Andie slapped Abe's hand away irritably as he tickled her ear for the third time, swearing at him to leave her the fuck alone.
"We gotta go," he told her, drumming the back of her neck to piss her off. "Sasha's waiting on us, and I ain't spending the night on the couch. It's sex night."
"I don't want to hear about your sex life," she muttered, ducking her head, "and I'm not done yet. I'll meet you at the restaurant when I'm finished, you red-headed asshole."
Across the table, Daryl snorted as he shut the Greene case file, picking up his coffee cup. Abe and the other guys had bonded after a brief show of masculinity, leaving her drowning in a sea of testosterone for the entire day. He and Negan had arrived around nine this morning after checking into a nearby motel, and the day had been spent in the conference room reviewing the related cases trying to determine how the murdered women were linked other than the way they were killed.
Just before noon, Gerald Conrad had contacted her to inform her that he'd completed the diagnostic whatever on John Householder's site, and she wrote down everything that he'd told her. The website had been hacked, and every time someone clicked on the link from a web search, it directed them to what Gerald called a mirror site, one that looked the exact same, except that there was no picture of the real John on the site. Andie's head started to swim as he explained that it was a sophisticated setup and that the IP address couldn't be pinned down because it changed every time the link was clicked on.
"Whoever set this up knows what they're doing," he told her as Abe hovered over her, trying to read over her shoulder. "He or she is piggybacking on other assigned IP addresses, so I'm afraid that there's no real way to pin down who did this. All I can do is monitor the site to see if anyone logs onto the dummy email."
"Okay, thanks for your help," she told him, slamming down the phone after Gerald hung up. She explained it to the other guys as best as she could, tossing her notes into her 'what the fuck am I going to do with this?' pile.
After her conversation with her dad the day before, she watched Negan carefully throughout the day. True, he was loud as hell and swearing more than he probably breathed, but his notes were exemplary as well as his attention to detail. He was also very easy on the eyes, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. She could see how he made his way through the female population of Atlanta. Daryl was no slouch either, and despite the fact that his personality was akin to a brick wall, he probably did just as well in the dating department.
Glenn had also called from the lab, informing them that the brown spot that Andie had noticed on the table of Beth's apartment was tested, and he'd found out that it was soy sauce.
"That's not all," he told her after a beat of silence. "It contained large amounts of Ketamine."
"And that would be?" she asked blankly, her hand beginning to cramp from writing everything down.
"It's a sedative," he explained, and she could hear the sound of shuffling papers. "It's also a paralytic, so that might explain why there wasn't much struggle."
"But there weren't any signs on her body that she'd been injected with anything," Andie pointed out as Negan's head snapped up, trapping her gaze under his as Glenn continued on.
"That's because he probably laced the food with it. It was in the soy sauce and the other contents of her stomach. It would've taken some time to take effect, but the victim may have gotten drowsy before the paralytic took over, allowing him to arrange her on the floor."
"And it's only available from a doctor?"
"Unfortunately, no. It's also used as a recreational drug, so any decent dealer can probably get a hold of it."
It wasn't Glenn's fault that she was getting nowhere with this case each time she got new information, and she bit back the urge to snap at him as he let her know that they should have the info from Beth's phone by Monday.
"Well?" Daryl pressed when she hung up, and she tapped the pen against the paper, refusing to look up.
"The food was dosed with Ketamine, a paralytic, and sedative," she announced. "Apparently it's a party drug, so whoever gave it to her could probably find it pretty easily."
Negan snatched one of the files off the pile, searching through a few pages before tapping his index finger in the middle.
"That's the same drug that the previous victim, Lisa Potter was given. So, he's going back to the well, repeating his steps since they seem to be fucking working for him. Daryl, who's that guy that you know in Vice? Dwight or something?"
"Yeah, that's him," Daryl pulled out his cell, dialing some numbers. "I'll see who he knows that deals that kinda stuff."
As soon as Dwight picked up, Daryl rose out of his seat, walking out of the conference room with a hushed voice, and Andie gave Negan an impressed smile, her stomach flittering when it was returned.
"At least you're good for something," Abe announced, giving Andie a warning look.
"There's a lot of things I'm good for, Redzilla," Negan called out as Ford left to get more coffee, leaving just him and Andie in the room.
"So, you're George Saunders' little girl, huh?"
"If you call me that again, you may end up with a bullet in your ass," she muttered, flipping open her laptop to research mirror sites and IP addresses, woefully over her head in the tech department.
"I don't mean any harm, darlin'," Andie's head snapped up at the term, and he grinned. "I'm just making conversation."
"Uh huh. You can call me Andie or Detective. Take your pick."
"Andie it is, then."
