Touched by Death Chapter 4
Jared straightened up, stretching his arm up above his head until a reluctant pop released from his spine. He glanced down to his watch 12:00 they had been combing over these case files for 4 hours and so far they hadn’t learned anything more than what was already typed up. He looked over to Jensen who was still buried in a stack of old Poe files. He was hunched over with his finger sweeping under every letter, scrutinizing every comma and semi colon like they held the answer. Jared really doubted it. If there had been something to find, Jensen would have found it 7 years ago. Jared’s stomach growled out its distaste with the lack of food causing Jared to stand and grab his jacket. “Let’s grab some lunch Jen, it’s already noon.”
“Just bring me back a sandwich or something.” Jensen muttered into the file he was currently digesting. Jared sighed unhappily and gave his best pout. Apparently puppy eyes were quite ineffective when not actually looked at.
“Jensen you need a break, just come eat some food and look at something other 12 point font.” Jared pleaded, leaning onto Jensen’s desk and placing his hand in the middle of the file Jensen was attempting to read.
“I don’t want a break Jared. I want to find this guy.” Jensen grumbled before finally looking up, “Besides I’m pretty sure I typed this in 11 point font.”
Jared gave a huff and removed his hand, allowing Jensen to go back to reading. “Fine. But I’m totally bringing you tuna on rye.”
Jared stalled for a moment, waiting for a snappy remark, Jensen curled over the files. He walked away, grin dampened. Jensen watched Jared go. As he cleared the doorway Jensen leaned back, chair squealing and back popping, and scrubbed a calloused palm over his mouth. Glassy green eyes went dry under fluttering lashes. He could see them. Porcelain skin still tight with youth and wrinkles filled in by innocence. Their torsos brutalized under pale pink blouses and college hoodies. Skin split and entrails at the mercy of the elements. He blinked. Clearing out his throat of the memories, scratchy and choking. He hunched forward and stared at the stack of files he had yet to go through, his elbow precariously balanced over the victim’s picture. There wouldn’t be anything there. He had combed those files periodically ever since Poe went underground and he never found anything new. “Dammit.”
Jensen stood and strode over to the elevator pressing the down arrow and letting his mind run full blast. He couldn’t let this bastard get away again every murder this guy committed was now on his head. If he had just been faster… the elevator arrived. Jensen entered and pressed the button for the morgue. He waited for the doors to fully close before he relaxed his shoulders and kneaded at his aching neck. Jensen had never minded the morgue, he had seen a lot of dead bodies in his time on the force and most had been in way worse shape than having a Y cut into their chests with their insides on display. The doors slid open and Jensen stepped out, he set his shoulders and rolled his neck before entering. “Hey Collins, have you figured anything else out.”
Misha turned around with bloody plastic gloves on and a clear plastic mask perched on his head. He looked ready to give a snarky reply but took one look at Jensen’s bunched muscles and tense posture and thought better of it. Jensen was grateful. “Well it was definitely chloroform used according to the tox screen, but there is one interesting new development. She didn’t die from the stab wound, someone injected her with a lethal dose of morphine first.”
“That wasn’t in any of his earlier victims. Do you think this is still Poe?” Jensen didn’t even know what he hoped to hear. No, he’s truly lost forever. Yes, congratulations this girl is dead because of you. No answer would have put him at ease.
“No, it has to be him, or somebody intimately familiar with the case. It’s just the same as the other murders; no evidence left behind, no finger prints or DNA, nothing. This guy knows what he’s doing.” Misha explained, wrist deep in the corpse on the table.
Jensen shoved his hands in his pockets, “Yeah he sure does…”
“What are you thinking?” Misha wondered, picking up on the thoughtful look on Jensen’s face.
“It just bugs me how he knew our plan all those years ago, he didn’t only find the phone, he screwed with our heads. I mean, he knew we were tracking it and he knew when we would arrive. It just… bugs me.” Jensen contemplated. “Just let me know if you find anything.”
“Sure thing Ackles.” Misha replied turning back to autopsy, “And Ackles,”
Jensen stopped mid stride, finger raised to the up button at the elevator. “Yeah?”
“Nothing he does is on you.” Jensen stilled for a moment before pressing the up arrow. He waited for the elevator to arrive and to climb inside before daring to turn back around but Misha was already weighing the cranium saw in his gloved hands. The buzz of the machinery droned out Jensen’s low words.
“I wish that were true.” Jensen mumbled to himself quietly, and he let the elevator carry him back up to his desk full of files.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jensen didn’t get home till 4 a.m., which was eight hours after his shift was supposed to end. He didn’t even want to leave but the Chief had kicked him out after his sixth visit to the coffee machine. He said that Jensen must really need some rest if he was willing to drink that crap in a cup. He closed the door to the apartment as quietly as he could, knowing Jared was probably asleep. He had gone home around 1 a.m. when he fell asleep on his desk. He had shuffled out with a paper still stuck to cheek and Jensen had made him promise to text him so he knew he got home and didn’t fall asleep at the wheel. Jensen peeked into the bedroom and saw Jared sprawled over the bedspread, phone in hand, and he had only bothered to take of his shoes and belt. Jensen smiled softly and moved quietly toward the bathroom.
