3 wise monkeys.... ( Locked for Heartofcourage )

Ellison Wake sat in his patrol vehicle. The temperature outside was a brisk 30 degrees, although the wind chill made it feel more like 10. Cold enough to freeze your face, your nose and just about anything else. The steady rumble of the SUV filled the background of his mind as he surveyed his computer, then looked out at the hill in front of him. Snow had been falling lightly, although the weather forecast said they could expect at least three inches tonight, not much really, but the cold would make the snow stick, the roads would probably 'want' to ice over, but so long as DOT got out and sprayed the streets, laying things out he wouldn't be spending his nights filling out reports on every accident that came through. Of course, they could just put the city on accident alert, and the populous would have to call them in afterward, if there were no serious injuries. He took one long look at the hill, zipped his coat and made sure his ball cap was on. Looking at his passenger seat his eyes went soft. a mild frown started. and he could feel his eyes water. Closing them he forced back the tears and picked up his radio.

"10-7, I'll be off for maybe 10-15 minutes."

A strong female voice came over the radio "Copy. You wanna wait, I can have Unit 3 over there shortly."

"No...Thanks though."

Elli cracked his door, got out and could feel his patrol boots hit the snow. Looking back the red light coming from his tail lights illuminated his face, casing him in a dreadful light, a possible foreshadowing of what his evening might become. Turning back toward the hill, he took a deep breath, made sure his jacket was zipped one last time and followed the headlight beams to down the side walk and up to where he needed to go.

The walk wasn't far, he could hear the steady wisp of the wiper blades over the engine noise start to fade, and as he followed the headlights, his form blocked more of the beam casting a shadow. Walking up the hill, about 20 feet he reached where he needed to be, moved slightly to the right and swept some of the fallen snow off the top of the stone.

"Hi girls... I know it's been a while..."

He talked, spoke about the weekend, the house, the old beat up Jeep he'd been trying to fix up. and tried to laugh at a story he was telling, but his tears grew to be too much. The icy wind froze his tears in place and he cried. it was too much, he shouldn't have come alone. So, with no more words to say he stood there, put a hand on the head stone and just tried to say things in his head that he couldn't say with his lips.

"Love you both.. see you soon."

Elli made the short walk back down the hill, almost slipping once, but followed his own foot prints back to his vehicle, taking one last glance back and got in. The warmth of the heater greeting him, washing over him like a warm blanket. Once inside he sat for another moment, gathering his thoughts. He got back on the radio and announced by code he was available.

"Unit 3 got called to a DV, but we need you on south and 21st western park. Possible status check, look for a young male, 20's with a red and black coat on. He's the first on scene."

"Thanks. on my way. "

The ride wasn't more than 20 minutes, but with lights on it took half that. Pulling up to the the corner of 21st and South, He was at the entrance to Monroe Park. It was one of the many parks in his city. Comparing it to other parks in the city, it didn't get a whole lot of foot traffic. And at this time of night, with a light snow covering everything he could see the cold weather had kept most everyone indoors. However he spotted the citizen who'd called in, He was stamping his feet in the cold trying to stay warm. He'd dressed appropriately, big boots, winter coat and a beanie on his head but this weather and the wind chill would eventually get anyone. His pup, a black lab which looked to be about 2 years old was standing next to him. Off in the distance Elli could also see another figure, possibly a young woman who was off about 30 feet away.

As far as the park goes, Elli could see there was someone sitting on a park bench sitting straight up. The person of interest was sitting on a bench that was about 10 feet away from the main walk way that lead through the park. The bench faced away from the entrance toward a large open field. It was a long enough distance from the street that somebody couldn't have just dropped this person there. As he gazed at the temperature on his console it displayed 20 degrees. No way someone is just going to sit there still as rock in this weather, one trail of footprints and paw prints lead from the park bench, who ever it was, had been sitting there since before the snow started. Getting out of his patrol unit, Elli introduced himself as Officer Wake, and started asking the young man a few questions.

He introduced himself as Alex Blake, he was a college student who lived in the apartments just a block away. He'd taken his pup out for a walk as they always do, despite the weather and notice this person sitting on the park bench. Upon approach they didn't move, Alex didn't think to interrupt them but when his pup Zeeke sniffed at the person and moved away he knew something was wrong. Elli got his contact number and told him to go home and get warm. If he had more questions he'd track him down. Once Mr. Blake had left, Elli walked slowly toward the figure, pulling his flashlight out, shining it high and off to the left of him as he put his hand on his sidearm.

"Hello!, Police.. Can you turn and face me please.." He spoke loudly, clearly over the wisp of wind... Still no movement.

Approaching, still weary this person still hadn't moved and could be a drunk or asleep he was careful. They looked slight of figure, but probably male. Getting a few steps closer Elli called out a few more times, then drew his weapon, crossing his flashlight under his right forearm for support, then began circling the person to the left.

First queue was the fact that he could see a spatter of red, crystalized liquid on the back collar of the jacket. The jacket was new, possibly north face.or some such brand. The beanie was pulled down over the ears, tucked into the collar of the jacket. and as Elli approached, he could see it, a circle of crystals formed just where the ear should be. Shinning his light, he could see more.. Blood, dried in the cold formed at the tip of the left ear.

Coming around to the person's front, Officer Wake could see the man's eyes were open, a subtle look of surprise on their face, locked in time. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jacket. He'd been expecting someone. Probably his killer. Checking for other signs of violence, he noticed the same blood trail down the side of the man's right ear. The beanie was covering the man's ears, he dared not touch anything, let the coroner do his job, Elli would pick up afterwards..

