Disclaimer: Rizzoli and Isles belongs to TNT, Tess Gerritsen and Janet Tamaro - Not us. We are just playing in their universe.
A/N: Hi everyone and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read, review and follow our story. We start finding out some of what has happened during the last six months. As a bit of a warning we do mention Frost and that he has died, so many of us are still so saddened by Lee Thompson Young's passing that we didn't want any surprises. We also introduce an enemy which is rather aggressive towards Maura, again we didn't want any surprises. Thanks again for reading and welcome your comments. Oh yeah there is a bit of strong language too.
Stepping on the gas, the sleek vehicle moved faster towards Maura's destination. Upon her approach to the emergency entrance to the airport, the hooded figure running down the sidewalk in the other direction never even caught her eye.
It was cold, and damn if Jane was not sick of the cold. As she ran she thought to herself, "You go to the Middle Eastern desert it is supposed to be warm." Somehow even that part of her trip was wrong too. This was average Boston weather so she pushed her discomfort out of her mind. Switching it up for a more intense focus on her surroundings, in a neighborhood she only vaguely remembered Rizzoli slowed to a walk. It was late and she was definitely not in the best of places to be drawing attention to herself. Thinking that it would be a good idea to head towards the train tracks, Jane was about to make her move to cross the street when a door swung open violently and a man stepped out of what by the smell could only be a bar. He was dragging a woman with him and both were deep in the sauce.
"Lilianne, you are nothing but a stupid whore." the man spit the words into the woman's face as he swung her around violently to face him. He had a tight grip on Lilianne's arm and she was pawing at the thick fingers trying to break his grip. "Look at you smiling at Jimmy in there and then looking at me like I am some type of loser." A beefy hand flew out and backhanded the woman across the face. She dropped to the ground with a small scream. He grinned and raised a hand to make a follow-up blow when a voice broken in.
"Hey Buddy. I'll give you one chance to back down before I hurt you." Jane said. She was cursing herself that she shouldn't be stopping but she just couldn't help herself. She was well back from the couple but she approached with purpose to her stride. The scene before her had her blood boiling and she readied herself for what was coming. He wasn't going to back down and Jane didn't really want him to.
The man turned quickly to face the new comer, yanking Lilianne along with him. His big ugly mug broke into a grin when he saw the thin figure approaching. The person was wearing a hoodie with some sort of military jacket on the top. A medium sized duffel bag carried over their shoulder. He didn't recognize the newcomer as someone he knew not that it would have mattered anyway.
"F**k off and mind your own business, asswipe." he moved to turn back to deliver the blow he was itching to give, but the cloaked figure spoke again.
"Language, dick head." The powerful round house kick took the man's jaw in one blow. The heavy boots with steel toes worked very much to Rizzoli's advantage. The crack and crunch of the various bones of the man's face breaking should not have been so satisfying to Jane but it was. She watched as he released the woman's arm and grabbed for his head as he fell to the ground with a loud groan. Stepping up Jane said calmly but forcefully, "Lilianne," using the name the man had called the woman, "Go back inside and call a taxi to take you home. Now!" The woman scampered inside somewhat sobered up by the violent scene she had witnessed. Jane knew she didn't have much time. Lilianne would more than likely be telling everyone how the love of her life had just been mugged and more inebriated fatheads would be on the way.
Jane sighed then bent down, pulling a sleeve down to cover her hand, she pressed down on the drunk's face and he screamed. "Keys and wallet, numb nuts." She pressed harder and the tears from the man flowed. She moved her hand back and he reached in his pocket and pulled the requested items out dropping them to the ground. "Good boy," growled Jane as she swept them into her hand. The man made a foolish move like he was going to fight back and found he earned a swift kick to the midsection and the air in his body expelled like a stabbed tire. Looking at the keys, she was relieved to find there was no fancy fob, only a key. It didn't take Jane's superior detective skills to figure out this man's ride, she walked a direct line to the El Camino on the far side of the street. Using the key, the lock popped and Jane stepped in and the car head toward the place she most wanted to be.
