collectingtruths

[collectingtruths]

Part 11: She’s A Little Runaway

TRIGGER WARNING: Abuse/Assault - Both physical and sexual

August 25, 1994 - Portage County, Ohio

“I could still turn back before I pass the last house and really have to commit to this.”

― Claire Wong

[She was zoned out, staring at the dried tomato seed that was stuck to the top of the dining room table. “You hear me talking to you, stupid?” Her stepfather’s voice registered, but it sounded like her head was under water. The blow came from behind, the back impact connected with the back of her head sending her forehead crashing against the table. Instinct had her bringing her hands up to protect the back of her head from anymore slaps, but it didn’t dull the throbbing in the front of her face. His hand gripped the top of her head and yanked her head back, her hands planted over his to keep him from pulling out any of her curly blonde hair. She knew better than to scream. He brought his face down close to hers, sweat dotted along his brow, his bushy mustache hiding his upper lip but she could see the spit glazing his bottom one. “You’re a dumb bitch, just like your mother. Can’t fucking hear when someone’s talking to you.” He took advantage of her hands being up behind her head and brought his free hand up to slap her face, the sting had her eyes watering instantly, but his hand came right back to her face, thumb digging into her cheek while his other four fingers pressed into the other side. She could feel the delicate tissue inside of her mouth pressing against her teeth. She closed her eyes against the pain which caused him to get even more angry and seconds later she heard it before she felt it. The wad of spit landed on her closed eyes. “Look at me. Open your goddamn eyes.” She struggled and partially gagged, but opened her eyes. “Now you look like your mother.” He grinned and she felt her stomach drop. He started to jerk her head down like he was going to pull her from the chair when the sound of the screen door slamming against the wooden railing of their trailer’s porch alerted him to her mother coming home. “Go clean your fucking face.” She fell to the floor aside of the chair and scrambled away before he could change his mind. 

She didn’t just wash her face, she took an entire shower. She scrubbed her skin until it burned and stood under the hottest water she could stand. She didn’t want to stay there too long. She didn’t want to be without clothing around Denny any longer than she had to be. Her mom was a waitress and had met Denny at the restaurant where she worked. They were married six months later when he moved in and that was when the beatings first started, only it wasn’t toward her. It was Kevin who got all of Denny’s anger and frustration. Her big brother Kevin was two years older than her and took every beating that was given. She often cleaned the blood off him and helped patch him up after rough fights, but he never complained. He said it was because he was a boy and Denny wanted to be the man of the house and prove that he wasn’t shit. She had watched her brother get wailed on from the time she was twelve, but when Kevin turned eighteen, he left. He promised that as soon as she turned eighteen, he’d come back and get her, but he said if anything happened before, she was supposed to tell him. She didn’t want to tell him that as soon as he left, the abuse was directed at her. Their mother knew, she guessed she just rather it be her kids instead of her, but she wasn’t even sure her mother realized anymore, not when she was usually high more often than she wasn’t. But every few days, she would sneak and call Kevin from the pay phone when Denny was asleep and her mom was either at work or high and passed out.

When Denny had her by the hair, she knew she was only saved from the sexual abuse by her mother coming home. That was something he wouldn’t openly do, but she also didn’t believe that her mother didn’t know. But if her mom had made good tips tonight, she undoubtedly would get high which would have Denny creeping into her room. And she wasn’t going to let it happen again. She had a backpack shoved in the bottom of her closet with shorts, socks, underwear, tshirts and a sweatshirt. Everything was secondhand, but she didn’t care. A lot of her stuff came from the neighbor who had a younger daughter and it just so happened that most of her stuff fit. After the abuse started, food really wasn’t a high priority, she just couldn’t find her appetite and it made her much smaller than she really should’ve been. Small or not, she wasn’t staying here another night. But she had to wait to sneak out. 

She must’ve fallen asleep, but the sounds of her mother and Denny having sex woke her up. Her mother always made a big fuss over him, stroking his ego. It was impossible to ignore the shouts and grunts and groans, but she was going to use this. She jumped up out of bed, grabbed the bag from the closet, threw her shoes on and made sure she had enough change for the payphone. The plan was to get up to the gas station, call Kevin and tell him she was taking a bus to see him. When he moved out, he found work with a mining company in West Virginia. It wouldn’t be a long ride and she knew she could handle it. She left the sounds of disgusting sex behind her, hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder and started out into the muggy August night. She occasionally stopped to slap a mosquito or two that landed on her legs, but she wasn’t going to stop for anything else. 

The payphone came into view and she quickly pulled her change from her pocket. She dialed her brother's number with shaky hands. Her brother was safety. He would come and get her and everything would be fine. She’d beg him not to tell anyone she was there and she was sure after she told him everything that happened, he’d listen. She heard his answering machine pick up. He was probably at work. She checked her watch and noted the time before she left a message. It was vague just in case and she told him she’d call him back after he was home. She left the number of the payphone and then hung up. She sighed and looked down at her feet. She didn’t want to cry but her traitorous tears dribbled down her cheeks and she lifted her hand to quickly swat them away. Her brow furrowed when she heard what sounded like gravel being crunched beneath footsteps, but just when she went to turn, she saw stars. Bright white speckles danced in front of her vision and she felt like she was floating. There was a sensation of being moved, but that couldn’t be right. She felt like she was being pulled? No…dragged. She couldn’t open her eyes for long. There were too many spots in her vision. There was a face above her, dark hair, a piece that fell onto his forehead since he was looking down at her. Was he smiling? Her eyes closed again and she felt herself being lifted. She tried to say something but all that was coming out were soft, pain laden moans.  

She went back under again, but her body jostled with the slight acceleration and deceleration. She was in a car, but not in the trunk or even the backseat. She was strapped into the front seat with his large hand gripping her thigh. She could feel his thumb putting pressure against her skin as he swiped it back and forth. She felt exceptionally weak and her head rolled to the side as she tried to make out the direction they were going but everything seemed to be spinning.] You’re going to feel so good in a minute, baby. [His voice seemed normal, almost appealing. It made chills erupt all over her skin.] Seems like you’re already feeling good. [His chuckle was gruff and quiet.] It’s the drugs. [His hand shifted and she felt pressure against the front of her, between her thighs and she pushed at his hand as much as she could, but her arms felt so heavy. She leaned forward, as much as the seat belt would allow and her head hung. She could feel drool dripping from her lip, but no words and then silence. 

 There was some kind of commotion that started to stir her awake, but not enough to be coherent. Blue and red lights flashed at the side of her vision. Her head started to lean toward the window, she could feel the cool glass against her skin. The voices around her seemed to swirl and she only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. 

“Sorry, Officer. It’s my little sister.” It sounded like she was underwater. 

“She was drinking…I know, I know…she’s underage, but I’m taking her home.” 

“We all make mistakes, just make sure she gets plenty of water in her and hopefully she learns her lesson.” The man with a much deeper voice replied. She tried to make several sounds, she was trying to lift her arms, tears started to run down her face as the words refused to come out fully. She managed to eek out a whimpering help, but then she felt a hand on the side of her head.

“I’m trying to help, sis. It’s ok. Just breathe.” He said.

“Man, she really did a number on herself. Alright, watch your speed and get her home.” The cop said. 

“That was close, baby” His hand left the side of her and slapped down against her thigh. She could feel his fingernails as they dug into her skin, but she was starting to go out again. Her head fell forward and drool dripped down onto her thigh. 

So much time had passed or maybe it hadn’t. She didn’t know, she couldn’t tell what amount of time spanned between each moment of unconsciousness. She felt pressure everywhere. She felt it against the back of her head, her chest and even down along her lower half. But she felt like she was maybe on a boat. Her entire body felt like it was rocking and she thought that maybe she was going to be sick. She moaned as the nausea ripped through her and her eyes started to flutter open, but then the voice above her sent a wave of panic through her. “I told you I would make you feel good. You like it just like I knew you would.” She realized quickly that the motion wasn’t from the boat, but from what he was doing /to/ her. She had found some strength somewhere deep down and started to fight. Her hands shoved and her legs started to kick. She needed to get away, she needed to get him off of her. She clawed and screamed and hit every part of him she could reach, but his laugh sent chills through her. “I love it when they fight.” She cried out hoping that anyone could hear her, but the motions sped up until finally he stilled. Maybe this was all he wanted, maybe she could survive and tell them who he was, what he looked…the burn that suddenly rippled from her stomach caused an abrupt halt to her thoughts and dashed any hope that might’ve built. If she thought the first burn was too much, the second doubled it. She looked down, their bodies were still joined, but pools of blood were accumulating on her stomach. She started to shake uncontrollably. She lost count at how many times his arm swung down and pierced through her flesh, but she knew she wasn’t ever going to see Kevin again.]

