Apple Spies (Ordinary Heroes)

Apples Spies --Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 : The Halloween party


Ten days had passed since the two Russians had been caught and put behind bars. Life on campus just carried on. Swift went back to grading papers and preparing lessons with the help of Vanessa, Shawn and Ian always working together at the library and Lana had got herself a part-time job at the College of Arts in NYU, helping an art Professor with undergraduate students. She was actually happy she could carry on with art and also be on Swift's seminar.
It was the day before Halloween, everyone on campus was rushing to buy or rent the last available costumes. On the campus lawn, the sororities and fraternities were giving leaflets for their Halloween parties trying to gather as many students as possible. Lana and Vanessa had just arrived and were heading to the main building. One of the Kappa Delta girls stopped them and gave them a leaflet. « You girls can't miss that !  Hope to see you there ! Best party on campus ! »
Lana took the leaflet and walked with Vanessa. They were already quite late for Swift's class, none of them had heard the alarm clock this morning.
« We're going, right ? », Lana asked.
« Yeah why not. But we don't have any costume sweetie. »
« We'll figure something out. We got one more day V ! Now let's hurry or Swift is gonna give us extra work ! haha »
« I've already got extra work with my TA job, what more can he give me ? »
« Haha sure you got a pass but I'm the average student and not his TA ! »
«Let's move it girl ! »
They ran to the main building, and towards the lecture hall, opened the door and went to sit down in front row where Ian and Shawn were already sitting.
« Someone got a late wake ??? », Ian said, laughing.
« Shut up Ian. We both were late this morning. Don't even start with my hair ! » , Vanessa tied to pull her hair back but it was so bushy she couldn't do anything with it.
« What hair ??? You mean that curly bushy thing on top of your head ?  haha ! »
« Alright, alright, you got a good laugh. Now let's focus, Swift will be here in a minute. » She had just finished her sentence when she heard a loud « Morning everyone ! » Swift had just opened the door and in his everyday mood, was ready to hit it. She couldn't stop staring at him. He looked so gorgeous with his black pants, and his blue shirt. He looked towards the group and smiled. He was happy to be here with all of them.
Lana turned to Shawn and asked him : « Are you guys going to the Halloween party ? »
« Shuuuuush.. » Vanessa said to her. Lana had forgotten Swift was in the room.
« We'll talk later. Sorry. »
« Alright everyone. After two months of intense lectures and exams. We're gonna start having tutorials as well. You can choose between different topics which will help you achieve this semester's assignments and also master new skills. You're gonna have two lectures per week and two tutorials to choose between the following : (Swift displayed the list of topics on the screen)
1) Introduction to Crime scene investigation and forensic science
2) Anti-fraud strategies
3) Crime, Media and Culture
4) Hate crimes
5) Crime, exclusion and Mental Health
6) Cybercrime : Deviance crime and terror
Choose carefully because you won't be able to drop the tutorial once you've signed up for one. Most of them will be taught by me, but I'll also host experts in most of the disciplines I don't actually master, such as forensics and Science and cybercrime for instance. The grades for the semester finals will be dividede between the exam on the seminar and the grade you're gonna get at your tutorial, 50 % and 50 %. I advise you to take a few days before signing up for a choice which will determine your final grade. I know some of you already have a number of skills in one or two of the following, I also advise you to discover new fields in order to be the best in various topics at the end of this year. Now, Miss Lockbridge, if you please can come to the front and give out those papers for me, I'll start today's lesson. We are going to focus on the victims of crimes and on the means to support and accompany the families of those victims and how the questionings are conducted in the presence of family members. You will have to fill this quizz at the end of the class and put it on my desk. Now let's get started. »
Vanessa stood up, walked slowly towards Swift as he was already holding the papers she had to give. « Thank you Miss Lockbridge », He winked at her but nobody saw him. She smirked and headed towards the students. She couldn't even mask the rush she had to jump on him and kiss him but she tried to put her poker face on and act professionally in front of the assembly.
The class ended, they all put their papers on Swift's desk. Swift made a sign to Vanessa to stay a while and help him with the next class. « We're going to the library and then to the cafeteria for lunch, join us when you're done wih your TA's obligations okey ? », Lana said to Vanessa, smiling.
«Sure. I'll join you all for lunch in an hour. Study well. Later guys. »
Everyone left the lecture hall. Swift was putting all his notes in his bag and closing his laptop.
« You really need me to type your next lecture ? »
« Oh yes !! haha », Swift walked around the desk and hugged Vanessa.
Vanessa pushed him away softly. « Not here Swifty ! Damnit ! You really can't behave ! »
« Okey, give me a kiss and I'll stop. »
«You're incorrigble Alex.  I'm gonna help you type your next lesson and that's all. We gotta be extra careful here and you know why. » , she gave him a kiss on the cheek in order for him to stop and walked out heading to his office. « Move it Alex ! Gotta meet the others soon ! »
«Sir yes sir ! haha bossy V ! », he laughed out loud and followed her to his office.
