We're still on 1x04 and Nicole has to deal with behind kept in the dark as Black Badge gets into the swing of taking on the unusual cases in town.
As always, please r/r - I always appreciate the feedback!
John Henry had been silent in the back seat of Nicole's cruiser all the way back to the precinct. He had been silent as she escorted him out of the car and into the station. He had been silent as shown took his photo and prints. He had been silent as Nicole had processed him into holding, which meant she had to leave most of the paperwork incomplete - which she hated doing. She had just about had enough of the silent treatment by the time she, with gritted teeth, walked him into the holding cell, uncuffed his wrists and slid the door shut.
"Much obliged officer," Henry said finally, tipping his hat.
Nicole stared. "Seriously? Now you talk."
"My father always told me a man ain't nothin' without good manners," Henry shrugged, making himself comfy on the bench.
"And you don't think it's bad manners to waste police time by not answering questions when you're asked them?" Nicole put a hand on her hip and waited to see if she'd get an actual answer this time.
"My apologies officer, I seem to have riled you and I assure you that was not my intent," Henry spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he had all the time in the world to deliver every syllable. "Quite the opposite in fact as I do believe that Miss Wynonna Earp is likely to have some questions of her own and I would hate to cause anyone to repeat themselves." he gave her a nod and smile that even Nicole had to admit was frustratingly charming.
She stared at him for a moment longer, waiting for him to drop the John Wayne routine, but nope. This seemed to actually be the way he spoke. She sighed.
"So you're telling me if I go get those forms and ask you again to tell me your zipcode, or date of birth or someone we can contact, you'll just… Not answer again? "
Here, Henry gave her a gentle smile and then very pointedly lowered his hat over his eyes and leant back casually on the bench. Nicole rolled her eyes and trudged back towards her desk in the bullpen. For possibly the first time, she was actually a little glad that the BBD would be handling this one.
Dolls and Wynonna had returned to the station not long after she'd given up on getting answers out of Henry. Waverly had been with them and Nicole had tried to ignore her disappointment when the brunette hadn't noticed her small wave of hello. The trio had disappeared into the Black Badge offices and then into the interrogation room soon after to speak with Henry. Another short while after that and all three left the station again, Henry back in his cell.
Nicole had absolutely no expectation that Dolls would share any insights drawn from the conversation with Henry, but Nedley had also gotten very close-mouthed about the whole thing when he returned to the precinct. She'd tried to talk to him about the murder victim - a Jay Novak, apparently - and his response had been to remind Nicole that she had speeding fines to file. She resigned herself to the likelihood that she had heard the last she was going to hear about the day's second suspicious murder. This however would have little to no effect on her resolve to look into it regardless.
She grabbed an empty folder and clipped into it all the notes she had taken that day on both the Megan Halshford murder and Jay Novak. With one eye on Nedley's office, making sure the big man didn't see what she was doing, she loaded the crime scene photos from her phone and sent them to the printer, timing it strategically to avoid her coworkers picking them up. She slid the photos into the file, made a few further notes in reference to each one and then placed them in the top drawer of her desk and locked it tight.
She glanced around to see whether she had been watched by anyone. As a testament to the inquisitive and perceptive nose for investigation of the Purgatory Sheriff's Department, Stevens did notice her cautious scan of the room. Their eyes met and she held her breath.
He lifted his mug. "How 'bout another round o' java, Haught?" He winked and gave the mug a little jiggle for emphasis.
She found herself once again carrying a handful of empty mugs to the break room to go another round with the temperamental coffee machine. It was an acceptable chore if it meant she didn't have to explain why she was building a secret case file about unusual murders. She dropped into a chair as the coffee pot spluttered its way towards boiling, daydreaming of rich, foamy cappuccinos from big city coffee carts.
"Oh don't let me disturb you," said a gruff, cynical voice.
Nicole's eyes snapped open in a panic as she realised she'd started to doze off. She blinked rapidly and pushed herself to her feet, straightening her shirt under the reproachful gaze of the Sheriff in the doorway.
"I'm sorry sir," she gabbled hurriedly. "I just sat down for a second-"
"I'd make that espresso shot a double," Nedley advised with a nod a the coffee maker. His jacket was under his arm and his keys in hand, a clear sign he was headed home. "Just make sure you've got an eye on the door at least this evening. I know it's been a… long day. You in tomorrow?"
"No sir. It's my day off." She paused thoughtfully. "In which I will be catching up on some sleep to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for Thursday." She said with a resolved nod.
"Good," Nedley nodded. "You should make use of the down time. Leave work at work for a day. See some friends. You made many friends in town yet?"
"A couple," Nicole lied, unsure of exactly why he was asking.
"Good, that's good." Nedley fiddled with his keys. "Well... have a good day off."
"Sir?" Nedley paused mid-way through his turn to leave. Nicole took a breath. "Are the murder cases officially handed over to Black Badge?"
Nedley's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, then he slackened and waved a hand dismissively, dropping his gaze. "The cases look to be part of an ongoing investigation they're running. Involves folk from out of town. Barely our jurisdiction to begin with and we don't need the extra paperwork-"
Nicole couldn't help but interrupt. "But sir, the victims are local, how could it not be our jurisdiction? And if there are… unusual circumstances surrounding the murders then doesn't it make sense for us and Black Badge to pool our resources and-"
Nedley put out a hand to gesture for silence. "I love the enthusiasm Haught, but you'd be better off saving it for the stuff that really does need your attention."
"Like filing speeding tickets?" The words were out and hanging in the air before Nicole could stop them. Oops.
