Betaed by the wonderful dioscureantwins, the lady with the keen eye and helpful words. Thanks to pinksonia for the help with Americanizing this chapter. All remaining mistakes are mine.
This fic is being cross-posted to AO3 should you wish to read it there instead. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Thank you also for the favourites, follows and kind comments! Next update will most likely be end of December/early January due to the holiday season.
"Music doesn't need interpreters and translators." - Ellen J. Barrier
Toperman was already waiting for them, seated behind the security glass, head bowed. At their entrance, he looked up to reveal red, puffy eyes set into a sunken, pale face, the stark shades of white and pink betraying his sleepless night and the slump of his shoulders indicating the weight of agony pressing on him.
"Hello," he said politely. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not my usual cheery self." His smile was flat, a far cry from his usual confident beam. "Haven't been allowed to go home and freshen up." The gray suit was the same one he had been wearing at the office yesterday, although distinctly more rumpled. His sky-blue shirt was also the same, the cheerful color decidedly out of place in the somber interview room.
"I'm sorry, Frederick," Diego began solemnly. "About yesterday, and about your wife."
Toperman snorted dismissively. "I told you yesterday not to worry." The mark on his face was like the stain of lipstick on a collar. "As for Isabelle... That's why you're here." He nodded towards Mia. "It's good of you to come, Ms Fey. Grossberg said he was sending both of you... I'm glad."
At the firm, Grossberg had tended to Ruby, who had recovered a little and was sitting on the sofa, shakily holding the glass of water Mia had fetched her. "You simply must take care of this, Diego. Even if Toperman hadn't asked for you, I would have sent you anyway." He'd placed a steady hand on Ruby's shoulder, a mark of his concern. "My dear, you mustn't over-exert yourself, we've spoken about this before." As Ruby started to whimper in protest, he shushed her gently, soothingly. "Ms Fey, you will accompany Diego as co-counsel."
"But Sir," Diego interrupted, catching Mia's glance, "I thought that we were..."
Grossberg shook his head. " Ms Fey has already done good work for Mr Toperman and would benefit from the opportunity to act as co-counsel for a homicide."
"Sir—" When Grossberg shook his head again, Diego fell silent. It was clear the decision had been made before he had walked in and there was to be no arguing.
"Diego, Ms Fey, I trust you both to get the job done. Remember what I said to you only yesterday about work and personal business, my boy? Well, this is the perfect opportunity to show that you can keep the two of those separate." He looked back at Ruby, encouraging her to drink some more water, missing the sight of a red blush spreading across Mia's cheeks. "Not to mention that Ms Fey's skills will be infinitely more useful to you than to Brookes with some ridiculous paperwork he should have finished last week. Honestly, I don't know why he couldn't— Anyway, off you go, you two. Now." The tone of Grossberg's voice allowed no argument. They had both rushed out to obey.
Mia slid a glance towards Diego before looking expectantly at Toperman. "Do... You want to tell us what happened?"
"I suppose I should." Toperman lifted his hands to his face, dragging his palms down his cheeks, as if with one simple movement he could erase all of his troubles. Unsuccessful, he sighed heavily and began.
"It was a normal evening. I was just in my office going through some things when Isabelle came in, and we talked for a little bit. Well, talked might not be the right word." He smiled sheepishly. "She was… displeased, shall we say, at my failure to make the proper arrangements with the painters yet again, and it was another opportunity for us to… ah… air some grievances."
Mia and Diego exchanged a look.
"It... escalated quickly. She noticed the mark on my face, suggested it was from an underage girl's father. It was quite the insult actually, very sharp of her." He laughed a little before tapering off into another sigh. "Well, that was the perfect chance for me to bring up those hickies on her thighs. As you can imagine, that only made things worse. The office was a real mess once she had finished. That's my Isabelle, frosty by name, fiery by nature. I mean… That was…"
Toperman took a few moments to breathe deeply, drawing air in shakily before he was steady enough to continue.