He could feel his soul drop a few inches. Giving a deep sigh he pulled his mic off his lapel and spoke into it as he rushed back to his patrol vehicle, going for the back gate he lifted it and spoke in to the mic as he grabbed a massive roll of Police tape, and a second one which hadn't been touched.

"Send the coroner, we have a body. Also get detective Lewis down here. he'll want to see it."

"Anything like the others?" Dispatch asked.

"No.. can't tell, don't want to disturb the crime scene."

"Alright, Lewis is on the way CSI will be there in about 20."

"Ok." His heart sunk as this was the 3rd dead body he'd found in the last 6 weeks.

Elli tied off one end of the tape to a light pole and headed off, to corden off most of the park. he noticed the young woman not far away and recognized her. A reporter.. "Crime Scene Miss.. You'll have to stay behind the tape.."

“I’m nowhere near him.” The reply came as the young woman scrawled frantically in her notebook. “And I haven’t been near him. You can tell by my footprints.”

Sure enough, behind her was a solid line of footprints in the snow that stopped right at her current location. Finally glancing up from her writing, she stared at the police officer as he did his best to intimidate her backwards. Her large blue eyes looked almost impossibly big for her head. A stocking cap was pulled over her messy long blonde hair and her winter coat was only haphazardly buttoned, the top one mismatched causing the rest to be askew. She wasn’t dressed for the weather, but she was there. Her blue jeans weee already soaked at the cuff and her canvas sneakers were water logged, but it wasn’t going to stop her.

“Joan Archer.” She said, offering the officer her press pass. “The New Times Weekly.”

On the outside, she seemed calm and collected, like any normal person. However, on the inside, she was barely keeping things together. Voices raged in her head, creating a violent tempest that threatened to drown out everything else. The only external tick was a brief glance to the side from time to time as of seeing things that weren’t really there.

“I’m an intern there. Covering these crimes.” Intern was a loose interpretation of what she was. It was a pity job. Give the disabled girl a job, make it look good to investors. She was barely surviving her college courses, but she did her best for the paper.

“Is it the same as the others? Did you see his stab wound?” She asked without hestitation as if it were normal conversation to be having that late at night in that location. “Under his coat. Left side. Same as the others.”

His eyes turned to Joan, he wanted to ask her more but didn't he needed to cordon off the park and get the area secured so the detectives could do their work.

It took the better part of twenty minutes for Elli to cordon off the area. He'd used the entire first roll of tape, following a few light poles an circling around the park bench where the body was as much as he could trying to create a square grid which would hopefully make the detective work that Lewis needed to do easier. As much as the cold would preserve much, it also meant that any foot prints that might've been on the dry ground were now covered. The glaring negative effect was that if they'd hoped to get any finger prints off the bench or the victim's clothes, they were screwed. the snow was so light it melted, and would wet the clothes, rendering any fingerprints wiped clean by mother nature.

As Elli walked, he surveyed the area, and found no other tracks leading into the park, There was one other entrance sidewalk, otherwise the park was open to foot traffic, anyone could have walked in on the lawn and approached from a position and never had their footprints traced. So how long had this guy been here? had anyone seen him walk in? Did he come here with someone? The distance of the park bench from the entrance was at least a good 20 feet, close enough where he could've been dropped off, but other things didn't make any sense. Instead he simply concentrated on getting the scene secure and waited for Lewis and the Coroner's office.

He did see the young woman shuffling as she scribbled in her notebook. He'd seen her before, a little discheveled, but then again she looked the part of a young struggling college student, journalist who was trying to make a living. However he was interrupted by the approach of Lewis and the Coroner's office.

Lewis, a man in his mid 40's who had a permenent 'fuck you face" approached Elli and smirked. "So what ya got? another vagrant who 'OD'd' and froze to death?"

Walking away from where he'd been standing, close to the entrance, lifting the tape for the Coroner's office to head in, Elli explained "No. seems like another victim, Guy's been dead only a short while, Noticed blood on his earlobes, no other signs of trauma, I didn't touch the body, and I retraced my footsteps in and out."

"So you didn't touch anything?"
"No, I walked the perimeter, checked for any footprints leading in or out of the park in case someone else was there."

"OK, well don't go anywhere, and make sure that reporter doesn't get too close. she's been at the last two and seems to babble on about things. Seems to know more than she should. Things we haven't released."

"Such as?"
Lewis grew annoyed, "Just... keep her away from the scene. Go talk to her, play nice."

Lewis schleped off, walked under the crime scene tape and started talking with the crime scene tech.

Elli walked back to where Miss Archer was. She was pretty, and she had mannerisms that made him think of his kid sister... Molly. He smiled at the thought of her.. Approaching again he observed her closer. she was going to freeze or catch a cold in those sneakers. About 10 feet from Joan he unzipped his patrol jacket, pulled out a note pad of his own and jotted down her description. if she was the first one here, he'd treat her like a witness.

"Miss Archer, I'm Officer Wake, I have a few questions for you. How long have you been here on scene? And, you said you didn't touch the body or get close to it, but you told me about a wound you think this person has. What makes you think that?

Joan was furiously writing in her notebook by the time the officer returned, his own book in hand and questions coming quickly. She paused for a moment, looking st the angry scrawled words in her notebook that didn’t seem to make any sense. She felt agitated, the words in her head coming fast and furious telling her so many things at once. The police weren’t doing enough. The person was going to get away again. They were still in the area if the cops would just look hard enough. However, she couldn’t tell them any of that.

