A/N: Jade finally emerged! I know people have been asking about her.
And whoever the killer is, apparently is watching our characters closely.
Shout out to Quitting Time: I like your ideas and again, no I'm not telling if you're right or not hahaha ;-)
David sat in his solitary cell. For obvious reasons, he wasn't placed in general holding given his reputation as a cop.
"Vega!"
He looked up at Harold, the guard.
"You have a visitor."
David stood as Gary appeared, giving Harold a courteous nod.
"What do you want?" Mr. Vega huffed.
Gary scratched his head.
"Listen, David. I know the last time we spoke hasn't been pleasant..."
"Are you kidding me?"
David's former partner sighed.
"I know you're cross with me, but this wasn't completely me. Holly is...was an adult."
"Don't say her name, asshole!"
"Excuse me; but I seem to remember that you fucked up first."
Vega charged toward the bars and grabbed them like he could tear them off himself.
"I know what I did! And I've done nothing but pay for it. But even you have to agree that I don't deserve all of this bullshit!"
Gary looked toward the exit door.
"She was...emotional...I should have been a better friend and rebuffed her but...It's been a tough couple of years. I was lonely and..."
He looked up at David and switched gears.
"But that's no excuse. I shouldn't have gotten between you two."
He then took out papers from his coat and gestured to Harold.
"Maybe this can be a start to atone for my part in this mess."
"What are talking about?" asked David.
"You're being released," Harold replied as he unlocked the door. "There's been some developments in the case."
Vega cautiously exited the cell and began to walk alongside Gary.
"When I heard you were here," he explained. "It didn't feel right. This isn't you. I've been around long enough to read people and you don't strike me as the type."
"So what happened?" David asked.
"There was an incident at Hollywood Arts," Gary replied. "Cat Valentine, one of Tori's friends; she was attacked. She's okay but pretty shaken up."
"Where's Tori?"
"She's at the school with her."
David rubbed the back of his neck.
"Good. Good."
"There's more. The night you were at the archives; I was actually parked across the street at that submarine sandwich shop."
"Mikey's," nodded David. "Still get the same old thing?"
Gary shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. Anyway, I noticed you running out of the building, and you left so quickly I didn't get a chance to say anything. Then my scanner picked up the possible Code: 2 at your house so I assumed the worst."
"Yeah," David sighed.
"Now that I was able to corroborate your account of when you left the archives and this new attack, you have a solid alibi for every single instance in this case."
"Gary..." he stopped his old partner and shook his hand. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. You're no longer a suspect officially but you're still very much a person of interest. Too many loose ends. So don't leave town and all that."
David continued on with Gary.
"What else have they found?"
"The two young EMT's that were transporting Trina's body were brutally murdered."
His eyes widened.
"What?!"
"It gets worse..." Gary bit his lip before dropping the next detail. "The body is missing. Just taken; body bag and all."
David grabbed Gary's shoulders.
"They took her?!"
"David, I really need you to dig deep. If somebody has a vendetta against you, then this person is only getting started."
The father paced a bit and stared at the wall.
"Do you have any clue how many bastards I put away? We could spend weeks just compiling a list."
Gary nodded.
"I think it's safe to rule out the mob."
"How so?" asked David.
"I've seen the photos," Gary shuddered. "That doesn't look like the work of a contract killer. A true cleaner looks at murder the same way we look at shaving or doing taxes," Gary explained. "They want it quick and quiet but effective. This perpetrator here was like a wild animal."
David tugged at his ear and stroked his five-o-clock shadow.
"My daughter is dead," David sighed. "Now her body is missing. And my other daughter isn't even safe at her own school!"
"This has personal written all over it, Dave. And I'm worried that they're only getting start-"
"How did he know?" he asked himself quietly.
Gary leaned in.
"Huh?"
"How did the killer know where the ambulance was going?"
David then stiffened and began taking off. Gary started running after.
"David, WAIT!"
"JADE!"
The goth hugged her friend tightly.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The redhead nodded.
"She said she kicked him in the face," Tori said.
Jade cupped Cat's face.
"That's my girl."
"They said that it had to be a student."
Cat's words made Jade look nervous.
