Forty five minutes. That’s how long the drive back to the precinct was, and that was how long Flack lectured her for. Taylor was certain he drove the most obscure way there. By the time they had arrived and parked up, her voice was horse from the argument they’d had. Taylor got out of the car before Flack could say another word, slamming the door shut behind her. She stormed off into the Crime lab. She was passing by the break room when her phone rang, so she stepped in, dropping down on the vacant couch. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” the caller demanded.
“Lindsay?” asked Taylor in confusion.
“Yes,” Lindsay replied. She didn’t sound impressed. “I am sat in Squares with Danny, well, actually, I’m in the bathroom, but it’s just me and him, and he’s been insulting the country for the past hour. Where are you?”
“Oh, Lindsay, I am so sorry,” sighed Taylor, sinking back into the couch.
“You haven’t done this intentionally, have you?” Lindsay asked, her tone accusatory.
“No! I had a phone call on my way out from the hospital. My friend Maddy was admitted. I completely forgot,” she apologised.
“Oh!” Lindsay exclaimed, her tone instantly changing to one of concern. “Is she alright?”
Taylor sighed. “Long story short, she’s fine physically. Her boyfriend hit her.”
“Are you there now? Do you want some company?”
“Thank you, Lindsay, but I’m back at the lab,” Taylor explained. “I’ll be fine.”
“Alright, well, I will call you later, then.”
The two said their goodbyes and Taylor hung up. Just in time for the ghost of Chloe to appear. “Stop them.”
Taylor stared at her, exhaustion setting in. “Is this my penance for watching a couple of movies, because the powers that be, whoever they are, have a really messed up conception of balance.
“Stop them.”
“I don’t know who they are, Chloe. Are we talking about the football team, or is someone supplying them with drugs, or, are we talking about the IRA? I can’t stop anyone unless you tell me who to stop,” she told the ghost wearily, rubbing at her temples.
“Please, stop them.”
“Using manners, isn’t going to help the matter, when you don’t give me anything else to go on,” she told the ghost as Chloe disappeared.
“The latest ghost?” asked Marty as he came and sat down next to her, handing her a couple of aspirin and a bottle of water.
Taylor nodded. “I don’t understand her, Marty. She keeps telling me to stop them, but I don’t know who they are.” She swallowed the pills.
“How’s Maddy?” Marty asked her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I meant to come and see you. I just got so distracted by the ghost,” she told him as he pulled her into a hug. “She’s a fighter, but... she doesn’t see that there’s anything wrong. I don’t know what to do, Marty. I didn’t even talk to her. I just shouted. And Chloe, the ghost, won’t leave me alone. If this is all some test, they’re going the right way to make me fail.”
Marty rested his head on her chin, “Come on, I’ll help. It’s 2am, right?”
Taylor pulled back to stare up at him. Slowly, she nodded.
“Well, visiting hours are over now, so let’s focus on this ghost first. Chloe? What do we know?” he asked her.
Taylor sighed. “She did exactly the same thing I did at college - she found a story and went after it, regardless of the consequences, except, for her, the consequence was death.”
“Alright, so she found out about some ecstasy and died because of it, right?”
“Yeah,” Taylor agreed.
“So, who do you think they are?”
“I’ve had to research drugs in the student life on campus before,” Taylor responded, thoughtfully. “In only about 1% of the cases, did the students actually create the drugs, or be top of the food chain. The rest of the time, they were just on the lowest rank of dealer.” She sighed, “I don’t think the football players are using – NCAA guidelines mean they get drug tested, and at the same time, I don’t think they would sell them either. I know selling them would mean they would lose their sports scholarship, but so would any other student. But it was a football player that Chloe pointed to.”
“I heard Flack arrested one of them?” Marty suggested.
Taylor nodded. “Yeah, but it was because he was the guy that launched the can at me the other day.”
“Perhaps you should start with him,” he suggested, before reaching for his pager which had started bleeping at him. “That’s downstairs. I have to go, but wait here when you’re done, and I’ll come find you,” he told her, giving her shoulder one last squeeze.
