All Tied Up

A few days later, Krysta sent Emmanuel a message asking him if he had any time to come over to chat. Not the sort of person to avoid conflict when it was inevitable, Emmanuel fired off a quick message to let her know he was on his way and carried his bike down to street level. Krysta came to open the door when she saw him locking up his bike outside and let him come in to sit on the couch. He couldn't see Chuck anywhere but it didn't mean he wasn't there at the house somewhere.

"I'll start by saying I had Chuck order and pay for the tuxes for you and River based on what was left in your dressing rooms," Krysta commented, acting like tuxedos was really all they were chatting about then by how casually she said it. "I figured having that expense off your shoulders would be a good thing for you, at least. River could pay for the whole grooms' side if he wanted to, but it's the thought that counts."

Emmanuel smiled wolfishly, "I'm not sure having Chuck pick up the tab for tuxes we likely won't get the chance to wear is necessary, but I appreciate the thought. I assume we're no longer welcome on the groom's side."

Krysta gave a roll of her eyes at that. "Chuck is upset, but he's not stupid. I told him I would talk to you and we could work on mending the relationships but I was not going to be okay with him making decisions to kick anyone out right this minute. So I guess we should talk about the bruised elephant in the room. I take it the relationship you and River have isn't romantic then, but BDSM related?"

Emmanuel's eyes twinkled a little at that. "Quite an assumption, dear sister. You know I'm demiromantic. Things started off in the Dungeon, yes, but they seem to be progressing toward something more," he answered.

Krysta looked thoughtful at that. "It wasn't just my assumption. Chuck was thinking so too since you didn't seem overly worried about trying to help River in that situation. That's good though because I think Chuck will be less worried if you actually feel something for River. He's a little clueless about non-vanilla relationships, but mostly he wants his friend to be happy and safe with a partner who can actually love him."

Emmanuel considered that, and offered a bit of explanation. "Your concern for River is admirable. He is quite safe with me, and his participation is consensual. You know my past with relationships enough to know that love is a soft limit for me; one that I'm cautious of for good reason. As to his scuffle with Chuck at the fitting, there is a bit of backstory involved plus I tend not to intercede in partners' outside affairs unless invited or directly involved in situ."

"You don't think them fighting about you involves you in the situation?" Krysta asked him.

"They weren't fighting about me. They were fighting about Chuck's lack of respect for River's clearly stated boundaries and willingness to publicize River's secrets for clout. I was simply a bystander like everyone else. Chuck wisely didn't even look in my direction while the whole thing went down," Emmanuel answered.

Krysta looked at him curiously. "What would you have done if he had?"

Emmanuel smiled wickedly, "Involve myself," he said simply.

Krysta shook her head at her brother. "I should expect nothing else but that. Does River know that love is a limit for you? That you try hard not to go that route?"

Emmanuel considered claiming privileged information on that but thought better of it. "We've not come across that subject yet. We may never need to. So far the relationship began as strictly sceneplay and has evolved to a more established dynamic wherein he has expressed an interest in making more long-term. I've been honest and forthcoming with him from the beginning."

"So, maybe he'll make this long term thing with you and then be free to find love with someone else then?" Krysta asked him. "I know you've done the polyamory thing before."

Emmanuel spread his hands in a gesture Krysta well knew and hated. "Who knows what the future may bring? I only offer to cage those who wish to be."

Krysta sighed but decided to leave it alone. She asked him some questions about what scenes tended to be like, just so she could be educated about what her brother was doing. After a little bit, the door opened and Chuck came into the house. He stopped at the threshold when he saw that Emmanuel was there, but then he seemed to recover and walked in and shut the door behind him.

Chuck came over and kissed Krysta hello and then turned and looked at his future brother-in-law. "Emmanuel. Nice to see you."

Emmanuel nodded respectfully but reservedly. "Chuck," he responded.

Krysta looked up at Chuck expectantly, and Chuck gave a sigh before he sat down on the couch next to her. "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have gotten into yours and River's business, and especially shouldn't have made it public. I'm sorry."

