Speeding Ch. 10

"So what did I miss?" Chris asked the minute Reid and Jason walked through the station door.

"Big Ben wasn't her pimp," Reid answered at the same time Jason said, "A lot of nothing."

"You two were up there for hours and you got nothing?"

"Well, Jason here thinks Beverly Shaw knows something she's not telling us," Reid elaborated with an elbow to Jason's middle.

"Why?" Chris asked before saying, "I'm with Chloe. I think this was an accident and somebody freaked out and dumped her to cover it up. Maybe she was tied up for fun and profit, shot up, and—"

"No," Jason interrupted sharply.

"The more evidence we gather," Reid replied to Chris while ignoring Jason's growl, "the more I think this was far from accidental." He noted the muscle twitching in Chris's jaw, but soldiered on. "There were no fingerprints anywhere in that apartment. None. Sheridan CSU went over every flat surface, and there was nothing."

Chris shrugged. "I didn't say whoever was with her was an idiot," he defended.

"Let's say she was shooting up with someone, and let's say she died and her buddy spazzed," Jason began, his pale blue eyes icy. "She dies in front of them, yet they wipe every surface clean, wrap her in a sheet, drive the forty minutes from Sheridan, and dump her in our park?"

"That place was spotless," Reid added. "Nothing on the countertops, walls, doors, windows—nothing at all. How many women do you know who keep a spotless house?"

Chris rocked back on his heels as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "True enough, but even if your theory holds water," he held up a finger, "and I'm only agreeing it's possible someone purposely overdosed her. How do you A) prove it, and B) solve it?"

"We go back through it," Reid answered.

"We need to talk to her parents again," Jason put in.

"Didn't you say they hadn't had contact with her?" Chris asked.

"The Reverend said they'd had very little contact over the last decade."

Turning to face Reid, Jason said, "You need to talk to Annie."

"What?" He shook his head. "No."

"Yes, you do," Chris agreed. "Maybe she knows something she doesn't even know she knows."

"Sure, that wasn't confusing at all," Reid muttered before replying, "I don't want to traumatize her. She's been through enough as it is."

"Have Kendall talk to her then," Jason suggested. "She was a reporter, right?"

"A journalist could easily interview a kid," Chris interjected.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Reid acquiesced, "Fine, but don't count on anything."

"I never do," Jason answered as he turned toward his desk. "It's late. Caufield, go home to your woman. I'll write up the non-report."

Not one to pass up an opportunity to avoid paperwork, Reid left Jason and Chris there, his thoughts heavy. There was no question in his mind Amy was murdered. It was the who and why that were elusive. Maybe Chris and Jason were right and he—or Kendall, rather—needed to talk to Annie. He couldn't discount Jason's gut feeling about Beverly, but he just couldn't believe she would have killed her only daughter, junkie or not. Trying desperately to push it all from his head, he headed home.

~*~

"So, are you and Reid just planning to get married at the courthouse?" Claire asked.

"We might. It would probably help with custody."

"Do you want sole custody?"

Kendall took a long sip of her vodka cranberry as she contemplated. "I don't think so," she finally said with a slight shake of her head. "She's spent her entire life with them, and we don't want to uproot her completely. We want to be part of her life, but we don't want to turn it upside down."

"What does Annie want?"

"She says she wants to live with us," Kendall began. Shrugging, she went on, "She seems to think her grandparents don't want her, that she is a problem, a burden to them."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know what I think. It's unbelievable to me that they wouldn't want her, especially with the way Beverly treated Reid. But there's something that's not sitting right with me." She sighed. "I understand what's she's feeling. Kyle certainly didn't want to raise me any more than I wanted to be raised by him."

Fingers steepled, Claire leaned forward to ask, "You're an investigator, aren't you?"

"Technically," Kendall answered. "I majored in journalism, sure, and thought I wanted to be an investigative reporter." She bit her lip. "Thought I wanted to write hard-hitting pieces uncovering big stories."

"What stopped you?"

She took in a fortifying breath. "Kyle."

"How?"

"He wanted me to investigate for him, for his firm. He wanted to control... Hey, that's it!"

"What, Ken?"

"Beverly doesn't want Annie, she wants a child she can control. She couldn't control Amy, and look what happened."

"And?"

"And we need custody of Annie." She reached across the table to take her friend's hand. "Thank you, Claire. You need to finish those classes, you'll make a helluva counselor."

"Who needs med school anyway, right?" Claire joked.

"You helped the hell outta me, psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor."

"There's an endorsement," she remarked with a wry smile.

"It's true." She slid off her stool then. "I need to go home."

"I think I can find some way to amuse myself," Claire said, her amber gaze touching on three men throwing darts.

"I'll just bet you can."

"Believe it, sister."

~*~

Kendall was rounding the corner from Templeton's as Reid drove past. Chuckling, he pulled over and rolled down the passenger side window. Affecting a strong accent, he asked, "Hey there, sugar. Wanna ride?"