« Are you going to the Halloween Party ? Lana and I got a leaflet for the Kappa Delta one. Think we're gonna go. »
« Yeah, why not, if everyone's going. We gotta think about our costumes Miss Lockbridge though ! »
« Do you have something in mind Swifty ? haha »
« I might. I'm gonna think about it and text you later. Now Missy let's make sure you get paid for actually doing TA's work. I'll leave you my notes here. Gotta drop by Mike's office for a while. Will you be ok sweetheart ? »
« Yeah perfectly fine ! I'll finish that quickly and go join the others for lunch. »
« Great. See you shortly. »
« Hey, Alex... ? »
« Yeah ? »
« Love you ! »
He turned towards her with a big smile on his face. « Love you more Princess, though you look more like a crazy witch with that hair and strangely you are still turning me on ! haha »
« Shut up !!! haha Now goooooo ! », she tried to actually put her hair straight but she couldn't.

At the library, Shawn and Ian were already studying while Lana was heading towards the computer room.
« Dude, Lana mentioned the Kappa Delta party tomorrow. Are you going ? », Shawn asked.
« Oh yeah she said that. Of course  and we both are dude. Best party on campus ! Lots and lots of chicks in costumes. Lots of drinks, partying and fun. You want us to miss that ? »
« Surely not ! haha. Not that I'm a big fan of dressing up. We should go in town find our costumes later. »
« Sure. Let's do that. »
« Hey Ian, what if that Karen chick is there ? »
« What Karen ??? Ohhhh oops you mean the female Indiana Jones ?? Yeah sure she will be. Everyone is going mate. »
« What if she dresses as Nefertiti ? Does that mean you gotta be as a Pharaoh too ? haha »
« Shut up !!! Don't worry we'll find ourselves great costumes. Trust me on that. Now let's go back to our books. »

At lunch, they all gathered around their usual table. The cafeteria was already decorated with spider's web's, pumpkins and various masks on the walls.
«I'll have a burger, french fries and an iced tea please. », said Ian to the waitress.
« A caesar's salad for me, a banana shake and a glass of water for me please. », Vanessa asked.
« Can I have a french toast, a side salad and an orange juice please ? », Lana said.
« I'll get a cheeseburger too. And a coke please. », Shawn asked the girl.
« So have you guys thought about your costumes ? », Lana asked.
« Not yet. Shawn and I will go see after lunch. You girls ? »
« Not really. We might go this afternoon too. Let's keep the surprise though okey. You guys don't tell us how you will be dressed. »
« Okey, no problem. What were your previous Halloween costumes V ? », Ian inquired.
« Oh god ! I've had lots of various costumes. The coolest being a ghost, a zombie, Mortitia and a she-devil. »
« Damn ! You must have been hot as a she-devil ! », Ian replied, blushing.
« Yeah, I guess so. It was a long time ago though, I was still in highschool. »
« Is Swift gonna come ? », Shawn asked.
« Yeah I think so. That should be fun all of us in disguise ! », Vanessa replied, already imagining Swift with his costume being sexy as hell.
« Ian will be dressed as Indiana Jones ! hahaha ! », Shawn said, laughing and winking at Ian.
« Why is that ???? », Vanessa asked.
« Long story V. To make it short. There's a girl, archeology post-grad student he met last time at the pub. I said to him she could be dressed as Nefertiti ! lmao ! »
« You don't know when to shut up Shawn, right ?!! haha »
« It's ok Ian. It's good for you if you met a nice girl. Go for it and have fun. », Vanessa replied, smiling.
« Don't worry V. if anything happens, Shawn will let you know. He's like the Daily Planet reporter lol ! »
« Haha ! here's an idea for a costume Shawn ! », Lana replied, laughing.
« I already have a Superman t-shirt, get me a cape and I'm on my way to save the world ! »
They all finsihed lunch and made their way to the costume stores close to campus.
Swift had dropped by Mike's office and finished to prepare his next lecture and tutorials for next week. It was also time for him to run errands and find himself a costume. He knew being disguised would probably allow him to spend more time close to V without anyone knowing who they were. Those parties were packed and even though he was not too keen on crowds, he quite liked the atmosphere of those campus parties. Most of the professors and TA were going, not really to chaperon the students but at leat they coudl make sure nobody was selling drugs or starting fights. The mere thought of being able to hold her in public put a big smile on his face. One day for sure, he wouldn't have to keep their relationship secret and he hoped this day would come soon.

It was the day of the Halloween party. Before Vanessa could put on her leather overknee boots of her Catwoman costume her phone and doorbell ripped her out of her daydream. Proudly V turned away from the mirror and made her way to the door of her apartment. It could only be one person. She swang the door open and a « Alex are you serious ? » slipped out of her mouth.
« Vanessa », Alex said in his best Batman voice.
« Oh my god », she burst out in laughter grabbing the door frame. « Come in I need to put my mask on. »
He closed the door behind her and sat down on her bed. « It's really hard to sit down with a cape, I almost strangled myself ! »
She turned around looking at Alex cracking up. She was now fully dressed. He couldn't take his eyes off her perfect complexion and the leather outfit, her green eyes were sparkling through the holes of her mask making Swift want to kiss her, and he could now ! Besides of being very careful they had used every chance to spend time together in the past week and they loved it, but today they could be themselves anywhere, thanks to the masks. Vanessa put her arms around Batman and their lips collided. « I love you », he said in his normal voice.
« I love you too, Vanessa failed to sound like Batman and laughed. « Let's go, we'll be late ! I want to see what Ian, Lana and Shawn look like. We're meeting them in front. »
Swift's rental Mercedes turned into the Batmobile for the night while V took out her signature red lipstick.
