Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 22 (Fights and Letters)

Jade sat at the usual cafeteria table with Beck and Robbie, she was amazed by the empty feeling that surrounded them. With Tori and Andre gone, it felt incomplete to be here. Cat was also elsewhere, busy with a school project. "Doesn't feel right," Robbie muttered, "What's happening with all of us?"

Beck had distanced himself from Robbie and was sitting an entire seat away from the boy. Of course, he wouldn't make eye contact. Robbie had Rex with him, and currently was staring at the puppet with a forlorn expression.

There was more to it from what Jade saw. His right cheek had been bruised by something, and his entire body was tense as if he were bracing himself for an attack of some sort. Even Robbie's eyes, now shielded by messy hair, held a bitterness in them that spoke volumes to Jade.

Seeing that Beck wasn't going to communicate with Robbie, she decided it was best for her to open the lines of communication. "What's the matter, Robbie?" Beck's gaze shot over to her and his eyes narrowed while Robbie jerked up with an astonished gasp.

"You're asking-what do you care?"

"Something's on your mind. So talk." Robbie scoffed at her and looked towards Beck. She had to wonder just how much she and Beck were holding against him that he was actually guilty of. While she didn't trust him, and she was almost certain he was involved in this whole set up with his mother, she couldn't help but to feel like there was something more to him. "Do you think we're judging you or something?"

"You think I can't tell you hate me?" Robbie's sharp voice struck her like a punch to the gut, and his eyes turned to anger in an instant. "You and Beck both, suddenly neither of you want anything to do with me." Beck responded with a grunt, and Jade shook her head at him, hoping her boyfriend would have the sense not to respond with anger towards Robbie. "I shouldn't be surprised, no one ever has, but I can't believe my own cousin-"

"We're not cousins." Beck snarled and Robbie flinched. Jade's eyes widened and she stared at her boyfriend, watching without being able to do anything as Beck leaned towards Robbie. His nostrils flared out and his lips stretched into a wide snarl. "Uncle Thomas isn't your real father, Robbie, or did you not know that?"

Robbie rolled his eyes and growled in return. "I knew that. I was hoping it wouldn't change anything."

"Well it does." Beck threw his hand up and raised his voice, as if he had a flair for the dramatic. Jade was astonished by this action, but she was so perplexed that she could hardly muster the ability to intervene. "It changes everything! How could you possibly expect anything to stay the way they were? You're probably just as nuts, just as vile, just as psychotic as that mother of yours."

"What?" Robbie dropped Rex to the ground and rose up from his seat, towering over Beck. "I am nothing like my mother." Jade flinched as Robbie's fist sailed through the air and struck Beck in the jaw.

She jumped up as her boyfriend scrambled to the ground. "Beck!" The man looked up, seething as Jade knelt beside him. Robbie's shadow fell over him and his eyes began to fill with pain.

"Don't you dare accuse me of being anything like my mother. You don't know what I deal with, what I go through." Robbie's chest expanded and his nostrils spread wide. "Trying to please my mother and make her happy when she could hardly care anything for me. If anything, maybe you're like your own."

"Fuck you." With that, Beck shot up and lunged for Robbie, tackling him to the ground. Jade watched in horror as the two men scrapped with each other. She wanted to pull them apart, but she was afraid she'd get caught in the line of fire.

Beck slammed his cousin down on the pavement and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling Robbie up partially and glaring vehemently in his eyes. "If you ever say that again, I swear I'll shove my fist so far down your throat you won't be able to eat for a week."

Robbie spat out at him and his face twisted into a poisonous scowl. "Do it. I don't care." Beck raised his fist, but before he could strike, someone grabbed his wrist. When Jade glanced up, she saw the school's counselor, Lane, and Mr. Sikowitz standing over them.

"That's quite enough," Lane shouted. "Both of you. My office. Now."

Jade remained in place, paralyzed and only able to watch as Beck and Robbie were carted away. It all happened so quickly, she was horrified that she hadn't been able to stop it before it began.

"What happened here?" Sikowitz knelt beside her and she looked into his comforting gaze. His eyes bore a look of profound knowledge, she expected this as he knew who the boys' parents were. "It wouldn't have anything to do with our two suspects, would it?"

"It all…happened so fast." She glanced at the puppet nearby and reached for it, grabbing the doll's ankle and pulling it towards her. "Maybe I should take this back to Robbie."

"Maybe." Sikowitz put his hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Later, though. Give them some time. Let Lane talk them down."

"Y-Yeah." Her throat tightened until she could no longer speak. She pulled herself up and grabbed her glass of water, craving the soothing drink. After guzzling down half the glass, she opened her eyes and glanced back to Sikowitz. "Something seemed wrong with Robbie, so I asked. He said something that set Beck off, Beck said something and Robbie hit him. Next thing I know, they're fighting. I should have just-"

"It's not your fault, Jade. Both of them are likely to be dealing with their own things. Give them some time to cool off."

