Chapter 4.

Kris and Kelly sat at a table in their favourite restaurant, both reading the menu deciding their lunchtime meal. The restaurant was busy around them, the room humming with other people's conversations.

'Ladies are you ready to order?' A short, dark haired young waiter asked his notepad in hand. The two Angels kept their heads down finalising their decision.

'I'll have the chicken salad please and a glass of water.' Kelly smiled to the young man, closing her menu.

'And for you ma'am?' He turned to Kris, pencil poised.

'I will have the same, thanks.' Kris smiled closing and handing her menu to the young man who nodded and quickly walked away. The Angels sat peacefully for a moment in thought when Kris spoke. 'Do we really need another detective to join us Kel?'

'I was just wondering the same thing.' Kelly smiled leaning across the table slightly towards Kris. 'But you know what Charlie will say.' Kelly sighed playing with the fork by her hand.

'That three is the magic number and safe number, a team number.' Kris sighed sitting back folding her arms across her chest.

'Exactly. So we'd better just find a new partner and start again.' Kelly sighed looking out towards the window for a moment.

'Is everything OK Kel?' Kris asked looking closely at her friend's reaction. 'You've seemed a little distracted lately.' Kelly turned to Kris smiling at her briefly before looking down to her hand that was fiddling with the fork.

'Everything's fine Kris, just had a couple of night's of unsettled sleep that's all.'

'What's on your mind to keep you awake?' Kris leaned across the table as she spoke. Kelly shrugged her shoulders as their waiter arrived with a jug of water. 'Kelly?' Kris pushed as the waiter finished filling their glasses with water.

'Honestly Kris, everything's fine, nothing to worry about.' Kelly smiled picking up her glass of water and drinking from it. Kris sat back not believing her friend but letting it go, for now.

Back at the racetrack Cate rushed to the side where the others had gathered, all looking out to Jill's car. Cate watched as her friend sped around the track, nothing looked out of the ordinary Cate thought, until she came to the bend of the track. Cate moved to where the track crew were situated.

'Has Jill got her cans on?' Cate asked her eyes still on her friend's car speeding around the track. Without answering a crewmember handed Cate a headset, putting it on Cate positioned its microphone. 'Hey Speed Angel, what's going on are you scaring the boy into good grades?' Cate asked trying to keep things light, not wanting to alarm those watching any more than they already were.

'You know me Wild Cat, I like to shock them into learning.' Jill continued the banter trying not to panic her young passenger.

'How serious is it Jill, can you break?' Cate asked walking further away from the young people watching nervously at the track.

'Nope.' Jill answered navigating the large bend in the track.

'OK, your still picking up speed, is the accelerator stuck?'

'Certainly seems to be.' Cate could hear the strain in Jill's voice, the car was getting harder for her to hold and control.

'No way of fixing it yourselves?' Cate knew the answer before Jill answered but had to ask any way.

'No to that Wild Cat, thoughts?' Jill asked as she settled on the long straight of the track where the car was picking up more speed.

'You're not gonna like it.' Cate said as she stopped and looked out to her friend's speeding car.

'Open the trap.' Jill stated. Cate turned to the track team and pointed to them to open the run off gravel pit for the racecar to run through, hopefully slow it down.

'Alright Jill take the trap on your next lap.' Cate said watching her friend drive.

'OK, Cate?'

'Yeah Jill?'

'Stay on mics with me until this is done OK.' Cate could hear the strain and fear in her friend's voice. She knew the fear was more for the safety of her young passenger than for herself so needed help to stay calm throughout.

'I'm not going anywhere Speed Angel, you now how to do this just like Europe, remember?'

'Which time?' Jill asked Cate could hear the smirk on Jill's face.

'The last time.' Cate smiled to herself, she heard Jill laugh a little to herself. 'How's Jimmy doing?' Cate asked of the young passenger.

'You're doing just fine right Jimmy?' Jill asked out loud not taking her eyes off the track. Jimmy didn't respond as he held on tightly to whatever he could as the car sped along. 'He's fine Cate.'

'Right OK, you're coming up to the exit Jill. I'll meet you there in a few.' Cate said as she climbed into the back of the crew's pick up truck.

Jill took the exit off of the track running the car through a wide-open space filled with gravel. The loose stones worked as the car began to slow down. Jill knocked the car into neutral, holding the steering wheel as firmly as she could as the wheels buried into the gravel, finally the car coming to a halt. Once certain the car had stopped Jill drop her hands from the steering wheel and let out a long breath, she didn't even realise she was holding.

'Jimmy you OK?' Jill asked as she took off her helmet, shaking her hair out. Jimmy turned to her, his eyes wide.