« Let's go Catwoman ! » He put his hand on her right thigh, caressed it and drove the car away.
They could see Lana from the distance dressed in a tight black suit with fake blood running down her chin and neck.
« And here ladies and gentlemen, we have one of the 4000 vampires this Halloween ! », Swift said, sarcastically as he pulled into a parking bay close to Lana and the rest.
« Have you seen Frankenshawn ? »
« I thought he looked like that every day ! »
Vanessa burst out laughing : « Is someone in a good mood today ? »
« Yes, because I have you », he leaned over to stroke her hand. That second Lana hammered agaisnt the car window on Swift's side : « Are you coming, I'm cold ! »
They smirked at Lana shivering in the cold New York October night, unbuckled their seatbelts and they were out.
« Holy V you look hot ! », Shawn yelled.
« Yeah. » Swift agreed with an immediate heap in his side coming from Catwoman herself.  Lana noticed and smiled at them then turned around. « Let's find Ian. »
« Here Lana. » Ian was dressed as Green Lantern mustering Vanessa, jealous but happy to have the group together. « Let's go inside guys ! »
The kappa Delta sorority had put on the best decorations the NUY campus had ever seen. There were mannequins on the lawns who were dressed as zombies, fumes were coming out of the staircase, Jack O'lanterns on each stair, spider's web on the entrance door and a creepy sound everytime someone was walking inside. The sorority also had a pool and as weird as it could seem, some of the students were standing inside it with their costumes and a cup on their hands. The house had two floors and at leat 15 rooms, a huge hallway, a dining room which was turned into a private ballroom and a massive kitchen. Drinks were only 2$ and food was free. The Kappa Delta girls were on roller skates giving out candy to all the students. They were all dressed as World War II nurses. The party was already awesome. « Let's have a drink. », Swift slowly pushed Vanessa towards the bar and asked for two glasses of champagne. He hesitated to put his arm around her while the group was near. Vanessa took a sip of her champagne and smiled at him.
« I feel like you need to dance with me. »
« Oh do you now Prof ? », her eyes began to sparkle through her mask again as he pulled her away from Ian into the near end of the dancefloor. He gave the DJ a handsign and shortly after a slow song started. Students around them started to protest but Swift only saw Vanessa. He pulled her closer grabbing her hips moving in the rhythm. Her  lips touched his and they could feel eachother's heartbeats in their lips colliding. « I have a feeling we'll be connected forever. » But Vanessa couldn't hear over the music. She put her hand on her ears, signifying she didn't hear what he'd just said. He smiled and they carried on dancing. The slow song ended and the DJ put a more entertaining sound and everyone was back on the dancefloor. Most of the guys from the other fraternities started drinking games and outside the inflatable pools turned into foam sliding. It was a great party indeed and the night was young.
Ian was grabbing potato chips and cakes when he heard someone behind him saying : « Where's your lantern ? » he turned around and saw karen. To his surprise, she was not disguised as Nefertiti but was wearing the best Alice in Wonderland costume he'd ever seen. « Holy Molly ! Haha You look fabulous Karen ! »
«You look good too for a green superhero ! »
« Wanna drink something ? », Ian asked trying to put all his food back on the table.
« Sure ! Let's go get some punch over there. I'm happy to see you again Ian. »
« Same here. »
From the other side of the room, Shawn and Lana were looking towards both of them. «Look at those two Lana, seems our friend is ready to get back on the saddle ! »
« They look cute together. », Lana replied, smiling.
« Hey wanna come foam sliding with me ? »
« Haha really couldn't imagine you saying that sentence to me ! Alright, let's go ! » Shawn followed Lana oustide where the students had organized foam sliding competitions on the lawn.
In the meantime, Vanessa and Alex were grabbing some food and enjoying some time together amidst hundreds of students wearing the funniest and most original costumes they'd ever seen. « Alex, look at this girl ! » Swift turned around and he saw a girl all painted in blue like Mystique in the X-Men movies. « Damn, you think she's naked also ? » Vanessa hit Alex on the shoulder. « Come on !!! haha ! »
« Hey , I was just curious ! », he replied, caressing her arm.
« Fancy coming with me in the pool ? »
« Whaaaat ? Well for starters i'm not going in there with this leather tight costume cause if I do I might actually spend the rest of my life with it, second, if you go with this Batman costume you will drown ! », she laughed loudly.
« Look this way Princess. Problem solved. », He turned her around and next to the staircase was a sign saying :  we lend swim suits, all sizes, just ask at the counter.
« Oh I see !!!! Well why not then. Let's go find a cool swim suit for you Swifty, maybe one with a mini cape ! haha »
« Very funny V, very funny ! »
They both found swim suits quiclky, a black bikini for her and surfer's boxers for him. « We keep our masks on though V. » They headed towards the pool, it was packed with students dancing or even trying to swim, some holding drinks and others taking selfies. They sat on the edge of the pool trying to check the temperature. « It's a heated pool V. As long as you stay in, you'll be fine, but once we'll go out, we'll need to get dressed ASAP, it's not so warm outside. » He let himself slide in and took Vanessa's hands. « Come on Princess, join me. »
It felt quite good to be in a pool at the end of October even if indeed if was not like the hot Summer nights. « I used to got to the pool every week when I was in highschool, besides my cheerleading activities and competitions. »
« You're an athlete ! »
« I'm not that warm inside either Alex. Let's not stay here too long, okey ? »
« I have an idea how you can warm up in ten seconds. », He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her real tight. Around them, nobody was paying attention to anyone, it was too crowded and loud. He started kissing her cheeks, caressing her back. « Heyyyy, I ... », She wanted to say something but she didn't have time. He pressed his lips against hers softly. They kissed for five minutes as if there was nobody around, as if time had stopped. They didn't even notice that some students were yelling all around them, doing jumping games.
