A/N: Think I'm finally over being sick now and the holidays are behind me.

The temperatures have plummeted again but on the bright side that means it's too cold for snow LOL.

Tori woke up early today and used the opportunity to beat the boys to the station and surprise them with coffee and donuts. Andre mentioned that they were going to begin properly today by starting with the basics on the case, lay everything out, and see how it all looks to some fresh eyes.

She still needed her GPS to get down to the town hall that harbored police headquarters.

"Good morning!" smiled Sikowitz. "Someone's an early riser."

The Latina nodded with a pleasant smile in return.

"Listen...um...Sikowitz?"

The older man nodded that she got it right.

"The other day, I had a lot on my mind, and I was a bit distracted at times. If I came across as rude or distant, I apologize."

Sikowitz held up his hands.

"Hey! No worries; it's coconut water under the bridge."

"Huh?"

The big phone on the front desk rang and he sprinted for it.

"No time to flap our gums, someone's in trouble!"

Tori just raised a brow as the man scrambled to the phone to answer it. She noticed there were two phones: a black one and a red one. The detective hastened a guess that one was for 911 while the other was for non-emergencies. He picked up the receiver on the black phone, maybe someone just contacting the station.

Sikowitz stood firm, like a captain overseeing a ship on its maiden voyage. He put on his best professional voice when addressing the caller.

"Hello, police? What seems to be the problem?" His posture noticeably slumped. "Oh, you locked yourself out of your car. Yes, I can send..." Sikowitz grabbed one of the many small bits of scrap paper in the green container which also housed a handful of sharpened half-pencils. "Just give me your address, ma'am."

She found it amusing, how he took pride in his work no matter how small. Tori's only hope was that somebody took over dispatch regularly. The poor guy had to sleep sometime.

Once she set herself up in the room, a knock on the door frame made her turn.

"Oh, good morning, Chief!"

"At ease, Vega" Helen said, holding up her hand. "How have you been adjusting so far?"

She was well aware that Tori had not been a detective for very long and it had been a solo act. Now she had a partner, two no less, so it was a wonder if the new blood was getting along with her people.

Tori cleared her throat.

"Ah, well, everyone's been nice. I'm pretty impressed by Detective Harris."

"My ears are burning!"

Both women looked and saw Andre standing there with Beck not far behind. Tori flushed with embarrassment. Even though it was a positive sentiment, overhearing what wasn't intended to be heard by the person discussed was always hellishly awkward.

Helen held her mouth shut to avoid chuckling at Tori's gaffe and stepped away.

"Morning," Andre said with a smirk as he entered and pulled up a chair.

Tori flipped the box of a dozen donuts open as Beck sat down beside him. His eyes widened at the apple fritter and snatched it.

"Breakfast of champions!" the Canadian exclaimed, already landing a healthy bite.

"Didn't know how you boys took your coffee..." Tori explained as she set the tall steaming cups in front of them and piled little packets and tiny cups close by. "...so, I grabbed some cream and sugar."

"Thanks." Andre took the one closest to him, removing the lid to take in the pleasant aroma. It was definitely the house blend of the old donut shop. They used a medium roast, which was a safe bet for mixed company. As long as they had the components to sweeten things a little, you were good getting this. Andre added two cups of cream to his and stirred it with a plastic spoon. "Thanks, Vega."

He sipped it and noticed the look of disapproval from his partner.

"I meant Tori. Guess we don't need to stand on ceremony."

The tan woman smiled.

"Okay...Andre, Beck...let's waste no time because I want to get up to speed on this thing."

Beck stretched in his chair before picking up his messenger bag. He unzipped it and it was full of file folders. His digits thumbed through the assortment, and he pulled out one with a green sticker on the tab.

Andre gently brushed aside the extra sugar packets and napkins to make room for the folder for Beck to open it. Tori strained to see it as the contents were upside down. They neatly arranged two photos; each one had the visage of a woman blown up from their DMV pictures.

"This is Lin Deering," Andre indicated the photo of a girl with jet black hair and thin glasses. Her crooked smile was a common driver's license shot. Tori felt a connection looking into her eyes, seeing past the photograph and wanting to get to know the human in it. "Originally from Mill Creek, moved here after high school."

Beck leaned in. "She was waitressing at Dom's Diner."

Tori did remember seeing a dedication to her memory on the way out.

"Lin normally worked the mid-morning and lunch shifts six days a week," the long-haired man added. "On the night she vanished, her neighbor, Phyllis O'Neill placed her at returning home at about 6:20 pm. Which was consistent with her getting off work at six."

Andre then took the reins.

"We questioned O'Neill, and she was aware of Lin's...nocturnal activities, as she put it. While the old lady didn't approve personally, she sympathized with young people trying to make the ends meet. She said the economy wasn't what it used to be."

"And how!" Tori had to agree.

"Phyllis told Lin several times to give this up, it's too dangerous. She tried to help her out by offering to pay for her to watch her cats while she ran errands." Andre cleared his throat before continuing. "And she did...quite a few times. But Phyllis was 77, not a lot of reasons for her to leave the house anymore."

