Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 9 (Those Involved)

In Sikowitz classroom, Jade was tasked with going over the facts of the case while the rest of the students participated in the class activity. She didn't mind, since she felt like she had to continue investigating, so she was more than willing to take a seat at a desk in the back of the room.

The clamor of her classmates was distracting, but she was able to drone them out just enough to focus on her own work. Although she was closely observing some key people. Such as Robbie, who was watching Tori.

"Build a profile." That had been Sikowitz's order for her. The sheet of paper he printed out for her was crisp and warm, as though freshly printed. It would serve as a guideline for her notes. This sheet was a profile sheet that would outline various factors that she needed to identify to create such a profile of offenders and their victims.

Beside her on the desk was a large book, the Crime Classification Manual, by John E. Douglas. It was black, with a gold banner at the top, and very thick. Its size was terrifying, but fortunately for her, it was more of a reference manual than a textbook to study.

"Okay." She put her pen to the first line of the sheet and narrowed her eyes. "Possible criminal profile typology." She wasn't certain what to look for, since she didn't have all the facts. Sikowitz had written down a few numbers for her to look for, so she'd follow his reference and see what she could find. Her eyes darted to the book and she gently tapped her lips with her pen. "I'll look through that thing in a second…"

Under "Victimology", she wrote out the names of three victims: Holly, Tori, and Trina. Then she wrote out one as a John Doe, because she figured there had to be somebody else involved in all of this: The real father of the girls. Whoever he was, he was out there and he was a victim.

"Make this easy," she muttered, "Start with the oldest." Her chest throbbed and she brought her hand to her forehead, struggling to drown out the loud chatter that surrounded her as she wrote down what information she knew.

Holly Vega

Holly was born Holland Raquel Daniels circa 1962 and attended Lawrence High School before attending the University of California at Los Angeles in 1980. She pitched for the high school softball team, and would later pitch for the university team.

Known by those around her as high maintenance and a "challenge" to get to know. Headstrong. Known relationships include David Vega, Gary Richardson, and John Doe.

Mothered two daughters with at this time-unidentified-father.

Possible victim of a stalker; possible victim of abduction.

She scratched her head and studied Gary's name for a moment. The only reason she knew anything about his connection to Holly was from her father. "I need to focus on him, but I have nothing." Then Sikowitz's words struck her: In profiling, 'nothing' does not exist. "What do I know then, about Officer Richardson?"

It was time to connect the dots, if at all possible. She slid her tongue partially from her lips as her pen sped across her journal. "According to Henry West," she wrote, "Gary Richardson was at the top of his game in Lawrence High School, and The University of California at Los Angeles. Pitcher on his baseball team…"

She felt the excited rush of adrenaline through her veins as she continued on past Gary's life at the university. While not much was known, she'd asked around enough to obtain a few crucial facts. "Gary Richardson became a police officer upon graduation from the University in 1984. He was promoted to Detective rank in 1992."

In her pack was a newspaper article she copied while at the library. It detailed how one of the police department's finest officers had been demoted, but no reason had been given to this fall. The officer was about to be promoted to Police Lieutenant.

The paper had been published in August of 1998.

Jade's heart stopped and she lifted the pen. Her eyes squinted and darted to Tori, who was in the midst of laughing with Andre and Cat about something. "'98, Trina was five and Tori was three. Conveniently, this is the same time Mr. Vega got promoted to Police Lieutenant…"

David was an odd case.

Jade licked her fingertips and turned the page in the notebook with sudden haste. Her pen fell to the page and she began scrawling what she knew of Officer Vega's history. "Loner in high school, father died in Vietnam. David was befriended by Gary Richardson, Rebecca Sammons-Oliver, Lanie Travett-Shapiro, Henry West…David is described as antisocial, poor in his relationships regarding women."

Then she continued on to what she got from her father that he knew of outside of the university level. Somewhere along the way, David became close with both Rebecca and Lanie, and of course he still appeared to be.

However he was slow in career growth. He became an officer at the same time as Gary, in 1984. "David was passed up for multiple promotions." Both the Officer ranks and Detective ranks had multiple parts to them.

Police officer I, II, and III. Detective was built the same way. Therefore, it was a total of six promotions. Gary had smooth and steady promotions to each, but David did not.

"When Gary became Detective, rank one, David was still a police officer, rank two." It was not until Gary was at his final rank of a detective that David was granted a promotion to the first of the Detective tree.

"When Gary was eligible for promotion to Lieutenant, he was suddenly demoted to Detective rank one, and David bypassed the second and third tiers of the detective rank and was granted the rank of Lieutenant."