"She followed me through the house to the lounge where I intended to grab a few cigars and go somewhere else. In there, she grabbed this statue, an ugly heavy thing she had me import from Italy, very valuable. Goodness knows what she was going to do with it but I managed to grab hold of it. We wrestled for a bit. In the process, she was knocked to the floor." Toperman shook his head as if to free himself from the image. "There was… a moment when she was lying there… She looked up, and there was blood in the corner of her mouth. I… tried to help her, Diego, but… She told me to leave. Her voice… there was so much hatred in her voice… So I left and that was the last I saw of her." No longer able to hold back his tears, Toperman dropped his chin to his chest and started to sob. "That was the last I saw of her…" He buried his face in his hands in a futile effort to contain his grief.
Once again they were together in the back of a taxi, winding their way through the city, weaving between other cars and glossy buildings. This time around, sunlight illuminated Mia's milky thighs and shimmered on her brown hair, sprinkling the beautiful mass with glints of pure gold.
"Do you think he did it?" Diego asked, trying to focus on Toperman instead of Mia's appearance.
She answered without hesitation. "No."
"Good. Neither do I."
"Glad we agree."
"Well, it wouldn't do us much good to work together if we didn't now, would it?"
They sat for a while smiling at each other. While a taxi ride at night fostered a certain kind of intimacy, the daylight surrounding them made it easier for Diego to see the pretty curve of her lip and the dimples in her cheeks. Her bangs were falling in her eyes slightly, and it was tempting to reach forward and brush them aside.
The next moment, they both looked away and settled back in their seats, gazing out of the windows once more, observing the changes in the scenery as they approached a more residential area. They were quiet for some time. While Diego knew that he should be concentrating, sitting next to Mia in the taxi he couldn't help but think about the weight of her head on his shoulder. Was she thinking about the same thing? What about their unfinished conversation this morning?
He noticed that their hands were next to each other on the seat between them, separated only by the barest of millimeters. Judging by the quick glance Mia flicked in that direction, she was aware of their close proximity, too. Diego couldn't say who moved their hand first to close the gap, pressing their little fingers together with the barest of touches.
Even though the body had been removed by the time they arrived at the crime scene, the blood was still there. Technicians crept around the splatters, photographing the way drops of red had leapt up the wall and pirouetted across the floor, to finally rest in a pool like a woman's dress, shed and discarded after a long night of entertaining.
Diego held Mia's arm as support while she covered her mouth, trying not to retch. "You don't have to be here, Mia. You can wait outside."
"No," she insisted, taking a moment to fix her eyes on the scene before her, adjusting herself to it by degrees. "I'm staying." She didn't move from Diego's side.
They stayed in respectful silence, surveying the scene. Isabelle had been struck from behind more than once, with the statue, a representation of the goddess Juno. The statue lay innocently to one side, Juno's face blank as she stood wearing robes that draped over her form and an elaborate crown on her head, splashes of Isabelle's blood punctuating her feminine majesty. The time of death had been some time last night; the body was discovered in the morning by one of the maids. The maid was outside on the patio sobbing into a detective's shoulder, the sound carrying through the open doors, high-pitched and pained. Near her, the butler and what looked like the gardener (judging by his dirt and grass-stained overalls) were also being questioned, their faces pale and somber.
"How could this happen?" Mia asked quietly.
"I don't know," Diego answered honestly.
Mia looked away from the blood, staring resolutely at her shoes instead. "I can't imagine… What it must be like to lose someone so suddenly like that." When she raised her head to look at Diego, her eyes were so full of sadness that he couldn't help but put his arm around her shoulders, holding her steadily against him.
"Be brave, Mia," he murmured, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "Let's get to work and stay positive. Add a spoonful of sugar to this dark and bitter mess."
"Is that another coffee metaphor?" She smiled faintly, leaning against him.
He wanted to kiss the top of her head in appreciation at her attempt at a joke, but of course he didn't. Right now, the feel of his arm around her was enough. She was responding to his words and to his quiet confidence; he could feel her starting to stand straighter. "We know that Toperman didn't do it. Let's fight to prove it so that he can mourn his wife in peace. Ok?"