Whipping her head around, Kendall harshly answered, "No!" When she saw Reid's truck, her scowl broke into a wide grin. Her tone seductive, she changed her answer, "As long as you don't tell my fiance. He might get jealous."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," Reid replied through a laugh. Pulling her into the truck, he leaned over and captured her mouth. When he broke the kiss, he cupped her face in is hand for a moment as he stared into her aquamarine eyes. "I love you, baby," he whispered.

Reid was always loving, but something was eating him. "I love you, too. Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

He let out a soft chuckle. "Am I really that easy to read?"

"For me? Yeah, you are. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but I will." He took in then blew out a long breath. "The guys think we need to talk to Annie. More specifically, they think you need to talk to Annie."

"I love Annie."

He smiled. "I know you do, baby, and that's why this is hard to ask. We need to ask her about her mother. They think she might know something helpful."

"Claire said the same thing today."

"Really?"

"We were talking about Annie and her grandparents and it hit me that Beverly wants a child to control. Amy was a good girl until she married you against her parents wishes, then went off the deep end by cheating, having a baby she wasn't sure who the father was, and then becoming a drug addict and whore."

Well, that about summed it up. "Where are you going with this?"

"I think she'll be fine until Annie won't be controlled anymore." She winced. "I think we've made her harder to control now since she wants to come live with us."

"What do you think Beverly will do?"

"I don't know, but I know we need custody."

"We've got an appointment with Marjorie in two days."

"I know." They arrived at the house just then. "Promise me we'll take her."

He parked into the driveway as he answered, "She's mine, baby."

Sliding out of her seat, she shook her head. "No, she's not. She's ours."

He came around the truck to wrap her in his arms. "God, I love you," he told her before covering her mouth with his own.

She looped her arms around his neck as she jumped to wrap her legs around his waist. "Show me," she demanded breathlessly between kisses.

He carried her easily, much as he did that first night, unlocking the door and pressing her against it once they were inside. "Right here, right now," he told her before taking her mouth again. "I want you all the damn time. I think about you when I should be doing something else. I can't believe you promised to be mine forever, and you'll be an amazing mother."

She anchored her hands in his hair, staring into his deep blue eyes as she said, "We will be amazing parents to Annie and anybody else we're blessed with." She kissed him sweetly then, before pulling away to give him a wicked smile. "Until then, why don't we practice?"

Laughing, he carried her to the bedroom. "If we're going to practice baby-making, we should do it in bed."

"But I like when you shove me against a wall," she protested with a feigned pout. She liked making love to him anytime, anywhere. She really wasn't picky.

Taking her words to heart, he backed her into the pale blue wall of their bedroom. Fusing his mouth to hers, he slid his hand under her skirt to find her hot and wet beneath her tiny panties. He filled her with two fingers as he ate at her mouth, loving the whimpers she made. Knowing it was almost, but not enough to push her over the edge, he added a third finger, brushing his thumb over her clit and increased the pace. When she was on the precipice, he stopped.

"Need you. NOW," she demanded.

Smiling against her mouth, he dropped his pants and boxer briefs before moving her thong to the side and thrusting home. She was so tight, so hot, and hanging by a thread, her muscles fluttered as soon as he began to move. She clutched his shoulders as he pounded into her, her head thrown back against the wall, her heels digging into his back. Her orgasm came fast and furious, her muscles milking him hard as she screamed her release. He had no resistance against her and followed her over.

Panting, she said, "We won't be able to do that with kids in the house."

He laughed as he gently released her to let her stand. "We'll just have to be more inventive." He looked pointedly at the open bedroom door, giving her a half-smile. "And, we'll have to get locks for our door."

She pushed on her toes to kiss him. "Ya think?"

He picked her up and tossed her on the bed. "You better believe it."

~*~

"You cannot live with Reid and Kendall," Beverly told her for what seemed like the millionth time.

Stomping her foot, Annie yelled, "He's my father. My father! I can live with him if he wants me to!"

She grabbed her screaming granddaughter by the arm, tossing her into a wooden kitchen chair. "You will not leave me." When she turned to pull something from a shelf, Annie popped back out of the chair.

"You are not the boss of me! You can't tell me what to do! He's my fucking father!"

Spinning around, Beverly slapped the girl across her petulant face. "WHAT did you just say?"

She covered her cheek with her left hand. Her grandmother had slapped her! Shaken, she refused to back down. Instead of answering, she ran for the door. She threw it open and bolted down the street.

She watched the girl run down the block, turning left at the corner. She knew where she was headed, and would deal with it later. For now, she had more important things to attend to. Reid Caufield didn't have time for a teenage girl. He was too busy trying to solve a murder. Her horrible daughter's murder. She turned back to the stove and stirred the beans she had simmering. The Reverend would want dinner when he came home.

