This is my take at #RaydorDrawerMystery challenge lunched on twitter.
Luna and DaughterOfAres I was thinking about you writing this, hope you will like it! It sure drove me to madness.
Flynngirls thanks for the fun and encouragement.
Special thanks for Luna who made the cover and deenink8 for great beta work. All mistakes are mine, not the characters, with those I only play.
Enjoy!
"Where the hell is it?" Provenza hissed under his breath as he starts a thorough search through his desk. I need that file and I need it now, he muses. The team is under instruction from her highness, Captain Raydor to complete all the reports tonight which includes the very one he's searching for. That woman asked, no demanded, that everyone finish their paperwork before leaving for the holidays.
The old Lieutenant begins to lose what little patience he has left. It was a very frenetic and tiring couple of days. This last case spun out of their control very quickly. It was unexpected and took them, and especially him, by surprise. In his job, a surprise is the worst thing that can happen to you.
Shouting, running, another dead John Doe and an injured colleague was pretty much stressing every fiber of his being at the moment. Days like today he feels fully the weight of his age. His body is taut, his bones ache and the only place on Earth he wants to be is in his living room, with a loud game playing on his big TV screen, sitting in his comfortable old recliner with a remote control in one hand and cold American beer in the other. Yes, this is exactly how he is planning to spend this holiday. No nagging wives, no snarky children or very overactive on sugar-speeding grandchildren. Only he and his humble abode.
However before he can do that, he needs to finish this damn report.
It all began when they got a call from Long Beach patrol. A body was found near the port area. The team rolled out, Provenza shared the car with Flynn as usual. As the Senior ranking officer Provenza was always incident commander and first on the scene and everything went pretty smoothly until their regular perimeter search. He sent Sykes and Flynn to do it. It was standard really, patrol was supposed to take care of that before they even called the Major Crimes unit. Unfortunately Provenza and the whole team once again had a reminder of the old saying "if you want something to be done right, you need to do it yourself", because right in the middle of the search they found a runner.
A young, athletic man with a gun in his hand. The bastard was running like his life depended on it. And on that he was pretty much right. Flynn and Sykes gave chase and tried to get ahold of him before he had the chance to shoot, but shoot he did. Sykes dodged the bullet by falling quickly to the ground, her military training and instincts kicking in. She never failed to impress Provenza there. But his partner wasn't so lucky. Flynn took a bullet in the chest while he was shouting out for backup. Amy, from the ground, managed to have a clear view of the shooter and pulled the trigger, double tapping like always. The runner was hit in his leg and ended up on the ground as running was no longer an option.
From there on, the crime scene became a real mess.
The Kevlar vest has done its job, it kept the lead from penetrating Flynn's body. There was no blood, another good sign. Nevertheless, seeing his partner laying on his ass showing visible difficulty in breathing scared the hell out of Provenza. Not that he had shown any kind of apprehensive reaction. Oh no. He went straight to chastising Flynn for acting like a total idiot.
And in that Andy had been a masterpiece. No matter how Provenza had tried to reason with him over waiting for the paramedics before he should get up, or that he actually had to go to the hospital in the first place, it was all a pain. A straight-up pain in the partner was giving him one big headache.
But Flynn was restless; he was making an endless fuss about everything that was happening around him, wanting to be part of it all as though nothing had happened to him. Once Sanchez and Tao finished arresting running boy, who was well handcuffed and sitting in the back of a patrol car waiting for his own ambulance, they helped Flynn sit straighter. He gasped at the pain which they all suspected as a cue for broken ribs. Yep, in that moment Provenza decided the hospital was the next stop for his partner no matter how much he might protest.
Louie recalled a particular part of a conversation they'd had.
"Flynn you better stop acting like a drama queen this instant or I will handcuff you to the next tree, I will take off my socks and stuff them right in your mouth." He said, pointing a finger at him.
"Shut up." Andy hissed from the pain. It was burning through his lungs; every breath he took was like getting shot over and over again.
"No, you shut up. Your whining is distracting everyone else from doing their job. I will tell the paramedics when they get here to sedate you if you don't stop this riot. Speaking of which, where the hell are they?"
"I'm not goin' anywhere." Flynn murmured more quietly then, but with determination.
"Oh yes you are. I don't want to hear another word about this. You got shot for crying out loud. So sit here and wait. Let us do our jobs," he tried once again to reason with his partner.
"I'm serious. I'm not goin', I'm fine. Just give me a minute and I will be up on my feet." The truth was Flynn was ready to pass out but he'd never let anyone know that. No one.
"Alright, since clearly what I'm telling you it's not getting through your thick head maybe a direct order from your superior officer would do? Hm? You know there are rules that have to be followed in this kind of situation." Provenza had hoped treating him with a report to their Captain would be the last persuasion he'd need to settle down. But no, Flynn was just being…well…Flynn.
