Chapter Eight Maria DeLuca was up before dawn. Images from her dreams about Agent Guerin were pushed severely back in her mind. It was just a dream, she told herself that over and over while getting dressed. She dressed in jeans, boots and a T-shirt with a denim long sleeve shirt tied around her waist. She then woke Kyle up with a kiss to the forehead. "Time?" He mumbled without opening his eyes. "Five-thirty." He mumbled something unintelligible and flung the blankets off. "Why so early?" "Two reasons," she sat next to him and ran her hand over his naked chest. "First because you're issuing me a gun today, yea! Secondly, I want to get a jump on setting up the war room." "The war room," he repeated and yawned. "Are you really going to call it that?" "Well, yeah," she raised her eyebrows. "That's what it is, right? Isn't that what they're always called in the books and movies?" "I guess, but there's only going to be the two of you working on this. It's hardly a war room, more like half a street-gang room." She rolled her eyes and then it dawned on her exactly what he had said. "You're not going to be there?" She asked as something electric shot through her system. "You are the sheriff." "And you are the deputy, which means I tell you what to do and you do it." He smiled. "You and the Fed are working on this. You'll give it everything you have and I'll keep the streets of Roswell safe from harm." Maria nodded and absently wondered how Agent Guerin would be dressed for their first investigation related meeting. Not that it mattered. She cursed herself for even thinking about Michael Guerin while she was sitting on the bed she shared with her boyfriend. She felt like a betrayer; but the only betrayer was the Maria from her dreams. So far. She watched as Kyle got out of bed, backed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stood in front of the mirror and checked her eye makeup again. She normally didn't wear eye makeup to work, but today was different. Today she was going to be working side by side with Agent Michael Guerin. Man of mystery. After tucking every last hair into place she wandered to the living room and then outside for the paper. The headline announcing Liz's death glared at her. She felt sick, having almost forgotten the reason for all the recent events and encounters. Liz was dead. She bit back angry tears and vowed to herself that she wouldn't let this cowardly killer get the best of her. She ambled back in the house and threw the paper away. Kyle joined her in the kitchen in uniform with wet hair. "So, you're not going to even wear a uniform shirt at least anymore?" Maria shrugged. "I look horrible in the uniforms, you now that. I thought that now I was some big heap deputy working on the big case I could slide on the uniform rules." "You always slide on the uniform rules," he laughed and turned on the coffee maker. "You slide on all the rules." She smiled over her shoulder at him and saw him for the Kyle he used to be. Not the Kyle she shared a home and bed with. Not the Kyle she told she loved everyday. The Kyle she knew in high school. The son of her mother's boyfriend. The almost brother-figure. The chill of distance swept through her so quickly and so coldly she rubbed her arms to ward off the goosebumps. "So, you ready to go?" She asked still rubbing her bare arms. "I just turned on the coffee maker," Kyle nodded towards it and then sighed and flipped it off. "I know you're anxious, but it's going to be a hard day." He took a deep breath. "Liz's body. Today." Maria nodded; she had forgotten. In all the confusion, excitement and wonder of the day before her she had forgotten about seeing her dead friends body. "Oh. Shit. Will you be there?" Kyle nodded and outstretched his arms to her, enveloping her when she came to him. "I'll be there. You don't have to go…" "Yeah, I do." She broke away and grabbed her purse. "C'mon, let's get going and get this over with. Agent Michael will be there soon, I'm sure." She walked out the front door and got in the front seat of the 4X4 before she realized she called him Agent Michael. She giggled to herself before Kyle got in the vehicle. * * * Michael Guerin paced the hallway outside of the Sheriff's office. He had been there for almost an hour. After his late night conversation with Isabel Whitman, he had stayed up and went through his case notes, again. He mused with the idea that Maria had put in his head that he had missed something. There was nothing to miss. There was nothing. He didn't know much about Elizabeth Parker yet, but he was confident it would be the same as the others, no link. His brow furrowed as he remembered something about victim number four, her name was Betsey Randolph. Betsey was short for Elizabeth. A link or a stretch? He shook his head and was pretty confident it was a stretch. Betsey Randolph never went by Elizabeth and apparently Elizabeth Parker always went by Liz. Coincidence? He nodded to himself; the world was full of coincidences. Michael stood facing the wall when he heard footsteps. At the same time he smelled jasmine. Maria. He turned around smiling, his smile dropped at the image of Maria and the Sheriff holding hands. "Good morning," he said politely as the jasmine neared him. He inhaled deeply and wondered if she always smelled like jasmine. He almost liked to think it was just for him. "Not really," Maria snipped at him. "I have to go see my dead friend. Nothing good about that, is there?" She turned from him wondering why she was being such a bitch. Technically he had done nothing to her to make her snap at him. A simple good morning was all he offered. "Sorry." Michael nodded at her and felt her pain. It was never a good morning when you had to visit the dead. The trio walked from the station and piled into the 4X4. Michael waited patiently for Maria to lean over the seat as before so he could smell her and then chastised himself for the thoughts. There was too much working against him. Maria was the sheriff's girlfriend. Her friend was just killed. She wouldn't want him. "Did you bring your files?" Maria leaned over the seat and noticed as Michael closed his eyes. "Hello?" "I brought the files. They're at the station." He opened his eyes and looked at her. He felt a sharp intake of breath as he met