A/N: I tell ya, I'm at my wit's end with the FF app. It's constantly behind on updates and the reader function keeps cutting out!
I started using this app on android (I have a Samsung) and it's been working great! It's called 11Reader and its free and it rocks. All you do is copy the URL of the website you want, like I dunno this chapter, and past it into the "link" option (you can also upload files too like PDF) and it reads you the text without fail. I'm not lying, I tried it out on some of my older, really lengthy chapters, and it didn't falter once!
It has a timer for each passage, so you get a sense of how long you have to listen which is handy, not to mention the app works with the lock screen on which saves power. You also have a selection of voices. I chose "Lily," which is a middle-aged British woman and y'all...her posh voice makes my writing sound way better than it is LOL!
See, I'm a busy bee most days and going audio book is how I absorb things. I love to read but it's either too noisy or I can't get time to park it and read. I'm sure some of you are the same way. So, find a text-to-speech browser extension or app that works for you. I really recommend 11Reader, available on the Play Store. They're not paying me, I'm just so excited to share a cool free tool I found.
Speaking of things that I'm excited to share...
Jade parked her yellow Jeep into the driveway and shut off the engine.
She sat there for a few minutes and even when the headlights went off automatically, the medical examiner remained in place.
The woman was wrapping up for the day and was just about to leave when scanners buzzed about a live stop that escalated into an officer down. Jade didn't hear where it happened and ran into Cat who was putting on her jacket. The redhead mentioned that she was being called over to the crime scene reported on the radio. Jade had nothing better to do so she asked to tag along as it was a while since she'd been in the field.
On really complicated crime scenes, the lone wolf at the lab would be a bit overwhelmed and Jade would more often than not come in to assist. The deceased were just going to be wheeled to her morgue anyway, so might as well examine the body while it's fresh where (presumably) the poor person was killed. Even when it appeared to be cut and dry, the area had to be carefully photographed and catalogued. Physical evidence needed to be collected and later examined.
Jade knew what this entailed, as her criminal justice education needed to understand how police and examiners studied the circumstances of say a murder. Her intense study of the human body, being a pathologist, made her more knowledgeable than the average detective walking around.
One time, about five years ago, some college kids were taking a long hike in the woods during break and one of them slipped off a shallow cliff and broke his neck, killing him instantly. When Jade arrived with the park rangers, the deceased young man was on his back with his eyes shut and hands over his chest like he was posing for the coffin at his own funeral. This already looked off, so she asked the guy's friends why he looks like this, and they confessed that he looked really off-kilter when he fell. They wanted him to look more respectful, so they carried him several yards away and arranged him like this.
Jade facepalmed.
In their misguided attempt to give their deceased friend some dignity, they unwittingly broke the chain of physical evidence. "EVEN A MORON KNOWS YOU NEVER MOVE THE BODY!" she scolded. Those hapless kids must've felt so small then. Not that Jade was a pipsqueak compared to someone like Cat who was below average height.
The more Jade went over everything Tori had told her, the more she was aware of a sick feeling in her belly. The blonde shook it off as perhaps she hadn't eaten in a while (which was true) but she was good at holding off cravings to eat later on. But when emotions ran high, she needed the comfort of something in her empty stomach. She finally opened the door and dismounted from her SUV, slamming it shut behind her.
She was quickly aware of the glow from the living room window.
"Oh, thank god."
Jade had been so wrapped up in work and Dr. Reynolds and catching up with what's been happening that she hadn't returned home since she left for the hospital. These past 48 hours had been a blur. When she was done meeting briefly with Doc, she made her way to Dom's Diner and had some nice home cooking and later found herself heading over to the medical center. She wasn't planning on spending the night there - it just happened.
She woke up the following morning with a confused Cat Valentine looming over her with a kiwi strawberry juice box. The slurping sound of the juice running out was a pleasant sound to come back to reality to. Jade sat up, embarrassed and explained how she went back home to a dark and cold house, so she went to visit Reynolds. Then after getting a bite to eat for the first time since the airport, too tired to drive all the way back home, she went here and ended up crashing on a sofa in the corridor.
Upon standing, Jade quickly regretted the idea of sleeping on this random couch, no pillow or anything. Cat saw the pain in her face and offered some ibuprofen to assist with the discomfort in her back. The two spent the better part of the morning catching up. When they met for the first time, the pair quickly hit it off. Jade was typically guarded with new faces, but Cat tore down that wall with minimal effort. The petite scientist had an affable chemistry that made her immediately disarming. Jade wondered if this was learned, or Cat was just born as sweet as the contraband candy in her lab.
