A/N: Folks, for those of you that do not know, Stewart is the name of a type of tartan or plaid. I myself am partial to Royal Stewart. Thanks to beta Bailey for pointing out that not everyone would know that. Alas, I'm unable to blame Bailey for any mistakes. Those are all mine.
It had been a week since the meeting where her mother had ambushed her before she had rehashed her abduction. Elaine had wanted Gail to take an undercover assignment on the other side of the country. She had already arranged it. Gail flatly refused.
"Gail, can't you see that I only want what's best for you? This will get you away from this situation and will further your career!" Elaine shouted.
"No, Mother. This is running. I will NOT run away from this. This psychopath is killing women that look like me. Me! I am a part of it whether I'm here or not. I'm his fucking muse or something."
"Abigail!"
"Mother, I'm a grown woman. 'fucking' is a word."
"It's not ladylike."
"I really don't give a damn, about what is, and is not, ladylike. You're changing the subject. I have to do my part to stop this. You should understand that. You of all people. This is mine to do. This is my duty. My duty, Mother," Gail almost pleaded but caught herself just in time. "You're the one who preached 'duty, duty, duty' to me like it was our religion."
"Gail, darling, this is not the same. This is foolhardy. You're only going to complicate this investigation. Everyone is going to be focused on you and not solving the case. Surely, you must see that. That's one of the reasons I agreed with Dr. Stewart that you wouldn't know about her visit here."
"You what?" Gail said in a tone that, had her mother known her better, would have signaled her she was on shaky ground.
"She was very explicit that she didn't want you to know about her visit. I had already made sure you did not know about the unfortunate cases in the States…"
"So you're telling me you spoke with Holly about this specifically?! The two of you conspired to keep me in the dark?! While women were dying simply for looking like me!" Gail shouted.
"Darling, that's not the important part," Elaine began.
"It's the only part mother. I am a goddamn police detective. I have the highest closure rate in metro Toronto. I was abducted by a psycho and a good man died to save me. I live everyday with that on my shoulders. My life has to matter because Jerry Barber had to die for something, someone, who matters. You treating me like a screw-up who should run away from her responsibilities is…insulting, to me as a person, as a police officer, and as a goddamn Peck."
The buzzing of her cell phone woke Gail. Her life has been put on hold until the Perik copycat was caught because her police protective detail meant that the only active case she can be involved in is this one. That meant, working with Holly and being torn wanting to see Holly but not wanting to see Holly. Gail had stayed within the confines of 15, whereas Holly was mostly in the lab going over old evidence. The arrangement seemed to be working for Holly. In fact, she had yet to speak to Gail, which was, if Gail was honest with herself, and she was trying to be more honest with herself these days, devastating. Holly not speaking to her was devastating. There was no way around it. So here she was with a bitch of a hangover at ten a.m. on a Saturday morning. She drank an inordinate amount of tequila last night, an inordinate amount of tequila even for Gail Peck.
"Peck, we've got a body," Luke's voice sounded incredibly loud on the phone.
"Where?" she rasped out. The backs of her eyelids felt like they were made of sandpaper.
"I'm coming to pick you up. I'm fifteen minutes away from your place. It's on the way. Be ready." Luke hung up before Gail could respond.
Twenty-five minutes later Gail was standing in a remote area of a large city park, her bloodshot eyes hidden behind aviators, waiting on someone from the morgue to get there so that they could begin examining the body. She was in combat boots, jeans and a periwinkle v-neck shirt with long sleeves. She had barely managed to get her hair to lay down before Luke arrived at her apartment.
"Who are they sending?" Gail asked, trying to keep the fact that she actually cared out of her voice.
"Holly has been granted privileges here because of her history and also because of her familiarity to this case so it'll be her. Is that a problem, Peck?"
"Nope."
They stood in stony silence for a while until a large black SUV pulled up in the parking lot across the meadow. Gail recognized Holly immediately. She exited the passenger side dressed in a plaid shirt with a cream tank underneath and dark blue jeans. Stewart plaid? Nice one Holly.
