UNDERCOVER BELLA
Chapter 7
Chloe was straddling Beca's lap as they enjoyed a lengthy makeout session. Beca moaned when Chloe nibbled her ear and started kissing down her neck. Beca pulled back and looked at Chloe.
"Um, I think we should stop now," Beca said, trying to control her breathing. "I care about you a lot, and I'm hoping we can take it slow and not rush into the more intimate side of things just yet."
"Oh," Chloe said and climbed off Beca's lap.
"I'm not saying it won't happen," Beca said quickly as she stood to face Chloe. "I'm just saying, maybe not tonight?" She grimaced, stared into Chloe's eyes, and said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Beca," Chloe said, smiling. "I like you a lot, too. And I understand if you want to take things a bit slower."
"Thank you," Beca said.
Beca stared at Chloe as if she wanted to say more. Chloe stared back and waited. Beca finally cleared her throat.
"I should probably go," she said. "It's getting kind of late."
"Okay," Chloe said, following Beca to the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Beca said, leaning in and giving Chloe a quick kiss before heading out the door.
Chloe pushed the door closed once Beca was gone and leaned her back against it. She sighed heavily and pushed away from the door. She collected the dirty bowls and glasses and took them to the kitchen.
Beca stood outside Chloe's door, trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. She slowly nodded to reassure herself and then went to her car.
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
The next morning, Chloe met Aubrey at her car and started walking together toward the station's entrance. She looked over and noticed Beca pulling into a space.
"There's Beca," Chloe said. "I'm going to go say hi."
"She's coming into the station," Aubrey said. "Can't you wait until then?"
"No," Chloe said. "I may have upset her last night, and I want to make sure she's okay without everyone watching us."
"You really have it bad for her, don't you?" Aubrey said, grinning.
"I really do," Chloe said, smiling as she walked toward Beca.
Aubrey continued into the station, smiling and shaking her head.
Chloe snuck up on Beca and grabbed her as she leaned in to grab her bag. Beca suddenly jerked back, hitting her head on the car's door frame and dropping the bag onto the seat.
"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said, pulling Beca to her. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Beca said, rubbing her head. "I didn't hear you sneaking up on me, and I certainly wasn't expecting you or anyone else to grab me from behind like that."
"I am sorry," Chloe said. "I just wanted to say hi and see if I could buy you a cup of coffee from the cart you like."
"I'd like that," Beca said, grabbing her bag.
Beca stepped back and closed the car door. Chloe took Beca's free hand and walked toward the coffee cart. They placed their order, and Beca looked around before turning to Chloe.
"I want to apologize about last night," Beca said quietly.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Chloe said. "I was going to apologize to you. I don't want you to be angry with me because you think I don't understand where you were coming from when you said you wanted to take things slow; because I do."
"I'm not angry," Beca said, grabbing her coffee. She smiled and looked at Chloe. "I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me again."
"I'd love to," Chloe said, smiling. "Where do you want to go?"
"I was thinking you could come to my place, and I'll cook you dinner."
"Ooo, that sounds wonderful," Chloe said. "I'd love that. What night is good for you?"
"Um, I don't know yet. Maybe we can discuss it over lunch later?"
"Another date so soon?" Chloe said, smiling as they started for the entrance to the station. "I'm beginning to think that you really do like me."
"That's because I do," Beca said, smiling as Chloe wrapped her arm around Beca's. "I really, really do."
They continued walking arm-in-arm, both smiling as they reached the door.
"What time do you want me on the streets tonight?" Beca asked as Chloe opened the door and ushered her inside.
"I think we should have you at your corner no later than ten," Chloe said.
"Okay," Beca said as they entered the bullpen.
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
A week later, everyone was at their desk when Chloe and Aubrey were called to the Captain's office. Twenty minutes later, they returned. Chloe looked at Beca and then at Jesse.
"Hey, you two, please come with us," Chloe said. "We need to make a plan for what we want to do over the next few nights. If the timeline stays the same, we have less than a week before the next murder."
Beca and Jesse followed Chloe and Aubrey to the small interrogation room down the hall from the bullpen. Once they entered, Chloe and Aubrey sat on one side of the table, and Beca and Jesse sat on the other. Beca was across from Chloe.
