Sorry about the slow updates. I kind of have writer's ADD sometimes.
Sharon woke up in Craig's arms. She felt much better about her exhausting work week now. Last night's dinner was amusing. She found it funny that her two kids got along so well, and Craig's two kids were ready to kill each other all night. They were like fire and ice.
Sharon didn't particularly want to think about work right now, but she did want to get her case over with, so she got up, poured herself a cup of coffee. She took her case file to the living room, so she wouldn't disturb Craig and she began reading over it. Jane Doe died when she was in her late 20s to early thirties of blunt force trauma, has been dead for at least 10 years, maybe as many 20 years and she was found in a trunk. She didn't match any missing person's reports as far as they could tell, which means no one filed one in the area. Either she was from somewhere else or no one reported her missing. She had given birth to at least one child, according to Dr. Wick, possibly two different children.
Why weren't her children suspicious about her disappearance? Who would you go to if your mother disappeared as a child and you didn't know where she went? A private investigator?
Sharon looked at the cgi representation. Jane Doe was pretty. She was caucasian, raven hair with blue eyes, high-set cheek bones, full lips. How does no one notice this girl missing? This didn't feel like a typical, man kills wife and ditches body kind of case. For all she knew it was the father of her kids, but what about her own family. Surely, they would have noticed if she was missing. Maybe they killed her and told the husband she fled. Would they have done it together? Maybe she had a drug problem and took off, and they gave up on trying to find her. Maybe they were glad she fled. As various scenario's filled Sharon's mind, none of them seemed to fully do it for her. She abandoned her file, going to the kitchen to make herself breakfast.
Junior woke up alone in his old room. He looked at his phone. He had two missed calls from Stacey. Ugh! The last thing he wanted to hear was her apologizing, her promising not to do it again, her begging for him back.
Stacy was the most beautiful girl in his college. She had also been one of the smartest, a guaranteed success and she was in the marketing industry. Everyone loved her. When he first asked her out on a date, he was floored that she said yes. He didn't think a "perfect" girl like her would go for a guy like him, a man of ordinary intelligence who had to bust his balls off to get anywhere. He did everything he could to make her happy. When most guys started off with dinner and a movie, he took her to her favorite restaurant and then a play.
He always had to work harder to show that he was worth it, but she was with him for the attention. She liked being pampered. She liked being treated like she was above failure, but she didn't want to act like it. She took what she could get when she could get it and he caught her a few times, but she got away with so many more. Eventually, he realized his blind devotion to her was idiocy at its finest. He simply cut her loose, going to her house one day and saying he had enough. They were done. She acted like she had no idea why. She even played it cool when he mentioned Donald, her latest side boy, but Junior knew, and he wasn't going to ignore the warning signs anymore.
She would call and he would ignore. She tried stopping by his house, but he kept himself busy, so he wasn't ever home, and she even tried showing up at his work, but he wouldn't see her. He knew that he needed complete separation, and now, he might need a new phone number.
He got up, walking quickly past his brothers room lest he was having a morning romp with Christine and went downstairs to make breakfast. He looked in his father's fridge and it was very well stocked, as always.
Junior started peeling potatoes. He cubed them and dropped them into ice water to help lessen the starch. He chopped some onion and a bell pepper to make potatoes O'brien. He made a tomato chutney using shallots, cilantro, salt, and olive oil to mix with the chopped tomatoes. He dried the potatoes, heated up a skillet with butter and added the potatoes, sprinkling salt and pepper on top. As the potatoes softened, he added the onion, the bell pepper and a little chipotle powder. He put bacon in the preheated oven and made hollandaise on the stove: adding squeezed lemon juice to the egg yolks, cooking them over simmering water and then whisking in melted butter. He kept the mixture warm and poached several eggs. Now it was time to put the English muffins in the toaster.
Kelly found Craig's bed quite comfortable, although it was a large bed for her to sleep in by herself. She was hungry and wanted to get something to eat. She was in no mood to cook and was hoping he had something simple, like cereal. As she made it towards the kitchen, she smelled something amazing. She peered in and saw Junior cooking. She didn't want to disturb his concentration; he had many things going on at once. It all looked and smelled delicious. Sharon said that Craig could cook, but she hadn't mentioned Junior's ability. Perhaps, she did not know. He didn't seem to be one to talk about himself.
He was just plating the food when a loud noise came from the staircase. "Stop tickling me," Mark fussed as Christine ran her fingers along his back. He laughed as they stumbled down the stairs, loudly bumping the walls as they went around the corner. They both had foolish grins on their faces. They had a good night and an even better morning.
