YOU

Chapter 2 (Jake)

It had been about fourteen hours since I had seen the note for the first time and a few minutes since I had drank a coffee. I had freshly taken a shower and changed into a black t shirt and tan chinos. I had my Springfield armory Echelon on the holster at my hip. My badge was slightly covered by the t shirt. My phone started to ring. It was Melissa. 'Hey. So I was able to get Hayley's prints from the note and dagger. It's clean. But, there are some particles on it.' 'And ?' 'It's medical grade rubber gloves. The killer used medical grade rubber gloves. We use the ones CDC uses. These are the general ones you can find anywhere.' She said. 'Did Robyn get anything from the note ?' 'Some small things. She gave me the note to see whose blood it was.' Mel replied. 'Cool. I'll be at the office in a few.' I said. She ended the call. That's when Leah stepped down from the stairs. 'Morning detective.' She said. 'Hey Leah. Seems like the partying businesswoman has risen early.' I said. 'You know that I will be back in Seattle in two weeks right ?' 'Yep. There's some coffee for you. I gotta go, but I'll try to be home as soon as possible.' I said. She stepped close to me and then picked on a cookie crumb stuck to my t shirt. 'Be safe bro.' She said. 'Always.' I replied. Leah had been studying business in Seattle. She always wanted to be in that line of work. Even before she came with me to live with us. I gave her a hug and then left after grabbing my wallet and keys. I saw Leah before I closed the door. The scar on her neck was visible. A ghost of our past. She was always a bit more to the introverted side. Her blue eyes were deep. They had seen a lot of bad days. Her white tank top and Silky brown hair didn't cover her arms. The scars of burns were faded, yet present on her soft and delicate skin. The last time she stepped into the pool in the house along with me and a martini, the scars on her back had healed. I was the one who had applied all the ointments and medicines. She still had those scars in her soul. Even when she was healing. 'Hey  Jake ?' 'Yeah.' 'Today's the seventeenth of April.' 'And ?' 'It's your birthday in a few days silly.' She said. 'Seven days more excluding the twenty fifth.' I replied. 'We start celebrating today.' She said. 'Okay then. I'll see you tonight.' I said. I closed the door as she smiled at me. Her innocence amazed me. She had faced major trauma as a kid. My phone rang again. It was mom. Mom and dad had relocated to New York. 'Hey mom.' 'Hey kiddo. I'm sorry. We won't be able to make it on your birthday. We have to fly to Australia for some work today.' She said. 'It's okay. I'll see you guys some other time. I gotta go now.' I said. The big apple wouldn't let them come here at all. The last time I saw them was my graduation from the LAPD academy. I used the time I had from eighteen to twenty one in gaining a law degree. I then went ahead and Joined the LAPD. I was off probation pretty quick. I did have a good record in patrol. I finally got into the drivers seat of my white undercover Dodge Durango. It was like any other car, but the small compartment was removed to fit a laptop. It's where my partner Ella sat. She was in the FBI. I worked with a task force which had people from every major federal agency and every local unit in LA county. We called it SIOC. It was labelled my brainchild when I pitched it to the chief of the LAPD over at the headquarters in Downtown. I was close to them. They were close to me. We were like friends rather than professionals. I started to pull out from the underground parking. The task force had brought One California Plaza. It was really close to my house. After a really short drive, I reached to the office. I got out of my car to see Ella waiting with a go to cup of coffee in her hands. Her black hair was messily let down. Her navy blue sweatshirt had it's sleeves fully left down. It was summer. She had a pair of jeans, on which, her drop leg holster was holding a Glock 19. Her green eyes were like emeralds.  'Morning Miller. Fancy seeing you here.' 'Well then, let's make this quick. I have a sister waiting at home for me.' We went directly to thirtieth floor. The lab. I saw Melissa in a maroon shirt and jeans. 'Hey guys.' She said. She took a sip of her concoction. Some herbal drink. 'Morning.' I replied. 'So the blood is a concerning thing. Belongs to Pablo Sanchez. Undocumented man working at a deli in Santa Monica. He was found murdered a few days ago.' She said. 'So our person has killed before ?' Ella asked. 'Nope. He was killed by his employer. The employer was arrested by LAPD RHD a few days ago.' She replied. 'So our person either knew Pablo, or witnessed the murder.' I said. 'Or knew the killer.' Melissa added. 'Ask Robyn to get me a list of all the witnesses.' 'Copy that Miller' Robyn said. 'I was gonna drop off the report, but I heard y'all were here.' She added. 'What do we have.' Ella asked. 'Our killer's a right handed one. He also had a cursive style of writing.' 'Who writes cursive ?' Melissa said. 'I have no ideas. But our killer also uses something only women do. I noticed traces of foundation. The kind we apply on our skin Jake.' 'May I remind you that I have two sisters ?' I replied. 'Thanks for the info Robyn. We'll talk to you in a bit.' Ella said. Robyn's hair turned with her as she walked to the elevators. Her hair was black with a touch of green dye. Her hoodie and leggings made her look like any college student. At least we knew more about the woman who had given Hayley the threat. 'I'll check up on Hayley Stewart. You wanna come along ?' 'I gotta help Bryce and Allie on one of their cases. They aren't the best at GND things.' 'I'll see you in a bit Elle.' I said before leaving.

*** An hour and a few minutes later ***

I finally reached Doheny street. Sierra towers were visible from my apartment, but it looked better up close. I entered the building's parking lot. There was an undercover cruiser in the parking, but no detective. I knew that something was up. 'Veil team and Ace 1-2, this is Ace 1-1. Request code 2 response to Sierra Towers.' The radio squawked with replies of 'Copy that.' I drawed out my Springfield Armory Echelon and went up. After the elevator ride, I walked towards Hayley's door to see both detectives knocked out. I silently opened the door to see Hayley. There was blood trickling out of a cut on her forehead. I checked the side before sprinting to Hayley. 'Will you trust me ?' I asked. She gave a weak yes. I lifted her on my right shoulder and supported her body with my left hand. She was light. My right hand aimed the gun in front of me. I got her to the elevator and placed her down. After I reached down, there were two uniformed officers on the other side. 'DROP IT !' They shouted. 'I'm a cop.' I replied as I pointed to my badge. 'Two unconscious on the 27th deck. It's clear.' I said. I got Hayley to the back seat of my car and ran to the trunk. I used the first aid kit on my JPC 2.0 plate carrier. I took out a few butterfly stitches and started to apply them after stopping the bleeding. A few minutes later, she was a bit better. I checked her for concussions. 'You good ?' 'Yep.' 'Let's go. I need to get you somewhere safe and close.' I said.