UNDERCOVER BELLA

Chapter 2

A/N: I know I said I'd post a new chapter every 2 days, but apparently, I'm not that patient. So, consider this a gift just for today! I will resume posting a new chapter every 2 days with the next chapter. So, for those counting, the next chapter will be posted on Sunday.

The captain agreed that the undercover operation should begin immediately. The three partners made arrangements to start the next night.

Beca and Chloe went to Hot Mama's the next afternoon. Beca carried an evidence bag with one of the blouses. They flashed their badges and asked to speak to the manager. They were then taken to an office where they were met with a young brown-haired woman.

"I'm Ashley Jones," the woman stood and offered her hand. "How may I help you, detectives?"

Beca removed the blouse and showed it to Ashley.

"What can you tell us about this blouse?" Chloe asked.

Ashley reached out her hand, asking, "May I?"

Beca nodded and handed her the blouse.

"It's one of ours," Ashley said. "It's very popular because it comes in many colors and can be used as casual and business attire. Why do you ask?"

"It's part of an investigation we're involved in," Beca said.

"As I said, it's very popular," Ashley said, handing the blouse back to Beca. "We get them in bulk from a supplier in St. Louis. We sell out so often that we have it on auto-ship, so we always have them in stock. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you," Chloe said. "We appreciate your time."

"Any time, detectives," Ashley said.

Beca and Chloe started to leave when Beca put a hand on Chloe's arm to stop her. She turned to Ashley.

"One more thing," Beca said. "Can you tell us if anyone has bought this exact blue blouse in bulk?"

Ashley sat and typed something on her desk computer and then shook her head.

"We've had a few people buy a couple in different colors," she told them. "But nothing more than one or two at a time in the blue."

"Thank you," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe left the store.

"That was a good question," Chloe said. "Too bad no one has bought a bunch of the blue blouses. We could have solved this in no time."

"It was just a hunch," Beca said. "But I thought it was worth asking."

"You have good instincts," Chloe said. "With the two of us, and Jesse working on the case, we'll have this solved in no time."

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Later that night, Beca was dressed in the shortest skirt she had ever seen or worn, four-inch stiletto heels, and a black leather jacket over a red satin top with spaghetti straps.

"I'll set up the laptop, and then we can check to make sure everything's working properly," Jesse said.

"Stand still," Chloe ordered as Beca fidgeted while Chloe placed the wire on her.

"Your hands are cold," Beca said, looking down.

Chloe looked down and smirked. "I can see that." She readjusted the mic a bit; her knuckles grazed Beca's breast.

"Most girls usually buy me a drink before they get to touch my girls," Beca said with a smirk.

"If that's all it takes when this is over, the first round is on me," Chloe said and winked. "There, all done. Jesse, is it on?"

Jesse did something on his laptop to turn the mic on. "I just turned it on. Chloe, say something so I can check to make sure the mic is working."

Chloe smiled as she leaned close to Beca's chest and said, "Mic check, two, three, four."

Beca shivered when she felt Chloe's breath hit her chest. She blushed when she saw that Chloe had noticed.

"Mic's good," Jesse said as he clicked a few more things on the laptop. "Here's your headset, Chloe. Put it on so we can check to make sure everyone's earpieces are working okay?"

Chloe put her headphones on and positioned the mic.

"Beale checking in," Chloe said quietly, looking at Beca. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Beca said.

"Same," Jesse said.

Chloe turned serious as she looked at Beca.

"Jesse and I will be in the surveillance van, monitoring you at all times," Chloe told Beca. "We'll also have another unmarked vehicle with two officers stationed nearby to assist if needed."

"Got it," Beca said.

"Good," Chloe said. "Now we need a code word for you to say if you spot someone we should check into. We have a full computer set up and can run them through facial recognition and find out if they are in the system and could be a viable suspect."

"How about Titanium?" Jesse suggested. "It's not often you hear anyone say that, so there won't be any confusion."

"That works for me," Beca said. "It's the name of one of my favorite songs."

