A/N: Yes I'm back…curse having to work for a living… :(
Between work, and catching up on everyone else's updates, I've neglected my own! Rectifying as of now.
Thanks to everyone for the follows and reviews, it's very encouraging.
This story still isn't beta'd. All mistakes are purely my own!
Please feel free to give your feedback, good or bad. I can handle it :)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any thing...I'm just borrowing for a while, and promise to return everything unharmed when I'm done!
TRIGGER WARNING: possible trigger, descriptions of violence and harm to women.
/\/\/\/\
Jane awoke to the shrill sound of her phone ringing whatever ridiculous rap song she'd assigned to Frost's ring tone a few weeks ago. She groaned and reached for the phone, just before it vibrated itself off the nightstand.
"Rizzoli." Jane listened as Frost informed her about the homicide they'd been called in to. It looked so closely tied to their current case, there was no way avoidable for Jane not to be there. "Ok, I'll be there in…30 mins." She ended the call and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling, which was barely illuminated by the late afternoon sun peaking in around her curtains.
This case had been a nightmare from the beginning. Two women, brutally beaten and murdered, bodies left in a busy parking lot downtown. The women were roommates, and worked together at a local café just near the parking lot. They had both not lived in Boston long, and were living together to save money to enrol at BCU. Their families lived on opposite sides of the country. Everyone who the detectives had interviewed said that these were the nicest two girls you could ever meet; they had no enemies anyone could think of.
The killer was either very lucky or insanely smart. No single piece of trace evidence had led anywhere. A very generic car carpet fibre was found on one victim. It was used in about 45 different models of cars in currently being manufactured, which was practically impossible to trace where it had come from. This, they had presumed, is how the bodies were dumped in the parking lot. No other hairs, fibres or prints were found on the body. Whatever the killer had used to administer the beatings, a uniform cylindrical object about an inch in diameter, had left no particles behind for testing. There were cigarette burns on the stomach and forearms of each victim. Both victims had scrapes and bruising around the wrist and ankle areas, as well as several large sites of bruising on the arms, legs and torso, with broken bones at most of those sites also.
Jane sighed, knowing that, once again, movie night with Maura would be postponed, and the team would be up all night again. Disappointed and somewhat upset, she sent a text message to Maura.
Another vic tied to dbl hom case. Movie night cancelled. Rain check? – J.
Of course, as soon as we're free. We both have the upcoming weekend off. Is Saturday night good for you? – M.
Only if I pick the movie. No docos for the doc! And lots of BEER! – J.
Acceptable conditions. I'll see you at the crime scene soon. – M.
See u soon Maur – J.
Jane climbed out of bed, threw a sweatshirt and track pants on over her sleepwear, and staggered into the kitchen. She contemplated making a coffee, when the whines and scratches of Jo Friday at the front door caught her attention. "Ok, Jo. Let's take a quick walk. Then I've got to get going. Duty calls!"
/\/\/\/\
Thirty five minutes later, Jane parked her cruiser down the road from the crime scene. She exited the car, locked up and made her way down the block towards another parking lot. Situated at a gas station just a few blocks from the last crime scene, Jane hoped that someone had seen something that may help them with the case.
Stopping at the crime scene tape, Jane showed her badge and identified herself to the patrol officer on duty and stepped under the tape. She approached the parking lot towards the back of the property and promptly found her fellow detectives in a hive of activity. Glancing around, even Maura had gotten to the scene before her, as she was currently leaning over the body, performing her usual in depth, on site examination. Korsak noticed Jane heading over and went to greet her.
"Jane, sorry to wake you, but you need to see this. Another vic, young female. Looks to be very similar MO to our double homicide. Beating, burns, dumping, it's all there." Jane nodded, and walked over to the body, crouching down next to Maura.
"What've we got, Maur?" Jane glanced over the body, grimacing. Indeed, it did look like this victim had met a very similar fate to the two victims from their current investigation.
"Jane, obviously I cannot tell you much with certainty until I have completed a full and thorough examination of the victim. I can tell you that the victim certainly wasn't killed here. There is not enough blood here at the scene to suggest that is a possibility." Maura had barely glanced up to greet Jane, she was well and truly focused on her current task. Jane, still barely awake, almost laughed at the predictability of the M.E.
"OK, thanks Maur. Meet you back at the morgue for the autopsy?" Maura turned to Jane and smiled. Jane felt her heart beat a little faster in her chest. She loved seeing that smile. Maura never gave anyone else that smile, and every time Jane had seen it lately, it made her feel warm and fuzzy. She was so busy mentally scalding herself about being so warm and fuzzy that she almost missed Maura's reply.
"It would be a pleasure, Detective," Maura gave another flashing grin. "We should have the body back to the precinct and ready to begin the autopsy within the hour. Shall I message you when I'm ready for you?" Jane swallowed hard at the thought that popped into her head at Maura's choice of phrase, imagining her provocatively posing against the autopsy table, leering at Jane to join her. Jane coughed and quickly shook her head to clear the image from her mind, before she said something she would regret.
"Uh…yes…hour…message…sure! I'll, um, see you then…" Jane smiled awkwardly at Maura, who gave Jane a very puzzled look in return. Jane quickly stood up, hoping Maura didn't see the blush creeping rapidly across her face. She turned around and found herself face to face with Frost.
"Frost!" Jane almost screamed as she jumped in fright. "I'm going to head back to the precinct and start working this case, can you and Korsak finish up here?" Frost looked puzzled, but knew better than to second guess Jane Rizzoli.
"Uh, sure, Jane. I'll see you back there then…" Jane nodded once and walked away towards her car, leaving both Frost and Maura wondering what on earth had just happened that made Jane Rizzoli almost run from a crime scene.