« I could do this forever V. I love you so much. »
« I love you too Batman. Haha. Can we go inside now ? I'm cold. »
« Sure sweetie. Give me your hand. » He helped her out of the pool and they walked towards the house to get changed.
« Hey can we use the room upstairs to put our costumes back ? » Vanessa asked to one of the Kappa Delta girls.
« Sure, no problem, just don't touch anything. »
Alex followed Vanessa on the wooden staircase. Her wet hair left a trail on each of her step. She nearly slipped arriving on top of the stairs. « Hey V ! Do not repeat that giraffe fall again ! haha »
« Shut up you ! It's the water on the floor, not my fault ! Haha. See I'm ok, I'm on my feet ! »
« Shall we go inside this room ? Not sure how I'm gonna fit in the leather tight suit being that moisty. Haha. »
«Let's find ourselves some towels. »
Vanessa walked into the room. It was huge with a king size bed and nicely decorated. « This chick's got taste for a Kappa Delta. » She headed towards the window to admire the view, she didn't notice Alex had followed her. He started to untie her bikini top. « What the hell you think you're doing Swifty ??? We're not at your place ! Put that back ! haha ! » She ran after him all across the room, jumping on the bed. Swift was laughing so loud surely the students outside could hear him. He carried on running and stopped by the window, holding the top in his left hand. « You're not gonna do that, are you Alex ??? »
« Hehe, try me ! », he dropped the bikini top and started running again. « You're acting like a 12 year-old Alex ! Can't believe you just did that ! Now I'm gonna have to go down and get it. » He smirked and replied : « But that's how you love me right ? »
«I do. » She looked straight into his blue eyes and felt a heat wave.
« Now come here babe. », he grabbed her waist and started kissing her neck, pressing his chest against hers. He lifted her up and put her on the bed. «  We...we can't do that here. Come on ! », she said, not even resisting though.
She kissed him back and caressed the back of his head. He sat on top of her and kissed her chest. « What if someone... » She didn't have time to finish the sentence. Their bodies both collided and they made love, right here, at a Halloween Party in a student's bedroom. The music outside was still loud and nobody even noticed they were absent for an hour. Lana and Shawn were having fun by the pool. Ian was having a great time with karen.
« We should.. »
« Yeah. Let's get dressed and go down join the party. »
« We're crazy Alex. »
« I'm crazy about you for sure. The rest doesn't matter. », He kissed her and they both grabbed their costumes and put them back. As Vanessa was lacing her boots, they both heard a loud scream, and the music stopped. « Did you hear that Alex ? »
« Yeah, let's hurry. »
They rushed down the staircase. « Oh my god ...Kate...somebody help ! » was heard amidst the crowd. Swift pushed eveyone and Vanessa pulled Alex in the direction of the scream. He found Andrew, a classmate leaning over Kate who was laying on the floor shaking with white stuff coming out of her mouth.
« Poison everybody. Put down your glasses and plates right this second », Swift said ordering as he kneeled down to Kate to feel her pulse.
« I'm calling an ambulance », Vanessa ran outside.
« She's dead », Swift told Ian as he saw him approaching. « See the white stuff ? It's poison. »
« Oh my god what if we are next ? »
« You'd be on the floor already, no somebody did this to her only her ! Call Peter. »
« The ambulance is on the w...why did you cover her. Oh my god she's dead ? », Vanessa took off her mask an put it on the bar, unravelling her long straight hair.
« Yes she'd dead. I'm gonna talk to Peter. Please stay here and make sure nobody gets close to the crime scene. », he stood up and headed towards Ian. « Is he on the phone ? Give it to me thanks. Stay right here with V. »
Ian went to fetch Shawn and Lana while Swift was trying to make sure nobody contaminated the crime scene.
« Alright everyone, nobody leaves the house or touches the body. NYPD and my colleagues from the Bureau will be her soon. Anyone who has been in contact with her before she collapsed or even talked to her in the past hour, move right her to the left. The rest of you will have to be patient as we will need to question or search all of you. Bags, pockets, everything. », Swift said, firmly.
Lana and Shawn had just arrived close to the body. « Oh my god !!! », Lana screamed.
« Who could have done that to her ? », Shawn asked, turning towards Swift.
« We don't know yet. The CSU and Peter are on their way. She was poisoned Shawn. Now we need to find how. » As Swift had finished to talk, he heard the sirens outside. The NYPD started putting a perimeter around the house, followed by Peter. « I've got it from here ! », Peter said, walking towards Swift.
Swift grabbed Vanessa's arm and pulled her to the door, he suddenly couldn't wait to leave. He started to sweat and suddenly felt uneasy. Vanessa didn't notice until she was back in his Mercedes. She opened her mouth but Swift broke his silence.
