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 6

DAY 6

Linden is standing by the car, parked on the street outside Bennett Ahmed's apartment. She's holding flyers with pictures of Rosie Larsen on them that she has just taken out of the car. Holder approaches, carrying only one cup of coffee this time.

"Thanks! I hate it when somebody brings me coffee."

"Don't be like that. I got you a going away present. But I'm saving it for when you, you know, actually go away." Looking very satisfied with his witty comeback, Holder leans against the car, drinking his coffee and smoking his cigarette. Linden ignores him, turns and begins walking slowly toward the apartments in front of them.

"We'll canvas this block. Maybe we get lucky, find somebody who saw her. I'm starting with Ahmed's neighbor. The other side of the street's yours."

"Hey, give me a second. The first one of the day, it always tastes the best." Holder's not in a hurry, and that alone is annoying Linden, still not even a minute after he arrived.

"After I leave and they give the case to someone else, and you're working Traffic, you can smoke all day," she tells him without looking back. She's already approaching the Ahmeds' neighbor's door.

Holder

Damn, Linden! Bite my head off, why don't you?

Maybe I should've brought her a coffee as a peace offering… I didn't realize I'd be needing one! She's even bitchier than usual this morning… so that means today'll be extra fun. Maybe she's pissy because it's supposed to be her last day here – if you believe her… which I don't.

Don't know why Linden's in such a hurry to knock on doors today. She's always in too much for a hurry when it comes to work. Too much of a hurry to eat, even! OK, yeah, there's work to be done, but will those two minutes literally make or break the day? I mean, she's in a hurry to do everything….

Except, apparently, to LEAVE.

That life in Sonoma must be really, really good, cause clearly she's pumped to get there. Or not.

Whatever. If I've learned one thing in the past 6 days, it's that her bark is worse than her bite. That, and that she likes my jokes… though I should probably hold off on those til later today. No sense risking injury unnecessarily.

Alright, time to work my magic on the neighbors.

Linden

Holder's still really enjoying the whole "you're still here" thing. Annoyingly so. OK, I guess maybe I've set myself up for it. I have missed a few planes in the past week. I couldn't just leave when… I mean, I guess I could have left… or is it that I should have been able to leave? It wasn't all my fault. Oakes has forced me to stay more than once… but yeah, he didn't make me stay every time… and really, what would he have done if I had refused to stay, if I had just left? Had me arrested?

Face it, Sarah, deep down you're already invested in this case. The very thing that you promised yourself from day one was not going to happen. It's going to be painful to leave tonight, and you need to be ready for that. But you're going to do it… don't even let yourself doubt that, or it's all over.

Then there's Holder, who acts like we have all day to hang out, and that nothing needs to be accomplished. This is my last day on this case! I don't have time to sit around smoking and drinking coffee! I know I won't solve it – as much as that kills me - but I would like to tie things up as much as I can. Who knows what'll happen after I leave. I really wonder who'll end up working it, and if Holder'll be on it at all. He may have surpassed my first impression of him, but I'm not sure he could handle being lead on this one. Luckily, though, it won't be up to me. And I won't have to be here to see what happens. I won't be here…

…to know if they solve it.

Shit.

Nope, I'm leaving. I. Am. Leaving. Tonight.

…

"Mrs. Ahmed, open the door! Open the door right now!" called Linden and Holder, over and over again. They pounded on the door and shouted for what seemed like an eternity, but Amber Ahmed was nowhere to be seen. At least one of the Ahmeds' neighbors peered at them through the glass of her door. Finally, they gave up pounding and calling. Apparently no one was home, or so it seemed. It was time to think about their next move.

The evening was cool and clear, for once. They walked slowly back towards the car, parked at the curb in front of the apartment building. Holder had lit a cigarette before they got there, despite the short distance.

"So, what now, boss?" he asked casually. The day was almost over, and though he didn't believe deep down that Linden would be leaving that night, the idea that he could be in charge of this investigation if she did leave was quite attractive…

Linden shot him a look that he knew by now meant somewhere between a sarcastic Very funny and Shut Up, Holder, depending on the context.

"So, we know they're not home. Unless of course they're in there hiding out. Any idea where Bennett might be right now?" asked Holder, leaning back against the car. "Cause it looks like it's time to talk to him, again."

"I saw him this morning at the funeral. The Larsens had been setting up tables in their garage before that, probably for company afterwards… a wake, I guess? So he may be at the Larsens.'"

Something was gnawing at Holder about that. He hoped that Bennett was somewhere else, but Linden was probably right. It made sense that he'd be there.

"Does Stan Larsen know that we're investigating Bennett?" Holder wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure… We didn't tell him, but he could have heard it from someone else…" She paused, knowing how easily something like that could have leaked during such a public investigation. She'd seen many more important details leaked in investigations that were much more closely guarded. "Before we jump to conclusions, let's head over there and see for ourselves. And I'm going to call about a warrant for the Ahmeds' place." Linden flipped open her phone as she opened the car door and got in. Holder was in the passenger seat before she had closed hers.

She talked as she drove, despite the fact that she didn't have a hands free phone connection. "We have a witness who saw the suspect and somebody else carrying the Larsen girl out of the building at midnight. I think the accomplice was the wife. She's not home, but we're headed out to pick up Mr. Ahmed now." Linden closed her phone and put it away. "ADA Bernstein'll call back."

Holder looked at her, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, check this. Old buddy of mine, he said Stan Larsen used to be mobbed up with the Poles. Said he might've killed some guys."

"Since when?"

"Got out of the game a long time ago. Stayed out."

"You didn't think to tell me this earlier?" And Bennett's at Stan Larsen's house?

"The girl look like a mob hit to you?"

"Call Bennett right now."

Linden had a bad feeling about this. She just hoped that she was wrong.