Authors Note: I don't own anything. All rights belong to TNT and James Duff
The mood in the murder room was intense to say the least. The team had gotten the call for a triple homicide in the early morning hours. It was already mid morning and the process of taking witness statements was well under way. The murders took place in a fairly upscale LA neighborhood. Several residents were awoken by the sound of gun shots and squealing tires as the suspect or suspects (that part was still unclear as there are varying witness reports) fled the scene. Several neighbors of the recently departed currently occupied the murder room waiting to give their statements.
The team broke up into three different pairs for conducting the witness interviews. Julio and Mike were just finishing up with the couple that lives across the street from the victims. Amy and Lieutenant Provenza are up next with the elderly man from next door, followed by Sharon and Andy who be interviewing the woman that lives kiddy-corner to the victims. Sharon had decided it would be best to conduct one interview at a time in order to be able to grasp a clearer picture of the events that had transpired in the relatively quite neighborhood. While each pair of detectives was interviewing their witness the others were grouped in electronics room with Buzz watching on the monitors.
Sharon was sitting in the interview room waiting for Andy to bring the last witness in. Amy, Julio, Mike, Buzz, and Lieutenant Provenza along with Chief Taylor (who had joined them so he could get details for his press release) were in electronics. Andy had finally entered the room along with the final witness. The woman had to be in her mid to late fifties, with blonde hair, a medium build, and average height. The woman was fairly attractive, although didn't look to have given into the LA cliché of plastic surgery. She was well dressed in business attire and her style resembled Sharon's somewhat. Andy led the woman into the room and directed her with his hand to take a seat across from where Sharon was sitting.
"Mrs. Bridges this is Captain Sharon Raydor. Captain this is Jane Bridges, she lives kiddy-corner to the victims. "Andy conducted the introductions.
"Mrs. Bridges thank you for coming down here to answer some questions for us. I'm sure you're a very busy woman. We just have some follow up questions to the statement you gave to the responding officers this morning." Sharon was being a cordial as possible.
"Oh it's no trouble, I'm happy to help anyway I can. My neighbors were very nice people and it's a tragedy what happened to them. Also it's Ms. Bridges; I've been divorced for quite some time now." She threw a subtle smile in Andy's direction.
"Ok let's get on with it then. Ms. Bridges could you..." Andy was cut off by the witness.
"Please call me Jane, Lieutenant." A defiant flirtatious tone to her voice
"Did she just wink at Flynn?" Provenza asked the team in the electronics room.
"I think she did." Buzz responded
"Okay Jane can you tell us what you saw this morning?" Andy asked
"Absolutely Lieutenant, I was doing my morning stretching exercises, I have to work very hard to keep my figure "
"Ye Gods that idiot seems totally oblivious to the fact that this woman is flirting with him." Provenza husked
"He might not realize it but the Captain does, and she does not look amused." Amy observed.
"Anyhow I suddenly heard gun shots. I looked out the window and saw two men running out of the house and get into a car." Jane finished
"Do you know what kind of car they got into?" Sharon questioned
"Um it was dark and the car was a dark color maybe black or dark blue. It was a four door sedan, possibly a BMW or Mercedes, a newer model." She replied
"Do you think you might be able to identify the car if I compile a few pictures of possible makes and models?" Andy asked
"I will give it a try, anything for you Lieutenant Flynn." Jane gave Andy another flirtatious grin
Sharon sat there watching this woman flirt with Andy. She knew that she shouldn't let it get to her, this is not the first time she has witnessed a woman come on to Andy, but it's the first time it's happened since they became a couple. If she was completely honest with herself the words that Mark Hickman had spoken that day about Andy cheating on his girlfriends still nagged at her slightly. They never discussed what he said and she was now kind of wishing that they had. Sharon trusts Andy completely and knows he is not that man anymore, but the fact that she is well aware of his former reputation isn't helping any. On the bright side Andy doesn't seem to notice Jane advances, or if he does he doing a pretty great job of not reacting to them.
"Captain?" Sharon was brought out of her thoughts by Andy speaking to her.
"Hmm…" Sharon responded
"Captain are you ok?" When Sharon gave him a slight nod he continued.
"I'm going to get those photos and see if Jane can identify the car that the suspects got away in. Is that ok?" Andy questioned.
"Go ahead Lieutenant. I will continue questioning Ms. Bridges." Sharon smiled at Andy. He passed his hand over her shoulder as he left the room.
"So Ms. Bridges did you get a good look at either of the men fleeing the scene this morning?" Sharon asked
"No. Like I said it was dark and I really couldn't make either of them out. Captain; May I ask you a question?" Jane wondered
"Sure." Sharon replied a little taken back
"How do you get any work done around her with such a good looking man around all the time? By the way is he single? I don't see a wedding ring so I was wondering." Jane questioned
Sharon was internally struck by the question. She put her best Darth Raydor face on so she was confident that her external features weren't conveying the jealousy that she was feeling at the moment. Her heart was screaming at her to tell this "woman" for lack of a better term, although she could come up with a few if she really wanted to, tell her that the Lieutenant was indeed taken and to back off. Luckily her mind was still thinking rationally and it reminded her that her entire team with the exception of Andy was watching her on the monitors so she needed to keep it professional.