« Did you see that necklace Kate wore ? »
« What ? Yeah ! »
« My wife had one like that, probably the same one. »
« Are you okey Alex ? »
« Yeah, sorry, for a moment I went down memory lane. Let's go back inside and see how Peter's doing », he said, caressing her arm.
« You sure ? »
« Yeah, i might need to help him and the NYPD conduct the questioning. »
Swift and Vanessa got back inside the house, Peter had already sorted out the students, the ones who had been in contact with Kate and the bartenders on one side, the rest on the other side. Slowly and after having checked the IDs, the ones who weren't in contact with her were released, their names and numbers written down by the NYPD officers.
« Right, what did you serve her tonight ? », Peter asked the bartender, a 20 year-old ginger-haired girl.
« How could I remember that ? There were more than 300 people tonight ! »
« Then maybe you remember her costume. She was dressed up as a skeleton. »
« You know how many skeletons there were at the party ? », she replied, smirking.
« Okey, I'll go question her friends. If you remember anything, here's my card. Call me at any time. »
« Sure. »
Peter joined Swift and Vanessa who had stepped in. « Where did you go Alex ? »
« Sorry, I needed a moment. Does she know what she drank ? »
« No, she doesn't remember anything. Let's go see her close friends, they will know what she drank and ate. »
« Surely someone put a poison in her glass as nobody else seems to be sick. They would have been by now. », Swift added.
« Alright, Swift you take the first ten on this side, I'll take the other ten. Vanessa, Lana, Ian and Shawn should go home maybe. »
« You want us to leave Professor ? », Ian asked.
« For tonight guys, there's nothing you can do. Peter and I will do the questioning and the CSU and ME need to to their job too. I guess I'll see you all in class tomorow morning. Ian, Shawn, please take the girls home safely. Call a cab from here okey ? Goodnight y'all. Stay safe. » Swift turned towards Vanessa and winked at her. She had to act normally in front of the others so she replied. « Goodnight Professor. » and left with the others.
As the group was leaving, Swift and Peter started questioning all the students who had seen Kate in the last hour. The girls were in shock, crying and hugging ; the  boys were pale and looking lost.
« I...I was with her 10 minutes before she collapsed. I saw her with a drink, a vodka tonic I think, then she disappeared in the crowd. », a tall blonde girl dressed as a vampire said to them.
« Alright, then that was her last drink. », Swift replied, calmly.
« Did you see her with someone before she disappeared or even when she went to the bar ? »
« There was a guy. He was dressed up as an alien, a green one, with antennas on his head. He talked to her at the bar, I saw him from the other side of the room, but she defo was talking back to him. »
« Right, other than his costume, can you describe him a little more ? »
« 6 feet. Dark short hair. Blue eyes. That's all I could see from where I was. »
« Okey, thanks. We migt find his name asking the other students. »
« You're gonna find who did that to her, right ? »
« Yes, we will. I promise you. Now go give your name and number to this NYPD officer and you can go home. Thanks for your cooperation. »
« Have you found anything Alex ? », said Peter walking towards him.
« Nothing really consistant. She had a vodka tonic before she died and there was a guy with her at the bar. We need to find him. You ? »
« Some of the girls over there went to the party with her. They split up after and had drinks and food. Kate was seen with a guy indeed. It might be the same guy you've just mentioned. I'm gonna send all those students home. We got names and numbers. Gonna let the CSU on the crime scene and clear the house. We'll call some of the girls at the Bureau if we need clarifications on Kate's whereabouts. »
«One hell of a Halloween night, huh ? », Swift said, sighing.
« yeah, ended up pretty bad. Glad you were here though to calm the students down. »
The ME came close to Peter and Alex, holding a test tube and a Q tip in his hands. « What have you got for us ? », Swift asked.
« I tested for usual poisons. It's not syanide for sure. I will need to confirm it later to you guys but I'm pretty sure it's ricin. »
« Oh wow, this is quite rare. How could she have been given this ? »
« Well, the median lethal dose of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation. Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach. An estimated lethal oral dose would be 1 miligram per kilogram », the ME said.
« Oh okey, so this could also mean it might not have been put in her drink. An inhaler maybe, or a spray, a small needle injection ? », Swift replied.
« All of those are possibilities. I'm gonna look for needle marks of course, and if she was sprayed with it, there will be traces on her face, inside her nostrils and lungs. I'll give you the autopsy report tomorrow. »
« Okey, thanks a lot, let us know what you find out ASAP. See ya. », Peter said.
« Alright Peter, think we covered it all for tonight. I'm gonna head home and call you in the morning , okey ? »
« Sure, will let you know what the ME said first thing in the morning. Do you have class tomorrow ? »
« Yep. No problem Peter. Goodnight buddy. »
« Night, Alex. See ya soon. »

The morning after at 7 am, Alex opened the door to his office and put a briefcase on his wide desk that was standing in the middle of the dimmly lit room. He was still sleepy, he turned his desk lamp on and sat down in front of his laptop. While it powered up, he looked over to the door and imagined Vanessa coming through it. He had an hour of prep before  she would actually come that door. He started writing lesson plans and made notes for what he had to do later on in the day. The hour passed quickly. As Professor Swift hit print the sound of Vanessa's heels caught his attention, only she was wearing heels at 8 am in the morning. He looked down trying to look busy as she pressed the door handle down and swung open the door.
