big thanks to Princy for being the unofficial beta
Chapter 6 – Dinner at Parents'
Saturday came way too fast and all Gail could do was hope for the best, she herself had no idea what her mother would do or say. She promised her girlfriend to pick her up, so when the time arrived, the blonde knocked on the door waiting for Holly.
"Hi," smiled the doctor nervously.
Gail could not respond with her jaw dropped down on the floor. Holly was standing in front of her in dark grey trousers and wine-coloured bottom up shirt with decent red embroidery on the left shoulder and arm. "Are you trying to turn me on?" asked the officer in a husky voice.
"Is it too much? Should I change?" the brunette started panicking and left to her room.
"Hell no." The officer snatched for her hand and pulled her closer for a kiss. "You look great." The other woman smiled shyly and put over the suit jacket. "Alright, now it's too much," said the blonde. "Honey, you are not going to a court."
"I kind of feel like I do."
Gail had no idea if everything was going to be alright and she did not want to make false promises, but also she knew she had to calm the precious person down. "Holly, I have no clue what will happen, but I can promise you I will fight for us." The brunette nodded and the constable pulled her into another assuring kiss.
Elaine Pack stood by the door sooner than the two lovebirds could leave the car. They took a few more moments for themselves to mentally prepare for the unknown.
After a quick introduction at the arrival, they were seated at an oval table with a glass of wine that Holly brought as a gift. The first glass the blonde sipped fast impatiently waiting for the interrogation which came right once all the meal was settled on the table.
"So Molly, what do you do for living?" asked Mrs Peck.
The woman in question swallowed her bite and replied politely. "It's Holly and I am a forensic pathologist."
"Is that so? Why pathologist?"
"I find it fascinating. Every case is a little different and there is always something new to learn. Plus I like digging into things and revealing the truth." She looked at Gail sending her a small smile. The blonde stopped in the middle of her hand movement to take another bite of her meal. Holly was really good at that digging, especially when it came to get under the officer's mask. "Anyway it gives me satisfaction to set innocent people free and help the culprits to be sent to jail."
"You like to play judge and jury."
"No, that is my father's job. I prefer the issues of lab and science."
"Now when we are talking about your family –"
"Elaine, stop the questioning," Mr Peck interrupted his wife. "We all know you have already done the background check on Holly." He turned to his daughter and smiled. "Tell us how you two met."
"In a crime scene," replied the younger woman.
"That is not very romantic," commented her mother drily.
"That is who we are, Mother. A nerdy doctor and a reliable copper."
"Speaking of which, how is the detective rotation going?" asked Elaine.
"I haven't really –" but she was interrupted by the senior officer again.
"Gail, with this attitude you will stay in your uniform for the rest of your life. And –"
The elder lady was stopped by a doorbell. Mr Peck went to answer the door and Gail felt really relieved when she noticed who the newcomer was.
"Steve, welcome, my boy," greeted the Inspector jovially.
"Hi, I finally made it. Sorry for the interruption, Mum," he offered a not-so-sorry apologised look to his parent and went to greet the doctor and his little sister, pulling her in a hug while she whispered to his ear a word of thanks.
"Of course," responded their mother. "I was just telling Gail that she should apply for detective rotation."
The young man sat opposite to his sister on the left of his mother side and loaded himself a plate of potato salad and slice of meet. "Well, Mum, you know my opinion. Gail would definitely rock as a TO and future leader. As a detective," he shrugged, "I don't know."
"Really?" wondered the blonde woman. "You have never told me that."
"You must find your own way, Gail," he said cutting a large piece of meat. "Dad, the steak is amazing."
"Thank you. And wait for the cheese cake you mother made," he smiled at his wife and then looked back at the doctor and his daughter.
"Dad, stop staring at us," said Gail through her teeth after long intensive moments that his father's eyes were placed on them.
"Sorry, I am glad you have finally opened up," he replied and continued eating.
The sound of falling cutlery was heard as Gail dropped her fork. "Excuse me?" She looked from one parent to another a few times.
"William," growled Mrs Peck warning her husband.
"Time for dessert. Gail, can you help me?" said the Inspector and the two Pecks collected the dishes from the table to make space and left to the kitchen leaving Holly alone with the mother. The blond woman was not very fond of the idea but hopefully her brother would step in if the conversation became uncomfortable.
"Dad?" asked Gail leaning against the kitchen counter as she filled the dishwasher by the dirty plates. "How long do you know I might be… you know."
"You were quite a tomboy, which might be caused by the hard raising up, but then at the academy, you always talked about girls more than boys. I just haven't been sure how much you took interest in them."
"Neither did I. Actually I still don't, but Holly…" The young woman sighed heavily watching her father slicing the cake. "Are you mad?"
"Of course not, Gail. You are my daughter, I want to see you happy."
