The group seemed to go through the same series of emotions and one even started to back away despite Connor being in the middle of explaining that none of them were in any trouble.
"Hey! At least take my card," He stepped away from the group after the woman walking away and held his business card out in front of her, "Just hold onto it. If you see anything, anything at all, just give me a call, okay?"
He handed the card off and then half raised his hands to show he had no plans on stopping her from leaving and then settled back in with the three girls who were actually taking a moment to look at the photos.
Just his luck, he'd returned just in time to see a spark of recognition in one of the girl's expressions.
His gaze flickered down to the picture, Jane Doe 57.
"Yeah, I get that. But you know what I mean," Connor tilted his head, giving her a nod, "Did you know her name? Or at least what she went by around here? Any idea if she was local? Any idea when the last time was you saw her? Two weeks? Three?"
"Hey! Fuck off! You can't interrogate her!" One of the other girls snarled at him, putting her arm around Angel's shoulders protectively, "We don't have to answer shit!"
Connor didn't seem to react, eyes moving between the two women, but ultimately he was addressing Angel as he replied.
"This isn't an interrogation. You don't have to talk to me or answer any of my questions," A brief glance back to the other girl, "But we believe there's someone out there preying on people he's hoping no one will miss. You don't have to talk to me, but you're only hurting yourselves if you don't. And, hey, if you don't want to talk to me here and now, I understand. Just take my card and give me a call. Any pay phone, you can dial zero and ask the operator to connect you to the New York City Police and just tell them my name. You won't even need to try to root around your pockets for change."
He gave them a soft, subtle smirk and an equally subtle wink, blink and they'd have missed it. Pulling three more business cards out of his pocket, he held them out for the girls. His little speech seemed to placate the protective blonde woman, though she still seemed a little unsure, but she was the first to reach for one of the cards, snatching it out of his hand as she rolled her eyes.
Angel looks around as if trying to make sure no one that shouldn't be paying attention was looking t=and seeing who she was talking to. She tightened her arms across her chest and she isn't too concerned...really that he was going to end up taking her in or anything but it was still a worry. There's always a worry.
"She just went by Roxie, I doubt that's her real name, though, least you know the one on her ID and everything," Angel shrugs and meets Connor's eyes for a moment before looking down. She's about to answer another question when they're interrupted and she feels a little relieved.
She really shouldn't be snitching to some detective. Who knows who's business he might be butting into and what repercussions it could have on any of the girls who are talking to him tonight.
Angel doesn't offer him anymore information then but she does reach out for the card. She'll take it and she'll stuff it deep in the pockets of the short jean shorts she's wearing for the night. She won't lose it even though she'll easily remember the information on it after a quick glance.
She smiles coyly at Connor, after all, maybe they can pull off making it look slightly more normal than it is. "See you around," she says.
[ time skip~~~~ ]
It's a few weeks before Angel really thinks about the detective that she'd run into that night or that had run into her. However, it should be said, pushed his business cards into all their hands. She kind of wonders if he really knew what kind of girls he'd been talking to. But, she didn't trust cops and she didn't really trust hospitals either and so after a bad run-in with a John...maybe, it's the one that detective's looking for she goes to the diner she tends to reside at whenever possible.
She's a regular and they let her use the phone. They know her line of work but she thinks that she passes for a real woman with them and that's part of the reason she likes coming there. It makes her feel real. Her skimpy outfit doesn't hide much of the injuries -- most of which she'd actually gotten in her escape but she calls the number on the card, chewing her lip.
Angel doesn't want to go back to the House of Evangelista. She's scared of a few things. Mostly, that maybe she hadn't lost that man and he was watching her and he'd figure out she lived there and then her family would be in danger, mostly she's afraid of how Blanca would look at her. Not that Blanca would judge but it's the pain and the fact that Blanca would blame herself that Angel can't really face. She's about ready to hang up after the third ring starting to lose her nerve.
In the meantime, two more bodies had shown up. Two more girls and they appeared to be linked. What was more disturbing? The city didn't seem to care in the least bit. Someone was out there 'cleaning up' the streets apparently. No news coverage except for a small article in a few of the papers.
Connor had been pushing for an undercover cop or two to pose as women, but so far he'd been brushed off. There were 'more important' cases to concentrate their resources on.
It was discouraging, but it only made Connor want to get it solved more. To prove to these girls that someone, somewhere gave a shit about them. In short, it'd been a lot of long days, a lot of cigarettes, and a lot of cheap coffee.
He was heading back to his little cubicle in the bull pen, shoving something that resembled food into his mouth when he heard his phone ring and jogged the rest of his way to his desk to grab it.
Angel hesitates when he does answer. There's a long moment of silence but he can probably hear the ambient noise of a diner in the background and so it's clear that someone's there. It's hard to do something like this, it meant trusting him a little bit and that usually gets people hurt where she comes from. Cops aren't their friends.
