[FIC] Gazes Into You - 3/27
Jul. 27th, 2015 12:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexisjane<<<<< Chapter Two / Masterpost
Chapter Three
Chapter Three
The Tornado wasn't just a bar it seemed. Sure, there was a saloon bar, with a big TV and pool tables but it was slightly better furnished than some of the places Jensen was used to hanging out in. No sticky floor, no bowls of peanuts. The clientele were varied, but erred on the side of business suits cutting loose, stopping over on their way from the office to the wife. But it was early. There were a few thousand dollar suit types, who disappeared as soon as they appeared, taking the stairs guarded by two seriously big security guys, to a private members area. Jensen had little doubt as to what the private members were up to. Each and every member of staff, from the busboy to the bouncers could have stepped out of a magazine, or a porn set. If Jensen had any doubt that Jay worked here, it vanished when he realized that with his looks, he must have fitted right in.
After leaving the coffee shop that afternoon, Jensen had swung by; given the place a cursory once over, and left. Apart from the fact that he stood out like a sore thumb, he knew he’d have a better chance of getting useful information later in the day. If Jay's routine meant that he chained his bike up at 8.15pm then ate dinner at the coffee shop, his shift must start around 9pm. Trying ask around at four in the afternoon was going to be a waste of time.
Jensen had headed home, showered and changed into something a little more business-like, hoping to blend in. He tried to eat something but he wasn't sure if it was excitement or fear keeping him from getting the food down.
He planned to go back to the bar around 8.30pm but he couldn't sit still, so he found himself settling into a corner table near the bar, with his notebook and paper almost an hour earlier than was necessary. He ordered a beer and tried to look like he was waiting for someone, reading his paper but occasionally checking his watch and looking up every time someone came through the doors. About 8.55pm, a tall blonde bustled in, stripping off her jacket as she stormed across the floor. If it wasn't obvious from the regulation black t-shirt adorned with the bar's logo that she was wearing, the fact that every head in the room turned to look at her, meant that she definitely belonged there. Shift change. It was what he had been waiting for.
Jensen flagged the waitress and ordered another beer. He spent the time it took to drink it, watching the new arrival. She looked at home behind the bar, smiling sweetly and laughing with the regulars but as soon as she turned away from them her face would fall into neutral, concentrating on the job in hand. She also spent a large proportion of her time correcting the other guy working with her. He'd take an order, look panicked, and she would gently direct him to what he needed to do. He was good looking but clearly this wasn't his full time gig. She was patient with him though and only rolled her eyes and cussed him under her breath when he wasn't looking. A new guy. They would have had to get someone to cover Jay’s shift.
Jensen waited until his beer was nearly done and then got up from the table, taking his notebook but leaving the paper. He eased himself onto one of the bar stools and waited until he caught the girl's eye.
She beamed at him when she walked over, and Jensen could imagine this girl living in style on tips alone with a smile like that. "Can I get you another?"
Jensen smiled back and demonstrated that he wasn't quite done by swirling the liquid in the bottle. "Not yet. I was hoping to see if Jay was working tonight?"
The smile didn't falter but Jensen could see the cracks of concern showing around the edges. "Not tonight."
Jensen nodded. "Do you know when? It's just my kid brother asked me to check up on him..." He hoped it sounded feasible. She tilted her head and looked interested rather than shutting him down so he figured he could push a little harder. "They keep in touch online or something, but he's been trying to get hold of Jay for over a week with no luck. And as I live in the area, he asked me to swing by and get him to email or whatever."
A large man in a dark grey suit whistled from the other side of the bar, and the girl turned. She smiled brightly at him and waved, but when she turned back to Jensen her face was dour.
"Look, I can't talk right now. There's an alley down the side, just on the left. I'll meet you there in ten minutes?"
She waited for Jensen to nod and then walked over to serve the guy. Jensen tried not to glare at the way he was leering at her and kept trying to paw her over the bar; but the girl seemed to be more than capable of handling herself and the jerk went away, smiling despite not getting what he'd really gone to the bar for.
