UNDERCOVER BELLA

Chapter 3

That night, Beca stopped by her father's house on the way home from the precinct. She saw her dad's car in the driveway and knocked lightly before using her key to enter the house.

"Hey, Dad," Beca called out as she entered. "Are you here?"

"Kitchen," Mr. Mitchell called out.

Beca went to the kitchen to find her dad preparing dinner.

"What brings you by?" Mr. Mitchell asked.

"I have a case I'm working on," Beca said, taking a seat at the counter. "And your name came up during the investigation as being a possible witness."

"I'm pretty sure I haven't witnessed any crimes," Mr. Mitchell said, chuckling. "If I had, I would have called you."

"We don't think you actually witnessed it," Beca said. "While checking the surveillance video, you were seen in the area just before the Medical Examiner thinks the victim was killed, and we thought we'd see if you would come in as a material witness and answer some questions. We think you might have seen something that could help us."

"I'm not sure how I can be of any help," Mr. Mitchell said. "But I'll gladly come in if that's what you need me to do."

"I do," Beca said. "Can you come by the precinct around ten tomorrow morning? We will explain more about what's going on."

"I'll be there," Mr. Mitchell said.

"Ask for Detective Beale when you arrive," Beca said. "She'll be the one asking the questions. Oh, and Jesse and I will be listening in."

"Okay," Mr. Mitchell said. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making baked chicken and roasted vegetables."

"It sounds good," Beca said. "But I promised Jesse I'd meet him for dinner."

"No problem," Mr. Mitchell said. "But, plan to be here for Sunday dinner, okay? Luke will be here."

"Luke is back in the States?" Beca asked. "How long has he been back?"

"A little over four months now," Mr. Mitchell said. "He was asking about you, and I assured him you'd be at dinner on Sunday."

"I'm sure he was," Beca mumbled.

"You are planning to be here, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'll be here," Beca responded. "I really have to go now."

"Okay," Warren said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Beca nodded and left.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca and Jesse were sipping a beer while waiting for the pizza.

"I talked to my dad, and he agreed to come tomorrow morning at ten," Beca said. "I texted Chloe and let her know as well."

Beca frowned and looked down at the table.

"That's good," Jesse said. Seeing Beca's frown, he asked, "Are you worried we might get evidence to prove he's involved in the murders?"

"What?! No!" Beca responded. "My dad just told me that Luke is back in the States and will be at Sunday dinner."

"Oh," Jesse said. "Does he still hit on you every time he sees you?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "He thinks he's such a lady's man and can't accept that I don't want him in any way, shape, or form. Why do guys always think a woman telling her she's gay is a challenge?"

"I don't know," Jesse said.

"Neither do I," Beca said as their pizza arrived. "Let's talk about something else,"

"Fine," Jesse said, grabbing a slice and placing it on his plate. "Let's talk about you and Chloe."

"What about me and Chloe?" Beca asked, taking a slice and immediately biting into it. "Dammit!" she yelled, spitting the bite into her napkin and swigging her beer. "That's hot."

Jesse laughed. "So is Chloe."

"I can't disagree with you on that," Beca said, chuckling. "But, there is no me and her."

"But you want there to be," Jesse sing-songed.

Beca shook her head again, saying, "It doesn't matter if I want there to be something more or not. We work together, so nothing will ever come of it."

"Never say never," Jesse said, biting into his pizza, chewing and swallowing before he continued. "I think Chloe would like it to be something more."

"I'm not that lucky," Beca said.

"I can talk to her if you want," Jesse said. "See if she likes you."

"Thanks for the offer, but we're not in middle school, Jesse," Beca said, shaking her head. "If I thought Chloe wanted to date me, I'd ask her out. I am quite capable of getting my own dates."

"Sure you are," Jesse said, chuckling.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

The next morning, Beca arrived at the station a little early so she could catch Chloe before the day got too busy. She hurried over to Chloe's desk as soon as Chloe walked into the bullpen.

"Good morning, Beca," Chloe said, smiling at her. "You're here early. Are you trying to show up us old timers?"