Emmanuel nodded as if he expected nothing less. "Apology accepted, though truly River is the one to whom an apology is most owed. He was most affected and moreover feels that he's lost a long-time friend."

Chuck had the decency to look ashamed of that. He swallowed hard and nodded his head. "I know. I sent him a text but he hasn't answered me so far. The apology should really be in person but I may need to wait until he's ready to talk."

Emmanuel nodded noncommittally, glancing at his sister to try to assess her reactions to what her husband-to-be had to say. Krysta rubbed Chuck's leg lovingly and said, "I'm sure he'll answer soon, but maybe tell him you want to offer an apology and pay for lunch or something. River adores you, so I don't think he'll stay mad forever."

"I hope not," Chuck replied. "We've been inseparable since college, and I don't want to lose him. Especially not this way. I've never seen him so angry before, other than one time in college..."

When Krysta saw the curious look on Emmanuel's face, she told him, "River and his friends were attacked in college. It was a gay bashing. One of his other friends was the one targeted, but another one jumped in front and got hit by a baseball bat in the leg twice before anyone could stop the guy. River didn't get hurt but..."

Emmanuel shook his head woefully. "That sounds terrible. I'm sure River found a way to blame himself for not taking the hit for his friend."

"He did," Chuck confirmed. "And so he used a lot of his anger at the situation to demand consequences from the university with Trev's aunt. I'll never forget the way his eyes looked when he told me he'd never speak to me again if I stood on my fellow footballer's side. He said if I chose teammates who would attack my gay friends over those gay friends, then I didn't deserve to have any queer friends."

Emmanuel nodded his agreement with that statement. "He has quite a way with words."

"Yeah, he does," Chuck agreed, with a wistful smile on his face while thinking about his friend. "And he's really smart and thoughtful. Which is why my behavior was unfair to him. I got worked up. I was worried you hurt him and might do worse damage to him, mostly emotionally."

Emmanuel considered his next words carefully. He didn't want to alienate Chuck but there were some things that needed to be said. "Take this with a grain of salt, Chuck, but you really should consider trying to develop some self-awareness. Maybe ask River about his perspective and actually listen to what he has to say. Put your privilege aside for one conversation and just try to imagine what it must be like for someone like River."

"Someone like River?" Chuck asked for clarification.

The look on Emmanuel's face was one of extreme patience that was beginning to wear thin. "A gay man in sports, a gay man in forensic science, a man who survived being attacked while out with his friends simply because they dared to be gay and out about it. Even I don't fully grasp what River has experienced in his lifetime and I'm bisexual. I can hide my orientation to pass as 'normal' in our shitty society if I choose to. I'm not asking you to do all this in a vacuum; ask River, but listen to him."

Chuck looked thoughtful for a moment before he finally nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right. I'll do that. Thank you."

Emmanuel stood and thanked his sister for the invitation to visit and made his exit. He felt that he had given them both quite a bit to think about.

River, meanwhile, had seen the text from Chuck and had promptly ignored it to focus on school. He was so close to finishing up; he had been working hard on his classes and dissertation, and was coming up on when he would have to defend it. He couldn't let his fight with Chuck make him forget what was important.

He went to work with the same mindset. It was late at night, in what was deemed as quiet time, when the buzzer sounded for transport. River got up and went over to check the cameras, happy to see that it was Rufus and Emmanuel. River pressed the button to let them in and then went to check on who he knew he had to send with them that night.

They were going through their normal routine when there came another buzz, but this one from the front. River furrowed his eyebrows and asked them to hold on a moment while he went over to check the cameras.

River pressed a button and then said, "Can I help you?"

The man on the screen for that camera held up his badge. "My name is Detective Park. Can you let me in?"

"Officer, we're after hours now," River replied. "Police are supposed to come during the day time."

"I was looking for you, though, and Dr. Carrington said you work later at night," Detective Park explained. "River Thorn, right? I work cold cases, and wanted to talk to you."

