A/N: I'm a little bit older and my state's gotten ALOT colder! Luckily, I'm avoiding the flu going around at the moment.
Anyway, STRAP IN! This chapter and the next one are literally the FIRST SCENES I wrote when brainstorming this story!
Cannot wait for your reactions.
Special Agent Paul Crowley was set up in the room where Andre and Beck originally occupied. The two local cops were miffed by the relocation to the squad room, amidst the ringing telephones and clickity clack of keyboards. The senior detective didn't find this area conducive to real concentration.
The federal agent was reading through the transcript of Traylor Greene's testimony. He was comparing this to his original notes regarding Nikki Benson and Heather Jacobs' disappearance. The older gentleman was trying to find any commonalities at all with what they could agree upon from Bellevue against what Miss Greene had described.
This whole thing was a mess.
Had things been handled his way, that crime scene would had been carted off from anyone who wasn't on his team. But no, friends and relatives trampled all through that house and they took whatever might have been left behind by Hal Bircham. There was a porch light smashed onto the concrete landing, which Mr. Benson admitted to later the following day. He found it before going into the house, still thinking the girls were inside, and without thinking much of it, swept up the glass and disposed of it.
Bircham made no mention of broken glass or anything, according to Traylor. It very well could have been knocked out upon entering or leaving. It wasn't much but it could have been a clue. But now, it was lost forever.
Just like people who touch the deceased because they wish to "respectful" and close the victim's eyes. What sounds like a noble gesture in the moment could mean disaster for an investigation.
He didn't look up at the first knocking on the door. The second, louder one got his attention.
"What is it?" he tersely asked.
Sikowitz looked around and shrugged.
"I have a Chief Vega of the LAPD on the line and he wishes to speak with you."
The blood drained from his face.
"Why?"
"He called the station and asked to be directed to Agent Crowley."
The man rubbed his crinkled forehead and sighed.
"Can you put him through here?"
The bald man nodded enthusiastically.
"You bet! Just press that blinking yellow button and whoosh!"
"Thanks...I think," Crowley grumbled.
Once Sikowitz had departed, the man wondered how often Langley did random drug tests on their staff.
"This is Special Agent Crowley of the FBI," he punctuated with a clearing of the throat to sound more authoritative in his voice. "And whom am I speaking with?"
"Chief David Vega, LAPD but I'm sure you already knew that. And I know who you are, so why don't we cut the crap and talk?"
Crowley was put off by the other man's candor but he liked when someone was direct. Saved time.
"Let me guess...you want to know why Tori Vega was suspended."
He could hear the police chief breathing through his nose sharply.
"Listen to me...um, Vega...while I understand that she's your daughter, that doesn't excuse..."
"You can stop right the fuck there!" David's voice came through firm.
The FBI agent stood up, the cord of the landline phone long enough for him to do so.
"Excuse me?" Crowley shot back. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
"Someone who wants to crack this case, correct?"
He folded his left arm, tucking the hand into his right pit.
"Well, obviously!"
"If that's what you want...eighty-sixing one of the best damn cops I've seen in all my years is shooting yourself in the foot."
"ONE OF THE BEST?" he scoffed. "Is that why she was gallivanting with the sister of a notorious criminal?"
David chuckled.
"Did your FBI buddies clue you in on the whole story?"
"What are you getting at, Vega?" Crowley asked, sitting back down.
"THAT DOES IT!"
Tori was sick and tired of moping around this motel. Andre dragging her out and being reminded about the people she helped was the kick in the ass she needed!
Now her regret and self-loathing were replaced with piss and vinegar.
She may be off the squad for tracking down the man who killed those young women and kidnapped Traylor...
...but she was still a cop, and she had a job to do.
Technically speaking, the investigation of the boys was still open. But with each passing year, the case grows colder. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes could shed some light. Perhaps something was at the scene of the campsite the police had missed? Tori made sure to have the old case file in her bag with her. While she poked around for leads to where Hal Bircham could have gone, if any of those FBI bozos rolled up on her, she would say she was looking into the "missing camper" case.
