Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 27 (At the Crossroads)

She could see in his eyes something troubling him, and her instinct told her something was dreadfully wrong. "What's the problem, Beck?" He sat beside her and she cuddled up next to him. Her arm slid around his lower back and she placed her head to his shoulder. "Talk to me."

"I can't." He closed his eyes and looked away. Beck's muscles started to tense, and his chest expanded as he drew in a sharp breath. Jade slid her hand over his and curled her fingers around his.

"Beck. You know you can tell me anything."

"I know." He rolled his head back and opened his eyes partially. "My dad and I were arguing about something; it's hard to discuss." His fingers squeezed hers and his eyes moved into her gaze. The look gave her a feeling of inexplicable sorrow and grave concern. She hoped that what was going on with his mother wasn't causing a further strain, though her gut told her otherwise. "He doesn't want to stay here anymore. This town. He wants to leave…"

Her heart stopped and she peered down at her hand. "Oh." She could feel the scratchiness in her throat. As she attempted to speak, her voice began to waver.

There was nothing she could do if Beck's father wanted to move, but she hoped it wouldn't happen. "Is it the memories or something? You have a support system here."

"Maybe so, but he says he doesn't. I don't want to leave him alone, Jade." From what she understood, Mr. Oliver was filing for divorce. He was going to need the support of his son. The thought of Beck leaving was terrifying, but she didn't want to hold him back if it came down to his father deciding it was time to move.

Jade crossed her legs on the bed and wrapped her arm around his. "What do you want, Beck?" He pushed his hand back over his neck and laughed.

"I want things to go back to normal." His hand dropped to the mattress and his index finger tapped furiously on the comforter. "But that's not likely to happen."

"I'm sorry, Beck. I know it's difficult."

"Have you ever wanted two clashing things to be true, before?" Her eyebrow rose and he turned to her. She could feel his body shivering, so she wrapped her arms around him in the hope that it would calm him down. "I'm so glad we came across Tori, Trina and their mother, and that they're finally getting help and rescue."

His mouth closed and his nostrils opened slightly to let out a long draft. "But at the same time, I wish we never encountered them. I wish we never did so all of this would never happen, and I feel like shit for that."

Jade hugged him tighter. Her heart was racing a mile a minute as a heavy sensation spread over her chest. "Don't feel bad for it. I understand." He probably realized that it was inevitable that someone would have found out, but also that if they didn't run into the girls, there was a good chance none of them would have made it out alive.

"Beck, if it comes down to you moving, I will understand." They could make it work. They had to. She didn't know how to deal with distance relationships, but she could figure it out if need be. "How will this affect us?"

He scoffed and swept a finger across his nose. "I don't even know if it's going to happen." She started to smile, but frowned once he crossed his arms and looked away. "This is too much."

"I know…"

"After this is done, this case you're on, what's going to happen?" She folded her legs and looked away from him. The room fell silent with only the sound of her slow and quiet breath.

Jade pushed her hand through her hair and shook her head. "I don't know. Mr. Sikowitz got me on this internship, and I imagine I'll still be working for him." For all she knew, he would put her on paperwork and make her his personal secretary at the office. At least until she was old enough to work major criminal investigations, rather than ones she simply stumbled upon.

"I probably won't work criminal investigations." She folded her hands on her stomach and looked down to her feet. "This case, I just happened upon it and he was already working it. Luck of the draw, I guess." Her lips curled up while her right hand slid upwards along her wrist and forearm. "I'm just a tool in the investigation, since I just became friends with the girls, and David didn't suspect anything."

"Lucky you."

"Your dad really wants to move?" She felt a sharp pain in her chest. Beck's hand moved over hers and he started to smile, but his charm was no comfort to her now. "We can make it work, can't we?"

"I think so. Dad hasn't made a decision yet, but regardless, I think we can manage."

"I hope so. I really do." She put her head to his shoulder and tangled her fingers with his.

The next week was a long one; Jade was helping her dad clean his home office for a good portion of it. They discussed quite a bit of what he remembered Gary and Holly being like, and that he was glad they were able to be together now.

He referred he two to a coworker of his that he was sure could help them get back on track, but first, the couple decided to take their vacation. Which of course meant Jade wanted to be the one to escort them to the airport, and she wound up doing that in the latter part of the afternoon.

A bad idea for anybody that wished to avoid traffic. "Had to make sure it was safe," Jade muttered while entering Sikowitz's downtown office. There was no time to rest, but she had to. "Don't ask me why, but they're visiting Ireland." She fell into the chair with a huff and swept her hands through her hair. "Traffic is hell here."

Sikowitz leaned back slowly and gently tapped his fingertips together. "Traffic is hellish in all the major cities, Jade." She leaned towards the right and moved her fingers to her right temple.

"You're telling me."

"You seem stressed. More so than traffic issues." She tucked her lip beneath her teeth and glanced down. "What's on your mind?"

