📎A/N. Hello!!! Is anyone there? Everyone seems to have gone quiet :-( - perhaps you are all enjoying your holidays :-) This chapter is a bit longish, so I have split it into two. 

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Thanks for all your support.

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"Did you get it?" Murphy asked as he walked into the break room.

Kaitlyn finished pouring coffee into two cups and handed one of them to her partner before answering, "Yes."

She then picked up her phone, tapped twice, and slid it across the bench towards him.

Murphy glanced down. The image staring back at him was a photo of a handwritten note.

'I can't live with what I have done.
I'm sorry.
Brian'

"What's their current thoughts?" he asked, once he had finished reading.

Kaitlyn pocketed her phone. "We're in luck. They think that he was so distraught about his ex-girlfriend's death that he was under the delusion that if he hadn't picked a fight with the new boyfriend, she might still be alive. They are closing the case as a suicide and releasing the body to his parents today."

Murphy did not look convinced. "And you are sure they aren't linking him to the wolf?"

"Very," Kaitlyn nodded.

Murphy breathed out a sigh of relief. Lately, things had become chaotic in his typically calm and tightly controlled life. This was just one more thing that could have blown up in all their faces. They had spent days tracking down an elusive newly turned Werewolf, only to discover that he had committed suicide by jumping off the Tobin bridge.

The current had swept Brian further downstream, until he had been discovered by some locals. By then, the body was bloated and beyond recognition. It had taken a further three days to identify the jumper as Brian Conor, college student and former boyfriend of one of the victims in the first wolf attack.

Much to Kaitlyn's annoyance, Murphy had predicted the outcome. The volatile teenager, isolated, and emotionally distraught, was a ticking time bomb and was a danger not only to himself but those around him.

Not wanting to draw attention to their interest in the victim, and hearing that he had left a suicide note, Kaitlyn had used her contacts within the Medical Examiner's office to get access to the letter.

Their immediate concern was that he had confessed to what had actually transpired. Not that anyone would believe that he was the wolf. However, they did not need the authorities to look any further at the boy's dead body.

Murphy looked as though he was about to say something when his phone beeped. Kaitlyn could tell he was less than pleased as he read the message.

"Bollocks," he muttered under his breath before looking up at Kaitlyn with irritation. "Why did you give her my number?" The accusation was dripping with each syllable.

She attempted to feign ignorance. "Who?"

"Don't act daft," he snapped, "you know damn well who."

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "If you mean your mother. Then, yes I gave her your cell number. What did you expect me to do when she asked for it?"

"You could have said no."

A short laugh burst from Kaitlyn. "Yeah right, like that would have stopped her."

Murphy emitted a low growl from the back of his throat and continued to stare accusingly at his partner.

"Settle Cujo, it's just your mother," Kaitlyn pointed out.

At this remark, he narrowed his eyes and another growl echoed through the room.

Kaitlyn raised her hands in surrender. "Look I'm sorry. I didn't think it was a big deal," she said, "besides, I thought you left Tudor Falls on good terms with her."

"I did."

"So what's the problem?"

Murphy held out his phone for her to see. "This."

Kaitlyn read the message from Molly. Not understanding his anger, she looked back up at him in confusion. "It's just her flight details," Kaitlyn said with a shrug.

"To Boston," he barked.

"Um..." began Kaitlyn hesitantly, "she's not been here before, so she thought she might see what all the fuss was about."

A look of surprise swept across his face. "You knew about this?"

Kaitlyn nodded. "I said she could stay with me..." she trailed off, knowing Murphy would be less than pleased with this bit of news.

"You what?" he roared.

"Well, I knew that there was a possibility that you would refuse to have her at your place. So I might have said she could stay with me."

"And why the hell would she think that it was okay to come?" he accused.

Kaitlyn huffed at the large man towering over her. "Are you that daft?" she exclaimed, "Your mother knows that as soon as you are finished with this case, you'll disappear again. She just wants to spend some time with her son before he goes to ground - again."

"This is none of your business," Murphy said icily. He was about to say something further when he halted and swung his head towards the door. "Someone's coming," he said, before banging his cup down on the bench. "This conversation is far from over," he ground out before storming out of the room.

