Close To Me - Norman Jayden x OC, WIP

Meeting Again

Natalie tucked herself deeper into her leather bomber jacket as the rain continued to pour down upon the crime scene. Normally, she would have her canary yellow umbrella over her head, as rain was such a common occurrence especially with the time of year. However, given the circumstances she found it inappropriate for such a display of colour. 

She clicked her tongue and sighed, a sad sigh as she stood from her crouch over the sectioned off body of the newly deceased. The auburn haired detective let the white sheet fall over the body, shielding the view for the rest of the officers around her, as well as the noisy reporters nearby. 

She had an idea of who the victim was, and it was expected of her, naturally. Natalie was one of the better known detectives in the force, and known so for her precision, dedication, and drive. But unlike her coworker, Carter, she was compassionate yet tough---a true cop on the inside, not dirty. 

Something caught Natalie's attention, and she wandered off from the victim and crossed the crime scene to the train tracks across the way.

"Small abrasion on the victim's thigh. Likely post mortem...maybe caught on the fence?" She was talking to herself, muttering under her breath. The sound would have been drowned out by the amount of rain falling from the sky anyway. 

The woman hesitated as she approached the fence in question, surprised to see a man in a muddied, but well pressed suit examining the fence through a pair of sunglasses. She didn't recognize him in the dark and rain, and chose to approach with caution.

"Excuse me sir, this scene is off limits to civilians. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Her resolve was quick to return as she shook off her surprise. Her tone must have caught the person off guard, as he turned to face her with a look of surprise. His face returned to a neutral expression, lips pressing into a firm line as he reached up to remove his sunglasses.

"Sorry about that, I'm an agent from the FBI." He was reaching into his pocket, eyes darting down and then back up to meet her gaze. His eyes were piercing blue, his icy stare catching her hazel orbs as he presented his ID badge. "Norman Jayden, FBI profiler. I'm looking for Lieutenant Blake, could you direct me?"

She lowered her guard as soon as she caught his gaze. She knew those eyes and she knew them well. 

"Norman...it's good to see you again. Carter is in the corner playing with himself, as usual." She smirked, reaching out and shaking his hand as he smiled, genuinely, at her. She pointed over her shoulder at Blake barking orders at a fellow officer and scratching his back end with a free hand. 

"Natalie, I thought I'd find you here. Looking forward to working with you again."

Norman quickly nodded his head toward the fence she had been pursuing, running his free hand through his hair as the rain continued to hammer down. The two of them were going to be similarly drenched soon. She decided she would finish up quickly and report back to the office to warm up. 

"Blood present on the fence, consistent with the victim, Jeremy Bowles, likely where that post mortem abrasion came from. Footprint leading up the hill---"

"Hobbled down the hill with the victim, any signs of the vehicle? I knew it was Bowles!" There was an increasingly excited tone in her voice, her eyes widening and shining with enthusiasm at the information given to her. Norman himself was taken aback a little, only just realizing how long it had been since they had worked together, and forgetting how enthusiastic she could be when she was hot on the case. He loved it, but tried to bury that deep down to save his focus for the investigation.

"Yes, '83 Chevy Malibu. Top of the hill off the highway shoulder."

She glanced at the hill mentioned over his shoulder, nodding to herself. 

"As suspected, the power of ARI, right? I'm gonna go take a look, good luck with Blake." She gave him a small wave, now preoccupied with new clues to be found. She did hold back for one moment, giving him a side glance as she passed him before taking off.

"I'll see you back at the office, agent? We can get you properly settled in, after you dry off from the rain."

Jayden gave her a curt nod, the sunglasses reappearing on his face before she took off. He was sliding a single glove over his hand as well, before prowling off to the main area of the crime scene and in turn, Lieutenant Blake. He had a side smirk present on his face.