12

Cope

For the first time in his adult life, Cope sat in an interrogation room at the Salem Police Department. The room was small, with battleship-grey walls, the longest of which was mostly taken up by the one-way mirror. Cope gazed at his reflection and saw his usual features: sandy-blond hair, blue eyes, his tanned skin. There was something else there as well; he somehow felt more worldly and, oddly enough, finally part of the in crowd.

Ronan had connected with Cisco Jackson the night before and had filled him in on the podcast and Cope's interview with Kit Savage and Vic Rothschild. He'd brought up the possibility of them working on the Domenica Fibonacci case. The Salem Police chief had asked them all to come in for a chat first thing in the morning.

When Ronan called to let Jude know what was going on, he insisted Cope be part of the discussion and the casework, if Cisco allowed them to work on it. Cope sat to Jude's left, while Ronan and Fitz sat opposite. The three detectives were calm and unfazed by their surroundings, while Cope's heart felt like a jackhammer in his chest. He couldn't help but wonder if Tennyson felt this way when he'd attended meetings like this in the past.

"Good morning," Cisco said, shutting the door behind him. He carried a manila folder in his left hand and a cup of coffee in his right. "I'm glad you're here, Cope. It's good to have you on board." He took the seat at the head of the table.

"Thanks." He wasn't sure if he was supposed to make a little speech about being excited to be part of the team, so he stayed silent. Cope flipped his new notebook open to a blank page and pulled his pen out of the spiral.

Cisco looked around the table before opening the folder he'd brought with him. "At this point in time, the Domenica Fibonacci case is one of the oldest unsolved cases in Salem."

"Why wasn't this case listed on the ones available to us to work?" Ronan asked, sounding accusatory.

Sighing, Cisco sat back in his chair. "To be honest, it's because of the sensitive nature of Domenica's death."

"And the prominence of the Rothschild family," Ronan added.

"Fuck a duck, Ronan!" Cisco half-shouted. He clenched and unclenched his fists, taking a deep breath. "Let's face it, you're not exactly known for your tact. A case like this, where manner of death isn't definitive, needs a softer touch. I wasn't sure you could provide that to the family."

"I get that the family has money and has prominent ties that go beyond Salem. However, it's our job to investigate cold cases regardless of whether the victim was a prince or a pauper."

"After that podcast episode dropped last night, my phone started ringing off the hook. I heard from Salem's mayor, the district attorney, and the governor. All of them want this case reexamined. It never fails to amaze me what a game-changer the internet is. People from all over the world heard that episode last night and have been emailing the department about solving Domenica's murder if, in fact, she was murdered." Cisco sunk his head into his hands. "I don't need this bullshit, guys. I don't need DA, who's running for reelection, up my ass, not to mention the governor."

"We're the best detectives you've got, Cisco," Jude pointed out. "We've already got a plan of attack and are ready to hit the ground running right now. All you have to do is say the word. Fitz is an expert in dealing with bureaucratic bullshit; he can be your point man with the district attorney, the mayor and governor, if need be. Ronan has a knack for getting people to spill their guts. I'm ready to dig in on the research side of things, and Cope has been trying almost nonstop to reach out to Domenica's spirit."

Cope turned to his husband, amazed by Jude's demeanor. He'd never worked with his husband before and hadn't seen this side of him. The calm, orderly Jude, who made a compelling argument without arguing.

"Was that actually the spirit's voice or some audio trick?" Cisco asked, sounding tired.

"It was Domenica," Cope said. "Without going into too much detail, I think there's something wrong with her spirit, which is why I haven't been able to connect with her."

"What do you mean, something's wrong? Domenica is dead. It doesn't get more wrong than that." Cisco reached for his coffee and took a large sip.

Cope nodded. "If Domenica was being treated for bipolar disorder, then she was likely on some heavy-duty meds. It's possible her spirit is still being affected by those drugs now."

"Are you saying Domenica is high in the afterlife?" Cisco wore a dubious look on his face.

"Spirits are affected by a lot of factors. The biggest one is how they died. A lot of times, murder victims are traumatized by what happened to them, and that carries over to the afterlife. They can still feel the trauma and fear they experienced, which can affect the way they speak and communicate, just like it would to any of us. I know we've only heard her speak a few words, but she sounded impaired to me. Woozy and slow, the way you'd expect someone on tranquilizers to act and sound. It's possible that even if I do manage to connect with Domenica, she might not be able to tell me if she was pushed, jumped, or accidently slipped over the edge, which makes the detective work more important than ever."