"Is it a cliché or truth?" The father stopped the slicing and looked at her with hurtful eyes. "Sorry, Dad. It is kinda hard to believe that the Peck family would be okay with someone out of order."
"The Peck family yes, you are not the first gay in the family, sweetheart. And since your mother is a part of the Pecks, we had a long discussion. I understand her harsh methods of raising our children, but if she would interfere with your love life, only because you are a lesbian –or bisexual–, we will have a serious problem."
She hugged her old man repressing her sob of happiness. "Thank you, Dad."
Gail took the plates with slices of cake and spoons, and entered the diner, hoping Holly did not run away yet. Instead she found an interesting conversation that made her smile wilder. Her girlfriend rocked!
"Something like that, Mrs Peck."
"Actually Molly, it is Superintendent Peck."
"Actually I am still Holly. My apologies, I haven't been taught police ranks, nevertheless I am willing to learn something new." She heard her precious person saying in her usually charming dry humour with a small smile on her lips.
"Two golden stars mean Inspector as is my husband, a golden crown represents Superintendent, me. We highly appreciate our achievements."
"Thank you."
"What about you? Do you have any higher goals or you are fine with dissecting dead people."
"So far I am content with my work but if we go for titles, then it's Medical Doctor, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in specialisation of canines and PhD in pharmaceutical science." The room was filled with total silence and many mouths agape. "Anyway I dare say you already know that, Superintendent, didn't you?"
"Yes, she did," answered Gail for her mother as she was coming with the desserts. "It is very embarrassing that my mother did a check up on my girlfriend and now is not even hiding it. Here you go," she placed the plate in front of her girl, then the rest of her family members. "Dad is coming with coffee."
The rest of the evening went pretty well if Gail excluded her mother being like a hawk watching Holly's every move and every word. Once the blonde was in the kitchen putting another amount of dishes into the dishwasher, the Superintendent came in.
"So?" the younger woman asked looking at her parent knowing there would be some comments.
"I understand what you see in her, even though she is a woman. What I don't understand is what she sees in you. Holly has three academic titles and you are still just a Constable."
At that moment the blonde had a flashback several days ago when Priscilla asked her a very similar question. What did the doctor see in her?
"Well Mum… we were friends and I guess that friendship grew over the boundaries and… you know."
"I am not asking about your relationship, but what a sophisticated person can see in you except a phase? We both know you are not a long term relationship material, Gail. I was at least trying to find you a decent man who can keep you down and instead –"
"I found an amazing woman who gets me. Whom I can talk to, share things, have fun. Someone who is always here for me."
"But why?"
"Because Gail is worth it." Both Peck women turned to the door where Holly stood leaning against the door frame. "Underneath the rough exterior, there is a beautiful soul, which obviously only a few people are privileged to see." The blonde blushed deeply, she could feel the heat rising to her ears and cheeks. "Not to mention her devotion to her job, respect for my work, loyalty and great sense of humour."
The youngest of them looked at her mother, waiting for some sarcastic comment or another deep personal question, but Elaine only snorted with a knowing smile that no one knew what really meant except the said woman. She went out of the kitchen leaving them alone.
"Nice move, Doctor," Gail praised her girlfriend speech and kissed her gently. She felt Holly shivering under her touch. "Are you alright?"
"I am trying not to stress out." She cleared her throat. "Anyway Priscilla called they found a dead body with a gunshot and she believes there is one more, but hasn't found it yet."
"Great, let's get out of here. Steve!" called the blonde. "Gunshot wound, are you coming with us?"
"Sure, nothing says good evening like more work," stated the Peck brother.
They said their goodbyes and once in the car the couple let out a deep breath. Since Holly had only one glass of wine long hours ago, she drove them to the crime scene which was about half an hour from the Peck mansion.
"I expected worse," said Gail, talking about the dinner.
"I am still not sure if your mother was messing up with me on purpose or/and if I screwed up."
"At least you were able to react and pretty well. Chris pretended he was Greg and you would have better conversation with a stone rock than him at that time."
"Oh, swell," said Holly sarcastically.
"By the way, when did you become vet and pharmacist?" the blond woman remembered the earlier revelation of titles.
"I am not a proper vet, I would need to pass some more qualification. I only needed to know as much about canines as I could and since there was a lot of similarity to medicine, it was not that hard to pass the exams. I admit it was definitely not with flying colours because pathology was my priority, but I passed anyway and pharmacy was similar. I needed a deep look into natural healing to substitute the chemical medicine."
"So it was because of Silver," stated Gail drily, her minds in deep thoughts.
"Yes." There was a silence that made the brunette look at her girlfriend. "Gail, you have nothing to be jealous of."
"I am not."
"Yes, you are.
"Hmph."
