She could feel her sister’s eyes boring a hole into her back as she spoke with Max. She got both good news and bad. All of the lab, DMV, and forensic reports were finally ready; whatever bureaucratic snafus had been holding them up were out of the way. The bad news was that it was Sunday and both detectives wanted to spend their day off with their respective families. "That’s great! Keep us off the computers all week and get everything done on the weekend. Yeah, that’ll help the budget," she growled. "I can’t wait until this woman is out of office."
"Hey, I didn’t vote for her," Max noted.
"No one did," CC said in exasperation. She hadn’t liked the acting governor before she was moved up the food chain. Then, after being in office for less then an hour, the woman announced that she would never sign a bill that would allow same-sex unions. CC despised the woman.
"We could wait until tomorrow," Max suggested sympathetically.
"No," CC said with a scowl. "I want to wrap this up as soon as possible. I won’t be able to sleep until I know that Jamie’s safe." She heard her sister snort indignantly behind her. CC ignored Stevie’s commentary and returned to the conversation with her partner. "If everything adds up to what we think it will, I need to talk to the Captain as soon as possible. I’m going to have to explain why I can’t go anywhere near the prime suspect."
"Rousseau won’t be a happy camper," Max grunted.
"Can’t be helped," CC explained as she felt the weight of the situation bearing down upon her. "If Fisher is the guy and we don’t go to Rousseau now, then Fisher could foreseeably weasel out of this. I’ll go down to the station today and I’ll meet with you first thing in the morning."
"You and Jamie are picking up your new car in the morning," Stevie quickly reminded her.
"Right. Sorry, Max. I can’t get in until after noon," CC explained quickly. "I’m picking my new car up at the dealership."
"No kidding?" Max asked. "Well, it’s about time you got rid of that piece of sh . . .."
"Hey!" CC cut him off indignantly as Max laughed heartily.
"See you tomorrow, Calloway, unless you come across something urgent today," Max concluded as they ended the conversation.
Once she had hung up the telephone, CC tried to sneak away before she caught any flack from Stevie. "What in the hell were the two of you doing last night?" Steve demanded loudly. CC froze in her tracks. The absurdity of the situation suddenly struck the policewoman as funny and she decided to give as good as she got.
CC swallowed hard before regaining her composure. She turned to her younger sibling and curled her lips into a cocky smirk as she raised a single eyebrow triumphantly. "Do you really want to know?" she asked in a rich tone. Stevie seemed suddenly flustered as she grimaced at the question.
"God no," Stevie spat out emphatically as she shuddered in disgust. "I for one will be happy when you wrap up this investigation and the two of you can start having sex at Jamie’s place."
"Oh, we’ve already done that," CC quipped proudly.
"Eww." Stevie blanched as she covered her ears. "TMI!"
"Just what are you teasing your poor sister about now?" Jamie inquired in a sleepy voice as she shuffled into the room wrapped in nothing but the blanket from the bed.
"Stevie heard us making love last night," CC explained flatly.
"Oh," Jamie responded with a loud yawn as she snuggled up against CC’s body.
"CC?" Stevie sputtered.
"Oh pshaw," Jamie scoffed as she burrowed her head deeper into CC’s body. "I had to listen to you and the lady contractor acting like a couple of sailors on shore leave."
"Yuck!" CC and Stevie groaned in unison.
"Now that we’ve all shared . . ." Jamie yawned as she wrapped her arms around CC’s body and snuggled even closer. "Can we go back to bed?"
"I think you’re just trying to suck all the heat out of my body," CC teased the burrowing blonde.
"Can I help it if you’re like a portable Bunsen burner?" Jamie yawned as CC wrapped her long arms around the blonde’s slender body. "Bed, please," Jamie pleaded in a weary tone.
"Sorry, Honey - duty calls," CC apologized as she pulled Jamie closer to her and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Emma’s wails could be heard over the baby monitor. "Speaking of duty calling." Stevie sighed as she headed upstairs to her daughter.
