Disclaimer: Think you know it already, but.... Rita Lance, Chris Lorenzo, Cap. Lipshitz, Michael Ferrara, and all other characters are property of USA Networks. This story is a spin off from the Silk Stalking series. Too Close To Home
Rita Lance walked into the Homicide Division of the Palm Beach Police Department an hour early this morning. However, she wasn't surprised to see her partner was already there. Christopher Lorenzo looked up to see his partner walk in. He gave her his famous Lorenzo grin, but it quickly disappeared when his eyes met hers. Rita met Chris's eyes and looked away quickly. But she knew it was too late. She could never hide her moods from her partner and best friend. She dropped her load of paperwork on the desk. "Morning Sam," she said, her eyes briefly meeting Chris's again. The look he was giving her confirmed her feelings that Chris knew something was wrong. "Good Morning, Rita," Chris said. Rita gave Chris a brief forced smile, and grabbed her coffee mug, heading towards the coffee pot. Chris watched his partner as she walked away. He knew something was really bothering her, but was hesitant to ask. Rita tended to be on the defensive when something was wrong. As he watched her getting coffee, he realized again just how beautiful she was. As Rita fixed her coffee, her thoughts drifted back to last night. She and her boyfriend Eric had a big argument. She had simply voiced her concern for the amount of money he had been spending, and Eric had gone off at her. They had argued for almost an hour, until Eric stormed out of her apartment, after telling her in select works to mind her own business. Rita had cried herself to sleep after he left, and then was tormented by nightmares. Rita forced the thoughts out of her mind and walked back to her desk, sipping the coffee. Chris was watching her closely as she sat back down. She looked at him and smiled meekly, then caught herself admiring Chris's looks. She forced those thoughts away too, sighing softly. "So, Sam, what's up?" Chris spoke softly, his concern showing in his voice. Rita smiled again, "Nothing, Chris." Her voice betrayed her when it wavered a bit. Chris caught on to it. "Rita," he said, leaning forward, "Something is obviously wrong. Wanna talk about it?" Rita gave Chris a cold stare, saying simply, "No." "Okay." said Chris, as he leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. "So, how about pizza at my place tonight?" "Not tonight, Sam." "Rita, come on," plead Chris, giving her a puppy dog look. "Please? You know Jillian is out of town. I'm tired of sitting home alone." Rita chuckled softly, her worries momentarily gone. "Okay, I give. But how about my place? Say, around 7?" Chris smiled triumphantly. "Sure!" "Lance! Lorenzo! In here now!" Their captain's voice rang out across the room. Chris and Rita groaned, giving each other one of those --What now-- looks. They headed to Caps office. "What's up Cap?" asked Rita. "Close the door Lorenzo. And sit, both of you," ordered Cap. They did so, and met each other's eyes again. This time Chris posed the question. "What's going on Cap?" Captain Lipshitz looked at his two best homicide detectives. He hesitated a minute, glancing quickly at Rita, then back to his papers, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. He took a deep breath, and looked back up. "I've got bad news." Chris and Rita looked at each other, worry in their eyes. "Rita," the Cap said softly, "Michael Ferrara was murdered last night." Rita gasped, staring at the captain. "W-what?" she stammered, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. Michael was her foster brother. They had grown up together, and had helped each other through the rough times. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about him. Chris reached out and took Rita's hand. "Rita?" he aid softly, wishing he could hold her, "Rita, I'm sorry." Rita looked at him, wiping a tear off her cheek. She squeezed his hand. "I'll be okay Chris." She looked at the captain. He met her eyes. "Rita, I'm sorry. I hated to have to tell you this." He paused again. "Rita? Do you think you could stand to work the case?" Rita looked shocked. "But Cap, I thought it was against regulation to work a case when you're personally involved in it?" Rita suddenly realized she was still holding Chris's hand, and dropped it, giving him a soft smile. Chris returned the smile. Cap cleared his throat, getting their attention again. "That's true Rita. But I know you'd want to work the case anyway, and everyone else is busy. I'm willing to make an exception, if you think you can handle it." Rita thought for a moment before saying, "I think I can Cap. I would at least like to try. Besides," she gave a mischievous grin, "I can always make Chris do most of the work." Chris replied with a sharp "Hey!", giving Rita a --don't you dare-- look. "Good," said Cap, "Now get going!" "Yes sir!" replied Chris and Rita in unison. They hurried out of the building and towards Chris's car. Chris stopped Rita when they reached the car, turning her to face him. He looked into her eyes. "You okay?" he asked. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she fought them back, saying "Yeah. I think so." Chris saw the tears and pulled her into his arms in a quick hug. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and stepped back a bit, his hands still on her arms. "Rita, you know I care about you. I'm here for you. If you need to talk just let me know. 