Breathing hard, Annie bent over, bracing her hands on her thighs. She had run as fast as she could clear across town. She stared at the brick house. There were no cars in the driveway. How long would she have to wait until her dad or Kendall came home? How long did she have until her grandmother came after her? Her breathing settled, she climbed the stairs to the porch. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long until she could go inside. Kendall would believe her. She knew she would. She hoped.

It was pitch dark when Kendall made her way up the porch steps to the house. The end of daylight savings time meant it was fully dark before they closed the store, and she hated that the dark, cold November evening had her spooked. Their house was secure, but something had the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. She jumped when she caught movement in the rocking chair.

"Kendall?" came the quiet voice from the shadows, as the figure unfolded from the chair and came toward her.

She sighed in relief. It was Annie. She wrapped the girl's shivering form in a hug. "How long have you been out here?"

She hugged Kendall tightly. "I don't know. I ran away. She said I couldn't live with you, she said she wouldn't let me. I... I yelled at her and ran away."

"It's okay, sweetheart. We'll all be okay."

"When's my dad coming home?"

"Soon. He'll know what to do."

"I can't go back there. I'll..." She shifted her feet as she thought about what she'd do. "I'll run away again if you make me go back there."

"What did she do to you?" Kendall asked, alarm in her voice. "Did she hurt you?" She flipped on the light in the kitchen. The angry, red hand print on Annie's cheek spoke volumes. "She hit you?"

Annie gave a very small nod as she sank down onto the couch. "I cursed at her."

"That doesn't give her the right to slap you across the face."

"I said the F word," Annie whispered. "I've never said it before."

"I don't care. You're staying with us." She knew she was right about Beverly Shaw, and hated that fact. Annie wasn't controllable any longer, and she'd already been hit. They had to get custody. Idly she wondered if the Reverend had any idea what kind of woman his wife was, or if he lived in a pious little bubble. Surely if Beverly would resort to slapping her granddaughter, she had done the same to Amy.

Changing gears, Kendall smiled at her fiance's daughter. "So, what should we make for dinner?"

"Pizza," Annie answered decisively.

"Pizza it is. Come in the kitchen and help me."

~*~

Reid contemplated punching the wall. This case was going nowhere and it was pissing him off. Nothing was adding up, there was no clear motive, no real evidence, and all he had was Jason's gut feeling. He was starting to believe Jason was onto something, especially with Kendall's affirmations last night. He threw his pen down and rose from his chair, rolling his shoulders as he did. What did he know? He knew Amy was killed by a heroin overdose. He knew that overdose could be accidental or purposeful. He knew it appeared Amy had not shot up for at least a month before her death. He knew she was bound by wrist and ankle within twenty-four hours of her death. He knew she died in Sheridan, but was dumped in Aylesford. Dammit! He knew all that, yet he knew nothing. He didn't know whether or not the overdose was accidental, he didn't know if the binding was for fun or murder, and he had no evidence connecting anyone to dumping her body. It was enough to make a man question his chosen profession.

He paced the small space between his and Jason's desks, turning everything over and over again in his mind. He had to be missing something, he had to be overlooking a piece of the puzzle that made it all fit. Annie. He didn't know if she would be able to help, but he'd heard over and over again how she needed to be questioned. Her grandparents said she hadn't had much contact with her mother, but there was a chance she held information that could prove helpful. Lord knew he needed someone to give him more to work with. He cast a woeful glace at his desk. Piled with reports and handwritten notes, it offered him no help. He had to go home. No, first he had to talk to his daughter.

He arrived at the Shaw's seven minutes after he left the station. The Reverend and Beverly had just sat down to dinner, but Annie was nowhere in sight. Cautiously, Reid stepped into the house. "Where's Annie?"

"She's staying at a friend's house tonight," Beverly answered.

Sensing something was off, Reid played along. "Which friend?"

"Amanda Reynolds. They have a project due in a few days, and they wanted to finish it."

He nodded. It was plausible enough, but he didn't buy it. Excusing himself, he asked for directions to the Reynolds' house. He watched his former mother-in-law hesitate before answering him, giving him an address on Lichen Lane. Accepting that answer, he left, more questions buzzing around his head. Lichen Lane was across town, and if he wanted to drop by the Reynolds residence, he needed to let Kendall know how late he'd be. On the third ring, her phone picked up, but he was surprised by the voice on the other end.

"Annie?"

"Hi Dad," she greeted. "I'm gonna stay with you and Kendall for a while."

Forever. She would stay forever. "What happened?"

There was a long pause before Annie offered, "Um.... I'll tell you later."

He flipped a U-turn in the middle of Ash Street. "I'll be home in ten minutes."

"Thanks, Dad."

He was seething on the way home. Beverly Shaw either didn't know where Annie was, or Annie had lied to her grandmother, or... he didn't want to think about the or right now. He knew that wasn't the most cop-like, but dammit, he was sure it was an or he didn't want to face until he had to. In ten minutes.

~*~