It wasn't a lie, but while she was out there if something pointing to the whereabouts of a certain fugitive for a hot case, Tori would follow wherever her nose took her.
Tori remembered how with crude triangulation, she was able to piece together the possible path the blue Chevy took when that guy was stalking Lin Deering outside the diner. As fate would have it, when Dr. Reynolds was struck with the same car, it sped off in a similar direction.
Tori paid as much attention as she could while Sinjin was driving prior to running into Hal Bircham. Little by little, she was slowly getting pieces of the puzzle. First, the vehicle. Second, the direction he was heading out of town. Now she needed to examine the area between the outskirts of Langley and the campgrounds. There had to be a detail that made sense!
With gumption and hard work, Tori had to figure out where the bastard had gone.
The tall woman slung her backpack over her shoulder and double-checked her gun to make sure it was in working order. Tori hopped into her Panda and sped away.
On the way, she stopped at the convenience store which was down wind from the diner. Tori filled up her tank and went inside the mini mart to load up on provisions. She burst out of the door with a plastic bag full of ideal snacks for hiking in the woods: jerky, trail mix, and some electrolyte-enhanced water.
The sun was setting, so she made sure her Maglite had fresh batteries before leaving.
Tori went over her path from when she chased down Bircham that fateful day. It hit a little different now that she wasn't on foot, but every twist and turned was burned into her memory. With each movement she remembered taking, it was in response to where the blue Chevy was going. He was fast in his driving, but not reckless. She just had a gut feeling. It would've seemed more chaotic if he were just trying to give her the slip. This was just a getaway.
She couldn't put her finger on it. Something about his maneuvers struck her as deliberate, measured. The kind of muscle memory you'd expect from someone taking the same old road they took a million times. Maybe he had some other business in town, who's to say? Perhaps Hal hit Reynolds purely by accident and he was just trying to flee. He had to expect the cops would be on his ass.
Now the black and white rental pulled out of Langley city limits, and she drove an additional three miles toward the campgrounds.
Jade stared at her phone with great interest when she heard the door open.
"Well?"
Agent Marquardt cleared his throat and handed her a printout.
"Hallie Blakely," he said showing her the information. "Joliet, Illinois."
The medical examiner pocketed her phone and snatched the paper, looking at the scan of the driver's license. She smirked at the phone number below the photo ID.
"Alright, thanks" Jade nodded. "Good job."
She became aware that he was still standing awkwardly beside her.
"That is all," she politely smiled in a way that screamed obligation.
"Listen, um...do you want to get coffee sometime..."
Jade held up her hand.
"Nope!" she cut him off with a hard "p" at the end.
Marquardt put his hands in his pockets.
"Oh..."
They both stood there uncomfortably.
"You know what can help with this awkwardness?" the blonde asked.
The agent shook his head.
"Leave," she answered in a whisper.
David laid the sordid affair quite bare. Agents Lloyd Philips and Ron Ford were on Ruzzolini's payroll, both paid decent money to help keep the Bureau out of his affairs. But it wouldn't last because the feds were launching their own probe into the legitimate businesses of the crime boss.
Fearing that Ruzzolini would talk, they hatched an unsanctioned "mission" and sought a police officer to penetrate his inner circle. The plan was Tori kept the lecherous Leonardo distracted, they would have access to his files and eliminate any evidence of their involvement.
Vega was already furious at the agents' deception but the conceit that Tori was used to "entice" the older man made him sick. His youngest daughter being offered on a silver platter like she was being pimped out made him angry. Tori always wanted to help others and would find little reason not to trust the FBI, given her line of work. She learned the hard way that while both entities pursue justice, without ethics on both sides, the two cannot be allies.
Anyone who took advantage of his girl's dutiful demeanor and good nature had a special place in Hell.
"These boys were just covering up their tracks!" David growled. "My daughter was a pawn."