~Present Day~ Portage County, Ohio

[She sat in her car staring at the trailer now owned by Kevin Mack, the victim’s older brother. This case was a lot more intense than she realized it was going to be, but she could handle it. Exiting her car, she grabbed what she needed and knocked on the door to wait to be let in. Kevin was expecting her. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they took a seat at the dining room table and she listened to Kevin go into a guilt heavy description of what his sister had been like, what their childhood had been like and it broke her goddamn heart listening to a man who was abused as a child fault himself for his sister’s safety and then death. “When I found her journal, I knew what had happened. I just knew Denny had something to do with her disappearance. You read it. I know you read it. It makes me sick to my fucking stomach that I failed her like that.” He shook his head. His trailer was evidence that he hadn’t truly moved on. He had no wife, no girlfriend, no kids. His space was dark and not entirely unkempt, but showed signs of wear and tear that he didn’t bother to fix. She placed her hand on his arm.] It isn’t your fault. You were just a kid yourself. And what happened to her after isn’t your fault either. The person who did it is the one to blame. [He shook his head. He’d likely been told that so many times. “I turned in the journal to the detectives thinking it would help convict Denny, but it didn’t. Not on that anyway. When they found…her…there were two samples. One came from him. The other from an unknown male. No one in the system. They were trying to point the finger at me, my own sister!” She knew that had to hurt, but that it wouldn’t have made it far considering there was no commonality in the samples to show a familial connection. He sighed and took a few minutes to collect himself. “He was arrested for the sexual assault, but not the murder. But the cops stopped looking after that. But I didn’t. There were other girls, you know. Look…” He jumped up and grabbed a box of files and rushed back as he spread them out in front of her. “I showed it to the cops, they wouldn’t even bother. They said I was reading into things. That they didn’t have any reason to believe that anything was connected. But they didn’t even look at it!” She reached for the folders and started to slide them in the box.] Kevin…I promise you I’ll look at them. If there is any kind of connection, I will look at it. You have my word. [She could see tears forming in his eyes and the exhale that followed was a bit like relief. She watched him blink a few times before he nodded. “Thank you. I just ask that you look. I know it’s been a long time, but if we can catch this motherfucker…that’s…she deserves justice. And so do those other women. It’s why I came back after she died. I couldn’t leave. It didn’t feel right. If she couldn’t ever leave this fucking place, then I wasn’t going to either.” She nodded.] They do. They all do. I’ll go through all of this and get back in touch with you in a few days. 

[With the files in her car, she started back toward the hotel. If what he was saying was true, then this was a lot bigger than two girls missing around the same time. It was rare for a killer to wait so long between kills after it being such a short time between the first two, but it wasn’t impossible. She pulled up at her hotel, lugged out the box and her bag and closed Apollo…is it too much to ask for your dad to just…send a bolt of lightning to where I can find this son of a bitch? [She heard someone clear their throat beside her and she looked over to see a woman staring at her and she smiled softly.] Power of prayer. [She hit the lock on her fob and hurried toward the hotel. She’d just order dinner and have it delivered while she showered and she’d eat while she went over the files. It was going to be a long night.] 

#TDATD #TheKillerCases 

[collectingtruths]

Part 10: Let’s Back Up Twenty Nine Years

“A life might end, but sometimes their case lives forever.”

― Charlie Donlea

July 14th, 1994 - Route 51 RV Park, Darlington, Pennsylvania 

Don’t stay out all day again, Sasha. [She shook her head as she walked away from the RV, her mom shouted as she waved a hand back at her. She wasn’t a baby. She was fourteen and this wasn’t the first time they stayed at this place. Every summer her family came to the same RV park to spend two of the three months of her summer vacation. And she hated it. Her friends got to go to cool places. Her best friend Tina got to go to New York to see the Statue of Liberty and all the skyscrapers, but most importantly, she got to shop. They didn’t have a lot of money though and her mom always said that this was what memories should’ve been about. Not shopping. Sees how much she knows. She sighed, but decided to make the best of it. 

She was going to head down to the small vending shed, grab a few snacks and then walk the thirty minutes to the campground pool. She had worn her swimsuit under her cut off jean shorts and her oversized Aerosmith t-shirt that she had tied in a knot in the back. She had tucked several dollar bills in her back pocket for the vending machine and had clipped her yellow Sony Walkman to her front pocket and shoved the tiny earbuds in her ears. The song Cat’s In the Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe played loud enough that she couldn’t hear the traffic that occasionally zoomed down the highway. 

She reached the vending shed around ten minutes after leaving the RV park, which was pretty typical and she had come there so much that she already knew what was going to be offered. She fiddled with her sun faded friendship bracelets while she waited her turn in line and when she was through, she was a few dollars lighter, but had an ice cold Pepsi Crystal, a sleeve of Starbursts and two quarter bags of honey barbecue twists. The plastic bag swung from her arm as she set out  toward the pool. She’d need a pass to get in, but the boy who worked at the gate always let her by. He was so cute. His hair was a few shades lighter than her own, but that could’ve been because of how much time he spent in the sun and on the rare occasion he wasn’t wearing sunglasses, he had the prettiest shade of green eyes she had ever seen. He was almost exactly one year older than her. She had learned that by speaking with some of the girls that hung at the pool. Maybe this was the year that she’d get a boyfriend and she could tell Tina all the fun things they did over the summer. Her very own Danny Zuko.They had just finished helping the senior class production in June, so the songs were still fresh in her mind. And even though she preferred the style of music her dad listened to, she thought the story was real romantic. 

Just as she suspected, Carter let her walk right on in. Didn’t even charge her. He even asked her if they could catch up when he went on break and even though she was excited, she just nodded and gave him a quick “sure” as a response. She posted up at the far edge of the pool where she was just far enough away from the noise, but where Carter could still see her. She pulled her shirt off, laid it on the grass before she stepped out of her shoes and unbuttoned her jeans and let them fall to her feet. She sat on her shirt like it was a towel, which she didn’t bring, put her earbuds back in and then shielded her blue eyes from the sun to see Carter grinning at her. She smiled back and then fell back onto her shirt to let the sun warm and tan her skin. 

She had taken a dip in the pool several times to wet her skin and cool off, but it was the break she shared with Carter that had her stomach doing all those weird flips. They spent twenty minutes making out behind the lifeguard shed before he had to get back to work. But before they parted, he made her promise she’d come back to see him tomorrow. She was definitely looking forward to it. Tina was going to lose it. She spent the remainder of her time eating her snacks and she even stayed for the last evening swim before she knew it was time for them to close up. She still had the half hour walk back to the RV park and it was already starting to get dark and she would already be walking a little slower after spending a whole day in the sun. With her earbuds back in, shorts and shoes back on, she wrapped her t-shirt around her waist and started the walk back toward the park where they were staying. 

She hadn’t been walking along the side of the road for long, but her feet were already hurting. The sun had dipped way down behind the trees and the faint glow was just above the top of them and the batteries in her Walkman were slowly dying because the words to “Cryin” were starting to sound more demonic by the second. She sighed and pulled them out of her ears but let the cord drape over her shoulder. She saw lights coming from behind her and just a few moments later the car started to roll slowly beside her, the passenger’s side window was already down.

The guy driving was decently young and had a straight jaw with no sign of a beard, his darker hair was brushed back on the sides, not long but not short like her dad wore and the top part looked like it was used to being brushed back but the wind had brought it down toward his eyebrows. His smile was nice though, his teeth were perfectly straight and white and for some reason it made her a little less nervous.] If you're gonna ask for directions, I can’t help you. I only know what’s along this road. [He chuckled, the sound again seemed nice and her heartbeat, which had been going a little faster, seemed to settle. “I don’t need any directions, thanks though. You know it’s dangerous for you to be walking out here when it’s getting dark? Trucks and things along this road might not see you. You could get hit.” She shook her head.] I stay far enough over. Besides, I don’t have much further to go. [She chewed the inside of her cheek. “How much is further? I’ve got a little sister about your age and I’d hate for her to be walking out here alone like this. Let me give you a lift.” She shook her head quickly.] No, that’s alright. I’m just up here a little bit. It’s really ok. [She smiled again, a little bit of nervousness came back, but maybe he really did have a sister her age. He didn’t look like he was /that/ much older than her. Definitely over eighteen, had to be. But still…her dad would be so pissed if she got in a car with a stranger. “How about I give you a ride to the vending shed? It’s just right up the way.” By this time he had stopped driving and was slightly pulled onto the side of the road. He must be from around there for him to know about the shed which was still about fifteen minutes of a walk up the road. “It’ll be a five minute drive instead of fifteen. I’m going that way anyway. Like I said, I’ve got a little sis and it would kill me if she was walking out here. And it’s getting dark. Come on, it’s alright.” She hesitated for a few minutes, but the ache in her feet and the heat on her skin was already making her so tired. She sighed and then reached for the door and opened it before climbing in and closing it.