"Hi... you gave me your card a few weeks ago," she says, she keeps her voice low, not really wanting the other patrons to overhear knowing they might be bothered by the topic that follows.
"The man you were talking about, I think he..." she lets out a shaky breath, glancing outside of the diner. "I'm not sure if I really got away from him. You said to call..."
She's usually a bit more well spoken a bit more confident but she's shaken.
Connor didn't recognize the voice, but that wasn't a rarity. From what he could tell, the woman was at a public space, a restaurant, cafe, or diner. He could hear background chatter and the clatter of dishes and cutlery. That was good. By the slight warble in her voice, he could tell she was afraid.
Despite the mountain of paper on his desk, he was immediately grabbing his coat and making sure he had his wallet and keys on him.
"Yeah, of course. Stay where you are. Sounds like there are people around. Stay inside, okay? Order whatever you want, don't worry about the tab. I'll be there soon. Just tell me where you are," Experience told him that he wasn't going to catch the guy just by showing up at a diner, but crazier things have happened. And, if nothing else, he'd be making sure this girl got a hot meal and got home alright.
Angel hesitates for a moment before she's giving him the name of the diner. She has no plans of going outside, but she also doubted she could eat even a bite with the way the way that she was feeling either. She didn't say as much and her fingers tightened on the phone.
"I won't go anywhere," she assures him.
When the call is over she goes to one of the back booths and soon she's ordered a coffee and a pastry, though both remain relatively untouched.
Connor really can't be sure if he remembers her exactly. He's spoken to a number of girls in the past few weeks. Hundreds maybe. It really didn't matter though.
He wasted no time grabbing his coat and letting his captain know he was headed out. His car and his clothes, like always, didn't give his identity away. He could've been anyone as he pulled up to the diner and parked.
He strolled in, scanning the place, looking for any familiar face.
"How many?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting someone. Mind if I take a look and see if she's here?"
The waitress raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, "Sure. But the bathrooms are paying customers only."
Angel noticed Connor right away but she didn't make a move right away. She hesitated, maybe this was a mistake and talking to a cop would just make it worse. Her hands were held tight together in her lap because she was pretty sure they were shaking and she hated that weakness in herself.
But when Connor had finished his exchange for the waitress she meets his eyes and lifts up one hand a little to indicate that she's the one he's looking for. He probably could have figured it out rather quickly no one else currently there looks like they could be a sex worker.
Luckily for the both of them, nothing about him explicitly screamed 'cop'. Sure, he had his badge on him and a concealed fire arm, but both were well out of view. He was a white collared worker, nothing more and his car gave away just as much.
He scanned the tables he hadn't been able to see before and the tiny wave catches his eye. Heading over in her direction, he doesn't bother to thank the greeter. She hadn't helped him after all.
He paused before sitting down, shrugging his coat off and handing it over to her.
"You look cold," He pointed out, though if she ended up not taking it he'd just hang up. No harm, no foul.
"Are you alright? I don't mind driving you to the ER, if you need me to," He offered before looking back over his shoulder toward the front windows of the building that looked out into the parking lot, "Did he follow you here?"
Angel shakes her head at the offer of his coat. She isn't cold, and it's also a habit not to take things that she could do without. Everything has a price in her experience. No one was nice just to be nice. This cop did want something from her after all, that's why he'd given her his card.
"I'm alright, I got away before anything..." She waves her hand in a 'you know' sort of gesture.
"I don't know if he followed me, though... He could have. That's why I didn't go home... there's other people there too." She didn't want to put her House in danger.
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no subject
"Hey! At least take my card," He stepped away from the group after the woman walking away and held his business card out in front of her, "Just hold onto it. If you see anything, anything at all, just give me a call, okay?"
He handed the card off and then half raised his hands to show he had no plans on stopping her from leaving and then settled back in with the three girls who were actually taking a moment to look at the photos.
Just his luck, he'd returned just in time to see a spark of recognition in one of the girl's expressions.
His gaze flickered down to the picture, Jane Doe 57.
"Yeah, I get that. But you know what I mean," Connor tilted his head, giving her a nod, "Did you know her name? Or at least what she went by around here? Any idea if she was local? Any idea when the last time was you saw her? Two weeks? Three?"
"Hey! Fuck off! You can't interrogate her!" One of the other girls snarled at him, putting her arm around Angel's shoulders protectively, "We don't have to answer shit!"
Connor didn't seem to react, eyes moving between the two women, but ultimately he was addressing Angel as he replied.
"This isn't an interrogation. You don't have to talk to me or answer any of my questions," A brief glance back to the other girl, "But we believe there's someone out there preying on people he's hoping no one will miss. You don't have to talk to me, but you're only hurting yourselves if you don't. And, hey, if you don't want to talk to me here and now, I understand. Just take my card and give me a call. Any pay phone, you can dial zero and ask the operator to connect you to the New York City Police and just tell them my name. You won't even need to try to root around your pockets for change."