Using every back road she could think of, Jane drove through town and finally made her way to Beacon Hill. Parking the rust bucket of a ride she had picked up several blocks away, Jane got out and made her way around the corner. Of course she wanted to see Maura in the worst way, but Jane was so nervous about contacting her. It was as if she felt to see Maura would change …" Rizzoli never finished the thought. A black sedan with the Gisborne Security logo was parked across the street. She could see the agents sitting in the car. A pain shot through her stomach. "What the hell were they doing here?" she growled to herself. Keeping to the darkest of the shadows, Jane made it back to the car.
Once inside she pulled away slowly with the lights off until she was far enough away to flip them on and speed up. Jane slammed her hands into the steering wheel and then shook them out. "Stupid Jane," she scolded herself and then flexed her hands. She needed to get to a place she could think. Pulling out onto a busy street she almost slammed on the brakes when a police cruiser moved by, traveling the other direction. "New car now," Jane said out loud. Maybe it was being in Maura's neck of the woods or needing a car very different than her current ride that brought the thought into her mind. A nervous smile crossed Jane's lips but she knew she had no choice. Making a very quick stop at a twenty-four hour drug store to pick up a few things, she directed the El Camino towards her new destination.
Pulling into an alleyway she had checked over for surveillance. With no cameras watching, Jane doused everything on the inside the car with vodka. She had purchased the low end booze and a lighter at the convenience store, and now used the two to ignite the interior of the classless ride. There was no reason to leave her DNA in the stolen car to be detected. The cinderblock walls and lack of any other items would ensure the car would be the only thing going up in flames so she didn't stick around to watch. Jane moved out at a calm pace, walking as not to draw attention to herself. It was two miles later when she arrived at the security storage building she had been looking for.
Stepping up to the key pad, she said a silent prayer as she pressed the buttons that Maura had not changed the code. The first section was done, Jane waited. The mechanized voice prompted, "Password," Jane said clearly. "Tortoise." The gate clicked open and Jane walked through. Moving towards the back of the facility to the larger of the units, Jane dropped low and pulled out her lock picks. The twist handle of the garage was opened in a few moments. Jane let out a small whistle and then stepped in; Constance Isles' Cadillac Escalade was parked in the middle of the space. Moving to a small box off to the side, Jane picked it up to find the keys just where she had been told to put them. Maura had need moral support to help with moving her mother's stuff and of course Jane had been there for her.
She remembered telling Maura's mother the dangers of keeping the keys in the same place as the car. Jane pressed the button and the locks popped. Moving to get a flashlight from the glove compartment, Jane knew it would be there with all types of other essentials. Clicking the light on, Jane shook her head. "I am reduced to stealing from my best friend's mother." She mumbled. There wasn't much in the storage space as Maura's mom stayed in a hotel suite when she was in town. The few plastic storage boxes were filled with just in case items. These were items that Constance Isles considered must haves if something happened to her baggage in flight.
In the Rizzoli household that would have meant clean underwear, socks and some old jeans. For Constance it was jewelry, shoes, purses and some small electronics. Not wanting to take up room at her daughters, the elder Isles had Maura, who in turn had grabbed Jane, find a reputable storage unit to hold her work car and extra items. Jane loaded the plastic bins into the back of the big car. Moving the vehicle out, then relocking the unit, Jane hoped her actions would not draw any immediate attention. The detective was careful to keep her hoodie in place because of the cameras as she eased the car on to the road. With determination, Jane then headed towards New York to regroup.
xxxxXXXXxxxx
The explosion had caused extensive damage to the plane. When Maura arrived she half expected that she would not be needed. As she pulled in, she held her badge to the officers in charge and made her way to a familiar face. Frankie Rizzoli turned to give her a half grin, "Top of the morning to you Dr. Isles." He walked over to the side and picked up a paper cup. "Coffee?" She grinned as she took the cup, hiding the pang the gesture always caused. Coffee was a reminder of Jane as was just about everything else in Maura's life.
"Thank you Frankie. Can you fill me in please?" she asked as she took in the scene.