Crowley had to admit, despite hearing disparaging words against the FBI, it made little sense why such a delicate mission was handed to a cop and not an agent.
"They used her!" he pressed. "They saw a young woman who just made detective, and they saw someone they could take advantage of!"
"Sounds like you're accusing my people of a suicide squad scenario," Crowley mused. "Anything goes wrong; well, it was a rogue cop! They don't work for the FBI! Plausible deniability."
"Right."
The agent fiddled with his ballpoint pen.
"And I take it you didn't come in swinging with wild accusations without proof."
"I have a thumb drive being overnighted to the Langley precinct as we speak!" David huffed. "But, if you can't wait, just give me an email address and I can send it to you!"
The silence hung between the two men.
"You have any children, Crowley?"
He cleared his throat.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Two girls."
"I can see why this case has special significance for you, the Bellevue teens?"
Crowley didn't answer but his silence was evidence enough.
David sighed.
"Agent...uh...I've been doing this for a long time. One thing I hate as much as the bad guys are bad guys pretending to be the good guys. I've put my neck out hunting down the dirty cops in my house. I know the reputation of the police and the federal government are both in the toilet. And the trust of the public won't be earned in our lifetime, maybe not even our children's lifetime."
The old man smirked.
"But each step in the right direction gets us closer. Tori is just like me. She made sure her fellow officers were held accountable for their actions and refused any bribery or opportunity to abuse her power. THAT is the kind of cop you need! THAT is the kind of cop you let go! If you believe in doing the right thing, then listen to me now and look at what I've found. I have been cleaning my department for years. I'm still working on it! Now, it's your turn to do the same for your department."
Agent Crowley leaned back in his chair and thought it over.
"Okay, Vega...you have something to write with?"
Nothing of significance by the campgrounds.
Whatever physical evidence was left behind became lost to time. Tori felt a little bad about returning to poor Luther empty-handed. All good cops have that white whale, the one case that was never cracked. It likely hung over the man's head like this case was Andre. Sadly, she may not be able to find justice for those teenage boys, but maybe she could help solve this one!
Tori pulled over to the shoulder, which overlooked a steep ravine. It was at this spot that Bethany Bannister was discovered. A few miles up the road was where Lin Deering was dumped. Both women were so horribly mangled, it just screamed that they were killed and desecrated elsewhere.
She leaned over to look down the ravine. It went down quite a way.
Theoretically, someone could be down there and do whatever they wanted, as long as they were quiet, and no passing motorist would suspect anything. What if the killer was swift and effective in his methods and took the now dead body down there to do what he wanted? Take his time?
It was just enough of a stretch that no one would think of it, BUT it was plausible enough that it was worth looking into.
The tan woman licked her lips as she dug her feet into the moist dirt, as it rained earlier today. Her sneakers had decent traction, but it could easily go sideways if she didn't take her time. Just like how the best snow boots in the world won't prevent the possibility of slipping on the ice.
She noticed a tree limb that grew up from the arbor below at an askew angle. It was close enough to the 35-degree angle she was slowly descending that it served as a railing of sorts. At least until it snapped, unequipped to take the weight of a full adult human.
Tori slid down the rest of the ravine, landing with little ceremony at the bottom.
"Perfect..." she grumbled.
She shook her head and arms to wave off the disgusting earth she acquired on her way down. The dirt was cold as well, naturally. Tori just imagined the scalding hot shower waiting for her back at the motel.
(Alright...let's see what we can find down here.)
Tori fished out her Maglite and clicked the rubber button to emit a powerful shaft of light. She clicked the button a second time to turn on a different light on the side which wider, but just as brilliant. The Latina trudged through the wet dirt, aiming to the ground around her first. No signs of footprints from what she could see that weren't her own. The light stopped at a flattened spot on the ground.
She followed the disturbed area which led up the ravine opposite the way she came down.
(He might not have dismembered her down here...but...they may have been down here.)