"That song is my jam," Chloe said, leaning in to whisper in Beca's ear, "My lady jam. The song really builds." She grinned and winked at Beca.

Beca blushed, and her eyes widened when she realized what Chloe was telling her.

"Gross," Beca muttered.

"You're so easy, Mitchell," Chloe said and laughed.

"She's got your number, Beca," Jesse said and laughed. "Ow!" he cried out when Beca backhanded him in the stomach.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca walked along the sidewalk, ignoring the glares she was getting from some of the other hookers.

"I don't think I'm welcome here," Beca mumbled into her chest.

"Don't worry about them," Chloe responded. "Keep your eyes peeled for likely suspects."

"Copy that," Beca said and continued strolling and looking. She had only had two requests for "dates" so far and was beginning to think the whole idea was a bust. She noticed a man walking quickly down the sidewalk toward her.

"Titanium," Beca said, causing a frenzy inside the surveillance van.

"Where?" Jesse's voice asked.

"About fifty yards to my ten o'clock, walking toward me," Beca responded. "Hat pulled low over his forehead."

"Got him," Jesse said and looked at the monitor. "Oh, shit!"

"What's wrong, Jesse?" Chloe asked, looking over at the other detective.

"Abort, Beca!" Jesse yelled into her ear. "Get back to the van."

"Jesse, what's going on?" Chloe asked.

Jesse looked at Chloe and turned off his mic before responding, "That's Warren Mitchell, Beca's father."

"What?" Chloe yelled. She lowered her voice and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I've known Beca and her family since I was four. I know what her father looks like." Jesse turned his mic back on and said, "Beca, get back to the van. Make sure no one sees you getting in."

"On my way," Beca said.

Beca then casually strolled across the street and walked past the van before stopping to look around. Once sure no one was watching her, she opened the back door and climbed in.

"What happened?" Beca asked as soon as she was in the van. "Why did you call it off?"

Beca looked toward Jesse's computer, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, my God!" Beca yelled and started shaking out her hands. "Ew! Ew! Ew! That's my dad, and he was walking straight toward me. EW!"

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca sat quietly for a few minutes with her hands over her face. Chloe and Jesse were also quiet as they both looked at her with concern.

"I can't believe it," Beca said, breaking the silence. "My dad is out trolling for hookers and was walking straight at me. Fuck my life."

"Maybe he was going after one of the girls near you," Chloe said, trying to ease Beca's anxiety.

"I'll never be able to look him in the face again," Beca said, throwing up her hands. "This is going to make for some very awkward family dinners."

"Well, I don't know where he ended up," Jesse said, looking at his computer screen. "I don't see him on camera anymore. Hopefully, we won't have another dead body in the morning."

Beca glared at Jesse but didn't say anything. After a moment, she sighed and looked at Chloe.

"Are we done for tonight?" Beca asked. "Because I really need a hot shower, a very hot shower, to wipe the events of this night off."

"We can call it," Chloe said. "We'll come back tomorrow night."

The next morning, Jesse was excited as he came rushing into the squad room and plopped down in the chair next to Chloe's desk.

Chloe turned her head to look at him. "What's got you so excited this morning?"

"I have a theory," Jesse said, barely able to contain his excitement. "About the case."

"Okay," Chloe said, turning her whole body toward him. "I'm listening."

"Um, you know how Beca's dad was there last night?" Chloe nodded. "And he was walking straight toward Beca?" Chloe nodded again. "What if he really is our killer?"

"What?!" Chloe exclaimed. "You're crazy. There is no way that Beca's dad is our killer."

"You think my dad's a serial killer?" Beca asked, startling Chloe and Jesse.

"It wasn't me," Chloe said as she jumped up from her chair and looked at Beca. "It was Jesse. It's his theory."

"What the hell, Jesse?" Beca said. "Your theory is that my dad is a serial killer? You know him! Have you lost your fucking mind?"

