the chair, "You don't need to leave, sensei. I'll just sit in another chair."
"I think it is time for some focused mediation," Splinter explained and finished his cup of tea, "Thank you for sharing your tea and time, Analise."
"Anytime, Splinter," she nodded to him and watched him walk back to his room.
"So what did you and Splinter talk about?" Michelangelo asked.
"Oh, nothing too much," Analise rolled her eyes and smiled mischievously, "Just took out a photo album and looked at your baby pictures."
Michelangelo began to cough on the pizza in his mouth, "What?"
"I'm kidding," Analise laughed and patted him on his shoulder, "I just thanked him for letting Deidra and I stay."
"I know I couldn't just leave you two dudettes out in the cold like that."
"How was the ride today?" she nodded toward his board.
"Smooth," he smiled, "I should take you out there. It's pretty radical."
"I'll take your word for it; I don't think I'm brave enough for it."
"And yet you could face murderers?" he lifted his eye ridges at her, "Come on, you'll be with me. Perfectly safe."
Analise hesitated a little bit and looked at the modified skateboard, "We'll see."
"I'll wear you down," he said in a definite tone.
Analise thought the best thing to do was to skip back a discussion and hoped that he would forget, "The room you guys put together last night was great."
"We're going to empty out the room next to it later today so you two can have your own space."
"You guys don't have to do that," Analise put a hand over one of his.
"But we want to," Michelangelo flipped his hand over and held on to hers.
She smiled at the small gesture and squeezed his hand slightly, "You're probably one of the sweetest guys I know."
"Hey, do you mind keeping that kind of sappy stuff out of the common areas?" Raphael asked as he walked by the table and grabbed a slice of meat lovers off of Michelangelo's plate.
"Raph!" Michelangelo frowned at his brother while Analise had reclaimed her hand and held both of them around her cup of tea which she downed.
This was definitely going to be an adventure she won't forget.