"After which…" She leaned back in her chair, sliding her palms towards her along the surface of the desk. The old, grainy texture clung to her fingertips. She bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow.

She only knew the rest of David's career rise because it was the information Tori didn't mind sharing. David rose at what seemed to be breakneck speed-near unbelievable and implausible unless there were somebody else granting this.

He was upped to Lieutenant rank two in July of 2000. He became a Captain in 2003. Captains have three ranks, similar to the Officer and Detective ranks. His promotion to the second tier came in 2005, then the third was in 2007.

Finally, this year he was granted a rise to Police Commander, pending the promotion of the last Police Commander-Rebecca Oliver, now the newest Deputy Chief. "But she had only been Commander since 2003. That wouldn't explain the sudden rise of Mr. Vega's career, would it?"

"No." A voice behind her startled her, causing her to twist and look up with baited breath. It was Beck, and he'd been looking over her shoulder. His lips were in a flat line, and his eyes were half-lidded. "Maybe after that year, but before, it was the Assistant Chief of Police."

The Assistant Chief was still a Deputy Chief, but rank two. They had a new Assistant Chief and a new Police Chief as of this year, but the Assistant Chief prior to this one had been in office during the late '90s. The one in question was Abraham Michaels.

Beck pulled up a chair, pressing the back end against her desk. He took a seat and folded his forearms over the top. "I overheard mom and dad talking last night." He had a disheveled look on his face and his hair was unnaturally messy. "She told him it had been Chief Michaels that demoted Gary and promoted David."

Jade closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. "You look upset. Did you hear anything else?" He moved his hand to his forehead and slowly pushed it through his hair, sliding the strands back into place as well as he could.

"They were fighting because Mom apparently spends a lot of time with Mr. Vega." Her eyes dropped down and a stroke of pity struck her. It could be Beck now knew of the affair his mother was having with the man, and of course, it was better that he found out this way when he would not have believed her had she said anything. "She said she had to, that Dad 'didn't understand'."

"What? Is your mom being forced?"

"No. That's the funny part." Beck turned his head to the right and huffed loudly. "She's willingly going to Mr. Vega and helping him with whatever it is he wants. She says she 'feels sorry' for him and always has." Jade wrote down his words.

She felt an emptiness in her gut and a tightness in her throat while thinking on Beck's mother. She needed to know what the woman's connection was in all this, but didn't want to pressure Beck with questions. Still, it was necessary.

"Beck. I know it's hard…" He looked back to her eyes. His expression was distant and his eyes vacant. His eyelids were red and puffy, and she noticed for the first time, the growth of patchy stubble on his chin and jaw. "What is your mother's connection to all of this? What's her connection to Chief Michaels? What's her connection to Mr. Vega? To Gary?"

"I don't know about Chief Michaels, other than he's Mrs. Shapiro's uncle." Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. "But Mr. Vega? Dad accused her of sleeping with the guy…since before I was fucking born. She says it was 'pity sex' at first…She, Mrs. Shapiro, Mr. Vega…"

Her stomach knotted up and her eyes drifted towards Robbie. Anxious thoughts filled her head and deafened her to Beck's continued rant about his mother's affair. It was as though she were in a lucid state, unable to comprehend just what her boyfriend was saying.

She thought she heard him say something about a divorce, then something about somebody pandering to someone else. Then he said something that struck a frightened chord in her heart.

Lanie Shapiro was divorced in '96-but she was pregnant in '94. The baby was not the son of Thomas Shapiro.

"Shit," She whispered aloud as Robbie made eye contact with her. His lips spread into a thin smile and his thick eyebrows slid up beneath his curly bangs. "What happened to the father? Did you hear anything about that?"

"Just a little." He crossed his arms and straightened his back with a groan. "Mrs. Shapiro told everyone that it was her husband's, so I doubt even the father had any inclination. Mom seems to think it could be Mr. Vega, and that Mrs. Shapiro was just embarrassed or something."

"Ms. Ms. Shapiro-she's divorced now."

"Same damn difference as far as I'm concerned, at the moment."

"Do you think Robbie knows?"

Beck's eyebrows arched and his lips opened like a fish trying to breathe. "Oh he knows-that squirrely little nut knows damn well. With how often we talk on the phone, he goes on and on about it. And you know what else?" Beck leaned forward and his voice dropped to a whisper while Jade focused on Robbie. Robbie was talking with Tori, laughing over some joke and playing with Rex.