She looked over at him and his eyes seemed so much darker than they did when she was standing outside. Maybe it was because it was getting darker outside. His smile seemed to fall for a second. His hands gripped the wheel, but he hadn’t moved the car just yet. He seemed as though he was thinking through something, but then the smile returned and he turned the wheel the tiniest bit and pressed on the gas. The conversation became nonexistent as he drove them down the stretch of road, they had only passed one or two other cars and as soon as the shed came into view, her stomach started to settle. She had made it. Everything was fine…except it wasn’t. He didn’t slow down. With wide blue eyes, she saw the shed whirl by and then her stomach sank.] Stop the car. Please…stop the car. [She could already feel tears starting to burn behind her eyelids and her chest started to rise and fall before he spoke again. “Didn’t your daddy ever teach you never to get into cars with strangers?” She turned her head to scream out of the window, hoping that someone, anyone might hear her and at the very least call the cops with what they heard, but then she felt a sudden burst of pressure and pain radiate from the back of her head. The trees which had been whizzing by in a blur seemed to start to fade as her head tilted forward. She could hear his voice coming in and out and she knew he must’ve hit her in the back of the head. “Shh…don’t cry. It’s alright. I’ll take care of you.” A moment later, she felt another blow to the side of her head, her body knocked into the inside of the door.] Sorry, momma…[Her eyes closed as her body got heavy, darkness crept in as she slipped unconscious.] 

~Present Day~ Beaver County, Pennsylvania. 

[She looked over at the worn expression on Faye Beekman’s face. Hard line had set in, there was a spattering of gray hair framing her face and the hand that lifted the cigarette to her lips was covered in paper thin skin that revealed the blue and purple veins beneath. “There’s not much more I can tell you today about that day than I did back in 1994.”]

I understand that, but I’m trying to find the person or people responsible for your daughter’s death. And anything you can remember, even after all these years might be able to shed new light on this case. [She watched the smoke billow from the woman’s mouth before she tapped the cigarette near the ashtray letting the stack of ashes fall into the black plastic. “I told her not to go far. I told her not to stay out all day, but she loved that damn pool. I couldn’t drive her, my husband had the car apart, he was working on it. I should’ve told her to keep her damn ass at home!” Faye closed her eyes and then opened them a few moments later. “It’s not her fault. It’s mine. As a parent, it’s your job to keep your kids safe, but she was a teenager, she didn’t want her mother hanging around. I wanted to give my little girl freedom.” Tears dribbled down Faye’s cheeks before she flicked them away as quickly. “It took almost four full months to find my baby’s body. In Ohio. We never went to Ohio. I hated that damn place. We avoided it if we could. And that’s where they found my little girl? It killed Roger. When the coroner told me and my husband what happened to our kid, he was never the same. But I don’t think it would’ve mattered either way. Could’ve been an accident all the same, I would’ve lost my husband. Sasha was his whole world and with her gone, he just…drank and drank. I put my husband to rest a year after Sasha.” She scoffed. “No…he’s not at rest. I buried my husband, but I can still feel his anger and sadness every damn day.” Faye pushed the butt into the ashtray, little wisps of smoke still rose. “A few months before they found Sasha that other girl went missing. I knew in my heart it was the same son of a bitch that did it. When I saw that girl’s picture, I knew. She looked like my Sasha, but the paper said she was seventeen. She was small for age. Same hair color, eye color and everything.

The cops wouldn’t listen because it wasn’t in this state. Said it was a coincidence. They kept trying to blame Sasha’s disappearance on that lifeguard boy, Carter…he was the last one with her, but it just didn’t feel right. A mother knows, you understand me? A mother knows. And that boy didn’t hurt my baby.” Faye’s eyes closed. There wasn’t anything she could do to bring comfort to a mother who was hurting for nearly thirty years. “They found that girl…Karen a few days after she was taken. Strangled. Like Sasha, but since they found her so fast, they could see things on her they couldn’t on my daughter. She had been raped, beaten and strangled before being dumped in that same damn lake.” Faye’s tired eyes finally met hers. “I will never know peace, Ms. Vance. I lost my entire family because of what that man did. But if you could bring justice to my family before I die, at least we can have that.” She stood up and nodded her head.] I’ll do everything in my power to find whoever is responsible. And thank you for the pictures. [She held up the small envelope of pictures that showed a very happy and very loved Sasha Beekman. With a few more exchanges she was making her way back out to her rental car. As she pulled out of the driveway and left the trailer park behind, she knew she had another home to visit today. But on the way, she was going to take route 51 through Darlington that turned into Route 14 that would bring her right past Berlin Lake in Ohio. She’d pass the RV park, the vending shed and the exact same stretch of road that Sasha went missing on. She hit play on the screen on the dash, listening to the detective’s notes that had been uploaded onto a playlist. She needed to know everything they did, everything they tried and every single suspect they interviewed. This job certainly was different from what she was used to, but it gave her an entirely new purpose.]

#TDATD #KillerCases 

[collectingtruths]

Part 9: There’s Always One

“By your choices you reveal your commitments.”

― Marlene Chism

[Albert Massey, Ray Walters, Derek Bates and Nina Bowman made up the cold case team she was now assigned to. Five different personalities, five different ways of looking at things. Five different lengths of service though Al and Ray held the highest seniority, both with around twenty-five years of experience. Derek slid into the next spot holding close to ten and Ms. Bowman came in last. Nina had even less experience than her, but apparently had been a bit of a hotshot in her academic career. When Nina announced that upon meeting her, she smiled but all she could think about was good for her. Some people had a natural talent for this kind of career and some had to work harder, but what she had quickly learned was that Nina was a bit of a pain in the ass who always tried to kiss Westcott’s ass and both Al and Ray had issues with her while Derek chose to simply not give Nina the attention she was looking for. She really didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore Nina’s constant looking over her shoulder while she tried to put together an outline to follow while trying to dig into the case of two dead teenagers from the Ohio state park. 

“I wouldn’t do it that way, but what do I know?”

“That’s not how you use that system by the way.”

“I don’t know how you did that in Philly, but here at the FBI we…”

Finally, she snapped and shot her a look.] Well, perhaps that’s why Westcott came to find me. Explain to me again why you’re not working this case? [She watched as Nina’s lips thinned even more as she turned her head back to her computer screen. Instant regret settled in when she realized that Al, Ray and Derek were looking in her direction, two of the three wearing smirks that told her they were glad she put her back in her lane, but at the same time she didn’t want it to look like the only two women in this unit couldn’t get along. After a few moments, she centered herself and went back to focusing on her case. Lunch came and she found herself eating out in the courtyard. The campus was nice especially in the fall, it made her think of being back home when the trees would change. She shook her head. No…not home. This was home now. She aggressively bit into her carrot wishing Apollo would have put some of that hummus in that she liked. She found herself laughing at the though. Apollo, the God of freaking everything, had packed her lunch and she, the human, was grumpy because he didn’t give her the hummus she liked. What a freaking life. 

“Those carrots say something funny?”  She heard the deep voice come up on her left and it made her jump a little before she shook her head. Derek was typically quiet and didn’t make much fuss. He kept his head down and his eyes on his work, but he was kind and had welcomed her easily enough. Derek was in his mid thirties, athletic in build with a background in law enforcement. He had been a beat cop for several years in Mesa, Arizona before coming to work at Quantico. She shook her head.] I was just thinking about some really good hummus and realizing how first world that really was considering I should be grateful to have lunch period.

[He chuckled and took a seat on the other side of the table and opened a Red Bull.  “Hummus? You lost me. That’s not really my style. If it doesn’t come from a paper bag with a little grease on the bottom, I’m not interested.” He chuckled. “Don’t let Nina get to you.” She shook her head again.] I’m not really trying to let her get to me. I’m just trying to focus on my caseload. Those families and those victims deserve my attention, but I just can’t stand her over my shoulder. I earned my place, Derek. I wasn’t a big fish in a small pond. I worked some of my city’s most horrific crimes. I put my time in. [She sighed realizing she had just unloaded a bunch of unprofessional feelings. He nodded though. “I get it. And it’s not you. Well, not really you. Nina is the youngest in our department. She shot up real fast. People were talking about her. People praised her. Like those TV shows where there’s like a twenty-two year old doctor and everyone’s wondering how the hell they did what they did so fast, but they’re some…genius that leaves everyone awestruck. And then you showed up. You’re young, smart, talented as fuck…at least that’s what Westcott said. He was singing your praises the few weeks before you came. She’s just feeling replaced.” She groaned.] It isn’t a competition. We’re all on the same team. We’re all just trying to seek justice. [She watched him shake his head.] What? [She really wasn’t trying to get into anything here.] I can’t help that Westcott was impressed with my ethic. I’m not going to apologize for that. [She watched Derek for a few seconds. He seemed to be thinking about something as he drained his energy drink. “We are all on the same team. She’s never really been a part of that. She’s been a standout. While the rest of us worked to close cases, she’s trying to focus on high profile. Westcott keeps her in our department because she may be a pain in the ass, but she isn’t terrible at what she does. And some eyes on a case are better than no eyes on a case. No one should apologize for being good at what they do, Thaleia. I’m not suggesting you should. I’m saying don’t give her the option to get under your skin.” She blew out a breath.] What happened to Dora? [She looked over at him and his brow arched. “You want to know what happened to the person who sat at your desk before you?” She nodded. “She let Nina get to her.” She watched Derek get up and shake his head. “Don’t let her get to you, Thaleia. She’s a brat and she’s not worth it.” She sighed.] Where is Dora now? [He gave her a look but then spoke up. “She transferred to the lab. She said she’s much happier over there. She told Westcott it was because she couldn’t handle the workload anymore, but we know better than that. Just focus on your job and it’ll be fine.” She wet her lips.] I don’t do well with being bullied, Derek. [She watched as he raised his hand a bit and chuckled. “I didn’t think you would, I’m just saying don’t waste time on her. Westcott hasn’t been this damn excited in a long time. He thinks you’re one hell of an asset and while I haven’t seen you work for long, I’d have to agree.” She watched as he tilted his head back and shielded his eyes from the sun. “Jesus…why the hell is it getting so damn hot over here?” She couldn’t help but to smirk slightly.] There’s nothing quite like an eighty degree fall day in Virginia. [She grinned.] Oh, tell your husband I said thank you for the pain au chocolat he brought in yesterday. I haven’t had a really good pastry since I left Philly and it was c'est magnifique. [She smiled when Derek did and he nodded his head. “I’ll be sure to let him know. He’ll be happy to hear you approve.” She felt the warmth start to dissipate a bit and it made her smile grow a little more. Freaking Apollo.] I’ll see you back in the office. 