"Look, Priscilla is my best friend, my sister, she is the person that saved me from myself, and she is always there when I need someone. That time, six years ago, she needed me both as a friend and as a doctor and I knew I could do that, to study more fields. I would do anything for her the same way I would do anything for you."
"Did you two ever hook up?"
"As in a relationship?" The officer nodded. "No, there wasn't that kind of attraction between us. We have this deep understanding but that's all."
"Are you attracted to me?"
"Since the first moment you stopped me in the woods and called me 'Lunchbox'."
Gail smiled and looked out of the side window again. For the rest of the drive they did not speak but the blonde promised herself to have a deep French conversation the first thing suitable. Meantime she reached for her duffel bag and changed into her uniform. At times like this she wished to be the detective without the need to change every time she got to work.
"Hey, what do we have here?" asked Holly when they reached the wavy hair police worker. She turned around her eyes blazing green from anger at some forensic.
"What took you so long?" she asked.
"Family dinner with my parents," replied the blonde looking around the scene. She could see a hole around which stood a group of forensics.
"Oh shoot, I am really sorry, why didn't you say so? I would have asked someone else." asked the other officer looking from one to another. Gail frowned measuring her colleague thoroughly. Sometimes it looked like she tried to separate the lovebirds and now she was apologising for interrupting a family dinner. That girl was more hot and cold than Gail herself! "How did it go?"
"I am not sure," replied Holly a bit confused. "Tell me what you got for me."
"Oh well, one body in that pit with a gunshot to the temple and gun in hand. It is hard to say if it's suicide or murder with suicide or double murder because some FORENSIC NOOB," she practically shouted looking around to a young dark skinned forensic who turned around and shrugged, "opened a bottle of ammonia right in front of me. And I cannot sniff the second body."
"Then look around, detective," snapped Gail looking at the ground for any signs.
"It's night and I lost my smell."
"Maybe looking for red blood stains would help."
"Yea, talk to dog about colours," sighed Priscilla rolling her eyes. "Just like yesterday Traci asked me about some black dress."
"It was crimson, Pris," commented the detective coming to them. "Anyway, tracking team is on its way with dogs."
"No need," called Gail not so far from them. She stood on the child playground in the send. "I believe my medical jurisprudence has improved enough to recognise this as a human hand." Immediately Holly reached her side and knelt down. "This is sick."
"I cannot imagine bringing Leo here to play with a dead body."
"More like only with body parts," said the pathologist and revealed only one arm from the sand. "I guess we will need the tracking team after all." Gail summoned an enormous amount of her willpower not to throw up as the body was found all over the playground.
"Holly, what can you say about these victims?" asked Traci.
"Both females, early thirties. This one is dead approximately forty hours," she pointed at the body parts now put together, "was definitely murdered according to the cuts," she pulled away some muscles to see the bone, "the murder weapon was probably a saw or something with rough edge. When it comes to the second victim, she is dead less than twenty-four hours, I need her in my lab to examine the gunshot wound but it looks like a homicide too." She obtained a quizzical look from the detective and the blonde officer. "If you look at the hands," she turned the palms up and examined the fingers, "she was left handed, but the weapon was found in right hand."
"Alright," sighed the dark skinned woman. "Bodies to the lab, Priscilla you go with Holly. Gail, Andy, Chris, you talk to the neighbours."
"By the way, they were not killed here," said the wavy hair police worker. "They smelled like they had spent several days on a farm or something like that. They didn't have the city smell, if you know what I mean."
"So, let's asked the people if they saw someone digging graves," stated Traci and the team started their task.
Days later the forensics tried to provide as many answered, hints, clues as possible while the officers tried their best to find the murderer. Alas there was no luck in finding the culprit. The atmosphere was tense because they all knew it was a matter of time before there would be another victim.
"Gail, wait up," called Priscilla after they shift. "I'm going with you to pick up Holly."
"Joy," said the blonde drily rolling her eyes. "Why did you have to find an apartment in the next building?
"I did not. Holly pointed out there were some flats for rent."
"And now you have to tag along." She took her jacket and headed out of the station. "Don't you have someone to sniff?"
"The problem here is that I have no connection to the butcher. We must do it the old fashioned police way."
"You said you smelled a farm from those victims, can't you track the farm then?"
"After all I am not a complete dog. Actually I have to wonder myself where this particular farm is because so far no luck. What about your work?"
"Nothing the forensic sent us tips of some locations based on the spores they found but nothing."
"I wonder why the killer brought them here to the city and buried them in kid's playground."
"I wonder why they were murdered at the first place." Many people made Gail angry but she would never literary killed anyone. There were other ways of getting rid of somebody without taking their lives.
They reached the morgue and descended stairs to the autopsy room. It was eerie silent without anybody around.
"Darn," swore the smaller officer running to the guard station in the corridor with the blonde hot on her heels. Priscilla checked the pulse but nothing. "You can call the funerals."
