My first Lie to Me fic, enjoy! *Flashbacks are in italics
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"We have to get those kids out of there," a young, fresh faced social worker stated with an undertone of determination.
"We have no grounds to do so, Angela" Officer Mark Bryant sighed as if explaining to an eager child that getting a puppy was out of the question.
"But they're being abused," Angela Porter continued angrily when Bryant made a show of protesting, "We know their being abused, you know".
Bryant, now finding himself at the end of a lot of anger and the center of a lot of questioning gazes, looked towards Angela and tilted his head in the direction of police stations conference room. Angela took the lead, bringing the two of them to the room with a trail of steps engrained with anger.
"You know," she repeated once both of them were in the room and out of the hearing range of the other occupants of the precinct.
"No, we" Bryant pointed between the two of them, "think".
Angela gave him an incredulous look.
"Okay look. I believe that there is abuse, but you have to understand that there is no evidence to substantiate that belief" Bryant conveyed calmly, but his eyes betrayed his feelings of disappointment and shame.
"What about the bruises, the cuts, the-"
"All of which the girl denies are a result of any abuse"
"She's lying-"
Bryant cut her off, "We believe she's lying. Without her or her brother making any statements alleging abuse we can't take custody".
"But the injuries alone-"
"She claims are from sports practice."
Angela sighed in frustration. "Are we really going to let them continue to stay in that house, with their abusive, not to mention alcoholic, father? With only each other as protection? For god's sake, the boy is only four."
"We have no other choice"
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"You're wrong" Ria stated plainly but with obvious conviction.
Gillian hastily tried to keep up with Ria's pace, silently cursing her affinity for high heeled shoes. "Ria, you're not thinking rationally. You've allowed yourself to be blindsided by your emotions during the entire course of this investigation up to date. You need to look at the facts, I understand that your childhood-".
"You understand? How can you possibly understand?" Gillian stumbled slightly when Ria abruptly swirled to meet her head on. The other current occupants in the hallway looked on in shock, curiosity, and thinly veiled interest as the Lightman Groups newest employee stood off against their boss.
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Angela Porter sighed and turned the door knob in resignation. She quietly stepped into the room that had been designated by the precinct for child interviews. The floor was carpeted, the walls painted a warm yellow, and toys lay scattered across the room. Angela quietly braced herself and turned towards the two children sitting patiently on the overstuffed coach placed to the side of the room. As she approached, the little girl and boy looked up at her and Angela could see the innocent sprinkle of freckles adorning the girls cheeks and the wide blue eyes of the boy. The façade of innocence was destroyed however when she caught sight of the cut splayed across the girl's forehead.
"Gillian, Robbie, are you ready to go home?"
Gillian nodded, stood up, and grabbed her little brother's hand giving it a light squeeze before helping him up. Gillian locked eyes with the inexperienced social worker, holding the stare while subconsciously straightening up.
Defiance.
Angela crumbled and in spite of herself looked away. She took out a business card and placed it in seven-year-olds free hand. Only when she heard the sound of their footsteps join those of Officer Bryant, did she allow a deep sadness to infiltrate her eyes.
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"Look, its normal for you to be upset-"
"Oh, what are you going to do now, huh? Give me a lecture on abuse derived from one of your psychology textbooks? Tell me that I'm projecting? Well let me tell you that there was nothing standard about my childhood," Ria approached Gillian, her demeanor exuding contempt.
Gillian sighed, knowing full well that nothing she said would make a difference. So she did the only thing she could, "You're off this case"
"What!" surprise registered on her face but quickly defaulted into anger. "You can't do that".
Gillian just looked on patiently.
"You can't do that"
"Can't do what?" Dr. Cal Lightman interrupted what was becoming the Lightman Groups greatest episode of interoffice entertainment. Only he tended to get Ria riled up, but even he had to admit that the anger Gillian had presently channeled onto herself was incomparable to any of his previous efforts.
"Can't take me off this case," Ria stated looking at Cal for support.