"If he can't then I can. Hi ya Doc. Sorry something like this brings you out so early." It was still a shock to hear another female voice on scene. Scarlet Wills had joined homicide not long after the accidents. The short stocky red head approached with the stride of someone in command.
"Hello, Officer Wills….Scarlet." Maura changed the title quickly as the telltale hand of irritation the buff red head used when she was agitated perched on a hip. Scarlet nodded at the change and smiled. The short woman had been kind to the doctor and patient, perhaps she had been coached a bit by Frankie, but Maura suspected she was a genuinely nice person too. Change was hard, no Jane, no Korsak, no Frost. Grinding her teeth together in frustration she mentally shook herself. "The here and now Maura, nothing else matters." She snapped to herself. The red head as if seeing the fleeting look that crossed the ME's face touched her arm gently as she walked by. Maura did find herself liking this woman more and more, maybe someday she might even call her a friend.
The two young detectives started to tell Maura all about what had happened but other unwelcome voices sounded and the ME nodded them off. Frankie quickly told her what direction to go for the remains. They separated quickly and Maura stepped out to find her first body. Crowe and Martinez were now in the area and she didn't want to deal with them outside the lab.
It was hours before Maura had finished on scene. There had been five bodies, three in the front of the plane badly burned and two near the back. One had been blown out the cargo door and the other was found in a burnt out flatbed truck. Again both bodies badly damaged by the intense heat of the fire. Doing as much as she could on the scene she then supervised the move to the lab. Susie Chang met her there and assisted with the body check in as Maura changed to scrubs. They started the lab work only the knocking at the door stopped them several hours later.
"Susie, what's shaking?" called Scarlet. The assistant ME jumped at the loud intrusion. "Oh hey Doc. How's it going?" As if on cue, the door opened again and Frankie came in almost on the run. He had his arms full of food as usual.
"Scarlet, you could help with all this?" he groaned. Angela had sent down lunch for all of them.
"Don't put that down in here. Go to my office." It was a harsher tone than the Maura meant but the two younger detectives scuttled into her office without a second thought about it. "Susie, set the samples up and I will place the covers. We should stop and pick up after lunch." Maura rolled her eyes at the interruption but it was common place now and she had her responsibilities to her family. Her assistant was on her assigned duties quickly as Maura pulled up the plastic covers to protect the fragile remains. As she used the Velcro tabs to secure the edges, she thought of her new role. Somehow the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' kept running through her mind. Maura had wanted a close large family depending on her but not this way, never like this.
Jane had agreed to a training opportunity in the Middle East. It was so unlike her friend to agree to go so far away but she had been really eager to make the trip. Maura had prepared her all she could for what she should expect but it was only a month long visit and Dubai was not really a war torn situation. The doctor had at the time expected to be traveling herself but all that changed. It hadn't been but a week into Jane's absence before everything fell apart.
First it had been the accident, then the tragedy. Cavanaugh and Korsak had been in a horrible car accident. T-boned by a drunk driver as they came home from the Robber. Vince had almost lost his leg and was in the process of learning to walk again. The department was quick to thank him for his service and force him to take early retirement. Everyone was in shock and Vince took exception and was not talking to anyone. Maura had tried and would continue to try but it was hard.
Cavanaugh was still in an induced coma in the hospital. He had head injuries that had major complications. Maura had tried to talk to his doctors but she had been stonewalled. Obscure family ties had stepped in and were handling his care. The best she could do was see him a few times before he was moved up state to a care facility that specialized in brain trauma. Maura knew of the place by reputation and could not argue with the steps his family had taken. The department moved in a Captain Brewer, a sour spirited man that Maura detested. He had been rude and pushy with her at first and she had effectively cut him into little pieces. He now left her alone but that could not be said for Frankie and now Scarlet. They worked very hard to not draw the man's notice. Maura had been working with them as she would Jane. The teamwork kept the partners success rate high. Both were fast learners and Maura was impressed.
Then there was Frost. Maura's body stopped moving at the thought of the young man. A senseless tragedy at a convenience store, a botched robbery and his life was taken. It had been terrible and everyone was still reeling from his loss. The hardest part of losing her friend was the questions it left behind. She had tried to connect what had happened to something, some case but nothing came up. The nagging thought was there and Maura knew it would always be until she found some resolution.