It was said in a deep, sandpaper voice, and her shoulders rose slightly as she tried to ignore him. At least he was dressed properly today, in a pair of black trousers and a grey button-down shirt that had the top two buttons undone.
"Was anything missing from any of the scenes?" she asked suddenly, running her finger along her bottom lip as his eyebrow rose.
"Like what?"
"Anything," she said, thumbing through the pictures and sliding over the one that had been bothering her since she'd noticed it. "I think Beth is missing a hair clip. See how here hair crimps all in the same spot just behind her ear?"
Negan studied it for a while before setting it aside and checking Lisa's file, his head tilting to the side.
"The only thing that wasn't accounted for was a necklace, a pendant that had three cubic zirconia diamonds," he said, a touch of interest coloring his face. It prompted him to check the other files, but nothing else seemed to match. None of the other women were missing anything.
Frustration built under her surface, but Negan's voice was surprisingly soft when he spoke again. "It doesn't mean that it's not important. Maybe he's evolving."
"Maybe," she murmured as Daryl and Abe came back in at the same time, Daryl snapping his fingers together.
"Dwight thinks he knows a couple of guys that might deal that shit. He's gonna hit 'em up tomorrow and let us know."
Negan and Daryl chatted quietly to themselves before calling it a day, heading to the hotel to change. Abe offered them the opportunity to join Sasha and the others for dinner, but the declined, and he left Andie, warning her not to be too long, or they'd both feel Sasha's wrath.
When her eyes began to burn, she cleaned up the office, feeling like everyone's maid, clearing away styrofoam cups filled with cold coffee and storing the files back in Rick's office before waving goodnight to the night shift.
It was still daylight, and she headed for her car, ignoring the text message from Ford asking where she was. Friday's were their long-standing dinner dates, with Sasha and her brother Tyreese, who worked for the prosecutor's office. There was a 'no shop talk' policy in place, and she stopped at home to change clothes and freshen up before driving to the normal restaurant that they met at.
Antonio's served the best Italian food in town, and there was a plate of fettucini Alfredo waiting for her as she avoided Sasha's dirty look.
"Sorry," she apologized, shoving a forkful of pasta in her mouth, Tyreese laughing under his breath.
"I don't think I ask for too much," Sasha complained, waiting until Andie looked up. "Two hours on Friday nights, and you blow me off more than you show up. What the hell?"
"I said I was sorry," she looked helplessly at Abe, who turtled like a wimp. "I was trying to figure out-"
"No details," Tyreese held up his hands, his beefy arms nearly splitting his dress shirt. "You set yourself up for this, Andie."
"Tonight was supposed to be special," Sasha continued, leaning forward.
"What's so special about tonight? It's not anyone's birthday, and none of us is celebrating an anniversary."
"Is everything to your satisfaction?" the waiter appeared out of nowhere, giving everyone his full attention, and Andie wanted to kiss him for diffusing the tension. Sasha was nothing if not polite, and her face turned angelic in an instant as everyone indicated that all was well. "Let me know if you need anything."
He disappeared as quickly as he'd shown up, and Abe took Sasha's hand, kissing her knuckles as they shared a secret look.
"We're having a baby," he announced as Tyreese clapped him on the back, the sound reverberating so loudly that several diners turned to stare. Andie let out a squeal, jumping from her seat to hug Sasha, feeling her eyes prick with tears.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she said, pulling Sasha out of her seat.
"It was a little touch and go at the beginning, and we wanted to wait until we were into the second trimester," she explained as Andie cupped her cheeks. "The baby's due at the end of September."
"Congratulations," she said, sniffling back happy tears, hugging Abe and Tyreese before taking her seat again, pushing the fettucini around on her plate. "I can't believe it."
"Neither could we," Ford quipped. "When we were fixin' the Bisquick, we weren't exactly thinkin' we'd be makin' pancakes."
Sasha slapped the back of his head, dissolving into laughter as he kissed her cheek, and Andie shook her head, shivering at the thought of the two of them having sex. Not an image she wanted of her partner and her friend.
While Sasha and Andie discussed the baby, Tyreese and Abe turned their attention towards the next day when the two of them were supposed to go golfing, and she listened for over an hour about how Sasha found out, along with a bleeding scare before finally seeing a little heartbeat during her second ultrasound.
"I'm so happy for you guys," she said, smiling as Sasha looked at her glass of wine with longing. "This baby's going to be so loved."
"Well, with a godmother like you, how could we lose?"
It took her a second to get it, and it sent her into a tailspin again, making her wipe her eyes as she accepted. Tyreese was going to be the godfather, doing a poor imitation of Marlon Brando to everyone's amusement.
After they paid their bill and stepped out into the spring night, Andie declined their offer to hang at their house, telling them that she was exhausted, and they parted ways as she watched the trio talking happily, disappearing around the corner.
