"Billie!"

"What are you guys doing here so early?" Their boss asked, looking up from her desk. She knew it wasn't everyday the two of them were both on time for work; she knew something was up.

"He did it," Van's smile was more than a mile wide; he had been laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

"It?" She asked stumped, wondering what exactly 'it' could have been. Whatever he had done was obviously very funny, so she smiled back, crossed her arms, and listened.

At least the something was a good something.

"It." Van replied instantly, eyes flashing in surprise. "Remember? You said you'd give him five hundred dollars if he asked that Williams' girl out."

"—On a 'bad' date." Their boss added somewhat intrigued by this conversation. Her fingers rose to cover her red lips as she studied the modestly quiet Deaq, and she knew that he wouldn't be telling this story.

"Get this!" Van continued. "He gets to her house and hits her car, so she decides to drive to the restaurant. Where do they dine? At Chunk's!"

"The gas station?"

"Yeah! Oh, man, that was brilliant. They had three-week-old pizza, and Big Fred was all hitting on her too! Oh, and then, he brought her back to his place, lit up some 'citronella' candles, burned the popcorn, ruined her brand new leather jacket, AND made her watch the home videos we lifted from the Mariano case!"

Van was bordering hysterics. His eyes roared with excitement as his boss cocked her head in disbelief.

"You're kidding me." Billie replied silently pleased. Her fingertips scratched down to her chin as she played the story out in her head.

"Does he look like he's kidding you?" Deaq laughed, amazed by his partner's amazement. Billie didn't need his reassurance; though Van was being overly dramatic, she could tell he wasn't lying.

"Deaqon Lavelle Hayes is a dating disaster!"

"Only when I have to be—" He replied, no longer enjoying Van's enthusiasm. Billie was either puzzled by the sound of his middle name, or she was trying very hard to picture an angry Jenny Williams—her face was nearly frozen with narrow eyes and a slanted smile.

"What was the deal with that girl anyway, Billie? She didn't seem so bad—why do you hate her so much?" Deaq was eager to change the subject, but his boss was ready to end the conversation.

"Probably the same reason Van talks to himself in the bathroom, and you don't like cats." She said, robbing their faces of smirks. "It's a personal thing—end of story. Deaq, expect a juicy bonus in your paycheck this week."

"Wait—who told you I didn't like cats?"

"The same person who just reminded me you two are still on the clock." Billie grinned and, for the first time since her boys entered, returned to her computer screen. However, her thoughts were not on work; she needed a way to tell them she was changing their assignment. Without, of course, drawing too much attention to the case.

"Speaking of work, which is the purpose of our being here on this lovely day," Deaq hinted, tired of working early mornings, "I got this theory. What if Felch ain't the king pin?"

"What do you mean?" Van inquired; it almost made sense to him, but he needed to hear something serious to find his work-mode.

"Well, if we can't hook him to anything but the drugs, maybe it's 'cus he isn't our guy. He could be the middleman—maybe there is a bigger fish to fry."

"Like who?" Billie bit her lip, but, as Deaq started to reply, her phone rang. She picked it up instantly, praying it was the call she had been waiting all morning for, but her focus remained entirely on Deaq's theory.

"I don't know 'who,' it's just an idea, remember? But it makes sense."

"Except for 'one' minor detail." Billie smiled, hanging up the small, black receiver. "He just confessed to everything: the kidnappings, the murders, the threats to Allison Chase."

As she had planned, Robert Felch had turned himself in, and the case was officially closed.

"That's it? Both boys seemed surprised, but Deaq was the only one to speak.

"'That's' great." She corrected, "You guys should be thrilled; no more murder mystery"

"So, if the case is solved, why are we still here?" Van grinned anxiously; he had been dying to test-drive the new Lamborghini, and, as his partner had mentioned, it was such a beautiful day.

"Because you're still employed by the L.A.P.D." She laughed, shattering their day-off dreams. "I got 'this' this morning; I think it's a little more your style."

With the click of a key, a lengthy e-mail popped up on the overhead. To save them the details, her mouse trailed to her taskbar, and she brought up an already-open file.

"Theodore 'Chump' Saunders—former problem of the East coast—is now our problem. He's recently out of prison and supposedly out here on vacation. But, his parole officer seems to think he'll be dealing with more than just sun—if you know what I mean. This guy is looking at strike three, so he's going to be careful, but," Billie stopped for a moment, nervous about revealing Chump's one weakness. She knew it wasn't part of their scene, so to say, but she also knew it was the only way they could get to Saunders. She needed to find a way to sugar-coat their new task, and she did, with a smile.

"He really likes to gamble."


Thank you for the reviews, guys, I appreciate them so much! I'm also glad my little opener grabbed your attention, and I only hope this chapter compares to the last.

No, Robbie is not Billie's son (though that would make quite an interesting twist considering what I have in store..) I don't want to tell you guys too much, but I will tell you he does play a fairly crucial role in what is to come. I hope you can see what is going on, but if there are any questions, I'll be happy to explain.

DKM, regarding your comment about my pen name, thanks! I was afraid to use it at first, but I said the heck with it. What it means is basically that I am all for Van/Billie, making me 'A Villie." It is a pretty name, and it is growing on me (just don't ask me to pronounce it, because I can't help you there). Speaking of Villie, I think you have a tad of it in you too! Please update your story again soon!