He gave them a soft, subtle smirk and an equally subtle wink, blink and they'd have missed it. Pulling three more business cards out of his pocket, he held them out for the girls. His little speech seemed to placate the protective blonde woman, though she still seemed a little unsure, but she was the first to reach for one of the cards, snatching it out of his hand as she rolled her eyes.
no subject
"She just went by Roxie, I doubt that's her real name, though, least you know the one on her ID and everything," Angel shrugs and meets Connor's eyes for a moment before looking down. She's about to answer another question when they're interrupted and she feels a little relieved.
She really shouldn't be snitching to some detective. Who knows who's business he might be butting into and what repercussions it could have on any of the girls who are talking to him tonight.
Angel doesn't offer him anymore information then but she does reach out for the card. She'll take it and she'll stuff it deep in the pockets of the short jean shorts she's wearing for the night. She won't lose it even though she'll easily remember the information on it after a quick glance.
She smiles coyly at Connor, after all, maybe they can pull off making it look slightly more normal than it is. "See you around," she says.
[ time skip~~~~ ]
It's a few weeks before Angel really thinks about the detective that she'd run into that night or that had run into her. However, it should be said, pushed his business cards into all their hands. She kind of wonders if he really knew what kind of girls he'd been talking to. But, she didn't trust cops and she didn't really trust hospitals either and so after a bad run-in with a John...maybe, it's the one that detective's looking for she goes to the diner she tends to reside at whenever possible.
She's a regular and they let her use the phone. They know her line of work but she thinks that she passes for a real woman with them and that's part of the reason she likes coming there. It makes her feel real. Her skimpy outfit doesn't hide much of the injuries -- most of which she'd actually gotten in her escape but she calls the number on the card, chewing her lip.
Angel doesn't want to go back to the House of Evangelista. She's scared of a few things. Mostly, that maybe she hadn't lost that man and he was watching her and he'd figure out she lived there and then her family would be in danger, mostly she's afraid of how Blanca would look at her. Not that Blanca would judge but it's the pain and the fact that Blanca would blame herself that Angel can't really face. She's about ready to hang up after the third ring starting to lose her nerve.
no subject
Connor had been pushing for an undercover cop or two to pose as women, but so far he'd been brushed off. There were 'more important' cases to concentrate their resources on.
It was discouraging, but it only made Connor want to get it solved more. To prove to these girls that someone, somewhere gave a shit about them. In short, it'd been a lot of long days, a lot of cigarettes, and a lot of cheap coffee.
He was heading back to his little cubicle in the bull pen, shoving something that resembled food into his mouth when he heard his phone ring and jogged the rest of his way to his desk to grab it.
"Detective Kamski speaking."
no subject
"Hi... you gave me your card a few weeks ago," she says, she keeps her voice low, not really wanting the other patrons to overhear knowing they might be bothered by the topic that follows.
"The man you were talking about, I think he..." she lets out a shaky breath, glancing outside of the diner. "I'm not sure if I really got away from him. You said to call..."
She's usually a bit more well spoken a bit more confident but she's shaken.
no subject
Despite the mountain of paper on his desk, he was immediately grabbing his coat and making sure he had his wallet and keys on him.
"Yeah, of course. Stay where you are. Sounds like there are people around. Stay inside, okay? Order whatever you want, don't worry about the tab. I'll be there soon. Just tell me where you are," Experience told him that he wasn't going to catch the guy just by showing up at a diner, but crazier things have happened. And, if nothing else, he'd be making sure this girl got a hot meal and got home alright.
no subject
"I won't go anywhere," she assures him.
When the call is over she goes to one of the back booths and soon she's ordered a coffee and a pastry, though both remain relatively untouched.
no subject
He wasted no time grabbing his coat and letting his captain know he was headed out. His car and his clothes, like always, didn't give his identity away. He could've been anyone as he pulled up to the diner and parked.
He strolled in, scanning the place, looking for any familiar face.
"How many?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting someone. Mind if I take a look and see if she's here?"
The waitress raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, "Sure. But the bathrooms are paying customers only."
no subject
But when Connor had finished his exchange for the waitress she meets his eyes and lifts up one hand a little to indicate that she's the one he's looking for. He probably could have figured it out rather quickly no one else currently there looks like they could be a sex worker.
no subject
He scanned the tables he hadn't been able to see before and the tiny wave catches his eye. Heading over in her direction, he doesn't bother to thank the greeter. She hadn't helped him after all.
He paused before sitting down, shrugging his coat off and handing it over to her.
"You look cold," He pointed out, though if she ended up not taking it he'd just hang up. No harm, no foul.
"Are you alright? I don't mind driving you to the ER, if you need me to," He offered before looking back over his shoulder toward the front windows of the building that looked out into the parking lot, "Did he follow you here?"
no subject
"I'm alright, I got away before anything..." She waves her hand in a 'you know' sort of gesture.
"I don't know if he followed me, though... He could have. That's why I didn't go home... there's other people there too." She didn't want to put her House in danger.