"Hear me out," Jesse said, holding up his hands. "All of our victims are slender brunettes, and you were the only one who fit that description last night. And he was walking straight for you, And we have no idea where he went once you got into the van."

"That's ridic-" Beca stammered. "No, NO! You're wrong."

Beca ran a hand through her hair and stormed out of the squad room.

"You'd better come up with more than he was walking toward Beca if you plan to pursue this theory," Chloe told Jesse.

Jesse sighed as Chloe hurried out of the squad room after Beca.

"Beca!" Chloe called out, causing Beca to stop and turn to face Chloe.

"What?" Beca said, her face red with anger. "Did you come to tell me my dad's a killer, too?"

"No," Chloe said, stepping closer to Beca. "I wanted to make sure you were okay to go back out tonight. If the pattern continues, we can expect another murder any day now. We really need your help to catch this guy, Beca. No matter who he is."

Beca wiped a tear from her eye and nodded. She let out a watery laugh, saying, "But what if Jesse's right? I don't want to think about why my dad was out there, but he was, and he was walking straight for me. It's just-." Beca's voice faltered as she whispered, "He's my dad."

Chloe pulled Beca to her as tears ran down Beca's face. "I know, I know."

"What's going on here?" Captain Adams asked when she opened her office door to find Chloe holding Beca outside her door.

Beca and Chloe jumped apart, mumbling, "Nothing."

"It's nothing, Captain," Beca repeated, looking down at the floor as she wiped her face.

The captain stared at Beca for a moment before turning her gaze to Chloe.

"Did your surveillance turn up anything last night, Beale?" Captain Adams asked.

"Nothing yet, ma'am," Chloe responded. "We're going back out tonight."

"Are you sure you're up for it, Mitchell?" Captain Adams asked, watching Beca.

Beca sniffled and said, "Yes, Captain."

"Okay," Captain Adams said. "I want a full report on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe said.

Beca and Chloe stood staring at each other. Captain Adams looked from one to the other.

"You can go now," she said, and Beca and Chloe cleared their throats and returned to the squad room.

"Beca," Jesse said, standing when the two detectives walked in. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to think about your dad being a killer, but we have to consider every angle."

"I get that, Jesse. It doesn't mean I have to like it or agree with it," Beca said. She dropped down into her chair as an idea popped into her head. "I want to look at the footage we got from last night."

"That's a good idea," Chloe said. "We should go through it to make sure we didn't miss anything."

"I'll pull it up," Jesse said as he started typing on his computer.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

"Wait. Go back," Beca said. "Stop there. What's that?"

Chloe and Jesse looked at where Beca was pointing on the screen. It looked like Beca's dad was carrying something in his hand.

"It looks like a cell phone," Chloe said. "Jesse, can you enlarge that area and clean it up a little?"

"On it," Jesse said and clicked a few things, causing the photo to enlarge.

The three detectives looked at it.

"It is a cell phone," Chloe said.

"Is that an address on the screen?" Beca asked.

"Looks like it," Chloe said, looking closer. "Maybe that's why he was there. He was trying to find an address."

"That doesn't mean he wasn't there for something else," Jesse said. "Like trolling for his next victim."

"Or maybe it means he was just looking for an address," Beca snapped back at Jesse. "I know you, Jesse. You get something in your head and do everything to make it fit your theory. Open your mind and look at things objectively. It's my dad, and I am willing to entertain your theory, but I'm not going to just run with it before we have any evidence pointing to him as the actual killer."

"Beca's right, Jesse," Chloe said. "We haven't ruled him out, but you can't make everything fit into your idea. We aren't going to solve the case that way."

Jesse sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's watch the rest of it to see what he does or if we missed something else. Maybe it will show us where he went after Beca spotted him."

"Thank you," Beca mouthed to Chloe as they turned to see what else was on the tape.

"Beale!" Captain Adams' voice called out from the door, causing all three detectives to turn and look over at her. "We have another body. Looks like your guy."

"Shit!" Beca said, following Chloe and Jesse out of the squad room.