Kaitlyn knew enough to remain quiet as they returned to their temporary office.

After returning from Tudor Falls, Molly had kept in touch with Kaitlyn. When the other woman had gotten upset at how little time she had spent with her son, Kaitlyn had found herself suggesting Murphy's mother come to Boston for a visit. The words had erupted from her mouth before she realised what she had just said. She knew, without a doubt, Murphy would be less than pleased.

Murphy stormed back into the situation room without saying a word to Kaitlyn. It was very clear he was fuming over their conversation. Ignoring Murphy, Kaitlyn made her way back to her desk. As she passed Tony, she noticed he was intently focused on his computer.

"What's that?" Kaitlyn asked, curious as to what had his undivided attention.

Tony swung to face them, his features slightly flushed. "Just reading up on a case my buddy is working,"

"Anything interesting?" Kaitlyn asked as she glanced at Tony's screen.

"The bloodbath at the docks," said Antonio, as he turned back to the monitor.

Both Kaitlyn and Murphy knew the case the Detective was referring to. It had pushed theirs off the front page. And to their delight, had the media finally focusing on something other than Wolves or the Boston Wolf Killer.

As they were not involved directly in the case, they knew only what they had read in the news. Nine men, each linked to a major Mexican Drug Cartel, had been found slain and dumped in a secluded area of the docks. Evidence at the scene pointed to the Russian Mafia being responsible for the slaughter. How that many people had been gunned down, without witnesses, or casualties on both sides, was the question on everyone's lips.

The media were in a feeding frenzy, with a number of them accusing the Drug Enforcement Agency of falling asleep on the job. It was common knowledge on the streets that the Cartel had managed to get a major drug shipment into the country undetected by the authorities. The rumour mill had the Cartel supplying the entire consignment to the Russians. A deal, that was now being speculated as going tragically south.

The Cartels were not known for their forgiving attitude, and the city was holding its breath as to the retaliation against the Russians.

"Does he have any idea what happened?" asked Kaitlyn.

Tony shook his head. "No clue. There were no casings left behind. So they must've taken them with them."

"Was that the primary scene?" asked Kaitlyn, thinking that perhaps they were shot elsewhere and then dumped.

"By the amount of blood there is no doubt that they were killed where they were found," Tony confirmed.

"So you have no idea what actually happened at the docks?" asked Murphy, who until now had remained silent. Kaitlyn swung her head towards her partner. There was something strange in the way in which he posed the question. Murphy's eyes locked on hers. His expression giving nothing away as to his current state of mind. The only clue something was amiss, was that his jaw had tightened and she could just make out the muscles twitching.

"No," said Tony, as he looked from Kaitlyn to Murphy, "apart from what Larry mentioned, I only know as much as is written in the case notes."

"Hmm," was Murphy's only response, as he regarded the Police Detective in silence.

At this, Kaitlyn was on high alert. She knew Murphy well enough to know he was unsettled with something the Detective had said. She also knew that the Profiler was keeping his thoughts to himself and that she would need to pry it out of him later. Not wanting to make more out of Murphy's comment than absolutely necessary, Kaitlyn attempted to change the subject. "An impending war in organised crime is not our concern. So, can we please focus back on our case?"

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It was not until later that evening Kaitlyn remembered Murphy's odd behaviour with the Detective. They had just begun their training session, when she noticed the news story on the muted TV in her apartment building's gym. The image of the suspected head of the Mexican Cartel prompting her to question her partner on his reaction to Antonio's answers.

"So what the hell was that all about earlier?" asked Kaitlyn just before she aimed two precision strikes at his chest and neck.

Kaitlyn frowned as the blows seemed to have no effect on the Werewolf.

"The thing with Tony," she elaborated, continuing to watch for an opening to charge again.

"You're still too slow with your second strike," Murphy complained before answering her question, "He knows more than he is letting on."

"How do you know?"

"Because he was lying when I asked him if he knew anything about those killings."

Hearing this, Kaitlyn stood from her slightly crouched position. "So you're a human lie detector now," she scoffed.

"I know he was lying because his blood pressure increased; his heart began to race; his voice rose a notch; and his breathing changed," Murphy ground out before he caught Kaitlyn off guard and tackled her to the mat.