"No," Beca said. "I wanted to touch base with you before my dad came in. I know Jesse means well, but I don't want him going after my father when you question him."

"Don't worry, Beca," Chloe said, gently touching Beca's arm. "I'll want to tape the interview, so you and Jesse can watch from the observation room while I talk to your dad. That way, we don't have to worry about Jesse hijacking it. It will be fine, I promise. Okay?"

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan," Beca said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Chloe said, smiling at Beca.

"Chloe," Jesse called out as he hurried into the bullpen. He stopped short when he saw Beca sitting with Chloe. "Oh, hey, Beca. I wasn't expecting you to be here already."

"What did you want, Jesse?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, I, um, I put together a list of questions we should ask Dr. Mitchell," Jesse said. "I wrote them down so we could go over them before he gets here."

"Jesse," Beca started but stopped when Chloe held up her hand.

"Jesse, I don't need a script," Chloe said. "I will ask the questions that I see fit to ask. To ensure you don't interrupt my questioning, I think it best if you stay with Beca and watch from the observation room."

"But-"

"No, Jesse!" Chloe said. "I meant what I said. You can stay with Beca and listen from the observation room or stay here at your desk, your choice."

"But-"

"That's enough," Chloe said, sighing as she stood. "I outrank you and can make it an official order if you'd like."

"No, that's okay," Jesse said, looking dejected. "I'll stay in the observation room with Beca."

"Good," Chloe said. "I need some coffee. Would either of you like coffee?"

"No, thanks," Jesse said. "I'm good."

"Do you mind if I go with you?" Beca asked.

"I don't mind at all," Chloe said, smiling.

Jesse smiled and waggled his eyebrows at Beca; Beca slapped the back of his head as she walked past him.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca looked up from the report she was reading and saw that it was almost ten. She got up and walked over to Chloe's desk.

"I'm going to walk out front and wait for my dad," she told Chloe.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Text me when he gets here. I've booked Interrogation Room One; Jesse and I will meet you there."

"Will do," Beca said and left the bullpen.

Jesse looked up from his desk and saw Beca leaving. He turned to Chloe and asked, "Is he here?"

"Not yet; Beca went to wait for him. She'll let me know when he arrives."

"Oh, okay," Jesse said.

A few minutes later, Chloe's phone pinged with a text notification. She looked at it and stood.

"Come on, Jesse," Chloe said, grabbing her laptop. "Dr. Mitchell is here."

Jesse stood and walked out with Chloe. They made their way to the interrogation room and found Beca waiting in the doorway. Chloe stopped next to her; Jesse looked inside the room to see Dr. Mitchell standing and looking over at them. Beca stepped into the room with Chloe; Jesse stood where he was.

"Detective Chloe Beale, this is my father, Dr. Warren Mitchell," Beca said.

"Thank you for coming in, Dr. Mitchell," Chloe said, holding out her hand as she approached the man.

Warren shook Chloe's hand.

"No worries," he said. "I just hope I can be of some help." He released Chloe's hand and looked at Jesse. "Good to see you, Jesse."

"You, too, Dr. Mitchell," Jesse said.

"Come on, Jesse," Beca said, grabbing Jesse's arm and pulling him next door.

"Please be seated, Dr. Mitchell," Chloe said as she sat across from him, setting her laptop in front of her. "Beca and Jesse will be observing from next door. They will also be taping the interview. Is that okay with you?"

"I have no problems with that," Warren said.

"Good," Chloe said. "Beca, are you guys ready?"

"We're good," Beca's voice came over the speaker. "Start whenever you're ready."

"Thank you for coming in, Dr. Mitchell," Chloe said. "I want to inform you that you are here as a possible material witness to a murder that occurred a couple of nights ago. I also need to verify that you are aware we are recording this interview and are agreeable to us doing so."

"I'm aware that I'm being recorded," Warren replied. "And I'm fine with it."