"What do we need to talk about?" Beca asked.
"We just updated the Captain on our progress," Aubrey said. "She's concerned at how long it's taking to arrest someone."
"We're doing the best we can with what we've got," Jesse said.
"We know that," Chloe said. "The Captain wants us to review everything we have to see if we've missed something."
"It's not a bad idea," Aubrey said. "Look at how much farther we are after you three went through everything and tied the cases together. I can go through everything with fresh eyes since I wasn't in on the earlier part of your investigation."
"That's fine," Chloe said. "I still think we should get Beca back on the streets. I'd bet a week's pay, one of those girls knows something they aren't telling the cops. Maybe they'll confide in Beca."
"I agree," Beca said. "Last time I was out there, I got two girls to talk to me. One even warned me to be careful because I looked like the girls being killed."
"Who were they?" Jesse asked, flipping open his notepad.
"The first was named Flo," Beca said. "She's a petite Latino with dark hair and reminds me of the murdered girls. She didn't give a last name. Hell, I'm not even sure if Flo is her real name. Many of the girls use an alias or, as they call it, a 'street' name."
"What's your street name?" Aubrey asked.
"Becky Brown," Beca said, grimacing. "Emily asked me my name when we met at the coffee shop after she first approached me about talking to her."
"I'm surprised you said Becky," Jesse said, chuckling. "You hate it when Luke calls you Becky."
"I usually hate it when anyone calls me Becky," Beca said. "But I couldn't think of a name I'd remember easily."
Chloe chuckled at the face Beca made after making that confession.
"So, who's the other girl you spoke with?" Chloe asked.
"Amy," Beca said, then chuckled. "Actually, she called herself Fat Amy."
"Why?" Aubrey asked.
"So twig bitches like me don't call her that behind her back," Beca replied, chuckling. "She's a real character. She's also the one who told Flo and me to be careful who we serviced. I didn't get a last name for her either."
"Talk to Amy again," Chloe said. "She sounds like someone who knows something she's not telling."
"I'll try and talk to her tonight," Beca said. "If she's-."
Beca's phone rang, stopping her in mid-sentence. She checked her caller ID and frowned.
"Do you need to take that?" Chloe asked.
"It's from an unknown number, and I usually ignore those, but something tells me I should take this one," Beca said.
"If you think you should take it, take it," Chloe said.
"Hello," Beca said into the phone. She looked at Chloe as she said, "This is she."
Chloe kept her eyes on Beca while Aubrey and Jesse quietly talked about working together to review the evidence.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Beca said before ending the call.
"What's going on, Beca?" Jesse asked as Beca suddenly stood.
"That was a nurse from the hospital," Beca said. "Emily Junk was brought in badly beaten and unconscious earlier this morning." Chloe and Aubrey gasped. Beca continued, "They found her wallet but not her phone. The napkin I gave her with my name and number was in the wallet, and they didn't know who else to call. I have a feeling I know who beat her, but I'm going to go to the hospital to see if I can find out what exactly happened."
"I'll go with you," Chloe said, standing.
"I should be the one to go with her," Aubrey said as she stood. "We're partners, and as Sergeant, I can get the case assigned to us from whoever it was originally assigned to."
"You're right," Chloe said. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Always," Beca said, smiling at Chloe.
"Jesse, we'll start going through the evidence when I get back," Aubrey said. "Could you gather everything and set it up in here while I'm gone?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jesse said.
"Come on, Beca," Aubrey said, and they both left the room. "I'll drive."
"Call and let us know how she's doing," Chloe called after them.
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
Beca stood looking down at Emily. She wiped a tear from her eye because the girl had been beaten so severely that her face was nearly unrecognizable. She gritted her teeth and looked toward the door when Aubrey came in.
"I just spoke with the officer that discovered her, and he said they got a call about a dead body," Aubrey said as Beca moved to the end of the bed to speak with her. "When he and his partner found her, they weren't sure if she was dead or alive until she grabbed his partner's hand when he reached to check her neck for a pulse."
"Jesus," Beca mumbled. "Were there any witnesses?"