"Why don’t you crawl back into bed?" CC suggested as Jamie’s emerald eyes fluttered shut and she nestled her head against CC’s chest.
"Don’t want to move," Jamie protested sleepily. "Want to stay like this forever."
CC chuckled lightly as she allowed herself to relax in the feel of Jamie’s body resting against her own. "Hmm," she sighed contentedly as she ran her fingers through Jamie’s short blonde hair. When she felt Jamie’s breathing even out, she knew that her lover was about to fall asleep in her arms. "Come on, Sweet Pea," she whispered softly in Jamie’s ear. "You need to get back into bed and I need to take a shower."
Jamie mumbled something incoherent before stepping away slightly. "I’ll make you coffee." The blonde yawned as she blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to wake herself up.
"That’s okay." CC smiled in return as she cupped Jamie’s cheek with the palm of her hand. Jamie smiled as she leaned into CC’s touch. Jamie rested her smaller hand on top of CC’s.
"Go hop into the shower and I’ll make the coffee," Jamie encouraged her. "You haven’t had any sleep either. I don’t want you falling asleep behind the wheel." CC opened her mouth to protest but Jamie spun her around and started to push her towards the downstairs bathroom. "No arguments. Since you’ll be driving my car, I rather you were alert. Now get into that shower, Officer. Because the sooner you get there, the sooner you can get your cute ass back here," Jamie asserted more firmly as she swatted CC squarely on her backside.
CC yelped as her lover’s hand made contact with her back end. "My, aren’t we a pushy little thing in this morning," CC responded playfully as Jamie shoved her into the bathroom. "Fine . . . I’m going." CC laughed as she turned to her lover. "Now get into that kitchen, woman, and fix me some coffee," she quipped before quickly ducking into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. She heard the knob turning as Jamie laughed on the other side.
"Just you wait." Jamie taunted her.
CC took her time in the shower, allowing the warm spray to slowly awaken her tired body. Making love with Jamie made her feel alive. It was strange to feel complete satisfaction and a constant yearning for more. She smiled, thinking that she was truly blessed for finding Jamie again. She finished her shower and dried herself before wrapping herself in a large towel and making a mad dash to her bedroom. As she pranced across the living room, she knew Jamie was watching her every move.
CC dressed casually in jeans and a light sweater and then she slid her gun into its holster. As she turned to leave the room, she felt as if she was forgetting something. When she spied her handcuffs resting on the nightstand, she blushed as she realized what was missing from her wardrobe. She bit back her laughter as she snatched up the leather case and the cuffs before walking into the outer room.
She found her sister and Jamie sipping coffee in the kitchen surrounded by a delightful aroma. Both women were now more suitably dressed in lounge pants and T-shirts; they ignored her as they watched Emma trying to stick her foot into her mouth. "I made you some eggs," Jamie said as she looked up with a smile.
"Thanks," CC said with surprise. "That was quick."
"I learned to make meals quickly when I was an intern," Jamie explained as she slid a plate of scrambled eggs and toast over to CC. She then moved quickly to pour a fresh cup of coffee for CC. "Here you go," Jamie offered as she began to sip her own coffee.
"Thank you," CC said warmly as she absently started folding up her handcuffs so she could put them in their case.
Jamie’s eyes widened and she began to choke on her coffee. "Jamie?" CC said with concern as Jamie rushed over to the sink and spit
her coffee out.
"I’m fine," Jamie got out as she cleared her throat and returned to the conversation.
"Are you sure?" CC continued as she finished putting her handcuffs in their case. She didn’t stop to think about what she was doing since the action was so routine.
"Why do you have your cuffs out?" Stevie asked.
CC’s movements halted as she suddenly realized what had caused Jamie’s strange reaction. "No reason," CC lied as she quickly snapped the holder onto her belt. Stevie stared at her with an odd expression. Her eyes then moved to Jamie and then back again.
