Touched by Death Chapter 5
Jared parked the car outside of the apartment building that housed their latest crime scene. It was a plain beige-stained building lacking even a fence to protect against unwanted intruders, and the metal gate which was theoretically set to slide over the front door was quite obviously in poor condition. This was the type of place Poe was migrated towards. Places with little to no security…damn coward.
The ride had been silent ever since the call from the Captain. Jared glanced over to Jensen in the passenger seat. His lips were two thin, white lines pressed together in a grimace. The laugh lines around his eyes were deep crevices that split up from the skin, like cracks from the inside. He looked worn down. Jared reached out but Jensen shrugged off his boyfriend’s large paw and exited the car without even glancing back. Jared let his hand drop and a rush of air escape from his lips before clambering out himself.
“Hope this isn’t another stairwell built for stick thin models.” Jared joked lightly, jogging to catch up with Jensen’s determined stride. Jensen rewarded him a tight lipped smile but he didn’t slow his pace. Jared caught a man with a laminated badge hanging around his neck by the shoulder, “What floor is the crime scene?”
The cop had long brown hair tied back by a ponytail, a few silky strands creating a fringed frame around his tan face. Jared towered over him by his head and shoulders, but the man was stocky with expansive shoulders. Jensen had halted his pace altogether and was considering the newcomer pensively, “Chris?”
“Ackles?” The man questioned, a syrupy Texan accent lying thick over the name. Immediately, the man’s tired eyes lit up and he pushed past Jared to pull Jensen into the sweep of his arms. Jensen returned the embrace with clawed hands and a smile broke across his features. Jared stood to the side, hand still hanging limply in the air from where he had placed it on the guy, Chris’s, shoulder. “Man it’s good to see you.”
Jensen broke the embrace but kept his hands firmly planted on either side of his friend’s neck. “When did you get back? You went back to Texas right? Dude why didn’t you call me?”
Chris chuckled and gave a tight squeeze to Jensen’s bicep and Jared moved closer to the pair, with his nerves on high alert. Jared wasn’t really the jealous type but this guy was touching his boyfriend a bit too much for his liking. “I’m just visiting man.”
Jensen just smiled for a moment before noticing Jared who was creeping closer. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and the muscles of his neck were corded and bulging. It was kind of hot. Jensen slipped around Chris and placed a reassuring hand on his boyfriend’s forearm. “Chris, this is my boyfriend Jared, Jared this is my friend Chris.”
“Pleasure.” Jared stuck his hand out in greeting but his posture was still ram rod straight and his eyes issued a challenge. He placed his other palm flat on Jensen’s lower back possessively.
“Chris joined the force around the time I did, we kind of connected over both being from Texas. Haven’t seen him since he went back to Texas when his momma got sick. We kept in touch for the first few years but I didn’t expect his to stay away for the better part of a decade!” Jensen teased, leaning back into Jared’s touch.
Chris gave a Cheshire grin, “I didn’t expect to stay either! But then, after momma passed, I had a lot of stuff to take care of. Find her will, divvy out her property, things like that, and once I was done I had already built up a life. I met someone, her name is Sandy, and we’ve been dating about four years now. Dude you would like her, she puts up with about as much of my crap as you do.”
Jensen’s smile faltered as a thought occurred to him, “Why are you visiting a crime scene, Chris?”
Chris swallowed dryly, “I just…”
“Don’t give me some shit excuse, just tell me the truth.” Jensen snapped, and Chris looked away guiltily.
“Captain Kripke called me. Told me that The Poe Killer was back. He’s worried about you Jen, after last time…” Chris trailed of as Jensen shot him a heated look. Jensen bit into his bottom lip and tensed under Jared’s hand.
“He had no right to…” Jensen grumbled unhappily, “I’m fine Chris, there was no need for you to fly all the way out here. I’m going to catch him this time, no matter what.”
Jensen excavated himself from Jared’s hold and stalked to the elevator, climbing on with a crime scene photographer. He gave one more dirty look Chris’s way before the steel doors slid closed. Chris gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed at the base of his neck, “That’s what I’m worried about”
“So,” Jared cleared his throat, “You knew Jensen the last time the Poe Killer was around?”
“Yeah, I knew him. Jared, there is something you need to know.” Jared straightened up and re crossed his arms, nodding his encouragement to go on, “Not catching this guy nearly killed Jen. He went a week after the whole cellphone incident without sleeping and the only thing he really ingested was coffee. The one thing that finally shocked him into taking care of himself was when he passed out while chasing down a junkie. He was on an I.V. and in the hospital for two days. So just…try to watch out for him. Jensen is his own worst enemy sometimes, and this Poe bastard just seems to bring out the self-destructive in him.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him as best I can.” Jared acknowledged, loosening his stance a bit, “It was great of you to come all the way up here for him.”
Chris gave a lenient smile, “Jensen has a way of finding the soft spot in people. Don’t know how he does it with how abrasive he can be…but he’s a good friend and a good man. Take care of him.”
Jared smiled gently as he pictured Jensen from two mornings ago, sleep ruffled and young. “I will.”
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Jensen exited the elevator on floor 17, flashing his badge to one of the cops attempting at crowd control. News reporters and neighbors clogged the hallways, all trying to press forward and catch an eyeful of whatever happened in that taped off room. Jensen lowered his gaze and shouldered his way into the room, “Collins?”
Misha didn’t even bother to throw a look over his shoulder before spouting off the facts, “Michelle Cartright. Brown hair, green eyes. 24 years old. She worked at that sandwich shop down the block. Died from a stab wound to the chest, serrated blade. There are no defensive wounds but there is residue around her mouth which I’m almost certain is chloroform. There is nothing new Ackles.”
