Detective AU: Episode 2; Blind Bet

Some time later…

“You shouldn’t have come alone…”
“She didn’t. Hands behind your back. You’re under arrest.”

“Are you alright?”
“Yeah… I’m fine… What are you doing here?”
“Working, as you can see.”
“Except this is not your case.”
“It is now. After detective Baxter’s retirement your department happened to have a vacant spot… I’ve got promotion.”
“Yeah, only promotion means going up career ladder, not down…”
“It’s a long story. Me and my boss had our issues for awhile, he had a lot of patience, but everything runs out sooner or later. So here I am…”
“You planned it all along, didn’t you?”
“Actually, believe it or not, I didn’t. I wasn’t going to come back, but Doyle wanted me on the team. Look, it’s not easy for me too, alright? I prefer working alone for a reason.”
“Which reason?”
“This reason. Son of a bitch would blow your brains out if I didn’t show up.”
“I had it under control!”
“You sure did. Why didn’t you shoot him? You had the gun.”
“I… I was going to… Just stay out of it.”
“It’s about Boyd, isn’t it?”
“Boyd is dead. I’m over it. It was just… a muscle cramp…”
“A muscle cramp, huh? Alright, we’ll leave it at that, partner.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Partner? Since when? I didn’t agree to that!”
“Neither did I.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
“I assume you met your new partner?”
“I already have a partner! Kelly! Have you thought about him!?”
“Actually, this is exactly why I assigned you and Fontaine together. Kelly has a lot of potential, but with you… he’ll be forever in your shadow. Your abilities…”
“Such a beautiful story. Is that what you keep telling yourself before you go to bed? Because this is how I see it. You don’t give a damn about Kelly or about me, you just want to make a name for your department, having a duo of ‘super detectives’ on your team.”
“Carrie, please… she saved your life.”
“She found me, bleeding out to death, crying for help like a child. She carried me out of that place and now you expect her to see me as a cop? You expect her to believe that I can cover her back?”
“She knows what you went through! We all know!”
“Right… and you think it makes me feel better!? Why don’t you put a tag on my shirt ‘Carrie the victim of a serial killer’.”
“Carrie…”
“Go to hell!”

“I knew I’d find you here.”
“Well, you are Mrs. Mastermind here, of course you’d know.”
“I always come here when I feel like shit… they don’t judge… I mean the dead ones.” [Pats the body bag] “It’s amusing right… all of them had lives, friends, family, dreams, hopes, but no one will ever know… they’re good at keeping secrets.”
“Alright, now you’re creeping me out.”
“I guess you’ll have to get used to the creepy part, unless you’re going to file a protest… I overheard your conversation with Doyle.”
“Look, it’s not that I don’t like you… sure, you can be bratty and annoying as hell, but this is not personal.”
“I get it, believe me I do and I respect your choice, but let me ask you a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“The flashbacks… how often do you have them? Back there at the warehouse, you had the gun, you wanted to shoot that son of a bitch, but then he said something and you froze.”
“I told you, I have it under control!”
“C’mon…”
“It’s not that fucking easy, ok? He broke me! He made a victim out of me and that’s what everyone sees now. A victim, someone who needs to be protected and babied around!”
“What Boyd did to you was horrible… messed up… fucking scary, but you’re not a victim.”
“Tell that to Doyle.”
“I will if you want me to. I know, it’s not easy, but you have to let it go… you have to forget, let the past be the past.”
“I want to forget, but I can’t!”
“You can…”
“No, you don’t get it. I can’t. I never forget.”

“October 17, 2007. It was Friday and it was raining. You showed up at the Pharaoh at 11:34 pm, you were wearing leather jacket from Gaultier’s fall collection, shoes from McQueen, D&G gloves, the right one had a cigarette burn on a ring finger. Must have sucked a lot to ruin a brand new pain of 300$ gloves like that. You headed straight for the bar, ordered double whiskey with no ice and talked to some asian guy, Japanese judging by his accent…”
“How do you know that?”
“I was there. It was the first time I saw you, I didn’t figure out you were a cop till that time you pulled a gun on that dude at the Deviant. It was pretty obvious by the way you held the gun.”
“Son of a bitch was cheating, alright? But how can you possibly remember all that?”
“I remember everything.”
“As if… everything-everything?”
“It’s not a choice, it’s a medical condition. Trust me, there’s plenty of things I would love to forget, but I can’t.”
“Hyperthymesia…”
“When I… when Boyd… when I was there, I was praying to pass out… then I wouldn’t have to remember, but I didn’t… Now I’ll just have to learn how to live with it and I will, I just need time… I wish everyone would just let it go.”
“I get it. I will talk to Doyle. I don’t want to be a reminder…”
“You are not, but you deserve a partner you can count on. How you can possibly trust me to cover your back after you’ve seen what he did to me. I fucked up, I made you risk your life for me. I was being selfish.”
“That’s not how I see it.”
“Huh?”
“Going after Boyd alone was a pretty damn reckless and stupid idea, but it wasn’t selfish. He wouldn’t stop, he’d kill again. You saved someone’s life, perhaps more than one. It was pretty damn brave.”