« Alex », she whispered, « Are you wrapped up in work ? »
« Hm ? », he looked up pretending he didn't hear her coming in. « No, I'm done now just had to do this. », he picked up the pile of papers fresh out of the printer and waved them around in the air then let them drop back on the desk. Vanessa came closer and began to read the top sheet and nodded. « Okey, i'm gonna copy that for my TA file. Hey do you wanna grab a quick quiet coffee ? Ding ding ding, jackpot. Alex thought and pushed back on his chair rolling backwards. « Yup after you », he jumped up. Vanessa smirked at him for a split second then turned around and left the room before him. She walked down the hall not turning to him to grab her phone, she started texting Lana that she would grab a coffee before class.
« How are you Princess ?  I missed you last night. »
« I missed you too. », Vanessa turned around to make sure the hallway was empty and she took his hand. His heart started beating faster as he felt the urge to press her against a locker there and then he kissed her. « You know what, screw it » , and he did just that. Hi slips collided with hers kissing her wild and deeply. His hand running down the back of her neck underneath her elegant ponytail. They heard footsteps far away and stopped, quickly proceeding to walk smiling at each other.
« What are we doing ?', Vanessa bursted out laughing.
« I know ! »
The coffee tasted like heaven still sleepdrunken. They grabbed one for Lana and made their way back to the classroom. « I'm gonna go in and see Lana, you come in a few seconds later », Vanessa winked at her boyfriend and went to sit down next to Lana. She put her coffee on the table and bent down to turn her phone off in her bag. « V ! V ? » Vanessa looked up to Lana and Shawn staring at her.
« What happened to your lipstick ? », Shawn giggled to himself.
« Kissed someone ? », Ian said jokingly thene went quiet again.
V quickly wiped around her lips. « Must have messed it up with my cup », she said dry then turned to Lana cracking up. Lana smirked at her.
« Morning party people », Alex banged on the whiteboard. Everyone turned around shocked. «Jesus we didn't hear you, », Shawn yelled out.
« I'm a sneaky little one », he smirked in Vanessa's direction.
Shawn turned to V looking at Alex smiling, she saw his face and stopped. « Turn around », Shawn smirked and followed her directions.
« Vanessa ! Mrs Lock...Oh I forgot my notes on my desk. My head this morning ! » The whole group knew what had happened between the two at this point and Ian, Shawn and Lana were mustering Vanessa, amused.
« I'll go get your notes », Vanessa jumped up and as she left the room began to type a text to Alex. « We have to stop. » He sat down behind his briefcase and opened the text answering in three short words. » « But I can't. »
Vanessa showed her phone back in her bag and sighed as she reached his office. She grabbed the pile of papers and turned around again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a print of plane tickets underneath the pile she had just picked up.
« What the... » She picked them up and took a closer look. « Denver ? » She put the tickets in her bag and made her way back to the lecture hall. She dropped his papers on the desk along with the tickets on the top. His face turned from serious to amused. And he began to whisper. « I wanted to ask you after class...Would you like to come to a seminar in Denver with me ? I could use an assistant...in my hotel room. »
« You're impossible », V whispered but got really giddy inside.
« I'll tell you the details later. » Vanessa sat down again.
« So today my friends we are learning about trigger feelings. That may sound boring but it is a crucial part in profiling and will decide if you are going to solve cases or not to come up with suspect profiles. Mental illness plays a big part. I for example have ADHD. What would you think this could mean to an unstable person that really hates a dude ? »
The whole class started to laugh. Swift smirked leaning against his desk. « No seriously, stay focused. »
« He could for example do things impulsively », a girl from the back row said unsure.
« Yeah. For example. » Swift grabbed the pile of papers from behind him on the desk. « Vanessa could you hand this out ? What we got here is a sheet listing all kinds of factors that mental illnesses can have. Please read it and take your time to take notes, I want these sheets back. After Vanessa was done handing a sheet to each student she sat back down on her chair and began to read herself, but she wasn't able to take in what she was reading. Denver ? It would mean spending more time with Alex in a city where they would pretty much be unknown. She stared in Alex's direction in shock. She pulled her thoughts together adn got really excited.
After class Lana, Shawn and Ian went back to the cafeteria to grab lunch.
« Lana I'm going to Denver with Swift for a seminar », Vanessa broke the silence while the two of them were standing in line to get food.
« Really that's gonna be so good for you, you will learn so much ! When are you leaving ? »
« Well the plance tickets are for tomorrow morning ! »
« He didn't ask you earlier ? », Lana got hyped up.
« No maybe he meant to but we've all been busy right ? »
« Would you like some sauce ? », the friendly lady behind the counter pointed the girls plates. Both nodded and grabbed their plates and went to pay. « It should be a crime to serve these mashed...whatever this is », Ian said when they got back to the table and Shawn nodded agreeing.
« Come on boys you'll eat anything », Vanessa said sassy .
« What are you doing later girls ? », Shawn pointed his fork in Vanessa and Lana's direction as he was talking then he picked up his shirt and whiped the corners of his mouth with it. »
« God you're a pig ! », Lana bursted out laughing, the two smiled at each other.
« Well I'm gonna pack », Vanessa said and had a hard time hiding her smile.
« Where are you going ? », Ian looked up from his plate.