Fifteen minutes later, Jensen was waiting in the alley, trying not to gag on the rancid smell that always seemed to linger behind restaurants and bars. It brought back horrible memories of getting thrown in as a rookie, searching through dumpsters for evidence, trying desperately not to throw up and contaminate the crime scene. The dinosaurs used to laugh and say he'd get used to it, but he never did.
He checked his watch again and started to think about how long he could wait without looking like too much of a fool. He wouldn't have been the first guy to fall for this prank at the hands of a pretty girl but still. Luckily, he didn't have to make the decision. The back door to the bar creaked open and the blonde appeared. She bent and wedged the door open with a brick, which seemed to have been left out for the purpose.
The cool night air seemed to hit her then and she wrapped her arms around herself. Jensen was surprised to find she pretty much matched him in height, which was a feat being that he was 6'1''.
It meant she could look him straight in the eye when she asked, "So, how do you know Jay?"
Jensen shifted his weight and shook his head. "I don't. Like I said, my brother–" The girl's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. Jensen instinctively reached out to comfort her but she stepped away. "Christ, is everything okay? What's happened? Where is Jay?"
She shook her head and tried to pull herself together. "I don't know. Nobody knows. He's just gone. Disappeared. He didn't show up for work, which was just not like him, so I called his cell. It's switched off. He never switches it off. It’s been nearly two weeks. I don't know what to do."
Jensen stepped towards her ducking his head to catch her eye. "There's probably a totally reasonable explanation, okay? I have a friend who's a cop –"
"I went to the cops!" The girl sounded more exasperated than angry. "I even filled out a missing person's report. I've called them practically everyday but they say they haven't found out anything yet and that maybe he took off on vacation and forgot to tell us, which is beyond stupid..."
She was starting to sound hysterical so Jensen took hold of her upper arms gently and said, "Hey! Just...listen. I meant it about my friend. He might be able to help or at least I can get him to find out what's taking so long. They don't really give out details to non-family members but maybe he can get them to release some information. Or something."
"Do you think he would do that?" She looked hopeful and wiped at her eyes.
Jensen smiled and reached into his pocket for his notebook. "We can try, right? Here...write down all the details you gave them, it'll save them having to search for him in the system."
The girl took the book and pen and started scribbling away. "Shit. I'm sorry about dumping all this on you. It's just I've been so worried and it's so frustrating, not knowing what to do next and...I'm Adrienne, by the way."
Jensen almost blurted out his name but then thought if this goes bad..."I'm Paul. Thanks for the help, Adrianne."
She handed back the notebook and pen in a neat pile. "I put my contact info in there as well." She indicated towards the door. "I better get back. You will let me know if you find anything?"
Jensen nodded and smiled, waving the notebook at her as she slipped back inside the building.
He knew he should wait, but he couldn't. His hands were shaking as he flipped the pages to the one covered in Adrienne's curly cursive. His eyes ran hungrily over the name, an address he didn't recognize, and when he got to the cell number, he didn't even hesitate. He pulled out his own phone and punched it in.
"Hi, this is Jay. I'm clearly having too much fun to talk to you but if you leave a message, I might just get back to you."
Jensen's stomach turned over. Jay sounded as good as he looked, and Jensen had to reach out a hand to steady himself against the dumpster. It was all getting far too real. But he couldn't stop now.
~•~
The following day he took the steps at the front of the precinct two at a time. It wasn't like he hadn't been back since he – got kicked out – retired, but it still felt a little weird. Most of the guys he passed on the way in, those in uniform anyway, nodded a greeting. A couple stopped to shake his hand. The desk sergeant already had Jensen's visitors pass ready to hand over when he got to the desk, and he passed through the station like he'd never been away.
As he walked down the corridor towards the Homicide division, in the periphery of his vision, a figure stopped, clutching a file folder to his chest. Jensen turned. The guy in uniform was young and ashen faced. Jensen took a breath and nodded to him without smiling. The cop swallowed and gave the slightest of nods back before Jensen turned away, his heart pounding in his chest.
Chris was at his desk, as Jensen expected. He spotted Jensen as he approached and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "You better be here to help me with this paperwork."
