A/N- I began this story some seven yeas ago. About a year and a half ago, I took it off figuring it'd never be finished and that it wasn't up the the standards I wanted it to be. Now, I got a hair up my butt to do the rewrites and edits, and, well, here we are. Lissie and family, Jerome, Jack, Skye, Karma, and the dogs belong to me; the rest of the SIU gang does not. Reviews and commentary are encouraged, as always. If you read the prior version, just think of this one as new and improved, and enjoy!
Pink Houses
Chapter One- Dirty Deeds
So much for a birthday surprise, the woman standing on the end of the pier thought, looking into the sun-splashed water through a dark pair of sunglasses. The sunshine, blue skies, and ever-present gulls belied the gruesome scene occurring below her feet. A small dinghy banged against the pilings as the people inside it worked to get the floating body out of the water and into the boat. Watching their progress, she was suddenly glad to have skipped breakfast. Her attention was pulled away from the action as her name was called and she looked back to see a guy in a suit duck his way under the tape. She looked back across the bay and sighed. Of all the people she worked with, he had to come to check on her progress.
San Francisco Police Inspector Lissie Shaw plastered a wide smile across her face and greeted the man striding towards her.
'Good morning, Captain Bridges.' she received no smile back, fake or sincere. He didn't like her calling him 'Captain Bridges' and she did it as often as possible. Admittedly, Lissie did it to egg him on. They'd been butting heads since she transferred into the SIU three months prior. Much to Lissie's disappointment she didn't even get a trace of a frown out of him this morning. Maybe we're all having a bad day, she thought.
'Ms. Shaw.' came Nash Bridges' returned greeting. For his efforts, he did receive a downturn of her lips. Two could play that game. She stood awaiting him with arms crossed over her chest. Why no one else wanted to come down and help her out with her early morning finding was beyond him. After three months Nash seriously wondered why he had requested her transfer from Vice to SIU in the first place. She was a good cop, but she just drove him up the walls the rest of the time. He stopped next to her and peered down into the water. The men in the dinghy had managed to secure their cargo and flashed Nash a thumbs up.
'Number three.' he said to Lissie, who nodded her agreement, eyes following the boat as it made its way to a slip a little bit away.
'The papers were screaming 'serial killer' after the second body was found last month. I'm not sure. Those two, there wasn't much to tie them together. We'll have to see with him.' She nodded in the direction of the dinghy, turning to head back up the pier.
'Crime scene boys'll tell us more, as will the autopsy.' Nash offered, staying step with her as she began to move. 'Get the other files from Harv back at the SIU, go over them again. Maybe we missed something.'Lissie nodded. She'd been over everything including the fine print, and as far as she could see there was nothing that tied these two bodies together. Sometimes, a murder was just a murder, but even in a city as large as San Francisco, two, now three, in less than a month was a little suspicious. Right now, they had no leads, just dead bodies.
.-.-.-.
Lissie shrugged off her jacket and draped it over her chair back at the SIU's floating station. She looked around for Inspector Harvey Leek, but didn't see him at his desk. Just as well, she decided, it'd be a good idea to get some caffeine before she started plowing through the files. Mug in hand, Lissie started towards the stairs, her face tightened as she looked up and saw Nash standing at the coffee machine. It crossed her mind again that she should just invest in a coffee maker to keep on the corner of her desk. It also crossed her mind that she should maybe try a little harder to get along with her boss. It had baffled her when she learned he'd requested her transfer here, when once she arrived he'd wanted nothing to do with her unless he had to. And really, it wasn't as if she was going to go the way of the two prior female inspectors the SIU had had. Nash shouldn't worry about that, she was seeing Jerome. Mostly. Kinda. It frustrated her that he was out of town so much, but, it wasn't all bad. She rubbed her elbow, finding herself at the top of the stairs, staring at Nash's back as he talked to Harvey, right in front of the coffee. Great, there went the idea of a quick escape.
She was staring out the windows when she felt someone turn into her, causing her to lose her balance and wobble back. Focus snapped back and she felt a hand gripping her arm, steadying her. Lissie winced and Nash glared lightly at her before saying 'Watch where you stand, Ms. Shaw.' and walking away. Lissie couldn't restrain herself from sticking her tongue out at his retreating back as he went to his desk. Harvey laughed at her and shook his head.
'I don't get it, Harv.' Lissie said, grabbing the coffee pot and filling her cup. 'I can't get him to like me.' She replaced the pot and took the sugar packets Harvey was holding out to her. 'Everyone else likes me.'
Harvey smiled. 'Yeah, we do, but you have to admit, you've been stand-offish towards Nash since you got here. It wouldn't kill you to offer the olive branch.'
'Sure, Harv. Maybe.' She stirred her coffee and threw the swizzle stick in the wastebasket at her feet. 'Fr now, I need those prior case files from you. I'm supposed to go over them and see if I can find something new that'll tie them together, or tie them to this morning's floater.'
'Sure. Want some help with that? Antwon's not in for awhile, had an appointment, so I'm free.' Lissie grinned at the offer.
'Thanks, Harv. Two heads are always better than one.'
.-.-.-.
An hour later Lissie wasn't convinced that two heads were better. She held doubts that even three or four heads would help any. Lissie leaned back in her chair back at the conference table, rubbing her temples. 'There is nothing here to connect these two together, Harv. Nothing.'
she tipped the chair back to level and looked at Harvey, who was replacing a sheaf of papers into a folder. 'I'm inclined to agree, Lis.' He watched as she shuffled through the stack of photos she had on her side of the table.
'The only thing these two have in common, Harv, is that they're dead. If there is something here, I'm not seeing it.' She flicked the corner of a photo, sighing. She opened her mouth to say something else when her mobile started chirping. 'Inspector Shaw,' she said as she pressed it against her ear. 'Uh huh... Okay... Hold on.' She grabbed a pen and the legal pad she'd been making notes on. 'Go.' she scribbled as fast as she could, her handwriting illegible from Harvey's perspective. A few minutes later, she said her goodbyes and snapped the phone shut, shoving it back into its holster.
'Got something?' asked Harv as she shuffled through the pictures, pulling out the ones of the first victim. She handed them to him, pushing back from the table and grabbing her notepad.
'Yeah. One and three are connected, and its not good.'
.-.-.-.
Nash looked up to see the two inspectors approaching his desk. 'What's up?' he asked as they came to a stop, Lissie motioned for Harvey to give her the photos, which she fairly slapped on Nash's desk.
'Just got a call from Buck, it looks like our latest is connected with our first.' she pointed at the photos, 'Methods of strangulation were the same, and both bodies showed signs of abuse.'
Nash looked where her finger was pointing. 'That was fast, CSI did a god job. Did they give us anything else?'
Lissie took a moment too long before she answered, her boss and her co-worker looking at her curiously as she tried to formulate her answer. 'Not exactly. Buck said some of the stuff looked familiar to him, but...'
'But what, Ms. Shaw?' Nash asked her, Lissie stared back at him.
"I think... No, I'm positive this person has killed before. I'm going to get the old case files, but, I'm pretty sure I know who it is.'
'Lissie...' Harv began, suddenly having realization hit him, and garnering himself an odd look from Nash. Lissie managed a small smile. 'Its okay, Harv.'
Nash felt very much out of the loop. 'Why are you so sure Ms. Shaw? And, if you know who it is, why don't you just give us a name?'
'I wish it were that simple, Captain.' She sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling, then back at him. 'I know who he is, but we've never gotten a name to go with him; and I'm sure because he's the same man who killed my sister.'
.-.-.-.