Cold cases caught River's attention, and he only took a moment to consider it before he pressed the button that would unlock the front door for the cop. River went back over to continue signing for the exchange of bodies while he waited for Detective Park to come into where they were. He showed up just a few minutes later carrying two file boxes, which he placed down onto a counter.

Detective Park was a rather good-looking man who must have been in his mid to late-thirties, of Korean descent with black hair that was just barely sprinkled with white, a five o'clock shadow, and glasses on his face. He was wearing a suit though he had ditched the coat at some point and they could all see his gun in its holster around his abdomen. He smiled at River and tapped the boxes like he figured River knew what they were, and he was at least half right.

"I'm a friend of Dr. Carrington's," Detective Park explained. "Turns out you've been asking some questions about a cold case I have the files on, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

Emmanuel and Rufus knew better than to stick around for privileged conversation, so they wheeled their current charge out the roll-up door without saying anything. Emmanuel watched River's face but he never looked away from the Detective or the boxes, so Emmanuel focused on the task at hand and made a mental note to text him later.

River barely registered that they had left, but Detective Park watched them leave and only started to speak again once the doors clicked shut. "Cassia Thorn, six years old when her body was found. And now her big brother is a forensic scientist for the same city she was found in."

River gave a brief smile that said Park had him figured out. "A lot of evidence taken from what I've heard, but no culprit ever found. I may have some ulterior motives for working in this particular area, but I am good at what I do."

"I should hope so," Detective Park replied. "I figure you're not going to butt out if I tell you to, so maybe it's better to let you help me close the case once and for all. But you really need to be sure you want to do this before you agree. You may learn things about your family and the friends around them that you can't unsee. You may unlock secrets you'd rather not have known. So if you want to do this, you need to be prepared for that."

River had been looking at the boxes, but now he shifted his gaze over to Park. The man had a look on his face like he knew what he was talking about but when their eyes met, the look turned sympathetic. This wasn't the first time River had been told that, of course. He'd had professors warn him about it, as well as his oldest sister. This was something he had thought about for a long time.

"I appreciate your concern, but I've put a lot of thought into this over the years," River finally said. "Cassia and I were born less than a year apart, Irish twins. Everyone called her my shadow, but I'd say it was the other way around. I should have been a victim alongside her, but somehow the perpetrator got us separated. Any facade of a happy family or happy family friends is just a lie. It may be a pretty lie, but it's a lie all the same, and it's a lie that led to my sister being murdered. I can handle that facade coming down, Detective. So count me in."

Detective Park looked him in the eyes to make sure he was serious and then nodded before turning to the boxes. "Here is everything we have on the case. One box is filled with files, statements, every bit of paper trail we had back then, while the other box has the rape kit and all sorts of preserved samples, as well as test results for what could be tested back then, like tox screen and such."

River came over to stand beside the detective, moving the top box so they were side by side before he opened the first one. He saw the rape kit on top and knew which box this was instantly. "What kind of samples did they manage to preserve?"

Park pulled out a file and opened it, looking through the list. "Condom must have been used as there was no semen found. There were hairs found, including one or two with a root. She might have ripped a few out and they fell on her. There was also some saliva preserved. There was also a partial fingerprint on her skin, but it wasn't very clear. They kept it and if we can find a way to enhance it, we might have something but that was beyond their capabilities back then."

River looked up at the clock. "Do you want to pick a time to do this, or do you want me to make coffee?"

Park grinned at him. "Brew us a whole pot. We'll be here a while."

River did just that before he grabbed a couple of mugs and the two of them sat down in the lab area to go over every little bit of evidence. This wasn't the first cold case he'd seen samples from, but it was by far the most important to him so he took care of each sample he looked over and worked on. He carefully looked over the hair samples with a microscope, checking the roots for the left over samples of skin that would be left behind.

DNA didn't come from the root itself but from the skin cells that were left on the root from being ripped out of the skull. He carefully grabbed those pieces of skin off the roots to test for DNA. He also used solutions to get samples of the saliva and carefully went through everything in the rape kit to make sure he couldn't find anything else to test. Everything was carefully labeled and new files were started both physically and in the system.

