Part 2
Gail popped a cheese puff into her mouth as she studied the file on yet another stolen car. The division was planning on taking part in a city wide crack down on traffic issues which meant, spotting stolen cars, stopping cars that had drug tickets on the owners, looking into drivers with no insurance and anything else that was worth a ticket or an arrest.
When Jarvis hadn't been around this morning Oliver had promised an open tab down at the Penny if 15 beat 27 by the end of the week. No one liked traffic duty, it was often slow, tedious and resulted in boredom or personal attacks from the public who thought that police officers should be out finding 'real' criminals instead.
But with the enticement of free alcohol, then even Gail Peck could be persuaded into taking it seriously.
When she was done with that file she opened the next one as she waited for Chris to get back from the D's office. As she smiled at the picture of a bright red mustang she absently reached for another cheese puff only to scowl when her hand felt nothing but empty bag.
With a disappointed sigh she scrunched the bag up in her hands and tossed the balled up packet into the trash basket near her feet. As she straightened she caught Dov looking around then stop and look her way.
"What?" She asked him.
"I just, it feels…" Dov paused and with a puzzled expression started to glance around again.
Gail sighed and went back to her files as she tried to ignore whatever it was Dov was doing.
"Something's… missing, something's… different." Dov continued as he put his hands out and wiggled his fingers.
Gail rolled her eyes and mentally sent Chris a message to hurry it up.
"Ah!" Dov cried out and slapped his hands onto his desk, earning himself a glare and Gail's attention again. Pleased, Dov grinned at her and pointed. "Andy and her shadow aren't here!"
Gail snorted and hid her smile by looking back down at the picture of yet another stolen car.
Dov chuckled and went about reading up on his own files. "No, seriously though, I think Andy's ready to tie lead weights to Duncan and then lose him in the lake."
Gail grinned to herself. Duncan had taken her words to heart and was currently Andy's new best friend, on duty and off. Gail wasn't sure who it was pissing off more, Andy, Nick or Sam.
Gail however was finding it the height of her daily entertainment.
"Maybe you should go find her?" Dov muttered, because all joking aside he could see the strain Andy was starting to show with Duncan's training. They'd had a big case last week and Andy had spent so long trying to get Duncan to interview his own section of onlookers that the assailant had got by her without her paying attention. He was later picked up and arrested but Andy had been livid with herself ever since.
"Why?" Gail asked with a puzzled look. As the rookie's TO it was Andy's job to look after him, and if Andy needed looking after too, well, Gail wasn't the one to do it.
Dov sent Gail a look to tell her to play nice. "Because the only time she can get away from him is by going into the restroom or the changing room."
"You've been in both, I'm sure." Gail muttered, still not hearing anything to compel her into any form of action.
Dov sighed and turned in his seat. "At least go see if she needs food or water." He told his friend.
Snacks. Now that wasn't such a bad idea.
Gail rolled her eyes but got up after making a face at Dov and wandered towards the break room. A quick look in the cupboards and Gail scored a packet of chips that didn't have any name tag on them which meant they were fair game. She cracked them open then started back out of the break room, if she found Andy on her travels she might offer her a few, if there was any left.
Unfortunately she spotted the new rookie standing to attention outside the changing area before she had finished chewing her first mouthful.
Damn.
She wandered over and stood in front of Duncan and ate more of her procured chips as she looked his uniform over. He stood straighter and she held back a smile as she made a show of dusting off his lapel.
"Don't you have work to be doing, Officer?"
"No ma'am." Duncan responded but kept his gaze forward and his shoulders back.
Gail grinned. "You're not in the army kid, lighten up." She told him with a smack to the shoulder as she walked past him into the woman's changing area.
The sight of Andy McNally slumped down on one of the benches made Gail chuckled as she continued to finish off her packet of chips. "Slacking McNally?"
Andy lifted a hand and gave the laughing blonde a one fingered salute.
"Nice." Gail commented, deciding that she wasn't going to offer any of her chips after all, instead she stuffed more into her mouth then went over and sat down near her friend wondering how to ask if she was okay and sound sincere about it.
Then she shrugged, admitting to herself that there was no way in hell Andy would believe she was in here out of concern. "Dov's worried about you."