"Really?"
"The school was mostly locked at the time," Tori explained. "And we got in through the front where Derrick stood guard. Nobody from the outside could have made it in."
"How do we not know it wasn't some lunatic sneaking into the school earlier and hiding out?" asked Jade.
"I guess we don't know," replied Cat. "But police are talking with all of the students."
Jade grumbled and folded her arms.
"What's wrong?" asked Tori.
"Just don't like the idea of a witch-hunt, okay?"
"It's not that bad," Cat said.
"Not that bad? Anytime the next Littleton, Colorado occurs the weird or unusual teens are scrutinized."
"Don't you want them to find who killed my sister?"
Jade stopped cold and looked Tori in the eye.
"I'm out of here," the goth declared and started heading out. "Just don't get your hopes up, Vega. In my experience, the cops are more interested in finding somebody to blame instead of cracking a case."
She then stormed out. Cat gave a sad look.
"What's her problem?" mumbled Tori.
"Can we get out of here?" asked Cat. "I want to go home."
Tori hugged Cat and helped her stand.
"Okay, let's go."
"You!"
David grabbed Woods by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"What the fuck is this?" he exclaimed. "How did you get out?"
"That would be me," said Gary. "David, let the man go. I just sprung you and you're gonna put your hands on the man who put you behind bars? Not smart."
He huffed and relinquished the detective.
"Who are you?" asked Woods. "His lawyer?"
"No," Gary replied, shaking his head. "If I was, I'd be holding a flask."
David glanced back and sneered.
"Always the smart-ass."
"Will one of you please explain why I don't have you written up and nailed to the wall for that?"
"I heard the paramedics transporting Trina were killed and her body was stolen."
"Yeah, we heard about it this morning." Wood waved his hand for Konrad to join the conversation. "Pretty gruesome."
"How did the murderer know where the ambulance would be?" asked David. "I want answers!"
Konrad and Woods exchanged confused glances.
"No idea at this time, Vega" replied Woods.
"Well, the way I see it; the only other person who knew where the wagon was going is dead. So someone in this room tipped him off!"
"How do we know it wasn't you?" asked Konrad, surprising Woods.
"The fuck you just say to me?"
"Konrad, Jesus!"
"If I did, you little twerp; where would I have put a human body?"
Gary stepped in.
"And also, he's been here the whole time and this double homicide occurred hours later."
"There's still the matter of the diary we found," Woods reminded David.
He rolled his eyes and pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Let me look at that...closer," David demanded.
Konrad produced the diary from a plastic bag marked 'EVIDENCE'. He passed David white gloves. The sergeant reluctantly put them on and proceeded to examine the book.
He flipped through some pages at random and stopped at a particularly wordy section and read it silently.
The other cops in the room looked on.
After about ten minutes, David passed the book across the table toward the detectives. It was open to a part he had just finished reading.
"There's some vile things in here," he admitted. "That we can all agree on. But this is somebody's disturbed imagination. And Trina certainly didn't write it."
"How do you know?"
David sighed, holding the bridge of his nose.
"I've seen my daughter's handwriting develop since she could hold a pencil. This isn't her; it looks like somebody trying to imitate her."
"Do you have a sample we can give to our handwriting analyst?" offered Konrad.
He looked at the rookie and nodded.
"That's using your head, kid. And yes, I do have something."
"This Saturday night will mark the one year anniversary..."
David bolted out of the room to where that broadcast was coming from. The others followed him.
He stopped at a TV in the main squad room that was showing the news.
"Holly Vega, wife of LAPD Sergeant David Vega, was found dead in a fiery car crash..."
Images flashed on the screen of the wreckage and the most recent photos of Holly.
"Believed to be an unfortunate accident turned out to be sabotage as the brakes were found cut from what was a sharp instrument..."
Gary put his hand on David's shoulder.
"An arrest was made for Ryder Daniels, reportedly the rejected boyfriend of Vega's youngest daughter..."
The teen's mugshot was plastered on the screen.
"His bond was posted and he was released in the custody of his parents until the trial..."
Someone noticed the sergeant in the room and quickly turned off the TV.
He didn't say anything as he left the squad room.