Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. WWE does.
Chapter Twenty-Two -- Doubt
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Kevin Landen began to beat his fist on the metal table that sat in front of him, screaming he didn't do it over and over to a non-existent audience. Dave & Lincoln went over to his apartment and placed him under arrest for the murders of Cheryl Gillett and Kathleen Baker. They brought him back to the FBI branch building, just across the street from the Kelencine building for interrogation. Kevin put up a struggle during his arrest, professing his innocence. He managed to slug Dave in the face before being cuffed. On an ordinary day Dave would have let his anger get the best of him but since Lincoln was there he kept it together. He didn't want the smaller man to think of him as some hot-headed giant.
Dave and Lincoln were in the adjacent room deciding how to play this. They kept an eye on Kevin through a one-way glass mirror. The suspect began fidgeting with his cuffs.
Lincoln was pacing the room, figuring out a strategy to get Landen to talk.
"OK so here's how we play this. We both go in and--"
"No. You stay here. I go in and interrogate him." Batista said gently.
"Wait what?" Lincoln asked surprised.
"You heard me. You stay in here. You're not going in there." Dave replied.
"Why don't you want me in there Dave? You think I don't know what I'm doing?"
"No Linc. It's Because you don't belong in there. Besides he already tried to attack you once today and he punched me earlier. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh really? OK big guy. Fine if this is how you want to play it go right ahead. I want to see your interrogation techniques anyways. Let's see if he confesses."
Dave rolled his eyes and left the room. He opened the door slowly to where Kevin was and immediately slammed it behind him. Kevin jumped in his seat and became quiet after continuing his ranting. Dave began to stare down Landen with intense eyes and a stiff face. He was trying to intimidate the suspect. Kevin haden't asked for a lawyer yet and Dave was going to get as much out of him as possible before he did.
"Alright Landen. Let's get one thing straight here. You see that glass there? There's no one on the other side. It's just you...and me." He grabbed a chair and sat down softly, continuing to stare down Kevin.
"Look man I'm sorry I punched you. I... I was just... pissed off. I mean how could you guys think I killed my ex?"
"Gee Landen I don't know. Maybe it's because you like beating up women. Maybe that wasn't enough for you anymore. Maybe this time you needed to take it further. I mean You like beating women don't you?" Dave was relentless in his quest to get the truth out of Kevin.
"Look those were all 'misunderstandings' OK." Kevin replied.
"Oh Really?" Dave responded. He stood up sharply and slammed his palms on the table, causing Landen to jump again. "You know what you son of a bitch? People like you think they can just go around and hit women and its ok. You know what? IT'S NOT!" Dave picked up his chair and threw it against the wall. "How would you like it if someone bigger than you kicked the shit out of you huh?" Dave pushed the table clear across the room and grabbed Kevin's arms.
"HELP! HELP SOMEBODY!!!" Kevin screamed. He squirmed; trying to get out of Dave's clutches but it was no use. Dave was simply too strong for him. Dave got in his face and began to scream, spit flying from his mouth and landing on Kevin.
"YOU SCARED YOU LITTLE BITCH? HUH?!?"
"HELP!!!!!"
A few seconds later the door flew open and 2 agents rushed in and grabbed Dave off Landen. Dave quickly pulled away from them and stormed towards the door when he noticed Lincoln was standing, looking up at him. Dave stopped dead in his tracks. He instantly calmed down after seeing the concern look on the psychic's face. Dave was ashamed of what he'd done. He'd lost it in front of his partner. Not a good first-day impression to make.
"Dave come with me." Lincoln said softly. Dave followed quietly. They walked to the end of the narrow hallway to an empty office with 2 chairs, a small wooden desk and a mountain of boxes full of files. Lincoln sat in one of the chairs and motioned for Dave to do the same. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with Lincoln and sat down. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Linc...I um...what happened in there was unprofessional and inexcusable."
"Yeah it was." Lincoln said gently. He too kept his head down and began to twiddle his thumbs. He took in a deep breath and sighed.
"I just lost it. I mean who does this guy think he is? Going around beating on women like that?"
"I realize what he's done is disgusting and horrible but that doesn't give you the right to behave like that. You could get in trouble. This isn't the run-of-the-mill 'look the other way when something happens' FBI you're use to. There are consequences for your actions Dave."
"Yeah I know. Look I'm sorry Linc." Dave sighed. "I didn't want you to see me like that."
"Why? Is that something that happens often with you? Losing control" Lincoln asked.
"No it's not. I just...I don't want you to think of me as an aggressive person. I mean I know I can look quite intimidating but--"
"From what I've seen so far from you Dave I don't think that. You're a kind and gentle person Agent Batista. I know that. Trust me." Dave looked up to see a smiling Lincoln staring back at him. He felt relieved knowing that Lincoln didn't see him as some brute, as if it was the most important thing in the world to him; how Lincoln perceived him. He also felt a sense of increasing passion for Lincoln. Was he falling in love with this man?
Just then a knock was heard at the door and Lincoln rose from his seat and opened it.
"Oh hi c'mon in." A medium height female with honey brown hair walked in to the room. She wore a bright red tank top with a black skirt and matching black heels. Dave stood up from his chair to greet the woman.
"Dave this is Priya Tsetsang. She's another active at the Dollhouse."
"Hi nice to meet you." Priya said, extending a hand to Dave. Dave shook it and smiled. She spoke with a soft Australian accent. Her facial features suggested she had Asian blood-ties.
"Nice to meet you too." Dave answered.
"Anyways while we were out arresting Landen, Priya was sketching." Dave became confused. "Oh um her ability is to sketch out her visions, literally drawing the future." Lincoln explained.
"Or past." Priya chimed in.
"Yes." Lincoln acknowledged. "Anyways she sketched this." Priya handed Dave a long piece of paper. It had a sketch of a man appearing to be Kevin Landen stepping out of a shop with the woman he was with earlier today.
"What does this mean?" Dave asked confused.
"Well I showed this to Linc who recognized the couple as Kevin Landen and his assumed girlfriend who we've now identified as Mickey James. The shop is Lowell's Flower Boutique located on Aversons and 49th." Priya explained.
"Priya checked their security camera footage before showing me the picture. She matched the sketch to an exact still frame on the footage."
"What are you trying to say Linc?" Dave asked.
"The video shows them leaving the shop at 9:57pm the night that Cheryl Gillett was killed." Lincoln replied. He sighed and continued. "Cheryl was killed around 10:14pm."
"So you're saying that Kevin isn't our guy? That's impossible." Dave fumed. "He could have easily killed her after leaving the flower shop."
"Impossible." Priya pointed out. "The flower shop and the spot where Cheryl was found are at least 40 minutes of traffic away from each other. He couldn't have gotten there in time to kill her."
Lincoln spoke. "Dave... Kevin couldn't have killed Cheryl or Kathleen which means...the real killer is still out there."
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