Then there was the heartbreaking mystery that involved Jane. Thoughts of Jane were never out of her mind. The report they received from the Gisborne Security Agency was that Jane disappeared from her overseas training with no word or signs of a struggle and that she just walked away. Jane would be considered AWOL if it had been a true military outing, but much to Maura's surprise she found out it wasn't as Jane had led her to believe. It was so strange because the detective had been very clear about her itinerary. It had now been six months with no word from Jane. Everyone was fighting not to believe the worst had happened, Maura would not let them even venture down that road. Jane was not dead, she couldn't be.
So much of what surrounded Jane's disappearance was odd. Maura thought to herself, "Would we even have known that Jane was gone if the BPD had not tried to contact her about Frost's death." No one from the training had even reported her missing. Maura had gone crazy to the point of going overseas to find Jane herself. That is what had brought her face to face with the CEO of the Gisborne Security Agency, Guy Gisborne himself. She had gone to the Mayor to see what was to be done and was directed to the new consulting firm that was working with the city and had arranged the training in Dubai.
Maura was surprised her childhood acquaintance even remembered who she was. The Gisbornes and Isles ran in the same social circles, but Maura being rather introverted in her youth did not interact with the likes of Guy. He was an amazing athlete and very popular student. The only real interaction they ever had was a run in at a large fourth of July celebration but they were kids and Maura did her best not to think about embarrassing things from her past. It was a waste of time.
Guy was still devilishly handsome and he was still popular in the more affluent circles of society. He ran one of the most powerful security agencies in the United States. Gisborne Security Agency had taken part in all aspects of the various wars and come away as one of the only upstanding groups that took on such roles assisting the military. Guy had taken her to lunch and tried to assure Maura that Jane had acted of her own free will. According to his men at the training she had a run in with an old boyfriend, a Casey someone and he broke it off in a very public manner. "And well according to my investigation into Ms. Rizzoli, this was the only relationship she had developed in sometime and to be dumped might have just been too much." Seeing the look on Maura's face, he added, "Maybe she had found another man to help her take the edge off, she was a tough gal by her record and reckless too. A good romp with another guy or maybe girl…" he winked at Maura, "she might have done the stupid American thing and got herself taken hostage. Any way my men are looking for her. I know she was your colleague, but it was her own poor judgment that got her into trouble."
Maura bristled at his words. The doctor pushed back in her chair and glared at the man. She said sharply and in a louder tone than normal, "You are wrong. Jane does not have poor judgment. She is one of the most…." and then the doctor had found more to worry about than the man's opinion of Jane.
Guy reached out quickly and took her hand. The look on his face was hard but his eyes were dangerous. Gisborne did not like the fact that Maura had disagreed with him and he had taken her defiance of him as a challenge. With women he always had one sure way of breaking them down, Maura would be no exception, "You know Maura, you have grown into a beautiful woman. I am intrigued by this person you have become." He pulled her hand to his mouth to kiss it. "I believe that we have been pulled together here for a reason. We need to get to know one another again. I am not wrong about that Rizzoli person and I am not wrong about this. You shouldn't question me Maura, I am always right. " The doctor tried to pull her hand back but he held it tight, Maura knew she was in trouble.
It was not long after that Guy started stopping by the lab and Maura noticed the security car near her home. This was also the time that Tommy Rizzoli started to have problems with his parole officer. Frankie Rizzoli started having problems at work. Even Angela had been harassed here and there in the cafe. Maura realized as she looked around that she had responsibilities here in Boston. Her family, Jane's family, their family needed her to hold them together and protect them so she stayed, as much as it broke her heart, she stayed.
"Hey Maura, Susie is going to eat your salad if you don't get in here." Scarlet yelled and Maura heard the harsh whispers of her embarrassed assistant and the laughs of Frankie. Maura smiled listening to a few members of the extended family she had taken it upon herself to care for. The group under her care was fragile, Angela was pretending to be strong but Maura knew it was all an act as she worried constantly about her daughter. Frankie had made detective on his own merits but had been brought up to work the homicide department in a flashy press move. It had put a large amount of pressure on him. The others had their own issues. Maura tried to support them all.