"Oh gross," Stevie choked out as her face screwed up in a most unnatural expression.
"What?" CC shot back innocently. Jamie once again spit her coffee into the sink as she began to laugh hysterically.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CC RUBBED HER temples as Wayne explained his findings in great length. "In English please, Wayne," she pleaded wearily, tired of his long dissertation on how he had compiled everything and the computer jargon. Of course, he felt a need to explain all the terms to her in great detail. "I just want to know who was parked where and when they left the garage?" she implored him.
"I made you a chart," he said sheepishly as he peered over his thick black plastic-framed glasses.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation as he handed her a very detailed chart showing who was parked where and when they punched out of the garage. She bit back the urge to spew a litany of harsh comments at the little man who definitely needed to spend more time outside of his tiny lab. "Thank you," she said sweetly as a blush spread from his neck up to what was left of his hairline.
She peered at the chart and was instantly surprised that the car parked next to Sandra’s was not Dr. Fisher’s. But his BMW had been parked a few cars down. The vehicle in question belonged to an Ellen Murdock who, according to Wayne’s efforts, exited the garage exactly one minute prior to Dr. Fisher. "Now that is interesting," she mumbled. "Wayne, I need a print out from the DMV for Ellen Murdock."
"Way ahead of you." Wayne beamed proudly as he shuffled through his stacks of paperwork and handed her the requested item.
CC smiled as he proudly handed her a sheet of paper that contained Ellen’s address, date of birth, height, and anything thing else she would require. Her smile vanished and her heart lurched when she looked at Ellen’s picture. The woman bore a stronger resemblance to Jamie than Sandra did. "I don’t like this." She gulped.
She placed the sheet down and steadied her nerves. "Okay, what about the background checks?" Her voice shook slightly as she addressed Wayne.
"Nothing outstanding," Wayne explained quickly. "The usual misdemeanors, domestic violence, parking tickets and so on. But I did do a nationwide scan since Boylston is a teaching hospital and people come from all over the country. I stumbled across something that I think you might be interested in," he explained as he handed a stack of printouts to her. "This one," he explained as he handed over a single report that he had carefully separated from the rest. "It kind of stuck out."
CC scanned the computer printout and felt her heart stutter in fear. To the naked eye it appeared to be nothing, the charges had been dropped. But it was who it was for that peeked CC’s interest. "What time is it in San Diego?" she inquired absently.
"Just after nine a.m. They’re three hours behind us," Wayne answered. "Here’s the number."
"Good call, Wayne," CC praised the smaller man. "Assault charges. Interesting, Dr. Fisher."
CC quickly began to dial the telephone. After jumping through hoops to get authorization to make the long distance call, she was patched through. She said a silent prayer that someone involved with the case was available on Sunday morning so she wouldn’t need to call back. After a series of transfers she was greeted by a gruff voice that sounded as if it had been exposed to unfiltered cigarettes for far too many years.
"Detective Brooks?" CC began cheerfully. "This is Detective Calloway from Boylston Mass. If you have a few moments, I’d like to ask you a few questions regarding an old case of yours."
"Anything to help out, despite what the Sox just did to our boys," he teased with a heavy cough.
"Oh, you can’t blame us for the shape the Padres are in," CC countered. The man coughed while he laughed once again. ‘Jesus, Dude! You really need to quit smoking before you cough up a lung,’ CC noted in disgust. "It’s an assault case from six years ago . . . ." she began carefully.
"Jesus H. Christ," he barked in anger. CC wasn’t surprised by the reaction. "How the hell am I supposed to remember that?"
"Let’s give it a shot," CC encouraged him dryly. "The victim was a Marylyn Steiner. . ."
"I remember," he cut her off in a grave tone.
"Why?" CC asked as her voice trembled.