Taylor watched him go. She was sat with her head in her hands when a pair of shoes appeared in her line of vision. “Don’t bother,” she told Flack, without looking up.
He sat down next to her. “Help me out here,” he said softly.
Taylor turned to look at him.
“The kid we arrested had enough ecstasy on him that he was borderline possession and dealing,” Flack explained.
Taylor shrugged. “Tell him I’ll drop the assault charges if he gives up who supplied the drugs.”
“I can’t make deals, Taylor, that’s the DA’s job,” Flack quickly pointed out.
Taylor sighed, “You’re not making a deal, I’ll just drop the charges if he talks. He doesn’t need assault on top of possession charges.”
“I really struggle to understand you, sometimes,” he told her softly before getting to his feet. “What makes you so certain that he’s going to accept?”
“I don’t,” she replied with a shrug. “But what’s the harm in trying?”
Flack stared down at her. “Are you going to come watch?”
Taylor nodded and followed him, taking the familiar route next door to the interview room. She settled herself down on the other side of the mirror.
“Where are you?” the caller demanded.
“Lindsay?” asked Taylor in confusion.
“Yes,” Lindsay replied. She didn’t sound impressed. “I am sat in Squares with Danny, well, actually, I’m in the bathroom, but it’s just me and him, and he’s been insulting the country for the past hour. Where are you?”
“Oh, Lindsay, I am so sorry,” sighed Taylor, sinking back into the couch.
“You haven’t done this intentionally, have you?” Lindsay asked, her tone accusatory.
“No! I had a phone call on my way out from the hospital. My friend Maddy was admitted. I completely forgot,” she apologised.
“Oh!” Lindsay exclaimed, her tone instantly changing to one of concern. “Is she alright?”
Taylor sighed. “Long story short, she’s fine physically. Her boyfriend hit her.”
“Are you there now? Do you want some company?”
“Thank you, Lindsay, but I’m back at the lab,” Taylor explained. “I’ll be fine.”
“Alright, well, I will call you later, then.”
The two said their goodbyes and Taylor hung up. Just in time for the ghost of Chloe to appear. “Stop them.”
Taylor stared at her, exhaustion setting in. “Is this my penance for watching a couple of movies, because the powers that be, whoever they are, have a really messed up conception of balance.
“Stop them.”
“I don’t know who they are, Chloe. Are we talking about the football team, or is someone supplying them with drugs, or, are we talking about the IRA? I can’t stop anyone unless you tell me who to stop,” she told the ghost wearily, rubbing at her temples.
“Please, stop them.”
“Using manners, isn’t going to help the matter, when you don’t give me anything else to go on,” she told the ghost as Chloe disappeared.
“The latest ghost?” asked Marty as he came and sat down next to her, handing her a couple of aspirin and a bottle of water.
Taylor nodded. “I don’t understand her, Marty. She keeps telling me to stop them, but I don’t know who they are.” She swallowed the pills.
“How’s Maddy?” Marty asked her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I meant to come and see you. I just got so distracted by the ghost,” she told him as he pulled her into a hug. “She’s a fighter, but... she doesn’t see that there’s anything wrong. I don’t know what to do, Marty. I didn’t even talk to her. I just shouted. And Chloe, the ghost, won’t leave me alone. If this is all some test, they’re going the right way to make me fail.”
Marty rested his head on her chin, “Come on, I’ll help. It’s 2am, right?”
Taylor pulled back to stare up at him. Slowly, she nodded.
“Well, visiting hours are over now, so let’s focus on this ghost first. Chloe? What do we know?” he asked her.
Taylor sighed. “She did exactly the same thing I did at college - she found a story and went after it, regardless of the consequences, except, for her, the consequence was death.”
“Alright, so she found out about some ecstasy and died because of it, right?”
“Yeah,” Taylor agreed.
“So, who do you think they are?”
“I’ve had to research drugs in the student life on campus before,” Taylor responded, thoughtfully. “In only about 1% of the cases, did the students actually create the drugs, or be top of the food chain. The rest of the time, they were just on the lowest rank of dealer.” She sighed, “I don’t think the football players are using – NCAA guidelines mean they get drug tested, and at the same time, I don’t think they would sell them either. I know selling them would mean they would lose their sports scholarship, but so would any other student. But it was a football player that Chloe pointed to.”
