by A. C. Henley
Verccetti regarded the man, then the tall blonde detective. He knew that he was unable to handle the situation as he liked to in front of the cop. He approached the now visibly shaking man and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
Vivian had no idea what the threat was, although she was certain there was a threat as the man paled and look as though he might fall over any moment if it weren't for McKee holding him up.
The gangster straightened after his words of discouragement to the two-bit hood. He reached forward and patted the man's cheek with a leather gloved hand. "Now leave here and be very careful of what you do or say in the future. Next time there won't be anyone to curtail my baser urges." He winked at the tall detective.
Quin let lose her hold on the man who stumbled backwards falling on his rear, but quickly recovered, running down the alley as if the devil himself were after him.
"He won't be bothering anyone again. Not around here anyway." Verccetti stated as he adjusted his gloves, "Thanks for the heads up McKee."
"I didn't do it for you." Quin said as she moved passed the gangster to stand beside Vivian.
"Of course not. Still championing the common citizen, I wouldn't expect anything else. I was surprised to get a summons from you. Last I heard you had a melt down and went home to Chicago." Verccetti approached his car. Another well dressed, well built man opened the car door for him. He stopped just short of entering the car, "I'd like to say it's nice to have you back, but we both know what a terrible liar I am." A pressed smile crossed the man's lips, "I would like to say that I'm sorry about Grace. She was a good cop, a no bullshit cop. No matter how much I offered her she couldn't be bought." Then with a leer in Vivian's direction he added, "Perhaps we might do some business Detective. You scratch my back I scratch yours?"
"I don't think so Mr. Verccetti." The blonde stated seriously brokering no argument with her tone.
The gangster shrugged, "Never hurts to ask." He lifted his cane to his forehead and gave a small salute, "Good evening ladies." He then ducked into the car followed by the second man.
Quin and Vivian watched as the auto disappeared around the alley corner. Just as Quin turned to reenter the restaurant Vivian grabbed her shoulder and pinned her to the wall.
"Who in the hell do you think you are? You can't beat people up to get answers! At least you could have warned me of who we would be meeting in a dark alley. Christ McKee, that man is on the federal most wanted list." The detective pumped her finger in the direction the car had disappeared. "Don't ever pull anything like this again in front of me. I will arrest you!"
"You do what you must Detective Walsh; just as I'll continue to do what I must. What was this owner suppose to do? She was warned not to call the police. Her husband was beat to a fucking pulp last week because she was ten bucks short on the protection money." Quin threw her head toward the restaurant, "What the hell do you think that hood and his friends would do if they called the cops?" The brunette jerked free from Vivian's hold, "Keeping up appearances is a dangerous game."
Vivian watched as the smaller woman paced back and forth. She knew what Quin said was true. In order for the wannabe cons to go smoothly they had to carry through with threats of violence; they had to make their victims believe they were dealing with Dorian Verccetti and his army of thugs. So when the business owners they were blackmailing were short or went as far as calling the police there was going to be bloodshed.
"I'm the next best thing to the cops." Quin poked herself in the chest as she stopped in front of Vivian. "I do things my way and hopefully everything works out like tonight. I operate outside of the law Vivian. I was wrong to involve you, and it won't happen again. I'll take you home." She stepped back into the restaurant's kitchen.
"Wait!" Vivian called out and was relieved when the departing woman stopped. "Is that it?"
Quin shook her head and turned back to face the blonde, "I'm not going to change Vivian. This is me." She held out her arms, "Like Verccetti said, I'm for the common citizen. Our jobs aren't that different. I just don't have as many rules as you do."
"Fine." Vivian nodded her head once and pushed through the door "Let's eat." She said in passing as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Quin stood for just a moment wondering what exactly "fine" meant. Was it a final statement of acceptance? Or was it a final statement of dismissal. She pursed her lips in a thin line as she followed the blonde back to their table. The food they had ordered earlier was waiting for them.
