The police arrived in torrents, armed with yellow tape and evidence bags. Blue and red lights illuminate the area, but cast darker shadows on the edge of the farm. Uniformed officers move swiftly around Vivian, some breaking in groups toward the barn while others slip into the darkness of the farmhouse. Vivian could see the beams of lights flickering through the vacant windows. The EMT arrives next without the flashing lights or the dramatics of the police. They only sound the sirens when they are racing to save a life, not retrieve a body. She doesn't say a word to "Jim" as she guides him into the back seat of the cruiser, though she does spare him a final glance before closing the door in his face. For a brief moment, Vivian sees something about the suspect that she recognizes. A younger version with warmer eyes in the back of her mind, but then the thought is gone. Instead she locks him inside.
For some reason, Vivian glances toward the deep forest that enclose around the crime scene. The blinking lights makes it difficult to peer closely into the woods, but Vivian can make out something. Back and forth, the shadows shift in rhythm of the lights, but there is a figure watching. Her eyes narrow but she isn't sure if she could really make it out. She saw a pair of eyes peer out from the dark form, and watching them both.It looked to the police car, but its focus moved to Vivian, and she could feel it. Vivian reaches for her gun and steps forward.
"Officer Banister." Vivian tears her eyes away to face the Sargent, who had approached her along with Sanson. She looks toward the place in the woods to find nothing but trees waiting for her. Perhaps it was the trick of the light that Vivian had seen, but the space in front of the trees looked more empty than before.
"....but I'll need a report by tomorrow" She realized that the Sargent had been speaking all the while, "Yes sir, of course." Vivian replies deadpan, her attention still on the woods. "Banister?" He tries again, "Vivian." This time, her attention to brought back to the sargent, concern was all over his face as he spoke, "Are you alright?"
"Yes sir, this was just a great loss."
"Well, you caught the suspect, we can at least see to it that he faces justice, for her parents sake." He places a hand on her shoulder and there is a moment of warmth from the older man. Vivian didn't find the thought as reassuring. Time before a judge wouldn't bring her back, even if they gave him a death sentence. His death wouldn't bring hers back. But, she nods anyway.
"Ron would be proud." He lowers his arm and his face hardens, transforming back into the fearless officer they all knew "Now, you and Sanson get that son of a bitch out of here, before those vultures with cameras pick this place apart." As if on cue, a set of news vans appeared in the distance. Vivian and her partner were already pulling away as the camera crew arrived.
"Alright, you know the drill!" the sarg barks to the camera man setting up, "Behind the yellow tape, and if any of you come into my crime scene, I will have your ass in a cell until New
Years!"
"I'm not liking this snow," Sanson mutters next Vivian in the passenger seat. "Gonna but up to our asses in snow, and guess who will get to put on the snow tires and shovel around the whole fucking station? Should have moved to Florida, Florida never gets snow." Vivian nods along, occasioning glancing in the mirror toward the man in the back. Once or twice, their gaze would lock but Vivian would just narrow her eyes and look away. "Hey, Hendrix," Sanson calls from the front seat, "Gotta any recommendations for somewhere nice? Gonna be able to afford a nice vacation this year after picking your sorry ass up." He grins at his partner, "not that it works like that, but the respect is gonna be nice."