"She’s dead," he explained in a pained voice. "There was another girl as well. I know who did it; I just couldn’t prove anything. The little bastard weaseled out of it. I never had a thing on him. Now he’s going to be a doctor and two girls that I know of are dead. The initial assault wasn’t really anything. The guy wanted to date Marylyn and he grabbed her roughly by the arm. She dropped the charges. It was just that she looked so much like the first victim; I couldn’t get past it. A couple of weeks later Marylyn turned up dead."
"How?" CC asked as her mouth went dry and her heart started pounding urgently in her chest.
"A combination of blunt force trauma to the head and manual strangulation," he explained quickly as if he had just witnessed the crime scene.
"Sexual assault?" CC continued, praying that she was wrong.
"No," he responded in a painful tone. "But he tried. No penetration or semen. Tell me, Detective Calloway, why the sudden interest in an old case so far away?" he asked wearily.
"I have a victim that matches the same M.O.," CC responded as she fought the bile rising in her throat.
"Blonde, short, with blue or green eyes?" he pressed in a disgusted voice.
"Yes," CC answered flatly.
"Was Simon Fisher in the area?" he asked in an excited tone.
"Yes," she responded gravely. "Tell me something. With either Marylyn or Natalie, did he give the impression that he had a relationship with either woman?"
"Marylyn," he confirmed. "When she first came to us, he copped an attitude that it was just a lover’s spat. He was very convincing but I just had a feeling. When Marylyn explained that she had never had so much as a cup of coffee with the guy, I knew that there was something wrong that boy."
The way his words eerily echoed Max’s made her shiver. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Can you send me . . ."
"I’ll FedEx copies of everything out to you right now," he cut her off. "Calloway, could you keep me updated? I’ll fly out there if you need me. I’ve got a ton of vacation time and I would love to see this guy get what he deserves. "
"I’ll let you know everything," CC promised.
"One more thing you should know," he cautioned her. "His parents have more money than God and they’ve bounced him from one private school to another. They made it very difficult for us to investigate him."
"Are they on the West Coast?" CC inquired.
"One of the first families here in San Diego," he explained; she could almost hear the smile in his voice.
"Good." She gave him the address he could send the information before promising to send copies of her case files as well.
CC worked with Wayne a little while longer, knowing that she had to investigate every possibility before completely focusing on Fisher. Then she made her way down to the Forensics lab downtown. Corey McDowell wanted to speak to her. CC was more than a little curious as to why he needed to see her in person.
"Corey," she called out as she wandered through the cool room. The older African American man looked up from the microscope and simply stared at her with indifference. "Calloway," he greeted her dryly.
"Okay, Sparky. Tell me what’s so important that I have to haul my butt down here on a S
unday," she pressed, feeling a need to go home and be close to Jamie. She didn’t like what she heard today and the last thing she wanted was for the blonde to be out of her sight for even a moment.
"Good afternoon to you as well," he continued in the same dry fashion.
"Corey, your report didn’t show any prints or blood in the victims car or at the garage," CC continued, ignoring his banter.
"Did you bring me anything?" he taunted her.
"No," she lied with a wry smile as she hid the bag of brownies from Rosie’s Bakery behind her back. Corey had an incurable sweet tooth. He also had a wife that was very concerned about his health. CC learned early on that Corey would move mountains for any cop that would smuggle him some goodies.
"Hmm," he responded thoughtfully as he turned his attention back to his microscope.
"Well . . ." CC hedged playfully. "I might have a little something."
A smile formed on the older man’s face as he returned his attention to the tall policewoman. "No donuts," he cautioned her. "For this I want something good." She smiled as she pulled the white paper bag out from behind her back. "Rosie’s," he responded as he nodded his approval. CC handed him the bag. He peered in carefully and nodded his acceptance of her offering.
"Now what do I get?" she pressed. "Besides a warning not to tell your wife that I helped feed your sugar high."
"Your neighbor’s window," he began in his slow fashion. Corey was a brilliant scientist; he loved to savor his work and he took his time revealing his discoveries. CC had learned a long time ago to simply allow the man to proceed at his own pace.
The Brass Ring Page 22