“Dammit.” Jensen took in shaky breathe, “Did you find anything in her mouth?”
Misha nodded solemnly and produced a pieces of paper. Jensen snapped on a pair of rubber gloves before taking the small parchment in his hand. ’But our love it was stronger by far than the love/ of those who were older than we/ And neither the angels in heaven above, /Nor the demons down under the sea/ Can ever dissever my soul from the soul/ Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.’
Jensen slipped the paper back into Misha’s palm and began to scan the crime scene. He kept his eyes averted from the victim, guilt already beginning to settle heavy in his gut. She was so young. Jensen moved through the living room and passed a hand over a couple pictures, hand trembling over the beaded frames. A huge grin split her face as she wrapped her arms around two middle aged adults, which from their features, had to be her parents. She has her mother’s blue eyes. Had. Jensen swallowed thickly.
The pad of his thumb ran over the blue satin graduation gown draping her in the picture. She had so much yet to do. Jensen spotted a piece of notebook paper peeking out from an oak box on the desk. His boots thumped heavily on the plush carpet his hand stalling over the box, fingers scrunching in their latex encasing. He slid the paper out gently, smoothing it with careful fingers. To Do List. Jensen felt sick and his throat constricted. Heat suddenly began to crawl up his neck and prickle the hair at the base of his neck, and sweat beaded on his forehead and upper lip. The air was stifling. Jensen dropped the notebook paper and made a beeline for the door, dropping his gloves in the waste container as he went. He pressed through the jungle of reporters and reached the fire escape, wrenching the window open he climbed out and sucked in a breath.
He stood there for a moment, just breathing in the fresh air and letting the wind dry his sweaty neck. He crouched down low, salty tears beginning to spill over his bottom lids and slip down his cheeks. Suddenly muscular arms were wrapping around his shoulders and he was being swallowed up in a familiar aftershave. Jensen relaxed into his boyfriend’s grasp and released a broken sob, the floodgates opening as new tears sprung forward and dripped down his face.
“It’s going to be okay Jen.” Jared soothed, his voice rumbling from where Jensen’s head was pressed against his chest. Jensen couldn’t bring his vocal chords to respond so he shook his head and curled into the embrace.
“She was so young Jare, she had so much still to do and now… now she’s dead and I didn’t stop it.” Jensen sobbed harder, words coming out broken and garbled.
“This wasn’t your fault. You are doing everything you can to catch this bastard.” Jared assured, stroking a warm palm up and down his sobbing boyfriend’s back. He pressed his face into short spiky hair and attempted to reign in his own emotion as he felt Jensen’s muscles tremble in his hold.
“Then why haven’t I caught him? Why isn’t this bastard rotting in jail? Maybe I’m just not good enough…” Jensen replied brokenly, Jared pulled back. He set his hands on Jensen’s shoulders and looked straight into swollen and puffy green eyes.
“Don’t you ever think that! You are not in this alone. We will catch this guy Jen, I promise. Don’t lose hope.” Jensen sniffled and nodded, wiping a shaky hand under his nose. “We will find him.”
“When Jare? How many more girls are going to die first?” Jensen ground out through a sniveling sob. He pulled back, throwing his arms wide in exasperation, “Because I’m out of ideas! I’ve hit a dead end and no matter how many more bodies pile up we aren’t finding any more clues! This guy is to smart, he…”
He went still. A look of wonderment and terror filling up his tight features. Jared stepped into his personal space, tentatively taking him by his shoulders, “What is it Jen?”
“He knows exactly what cops are going to look for. He knows exactly what to not leave behind. Jared, what if he’s a cop? What if the Poe Killer has been working right alongside us all this time?” His pitch began to climb with a mixture of dread and disgust as the theory began to formulate. A slight tremor shook his upper body and his stomach began to roll with nausea at the idea of working with this butcher for years and not even realizing it.
“Oh fuck.” Jared muttered, running his fingers through the long strands of his hair in a nervous habit. He dropped his arms and began pacing the small fire escape. His boots thudded on the metal grating heavily, causing it to groan in protest.
“Jared.” Jensen’s voce came out a whimper and tears stood wetly in his eyes. Jared’s heart climbed up his throat in anxiety. “Can it just be a coincidence that Chris showed up at the exact times the killing started back up?”
His voice was broken, raw with emotion and catching in his throat in a painful tugging. Jared grabbed hold of his lover, trying desperately to hold him together. Jensen buried his face in Jared’s chest and breathed in deep. Long limbs wrapped around him securely and fine pieces of hair tickled the base of his neck. He felt a rumble against his cheek as Jared replied, “God I hope so.”
“Jared would you mind looking… looking into him. My view would be compromised and…” Jared carted hand through Jensen’s short cropped blond hair too soothe him.
“You don’t have to explain. We’re in this together.” Jensen nodded, sighing for a moment before detangling him-self.
“I’ll meet back up with you this evening.” He turned on his heels and crawled back into the window, solemn mask carefully put back into place.
“Where are you going?” Jared called into the window, 6 foot 5 framed cramped down and compressed. Jensen turned back, a genuine smile biting at the corners of his chapped lips.
“Back to the past.” Jared began to ask what the hell that meant but knew he wouldn’t get an answer, so he folded his large body back inside and started back downstairs. He saw Chris on the way out. Chris looked at him, mouth tilting up at the edges. Jared kept walking. He didn’t return the smile