I own nothing Rizzoli and Isles
LET SLEEPING BLOOD LIE
Chapter 18 - The price
"Keep it an accident, stop investigating, and you can continue in peace. Forget everything you knew"
She stared at Jane waiting for a response
Hamish died and his father thought it was an accident anyway, no-one would fight to disagree with the outcome, she could stop now and save Maura and herself, the evidence was gone now anyway, the note she told them about destroyed, gone, ashes. What difference would one wrongfully labelled death really make anyway
Jane nodded in agreement, "Accident" she said with as much conviction and determination as possible
"Good" the woman spoke, "I'm afraid your next trip will not be pleasant but there's no helping it." She picked up a needle filled with a yellow solution. "I hope I do not see you again". For all intensive purposes, it was a threat. Then the woman lifted a black hood out of her pocket and handed it to Jane. Jane watched the woman intently, She was afraid she would put the hood on and be taken to a dark room where she would find Maura's dead body. They would have no hesitation doing so. She would prefer they took her life not Maura's. She sighed taking in a deep breath and slowly putting the hood over her head fighting the nausea that rose up around her, taking all her concentration just to regulate her breathing.
She heard footsteps behind her and felt arms take hers, then a prick in her shoulder.
"Don't make me regret this Jane," the woman's voice was loud in a room that was becoming quiet around her "Your Maura, She does deserves to be safe" the woman's last words as the click-clack of high heels faded out of the room. She felt the drugs surge her blood stream and lowered her head as the world around her spun away into emotional darkness with no pain, no feeling.
Wednesday 2pm
"Oliver already lawyered up"
"Already? What did you do Korsak?"
He laughs, "I looked at him and he crapped himself."
Jane laughs, "I knew something smelt off." She points to the room with her thumb, "Rich daddy huh?"
Korsak nods slowly "Rich kids lawyers said Oliver was sick home from school that day and the maid can verify that. Also that he left the fraternity when it was suspended. It's probably a lie but we haven't got anything and with an alibi we are stuck. We've been going over fraternity photos on public platforms to see what party-goers posted but no links yet."
"Facebook can be helpful. Wait...lawyers? as in plural?"
Korsak nods, "He's got three of them, I could barely fit in the room." He chuckles
"I don't even have one lawyer. What about the drugs?"
"Well, the D.A. said that Hamish's note could actually exempt him from the charge of possession. As in proof it was planted by someone."
"Well if Hamish planted it then it proves Hamish thought or knew Oliver was behind the hazing. What about murder?" Jane scowls
Korsak shrugs, "In this case that would be up to a jury."
Jane shrugs, frustrated, bewildered, and leans against the wall, "One interview left. Can we get any of them them to bury the others to protect themselves?"
Korsak shakes his head negative, "It's a pact thing, girls just don't get it."
Jane snorts holding back a laugh, "Boys are sooo weird." They both chuckle.
Sunday 7pm
Maura had to go home, the bullpen was still a buzz as Korsak rallied to turn over every stone he could find, which wasn't much. As much as she wanted to stay and help she couldn't stay at work any longer. The bullpen reminded her of Jane, Jane who she watched as she exited the elevator everyday from behind, Jane who she surprised with coffee or lunch. The funny jokes she walked into and enjoyed the fun banter. Jane when she was tense getting nowhere pacing in front of the crime board with her seriously cute stubbornness. Even Frankie's desk reminded her of Jane. The action figure of Frosts on it. The name plaque RIZZOLI, and Frankie's face reminded her of Jane. Division one cafe reminded her of Jane, Angela reminded her of Jane. Conversations played over in her head, the bunny pancakes, laughing together at their table, Jane's reaction every time she had suggested a drink other than coffee. The halls they walked up, the rooms they sat in. Jane was everywhere. And down in the Morgue all the moments she enjoyed with Jane, over cases, jokes, experiments with fish tanks, poison scares that had them stripping...But worse her mind swarmed with scenarios and images of Jane, dead on her table, waiting to be examined for cause of death. She couldn't cope anymore.
