Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide Chapter 2
Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide Chapter Two
Pairing: Lindsay/Jill
Rating/Warnings: R for Dark Themes (and when I say Dark, I MEAN DARK).
Crossover: Possibly Condemnedverse (not needed for reading, though), possibly nothing, undecided yet.
Summary: A routine murder investigation takes a turn for the Surreal, and the horrific.
Chapter 1 can be found by using the tag I created for this purpose.
All plot data normally here has been confiscated by the IRS, but they have generously allowed me to keep the data up on the first chapter, which is even more reason to read it before this.
Chapter 2: The Scene of the Crime
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They pulled up at the Bonanza to find that it was degenerating into a typical police scene: The curious and rubberneckers alike gathered just outside the yellow tape, some trying to go onto the other side before being invariably stopped, the buzzards (her internal monologue’s name for the press) were out in force, trying to weasel a few extra details from a very-much overwhelmed Tom, the usual. She didn’t envy him, but her primary thought on the subject was “better him than me.”
It was on the other side of the police tape, the one that no layperson should ever cross, that she saw what interested her. Warren was there, standing with his poor led in a relaxed stance, while Claire and Cindy were already on the other side. She managed to catch the eye of the stoic Medical Examiner and the bouncy Journalist, as she and Jill slowly made their way through the mass to the yellow tape.
She also noticed a few figures she did not recognize standing near them as she flashed her badge to the police guards. Two in particular got his attention. One was one man who looked like had just gone a few rounds with the flu, being thin and pale, with a pair of glasses on his slender nose, with some messy red hair. He wore a white shirt with a black pen in his breast pocket, and looked agitated. The second was a police officer, who was of relatively normal build, not too large or small, and had it not been for where he was, she would have likely missed him altogether. However, he was not manning the line or guarding the door like the rest, but was standing to the side with the rest of ‘her crew.’ He wore the inverted cheveron of Officer First Class, signifying that he had gone quite some time without a promotion. He had traditional Filipino features, and now had the expression of someone who truly did not want to be here.
Jacobi gave a brief wave of acknowledgement as they walked up. “So, what’s going on here?” Lindsay asked.
“There was a murder in the top floor during renovation. No witnesses, but with the heat going around, the strength of the smell coupled with complaints eventually led to the staff looking through the abandoned upper levels. One Mr. Jason Fitzgerald,” he said, motioning towards the thin man “who works as bartender found it and called it in. Officer Richard Martinez here was the first responder.” as he pointed towards the agitated policeman.
Lindsay nodded, digesting the information. “Has the scene been compromised?”
“No. Fitzgerald claims that he did not touch anything save the door, and Officer Martinez claims likewise.”
“Is it not possible that somebody else came into the room?”
Jacobi shook his head. “Perhaps, but not likely. The beat cops went through the building and cleared everybody out. A bit extreme, but we are not willing to let this get contaminated. We have men stationed at the entrances, and so far none of our friends the pickets have reported a successful attempt to breach the scene. If someone else is still there, than he probably has an invisibility cloak.”
Lindsay nodded, relieved that Claire would not have to shift through a scene compromised to hell and back by outside interference.
She than started walking towards the Bartender and the First Responder.
“I take it that you two are Fitzgerald and Martinez?”
The two turned to face her and Jill, but they didn’t say anything. Nor did they need to yet, as their body language was effective enough.
Lindsay took out her badge, and noticed Jill doing likewise. “Inspector Lindsay Boxer, SFPD, and Jill Bernhardt, District Attorney’s Office. We will need you to answer a few questions.” The two quickly responded in the affirmative, and Lindsay continued, while taking out her notepad. “So, which one of you is Christopher Fitzgerald?”
As she expected, the frail-looking red-haired man responded. “That would be me, Officer.” Lindsay let the inaccurate rank slide, as he likely did not know the difference.
“It is to my understanding that you were the one to first find the body. Is that true?”
“Yes, that was me.”
“And what prompted you to look?”
Fitzgerald took some time to straighten his glasses and continued. “We had been receiving complaints from staff members before we opened up, and we initially did not buy it. However, as the day wore on, the customers started complaining about it too. It took me a while for me to smell what they were talking about, but it was sickening. I called my shift supervisor, and he went up the chain of command here, and we eventually decided to examine the building for it.”
Lindsay continued taking notes, and decided to get one thing on the record. “What did it smell like?”
Fitzgerald started to hyperventilate until he got his inhaler out and used it. “It smelled… like rotted meat.”
Lindsay nodded, and followed up: “Have you noticed this smell before?” Fitzgerald shook his head.
“So, how did you split up?”
“We were running badly understaffed today, and we already were packed, so we basically assigned one person per floor. I got the top.”
“And when did you find the body?”
The inhaler came out again, but after that, Fitzgerald continued. “I was nearly done with the floor, but I noticed the smell was getting stronger, and so I followed it.”
“And what did you find.”
“She was practically torn in half, and was lying on her back.”
“What did you do then?”
“I did what I should have. I came down immediately, informed everybody what I had found, and called it in.”
Lindsay gave a brief thanks to him, and than turned towards the Officer. “I take it you are Officer Martinez?”
“That is correct.”
“Were you the first to respond to the scene?”
“Yes.”
“How did you receive the call?”
“ I was out on patrol when dispatch patched through a broadcast about a murder victim near Union, and since I was nearby, I headed here.”
“When did you find the body?”
“Around 4. The bartender showed me up, and his description is accurate.”
“Where was it?”
“In a bedroom that was abandoned for renovations on the top floor.”
Lindsay stopped taking notes, and continued. “Well, I must thank you both for your cooperation, but I need to ask one more thing of you: can you take us to the body?”
Neither were obviously keen on this, but they knew that the sooner things were over, the sooner they could leave. So Fitzgerald motioned them to follow, and the two began to walk into the building. In turn, Lindsay motioned for Cindy, Claire, and Warren to follow as well.
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Notes: Ok, sorry for the delay, but I have just been hit over the head by a Hurricane-sized application of Murphy's Law. Condemned 2 just came out a few days ago, but I have been unable to grab it due to time constraints. If that was not bad enough, my XBOX 360 just lapsed into the much-feared red-ring-of-death mode. This means that, even if I had the game, I would be unable to use it, which naturally sucks. So, I am still taking the middle road on the Crossover issue: it may or may not happen. However, I still am trying to carry on nonetheless, so please give feedback! I need it more than ever, all things considered.