'Kay?" Rita looked at him and nodded. "Thanks Chris." He gave her another quick hug, then a soft smile as he opened the door for her. Then they drove off to Michael's studio. They were there in 15 minutes. Chris pulled in among the mass of other police vehicles. Michael's studio was a simple brick building, but it was surrounded by an extensive landscaping job. They worked their was through the police cars to the front door. Rita hesitated at the door. "Sam?" Chris whispered from behind, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Rita looked back at him, "Thanks Chris, but I think I want to." Chris nodded, and squeezed her arm. They walked into the studio. Rita glanced at all the officers that were there, gathering evidence. She spotted Keisha by the body -Michael's body- and walked towards her. Michael's body was in the center of the platform that his subjects posed on. Michael was a professional model photographer, and had just begun to hit it big. "And now it's all over," Rita thought to herself. She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the platform, trying to prepare herself. But nothing could prepare her for what she saw. Michael was on his back, arms to his sides. A long, deep gash penetrated his chest. And in a horrifying moment, Rita realized Michael's heart had been cut out of his body. Chris noticed it too, and she heard him mutter "Oh, my god," shocked. Rita trembled, a bit unsteady. Her eyes made their way to Michael's face, and she almost fainted. The killer had used a knife to carve the shape of teardrops on Michael's cheeks. Red tears, falling from his eyes. "No....oh, god, no!" Rita couldn't believe what she was seeing. She quickly ran out the side door, into the empty alley. Chris started to follow, but Keisha spoke up. "Chris? Did Rita know him?" Chris looked at her as she kneeled by the body. "That's Michael Ferraro, her foster brother." "Oh, my god," said Keisha. Chris barely heard her as he ran for the door. Chris stopped suddenly when he saw Rita. She was huddled against the wall in the alley, her body shaking as she sobbed. He walked up to her slowly. "Rita?" She looked at him, and Chris's heart broke when he saw the pain, the devastation in her eyes. "Oh, Rita," he said softly, pulling her into his arms. He held her close as she sobbed, her body trembling. He ran his hand over her hair, trying to comfort her. "Sam, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Chris murmured, a tear escaping his own eyes, and he held Rita closer. Rita couldn't believe what had happened to Michael. She was scared and angry. Memories flashed through her mind of her past with Michael. She cried harder. She barely felt Chris's arms around her, barely heard him say he was sorry. After a few minutes, she realized what she was doing. She had to get herself in control. She wanted to work this case, to catch the bastard that did this. And she was getting nowhere standing there crying. She took a deep breath and stepped back from Chris. She looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears, and saw that he had tears in his eyes too. She smiled at him, and wiped a tear off his cheek. Chris smiled back, pushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Rita?" Chris looked at her, concerned. "I'll survive Chris," she replied. "Maybe I should take you home. I'm sure the Cap will give you a couple days off." "Thanks Chris, but no. I still want to work this." "But Rita...." "No buts," she interrupted, "It's hard Sam, real hard. But I've got to do it!" Chris looked at his partner. He knew she wouldn't stay off the case, so there was no use trying to convince her further. "Okay, Rita." He paused for a moment, then continued, "So, where do you want to start?" "Let's go see what Keisha has to say," she replied, wiping her eyes dry. Chris put his arm around her and they went back inside. Both of them were relieved to see the body was covered. Keisha came to meet them. "Rita? I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Rita nodded. Chris met Keisha's eyes. "Found anything?" Keisha glanced back at Rita, then started telling the two what she had found. "Well, from the condition of the body, I would say he died somewhere around 1 am. There are bruises on his wrists and arms, suggesting a struggle. The laceration on his chest was made with an extremely sharp blade. The teardrops on his face had to have been done with an equally sharp blade, but a much smaller one. And, as you saw, his heart was cut out of his body, and is missing. But we did find this," Keisha handed Chris a clear evidence bag. Inside the bag there was a tarot card. Chris looked at it, then looked questionably at Keisha. Rita took the bag out of his hand as Keisha started to explain. It's a tarot card, the eight of hearts to be precise." Chris looked at Rita. "What does it mean?" "The eight of hearts stands for sacrifice in love," said Keisha. At the questioning look from the two, she went on. "In tarot cards, drawing a eight of hearts means that you have given away too much of yourself. That you have to seek something that is more worthy of your time. Basically, you are unfulfilled. As to what it means in this situation, I'm not sure. But I did notice that there were 8 tears cut into the victim's face, on one side. And the other side had 5 tears. Now if that relates to the five of hearts in tarot, then it stands for disappointment, for lost love." Chris looked at Rita, then at Keisha. "Thanks Keisha." "No problem," she started to turn away, then stopped and faced Rita, "And Rita, if you need anything, anything at all, just call, okay?" Rita nodded and embraced her friend in a hug. "Thanks Keisha." Keisha smiled, and