"What?"

` "I called him up last night, he was half asleep. He said he knows the truth about the Vega sisters." Her heart skidded to a halt and the tightness in her stomach spread to her chest and her muscles. "You know he was a last minute addition to Sikowitz's class, right? When Tori started in here, he signed up."

"You're throwing your own cousin under the bus, you realize that?" Beck and Robbie weren't direct cousins, but second cousins. Beck scoffed once more, the tune was filled with anger. His trembling fingers combed through his messy hair and his eyes slammed shut.

"We're not cousins. It was on his dad's side, Jade. He never told me Mr. Shapiro wasn't his father." She reached over to his hand and closed her fingers around it. Beck's raw gaze drifted open and she smiled reassuringly at him.

"I'm sorry Beck. I really am. I have to tell Sikowitz."

"I know, Jade. Why do you think I'm telling you all this?" Beck pulled his hand away and frowned at the man he once considered to be a good friend. "Something fucked up is going on, and he's probably taking this class just to see what's up. I don't know, but I need time to think about things…"

"Take all the time you need." She closed her notebook and took a deep breath. Today was going to be an odd day, she could feel it, but at least they were making progress. "So somehow, your mother, Robbie's mom, and maybe Robbie himself…are a part of this. Chief Michaels as well-though retired now." It was likely Lanie and Rebecca could cover up or turn away investigation on David. "Robbie's mom is a judge, your mom's the newest Deputy Chief-and Beck, I don't want to say it to you but-"

"My mother's probably aiding Mr. Vega in whatever the hell he's been up to." His cheeks rose and fell quickly and his shoulders fell. "Just say it."

Now she just had to figure out why, and what it was David was getting away with. Whatever it was, there was a reason behind it-once she figured that out, she could start figuring out what to do.

Private investigators worked with and for the police, but they also worked alone. Jade learned that from Mr. Sikowitz, and as such, she was aware that people might choose private investigators to help with something that the police department cannot.

Approaching Sikowitz's downtown office after school was nerve-wracking because it was the first real time she'd been down there. His office was tucked away in a high rise with nearly fifty floors.

When she made it to the door of his office, it was cracked open enough for her to hear a man shouting at Sikowitz-upset that the newest addition to his staff was a teenage girl.

The man sounded nervous and frantic, there was also a sense of urgency in his voice that mingled with despair and anger. As she tried to discern what kind of anger this man had, she approached the glass windows that overlooked the street below.

The people on the sidewalk looked like tiny dots from where she was standing, and the cars almost looked like rectangular, colored blocks sliding along a path.

"Just trust me," Sikowitz reassured the man. Jade turned her head over her shoulder and saw something move past the cracked door.

"Trust? I have to trust you, who else is there?"

"Relax. Go home, sip a beer or something, and let me handle things."

"Please, Erwin. The only other option-I may as well give up my badge for because that's what I'd be doing."

"I know. I understand. Just relax."

Jade turned fully and watched the door slide open. To her amazement, Sikowitz followed Gary Richardson out of the office. He was in full police uniform, his usual neat and clean hair now looked like a mad scientist's. His eyes were baggy and red, and his forehead had been scrunched up like crumpled paper.

He took one look at Jade, rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in despair, then walked off while mumbling under his breath. Sikowitz turned to her with a smile and motioned his hand into his office.

"Don't mind Mr. Richardson, Jade-he is simply one of my many clients."

"He sounded pretty angry."

"Yes, well, a few of my clients are a little concerned that I hired a teenager as an apprentice." He shrugged and Jade started to frown. "But I have faith in you." Her hope was restored for the moment and she started to approach him.

Sikowitz looked different in this high-rise office. His hair was now neatly combed around his bald top, and he was no longer wearing his dirty outfit with the scarf clinging to his neck. Now he was wearing a brown blazer over a tucked in, blue, button-up. Instead of a scarf, he wore a brown tie that had a pattern of brown squares.

"Do you have new information regarding your case-assignment, Jade?"

"I-I think so."

So it looks like Beck sees what was suspect. but sometimes answers raise more questions. Tell me, are you thinking? It sounds very much like Robbie is a part of the conspiracy, but just how involved? Could he be going so much as to keep an eye on Tori and likely Trina while they're not home? And after all this time, we see Gary, and it looks like he's hired Sikowitz for something and like many of the other clients, isn't exactly thrilled that a teenager is the newly hired help. Beck seemed pretty shaken up, didn't he? You think he's going to handle it with some difficulty for a while? What other thoughts do you have? Do tell!