She had spent several hours in the bathroom realising that if Jane died she would probably have to leave Boston, the loss would be unbearable.
She had to go home, to shower, maybe eat, to try to think, maybe she could relax for a few hours without thinking about a worst case scenario every few minutes. Or maybe she would go home and be reminded of all the wonderful 'Jane moments' that completely filled her life, every morning before work, friday nights cuddled up innocently watching movies, when they had kissed for the first time. Home was probably going to be just as hard but it was better than hiding in the bathroom, at least she could cry there without being interrupted.
Wednesday 2:40pm
"Joe" Korsak raises an eyebrow
"Joe, yeah" Joe smiles
"You have a last name Joe?" Korsak frowns at him
"Oh, sure, Williams." he does his best to look honest with a confident smile
"What fraternity do you belong to, Joe Williams?"
"Phi Kappa Beta"
"What is your role there?"
"I look after the pledges and the members." he smiles, proud of what he does
"How many pledges get locked in the basement and for how long are they there?"
Joe's face drops and his eyes flick from Korsak to Jane and back, looking for a sign they are joking
Jane stays leaning against the two way mirror her arms crossed. She hasn't taken her eyes off him yet.
Joe blushes slightly and starts to perspire
"I..um..." Joe swallows hard, "I'm kinda new, I transferred in. I don't think I'm meant to talk about this...stuff."
Korsak nods slowly pretending to write something down
Joe stares from Korsak to the notepad looking more and more anxious
Korsak finally looks up, "You don't?"
Joe doesn't move
"You've been named," Jane says from across the room, standing up and walking around Joe, studying him, "By a brother of yours." She stops beside him leaning close.
Joe gulps, "Some pledges go down to the basement, usually only for a few hours cause it would look suspicious if they were late to classes."
"What happens there?"
Joe looks incredulous, "You don't know?"
Korsak half smiles at him, "We want to hear you tell us, tell us everything."
"It will be better for you" Jane adds
Wednesday 4:20pm
"The schools want to run it's own internal investigation..."
"Aw Hell no" Jane was preparing to launch out of her chair and have a tantrum in front of Cavanaugh and the team, "They can't do that, they keep covering this crap up, how many kids are gonna end up dead before they can't cover it up anymore, before finally the media has to report it. The note proves they knew hazing was happening and did nothing. As well as hiding it from us and hindering the investigation. They only want to do their own investigation because..one, they lied to us about the fraternities activities and that it had shut down. Two, they knew what went on and did nothing to stop it directly resulting in death. and three...um...three..." She was too wild now to think let alone speak when she felt two familiar hands gently rest on her shoulders calming her instantly,
"Three, the Principle is possibly involved himself and it would be a conflict of interests for them to investigate themselves. Principle Adams is a Phi Kappa Beta alumni." Maura finished for her
Cavanaugh watched them all for a moment before speaking. 'I wish you would let me finish before you flew off the handle Jane." He sighed to himself, "As I was saying, they want to run their own internal investigation, and I also had an almost pleasant call from the Senator to suggest we should not cause a public debacle. His words not mine." Jane stiffens again but Cavanaugh holds up his hand to warn her to wait, "However, because of the nature of the case and the extent of the damage, we cannot just close the case, and if the death is linked to the fraternity then we do continue to investigate that."
Jane sighs in relief
"The death of Hamish Jones is our responsibility and until I am sure the school wasn't involved we will continue as is. The school can investigate internally if they want as well but that will not stop us from our own investigation. I want you to find out exactly what happened. But please try and keep it all quiet and report only to me."
Jane looks over her shoulder at Maura and smiles.
"Yes sir."
Wednesday 2:58
"How is it that the fraternity has been able to keep it up without trouble?"
Jane is sitting opposite Joe now, beside Korsak. Both are surprised at the easy confession but horrified at the details Joe has revealed.
Joe does his usual sigh, like every answer is tightening a noose around his neck while at the same time moving him away from the edge of the chair he is precariously perched on.