walked away. "So," said Rita, turning to Chris, "Now what?" "Let's go find out if there were any witnesses." Chris started scanning the room for the officer that was first on scene. "Ah, there's Balask. Let's go talk to him." They made their way over to the officer. Kevin Balask looked up and saw them coming. He greeted them with a smile. "Chris. Rita. How ya doing?" "Just lovely, Kevin," said Chris, the sarcasm evident in his voice. He steered Kevin off to a corner. "So, Kev, what have you found out?" "Unfortunately, Chris, not much. Whoever did this was good, real good. There's absolutely no sign of forced entry. We're getting fingerprints from all over the place. But since the victim had people in and out of here all day, it'll be almost impossible to find prints belonging to a suspect. I've had officers canvassing the neighborhood. No one heard or saw anything." Kevin sighed, frustrated. "Sorry there's nothing more Chris." "You did good work Kevin," said Chris. Rita looked at Kevin, "Kev, who found the body?" "His first model for the day. She's rather shook up. I had an officer take her home. I can give you her name and number if you want." "That's okay, Kev, just wondering," said Rita, then added, smiling, "Thanks again, and you'll make detective I'm sure." "Thanks guys. And good luck on this case. Personally, I hope I never see another case even remotely similar to this when I get into Homicide!" Rita's smile disappeared, and she walked out the front entrance. Kevin gave Chris a confused look. "Did I say something wrong Chris?" Chris looked at him and shook his head. "The victim is Rita's foster brother. She's just in shock right now." "Oh, I didn't know. Give her my condolences, will you?" Chris nodded and went to find Rita. He found her leaning against the car, with her head down. He walked up and leaned next to her. "Hey partner," he said, sliding an arm around her waist. She looked up and smiled weakly. "Hey Sam," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. He squeezed her to him. "Well, ready to go back to the station?" Rita nodded, and moved away from him. He grabbed her hand, stopping her for a minute. "Hey, we still on for dinner?" Rita nodded again. "Yeah, I don't think I want to be alone tonight." Chris smiled mischievously, "Should I, um, bring a change of clothes?" Rita punched him in the arm. "Don't you wish!" she said, grinning back. Then her mood turned solemn again. "Actually, Sam, if you wouldn't mind...." She trailed off, but Chris knew what she meant. "I don't mind at all Rita." He let her hand go, and they got into his car and headed back to the station. Captain Lipshitz watched Chris and Rita walk back into the station. Keisha had told him what had happened, and he had every intention of sending Rita home. And Chris too, to take care of her. Cap caught Chris's eye and waved them into his office. Chris and Rita sat opposite of their captain, and he looked at him. "Well?" Chris looked at Rita, took a deep breath, and started telling the Cap what they had found. Rita sat quiet the whole time, her eyes down. When Chris finished, Cap looked at them and said, "Good. Now, go home, both of you." Rita looked up, "But Cap!" He interrupted her, "Rita I'm not taking you off the case. But you've been dealt one hell of an emotional blow and now you need to deal with it. I think it's best if you two take the afternoon off." Chris nodded. "He's right Rita." She looked at the two men. "Okay, you're both right. I do need some time away from this." The Cap smiled. "Good. Now Chris, why don't you take her out somewhere quiet." "Thanks Cap," said Chris, and he led Rita out the door. He led her all the way out to his car and opened the door for her. Rita got in. When he got in, she looked at him. "Where are we going?" "Well, I figured we'd go to my place first and I'll fix us a light lunch. Then maybe down to the beach. How's that sound?" Rita just nodded. They were at Chris's place in 10 minutes. Rita sat on the sofa while Chris fixed lunch. He came out of the kitchen after a few minutes with two chicken salad sandwiches. He handed a plate to Rita and sat beside her, taking a large bite out of his sandwich. He quickly finished his sandwich and looked over to Rita. She had only taken one bite of hers. "Rita, come on hon, you've gotta eat." "I'm not hungry Chris." Chris took the plate from her and put it on the table. Then he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, her back to him in the familiar embrace of theirs. He rested his chin on the top of her head, inhaling the wonderful smell of Rita's shampoo. Rita laced her fingers with Chris's, and they sat there, quiet, for a long time. Finally, Rita broke the silence. "Chris?" "Yeah, Sam?" "What do you say we go down to the beach and watch the sun set?" Chris smiled and replied, "Sure. Let's go!" Chris grabbed a change of clothes and they drove to the beach. Chris parked by the boardwalk. He grabbed a blanket out of his trunk and they walked down to the edge of the water. They spread the blanket out. Rita slipped off her shoes and sat down, Chris sitting beside her. The sun was just beginning to go down, a light pink hue filling the horizon. Rita stared off across the water. Chris watched her for a moment, then she turned and caught him staring. "What?" she asked. Chris just shook his head, "Nothing. Hey, what was wrong with you this morning?" Rita's eyes shifted back to the sunset. "It seems so trivial now Chris. I mean, with what else has happened today." "If it was bothering you Sam, then it's still important." Rita looked back at