Junior didn't say anything to them. It was too early for their optimism. Kelly got silverware and offered to get drinks for everyone.
"Can I have a mimosa?" Christine requested. This isn't brunch. Kelly didn't even know if he had champagne.
"They're mini bottles in the fridge. Can I have one too?" Mark requested.
Junior shook his head. Kelly retrieved the bottles and some orange juice. She got coffee for herself and Junior drank water. He didn't drink caffeine, and it was too early for alcohol.
"I'd swear he was Mormon," Mark ribbed. Junior scoffed.
Kelly took a bite and it was divine. Everything from the seasoning to the ingredients he used was spot on and Kelly ate at a lot of top restaurants. "This is incredible," she told him.
"Thanks." He wasn't used to people commenting on his food. He seldom cooked for anyone else anymore. He would for Stacey and her revolving door of friends but they would mostly shovel the food in their faces; he doubted they tasted any of it and then head for the bar. Mark and Christine were stuffing their faces too and babbling to each other.
After brunch, Christine suggested they all do something fun. "We could go on a brewery tour or check out a new art exhibit."
They debated on what to do and they finally decided to go to the sculpture garden and then look for the nearest brewery tour.
While they were out, Craig and Sharon had a quiet day at home. He needed to catch up on grading. She was working on the case. Rusty went out to lunch with Lucy. She was supposed to come with them to dinner last night, but then her uncle made a surprise visit and her mother insisted she stay home for dinner.
Tonight, they would be going to a surf and turf restaurant for dinner. Mark and Christine had given up on their vegetarianism, for now. "Who knows, they might become vegans during the meal," Sharon retorted. "Excuse me, waiter, I just decided meat was murder. Can I have a salad?"
Craig snorted. "I take it you've seen a few vegetarian phases from your daughter."
"I've seen every phase. Mom, I'm vegetarian. Mom, I decided to convert to Hinduism. Mom, I'm thinking of joining a yoga retreat for the next two years."
"Well, who knows what they might do before they leave?"
Junior spent little time talking. His thoughts were stuck on Kelly. He was sure something dumb would come out if he spoke. Leave Jason. Move with me to Seattle. He was starting to think like Mark and that scared him.
"Jr. You've barely said anything all day," his brother accused.
"I know."
"Come on. You haven't even insulted me. I'm starting to feel neglected."
"Of course you are you twit."
"That's the spirit. We have time for one more tour before dinner. Let's get drunk."
"And look unseemly in front of Dad's girlfriend."
"But I am unseemly."
"You do have a point."
"Yeah I do! Drunk!"
Mark did show up drunk to dinner as did Christine. Kelly and Junior held back on their drinking.
When they met their parents, Sharon gave them a quizzical look. "How drunk are you?"
"Too drunk to drive. Good thing I don't have a car."
Sharon shook her head.
Christine giggled like it had been the funniest thing she had ever heard.
They sat down for dinner and Kelly recapped their day. "So did you two even leave the bedroom?"
Sharon turned red. "Kelly!"
"Unfortunately, we spent the day doing work."
"Ew!" Mark complained.
"Did you make any progress on your case?" Junior asked her.
"Actually, we did. The anthropologist analyzed the composition of her bones and were able to determine where she had lived. She was born in the midwest, likely Wisconsin, moved to upstate NY then to Los Angeles and then she spent some time in Fiji and then Jamaica and then they're not sure where she died or how she ended up in Los Angeles again."
"You can tell all that from bones?" Christine asked.
"Air pollutants leave an imprint on your bones, so when you move to different places, your bones get different pollutants and you can tell where people have been. It's like rings on a tree."
"So you know where she's been, just not who she is?"
"We're sending a cgi of her to the police in every area, hoping someone knows who she is."
Craig wondered about something. This story almost sounded like his ex-wife. She had been born in Minnesota, near the border of Wisconsin. They had lived in upstate NY together and then Los Angeles before she left him. She ran off with a guy in Fiji, but he had no idea where she had been after that. It couldn't be her, could it? Maybe he should take a look at the photo.
"Earth to Dad," Mark called.
"What?"
"You zoned out."
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't tell me you're going to write on this case? You're no Agatha Christie."
"No!"
Craig kept getting distracted during the meal. He barely batted and eye when Kelly got in another argument with her fiancee over dinner. "No I do not want gold leafs on every entree. … Because it sounds pretentious and who wants gold on their food? … Yes, I just called your mother pretentious …. No I will not take it back…. Call me when you've weaned yourself from her." She hung up.
Damn! "That was harsh," Christine said to her sister.