"Oh yeah, 'cause that's the part of the job I miss the most."
Chris chuckled and pulled a chair over from the neighboring desk and Jensen planted himself in it. Chris went back to shuffling the folders on his desk. "Well, then I'm hoping you bought me lunch. I'm starving."
"Not exactly." Jensen pulled his notebook out and put it on the table in front of him. "But if you can help me with a little something, I think I can manage a little something for you."
Chris groaned. "With that look on your face, it better be a big something...with extra fries!"
Jensen smiled and opened his mouth to speak when he heard a voice behind him. One of the detectives on the far side of the room was making the usual crack about shooting himself in the foot to get out of the pile of paperwork in front of him, and Jensen waved back in greeting, used to the humor of the bullpen. When he turned back, he was horrified to see Chris pulling the folded printout of Jay's face out of his notebook.
"Where in the hell did you get this, Jen?"
Jensen was taken aback by the seriousness of Chris's tone. Jensen was only going to show him the picture as a last resort, knowing how many awkward questions it would throw up. But as usual, things hadn’t quite worked out how he anticipated.
He thought about the story he had concocted to cover his ass, and whether he should abandon it. Chris had been his friend for a long time, they had come up through the ranks together, and it wasn't like Chris wasn't aware of everything he'd been through the last 18 months. But he didn't know if this would be too much. Chris had already put up with enough from him. This could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
"A friend gave it to me. She's worried about him..."
Chris's eyebrows rose up. "You have a friend?"
Jensen smiled. "Shut up. Anyway, his name is Jay Campbell. He's been missing about ten days and the guys in missing persons have been giving her the run around so I said I'd come down and see if my good friend on the force could help out." Chris hadn't taken his eyes off the printout so Jensen nudged him with his foot, and added, "She's hot...I could introduce you?"
Chris carefully folded the printout and put it back in the notebook. "You're lying."
Jensen felt himself blush right up to the tips of his ears.
Chris stood, unlocked the drawer of his desk and took out his gun. "Don't," he said as Jensen opened his mouth to speak. Jensen slammed his mouth shut as Chris muttered, "Jesus, Jensen what the hell have you gotten into?"
Jensen shook his head and opened his mouth again, but Chris trained a finger on his face. "I said, don’t! Just...come on."
Jensen got up and trailed after Chris as he stomped towards the exit. The only thing Chris said when they got into his car was. "And FYI, it's not Jay Campbell. His name is Jared. Jared Padalecki."
After leaving the coffee shop that afternoon, Jensen had swung by; given the place a cursory once over, and left. Apart from the fact that he stood out like a sore thumb, he knew he’d have a better chance of getting useful information later in the day. If Jay's routine meant that he chained his bike up at 8.15pm then ate dinner at the coffee shop, his shift must start around 9pm. Trying ask around at four in the afternoon was going to be a waste of time.
Jensen had headed home, showered and changed into something a little more business-like, hoping to blend in. He tried to eat something but he wasn't sure if it was excitement or fear keeping him from getting the food down.
He planned to go back to the bar around 8.30pm but he couldn't sit still, so he found himself settling into a corner table near the bar, with his notebook and paper almost an hour earlier than was necessary. He ordered a beer and tried to look like he was waiting for someone, reading his paper but occasionally checking his watch and looking up every time someone came through the doors. About 8.55pm, a tall blonde bustled in, stripping off her jacket as she stormed across the floor. If it wasn't obvious from the regulation black t-shirt adorned with the bar's logo that she was wearing, the fact that every head in the room turned to look at her, meant that she definitely belonged there. Shift change. It was what he had been waiting for.
Jensen flagged the waitress and ordered another beer. He spent the time it took to drink it, watching the new arrival. She looked at home behind the bar, smiling sweetly and laughing with the regulars but as soon as she turned away from them her face would fall into neutral, concentrating on the job in hand. She also spent a large proportion of her time correcting the other guy working with her. He'd take an order, look panicked, and she would gently direct him to what he needed to do. He was good looking but clearly this wasn't his full time gig. She was patient with him though and only rolled her eyes and cussed him under her breath when he wasn't looking. A new guy. They would have had to get someone to cover Jay’s shift.