By the time they had gone through everything, it was almost six AM. Dr. Carrington would be there anytime to let him off his shift.

Detective Park put the lids back on the boxes once they had them packed up and stored them in River's office for later. "For the record, don't tell your family you're working on this, and don't let them know what we find out. It may feel like a long shot, but if the perpetrator is still around your family, and they think you are getting close, it could put you in danger. They may get desperate."

River gave a nod. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Detective."

"Call me Jae," Park told him. "We'll be working closely together, so we might as well drop the formalities. I'll see you soon."

River watched him leave and then locked up his own office before Dr. Carrington got there. He clocked out and then went to his car to make the drive back to his own home. When he got inside and sat down on the couch, he finally pulled his phone out, surprised to see a few texts from Emmanuel. He must have been so engrossed in his work that he didn't hear or feel the alerts.

Emmanuel's concern for River could be clearly read in his messages.

"I have to admit, Pet, that I am curious as to what the handsome Detective has to say to you that made you so oblivious to our departure."

A few hours later, Emmanuel had tried again, clearly trying not to be problematic, but willing to offer help if it was needed.

"It's been a few hours, so I assume whatever you're tied up in is compelling, but I'm here for you if you need an eye."

From here, the frequency of the messages started to become more rapid, though still spaced respectfully.

"Checking in with you. It's been four hours now and I must admit I'm a tad concerned. Please blink twice if you're under duress."

"River, I'm beginning to think you've forgotten your phone at home. I'm going to lie down for a quick nap now, but your number is set to circumvent DND. Be safe."

River immediately felt bad for being so distracted that he had missed every message, or even Emmanuel leaving. He had been so focused on what he was sure the case was that he didn't think about Emmanuel's feelings and he was kicking himself for that.

"Hey! So sorry! I had my phone on me but I guess I got so focused I completely missed it buzzing at all. Detective Park -- or Jae as I'm supposed to call him -- is working on my sister's case. I had been asking Dr. Carrington about it and about the cold cases files and who was in charge of them. I guess it got back to Jae and he wanted to talk to me about it. He's asking me to work on the case with him, which is not only a big deal but exactly what I have been hoping for in my career here in Detroit. We basically spent all night poring over notes, samples, and files. I'm home now and about to shower before sleeping," he sent before he turned his phone sound on and then went into the bathroom where he put the phone near the shower while he turned it on and got stripped down.

He heard his text tone while he was in the middle of washing the shampoo out of his hair.

"I'm very excited for you to be realizing the goal you've been training yourself for your whole life. Get good sleep, text me when you can."

"Yes, Sir," River replied once he got out of the shower and dressed into what he wore to sleep in, which was usually just boxer briefs.

River crashed hard and didn't wake up until early afternoon. He got up to fix his hair and get dressed before he checked his phone. There was another text from Chuck begging River to give him a chance to apologize. He wasn't sure he was inclined to listen to it, but Chuck promised him a meal out of it, and River got a little smirk on his face. He sent back a message that he would be open to getting brunch, the gayest meal River could think of, on Sunday, but only so long as he could have backup with him in case Chuck upset him. Chuck readily agreed to both.

Then River texted Emmanuel. "I'm awake now. Again, I'm so sorry about not seeing your messages. I know I can get very one-track minded when working but never to this extent. I didn't even have my headphones on this time."

Emmanuel had been up for hours by then and had been out scalping tickets for that evening's shows at the local venues. A petty part of him wanted to ignore River's message when he heard his special text tone, but that wouldn't do, so he finished the transaction he was in the middle of and looked at the message, a smile already forming on his face. He just couldn't help himself where River was concerned. His thumbs practically flew over the fake keyboard on the screen of his phone as he responded.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad you're okay and that you're on the road to finally finding out who is responsible for what happened to set you on this path. If you're free later, I'd love to hang out."