The following morning, Jaiden and Toni were back at the house and staring into a small hidden closet littered with pamphlets wearing identical disgusted looks.
Pastor Gibson had skeletons in his closet... literally.
Nate was leaning against the wall. "The Pastor has some fucked up Halloween decorations."
Jaiden groaned. "Nate."
Nate held up his hands. "I know... that was a lame joke. Let me think of a better one."
Jaiden frowned. "Tell me about the fucking skeleton, Nate."
Nate sighed dramatically. "How are you still an asshole when you're getting laid?"
Jaiden straightened his back in shock, although he should be used to Nate's forwardness by this point in their friendship. His eyes swept the room and reluctantly confirmed that the four officers and the handful of techs heard the comment.
Jaiden also noticed Toni, who was stifling a laugh. Jaiden groaned again. "I fucking hate you, Nate."
He held his chest like he was hurt. "You love me. I'm your best friend... more like your only friend here."
"I should have hit you harder when I first met you," Jaiden said with a shake of his head.
Nate leaned against Jaiden, trying to rest his arm on his shoulders, but Jaiden was a little too tall, making Nate look awkward. Still, not much stopped Nate, especially when he was comfortable with who he was talking to. "Come on. You should start relaxing after getting all that phenomenal dick."
Nate cursed inwardly when he realized what he said and where he said it. He pulled back with a hand clasped over his mouth. Jaiden never talked about his sexuality in the precinct, and Nate now outed Jaiden in front of other cops.
"Jaiden, I'm so sorry." He whispered and looked around nervously.
However, contrary to his expectations, Jaiden laughed. "We work in a police station. If anyone were going to find out I'm gay, it would be a building full of detectives."
Nate still looked nervous. "But..."
The laughter in the room cut off Nate's statement. Contrary to Nate's fears, the cops in the room agreed with Jaiden. There were a few bars that the cops frequented, and Jaiden had no hesitations about bringing his dates or one-night stands there. Most of the younger cops didn't mind or didn't care. However, some of the old school, old generation cops had an issue with him being gay. This just helped him become more isolated, which he didn't mind.
Despite it all, his tough exterior and hardcore work ethic won out. They couldn't deny that Jaiden was good at what he did and respected him in that regard. Sure, some would never accept him, but Jaiden had made it very clear that he didn't give a shit about them either.
Jaiden waved his hand. "What's really shitty is that instead of getting dick—"
"Phenomenal dick." Toni interrupted with a mischievous grin. "I felt like that was an important point."
Jaiden flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. Instead of getting phenomenal dick, I am here in this fucking house standing in front of an unknown skeleton with 'pray away the gay' conversion therapy pamphlets."
He picked up one of the pamphlets that had 'Repent! Turn or Burn!' written on it, with paragraphs about how homosexuality was Satan's trick.
Jaiden clicked his tongue and tossed the pamphlet away. "I'm not being an asshole right now; I'm fucking pissed. Now tell me about the goddamn skeleton."
Nate gave him a sheepish smile and waved over another tech who looked far too intimidated to be talking to Jaiden. However, with Nate's nudging, he finally spoke.
"Well, it's not a decoration. It's real. If you look at the pelvis, he's male. Young. Maybe teens, but I will have to do testing to know. There was some trauma on his bones around his wrists and legs, so he was probably bound. His knees show strain, so I believe he was kneeling for a long time." The tech explained.
"Mierda," Toni whispered. "How long ago did he die?"
"It's hard to determine right now, but a least a couple of years because he already reached skeletonization." The tech explained.
Toni rubbed his eyes. "Someone check to see if there was ever a missing kid reported from his church."
One of the cops nodded and took off out of the room. Jaiden sighed. "So our Pastor probably tried to force this kid into conversion therapy and killed him instead. Then the sick bastard kept him in this secret closet to decompose?"
"Our killer seems to be targeting hypocrites. A perfect wife who was having an affair. A beloved Ethics professor who was screwing his students to boost their grades... and an idolized pastor abusing and murdering children." Toni said. "But how is the killer finding out about their darkest secrets?"
Jaiden was silent for a while, pondering the question. "This isn't something you can dig up after a week or two. This needed careful planning. I have a feeling our killer has plotted this out for a while. This only makes me more interested in the bartender."
Toni raised an eyebrow. "Why him?"
Jaiden turned towards Nate, who was talking to peers and joking about something. Jaiden called out, pulling him away from the conversation. "Nate? How many bartenders know your history with women?"
Nate groaned. "Too many, but I blame the shots of el vocho. Because of that delicious elixir in a glass, some strangers know way too much about my love life, and I will never step foot in those bars again. I should stop drinking so much after a breakup."
Jaiden laughed and turned his attention back to Toni. "Bartenders are easy to talk to. They supply the alcohol, and you become liberal with your tongue. If the bartender was real sleazy, he might even slip something into the drink. God knows what shit you can find out."
Toni nodded. "So after this, we'll revisit the club? Probably set up some time with the sketch artist?"
Jaiden yawned behind his hand. The late night was catching up to him. The few hours he did steal to sleep were plagued with more nightmares. "Might as well. We have the autopsy report to review and the phone records coming in soon, so it will be another full day."