"I know, I just can't. I mean I know mothers in law are supposed to be overbearing and annoying, but this woman is like Trey's mother from Sex in the City. I just can't deal with her."
"She wanted to put gold on all the entrees?" Mark questioned.
"And the menu she's planned out is ridiculous. She wants everything to be made with truffles and caviar. I want a menu that tastes good and is cohesive, not a bizarre mash of the world's most expensive ingredients."
It was hard for Junior to listen to her complain about the wedding. Just don't marry him. Why isn't it that simple? Because Jason is who she's supposed to marry. He's likely attractive, perfect teeth, perfect reputation, old money. How could a relatively nouveau riche guy like Jr. compete?
Christine noticed that Jr looked depressed. This dinner was shaping up to be an odd experience.
After they got dessert, Christine went to talk to her sister. "Are you happy?"
"What? Why wouldn't I be? I'm with you and Mom?"
"Not here, I mean in NY, with your life."
"I like my job."
"Kelly, I mean your fiancé, the wedding."
"I was, I mean I used to be."
"Then give back the ring, don't do it."
"But everyone's counting on me. We're supposed to be the power couple, take wall street by storm."
"So who cares? I don't care if you run away from it and neither does Mom. We just want you to be happy and you look ready to drive your car off a cliff."
"I don't know what to do."
"Maybe you should move on to Mr. Tall dark and handsome over there."
"Who?"
"Junior. He likes you."
"He barely talks to me."
"Because you're engaged. If you were single right now, he'd be all over you."
"But I'm not."
"But you could be."
Kelly had a lot of thinking to do. Jr got yet another call from his ex. Mark and Christine canoodled some more and Craig asked if he could see the cgi photo for their case.
"Sure." Sharon handed it to him. Craig looked and his heart stopped. That was her. That was Marcia. He hadn't seen her since Mark was two years old. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Is something wrong?"
How do I tell her this? I can't keep it from her. Will she think I did it? The ex always did it. "Can you hand me my phone dear?" He needed to call a lawyer.
She did and then he left the room which surprised her. He came back a few minutes later.
"Craig what's going on?"
"I know her."
"What? You do. Who is she?"
"She's my ex-wife."
Sharon almost had the heart attack next. "She's your ex-wife."
"He nodded."
This was bad, really bad. She shouldn't say this but, "don't tell me anything else and call a lawyer."
"But Sharon I …" didn't do this.
"Craig, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. I'm going to be taken off this case, and I don't know who's going to get it, so call a lawyer and don't say anything without his approval."
He nodded, not wanting to make this any worse. "Who's going to tell my kids?" that their mother is dead.
Her heart panged. They had no idea. "They will get notified in the morning. I'm sorry."
Needless to say, Mark and Junior were both confused when they were asked to come to the police station. Naturally, Christine and Kelly followed along with their mother
"Mom what's going on? Is this about your case?"
"It's not my case anymore, Honey. I can't explain, but it will make sense soon."
Sharon called Chief Taylor last night, interrupting his sleep to inform him that her boyfriend suspected that their dead Jane Doe was his ex-wife.
"Is he sure?"
"He says he's positive, that her location history matches his wife and the cgi does look like his son."
"You know I have to take you off the case."
"I know."
"And we need to debrief you on anything you told him and anything he told you."
"I know."
"Bring him in first thing in the morning."
"What about his kids?"
"How old are they?"
"28 and 26."
"Bring them in too." It was unlikely they remembered anything from 20 years ago, but maybe they could be helpful. Anyway, they had a right to know.
"Dad, what's happening?" Mark was frustrated.
"I need to tell you both that I'm sorry. I lied to both of you growing up because I wanted to protect you."
"What is this about?"
"I'm not supposed to say."
They got there and Craig's lawyer was ready to meet him. The police quickly separated the boys from their father.
Craig was taken to interrogation where Rios was there to question him.
"Do you know why you're here?"
He nodded. Of course he knew. He reported it.
"When is the last time you saw your ex-wife?"
"About 26 years ago."
"According to our expert, she died here about 20 years ago."
"If she did, I didn't see her here. The last time I saw her, I was still in the military. She had our two boys and I was stationed in Hawaii. When I came home, my house was empty. I called her parents and they said she had dropped off the boys for a few hours, but never came back. I went to pick them up and I called the police, but her parents had already called them. There was no sign of foul play. I hired a PI and found out she had run away to Fiji. I called her and she said she wasn't cut out to be a wife and mother and I was better off alone. I never heard from her again. I assumed she was still out there."
"You didn't try to reconcile?"