"Come on Maur," Frankie yelled. He was young and had no experience in homicide besides what he had gathered through the years helping Jane's team as an uniformed cop. The young man had no familiar faces to mentor him. Seeing how the new captain, Crowe and Martinez were treating him made Maura sick. She wanted to defend him from the others in the department without making it look that way. The same held for the new girl they brought in as the token female, those were Brewer's exact words to the poor woman. While she had more experience, Scarlett was a transfer from a small department up state. The city was new territory for her and she needed time to adjust, time no one was giving her. Maura knew what it was like to be the new kid on the block and she saw how Frankie had taken to his new partner, this gal fell into her care as well.
Washing her hands Maura moved into her office and took in the scene. Frankie in a chair and the girls on the couch all munching away, a carefully set out salad and drink arranged on her desk waiting. The small white board they used for their work sessions propped up against the wall. Pulling the cover off her salad, Maura turned and as if she was the key the discussion began. Frankie started it off, "Okay the captain has assigned us to follow-up and conclude if we have a case of murder or not. We have called in all film and documentation we could find on the plane but it is military and we are fighting channels.
Scarlet said through bites of grilled cheese and tomato, "Most of it will be here later in the day. Right now we have five bodies, a burnt out plane and lots of questions. Any word on the bodies? We have a hot one or not?"
"If by a hot one you mean a murder case, the answer is yes." said Maura. "Susie please give them a preliminary report." It went against the doctor's grain to make any assumptions this early but she was working on it. She was using her assistant to provide a buffer for her nerves.
The ME assistant beamed as if she had just been given a present, "Currently and please remember these findings are cursorily and more concrete findings will be available when all the test are in but Dr. Isles discovered bullet holes in the bodies of the three men at the front of the plane. At least one appears to be execution style." Maura cleared her throat, Susie blushed and dialed it back, "By that I mean the shot was to the back of the skull. The others were shot in the chest several times. Placing what we have of the bones back in their proper position shows the roundish outline of the bullets having passed through the body."
"Passed through, they were probably shot at close range." said Scarlet and Maura cleared her throat again. The red head smiled, "I know Doc. We can't determine that right now."
"Right and …" There was the sound of the morgue's door being opened and closed. Maura did not finish her statement but instead stood and walked to the door of her office. "Captain Brewer, Can I help you?"
Brewer was standing by one of her tables and he had an obscenely handsome man standing beside him. "Yes, Dr. Isles you can. I need my detectives back up at their desks doing their jobs instead of hiding down here with you. Get your asses out here, Rizzoli and Wills before I write you up for…:
"Before you write them up for being on their contracted lunch break, Captain." Snapped Maura, "If I check my logs, which are time stamped, your detectives have been here less than thirty minutes and have been listening to my assistant give her report on what we currently know about your new murder case." The ME's eyes flashed with an anger as she step forward to stand directly in front of the men.
"Captain, Dr. Isles is a bit protective of this group and with good reason. My reports on your department show that this team has in a short time done some great work. The assistant mayor's office is very pleased with how they have picked up the slack in such a short time. You might have some care when you talk to these up and coming stars." Guy Gisborne let a sly grin touch is lips and he winked at Maura. She fought to hide a shudder of disgust.
A mumbled, "Yeah, whatever," crossed the bulldog of a Captain's lips, "I need the two of them back up at their desks now." Frankie and Scarlet left Maura's office with Susie quickly cleaning up behind them. Watching her friends move out she knew they were in for a very unpleasant rest of the day, she knew Dr. Isles was in a bad situation too.
"Guy, what are you doing here?" Maura asked as she pushed her way around the man. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. The grip was firm and he did not hurt her. It was control he wanted over Maura nothing more for now. Looking at his hand on her arm Maura's eyes fired up but before she could say anything he released her.