“Only about five minutes.” Joan muttered as she closed her notebook and held it against her chest, looking up at the officer again with those large blue eyes. “I ran as soon as I knew.”

Her apartment was down the street, less than half a mile away from the scene of the crime. With no other means of transportation, she often walked. She had tried to learn to drive but it was an exercise in futility. Her last bike had been stolen after she had left it unlocked on the street and she didn’t have the funds to try to buy a new one. Instead, she would just walk the city.

“Well, was he stabbed? You didn’t say yes or no.” She challenged, tilting her head to the side to look at him. “Left side of the chest. Just like the others. I don’t have to think anything. I know.”

She sounded crazy to most people. She was crazy. She felt crazy just then. The voices were at a fevered pitch and would only stop when they had the answers that they needed.

Elli wasn't sure of what to make of her comments, "she was sure of it," like she knew the killer, or the killer had been talking to her.

"I'm an Officer Miss, not a detective, but if there is a wound, I'm sure the detective and the coroner's office will spot it. Why do you say that 'you know' there's a wound? Has the killer contacted you? Keeping that information from the police can be harmful, if you've got information to share, please tell us. Here.. here's my card."

Elli lifted the left flap to his left shirt pocket inside his jacket and pulled a business card out, flipping it over he scribbled something on it and handed it to her.

"My cell number is on there, if you think of anything, call me."

"WAKE! I need you over here!" Lewis was yelling.

Elli turned and walked along the sidewalk and as much on known foot prints as he could in order to not disturb anything else.

"Yes Detective?" Elli replied

"CSI is going to get a few things out of their vehicle to set up a tent to protect the scene. I'd like you to help. Also, another tech should be here in a bit so make sure to let them through. What's 'her' deal?"

"She's saying there's a knife wound on the left side, like the others."

"She's full of shit Wake, don't listen to the blonde, she's feeding you info, hell the killer probably is feeding her information and she's refusing to share it with us."

"I dunno, she seems pretty certain."

"All reporters are certain of everything. that's their way of prying info out of you when you don't intend to say anything. besides, I understand she's a little crazy, I mean she's weird the twitching, it's not normal. hell for all her actions she could be the killer"

"Have we checked her out?"

"Yea... she's been verified, We talked to her and her boss after the first murder sounds like she's got an alibi for them all but I still think someone is feeding her info, She knows more than she should."

Elli filed that away. something with this whole thing didn't seem right. The last two were found in different places. All were sitting upright in a chair, hands in their pockets. but the other two were mutilated more visually..

The evening dragged. The CSI tech built a tent over the scene and closed it off from the street. A few fluorescent lights were attached at corners to give as much light as possible. And once the light was on, further evidence could be seen. The victim indeed had been stabbed in the left side of the chest. The color of the jacket hid the blood. From where he stood, Elli looked over at Miss Archer, she was probably shivering cold by now.

"Do you need me for anything further Detective?"

"No.. once the tech arrives you can take off," Lewis said it with all the warmth of old man winter. He had about the personality of a wet paper bag, thin, sloppy and useless. Elli had been studying Criminology while he'd been in school, done fairly well. He was originally supposed to be tracked to work with Lewis, that was.. that was a lifetime ago. He'd actually started up his studies about two weeks ago, online courses allowed him flexibility with his schedule.

Nodding, Elli left the tent and walked back out to the street, he kept his distance from Miss. Archer, but watched her as well. It was getting cold, Really cold... He glanced down at his watch, swiped the face and it read 20 degrees. As if on queue, a second vehicle pulled up, with a tech he actually recognized. Franky Alvarez was a stunning beauty, she was about 6'1" all legs and bright brown eyes. Since he'd joined the department he'd wondered what a stunning woman like her was doing working in CSI. He'd even asked her once, She quipped by saying dealing with dead people was easier than dealing with the living. "They don't complain or talk back to you, and they don't lie. They just tell you the truth."

"Hi, Franky." He stumbled out. She was dressed casually tonight, considering the weather, flat-heeled boots, dark blue jeans, and her department issued jacket, she still looked amazing.

"Hey Elli"
She said it with a genuine smile, a warmth that could have melted the snow everywhere she walked..

"Stenz and Lewis are waiting for you, sorry to drag you out on a night like this."

"Not a problem Ellison, part of the job." She smiled, rested her hand on his shoulder and she commented, "Are you ok?"

"Yea.. I'm alright.."

"Ok..." There was more she wanted to say it seemed, but their personal history of, Elli being married to her best friend and the fact that they both felt the loss of his family. But there was just a mutual sadness, they both hurt, and had leaned on each other as friends.

When she left, Elli felt the same as he had at the beginning of his shift. sad... But he still had a job to do. Looking over at Miss Archer, he walked over, and nodded a hello to her.

"MIss, I'm about to head out, the crime scene techs are going to move the body, shortly so there's not much more to see. If you stay here longer your toes are going to freeze. I normally don't do this, but, Can I offer you a ride to your residence? "

"I just know." She said simply as the officer handed her his business card, his cell phone number written on the back of it.

When his name was yelled across the park, she jumped, glancing towards the group gathering by the body. It was loud enough to drown out the voices momentarily and when he stepped away, she mentally had to force herself to inhale and exhale. It was getting to the point that going to the scenes made her uncomfortable, but the voices wouldn't stop talking until she did something.

