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Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot and Annie. Even the title is borrowed from Van Morrison.

Italics - Spanish

Some bad words, some violence, and fade into black sex-scenes, nothing too graphic.

Chapter 4. Information time and getting back home

Tank knocked at the door to Hector´s sanctum.

"Enter."

There was a lot of electronics in the room, but everything was very neat and clean. Hector was sitting at a table and looked up when they came in.

"Good morning, Hector."

"Good morning, Annie, Tank."

Tank gave him a nod, and Hector waved them over. He turned the screen towards them, and soon they could see the footage from the night before. It was a bit dark, but you could still see things clear enough. Annie saw herself running towards the door, the footage a little distorted through the glass, and a dark figure trying to catch up to her. When she had to stop to try to get the door open the man behind her grabbed her arm. Somehow she got a grip on his arm, and managed a flip. It looked quite impressive when he sailed towards the door and the camera. You could see the glass breaking, and then the footage continued inside, with Morelli lying on the floor. It must have been Hector´s camera, Annie thought, because most of the footage actually was of Morelli, and he had been the one standing guard over the police officer, while Tank mainly helped her.

"I've talked to the police department. They really want that film, and also said that they were done investigating your apartment. You can go back there today. You just have to go down to the police station to sign your report, and to collect your apartment keys. If you didn't feel up to the police station, Gazarra said we should call him, and he'll bring the key and papers here. He feels he owes you a favor; he really wants to see Morelli slap up against reality for once. Gazarra´s wife is Stephanie´s cousin, and beside that he and Steph have known each other since kindergarten."

"Is there any chance that I will run into Morelli at the station? I really don't want to see him."

"No. He spent the night at the hospital, and he'll be suspended from work. I´m not that thrilled that he´s not in jail waiting for a trial, but he definitely shouldn't be anywhere near the police station."

Hector muttered something in Spanish.

"You mean he´s already out?! What says he won't come looking for me again? It´s twice now, and he doesn't seem to get the fact that I'm not Stephanie. Or he doesn't care, he just keeps on calling me that creepy 'Cupcake". And he knows where I live!"

"Annie. Try to breathe. You're on your way to hyperventilating."

"Don't tell me to calm down! This is unbelievable. A police officer is harassing and stalking me and he just walks away after breaking and entering. I came here to get away from my ex, and now I'm in a new nightmare."

Annie started crying, great heaving sobs. Hector gave Tank a not so subtle kick on the leg and gave him a look and nodded towards Annie.

Tank awkwardly got to his feet. He pulled Annie into his arms and held her.

"It´s OK. He won't come near you again. I promise."

"He won't come near her and live."

Tank raised an eyebrow towards Hector after hearing that.

"Don't try to pretend you won´t make sure he disappears if he comes after her again. And you're not the only one. Both to help Annie and Estefania or any other woman he´ll take to stalking again. He´s not right in his head."

Tank gently tried to soothe Annie. His big hands stroked her back, and he made a rumbling wordless noise. Annie held on to his shirt for a while, then stepped back.

"I hate to feel this out of control. I´m sorry I screamed at you. And cried all over you."

"I´ll repeat it ´til you believe me, Annie. I think you´ve landed in a crazy situation, but you've got nothing to apologize for. Should I call Gazarra and ask him to come here to explain what´s happening?"

"Yes please. And I better make a phone call as well. I forgot to call and say I won´t come to work today."

Hector gave her a phone, and she made a quick call, explaining to the person on the other end that she would be back on Monday.

"I´ll take you to Brown so he can check your back. And I talked to Gazarra, he'll come over."

x x x

Bobby examined her back, and said that it ought to feel much better in a couple of days. The phone rang as Annie was putting on her shirt.

"Brown."

"OK."

He turned to Annie.

"That was Tank. Gazarra´s here, and I´ll take you down to the conference room."

They took the elevator down, and met Gazarra in the reception.

"If it´s OK with you Annie, I´d like to be updated as well," Tank said from behind her.

Annie did a small jump, she hadn't heard him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You have a light step with those big feet," she teased. "And yes, I'm OK with you sitting in."

"Bye, Annie. I´m going back up. See you around."

Annie gave Bobby a quick hug. "Thank you so much for the help. I don't know what would've happened if I didn't have you to call."

They moved to the conference room.

"Here are the papers with your testimony. Start with that, and sign if you're OK with it," Gazarra said.

Annie carefully read through the testimony.

"I'm OK with it."

She signed the papers, and gave them back to Gazarra.

"I'd like a copy."

"You´ll get one in the mail, but if Tank´s OK with it maybe he can get you a copy before I leave."

"I'll see to it," Tank said.

