Chapter 2

Kate was doing everything she could to avoid Donnie; she knew that the lawyer was trying to do everything possible to obtain her possessions from the apartment. She was in desperate need for her clothes, granted she was using the clean ones she had stowed away in the trunk of her car in case of emergencies. When she had finished her meeting with the lawyer, she entered the FBI building and sat down on her desk to work; she got a text message and started to read it. Donnie, however, saw her sit behind her desk and walked towards her.

"Kate," he gleamed and proclaimed the engagement ring, "Sweetheart, you left it at home."

"No, Donnie… I left you." She spoke as she stood from her desk, taking her phone, and walked away towards the elevator.

Donnie followed her and when the doors of the elevator closed, he wrapped his arm around her and tried to kiss her. She dodged his lips, pushed him away, and tried to be as far away from him as she could within the small, moving room.

"Kate, darling, why is it that you turn from me?" He asked.

"I am not going to marry you, so stop calling me sweetheart and darling."

"Why? What did I do?"

Kate just glared at him, confusion and anger swirling in her eyes. "You know what you did."

"Kate, how can you blame me for that? It's not my fault that you don't give me any attention. The only thing you actually seem to care about is the job and that psychotic professor."

"I can blame you, and I will! You will NOT guilt-trip me anymore, Donnie, and don't you EVER call him psychotic again!"

Just then the elevator stopped in the lobby and she exited as fast as she could, she had to get to the crime scene and pick up Daniel on the way.

So you're with the loony tune, Donnie thought, I'm not going to lose you to the raging schizophrenic, Kate. This isn't over… far from it, I'm afraid.

XXXXXX

When Kate entered Daniel's office, he was still working tirelessly, only stopping to take a sip from the tea on his desk. He didn't notice her come in, so she softly closed the door, walked behind him and hugged him. He slightly jumped, got up from his chair, turned and hugged her back. When they broke the hug, he cupped her chin and kissed her.

"Daniel, we've got a case, which I'm assuming you want to consult on." She informed him when they broke the kiss.

He looked at her and couldn't suppress a smile; he kissed her again before saying, "Detective Moretti, I've been waiting for you to take me away from this boring work for hours."

"Well then… let's get going, shall we?"

He intertwined his hand with hers and followed her to her car on the parking lot.

XXXXXX

The body was sprawled on the living room floor, the hair was matted and the clothes were thick with blood. When Kate and Daniel entered the room, he had to look away and focused on the surroundings while staying close to Kate.

"Who is she?" Kate asked the medical examiner kneeling over the body.

"Victoria Agatha Rose, 25, she works as a doctor, a pet doctor." He chuckled, "not really a profession is it? Pulling splinters off of a cat's paw."

"Why was the FBI called?"

"She's the daughter of Senator Augustus Roswell and the wife of Commissioner Dmitri Rose." Spoke a portly Officer, almost startling Kate to death.

"Who found her?" asked Kate.

"The daughter, Christine Rose." He pointed out to the small woman crying in the kitchen.

"How was she killed?" asked Kate

"By a blow to the back of the head," stated the coroner.

"In that case, FBI will have to take over the case." Kate told the cop, a look of pity in her eyes.

"I never liked these cases, anyway," muttered the cop when he turned and left.

"Come on, Daniel, let's go talk with the daughter," she told him and led the way towards the kitchen.

It was small but neat, and as the weeping daughter was making tea, Kate softly cleared her throat. The girl startled and dropped the tea cup, shattering and scrambling every which way.

"Sorry," apologized Kate.

"No, I'm sorry," Christine said as she took out another cup and poured the water in, "Would either of you want some tea?"

"No, thank you," was the unanimous reply.

"Christine, do you know anyone who might have wanted to hurt your mother?"

"No, everyone loved her." She sobbed before sipping from the shaking cup in her hands.

"At what time did you get home?"

"At 6:30, I work the night shifts at the hospital."

"Pet hospital?" asked Daniel.

"No, I work at Ezer's Hospital," she said, biting back the sarcasm and irritation, "Why, are you insinuating that I killed my mother?"

"Of course not, its protocol, we have to ask these questions."

"I understand."

XXXXXX

When they got the husband's office and told him about her death, he seemed unaffected by the fact that his wife was dead. He never even looked up from his desk, spoke with a cold bitterness, and would keep glancing at the clock.

After speaking with Dmitri, Daniel said, "I know what you're thinking, but I don't think he killed her."

"Why do you think he's innocent?"

"Because he's used to hiding behind his work to avoid showing any emotions that are crippling him."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm MAGIC, Kate!" he teased her.

"Daniel," she reproached but couldn't hide the smile that grew. She sighed before saying, "Let's go talk with her father, maybe he knows something we don't."