The fourth sniper attack
Maura's viewpoint
Another Tuesday morning, another Major Crimes call out, another murdered young woman. I may not be the best person in large social settings but even I could tell everyone in Major Crimes was feeling the strain.
Jane had mentioned that people had been not themselves yesterday afternoon, with the goodbyes as people left work last night tinged with both unhappy anticipation and regretful bitterness.
This morning I'd noticed the tenseness of the squad as they worked at the scene, with its all too familiar aftermath. The Major Crimes squad had worked together as a cohesive unit for many years, normally able to take most things in their stride, such as the warehouse attack, but responding to the same senseless crime each week, with its inevitable result, was wearing at everyone.
The normal banter and chat was either non-existent or where it did happen, was restrained. Mind you, this time the attack had one difference, there had been a survivor.
Unfortunately the survivor was not Shannelle Henning, an attractive young woman, apparently a dancer, who had been killed at her breakfast table. Instead it was her boyfriend, who had been sitting across the table from Ms Henning when the sniper struck.
The bullet had passed though Ms Henning's throat from rear to front, in effect decapitating her. The only consolation, small that it was, was that death from the hydrostatic shock passing up through the spinal column into the brain would have been almost instantaneous, she would not have suffered.
Exiting the victim's body, the projectile had continued on, barely slowed, before passing through the lower left arm of Julian O'Day. The impact had almost amputated his forearm and I doubted that even emergency microsurgery could save it; he'd been able to staunch the bleeding long enough to dial 911 and call for help.
I looked around the crime site, seeing the hole in the wall where the bullet had passed through the bricks wall and into the corridor; it was currently being retrieved from the concrete floor where it had come to rest.
The trajectory indicated a downwards shot, fortunately the firing location was patently obvious, a hilltop some distance away was the only vantage point that looked down into the apartment.
Chief Johnson had immediately despatched Lieutenant's Provenza and Flynn to search the site for clues, while the rest of the Major Crimes team processed the site.
The squad was extremely skilled and very careful in working around the victim's body, being taking care not to disturb anything important, for which I was extremely grateful.
Not every homicide team I'd worked with had been as skilled as Major Crimes; however I could see Chief Johnson's influence in their meticulous skill and the care they took. I noticed the Chief standing nearby, overseeing their work and taking it all in.
Chief Johnson was by all reports a lovely caring person and this case was hitting her hard. I could see it in the tension in her face, the frustration evident in little ways, despite her attempts to stay positive in the face of another senseless death.
Despite everything, she still looked her usual lovely self, wearing a teal skirt and knitted top over a white blouse and a set of brown high heeled sling backs. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, which I thought was a mistake, she had lovely hair and it looked best cascading down over her shoulders, rather than the severe bun she had chosen today.
Jane scoffs at my theory, but I believe that Chief Johnson dresses the way she does to reinforce her authority over the officers surrounding her, emphasising her professionalism but retaining her feminine appearance, using her attractiveness to reinforce her 'command presence' on her subordinates. It's a trait I have seen, even more so, in the style used by Commander Sharon Raydor, the striking Force Investigations Division chief.
Jane's theory is a little less convoluted. She thinks both of them like to dress well and can afford to, as they don't have to chase criminals in heels and skirts, having people like her to do that for them.
I have pointed out in return that Chief Johnson has been in the forefront of dangerous situations several times in recent years, including having to shoot and be shot at, so she could hardly be called 'uninvolved'. Needless to say Jane still demurs and we've agreed to disagree on this matter.
Standing back up, I turn to the Chief and finish my report, even though we both know it's only a formality.
"Cause of death is quite patently obvious Chief; I'll have the body removed and forward an autopsy report later today. I take it you are unlikely to wish to view the autopsy?" She smiled politely.
"Thank you Maura and thank you for the offer, but as you say, cause of death is obvious, so I think I might pass"
"As you wish Chief" I nodded politely and stepped out the door to speak to the other members of my team, directing them in to collect the victim.
Once they passed me I noticed Natalie standing nearby, she saw me and smiled.
"Hiya Maura, how are you?"
"Well thanks Natalie and you?"
"Be better once we catch whoevers doing this, every Tuesday morning, regular as clockwork. I hate it" I nodded.
"I completely understand. The expectation of what we will find on Tuesday morning's is affecting Jane and I as well" She turned to me with a concerned look.
"How so, are you ok?" I smiled at her.
"We're fine, it's just that we find ourselves going to bed early, expecting to be woken early" She nodded.
"Same here, I was in bed curled up to Ana by 10 so I could get a decent sleep before the call"
"I did the same; Jane and I were in bed by 10.30 and asleep not long after. In fact I set the alarm for 4.30, got up and got dressed, as I expected to be called earlier than in fact we were"
"Must be hard with both of you having to roll out for the call" I tilted my head, thinking about it.
"Yes and no, on one hand it means we both have to be up and attend, on the other; it means we have someone there for support, which I find myself grateful for. This case is wearing at me more than I anticipated"
Looking concerned, Natalie took my arm and drew me down the corridor away from the door, before opening the door to the fire escape stairs and gently guiding me in, away from the curious looks for the assembled uniformed officers.
"Are you ok Maura, is there anything I can do?"