Vivian slid into the booth and sniffed at her pot roast. She decided she was just going to go with the flow that was Quinlan McKee. There seemed little use in fighting it. She would bide her time with the brunette, and hopefully somewhere down the road she might get a glimpse of the whole woman who took the seat across from her. Vivian knew she was falling in love hard. Everything about the woman seemed to be enigmatic, and that seemed to act as an aphrodisiac for Vivian. Quinlan McKee was the great unknown, and the blonde detective wanted to be the one person in the world who had an understanding of that force.
Quin picked up her fork and poked at her own pot roast. She looked up for some clue from the blonde about their status. She watched as Vivian took a small taste of her meal then casually added a bit of salt and pepper to the mix. Another bite, a bit bigger than the first, disappeared. Then an appreciative smile crossed the taller woman's lips as she pointed her fork at Quin.
"This…" she pointed the fork at her plate, "is fantastic." Vivian looked closely at the woman across from her. The sharp gray eyes from earlier were gone. In their place were the panicked eyes of a person desperately trying to find answers without asking questions. Now Vivian's shoulders slumped. "Quin." The eyes rounded a bit in recognition of the name, "Don't worry. Eat your dinner."
McKee gave a small nod of acceptance and began to eat earnestly.
"Of course," the blonde said in between bites, "I've not had a very good time tonight and will require a replacement date." The dark head across from her tilted at the last word. "I'll make the arrangements." Vivian concluded with a sweet smile.
The bit of roast in McKee's mouth seemed to fight its way down her throat. The word ‘date' echoed through her mind.
PART 7
QUANG NGO SHRUGGED his shoulders. Rivulets of rainwater slid down his neck as he adjusted the collar on his raincoat. "Fuck." He shivered as the wind picked up causing his pant legs to ruffle in its wake. Quang looked across the street at the building he had been watching for the last three hours. "Of all the gods be damned days to rain" he mumbled as his hand swiped away the moisture form his face.
It was one of those mornings. Nothing went right. Child protective services showed up at seven am. They marched through the house like the Gestapo, questioning children and adults alike. It didn't help that McKee was in pissy mood from the word ‘go'. How the hell did she get the damn black eye to begin with? Quang thought as he replayed the CPS' investigators questions to his employer. He wondered why the woman was so defensive about everything. The CPS people left all pissed off, promising to return.
"Soon, and we hope for better cooperation next time." The unyielding woman had said as she stepped off the porch. Quang and Anthony had flipped the proverbial bird at the same time to the woman's retreating back as she marched to her car at the curb. They turned to re-enter the house chuckling to themselves when three police cruisers pulled up to the curb.
Quang had trained himself not to panic in such situations after being with McKee for the last four years. It wasn't that uncommon of a thing for the woman to be hauled away to be questioned by the local authorities. She didn't exactly play by the rules. Quin had been cuffed and thrown into the back of a police cruiser, not without putting up a noble fight, and not until she had told Quang what he would be doing on this not so lovely Southern Californian day. It took some doing to calm down the kids and the nanny. Not to mention Justin Downs, who Quang found hiding in a cabinet in the kitchen, it took two valium and his girlfriend literal
ly tying him down to get the young man to even listen enough to convince he was safe.
The Asian man shook his head sending a spray of water off his spiky hair. He checked his watch and growled. "Where the hell is McKee!"
Quin had been pulled from a crowded holding cell just twenty minutes earlier and placed in a dingy yellow room. She rolled her shoulders to relieve the ache from having been handcuffed for the last four hours. It was the same game she always played with the local cops. They didn't like her, and she didn't much care for them. Well except for maybe two. And one of those two scared her to death in the most pleasant of ways. Quin looked up to catch herself ginning at that thought in the mirror opposite her. The grin faded as she looked at herself. Her face was bruised from last night, and a new split lip from the morning encounter with the boys in blue was prevalent. "I look like shit." She said to herself wincing a bit as she spoke and the swollen skin on her lip pulled painfully.
The door creaked open and a large pear shaped man shuffled through followed by a severe looking woman. The woman remained standing while the man sat on a wood chair that strained under the sudden burden it was expected to hold.