“You know, I can’t figure out if you’re being nice or playing one of your mind manipulation games.”
“Well, that’s my thing…”
“Really?”
“C’mon, I’m not the one with a super memory powers here.”
“Right, you’re the one with a super bitch powers.”
“If you’re trying to make me hit you, it’s working.”
“Go ahead, fight me!”
“I have a better idea.”
“Mmh?”
“Blackjack.”
“There’s no way you gonna beat me at blackjack!”
“Wanna bet?”
“Fine! What are we betting on?”
“If you win, I go to Doyle and convince him that you should keep working with Kelly, if I win…”
“I don’t file the protest.”
“Deal.”
“Deal.”
“Care to stop by my place? I don’t think we fit the dress code.”
“Wanna land me on of your fancy runway dresses?”
“Oh, I don’t land things. You wear it – you keep it.”
“I think I can live with that.”
“Great. C’mon, let’s go.”

“Nice place… not the way I pictured it, but nice…”
“Did you expect to see a castle?”
“Kind of… I mean, your dad’s name is in Forbes top…”
“Yep. My dad’s name, not mine, but if you want to see a castle that badly, I’m sure he’ll be glad to give you a tour.”
“Nah, I think I’m good. I never did well with all that fancy environment.”
“Why? Afraid someone will try to kick your ass for robbing their casino?”
“Hey, I don’t cheat! It comes naturally.”
“Aha, only they don’t know that.” [Points at the wardrobe] “C’mon, be my guest.”
“Seriously? You’re letting me pick whatever the hell I want?”
“Yep. I didn’t pay for any of these anyway.”
“How about that red one?”
“Go ahead, try it on.”

“Looking good! Only don’t wear it to a crime scene or poor Doyle going to have a heart attack. What’s the deal with the two of you anyway?”
“We used to be partners.”
“As if partners or… partners-partners?”
“Partners-partners.” [Rolls eyes] “C’mon! I was young! Doyle is a great cop and a good man…”
“But a shitty boyfriend?”
“Yep. He’s overprotective. You know how it goes… he just stopped seeing me as a cop. ‘You can’t go there, Carrie, it’s too dangerous’, ‘You are off the case, Carrie, I’ll handle it’. I loved him… but I will always love my job more.”
“Can’t blame you.”
“What about you?”
“What about me? I’m a psychopath, we don’t date.”
“C’mon, I’ve seen plenty married serial killers in my life. How about Archie?”
“Archie who?”
“Blonde handsome fella, you brought him to mayor’s charity gala three years ago. Archie Steward, your photos were in the paper. You were wearing that silver gown…”
“Jeez, do you just store all the junk in your head? Even I didn’t remember his name! His dick was nice though…”
“And you are telling me about junks, huh?”
[Snorts] “Shit, that gotta suck. I’d shoot myself if I remembered the name of every single guy I screwed.”
“Tell me about that.”

“When will they take off the stitches?”
“A week ago… a bailed on the appointment.”
“Not a fan of hospitals? Can’t blame you. I hate these sons of bitches… all they wanna do is lock you in a tiny room and get inside your head, find out who you are, but they problem is… you don’t know the answer. No one does. They look at you like you’re an error in the system, but what if the system is an error?”
“Oh, you’re good. I mean, with the whole talking thing.”
“That’s what I do… people are simple, too easy to read, they’ve got patterns, their little brains spin in the same manner, that’s why they’re afraid of us… we don’t fit in their little perfect world.”
“Why did you get this job? You’re a misanthrope, you don’t give a shit about saving lives.”
“Oh, believe me, I do… I care about saving a life… mine. You see, people like me… like you, we have certain needs, you can’t lock away your gift and pretend it doesn’t exist. It will come out sooner or later, you can’t help it. And I’m not interested in spending the rest of my life behind bars. I don’t care for which team I play, I simply love the game… plus it’s kind of nice using it for good, everyone wants to be a hero from time to time…”
“You’re crazy, you know that, right?”
“It’s a medical condition. I can’t help that.”
[Laughs] “You’re good.”
“I sure am. You know, I gotta give Doyle a credit. Man has some balls putting us on the team together.”
“He wants to make a name for his department, that all he cares about.”
“You’ve got a problem with that? I think it’s a win and win, he makes a name for his department, while we make a name for ourselves. Or you want to spend your entire life  chasing local gang-bangers?”
“I don’t know what I want.”
“Oh, c’mon! You’re way more ambitious than that, you’re a player.”
“That’s right, but I prefer to play my own games.”
“Figured me out, huh? Good job. C’mon, let’s go, I hate being late to the party.”