“I heard Flack arrested one of them?” Marty suggested.
Taylor nodded. “Yeah, but it was because he was the guy that launched the can at me the other day.”
“Perhaps you should start with him,” he suggested, before reaching for his pager which had started bleeping at him. “That’s downstairs. I have to go, but wait here when you’re done, and I’ll come find you,” he told her, giving her shoulder one last squeeze.
Taylor watched him go. She was sat with her head in her hands when a pair of shoes appeared in her line of vision. “Don’t bother,” she told Flack, without looking up.
He sat down next to her. “Help me out here,” he said softly.
Taylor turned to look at him.
“The kid we arrested had enough ecstasy on him that he was borderline possession and dealing,” Flack explained.
Taylor shrugged. “Tell him I’ll drop the assault charges if he gives up who supplied the drugs.”
“I can’t make deals, Taylor, that’s the DA’s job,” Flack quickly pointed out.
Taylor sighed, “You’re not making a deal, I’ll just drop the charges if he talks. He doesn’t need assault on top of possession charges.”
“I really struggle to understand you, sometimes,” he told her softly before getting to his feet. “What makes you so certain that he’s going to accept?”
“I don’t,” she replied with a shrug. “But what’s the harm in trying?”
Flack stared down at her. “Are you going to come watch?”
Taylor nodded and followed him, taking the familiar route next door to the interview room. She settled herself down on the other side of the mirror.
* * *
“You want to explain these, Liam?” Flack asked the student he had arrested earlier, dropping an evidence bag of half a dozen white pills on the table.
“Never seen them before in my life,” Liam responded.
“Interesting, that, considering I pulled them from you back jeans pocket myself.”
“Somebody must have put them there,” Liam suggested, lamely.
Flack, who was stood beside him, looked down at him in disbelief. “So, you’re telling me that someone stuck this noticeably sized packet of tablets into your back pocket, without you noticing?” Flack smirked. “Or perhaps it’s just that you are used to people groping you?”
“I’m not gay,” Liam snapped back at him defensively.
“Hey,” said Flack, holding his hands up. “I never said the person groping you was a guy – you made that assumption yourself. But I’m not here to talk to you about your sexuality.” He walked around to the other side of the table, pulled the chair out and swung it around. He sat down, resting his forearms against the back of the chair. “Now, they way I see it, you got two options. The first is you sit there, say nothing, and you get charged for assault, as well as possession. And if I have my way, I’m going to get intent to supply in there too. The other option is that you tell me where you got the pills from, and I’ll see to it that the assault charge goes away – you can drop a good ten years of your sentence.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam said, shaking his head.
“Fine by me,” Flack told him, leaning back. “But I’ll tell you this – a football player like you – the guys in Attica won’t have a problem whether you’re gay or not.”
“Drew Lawrence,” Liam shot out.
“Now, that didn’t take you long, did it?” said Flack as he made a note in his notebook.
“He’s the starting quarterback,” Liam quickly added.
“And where’s he getting the ecstasy from?”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Liam,” Flack pressed.
“I don’t! Honestly. He’d just give us fresh packets when we got low – exchanged the cash, you know?”
“Who are us?” Flack continued.
Without missing a beat, Liam told him. “Martin Green, and Davie Oraha.”
“Quite the little canary, aren’t ya?” smirked Flack.
“Huh?”
“Ya like singing,” Flack explained.
Liam glared at him.
“Just one last question,” Flack added as he rose to his feet.
“What?” Liam asked, continuing to try to kill Flack with his eyes.
“Who killed Chloe Barnes?”
“That God-annoying journalist?” Liam asked, in surprise. “Don’t know. But she deserved it.”
Flack looked down at him in disgust. “She deserved to die?”
“Hell yeah. Little bitch was always snooping into everything. Someone probably just dropped an E in her drink – try to get her to loosen up.”
“Never seen them before in my life,” Liam responded.
“Interesting, that, considering I pulled them from you back jeans pocket myself.”