Eventually, she nodded and he released her. Their separation was tempered by her grateful smile, and the determined glaze her eyes took on as she turned her attention back to the crime scene, this time without flinching.
It had been a long day. As Diego prepared dinner, the TV was on in the background, a reporter standing in the street outside the Toperman house. Diego ignored the sound of the reporter's drone, going back to his own thoughts and the arrabiata sauce bubbling away, the scent of chillies pleasantly wafting through the kitchen.
Although there had been dark moments in the day, like seeing the crime photographs which were every bit as horrible as expected, there had been plenty of sunny spells. Mia's frequent smiles and her optimism following his little pep-talk; their taxi rides across the city where her leg brushed against his as she swiveled in her seat to face him and the fact she had been near him for the whole day talking with easy intimacy. At the end of the day, she had seemed somewhat disappointed to be sent home, Diego telling her that there was nothing more they could do until they appeared in court tomorrow, but she had cheered up when he said he was leaving too, and offered to walk with her.
A woman was murdered. Not just any woman - Isabelle, and her husband is the accused. I should be focusing on that. He added some pepper to the sauce and stirred disinterestedly. I shouldn't be pleased that it means I get to work even closer with Mia.
Working with Mia was a pleasure both for her presence and her assistance. Her presence was certainly appreciated, but her assistance was invaluable.
Grossberg's words from earlier floated back to him. Remember what I said to you only yesterday about work and personal business, my boy? Well, this is the perfect opportunity to show that you can keep the two separate.
Diego would say it was going well so far, even though their unfinished conversation had been hovering in the background, evident by the looks they kept giving each other all day. Outside the building he had wondered whether to ask her if they could go somewhere and talk but his hesitation had cost him and before he could, Mia had said goodbye and left for the train station. The work stuff is going well. As for the personal… I guess Grossberg means not trying to kiss her during office hours. Maybe kissing her after work instead is ok, Diego thought with half a smile.
The pasta was nearly done, but it looked like he had made too much. He must have been distracted when measuring it out. He had been like that a lot, lately.
I'm not a rookie… I'm a kitten. With claws. The way she had looked at him when she said that… He could almost imagine her softly sighing as he kissed her, opening her mouth to him, her hands sliding down his back to cup his ass and pull him against—
The news on the TV changed to coverage of a movie premiere. A vapid-looking actress was talking about how this movie was the greatest romance story to ever come out of Hollywood. Diego snorted derisively, moving to take the penne off the heat. As he drained the liquid, steam rose up and when he scooped the pasta tubes onto a plate, he realized he had definitely made too much. There was enough to feed two people there and a thought occurred to him. I should ask her to dinner after this case.
The sauce was done as well. He spooned some over the pasta, grabbing cutlery as he walked over to the table. Would she say yes?
"Most definitely!" said the actress brightly on the television. "Everyone needs some romance in their life!"
"You again, Mr Payne?" Diego said, grinning at the older gentleman across the room. "One might think you were the only prosecutor in town."
Payne tried to look unflustered, although the slight twitch of his eyebrow betrayed him. "Hmph. I'll beat you this time, Armando, I swear it."
"Hah!" Diego lifted his coffee cup. "I'll drink to that!" He winked at Mia as Payne's eyebrows knitted together in a scowl.
Unfortunately, Payne had recovered by the time the first witness (a haggard-looking detective) stepped off the stand. Diego meanwhile was trying not to stare sullenly into his empty coffee cup. The detective's testimony had shown that Isabelle had been attacked viciously from behind, Toperman's fingerprints were clearly on the murder weapon and it was possible that he could have killed his wife before fleeing the scene, to feign an oblivious return the next morning. Diego's strongest counter-arguments had been the discrepancy between the fingerprints and the way the weapon had to be held to deliver such blows, not to mention that the injuries weren't entirely consistent with someone of Toperman's height. The judge's suspicious face, however, made it clear that Diego's arguments weren't enough.