♫ ♫ ♫

“The game is over, ladies.”
“Excuse me?”
“The boss wants to speak to you.”
“Can the boss wait? We’re kind of in the middle of something.”
“Follow me. Now.”
[whispers] “Crap… this is bad.”
“Just keep it cool, I got it.”
“You got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”

“Good evening, ladies.”
“It was good, before you interrupted us. Care to explain why?”
“You see… gambling business is still business, if you know what I mean. As much as I respect my guests, I can’t let people walk away with all my money, for this is not a charity. That’s why there’s a system… a simple combination of tricks meant to control the amount of wins, the system that’s designed so a person with an average and even above average IQ won’t able to figure it out… and yet here you are, robbing me blind.”
“Well, it’s not my fault my IQ doesn’t fit your system.”
“Oh and I think it is your fault. You’re famous, lady. During last three month you were thrown out of Eclipse, Club Fortune, Spirit and The Garage, you are on the blacklist of The Manor, Whisper and Den… That’s a pretty long list, don’t you think?”
“I guess people don’t like my attitude…”
“And I think, you’re a cheater, lady, and I want my money back.”
“What we want is not always what we get…”
[Takes out a gun]
“Whoah, easy there…”
“Give me my money back!”
“Carrie…”
“I told you, I got it, trust me.” [Turns back to the guy] “You want your money back? Fine. But what about that lady over there? The cute blonde one, what’s her name? Cynthia, right? August seventeen, you announced your engagement, it was 11:46, no excuse me, 11:47 pm. She looked really gorgeous that night, that Prada dress probably cost you a fortune, but hey, can’t blame you, she’s a big win for a fella your age. How old is she? Eighteen? You know, girls tend to be really emotional at that age, trust me, I’ve been there myself once. Do you think she’s gonna be happy to find out about Gemma, Ashlie, Lily and Amber. Of course, I don’t have any physical evidence, but I can recall every single detail about most of the guests that were there on those nights… I don’t think Cynthia is going to do much of a background check though, as I said eighteen is a very emotional age…”
“I have a better idea. I put a bullet in that big brain of yours right now, take my money and make sure you keep your pretty mouth shut.”
“You can’t do that, because if you kill me, you will also have to kill her.” [Points at Colette] “And you know that her dad will toss this entire city upside down to find the guy who killed his daughter and make sure he rots in jail for the rest of his miserable life…”
[breaths heavily]
“So… we have a deal?”
[grunts] “Joe, show ladies the way out!”
“It’s a pleasure making business with you.”
“Get the hell out before I changed my mind!”

“Told you, I have it under control!”
“That was ballsy…”
“C’mon, if you’re going to lecture me, just bring it on.”
“Not my style. And then… I gotta admit, that was pretty awesome.”
“Huh! I knew you’d be impressed!”
“Yeah… but what about our bet? We were even when those assholes interrupted.”
“That blows… but I think I have an idea.”
“Huh?”
“How about we grab a couple of beers and finish it at my place?”
“Works for me.”
“Only under one condition.”
“Mhm?”
“You’re sleeping on the couch.”
[snorts] “You’re still salty about that one, huh?”
“You bet! My blanket still reeks of your perfume!”
“Hey, that’s Chanel, limited edition!”
“No wonder it’s limited, there’s only that much crazy people who would spend insane amount of money on something that smells like cat piss!”
“I’m gonna kick your ass!”
“Huh, you’re too drunk for that!”
“Watch me!”

“Can I ask you a question?”
“You will anyway, so go ahead.”
“When you showed up in the morning…”
“The moment you almost got shot?”
“Yeah… that one. You said that was exact reason you prefer to work alone… what was that about?”
“I’ve lost someone before… my partner, Jane Wong. I just got promoted to a detective and we had this serial killer case… I’ve got so carried away with my abilities… it’s been the first time I saw it all so clear, his patterns… as if I could read his mind, but it was pretty hard on me, I felt like I was losing my sanity. She hated to see me like that, wanted to get the asshole as fast as possible. I told her we should wait, but she didn’t listen… she looked into my notes and went after him. By the time I got there… it was too late… he left her there, she was still alive, but there was nothing I could do. She bled out… and all I could do was sit there, holding her hand and watch her die…”
“I’m so sorry… I… I didn’t want to put you through that all over again… with Boyd…”
“You didn’t know.”
“Is that why you left the hospital so quickly?”
“I wasn’t mad at you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“Because I didn’t want to go through it again, because I cared… and that never ends good. And yet, here I am… I guess fate’s a bitch, as they say.”
“And yet you didn’t file a complaint…”
“How would it make you feel if I did? If you want to go through with it I won’t object.”
“I think I need to sleep on it.”
“Sounds fair.”