Chris. "Eric and I had a fight last night." Chris reached out and took her hand, encouraging her to go on. "I just told him that I was concerned about the amount of money he's been spending. He's not writing right now, and has no income, but he still spends money like he's making a fortune. He maxed his credit card out the other day. Well, he started yelling at me, telling me it was none of my business. And he walked out. Chris, he's been acting strange lately. And he's been drinking a lot. He's scaring me." "Do you love him Rita?" She stared into his eyes, "I don't know Chris." A tear slid down her cheek. "I just don't know." Chris reached up and wiped the tear away, letting his hand rest on her cheek as he spoke to her. "Sam, if I could make things better for you, I would. If I could take all the pain away, I would, in a second. And I wish to god I could. It hurts me to see you going through this. I wish I could do more to help." Rita smiled, and placed a hand over his on her cheek. She pulled his hand down to her lips, kissing his fingers. She lowered their hands, and replied, "Chris, you have done more for me than anybody else. You're always looking out for me, always there when I need you. I don't know how to thank you." Chris smiled at her, his eyes full of love. "Rita, there is never any reason for you to thank me. I will always be here for you. That's what best friends are for." Rita smiled back, her eyes reflecting the love that showed in his. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then Chris moved behind Rita, pulling her back against him. They stared out over the water, watching the end of the sunset. An hour later, Chris pulled into Rita's driveway. They got out, Rita heading to unlock the door. Her hand stopped just before the key his the lock, and she turned her head to look at Chris. "What?" he said. "Do you sense something?" asked Rita. Chris thought for a moment, then nodded, drawing his gun. Rita pulled her gun as well, the unlocked the door. At Chris's nod she pushed the door open. They quickly scanned the room, guns pointed in. Rita flicked the light switch on. Everything was just as she had left it. She sighed with relief, and said "Guess I'm just upset." Chris shook his head. "I don't think so. I've still got a bad feeling." She nodded, saying, "You finish the downstairs, I'll go up." Chris nodded, and moved off to finish the check. Rita crept silently up the stairs, her heart racing. The hallway was clear. She checked each room, finally coming to her bedroom. The door was slightly cracked. She kicked it open with a foot, her gun aimed across the room. It was too dark for her to see. Her hand reached for the light switch and turned it on. At first glance, the room was fine. She lowered her gun as she scanned the room. When she saw what was on her bed, she nearly dropped the gun. She screamed for Chris. Chris had just finished clearing the downstairs when Rita screamed. He ran up the stairs and saw her standing in the doorway to her bedroom. He came up behind her. "What's wrong?" Rita just pointed. His eyes followed her finger, and saw what was wrong. On the center of Rita's bed was a heart. Beside it, in a puddle of blood, was a tarot card. The five of hearts. Chris pulled Rita away from the door, leading her downstairs. He called the station to get the crime scene personnel to the place. He looked at Rita. She was sitting on the sofa, staring out of the window. He sat beside her. Rita inhaled deeply, then said "Who's doing this to me Chris?" "I don't know Rita, but when we find whoever it is, they will pay for this." There was a knock on the door, and Chris opened it. Cap. Lipshitz stood there with the crime scene team. "Hiya Cap," said Chris, letting them in. Keisha was with them. She asked Chris, "Where's the..." she trailed off, glancing at Rita. "Upstairs," said Chris, "in the bedroom." Keisha nodded and left. The Cap pulled Chris outside. "What happened Chris?" "Well, we were coming back from the beach. We had a bad feeling and searched the place. Rita found the heart on her bed. Doesn't look like anything else has been disturbed." Cap nodded, and asked, "Any sign of forced entry?" Chris shook his head. Cap continued, "Who has a key other than Rita?" "Well, I do." Cap gave him a questioning look. "Hey, we decided a long time ago that it would be smart if we had keys to each other's places. In case anything happened." Cap nodded. "Anyone else?" Chris thought for a moment. "No, not that I know of." "What about Eric?" "No way," said Chris. "She didn't want him to." "Alright. Now, get her out of here." Chris answered with "Yes sir" and went back in. Rita wasn't on the sofa. He found her upstairs with Keisha. He walked over to her. "Rita? Why don't you get a change of clothes and stay at my place?" Rita answered, "Yeah," then looked at Keisha, "Keisha, is it...?" Keisha nodded slowly. Rita sighed and gathered up what she needed, then left with Chris. At Chris's place, he fixed them some coffee. He sat down, handing Rita a mug. "Thanks," she said, sipping the coffee. "And thanks for letting me stay here." "No problem. I sure as hell wasn't going to let you stay there." Rita sighed and said, "I don't guess I'd be lucky enough to wake up tomorrow and this have all been a bad dream." Chris answered, "Unfortunately, it isn't a dream." Rita looked at him, "Yeah, unfortunately." "It's getting late Sam. We outta try to sleep. You can take my bed- I'll stay here on the sofa." Rita finished her coffee and went upstairs to Chris's room. He followed long enough to get a pillow and