Joan watched over the scene from her vantage point like a hawk. Nothing went beyond her notice. She saw the detectives that had been at the other crime scenes and the one that had come to her work and interrogated her like she were the criminal. He had gotten so angry with her when she shut down and wouldn't talk anymore, staring at the surface of her desk as he berated her for not telling him what she knew. He wouldn't have believed her if she had been able to tell him how she knew the things that she did.

She never moved an inch, even as other people started to gather. A tent was set up to block her view of the body. She could have told them that he had been stabbed first and then shot to seal the deal, but they would have accused her of committing the crimes all over again. Instead, she let them fumble about, searching for answers on their own.

As the night wore on, Joan slowly started to relax, the voices dulling and fading out until she was left with only Mary. Mary was the one that she heard the most, talking to her about all manner of things. She was like her mother in a way, giving her advice, reminding her to take care of herself when she often forgot. The doctors would say that Mary was a way to replace the mother that had abandoned Joan when she was younger. The woman who had walked away from the family when Joan needed her most. Joan didn't believe that in the least. She never felt sad about her mother leaving her behind. She never felt angry that her mother was still in contact with her sister, Tory. She never really felt anything.

"He's going to ask you to leave. You need food. You need warmth." Mary murmured in Joan's ear as the officer approached her again and nodded in greeting. "You need to say yes."

"I don't go anywhere with the police." Joan answered defensively, remembering the times when her father had called the police to come deal with the daughter that he thought was out of control.

She would be loaded up in a patrol car, put into the back like a criminal, and taken to the hospital where doctors would keep her against her will. She hated that. She hated the medicine that made her a zombie. She just hated everything about her illness and often wished that she could be normal. However, this was her life and she had to make the most of it.

"Miss Archer, you wouldn't be riding in the back. There's plenty of room in the front. Besides, you need special bracelets to ride in the back anyway." He tried to say it with a meaningful smile, a warm presence.

He did take her rejection of his offer lightly. Elli hadn't intended it to be anything more than a ride, and he made it a policy to never be anything more than polite with journalists. But something made him persist. it was late, the techs had loaded up the victim. Lewis was on his way to his car, and well, no matter how far away her apartment was from this scene, she was going to either fall sick or get frostbite on her toes.

Climbing into his Patrol SUV, Elli switched on the heater and drove to where Miss Archer was standing.

Rolling down the passenger side window Elli persisted one last time.

"Miss Archer...Please get in.. you are going to lose a few toes by the time you make it home in this weather.."

Joan stared at him as he gave her a grin, joking about needing special bracelets to ride in the back of his patrol car. She knew that. She knew it all too well. He might have been trying to get her to smile, to relax, but she simply stood there with her journal hugged against her chest, staring at him.

He walked away then, heading towards his SUV. It revved to life in the quiet left behind as the rest of the cops had left. It was snowing a little harder, covering the evidence of everything that had happened there just hours earlier.

When he pulled up along side her again, she turned her head towards the car and listened to him tell her that she'd lose some toes by the time she made it home in that weather. She couldn't even feel her feet anymore. They had long since lost sensation as her shoes grew soaking wet. It took a few moments before she finally did move, approaching him slowly and opening the passenger door.

She entered the SUV, her leather satchel thumping against the floorboard as she moved to buckle herself in. "I live just down the street. Rosewood Court."

Rosewood Court wasn't a terrible place to live, but it was definitely known by police. It was the place that many people being supported for some kind of disability often went to live. It was paid for with funds to help them live on their own, but calls were often made by those needing help or thinking that they needed help. The apartment building was tall and well maintained by the landlord.

As he pulled away from the park, Joan sank down into her coat a little bit more. She was freezing, even if she would never admit it. She was also incredibly hungry since she had run out of the apartment before she had the chance to eat dinner. Once she was back home, she would pop something in the microwave, eat quickly, and then zone out as she often did.

Elli half didn't expect her to take him up on his offer, but when she did, he had to act fast and clear his passenger seat. On the seat rested a small baby duck and fake long stem rose.

"Sorry..." Elli actually felt a little embarrassed, he wasn't one to allow his personal life to enter his job, but he'd allowed it to today. Once he knew the address, a few extra things fell into place. But he'd need to see a few other things to see for himself if his suspicions were correct.

He honestly shouldn't be doing this, but part of him was reaching out. Wanted the company of someone tonight, at least for a few minutes. He wondered what Maria would tell him, would she want him to be pining away for her and their daughter forever? Or would she want him to be happy someday? Immediately he knew the answer.

Once he'd pulled up to the building, he threw the vehicle in park and looked over to Joan. "Are you ok from here? or do you need help getting to your apartment?"

“I’m crazy, not crippled.” Joan muttered as she looked up at the side of the apartment building.

She lived in one of the basement apartments, tucked away near the center courtyard that looked so nice in the summer but was full of dead brown plants that time of year. Her apartment might or might not have heat turned on, especially if she hadn’t thought to do it when she first got home that afternoon from campus. She often forgot when the voices took her attention away.

“You’re welcome to soothe your own morbid curiosity.” Joan said as she reached for her satchel and spared a glance to the duck and rose that was tucked next to him. “It’s not a bright and cheerful place around here.”

She opened her door and stepped out into the sidewalk, marching her way towards her place. She didn’t even bother to look to see if he was following or not. Her apartment had a short flight of stairs that led down and an exterior door that had been battered by the previous resident. It was brown painted metal with 27B painted on the front using a generic stencil.