« Oh yeah I only told Lana ! Denver for a seminar I will be back in 3 days. »
« With Swift. » Lana added and Ian's expression changed but he quickly got a grip. « Ah I see. »
« Awesome V wish I could go. » Shawn continued to eat. They finished their food and handed the plates back.
« Right I'm gonna drop by his office and go pack my things ! » Vanessa broke away from the group and began to rush to his office to tell him how crazy he was.
Mike got to Alex office a few minutes before and knocked on the heavy door just loud enough to rip Alex out of his Denver daydream. « Mate jesus everytime ! »
Mike started to laugh. «  Just want to give you the bookings for the hotel rooms it's all here have a safe trip and don't do anything I wouldn't do ! »
« I sure won't. Thanks man. » , Alex said dry and walked Mike a few steps down the hall. Vanessa got there as Mike left, passing each other briefly.
« Hey Swifty », she swung the door shut behind her.
« Are you kidding me ? », Swift got up.
« Ha ha what ? I know last minute and all but you got no idea how excited I am to get out of here . »

« Knock knock ». Vanessa turns around gasping looking at a big smile on Alex's face, standing in the doorstep.
« Hey you. »
« Are you alone ? » Vanessa nodded, Alex immediately walked over to her hugging her tightly.
« Thank you for coming to Denver with me. I see you already started to pack. I gotta head home and do my own. I was thinking you should sleep at my place so we can go to the airport together ! »
Vanessa hesitated. « Oh... I didn't know that's what ...you wanted to ..Ok. Well I'm tired I tought I was gonna spend the evening with Lana and go to sleep early. »
« Oh right...Ok. » Swift was trying hard not to look disappointed but he knew he was being silly, he knew a great time was ahead.
« We can't be together every day it would be too suspicious. »
Alex tilted his head and smirked. » You're always right, aren't you ! » He pulled her close and softly kissed her lips. « Text me though, ok ? I'll wait by the phone. »
« I will. » Vanessa smiled and kissed him one more time.
After Vanessa finished packing everything she needed for the weekend. She went to the bathroom to take a shower before Lana would get home. She thought about the weekend, what it would be like to be alone with Alex for a long period of time, in a town where they would be pretty much unknown.
« Vanessa ??? You're in here ahh » The door opened and Lana stumbled inside, barely making out shapes through the thick steam of Vanessa's shower.
« I'll be out soon. » Lana closed the door again climbing backwards over a suitcase and two handbags.
« You'd think you're moving out. » Lana laughed out loud after hearing Vanessa laughing from inside the bathroom. Vanessa stepped out wrapped in a towel with her wet brown hair dangling over her shoulders. « Have to be prepared for everything. »
Vanessa threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, leaving wet marks on her hair to air dry.
« Are you excited ? »
« Yes I am. I think I will learn a lot. It will be good to meet other profilers and Professors doing the same thing as we do. » Lana unwrapped a big bowl of chipotle and gets two plates.
« Yesss that's why I stayed home. » Vanessa jumped on her chair.
« Did you want to leave the house again before tomorrow morning ? »
« Well no, not really. » Vanessa pretended to have said nothing piling a small amount of food onto her plate.
« Wait. » Lana tapped her elbow.
« You were gonna see him, weren't you ? »
Vanessa smiled and nodded. « Well I decided to stay here. » She winked adn began to eat. Lana smiled and did the same.
« Your phone just lit up. » Vanessa grabbed her phone off the table right away so Lana couldn't read what the text said. « Vanessa I love you so much. I hope you are feeling good. I'm gonna pick you up at 7 am. Love, Al. »
« This was really yummy thank you. I think I should go get dry my hair and go to sleep. »
« Ok I was thinking about going to grab some cocktail with Ian and Shawn. » They hugged briefly before Vanessa went to her room, dried her hair and went to sleep.
« Baby wake up ». Alex  sat on Vanessa's bed proudly holding a bobby pin he had just used to give himslef access to her flat.
« Holy...shhh » Alex puts his finger over her mouth. « You have slept in didn't you ? »
« What ? » She sat up looking straight at Alex holding his phone up. « Ok I lied it isn't 7 but it's 6 am but I needed to see you earlier. I got  text from Shawn saying Lana was staying there with them overnight so I knew you were sleeping alone. »
Alex leaned over to kiss Vanessa sitting in bed sleepy and surprised. She got up got dressed and right at 7 they were out of the house on their way to the airport.
« I look awful. »
« Don't be silly you are beautiful », Vanessa was mustering reflection in the mirror sitting in the passenger seat of Swift's rental car.
Alex didn't say a lot. He was preparing himslef for a speech he had to give at the seminar. Vanessa finished her make-up, doing a perfect  job even tough Swift was driving the way he was. The aiport parking garage was busy, making them having to park too close to a pilar. Swift jumped out of his side rushing to get to Vanessa's door to help her climb out.
« There you go princess. »
« Thank you baby. »
The airport hall was full of people either stressed to make their flight, or bored, a few even sleeping waiting for another flight afer missing one.
« Have you got all your bags ? » Vanessa handed Alex her two handbags. She lifted her suitcase on the conveyor to get weight.
« That's fine. » The friendly  American Airlines worker said finishing their check in. « Have a good flight. »
« Thank you. » Both Swift and Vanessa said at the same time smiling at eachother.