"No, but he did get some info from her," Aubrey said. "When he asked if she knew the person who did this to her, she kept mumbling, 'my boyfriend' repeatedly. That's all they got. She passed out just before the EMTs got there. She's been unconscious since."
"That bastard," Beca said. "I knew he was bad news. I should have checked on her, made sure she was okay."
"This is not your fault, Mitchell," Aubrey said. "This is on that Chicago guy. I got his address, so let's go get the sonofabitch."
A woman rushed into the room and stopped when she saw Emily. She quickly rushed over to her.
"My poor baby," the woman said, looking down at Emily and wiping tears from her eyes.
"Excuse me," Beca said. "Are you Emily's mother?"
"Yes, I am," the woman said, looking at Beca and then over to Aubrey. "Who are you two?"
"I'm Detective Mitchell, and this is Detective Sergeant Posen," Beca said, showing her badge. "We're investigating what happened to Emily. May we ask you a few questions?"
The woman nodded, sat in the chair beside the bed, and took Emily's hand.
"I know what you're going to ask," Mrs. Junk said. "And you need to arrest her boyfriend, Chicago Walp. He's beaten her before, and I just know he's responsible for this."
"The officer who found her said she identified Mr. Walp as the one who did this to her," Aubrey said. "We were just about to leave to arrest him."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Junk," Beca said. "He won't get away with this. I promise you that."
"When you do get him," Mrs. Junk said, looking at Emily. "I want just five minutes alone with him."
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
"I need to call Chloe," Beca said as they left the hospital. "We're supposed to have lunch, and it's going to take a while before we're done with Walp. Plus, we promised we'd update her on Emily's condition."
"Okay," Aubrey said. "Tell her we'll be back at the station after we've processed Walp."
Beca nodded and pulled out her phone. She got into the passenger seat as Aubrey got behind the wheel. Beca placed the call to Chloe and explained what they were doing and also how Emily was.
After talking for a few minutes, they arrived at Chicago Walp's apartment complex.
"We're at Walp's place," Beca said. "I'll talk to you when we get back to the station."
"Okay," Chloe said. "Be careful. Both of you."
"Always," Beca said with a smile. "Talk soon."
Beca ended the call and looked at Aubrey.
"What's the plan, Sarge?" Beca asked.
"I don't really have one," Aubrey said. "Let's just arrest his ass and get him processed into the system."
"That sounds like a good plan," Beca said as they exited the vehicle.
Beca stood and looked around before turning to Aubrey. "He's in apartment 308."
Aubrey went to the trunk, pulled out two tasers, and handed one to Beca.
"We might need these," Aubrey said as she clipped one to her belt.
"Roger that," Beca said, clipping the taser to her belt.
"Let's go," Aubrey said, slamming the trunk closed.
The two detectives entered the building and took the elevator to the third floor. They located 308, and each stood to the side of the door. Aubrey looked across to Beca and nodded. Beca knocked loudly on the door.
"Chicago Walp, this is the Barden Police," Beca called out. "Come out with your hands where we can see them!"
They waited, and nothing happened. Beca put her ear to the door and listened.
"Someone's in there."
"Knock again," Aubrey said, stepping next to Beca so they both stood before the door.
Beca nodded and reached to knock when she heard the distinct sound of a pump action shotgun being readied. She grabbed Aubrey's arm and pulled her away from the door. Beca had barely cleared the door when a shot was fired, and a large hole appeared in the middle of the door.
Aubrey cried out in pain as she fell to the floor. Beca looked down to see blood coming from a wound near her shoulder. She grabbed Aubrey's good arm and dragged her around the corner from the apartment, flinching when another shot rang out.
She grabbed her police radio, screaming, "Shots fired! Shots fired!" She took a deep breath and calmed herself before saying, "I have an officer down and in need of medical assistance. I repeat, officer down and in need of medical assistance. Send backup."
Beca looked around the corner and waited. A door opened down the hall; Beca jumped up, waving and shouting, "Get back inside and stay there!"
Aubrey moaned and grabbed her shoulder. Beca knelt beside her.
"Hang in there, Sarge," Beca said, using both hands to put pressure on Aubrey's shoulder. "Help is on the way."