“Hey… I just wanted to say… I really appreciate that you’re here.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You paid for the beer…”
“You know, it’s funny. They say that people like you aren’t capable of feeling empathy and yet here you are.”
“I have my moments… Plus… I couldn’t miss a chance to ruin your couch with my perfume.” [Snorts] “I think we should call it a night… Doyle’s gonna be pissed if we are late.”
“Don’t you need a pillow or at least a blanket?”
“Nah, I’m fine…”
“You’re so weird.”
“Says a woman with an unlimited memory card inside her head. C’mon, get your ass to bed, we gotta get up in three hours…”

“Hello Carrie… oh, don’t worry, you don’t have to get up… Did you miss me? I’ve missed you… I know you’ve been thinking about me, Carrie… every single day… I really appreciate the attention… that’s right, I do…”
“No, no, no…”
“I love these scars… they look so good on you… your blood… your tender soft flesh… should we pick up where we left off?”
“No… you can’t be here… you can’t be here… you’re dead!”

[Screams, breaths heavily as she jumps up in bed, waking up from a nightmare]

“Carrie? Are you alright?”

“He was here… he grabbed me and…”
“Hey, it’s alright. It was just a bad dream, ok? He’s dead… but I will go check just in case.”
“No…”
“Hey, I killed him once, I will kill him twice if I have to.”
[Walks towards the bedroom]
“Colette?”
“It’s alright, he’s not here.”
“Gosh, I’m so sorry… I feel like an idiot… You didn’t have to see this. This is exactly what I was talking about.”
“It’s alright.”
“No it’s not! I’m being haunted by a ghost of a dead serial killer who lives inside my head!”
“Welcome to my world.”
“Huh?”
“My ‘gift’… I have to get to know them, so I can think the way they do. I learn everything about them: their past, their favorite music, what they prefer to have with their morning espresso. I let them into my mind so I can see what they did. It never goes away.”
“This is insanity.”
“Some call it that way.”
“So that makes two of us, huh?”
“So it does… You know what? How about we go grab a breakfast somewhere? Cuz I don’t know about you, but my stomach feels like yesterday’s after-party. How much did I have to drink last night?”
“You had four double whiskey with no ice, one glass of Bacardi to wash it down, three shots of vodka and two beers.”
“Oh right… you remember that too.”
“You’re welcome.”

“Hey, Spence!”
“There you are! Had a nice night?”
“How do you know?”
“Well, you left together, you look hangover and she’s wearing your shirt.”
“How are you not a detective yet?”
“Oh, you know me, I prefer the company of the quiet ones…” [Turns to Colette] “Spencer Lewis, chief medical examiner.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Is Doyle here?”
“He is and apparently he got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He’s furious.”
“Any idea what that’s about?”
“You know, I prefer to play on the safe side… Oh, there he is!”
[Shouts] “Detective Grant? In my office! Now!”
“Excuse me, sir…”
“And you too!”

“What the hell, Carrie!? We talked about it!”
“I think you have to be more specific…”
“The organised crime unit raided an underground casino last night! I spent all morning explaining how the hell fingerprints of my two lead detectives happened to be all over the place! Rings any bells!?”
“I…”
“You have a gambling addiction!”
“Sir? It was my idea.”
“Wonderful! So you have a gambling addiction as well? Gosh, I expected more from you! I’m deeply disappointed! And you…” [Glares at Carrie]
“You know I need it!”
“You’re a cop!”
“So what!? I was working under cover.”
“Except you weren’t! You know I hate to lie and you’re making me do it!”
“You’re doing it for reputation of your department.”
“You realize I can make you turn in your badge right now!?”
“Then why don’t you?”
“You’re a good cop, you’re a damn great cop, but I won’t be there to cover for you every single bloody time! You can’t keep doing it!”
“I never asked for your help! I can handle it!”
“Is that so!? As far as I remember, your daddy doesn’t play golf with a mayor on the weekends!”
“See? It’s not me, it’s your reputation you care about! You want to fire me? Go ahead! Only you won’t, because you know you need me!”

“I think I’ve got a better idea. I was thinking about your protest last night, for a moment I thought maybe it was really harsh decision to re-assign you without informing you first, but you know what? It’s denied! You can file your damn protest all you want, you two worth each other!”
“You can’t do this! I’m not some high-school girl who can be punished for misbehaving!”
“This conversation is over! Now get out of here, both of you! I can’t stand looking at you any longer!”

“There goes our bet, huh?”
“I can’t believe he did it!”
“Do you think he’s very pissed?”
“He’ll get over it. Trust me.”
“I assume it wasn’t your first time?”
“Nah, was it yours?”
“It’s surely the first time I got ‘grounded’ for it…”
“So the mayor thing really works, huh?”
“You bet, partner!”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Hey, you should start getting used to it.”
“Fuck you!”
[Snorts with laughter]