Forced Motherhood

8- Jessica

She parked her old blue Ford in the parking lot and walked to the department's door. Everything she could see were paparazzi, microphones, speaking journalists and a crying mob. Yeah baby this's what I need on Monday morning. As she approached the entranced a brave journalist immediately put himself in front of her and said, without even breathing:

-Detective Stone, are you investigating the DeRossi case? Have you got some news for her fans?

-Oh my God! Let me go to work!!- growled Jessica, pushing him on one side, and disappearing behind the department's door. She drank up her sugar free cinnamon Mocaccino and saw Lance run towards her, sticking a folder at her:

-Oh yes, Sal, I have been a very bad girl, hurt me babe!- said her.Sarcasm filled her voice.

-Stop joking! the Boss wants us to solve the case as soon as possible.

-Yeah, I bet it. I already see him on the news, praising our efforts... who's the victim?

-I hope you're joking!....- said him, his face surprised by her question. Lance looked at her ironical smile, then added -No, you are not joking. Ookay. Olivia DeRossi, Italian, stars in a Cbs series, 25, single....

-Who was the last...

-Person to see her?! I was telling you: the janitor of the building she lives in. He said she went running to his office and that she was in a kind of state of shock and claimed someone had entered her house. But he states she didn't seem on drugs. He checked that everything was okay in the apartment and left her.

-...And he saw nobody. Tale as old as time. Tell Brown to bring him here, I want to talk to him.- Jessica gave a look to the file and then gave a full expression of her feelings -Fuck! She has just disappeared and we've to investigate and leave behind our previous cases? Why,is Cbs paying for an extra?.

Lance looked at her, mentally scolding her but, after all, she was right. -No, Jess. But Italy is claiming its part in the case and she was surely been kidnapped: she has been blackmailed in the last days. Crime scene investigators found a kleeneex in her garbage, here it is - he gave her the plastic bag which contained a red-written kleenex - someone wrote the word motherhood multiple times on it.

-We also found a bib with the same writing on it. We sent it to the lab to find any kind of trace.

She looked at him, biting her lower lip (something she used to do when she was very focused).

-That's everything we have?- said she, her hand on her forehead.

-So far....

-Okay...when was she last seen alive?

-30 hours ago. We must hurry. Only eighteen hours left....You know that...

-I know, Lance, I do know. I'm going to the crime scene. You coming?

-I take my coat.

While she was patiently waiting for her partner she started up the car as her thoughts went to the victim. She seemed a good girl, even if she was an actress. And that was strange, because Jess had always thought actresses are sluts wrapped in expensive dresses. But Olivia's face was clean. She also seemed younger than she actually was. What did she do to deserve all this? And what if she was taken by a rapist? Was she going to survive?

The noise of the car-door opening interrupted her river of thoughts. Jess engaged the first gear and they left.