"Get Walp," Aubrey said, gritting her teeth.
"I can't leave you," Beca said.
"That's an order, detective," Aubrey said. "Go! And take him down by any means necessary."
Beca looked at Aubrey and knew she meant business. Beca nodded and wiped her bloody hands on her shirt. She grabbed her gun and crawled to look around the corner, jerking her head back when she saw Chicago standing outside his door, looking in the opposite direction while holding his gun up in front of him. She heard Chicago pump another round.
"It's now or never," Beca muttered as she raised her gun and stood. She stepped out and yelled, "Drop the gun!" causing Chicago to turn around with his gun in his hands.
"Drop it now, or I will shoot you," Beca commanded.
Chicago hesitated slightly before taking a step toward Beca.
"Stop!" Beca called out. "Lower your weapon, or I swear to God I will shoot you where you stand."
Chicago stopped, raised his gun up to his hip, and sneered as he aimed it at Beca. His hand moved as if to fire. Beca fired two shots, hitting him in the chest.
The sound of the gunshots hung in the air as Chicago fell to the ground on his back. Beca rushed over and knelt, grabbing his gun and sliding it away and behind her. She hesitated slightly and checked for a pulse; there was none. She sighed and bowed her head.
Beca heard the elevator chime and stood, holding her gun down by her side. Chloe rushed down the hall toward her and wrapped her in a hug. Beca held her for a moment to calm her nerves. Chloe pulled back and saw blood on Beca's shirt and frowned.
"Oh, my god, Beca!" Chloe said, looking at the blood. "Are you okay?"
"It's not mine," Beca said quickly. "It's Posen's. She's the one who needs medical attention."
Jesse and two officers came through the door from the stairwell; Jesse knelt to check on Chicago.
"He's gone," Jessie said. He looked up at Beca. "Where's the Sarge?"
"I'm right here," Aubrey said, coming around the corner, holding her left shoulder, and leaning her right shoulder against the wall to hold herself up. "I think I might need to go to the hospital."
Chloe rushed over when she saw Aubrey, catching her as she slid down the wall. Beca stood and watched Chloe check Aubrey's shoulder, feeling guilty that she wasn't quick enough to keep Aubrey from getting hurt. She looked down at Chicago's body and started shaking.
"Jesse, get the EMTs up here now!" Chloe ordered.
Hearing Chloe yelling caused Beca to freeze and look over at her and Aubrey. She heard Jesse on the radio, giving the order for the EMTs to enter.
"Oh, my gosh, Brey," Chloe said, looking from her to Beca and back. "When we were told that an officer was down, I was so worried because we didn't know which of you it was."
"It's okay, Chloe," Aubrey said, grinning through the pain. "I'll be okay, so you can be happy that it wasn't Beca."
"I'd be happier if it weren't either of you," Chloe said.
"But you're more glad it didn't happen to Beca, huh?" Aubrey whispered, chuckling.
Chloe blushed and looked at Beca, smiling softly. Beca saw this and just stared back at her.
Two EMTs exited the elevator, pushing a gurney. They made their way down the hall and stopped next to Chicago; Jesse shook his head and pointed to Aubrey.
"There's your patient," Jesse said. "This one's dead."
Chloe stepped aside as the EMTs reached them. She walked over to Beca and stood with her, watching the EMTs work on Aubrey. Beca turned into Chloe's arms and buried her head in Chloe's neck.
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
After being taken from the scene by two detectives from the Internal Affairs Division (IAD), Beca was placed in an interrogation room at the station to await a Union Rep's arrival. Beca knew the shooting was clean but was still nervous; her leg bouncing up and down clearly indicated her nervousness.
Meanwhile, Chloe was at the hospital, standing at the foot of Aubrey's bed, listening as she relayed to Captain Adams what had transpired to cause her injuries and the death of Chicago Walp.
"Thank you, Sergeant, that's all I need for now," Captain Adams said. "Mitchell is with IAD, and I'm sure they'll also come to talk to you."
"It was a clean shoot, Captain," Aubrey said. "Detective Mitchell had no other recourse but to shoot him. If she hadn't, I'm sure he would have killed us both."