The police women checked the autopsy room but everything was on its place and cleaned. They nodded to each other and ran up to the doctor's laboratory. At the sight their breaths stopped. Everything was in a grand mess, they assumed there was a fight. The research and dished were on the ground, computer screen turned over and papers all around the floor. Gail immediately found her cell phone and called the station while her colleague searched for something. Once she found it, she handed the thing over. It was Holly's car key. "You drive, I make some phone calls. Lend me your phone."
"Where is yours?" asked the blond officer on their way to the parking lot.
"After I lost my third cell within two months I gave up on these devices."
They arrived to the station which now looked like a bee hive with all officers buzzing around. There could not be seen a single tired face as all workers were busy browsing through the station doing their best.
"Peck, Silver," called the Staff Sergeant to attract their attention. Both women came to the rest of the crowd under the stairs where Frank stood. "Now listen up people, finding doctor Stewart is our primer priority. We couldn't find the killer for days, now we have to find them within a few hours so go and work your butts off, I want to see results!" Most of the officer went to mind their own work, only a few stayed for more information.
"Frank, we can find her," said the newest of the 15th.
"That should be my line to you," he smiled sadly as he turned to his office.
"No, I mean give me people and I will find her," insisted the brunette.
"Priscilla, you could not find the killer for days and now you believe you can track them down without any improvement?"
"Yes, because I had no connection to them. Now they have Holly and after over fifteen years of friendship I dare say our connection is pretty strong. I know her smell. I will not track the killer but Holly. I can do that, just give me backup."
"It is risky to send you out just like that."
"Frank, for heaven's sake! My best friend is missing. If you don't send me out then I will go as off duty because I will not just sit around."
"Sir, let me go with Silver," asked Gail. "She is our best shot anyway."
The Staff Sergeant sighed heavily looking around at the rookie's hopeful faces. "I am not convinced. Peck for your own safety you are staying here."
"No way," protested the blonde. "I am going."
"Your mother will have my head on silver plate if anything happens to you."
"Then get us on duty and send us out," insisted the younger woman. "First and foremost I am a police officer not a doll."
"Look Frank," said Priscilla impatiently, "just give me a backup team. I talked to the bomb squad and there is a guy on the way here just in case we will need someone to disassemble a bomb. I also talk to the Hospital Headquarter of Ontario and they have one ambulance on alert for us in every city."
Just then a heavy dressed young man entered the police department with a bag over his shoulder and a sign of EOD on his bulletproof vest.
"Andrews?" wondered the male officer.
"At your service, Sir. I heard my skills might be needed," he said with a wide grin.
"Priscilla, what is your plan?"
"Me and Peck, are going in Holly's car not to attract too much attention and Holly always has some useful stuff in her jeep. Then I need a police car to back us up and keep contact with when we need more hands, but no sirens and no lights turned on, just the fully equipped car with tracking device that will be connected to Holly's car or someone's cell phone. And loads of luck."
"Gail, I understand you and the doctor are close but you are staying here."
"But Frank –"
"No."
At that moment Gail cracked. She wanted –needed– to go even if it would mean revealing the truth and not just letting people wonder. "I am off duty now and I am going to find my girlfriend whatever it takes," she stated firmly.
"Girlfriend?" Best frowned and tilted his head looking at his rookie.
"Come on, it's a public secret." Gail looked around at the not so surprised faces of the other officers.
"Frank, I make sure Peck is in the back line of fire," said the transferred police worker at the edge of her nerves. "Let's get going already."
"Diaz, Epstein, Peck, Silver, suit up. Tobi you will go with the men in the squad car," the elder man gave up and trusted in his people not to screw this up.
"What can we do?" asked Andy and pointed to the rest of the team.
"Find the bloody bastard and give me a reason not to kill him instantly," growled Priscilla. "Look for someone with homophobic activities."
"Why?"
"Because both of the victims were lesbians," Traci cleared out the confusion. "That fits," she snorted shaking her head as she realised the resemblance of cases.
"And that is why every minute is precious," stated the blonde officer. "The shot victim was found less than twenty-four hours after her death."
"Sir, I would like to go to the field," said Nick. "I have military training I can be helpful."
"With what? Killing Holly?" asked Priscilla sarcastically.
"I am a professional."
"And that is why you attacked her here at the station."
"Enough!" called the Staff Sergeant. "Collins you go but you are under Silver's command. What she says you do without questioning. That applies to all of you." He looked at the youngest of his officers and then back at the new one. "Let's see if you were senior for a reason or only because your father is a Judge." He fetched for something to his office. "Diaz/Epstein 1550 and Collins/Andrews 1551. These are our newest cars, fully equipped with the benefits of armoured body. Try not to destroy them completely."
thank you for still reading! ;)