[When Derek walked away, she stayed where she was for a little while longer. She felt a shift in temperature as a shadow loomed over behind her. When she turned, she cocked a brow seeing Nina standing there. The fake smile plastered on her face as she adjusted her strap on her shoulder. “You’re probably not really used to the pace here and no one would fault you if you couldn’t really handle it. There are openings for civilians in the lab if you’re interested. I know the director if you’re looking for a recommendation.” She rolled her eyes at Nina.] No, I’m perfectly content where I am. And if I were you, I’d focus on my job instead of me. I’m not your enemy here, Nina. But this isn’t highschool. Your childish mentality will get you nowhere with me. My record speaks for itself. [She stood up. She was several inches taller than Nina.] I’m not Dora. [She turned to walk away but then stopped and looked back.] Also, I’m not a civilian. I’m credentialed to be an agent. Think about that before you address me again. [She turned around and walked away. New jobs came with new challenges. She faced things like this before back in Philly when she first started, but back then it came in the form of men thinking she wasn’t capable of doing the job. She had earned her place there too and in the end, they respected her as a person that could get the job done and not just a woman that got the job done. Either Nina would get over it or she wouldn’t. But it would make her job a lot harder if she was having to deal with a pestering presence whenever she made it back into the office. 

She swiped her ID and gained access to the building and just as she was heading for the elevator her phone alerted her to a text. 

“Travel approved to PBG office. Contant: Agent Dixon. PA state crime lab will be expecting you. -Westcott” 

She grinned. She had been waiting four weeks for this approval. Westcott said it would take longer considering all the evidence she was requesting to be reviewed at the lab. She couldn’t wait to tell Apollo about the approval. She remembered the words he had told her back in Greece when they first met. He said she would close big cases in her career and that one statement kept her confidence soaring.]

#TDATD #KillerCases

[collectingtruths]

Part 8: A Change Is Gonna Come

“You wouldn't just have to solve the crime, you'd have to solve the entire world that that crime happened in.”

― Alan Moore

[Life had a way of changing, sometimes all at once and sometimes over a long stretch of time. For her, it seemed to happen all at once. One minute she was on a clear and defined path, the next she had lost someone she cared about, someone whom she still blamed herself for his death. Then she had been forced to go on vacation which had quickly turned into the best thing that had ever happened to her. She had always loved the sun, in a platonic way. But that just wasn’t the case anymore. Apollo had come into her life when she least expected it and it wasn’t something she was going to do without anymore. Somehow, he had added God of Making Long Distance Relationships Work to the already long list of skills he possessed and she was thankful. He had become far too important to her and she hadn’t wanted to walk away from that or him and he didn’t seem to want to sever the connection either. 

Shortly after she returned to work she had a visit from someone she hadn’t been expecting. An old friend of Dom’s that worked for the FBI. And not just any old office, but a very prestigious one out of Quantico. Raymond Westcott had stopped by /her/ office and not so subtly told her he wanted her working for him. He had told her that Philadelphia had plenty of work to be done, but that it was “small fucking potatoes” compared to the work she could be doing. The offer wasn’t something she could just chuck off her desk because Westcott made it far too appealing to say no all at once and she had suspected that was the point. The potential for an increase in salary had been nice, and it was being offered as a consultant. But what had really tugged at her was that Dom had personally recommended her. He had told Westcott that she was one of the best analysts he had ever worked with. Dom had always been tactical, he was never in the behavioral aspect of things, but he had a close relationship with Westcott and had confided in him, he told him her talents were being wasted in this Killadelphia. She hadn’t accepted the offer then. She wanted to think about it and after she had gone home that night, she asked Apollo to join her. His advice had been sound after she laid it all out to him. He had of course encouraged her to do whatever she felt would be right for her and that he wasn’t tied to any place specifically so if she took it and moved, he would simply find her wherever she was. He talked about the hard work she had done to even be considered since she hadn’t even applied for it to begin with. Again, Apollo gave her good advice. She was sure he could have told her to yodel in the Alps and she would’ve yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo’ed until her throat was sore. She had called Westcott that evening and accepted, but…she wanted to be able to earn that spot in some way. So the next morning, she turned in her resignation and had made it effective immediately. Her supervisor hadn’t even acted all that surprised and ended the conversation with the words, “I’ll never be able to replace you, Vance.” 

For three weeks, she had worked with Apollo on conditioning herself. She wasn’t out of shape, but she didn’t think she could meet the physical requirements of the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC) on a diet of chopped cheese hoagies and Auntie Anne’s pretzel nuggets. Apollo was appalled at her diet and immediately terminated her lease agreement and whisked her away to Greece where he said, “I can keep my eyes on you at all time, Thaleia. You can’t be trusted.” She thought he had been joking, but about physical fitness and keeping her body in optimal form was not something he joked about. The first thing he did was replace every bit of the processed food she consumed with whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy, fats. Everything had been the best of the best, but had just been a start. The training he had in mind wrecked her. Every muscle in her body had been stretched to the max, everything had hurt. But then he had oh so many ways to make it feel good. She had quickly been made aware that he was God of Orgasms too. But those three weeks had passed in a blur and then he was dropping her off at Quantico with a kiss and a slap to her ass and said, “Know the right moment, knowing that all other things are secondary to this.” She had laughed and told him he could have just said go get’em, tiger. His grin could cause both her heart and her thighs to squeeze at the same time. 

The BFTC was a sixteen week long course. The curriculum includes lessons in a variety of

areas like firearms, defensive tactics, interview and interrogation, and human intelligence. And in order to graduate, she had to pass the Physical Fitness Test (PFT), scoring a minimum of twelve points with at least one point in each of the four events. If she made it through, her graduation would be in week sixteen. She had been required to reside on campus for the

entire first three weeks of training with a midnight curfew. After that, she had stayed in an off campus apartment where her tanned, blonde, Greek God visited as often as he could. By far her favorite part of the sixteen weeks had been the academic side and the operational skills she had learned. And what she had learned was that training with an actual god /had/ prepared her for the  Physical Fitness Test that had been administered multiple times throughout the sixteen weeks. Her continuous sit-ups in one minute along with her timed 300-meter sprint rivaled quite a few of the men in her course and she certainly enjoyed the pride that beamed off Apollo when she relayed that bit of praise from her instructor. 

The day of her graduation made her feel as though she had accomplished something that never thought she could. And when she shook the hand of the FBI director and received her credentials that labeled her as a federal agent, she knew Dom would have been proud. When she left the stage, she found Apollo waiting for her. He had wrapped her up in a tight up, stood to his full height and her feet had dangled. She heard a chuckle come from behind her and when she had turned, one of the agents that had been in her training shook his head. “So, that’s how you did all those damn sit-ups. I’m onto you, Vance.” She blushed and shook her head. Apollo had countered that it had been his instruction, but her determination that got her that victory. It had been one of her proudest moments. 

Blowing out a breath, she stood in the lobby and waited for Westcott to come out. “Vance. Good to see you.” She turned and smiled at him. While she opted to remain under the third option of working for his team, she still had the credentials if she needed them.] Thank you, sir. I’m a little nervous, but I can’t wait to meet your team. [He chuckled. “We’ll you’re a part of that now. Welcome to your new assignment. I’m going to have you working on the cold cases for now. They could really use the fresh eyes and I don’t want to throw you into the deep end just yet. There’s a difference between the BAU and the BAP. In the BAP, we send you out to train officers and agencies. In the BAU, we focus on apprehension and actively working cases. I know we talked about putting you in BAU-1, it’s more of the analyst side of things, but…I know in my gut you’ll be better suited for BAU-4.” He opened a door, four other sets of eyes looked in her direction and they smiled. It felt welcoming. Three men, one woman and an empty desk in the back with a few files sitting on the top. Westcott walked toward the back and tapped on the back of the chair. “Welcome to Violent Criminal Apprehension Program also known as ViCAP.” She smiled and made her way to her desk. She had just set down her bag when her eyes caught on the file that sat on the top. She opened it up and read the bulletin.