"It's just I feel so very helpless Natalie, someone out there is killing these young women with impunity and there's nothing I can do, nothing I can find to help bring it to a stop" I shrugged. "I'm not used to feeling this superfluous to an investigation, completely unable to help"
Natalie just looked at me with compassion overflowing in her beautiful blue eyes, before stepping in and wrapping me in a warm hug. It felt very different from Jane's, Natalie's body was different, plus this was a friend's hug, not a lover's, but for a few indulgent seconds I just luxuriated in the feeling of company and comfort as much as her murmured words of support, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing back. Finally I stepped back.
"Thank you Natalie, I appreciate it" She smiled.
"It's ok Maura, I needed it too to be honest" I looked up at her, why did she need it? She saw the look on my face.
"I have to wander downstairs shortly and face the media, with nothing new to tell them it's starting to get ugly. They want news and all I have to give them are platitudes. I'm expecting the 'incompetent LAPD stories to start soon"
"But surely that's not your fault" Her mouth quirked.
"That's not what the LAPD pays me for Maura, plus this is my first big case since we moved here and a lot of people are watching, plus Taylor's waiting for another chance to attack me" She sighed. "Ah well, we have to play the hands we're dealt"
"Indeed, although it depends on the game you're playing, can you not change the rules?" She looked at me with a calculating look. After a few seconds I felt the need to clarify my statement. "Jane likes to play poker. It might be Five Card Stud, Texas Hold 'em or Five Card Draw, each is poker but a change in rules changes the way their played"
"I didn't know you guys played? Ana and I used to play back in Seattle, we'll have to organise a night for a game" She paused for a moment. "Change the rules. I like that. I might suggest doing something different this time to the Chief" I smiled at her, hopeful that my off the cuff suggestion had helped.
"By the way Maura, thanks for having us over for dinner, it was great, we both had a fantastic time" My smile widened.
"I enjoyed it as well, as did Jane. It was fun"
"Oh, so she's forgiven us for teasing her?" I felt my cheeks colour, which didn't go unnoticed by Natalie. "Yes…?"
"Jane exacted her revenge on me later that evening, after you had left" Natalie looked intrigued, stepping in and dropping her voice.
"And…?" I paused for a moment, before dropping my voice as well, although there was little chance of being overheard through the fire door.
"Jane proceeded to torture me for over three hours after you left, she brought me to the brink a dozen times, then stopped, each time leaving me… unfulfilled" I could feel the flush on my face as I recalled my pleading, my begging and my delirious entreaties for her to allow me to come.
"Maura, that's nasty, well hot really, but cruel too. I take it she eventually relented"
"Eventually, I collapsed and fell unconscious afterwards; I didn't wake up until the following morning. I have to say though, it was delicious as well" She looked at me with a delightfully shocked expression.
"Maura, you hedonist; you loved it though, I can tell" I tried to compose my face.
"It was a revenge suitably carried out. Jane told me if I happened again I'd be tortured twice as long next time" Natalie laughed.
"Someone should tell Jane threats are supposed to be intimidating, not something to be anticipated" I giggled, something about Natalie just made want to share things with her. I'd really only had one close female friend, Jane. With Natalie I felt like I had another.
"Does Jane do the handcuff thing to you? When Ana wants to torment me she handcuffs me to the bed and teases me for hours" I felt my cheeks redden again, remembering a few occasions when we had tried restraint play. Natalie's face lit up with delight. "Oh she does, I knew it! We have to swap stories one day, when they're not around. Anyway, we want to have you over for dinner sometime soon, return the favour"
"There's no favour to return, it was our pleasure, plus it was a wonderful diversion from the stress of our jobs" Natalie nodded.
"Yeah, we thought so to. In fact, we're going to invite the Chief over for dinner, I think she needs all the relief she can get, she's carrying a lot of pressure to solve this one, plus the warehouse case"
"Jane and I had talked about that as well. According to her squad, she is separated from her husband, Ana's predecessor, and isn't seeing anyone, so I'm sure she would appreciate the invite. In fact we should do the same in a few weeks"
"Yeah, we're thinking of inviting a few people to dinner in the next few weeks, all part of the getting to know you thing. Probably Chief Pope, I do report to him so it's sort of expected. Then there's Sharon Raydor, Ana thinks she's lovely and I agree; plus Ana's Bureau chief here"
I nodded, thinking we could probably do the same. Especially Chief Johnson, she'd been very welcoming to us both and as Natalie had observed, she was under a lot of strain. I made a note to mention it to Jane.
"I suppose we should wander back, before we are missed" She smiled.
"True. Look Maura, if there's anything I can do to help, or if you just need a friendly face or a hug, call me anytime, we can do lunch easily enough through the week as well" I smiled, warmed by her concern.
"Thanks Natalie, I appreciate it. The same goes for you as well" Natalie smiled as she opened the door back to the corridor.
We wandered back, to see the team wheeling poor Ms Henning's body out. Spotting Jane I walked up for a quick chat, before heading back to the lab. The autopsy may reveal nothing that we didn't already know, but she still deserved my best efforts to help find her killer.
I'm not a religious person, however I found myself saying a small prayer that we found the person responsible for her murder and those of the other three young women soon.
I didn't like feeling helpless like this; I was tired of mutilated young women ending up on my table, tired of knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it.
For the first time in a very long time, I found myself wishing this day was over, so I could just go home. There I could crawl into Jane's arms and forget about all of this in her loving embrace, safe from the horrible world out there.
Unfortunately, I knew this wouldn't be the last; my Tuesday mornings were going to be similarly horrible for some time to come.