Andy grunted, she had her arm thrown over her face and was making no effort whatsoever to interact with Gail. She just wanted to be left alone.
Gail eyed Andy then after a moment of silence she kicked at her.
"Ow!" Andy snapped up from her position and glared at Gail who just grinned at her. "What was that for?"
Gail rolled her eyes and worked on finishing her chips as Andy rubbed at her shin.
"You're not seriously hiding out in here are you? From your rookie?" Gail finally asked with a puzzled look.
Andy paused mid rub and tried to effect an innocent look. "No?" She replied hesitantly. "Maybe?" She added after a raised eyebrow from Gail. "Fine. Yes."
Gail sighed and shook her head as she dusted off crumbs from her hands. "He can't be that bad, can he?"
Andy groaned, covered her face with both hands and laid back down on the bench. "Yeah, he really can." She muttered.
Gail frowned. Andy was the only person to have actually worked with the rookie although she'd been to scenes he'd been at with Andy, she'd never seen him in action. His crime scene screw up with the golf club and later with the death notification to the victim's wife were still being chuckled over in the parade room every morning, but Gail had just assumed he'd got better.
She was pretty sure it wasn't possible to get much worse.
"You talked to Oliver about him?" Gail asked quietly, finally taking Andy's concern a bit more seriously.
Andy moved her arm away and gave Gail a look. "I can't! I begged for this Gail, literally, I went over to Oliver and Jarvis and begged to train Duncan." She explained before pouting.
Gail frowned and thought about her own time as a rookie. She hadn't been at her best but then who was when it came to going from a class room to out there on the streets were you were expected to have all the answers.
"What's he doing wrong?" She asked Andy quietly, still aware that the rookie in question was more than likely still stood outside the entryway.
Andy shuffled up into a seated position. "Everything?"
Gail narrowed her eyes and kicked Andy's leg again.
Wincing, Andy grabbed for her shin as she glared at her friend. "Would you stop that!"
"Well, don't generalise it, tell me what he's doing wrong." Gail answered back.
Andy huffed and threw her hands up. "Everything!"
Gail sighed and checked her watch. Chris had to be back by now.
Andy shifted around realising Gail was about to take off on her. "I'm serious Gail, he's doing everything wrong!" She repeats, her tone desperate. "It doesn't seem to matter what I do or say, he still gets it wrong!"
Gail gave her a dubious look. It couldn't be that bad. No one was that bad after a few weeks on the job.
Andy narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "It's not me!" She protested and watched as Gail shrugged. "We go to a call and I tell him to just let me take the lead, and he just dives right in, asking the wrong questions, to the wrong people and it's like, was he not listening five seconds ago when I told him not to talk?" Andy went on. "To just stand there and let me handle it? And then our witness gets defensive, shuts down and won't say anything else to us without a lawyer!"
Gail had to admit that did sound pretty bad.
"And the worst thing was, I couldn't even blame the guy after the way Moore spoke to him." Andy muttered with a shake of her head as she reclined onto the bench again.
Gail opened her mouth to offer some words of wisdom but really, she had nothing. Maybe Duncan was trying too hard or he was nervous or something. But then Gail recalled Noelle ordering her to stand where she was during a man hunt and being exacerbated with her when Gail let the suspect flee without giving chase.
After those first couple of shifts, you got over that nervousness and fear of making the wrong decision and just had to trust that everything you learned would point you towards making the right decisions in the future.
But it had been weeks for their new rookie now. And there was no way he should be still making basic mistakes.
Gail felt her cell phone buzz in her vest and stood up. She tapped Andy's foot this time instead of kicking her. "You need to talk to Oliver."
It was the only thing she could say to Andy. If there was anyone in the station that would understand Andy's frustration with her rookie it would be him. And with his years of experience with training rookies he'd also be in a position to offer Andy help that Gail couldn't.
A groan followed Gail as she made her way out of the changing room.
xxxxx
Holly glanced at the clock once more, it was just after 1pm. That meant she had a minimum of five hours left to work.
She could do that. Easy.
"And then another three days." She muttered to herself a touch despondently as she brought an instrument tray over to the table where a 49 year old male by the name of Eric Santos was laying exposed from the waist up.