Joan fished her keys out of her jacket and unlocked the door, flipping on the lights to the tiny one bedroom place. The walls were stark white, not even a poster to be seen on any of the walls. The kitchen was from the 80s, not touched or updated in all of that time. She had a small table with mismatched chairs by the stove. The space led to a small living area and then the bedroom beyond. She had a small bookcase crammed with textbooks and other books that caught her interest. Her laptop lay on the coffee table situated in front of a battered couch. Through the bedroom door, a bed and nightstand could be seen, the latter stacked with a multitude of pill bottles for her condition. The bathroom was just as small and bleak as the rest of the space.

A blast of hot air told Joan that she had most definitely turned on the heater when she had gotten home, a little too high. She quickly turned it down and pulled off her winter gear, throwing it haphazardly on the couch.

Elli, narrowed his eyes at her, and almost scoffed at her comment. But Elli was strong enough of confidence to not take it too personally. If Miss Joan Archer was afflicted by what he thought she was afflicted by, it didn't earn her any sympathy in his book, no, but he could grow to understand who she was.

"I said neither Miss Archer."

Once she got out, Elli turned off the vehicle and followed her in. It wasn't a morbid curiosity, not remotely, but if he was going to take the responsibility of getting her home, he should at least make sure she gets through her door. When she reached her door, Elli was about a step behind her and stood in her open doorway from the hall.

Her apartment was sparse but organized, it wasn't a shit mess like a crazy person's apartment would be, or could be.

"Well, I wish you a good night Miss Archer. Have a good evening. If I'm going to see you again out at another crime scene, you might want to have on a better pair of winter shoes."

"Anyway, goodnight.."

Elli closed her door behind him and started making the short walk back to the stairs. He still had four hours left on shift, he'd probably end up working through his lunch hour now, simply to make up for lost time.

Joan turned suddenly as Officer Wake told her goodnight, closing the door to her apartment behind him. She felt oddly...disappointed. Not that she knew him beyond getting a ride home in his patrol car, but he had been kind to her. That was something considering that most people went out of their way to avoid her. He seemed lonely too, the stuffed duck and rose giving her pause. Something had happened to him to make him so unlike the other cops that she had come across.

A short while later, warm and full of food, Joan curled up on the sofa with a blanket pulled around her shoulders. She listened to the quiet of her apartment, reveling in it. It wasn't often that she was left alone with her own thoughts. Usually her brain was screaming with the thoughts of a dozen other people. She had watched something mindless on her computer, taking a pill to hopefully sleep, but just as the edges of the world grew fuzzy, the dark man returned.

Joan's eyes had just closed when she heard the growl. Opening her eyes, struggling against her sleeping pill, she heard his voice at a distance.

"You're not real." Joan said in a whispered voice, repeating the phrase that her shrink had suggested she try when he came back. "You're not real."

"I'm very real." He said as the voice got closer. "Did you see what I did to him? I can do that to you."

"You're not real." Joan murmured, her voice a little louder. "You're not real and you need to leave me alone."

The voice chuckled deeply, only steps behind her. Joan shivered, pulling the blanket further around her shoulders. She wished she had kept her clothing on, in spite of how damp her jeans were. The pajamas that she currently had on didn't seem to offer any form of protection in the moment. Her eyes clenched shut tightly, blocking out any chance of seeing him that evening. He was only there to scare her, a dark voice that could be violent and bullying.

The touch of a hand against her cheek had her up and out of her seat in an instant. "You're not real!" She nearly screamed as she whipped around to see her empty apartment, the laughter coming from all around her.

Without thinking, Joan grabbed her satchel and hurried out the door. The cold bit at her cheeks and cut through the thin blanket and pajamas in an instant. She didn't stop moving, however, until the laughter from the dark man was far in the distance. He would tell her to do things and once she had followed his direction. That had landed her in the hospital for a month after she had attempted suicide. Now, she simply ran from him no matter the circumstances.

Before fear clouded her completely and made her incoherent, Joan pulled out her cell phone and the card that she had been given earlier that evening. Hunkering down on a cold, concrete bench in the courtyard of the apartment building, she typed in Officer Wake's number and text him a simple message.

'Please come'.

"...the required date and time of your court appearance is here, equal to an 8 point ticket, seeing as how this is not your first offense, the Judge may not decide to go lenient on you, but that'll be up to the judge."

He'd gone over the details of 'why' Mr. Goldmeyer was getting a ticket when nobody'd been hurt. Yes true nobody'd been hurt thankfully except his car, and three street signs. the only thing that had stopped his car from going into cross traffic was the bus stop, a massive plexiglass building that he'd slammed his car through. The man blew a B.A.L of twice the legal limit, thankfully one of the others, Officer Williams who'd been on the job a year less than Elli had was the one who'd take Goldmeyer to the drunk tank. His Mercedes SUC 3000 was being towed out. The ice that had formed on the road was very minor, so the road conditions had nothing to do with the wreck. Nope it was the number of vodka martini's this guy had before he got behind the wheel of his car. Times like this reminded him of the night he'd been called by his Lieutenant.. he wanted him to me meet up, it has been a diversion, while everyone else has been called to the accident scene.

Elli folded up the ticket neatly and slipped it in the man's shirt pocket so he wouldn't lose it, and he couldn't say that Elli had forgotten to give him the ticket. When Williams pulled away taking away drunk #2 for the evening to the tank Elli looked at his watch 30 minutes till he was off, Thirty minutes till he returned home, to an empty place..filled with memories...