Payne was smiling, his hands a fraction away from flicking his pompadour. "The prosecution's next aim is to prove Mr Toperman's motive for murder. The prosecution would like to call Mr Leo Starr." His smile sharpened. "Mr Starr was having an affair with Ms Isabelle Frost. From his testimony, it will become clear that Mr Toperman found out and this was his motive for brutally murdering his wife."
During the recess, Diego paced the defendant lobby restlessly, his mind working. Toperman was sitting on the sofa. Mia stood to one side, arms folded, alternating between looking at Diego and looking at Toperman.
Leo Starr was a gentleman with mid-length blond hair, tall and confident and much like Toperman, a similarity uncannily confirmed when the Judge had to bang his gavel to stop Starr from talking about his and Isabelle's bedroom activities. His testimony corroborated Payne's theory, but something about it bothered Diego. Starr admitted Isabelle had contacted him that day but whenever this was returned to, Starr would shift uncomfortably. Diego had called a recess to buy himself some time to think.
"I knew my wife was having an affair, you know," Toperman said, looking at Mia who had some difficulty taking her eyes off Diego. "She knew it wouldn't be long before my next one, either." He noticed Mia biting her lip. "My goodness, you look adorable when you do that, no wonder Diego likes you so much." When Diego threw him a look, Toperman shrugged an apology. "Now don't look so shocked, Ms Fey. It was how our relationship worked."
Mia reddened. "I wasn't—"
"Let me guess. One true love kind of girl? Looking for a hero to sweep you off your feet?" Catching Mia slide her eyes towards Diego, he grinned. "Perhaps a strong and confident man who can show you one or two things you've never seen before?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively at her.
Before Diego could interrupt, Mia spoke without thinking. "I'd like a man who both challenges and encourages me." Suddenly flustered, she looked away and Diego frowned at Toperman to cover his own embarrassment.
Toperman laughed and waved another apology. "You two are so sweet, honestly. Well, as for Isabelle and I, put it this way: after every little fling – and there were a lot of them, believe me – we would always come back to each other. So, did I know she was having an affair? Yes. I wouldn't have expected anything less; she was a very beautiful woman who deserved the attention. Did I care about it? No, not really." He toyed with his wedding ring, the golden band sparkling in the light. "In the end I was the only one for her… and she was the only one for me."
Back in the courtroom Diego had finally dug up the secret Starr had been hiding. With great patience he had been chipping away at the testimony, relentlessly deconstructing it to find the truth. The man on the stand swept his hair back in a gesture of bravado that didn't match his tight smile.
"So she ended the affair that day. Yes. Still, it doesn't matter. Sure, I wasn't happy about it - you don't just ditch Leo Starr and we had some areas left to explore. But that's not important. Look, her husband knew about us, and that easily makes him the killer."
"I disagree. Ms Frost ending the affair gives you a strong motive for murder."
"What?" Starr frowned, confused.
"Mr Starr," Diego said, trying not to smile triumphantly at the sight of Payne starting to sweat, "you're a proud man, that much is clear from how you've behaved in this courtroom so far. What did it feel like when Isabelle ended the affair that day? You must have been pretty angry to discover that she didn't care for you and that Mr Toperman knew about you all along and didn't even consider you as a threat to his marriage." Starr gritted his teeth as he looked away. "Say, where were you that night, anyway?"
The day's proceedings came to an end shortly after that, the trial to be resumed tomorrow after both sides had conducted further investigations.
At home, Diego sat on the sofa, listening to the radio as he reviewed the case files. The local NPR affiliate was broadcasting a live jazz special tonight and he tapped a foot along as he flicked through some information on Leo Starr.
The Leo Starr lead was a dead end, and he knew it. After court, they had interviewed Starr, who was none too pleased at their presence, and unafraid of showing it. Mia had made the cutest huff of displeasure at his rudeness but lightened up when Diego teased her about being a disgruntled kitten.
For the rest of the day, they had made some progress with establishing Toperman's alibi further. Mia had made some smart suggestions about how they could string all of the evidence together to provide reasonable doubt for the prosecution's proposed timeline of the murder, although that would depend on Payne's angle in court tomorrow.