The detective imagined an escape attempt. Maybe Bethany or both of them fell down this steep hill and landed here, only to physically struggle. There were a few rocks nearby that lined one side of the very narrow creek that flowed. While the face was intact, the same couldn't be said for the back of Bethany's head. Perhaps did the deed with a rock. It was a brutal but effective method of execution.
Once she was quiet and still, he did what he wanted with her body.
The more Tori examined the supposed pathway, the less she believed it. Maybe they ended up down here at some point, but it was still early enough into the autumn season that there would be people walking around. Even after dark, it was possible. She huffed, feeling ridiculous for assuming this was the location of dismemberment.
Brown eyes caught sight of something shiny sticking out of the dirt.
She crouched down and grabbed a small twig to push aside the dirt and leaves to reveal a piece of a charm bracelet. The white gold charm was that of a rocking horse. It gave Tori chills, like someone was trying to tell her something and this was the clue.
Nothing about this rocking horse rang any bells. It wasn't in any of the photographs or report compiled by the boys. Thinking quickly, she gently picked up the charm with the twig and wrapped it into a clean napkin she had in her pocket. Tori stuck the potential evidence into her jacket pocket and zipped it up. She sighed as she took another look around before heading back.
Above her, she could hear the rustling of the ground. Not an animal or anything. It sounded like...tires.
Sure enough, the headlights of a car were above her head. The moment Tori looked up; a bright flashlight shined down on her. The tall figure was standing behind the source, obscuring their identity. But the build and stance immediately telegraphed to Tori that this was a man.
(Was it...?)
Tori held up her arm, shielding her eyes from the relentless spotlight.
"BIRCHAM?" she shouted at the figure, while unlatching her gun and turning off the safety. "HAL BIRCHAM?"
The silent holder of the flashlight was stoic.
She shook her head and gripped the handle, swiftly pointing her gun toward the light.
"POLICE!" Tori huffed. "TURN OFF...YOUR...FLASHLIGHT...AND HANDS ON THE CAR!"
BANG! BANG!
Tori ducked from the shots, nearly slipping in the process.
"HEY!" she yelled back, pointing her gun once more. "PUT THE GUN DOWN! NOW!"
BANG!
(SHIT. SHIT. SHIT.)
The Latina hid behind a thick tree. With more shots, pieces of bark splintered off her shield. She had to shut her eyes the debris was so close.
Seconds later, the gunfire ceased but she felt the spotlight on her back.
Asshole was reloading.
Tori seized the opportunity to return some fire, which did cause the shooter to falter backward somewhat but he didn't fall. She managed to nail his windshield and the passenger side headlight. Her heart sank when she found herself empty. The gun was in prime condition, but she didn't anticipate a shootout, so she failed to leave the house with a full magazine. Had she been on a normal day on the job, Tori would have been better prepared, but this excursion was spur of the moment.
She tried to think of everything she needed but she wasn't infallible.
The cop decided to play it tough and hope that her previous shots spooked the man, and he would surrender, thinking she was a good marksman. Tori kept the gun trained on him and he stood there for a bit, like he was trying to see if she was bluffing or not.
Her heart was racing, unsure of what to do. Nobody else knew she was here, so no backup. Plus, other than that tree over there, there was nowhere else to go. That slippery ravine went all around her. Tori was essentially in a bowl. Or rather, a fish in a barrel.
"PUT IT DOWN!" she ordered, still holding her gun high.
The man stumbled as he was firing, and Tori went down to the ground.
The cop was motionless as the shooter peered over to observe his handiwork. He took a couple steps forward when the sound of an approaching car gave him pause. The man dove back into his vehicle, with the spider-cracked windshield and one working headlight and sped off.
A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Don't fret, I will update later in the week.
Also, I've been looking into doing "Legacy" versions of my catalogue for easy reading and in a PDF format for convenience. Yep, my stories will be converted into "eBooks" for you to download! This way, you can relive your favorites without having this buggy little website interfere. It will take some time, but if you guys are interested in that, hit me up in my PM's.