A woman that looked a lot like Ryan got out of the driver's side but she was wearing a large cowboy hat, a white shirt, jeans, and Gail would bet cowboy boots. She's dressed like a cowboy? Could she get anymore cliché? Gail couldn't help it, she snorted.
Luke whipped around, "What?"
"Nothing," Gail answered as she shook her head.
The two figures made their way across the green expanse. Holly was carrying a navy blue "lunchbox" instead of the red one she had carried the day they met. The small change made Gail inexplicably sad. Gail shook her head from side to side to try to shake off the feeling. Ryan nodded as they reached them. Before she could say anything, Gail asked, "Did the hat get its own suitcase?" Out the corner of her eye she saw Holly smirk. She felt warm all over.
"No. She wore it through security. She claims it's good luck," Holly answered for Ryan.
Gail would do anything to keep Holly talking to her, even if it was about Ryan. She looked Ryan up and down. "So, you're dressed like you're about to star in Lonesome Dove 4 because it's good luck?" Gail taunted Ryan. She saw Holly stifle a giggle.
"No. We were horseback riding. I thought it would be relaxing," Ryan responded calmly.
If the 'we' pricked Gail's heart a little bit, she didn't let it show. "That's what that smell is," Gail retorted. Holly laughed out loud. It washed over Gail like warm water and made her tingly.
"You know you're included in this, right?" Ryan arched her eyebrow and turned to Holly.
"Oh, I know. It's also not the first time Gail has called me smelly." Holly answered Ryan never looking at Gail.
Ryan left Holly's comment alone, "So you have an issue with how we're dressed, Peck?" Ryan asked.
"Not at all. To each their own," Gail answered. She did have an issue with how close they seemed to be. She wanted to know when Ryan and Holly became a 'we' but none of that mattered now. She had to avoid making this more awkward, "So the hat's good luck then?" There that was better.
"It is good luck. I will have you know, I was wearing this hat when I caught the Abilene Creeper," Ryan stated affronted.
"Whatever. It wasn't good luck for her," Gail gestured to the body encased in plastic on the ground. Shit! That was awkward sauce. Gail pressed on, "She was found early this morning by a jogger. Because of the details Luke got called, and brought me." Gail looked directly at Holly, "Is my presence here going to be a problem for you?"
Holly met her eyes resolutely, "No."
"Okay then. I'll let you get to it," Gail said, as Ryan and Luke observed the exchange silently.
Gail saw Holly take a deep breath as she crouched down next to the body. It was encased in plastic, what Gail assumed to be the head, partially obscured by some bushes it was shoved under. Holly called to a crime scene tech, "Greg, can you make sure when they move the body, we get some soil samples?"
"Yes, Dr. Stewart," he answered.
"Do we have that roll of plastic so I can unwrap the body for prelim exam here?" Holly asked.
"Yes, Dr. Stewart. I have it here. Would you like me to…?"
"Please."
They spread the plastic out under the body. Trying not to disturb it too much. Holly carefully unwrapped the body and then scrambled backwards quickly. Gail had been to several crime scenes where Holly was the pathologist in charge of the body. There was even the melted guy Traci told her about in the bathtub. She'd never seen or heard of Holly reacting that way. She couldn't help herself she moved toward Holly intent on checking on her. "Holly…" Gail started but was interrupted by Ryan.
"Holls, what is it?" Ryan asked as she walked over to Holly and put her hands on her shoulders and crouched down between Holly's outstretched legs eye level with Holly who was sitting down with her legs in front of her bent at the knee. Holly pointed wordlessly at the body.
Gail walked over and looked down at the body. She was naked. Did you miss me, Holly? was carved into the woman's abdomen above her belly button and underneath it over her right hip bone was, Tell Gail I'll see her soon. Gail looked at the woman's face, she was Gail's doppelgänger. She even had black hair. "Well shit," Gail breathed out.