When the working day had come to an end they had been in Diego's office again, Mia standing before him almost like she had the day before. Her expression showed that she was aware of the parallel, and when he had once more raised a hand to touch her face, she had showed no objections.
"We never finished speaking," Diego murmured.
"No," she agreed, leaning her cheek into his hand. "Work got in the way."
"We've finished work now." He had moved his hand to stroke her hair behind her ear, liking the way she briefly closed her eyes as he did it.
"We're still at the office, Diego." Even as she said that, her hand drifted towards his arm, her thumb stroking the fabric of his sleeve.
"Should we go somewhere else then? Finish our conversation?"
At that, she had smiled. "After we wrap up this case."
He had left the office with her once again and in front of the building they had another long goodbye.
Diego tossed aside the Starr file and reached for another, picturing Mia waving as she rounded the corner towards the station. After we wrap up this case, huh? It's a date. At least… if she wants it to be.
He spent the rest of the evening reviewing files half-heartedly, most of his thoughts returning to Mia continuously. The music dictated his images of her: playful rhythms matched her amused smiles which were becoming freer and more frequent nowadays; steadier beats reminded him of her diligently working opposite him; sultry numbers made it far too easy to picture her stretched out on his bed, beckoning him to her. Eventually, Diego stood, yawning. The day was over.
After the case is finished. He wandered towards his bedroom, trying not to imagine he was leading Mia there by the hand. As he entered, he attempted to turn his mind instead to candlelit tables and shared desserts.
He wasn't entirely successful. Once in bed the image of Mia smiling over ice cream, eyeing him as she slowly lifted a spoon to her waiting mouth wouldn't leave him. His hand sauntered vaguely downwards as he slowly realized it would be yet another sleepless night unless he allowed himself some release. Mia's sweetly innocent smile coaxed him into giving in and he did, soon reaching a satisfying end. He could almost feel her hair tickling his nose as she gasped his name against the skin of his throat.
In court the next day, Payne had prepared a string of witnesses. Diego tried not to groan as yet another blond gentleman stepped onto the stand to testify to having had an affair with Isabelle Frost. After the endless row of blond Heracleses had departed, next were a series of women who had all been entangled with Toperman in some way. When Mia threw Toperman a look across the courtroom, he shrugged unapologetically.
"As you can see," Payne said, one step away from rubbing his hands together with glee, "the marriage was nothing but a sham. It's not hard to see how such a loveless marriage could breed contempt."
"Objection." Diego sighed as he said it, trying to manage his annoyance. "If the marriage was entirely loveless, then why not divorce?"
Payne shrugged. "Perhaps she gained nothing if she divorced her husband."
"Objection. The pair had an airtight pre-nuptial agreement that was very fair for both parties. Joint assets were split evenly."
"Still," Payne said, keen to argue, "even if they didn't plan to divorce, my point about the state of their marriage still stands. He even has a mark on his chin where his wife hit him."
"Objection. I was the one who hit him."
"What did you say? What kind of business is Mr Grossberg running?" The Judge shook his head. "Kids these days…"
"Never mind that." Diego banged the desk for emphasis. "The defense would still argue against the prosecution's flimsy motive. We'd like to call Frederick Toperman to the stand."
"Flimsy?! Fine, the prosecution agrees to your request. But can we have a recess first?" Payne adjusted his glasses awkwardly as he looked towards the Judge. "I, err, need to arrange transportation home for all of those people I called to the stand."
"We met through work, you know." Toperman closed his eyes with a nostalgic smile as he sat on the sofa again. On the other side of the room, Diego was watching reporters on the TV attempting to interview witnesses as they exited the courthouse into the stream of waiting cars.
"Did you?" Mia had been studying Diego, but now she gave Toperman all of her attention.
"Yeah." Toperman sighed. "A friend of mine was working on a charity fundraiser, and I provided the venue. Isabelle was running a fashion show as part of it. She was standing there barking out orders, and people were scurrying around to do her bidding… The minute I saw her, I knew I wanted her."
