Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or ideas from The Killing. It's all just way too much fun.

Spoilers: season 1, episode 2

DAY 2

Linden and Holder are back at the high school, having now questioned the students. No one seems to know anything about what happened to Rosie on the night of the dance. None of the students even wants to admit to seeing Rosie that night. Linden and Holder believe someone saw her, but these teenagers don't seem to want to talk.

"Ready? I gotta pick up Jack." Linden saw no point in hanging around any longer. She was supposedly leaving tonight – AGAIN.

"I think I'm gonna stay for a while. Do some digging."

"Into what? We got nothing from those kids."

"Yeah well, you know, it ain't your case no more, so… but you know, don't you worry Linden, I'll get a ride."

"Oh, I won't. Good luck."

"Yeah, and uh, good luck in San Diego. And tell Little Man I said… you know." Holder demonstrates his signature salute.

"Yeah, definitely." Linden turns and walks down the hall and out of the school.

Holder turns towards the group of teenage female athletes sitting in the hall, who are watching him adoringly.

Holder

I know there's a way to get these kids to talk… Someone knows something. It's all about how you approach it, and I'm good with kids. I can get em to talk to me, cause I'm relaxed, more chill than most adults. You wouldn't see any of these kids opening up to Linden. She's way too intense. Those girls that are staring at me? I can use that to my advantage. Just gotta find the right ones and the right situation.

What Oakes did last night – telling Linden that she was staying for another 24 hours – that was fucked up. I mean I know I'm the rookie in the department but damn! Not like I just graduated from the academy. It's gonna feel good to have this case to myself…assuming that I ever get to be lead. Oakes wouldn't keep stringing Linden along til she solves it (would he?)… at least I sure hope not!

Course, at the same time, I really hope I don't fuck it up. That has been my specialty in the past, so I'm gonna have to play this one right. I think my first "in" is those teenage girls. They're watching me with those googly eyes that teenage girls always get. Not gonna do nothing for real, of course, just use the fact that I already know they're watching me. It's kinda creepy, knowing that they're thinking about me like that, but I guess I can't blame em… I am irresistible, after all.

Linden

It's funny, though I don't like him, I almost saw myself in Holder for a second there. If I weren't on my way out of town and off this case, I'd be the one sticking around to do some digging. I'm glad to see that he at least has the motivation to follow through… I'm almost jealous of him, in some weird way. It's not like me – it's always been pretty much impossible for me - to distance myself from a case. On just about every case I've worked, I've been way too involved. No matter how I tell myself I won't do it again, somehow it's just the way I work. I can't seem to do it half way, just all or nothing… even when the all manages to destroy my life.

But I can't get personally involved in this one. I know there's more to it, and I'm sure that given more time, and more "digging," I could find out what's behind it all. But Jack is my priority. And getting out of Seattle. Rick. The wedding. I'm sure Holder will be fine…. OK, I'm not sure, but he may be a little brighter than I'd originally thought. And it's his problem, not mine. I'm leaving it behind… It's for the best.

And yet, I'm pretty sure I could solve this case. It's always just a matter of finding the connections. The kids here don't wanna talk, but someone knows something. Teenagers never want to be the one to talk in front of their friends, in front of the other kids who'll judge them, but if they weren't all in those big groups we had them in, I'll bet one of them would be willing to say something. Yeah, if I wasn't leaving tonight, I know I could solve it.

…

Linden had been in the station when she'd heard the call come in about The Cage over the radio. She'd just finished telling Oakes that she couldn't stay any longer, telling Jack that they were not sticking around for him to be able to go to Nash's party. Suddenly, just as she'd been about to leave the building, what had been a quiet evening in the halls of the precinct had morphed into a night abuzz with the sounds of officers getting ready, radios crackling, techs springing out of doorways and moving as a group toward their squad cars. She'd been so close to getting out. AGAIN.

The few details available about the scene that had been found at the high school were pretty horrific. From the bits and pieces that Linden had overheard, she knew that a secret dungeon of some sort had been found, and that there was a lot of blood involved. She had quickly made a few calls to change the plan for the night – yes, she had had to tell Jack that they weren't leaving, again, and make arrangements for him to stay at Reggie's, again. She could hear the lack of surprise, the resignation, in Reggie's voice. She was thankful that Reggie hadn't had anything smart to say about her latest "delay," because Sarah didn't have the energy to fight with her about it.

There didn't seem to be a rational explanation for why she has still here in Seattle. Something kept holding her down when she tried to free herself… the case had pulled her in, despite her best efforts to remain aloof and detached. She wondered half-heartedly if she would be able to leave before it was solved, no matter how much she told herself that she would.

As she parked her car outside the school for the second time that day, she noted the difference from what the scene had been earlier. This time there were no civilian cars lining the parking lot. Despite the lateness of the hour, the night was illuminated by what appeared to be a fleet of squad cards, marked and unmarked, with lights flashing. It would have been clear that something major was going on, even if she'd been a casual passerby.

She braced herself for more questions as she parked her car and ducked under the Crime Scene tape, walking the short distance to the front door. From there, the unis pointed the way to the basement as if they had been expecting her all along. It surprised her that no one looked the least bit surprised to see her there. Maybe they hadn't known she had planned to leave that night, or maybe they hadn't actually ever believed that she would.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Holder in deep discussion with Oakes, whose back was to her. She stopped where she was, surveying the scene. It was truly gruesome. It was unclear exactly what had happened there, but her first instinct was that it had been something horrible. Yet this wasn't the time to jump to any conclusions, as she knew well from experience. This was the time to gather as many facts as possible, and to find the connections.

Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to decide where in the chaos to begin her analysis, and finally they came to rest on Holder. He had finished his discussion with Oakes, who had crossed the room to be briefed by one of the techs. She slowly approached the spot where Holder was standing, and though he wasn't looking directly at her, her saw her approaching in his peripheral vision. Holder managed to look completely unsurprised to see her there, despite their having said their "final" goodbyes a few hours earlier. She knew which verbal jabs she was likely to be in for, knew what he was eventually going to say, without him having said a word. But it was time to get up to speed and figure this thing out. Whether or not Holder was going to give her a hard time was irrelevant.

"Missed your plane? Again?" Holder asked.

"What is this place?" When in doubt, change the subject back to work.