"McKee." The voice was pitched high with just a bit of a wheeze. It didn't sound like it should come from the man opposite her.
Quin looked disinterested as she once again moved her shoulders to ease the discomfort. A photo was slid in front of her.
"Do you know this man?"
She fought back the urge to mimic the man as she leaned forward to look at the fuzzy Polaroid. "Yup."
A long manicured finger tapped the photo. "Did he look like this when you last saw him?" The woman detective asked.
Quin narrowed her eyes at the photo. "Pretty much" she nodded to herself, and then let her eyes travel up the arm extended in front of her to gaze thoughtfully at the woman it belonged to, "except for the gaping hole in his head." She added with a sweet smile and a penetrating gaze that produced a pronounced blush on the other woman.
The man cleared his throat breaking the spell Quin had woven. "I'll take it from here Maggie."
Quin let the neutral mask fall once again as the flustered woman retreated from the side of the table to lean against the door. "You never were much fun Franklin." She said drolly, looking past the man and once again into the mirror behind him.
"And you're still an asshole."
"Well my Pop always said, ‘find one thing you're good at and stick to it.'" A soft rap sounded on the mirror from the other side causing Quin's reflection to shake.
"You know we're running ballistics on your gun."
"Annnnd?"
"You might as well confess…"
McKee started to chuckle, "You're really not thinking that I'm going to confess to shooting this guy do you?"
"When the ballistic report comes back…."
"You'll have squat!" Quin snarled.
Franklin leaned forward making the wooden chair creak under him, "Oh yeah smart ass? You were reported as being the last to be seen with him, the slug taken from his body was a .45. You're notorious for carrying a .45. You admit you know him…" This time a knock came to the door of the small room. The woman detective stepped aside to open it.
"Turn her lose." A familiar voice said firmly.
A grin pulled painfully at Quin's lips as a piece of paper floated down on top of the table in front of Franklin.
"Ballistics doesn't match." Vivian said as she fully entered the small room.
Franklin picked up the single sheet of paper. After a glance at the information clearing McKee's gun, he crumpled the paper in a ball and stood, sending his chair into the wall behind him. His face redden with frustration and anger as he pushed the table in front of him forward into Quin, causing the PI's chair to topple backward. The other two women in the room halted his forward progress.
"Get out of here Franklin." Maggie instructed.
Franklin noted the woman's hand at the ready on her service revolver that was at the moment still holstered. He looked from Vivian who stared him straight in the eye, back to his partner who had to look up a bit, but their hard gazes sent the same message. "Too many fucking dykes," he spat as he looked down on the brunette lying on the floor in obvious discomfort, "This is not over McKee." He pushed past the two women detectives and exited the room.
Vivian turned with a sigh and stooped down to help Maggie set Quin upright, "Having a bad day gorgeous?"
"Ugh. Hasn't been the greatest so far." Quin felt the cuffs come off her wrists and slowly moved her arms in front of her. She rubbed each wrist and flexed her fingers to get the blood moving again into her cold digits.
"Sorry McKee…"
Quin looked up at the stern looking woman, her mousy brown hair was tied back in a tight bun, and her wire rim glasses gave her a librarian appearance. "S'okay Mags can't pick your partner." She then looked to Vivian who was setting the table and Franklin's discarded chair back in place. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."
Vivian smiled as she picked up the photo and handed it to Maggie, "Just doing my job."
The brunette shrugged her shoulders and cringed at the pain the motion caused. The interrogation room door swung open again. This time a tall, solidly built, striking black man stood shaking his head at the women, "I heard Quinlan McKee was in the station, and I said to myself, ‘naaaa, can't be, that mean ass piece of shit ran off to Chicago.' Then I saw Richard Franklin toss his desk out a third story window, and I knew it was true."
Quin stood and approached the man, "His whole desk?"
Teddy Adams smiled and nodded, "The whole damn thing landed on Lieutenant Marquez's Volvo."
Quin roared with laughter causing her lip so split and bleed, "Damn." She wiped at it with the back of her hand causing herself more pain, "Christ."
