Case 23:The Final Journey
David stretched out languidly as listened to the shower run, more than content to just lay there, he had no idea how JJ could do early mornings so easil. Unsurprisingly they'd slotted in perfectly with each other.
JJ hated hoovering and dusting while David found it soothing. The southerner monopolized the kitchen which was great because the best the brunette could manage was bacon and eggs. Not to mention the fact David had been half living there since the end of November.
JJ's phone rang and he picked it up, seeing GPD on the display.
"Jones." There was a slight pause before King's voice came through.
"Jones, Mrs Victoria Taylor found her nephew Daniel Taylor dead at her home, Alex will send you the address." Their chief said, obviously not to surprised to find David answering his partners phone at half seven in the morning.
"Of course sir, we'll be there in an hour." And hung up.
Groaning he dragged himself out of bed and slid into the shower, kissing his lover good morning before explaining what was up.
They quickly set off after dressing in the usual, JJ armed to the teeth, before taking the SUV to the crime scene.
They were lead by an officer to the attic and found the body of a handsome young man slumped over a small table in the dingy place that was clearly being used as a bedroom. The only thing that made it sinister was the open eyes and a trail of saliva falling from his mouth.
"He looks completely normal, no wounds, no signs of struggle." Jones muttered and the ME's nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't say that." JJ muttered as he looked at the victim, Daniel. "His face says different, he panicked so something had to have happened even if no one else was involved." He turned to corners. "Have Nathan send a blood sample to test for poison." Their eyes widened and they nodded, poison was still unusual around here.
The detectives turned to look around and found a large, fully packed rucksack that they grabbed and took down to the car and David worked on unlocking the victim's phone from where his hand was closed around it. JJ also found a pair of Alligator shoes that certainly didn't belong to the victim given the size and a torn note. Really! What was with these people?
They went out to the car again, putting the last of the evidence into the back before going to speak with the deceased's aunt.
"Mrs Taylor, we know this is distressing but can you tell us about Daniel and finding his body?" JJ spoke softly as they sat on the sofa, trying to make the woman more at ease.
"Yes of course. I thought my fail, I'm still feeling faint." Though the battleaxe of a woman looked nothing of the sort. "Daniel has been living with me since his mother died ten years ago. Since then he has been dreaming of escaping. He was dating this sweet girl, Lily Robinson and working at the tea parlour near by. Gertrude's." She sniffed. "Not that he ever held a job for long."
They thanked the woman and turned back to the station.
Once there they settled into the lab and got to work.
Alex was sent the phone while JJ did what he did best and pieced the note back together while his partner swabbed the shoes for DNA and searched through the rucksack.
"Well I have a one way ticket to Australia, so what Mrs Taylor said about escaping was true." David spoke.
"And I have a note 'I know your plans. You'd better leave my beloved Lily out of them. She will never go with you!' From someone called Molly. We'll ask Lily about it I suppose." David nodded his head once.
"Let's go to the tea parlour first and then talk with Lily."
They walked up the stairs to their little nerd who smiled at them.
"Nothing out of the ordinary but he did call someone called Lily ten times yesterday and she never answered, judging by the heart I'm guessing it's his girlfriend." Alex smiled. "You know my genius is wasted on you." He huffed slightly, letting out a squeal when JJ ruffled his hair.
"But we appreciate it kiddo, enjoy your game before you die." Alex's eyes went wide and he spun his chair wildly and the two detectives left, chuckling as another squeal echoed behind them.
The tea parlour was a cosy place that would either make you relaxed of sick. They were leaning towards the latter.
They found a torn photo of the victim and a large set woman with curly auburn hair. Given the employee of the month and the 'love' signed on it she was certainly a suspect.
They soon found the woman who all but waxed poetry about the young man before showing her fury at the fact that he was leaving the parlour but also learned the victim had, had tea with someone the night before. If JJ was right that could be when the poisoning took place.
They picked up the two tea cups that hadn't been taken and quickly got back to the lab before finally talking with the girlfriend.
Lily Robinson sat in the interrogation room, she looked sweet and innocent but there was an anger burning in her eyes that didn't show on her face, she was their killer.
"Hello Lily, we're sorry to inform you that your boyfriend Daniel Taylor was found dead." She was a good actor; they had to give her that but her eyes once again were the give away. Even as tears started to spread over her cheeks there was a vicious triumph there.
"What, but." She clasped a hand over her mouth and most would be fooled and they acted is if they were and it made them both sick when she called Daniel and herself soul mates. They also found out that Molly was the girl's grandmother.
Rather than pursuing the case further they grabbed dinner before going to their court date and helping Judge Hall put more men behind bars before joining the Honourable Olivia for a late supper and going back to the station.
Everyone was winding down for the night shift as they grabbed their results. The teacup had not been poisoned but the other had the prints of one Molly Robinson, the girlfriend's grandmother. They also find out the alligators belonged to Lily which wasn't surprising.
After that they went down to Nathan.
"Hey guys." He was just putting his clothes away.
"Hey Nathan, what did you get from the autopsy?" Jones asked as he leaned against the door frame.
"Well, the victim showed no signs of how he died and if it was poison its already worked it's way out of the victims body so the only way to prove it…"
"Is to find the poison." JJ finished with a sigh and a nod.
"Thanks Nathan." They waved goodbye, deciding to get some sleep before picking it up in the morning.
David glared at his lover as the younger drove, not telling him where they were going. He found out when they pulled up in front of the just open Greenhouse.
"In New Orleans when you want to poison someone you just walk into the bayou and find something or go to one of the witches stores, I figured we'd try the next best thing." JJ shrugged and climbed out while his partner laughed.
Walking in they soon found the owner, a ginger man called Charles Parker who quickly let them know that Lily was his assistant and agreed to let them look around which always made life easier.
They discovered a pile of cut plants with a rather beautiful but out of place one within, there were also pollen and something else on a pair of garden gloves. The last thing was a shoe print that would probably match alligators.
Another quick conversation before they left gave them a motive and added Molly Robinson into the gardeners group.
They ran into Victoria Taylor on the way and she handed over a pair of shears that she swore weren't hers that had a fibre caught in them.
They went back to the station and got the plant to Nathan and the samples to Grace while they worked on the print and found out they were right.
"What next?" JJ drawled out.
"Molly Robinson, she's the only one we haven't talked to yet, she might have something." David shrugged and pulled his lover down to the garage, snagging back the car keys, Dorian decided to stay with Grace.
The next few hours passed by tediously with them interviewing their suspects time and again until the results came through.
Their killer wore a clover pattern and lipstick and should be stained with pollen from yesterday, as the plant was their poison and got everywhere.
JJ and David felt decidedly sick when they were told that the plants name was Final Journey.
Lily Robinson sat there looking like a scared little girl but as they placed down the evidence they watched her crumble in both anger and sadness.
"He was my soul mate! He loved me, I loved him and he was leaving me!" She glared at them, tears pouring down his face. "If he had loved me he would have stayed! He didn't need to leave! He had me!" Lily collapsed in her chair and neither detective could deal with her and simply called one of the officers in.
They wrote their reports in an almost trance before turning them in and driving home. The first thing they did was kiss, deep and desperate. A promise that they'd never let that happen because they both knew it was a real chance.
JJ was never one to stay in one place, he followed his instincts where ever they lead and if they lead him away from David, he didn't know what he would do.