This information was still playing on Kaitlyn's mind when they returned to her apartment a short while later. Since their return from Tudor Falls, Murphy had been training with Kaitlyn most nights. Her apartment building had a small and underused gym available for use by the residents. The facility provided enough space and privacy for them to train and not be overheard.

Grabbing two beers from the fridge she handed one to Murphy. "So why do you think he lied?"

"I don't know. But he knows more about what happened than he's letting on," Murphy said before swallowing down some of the amber liquid. "I checked, and that 'buddy' of his - Larry, has been investigated by Internal Affairs on bribery and corruption charges on two separate occasions."

Murphy took a seat on the couch before continuing. "He was cleared of any wrongdoing, as they couldn't find any evidence. But from what I can tell, they are convinced he is involved in some shady dealings."

"So you think Larry is a dirty cop and that Tony is as well?" said Kaitlyn, who had taken up a seat opposite Murphy. She was struggling to reconcile this information with what she already knew about the Detective.

"I don't know," Murphy admitted, "all I am sure of, is that he was not telling us the truth on what he knew about the incident."

They both sat in silence, contemplating the ramifications of a member of their team being a corrupt Police Officer. Kaitlyn shuddered. Any evidence they had obtained in their case would be called into question.

Murphy cut into Kaitlyn's thoughts. "So when is Joshua due back?"

"Next week," she confirmed, "he had to sort out a couple of things with the local sheriff's office so he could put in for some more leave."

Kaitlyn checked her watch and jumped up from the couch. "Dinner's just about ready," she declared, "You set the table and I'll dish up."

Murphy sniffed the air, the aroma wafting through the room was making his mouth water. The familiar internal battle he had been waging with himself rose, yet again, to the forefront. For years, he had distanced himself from any and all form of personal relationships. He didn't need, nor did he want the complication friendship entailed. He had lost too many friends, and had been betrayed by those closest to him to allow himself to get close to anyone.

Yet, for some unfathomable reason, he found himself gravitating to this loud, opinionated woman. What was infuriating was that his Wolf appeared to be completely at ease in her company.

What was more disconcerting, was that lately, his thoughts had strayed to June. For decades, he had focused on his hatred for Elijah and how she had been ripped from his life. He had never dwelt for too long on June and their life together. The pain had been too much to bear. But recently, he had more often than not, caught himself thinking about his Mate. Remembering with fondness the time they had spent together.

June had been a gifted artist. Their home had the constant smell of oil paints, turpentine and clay. To this day, he could not bring himself to go anywhere near a gallery or arts supply store. The emotion it triggered within him was too much to bare.

He would often come home to discover paint splattered throughout her blond hair and caked into her clothes. She would laugh, citing the moment had overtaken her, and putting her smock on to protect her clothes, had completely slipped her mind.

June had been a sweet-tempered person whom he could never remain angry at. Her infectious loving smile would immediately disarm anyone it came in contact with.

What had most disturbed him was that these memories were no longer painful. He could reminisce about their time without the familiar pain and hopelessness that had been a constant in his life. They were now memories that felt a lifetime away. Memories that were fading quietly and without fanfare.

At first, panic had overcome him as a feeling of betrayal had descended, he was beginning to let go the hurt and grief. These two emotions had been with him every step of the way. It was familiar - he could wrap himself within its walls, and remain isolated from everything and everyone.

A beep from his phone dragged him out of his self-absorption. Glancing down at the screen, Murphy stiffened.

Kaitlyn, seeing his rigid stance called across the room, "Is everything okay?"

She took a step back as Murphy swung around to face her. Rage poured off him in waves as he advanced towards her. "This is all your fault."

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📎A/N.  ... wonder what has Murphy so riled ??

... and what is Tony lying about? Do you think he is a dirty cop? Or is he just covering for a friend? .... or do you think Murphy might have been wrong?

... and it looks like a war among two big players in crime is about to erupt  ** the jaws theme is playing in the background***  

... and it sound like Murphy has done a lot of soul searching lately... wonder what's triggered it? ;-) 

Don't for get to vote if you like this chapter.

Take care.

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