Lauren (16 page)

She did all she could to avoid eye contact with Eddie. Maybe they made a mistake, and should have thought this through, or waited until they captured Ben Silver? She stood there, feeling rather silly. It was as if she were back in elementary school, and everyone knew she kissed the boy during ‘Spin the bottle.'

She shook her head, trying to clear the ridiculous thoughts from her mind. No one knew she and Eddie were with one another all night, and she would be sure to keep it that way.

Lauren was nice to everyone, and made sure only the necessary people entered the crime scene area.

"Detective McNulty, Detective Phelps, we may have something over here,” Detective Young yelled out. He stood near one of the forensic technicians.

Lauren and Tom made there way around the fence, to the corner of the yard. Directly behind the opening was a dirt covered area, and a side road with tire tracks, deep ones.

The technician had taken some pictures, and now prepared the tracks for casting. John, the technician, had a casting kit. He carefully prepared the mixture, so they could get a clean and accurate impression of the tire mark.

Lauren walked in a slow pace around the area, to where she believed the back of the vehicle sat. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. An uneasy feeling filled her belly. Something was here.

"What do ya got, gorgeous?” Tom called over to her, interrupting her thoughts.

She held her hand up, signaling to give her a moment. She had no idea what came over her, or how she felt the pull toward the surrounding dirt area. It didn't make sense, but she blamed it on instincts. Eddie and the others watched and waited.

She carefully squatted down to the ground, not letting her knees or body hit the dirt, only her feet.

At first, she could only see a mound of dirt, then a bit of discoloration. Her focus absorbed the area's perimeter, revealing there was a drop of blood. She was sure of it. There was also the mound of dirt, about two inches high and three inches long.

"Tom, call over another technician and have them follow my path,” Lauren said, still in a squatting position. She'd found a formation of multiple blood spots around the mound of dirt, and she'd have to walk backward, to be sure she didn't contaminate possible evidence.

"What do you need, Detective?” Claire, another technician, asked, as she tried to follow Lauren's steps.

"I have drops of blood that seem to lead to a mound,” Lauren told her, and the technician looked over her shoulder to locate them.

"I see them.” Claire scanned the area around them. She took pictures of the evidence and the surrounding area, as well as the position and location between the blood, mound of dirt, and the tire tracks. She grabbed a container, and carefully collected the blood-stained dirt. Then, she handed the containers to Lauren, who placed them in the case for safe transportation to the lab.

Claire carefully sifted through the remaining dirt, and located a gold, heart-shaped locket. She stopped to take pictures, then continued to collect the evidence. Below the locket was a folded piece of purple stationery paper.

"What is it?” Eddie said.

Wearing protective latex gloves and using pointed tweezers, Claire carefully opened the note. There was no name on the stationery to identify the owner, but the words stood out in bold black marker.

Instantly, Lauren had a bad feeling that made her stumble, and nearly sent her to her backside. She exhaled, controlled her shaking limbs, and tried to hide it.

She made her way back toward Eddie and Tom and explained what was found. They discussed the possibilities.

"What the hell does this mean?” Tom said.

"Now the asshole's leaving clues, like a fucking game?” another detective added.

"Or, he's trying to throw us off. Make us head in a different direction."

Lauren avoided making eye contact with Eddie. She had a feeling he would recognize her uneasiness, when she spoke. He was about to move closer to her, after she caught herself making the statement. She was sure it'd seemed strange, and as she attempted to move away. But, she felt a strong presence behind her, then a hand under her elbow.

"Hey, gorgeous, come here for a minute,” Tom said, wrapping his arm around her waist. He guided her to the front walkway. She saw Eddie looking intently at them, frowning. She hoped he held his distance, but one look at his facial expression, and she could tell he was jealous and concerned.

As good as the sex was, and as connected as she felt to Eddie, she was started to regret that she acted on this attraction, while still working the case together.