"Thank you," Chloe said. "Now, sir, while investigating a murder, we had a stakeout on April twenty-eighth with an undercover detective in the 3400 block of Barden Avenue. During that stakeout, you were seen in the vicinity. Can you tell me what you were doing there at ten-thirty p.m. two nights ago?"

"I was meeting my wife, Sheila," Warren said. "She was helping her son, Luke, decorate his apartment. He moved back to town a little over four months ago and decided it was about time he spruced up the place. Luke had to leave for work at ten-thirty, and Sheila was a bit nervous about coming home alone since it was a sketchy part of town. So, she called me to meet her and escort her home."

"What is Luke's last name?" Chloe asked. "And, can we get his full address?"

"It's Luke Davies," Warren said. "I have his address on my phone. May I take it out?"

Chloe nodded; Warren took out his phone and scrolled through his texts.

"Here it is," Warren said, holding his phone out for Chloe to see.

Chloe wrote down the address and asked, "Why were you walking to pick up your wife?"

"I actually drove," Warren said. "I knew I was in the right area, but the only space I could find to park was about two blocks away. So, I parked and then walked the rest of the way."

Chloe nodded and made another note.

"We may need to speak to both your wife and Mr. Davies. If they were in that area, they might have seen something."

"I'll speak to Sheila and find out when she is available," Warren said. "I can't speak for Luke, but I'm fairly sure he'll cooperate if needed."

"Thank you," Chloe said. "Now, while in the area, did you see anyone who looked suspicious? Someone who may have seemed out of place or was acting in a weird way?"

"Not that I can recall," Warren said. "But I was focused on finding Luke's apartment building, so I looked at my phone and checked the buildings for addresses."

"I see," Chloe said, looking down at her notes. "That's all I have for now. Please let me or Beca know when Mrs. Mitchell is available to speak with us. We'd like to schedule it as quickly as possible, so if they have something for us, we can use it in our investigation and hopefully catch this guy before he kills again. If Mrs. Mitchell is not comfortable coming here, Beca and I can make ourselves available to speak with her at your home."

"That's very generous of you," Warren said.

"Chloe?" Beca's voice came over the speaker.

"Yeah, Beca?"

"Luke will be at my dad's on Sunday for dinner. Maybe you and I can talk to Luke and Sheila then since they will both be in the same place at the same time."

Chloe looked at Warren.

"That's an excellent idea," Warren said. "I'm sure they both will be agreeable to it."

"Good," Chloe said. "What time should we be there?"

"Sheila is planning to have dinner at six," Warren said. "Why don't you come with Beca and have dinner with us? Then you two can talk to Sheila and Luke after."

"Are you okay with that plan, Beca?"

"I'm good with it," Beca said.

"What about me?" Jesse's voice came through the speaker. "Can I go, too?"

"No, Jesse," Beca said. "That's not a good idea."

"Why not?" Jesse whined as Beca clicked off the mic.

Warren chuckled, and Chloe smiled.

"Sorry about them," Chloe said.

"It's okay," Warren said. "I'm used to those two."

"Thank you for the dinner invite," Chloe said. "I'll be there. Is there anything I can bring?"

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

In the observation room, Jesse and Beca started arguing over whether Jesse would be involved in questioning Luke and Sheila.

"I'm working the case, too," Jesse said. "I should be there."

"It's not going to be an interrogation, Jesse," Beca said. "We're only talking to them because my dad said they were in the area. It's just a friendly sit-down and nothing more. Chloe and I can brief you on Monday."

"Come on, Beca," Jesse said excitedly. "Let me go, too. Sheila could be the killer. How cool would it be if we had a woman serial killer?"

"God, Jesse, what is wrong with you?" Beca asked. "You seem hell-bent on making a member of my family a murderer, so, no, you can't go. I'm sure Chloe will back me up on this."

"I'm sure she will," Jesse said, smiling and waggling his eyebrows.

"Will you cut it out?" Beca said. "Chloe and I are friends. Do I like being around her? Yes. Would I date her if we didn't work together? If she wanted to, absolutely. But none of that is happening, so give it a rest, will you?"