All signs pointed to a heart attack, he was overweight, a heavy drinker and smoker, and was reported to have had chest pain prior to being found slumped over in his back office by a member of staff.
But she'd only know for sure once she opened him up.
"Hey!"
"Shit!" Holly cried as the suddenness of Traci's voice caused her to flinch and knock into the tray sending the rib spreader crashing to the floor.
Traci chuckled as she waited for Holly to pick the item up. It was only then that she noticed the pathologist seemed on edge as she moved the items on the steel tray back into their places.
"You okay?" Traci asked as she approached the table. Normally dead bodies tended to make her queasy, even after all this time, but she was more interested in figuring out what was going on with Gail's girlfriend.
Especially after last night.
"Yeah, I'm… yes." Holly said finally turning her attention to Detective Nash and offering her a smile as she adjusted her glasses now that she had straightened her tools.
"Sorry about that." Traci offered as apology for her unintentional abrupt entrance into the lab.
Holly waved her off. "Are you here for Mr Santos?" She asked, although she knew Traci wasn't a homicide detective, not that this was homicide, but she was surprised to see the other woman.
Traci finally acknowledged the body on the table between them with a quick look and a grimace. "Oh, no, no." She replied with a shake of her head. "I was just dropping off a sample for DNA analysis on another case."
Holly paused and stared at the other woman for a long moment. If Traci wasn't here to see her over a case then it couldn't be work related which left personal, and considering the only personal connection the two women had was a blonde cop by the name of Gail, Holly was starting to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Okay?" She drew the word out slowly and waited to find out what this visit was about.
Traci shifted her feet, suddenly second guessing herself. Then she looked at the dead body again and gave Holly a wry grin. "Wanna get out of here? Grab lunch maybe?"
Holly blinked and swallowed. She didn't really do well outside of her lab or a crime scene, and she never had lunch with detectives generally. Or anyone bar Gail if she was being completely honest.
She eyed the clock once more to see that it was now twenty past. Lunch would eat away maybe forty minutes which would leave her with four hours to get through when she got back.
Making a quick decision, Holly pulled the sheet up over the body of Mr Santos and then snapped off her gloves. "Lunch sounds good." She told Traci with a smile edging at the corner of her lips.
"Great!"
"Just give me five minutes to change and I'll meet you at reception." Holly offered, not wanting to make the detective wait beside the body for her to get back from her office. When the other woman agreed they went in separate directions in the hallway and Holly finally had a moment to consider what this was all about.
Traci obviously wanted something from her and given her and Gail's falling out yesterday, and what was said after her arrival at the fight, she figured the detective was after answers that maybe Gail hadn't provided.
Or maybe Gail had and Traci was about to give her some kind of warning about messing with Gail's feelings or something like that.
Which Holly understood, even if she didn't see Gail going to Traci like that.
But Holly had to admit, if she wasn't in her office or her lab, then it was less likely that Elaine Peck would find her.
At least for the next forty minutes.
xxxxxx
"Take the next left." Gail said, pointing a finger although her head never lifted from reading the sheet of paper in her lap.
Chris frowned but did as he was told and turned the squad car down the road Gail had indicated. It took them into a back alley that was barely wide enough for the car to make its way down.
"Want to let me in on what we're doing?" He asked Gail. "I mean I thought we were supposed to be setting up that speed trap over on Hyndland?"
Gail rolled her eyes and sent Chris a glare. "And I thought we're out to catch criminals Chris?"
Chris made a show of looking around at the back end of buildings they were passing in this little industrial estate Gail had him driving past. He then gave her a 'what's up with that' look.
Ignoring him Gail looked around for the yard sign she was after then slapped at Chris' chest with her hand and told him to stop the car.
Still having no clue what they were doing Chris turned off the ignition and followed after the blonde as Gail climbed out of the car. He stood watching as his friend started peering at the ten feet high fencing that surrounded one back yard.
"What are you doing?"
Gail sighed and continued to lay down as she tried to see into the yard. There was a back gate but it had been chained up so that was out, but there was about a ten inch gap between it and the ground, and if she was lucky… "Bingo!"
"What?" Chris asked, still clueless.
Gail got back up to her feet and as she past Chris slapped the sheet in her hand into his gut for him to have a look at it. But she kept walking as her partner scrambled to work out what was going on.