"You're a walking disaster McKee," Teddy put his arm around the much smaller woman and ushered her from the room. He looked back over his shoulder at the remaining two women, "Detectives Walsh and Donner, my office, now!" He hugged Quin to him and softened his voice, "I was real sorry about Grace. I wish…"
"How are Cheryl and the girls?" Quin changed the subject.
The police Captain was silent for a moment then sighed, "Okay, off limit topic." He nodded his acceptance, "The wife and kids are fine, and Cher was just talking about you a few weeks ago."
"I always did think she was psychic. I got back a few weeks ago." Quin was guided into a stark functional office that had changed little in her three year absence. A thick dark finger pointed at a chair in a silent order to sit. As she sat in the simple vinyl chair, Vivian and Maggie entered the office.
Vivian had been quietly watching the exchange between the most feared man in the station and the PI. It was obviously a comfortable relationship and she found herself a bit jealous not to have the same connection with either of the people walking in front of her. She looked to her left at Maggie Donner who raised a bushy eyebrow at her. She could only shrug and continue on down the hall to her ordered destination. Once inside the room she stood semi rigidly in front of the much too small steel case desk. She could see McKee fidgeting in her chair out of the corner of her eye.
"I want you two to partner up." The captain said as he sat behind his desk. He picked up an unsharpened pencil and waggled it between his fingers, as was his inclination. "I gave Franklin some time off. He won't be back until he gets a psych eval, and Ross will be out for three weeks." The pencil stilled for a moment, "How's Ruth and the baby?"
Vivian blinked realizing that was a question for her, "Great… umm she comes home from the hospital later today."
The pencil started up again, "Good good, where are we on the Peer case?"
This time Vivian shifted her feet and grimaced slightly, "We've got a lead, but aren't sure if it's going to pan out." She couldn't help the sideways glance at McKee, who raised an eyebrow at her accompanied by a quick shake of her head.
Teddy sat for moment, completely still except for the waggling pencil, his eye
s shifted from the tall blonde detective then back to the PI.
Quin was ready for the explosion and almost laughed at Maggie and Vivian who jumped and practically cowered away from the booming voice that came from the Captain.
"GOD. DAMN. IT." Each word was its own staccato sentence. "DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME WE HAVE NOTHING?!" The pencil stopped it's up and down motion to be pointed directly at Quin, "And what the hell is a civilian doing working this case? I do not recall authorizing any sorry ass, beat up, piece of shit PI…"
"HEY!" Quin protested.
"SHUT UP MCKEE." The Captain shouted causing the PI to sink into her chair. "Now…" he took a deep breath, "I want something on this case by Monday. Does everyone understand me?"
Vivian and Maggie each gave a hardy, crisp, ‘yes sir'.
The Captain inclined his head toward Quin, "I don't think I heard you McKee."
The brunette swallowed, "Yes sir?"
"Fine." The man settled back into his chair, "Walsh and Donner get out of here. McKee stay."
Vivian turned and followed Maggie from the room. She silently mouthed "sorry" at Quin and received a smile and a silent "s'alright" in return.
"Are you two involved?"
Quin's head jerked back to the Captain, "That's none of your business Teddy."
"Perhaps not." The reply was spoken softly. "She's a good detective Quin, and a fine human being, which is more than I can say for eighty percent of the people in this building."
The PI shifted in her chair as she crossed her legs and leaned back, "Where do I fall?"
Teddy snorted and a grin graced his handsome features, "Right up there with the best of them Quin. I just don't want to see either of you get hurt. You didn't exactly handle losing…"
Quin turned her head and gazed at the blank wall next to her, "I'll admit that I went a little over the edge, but I'm okay now. I've been certified sane and fit by three professionals in the employ of the State of Illinois." She gave a sarcastic huff as several tears flowed over her eyelids and down her face. Everywhere she went they wanted to talk about the one thing she was desperately trying to keep stuffed away in her mind. The pain the few rushing memories caused was nearly unbearable. Quin closed her eyes and concentrated on putting them back in their place as Teddy continued to speak.