"Beca and Chloe, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Jesse sang.

Beca grabbed Jesse in a headlock. Jesse squealed and struggled to get away.

"Let me go, Beca!"

"What's going on here?"

Beca and Jesse looked up to see Chloe standing in the doorway with a bemused smile. Beca let Jesse go, and Jesse smoothed his shirt.

"Nothing," Beca and Jesse said simultaneously.

Chloe looked from Beca to Jesse and back to Beca.

"Beca, your dad is leaving. Would you mind walking him out?"

"Sure," Beca said, smacking Jesse in the stomach as she walked past him and out the door.

Warren was standing in the middle of the hall, and Beca waved him forward.

"Come on, Dad," she said. "I'll walk you out."

Jesse moved to leave the room, and Chloe stepped in front of him.

"What was really going on when I walked in?"

"It was nothing," Jesse said.

"Jesse," Chloe said, glaring at him. "As the lead detective, I need you to tell me why you two were fighting. We have to go back out tonight, and I can't have there be any tension between you two."

Jesse sighed and looked at Chloe.

"I told Beca I wanted to go when you talk to Sheila and Luke," Jesse said. "She said no."

"That's it?" Chloe asked. "That's why Beca had you in a headlock?"

"I, um, I kind of joked that maybe Sheila was the killer," Jesse said. "Because it would be cool if we had a female serial killer. Beca again said I couldn't go and that you would back her up on not allowing me to go."

"She's right," Chloe said. "I think you should sit this one out."

"That's not fair," Jesse exclaimed. "Just because you two like each other, I have to sit on the sidelines? I'm supposed to be a part of this team, and you two treat me like a child."

"Maybe if you stopped acting like a child, we wouldn't treat you like a child," Chloe retorted.

Chloe sighed and looked at Jesse.

"Look, Jesse, I'm not taking Beca's side in this because I like her," Chloe said. "I'm taking her side because this is serious business, and I don't believe you're looking at this case seriously or objectively."

"How can you say that?"

"Jesse, you jumped on Mr. Mitchell as the killer just because he was walking down the street we were surveilling," Chloe said. "And now, you're joking that the killer might be Mrs. Mitchell because you like the idea of there being a female serial killer in our midst. Beca was right about you and how you push your theories without any evidence to actually back them up. We can't do that; we won't do that. We need to follow the evidence to its logical and provable conclusion."

Jesse nodded his head and looked down. He took a deep breath and looked up at Chloe.

"I'm sorry," Jesse said. "I'll try to do better."

"Good," Chloe said. "That's all I ask."

"So, what time are we going out tonight?" Jesse asked. "We need to have Beca on the streets to seem more like she's a real hooker."

"I agree," Chloe said, nodding. "Let's get back to the bullpen. We can discuss strategy and get everything ready."

"After you," Jesse said, opening the door.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Later that night, Beca was strolling along Barden Avenue and getting death glares from the other "working girls."

"It's official," Beca said as she stopped and looked around. "They hate me."

"Calm down, Beca," Chloe said in her ear. "You're not there to make friends. You're there to try and save someone's life."

"Tell them that," Beca grumbled.

"I'm sorry," a woman said, stopping just past Beca. "Did you say something?"

"What?" Beca said, shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry; I was just talking to myself. Not much action tonight."

The woman smiled. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah."

"I'm Trixie," the woman said and then laughed. "At least that's my name here on the streets. What about you? What do they call you?"

"Um," Beca said.

"Dirty Diana," Jesse said, chuckling. "That's a good street name."

"Shut up," Beca said without thinking.

"Sorry, I was just trying to be friendly," Trixie said and hurried off.

"Dammit, Jesse," Beca scoffed.

"What'd I do?" Jesse asked.

"That's the first person who has spoken to me since I've been on the streets," Beca said as she looked around. "I could have befriended her and maybe gotten some information from her."

"Beca's right, Jesse," Chloe said, joining the conversation. "We need at least one of those girls to see Beca as one of them. From now on, refrain from commenting on anything unless Beca asks us something directly."