"I get that," Captain Adams said. "And I believe you. Standard protocol is she'll be placed on a minimum of two days desk duty until IAD says she's cleared."
"Captain, that leaves us two men down for our investigation," Chloe said. "We only have a few days before the next murder is likely to occur."
"You and Jesse can handle things for two days until Mitchell is taken off desk duty," Captain Adams said. "She can make calls and write reports until she can get back on the street, understood?"
"Understood," Chloe said.
"Good," Captain Adams said. "I'll check on you later, Sergeant. Goodnight to you both."
Chloe sighed as she watched Captain Adams leave. She turned to Aubrey.
"Are you really okay?" Chloe asked.
"I will be," Aubrey said. "I was lucky that none of the shotgun pellets or wood from the door damaged any nerves. You might want to check on Beca, though. She seemed pretty freaked out after shooting Walp. She seemed calm on the outside, but I could tell she was freaking out a bit on the inside. She'll need you or Jesse to keep her from getting inside her own head."
Chloe nodded and squeezed Aubrey's hand. "I'll stop by her place on my way home."
"Thank her for me," Aubrey said. "She heard the gun being primed and dragged me away from the door before Walp fired. She saved my life."
"I'm sure she'll come see you when she can," Chloe said. "You can thank her yourself. Do you need anything? I can stop by your place and get whatever you need."
"I think I'm good," Aubrey said, yawning. "I am tired, so I'm going to get some sleep if that's okay."
"Of course," Chloe said. "I'll come by in the morning on my way to the station."
"Okay," Aubrey said, her eyes drifting closed. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Brey," Chloe whispered and quietly left the room.
Once in her car, Chloe debated whether to go straight to Beca's or the station to see if IAD had completed their interrogation of Beca. She started her car and drove off in the direction of the station.
~~ Undercover Bella ~~
"Jesse?" Chloe called, seeing the man sitting at his desk. "It's late. What are you doing here?"
"I was elected to wait for Lily," Jesse said. "Once she took Walp's body, I came back to wait for Beca. But she was gone."
"She's gone?" Chloe asked. "How long ago did she leave?"
"I don't know," Jesse said. "I got here about thirty minutes ago, and she was already gone,"
"Did she go home?" Chloe asked.
"I think so," Jesse said, shrugging. He held up some keys. "I drove the sarge's car back here. I figured she wouldn't want to leave it at Walp's place."
"Thank you," Chloe said, walking over to Jesse to take the keys. "I'll be going by the hospital on my way in tomorrow and will give them to her."
"How's she doing?" Jesse asked. "She didn't look so good when the EMTs took her."
"She's doing well," Chloe said. "She's sore, but it could have been much worse."
Jesse nodded and asked, "Is she up for visitors?"
"I think so," Chloe said. "The doctors want to keep her for a couple of days, and I'm sure she'd like to see someone other than doctors and nurses every day."
Chloe stared at Aubrey's keys and chewed her lip.
"Do, um, do you think Beca is okay?" Chloe finally asked.
"She said she was before the Internal Affairs guys took her," Jesse said. "But I don't think she is. Walp is her first kill in the line of duty; that's got to be weighing heavy on her mind. And knowing Beca, she's beating herself up over the fact that the sarge got hurt."
"I'm gonna go check on her," Chloe said.
"I think that's a great idea," Jesse said, smiling. "Tell her I'll see her tomorrow."
"I will," Chloe said and left Jesse.
Ten minutes after leaving the station, Chloe pulled into Beca's driveway. It was late, but the lights were on inside, so she knew Beca was still up.
Chloe sighed and exited her car. She hurried up the steps to the front door and gently knocked. The door opened, and Beca's eyes widened in surprise at seeing Chloe standing there. Chloe took one step forward and wrapped Beca in a hug. Beca sagged into the embrace and sighed.
After a few minutes, Chloe pulled back and tucked some stray hair behind Beca's ear.
"Hey, let's get you inside, okay?"
Beca nodded and led Chloe into the house. Chloe softly closed the door behind them.
Beca nodded and led Chloe into the house. Chloe softly closed the door behind them.