In the electronics room the silence was deafening. Everybody watched the monitors closely with anticipation to see how their captain was going to react to the question. Even Chief Taylor leaned in a little closer with a small grin on his face. Nobody expected anything less than absolute professionalism from the captain, but this type of thing doesn't happen every day. If they had popcorn it surly would have been passed around at this point.
"Ms. Bridges you understand that it would be highly inappropriate for me to discuss any details of my lieutenant's personal life." Sharon said with as calm of voice as she could muster.
"Of course Captain. Sorry it's just that he is so…"
"Can we get back to the murder that occurred this morning" Sharon interrupted her
"Is there anything else that you can tell me about what you recall seeing?" Sharon was slightly annoyed.
"No nothing comes to mind. Hopefully when Lieutenant Flynn returns with those photos I'll be able to identify the car."
"Right. Well I'll go see what's taking him so long, so we can get you out of here. I'm sure you have things to do." Sharon said getting up and leaving the interview room.
Sharon closed the door to the room and took a deep breath. Once she got her emotions under control she made a beeline for the electronics room. She was not sending Andy back in there alone, but she couldn't stand being in there anymore so she decided to send Amy into assist Andy for the rest of the interview.
Normally Sharon would have sat in the electronics room and watched the rest of the interview, but it was clear that this witness didn't have any more information to give. She was just prolonging it so she could flirt with Andy a little longer. That was one thing Sharon didn't need to see. So she made her way back to her office. Before she could make it to her office she ran into Andy. He was about to return to the interview room with the pictures of the cars he put together.
"Hey what going on? How come you're not with Jane?" Andy asked
"I sent Amy in to help you finish. It's clear you'll get farther finishing up than I will. You'd better get back, I'm sure she's waiting for you." Sharon said a little sharper then she had intended. Andy just stared at her confused as she made her way back her office.
A short while later Sharon stepped out of her office just as Andy was showing Jane out of the murder room. She watched as Ms. Bridges smiled brightly at Andy and slipped something into his jacket pocket. She then whispered something into his ear and then turned around and left. Andy looked confused. He looked up to see Sharon heading back to her office and close the door.
Andy pulled out the little white business card that Jane had put into his pocket. She had whispered in his ear for him to call her at anytime day or night. He wasn't as big of an Idiot as Provenza made him out to be. He knew that Jane was flirting with him. A few years ago he would have taken her up on her offer, but now he had no desire to call her or any other woman except for Sharon. He acted as if her flirting didn't have any effect on him, because it didn't. He thought that Sharon knew that she could trust him and had nothing to worry about as far as other women were concerned, but judging by her behavior he decided she might need a little reassurance.
Sharon was sitting at her desk going over all the evidence they had collected thus far in their murder investigation. She was trying to keep her mind a busy as possible because it kept drifting to that woman flirting with Andy. Especially when she leaned into him and whispered in his ear. She knew she was being irrational but she couldn't help herself. She loved Andy. If she's honest with herself he is the man she has been waiting her entire life for. She never had any pings of jealousy when she was with Jack. That right there should have told her something. The love she had for Jack is nothing compared to the love she has for Andy. Even though they haven't verbalized their feelings for each other yet, it's felt with every touch and seen in every gaze into the others eyes. She knows he loves her too. Why they haven't told each other yet she doesn't quit know, but that's something she intends on changing very soon. A knock on her door disrupts her thoughts.
"Come in." She answers
"Hey, are you busy. Can I talk to you?" Andy says a little hesitant.
"Sure, what's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you about Jane. I know she was flirting with me and I know you know she was flirting with me. Sharon I was not at all affected by her advances toward me. I hope you know that. You're the only woman I want. That's not going to change anytime soon, if ever."
"Andy I know that, it's just watching her smile at you and fawn over you I couldn't help but feel jealous. Then as she leaned into you and whispered in your ear it sent me over the edge. What did she say to you anyway?"
"She gave me her business card and told me to call her anytime day or night. I ripped the card up and threw it in the trash."
"I can't say that I'm not glad to hear that Lieutenant." Sharon smiled at him
"So we're good?" Andy asked hopeful
"We are, I would like to talk later about some other things that have been on my mind, but that is an off duty conversation."
"You got it. Well I'd better get back to work my boss can be a real stickler." Andy chuckled
As Andy was about to make his way out of Sharon's office, she stopped him.
"Um Lieutenant, I don't want to presume anything but if and when we get married you're wearing a wedding ring." Sharon said in her best mock Darth Raydor voice.
"Aye, Aye, Captain." Andy gave her his trademark smile.
The End