"Who is Curtis Healy?" Chris asked as he found himself reading this guy's arrest history, which included handling stolen cars, theft of cars and dealing in stolen car parts. "You think we're going to find anything here? He's only been out on parole for three weeks."
Oh how naïve.
Gail just gave him a look and continued walking. Eventually they made their way from the back road that ran between the yards to the front of the scrap metal business that Gail knew was anything but legitimate.
As they approached the front of the building Chris pulled at Gail's arm. "Shouldn't we call for back up?"
Gail gave it serious consideration, but from everything she had read about Healy and his past crimes and the people that he had associated with during them, there had never been any sort of assault, and nothing to suggest they would be in any danger.
Of course there was always the risk of Curtis or anyone else in the front shop or back yard taking off, but generally that just meant a chase.
Her teasing comment about Chris being a wimp died the second she saw the level of concern in her friend's eyes. She turned from Chris to take in the scrap metal shop. Healy was looking at serious time if he was in there and stolen cars were found on the property, and given the shiny, expensive looking rims she had seen half hidden under a tarp it wasn't looking too good for him.
So Curtis had a lot to lose.
Gail chewed on her lip then put her hand to her radio. "This is 15-34, requesting backup at 23 East on Logan."
Chris grinned and relaxed.
Gail smiled back at him and nodded that his cautious approach was okay this time. They might be each other's backup but it never hurt to have a few extra bodies on hand just in case. Besides, with all the potential weapons that would be lying around in the shop it was probably much safer for all of them this way.
"This is 15-40, show us responding, we're six minutes out." Came Andy's voice back through the radio.
"Copy that." Gail replied. She then rolled her eyes at Chris and started to back away from the store front. Andy would be good to have around but with her came Duncan and he'd be more of a hindrance than a help from what Andy had told her.
She made a face and shrugged at Chris. "If nothing else, you can throw the rookie at the gun wielding criminals." She told him with the hint of a smirk. Death while on duty would probably be Duncan's highest ever achievement in the Toronto police force.
Chris sighed as he followed Gail back around the corner and out of sight from anyone in the shop. He stuck his hands in his pockets and pulled his gloves out to put them on. It was starting to snow again. "I hate this weather."
Gail peered up into the white cloud filled sky. She didn't mind it. But what it did mean was there wouldn't be much traffic violations to hand out at those speed traps that had been set up today. As fast as some people liked to drive, snow just slowed everything on the roads down.
She grinned and bounced on the spot to keep warm. If they got really lucky here chances were they might just win this for 15.
"What are you smiling about?" Chris had to ask.
Gail shrugged, sticking her head back around the corner to look out for McNally's squad car. "I've got a good feeling about this." She told Chris before stepping out back onto the sidewalk as a cruiser slowly made its way down the street towards them.
xxxxx
"Shouldn't you guys take the back?" Duncan said as he stood with Andy having listened to Gail explain the situation to them.
Gail narrowed her eyes at him as she heard Andy sigh. She would have smacked him over the head for that comment if she'd been close enough.
"The back's all chained up, no one's getting out that way." Chris said for her. "Besides, we left the squad blocking the back gate."
Andy looked back at Gail. "Your call." She told her, willing to follow Gail and Chris' lead on this one, it was their hunch.
Gail looked to Chris and after a moment of confusion he pulled out the arrest sheet Gail had given him earlier on Curtis Healy. Gail straightened it then handed it over to Andy who quickly started reading with Duncan peering over her shoulder.
"As part of his probation Healy isn't allowed anywhere near cars unless it's his own, so we're just going to go in and ask if we can have a look around. From what I saw there looks to be at least four cars hidden under tarps out the back. He should be willing to roll over on everyone involved if it keeps him from serious time." Gail explained.
Andy nodded then handed the sheet back over. It had a grainy black and white picture of Curtis but she'd still recognise him if he was in the shop. Which begged the question, "What if he isn't here?"
Gail shrugged. "He should be, according to his parole officer he works here six days a week."
Duncan glanced at the other officers. "But they're just cars right?"
Andy sighed and shook her head then looked at Gail and Chris, gesturing towards the store front. "After you."