Jensen waited until his beer was nearly done and then got up from the table, taking his notebook but leaving the paper. He eased himself onto one of the bar stools and waited until he caught the girl's eye.
She beamed at him when she walked over, and Jensen could imagine this girl living in style on tips alone with a smile like that. "Can I get you another?"
Jensen smiled back and demonstrated that he wasn't quite done by swirling the liquid in the bottle. "Not yet. I was hoping to see if Jay was working tonight?"
The smile didn't falter but Jensen could see the cracks of concern showing around the edges. "Not tonight."
Jensen nodded. "Do you know when? It's just my kid brother asked me to check up on him..." He hoped it sounded feasible. She tilted her head and looked interested rather than shutting him down so he figured he could push a little harder. "They keep in touch online or something, but he's been trying to get hold of Jay for over a week with no luck. And as I live in the area, he asked me to swing by and get him to email or whatever."
A large man in a dark grey suit whistled from the other side of the bar, and the girl turned. She smiled brightly at him and waved, but when she turned back to Jensen her face was dour.
"Look, I can't talk right now. There's an alley down the side, just on the left. I'll meet you there in ten minutes?"
She waited for Jensen to nod and then walked over to serve the guy. Jensen tried not to glare at the way he was leering at her and kept trying to paw her over the bar; but the girl seemed to be more than capable of handling herself and the jerk went away, smiling despite not getting what he'd really gone to the bar for.
Fifteen minutes later, Jensen was waiting in the alley, trying not to gag on the rancid smell that always seemed to linger behind restaurants and bars. It brought back horrible memories of getting thrown in as a rookie, searching through dumpsters for evidence, trying desperately not to throw up and contaminate the crime scene. The dinosaurs used to laugh and say he'd get used to it, but he never did.
He checked his watch again and started to think about how long he could wait without looking like too much of a fool. He wouldn't have been the first guy to fall for this prank at the hands of a pretty girl but still. Luckily, he didn't have to make the decision. The back door to the bar creaked open and the blonde appeared. She bent and wedged the door open with a brick, which seemed to have been left out for the purpose.
The cool night air seemed to hit her then and she wrapped her arms around herself. Jensen was surprised to find she pretty much matched him in height, which was a feat being that he was 6'1''.
It meant she could look him straight in the eye when she asked, "So, how do you know Jay?"
Jensen shifted his weight and shook his head. "I don't. Like I said, my brother–" The girl's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. Jensen instinctively reached out to comfort her but she stepped away. "Christ, is everything okay? What's happened? Where is Jay?"
She shook her head and tried to pull herself together. "I don't know. Nobody knows. He's just gone. Disappeared. He didn't show up for work, which was just not like him, so I called his cell. It's switched off. He never switches it off. It’s been nearly two weeks. I don't know what to do."
Jensen stepped towards her ducking his head to catch her eye. "There's probably a totally reasonable explanation, okay? I have a friend who's a cop –"
"I went to the cops!" The girl sounded more exasperated than angry. "I even filled out a missing person's report. I've called them practically everyday but they say they haven't found out anything yet and that maybe he took off on vacation and forgot to tell us, which is beyond stupid..."
She was starting to sound hysterical so Jensen took hold of her upper arms gently and said, "Hey! Just...listen. I meant it about my friend. He might be able to help or at least I can get him to find out what's taking so long. They don't really give out details to non-family members but maybe he can get them to release some information. Or something."
"Do you think he would do that?" She looked hopeful and wiped at her eyes.
Jensen smiled and reached into his pocket for his notebook. "We can try, right? Here...write down all the details you gave them, it'll save them having to search for him in the system."
The girl took the book and pen and started scribbling away. "Shit. I'm sorry about dumping all this on you. It's just I've been so worried and it's so frustrating, not knowing what to do next and...I'm Adrienne, by the way."
Jensen almost blurted out his name but then thought if this goes bad..."I'm Paul. Thanks for the help, Adrianne."