Obviously not missing a beat, she saw Bruce Hayes and Peter Young smirking at one another, as if they assumed there was something sexual going on between her and Tom. Maybe it was just her guilty conscious. The image of the billboard sign
'I'm screwing the Lieutenant from Creek Valley'
appeared in her mind.

Shit!

"You okay, Lauren?” Tom slowly let go of her waist.

She glanced around. It was obvious, by the other detectives’ expressions, they'd noticed his concern. Glancing back again, she absorbed the fact the two Creek Valley detectives were smirking. Great, now they probably assumed that something sexual was definitely going on between her and Tom.

Damn it to hell!

Lauren felt Tom turn her toward him, as he voiced his concerns. To the right of his bicep, she could see Eddie practically snarling.

"Lauren, did you hear me?

She needed to pull it together.

"I'm fine.” She released a sigh and straightened out her shoulders, acutely aware of her own body's attempt at eliminating the worry she held.

"What did you want to talk to me about?” She was trying to figure out why she had this bad feeling in her gut. It's not like this was the worst homicide scene she'd ever encountered. Feeling the throbbing ache reach her stomach and head simultaneously, pictures flashed through her mind. There had been some doozies over the years, some real sick bastards and bitches, but this seemed different. There was a sensation of helplessness.

"You looked a little distracted back there. Is this case bothering you?"

Tom's voice brought her out of the fog in her mind. She needed to calm him. This reaction was nothing like her. She also knew Tom could read her like a book. Lauren needed to share some of what she felt, but that would reveal her weakness.

Control your emotions, Lauren. Where's that tough cop attitude of yours?

"Are you kidding me? Of course it's bothering me, and you know damn well that this guy Silver is playing with us."

"Because of the locket, you mean?” Tom said.

"Yeah, because of the locket, the droplets of blood that are only located on the ground next to the locket, the location of the body, and that damn note. He planted it. He's playing with us, Tom, and...” She couldn't complete her sentence. Instead, she glanced around at the crime scene, suddenly having a totally different feeling about the case.

Tom touched her cheek to get her attention. She did all she could not to jump out of her skin.
What is wrong with me?

"What is your gut telling you, kid?"

Shit! Fuckin A ... Don't ask me that question. He didn't just ask me that question. Breathe, Lauren, breathe. Think like a cop, like the homicide detective you are. Somehow, somewhere along the lines of this case, you've gained some sort of connection to the killer. Use it. Absorb it all.

"Lauren, Jesus! What's wrong with you? Talk to me.” Tom held her by her shoulders. She pulled away.

"I'm not liking the feeling I have right now, Tom, I want this guy, badly. Let's wrap things up here, and hope for some quick results from the lab."

Tom watched her for a long, uncomfortable moment. “I know you, Lauren. You're closing up, and I know now is not the time to make you talk.” He glanced around them. Lauren followed his line of sight.

Everyone appeared to be doing their jobs. Crime scene technicians continued to search and collect evidence. Civilians were kept at bay, to prevent gawking and contaminating possible evidence. Eddie and the local detectives spoke to one another in a group, writing notes on their notepads, as more technicians worked on the area where Lauren found the locket.

"You're a great detective, and we'll discuss this later. Got it.” He looked at her very seriously, and she nodded ‘yes.'

"We should head back to the Ridgeburgh P.D. and wait on the results of the tire marks. Bruce put in a call to the lab. They understand the intensity of this case, so we should have results within a couple of days, if we're lucky."

"Good. Let's see how the officers did questioning everyone in the building and the surrounding area.” She hoped she sounded confident, instead of dazed, like she still felt.

She and Tom walked toward the front of the building, where camera crews and reporters questioned the local residents, and tried to get statements from the police.

"Detective Phelps. Detective Phelps. Is there a killer loose in the area? Has the Co-ed Killer struck again? Is the body that of Jillian Monroe?” the reporter screamed out, but Lauren kept walking. Tom headed in a different direction, while she made her way to Detective Ken Murphy.

"Hey, you made it through there, huh? The damn vultures,” Ken said.

"Yeah, the nerve of them. We haven't even told the family yet, and they're broadcasting it over the airways,” Lauren added, in disgust.