She got in her car to head home, turning abruptly at the last minute, parking in front of a little bar called The Grove. It was a cop joint, and she decided that sitting there was better than spending the night at home alone.
The jukebox was playing when she opened the door, immediately surrounded by the smell of draft beer and peanuts. The Grove was nothing special, just a little hole in the wall, but it was probably the safest place in the world other than the precinct, filled with fellow cops.
Since it was a Friday night, the place was packed, and she shrugged out of her coat, hanging it by the door before weaving through the crowd to the bar, leaning her elbows on the smooth wood to wait for a drink.
"Alexandra!" the bartender called out, making his way over. "Does your daddy know you're here?"
"Hey, Judge," she laughed, getting on her tiptoes to lean over the bar to kiss his cheek. "I'd think so. He's been bringing me here since I was a kid."
Judge was one of her father's oldest friends, and he'd bought the bar when he retired from the bench. Producing a fresh glass, he poured her a beer without waiting to see what she wanted, and she tossed a few dollars on the bar for him, sipping it as she scanned the room, frowning when she spied Negan in the corner, hitting on a blonde that helped out part-time answering the phones.
Twelve hours in town, and he was already working his way through the lineup, she guessed, averting her gaze when he turned his head. Everyone had someone or something to make them happy tonight but her.
The clack of balls hitting each other got her attention, and she wandered to the right towards the pool tables, where Simon was studying the green felt, trying to find a good move. He was playing against Daryl, who was leaning against the wall, wearing a sleeveless shirt and his motorcycle vest, watching with hawk eyes.
"You could bank the ten ball," Andie said, gesturing with her drink as Simon looked up, twitching his mustache.
"I could," he agreed with a wink, bending over to line up his cue, smacking it against the cue ball, sending it against two other balls that were touching each other, and both ricocheted towards opposite ends of the table, disappearing into the pockets. "Or I could just do that."
Daryl let out a huff, extending his middle finger, and Simon made another shot, missing the third before coming to stand next to her, bumping his shoulder into hers.
"How are you holding up? I heard you went to the girl's funeral yesterday."
"I'm fine. Just wish we were moving the case along faster."
"You'll figure it out. You always do."
The cue ball bounced up in the air, nearly leaving the table, and Daryl cursed loudly as Simon laughed in response, and Andie perched on one of the barstools to watch, crossing her legs as the two men went back and forth, with Simon finally putting away the eight-ball.
She was just draining her glass when Judge appeared with a fresh one, handing it over before jerking his thumb towards the bar.
"This one's on him."
Peering around Judge's retreating form, she smiled when a glass was raised in her direction. With as much dignity as she could find, she hopped down from the stool, heading over to thank her benefactor, aware of another set of eyes on her.
"Thanks, Jimmy," she purred, touching him lightly on the shoulder.
"You're welcome, beautiful," he dropped his head, brushing his lips against her ear. "Any chance you'd want to come back to my place tonight?"
Jimmy was always good for some no strings attached screwing, and she kept her eyes on him as she chugged her beer, his smile getting wider when she slammed the drink down. Neither one of them were looking for a happily ever after, just a 'happy right now' and he put his arm around her as they started for the door, handing Andie her coat. As she slid her arms through, she met Negan's eyes, a fluttering in her stomach as he watched Jimmy take her by the hand to escort her out.
No, this couldn't be right, he thought as he stood in the alley across from the Grove as Andie came out, holding hands with some blonde guy, his hand sliding down to her ass as they walked towards an SUV. She was laughing at something, some secret little joke between the two of them, and he felt small and helpless as the headlights came on and the truck pulled out into traffic, taking her away, away with some other guy.
This wasn't supposed to happen, he raged in his head, punching the brick wall, breathing heavily through his nose. She was supposed to wait for him, not go home with some other guy.
"Hey," a hoarse voice sounded out, as he turned to see an older man in tattered clothes shuffling towards him. "Get outta here, this is my spot."
Before the bum could take two steps, he pulled out his switchblade, burying it in the vagrant's neck, the angry monster inside abated slightly as the man gasped and struggled for breath, clawing at his hands with wide eyes, the shock of events making his mouth open and close like a fish.
He let the man's body slump to the ground, shutting the knife with a clicking sound and putting it back into his pocket, melting into the shadows of the alley before anyone could see him.
It wasn't the release that he wanted, but it would have to do for now. The monster inside him had been fed enough to go back to sleep, to hibernate for a while so that he could process this turn of events and make a new plan.
All wasn't lost, he decided as his blood-red hands unlocked the junker car that he'd traded the hatchback for. It just required a little more work, a little more effort on his end. They couldn't all just fall to the ground with their legs spread.
A challenge was just what he needed.