Her demeanor even calmed down Tori Vega.
She thought over the things that Tori said, the words sticking to her like the spiked balls of an overgrown field. There was some truth to her words, which was why they stung. Jade would rather things had been boring, and her old mentor not being shouldered with these bodies. And she didn't want her friend Andre dealing with this bizarre murder case, which included the abduction of Traylor of whom he cared for. Maybe Jade did feel a certain way when this seemingly perfect cop from out of town blew in and ingratiated herself with her friends. It wasn't like she was replaced, because Tori wasn't a medical examiner. But the handful of people in her life that she dared to get close to was now speaking highly of the stranger and it rubbed her the wrong way.
(Tori Vega...)
RUMBLE!
(Okay, okay, I know you want food, stomach!)
Jade turned off the excess light, praying she didn't run up the bill. Imagine her luck if they had been on since this morning! She then kicked on the thermostat to finally take the chill out of the place. The stirring of her climate control vibrated within the walls while she armed herself with a sweatshirt from college until the room was up to temp.
She sighed while lumbering into the kitchen.
The medical examiner threw open the fridge and didn't need her expertise to know that everything in here was definitely deceased. Jade held her nose as she poured the milk down the drain and rinsed out the container, which was a habit so that the recycling bin on the floor wouldn't stink. She then threw one of those refreshing pellets down the drain and ran some hot water, which made it smell of lemons as opposed to sour milk.
Then she took out a big trash bag and threw away everything in the ice box that wasn't frozen or a condiment. Everything spoiled since she was away. While checking on the house, Dr. Reynolds probably guessed his pupil was apt enough to jettison anything perishable. Not bloody likely! Jade shook the black bag and added the rather fuzzy-looking bread and half-open boxes of cereal.
Jade took the garbage and put it in the dark green bin outside with the seal of the county stamped on it.
(Mental note: put trash out to the curb for Monday.)
Now, she was faced with a dilemma of what to have for dinner, so she sashayed to her cupboards. Blue eyes spotted a can of chili and an unopened jar of jalapeno slices. Jade sulked as she preferred her chili "tricked out" with all the trimmings: cheese, sour cream and some bread on the side. Checking the bottom cabinet, she found a new box of Cheez-Its. She shrugged, figuring that was better than nothing.
She was about to grab her pot when she shook her head and marched toward the front door. Jade looked wide-eyed that her keys were still in the door.
(Seriously, I'd lose my head if it weren't attached.)
(What's going on with me this week?)
Upon turning away from the door, there were her bags still piled up blocking the living room. She still hadn't gotten to those yet. Jade huffed and went back to the kitchen and started her newly restored cooking gas and positioned the pot with the chili on top of the closest left burner, Jade's favorite burner. That would take three to five minutes on high heat, so she had enough time to carry her luggage to the bedroom one by one. She arranged them so they covered the whole bed and opened them up. Then she rushed back just in time to stir her dinner before it boiled over.
Once her dinner was cooked, she took it off the heat and set it on the table with an oven mitt underneath it. Jade didn't like her chili fresh out of the fire. She wanted it to cool down until it settled. She didn't care for it all boiling hot and watery anyway. While it sat there, the blonde began attacking her suitcases.
Helen just sat at her desk dumbfounded.
Her detectives were across from her. Their third was leaning against the wall, just as disturbed from the revelation dropped by Traylor.
Tori's brow creased.
(I thought he was lying but...it's so detailed...but...how can we be sure?)
"I'm afraid we're going to have to call the FBI," the chief sighed.
"Isn't this what we wanted?" Tori queried.
Andre turned back slightly, their eyes meeting in quiet agreement.
"It's not that..." Helen told her, tapping her finger right by the phone. She could see the slight hesitation in her body language. "I've just heard stories about the man in charge down there. A real piece of work."
"You can saw asshole, Chief" Beck smirked rather brazenly. "We're all adults."
The woman pointed at the Canadian.
"That kind of talk isn't appropriate for this office, regardless of who is speaking."
He folded his arms and nodded.
"Yes, chief."
Andre exhaled with a smile, clearly fighting the urge to chuckle. Tori picked up on that and felt good seeing that. The case wasn't over yet, but the discovery of Traylor must have been a huge weight lifted off his mind. She was happy for her partner.
"You three might not have seen what an investigation looks like when the feds get involved but believe me, this will NOT be a picnic!"
Tori could imagine what was on the horizon. It was going to be a dick measuring contest between departments.
