Here's the next in my Weekly Wednesday update!

Ch.2 Not Exactly A Happy Reunion

The drive was long but the view was magnificent. Geoff had to fight to hold in a whistle while he drove his FBI-issued SUV through the rich part of town. Manson after mansion all stood side by side, impossibly green gardens and grass stretched the already spacious properties.

The blonde forensic anthropologist beside Geoff was reading through some files, "It seems Heather married multimillionaire Richard Lambton when she was just twenty-two and had Bianca shortly afterwards. Barely a year later, they divorced and had a series of ugly custody battles and divorce cases. In the end Heather made it off with half the Lambton fortune, Bianca, a quarter of his estates and vehicles, and a third of any profits made by Lambton's company."

"Whoa, I guess she really went all 'Desperate Housewife' on him huh," he chuckled for a bit but then changed the topic in a stern voice, "Bridge, we have to discuss a few things before we reach Heather's place,"

Bridgette turned and faced him, not quite sure how to react, "Okay, discuss what?"

Geoff cleared his throat, already having gone through the conversation in his head. "Well, since Heather wasn't the nicest girl on TDI…"

A slight snort coming from his partner cut him off for a moment.

"But since we're investigating this case, we have to remain impartial, we can't just pin that much suspicion on Heather and have a biased opinion or else my boss is going to kick us off this case. I already had to argue with him about letting us investigate this case"

"Well we can't be so impartial and unbiased in that in the case where Heather is truly suspicion worthy that we disregard the evidence just because we don't want to seem like we're gunning for her." Bridgette countered.

Geoff's brain felt like it was drowning in quicksand, "…okay. You know what? Let's just promise we'll treat this like a regular case okay?" The two reached their destination, a stately, white manor the almost five times bigger than a normal house. The black SUV silently made its way to the golden gate, held on the side by a meter-high granite block walls. Geoff rolled the window and faced the security camera and intercom.

"ID please," a gruff voice came through. Geoff flipped out his FBI badge towards the camera.

"This good enough?" he asked cheekily, "We're here to see Ms. Heather Mills on the matter of her daughter." There was silence on the other line, then a "just a minute."

The golden gates opened slowly and Geoff drove his car up the curved private road.

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"Ms. Mills is right this way, sir," a formal looking butler of around fifty years lead the two to the back of the mansion where the outdoor pool was located. Beyond it, Bridgette could see a tennis court, a majestic field of grass with a reflecting pool and fountain and a giant life-sized chess board as a lawn decoration. She felt torn between being amused by the outrageousness of it all and the deep wrenching twist in her gut every time they broke the bad news.

Heather Mills was sun bathing by the pool, decked in a designer swimsuit (Bridgette didn't even know such things existed) with sunglasses and a sunlight reflecting sheet. Despite being thirty-one, unnecessary Botox injections had rendered her looking slightly older than she seemed.

The butler quieted cleared his throat, "A Mr. Geoff Murdock of the FBI and a Dr. Bridgette Dodson is here to see you madam."

The socialite barely moved her head up. "Do I know you?"

"Uh, Heather? It's us, Geoff and Bridge from TDI, we were on the Killer Bass team..."

Slowly recognition hit her eyes and the other two could see the cogs working at the back of her head, wondering how she was going to react."Bridgette! Geoff! It's so nice to see you! How long has it been? Fifteen years?" Despite sounding happy, she made no move to get off of her chair and shake their hands, "Alfred, get these two a drink will you?"

"Actually we won't be staying long…" cut in Bridgette. "We came here in regards to your daughter…"

Geoff could've sworn that the only sound that could be heard for the next few seconds were that of a distant bird. Heck, even the water in the pool seemed to have stopped moving. Heather shifted, but only slightly, a sudden change swept through her, like sifting sands. When she spoke again she seemed normal, but Bridgette had seen everything going on in her mind through her eyes.

"My little Bianca? You found her?" This was definitely not the Heather Geoff and Bridgette knew, (and let's face it, hated) from the reality show.

Although Geoff was sorely tempted to say, what's left of her anyways, training restrained him from doing so and thus he merely replied, "We found her body in a pumpkin patch. We're suspecting murder."

"Of course it was murder you idiot! Why else would an innocent little girl disappear and never be seen again for a few months?" Heather looked like she was about to cry, but if life had taught her anything, it was that you always have to maintain control over a situation or people will just walk right over you.

Despite the sorrow she felt as a human being towards the tragedy, Bridgette had a few choice words to tell Heather. It was their job, "Do you remember where you were that night?"

"You people are seriously thinking that I could have killed my own daughter? How in hell did you two become top crime solvers?"