“Somebody must have put them there,” Liam suggested, lamely.
Flack, who was stood beside him, looked down at him in disbelief. “So, you’re telling me that someone stuck this noticeably sized packet of tablets into your back pocket, without you noticing?” Flack smirked. “Or perhaps it’s just that you are used to people groping you?”
“I’m not gay,” Liam snapped back at him defensively.
“Hey,” said Flack, holding his hands up. “I never said the person groping you was a guy – you made that assumption yourself. But I’m not here to talk to you about your sexuality.” He walked around to the other side of the table, pulled the chair out and swung it around. He sat down, resting his forearms against the back of the chair. “Now, they way I see it, you got two options. The first is you sit there, say nothing, and you get charged for assault, as well as possession. And if I have my way, I’m going to get intent to supply in there too. The other option is that you tell me where you got the pills from, and I’ll see to it that the assault charge goes away – you can drop a good ten years of your sentence.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam said, shaking his head.
“Fine by me,” Flack told him, leaning back. “But I’ll tell you this – a football player like you – the guys in Attica won’t have a problem whether you’re gay or not.”
“Drew Lawrence,” Liam shot out.
“Now, that didn’t take you long, did it?” said Flack as he made a note in his notebook.
“He’s the starting quarterback,” Liam quickly added.
“And where’s he getting the ecstasy from?”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Liam,” Flack pressed.
“I don’t! Honestly. He’d just give us fresh packets when we got low – exchanged the cash, you know?”
“Who are us?” Flack continued.
Without missing a beat, Liam told him. “Martin Green, and Davie Oraha.”
“Quite the little canary, aren’t ya?” smirked Flack.
“Huh?”
“Ya like singing,” Flack explained.
Liam glared at him.
“Just one last question,” Flack added as he rose to his feet.
“What?” Liam asked, continuing to try to kill Flack with his eyes.
“Who killed Chloe Barnes?”
“That God-annoying journalist?” Liam asked, in surprise. “Don’t know. But she deserved it.”
Flack looked down at him in disgust. “She deserved to die?”
“Hell yeah. Little bitch was always snooping into everything. Someone probably just dropped an E in her drink – try to get her to loosen up.”
* * *
Taylor had heard enough. She got up and headed to the break room to wait for Marty. She would have gone down to see him, but if he had been called to the morgue, that meant he was probably processing a body – and she really didn’t need to see that.
She was curled up on the couch when Chloe appeared again, this time dressed in white.
“Thank you.”
“But I didn’t find your killer,” Taylor frowned as she pulled herself into a sitting position.
“No,” Chloe agreed. “And you won’t. I don’t know who killed me – the bar was very busy – so I don’t expect that you ever will.”
“So, you just wanted me to shut down a handful of dealers?” Taylor asked, puzzled.
Chloe nodded. “Your detective friend is next door, right now, passing on all of this information to the narcotics department. It’s enough. It will take time, but it’s enough.”
“Oh, well, you’re welcome,” Taylor smiled.
“Can I ask one last favour?”
“Um, sure,” Taylor agreed, hesitantly.
“I have never taken drugs,” Chloe told her. “Will you please make sure my parents know that? They’ll be here tomorrow.”
Taylor nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.”
She was curled up on the couch when Chloe appeared again, this time dressed in white.
“Thank you.”
“But I didn’t find your killer,” Taylor frowned as she pulled herself into a sitting position.
“No,” Chloe agreed. “And you won’t. I don’t know who killed me – the bar was very busy – so I don’t expect that you ever will.”
“So, you just wanted me to shut down a handful of dealers?” Taylor asked, puzzled.
Chloe nodded. “Your detective friend is next door, right now, passing on all of this information to the narcotics department. It’s enough. It will take time, but it’s enough.”
“Oh, well, you’re welcome,” Taylor smiled.
“Can I ask one last favour?”
“Um, sure,” Taylor agreed, hesitantly.
“I have never taken drugs,” Chloe told her. “Will you please make sure my parents know that? They’ll be here tomorrow.”
Taylor nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Originally posted: 23/05/2006