Chloe grabbed the paper with the address of the body's location from the Captain as they ran by.

"We can take my car," Beca said, heading toward it.

"Text me the address," Jesse said as he moved toward his car. "I'll meet you there."

"It's only two blocks from where we were staked out last night," Chloe said as she and Beca got into Beca's car.

Beca squealed tires as she pulled out of the parking lot; Chloe texted Jesse the address. Both cars arrived at the scene within seconds of each other.

The three detectives got out and made their way over to the scene. Jesse checked the crowd for witnesses while Beca and Chloe went over to the body. Lily, the Medical Examiner, was finishing her preliminary exam.

"I saw her last night," Beca said, looking down at the girl. "She was one of the girls on the street."

"Lily?" Chloe said, getting the Medical Examiner's attention. "Do you have an estimated time of death?"

"Sometime between eleven p.m. and one a.m.," Lily said. "I'll know more once I get her on the table."

"She wasn't wearing that shirt when I saw her," Beca noted. "Our killer is definitely putting it on them once they're dead."

"Our guy definitely did this," Chloe said.

"I agree," Beca said.

"What can you tell us, Lily?" Chloe asked.

"My preliminary exam shows the likely cause of death was strangulation," Lily said.

"Was she stabbed as well?" Beca asked.

Dr. Onakuramara looked at Beca and then at Chloe.

"Oh, sorry, Lily," Chloe said. "This is Detective Beca Mitchell. She's partnered with Jesse and me on this case. She just started at our precinct."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor," Beca said, nodding at Lily.

"Call me Lily," Lily said.

"So, was she stabbed?" Beca asked again.

"Yes, she was," Lily said. "But I do not believe that was the cause of death."

Jesse came running over to Beca and Chloe.

"A witness said they were here last night and saw a figure running away from the area," Jesse said. "He thought it was weird and came over to check it out and discovered the body. He was drunk and afraid the killer was coming back, so he went home and didn't call it in until he sobered up a couple of hours ago."

"Did they give you a description?" Chloe asked.

"It's not much. He was about five foot eight or nine," Jesse said. "The guy only saw him for a few seconds and couldn't see his face."

"Is he sure it was a man?" Chloe asked.

"He said him," Jesse said, shrugging.

"Which way did he run?" Beca asked.

"That way," Jesse said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder.

"It might be a longshot, but I'll walk that way and see if there is anything the killer may have left behind or dropped while running away," Beca said.

"Good idea," Chloe said. "Jesse and I will stay here and search around the body."

Beca started walking in the direction Jesse said. She took small steps, looking down at the ground as she did.

Beca had gone about twelve feet when she saw something in the grass and stopped. She placed an evidence marker next to what appeared to be a used condom. She took a small camera out of her pocket and took a few photos before she pulled out a pair of gloves and picked up the condom.

"At least someone is practicing safe sex," Beca mumbled, grimacing as she dropped the condom into an evidence bag.

Beca looked around a bit more and noticed a cigarette butt about three feet from the condom. It looked fresh, so she took photos and put the butt into an evidence bag.

Beca continued to look around. Finding nothing, she continued down the path until she could no longer see the crime scene.

Beca turned around and slowly walked back, looking around simultaneously to ensure she didn't miss anything.

Beca makes it back to Chloe and Jesse. Seeing the evidence bags in Beca's hand, Chloe asked, "What did you find?"

"A used condom and a cigarette butt," Beca said, holding up the two bags. "Not sure if they have anything to do with the murder, but thought we could have DNA tests run to find out who left them behind. Find out why they were around here and if they saw anything unusual."

"It's a start," Chloe said, taking the two bags. "Jessica? Could you put these with the other evidence we found?"

"Absolutely," Jessica said, placing the two bags inside a larger bag.

"What did you guys find?" Beca asked.

"Nothing, really," Chloe said. "We picked up a coat button, a glove, and a used syringe. This area is a hotbed for users and prostitutes, so that's no surprise. They could have been here since last night or last week. But, maybe they'll give us something to follow up on."