His cell chirped then vibrated as a message came through. it was from a local number here in town. The only words on it were:

"Please Come"

He thought for a moment and for what reason he can't explain but he knew it had to be Miss Archer. He called it in to dispatch saying he would be doing a welfare check at 27B Rosewood Court, on a Miss 'Joan Archer'. Elli wasn't far and despite the urge to flip on the lights he didn't... He did however speed...

Elli pulled up to the Apartment complex no more than ten minutes later. Using one of the flood lights on his patrol car, he searched the area and found her, curled in a ball on a concrete park bench. She was shivering, definately not dressed for the near 15 degree weather they were now having at close to 3am.

Throwing his unit into park, Elli hopped out. Rushing over to her Elli spoke softly and touched her cheek with his hand. She was cold... VERY cold. "Joan.. Miss Archer..." can you hear me? It's Officer Wake." Unzipping his patrol jacket he swung it over her shoulders and cradled her in his arms, resting her head against his left shoulder. Elli whispered. "Let's get you inside... where it's warm.." Standing he took one more look at the bench and made sure to grab her satchel and placed it into her arms as he carried her.

"You'll be alright..let's get you warmed up."

Elli first put her in his patrol car so at least she'd get warm being there while he parked. Once parked, he shut off the vehicle, notified dispatch that he'd found her and would be escorting her inside. No need to alarm EMS for something like this. If she'd been unresponsive, absolutely he'd have called them, but not for this. Instead, he took the effort to pick her up, and carry her back in to her apartment. He tried the door, unlocked.

"Miss Archer, I'm taking you into your apartment.. ok?"

A sudden light in the courtyard didn't even make Joan flinch. She barely registered that Officer Wake had shown up as she rocked back and forth on the bench, clutching the blanket so tightly around her. Her hair was soaking wet from the snow that had fallen and melted while she waited but she was too frightened to do anything about it. She simply sat there, shivering violently, her eyes trained on her apartment windows as she waited for the moment that the shadowed man would appear again.

She didn't even more when Officer Wake approached, calling her name and crouching in front of her. She only moved when he touched her cheek. Her eyes were wide again, frightened, unable to tell him just why she had text him to come back. He didn't even ask as he wrapped his coat around her shoulders to warm her up. Her satchel was placed back in her arms and he lifted her off the bench without a comment beyond he was going to get her inside and warmed up.

She didn't protest as he carried her to his patrol car and placed her in the passenger seat. She didn't even protest as he parked and carried her to her apartment door. However, when he said that he was going to take her inside, she started to shake her head.

"He's in there." She said softly, hugging her bag tightly to her chest. "I know he's not real, but he's in there. I don't want to go in there."

"Ok, I'll check your place, I'll make sure 'he' isn't in there... We'll make sure it's safe. Is there somewhere specific that he stays?"

Elli set her down so she was standing against the wall next to the door to her room 27B. He tried the door, unlocked. putting his hand on his sidearm, he grasped his flashlight, and pushed open the door with the toe of his boot.

The door swung wide, lightly banging against the side of the interior wall. Elli did everything for show, he was certain there was nobody here, Joan had said so, but they had to mentally convince her that nobody was there, he had to check for her. Elli was thorough, but not overly invasive. He did open her closets, but he didn't go through them. Her apartment was sparse. and as they'd both suspected, 'he' whoever he is or was.. didn't physically exist.

Clicking off his flashlight he returned to the hallway, put his hand gently on her shoulder and assured her. "He's not in there..It's safe now."

Pulling his radio off his lapel he called in to dispatch, "All clear here, Subject is cold to the bone but no need for EMS. I'll get things wrapped up here and head out shortly."

Clipping his radio back on Elli calmly lead her back to her table, with mismatched chairs. "Miss Archer, what else can I do for you?"

Joan stood against the wall of the apartment exterior, watching as Wake methodically went through each room of her apartment to prove to her that everything was safe. As she watched him, she slowly started to relax, believing him that nothing was in there. When he returned, he wa so calm that she gave him a nod and let him lead her into her dining area.

She was embarrassed, but she didn’t let it show beyond her head hanging slightly as she sat there’s with the blanket wrapped so tightly around her shoulders. “Would you stay?” She asked softly, not really understanding why she was asking him to stay.

"I can stay for a little while. Why don't I stay till you fall asleep...with it being three in the morning, you should try and get some rest. "

He wanted to be careful about how to phrase his next questions. but he was so damn tired at 3am that he was losing what thoughts he had.

"When I was growing up, my kid sister Katelyn had imaginary people she talked to, she actually had a four piece band that she'd sing with, the music and their voices in her head, they'd help her sing, and they'd talk to her. Sometimes they'd fight, tell her mean things, tell her disturbing things. Do you hear voices like that? people only you see telling you things? People who you know are not real but could swear they are?"

Elli was touching on a slippery slope, his kid sister had suffered from early stage schizophrenia, she had a great support system, family who loved her, cared about her and a therapist who worked with her. Thinking of Joan he could see his kid sister about her age now. Katelyn was 4 years younger than him... He'd been overseas when he heard what happened, swore that he'd try to help others, since he'd failed to help her.

Maybe.. maybe this was his chance...Elli had become a cop because he wanted to help people on the worst day of their lives, get the bad guys off the street, and feel like he was doing something. Maybe, he could help Joan... but it would have to be on her terms. She'd have to want his help. He couldn't press it.

Staring at the surface of her table, she heard Wake tell her about his sister and how he thought that she might have been like her. Joan didn't want to talk about it. She never wanted to talk about it, even with those people that might have been able to help her.