“SEEKING INFORMATION: Sasha Beekman, a fourteen-year-old female teen, was reported missing by her parents on July 14, 1994, to local law enforcement in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Several months later, on November 4, 1994, Sarah's remains were discovered in the "Berlin Reservoir," located within an Ohio state park, Portage County, Ohio. This rural community in Ohio was located approximately two hours away from the victim's home in Pennsylvania. 

Additionally, Karen Mack, another female teen victim, went missing on August 25, 1994, and her nude body was found several days later on an oil road near the "Berlin Reservoir." Karen had been strangled to death. Both Sasha and Karen’s bodies were located approximately 1/2 mile apart in the same Ohio state park. Seventeen-year-old Karen was from Portage County, Ohio.

Information is being sought in both cases. Specifically, how Beekman from Pennsylvania ended up murdered in Ohio and information regarding the murder of Mack. Investigators believe the two cases may be related. The FBI from both Pennsylvania and Ohio have been working closely with local law enforcement from Portage County, Ohio, as well as Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. 

Field Office: Pittsburgh.” 

She chewed the inside of her cheek. Looked like she was going back to PA after all.] 

#TDATD #KillerCases

[collectingtruths]

Part 7: A Day of Mourning

“The journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.” -The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien

[Dom’s funeral had been hard to attend. It had been hard to sit in a room full of people who loved him, knowing that she had been one of the reasons they had lost him. She listened to his sister speak, she listened to a member of his team he had served with, she listened to the soft whimpering sounds of both his mother and his girlfriend and she felt as though she couldn’t get out of the church fast enough. She had found herself having a full blown panic attack in the front seat of her car. Dom never should have been on that assignment. He never should have gone undercover. She hated that she brought that information to his attention, but she knew what he would have said. He would have done it regardless because this was the life he chose.

He made the choice to put himself in these situations fully aware that he might never come out of them. And while she understood that he was grown and made this choice, she couldn’t let go of her own guilt. Her guilt had followed her home that night and rode shotgun when she went into work the very next day.

Now that she was back in her office, she looked over at the shelf and found herself looking at the funeral card they had made for Dom.

She squeezed her eyes closed as she tried to get back to her casefiles. She had been avoiding most people in the department now, she wouldn’t have her lunch in the breakroom and she certainly wasn’t taking the elevator where she could be trapped with the other staff and LEOs who knew her involvement in the case. No, she would focus on her job and at the end of the day, she would pack up, take the steps and crawl back into her quiet existence. Looking over at the clock, she hadn’t realized that she must have been lost in her thoughts for hours. She blinked a bit and started to close the cases she had never really made it to and started to lock them away when she heard the knock at her door. She cleared her throat and looked up] Yes? [Her supervisor walked in and took a seat across from her. “Thaleia, I wanted to let you know that those records that Falcone secured, they came in handy. He did it. They’re organizing the sting as we speak. They know who’s responsible for his death and the trafficker.” There was an instant relief that washed over her and she felt like she wanted to cry, but she wouldn’t. Not in this office, not in front of anyone else. Dom was good at what he did and before he gave his life to this case, he secured one final win for them. “Thaleia, did you hear…” She nodded.] Yes, I did. I…[She blew out a breath.] I’m sure Dom would love a big todo over this. Make sure he gets the credit. Please. [Her boss nodded his head. “Of course we will. But that isn’t the only reason why I needed to see you, Thaleia.” Her brow furrowed. She suspected there would be some consequences to her involvement. Possibly suspension or maybe even termination. She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. “We need you to take some time off. It’s mandatory, Vance. This is not a suggestion to be taken into consideration. You have more PTO than anyone else on this floor. And that’s including me. I’ve already called in a few favors to have your assignments covered. I want you on an extended leave. No working cases from home, no checking your voicemail.” She watched him stand and she shook her head. She didn’t like not having any work to fall back on and she knew he knew that. He got to the door and then stopped. “Take a trip, Thaleia. Go away for a little while. Get out of the city, do something fun. You need time to just rest and relax and let us worry about crime and punishment for a change. Dom would want you to enjoy yourself.” She looked at him and he knew what she was thinking. “Yeah, it was a low blow, but it’s true. So figure it out.” He looked at his watch and then tapped the face. “Your time off starts…now.” He waved his hand at her as he started out and she just sat there for a little longer.

What the hell was she supposed to do with all this time off? She just didn’t want to think about it right now so she gathered what she needed and switched off her lamp before locking her door and going for the stairwell. She had a lot to think about over the next few days and she was going to take her time with it.]

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 6: It's H.H. Holmes...

“Things don’t turn up in this world until somebody turns them up.” - James A. Garfield

[Sitting at her desk, she was looking over her latest case. It had come across her desk a few days ago, her boss thought it was something she might be interested in. And while she was being thorough, she couldn’t stop thinking about the hitman case. After her mind wandered yet again, she sighed and shook her head. Looking back down at the paperwork in front of her, she started going over the details of the body that had been found in a high crime, high traffic area. It wasn’t an unusual spot for a body dump. What her boss wanted her to do was to determine if this was a random victim, targeted or if this went even further into serial territory. There had been two men dumped in the same area over the last six months. She had the files, images and evidence logs spaced across her desk and she had looked at them over the last two days, but having been distracted, she knew she was missing things and that just irritated her even more. She pulled her notebook out to go over some of the details she had written previously. She focused on the area where the body had been dumped and some of the injuries. There had been personal effects found with the body and each had been logged separately. She’d take a look at those in a minute. White male. Early thirties. Around six feet give or take. Contusions covering the face, neck and chest. Twelve gunshots to the chest all done with a 9mm. They were all clustered in a strange way. Strange because it seemed to be highly centralized. Not like they were shooting widely and happened to get lucky twelve times. All of his teeth had been busted in, trace had been sent for analysis. There were no fingerprints to run because there seemed to be some kind of old scarring or calluses. It was a real back and forth. Something seemed far too controlled and planned. As if the teeth were intentionally knocked in to avoid being identified, but then the fingers couldn’t be printed because of old injuries to their hands, which might have meant whoever beat the man’s face in was just so angry that the teeth weren’t part of the clean up. She moved some of the images to the side and then focused on some of the effects that had been with the body. Something that might give her a clue about where this man might have spent his time so the detectives could work backward. There were crumpled up receipts for bodega food and cigarettes. None of them were in the same area so that meant he moved around a lot. There was a lighter that had no fluid, a cell phone that had been logged for IT, which was another reason why she thought this might just be a dump because what self-respecting serial criminal would make such a rookie mistake? A fledgling killer perhaps. Her brows lifted. That was it. This wasn’t a professional. This was someone that might just be learning. That was definitely a road to go down, but she needed to go through some of the other evidence first. A note that had some scribbling on it but she couldn’t make out the letters. Hopefully they had already sent it for handwriting analysis. She moved another picture and then tilted her head a bit and she brought another picture into view. The more she looked between them, the more she felt off about it. Something was there…something she couldn’t figure out.

She rose from her seat as she looked back and forth between the pictures and then it clicked. She ran away from her desk and started toward the elevators, but instead she just went for the steps. She made her way up to the homicide unit and swung open the door. She was out of breath and she knew it wasn’t because she just ran up a few flights. She knew who the officer was that was overseeing the investigation and she went right for his desk. She blew out a breath and shook her head.] You’ve got the case of the body at Tacony Creek Park right? [She watched Detective Nelson nod his head. “Yeah, I got it. Did you find something? I heard you were working on this for us.” She nodded her head.] I did…where’s the evidence? I need to see the personal effects. [He chuckled and started to stand up. “Vance, you can’t just…” She cut him off.] I need to see the personal effects, Travis! [He arched his brow, but then nodded. “Alright, Christ.” The both of them took the elevator down to the evidence room and after signing the logs, the box was retrieved and she was cutting open the tape. “Easy, Vance.” She popped the lid off and looked down into it. She grabbed out the handwritten note and turned it toward the detective.] Look at it, Travis. Those are numbers. [He shook his head. “That’s fucking gibberish.” She shook her head and then reached in the box and pulled out the next bag she was looking for. She didn’t want to believe it, but the second she turned it over, she felt like her heart was going to explode.] Look. [She held up the baggy that had the Saint Michael’s medal in it. “What about it?” She turned it over so he could see the letters on the back.] G.F. [She stared at him and then reached for the paper.] These are numbers, Travis. What number does this look like? [He was already shaking his head. “I don’t know, Vance. You’re being fucking crazy here. That’s..” She shouted again, this time the evidence tech looked over at her, but she kept her eyes on him.] 9251. [She dropped the evidence bag down on the desk.] It’s him, Travis. [He was already shaking his head. “I don’t see those numbers, Vance. You’re losing your shit. You work too many damn hours, you’re seeing shit that isn’t there. That is not what that says.” She shook her head.] G.F. His father gave him this medal. You know that, I know that. You know who that is. [She could see the doubt in Nelson’s face and she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She reached into the bag hoping the techs had brought it back. She held it up in front of his face so she couldn’t see the front of it. She brought up the contact she was looking for and then hit the contact name. It took seconds for the phone to start ringing and his eyes got wide.] What’s the contact say? [He looked over at her with a bit of confusion on his face. “It says…H.H.H.” She hung up and her eyes closed and she felt like she was going to be sick. “Who is that? What the hell is that?” She swallowed opened her eyes which now had tears brimming the edge of her lower lids and she knew any second they were going to roll down her cheeks.]