They made their way through security, Alex greeting every second Air Marshal on the way he knew.
« Can we get a snack at the gate ? » I didn't have anything yet . »
« Sure i could do with a coffee. »
They headed to gate 35 taking a seat in a cosy airport cafe, as cosy as airport Cafes got. Alex unpacked a few notes from his handluggage. He began to add to his notes for the seminar.  Vanessa said quietly he was scribbling down. « Can you read upside down ? is there anything you can't do ??? » Alex broke out in laughter.

« So what have you got for me ? », Peter asked the ME, who was holding the autospy report in his left hand.
« I found a needle mark just at the base of her neck, a very thin and barely noticeable mark which makes me think it could have been hidden in a ring maybe and that's how the sirin was injected. »
« Would she have felt it ? », Peter asked, curious and looking over the poor girl's corpse.
« Slightly. As if she was stung by a bee but with the drinks she had, I doubt it. »
« Alcohol blood level ? »
« 0.8. Not that much but she was skinny so it might have affected her quicker. » The ME paused, looking towards the girl. « And there's something else. »
Peter stared at him, waiting. « She was 3 weeks pregnant. »
« How on earth would she have drunk that much knowing she was with child ? Unless she didn't know or wanted to get rid of it... »
« Some girls don't get morning sickness in the first trimester and none of the other symptoms either. She might not have noticed. But that's actually your job to figure it out. If it was rape, you're now looking for a rapist and murderer. You could have a lead here and a mobile. I'll get a DNA sample of the fœtus in case we need to find the biological father. Let's hope he's not our killer. »
« Indeed. We're gonna need to interrogate the guys with whom she had sexual intercourse in the last month. Anything else ? »
« Yeah, I found a cloth fiber. I sent it to the lab. I'll get the results tomorrow and will let you know ASAP. »
« Alright, thanks for all this. Let me know what you find out. I'm gonna call her parents to recognize the body. This is definitely not the part of the job I like doing. This is way too young to die. Poor girl. I'll see you in the morning. Bye. »
Peter left the ME office and headed towards his car dialing Shawn's number at the same time.
« Shawn, Hi, It's Peter. Any chance you, Lana and Ian can meet me later in the day ? I might need you to question students on campus. Are you in ? «
« No problem Peter. I'll text them and meet you this afternoon. What time ? »
« 3 or 4 pm would be fine. »
« Okey, we sure can make it. Where do you want us to meet ? »
« Meet me at the college cafeteria at 4 pm. Thanks a lot Shawn. See you later. Bye. »
« See you soon Peter, bye. »
Vanessa went to the toilet to freshen up while Alex was reading his notes. « Passengers to flight 757 to Denver are required to move to Gate 13. Boarding will start in 15 minutes. »
« Holy ...oh god ! Where the hell is V ? »
He jumped from his seat and looked everywhere around him. No sign of her or her handbag. He was so absorbed in his notes, he hadn't noticed her stand up and leave. At the end of the waiting area he saw her and started waving at her totally panicked. She walked faster in is direction, not really knowing why he seemed so stressed.
« V, com'on ! », he yelled.
She started running and joined him in a few seconds. « Why are you... ?  What ... ? »
He grabbed her by the hand and walked towards gate 13. « Ohhh Are we late for boarding ? »
« I hope not sweetie. I didn't notice the time. We'll be fine. Damn you run fast ! »
« Lots of gym class and cheerleading sweetie ! I have good legs ! »
« And long ones ! haha »
« Shut up Alex ! Let's move it ! »
They got closer to the gate and they were not the last indeed, three couples were queuing before them and a family with 4 kids. « See we aren't even late ! », Vanessa said, winking at him.
« Let's go sweetheart ! Denver can't wait to meet you ! »
« I'm kinda excited, first time I go to such a big conference. »
« You'll be attending one as a keynote speaker one day V. i'm sure of it. »
« You're adorable. That's why I love you. »
« I thought it was because I'm extremely handsome ! »
« Haha and that too ! » He put his arm around her neck and they walked towards the boarding area.
« Have a nice trip. », the flight attendant said to them while they stepped on the plane. « You're seats 3B and 3C. »
« Business class !! Wow !! », Vanessa looked at him with sparkly eyes.
« First time for you I guess. Let's order champagne, what do you say ? »
« Yep, let's celebrate our first trip together ! »
« Welcome to American Airlines. I'm your pilot. Thomas Ganz. The temperature in Denver is 85 degrees with sunny spells. Enjoy the flight. », the pilot said on the intercom.
« It's gonna be lovely. So warm for this time of the year. », Vanessa said, smiling.
« Did you bring your bikini ? The hotel's got a pool. »
« Of course I did ! I'm so happy right now V. I love you mre than anything. », Swift said kissing her and holding her hand.
« I love you too. », she put her head on his shoulder and tried to fit her long legs below the seats.
« Let's try to get some rest too. It's gonna be real busy when we get there. »
« I'm gonna nap for sure. I'm tired too. » She took her headphones out and put some of her fav albums on. He smiled at her as her eyes closed slowly, kissing her cheek. He was the luckiest man in the world.
The plane took off and headed to Denver. They had 4 hours and a half to rest. Swift took out his notes and his laptop and worked for a while. Vanessa was now in the land of dreams.