"I've met with federal agents before," sighed the Latina. "They can be...a lot."
Helen eyed the newcomer and nodded, seeing that at least she won't be too unaware of the impending shit storm.
"We have no choice," Andre admitted. "We know that the families of the girls gave them DNA samples and dental records in case they had to test human remains."
Without those, Cat wouldn't have anything to compare with the blood she found.
"You three go on home," Helen ordered. "Get plenty of sleep. I'm sure this precinct will be pretty lively tomorrow."
Once she was all unpacked, Jade took her meaty meal and added jalapeno and sprinkled in some cheese crackers. No matter what she cooked, it always ended up with her eating out of a single bowl like a death row inmate. It just happened that way as she primarily only cooked for herself and who needs all the extra dishes?
Jade sat at the table. It was so quiet, so lonely.
When Auntie Bev went to the hospital, Jade spent nearly all of her time with her outside of work hours. Of course she loved her with all her heart. But there was another reason that went hand in hand with being by her side. The house was too big and empty without the vivacious presence of her aunt. Sitting here now, trying to enjoy her hot food, Jade hated the feeling.
She ate by herself before, often on her feet at work in between examinations to help her soldier through another four hours.
Nothing was lonelier than eating by yourself at this big table. A table that her and Bev shared for years. When the staff wouldn't allow her to stay any longer that day and she had to return home, Jade's appetite would diminish. Only when starvation scratched at the door would she give in and seek sustenance.
Jade planted herself on the couch as sitting at the table was too depressing and switched on her now-working TV. It was a re-run of Pawn Stars, which was fine with her. She knew it was played up for the cameras, but the items were still interesting and how they could tell a fake from a phony and what it may be worth. Jade thought it was odd that Discovery didn't just make The Job Channel, and dump shows like Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch and more, saving airtime for the actual history shows on The History Channel.
She spoon-fed herself aggressively as Tori Vega continued to be the proverbial splinter in her mind.
Jade just couldn't get past this nagging feeling that she couldn't trust her.
(It's suspicious. She keeps showing up at these specific moments.)
Could she be connected to this shit somehow?
(Nobody's that lucky or that stupid!)
Jade had a pretty decent bullshit detector, and it panned out for the most part. When it came to Dr. Reynolds, Chief Dubois and Andre, she got their number. The only time she was caught off guard was with matters of the heart. Her defenses were down when she was going out with Penny, who was playing games, biding her time to coax her into an orgy with her boyfriend! And Luanne? Jade swooned for her so hard that she ignored the red flags: the isolation, the lies, everything! She swore to never be some other woman's plaything, a naive female to be led astray. Never again!
Jade had a troubling thought:
(What if this IS happening again? What if I'm low-key attracted to this woman and my radar is getting fuzzy?)
What DID she do anyway, other than coming from elsewhere? Or ingratiating herself with her colleagues? Or putting herself in harm's way for someone else? Objectively, Tori Vega was someone she would have wanted to get to know.
She was objectively pretty, with piercing brown eyes that complimented her chestnut hair. Tori had a warm and approachable demeanor, with a disarming smile. She was also in really good shape. Jade was healthy enough, but Tori had a physical prowess that would no doubt outshine her own. She did chase down a fleeing car on foot like she was the goddamn T-1000!
But what did Jade do?
She labeled such escapades as "silly" and "unnecessary." Jade didn't find herself taking Beck to task with losing the guy. Truth was if they didn't start pursuing him until after they got into their car, nobody would've gotten a decent enough look at the vehicle. Vega was hard pressed recalling the license plate number on demand, but her adrenaline was pumping, and she did take a nasty fall when that fence collapsed.
And when she saw that stopped car, Tori recognized the one she saw that day. And now, thanks to her (and Sinjin) Traylor Greene was safe and sound.
But Jade wouldn't have it. She pushed down all logic and reasonable doubt.
As much as she was in denial of her physical attraction to the Latina, she was even more unwilling to accept that she pissed her off earlier. No way! All Jade did was bring out her true colors. Tori was like all the others who projected this image of being virtuous and trustworthy, only to remove the mask and show their real intentions. People like Tori Vega only exist in sappy sapphic romances!
Even when she was short with her prior to this last time, Tori did attempt to keep things friendly, but Jade turned her down.
Was she wrong about Tori? Preposterous!
(I can't be wrong about this! I CAN PROVE IT!)
The medical examiner set her nearly empty bowl on the coffee table and muted the TV set so she could make a phone call.
"Shapiro! You heard right, I'm back. Listen...I've got a little job for you."