Chapter 2

Bobby's apartment became their HQ. Eames brought over her laptop and a small printer that had a scanner on top. Goren had gone to the office and brought back all the photos and documents he thought they might need. He and Logan were going through them.

It was almost like working at 1PP, except here, they could drink. Each one of them had some kind of alcoholic beverage. Logan had stocked the place with beer, wine coolers, and hard cider.

"Okay, I'm up and running," Alex said.

"Let's start with the pic of the victim. This one, his school picture." He held it up for her and she scanned it in and entered it into the slideshow program. "Now this," Bobby said. The next picture was gruesome. It was the child's post-mortem crime scene photo. All three detectives were silent as they entered that one in.

"We need to show them the girl, too," said Mike. "They already think they know everything about her." He held up a couple of photos of her.

"Not that one, it was plastered all over the news," said Bobby, rejecting her school picture. "We need one… that… hints at her darker side." He and Mike dug through the photographs for a few minutes, and Mike came up with a family photo. The girl's smile was off: wicked looking, even.

Goren handed it to Eames to scan. "This one of Eva," he said.

Alex spoke up. "You know, if I can show Mike how to scan, then you and I can work on adding text to this." She looked at Bobby. "What are you going to say, anyway?"

He shook his head. "The pictures can tell the story."

Dr. George Huang was spending his day reading psychological reports on Eva Schwartz. From the medical/psychological perspective, she was fascinating. From a human perspective, she was frightening. He read with interest, taking notes as he went.

By mid-afternoon, they had a 30 page slide show ready. Logan and Eames left, leaving Bobby to study the slides and figure out what he would say.

"I'll give you a ride home," Eames said.

The day's work had made the mood morose. Logan looked over at Eames. "Thanks," he said. It was more than just a presentation they were creating for him. There was an emotional toll to this, as well.

Eames gave him a quick glance, then focused on the traffic. "You're a good cop, Mike. And you were right." She smiled. "You'd do the same for us."

After a few moments silence, Mike spoke again. "She'll do it again. And it will only get worse."

Eames nodded, and pulled over to drop him off. "I'll call you later." He stepped out of the car. She called his name, and he bent down. She rolled the passenger window down with the click of a button. "I forgot to tell you. Huang's going to come speak to them, too."

He waved goodbye and the window went back up as she drove away.

Alex had left her laptop at Bobby's so he could review the slide show and do his work. He clicked through picture after gruesome picture, pausing at each one. He took note of the most minute details in each picture. His thoughts grew darker and darker as he worked.

The beer was almost gone, and Bobby decided to take a break. He left the apartment and went for a long walk. The sun had already gone down, and the sidewalks were radiating heat upwards, keeping the city warm and muggy. Sweat dripped from his brow and fell like rain on the sidewalk.

He was lost in his thoughts, paying no attention to time or even place. He realized he was out of breath, and stopped. Looking around, he had found his way to a cemetery. Slowly, Bobby stepped through the gate and stepped carefully around the plots, looking from stone to stone, reading and imagining the lives and fates of people he never knew.

He could hear them calling to him, begging him for help. He could feel their restless spirits swarming around him. He closed his eyes and sat down on a stump. Thankfully, his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and answered it, hands shaking.

"Goren," he said with a tremor in his voice.

"Bobby, where are you?" Alex asked. "I came back to your place and…"

"I don't know," he said, and looked around, blinking. "Uhm, I… uhm… went for a walk." His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I… uh… I'll come back. I'll be right there," he said. He stood up, ended the call, and walked quickly back the way he had come.

She was inside, waiting for him. They'd done the spare key thing years ago. When he entered, she could see the darkness in his face, and knew she had been right to worry. "Hey."

"Uhm… sorry," he mumbled. "I went out… I… had to get out."

"I get that," she said. She gave his arm a rub as he passed by, and fixed him a glass of water. "How's the project coming?"

He nodded. "I'm ready."

They sat down together and listened as the noises from the city streets drifted in from outside.

"Eames," he said at last, "You ever think… that it's too big? Too much, too many victims…"

She reached out and took his hand in hers, her thumb smoothing his skin back and forth. "Yeah. I do." The silence returned for a moment. "And then I think about how many we've saved… and I figure it's worth it."

After a while, they called Logan to let him know they were ready for tomorrow's meeting.