"She must have been very beautiful," Mia said.
"You have no idea. The dress she was wearing was— Anyway I refused to do anything unless she accompanied me to dinner that night. We had dinner, went back to her place and—" He laughed before Diego could give him a look. "It was a whirlwind romance from there, and the fundraiser was a success. After that, we worked on more projects together. We made a good team." He smiled significantly at Mia and Diego. "Sometimes having a partner both at the office and in the bedroom is the best of both worlds." When Mia went red again, he laughed merrily. "Oh Ms Fey, you blush far too easily, Diego's going to have to do something about that." He laughed again when he saw the two of them exchange self-conscious glances.
Payne looked as if he was regretting allowing the defense to call Toperman to the stand. The judge was staring wide-eyed at Toperman. Mia was past blushing, her red color now due to her attempts at holding in her laughter every time Diego had to stop Toperman from revealing too many details about his and Isabel's intimacy.
"Open relationship and makeup sex aside," Diego said neutrally, having found patience thanks to another cup of coffee, "what would you offer as evidence to anyone doubting how much you and your wife loved each other?"
Toperman answered without hesitation. "She gave me this medallion, and I wear it every day. It has an F on it."
"For Frederick?"
Toperman laughed loudly. "No, the F is for Frost. She always had my name on her in return."
"Oh, she had a matching medallion? How sweet." The judge smiled approvingly.
"A medallion? No, she said it wouldn't suit her, and she wanted something a little more permanent to commemorate our love. She had my first name tattooed on her."
"Really?" The judge looked impressed. "Now that's devotion."
"Isn't it just?" Toperman grinned widely. "I was so proud of her for getting it done in such a place."
"Uhhh..." Payne adjusted his oversized glasses. "Dare I ask where?"
"Um..." Mia swallowed when everyone looked at the defense. "According to her profile in the court record …" She looked helplessly at Diego while quickly gesturing to the lower half of her body before giving sudden, very careful attention to the papers in front of her.
Understanding and trying not to think about the corresponding area on Mia, Diego addressed the court. "What my co-counsel is trying to say is that Ms Frost's tattoo was located—" When he finished, the court exploded in a mix of scandalized gasps and raucous laughter, the judge desperately calling for order. Payne meanwhile looked as if he was trying to swallow his own face.
Once the commotion had died down, the judge spoke. "I'm not sure I want to question their devotion to each other any longer." He shuddered involuntarily. "It seems the prosecution has failed to provide a strong motive. Unless the prosecution can find further evidence, I cannot reasonably declare Mr Toperman guilty. You have one more day!" The final bang of his gavel rang loudly around the courtroom.
After the trial, at Toperman's request they visited the house to see how things were. The butler let them in, giving them free reign to look around once more.
The rooms were empty and clean but there was still a somber air hovering around that couldn't be removed. They found themselves in the garden to escape the heavy atmosphere of the house.
The space was large, perfect for entertaining or simply lying on the grass to sunbathe. The garden was bordered with shrubs and plants and surrounded by a tall wall, undoubtedly to keep prying eyes from looking in. Diego walked around slowly, thinking, his hands in his pockets.
"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Mia asked. She followed some distance away, gracefully walking on the grass, her footsteps almost cat-like.
I wrap up this case and ask you to dinner. "We stall for time. I don't think the prosecution has anything further on Toperman. If we keep picking apart any testimony, we should be able to give the judge enough doubt that he can't hand down a guilty verdict."
Mia nodded her understanding, tipping her face to the sky. Sunlight caught her hair and the necklace she wore, the sight pretty enough to make Diego smile. When she pivoted to look at him, he turned away, back to the plants.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, walking closer.
I'm trying to remember if that little French place has strawberry desserts on their menu. "That maybe they should have hired a different gardener." The more he looked, the more he noticed how the plants were in need of attention. Dotted here and there were unpruned shrubs, drooping flowers and broken steps, caused by careless steps or someone brushing past a little too closely. Mia had paused by one of the few shrubs in good condition with bright white blooms and was tracing the petals delicately, admiringly. Does she like flowers? Maybe I should get her some.