blanket, then went back downstairs. Rita undressed and slipped into her nightshirt, then crawled into bed. She was exhausted. She could smell Chris's scent in the bedding and that helped to relax her and lull her to sleep. And she began to dream. The Dream Rita was back at Michael's studio, standing over his body, alone. She cried for Michael, remembering the good times they had together, and the bad times. The tears slid down her cheeks. She reached up to wipe them away, and her hand came away red with blood. She gasped and fear raced through her veins. A deep whisper filled the room. "Rita......" She looked around, but saw no one. "Rita....." The voice came again, louder. She couldn't tell which direction it came from. It seemed to fill the room. She looked back at they body. "Rita...." Michael's mouth moved. His eyes flickered open, staring at her. She backed away, terrified. Michael's body sat up, then stood. "Rita....help me." "I can't Michael. I can't " And Michael's face shimmered and changed. Now the person standing before her was Eric. "Hello Rita." The body moved forward in a drunken stagger as Eric spoke again. "Don't you miss me baby?" And the face shimmered again, becoming Chris's. "Rita?" The voice was soft and tender this time. "Rita....I love you." The shimmer again, and her father's face appeared. He staggered towards her. "Rita! Come here Rita!" She stood frozen. Her father moved closer until he was right in front of her. He raised his hand and then she saw the knife. "It's your turn now Rita." The face shimmered again, changing back and forth. The hand moved higher, then stopped. "Your time has come sweetheart." A mixture of all voices, all faces. Rita screamed as the knife plunged down, towards her chest. End Dream Rita sat upright in bed, her heart racing, her eyes wildly scanning the room. She relaxed slightly when she realized it was a dream. She must not have screamed out loud because Chris didn't come running. She collapsed back on the bed as sobs racked her body again. She beat at the pillows with her fists, angry and upset. Chris woke to the sound of her sobbing. He walked up the stairs and stood silent, watching as Rita beat at the bed. When she stopped and lay still, he moved into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Rita felt the movement and sat up, looking at him. Then she moved towards him, saying softly, "Chris, hold me please." He wrapped his arms around her, moving further onto the bed to hold her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She had stopped crying and just laid in his arms, silent. He looked at her. Her face was buried into his chest. She was still shaking. He ran his hand lightly over her back. "Rita? Are you okay?" She looked up at him. "Yeah. I'm sorry Chris. I had a really bad dream." She tried to move away from him, but he pulled her back into his arms. She wrapped her arms back around him gladly. She laid her head on his chest, inhaling his scent. She had a sudden urge to start kissing his neck, but fought it away. Chris spoke softly, "There's nothing to be sorry about Rita." He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "Nothing at all." Rita snuggled closer to him. They stayed that way for awhile, until Chris realized that Rita had fallen asleep. He scooped her up in his arms, then laid her back in the bed with her head on the pillows. She stirred when he released her. "Chris? Stay with me, please?" He laid down beside her, pulling the covers up over them. "I'm not going to leave you Rita." She smiled, her fingers tracing the side of his face. She caught herself, pulling her hand away. "Thanks Chris," she said as she rolled over on her side, her back to him. Chris touched his face where Rita's fingers had been. His skin tingled. He looked at Rita, then rolled onto his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. He felt her fingers twine into his and they both fell asleep. When Rita woke in the morning, Chris was already up. She laid in the bed for a moment, happy at having spent the night in Chris's arms. Then the memories of yesterday came flooding back and her eyes filled with tears once again. She forced them away as she crawled out of bed. She walked downstairs, and almost called out for Chris when she heard noises in the kitchen. She walked in and found Chris fixing breakfast. She stood in the doorway watching him. He had nothing on but an old pair of sweatpants, and Rita's eyes traveled over his muscular body. She sighed softly, and Chris turned to see her standing there. "Morning Sunshine!" he said, placing two plates full of food on the table. "You're just in time. Breakfast is served!" Rita smiled and sat down, inhaling the wonderful aromas of Chris's cooking. She took a bite of the omelet and marveled at Chris's cooking as she savored the flavor. They ate in silence. Chris watched Rita as she ate. She seemed to be in better shape today. He remembered her light touch on his cheek last night, and the feel of sleeping with her in his arms. He sighed softly as they finished their breakfast and he got up to take care of the dishes. When Chris finished with the dishes he sat back down across from Rita. She watched him, but Chris could see that her thoughts were elsewhere. "Rita? How are you feeling?" Rita looked down, twirling the friendship ring Chris had given her. "I've just been thinking Chris. I'm okay though. Really." Chris looked doubtful. Rita continued, "Michael's funeral is tomorrow. Will you go with me?" Chris looked into her beautiful green eyes, so troubled at the moment, and replied, "Of course I