"Running away to Fiji is pretty final. Plus, my PI said she had a new boyfriend. Some guy named Barasa. From what I heard, he was 6'5 and 250lbs. I wasn't going near him."
Provenza snorted as they watched the interview. "He sounds huge!"
Flynn got to be the bearer of bad news.
"Mark, Junior take a seat."
"What's going on?"
"You're here today because the Jane Doe, the woman we've been investigating all this time, is your mother. I'm sorry to tell you this, but she was murdered, a long time ago, possibly 20 years ago."
Junior shook his head. Of course, they're blaming dad.
"That can't be," Mark insisted. "She wrote to us! Every birthday. Every Christmas. She sent us presents. You must have the wrong woman if she's been dead 20 years."
Flynn frowned. They didn't know he had contacted them. He told Tao who told Rios over the intercom.
"According to Mark, your ex-wife had kept contact with the boys."
Craig realized how bad this looked. He needed a minute alone with his lawyer.
His lawyer suggested he fess up.
Rios came back in. "Have your story straight now?"
Craig frowned. "Just let me tell my kids. They're going to be disappointed."
"Disappointed about what?"
"Their mother never wrote them those letters or sent them any presents. She abandoned them. Her parents and I didn't want them to feel unloved, so we wrote the letters and sent the presents. I would send them to friends and have them send the letters back, so it would appear that she was writing to them as she travelled the world. I couldn't tell them that their mother decided to just leave them behind, so I told them she was not all there psychologically, that she loved them, but couldn't handle the pressure of being a mother. I like to think that this is the truth. That she didn't just not want to be there for them."
"So her parents helped you trick your children?"
"What would you do if you had two kids, and their father said, sorry not my problem and left? Would you badmouth him to them or would you want them to feel loved?" Rios frowned.
"I know I screwed up and I know it looks really bad, but I didn't kill Marcia. I wouldn't do that to her, or her parents. I honestly have no idea that she was back in Los Angeles. If she came to see the boys, she never told me."
"Where are her parents now?"
"They retired in 've been there for 5 years I think."
Now that Daisy had an id, she could compare the remains to the victim's medical records. The woman had lived a mostly healthy life. If she had been a battered wife, there had been no record of it.
Now that they knew who she was, Sykes and Sanchez were able to start calling up people she grew up with, people she had known in Los Angeles. The ones who knew Craig only said good things about them. He doted on her. He loved his boys. Some of the people from her past said she was wild, but she had seemed to settle down when she got married. Nothing struck them as a motive for murder.
"The husband usually did it, but he just seems too nice."
"Don't let his charisma fool you. The killers often come across as nice."
"I know, but don't you just get the feeling that he's a good guy. I do."
"Maybe you should date him," Sykes teased.
Craig had to tell his sons the truth. "I'm so sorry. If I had known she died, I would have told you."
"This isn't your fault dad."
"I do have to confess. I wrote those letters. I sent the presents. I hadn't heard from your Mom since in about 26 years."
Mark flipped out. "WHAT! ALL THIS TIME, YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO US! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"
"I didn't want you to feel abandoned. She refused to be a mother."
"So YOU MADE UP A ROLE FOR HER!"
Mark was furious. Junior was unfazed. "Mark, calm down. He wouldn't have done this if he didn't love you."
Rios and the others watched from the surveillance room. Provenza realized something. "Junior knew. He knew his father wrote those letters. That's why he's not angry."
He didn't look surprised at all.
"How could you be so calm?" Mark looked at his brother.
"I knew for a while now."
"WHAT?"
"It didn't really make any sense if you think about it. She couldn't handle a visit or two, but she could write us letters, every year. They were perfectly timed to get here on our birthdays. The toys were always what we wanted. How would she know? When I was 13 and I got a dirt bike in the mail, I was suspicious. It turns out they only make that model in the US. I knew it had to be you, Dad."
"You never said anything," Craig said quietly.
"I know. I didn't want to upset Mark and I figured if you went through all the trouble, I may as well just appreciate it. Mark, it's not Dad that your mad at. Your mad that Mom wasn't really there. I am too, but we can't change that now. We just have to accept it and move on. I think we turned out just fine. Don't you?"
After Sharon got questioned by Taylor, she explained to her daughters why she had been pulled off the case.
"You mean Mark's mom is …"
"Dead, murdered and it's unclear when she died.
"Is Craig a suspect?"
"The ex always is, which is so unfair. He couldn't harm a housefly." She had actually seen him catch one and release it outside.
"Are they going to arrest him?"
"I doubt they have enough evidence, but he won't be able to leave town until they figure it out."