her gaze. "For you." Maria nodded and slid back into the backseat. The short drive to the medical examiner's office seemed to take forever. Maria bit at her manicured nails; her thoughts trying to drift anywhere except on what she was about to see. Kyle pulled up in the driveway and they all walked inside. They were met by the ME's assistant, Larry, and led into a cold, sterile room. Two sides of the room were home to giant freezer doors. Cadaver freezers. Maria's knees felt weak and she reached out trying to find Kyle's arm or support. Kyle took her by the elbow and steadied her after asking her if she wanted to wait outside. Maria declined and eventually was on her own by the time the ME came in. Dr. Martin Gruff had been a senior in high school when Kyle and Maria were freshmen at West Roswell High; back then he was Marty Gruff. Sometimes he was Marty 'the crime dog' Gruff. He had been the county's ME for almost a year. He nodded hellos to Kyle and Maria and was introduced to Agent Guerin with whom he shook hands. "It's a real shame about Liz," Martin walked towards the freezer door. He opened the steel door and went inside. He vanished for a few seconds then returned pushing a gurney in front of him with the sheet covered body of Liz Parker on top. He pushed the gurney in front of the threesome and pulled the sheet back exposing Liz Parker's pretty dead face. He pointed to her neck as he spoke. "See the discoloring of the neck and her lower face? That's caused by the occluding of blood vessels. In other words, the scarf that was used, think of it as a stopper. The force of the ligature caused the blood vessels to congest. The bruising around her neck," he pointed to a dark purple bruise about the size of a quarter," like that one were caused by the perpetrator. Probably a thumb, in my opinion. He used force on her and that caused the fracturing of her hyoid bone." "The what?" Kyle asked and then coughed nervously. "The hyoid bone is a small bone at the base of the tongue, its also called thyroid cartilage. At first I assumed she had been in the water, but upon further examination, I believe she was just left by the water. There was no evidence of sand or weeds in her mouth or nose. She was left on the bank already dead." "Twelve hours before she was found?" Agent Guerin asked staring at the dead woman's face. "Right around twelve. I thought eight to twelve, but when we got back here she had total rigor mortis. Twelve hours, give or take a few minutes." Martin shrugged. "Are you doing an autopsy?" Michael asked and heard the heavy breath of Maria beside him. "No," Marty shook his head. "No reason too. The cause of death is obvious. Death by manual ligature strangulation. The family wants her body released as soon as possible so they can hold the funeral." He looked at Maria and cocked his head to one side. "You two were friends, right?" Maria nodded slowly and looked at Liz's face. It wasn't Liz anymore. It was just a shell of what Liz used to be. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before turning on her heels and leaving the room . "Thanks Marty," Kyle nodded at the ME. "Unless Agent Guerin has any reason, I don't see why you can't release the body to the family." "Go ahead," Michael nodded and leaned in to Liz's lifeless face. "Don't worry Liz, you're one of mine now and I promise you I'll find the bastard. I don't care if it's the last thing I do," he whispered and then covered her face up with the sheet. "Release her. Let her family start with some closure." * * * Chapter Nine Maria was leaning against the side of the building taking deep breaths when Kyle and Michael came back outside. She was fighting back the crying and it was killing her. The vision of her dead friend would haunt her until she took her own last breath. "Sweetie," Kyle took her in his arms. Michael watched with agony and a tinge of jealousy. He knew how hard it was to see someone you loved dead on a table; although he thought she was handling it better than could be expected. The jealousy came from watching Kyle wrap his arms around her body and hold her close. Watching her wrap her arms around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder. He stood awkwardly and looked at his feet unable to face the couple in front of him. "I have to go back in," Maria broke away from Kyle and looked at the door. "For what?" Kyle asked wondering if she had forgotten anything. "I have to tell Liz something." She cast her eyes in Michael's direction only for a moment. "I have to make her a promise." "A promise…" Kyle said slowly knowing full well that the last thing Maria needed to do was to see Liz again. Not like that. "I have to promise her I'll find out who did this to her and make him pay!" She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. "I already made that promise," Michael stepped towards her and spoke in softer tones. "I told her Maria. She knows it comes from you, that's not Liz in there. You don't have to see her that way again." "But she…" Maria nodded and knew he was right. That wasn't Liz, Liz was gone. "Did you really tell her that?" Michael nodded and smiled. Not a joyous one, but one that let her know he was telling the truth. He didn't think he'd ever be able to hide anything from Maria. From this woman he just met. This beautiful woman who smelled like jasmine. "Thank you then Agent Michael," Maria blushed. "Sorry…" "Agent Michael," he pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "I kind of like it. It sounds like I should be on Sesame Street, but I like it." "I am so sorry!" Maria giggled and it felt good. Anything beyond the stench of death was good. "Seriously thank you." "She's one of mine now. Liz is," Michael exhaled and met her eyes. He had a moment where he was sure everything he was feeling was conveyed through his eyes so he quickly shut them. "Ready to go set up the war room?" Maria asked and looked back and forth between the two men. "The war room," Michael opened his eyes and smiled. "Yes, the war room." She looked between the two men. "What is the problem with me calling it the war room?" "It just sounds like this should be a big operation and it's not. It's the two of you," Kyle slid sunglasses on and watched the pair in front of him hidden behind the da |
| PARTS 8-14 |