One Remark
Danny's eyes scanned slowly down the page, every so often he highlighted another occurrence of one of two numbers that kept popping up in his victim's phone records. He got to the bottom of the page and as he turned it over he lifted his head and looked across the room. He stole a glance at Baez sitting at her new desk across from her new partner and then returned his eyes back to the phone records. He hadn't gotten more than a quarter of the way down the next page before he stole another glance. This time, as his eyes came to rest on her face her eyes moved from her computer and met his. They shared a small smile before returning to their respective cases. Danny continued down the list, when he reached the bottom he made a note that in the two day period he had just read through there had been no calls between his victim and the number he had been highlighting in green. Upon turning the page he realised he only had two pages left to go through, seeing he was almost finished he picked up his cell phone from desk. He quickly unlocked it, went to the message app and selected her name.
"Hey, I'm almost done here, what time r u finishing?" He typed out. He hit send and moments later heard the familiar quiet ping of her phone on the other side of the room. She looked down at her phone and seeing the message was from him glanced over at him and smiled. He watched as she picked up her phone, opened it and read the message. He kept watching as she tapped out a reply and moments later his own phone beeped. He looked down at his phone, saw her reply and opened it.
"Should b done in about 20." Read her response. He looked up at her and nodded before turning his attention back to the last couple of pages of phone records. He scanned slowly down the page noticing the green highlighted number reappeared in the records but interestingly calls from the number he had been highlighting in blue had stopped the day before his victim was killed. He quickly scanned through the last page and made a few more green highlights. Once he was finished going through the phone records he looked up each of the highlighted phone numbers to find out who they belonged to. Once he had the identities of the callers he printed out their information and photos and made a note to interview them tomorrow. He stood and collected the information and photos from the printer then walked over and stuck them onto the whiteboard behind his desk. When he turned back around to his desk he saw Baez standing beside it looking ready to leave.
"Hey, I'm going to call it a night." Danny informed his partner. His partner, Detective Ricky Coburn, looked up from his computer and immediately noticed Baez standing by their desks.
"Say no more." Ricky told him as the two men shared a knowing smile.
"We'll interview those two in the morning." He added, noticing Danny had added two persons of interest to the whiteboard.
"Great. Night." Danny replied.
"Night you two, have fun." Coburn teased as Danny and Baez rounded Danny's desk.
"Night Ricky." Baez smiled as they passed his desk. Ricky smiled back glad to see his new partner, who also happened to be an old police academy buddy, so happy.
"So, what do you feel like for dinner?" Danny asked as he as Baez left the bullpen.
"Not sure." She murmured as they turned the corner. They both fell silent as they thought about what to have for dinner. As they made their way down the hall they passed by one of their fellow detectives, Detective Wallis, talking to someone they didn't recognise from behind.
"You think Reagan waited till his wife was in the ground before he started banging his partner? I've seen her, I wouldn't have." They overheard the man with his back to them say as they passed. Danny instantly turned ninety degrees, grabbed the man by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him roughly against the wall.
"What did you say Simmons?" Danny growled as he held him up against the wall, recognising him from having had the unfortunate displeasure of working with him on a case a few years back.
"Danny!" Baez gasped, though she didn't completely disapprove of his response. Wallis just watched, deciding not to intervene because knowing Simmons as he did, he knew the detective deserved whatever Danny was going to do to him.
"Geez Reagan, take it easy." Simmons tried to sound like wasn't intimidated.
"You got something to say?" Danny asked feeling his blood start to boil. His knuckles turned white as he continued to hold the man firmly against the wall.
"Hey, believe me, I get it." He said taking his eyes off Danny to ogle Baez. Baez shuddered, repulsed by the slimy detective, then shared a look with Wallis, both of them wondering if Simmons was stupid enough to keep talking.
"It's like I always say, the best way to get over one woman is to get underneath another." Simmons said with a smarmy grin not taking his eyes off Baez. The second the words escaped his lips Danny removed his right hand from the detective's lapel. He curled it into a fist and before anyone could react he pulled it back and threw a punch. Less than a second later his fist connected with Simmons' nose hard, causing the back of his head hit the wall he was pinned to. Wallis finally intervened pulling Danny away as Simmons bent forward and his hands flew to his now bleeding nose.
"My nose!" He cried as he clutched his face.
"You're lucky it's just your nose." Danny glowered as both Baez and Wallis put a hand on him to keep him from going at Simmons again.
"You didn't have to hit him." Baez told Danny as she joined him on the couch and handed him an ice pack. He smiled gratefully and placed it gingerly on his sore knuckles.
"He deserved it, you heard what he said." He argued balancing the ice pack on his sore hand and picking up his drink with the other.
"I did, he's a sleazy creep and yet somehow I resisted the urge to hit him." She smirked at him and he gave her a look.
"You know, we only just got back in the captains good books after getting caught dating." She pointed out, concerned.
"Don't worry, Simmons won't report me. He knows if he did, I'd tell the captain what he said. Luckily for me he's spineless as well as being a sleazy creep." Danny assured her as laid his arm across the back of the couch.
"At least everyone else at work has been fine about us." She mentioned as she slipped under his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Anyone who's not will have to deal with me." He told her with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her.
"And you're going to do what? Punch them?" She teased grinning.
"Sure, if I have to. I'd punch anyone for you." He joked back and she laughed.
"How romantic."