Gail kept glaring at Duncan until Chris pulled at her sleeve. Only then did she check her holster and set her shoulders as she walked with Chris to the front entrance. They breezed through the door and into the front space of the workshop.
There wasn't much to it and there wouldn't be much room to spare when Andy and the rookie entered. It was little bigger than the bathroom at her shared apartment, with a counter in front of them with only one individual behind it.
She gave Chris a quick glance as she heard the door open behind her as Andy and Duncan eased carefully into what space was left.
Gail stepped up to the counter and studied the guy behind it. He was white, in his mid to late twenties and had tattoos on his neck peering above the work overall he was wearing and across the backs of his hands.
While there was nothing in Healy's file to suggest he was affiliated to any gangs the fact that he was handling and working on stolen cars suggested that it was organised crime. More organised than Curtis Healy was capable of.
She shot Chris another look, this one making Chris put his hand to his gun. She then leaned on the counter and smiled at him. "Curtis in?" She looked at the name tag on his chest. "Danny, is it?"
Danny glanced at the cops in front of him nervously. Then looked at the blonde. "No ma'am, he ain't been in today."
Gail nodded. "Well, I'm sure his parole officer will be sorry to hear that." She commented casually as she turned slightly to look at Chris and Andy. Chris was still discreetly resting his hand at his gun. Andy was staring intently at Danny, almost like she was trying to work out if she recognised him.
Gail eased to the side, away from where Danny was sitting behind the counter, to where there was a flip up access point in the counter and just lifted it up and waltzed through it.
"You don't mind if we take a look for him though, do you?" She asked before disappearing through a door and into the back area of the building. There was machinery back there and as she could hear it there had to be workers back there using it.
Danny stood up wide eyed as the other officers followed after Gail. "I guess not."
Chris let Andy and Duncan pass him as he stopped to eye Danny. "If your boss isn't here you can call him. Oh, and Curtis too if you want." He informed him but the glare on his face told Danny otherwise.
Gail paused as she entered the workshop area, it was full of metal, big sheets against a wall, bins lined up with poles and pipes and all kinds of wires hanging out at all angles.
Andy glanced around seeing workers with face masks on soldering metal and others cutting and shaping bits and pieces. It looked like a metal workshop to her.
Gail scowled as Andy shrugged at her. So maybe this part was legit but that still left them to investigate the cars out back. She shrugged back at Andy and pointing towards the open back door that was probably left open to help ventilate the workspace.
As they made their way around the work stations and the staff Gail noticed that more than one of the workers had the same neck tattoo as Danny had, although these guys seemed to range in ages, several of them looked to be in their late forties or older. She then thought that it might be a family run business, it wasn't really the type of work she could see younger guys being interested in.
Unless it was just a front for the movement of stolen high end cars.
But their presence seemed to be ignored by the workers and as Gail and Andy made it outside Gail edged over to Andy and asked her to radio for more backup. Just in case.
As Andy stepped off to use her radio Gail spotted the covered car she had seen through the bottom of the back gate and moved over to pull the tarp off just as Chris came out of the workshop area with Danny.
She eyed Danny as she pulls the tarp free to reveal the cherry red Mustang that she knew had been stolen. The plate was missing from the back of the car but she guessed it was the same one.
Danny dropped his eyes.
Gail shook her head then gestured for Duncan to pull the cover off another of the cars in the yard.
"Sweet!" Duncan said in an impressed tone that made Gail glance over.
Even she was surprised to see the bright yellow Porsche Macan, now that car cost a lot more than the one she was stood next to.
She glanced at Danny. "I think someone has some explaining to do, unless you have the slips for these in the office somewhere?" She asked him with a quirk of her eyebrow as Chris went over to another cover and pulled it free of another Mustang, blue this time. She shook her head and left the others to look around the rest of the yard for more hidden cars and glanced around the Mustang, looking inside for any sign of the plates. If she had those it would be easier to confirm it was the stolen car and leave less room for excuses by the owner of the scrap yard.
She tried the door and it opened for her. She leaned into the driver's side and had a look around then stretched over to check the glove box for anything but it was all clean and empty of any documents. Sighing she stepped back and closed the door and as the snow started to fall harder she adjusted the collar on her jacket to prevent any flakes falling down the back of her neck.