"And now to Morelli. Tank said he´d already told you that Morelli wasn't arrested. What I can do is advise you to file a restraining order, which basically means that he's not allowed to contact you, or be in your vicinity. Well, if they make that a legal decision in the court, of course. But I can't see any reason why they shouldn´t. I thought they would arrest him, or at least not let him out until he´d paid bail. But he's on suspension, and have to go to drug and alcohol counseling."

"Considering all that it seems a bit suspicious that he wasn't put away." Tank turned to Annie.

"Our lawyers will help you with the paperwork."

Gazarra gave her the apartment keys, and left after getting a copy of the testimony for Annie.

"Come on. I'll take you to your apartment."

Annie looked thoughtful.

"There is something strange with this."

She looked at Tank and gave him a smile.

"And yes, I´d like to go back to my apartment. Thank you for taking me. And thanks for everything else."

"You´re welcome."

x x x

When they arrived at the building they saw that the glass of the door already had been repaired.

"It looks like a nice building and neighborhood."

"I like it. I've rented an apartment for half a year; the resident is in California teaching at U.C.L.A. She´s not sure if it will be a permanent position, so she didn't want to move out until she´s certain."

She hesitated.

"You've helped me so much, and I feel like I'm using you and the company, but would you please follow me upstairs until I´ve checked the apartment?"

"Of course. I wasn't planning on just dropping you off in the parking lot."

Annie gave him a smile.

They got out of the car and went inside. The foyer was clean, and smelled faintly of a citrusy cleaner.

"Efficient," Tank said.

"Yes, it has always been clean and well maintained. I´m on the second floor, as you Americans say."

She made a small grimace.

"If I had been any higher up he´d caught me before I´d reached the door."

"And you could have thrown him down the stairs," Tank rumbled. "You did good, and I don't want you second guessing yourself."

They took the stairs. Annie went to the third door in the hallway. The sign on the door just said Ellis, Tank noted. Annie followed his gaze.

"Yes. I don't get much mail, and I haven't even put up a note with my name on it. That's another thing that bothers me. How did he know what apartment I was in?"

"He probably followed you without you noticing, and saw when the lights went on, and could guess in which apartment you were staying. And he wouldn't have been clued in by a note on the door, he doesn't even seem to know your name."

Annie opened the door to the apartment. Tank followed her inside.

"And that somehow makes it even creepier. He doesn't know who I am, or what my name is. I just have curly hair. Hopefully the police have checked if there are other women with this kind of hair that has been harassed."

Tank looked thoughtful.

"I´ll check with Gazarra. He´s been promoted now that Morelli´s on suspension, and frankly, I believe he´s a much better cop."

They checked the apartment, and everything looked OK, just some things slightly out of place.

Tank looked at the door and lock.

"I´d recommend a new lock, but I understand if you don't want to do that when you don't live here permanently. But I`ll help you with a door bolt. Then it won't be possible to force the door open, unless you splinter the whole thing. I´ve got one in the car, I´ll be right back."

He fetched the door bolt, and had it in place ten minutes later. He demonstrated it to Annie.

"How much do I owe you and Rangeman?"

"The door bolt´s just a spare one, and as for anything concerning Morelli it's on the house. We definitely owe that to Stephanie."

Annie silently looked at him for half a minute.

"I´ve been told that I have a problem with accepting gifts. I'd feel better if I at least could pay for the door bolt. And then maybe I could offer you dinner? I could return all the clothes and the shoes at the same time."

Tank hesitated.

"Would it be just a thank you-dinner? I´d like to take you out on a date if you…"

As dark as his skin was Annie could see a blush, as he stumbled on his words.

"I´d like that. But I meant it, I do want to thank you with a dinner."

"This will sound like a really dinosaur thing, but I wouldn't be comfortable with you paying."

"It does sound a bit old fashioned. But I think I have a solution; I´ll cook you dinner, and afterwards maybe we could go to the movies or something?"

"That sounds like a really good compromise. I´m working night shifts two more days."

"Then, would you like to come to dinner on Sunday?"

Tank gave her a big smile. "I'd love to. What time?"

"Did you want to go the movies?"

"I'm off work Sunday to Tuesday, how about you cook lunch, and then we'll see if we're going to the movies or to the park or anything else."

"Sounds good. See you on Sunday at one o'clock then."

They exchanged phone numbers, and then it was time for Tank to leave. They were both a bit awkward, and then Annie huffed a little, stood on her tiptoes and gave him a rather chaste kiss on the lips. Tank enveloped her in his arms and turned up the heat quite a bit.

"Yeah, see you on Sunday," he said with a grin and left. When he shut the door behind him Annie heard him say.

"Don't forget to engage the door bolt when you're at home."