"Hey Ema." The officer let him into the detective's office.
"That will be all officer." She munched the snackoo. "Next time Mr Justice calls, just let him straight in."
"Of course Detective Skye." The man chuckled as Apollo took the seat opposite Ema's desk.
"Hi Apollo. Got what I wanted?" Apollo produced the sheet from his pocket.
"He's a nice guy. Clever too, think he figured you sent me."
"Isn't he just." She mumbled as she chewed the next snackoo. Only got half an hour before Apollo leaves. He always leaves before lunch. "Hm…so what now?"
"I can do a little research for you if you'd like." Apollo offered.
"On what exactly?"
"I dunno, you tell me. I'm working for you here, not the other way around." Apollo snatched her bottle of water from the desk and gulped some of it down.
"Leave me some!" She threw the snackoo at him, making him yelp and lower the bottle. "I'm not sure for now. I can call you if I think of something later though."
"Uh, sure." He rubbed his head where the snackoo had hit him. "I'll be off then."
He rose from the chair and began to walk towards the door. A firm grip on his wrist stopped him from grabbing the handle. Ema spun him around and pushed him against the door.
"How are you expecting me and Lana to pay you exactly?"
"I don't expect Lana to pay me anything." He pulled his wrists away. "As for you, we can talk about my terms later."
He stepped out onto the street when his cellphone began to buzz in his pocket.
"Hello?"
"Apollo, I'm sorry about calling you." Leia spoke softly.
"How'd you get my number?"
"One of your business cards fell out your pocket." She replied hastily. "You couldn't do me a favour could you?"
"Depends what."
"I was supposed to meet Joanna for dinner but I'm kinda busy at the office so can you go instead?"
"Sure I guess so, does she know I'm going?" He asked as he fiddled with the red scarf around his neck.
"I'm planning on making it a surprise. Head on down to the Wallflower."
"Alright. Thanks Leia." He slid the phone back into his pocket of his usual red suit.
He entered the familiar restaurant and the scent of the Argentinean and Italian foods caused his stomach to growl.
"Can I help you sir?" The girl in the black uniform asked.
"I'm looking for someone. Do you mind if I go ahead?"
"No of course." She signalled to the restaurant.
"Apollo!" Joanna's oldest daughter – a nine year old girl called Gwen saw his familiar hair.
"Gwen! Apollo can't be here."
"Really? Well I'll just head on off then." He chuckled.
"Apollo!" She hugged him so tight he felt the air sucked from him. She was only fourteen years older than the young gentleman – making her thirty six. She had four children by two different fathers. Gwen the nine year old was the oldest, her and her younger brother the six year old Adam were fathered by one man. After Joanna and their father split up she met back up with her high school sweetheart they got engaged just before Apollo left to go to law school and they too had a child – a four year old called Brendon.
"You got yourself another kid?" He didn't notice the tiny girl in the high chair.
"Yup, that's our youngest girl – the fourth one called Tess." The baby giggled at the sound of her mother's voice.
"Aren't you cute!" He chuckled. "Leia sent me, she can't come so she asked me to come instead."
"I dunno, you and her are both very busy." She chuckled. "I'll pay for you. My treat."
"Oh…thanks, you don't have to though."
"How long has it been since the accident?" She tugged Apollo's scarf revealing the wounds.
"Ten years now." Apollo took a mouthful of the cola.
"I still can't believe I blamed Leia…"
"That was all in the past. Look at me now. I'm doing great – Leia made up for her mistakes anyway." Apollo looked at the engagement ring on her finger. "Aren't you married yet?"
"I always said I wanted you to go to the wedding as well so we never got round to it. We sorted the wedding to be in a couple of months." The brunette smiled softly as she handed the bottle to the small baby. "You're free to come as well."
"I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!" Gwen chanted.
"Wow you must be really excited and thanks." He watched as the food was put in front of them. The children all had box standard children's meals, Joanna had ordered fresh salmon and gave some of the chips to the toddler, Apollo chose to have pasta in Argentinean sauce.
"What about you anyway?" She smiled as she began to eat.
"You mean my relationship? I don't have one. I'm single." Apollo took another mouthful of his drink.
"Apollo will you cut up my food for me?" Adam handed him the plate.
"Sure pal." He cut the food up.
"You really seriously don't have a girlfriend!?" Joanna sounded shocked.
"Why does everyone react like that? No I don't." Apollo was getting tired of people sounding so shocked – he thought it was natural he didn't have a girlfriend – he wasn't that handsome (at least that's what he thought).
"Sorry, it's just…you're quite the matchmaker and the romanticist."
"I can't believe you still remember that." Apollo sighed. It was true, he was good at getting people together and was incredibly romantic at heart.
His cellphone began to ring as he finished his food.
"Excuse me…" He pulled the red device from his pocket. "Hello?"
"Hey it's Ema." She was busily munching snackoos on the other side of the line. "Can I ask you a favour?"
"Sure."
"I need you to do a little research into the past of Angel. I hear one of her exes has some quite vivid things to stay about her."
"What do you mean vivid?" He asked as he finished the last mouthful.
"Are you eating? Sorry." She continued to munch the calorie filled snacks. "Seems she has quite colourful relationships and she was with this guy before Jake."
"She started dating Jake eleven years ago. I doubt I can get much information."
"But she was dating this guy as well when she started going out with Jake. A little sneaky really." She made a disapproving sound.
"Uh sure. I'll finish dinner then get on it if you'd like."
"Thanks."
"You seem busy." She chuckled. The busy body boy she remembered had grown into a very organised young man.
"Oh I'm helping a detective friend of mine is all." He smiled.
"A woman, a detective Skye perhaps?" She chuckled.
"How'd you know that?"
"I saw her name written in the paper when I was reading an article on you."
He saw the woman off before running to the nearest library. He knew where to look for his information and immediately logged onto a computer. He wasn't proud of the fact that he knew how to access people's most intimate details but with his best friends being a prosecutor, detective and ex-prosecutor (Lana) he had picked these sites up.
Name: Dr/Mr Neil Chambers
Age: 45
Profession: Doctor, St Nicholas' hospital
He copied only that information. He figured the rest was a little too intimate – going into lurid detail about how far he'd gone within relationships. Financial status even if he had any bad habits.
He stayed in the library for a while. Taking an active interest in a book the youngest librarian – a good friend of his offered him. It was a crime book based upon one of the cases – namely the Meraktis case. He read the first few chapters before logging off the computer.
"Can I borrow this?" He asked.
"Sure." He gave her the library card which usually gathered dust in the back of his wallet and caught a bus back to the precinct.
He expected the precinct to be dead but instead it was a flurry of activity before he even got through the door. He could see Jake outside the door.
"Mr Marshall, what's going off?" He asked.
"Howdy there cowboy, if I was you I'd think about jumpin' in that bush if I were you."
"Why?"
"'ppears my bambina's had a complaint off one o' them officers. Not your bambina by the way." He lifted the rim of his hat.
"My bambina? Do you mean Ema?" The cowboy nodded. "She isn't my girlfriend!"
"Well anyway. Angel's the sorta bambina who don't take complaints. She lashed out at that officer." He looked up towards the window of the second floor. "Takin' quite a few people to sort her out n' all." His eyes became fixed on the door. "Get in the bush quick deputy." He pushed Apollo hard into the bush.
He could see the blood stain on Ema's lab coat as she forced to make the woman exit. Jake was trying to keep the delirious and somewhat psychotic woman calm. She's got quite a habit of over-reacting I see…
