Disclaimer- I own nothing recognizable.

A/n- A few characters from the books may make appearances along the way in this one, but they probably won't be big factors. Also this chapter is pretty short by my usual standards, hope you like it. Reviews and flames welcome :)

Prologue

Tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, an afterthought

Tap, a full stop.

That sound was silence around the main office of the busiest paper house in all of San Francisco. The staff of The Register had learned to push the gentle tapping of keys to the back of their minds, along with everything else that didn't fall under the category 'scoop'

Cindy Thomas was one of the fastest to master that particular skill, and for that she was respected, nothing at all to do with the front pages she constantly had her name splashed across, the tiny brunette gave a quirk of a smile, not her fault the city loved crime, and crime loved the city.

It made her job easy, walk down any back alley and she'd have a pad full of notes to her hand her editor, with a few behind the scenes extra's courtesy of her best friends.

Yes, Lindsay Boxer, Claire Washburn and Jill Bernhardt were the greatest sources she had ever come across. Not that it didn't work both ways, Cindy had cracked a case for them time enough.

Cindy looked up from her computer screen when the large glass entrence doors opened, the tapping sound losing a decibel as her digits stopped moving. A man had entered and he seemed to her to be the physical embodiment of the saying 'can't catch a break' he was wearing a dress shirt and tailored pants, but that was the highlight of his appearance, sunken, depressed, hurt eyes seemed to large for their sockets and his shoulders were slumped at an angle, he shuffled when he walked, his lips were thin and chapped and his skin, sallow and ashen, he gazed slowly around the large stylish office, taking in the many faces of curious by nature reporters who were watching him, after a pause, Teri, the personals girl, stepped forward, she had just exited the break room, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Can I help you?" she asked gently, her cheeks glowing from the steam rising from her cup.

Slowly, as if his reactions had dimmed the man raised his watery grey eyes to look at her, he said nothing for a moment before his hand slowly moved behind his back, Cindy raised an eyebrow as she saw the muscles in his forearms tense, as if his fingers were closing around something.

Teri dropped her coffee cup, it shattered, its liquid staining the plush carpet; she stared, as did Cindy, as did everyone else…directly at the glinting .45, six shot, that marred their existence.

Cindy gulped, her eyes wide and her breath fast, for the first time in her life she couldn't hear the sound of the tap,tap,tapping inside the building.

"Lieutenant Boxer." Lindsey said, slightly distracted as she sat on the corner of her desk, gazing down at the stacks of paperwork she was yet to file and stirring cream into her styrofoam cup.

"Better get down here Lindsey." Charlie Clapper was on the other end, and he didn't sound like his usual happy-go-lucky self.

"What's up?" Lindsey asked, putting her cup down and pushing the phone receiver closer to her ear, a frown creasing her face.

"We got an old fashion stick-up over here." He drawled and his voice sounded a little more distant as if he had turned away from his phone to talk to someone else, "two bodies already, prolly more on the way."

Lindsey sighed, resigned and opened her desk draw to snatch a pen and some paper, moving the phone so she could cradle it between her shoulder and her ear she spoke, "Well at least this time I don't have to waste time actually looking for the killer." She said tiredly.

"Pretty open and shut huh? Not really you style, I know, but the boss wants you." Charlie said with the smallest of hint of a smile.

Lindsey nodded, more to herself then anything, "Jacobi and I will be right over, just give me the address."

"It's 5th on main." Charlie replied, the words causing Lindsey's stomach to knot; she took a breath, every muscle in her body tense. "Charlie…" she asked slowly, "isn't that the Register building?" her voice was a whisper.

"Yeah Lins, it is, it's The Register building."

End Prologue