Tests and paperwork.
APOV.
No matter how many times I ran the finger prints, I still couldn't get a hit off of the criminal or worker database. I pushed myself away from the desk in frustration and my chair spun out across the room, leaving me a little dizzy.
Not being able to find anything here, I went in search of Bella who was meant to be running trace on the substances found on our victims.
"Bella, there you are. What's taking you so long?"
A groaning fom the corner of the room had me peering around the desk as Bella looked up from a computer screen.
"Hey Alice. Oh don't mind him." She said as she caught me staring at Mike. He was curled up in the fetal postion on the floor, his hands plastered firmly over his balls. "I just taught Mike a little lesson in personal space boundaries. Any luck on the finger prints?"
"Huh? Oh... No not yet. What did you do to him?"
"I told him if he learned to stay out of my personal space, I would keep my boots and knees out of his very personal space."
"Ohh... 'Bout time too. Any luck on the metallic particles yet?"
"Yes. It was a coarsely crushed CD. There's no way in hell we can ever find out what was on it. Did you find out why our vic had shiny blood?"
"Nope. I'm running a more extensive search as we speak. I've never seen anything like it." I threw my hands up in defeat.
"Everything about this case baffles me. At first I thought it was a singled out attack. Then we found the woman, which makes me think a cheated spouse did it. Then there's a personal message to me tattooed onto the sole of the male vics foot. I really don't get where this is going Alice." Bella rested her head in her hands for a moment before dragging her fingers slowly down her face.
I look at Bella head on. She looks tired with an underlying hint of worry. Her hair is piled in a messy knot on top of her head and she has bags appearing under her eyes. "Bella, why don't you take a break? Go and get some coffee and a snack. Mike can run this."
She looked over to where Mike had climbed up off of the floor. "Let me know as soon as you find something." Mike quickly nodded his head, afraid to open his mouth. "Thanks Alice. Did you want anything?"
"No. My search should be done now and you know we're not allowed to eat in the labs."
"I kn-kn-know." She yawned as she sloped off rubbing her eyes.
I returned to the lab to see Jasper waiting for me. "Hey babycakes."
"Jasper. Well this is a nice surprise. What can I do for you?"
"Well," he said, getting up and enveloping me in his arms. "There is several things you can do for me, but they will have to wait until later." He pinched me on the butt making me squeal a little. "Right now though, I have some more swabs for you to go through."
"Aww you shouldn't have." I said in mock enthusiasm. "Who needs flowers when you have these?"
BPOV.
I has just sat down in the break room with a nice hot cup of coffee and a twinkie when my phone started buzzing in my pocket. Renee/Mom flashed on the screen. It had been a while since I had confronted her about Emmett and Charlie. I guess she gave me the space I had asked for. I should get this conversation over and done with.
"Mom."
"Bella, Phill and I have been talking and we decided that you can come and stay here while we try and talk this whole sorry situation out." This woman was on a whole new level of crazy.
"Renee, I'm not coming to Florida! I have a job to do, now if you'll excuse me I have to get on and do it."
"Sweetheart we really need to discuss this. How about we come and visit you?"
"No Mom. I'm not having you here. I've gotta go."
"Bella, ple.." I hung up the phone as James appeared in the doorway.
"I've just got off of the phone with Steven. He has agreed to fax over your old cases. We can go through them all, see which ones stick out the most or match any of the killers moves."
"O-kaaay." If I know Steven, which I do, he's going to send over every tiny little bit of paper work I've ever done. Wether it be a single arrest as a rookie or a high profile murder case.
I scoffed the twinkie down in two bites but took the coffee with me. James had left his office door open and was collecting sheet after sheet of paper flowing from his fax machine.
"Let me guess, Steven is sending all of my cases?"
James jumped and dropped several sheets of paper. "Bella! You startled me. Don't you come with like a bell or something?"
"Sorry boss. My stealth skills have got me where I am today. Where are we gonna start?"
"I was thinking at the beginning." James passed me over a stack of papers. They were all copies of arrests I had made as a rookie cop. These were ten years old.
"James, I don't think it's any of these. Most of them are just arrests for petty criminals. This person knows I am a detective. I've only been one for three years. It's got to be someone more recent. Stop the faxes, you're just wasting paper. I'm calling Steven to E-mail the files from the last three years over." James stared at me, mouth agape, with piles of paper on the floor at his feet.
Five hours and twenty minutes later we were still no closer to finding the identity of the killer. Edward had popped his head in around two in the morning to let us know that Emmett knew nothing, just as I had suspected. I stood up and stretched my back, sighing once all the kinks popped out.
I nudged James' foot with my own. He had fallen asleep looking through all the old arrests. I told him it was futile but he just wouldn't listen.
Men!
He snorted and sprung up from his seat, sending paper flying everywhere. "Wassa time?" He almost shouted.
"It's nearing six. Why?"
"Shit!" He exclaimed, frantically searching his office for his keys. "Vicky's going to be so mad at me."
"You're damn right I'm mad at you!" Came a cold voice from the door way.
James froze in his tracks and I turned to see a tall, red headed woman stride into the office and tap her foot impatiently on the small portion of floor not covered in paper. She was glaring daggers into the back of James' head.
He turned and gave her a sheepish smile. "Hey sweetie."
"Don't you fucking sweetie me!" She snapped. "James you promised me you'd be home for breakfast with the kids, yet here you are." Victoria swiped furiously at her eyes and her shoulders sagged a little.
James enveloped her in his arms and rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm so sorry baby. Come on. we'll drop the kids off with the nanny and I will spend the entire day with you."
"Promise?"
"I swear on my life. Let me just tidy this up.."
"No James. I'll do it. Go spend some quality time with your wife." I spoke from where I was crouched on the floor. I had begun picking up the papers and sorting them into their individual files. "It was a pleasure to meet you Victoria. James speaks fondly of you and your children all the time."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Darling, this is the departments new detective. Bella Swan. She's the one I had to go to Arizona for. The senior CSI."
"Oh. I see." Her voice was very void of emotion. "Likewise Bella. You should come for dinner sometime. It will be nice to get to know you better." There was something off about the look in her eyes as she left the office with James.
EPOV.
"Yo! Yo Edward! Wait up!" I turned to see Jasper running towards me. "Dude, I've been trying to get you on your cell. Where have you been?"
"Sorry, I had it on silent. James had me questioning Emmett."
"What for?" Jasper was shocked.
"Because of this." I handed him the photo of the tattoo.
"Is this for Emmett?"
"What do you think?"
"Bella?" Now he sounded even more shocked. "She's only been here a little while. You think someone followed her from Arizona?"
"I don't know right now. Maybe. Bella and James have been going over her old cases from her last job. No loose ends at the moment. They still had quite a few to go through when I stuck my head in there earlier. She's closed so many cases."
"You sound a little in awe of her." He raised a brow at me.
"I am." I admitted. "I want to be as good as she is. She doesn't miss a thing."
"That's a complete change of attitude from when she first arrived." He glanced at me at me suspiciously.
"Don't get me wrong, she's still an uber bitch, but she's good at what she does."
"Whatever man. Keep me posted on anything new you find. It's my case too, don't forget." Jasper patted my shoulder and walked off whistling.
Soooo... Victoria's a cow.
Up next we have a little bit of daddy/daughter bonding. That's right, we finally get to meet Charlie :)
Much love xx