"Maura I am here checking up on my girl." He let his hand drift up as if he would touch her cheek. Stopping before his target he grinned, the man knew better than to touch. "I heard my people startled you last night and …"
"Your armed goons were on my property, at my door, and exactly where they shouldn't be." Maura growled.
"Goons, Maura really." He lowered his head and gave her a 'oh you silly girl' look. "Those goons are there for your protection. I care about you and I want you to be safe. Running around to crime scenes and working with dead bodies, just isn't you Maura. Grizzly and dangerous work, it's all so wrong for my beautiful girl." The man reached out and slapped the plastic tarp over the remains. He smiled as Maura fought not to respond in violence. "That pushes your buttons every time."
"Guy, get out of my lab." Maura said fiercely. "Or I will have you thrown out."
He leaned in close, "My god you are gorgeous when you're angry, stunning actually Maura, absolutely stunning." He moved in very close so it was a whisper when he spoke. "I want you Maura. I want you and I will have you. It is just a matter of time. We belong together. Your family knows mine and we have a history together. You will see it soon." He pushed back a step as he felt the approach Maura's assistant.
"My men will stay right where they are because I want to know that you are looked after every second of the day." Gisborne didn't hold back this time and he reached out and touched Maura's hair and then let out a deep masculine chuckle as she slapped the hand away. He moved away slowly but said over his shoulder, "By the way Dr. Isles the assistant mayor's office is very happy with your work. Next year's funding should be no problem for you if my people don't find anything out of the ordinary. I am sure if they do we can work something out. You and Ms. Chang there have a good day."
There was silence in the lab and then Maura said quietly, "Thank you Susie." She had felt her assistant move up behind her as Guy's behavior had become more and more inappropriate. "That man is…"
"An asshole." Susie said before she could stop herself. Quickly recovering the ME assistant said, "I will uncover the bodies so we can continue." Taking a few steps she added quickly, "Dr. Isles, I left your tea on your desk if you need a drink." Given the escape opportunity, Maura turned and moved into her office. Hiding the tears of frustration and fear on her face she fell into her chair, her legs trembling so much they could no longer support her.
It was late into the day, almost early evening when Frankie and Scarlet made it back down to the lab. The door flew open and as usual Scarlet was in the lead, "Hey Susie, Frankie missed you." The jovial shout was followed by a rushed conversation between the three friends. The mood of the group settled quickly and Maura knew that her assistant had shared about the encounter with Gisborne. There was a soft knock on the door and Frankie came in and plopped down on the little sofa.
"Maura, I gotta tell you, this sofa is terrible. You need a new one." The young man's face was smiling but it didn't touch his eyes. His eyes were filled with worry. "You okay or do I need to talk to Tommy and find some old buddies to…" Maura was touched but terrified that he had said something so careless out loud. Seeing the look on her face he added quickly, "to play softball with. It always calms you down." She rolled her eyes at him.
"Do you have anything for me to look at." She asked seeing the folder next to him on her uncomfortable couch.
"I do and we have a bit of a problem." He said with a grin and a look so like his sister when she was on the case it was scary.
Maura pulled the documents into her hand, "What's the problem."
"Too many bodies." He said. He pointed to a section of the document that showed the count of the individuals on the flight, "Says here we had two pilots, one duty officer and a last minute passenger, a female named 'Sox' by the look of this sloppy scrawl. Last count from you and the forensic team we have five bodies. Maybe the one in the truck was not from the plane originally but if he was that's one too many."
"That's not the only problem." Added Maura as she ran a finger over the hand written notes that were scrawled on the margin of the paper. Frankie looked up with a questioning expression, "One of the bodies we should have is supposed to be a female. We only have males."
With a yell, the whole group piled into Maura's office sharing a rapid repeat of what they had put together. "We need to see the footage before the plane blew up." said Susie and then straightened quickly as she looked to see the reactions of the others.
"Would love to give that to you, Susie." smiled Scarlet at her wide-eyed friend. "But strangely enough the cameras in those particular hangers were not working that night." The mumbled voices filled the room as everyone voiced their dismay at that bit of information. "We only have long distance views of the situation and it's not much."