She handed back the notebook and pen in a neat pile. "I put my contact info in there as well." She indicated towards the door. "I better get back. You will let me know if you find anything?"
Jensen nodded and smiled, waving the notebook at her as she slipped back inside the building.
He knew he should wait, but he couldn't. His hands were shaking as he flipped the pages to the one covered in Adrienne's curly cursive. His eyes ran hungrily over the name, an address he didn't recognize, and when he got to the cell number, he didn't even hesitate. He pulled out his own phone and punched it in.
"Hi, this is Jay. I'm clearly having too much fun to talk to you but if you leave a message, I might just get back to you."
Jensen's stomach turned over. Jay sounded as good as he looked, and Jensen had to reach out a hand to steady himself against the dumpster. It was all getting far too real. But he couldn't stop now.
~•~
The following day he took the steps at the front of the precinct two at a time. It wasn't like he hadn't been back since he – got kicked out – retired, but it still felt a little weird. Most of the guys he passed on the way in, those in uniform anyway, nodded a greeting. A couple stopped to shake his hand. The desk sergeant already had Jensen's visitors pass ready to hand over when he got to the desk, and he passed through the station like he'd never been away.
As he walked down the corridor towards the Homicide division, in the periphery of his vision, a figure stopped, clutching a file folder to his chest. Jensen turned. The guy in uniform was young and ashen faced. Jensen took a breath and nodded to him without smiling. The cop swallowed and gave the slightest of nods back before Jensen turned away, his heart pounding in his chest.
Chris was at his desk, as Jensen expected. He spotted Jensen as he approached and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "You better be here to help me with this paperwork."
"Oh yeah, 'cause that's the part of the job I miss the most."
Chris chuckled and pulled a chair over from the neighboring desk and Jensen planted himself in it. Chris went back to shuffling the folders on his desk. "Well, then I'm hoping you bought me lunch. I'm starving."
"Not exactly." Jensen pulled his notebook out and put it on the table in front of him. "But if you can help me with a little something, I think I can manage a little something for you."
Chris groaned. "With that look on your face, it better be a big something...with extra fries!"
Jensen smiled and opened his mouth to speak when he heard a voice behind him. One of the detectives on the far side of the room was making the usual crack about shooting himself in the foot to get out of the pile of paperwork in front of him, and Jensen waved back in greeting, used to the humor of the bullpen. When he turned back, he was horrified to see Chris pulling the folded printout of Jay's face out of his notebook.
"Where in the hell did you get this, Jen?"
Jensen was taken aback by the seriousness of Chris's tone. Jensen was only going to show him the picture as a last resort, knowing how many awkward questions it would throw up. But as usual, things hadn’t quite worked out how he anticipated.
He thought about the story he had concocted to cover his ass, and whether he should abandon it. Chris had been his friend for a long time, they had come up through the ranks together, and it wasn't like Chris wasn't aware of everything he'd been through the last 18 months. But he didn't know if this would be too much. Chris had already put up with enough from him. This could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
"A friend gave it to me. She's worried about him..."
Chris's eyebrows rose up. "You have a friend?"
Jensen smiled. "Shut up. Anyway, his name is Jay Campbell. He's been missing about ten days and the guys in missing persons have been giving her the run around so I said I'd come down and see if my good friend on the force could help out." Chris hadn't taken his eyes off the printout so Jensen nudged him with his foot, and added, "She's hot...I could introduce you?"
Chris carefully folded the printout and put it back in the notebook. "You're lying."
Jensen felt himself blush right up to the tips of his ears.
Chris stood, unlocked the drawer of his desk and took out his gun. "Don't," he said as Jensen opened his mouth to speak. Jensen slammed his mouth shut as Chris muttered, "Jesus, Jensen what the hell have you gotten into?"
Jensen shook his head and opened his mouth again, but Chris trained a finger on his face. "I said, don’t! Just...come on."
Jensen got up and trailed after Chris as he stomped towards the exit. The only thing Chris said when they got into his car was. "And FYI, it's not Jay Campbell. His name is Jared. Jared Padalecki."