"Beck might be moving. He says his dad can't stand it here anymore." Her heart grew still and a heaviness pulled her down as though someone were pressing a ton of weight onto her body. "I don't want him to go but I can't control his dad. Then, and only then, if we do long distance…it's going to be hard."

"It will be, but if the two of you care about each other as you do, I'm certain you will make it work." Jade tangled her two index fingers together and her right foot began to tap the ground with a slow rhythm.

Sikowitz raised a hand to his beard and leaned to his right, using his elbow as a perch on the armrest. "Jade." Her eyes slid into his and the corners of her mouth rose a small amount. "You do have a career now. This is life, even if your boyfriend were not at risk of moving, you still have to find balance. You will, regardless of what happens."

"I know. It's just hard, but I know." She took a sharp breath and folded her hands in her lap. "I got a few letters from Tori and Trina. They're both doing well. They're finally getting accustomed to life outside captivity, and both Ian and Jason really seem to be helping them cope."

"Good. There's good news all over." Her eyebrows shifted and she watched him twist and lean over the chair, reaching for something behind his desk. Her body leaned forward and her tongue swept across her lips as she waited in anticipation. "We could be ready to make a move against Lanie now."

"What? What do you mean?"

"An anonymous person sent this, but I think I know who." He raised his hand, pulling-to Jade's surprise-Rex. Her hand flew to her chest, catching the rapid heartbeats in her palm. "Your dear friend Robbie would never part with this, would he?"

"No. Not unless there was some reason." Robbie must not have sent it then, but the tone in her mentor's voice was indicative that he felt Robbie was the anonymous sender. "Could somebody have stolen it and sent it in?"

"That's what I thought, until I viewed the note that came with it." He set the puppet on his lap and removed a small envelope that was tucked beneath Rex's plaid shirt. He tossed it over and Jade slowly picked it up. "Read, Jade."

She picked up the envelope and slowly removed the paper. Sunlight from the window splashed onto it, giving it a glow that seemed to erase everything from view.

The note was handwritten, and she instantly recognized it as Robbie's. "I can't take the abuse anymore," she read, "Mom doesn't care about me. She tells me that all the time. I can't live up to her expectation, I'm not good enough, I'll never be what she wanted. All I am to her is a tool, a puppet like this stupid thing she makes me carry around. If I tell you, I'm dead, if I don't tell anyone, I'm dead. So I'm taking my chances, because I don't know what to do. I honestly don't know what to do…Hidden inside Rex is a camera, and on the camera is a history of recordings. Mom's abuse, mom talking to David and Rebecca. I'm done, I can't take it any longer."

Jade lowered the note. Her hands were beginning to shake, and her eyes had welled up with tears. "I-I don't know what to say." She didn't realize things were this bad with Robbie, but she had suspected something. "Have you reviewed the footage?"

"Not yet. I'm going to review it with Gary's team first, and then we'll decide our next move. Robbie's been abused and beaten his entire life, Jade. He only sent the puppet…if he's at his wits end, we may want to work fast."

"What are you thinking?"

Sikowitz frowned and turned his eyes to a photo on the desk. "I've seen abuse far too often. I understood Holly's desire to kill David, because when you can find no other way out to save your own life, you turn to murder." He leaned over the desk, bending his elbows up on it and clasping his hands before his face.

"My sister was the same way with her husband." Her hands closed slowly and the light in the room appeared to dim around them. She felt a sharp pain tugging at her heart, but pushed it aside the best she could. "When Jason started learning martial arts, he became strong enough to stand against his dad, he was able to take his mother and leave that house without any further harm being done, but my sister was at that point where she was contemplating murder. Every victim of abuse comes to that point."

Her breath was swept away from her lungs and it pushed her lips apart. She understood now what the man was saying; they had to figure out just where Robbie was right now.

"I know Robbie's not a bad kid," she replied. Jade began to tap her fingers on her leg, staring down at her hand with overwhelming anxiety. "He doesn't deserve to go through all that hell, and he's not a killer."

"Anybody can be driven to murder, Jade. Remember that. Nobody is free from fear, anger, hatred or even jealousy. Not you, not I, and certainly not someone that sees no other way out." Sikowitz looked at Rex and pressed his lips firmly together. His chest moved outwards and then fell as his nostrils expanded. "Certainly you and I can see another escape, but a victim of abuse and crime cannot."

"The best example to give to you: Up until now, Holly and her daughters-and Gary as well-never imagined that they would make it out of that hell alive. They never saw the alternative that we saw, they never imagined this freedom they likely feel now. The only way they saw it, the only way Holly could picture it, was someone was going to die, and they're terrified it would be them. A victim will do anything to save themselves when they muster up the strength and courage to kill their abuser…"

"I understand." She stood up and closed her eyes. Part of her wanted to call Beck and have him get in touch with Robbie, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "Should I contact Beck? I can't tell him everything, but I can at least get him to try and contact Robbie while we review the footage."

"That's a fine idea. Do it while we're headed down to the station."

So Robbie handed over Rex, Beck may be moving and Gary/Holly have gone are a safe distance away. There's a lot going on, so what are your thoughts?