Chief Ziegler smiled when he saw Gwen. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
“I’m feeling a whole lot better,” she said.
“You’ve been released for full duty? I need a doctor’s release before you can come back to work,” he said firmly.
“Well…uh, I feel well enough. I saw my doctor yesterday, and I’m released from complete bed rest. Brad called and said Wright is going to make it, so I figured I’d give them a hand with the paperwork. I promise I won’t do anything strenuous,” Gwen begged.
“You know the rules as well as I do, Gwen. I believe you that you’re feeling better, but you still need to rest. If you overdo it now, it will take longer for your full recovery. I need you back here, but when you’re one hundred percent,” Ziegler told her.
“I was just…”
“No. That’s an order,” Ziegler interrupted her plea. “Give it another few days, see your physician again, and we’ll talk then about putting you back full time. It’s for your own safety.”
“I know. It’s hard to be out of the loop. I miss my team,” Gwen said resignedly.
“I know. You’re young and strong, so I don’t doubt you’ll be running another marathon with your crew soon. Just enjoy the time off while you can, and we’ll see you back here in a few days.”
* * *
Gwen’s mood brightened dramatically when she arrived home and checked her e-mails. The owner of the house they’d bid on accepted their offer. She called her agent and got the ball rolling. If all went well, the closing would take place in six weeks and they could move in shortly thereafter. Pierre was anxious for her to move, having readily agreed on the price for him to buy her out. CC’s house still was up for sale, but she had two potential buyers; they were waiting to see if the bank would approve their financing.
Gwen tried to call CC to tell her the good news, but was told she was “who knows where” in the building. After a long nap, she woke up at three p.m. and got busy with her dinner preparations. She was about to burst with excitement by the time CC came home at four.
“Wow, this is a nice surprise,” CC smiled, giving Gwen a kiss and hug. “Those steaks looked wonderful.”
“I’ve got a little surprise for you.” Gwen tried to hide her excitement.
“Hmm…you must be feeling better. I’ve been wondering how soon we could get romantic again,” CC said, nestling into Gwen’s arms.
“That too,” Gwen said, kissing her passionately.
“Too?” CC asked. “What am I missing?”
“I found out this morning that our offer on the new house was accepted. We should close in six weeks!”
“That’s great!” CC screamed. “I’m so excited!”
“Careful, I don’t need a broken eardrum.” Gwen laughed. “I’m excited too.”
“You could have called me at work to let me know.” CC pretended to be mad.
“I tried, but they said you were gallivanting all over the building,” Gwen protested.
“I certainly was not! Brad, Scott and I are working with Fred to finish detailed reports on everything that happened during the investigation. Now that it looks like Wright will be able to stand trial, we don’t want to miss anything.”
“I’m sorry I’m not able to help you guys,” Gwen said sadly.
“We’ve incorporated all your notes. Even Fred was impressed with how thorough you were with the documentation. I think we have everything we need, but I’ll bring home the final draft when we’re done so you can read through it.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Gwen said, brightening. “I see the doctor tomorrow. I’m hoping they take this damn cast off my arm. It itches like crazy!”
“I know you’ve been uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. And I want to get professional movers so you don’t strain your shoulder. Oh, Gwen! I can’t wait to make our new home together. This is so exciting.”
“Me too. And I’m famished. Let’s eat!”
* * *
Another week went by before Gwen was able to have her cast removed, and was finally released to go back to work on light duty. During the last days of her time off, she was able to get all the paperwork completed, signed and notarized to purchase their new home. CC accepted an offer on her home, and Gwen was able to handle everything for her. It seemed to CC like every night Gwen had an exhausting amount of paperwork for her to read and sign.
By the time Gwen started back to work, they were all being called daily for meetings with the district attorney and prosecuting team. Every detail of their case against Wright, Algier and Garmer was carefully scrutinized and it was decided which member of the team would testify to each of the charges. As lead of the task force, Gwen would be testifying for the majority of the complaints filed against the men, but CC, Brad and Scott would also be called to testify. Fred’s team was still compiling evidence as they processed items found in the residences and autos of all three men. They had also found the room where Wright had slaughtered the women. It was a small office in the back of the warehouse. Spraying Luminal over the cinderblock walls and cement floor had provided them with plenty of blood splatters to be analyzed. There was some blood pooled under a table and near metal filing cabinets that hadn’t been cleaned at all. A wooden block of kitchen knives taken from Wright’s home most likely contained the butcher knives used on the women. Wright’s fingerprints were everywhere. The number of items confiscated was overwhelming, and each had to be labeled, categorized and thoroughly evaluated. Each memo, e-mail, and phone conversation recorded needed to be grouped with related items to fill in the blanks and tell the entire incriminating story of the men’s complicated and corrupt practices. Based upon the sheer volume of evidence, District Attorney Fellerman requested that all three men be tried together, so that their efforts would not be duplicated, but the defense disagreed and was arguing for separate trials.
In the evenings, Gwen and CC packed boxes and discarded things they didn’t need. Every morning on the way to the precinct they stopped at a donation center to drop off boxes of clothing and household items that were too good to be thrown away. With two residences to pack, they had their work cut out for them, but with the two of them working together they were making good progress.