will. I told you that I'm here for you Rita. Whenever you need me." Rita smiled. "Thanks Chris. Now, you wanna take a shower first, or shall I?" "You go ahead. I've got a couple of phone calls to make." "Rita nodded and headed up to the shower. While Rita was busy in the shower, Chris called Keisha. He wanted to find out the results of Michael's autopsy. Keisha told him that the time of death was between 12:30 and 2:00am, and the cause of death was a single stab into the chest. She told Chris that the teardrops were made after death, as well as the removal of the heart. And she confirmed that the heart found in Rita's place was Michael's. Chris thanked Keisha, but she told him one more interesting thing before she hung up. "Chris, the killer was very careful not to leave evidence. But we think we have a partial print on the victim's watch. A shear stroke of luck if you ask me!" "Thanks Keisha," Chris repeated, adding, "Anything else?" "No, but Cap said to have you call him if you called me first." "Okay Keisha, I'll call him now." They hung up, and Chris dialed Caps office. He picked up after the first ring. "Lipshitz!" "Morning Cap! Anything new?" "How's Rita?" "Better I think. She's in the shower right now." "Good, good. Now, we've found one bit of interesting information. The murder of Michael Ferraro mirrors a murder that occurred in New York about a year ago." "New York? Did they arrest anyone?" "No. I've already talked to some of the detectives up there, and they believe their case was a wronged boyfriend. The only difference was that the girlfriend was murdered. They figured the boyfriend did it, but couldn't place enough evidence on him. It's a shame." "So, what was the name of the boyfriend?" Cap sighed. "That's the strange part! They wouldn't tell me. I'm waiting to talk to one of my contacts and see if I can get any more info." "Okay, Cap. Thanks. Rita and I should be in shortly!" "Well, just don't be late!" said Cap, before hanging up the phone. Chris shook his head, bothered by the mention of New York, but couldn't figure out why. Rita came down from the shower and found Chris sitting in the living room. "Did you call Cap?" "Yeah." "Anything new?" Chris looked at Rita. "The murder is a copycat of one that happened in New York about a year ago. The suspect got away due to lack of evidence. When Cap tried to find out his name, the detectives in NYPD refused to give it up." Rita sat down beside Chris. "Anything else?" "Keisha confirmed the time of death between 12:30 and 2:00am." Rita sighed, rubbing her temples. Chris left her and went to take his shower. When they got to the station forty-five minutes later, they found Eric waiting for Rita. Rita was startled and a bit upset to see him. "Eric! What are you doing here?" "Rita, I heard what happened and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am." "Well, thank you Eric," Rita replied coldly, "But I have work to do now." "Rita, please. Talk to me for a minute!" Rita sighed, and told Chris to go ahead, she'd be in in a minute. Chris went in, but stayed where he could watch Rita without being seen. "Rita, I'm sorry for the other night. I didn't mean to get so angry." "I don't know what to say Eric. I don't think I can handle this right now." Eric grabbed her arms, looking into her eyes. "Rita, what are you saying?" "I think we should stop seeing each other for now Eric." "But Rita, I love you!" Rita stepped back from Eric. "I'm sorry Eric, but I just can't handle your drinking right now." Rage burned in Eric's eyes, and Rita stepped back again, frightened. "Are you calling me an alcoholic, Rita?" "No, I'm not. But you do have a drinking problem! And I don't have to put up with it! Goodbye!" Rita moved to go into the building, and Eric grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "You little bitch, think you can just get rid of me. Well you can't!" "Eric, let go of me. Now!" Rita tried to pull away, but Eric pulled her closer, forcing her to kiss him. Chris had seen enough. He came outside, yelling, "Eric, let her go now!" Eric let Rita go, but before he did, he whispered in her ear, "Saved by your partner, for now." Then he left. Chris came up behind Rita. "You okay?" Rita watched Eric storm away, answering, "Yeah, I just don't know what's gotten into him. But I'm not putting up with it right now. I told him I didn't want to see him anymore." "Good," said Chris. "You deserve better." Rita looked at him, then went into the station, Chris following. As soon as they sat down at their desks, the phone rang and Cap stuck his head out of his office, yelling for Chris. Rita picked up the phone as Chris went to see Cap. It was Keisha. "Rita. How are you?" "Well, other than a little run in this morning, fine, Keisha. Thanks. Now, what's up? I thought you already told Chris everything?" "Didn't he tell you about the print?" "What print?" asked Rita. "The partial we found on Michael's watch. "No he didn't," said Rita coldly, shooting a look towards Cap's office. "Oh. Well, guess you know now!" "Did you get a match on it?" "Kind of. When I ran the print, it came up as classified by the NYPD. Strange, huh?" "Yeah. Strange indeed." Rita thanked Keisha and hung up, thinking. She wondered about Eric's moods, and the murder. She realized she didn't know what Eric did after he left her place that night. Then she scolded herself for thinking such a thing. Eric had a drinking problem, but was no murderer! She headed to find out what Chris and Cap were up to. As soon as she walked in the door, she knew something was wrong. Chris was pacing the floor, but