"The shit's gonna hit the fan with this one." Cisco sighed heavily. "With the popularity of the podcast, everyone is interested in this case. There was an op-ed in the paper this morning asking why this case is still unsolved after four decades and that maybe it's time for a change in leadership at the top of the Salem Police Department. We've obviously got to reexamine this case. There's going to be media involvement, which means the entire investigation will be under a microscope. I want to keep Cope's involvement on the down-low, and the rest of you chuckleheads need to be on your best behavior."

Ronan snorted.

"I'm talking to you , asshole!" Cisco slapped a hand on the table. "I don't need this shit, Ronan. The stress and scrutiny of an investigation like this is the last thing any of us needs. One wrong move could end my career in law enforcement. Do you understand what's at stake here?"

"I do," Ronan agreed. "I'm sorry for being a dick, Cisco. I was just trying to lighten the mood. You know we'll do everything in our power to get to the truth and solve this case. I expect there's going to be a lot of pushback from Vic Rothschild's attorney."

"Let me worry about that." Cisco carded a hand through his hair. "I spoke with the head of our records department about this case before you got here. I told her we're going to need the entire case file and all of the evidence collected. You can head over to our off-site storage to pick it up. I also contacted the Essex County Medical Examiner and let them know you'd be by later to talk about this case."

"You'd already put us on the case before we'd even gotten here?" Ronan rolled his eyes. "You could have saved yourself a lot of stress if you'd led with that fact."

"Your cocky attitude needed to be knocked back a peg. You've had an impressive solve rate since the three of you joined the department, and I needed to make sure you're all going into this with your egos in check and understanding what's at stake here. As much as I hate to admit it, I want Ronan to be the face of the case with the media. You've got a knack for dealing with the bullshit reporters will throw at you. I've got a press conference scheduled for you at two. Wear a suit. Comb your hair. Make sure none of your lunch is stuck in your teeth." Cisco's hard demeanor cracked for the first time with a small smile.

"You got it. I'll be my usual charming self."

"I'll keep you in the loop with updates," Fitzgibbon said.

"There's no one better than you at quarterbacking these kinds of cases, Fitz. If there's anything you need, call me day or night. I mean it." Cisco nibbled his bottom lip. "The mayor's call hit me hard. I know politicians like to talk big, but I got the distinct impression that my job hangs in the balance here. Maybe I've taken this job for granted and have gotten a bit lazy here."

"Bullshit!" Jude said. "No one could run this department like you do. It's the height of the summer, and this city has an extra hundred thousand people a day coming here, and the crime rate is still low because you know how to police this city and the tourists who visit."

"I appreciate that, Jude."

"Where do we stand with exhuming the body of Domenica Fibonacci?" Fitzgibbon asked. "I'm just laying my cards on the table here while we've got you."

Cisco pursed his lips. "If you need to do it, I'll sign off on it. Vic Rothschild and his attorneys aren't going to like that one bit."

"We're not in this business to win popularity contests," Ronan said, his eyes practically glowing.

Cope didn't need his gift to see that Ronan was ready to go to battle against Vic Rothschild and anyone else who stood in their way of solving this case.

"Agreed," Cisco said, "but let's not poke the bear unless we have to."

"Understood. We'll be in touch." Ronan headed for the door with Fitzgibbon behind him.

"Do what you can, Cope," Cisco said as he stretched his arms over his head. "If you need any help working a case like this, I'm sure Tennyson would be more than happy to give you advice."

"Right," Cope agreed. He knew Ten was going to be an excellent resource, but there was a part of him that was hoping to do this on his own without needing to lean on the more experienced psychic.

"I'm not talking about the psychic stuff. I'm talking about dealing with these guys. If you've got something to say, say it. To witnesses, suspects, the medical examiner, or my detectives. Got it?"

Cope grinned. "Got it. I won't hold back."

"You ready to do this?" Jude grinned.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Cope agreed. He followed Jude out of the interrogation room and into the hallway.

When they walked out into the hot July sun, Jude pulled Cope aside. "I know you and Ten have your own self-imposed rules about not reading people without their permission. It's absolutely admirable, but there's no place for that in a murder investigation. Get whatever information you can from people, and we'll figure out how to get people to admit to what you know is true. Ronan's excellent at that, but don't tell him I said so. His ego is big enough as it is."

"I'll do anything I can to help Domenica."

"I know you will," Jude said as the SUV's horn honked. "Asshole."

Cope climbed into the SUV. He could feel the change in everyone's energy. Before, they'd been hoping to have Domenica's case assigned to them; now, all three of them were revved up and ready to go. Cope hoped he could keep pace.

The most important thing was to make sure Domenica found peace at long last. There was no better group of people to bring that gift to her.