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I look up to see Gail leaning in the doorway of my lab looking like the cat that ate the canary. There is a sparkle in her eyes and an energy of barely contained excitement about her, in spite of the grueling hours she has been working to wrap up this case. I know she must be as exhausted as I am. The raid went down like clockwork two nights ago, and we have both been working steadily ever since.
"Hey Gail!" I greet her, "I do hope one of those coffees is for me."
"Well, " She says, a grin growing on her face, "That all depends…"
"Ok…" I smile at her.
"How much time can you take off?" She asks, winking at me, her grin growing wider.
"I don't know Gail, I mean I have an awful lot to get done today…" I begin. Visions of Gail playing "bad cop" with me in my office run in slow motion through my mind. I feel my eyes widen and my breath catch slightly.
"Not right now! So you can pick your tongue up off the floor, even though I know I'm too sexy for this uniform!" She swaggers past me into the room and places one of the coffees on my desk.
"Oh. Ok…" I know I must look confused.
"Days off, Nerd. Days off. You know, vacation time. Cuz I know you never use all of yours up." She smirks at me.
"Well," I take a deep breath, "I don't know, I'll have to check. Why are you asking?"
She looks truly smug about something.
"Guess where I'm going!" she rocks back and forth on her toes.
"I donno Gail, where are you going?" I reach for my coffee, remove the lid, and inhale deeply.
"Come on Holly, guess!" her eyes sparkle with anticipation.
"I donno Gail… um… Paris?" I take a wild guess at someplace she likes to dream about.
"That's right!" She practically explodes.
"What?" I am truly surprised I got it right.
"Well ok, " She begins, "Yuri and Tatiana and I just got invited to go speak at the International Conference on Children's Rights in London next month. And I need a Plus One."
"You hate public speaking." I interject.
Yeah, but my mother won't be there, and Yuri will do most of it. And then I thought we could take the EuroStar to Paris afterward and spend a week there drinking wine, taking walks by the Seine and down the Champs-Élysées, and well, you know…"
"I don't know Gail," I start, "That sounds kind of expensive."
"Well, our airfare and the London part would be covered by The International Commission on Human Trafficking, and The Toronto Police Department, so that just leaves Paris to me. Did I mention that Yuri said you should come too? All of your expenses for the conference would be covered. Please say yes!" Her enthusiasm is contagious.
I can't help but laugh. "Ok, ok! I'll talk to my boss. I'll do it!"
"Thank you!" She sings and launches herself into my arms.
I am not sure I have ever seen her so happy or excited about anything! Her phone chimes and vibrates at her.
"Oh shit. I have to get this." She picks up the phone and turns away. "Peck. Uh huh. Yup. Ok. Yeah, I'll be right there." She sighs and turns back to me. "Sorry Holly, I gotta go."
"That's ok. I should be getting back to this anyway." I smile at her. "See you tonight?"
"Uh, yeah. Listen, a bunch of us are talking about going out to the Penny for a couple of drinks later. Maybe you can join us?" She says hopefully.
"Maybe. We'll see how I feel when I'm done. I might just want to go home and take in a movie or something." I say giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Ok. Well I'll call you later then." She smiles and strides off with a cocky spring in her step. I love seeing her this happy and excited about something.
"And you will definitely see me tonight!" she calls happily over her shoulder.
The afternoon drags on with more DNA samples and dental records that need to be run. Not just the five new bodies from the big case that Gail is working on, but there is also a rape kit brought in from St. Michael's this morning, one gang related shooting, and a missing persons report for an elderly gentleman who wandered away from his nursing home last night. The gang related shooting is on my table now, waiting to go to x-ray.
My phone chimes in my office and I look at the time. Four thirty. I strip off my gloves to check my messages and take a break. Maybe I'll go make myself some tea. The text from Gail reads simply "Something just came up. I will be late. Call you later xoxo G."
I sigh, and head for the break room. It's not like I don't have a million things to do piling up in my lab today. Jen comes in looking tired and somewhat frazzled herself.
"Hey Holly, you'll never guess what just came in." she says with a frown.
"I donno Jen, do I look psychic to you?" I snipe back.
"Freakin' criminals! Don't they know we have a major case to finish processing this week?" She grumbles. "Damn mugging gone sideways! Stabbed the guy and ran. I've got more freakin' blood samples to deal with than Dracula at a vampire bar!"
"I take it you're supposed to have a hot date tonight?" I laugh at her.
"Uh yeah. That too." She sighs, "I guess I should call Kate and let her know I'll be running late."
"You know what," I sigh, "I'll take care of it. Just go."
"I can't do that to you!" Jen says halfheartedly.
"Sure you can." I grin at her. "You have been working all kinds of crazy overtime, and I know it's been keeping you away from your new girl. Now go on, get out of here before I change my mind!"
"Thanks Holly!" She says, tossing her half eaten apple into the trash, "I owe you one!" She calls over her shoulder as she rushes for the door.
I sigh and grab a Greek Yogurt from one of the vending machines. I may as well let Gail know I will be coming home late too.
I pick up my phone and text, "Back up at the lab. I'm running late too. Don't wait up if you get home first. XxooxxOO H"
"K (little heart symbol)" Comes the reply moments later.
I smile and tuck my phone into the pocket of my lab coat, just in case.
It's well after midnight when I drag myself out to my car. I haven't heard from Gail since around six, but that's not unusual if she's deep into something at work. She did warn me. I roll down the windows of my car and turn on the radio to keep me awake on the ride home. The one o'clock news is just finishing with a story about a warehouse fire across town that is shutting down some of the major area roadways before the station turns from classical to jazz. Normally I would love it, but I'm so tired, I quickly flip to a rock station for something less mellow.
Gail isn't home when I get there, but that's ok. I would rather have her staying over at the station barracks than falling asleep at the wheel of her car in an attempt to make it home. I barely manage to brush my teeth and shed my clothes before crawling into bed. I swear I am asleep before my head even hits the pillow.
Sunlight, and a soft spring breeze stream through our open bedroom window as I am awakened by sound of our doorbell going off. It's going to be a beautiful day! The doorbell rings, again. What the…? I look at the time to see that it's barely eight o'clock. I don't have to be at work until ten today. I'm pretty sure I told Traci I wouldn't be going running with her and Andy this morning. Maybe she forgot. Gail still isn't here, but if she was, I'm sure she would scare the dickens out of whoever was leaning on our bell at this hour.
"All right! All right! I'm getting up!" I mumble as the doorbell sounds again. I push myself up into a vertical position and I reach for sweats and a t-shirt.
"Just a minute!" I call out as I pad to the door on bare feet.
I open the door to find Dov and Gail's mother, Superintendant Elaine Peck, in full dress uniform on our doorstep. This can't be good.
"Hey," I say warily, "What's going on?"
Silence.
"Where's Gail?" I ask as the first twinge of panic begins to form in the pit of my stomach.
Dov takes a deep breath and steps forward. It's then that I notice his eyes are all wrong.
"Holly," He begins slowly, "Aw shit, I don't know how to say this…"
I just look at him. Pain hits me like a wall, engulfing my senses. But I just stand there looking at him, unable to move.
"I am so sorry," He begins again, not able to look at me. "There was an explosion, and a fire…" His voice trails off unable to finish.
My whole body is numb. This can't be happening. The day is suddenly unnaturally bright. I look helplessly from him to Elaine. Our eyes meet and I know. Time slows down as I watch her break, shatter really, like glass.
"Oh God!" She moans, "My baby, my baby girl…" she sobs and crumples into my arms.
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
- The Band Perry