'Can we do it again?' Jimmy asked. Jill laughed slapping the top of his crash helmet.

'Jill!' Cate called out, Jill saw her running towards the car with the rest of the team. 'You two OK?' Jill put her arm out the window giving them the thumbs up.

'Come on kid, let's show them we're still alive in here.' Jill said as she began to unbuckle then climb out of the car, Jimmy following suit. Cate was beside Jill by the time she had climbed out of the car.

'You sure you're OK?' Cate asked placing her hand on Jill's shoulder.

'Now we've stopped I'm fine.' Jill smiled tossing her crash helmet to Cate. 'Now I'd like to know how it happened.'

'That's something we'd all like to know. Come on let's let the guys get the car back in and we can check it then.' Cate said leading Jill away; they looked across to Jimmy who was surrounded by his friends as he told them of the ride. 'You know I think you made his day.' Cate smiled, Jill nodded laughing as they walked back to the main building. 'You sure you're OK?' Cate asked looking Jill over carefully.

'Cate stopping asking, I said I'm fine and I am. Quit worrying.' Jill smiled shoving Cate slightly as they walked back into the main building.

Walking back through to her office Cate placed Jill's helmet down on the coffee table as Jill sat down on the sofa beside it. Cate took her place behind her desk again.

'Jill!' Amy called out as she rushed into the room. Jill looked up to the young woman. 'Are you all right, are you hurt?' Amy crashed down beside Jill on the sofa.

'I'm fine Amy, really, all's fine.' Jill promised placing her hands on Amy's shoulders forcing the young woman to calm down. Amy let out a heavy sigh of relief.

'As long as you're sure.' Amy said smiling.

'I am, I really am.' Jill promised shooting a look across to Cate who was head down in files again.

'I'd better get back to what I was doing then, unless, is there anything you want? Drink, food, anything?'

'Really Amy, I'm fine you go on back to work. Cate and I have some things to go through anyway and look at the car when the boys bring it in.' Hearing her name Cate looked up at the two women, Jill looking to her for confirmation.

'Right, that's right.' Cate said quickly, catching up with Jill. 'We've got some things, paperwork to go over and then the car so you should probably carry on with what you were doing Amy, like you said.' Cate smiled, lacing her fingers together as she leaned across the files on her desk.

Amy looked to Cate with an eyebrow raised. 'Uh, huh, right.' Amy said before turning her attention to Jill again. 'Just give me a shout if you need anything.' Amy stood and left the office, Jill following slowly and closing Cate's office door after Amy was gone.

'You know, I really don't think she likes me very much.' Cate smirked pointing to where Amy had just walked away.

'She'll get used to you, eventually.' Jill smiled leaning back against the door. 'So what paperwork are you talking about?'

'What? Oh! No, nothing, I've barely started I just thought you were looking for excuses for Amy to leave.' Cate said flipping through pages again.

'Well I was, but thought it was worth asking.' Jill sighed flopping down on to the sofa again.

'You want to talk about what just happened on the track?' Cate asked looking to Jill from under her eyebrows as she glanced over more documents.

'It was weird right? I mean the car had been signed off to drive and that should happen?' Jill said confused flipping her hair back over her shoulders.

'It's weird but not unheard of. Have there been any other incidents recently?' Cate asked.

'You going all detective Angel on me?' Jill smiled wickedly.

'No, just concerned friend and business partner.' Cate replied grinning as she sat back in her chair. 'Has everything been OK? You've not mentioned any problems.'

'Because there hasn't been any, not that I'm aware of anyway.' Jill said thoughtfully. 'I'll talk to Max, see if he's noticed anything.'

'I would have thought he would have told you if there was a problem Jill.' Cate suggested.

'Yeah you're right, I guess.' Jill said thoughtfully laying back on the couch.

'You sure you're alright?' Cate asked watching her friend.

'My back might be a little sore.' Jill said stretching on the sofa then running her hands across the small of her back.

'Do you want me to handle the stuff with the car and you go home?' Cate offered with a sympathetic smile.

'No, thanks, any way I don't have a car here remember.'

'Jill there are plenty of cars here. Just don't take mine.' Cate smiled returning to her files. Jill laughed propping herself up on her elbows.

'But your new one is just so pretty. Anyway, I'll wait for you we have dinner with our sisters tonight, remember?' Jill reminded Cate as she lay back down again taking the cushion to the side of her and hugging it.

'Right, yeah, dinner of course.' Cate mumbled immersed in the file in front of her.

'Hey.' Jill called over, Cate looked up expectantly. 'It's good to have you home.' Jill smiled closing her eyes dozing in the peaceful secure surroundings of her friends company. Cate chuckled to herself as she returned to her work.