"With a high profile case like this, it's expected."

"Expected, maybe, but right? No way."

"Hey, Ken, anything yet?” Eddie said, as he approached.

"Not yet, but one of the patrol officers radioed in a few minutes ago saying that someone may have seen a dark-colored vehicle early this morning. The guy leaves for work around 3:30 a.m."

"That's great. Maybe his description will match the vehicle that left the tire tracks we found?” Lauren said. Both Ken and Eddie agreed.

Ken excused himself, leaving Lauren and Eddie alone for a moment.

Once Ken was out of hearing range, Eddie voiced his concern. Lauren was just glad he didn't touch her. She wasn't sure if she would slug him, or welcome his embrace. Crazy thoughts. She didn't need consoling, she needed Ibuprofen. She rubbed her temples.

"Are you all right?"

She gave a weak smile and looked around, just to be sure no one saw them together. Eddie appeared to do the same, then moved a little closer.

"What's the deal, Lauren? You haven't made eye contact with me since you got here."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a bit consumed by the case.” She was unsure why she was on edge, and she noted the defensive tone in her voice.

"Are you afraid your boyfriend might find out about us?” He shot back at her.

Lauren gave Eddie a sharp stare. She glanced around. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. More importantly, Eddie hadn't seemed to pick up on her uneasiness.

"Listen, now is not the time or the place for this. Tom is not my boyfriend. I'm trying to remain professional here."

"So am I.” He sighed. “But, I can't help it. I'm jealous as hell."

They both stayed silent a moment, then Eddie spoke. “What's wrong with you? You're not acting like yourself, and I can't help but wonder if I have something to do with that. Do you regret last night? Do you want to just forget about it?” He whispered the question, so only they could hear.

Lauren was half relieved he thought last night had something to do with her demeanor, instead of the killer. She went with it, and hoped to use the change of subject as a distraction for a minute, to recoup.

"Stop it, Eddie. Of course I don't want to forget last night. I'm sorry if you think that.” She took a deep breath. She felt like someone was watching her. She released a sigh, and rubbed her temple nervously.

"What is it, then? I can see the tension in your face, the worry in your eyes. Talk to me, honey."

There went recouping, and counting on Eddie not reading her true thoughts. She struggled with sharing her emotions, but something overcame her. She trusted him, knew he wouldn't jeopardize either of their careers.

Staring into his eyes, being so close to his body, the body she'd explored last night, she confided in him, just a bit.

"I can't shake this feeling. Something isn't right. I mean this guy, Silver, knows that we have identified him, and that we're trying to find him. Yet he leaves Jillian here, back at his residence, and leaves us the locket, the blood drops, and the note."

"What is it you're feeling?"

Lauren needed to get the thought out of her head, to tell someone, and she didn't give telling Eddie a second thought.

"Like that note was meant for me,” she whispered.

He looked upset and concerned. He took a step closer, and she didn't move. She couldn't move. The words from the note entered her mind.
"Your mine ... and we belong together."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I just have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Listen, don't say anything to anyone. I'm sure it's just that I want this guy. We have to find him before he strikes again."

"I don't like this,” he said, just as Ken came up from behind him.

"You don't like what

Neither Eddie nor Lauren responded.

"Okay, since no one wants to let me in on the discussion, I have some other news in relation to the case. Looks like this guy, Teddy Loft, will meet us at the Creek Valley P.D. in fifteen minutes. Peter is going to get a statement from him and a description."

"I'll get Tom, and we'll meet you guys there in a little while,” Lauren said. She walked back toward the crime scene, when her cell phone rang. “Detective Phelps."

"Hey, Lauren, it's Jack. What's going on over there?"

She filled him in on the case. “How about Officer Lopez? Does she have any new information for me?"

"She's working like a dog, but nothing yet."

"All right. Tom and I should be back later today. We may have results for the tire tracks, faster than usual. Also, there may have been a witness who saw the killer's vehicle. I'll check in later."