"These flowers aren't so bad," she said. "They're lovely."
Not as lovely as you are. Diego noticed he was next to a floundering rose bush. He broke off the only perfect bloom with a loud snap.
"Diego!" Mia gasped. "What are you doing? That's their rose bush!"
He simply grinned and handed her the flower with a flourish. "The bush may be theirs, but the flower is now yours. Look at the garden as a whole – they're not going to mind."
She accepted it, trying to look disapproving but failing. When the butler stepped out of the house, she hid it behind her back.
"If you're looking for Bernard, he's not around," the butler said, referring to the gardener. "He hasn't been here much since they found Ms Frost."
Diego addressed the butler, willing Mia to wipe the guilty look from her face even though it was impossibly cute. "Was Bernard affected by the murder too?"
"Perhaps." The butler paused to consider. "He does seem to be taking a great interest in the case and was at the courthouse watching the trial; he was so insistent it seemed unfair not to let him go. I don't know when he'll be back, unfortunately."
"We'll call him instead."
"Very good, Sir." The butler was about to leave, but stopped. "Sir? Those two... they really did love each other, in their own way. They used to enjoy walking around this garden like you two are doing now, just talking." Diego didn't have to look to know that Mia's blush was of the brightest pink. "I know they're not the easiest people to like but Mr Toperman would never have killed Ms Frost. You'll make sure he goes free, won't you?" When Diego nodded the butler looked between the two of them, heaving a sigh of relief. "I know I can believe in you two. Thank you."
Diego stood on his balcony, looking out across the urban landscape under the night sky, lights glittering and the whoosh of nearby traffic sounding almost like the city breathing. On a balcony of an apartment opposite, he saw a woman step out and light a cigarette, the point of it winking red. She was tall and wearing a clinging, floor-length nightdress under a sheer robe, casting a striking silhouette against the lights of the room behind her. On her first inhalation, she closed her eyes with pleasure before expelling the smoke, the ghost of a cloud hovering around her for a moment before dispersing.
He used to indulge in cigarettes but after taking up coffee had thought that one vice was enough. Diego looked absently in that direction as he let his mind wander, thoughts spiraling like smoke as he thought about what Hammond had said that afternoon. Hammond would say that Diego certainly had more than one vice.
At the end of the day, Hammond had paid him a quick visit, asking how the case was going but in particular how it was working with Mia. Diego had reassured him that things were fine.
"I wouldn't have paired you together so soon," Hammond had said.
"Good thing you're not in charge, then." His reply was a little sharper than intended but Hammond had taken the jibe with a shrug.
"Hey, if I have to be the bad guy then fine. I won't be giving you another lecture."
"Good. If I recall correctly, you yourself admired her at the start."
"Only in passing and I agree, perhaps I made some comments I shouldn't have. But that's over now and I'm not the one trying to bed her."
"It's not like that," Diego said knowing that even as he did so, Hammond would be unconvinced. "Besides, Grossberg said as long as we keep personal matters and business separate, it's fine."
"'We' already, is it?" Hammond shook his head and left the room, knowing that they had nothing more to say to each other. He bumped into Mia on the way out and simply given her a curious look before walking away.
You're a cad, Diego, always have been since I met you. Diego sighed heavily, Hammond's previous words still stinging. Always chasing some kind of tail.
In the space of a month it might have been one new girl every week, or one girl every two weeks. It wasn't always sex, sometimes it was drinks, often it was casual flirting with a waitress or a wink at a receptionist, or a familiar 'hello kitten' here or there, just to make things interesting. Now, he couldn't imagine using the word 'kitten' in reference to anyone else.
The woman on the other balcony had seen him. She was smiling, hand on one hip as she smoked. Diego turned away to go indoors.
On their usual walk out of the building, Diego had been quiet, still vaguely annoyed at Hammond.
"I can guess what he said to you," Mia had said once they were outside.