"Since when do you care about rules? Last time I checked..." Andy's voice paused abruptly. His face had gone pale and small drops of sweat had beaded on his forehead. He'd had to close his eyes and very slowly he'd tried to swallow, fighting the dryness in his throat.
Provenza had arched his eyebrow at his partner and the silent staring match between two men had begun. The older Lieutenant got closer and loosened his partner's tie, then opted to remove it completely and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He'd opened Andy's shirt and loosened the Velcro on the Kevlar vest, which had allowed some relief. Then Louie spoke slowly and peacefully.
"Look Andy I get it, I really do. You're pissed. But could you be pissed a little more quietly? We are all busy here and you're probably going to be fine. Just wait here and stop being such a stubborn mule." Provenza really needed his partner to calmdown. He was envisioning Andy working himself up and causing something stupid like, oh say - having a heart attack!
Andy sighed with what emphasis he'd had left in him and nodded in defeat. He would do as he was asked. He didn't have to like it though.
The door of the ambulance had closed with Flynn inside just as Sharon Raydor's silver sedan pulled up to the crime scene. Before she'd even gotten out of her car, FID was barging in to take over the crime scene.
Provenza's head had been ready to explode.
He'd updated his Captain, and after they'd made a deal. He'd collaborate with FID and she would take over the crime scene and at least begin investigating the murder of John Doe, who, first things first, needed a name.
While he was speaking to her he'd noticed her fret. There was something about her that wasn't clear to him. Her first questions had rightly been about Andy and her voice was very apprehensive and she'd uncharacteristically shifted from foot to foot when Provenza tried to make a joke about it. At that, she'd shot him her best Darth Raydor glare and the foot shifting stopped, but in her eyes he read a different story. She seemed genuinely worried about his partner. He'd thought about messing with her a bit more, but that idea died as quickly as it came to his mind. She wasn't in the mood and he could tell. After once again going over with her the events leading up to what ultimately happened to Flynn, he saw that she'd felt reassured enough, and she had relaxed her posture and began a long litany of how important it now was to cooperate with FID and grant them all the access they'd require.
He'd thought, "Great, now I get to deal with FID and her eager and annoying former buddies while she gets to do real work with Tao and Sanchez on the investigation."
Life was simply not fair.
It was first time that Detective Amy Sykes was undergoing an FID investigation while working with the Major Crimes squad, and for Provenza's liking he'd noticed the young woman was taking this whole situation with way too much nervousness.
She had been pacing down the road waiting to be interviewed. He didn't understand. It wasn't like it was her very first time with it. In SIS she'd have done it before. That division wasn't flawless. And yet, he couldn't deny she'd looked like she might just throw up. He'd prayed to God and all the saints that it wouldn't be on his newly tailored shoes. That he'd decided, he couldn't accept under any circumstances.
He'd talked to her briefly, and she'd asked about the Captain, and her face made a small pout when she realized Raydor wasn't coming and she was stuck with him. She and Flynn could compete on who has the bigger crush on That Woman. Provenza growled even at the thought of it.
He'd watched Sykes surrender her weapon to Sergeant Elliot with slightly shaky hands. They'd fired at her a line of long questions and he'd noticed she was taking short breaths between one answer and the next question. He saw that the young Detective was overwhelmed and he'd finally stepped in and completed the interview with FID himself.
Before FID would leave the crime scene Elliot had gone in search of Raydor. Obviously to make gooey eyes to his former boss, Provenza reasoned. They'd chatted shortly; she was nodding and smiling and looked almost proud. The young man stood tall in front of her murmuring "Yes ma'am" every now and then. After a while they'd finished on the scene and were off to Cedars, where Flynn was getting checked out, to get his statement.
Finally, Provenza had been able to rejoin the murder investigation with his squad.
However, there was one big problem; they had very little time to solve this case. Taylor was breathing down their necks, no more overtime, and for sure not during the holidays. Plus, the squad always worried about a repeat of December 2010's memorable moments. They'd all had plans, and they were promised and reassured everyone would be able to make them… but, they didn't.
Now, with the added burden of Taylor's mandate, one man short and Amy not fully cleared to operate they'd have to try to manage somehow. They already had running boy in custody, so at least they had their first lead. The instant his leg was patched up Sanchez had brought him to the station from the hospital. It was always easier to intimidate someone in the interview room rather than in a hospital bed, and time here was everything.
It had taken some work, but the Captain had been relentless with running boy. It was evident she'd wanted to get this done more than anyone. She'd called the DA's office and requested Hobbs. The blond woman wasn't very happy to get the case so close to holidays herself, she was prone to delegate to Emma but the Captain insisted and in the middle of the second day of investigation they'd had both a confession and a deal.
