Cath Trilogy: Hey Jane
Visiting the Scene
The home was high up a hill (what a surprise). The view of Downtown Berkeley was stunning, and Jane walked up to the side of the cliff in the backyard. There was a fence to keep anyone from falling the drop. It wasn't too badly sloped, but going down it would lead all the way to the bottom of the hill one mile away.
"Push," Rhys grabbed her shoulders, and Jane jumped in her place.
"Jeez, what's your problem?" Jane pushed at his shoulder with a smile on her face.
The new home owners were a kind elderly couple. They had told the detectives that they had moved to the area after they retired to have a nice home. For them, nice was fog every hour of every day and cold. There was always the mocking way of how you could be in California, but there was no warmth to be had.
They agreed to let the detectives look around to see the scene of the crime. The door had been replaced where the man had broken it in, and the blood stains had been scrubbed and painted over. Using the pictures from the first investigation, Jane could see that the man had broken in through the front door after having a fight with the wife through it. She had slammed the door on him, causing some picture frames to fall down, but the man had just kicked down the door.
The mother had run to her child where her husband was already trying to protect their soon to be six year old daughter. Very soon, as in a day away soon. More than that, it was Christmas Eve around 8:00. It was a surprisingly good time to commit a murder. Everyone was so absorbed in their own activities, and the loud sound of a gunshot may have been missed. Especially because the killer had used a muffler on the gun. At the time the demographics had been stunningly Christian.
The man had walked into the girl's room and shot her father. He then proceeded to rape the mother, and her body still was yet to be found, but hopes of the woman being alive had died out many years ago. Both parents had given their lives to protect their daughter. That was where Rhys came into the picture. His mother and himself had not been celebrating Christmas given their Jewish beliefs and had been family friends since the victim family had moved to their home.
The girl had run out of the house, soaked in her father's blood and limping because the man had tried to stop her from leaving by slamming a door on the girl's ankle. She had suffered from terrible shock, but Aubrey had described her in a report that she had written when she was 22 years old as being courageous. Jane doubted that their Captain would ever use a word like that in these days, but Jane could tell that Aubrey had been fond of the girl.
When Jane looked over to see how Rhys was, she saw that his eyes had misted over. It was then that she realized how hard it must have been on him to visit this place after all of these years. And now, she knew that the girl had come running to him when she was scared and confused. And heartbroken. The girl had her family taken away from her the day before what was supposed to be a kid's favorite holiday. Christmas was ruined for the girl, Catherine, and likewise Jane. Rhys had always set up a small shrine every Christmas on the holiday for the family. It was the one time a year he allowed himself to be sentimental.
They decided to call it a day and go to the place where they would be staying. It had been a long day with a 9 hour drive and Jane was ready to rest. Their temporary place of residence was the house that Rhys had grown up in. They hadn't moved away after the incident, so the walk to their resting place consisted of going across the street.
"Push," Rhys grabbed her shoulders, and Jane jumped in her place.
"Jeez, what's your problem?" Jane pushed at his shoulder with a smile on her face.
The new home owners were a kind elderly couple. They had told the detectives that they had moved to the area after they retired to have a nice home. For them, nice was fog every hour of every day and cold. There was always the mocking way of how you could be in California, but there was no warmth to be had.
They agreed to let the detectives look around to see the scene of the crime. The door had been replaced where the man had broken it in, and the blood stains had been scrubbed and painted over. Using the pictures from the first investigation, Jane could see that the man had broken in through the front door after having a fight with the wife through it. She had slammed the door on him, causing some picture frames to fall down, but the man had just kicked down the door.
The mother had run to her child where her husband was already trying to protect their soon to be six year old daughter. Very soon, as in a day away soon. More than that, it was Christmas Eve around 8:00. It was a surprisingly good time to commit a murder. Everyone was so absorbed in their own activities, and the loud sound of a gunshot may have been missed. Especially because the killer had used a muffler on the gun. At the time the demographics had been stunningly Christian.
The man had walked into the girl's room and shot her father. He then proceeded to rape the mother, and her body still was yet to be found, but hopes of the woman being alive had died out many years ago. Both parents had given their lives to protect their daughter. That was where Rhys came into the picture. His mother and himself had not been celebrating Christmas given their Jewish beliefs and had been family friends since the victim family had moved to their home.
The girl had run out of the house, soaked in her father's blood and limping because the man had tried to stop her from leaving by slamming a door on the girl's ankle. She had suffered from terrible shock, but Aubrey had described her in a report that she had written when she was 22 years old as being courageous. Jane doubted that their Captain would ever use a word like that in these days, but Jane could tell that Aubrey had been fond of the girl.
When Jane looked over to see how Rhys was, she saw that his eyes had misted over. It was then that she realized how hard it must have been on him to visit this place after all of these years. And now, she knew that the girl had come running to him when she was scared and confused. And heartbroken. The girl had her family taken away from her the day before what was supposed to be a kid's favorite holiday. Christmas was ruined for the girl, Catherine, and likewise Jane. Rhys had always set up a small shrine every Christmas on the holiday for the family. It was the one time a year he allowed himself to be sentimental.
They decided to call it a day and go to the place where they would be staying. It had been a long day with a 9 hour drive and Jane was ready to rest. Their temporary place of residence was the house that Rhys had grown up in. They hadn't moved away after the incident, so the walk to their resting place consisted of going across the street.
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