"I will." She sat back down at the table and ran her hand through her hair with a heavy sigh. "You're still waiting to talk to Gary? Has he said anything about his team wanting to help with the investigation?"

"I will be meeting with him this afternoon. I will bring up their offer then. I suspect he won't be thrilled that they want to assist, but their help will be invaluable. I think he will understand. In fact, their assistance also means we'll get this case worked on much quicker."

"What about Robbie and Beck? Their fight…their moms are going to know."

"I don't think that's going to affect anything at all. Just relax. Go home and get some rest."

"Okay." She scratched at her forehead and looked off to the road, idly watching the cars driving by. "So Gary's team. They really want to help?"

"Yes. They care enough about him, it seems. It's a good thing."

"Good. You've talked to Gary about getting Holly into protective custody or something? I know she doesn't want him to do that because it'll risk his life, but-"

"He wants to, and I'm sure if we get his team to work with us, we can arrange something. We can't force Holly to do anything she doesn't want to do-or we could, but it's a delicate situation."

"Right…"

After arriving home, Jade found two letters awaiting her in the mail. They were from Tori and Trina both. Pleased to see they wrote back to her, she carried them to her bedroom for further reading.

She wrote them with the desire to see how they were doing on their trips. It had been nearly three weeks now, so hopefully they were getting used to the separation. The first one she opened was Tori's, she wanted to get past that one since Tori was more of a stress bucket than Trina. She knew the girl felt like things were moving far too slowly, and even Jade felt that way.

Tori's letter was like a breath of fresh air, however. The girl seemed more focused with what was happening on the road than she was with the investigation-though she still mentioned it in hopes that it was going well.

It's amazing, Jade. We're staying in one place for a day or two to study everything. Sometimes longer, depending on the location. Did you know there's this big old area in New Mexico that has a dried up lake bed with fossilized dinosaur footprints? Oh my god!

Jade laughed lightly and looked up from the note. It was amusing to see Tori's exploration of the outside world. Maybe it was the fact that this was the girl's first time outside of her captive lifestyle. Her first taste of freedom, and everything that surrounded her must be more of an excitement than what the average person saw.

Or perhaps, Tori was just excited. She smirked lightly and peered back at the letter.

At some point we'll be camping in Durango, Colorado. We haven't gotten there yet, but Ian says I'm going to love all the mountains. I can't wait, but he says it's cold up there. I guess if it is cold, maybe we can cuddle up by a campfire or something? I feel warm when he's around me, and safe. His mom and dad are great too. You would love the jokes Mr. Dennison tells! Then there's their friend, the biologist-well she's actually a veterinarian, but she's got a degree in biology. She's amazing! There are so many things she has to teach me.

I can't wait to get home and tell everyone there all about what's going on. I do hope the investigation is going well, and that mom's safe. Whatever happens, I want momma and Trina to be okay.

You said you and Mr. Sikowitz would help us, that you would save us. I'm holding you to that, but I'm scared. I don't want to come home and find things worse, and part of me feels…Ian's calling me, wants to take me for a walk around the campsite. We're in a nice location, I like it more than the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. I'll write back another time.

Jade's stomach tightened and she dropped the letter on the bed. Her mind drifted back to the fight the boys had and she shuddered. She didn't want to admit she was frightened of things getting worse as well.

They were better, yet, and she would write back to both girls about their father's promotion. If she was certain of anything, she could provide them with a glimpse of relief.

Next, she opened Trina's letter. She was half surprised the girl wrote back to her at all, since Trina didn't appear to care much about her.

When she unfolded the paper, she was impressed by the neat handwriting that Trina had. For a girl with everything on her mind, it was nice to see she'd had enough practice with penmanship to write so legibly.

He's annoying. I don't know what it is about him, but I keep wanting to talk to him. You asked me about Jason, and all I can say really is that he's one of the only people here I know. He's in charge of all the counselors and acts like a leader, he's strong and yes I was impressed with how he handled David. Does that mean I like him? Well, I don't know. I don't know what you saw or what mom told you…yes he's attractive, and he's quiet. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, everyone listens. Kind of like what happened with David, I still laugh when I think about it.

I hope the investigation's going well, and I hope mom's okay. I hate that I had to leave her back there with that monster, but I guess it's for the best. I'm doing okay. An old friend of mine is here, she's someone who remembered me from kindergarten-which was amazing-she's my roommate.

We talk every night, and well, she knows. I told her…I was having nightmares one night and she was still awake. So I told her. She's a comfort, and we laugh about random things until we fall asleep. Okay, so I'll admit we talk about boys, she's trying to set me up with Jason. I don't honestly know why in the hell she's doing that, he doesn't seem like he's interested in relationships right now. To be honest, I'm kind of nervous about the thought of relationships myself.