H.H. Holmes. Died May 7, 1896 in Philadelphia. America’s first true serial killer. [She shook her head.] It’s Dom. The body…down in the morgue is Dom Falcone. [She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. The detective immediately took the evidence back, putting it into the box and signed it out. “Vance, get your ass back upstairs, get your boss on the phone now and tell him what just happened. I need…I need to confirm this. Don’t leave this building.” She didn’t need to confirm it to know. The description fit Dom. The only difference was that he was a bit taller than the original estimate. His father Gabriel had given Dom the medal as a gift to protect him when he left the academy. It was one of the few things he had left of his dad. As for his fingerprints, Dom had burned his hands when he was a teenager after pulling his sister out of their burning bedroom, they were slightly scarred. She wasn’t sure how she made it back to her office or made the call to her boss and filled him in, but she had. Sitting down, she stared straight ahead. She had sent him into this. He had wanted to help, yes. But she put him in the worst possible position. He never should have been undercover. She never should have let him do any of this. She felt the overwhelming sense of guilt and leaned forward in her seat as she started to breathe heavily. She and Dom had worked together for years. He always took her seriously, he never made her feel like he was worth more because of his badge, he treated her like an equal and she sent him to his death on one of her hunches. She felt the hand against her shoulder and jumped when her boss tried to offer her some condolences and said he had received the call that they were able to confirm that it was Falcone now that they knew what direction to look in. She realized she had been sitting there for well over a half hour and never even knew it. “I’m going to arrange for one of the officers to take you home, Thaleia.” She shook her head.] No, I’m…[He butted in. “You’re not fine. But I’m sending you home regardless. They’re notifying his sister and then we’ll begin the investigation.” She shot up.] I want in on this…you can’t shut me out on this case, sir. He was my friend. [He shook his head. “And that’s why you’re being removed. You’re the best at what you do here, Thaleia, but you can’t touch this. You’re friends. The defense will rip it apart. And /when/ we catch this fucker, we wanna nail him to the wall, not just slap his wrists.” She nodded, but she didn’t like it. Still, she wouldn’t derail his investigation. She knew this would gain traction now that the department knew it was a cop. Not only did she send him in there, but she had him for two days on ice and never knew it. She replayed that last night over in her head again. She could hear him saying he had it. She could hear him telling her not to worry and her telling him she would always worry. It wasn’t long before she was drowning in the silence of her apartment. She was at a loss for words. The way he had been beaten…it was a horrible way to go. And there was something inside of her that was just breaking knowing that was what he had experienced before he died.] I’m so sorry, Dom.

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 5: Expect The Unexpected

“The unexpected always happens.” ― Benjamin Disraeli

[She didn’t know what she had expected, but it wasn’t to go fifteen days without hearing from Dom. This wasn’t like him. After the first week, she was a little worried, but she didn’t want to break his balls. He was a damn good cop, an incredible detective and he always found a way to make things work. Still, it was unusual that he hadn’t stopped by to give her a smart ass remark or try and steal her food.

When the Eagles won, she expected to hear his mouth from the moment the elevator dinged on Monday morning, but all she heard was the rest of the crew talking about the antics that happened in the city. And if she had been a little worried on day seven, she was a lot worried on day fifteen.

Leaning back in her seat, she let her head tilt back as she looked at the ceiling. She was trying to remember the last conversation they had that night. He said he trusted the person he was sending in with his life and she hadn’t thought about it at the time, but now…her eyes widened as she sat up. Locking her computer, she grabbed her office keys and shoved them into her pocket after she locked her door on her way out. She had taken the elevator up two floors and then made her way for the cubicles that filled the larger space.

She went straight toward the one that had Falcone’s name hung up on the exterior wall. She half expected to see him reclined in his seat, playing with one of those metal binder clips and chewing on the chain that held his St. Michael’s medal, but the chair was empty, the trash had been taken out, nothing scattered across his desk. Her brow furrowed when she heard the sound of voices coming from a few cubicles over. She walked over and when they all smiled and looked at her, she shoved her thumb in the direction of Dom’s desk. Anyone know where Falcone is? Is he trying to milk that Eagles win or what? [She heard the chuckles and she was given direction to go see the Cap, that he hadn’t been in for a few weeks, but they thought he had put in vacation. “I think he was supposed to go down to Mexico with his ex.” They all started laughing. “Think he’ll come back married?” Another round of laughter. “Shit, I hope not. His ex was fucking crazy.” She shook her head and then smiled.] Thanks, I appreciate it. [She turned and walked away. She knew she likely wouldn’t get too far with their Captain so she just wasn’t going to bother. Stepping back into the elevator, she jumped a bit when the large hand came up between the doors just in time to stop them from closing. She didn’t know him, didn’t recognize him. “Looking for Dom?” She looked over at the man and her brow began to furrow again. He looked like he was a few bags short of an OD, but then it registered who he was.] Gaines? [He chuckled and nodded his head. “Gotcha.” She nodded as the doors finally closed again.] Yeah, you did. [He smiled at her. I figured. I’ve been undercover for awhile. Just closed my gig and came back in to see what else was going on and that’s when I saw our boy got himself an assignment.” She stopped talking when the doors opened and someone else got on. She knew it. She fucking knew he did it. He trusted himself and that was what he meant by that. When the person got off, she rode right by her floor as they headed for the ground level so he could go out through the garage.] He wasn’t supposed to do that. [Gaines looked over at her and his brow arched. “If you asked him to do it, well…then we both know why he went.” She started to shake her head, but the door was opening and he was stepping out.] I never asked him. I never asked him to do anything. He said he was going to get someone he trusted. [Gaines chuckled and threw up his hands as he walked backward. “Ain’t nobody better to trust than yourself, kid. You know that. Take care, Vance. He’ll be just fine. He’s one of the best.” She shook her head.] Be safe, Bobby. [She hit the button for her floor and waited as the doors closed again. The silence seemed to hurt her ears as she replayed what he said…if you asked him to…but she didn’t. She never wanted him to take on this task, but Gaines was right. Dom had been undercover for years. He’d get what he needed and get out. He wasn’t supposed to do that. [Gaines looked over at her and his brow arched. “If you asked him to do it, well…then we both know why he went.” She started to shake her head, but the door was opening and he was stepping out.] I never asked him. I never asked him to do anything. He said he was going to get someone he trusted. [Gaines chuckled and threw up his hands as he walked backward. “Ain’t nobody better to trust than yourself, kid. You know that. Take care, Vance. He’ll be just fine. He’s one of the best.” She shook her head.] Be safe, Bobby.

[She hit the button for her floor and waited as the doors closed again. The silence seemed to hurt her ears as she replayed what he said…if you asked him to…but she didn’t. She never wanted him to take on this task, but Gaines was right. Dom had been undercover for years. He’d get what he needed and get out. Once she was back in her office with the door closed, she picked up her phone and dialed down to the Detective Sergeant and asked to be put in contact with the handlers, she let them know she had information pertinent to a case a UC had been working on. After a few minutes of being on hold, she assumed the handler who was overseeing Dom had answered. She gave him a few pieces of information and number for a personal line and asked that Dom text her whenever he was secured to do so. With the call over, there wasn’t much more she could do short of going down into Killadelphia looking to score, but that wouldn’t end well for her and she knew it. Hours had passed and it was now the end of her shift. She had closed up the files she was working on and when everything was secure she left the office and her day behind. It wasn’t until she left the parking lot that she heard the soft ding come from her purse. While watching the road and reaching into her bag, she pulled it out. Stopping at the stoplight, she was quick to read the message. “Hey, baby. I ain’t coming over tonight, I’ve got some shit to do. I’ll hit you up later.” She blew out a breath and didn’t care about the horn that honked behind her. He was letting her know that he couldn’t get out right now because he was onto something and that he’d reach out when he could. She rolled her window down and shoved her middle finger out of it. The horn blowing got a little more impatient but then she pulled away and made the turn. She was just glad that she had heard back from Dom, she would sleep a hell of a lot easier tonight knowing he had it handled and maybe, just maybe no one else would die at the hands of their trafficker any time soon. At least not by contract.]