The look Toni was giving him before turned into concern. "Bueno. Let's start heading over there first. This group can handle things here."
Jaiden nodded, and they started to leave. His feet felt heavy as he walked down the stairs, and his eyes were strained. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed in Toni's arms around him. But the day just started, so he would have to settle with getting the hell out of this house as soon as possible.
However, his thoughts of leaving escaped him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Jaiden turned towards the dining room and stared at the opposite wall that held the painting and the 'rotting body' quote. He tilted his head a little while looking at it.
"Mi sol?" Toni quietly called out to him.
"Something's off." Jaiden muttered and walked into the room.
The floors and walls had finally dried, but the smell was still prevalent. However, Jaiden was looking at anything but the painting.
Toni was right behind him and gave a perplexed hum. "The painting is immaculate, not one drop of blood."
Jaiden nodded. "Like it was placed here after the fact."
Jaiden picked up his phone and called someone. He chuckled a little when the other person answered the phone. "Yes, burro, I know I was just upstairs with you. Get your ass down here. I need you to check for prints."
Nate came trudging down the stairs with a kit in hand. "Where do you need me."
His tone was flat and forced. Trying to sound as annoyed as possible, but Jaiden could see right through him. He didn't mind becoming called like this. Jaiden let him have his moment of playful pouting before pointing toward the painting. However, as Nate looked at where Jaiden was directing him, he stiffened. "Jay..."
Nate's voice was soft and full of trepidation. Additionally, he used a nickname he hadn't said in nearly two years.
Jaiden gripped Nate's arm in hopes of reassuring him. "The painting. I'm asking to check only the painting."
But as he said this, his eyes lingered on the words again, and it didn't go unnoticed by Nate.
Nate was one of the techs who came to the crime scene at the church two years ago. When the other cops had to drag Jaiden away from Carlos' body, he was there. He watched as the police chief held back Jaiden as they took away Carlos. He heard the heart-shattering sobs and the pleas in English and Spanish. He listened to those pleas turn into harsh cursing, trying to condemn the god of the church he was standing in.
He was supposed to be taking pictures at the crime scene. But that was quickly abandoned as he set down his camera and focused on holding Jaiden.
He always knew Jaiden as a cocky and arrogant bastard. Nothing fazed him before, and he was equipped with a sarcastic tongue and a witty mind. But he was a hell of a hard worker, a good detective, and always kept his cool in the worst of situations. He was the man that most new cops would idolize, not that he noticed or cared. Jaiden just lived a life that would make Carlos proud.
Carlos was his compass, but suddenly Jaiden was lost at sea with no navigation. A ship without a sail. He lost a lot of himself in that endless water of despair.
So, when Carlos died, that confident persona crumbled, and he fell apart on the bloodied altar. The screams were terrible, but it was more harrowing when Jaiden fell silent.
That eerie silence remained with Jaiden, rooted deep inside of his soul. The spark that danced in his eyes turned cold and hard. His humor was gone, the friendliness dissipated. He kicked everyone out of his circle and built an impenetrable wall.
After Carlo's death, Jaiden insisted that he did something wrong, killing Carlos. He became obsessive with the closed case, reviewing and memorizing every detail. He kept wondering what he may have missed. It was an unhealthy time for Jaiden, both mentally and physically.
At that time, Jaiden was too scared to sleep because of the nightmares, and too angry to stop looking into the case. It was too much for his body, and Nate was the one who had to take him to the hospital when he collapsed.
Nate couldn't stop thinking of this dark period because of the words written on the wall. He remembered the 'rotting body' quote carved in the altar. He was well aware of how this could affect Jaiden, especially when he noticed that Jaiden was looking at the the night before. Now, he was standing in front of the words again.
When Jaiden continued looking at those words like he way hypnotized, Nate became worried for his friend. Would he fall into that compulsive behavior again?
"Jay? Last time you..." Nate said, feeling uneasy about the situation.
Jaiden ran his hand through his hair, knowing exactly what Nate was alluding to. "I'm not obsessing. I promise. The painting is out of place and that's all I want to check."
Nate sighed and nodded. "Fine, but you start acting sideways again-"
"Nate, I promise. I am not going to read too much into it. Just look for prints on the goddamn painting." Jaiden was losing his patience, but tried not to let it seep it out too much because he knew that Nate was just worried.
Nate started to work while Toni leaned in a little. "Mi sol, what is going on?"
Jaiden blew out a frustrated breath and looked up at Toni. They agitation morphed into nervousness. He was aware of the ugly in his past that Toni didn't know about, and it scared him to let him see it. But something inside of him told him that he would reveal everything in due time. He would lay it all bare for this man before him. "Later? Will that be ok?"
Toni smiled, and brushed his arm affectionately. "Take your time."
Jaiden knew that he meant it too. He wouldn't push and would wait until Jaiden was ready.
Jaiden was going to respond but before anything escaped his lips, Nate let out a yell. "Holy fucking Christ! There's a partial print and it's beautiful!"
Jaiden and Toni quickly approached and looked at the black power that reflect a large portion of a fingerprint. Toni was grinning. "Run it right away."
Nate gave him a sloppy salute and started to pack things up.
Jaiden let out a relieved breath. "Finally we got something."
He just hoped that it actually was something they could chase.