They had wrapped it. It was done. A little later in the afternoon, FID had sent over the file that concluded the investigation over Sykes use of force. Since it was her first report for her while being with Major Crimes, the guys had made a production of it. It was read at loud even by almost everyone. That file that passed from hand to hand, from desk to desk, that file, is now exactly the file Provenza needed is missing.
He was losing his patience.
Getting up from his chair, the old Lieutenant started exploring around to see if he can spot it. He even bends down to take a look if it wasn't dropped on the floor. His body is protesting soundly at this gymnastics moment. Whoever took it, or hide it, will pay for his all inconvenience.
Lieutenant Provenza always gets even.
Walking around he starts scanning everyone's desk. Without much result, he decides to go to Rusty's cubicle. The boy wasn't at the station during these two days, but that doesn't mean the file would not be there. Searching for a while and bending once again he realizes that luck was abandoning him there too. Provenza stops in his tracks for a moment and does thorough examination of the murder room. From where he stands the prospective has the best view. He signs loudly and it hits him. The only place he hasn't searched yet was Captain's office.
She was still in the building, but since the case was closed and she only waited for the paperwork to be finished, Sharon wasn't in her office. He saw her seeing off Hobbs to the elevators and then saying something about coffee and going towards the break room.
With a quick pace, Provenza gets through the room and enters the small place. On her neat and very orderly desk there are lots of different reports and files. He scans over them, but good fortune wasn't at his side again. He puts them in same order he found them. The old Lieutenant understands profoundly the importance of a well organized desk. He doesn't like it at all when someone messes, touches or even leans on his work space either. He gets the sentiment, really.
There is one place she could have put it though. He saw her doing it often, it wouldn't be first time she could forget a file in her desk drawer. After a short consideration he opens it. It slid out smoothly. Deep down he had hoped for a second to see the small place filled with candies. But those days were over. For now candies and sugary sweet goodies all went in to Buzz's desk drawer, he always had something in there and never commented when one of the team helped himself. It was good to have at least one candy drawer at work, it was a habit and a memory,the team won't ever be ready to give up on that.
However his Captain's drawer was way too boring. The items insides are few office supplies that everyone in this building has, some strictly woman accessories that he will gladly ignore, but what caught his attention is, yes, indeed a FID file.
Provenza's face shows a victory smirk and he finally starts to relax until he reads the name on the front page. His brows draw together and happy expression is wiped out in a second. "Lieutenant Andrew Flynn" he reads out loud with disbelieve.
What was this? Why does That Woman keep his partner's jacket in her desk drawer? He really thought they had all moved passed this, her FID suspicions and constant squad monitoring. They were all getting along pretty well and now all the doubts start to resurface. Was she really such a Wicked Witch and lulled them into the false sense of security only to throw a curve ball at them all? After this time, after what they all have been through, it was hard to believe.
And yet, he is standing in her office with Andy's file in his hands. If Flynn finds out about this there will be very little that can be done for his temper this time. He will blow up in her face and it won't be pretty. It will be a mess. They will be back where they started three years ago. It will be awkward and unpleasant.
Provenza considers putting the file down and going to search for his Captain to ask her about this. It will be annoying but at least he would spare Flynn the hurt and disappointment. Before he could do that he needed to know what was written inside there, so he could argue with facts. That woman deals very good with facts.
He opens it and the photo of a young Andy Flynn in his uniform smiles at him. Seeing pictures like that, unexpectedly dawn at old lieutenant how much time has passed since they all started their jobs. He even has a remainder of it at his desk, some weird vase as an award for him being the last one from his academy class still on duty. He hates that thing but well... it is what it is.
Flipping through pages of Flynn's report, there is nothing unusual, nothing new. Provenza was aware of most of Andy's investigation cases. There were some that his partner didn't want to talk about. But he knew. While reading, something catches his attention. Attached to the sheets there was a small white card. The boarder of it was cropped in a fancy pattern, the letters on a front are silver and shiny,Nicole Flynn and James Sullivan Wedding, he traces his thumb on them. The card had tiny a pink ribbon in the middle of it. Provenza remembers his partner saying that his girl liked that color the best and the wedding theme was done in pink and white.
He turned the page and found another item, clipped to it. His curiosity gets the best of him and he takes a better look at it. The thin card was long and rectangular, and a vivid green in color. It was when he noticed the small, printed ballet shoes in the corner that he realized he was looking at the ticket to the "The Nutcracker" from when she went with Flynn to watch his grandkids dance. She kept the ticket, how about that?! He still remembers how his partner was exasperating about that matter and how he acted against his advice. Damn, he even offered to go with him just to avoid any further awkward situations.