Cal distinguished the smugness that lay embedded within the anger and then shifted his gaze to his partner. Gillian was looking flustered but resolve flashed prominently within her eyes. Cal let his eyes wander over her posture and took in the form fitting red dress that she was wearing, slowing his gaze over her clavicle mesmerized by how her pulse was visibly pounding as an after effect of her hustle earlier on in those heels. Just as he was about to focus his gaze on her legs, he caught Gillian's eyes and noted the amusement laced with impatience. Cal gulped.
"Right, then." He cleared his throat. "What's this about?"
"Foster thinks-"
"Stop" Cal interrupted hastily to the indignation of Torres, and with a gentle wave of his arm singled out Gillian, "Explain."
The Lightman Group had recently come under the employment of the 34th precinct after a particularly horrific child abuse case had the precincts Special Victims Unit scrambling without a foothold. The child in question was eleven year old Katelyn Martinez, the only daughter of alleged drug lord Alexander Martinez. The man was supposedly the head of a large branch of the DC drug circuit. The police had attempted to bring the man down several times only to be hindered by the depth of Martinez's pockets. Witnesses tended to recant their stories or suddenly fall victim to fatal "chest pains". Out of desperation, the detectives assigned to the case had shifted their focus onto the business man's private life. They had been looking for infidelity to break the wife's loyalty, but had instead discovered a broken little girl. Immediately social services had been called, but no progress had been documented. The girl had locked her story in silence, and without her cooperation the case against her father could not move forward. The injuries had been enough to persuade a judge to grant temporary custody to the state, but time was of the essence and thus the request for the expert services of the Lightman Group.
Gillian relayed all this information to Cal who quietly absorbed all the information.
"So they need us to get the bastard to confess, catch him in a lie?" Cal asked clenching his fists.
"No, they need us to get Katelyn to talk. Our reputation has apparently expanded from lie detector freaks to include interview/interrogation technique consultants."
"Oi, there's nothing wrong with being unique."
Gillian's eyes wrinkled in a brief smile.
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Gillian held on tightly to her brother's hand while Officer Bryant led them out of the toy-filled room and into the adjoining observation room. She numbly listened while the officer talked with her parents and apologized for the inconvenience her teacher's inquiry had caused them. She silently watched as she saw her father shake hands with the officer, noting with slight interest the anger that flashed in the police mans eyes.
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"So, I get the complications of the case, but what exactly is the problem that Torres' has decided to express in yells rather than the more subtle, and might I add appreciated, micro-expressions," Cal watched in amusement as Ria attempted to bite back her objections.
"Ria believes that my more subtle methods won't work, and has decided to pursue a more direct approach."
"And this direct approach means what?"
"Apparently it means setting up Torres to be some sort of protective guardian, bullying others for their past actions or rather inactions." Gillian stopped when the contempt in her voice became too pronounced.
"Well go on then," Cal gestured impatiently.
"Well…Torres has already successfully antagonized the father, not to mention alienated the mother."
"Did they deserve it?"
"Cal that's not the point, the fact is she did it in front of the girl. How is the girl supposed to trust us, when all she sees is Torres reacting to pressure the same way as her father does, with aggression and violence" Gillian exclaimed.
Cal couldn't stop his eyebrows from lifting in interest at violence. Ria shrugged, "I might have been a bit overzealous with my handshake". A brief smile filtered across her face and her chest puffed out in pride.
"You sure she should be taken off the case, she might be the only one to relate to the girl, you know daddy issues and all. She could establish a trust; we're all in the same boat kinda thing."
"Trust me" Gillian softened her face. Cal quietly observed her, noted the conviction behind her decision, and then nodded gently. He resumed walking towards his office and with a dismissive wave over his shoulder, gave the final judgment, "You're off the case."
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The formalities over with, Gillian stepped outside still holding onto her brothers hand and paused, allowing her parents to surpass her. She opened her palm and looked at the social workers message stenciled on the back of the business card in pencil, "If you need help, call me. Anytime."
Gillian gave the social worker a brownie point for using an erasable writing instrument to write that sincere if incriminating offer of help. However, when the wind came she freely gave away possession of the card. What good would it do her anyway?
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So most of this chapter was just set-up, but hopefully this story has caught your interest. Please review and tell me what you think!