She glanced back to see Chris checking the inside of the other Mustang as Duncan still stood fawning over the Porsche with Danny right beside him.
She then saw Andy standing by the doorway into the workshop, glancing inside occasionally. From what Gail could hear the work was still going on so maybe none of the workers knew anything about what was out here. They might know, they might not, that would be questions for them once they had established the cars were in fact stolen.
Going around to the boot of the car Gail worked the latch but it snagged and only came free after another tug to yank it into the air. "Oh, okay." Her eyes widened as she took in the body she found crammed into the space. "Guess I just found Curtis." She muttered to herself as she reached for her radio at the same time as she slammed the boot closed again. "Dispatch, this is 15-24, we've got a 10-55 at this 20, going to have to send in the D's."
"Copy that, on route."
She sighed because now there was going to be a lot more paperwork for her. She hated paperwork but at least it would let them hang around 15 for the rest of the day's shift, once they cleared up here.
As she glanced towards Chris and Andy she realised Duncan and Danny had disappeared from sight and her gut tightened. She eyed the space quickly then headed for the Porsche where she saw feet on the ground at the side of the car.
"Chris!" She called out as she raced over, pulling her gun free as she came up to Duncan and Danny on the ground wrestling for control of Duncan's weapon. "Hands up, now!" She ordered as she pressed her gun to the back of Danny's head.
Danny stopped moving at the touch and put his hands up slowly as Duncan scrambled out from under him, his eyes wide and panicked.
Gail kept her gun in position even as Chris arrived and grabbed at Danny to cuff his hands together behind his back. Only then did she return her weapon to her holster. Her heart was thundering in her chest as Chris jerked Danny to his feet and led him away, no doubt to the back of one of the squad cars.
Gail eyed Duncan who was still breathing heavily on the ground as Andy moved to stand beside her. She looked from the rookie to Andy then shook her head. That had been very close.
Andy sighed then offered her hand to Duncan to help him up. "You okay?"
"Am I okay?" Duncan repeated incredulously. "He had his hands on my gun!"
Gail shook her head and stepped away from the pair. "Yeah, you were too busy drooling over a car to pay attention to the suspect." She muttered loud enough to be heard as she went after Chris in case he needed any help.
Not that she thought he needed any, but it also got her away from the idiot rookie.
xxxxxx
Holly was grateful to be out of the morgue as she worked her way past officers, following pointing fingers until she had made her way out into some sort of scrap yard and saw Detective's Swarek and Callaghan stood talking together.
"Detectives." She said in greeting as she waited to be directed to the body.
Luke came over and nodded at her, gesturing her along further into the yard. "Dr Stewart."
Holly shifted her bag and walked with the detective. "So, what do you have for me?" She asked not having received any additional information other than a body had been found.
Luke grinned and folded his arms over his chest as he stopped at the back of a car. "Gail?" He called out.
Holly glanced around in surprise, not having seen the distinctive blonde head anywhere so far.
A grunt came at her feet and Holly had to tame her smile as Gail worked her way out from beneath the car.
Gail scooted clear then lifted a hand to Luke and he helped pull her back up onto her feet. She then smiled at Holly for a second then gestured to the boot. "Ta da!" She said as Luke opened the boot up and exposed the body of Curtis Healy.
"Oh." Holly edged closer and took in the sight of the folded dead body. "Well, I'm going to have to pull him free back at the lab." She informed the detective with a slight note of reluctance. It was hard to figure how detectives would react to being told they'd have to wait longer for answers from her.
Luke waved his hand, clearly not bothered. "That's fine, we already have him identified and a suspect in custody, we'll just need a COD."
Gail grinned and pointed to the ground. "Which I have for you." She told the pair with a pleased look.
Holly hiked an eyebrow up. There was blood on and around the body but that could be from stab wounds, gun shots, or from being beaten.
Luke crossed his arms again and waited patiently beside Gail.
"He was shot!" Gail proclaimed. "While he was inside the boot!" She went on happily.
"You can't know that for sure." Holly interjected with a frown.
Gail rocked her head side to side and made a face. "Well, sure, no. But the bullet holes in the bottom of the car sure do imply strongly that that was exactly what happened." She replied casually.
