Love Me Dead
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS, JUST BORROWING FOR THE STORY.
Summary: This is an AU story set in an old Film Noir genre. A private eye with a beastly side and a femme fatal ex-girlfriend with a secret of her own. There's murder, mystery, humor, and of course romance. Enjoy!
Chapter One:
You Always Hurt the One You Love
New York City, 1945…
A beautiful city by day, but at night, it was a different story. You see, at night that's when real New York showed its face. In the dark corners of the city the crooks, the cheats and those frankly up to no good came out of the shadows to play. It was no place for just any woman to be walking alone at night but then Catherine Chandler was not just any woman. Vincent Keller knew that all too well…
"Hold all my calls Heather. I don't want to be disturbed tonight." Vincent walked past his secretary's desk with his coat swung over his shoulder. It had been a long day for the P.I. and he just wanted to sit back in his room with a nice glass of scotch.
"You got it Boss." She closed her compact and went back to sort of working. Heather would have rather been designing and planning fancy events than fetching coffee for her sister's ex, but it was a job and she needed the money. It wasn't all bad. She had done some redecorating in the office. A few ruffled pillows on the chair and some fresh-cut flowers helped detract from the chipped paint on the walls and the leaks on the ceiling. Vincent just gave a half-hearted smile and headed into his office closing the door behind him.
The room was empty and cold, just how he felt inside. He wouldn't admit it, but his life had never felt the same after she left. But that was over now and he was trying to move on. However, you can't move too far from destiny. Sooner or later it will find you. And for Vincent it was a lot sooner than he wanted.
A steady thumping beat pulsated in the detective's head as he sat back in his chair admiring the harbor just outside his office window. It was familiar and for a moment he got lost in its rhythm, until reality smacked him in the face.
"I thought I told you never to come back here." Vincent sat in his swivel chair with his back to the door. He knew exactly who the owner of that heartbeat was without even looking.
"And I told you to get out of my life. I guess we were both mistaken." Vincent spun around. He wasn't ready to see her, especially in that black number she had on, but he managed to speak.
"What do you mean?" Catherine slipped off her black perch hat and held it in front of her. Even in the poorly lit office, Vincent could see her emerald eyes piercing through the room. A distraction, but one he told himself he could handle.
"You hired my sister as your new secretary. That's not really staying out my life." She strode across the room and stood in front of the oak desk. Vincent sat back in the chair with clasped hands across his chest and a smirk on his face.
"She needed a job." Catherine's eyes narrowed in on him.
"Heather can't type."
"Why are you here Cat?" He sat up and straightened a few papers in front of him, trying not to look at her for too long.
"I need your help." Sensing his uneasiness, Catherine placed both hands on the desk and leaned in towards him. The sweet scent of her jasmine perfume was clouding his ability to reason anything else. He shook his head and stood up.
"Kind of figured that. So what can I do for you?"
"A gem, meant a lot to my…friend and it was stolen. I need you to find it and get it back." Vincent grabbed his hat off the rack and spun it around.
"What about your father? You know, he is the police commissioner. Why not ask him for help?"
"This job needs someone with your unique talents. And also requires a bit of discretion."
"I'll need a little more information than that." Cat smiled and placed her hat back on.
"Later, now I have somewhere to be. You can meet me at the Gentleman's Guild say around ten?" Vincent folded his arms across his chest a surprised look on his face.
"The Gentleman's Guild? Since when did you start showing your face around there?" The Guild was his safe haven, a place he knew she'd never set foot in and now that was gone.
"Since my boyfriend just became the new owner."
"Boyfriend?"
"Yes, are you surprised I moved on?" He was, a little. It wasn't too long ago that title was his, but he played it off as no big deal.
"No, not at all. So whose is this guy?
"Gabriel Lowen." A slight shimmer of yellow flashed across his irises. He turned his face away from her till he could regain his composure after hearing that name.
"The ADA, really? Is he the friend you were talking about?" Catherine stepped back, not really wanting to have this conversation.
"Maybe. Look do you want the job or not? Truth be told I came here as a favor to you."
"A favor? How is me tracking down your new boyfriend's rock a favor to me?" He tossed his hat on the desk and stared her down.
"As you know Gabe does not want for much in this world. He's willing to pay a generous sum for finding and returning the gem." Catherine darted her eyes around the room. "And looking around this place you could use it." The knife she had in him twisted a little deeper. Their eyes locked and even through all the ire that stare possessed the old spark still remained between them. A fact they could not deny.
Vincent clenched his jaw and was the first to look away.
Catherine had realized the sting her words may have cause and tried to lighten the mood. "After this job you might be able to afford that boat you always wanted."
"You hate boats. They made you sick." Vincent stared down at the wooden floorboards, a slight smile appearing on his face. Catherine's face softened and she replied softly,
"Yes."
"Make it ten thirty. I have some things to do." He gave in. He didn't agree to take the job just yet, but he thought he should at least hear her out. He owed her that much.
"See you then." Catherine turned and headed out the door. Vincent looked up as the door closed behind her. He grabbed the bottle off the desk and poured the amber liquid into the empty glass. It wasn't the healthiest way to deal with his feelings but it was the only thing that would get him through this night. And he knew right then it was going to be a long one.
(Where will this night lead? Stay tuned….. )
