"Falling Stars"

Chapter 4 – The Director

After the detectives walk back to Police Headquarters, Stillman is left outside the courthouse with DA Brown and ADA Kite. Being a man of few words but straightforward actions, he makes a special effort to gather all the inner strength he can to put up with this politics bullshit. Adulation, favors and small (but hardly innocent) talk are his worst enemies, so the upcoming lunch with Brown and Kite is hardly an attractive prospect.

"Say, Lieutenant. Shall we go to lunch? My treat," Brown asks, a smile plastered to his face.

"Well," Stillman says. "I actually already had a snack with my detectives, but I'll be more than pleased to join you."

"Then please do," Kite says. "Have a drink, at least." While Stillman doesn't know exactly what went on between Kite and Lilly, the indirect offer of friendship doesn't make him comfortable.

"Of course," Stillman says. It's not like he has much of a choice, anyway.

XXXXX

The place chosen was a nice, slightly uptown restaurant not far from the courthouse. It was filled with men and women in suits, indicating it was a place famous among business people.

The three men get a table and sit down. A waiter comes to their table, handing them the menus. "Can I get you drinks, gentlemen?"

"Two scotches for us here," Brown answers, pointing to him and Kite, who nods, and then to Stillman. "Lieutenant, you join us?"

"I'll have water, please," Stillman says to the waiter. After the young man leaves to get their drinks, Stillman explains, "Still on duty."

"Of course, Lieutenant," Brown replies. "I always forget that days in Homicide don't exactly have a schedule."

"Shall we begin discussing your new plans for routine work between the Police and the DA's office?" Stillman cuts straight to the point.

"Oh, yes," Brown begins, taking a sip of his scotch. "You see, Lieutenant – may I call you John?" Stillman nods, and Brown goes on, "You see, John, the biggest problem the DA's office has been facing is the weak investigating. Evidence leading to reasonable doubt, witnesses whose accounts don't match... that sort of thing."

"Well, it's the ADA's job to prevent these cases from going to trial, isn't it?" Stillman asks, remembering Kite's reaction at the outcome of the Lincoln case a few months earlier.

"We're not saying we're not going to do our jobs, but some cracks only show up in court," Kite answers, and Stillman is sure he got the point.

"What we want," Brown cuts in. "Is an increase in efficiency. Cases with solid investigations have easier and quicker prosecutions." He pauses, raising his glass to take a drink. "And, above all, we need to stop useless investigations."

"What do you mean?" Stillman raises an eyebrow, suspicious.

"John, don't take this the wrong way," Brown begins. "But your cold case team is the best spot a detective could ask for." He laughs. "I mean, time isn't a problem—there are no reporters breathing down your neck and most physical evidence is already gone, so what's the hurry?"

Stillman takes a few seconds to choose the words he'll use in this moment. "I think you've got it all wrong, counselor. Every day that passes with those cases still unsolved, is one more day of Police inefficiency, one more day we're letting a murderer get away." His blood is boiling, but he's completely under control. "Time is our worst problem."

Brown now goes off friendly mode. "I need your detectives to work on the line 90 of the time, at least."

"70," Stillman offers immediately, knowing he'll need to compromise if he doesn't want to lose the battle.

"Ok," Brown replies, but Stillman knows there's more to come. "But all investigations for cases 3 or more years old will need to be approved by the Chief Inspector." Stillman is stunned, and preparing an answer, when Brown quickly adds, "The Deputy Commissioner has already given his approval of this policy. I discussed it with him earlier."

Stillman looks Brown right in the eye. "I reserve my right to discuss it with him as well." He gets up from the chair, not allowing Brown to hold him back. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I'm needed at the office."

DA Brown and ADA Kite are left at the table, not exchanging a word. Brown looks satisfied, while Kite has a shadow of discomfort across his face.

XXXXX

About half an hour later, Stillman storms into the office, where the detectives are sitting around waiting for him. His way of storming in, however, is completely Stillman-like: serious, tense, heavy footsteps, but no sign of emotional commotion. "Sorry for leaving you guys on your own today," he says as way of greeting.

"So, how was the lunch with the new DA, Boss?" Lilly says, offering him the best smile she can – which right now is not a very convincing one.

"We discussed a few things, but most topics still need to be ironed out," Stillman answers, and that sentence is enough to make the detectives understand the subject is to be left alone for now. And to leave them with a knot in their stomachs. At the detectives' silence, Stillman goes on, "How were the interviews today?"

"Fine," Lilly begins. "Scotty and I talked to Jill's mom, Nick and Will saw Jill's husband."

"Any promising leads?" Stillman asks, sitting on the edge of Scotty's desk.

"The mother says Jill was a big hit, and had a lot of envious people around her," Scotty answers.

"Did she point out anyone specifically?" Stillman asks.

"Yeah, one of the supporting actresses on the play," Scotty answers. "Paris McDonald. Alice overheard her threatening Jill a couple of weeks before she was killed." Stillman nods, and Scotty adds, "But the mother claims she didn't think the whole discussion was a big deal. She doesn't seem to know much about what went on with her daughter."