"Shh, here comes another one," Beca mumbled. "Hey, what's up?"

"Can I get an hour of your time?" the woman asked.

"Um, you're a woman," Beca said. "I usually only deal with men."

"I know," the woman said. Her eyes suddenly widened as she looked at Beca. "Oh, no, I don't want to have sex with you; I just want to talk to you. I know you need to make some money, and I'm willing to pay for your time."

"Ask her what she wants to talk about," Chloe said. "She could be working with the killer and setting you up or something."

"What, uh, what do you want to talk about?" Beca asked.

"I want to talk to you about getting you off the streets," the young woman said. "My sister worked the streets and was murdered. I'm doing everything I can to ensure that doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Oh," Beca said. "What's your name?"

"Emily," the girl said. "Emily Junk."

"Junk?" Beca said, recognizing the name. "Wasn't your sister murdered like three or four months ago? I remember hearing something about a girl named Junk being killed."

"That's right," Emily said. "Her name is, was, Lori. You kind of remind me of her."

"Um, okay," Beca said. "Let's go to the coffee shop on the corner and talk."

"No, Beca," Chloe said quickly. "Ask her to meet you tomorrow. We need to keep you on the streets tonight."

"Oh, um, wait," Beca said. "Can you meet me tomorrow? I need to earn a lot more money tonight, or else I can't pay my rent this month."

"Sure," Emily said. "I can meet you at the coffee shop tomorrow morning at eleven. Does that work for you? I'll still pay you for your time."

"Tell her yes," Chloe said.

"Yes, I can do that," Beca replied.

"Thank you," Emily said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Emily rushed off with a quick wave. Beca watched as she approached another petite brunette, only to see the woman shake her head and walk away from Emily.

"Do we have eyes on the woman that Miss Junk just talked to?" Beca asked while walking toward the surveillance van. "She looks similar to the murdered girls."

"I'll ask the guys in the patrol car to watch her," Chloe said.

"Okay," Beca said and went back to "work."

Just past midnight, Chloe decided to call it quits for the night. The three detectives had had a long day, and it was past the usual times most of the girls had been killed.

"I think we're done," Beca heard Chloe say through her earpiece. "Good work, Beca. We'll plan to come back tomorrow night; the more the girls see you out here, the more they are apt to confide in you."

"Copy that," Beca mumbled, walking toward the surveillance van.

Beca looked around and, not seeing anyone, climbed into the back of the van. Chloe looked over at her and smiled. Jesse grinned at her and started shutting down their equipment.

Beca sat down and took off her "hooker" heels.

"Thank God," Beca said with a relieved sigh. "My feet are killing me."

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca changed her clothes and went to her desk to gather her belongings to go home. It was close to one a.m., and she was past tired. She noticed a folder on her desk that wasn't there when she left earlier. She opened the folder and found a lab report from the Medical Examiner. She read through it and gasped. She reread it because she was sure she had misread it the first time.

"Is something wrong, Beca?" Chloe asked from her desk.

"Um," Beca said. "I don't quite know what to make of this."

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"It's the report on the DNA results from that used condom I found at the last crime scene," Beca said. "They matched the DNA on the inside of the condom to Luke Daniels, Sheila's son. My stepbrother."

"I wouldn't read too much into it," Chloe said. "All it tells us is that Luke had safe sex with someone near the crime scene."

"I understand that," Beca said. "But a second DNA sample was taken from the outside of the condom. The results from that sample show that Luke had sex with the girl who was murdered."

"Let me see that," Chloe said, holding out her hand.

Beca handed the folder to Chloe.

"Jesse's going to have a field day with this," Beca said, shaking her head. "It looks like someone related to me may be involved in this murder after all."

"I hate to say it," Chloe said. "But you may be right."

"It's late, and I don't want to even think about what all this means right now," Beca said. "I'm going home."

"Give me five minutes, and I'll walk out with you," Chloe said.

Beca nodded, gathered the rest of her belongings, and waited for Chloe. They both walked out of the station five minutes later and headed home.