He looked like hell. His eyes were blood shot with large rings underneath, his tie was crooked, and his hair has standing up in unruly tuffs from running his fingers through it all day. He splashed his face with cold water and pealed his contacts from where they were super glued to his eyeballs before toeing off his shoes and removing his belt. He left a trail of clothes in his wake as he made his way to the bed. He just needed a little nap, then he could focus on the case again. He set the alarm for the normal 6 a.m. and collapsed beside Jared. Jared snuffled in his sleep and threw an arm around Jensen’s waist, shimming his head to press his forehead against the base of Jensen’s neck.
“I love you.” Jensen told him quietly, eyes sealed and breathe already evening out. He felt Jared’s soft puffs of air against his neck, and listened to the slight snore he gave every couple of breathes before he deliberately released all the tension locked in his muscles and slipped into blessed unconsciousness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Fuck.” Jensen muttered as the alarm sounded at 6 o’clock precisely. He rolled out from under Jared’s arm and shuffled to the coffee maker, he set it for almost double the usual number of cups and then maneuvered towards the bathroom to turn the shower on.
After he had scrubbed himself clean under the steamy spray and placed his contacts, in Jensen grabbed a cup of the fresh brewed coffee and gulped it down in three swallows before refilling. He drank the second cup while pulling on his clothes and the third while he strapped on his badge and gun. He was on his fourth cup by the time Jared clumsily tripped into the kitchen with his shaggy hair dripping and his tie hanging untied around his collar. Jensen drained his mug yet again and relished in the buzz of caffeine that his system was running on. He poured his fifth cup. Jared pushed wet bangs from his eyes and grabbed a mug, pouring the rest of the pot into his cup. “Jen have you already had three cups of coffee? I usually set this for four and there is only one cup left.”
Jensen just shrugged and went back to sucking up the caffeine in his cup. He had to be awake to catch a killer. He snatched the keys off the counter and was about to head to the car when noticed how much his hands were shaking. Maybe five cups of coffee in an hour was a bit much, Jensen speculated as he stared and the trembling keys. Then he pictured Amy, with her blue eyes and no future, and he took another sip.
“You’re driving.” He said tossing the keys to Jared who was in the middle of balancing a coffee cup and hooking his badge onto his suit pants.
“Two days in a row? You feeling okay?” Jared joked, but then he saw the tremble in Jensen’s hands and the painful tension in his shoulders and his smile fell.
“I’m fine Jare, just ready to finally solve this case.” Jensen replied and he turned on his heels and began walking towards the car.
“I know this case is hard for you Jen, if you ever need to talk…” Jared tried to catch up, keys jangling as he strutted forward on long legs.
“You don’t know. You’ve never let a murderer go free.” Jensen snapped. Jared stalled for a moment, hurt radiating from his big eyes. Jensen sighed deeply and turned to his boyfriend, “I’m sorry, you’re right, this is a hard case for me. You know I’m not good with the vulnerable thing but if I need to talk I promise you are the first person I will go to.”
“I know baby, I’m just worried about you.” Jared replied giving Jensen a peck on the lips, “You
taste like coffee.”
“Yeah well that happens when you have five cups of it.” Shit. He cringed as soon as he said it.
“Five cups? Five cups in an hour Jen? Are you trying to give yourself a stroke?” Jared questioned, frustration and worry waging a war on his face. “Jesus Jen.”
“It’s just coffee…” Jensen tried to deter.
“And it’s only day two of this case. It’s day two and already you are trembling from a caffeine overdose, Jensen just promise you will try to take care of yourself.” Jared pleaded grabbing Jensen by the shoulders before he could climb into the passenger seat. Jensen shook his head, exasperated look on his face, “Promise me.”
“I can’t Jared. I can’t.” Jensen wrenched out of Jared’s grip and plopped down in the passenger seat. Jared stood stalk still for a moment. Surprised by the turn in events. Jared walked around to the driver side, slid in, and waited. After a moment Jensen closed the door and adjusted his legs to face forward, “I can’t because I promised myself 7 years ago that I would take care of those girls. That I would find their killer. I guess I didn’t take care of Amy very well.”
They sat there in silence for a moment. “When I was eight, I was playing with my little sister in the yard. We were playing superman and the game was that we would pretend that a bad guy had taken Meagan, my sister, and I would swoop in and save the day. We thought it was a great idea for the evil villain to capture her and take her to his evil lair in this tree we had in the yard. So Meagan began to climb up, but one of the braches broke and she fell. She broke her leg in three places. She lived, and she healed, but we never played super hero again. I was never her hero again.”
“Jared that isn’t the same…” Jared’s eyes were wet with unshed tears but Jensen couldn’t bear to look. He was already drowning in his own guilt.
“The hell it’s not!” Jared snapped. “It wasn’t my fault Meagan fell and it isn’t your fault that those girls died and we need to stop living with guilt from it! I realize it isn’t to the same magnitude Jen, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do everything we can to find this guy, but I want you to still be you when we find this guy.”
“Jared…”
“You will always be my hero Jensen Ackles.”
Jensen gave a watery smile and wrapped his arms around Jared’s neck. He pressed his face into the crook of his neck and just breathed. For the first time since Jared read that poem he just breathed. “I promise.”
Jared tugged him in tighter, forearms pressing the shorter man tight to his chest. He smiled into his hair, spiked hair tickling his nostrils. He breathed in deep, coffee and cologne coating his lungs. Then the phone rang. Tension sprang through the muscles of Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen reluctantly pulled away to answer. Fingers digging into his crinkled suit pockets. Jared didn’t need to hear a word to know what had happened.
They had another body.