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 4: Killadelphia Isn't For The Weak

“-Welcome to Killadelphia- No one leaves this city feeling the same way they came” ― Charmaine J Forde

[Sitting on the couch, her eyes glued to the TV, the shrimp lo mein on her chopsticks was coming toward her mouth as she listened to Derek Morgan and she nodded. “David Parker Ray? How about John Edward Robinson? See, at any given time, we have at least twenty-five open cases. Every year we're able to close around fifteen, yet new ones still seem to pop up. There are more serial killers out there than you may think.” It was true. It was completely true. She knew she was a glutton for punishment. When she finally did get some down time, she spent it watching things that sounded exactly like her day job, but it was nice to watch someone else do the thinking. She was about to take another bite when she heard the doorbell and her brow arched. Security had always been important to her. She saw people getting hurt every single day due to faulty locks and cameras that just didn’t work. And she wasn’t going to be a victim if she could help it. She walked over and looked on the little screen that was beside her door, something she had installed after she had a case where a man stalked women and when they looked through the peephole, he would shoot through the door. She rolled her eyes when she saw Dom standing there. She reached for the lock and then opened the door leaving the chain over. He chuckled when she saw his dark eye peek through the crack.

“You’re alive? Well, then I guess ya just wanted to stand me up.” Shit. She had forgotten about the lunch. She shook her head, closed the door, pushed the chain over and then opened it up.] Hey, I’m sorry…I’ve just been swamped and I…[He finished her sentence. “Forgot. As per fuckin’ usual, Vance.” And then he just walked in and walked past her.] Won’t you come in…[She closed the door behind him and turned to walk into the living room since he seemed set on going in there.] You know what I’ve got going on, but I’ve got a desk full of cases and the other analyst job is still open and there’s only two candidates. One that’s fresh out of training and the other…well, I just don’t like his vibe. Nothing personal. [He dropped down onto the couch, picked up her takeout container and sniffed it. “You’re just a control freak.” She walked over and snatched it out of his hand.] Don’t do that…I don’t know where your nose or your hands’ve been. And it isn’t that I’m a control freak, I just like people poking around in my things. [His hand came out to grab her beer and swatted it. He chuckled and pulled his hand back. “That’s the same thing, Thal.” She shook her head.] No it isn’t. Now, why are you here? [He blew out a breath and shook his head. “I went to see a few of my informants. There’s not a lot on your trafficker. Most of the runners are secondary runners. The product being moved is going through so many hands, it’s hard to find any focused direction.” She ended up sitting down on the couch, her brows lifting.] Well…did you find a direction or are you just here to eat my lo mein? [He looked from her to the TV. “Well, I’m not here to watch Criminal Minds. And don’t you get enough of that shit at. work? You can’t help yourself, can you?” She pulled a face, but didn’t say anything. “Alright…alright. I did find a source that seemed promising, but they’re paranoid as fuck. It’s gonna take me some time to get someone in there. But it’s the best I can do. But you’re not gonna like where it’ll likely go down.” Her eyes got a little wide.] Don’t tell me it’s the Badlands? [She was of course referring to the section of North Philadelphia and Lower Northeast Philadelphia that was known for all of the open-air drug markets and drug-related violence. “I wish. Nope.” He shook his head. “Kensington.” She groaned and her eyes closed for a second. It was single handedly the reason why Philadelphia had been known as Killadelphia because of the high murder rate.] Do you trust the sources you're gonna put in down there? [She looked over at him with an arched brow and he nodded. “Trust’em with my life.” She cleared her throat and nodded.] Alright, I trust you know what you’re doing. [She looked back over at him. “I trust your gut, Vance. I always have. I mean there was that one time you got that profile wrong, but nobody’s perfect.” She rolled her eyes.] It’s as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes you have to go with your gut and my gut was wrong. [He chuckled and just as he was about to lean back, his phone started to ring. After a quick exchange, she ended up shaking her head. “Gotta go. Body in Strawberry Mansion. You gonna eat that? You did force me to pay for my own lunch. It’s the least you can do.” She motioned for him to take it. He reached down, closed it and snatched it off the table.] Stay safe, Dom. [He chuckled as he headed toward the door. “I’m always safe.” He chuckled and smiled as he walked out the door. She sat there for a moment longer, but then went to the door to bolt it and put the chain over. She knew the doorman let him in because he flashed his detective's badge and it hadn’t been the first time Dom dropped by. The two of them had worked plenty of cases that lasted into the night, but he was a damn good cop and he believed in what she did. Not every detective thought behavioral characteristics and patterns could catch a criminal, but they couldn’t argue with the truth. And she always found her truth.]

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 3: It's Always Dark In Philadelphia

“It strikes me profoundly that the world is more often than not a bad and cruel place.” ― Bret Easton Ellis

[Saturdays were a day to relax, enjoy life and cut loose, unfortunately for her she never got the memo. Crime never took a day off and while she was usually forced to due to labor laws, today was the start of a fresh set of hours which meant she could work as long and as late as she needed to.

Her desk was a mess from stacks of files nearly ready to cascade down in a manilla waterfall, but she would worry about that later. Right now she had been sitting on the floor, the records, released evidence and statements were all spread out in a very loose timeline. She had been working an older case, one that was technically closed, but she wasn’t ready to call it quits. She reached down and picked up the newspaper clipping and as she unfolded it, she read the headline “ Contract Killer Pleads Guilty and Admits to Committing Six Murders and One Attempted Murder in Philadelphia” and chewed the inside of her cheek. Ernest Petrillo, 42 Philadelphia native had pleaded guilty only after they had collected enough evidence to make the case a slam dunk. Petrillo had murdered four people between 2017 and 2018 and once he was in custody they found two more between 2016 and 2017. Petrillo was ruthless, cold and calculated. He was methodical and had zero regard for human life. He chuckled part way through his confession. She had watched the interview tapes and it had left her feeling completely disturbed. She had seen a lot of crime in her time in her position, but it never made it any easier to see true sociopathic behavior. At the time of Petrillo’s arrest, the case had been worked on by both the Philly PD and the FBI. His first victim had been shot multiple times in the parking lot of a business and there hadn’t been any obvious motive. When Petrillo was first interviewed, he wouldn’t provide the name of the person who hired him. Petrillo enjoyed talking about his crimes and once the door was opened, he practically foamed at the mouth to tell them about the others. Two of his other victims were both tow truck drivers. One of them had been the mark he had been hired to eliminate and the other was simply another tow truck driver that Petrillo had selected at random to act as a motive. And initially it had been believed by the department. Petrillo had made it look like there had been a long standing rivalry between the two that ended in a shootout that allegedly claimed both their lives. Petrillo shot one and then the other. No rivalry. No remorse. The next three victims didn’t seem to have anything in common at the time of their deaths, but with Petrillo having diarrhea of the mouth, he let a detail slip. A big detail. He indicated there had been a co-conspirator. The person that hired him was allegedly a drug trafficker, one that Petrillo refused to name. He said he was far more worried about his boss than he was the needle, but unlucky for him, Pennsylvania has only executed three prisoners since 1999. Once he pled guilty, the court didn’t bother with the fact that there had been someone hiring this man to commit these crimes. Several of the detectives believed that he made it up, that he was just murdering to murder and hadn’t been involved in anything bigger than that. And because there was use of a cell phone to facilitate each of the killings it became a federal offense and carried a mandatory life sentence. Case closed. But she wasn’t so sure. She knew in her gut that if this was true, this trafficker would simply replace Petrillo. And it wasn’t long after that she started to notice some of those same markers. It was what she did, she /knew/ there was something else, someone else pulling those strings. She had been met with dead ends and brushoffs by the FBI when she attempted to bring more to their attention. So every time she found another murder that matched any of her markers, she would pull the case and attempt to find those strings that were attached. She leaned her back against the bottom half of her couch and brushed her fingers back through her hair when she heard the knock. “Hey, Vance. You alright?” She smiled and nodded her head.] Yeah, Dom. I’m good. [She heard him chuckle. “Back on Petrillo?” She shook her head.] No, actually. I’m back on the man that hired Petrillo.

[He walked further inside and sat on the couch beside her. “Getting anywhere?”] I just have a feeling this new body might be connected. There’s so much that screams motive. Look at the area the guy ran…that’s prime opioid territory. /And/ they found xylazine. It’s connected. I mean, this is my job, Dom. I find patterns. I profile the bad guys. But I’m not on those streets. I don’t knock on doors. [She shook her head. “Yeah, but I do.” He held out his hand. “Give me what you got and I’ll read it over tonight and start in the morning.” She looked up at him.] You really wanna get into this? [She tilted her head as she lifted the file. “Yeah, why not? I get paid to do this kinda shit, right?” He chuckled and she wet her lips.] I just want to get this guy off the streets. People are dying and that damn drug is taking over Philly. [He was nodding his head. “I know, but we’ll get there.” He started to stand up. “Come on. Time to lock up. Save some hours for the rest of your week.” She blew out a breath.] Alright…I’ll get it together here in a minute. I’ve gotta put this all back anyway. [Just then, the files slid down like she knew they would. The sound of a few remaining folders hitting the floor made her groan. “I would stay and offer to help, but I’ve got this really important case file to read through. He chuckled. “See ya tomorrow, Vance. And we’re doing lunch. I’m not taking no for an answer this time. We gotta talk about this shit anyway.” She waved a hand at him and rolled her eyes.] Read slowly, Dom. Use google if you get tripped up on the big words. [She heard him laugh as he left her office as she made her way over to clean up the mess. She’d get home in about an hour, which meant she still had time for dinner, wine and maybe an episode or two of Criminal Minds. She sighed as she looked outside. She missed the sun. She was so damn sick of the dark.]

