The Search

Chapter 35.

Nikolai

Day 17, Afternoon.

"Hey can I talk to you for a second?" Derek speaks at the door of the board room.  I nod looking back down at Miss Hughes case.

Derek shuts the door when he enters and he steps up in front of me across the table. He looks down, even more so, he looks nervous.  "You okay man?" I ask.

He swallows roughly, "I filed for a divorce."

My head shoots up and I drop the photo that was in my hand. "With Lindy? What happened?" I ask.

"We've been having problems for a while and I just couldn't take it anymore-" he sighs.

"Are you okay?" I step around the table pulling him into a side hug.  He's only 33 and filing for a divorce. 

He nods, "am I doing the right thing?" He asks. 

"That's up to you to decide buddy, but whatever makes you happy is what is important to me." He nods and sits down at the table looking at the case.

"May I ask why you didn't tell me?" I sit down as well, taking a sip of coffee.  "I'm here for you, even if it's a little fight."

He shrugs, "most people don't tell others about their marital problems."

I hum, "maybe not." But when I look up again he's staring out the window flushed. 

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Jade steps into the station not very long after, Hudson circles around in my rolling chair smiling ear to ear at the many bags of food she has attached to the stroller. 

Before I can pick up my daughter Alessio swoops in kissing her face and holds her to his chest.  Alrighty then. 

I give Jade a kiss, pulling her towards me, "wanna take a look at the case for me? I need your opinion on something."

She nods and we break away from the group as they coddle Lexi.

Jade circles the table looking at all of the photos, the IDs and pictures, more specifically the footprints we caught at a crime scene the other day.  Another one of his killings. 

Jade picks up one of the photos, "he went after a man this time." She curses looking at the cruelty of his torture. 

"That's why I'm confused." I state going around the table to stand next to her.  "He's always gone for women, one's who don't look like Miss Hughes and now he's killing a man way out of reach from what we have known before."

Jade nods taking a look at the shoe prints once again, "profile?"

"We think 200 pounds, size 13 shoe, middle age man with sadistic tendencies.  Always been a high reacher and wants people to be happy with him, someone abandoned by an important person in their life." I finish.

"Lover possibly?" She asks.

I hum, "maybe even guardian." She bends down close to the shoe picture again. "What do you see?" I ask

"The shoe brand is converse, but I can't think of any middle aged man I know who owns converse." She sits down.

I sit down with her, my heart skipping a beat.  Yeah, she might be onto something.  "How young are we talking?"

"High school possibly,  maybe even younger like a teenager doing dirty work for someone else.  They wouldn't have to be in cover in public if they look older then they are."

"Alex's feet were size 12 in junior high." I state grabbing a spare sheet of paper to write down some thoughts.

"Exactly." She states, "if we are talking abandonment issues maybe they are dealing with a difficult life. I don't know." She laughs standing.

"Thank you baby." I grin standing with her to pull her into a kiss.