Nedley broke the momentary silence. "Like I said, you should maybe just think about taking tomorrow to… unwind. Detach. Leave work at work."
Nicole nodded, her jaw clenched. She watched Nedley go without another word.
With just an hour of her shift left, Nicole was making one final coffee in the break room when she heard the scream.
She was out of the break room and toward the sound, hand ready on her sidearm before she'd even really processed what she'd heard. It had been a man, she thought. It sounded like a scream of pain - sudden, extreme and then silence. She reached the bullpen, eyes darting around for the source. Phelps was the only other officer on duty, and his eyes were fixed on the door of the BBD. She'd seen Dolls, Wynonna and Waverly return to the station an hour or so earlier.
She was about to ask whether anyone had gone in or come out when a new sound pierced the silence: a gunshot, followed by the sound of smashing glass.
Her sidearm was out of its holster now and Phelps was on his feet. He looked at her like he was waiting for an instruction. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Sure, Phelps wasn't the most dynamically proactive officer at the precinct, but he had years of experience on her. She was supposedly the rookie, yet here he was waiting to follow her lead. She held up a hand indicating for him to wait and then crept towards the BBD doorway, listening for another sound. A few moments passed and she could dimly hear voices beyond.
She hesitated, the phrase 'arrested for treason' floating through her mind when she considered opening the door. She wouldn't put it past Dolls to follow through on that threat and if they were working on official government business in there then maybe he would have every right to.
But it was a gunshot and as far as Nicole knew, Waverly Earp was inside.
Screw it, she thought and reached out for the door handle just as someone opened it from the other side.
The young Earp herself burst through the door and barrelled into Nicole, nearly knocking her off her feet.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Waverly gasped as she grabbed Nicole's arms, trying to steady her. "I had no idea anyone was stood- Ahh!"
Nicole followed Waverly's line of sight to the cause of her cry of alarm. Phelps had obviously panicked and was aiming his gun at the two women in the door way. Nicole instinctively flung herself in front of Waverly like a shield.
"Phelps! Put your goddamn gun down!" She barked.
"Oh, uh my bad." Phelps fumbled with his sidearm as he returned it to its holster.
Nicole let out an exasperated sigh, glaring daggers at him as she turned back to Waverly.
"Everything ok in there? We heard screams and gunfire." Waverly lunged out to the door to pull it closed hurriedly as Nicole looked up and then attempted a 'casual' lean on the doorframe.
"Oh yeah it's totally fine," she said dismissively. "It's just… uh… Wynonna was showing Dolls a new karate move and um… and then she was making sure her gun was shooting straight…" Nicole raised an eyebrow as even Waverly's own expression broadcast openly that what she was saying was nonsense. Waverly seemed to realise that nobody was buying it and changed tact. "I was just going to go grab Dolls some aspirin, do you know if there's any in the break room?" She feigned sincere interest in her quest for painkillers and started to walk away. Nicole followed.
"Look, I get that Black Badge is club classified or whatever, but there were screams," she said, holstering her own firearm as she chased Waverly down the hallway. "And a gunshot." She sped ahead of Waverly and put an arm out across the doorframe of the break room, barring access and causing the Earp to stop suddenly right beside her.
She felt a lump form in her throat as Waverly looked up at her with an expression that Nicole interpreted as alarm. She swallowed and withdrew her arm, tucking her thumbs behind her belt buckle and taking a step back.
"You're gonna have to give me more to go on than kung-fu practise," Nicole said softly.
"Karate," Waverly corrected her quietly, casting her eyes away sheepishly.
Nicole couldn't stop the smile from forcing its way out onto her face. She breathed a sigh of relief as Waverly smiled back at her with that smile that could rival a sun. They let the tension dissipate for a few seconds before either of them spoke again.
"Ok, so the truth is Wynonna accidentally shot a mirror," Waverly said at last. "And you don't have to worry because Dolls has already told her off."
Nicole chewed the inside of her lip. Every fibre of her being told her that this still wasn't the truth, but she wanted to trust Waverly. Trust that, even if she wasn't telling her exactly what was going on, she knew what she was doing and wasn't covering up anything illegal or dangerous. She hoped. "Right," she said shortly.
She turned and walked into the break room, going to the cupboard with the medical supplies, and grabbing the painkillers from the top shelf. She handed them to Waverly, their fingers brushing momentarily in the exchange. She felt her heart thud extra hard against her ribcage and realised that it had been beating irregularly fast since Waverly had come bursting through that door. She tried to keep her breathing steady.
"Thanks," Waverly said almost in a whisper.
They walked back down the hall to the bullpen and the door to the BBD. Nicole watched her re-enter the Black Badge office and almost did a double-take when she caught a glimpse of someone inside.
"Was that Henry?" She gaped as the door closed behind Waverly.
"Oh, yeah," Phelps replied helpfully, looking up from the report he was working on.
Nicole stared. "Why is John Henry in the Black Badge office? He's supposed to be in a cell."
"Oh, Waverly asked me to come release him earlier," Phelps explained. "Said it was on instruction from Deputy Marshal Dolls and Deputy Earp. The other Earp."
Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and attempting to enhance her calm. "So you released a prisoner to a civilian just because she told you someone else said it was ok?"
"Well she's a Black Badge consultant," Phelps said, matter-of-factly. "And anyway, it's Waverly."
Nicole felt all the tension evaporate from her shoulders and she sighed. Yeah, she thought to herself as that dopey smile started to creep back onto her face and she felt like she was floating away on a happy cloud. It's Waverly. I'd probably have done it too.