Stillman, Lilly and Scotty turn their attention to Nick and Will. Nick takes his cue and begins, "Husband told us some pretty interesting things. Seems like the director was terrified with the possibility of Jill leaving the play."

"She was thinking about leaving?" Lilly asks, surprised, remembering how Alice talked about Jill's success and her satisfaction with the play. It seems she really didn't know much about her daughter – or she was hiding something.

"That's rather unclear, actually," Will answers. "Her husband had a job offer in L.A., but he claims she wasn't going with him."

"They were going to split up?" Scotty asks.

"According to him, they already had," Vera says.

The detectives digest the information for a few moments. Lilly and Scotty are surprised Alice didn't mention the possibility of Jill leaving the play. "Did the husband say why the director was so worried about Jill leaving?" Lilly asks.

"He believes it was sponsor pressure, but he has nothing to support that opinion," Will answers.

"Let's hold on here. We still have too little to go on to make any assumptions," Stillman points out. "Who's next on the list?"

"We're not sure yet, Boss," Lilly begins.

"Lilly wants to visit Jill's best friend first," Scotty cuts in. "I think the director is promising enough for a visit as soon as possible."

"Jill's mother said the best friend knew everything about Jill," Lilly defends her point. "The girls knew each other since high school."

"This best friend is the person you asked us to locate, Boss?" Vera asks, searching for a piece of paper in his desk.

"Yeah, Kelly Simpson," Lilly answers, interested, walking up to Vera.

"She lives in Maine now," Vera says, reading from the paper, "In a town called Hampden."

"Never heard of it," Scotty says.

"It's in the middle of nowhere, it seems," Vera replies, with a smirk. "And she left Philly 3 months after Jill's murder. Pretty interesting, if you ask me."

"Maine?" Will cuts in, looking thoughtful. The other detectives turn to him. "Peter Campbell said his wife traveled to Maine this morning."

"Could be just a coincidence," Scotty shrugs.

"Or not," Stillman says. "Nick, Will, you look into what Campbell's wife is doing in Maine. If there's something more than a coincidence there, we'd better know before visiting Kelly." Nick and Will nod, and Stillman says to Lilly and Scotty, "You go visit Charlie Vaughn tomorrow." He sighs, and says to the detectives, "But all tomorrow. We've had enough for today. Good night." The detectives nod and start picking up their stuff. Lilly is interrupted by Stillman, who says, "Lil, I need to see you in my office before you go."

XXXXX

Lilly follows Stillman into his office. The other detectives have already left, all curious to know if Stillman would spill anything about his talk with the DA to Lilly. The nature of their talk, however, is very different. "What's up, Boss?" Lilly asks, entering the room. Stillman sits the down and points a chair, so Lilly sits down as well.

"What happened today?" Stillman asks.

"My mother," Lilly answers, looking down. "One of those emergencies. But everything is under control now."

"I'm not scolding you, Lilly," Stillman replies, with a paternal smile. "But I need to know what's going on."

Lilly sighs. "I have to find her a new home. A more specialized one." She pauses for a few seconds. "She had an outburst today, and they won't keep her anymore."

Stillman nods. "Do you already have any places in mind?"

"Yeah, the head nurse gave me a few recommendations," Lilly answers, faking a reassuring smile. "It's no big deal."

Stillman notices she's dying to cut the conversation short. "You know you can take all the time you need."

Lilly nods. "Thanks, Boss. But I won't need to take any time off work." She gets up. "Anything else?"

Stillman shakes his head, "No, good night."

"Good night," Lilly answers, and Stillman is sure she was lying. How could she expect him to believe this wasn't a big deal? She had never taken off for two hours for a personal emergency before...

XXXXX

Early the next day, Lilly and Scotty go off to visit Charlie Vaughn. They had called him and he had grumpily agreed to talk to them in a cafeteria near the Arden Theatre, but it had to be immediately. "I wonder why this guy is so cranky when it comes to this investigation," Scotty says.

"From what I hear, he's cranky about everything," Lilly replies. "Plus, I heard he was the one who had to make all the funeral arrangements for Jill, because Alice had an emotional breakdown. Maybe it gets to him. He saw the girl being born and grow up."

Scotty laughs, "Well, so did her mother. And I'm sure their connection was way stronger."

Lilly shrugs. "Let's find out then," she says, as they enter the cafeteria. Charlie is already there.

"Thanks for meeting us, Mr. Vaughn," Lilly says, as they sit down in front of him.

"Don't worry," Charlie answers, always in a vexed tone of voice. "I know you need to do this, and I don't want to stand in your way." He takes a sip of his coffee. "Don't want you to think I have something to hide, either."

"That's good, Mr. Vaughn," Scotty replies. "Thanks for your collaboration."

"Let's go straight to the point," Lilly begins. "Peter Campbell told us you were extremely worried at the possibility of Jill leaving the play."