stopped when she came in. The office was quiet, too quiet. She knew it meant more bad news. "What's up?" she asked. "Rita, sit down," said Cap. Rita sat, knowing that more bad news was coming. She just hoped it wasn't another murder. "Chris told you about the murder in NY. Well, I finally found out the suspect's name." "Good," said Rita, "Who was it?" Cap looked at Chris, then back at Rita. Rita noticed the stall, and stared at the Cap. "Come on Cap, tell me." "Rita, you're not going to like this," said Chris as he sat next to her. "Look, will you two quit the games and tell me!" Cap sat on the edge of his desk and took a deep breath. "Rita, the suspect was a NYPD cop." "A cop? And they didn't arrest him?" "No, there wasn't enough evidence to convict. But he was forced to resign." "Do we know the name?" asked Rita. Cap looked at Chris again, and took another deep breath. "The suspect was Eric Russell." Rita sat there, stunned. She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. "You said they never had the evidence, you can't accuse him of killing Michael!" "Rita," said Chris, "calm down. We're not accusing Eric of anything. But it does make him a suspect." "No. Call Keisha. She got a partial. But when she ran it...." Rita trailed off, the realization hitting her. "When she ran it, what? What came up Rita?" questioned Cap. She looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes. Her voice shook as she said, "It came back classified by NYPD." "Dammit," swore Cap. "You two stay here, I'll be right back." Cap left his office. "I wish we didn't have to tell you Rita. But you have a right to know. I just wish it was easier on you!" said Chris, looking at his friend. "Why Sam, why?" Rita said, as she got up and started pacing. Chris watched her walking back and forth. "Rita, look on the bright side. It still may not be Eric! Okay, the prints were classified by NYPD. But it could be anyone! You said it yourself, there wasn't enough evidence to convict him in NY. He could still be innocent of everything!" Rita nodded, but said nothing. Meanwhile, Cap was busy making phone calls to the NYPD. Finally, after finding out what he wanted to know, he thanked his contact and hung up. He felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He hated having to tell Rita more bad news, but she deserved to know! He walked back into his office. Rita had been pacing, but stopped. The two of them stared at him expectantly. "I know that you both want to hear that Eric is innocent. But the partial print was his. I just confirmed it with NYPD. I'm sorry Rita." Rita tried to remain calm, but her body shook with the effort. Tears ran down her cheeks. Chris stood and took her into his arms, holding her tight. Cap watched them, sadness gripping his heart. Chris and Rita were like children to him and Frannie, and it hurt him to see Rita in so much pain! Chris looked at him, and he nodded. Chris left, leading Rita out of the station. Chris took Rita back to his place. He tried to get her to eat lunch, but all he could get her to do was sip some coffee. After an hour his phone rang. He answered it, and upon hearing Cap's voice, moved into another room so Rita wouldn't hear. "What's up Cap?" "First, how's Rita?" "Not too good Cap. Not good at all." Cap sighed. "Alright, can you leave her for a while? I've got the warrant for Eric's arrest, and figured we could go bring this bastard in." "Sure Cap. I'll be there shortly." He hung up and went back to Rita. She hadn't moved. He sat beside her, taking her hands in his. "Rita, I gotta go. Will you be okay?" Rita nodded, "Yeah, but I'm coming with you!" Chris shook his head, "No you are not! It is too dangerous." "Dammit Chris, I'm a cop just like you!" "Yes you are Sam, and a damn good one, but you are way too emotional to do anything. What if Eric pointed a gun at you? Could you shoot him?" Rita looked into Chris's eyes. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to agree. Finally she said, "Okay, I'll stay here. Just be careful, okay?" "Always, Sam, always." Chris let go of her hands and left. Chris and Cap, warrant in hand, went to pay Eric a visit at his apartment. But he wasn't there. They spent the rest of the afternoon searching for him, trying to figure out where he might be at. Their last stop was the local cop bar. Eric came there frequently. No Eric, but the bartender said he had been there about 4 hours ago. The two decided to give up for the night, and Cap sent a unmarked unit to stake out Eric's apartment. Chris headed home to check on Rita. He parked his car, and headed for the door. But when he went to unlock the door, it opened. Someone had broken in. Panic raced through Chris's mind. He drew his gun as he walked in, scanning the room. "Rita!?" he called. But there was no answer. A quick scan confirmed that she was missing. He called the Cap at home, frantic. Frannie answered the phone. "Chris! So nice to hear from you! How's Rita?" "Frannie, I need to speak to the Captain, NOW!!" "Okay, okay." "What's up Chris?" Cap's voice came over the phone. "Rita's missing!!! Someone broke in, and she's gone Cap!!!" "Alright calm down Chris, calm down. Meet me at the station in ten. Wait, better yet, I'll pick you up!" With that, Cap hung up. Chris paced the driveway, trying to think of where Eric might have taken her. After what seemed like an eternity, Cap pulled into the drive. Chris jumped in. They decided to check Eric's apartment again. Maybe they would find some clues. They checked in with the unmarked unit when they got there. No sign of activity. They went into