A/N: This is an AU fic with a film noir kind of atmosphere. It will ultimately be L/S with a sprinkling of the other characters in there too. Please read and review :- )

Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case

It was a cold and rainy Friday night in Philadelphia. I was wrapping up another cold case and getting ready to leave when this lady walks into my office, looking lost. "Can I help you?" I ask.

"Are you one of those detectives that look at old cases?"

"Yeah," I reply, "Detective Valens."

"Maria Garner," she says, and shakes my hand. "My brother was murdered in ninety two. His name was David. David Garner. He was only 19."

I pull out a chair and gesture for her to sit down. She does, and I do the same.

"The cops back then said it was a robbery gone bad, but I never believed it." She paused and I could see tears forming in her eyes. "They never found who did it?"

She shook her head, "No. He was caught up in some kind of trouble Detective, I don't know what kind, but he was always sneaking around. Coming home late covered in bruises. There was this one time when I found him passed out on the bathroom floor, smelling of booze and he was clutching…..this." She pulls out an envelope from her purse, reaches into it and pulls out a diamond ring.

"That's a nice ring!" I say, eyeing the piece of jewellery in front of me.

"See, the thing, detective, is that David would never have been able to afford this on what he was earning. Which means that he either stole it or he got the money from somewhere else."

"You think that's what they were after? I mean, whoever killed your brother could have been looking for that?"

She was silent for a few seconds and she looked like she was turning something over in her mind. "I had considered it. For a long time. I…I guess that's why I never told the cops about this back then…you see, I was going to ask him about it but he had left the house before I got the chance. I've had it all these years, never got the chance to give it back to him." She wiped her tear-stained cheeks and then continued. "I think if I gave it back to him then maybe they would have just taken it, maybe they wouldn't have killed him. Oh God! What if it's my fault he's dead?"

She broke down into a crying fit then. I felt sorry her.

"Can you tell me who you think might have wanted that ring?" I ask, trying to focus her attention on something constructive.

"There is one person I can think of detective," She says, "there was this guy he was always hanging out with…Windsdale….James Windsdale. The guy was trouble, I think he was into drugs and I know he had been arrested before."

"And the police didn't look at him back in ninety two?"

"They said he had an alibi. But I know he must have been involved somehow. He and my brother were always getting into trouble together, he was a bad influence."

"Do you know where I could find this Windsdale?" I ask.

"He was working for a gang with mob connections – I don't remember what they were called but I remember him mentioning a name a few times – Stilman."

…

It wasn't much to go on, but there was something about that lady that made me want to help her. Maybe it was the look of desperation she had as she clutched onto that ring, maybe it was the fact that she could never really rest until her brother's death was solved, either way, I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to help her. Hell, I knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about, and not know why.

The name led me to a little bar across town called Jones' Tavern. It was a nice little joint, small, intimate. I walked across to the bar where the bartender was pouring a drink for a depressed looking man who, by the look of things was trying to drink himself to death. Poor bastard. After he had finished the bartender looks up at me and smiles, "what can I get you?" he asks.

"Information." I say as I show him my badge. "I'm Detective Valens, Philly Homicide. What can you tell me about a James Windsdale?"

"Comes round here all the time." He replies, "quiet kind of man, likes to keep to himself."

"You have any idea where I can find him?"

"Should be here today. Usually comes in around nine thirty."

I look at my watch – I have another hour to kill before then. "Thanks." I say, "Can I have a scotch?"

"Sure thing." He says and pours my drink into a glass.

"I never got your name."

"Will." He says, "Will Jeffries." Just then a woman walks out from the back room and Jeffries tells her something quietly, she nods, then looks at me and I smile.

"Will says you have some questions you want to ask me about James?"

" Errr yeah, I'm detective Valens." I tell her as I reach out to shake her hand.

"Lilly Rush. Nice to meet you, detective Valens." She says as she extends her hand to me and smiles.

They say that only fools fall in love, but I must be the biggest fool of all. Cos one look at her and I was ready to give my heart away. She was beautiful. Silky blonde hair and eyes like sapphires that sparkled under the florescent lighting of the bar. I don't think the strongest drink I've ever had has ever intoxicated me more than that smile. I was smitten, and in my line of work, that usually wasn't a great idea.

"You know Windsdale?" I ask, trying to sound as professional as I could.

"He comes by here all the time, always orders the same thing. Martini, 2 olives. We talk from time to time." I gesture for her to follow me to a table where we could sit down and talk. She follows. Once we are both sitting down, she continues. "He isn't much of a talker detective, but over the years, he and I have developed a kind of…odd friendship."

"Odd? In what way?" I ask.

She hesitates and there's a flash of…something, in her expression. It was only there for a split second and then it was gone. That was interesting.

"He's been coming in here every day since his friend died."

"His friend? You mean David Garner?"

"Garner? Yeah, I think that was his name. He said he was murdered but he wouldn't go into the details, and to be honest, detective, I didn't want to push him. Most of the time we would just sit together in silence. I think he just needs someone to be with him."

I take a sip of my scotch, never once taking my eyes off her. "Did he ever mention anything about a ring?" I ask.

She thinks about this for a second and then says, "No, I don't think he ever did. Why do you ask?"

"We think Garner may have been killed over it."

"That's terrible!" she says, a genuinely sad expression on her face. She then looks down at her hands, as if she's pondering something.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She looks up at me and says, "You don't think James had anything to do with it do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

She shakes her head, "nothing…"

I can tell she's hiding something so I push, "Do you think he had something to do with it?" She goes all quiet on me and I know I'm onto something here. "Miss Rush, if you know something then now is a really good time to tell me."

"I….I don't think he murdered his friend but…" she looks at me nervously. "But he would sometimes talk about how he's going to repay a debt. I don't know what he meant by that but it seemed to make him very upset."

I think about that for a few seconds. Maria Garner had told me Windsdale was working for someone called Stilman. Maybe her brother was working for him too? "Do you remember him talking about a guy called Stilman?"

"Stilman? No, I don't think so."

"Did you ever meet Mr Garner?" I ask.

"No, never." She said.

She tilted her head down again, "I'm sorry detective, I want to help you, but he doesn't really talk to me about anything. I know he's innocent, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would kill someone."

I smile a little at that. Over the years, I've learned never to pre-judge a person. Anyone could become a killer, given the right reasons. I had to talk to Windsdale myself, find out if he had any reason to kill.

I was about to thank Miss Rush for her time, when I noticed she was looking at me with a startled expression on her face. I was about to ask her what was wrong when I suddenly feel a cold metal barrel pressed against my head and a male voice says, "get away from her!"

I slowly raise my hands in the air and stand up. "Take it easy," I tell him and was about to show him my badge when I feel a sharp pain in my jaw. And then, all hell breaks loose!