Lin left her apartment around 7:00 pm presumably to go to her second job. Some passersby placed her on the street leading out of town, as store owners downtown typically didn't care for her presence. The last eyewitness logged the time at 8:15. After that, Sept. 28 (nearly a week later), her mutilated corpse was found on the edge of town. She was 26 years old.

Andre thought back to the funeral for Lin and seeing her parents being absolutely devastated. They had heard about her sex work and while their family harbored some shame from that detail, they were mostly distraught over the loss of their daughter. Phyllis managed the sojourn to attend the funeral out of respect and told Lin's father that she was a marvelous girl and was so kind and helpful. Her mother shook her head, telling the elderly neighbor that was how she always was. But Lin had a habit of not asking for help, never so much as calling home to borrow some money. They would have helped her, no matter what. Lin's dad broke down, saying that she had his stubbornness and pride.

On his way, Mr. Deering pleaded with Andre to do whatever he could to find his little girl's killer. He promised to do everything in his power. Funerals were one of the worst parts of this job. Seeing loved ones crying while you had to hang back and observe, looking for any suspicious behavior among the attendees. Nothing at Lin Deering's wake appeared out of pocket, so no possible names to add to an already empty list.

"That brings us to the second one found," Beck said solemnly as regarded the girl with dirty blonde hair, mildly blemished skin and an even expression. "Bethany Bannister."

Bethany was a student at Everett Community College. While her tuition was taken care of, she still needed extra money for books and life's essentials. Langley appeared to be far enough from the campus and there was a steady string of tourists, chances were nobody would recognize her. Bethany would drive the 23 miles, which included hoping onto the Mukilteo/Whidbey ferry, to get there. It was necessary to make it across the Possession Sound. Sometimes, Bethany would get a client right then and there on the ferry and would agree to meet up somewhere in Langley or nearby to do the deed. Eyewitnesses corroborated this.

In fear of DNA evidence implicating them, confirmed johns came forward with alibis and other information to aid the police. So far, nobody who had been with Bethany seemed like a credible suspect. But the door wasn't closed completely, keeping possibilities open as leads were slim.

Her student schedule was followed up on and she hadn't missed any classes until the second week of October. And on the 19th, she was found murdered just a few miles from the Langley Motel. She was only 21. Despite being a student and so young, when it came out that she fell into prostitution, the news ran with that. Her family posthumously disowned the poor girl due to her "sinful lifestyle" and refused to be interviewed by police or the press.

Even Beck's disarming personality couldn't penetrate that wall.

Andre showed his clear disgust when the subject came to the opinions of sex work by family members and the public. They were just trying to live their lives or at least improve their situations. Sex work wasn't ideal but not everybody is hiring a young person with little job experience. Lin was only able to get a serving position because she was older and not a student, so she gave the veneer of looking responsible.

"What about Traylor Greene?"

The senior detective shot a glare at the newbie.

"What about her?" Andre's voice tinged with defensiveness.

"She...um..." Tori looked around the room a little confused. "She's recently missing. It's been four days?"

"Five!" he sighed.

Beck locked eyes with Tori, looking pretty uncomfortable in his seat.

Andre coughed and stood up, slamming his coffee cup down.

"You know what? I need some air."

They both watch him storm out of the room. Beck released a held breath and gave an apologetic look to his newest partner.

"What did I say?" she asked.

"Here's the thing..." Beck sighed. "Traylor and... Andre go back a little. Actually, they go way back!"

Tori gazed at the open door where he left.

"Was she a girlfriend?"

"Not exactly, at least I don't think" he admitted. "They're...close."

The Latina rested her head on her hand.

"You've met her?"

The guy looked very flustered by the simple question and wiped his brow, even though he was not sweating.

"She seemed nice!" Beck hurriedly replied.

A minute passed with nothing else being said. Tori tapped the table, taking measured breaths through her nostrils. Beck made no attempt to break the silence, focusing solely on his coffee.

"I've been working with Andre for some time," he finally said. "We got each other's backs out there."

Tori nodded.

"This whole thing's been a splinter in his mind, figuring out who is behind all of this. The last thing he wants is another body and the possibility that it might be one of the most important people to him..."

"I can't wrap my head around that," Tori admitted.

Beck took a sip.

"I try...we all do...to not bring her up unless we have a break in the case." He pointed to the door. "Otherwise, that happens."

"Must be how the parents of the Bellevue Belles are feeling. The not knowing of it all! It must be the worst kind of torture."

The Canadian looked at her with sad eyes.

"I don't want her to turn up dead. God, no. But I feel like Andre's going to burst if he doesn't get something concrete soon! Even if we find Traylor..." Beck shuddered. "at least he can grieve and move forward." He leaned back, holding his cup. "And not be in this goddamn purgatory."

Her heart went out for the detective. He really seemed to care, and bleeding hearts can make for stressed cops.

"Now at least we have extra help," he added. "We're gonna need it."

"Thanks," Tori told him, understanding it didn't intend to come out as clunky as it did. "You're alright, Beck."

A/N: Tori struck a nerve to be sure! Andre is going through it, if his head didn't weigh heavy with this case already. Someone near and dear to him may very well be next.