She had always been a creative child, enjoying books and music far more than her older sister, Tory. Tory was the athlete, five years older, and the apple of her parents' eye. They could understand Tory and didn't have a clue what to do with their youngest child. She would chatter endlessly to them about her imaginary friend, Mary. Mary was harmless at first, a member of their family before long, but things changed as Joan got older.

The more that her parents fought with each other, the worse Joan seemed to get. Her mother had been the one to insist that she go see a psychologist at first when the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. The more voices that seemed to appear made Joan fade little by little. The official diagnosis shattered what little family they had left.

Her mother was packed up and gone within six months, leaving her father, Joel, to raise Tory and Joan on his own. Joan could never understand why it was just Tory that got to go see their mother, Penny, or why Penny never seemed to send gifts for birthdays or holidays for Joan when Tory was showered and praised.

Joel had done his best for his daughter, encouraging her to live a normal life and find happiness, but he also didn't know how to help her beyond medication. He had called the police on her a time or time, especially when he didn't feel like he could control her, and had sent her to the hospital multiple times as they struggled with her medication. She hadn't physically seen him since the last time she was in the hospital almost a year ago, when she had finally tried to end everything. He looked heartbroken when he saw her, and even though he was encouraging as always, Joan knew that he couldn't take it anymore.

Not that she blamed him. He had a new life. A girlfriend that took up most of his time. He didn't need Joan around making things more difficult.

"My medicine is on my bedside table. Would you get it?" Joan asked in the softest voice, everything seeming to deflate within her all at once.

She shrugged off his coat finally, leaving it draped on the back of the chair. She was resigned to taking the medicine that made her feel like a zombie. She might have troubles in the morning, especially functioning, but she would take them for the sake of keeping that dark voice at bay.

Elli nodded, got up from the chair at her table and couldn't help but want to ask more questions, but it wasn't his place, or was it?

Walking into her sparse bedroom he found the medication bottle, looked at the script and recognized the med, it has been something Katelyn had been on, although being part of her support group he didn't know the exact amount that Katelyn was supposed to be taking he figured the dosage wasn't horrible. Then again he was guessing and really shouldn't pry.

Yes, as a cop he was supposed to be observant, almost a professional snoop but considering Joan, he didn't want to snoop too much. He was trying to get her to trust him, and that might lead to some revelations as to why she knew about the knife wound even before he'd seen it.

Walking back into her kitchen Elli handed her the medication bottle, then looked at her tiny kitchenette, "Where are your glasses Miss Archer?" he inquired, and once she'd told him where to find them, he found what few she had. "Tap water alright? or do you have a water filter in your fridge?" Following her instructions he got them both a glass of water and returned to the table, handing hers directly to her, and then sitting down. With his duty belt on, any chair was a tad uncomfortable, save for those that had no arms, lucky for him hers didn't. Sitting down again he was actually able to lean back, hearing the old chair give a light creek as he did so. He was tired, exhaused.. it had been a long day in many ways.

"Like I said I can stay for just a bit, maybe till you get in bed. But if it's ok, I'd like to come back and maybe ask you a few questions. If tomorrow would be alright?"

"You seriously think I can afford a filter? Have you seen this place?" Joan quipped as Wake moved around the apartment to get her medication and a glass of water.

She took the pill bottle in her hand, staring down at the label for a long moment before he placed the glass next to her. He would stay until she was in bed, which would be a monumental task. Even if she felt tired enough to sleep right then and there, something would always make it difficult. A voice. A shadow. Thoughts racing in general. She rarely slept and when she did, it was often fitful.

"Are you sure coming back is a good idea? You probably want to stay far away from me and my issues." She said as she popped the top on the pill bottle and took a dose, washing it down with the water on the table.

She contemplated another sleeping pill, but she thought better of it. One was enough, even if it had long worn off.

Elli gave a slight smile at her quip.

"Yes, absolutely, as a matter of fact, I'll bring lunch ok? There's a sandwich shop called Murphy's across the street from the station. Why don't I pick up a couple?"

Elli yawned..slightly. "I'm sorry Miss Archer, I really need to get going, I've got at least an hour more of paperwork before I can head home myself." Getting up, he took one more look around her bedroom and returned "Your bedroom is safe. I think you'll be alright now."

Walking to the door he remembered she had his duty jacket. Stepping over he collected i,t, offered her his hand and helped her up. "Miss Archer, may I call you Joan?"

“You don’t have to do that.” Joan insisted as he spoke about bringing her a meal tomorrow. “You don’t have to do anything.”

He made his apologies and started to survey the apartment again, making sure that whatever it is she thought she saw wasn’t there anymore. Then he was helping her up and grabbing his jacket.

“You can call me whatever you want.” She said back in a defensive tone, a little bristled at the idea that he wanted to get close to her in some way.

It was her way to make people get away from her. She didn’t want help, she didn’t want friends, she always seemed to hurt people in the end. If they didn’t get close to her, then she couldn’t hurt them and that was how she lived her life.

“My sister calls me Joanie.” She finally admitted, glancing up at Wake as he stood so close to her. “So I guess you can call me Joan.”

"I know, but I want to."

He meant what he said. Elli knew from growing up with Katelyn, she could be abrasive, often times offensive. and literally could give two shits about you or your feelings. So he had to keep this in mind regarding how Joan would address him.

"So, I'll be back tomorrow, are you a picky eater? I mean are you a veggie? or a meat eater?"

