Chapter 7: Freak Show

Chapter 7: Freak Show
The morning sunlight cut across Chyler's bed like a silent accusation. She sat up abruptly, heart pounding, already reaching for her phone before she remembered. There was no morning briefing to attend, no job to report to. Suspended. Right, that's what it meant. She sank back onto her bed and exhaled through her teeth.

A moment later, she decided to get up anyway and make herself busy around the house. She walked downstairs and then down the hall to the kitchen. Juneau was already awake, full of energy, working around the kitchen for her family's breakfast. Chyler didn't bother to ask if it was enough for everyone. She just grabbed a bowl, poured some cereal in it and a splash of yoghurt just like she was used to.

It wasn't until she realized Juneau was watching her that she looked up.

"What?" she grumbled amidst a chew.

"You can't make real breakfast for yourself even when you have the luxury of time?" Chyler rolled her eyes. "Cereal and yoghurt is a disgusting habit."

"Not today, June."

She got up with her bowl and headed back to the bedroom, still eating. There, she threw on jeans, grabbed her jacket and then headed to the guest bedroom. Brye was still fast asleep, legs spread across each corner of the bed, a blindfold across his eyes, a teddy o his chest with his arms hugging it tight... Chyler shook her head and smiled.

Yeah, she had watched that image a thousand times over.

Instead of waking him up like she normally would have, she turned and walked back to the kitchen. She finished her cereal fast and slipped out of the house before her sister could unleash another round of passive-aggressive life advice. She had no plan. She just needed to move and be anywhere but the house.

The hospital was her first thought, to see her partner who she hadn't seen since the incident. She wasn't even sure if it was guilt that was keeping her away or not. Not that she had caused the accident. She had clearly told him not to follow her into that den and he had. Was she really to blame for that?

Somewhere between a mile's drive and another, her path shifted and she ended up at the precinct.

The station was buzzing with energy when she got there. Officers barked into radios and others sprinted towards squad cars. Something big was going down. Chyler's instincts flared before she could stop them. She stepped inside, scanning the chaos.

"What's going on?" she asks one of the officers as he rushed past her.

"They just found a body at a hotel downtown," he said without stopping. Not more than two hours after death."

Chyler's stomach dropped. "Who?"

He was gone before he could give her an answer. She barely had time to process the information when she saw Captain Navarro striding down the hallway heading out. He stopped suddenly when he saw her, his face hardening with reprimand.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here, Lee?"

"Let me ride with you, captain," she said, dismissing his question. "Was the victim murdered too or what? Do you know who it is?"

"Not a chance!" he glared. "And I'm not going to answer that."

"Come on, Cap—"

"This isn't your scene, Lee. How many times do I have to tell you that?" She opened her mouth to argue but he was already walking away from her. "Martinez, take Lee to my office and make sure she stays there until I get back."

"Are you serious?" Chyler scoffed.

Navarro shot her a look over his shoulder. "I wish I wasn't."

When the junior officer attempted to grab her arm and lead her inside, Chyler shot him a look that made him flinch. "I know where his office is, kid. Disappear!" she grumbled and shook her head. How old was he, eighteen?

★★★

The office was small, too small that she started feeling like it was actually making her thoughts louder. She paced, her boots scuffing the floor. Every muscle in her body twitched with frustration.

She checked her phone like she was expecting something but there was nothing. She stared at the clock on the wall and time seemed to stand still. Then, the door opened and the junior officer from earlier stepped in. Then Capri behind him.

Chyler froze mid step and Capri seemed as surprised to see her there.

"What are you doing here?" Chyler asked, finding her tongue.

"They asked me yo come in for follow-up questions about last night," Capri said, her eyes scanning the room. "You? Are they giving you your job back?"

Chyler sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Doubt it. This is more like I'm being contained."

Capri chuckled. "That tracks. You can be like a bio-hazard when you set your mind to it," she said as she took a seat.

Chyler shoved her hands in her pockets, unsure of what to do for them as a beat passed. "You okay?" she asked eventually, taking Capri in.

"I've been better but you know... taking one breath at a time."

Chyler then took the other seat, just a step from her. They sat in silence for a long moment, each lost in thoughts. The air was thick with things neither of them wanted to say first until Chyler gave in.

"Why did you kiss me last night?"

"I told you why," Capri said softly.

"You were upset. And drunk."

"And what? That means it didn't mean anything?" Capri finally looked at her. Chyler hesitated, not sure what to say next. Somehow, Capri still managed to render her throat tight and mind senseless by just a look. "Is there someone else in the picture?"

Chyler looked at her then, really looked at her trying to weigh the cost of the truth. Then slowly, she shook her head. "No."

Capri exhaled, her expression unreadable then spoke after a moment. "Come to brunch with me. Or lunch. After whatever this is."

Chyler opened her mouth to speak then closed it as the door swung open. Captain Navarro walked in and the look on his face made both of them get up quickly. He shut the door behind him but didn't speak right away. He just walked to his chair and sat, his shoulders sagging.

"What happened?" Chyler asked.

He looked up at her, his face tired. "Serena Goodwin," he said. They looked at each other in both recognition and confusion. "The victim at the hotel was Serena Goodwin. Room service called it in."

Capri's breath hitched audibly beside her and she went still. "How?" she brought herself to ask.

"Stabbed three times in the neck, four times in the chest," his voice was flat. Then he leaned forward. "Now, can you tell me how two of your former classmates can die only hours apart with no correlation whatsoever? And both murdered?"

"That can't be a coincidence," Capri swallowed.

"It's not. This is a freak show," Navarro said, airing Chyler's very thoughts. He got up. "I'm getting a court order. None of your classmates leaves town until further notice. Failure to adhere to the rules, you will be treated as criminals."

"You think one person in our graduating class is behind this?" Chyler asked.

"One, two... I don't know, Lee. But that's what I'm going to find out."