Eric's apartment with guns drawn anyway, just to be sure. But they weren't there. As they searched the place looking for any clue, Chris's mind raced with what might happen to Rita. He had never been so scared before in his life. "Chris!" "What?! What did you find?" Chris rushed to Cap's side. He was looking at a motel receipt for Sunny Inn. It was dated today. They rushed out of the apartment and sped to the motel, calling for backup on the way. A quick visit with the desk clerk, and they learned what room Eric had rented. They headed to the room. Chris banged on the door. "Eric! We know you're in there!! Open up!!" After a second, Cap nodded at Chris, and he kicked the door in. They found Eric waiting, gun pointed at them, Rita held in front of him. Chris looked Rita over, checking for harm. She looked upset, but uninjured. "Let her go Eric." "HA, so you can shoot me? No, I don't think so. If you kill me, she dies with me." With that, Eric pointed the gun at Rita's head. Rita looked at Chris, her eyes pleading. "Eric, let her go. We'll give you anything you want, but just let her go!" "Never." said Eric, and he pulled the trigger on the revolver. It made a click. "How about some Russian roulette?" Eric laughed. Rita looked at Chris again, and as their eyes met, a plan was formed. Chris nodded slightly, and Rita reached behind her to hit Eric hard in the groin. As soon as he released her, she dove out of the way as three shots rang out. When she looked up, Eric was laying on the floor, with two holes in his chest. Chris came to help her up. "You were lucky. The next chamber was loaded." Rita stood silent, staring at Eric's body. "Rita? Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Rita turned her head to meet Chris's eyes. "No, Chris, I'm fine." She sighed, "Just glad it's over." "Yeah," said Chris, escorting her out. The next morning, Chris picked Rita up at 9am for Michael's funeral. They were silent as he drove to the gravesite. There were few people at the funeral, and Rita didn't really know any of them. But they all knew she was Michael's foster sister, and all offered condolences. Rita thanked each one. At 10:00am, the service began. Michael's casket was covered in flowers. Rita thought of how Michael would've hated that. She smiled slightly with the thought as she sat down. Chris stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. When the preacher began to speak, she reached up and took Chris's hand. He squeezed her hand in reply. Rita didn't hear the preacher's words. Instead, she relived her times with Michael, good and bad. The times they had spent together, talking about their real parents. How Michael had helped her cope with her father's death. Of course, there were the bad times. Especially when Michael was a suspect in a murder investigation. Rita thought it was strange how that experience had brought her closer to Michael. Suddenly, Rita realized the service was almost over. She directed her attention back to the preacher. "And now, if you will bow your heads down in prayer." Rita bowed her head, squeezing Chris's hand tighter. "Dear God, we pray to you and ask that you help each person here today through their grief. And that you help to remind them that Michael still lives with us today, in each one of us that cared for him. This we ask of you. Amen." The service was over, but Rita couldn't bring herself to stand. She raised her head to look at the casket, and tears escaped her eyes. She glanced around to see that everyone had left, except for Chris. She was a bit relieved to see that. She stood slowly, and walked towards the casket. As her hand touched the metal and wood, she suddenly felt so weak. She leaned against the casket, sobbing. She realized just how badly her life had been shattered. She had not only lost her foster brother, but the man that killed him was her boyfriend. And now Eric was dead too. The grief washed over her. She felt Chris slide his arms around her, and she nestled her head against his shoulder. Chris held Rita tight, wishing he could comfort her. But he knew Rita, knew how she kept emotions bottled up inside until she exploded. And he knew that she needed this release of all those emotions, all that pain. But it still hurt him to see it. All he could do was just hold her close. Later, Chris and Rita were walking along the beach, arm in arm. Rita hadn't spoken since they got there. Suddenly she stopped, and turned to face Chris. A soft smile touched her lips as she stared into his eyes. He felt his heart pounding, her stare sending shivers throughout his body. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms. He saw a mixture of emotions flicker through her eyes as she spoke. "Chris, I don't know what to say to you." He interrupted her, "Sam, you don't have to say a word. I am just glad that you're still here with me." Rita touched a finger to his lips, "Shhhh. Let me say this." She took a deep breath, her fingers tracing his jawline. He shivered. "Chris, I can't begin to thank you for all you have done this week. It has been hell for me, but I could always count on you being there when I needed you, even before I knew I needed you. What you have done means a lot to me. I will always remember your kindness, your support...your love. I can't express how grateful I am." Chris reached up and took Rita's hand in his. "Rita, I understand. I will always be there for you, no matter what. We are best friends. Partners. Forever." He didn't resist the urge this time, and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as the waves splashed at their feet.