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 2: Educated Guesses

“It's not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.” ― Nathan W. Morris

[She had been working for nearly twenty hours straight. The mother of those triplets was lying in the morgue, her babies were somewhere out there and the assailant was on the loose. She had been combing over witness statements that had been collected by the detectives that had canvased the neighborhood. But she couldn't let it go. She had provided the detectives with the name of a possible name of a relative that had been in contact with the father of the children, but there was no way to say for certain that was where he would turn for help. He had to be panicked and her only concern right now was that she didn't want to do something that would trigger him to assume his back was up against the wall and those children would be next. It would be easier to run without them. Something about his previous arrests and interviews made her feel as though the mother of his children had been the source of his anger, not them. And if he wanted to punish her, he would've harmed the children, but that was an educated guess. Then again everything she did had been an educated guess. She was rereading a particular statement when her desk phone started to ring. She put her index finger against the word she had paused on and hit the speaker button.] Vance...[She heard the voice of one of the patrol officers she knew answering her. "Thal, it's Wanda. Hey...we got the guy, but...he's gone. He was gone by the time they went in. Self-inflicted." Her heart started pounding.] Where's the kids? Did you get the kids? [She swallowed hard as the officer said there hadn't been any kids where they were and there hadn't been any sign of them in the car. Her eyes squeezed shut and she blew out a breath, thanking her just before the call ended. She brought her hand up, her fingers rubbing against her forehead when she heard the knock on her door. When she looked up, she saw Dominic standing there.] Detective Falcone, what can I help you with? [She waited for him to respond, but he stepped inside before he spoke. "I just thought you should know that we found the kids."] Thank God...are they alright? [She blew out a breath, hoping he would say they weren't hurt. "They're good. Apparently he had a change of heart about them and dropped them off at his aunt's house. The one you gave us...but they're safe." She shook her head and blew out a breath.]

A win is a win, Dom. And I'll take it. [She sat back in her chair and he chuckled quietly. "Well, I just thought you'd like to know before you drove yourself crazy." She nodded. "I know how you can get. A little crazy." She pulled a face.] I prefer passionate, but thanks. [He chuckled. A bunch of us are gonna go down the gym and blow off steam, if you're wanting to come down crack a few skulls." She shook her head.] I'm gonna pass. I've got a date tonight. [His brow raised. "Oh yeah? Who with?" She smiled.] A calzone, a glass of wine and a full twelve hours of sleep. [He chuckled. "Well, I kinda like the sound of yours better than mine." She rolled her eyes.] Too bad, cause you're not invited. [She watched him lift his hands and chuckle before he turned toward the door. "Have a good night, Vance. Enjoy the calzone." She smiled as he walked out. It wasn't the ideal outcome, but she would have to look at it as the best outcome. He couldn't hurt anyone anymore, but those babies were going to grow up without either of their parents. She hoped the family member he had taken them to would be able to provide. It was a tough situation. After the put everything away, secured it and grabbed her coat, it was time to head home and try the whole relaxing thing again. This time, she would have to shut her phone off at risk of being pulled out again. And as much as she didn't want to do that, she had no choice. She couldn't afford to work another case with no sleep.]

#TDATD #Mortal

[collectingtruths]

Part 1: All Work and No Play

“It strikes me profoundly that the world is more often than not a bad and cruel place.” ― Bret Easton Ellis

[She looked down at the file on her desk and sighed as she signed her name on the bottom of the report. She closed it and picked it up and walked over to the cabinet in the corner of her office. Rosanna Cambry had made the 500th homicide victim in Philadelphia in 2022 and she was glad that her analysis had let to the capture of perpetrator. 2022 had been another record year for homicide and it rivaled 2021, but it was not the kind of record breaking she had been hoping for. The last time the city had this much crime had been during the nineties and the crack epidemic. The youngest homicide victim in Philly in 2022 had been just nine years old and the oldest had been seventy-eight. Thirty of the five hundred had been juveniles and seven of those thirty had been under the age of fourteen and those weren't statistics she was happy to know. Doing what she did had shown

her the cruelty people were capable of and every single case that she put into her closed drawer meant another criminal off the streets. The problem was that it was bit like the Hydra for every offender they took off the streets, two more would spring up, each getting progressively worse. More violent, the crime more egregious.

She was one of the youngest Crime Analysts employed by the Philadelphia Police Department with one of the highest success rates. Her focus was on criminal investigations and her job was to analyze and profile criminals, look for patterns in behavior, murders, and crime scenes and to help law enforcement identify the perpetrator. She had started in the intelligence analyst area, which looked for patterns in drug trafficking, prostitution, fraud, and gangs. She reviewed data, surveillance completed by law enforcement, wiretaps, reports from informants, and work completed by undercover cops. But she had transferred earlier in her career. Now that her last case had been finalized, she decided to call it a night. Securing her files, computer and drives, she grabbed her coat off the rack and and slipped it on. She hated this time of year in Philly. The weather was up and down, but usually by the time she left the office, he was getting darker and colder and she still needed to stop for dinner. After grabbing her bag and keys, she locked her office door behind her and made her way out of the building toward her parked car.

Those statistics playing over in her head again. It was hard to feel as though your best just wasn't good enough. In the short time it took for her to walk to her vehicle, she knew someone or several some ones around the city were being robbed, several cases of neglect and abuse were occurring and a handful of domestic violence crimes were being committed and it felt strange to be thinking about what she would enjoy for dinner. Especially knowing that at some point in her lifetime, she could become one of those statistics.

The drive to the Reading Terminal Market wasn't a long one. In fact, it took her longer to find a parking space then it did to get to the market, but once she was parked, she grabbed her bag and keys and made her way in. It was easily one of her favorite places to grab groceries or dinner and even lunch. She had eaten at nearly every spot in there having gone there ever since she was a kid.

She made her way through the crowd of people, which was pretty typical for this time of day, but she knew where she wa going. Straight for Spataros. She wasn't coming for the cheesesteak tonight and while she could've been shot in Philly alone for saying she didn't like Pat's and Geno's...she didn't care. She would die on that hill that Spataros had the best cheesesteaks in Philly.

She ordered her Italian hoagie with banana peppers and a few shakes of oregano, just like she always did and after she watched him make it, she looked over at row of tables were people were eating. She noticed the body language of the man who was sitting there. He wasn't eating what was in front of him, he wasn't looking at his phone or anything like that, but he was staring at a man across the floor who was sitting at another table.

"Vance, you gonna get your hoagie or what?" She looked away from the man and reached her hand out to take the paper wrapped sandwich.] Keep the change, Gil. [She started to walk away, but her eyes found that man again. She just didn't know how to turn it off sometimes, but she was off the clock and she needed to let it go. At least for the next twelve hours.

Her place was an eleven minute drive from the market and she was only too happy to have gotten there in nine. She pulled into the garage, swiped her card and then made her way toward her parking space.

She took the elevator up to her place and once she was in her front door, she set her food down, took her jacket off, hung up her bag and stepped out of her heels. She walked into her living room and picked up the remote to turn on the television. The program that was on was "I Survived a Serial Killer" and she just fine letting it play in the background. She removed her blazer and left it over the chair before walking back into her bedroom. She switched on the light to her vanity and opened her closet to pull out a nice clean pair of soft pajamas. She planned on soaking in her tub, then watching her TV show, having her dinner and likely falling asleep on the couch. Something she desperately needed since the last case she worked had taken weeks of grueling hours without any days off.

She had left her clothing on a pile on her bedroom floor and as the tub filled up, she lit a few candles and then pinned her hair up. She dropped a bath bomb into the water and watched as it started to fizz. She grinned as she put her hand on the wall and then stepped one foot and then the other into the hot water and just as she was about to sink down, she heard the sound she did /not/ want to her. It was the sound of her cell phone ringing. And it wasn't her personal cell.

That would've been too easy. No, it was her work phone and she knew she couldn't ignore it. Stepping back out of the water she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her as she rushed out to grab her phone, but she had missed the call. When she pulled it out of her bag she knew the number and she knew what the call was for. Within a few seconds the little voicemail icon popped up and she sighed. She could ignore it. She heard the woman's voice on the TV. "I had to be a voice for the women who didn't make it." She wet her lips and hit the button and then tapped the speaker icon as well. "Thal...we've got another one. And it's pretty bad. We need you back down here. Mother of three was killed. Kid's father is missing along with their three two year old triplets out on West Oak Lane. Sorry." The call ended. In the short time it took her to put on a clean pair of sweats, the city had darkened. It was selfish of her to want that time to herself and she knew that. There were too many

people that needed help. Too many people that deserved justice. The tub had been drained, the candles extinguished and the TV turned off and with her keys, purse and hoagie in hand, she walked right back out her front door.]

#TDATD #Mortal