"Are you done, detective?" Lily asked Chloe. "We'd like to remove the body and get it to the morgue to begin the autopsy."

"Yes, we're done," Chloe said. "Thank you. We'll see you back at the station."

Jessica laid out the body bag next to the murdered woman's body. Beca watched in amazement as Lily lifted the body with little effort and placed it in the bag. Jessica zipped the bag, and the two women lifted the bag onto a gurney and strapped it down. Jessica pushed the gurney to the ME's van and secured it inside.

Beca stood watching until the ME's van left the scene.

"So, what do we do now?" Beca asked.

Chloe looked at her watch and said, "I suggest we grab lunch while we wait for Lily to do the autopsy."

"I'm in," Jesse said.

"Sounds good," Beca said.

"I know a great place to grab some sushi," Jesse said.

"You know I hate sushi," Beca said.

"How about we go to the Barden Diner?" Chloe suggested. "They have a variety of food choices, and we can each get whatever we want."

"Now that I can get behind," Beca said.

"Fine with me," Jesse said. "I'll meet you two there."

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca was quiet as she drove to the diner. Chloe kept glancing over at her; she'd only known the other detective for a few days but could tell something was bothering her.

"Are you okay?" Chloe finally asked.

"Not really," Beca said. "I can't help but think that we could have saved that girl if I hadn't freaked out about seeing my dad last night."

"Beca," Chloe said. "It's not your fault, and we can't dwell on what-ifs or maybes. We just need to maintain our focus and get this guy."

"I know," Beca said and sighed. "I still can't help but feel bad about it."

Beca pulled into the diner's parking lot and parked the car. Chloe turned in her seat to look at Beca.

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Chloe asked.

Beca let out a breath and looked down at her hands. She turned her gaze to Chloe.

"I'm starting to think that maybe Jesse's right about my dad," Beca said quietly. "We have no idea what happened to him after we left last night. It was around ten thirty when we saw him. And, the time of death fits since we were gone a few minutes after seeing him. He had time to-."

Beca stopped and let out a heavy sigh. She ran a hand through her hair but didn't say anything more.

"I'm sorry, Beca," Chloe said, reaching out to squeeze Beca's arm. "What if we brought your dad in? Tell him we know he was in the area and could be a material witness. Ask him if he saw anything that might help our investigation."

"That's not a bad idea," Beca said. "I can ask him to come in, but I don't want Jesse interviewing him."

"That's fine," Chloe said. "I'll do it."

Beca looked up to see Jesse waving at them through the windshield.

"We should go in," Beca said, removing her seatbelt.

Beca and Chloe met up with Jesse and entered the diner.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

After the three detectives placed their orders, Chloe looked at Jesse.

"Beca and I were talking on the way here," Chloe said. "She's going to ask her dad to come in as a potential material witness. She'll let him know we saw him in the area last night."

"That's a good idea," Jesse said. "I'll interview him so Beca won't have to."

"No," Beca said quickly. "Chloe's going to do it."

"But, I-" Jesse started and stopped when Chloe put up her hand.

"I'm the Senior Detective, and I'll be doing the interview," Chloe said. "End of discussion."

Jesse sighed and said, "Fine, but I want to sit in on it."

"I don't have a problem with that," Chloe said. "As long as Beca doesn't either."

"I don't have a problem with it," Beca said, leaning her arms on the table to look directly at Jesse. "As long as you remember, he is being interviewed as a potential witness, not interrogated as a suspect."

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse," Jesse said.

Beca snorted and leaned back in her seat. "I got ten bucks that says you can't help yourself, and you'll be trying to take over the interview within five minutes."

"That hurts me to the core, Beca," Jesse said, placing his hand over his heart. "And, make it twenty. I'm very confident I can maintain my professional composure."

Beca reached her hand across the table. "You're on!"

Jesse shakes Beca's hand, saying, "Easiest twenty bucks I'll ever make."

"We'll see," Beca said, smirking across the table at Jesse.