"They have connections"
"More" jane growls at him, she is tired of squeezing for answers
"I don't know for sure the names of them, the connections, but they were all people that were once in fraternities, all different ones, all over the place, they got real good jobs and cause of that we got privileges too. Like going to parties with some of them."
"Parties" Jane frowns, maybe they had been barking up the wrong tree.
"Yeah, cool parties, like fundraisers and stuff. There are sometimes celebrities there, and famous people. Rich rich powerful people"
"And they are all a part of these..." Jane waves her arm about trying to find the word, "groups."
Joe nods. "Most of them are freemasons or similar or would be one day. Others were higher than even that. Different rites and levels. One party we went to they had a costume party and it was at some rich mansion. They all wore bird masks and red cloaks and they did pretend rituals and stuff, and drunk blood. We guessed it was to show us how it was done. One guy told me it was for reals tho. It was cool, kinda like that eyes wide shut movie. We sorta tried to copy it." his face tinges with guilt.
"And Hamish?" Jane says with a huff out her nose
Joe looks down "I think Hamish figured it out. Bout who they were. Told me he was in real trouble. Said he had been trying to get out but the people he was escaping from weren't even at the top. That he was in double trouble now, They weren't happy he tried to get Phi Kappa Beta in trouble neither."
Jane and Korsak wait for more, for some cryptic key to unlock the meaning, but there is none
"How did Hamish die?" Jane finally asks
Joe looks up at them surprised, like they hadn't been listening to a word he said
"They probably killed him. They're the ones that usually tell the guys what to do"
"Who is they?"
Joe frowns and lowers his head looking suspiciously around the tiny empty room.
"Them...you know...the old boys, the spooks", he whispers
"Oh" Jane whispers back, "all of them?"
Joe frowns, "Low down guys don't get a choice and we are at the bottom. The very bottom. You gotta follow orders or bad things happen right? Orders are from up top. So yeah they probably killed him but...well, they didn't touch him..." He looks down sadly, his throat chokes up, "..we did it."
Your Maura, she does deserve to be safe
Jane woke up dazed, and in the dark, her hands were free, she tore the hood off her head and threw it as far a way from her as she could taking in deep deep breaths of air. She looked around, her brain processing, her heart slowly returning to a normal pace. She was slumped against a dumpster, she was in an isolated area that even in the dark almost moonless night, she thankfully recognised. It was a few streets east of Maura's house, It was probably their way of letting her know they knew exactly where Maura lived. A reminder to close the case.
Your Maura, she does deserve to be safe
She didn't move for a long long time, until the pain of staying in the uncomfortable position, on the ground, became unbearable. Slowly, slowly, she pulled herself to her feet and began the walk towards Maura's. She was only half a street away when it began to lightly rain. Very quickly light rain became heavy rain and Jane dived out of it the moment it touched her, like a terrified child from a villain, into the nearest doorway, holding her tight chest, breathing quickly and panting heavily.
What on earth Jane? it's just rain, what are you so afraid of
She peered out at the rain, falling water dripping on the ground near her feet, the sound reminding her of the water hitting her face, she shivered wrapping her arms around herself.
Well I'm a real mess now aren't I
She groaned, Maura's house wasn't far away, she could run, but the water terrified her, gurgling and beginning to torrent down the street. Congealing down windows and pooling in dips in the ground. She could wait but it was freezing and showed no signs of letting up for awhile and she really wanted to be safe and warm and find Maura. Something stirred inside the house of the porch she was sitting on so she decided to move.
She made a run for the next house along, the rain moving sideways at speed beating onto her face, droplets stinging her cheeks causing her to gag uncontrollably. She slumped down on the undercover alcove as she reached it, struggling for air. The next house away was Maura's, she sighed, she was so so close to home.
She took a final bated breath, heaved herself to her feet and rushed forward, so close, so close. Her bare foot with no traction slipped under her on the wet tiles and her face met the ground with a shallow thud.
...to be continued...
Thanks for reviews. I've gathered I am on the right track for now :) Review if you want but don't feel you have too. Just don't forget to let me know if I'm screwing it up. The good news is i've roughly written the next few chapters. Prepare for angst...and lots of it