"Actually, filicide is unfortunately common, in fact…" she shook her head, "never mind." She took a deep breath and started again, trying to compose her mile-a-minute thoughts, "realistically, you have to admit that it could happen; as investigators we have to look at every option. It could have been, for all we know accidental…"

"But I loved my daughter," Heather replied testily, "you people should've done some research before you go accusing people of murder!"

Before Geoff could reply, Bridgette started on her slight tirade. "You loved who you turned your daughter into!"

The next few minutes, unsurprisingly, didn't go so well.

"You are exactly the epitome of those mothers who parade their children and try to force them prematurely into an emotionally stunted, beauty obsessed world where they'll grow up to believe that all it takes to be successful are fake concern for the world, unnecessary surgeries and large breasts!"

That last part made Geoff do a double-take in the midst of him trying to get a word in edgewise.

Heather, who was way past the point of being calm and collected had stood up and shouted, "You two better leave and go do you actual jobs and find out who killed my baby girl; and the next time you think of accusing me again I swear I will have an armada of lawyers at hand." She pointed to the exit where her butler was standing, trying to hide his amusement.

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Back in the car Bridgette and Geoff were thinking, or rather, Bridgette was thinking, still on her slightly high horse and Geoff was worrying out loud about how things went.

"When she said armada of lawyers, she was kidding right?" Geoff said nervously, while avoiding being the cause of a horrible driving accident, "Because Leshawna is not going to be happy if highly paid lawyers, working for Heather no less, will be thrown into the case."

"You think I was too harsh?" The question jarred out like a beaver in the arctic. "I mean, Heather did loose her child and…"

"Hey, it's okay," turning to face her, he saw the skeptical look in her eyes, "well, it wasn't okay, but you know, Heather was always so harsh on people's mellow. I mean she called you fat if I remember correctly…So yeah, let's just say your anger got the better of you." He was thinking of mentioning how hot she looked getting riled up but after considering for his well-being he decided against it.

"It's not just that," she looked out the window, the scenery blurring by, "When I was still in university I did a paper on the impact of beauty pageants and shows of the like."

"I bet it was a real best seller,"

"I got the top mark in my class!"

"…of course it did."

"Anyways, it was horrible how obsessed people are with those things. Failure at winning could literally ruin an entire family!" She paused; hand on chin in reflection, "I mean, it was more so on the pets and dog shows but the principle is more or less the same right?"

Unsure what to say, Geoff took one hand off the steering wheel and patted her hand, smiled and nodded, "Sure…"

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"So Dr. B, I heard you chewed out the Heather Mills this afternoon, might I say, it's about damn time!" Maurecia playfully slammed her fist on the glass table of the Jeffersonian longue while Peyton, who was beside her, whistled jovially.

Bridgette put down her fork, obviously not going to be finishing her salad in peace "Does everyone know about the incident?"

"Well, considering Geoff talked to district attorney Leshawna about Heather having a flotilla of lawyers and then Leshawna yelling and ranting about it at the FBI headquarters and everybody hearing, yeah, that's a good assumption."

It was Sarah who finally entered the conversation, "Actually I heard that Heather said armada of lawyers."

Bridgette gave up, and leaned against the railings of the longue, looking down at the medical platform where Bianca Mills' remains used to be placed. She sighed, "So, what do we have so far?"

Sarah took out a red folder and strewed the glass table with glossy photos. Peyton, lifting his coffee cup to avoid spilling started, having read Bridgette's notes on the skeleton, "We know that the cause of death now is blunt force trauma first to the left side of the head," he pointed to a picture of the crack on the skull with massive radiating fractures, "and the angle of the head turning caused her neck to break at the cervical vertebrae between the C4 axis and the C7." He took a sip, giving the floor to Bridgette, who walked around the table at a leisurely pace, mulling something over.

"There are minute fractures along some of the arm, legs and rib bones, but they seem so random and out of nowhere…"

"Maybe she was beaten before she was killed?"

"No, they were postmortem, and the fractures indicate that the force wasn't very strong. I'm thinking her body was pushed against something very hard."

"Well, I'll check and see if I can tell what it is. But for the while the only particles I've found were the dirt and compost from the farm," Peyton, elbow on table and head in hand asked, "So what do we do know?"

Bridgette looked at the group, "You just keep doing what you guys usually do. Maurecia, we'll have the security tapes from the night Bianca disappeared tonight for you to analyze. I will be going home to change into something," she paused, looking for the right word, "nice."

Maurecia's interest was sparked, straightening out in her chair she asked, "Why?"

Bridgette checked her watch, "I'll explain later, let's just say I'll be doing some slight undercover work." With that, she jogged down the stairs.

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