Luke chuckled then slapped at Gail's shoulder before walking away back towards Sam. "Let me know, once it's been confirmed." He said to Holly.
Holly nodded then looked at her smug girlfriend. She shook her head then closed the boot over. As right as Gail might be she still wasn't touching the body out here in the open. They could lose bullet casings or other evidence if she moved the body here.
"Hi." Gail said to Holly now that they were alone.
"I'm not speaking to you." Holly replied as she looked away and ordered the nearest crime scene tech she found that they'd have to transport the car and body back to the lab.
"What? Why?" Gail asked in confusing.
Holly turned and looked at Gail for a long moment then stepped closer as the blonde continued glaring at her. "One word; Montréal."
"Oh." Gail mumbled quietly. The game was up.
"Yeah, oh." Holly repeated, still unhappy. She ignored the sheepish smile aimed her way and leaned in closer to the blonde. "Have you any idea how freaked out I've been all morning?" She asked in a whisper.
Gail tried her best not to laugh.
"And then Traci informs me over lunch, in the middle of asking what was going on between us mind you, that your mother was off at some police conference this week!" Holly continued momentarily forgetting they were in the middle of a crime scene.
Now Gail did chuckle.
Holly smacked Gail lightly. "It's not funny!" She reprimanded her girlfriend even as she let her own smile form. "I hate you right now."
"No you don't." Gail refuted.
"Kinda do." Holly grumbled as she sighed.
Sam walked over to the two women having seen Dr Stewart hitting Gail. "Problem?" He asked.
Gail stared at Holly and lifted an eyebrow to ask her silently if they did have a problem.
Holly sighed and wiped at the snow falling on her glasses. "No." She answered the detective, aware that it was Sam's first case back on the job.
Sam eyed the pair then shrugged and left them to it.
"I could arrest you for assault." Gail warned Holly.
Holly blew out a breath. As relieved as she was that Elaine Peck wasn't going to be around this week she had to wonder why Gail had made out that she was. And as she recalled the conversation with Gail's dad at Fight Night, he had made it sound like the Superintendent was around as well and he must have known that his wife wasn't.
Gail smiled as she watched her girlfriend pout. Maybe it had been a little cruel to make Holly think Elaine was going to drop by the morgue at any moment this week but she hadn't been able to stop herself that night. And she'd loved that her dad had played right along with her.
"Traci's a squealer." Gail complained. "You still had almost the whole week to freak out."
Now it was Holly's turn to grin.
Gail sniffed then stuffed her hands into her pockets and shrugged at Holly. "Ah well, don't look too happy yet Hols, she gets back Friday night and I wouldn't put it past her just to show up at your front door." She told her girlfriend.
"And we still have to go to dinner with them this Sunday." She reminded the pathologist before walking off. Gail needed to have a word with Traci. She wasn't bothered by the idea of her friend telling Holly about her mother being gone this week but she did care about Traci asking Holly about their falling out. She and Holly had gone over it and sorted it out, the last thing Gail wanted was for anyone to make things worse again.
Holly scowled at Gail as she left. "Thanks! Thanks a lot!" She called after her but the blonde just lifted her hand to acknowledge that she'd been heard.
Holly shook her head then glanced down at the closed boot. "Count yourself lucky, a gunshot's probably preferable to death by Peck." She told the body.
It was bad enough thinking Elaine was going to come to her work, now she had to worry about her turning up at her home? That wasn't fair.
Holly narrowed her eyes and looked for Gail but the heavy snowfall limited her vision and she couldn't spot her. If Gail had lied about Elaine being around this week maybe she was exaggerating about the woman coming to her house.
She was going to have to get some answers out of Gail tonight, and she could do that one of two ways, withhold food, or withhold sex.
She grinned to herself as a tech started to seal up the boot of the car for transport which meant she could head back to her car.
As she walked back through the metal shop she spotted Gail and Andy talking. As Gail glances her way Holly winks at her then continues out of the store leaving a confused blonde behind.
After this morning Holly decides that she should use both approaches tonight.
And maybe for the rest of the week.
xxxxxx
AN/
So I kinda want to do something with this about Duncan being the rat that it looks like he's going to be. There will be one or two more chapters to this.
Thanks for reading!