Should I give it some thought? Should I try? I don't even know how they work! I don't know, but lately, training with him has become enjoyable. Maybe it's because I feel okay around him. When we had to talk to David, you're right, I got scared. I hate admitting it, but that man…well, it felt good when Jason stepped up and took the lead, I was okay with letting him do that. Surprisingly. I think it was just that for once I felt safe. Jason…there's something about him, I don't know what, but he's a good man. I didn't know there were any good men. I want to know more.

What do you think, Jade? I'm not one to ask, but this is something I'm no expert in. Even Lindsay tells me I should give it some time, just get to know the guy and see what happens. I don't know. The way he looks at me, at first I thought he pitied me, but there's something else. I don't want to say he cares about me, but if he didn't, why would he-is it worth reminding myself that I don't know everything? That I'm confused?

I look forward to your next letter. Tell mom I'm still thinking about her. God, I swear I'm grateful for Lindsay's presence, she makes all this anxiety bearable. Jason too, I guess. I'm with Tori on this, do everything you can…don't give up on us…now that I got myself all worked up, I'm going to go spar and get rid of all this emotion. It's making me sick.

Jade started to laugh. She recognized the confusion Trina felt towards Jason. Perhaps it was the first time Trina had been attracted to anybody, or maybe it was the first time she'd given any serious thought to relationships.

She hoped that Trina would pursue these thoughts and feelings she had, because if Jason did care, it could lead to something remarkable and great.

"I guess I'll have to write to them." Anything to keep her mind off the earlier fight. It was tempting to call Beck and see how he was, but she had to keep in mind Sikowitz's words and give him some time to cool off.

The sisters were both clearly vulnerable, and to different degrees. Trina was having a harder time adjusting to being away, it seemed, while Tori may be the one having a harder time adjusting to the possibility that freedom was in sight.

It made sense, considering Tori was the one who lived her entire life in captivity. She didn't know what freedom was. That much was clear from the final sentences in Trina's message:

Before I go, I want to say something more. One of the last memories I have-the good ones. Mom, Dad, Tori and I are at a park. Mom and Dad are on the bench, and mom's got Tori in her arms. I'm playing with Dad's shoe-it's funny, I don't even know why I was so amazed by it. He'd just had it polished, I guess, because I seem to think it was so bright. I remember there were times I'd run off to get something, and every time, mom and dad would tell me not to go too far.

I remember another time, I really wanted this toy. It was a life-sized Pikachu doll. I wanted it so badly that I begged mom and dad to buy it for me. I look back on that memory and think, would it really have been worth it? I never got that doll…

I blame myself so much, but I was a little five year old girl. We lived in the suburbs, didn't make a lot of money. I was a daddy's girl, and I knew Tori would grow up close to mom.

Did I need that stupid doll? Why did I even want it? Jade. If something were to happen. If something happens to my mom, or to my dad…I don't even want to think about what'll happen. Jason's here now, says I'm late to train. I can barely write now. Jason says I don't have to spar if I don't feel like it, but I want to.

There were teardrop stains on the page, and Jade found herself struggling to read the final few sentences. She wanted to tell Trina it wasn't her fault, she was just a little kid and couldn't have known a bad person was waiting in the shadows.

"I should call Sikowitz." Her voice trembled as the letter fell from her grasp. "I should tell him to make that arrest. We have enough…to at least charge David with kidnapping. Hell, sexual assault-the damn man let his pride and anger take that picture and send it."

David could be brought down. He could be made to talk, even. She thought on an investigation she researched recently, the one of a serial killer in Texas. They put a picture of one of his victims down in front of him, knowing it was the one that they couldn't connect him to, and then they said nothing.

All the while, the killer was looking at the photo, slowly becoming unhinged. Psychologically the killer had to be wondering why they weren't saying anything about the girl, throughout the entire questioning.

Perhaps she could use this method. Regardless of what happened, she desperately wanted to bring down the monster. Lanie and Rebecca would get their day as well, but after reading these letters, it was clear which of the three caused the most damage to the family.

The girls remembered her promise, and she was going to keep it to the best of her ability. Failure was no option. Sure there would be cases in the future that she couldn't solve, suspects she couldn't catch, but this was not to be one of those times.

I will say the method at the very end is actually a technique that Dr. Paddack said was used by an investigator questioning the serial killer Faryion Wardrip. They asked him if they knew the victim-trying to see if they could get a connection since it was the one victim they didn't have a connection. He said no, but they left the photo and he kept staring, and his demeanor was changing. Now, tell me your thoughts about this chapter. Two different focus points here, Robbie and Beck both appear to be at boiling points, so what do you think's going on there? Also, what are your thoughts about the individual letters from Tori and Trina? Do you think there's some growth there for the girls?