Shaking his head Provenza flipped another page and discovered a new treasure that is loosely tucked between pages. A photograph of Flynn and Captain. He could easily recall the night when it was taken, from her clothes and the balloons that were all over the place. It was Rusty's graduation party. A nice night. Although the photo looks like it had been taken long after the event was over. His partners legs were stretched out in front of him placed under her coffee table, his jacket on the back of the sofa and his tie was loosened. His arm was draped along the back of the sofa and cuddled at his side was the Captain sitting on her bent legs and her full body was leaning on Flynn. She must have been whispering something in his ear cause her face was stuck in his neck with a goofy expression. Their fingers were laced together on his lap. They were smiling tiredly at each other but their eyes were sparkling.
Rusty must have taken the photo without them noticing cause neither one of them was looking at the camera, they were immersed in each other. They looked... cute.
The urge of vomit was almost too strong. These two really needed a pep talk now. Hell, they need a bucket of iced water to be thrown at them. Maybe that will cool off whatever they are doing. He saw some videos of people doing that to themselves, like a challenge. Humanity is in a very weird place now, that much is clear to him.
Provenza was ready to close the file and throw it back to her drawer, but something else was stuck to the page, the yellow post it with Flynn's scrappy handwriting that only he and the Captain could actually read. He took it into his hand and frowning his brow he read at loud "Wear something purple. Love, A."
Was this some sort of a joke? The hot wave of intense emotions hit Provenza in the gut, he was starting to gag. His face redden to the tip of his ears. Those two were screwing around with everyone. He slammed the drawer shut.
Not dating his ass!
If this weren't proof of their relationship then what was it? His partner will very soon get an earful and a thorough reminder why this whole idea of their relationship is just plain wrong! He just needs to find him. He saw him earlier, he hadn't returned to the murder room after ambulance sent him to the hospital till now. Flynn was asked to Taylor's office after what happened at the crime scene.
Yes, Provenza is very determined to find his partner and bust his balls.
Acting on impulse with the file in his hands he marched to the break room, he would find Flynn there or his Captain and get what is on his mind off his chest.
He spots two figures as he approaches the room. It was perfect he could knock some sense to both of them. But something stops him before he opens the door.
His partner was sitting at the table with his shoulders slumped and bowed head. The Captain is walking towards him with two mugs in her hands. She places one in front of Flynn and waits for a reaction, but there isn't any. She bends a bit and her hair falls all over them, obscuring their faces for a moment. She stands up quickly, biting her bottom lip, her hand moves towards his body, but she hesitates for a moment. Her hand trembles lightly as she touches his arm. She is moving along his chair passing near him, her hand sliding on his shoulder, only stops at the nape of his head. Her fingers deepen in Flynn's short gray locks as his head tilts and fully leans in to her caress. Andy's body visibly relaxes, but he's till avoids looking at her.
Provenza considers stepping in when Sharon slides her hand off Flynn's other arm and sits next to him, so he waits a bit, interested to see what is going to happen.
Andy takes her hand and places it on his cheek, their palms touch each other and Sharon ,for a moment, closes her eyes. He hasn't shaved, for the look of him, Provenza could tell he hasn't slept either, most definitely because of the pain. They really weren't young anymore and even if his partner is younger the recovery would be a long process, regardless.
When she opens her eyes they are glassy from unshed tears, Andy finally looks at her, releases her hand and bring his to touch the side of her tangles a few strands of hair that were dancing before her eyes into his fingers and brings it behind her ear leaving his touch linger on her neck. None of them is speaking but they are visibly communicating between themselves. It's silent and intimate.
Provenza knows they haven't seen each other after Andy's injury. He was sent home with an order not to come back until Taylor called him, and she was chained to this case, that was vital to solve before Christmas break. There is no wonder they appear so fragile and vulnerable even to his eyes.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and her whole demeanor relaxed. They exchange another meaningful look and all of the sudden the lovey-dovey moment it is over. They both regain straight posture, Andy clears his throat loudly and she starts talking with a smile of her face.
Idiots!
They are just idiots. Fools in love, or whatever is that what they are doing or not dating. Denial.
Provenza shakes his head and admits defeat... for now. He makes a mental note to speak to Flynn regarding what he saw and what he really thinks about all of this. But not now. Now he will leave these two fools to get it together.
He still has his own unfinished business to attend.
He hasn't found yet what he had lost.
Thank you!
If you made it till here, you must be a persistent reader ;) sorry for a long story, I hope it wasn't too boring. It was first time I used Provenza's POV in a Shandy story. Having him in my head it wasn't easy... he really is a grumpy old Lieutenant who likes to brag :P
Happy ShandySunday everyone!
Hugs!