"Can we pull it up anyway?" asked Maura. There was a nod and then a request to use the ME's keyboard. A few quick minutes of pounded keys had the footage up on the screen. It was a long way from the crime scene. They watched the whole film and nothing really stood out. "Can I save this file to my desktop?" Maura asked.
"No problem Doc. I'll do you one better. I'm shooting it to your phone so you can take it home." The stocky red head grinned. "Because that is where we are all heading including you Dr. Isles. We are waiting for you to pack up and then seeing you home." Maura opened her mouth to say something but was cut off. "Not staying late tonight Doc so don't you argue." Scarlet got the last word.
The small group left Maura to close down her office and double check the lab. Susie held the door and the four of them walked out together. They reached the parking garage and none of them were really surprised to see the Gisborne Security Car parked off to the side. Frankie said in an overly cheerful voice, "I need to spend some time with Ma. Night girls, I will follow Dr. Isles home." He waved at Scarlet who walked Susie to her car only a few spaces down from Maura's.
"Until tomorrow group." Scarlet yelled and she walked to the end of the row and got in her car. They all drove out in a row and then split for their destinations. Frankie, good to his word, followed Maura home and then walked her to the door. Well aware of the black sedan across the street, he was so angry when they got to the door he was shaking.
"Sis…ah Maura," he blushed at his mistake. "This isn't right. We have got to do something." He took the key from her hand and undid the lock for them to enter.
"Good you're home." Came the call from the kitchen, "And look what a handsome man you dragged with you." Angela called from the kitchen. "We are eating together tonight, I waited for you. Go get settled and then I will serve."
Maura went to put up her things but Frankie blocked her path. She sighed and placed a hand on his arm, "I know Frankie but Guy has his people everywhere. His company is totally entrenched at the mayor's office. They are like a virus that has spread everywhere. You already tried talking to Brewer and that didn't work. Internal affairs just said they appreciated the information and will look into it when they have time. With the elections coming up no councilman wants to be involved in a scandal. The only option might be the press, but we have no really evidence of Guy's wrong doings."
"You could press harassment charges against the man." Growled Frankie, "Susie told us what happened. Maura I know that this is not the first time he has…"
"I can handle Guy. We have a history. I can handle him." Maura said with more confidence than she felt.
Frankie rolled his eyes, "Damn stubborn, just like Jane." He pulled Maura close and kissed her on the head. "Just like Jane."
"Are you two done mumbling or do I need to eat alone." said a worried sounding Angela.
"No Ma we are not mumbling we are talking about how hungry we are, let's eat." Frankie smiled at his mother and pulled her into a tight hug. They all sat down to a nice meal and pleasant conversation.
After the dishes, Frankie walked Angela to the guesthouse and Maura locked the door and set the alarm. She fed and talked to Bass. The tortoise was a very good listener as several large leafy greens were ripped apart and consumed during the conversation. Maura poured a glass of wine, and then relaxed on her sofa pulling a blanket over her. Moving to turn on the television she found her phone was jabbing her in the hip. She reached around and pulled it out of her pocket, moving to place it on the coffee table when it slipped out of her grip and fell on the floor. With a soft moan, Maura leaned over and grabbed the thing to find it was running the video clip that Scarlet had pulled to her phone. She was about to stop it when something caught her eye. Sitting up quickly she rewound the clip and played it again. Then she did it again.
Redirecting her phone to place a call, the doctor said quickly, "Hi Frankie it's me. I was checking over the film clip." She had to wait while he gave her a hard time about not relaxing. "No now listen, there is a shadow form running away from a baggage cart a minute or two after the explosion." Now she had to wait as the young man's voice was excited. "We need that cart. Forensics needs to run prints on the bags and the frame. Whoever that was witnessed the whole thing or possibly was part of what happened." The young man ended the call to follow up, she was sure that Scarlet and Frankie would be on the lead tonight.
"Good," said Maura out loud to herself, "Let's talk to our witness. It should be an interesting story if nothing else." With a second check of all her windows and doors, the alarm system and a peek at the porch light glowing in front of the guest house Maura turned in for the night.