Elli hadn't put his coat on, and as he walked to the door he nearly tripped over her wet, and soaked shoes. leaning over to move them he turned one over set them next to each other neatly. He couldn't help but notice her shoe size. Smiling back to Joan as he opened her door, Elli spoke in as reassuring voice as he could.

"I think you'll be fine Joan, I don't think the voices will bother you tonight. Try to get some sleep."

Elli left, making the short trek back to his patrol car, got in and headed out. The next 90 minutes was the standard 'end of shift' routine. He headed back to the station, notified dispatch he was going off call. He quickly filled out what paperwork he'd need to until tomorrow, even filing a non-start record on his visit to Joan's place. He'd changed out of his uniform, put it all in his locker, put his duty belt and the rest of his stuff in his bag, changing into street clothes.

Ellison Wake was no longer 'Officer' Ellison Wake, he could allow the weight of his own emotions to sink back into his skin.
Getting into his own vehicle, a 3 year old F150. Elli pulled out the small duck, and the rose, setting them on his passenger seat. Looking at the duck, he thought of his daughter, the not so subtle smile on her face she'd had on the morning he'd kissed her after he got up. He remembered the smile, the hug and the smell of Maria's body lotion , all these thoughts came crashing down on him in a wave. Elli made it home, and as he'd done every day for the last 4 years he crept into his home hoping not to wake his wife or daughter, only to realize after he'd walked into the bedroom that... his house was empty.

Quietly he took off his clothes, got into his shower and soaked down. In the stream and noise of the water his own tears were lost... He could find meaning in his job, each day he'd try and make a difference, but coming home to an empty house that had been filled with toys, and frilly pink dolls he'd cry. Here at home nobody could see his weakness.

Cleaning up, he put on boxers, slipped under the covers and checked the alarm on his phone before shutting off the light. It would wake him at 10 am. 5 hours from now. He hoped Joan might find sleep just as quickly as he did.

Sleep had always been an elusive creature for Joan. She would toss and turn for hours, hope that nothing woke her up in the process, and usually just lie there for hours staring at the walls and the ceiling. That was how she found herself that night. After Wake had left, she was curled beneath her warm blankets, listening to the normal sounds around the apartment as she stared at the wall.

Ellison Wake was a strange person. He wasn't like any of the other cops that she had ever met and it seemed that he had a chip on his shoulder to prove himself to someone. She wondered about the items she had seen in his SUV when he had given her a ride home earlier that evening, but it wasn't her place to ask. If he really did come back the next day, it would be the first time that someone not in her immediate family had willingly come back to her apartment.

Joan let out a sigh as she pulled the pillow over her head and forced herself to relax. If she didn't get sleep, it would start a vicious cycle that would lead to some fairly terrible things. As sleep washed over her, she was dimly aware of a few voices pressing in at her consciousness, new voices that hadn't even really been there before. Too tired to care, she let out a sigh and finally drifted off into sleep.

The all too familiar buzz of his cell phone woke Elli from a restless sleep. It wasn't the normal long vibrations that he'd expected from his alarm but from a telephone call.

with a groaned he reached behind his head, unplugged his phone from its charger and swept his thumb across his phone.

In a groggy voice, he replied "Yea..."

"What happened last night? I hear you are flirting with reporters now?"

Rubbing his eyes, Elli replied "No Lieutenant, I simply got a young woman out of the snow. It's all in my report sir."

The gravelly voice replied, "Well why don't you tell me what you left out of your report?"

Clearing his throat, Elli replied, "Sir, she's not a suspect. we both know that, but she knows more than she's telling, and I think I'm in a position that could help out. I mean, she knew about the left chest stab wound before CSI or Lewis ever noticed it. She's smart, but if we can find out how she's she's getting this information, we might just catch the killer."

"Why do you think you are better qualified than Lewis? The man has 10 years more experience than you do."

"Sir, she's not crazy, but she suffers from a mental condition that makes her very suspicious of anyone. And the way that Lewis treated her the first time, well that sets the tone. We wanna ruin that?"

"No.. I see your point. So what do you mean by 'mental condition'?"

"I..., she suffers from schizophrenia." Elli eeked out, he felt like he was 'outing' Joan, but his boss had a right to know, hell he probably already knew.

"Yea Lewis talked to her boss, she hears voices. could just be she's being commanded by Daffy duck to till them all."

"No Sir, she hears voices.. but my instincts and my experience tell me she's not violent like that. Better than Lewis, that's for sure."


In a suspicious tone, Elli's Lieutenant replied, "And that would be because of??"

"My sister, I was one of her support system, that's before I went into the Marines."

In a calm but still gravely tone, the older man spoke. "Ok, I'll give you some rope, find out what you can. I'm not pulling you out of the rotation but hell, maybe if you can, see if she's willing to do a piece on the department if she's interested. Maybe talk to her supervisor and find out if they would be receptive to having her work with you, work the same hours so she can and the paper can see that we're playing transparent. sort of a public relations sort of thing."

"Ok, I'm headed over there today, plan on trying to build on yesterday, try to gain her trust. She's going to be suspicious, so I'll play this entirely above board."

"Above board to a point...Don't tell her everything. Don't show her everything."

"Got ya, in technicolor Sir." At that, the line went dead. Elli looked at his clock, he'd be hard pressed to go back to sleep, and with the clock now at 9:45 he may as well get up.

throwing off the covers, Elli headed into the bathroom, turned on the shower and started his morning ritual.