"Yeah, Alice told me Peter had gotten a job offer in L.A.," Charlie relates. "A soap-opera role, I believe. And that she was worried Jill might leave Philadelphia to go after him." He pauses, and goes on, "Now, I have no idea if Jill actually told her she was leaving, or if it was just an impression. Either way, I was worried."

"Why?" Scotty asks.

"I don't know if you've read any newspapers from 1992," Charlie begins. "But Jill was just... everywhere. The public had fallen completely in love with her. She was very charismatic."

"Was there any pressure from the sponsors to keep her on the play?" Lilly asks, testing Peter Campbell's theory.

"No," Charlie answers. "Our sponsor wanted profits. Full house. Whoever was responsible for drawing the public, they didn't really care."

"Why all the stress, then? Was Jill irreplaceable?" Lilly asks.

"Not to my eyes," Charlie answers sarcastically. "But to her mother's eyes, surely."

"So Alice was pressuring you?" Scotty asks, surprised with the revelation.

Charlie sighs. "How confidential are these talks?" he asks.

"We don't disclose our sources unless it's completely necessary," Lilly replies.

"Fine," Charlie says. "Anyway, I don't care anymore."

Flashback to 1992

Charlie is in one of the theater seats, reading a script and making notes. The theater is empty and silent, and Charlie seems concentrated on what he's doing. Alice walks up to him, worried. "She's leaving us, Charlie," she blurts out.

"What?" Charlie raises his head.

"Peter got a job offer in L.A. I heard it through some friends in the TV networks. It's the job of a lifetime, he's certainly taking it," Alice explains, pacing the corridor between the seats.

"How do you Jill is going, too?" Charlie asks, still not making a big deal out of the situation.

"Everything fits," Alice replies. "She has been distant lately. Full of secrets with Kelly, making phone calls and hanging up whenever I go near."

"If Jill was really planning to take off, she wouldn't leave us in the dark," Charlie says, shaking his head. "Besides, it would be a very stupid move, career-wise. She's not famous outside Philly, and I'm sure she doesn't want to live in Peter's shadow." He turns back to his script.

"Charlie, you have to talk to him," Alice orders. "Peter can do whatever he wants, but Jill has to stay. I can't get involved because Jill would never forgive me, but you can."

"Alice," Charlie says, starting to get irritated. "I can't tell your daughter what to do." He gets up, knowing he won't get any more work done now. "Besides, you know I think Jill is too technically immature to play a leading role."

"She's doing a good job, you acknowledged that," Alice replies.

"Yeah, for a girl in her first acting job," Charlie retorts. "But there are people in this cast who could do better."

"Look, Charlie, we're not having this discussion again," Alice says. "And, in case I haven't made myself clear, what I want is for you to tell Peter Jill isn't going to L.A. with him." She pauses, eyeing him sardonically. "Or do you want me to tell every producer in L.A. how you took money from my plays' profits for over 10 years, to support your gambling problems? No other employer would have been as understanding as I was."

"You were understanding because you knew I had a serious problem," Charlie replies, stunned that Alice could be using that against him. "And I have paid you back every penny."

"Whatever, Charlie," Alice says, leaving the room. "Just take care of it."

Back to 2005

"And so I did," Charlie concludes.

Lilly and Scotty share a glance, knowing Charlie can't possibly be the victim he's making himself out to be. "So, this was all Alice's doing," Lilly says to Charlie.

"Look, I'm no saint," Charlie replies quickly. "I did what she wanted because I had to. But the truth is, I didn't think she had anything to worry about."

"You said you didn't think Jill was the best choice for the lead," Scotty points out.

"Yeah, I thought Paris McDonald was a much more skilled actress," Charlie says. He reflects for a second, and adds, "On the other hand, she had no real passion for the art. It always seemed to be something personal between the two of them."

"You ever hear Paris threatening Jill?" Lilly asks.

"No," Charlie shakes his head. "But I wouldn't doubt it. You see, Jill, Paris and that other girl – Kelly Simpson - they had known each other for years. Even if Jill and Kelly couldn't stand Paris, they frequented the same circles." He finishes his coffee. "You probably know from your files Jill had some wild years."

"How much do you know about that?" Scotty asks.

"I had to bail her out of trouble a couple of times. But I chose not to get involved much, even though I cared about the girl," he answers. "I know this may sound harsh, but I had my own problems. And she did seem to pull herself together afterwards."

"Why do you think she was killed, then?" Lilly asks, sure this guy knows something he's not giving away.

"Honestly, I don't know," Charlie shrugs. "There was one thing Alice said that I agreed with, though." He pauses, wondering if the detectives will pose the obvious question, but their direct looks are enough. "Jill was hiding something. She was worried about something way more serious than moving to another city."

XXXXX

To be continued...

XXXXX

Author's note: The info on the hierarchy of the Philadelphia Police Department was taken from this page: www . ppdonline . org / ops / opsorgchartdet.php (just erase the spaces).

Thanks: to my beta-reader, Joutsensydn; and to my reviewers Snow Ivy, Shy 9, myril and peach-fan14. Thanks so much guys, and sorry for the delay. I hope it was worth it!