"Mia—"
She continued before he could say anything further. "Diego, I don't want you to get into trouble but at the same time... I told you, I'm not just a rookie and…" As her words tumbled out, she started to fidget. "It doesn't have to be anything… too big." She swallowed, her confidence lapsing and she looked around at the passing people, trying to appear nonchalant. "We could… just hang out after work one day. See how it goes. I like talking to you, you know that by now. We could… just talk."
You are too sweet, Kitten. "After the case is finished?" Diego had watched her glance up at him and smile shyly.
"Yeah, after the case is finished. Work comes first." Seeing him nod slowly she grinned. "Well, I have to get going. See you tomorrow." She took him by surprise, lifting herself briefly to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Before he could react she had walked away, her scarf waving a cheerful goodbye.
As he recalled her retreating back, Diego found himself heading for his room, feeling as if he was chasing that yellow scarf as he walked. He flopped hopelessly onto his bed as he drifted back to the same thought that had been plaguing him since Langdale's: I like her and she likes me, so why not?
We could… just hang out after work one day.
The alarm clock on his bedside table winked away the seconds, the dots between the digits flashing in perfect time. He caught the beat and it ticked in his mind, becoming utterances of her name. Rookie. Ms Fey. Kitten. Mia. Mia, Mia, Mia, Mia.
God knows you're headstrong enough that you'll just go for what you want anyway.
But Mia wanted it, too. I like talking to you, you know that by now. The case would be over tomorrow. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of her promise and he closed his eyes dreamily.
After the case is finished?
Yeah, after the case is finished.
When the gardener stepped onto the stand the next day to testify, Diego was taken by surprise. Payne caught his expression and snickered. "Not what you expected, Armando? Mr Bernard Stone here witnessed the crime."
"Now wait a moment!" The Judge frowned down at Stone. "Why didn't you come forward sooner?"
Bernard Stone was a bear-like gentleman, gray hair sitting above a round pair of ears, bulky frame covered by a plaid shirt, large hands holding onto the stand for support. Stubble dusted the lower half of his face, giving him the impression of having rubbed dirt across his chin. That, coupled with the stains on his clothing and the rips in the fabric of his shirt made it look like he had just emerged from living in the woods. His expression was neutral, almost sullen in its apparent desire to give no emotion away. "It's not my place to speak ill of my employers," he said mechanically, the line one that he seemed to have rehearsed. "But... I cannot allow a man like that to go free."
As Stone began his testimony, Diego leaned forward to listen carefully. While he did, he felt Mia next to him starting to fidget with excitement and he knew that she was hearing the same inconsistencies that he was. He gave her a quick grin but just then, Toperman leapt out of his seat in fury, causing enough commotion that the judge was forced to call a recess.
Toperman was anxiously pacing the lobby when Diego and Mia entered.
"Did you hear him?" Toperman gritted his teeth. "He said... He said—!" Toperman broke off and ran his hands through his golden hair in frustration and disbelief, pausing when he saw that Diego was grinning. "Why are you smiling?"
"His testimony is full of holes!" Diego said, his grin widening.
Mia's smile was just like his. "For a start," she explained to Toperman, "the place where he said he was standing, he couldn't have seen anything from that angle."
"The floor plan shows no direct line of sight," Diego continued as Toperman blinked, not understanding.
"Furthermore," Mia said, starting to walk around the room in an effort to stop herself from dancing with excitement, "since Isabelle fell before the second blow, the chairs obscured the view—"
"—So he couldn't have seen anything there, either!" Diego finished.
They grabbed each other, unable to contain their elation and embraced tightly before they remembered Toperman and broke apart sheepishly.
Toperman smirked slightly before frowning. "But why would he lie?"
"Don't worry about that for now. I have an idea but…" Diego looked at Mia.
"The records room downstairs?" she asked. When he nodded she rushed for the door, taking a moment to flash Diego a brilliant smile before she left.
Diego smiled reassuringly at Toperman, who was still confused. "Just a little longer, I promise."
"But—"
"Trust me. Trust us."
After a while, Toperman nodded. "I'll leave it to you two, then." Shortly after, the bailiff came to call them all back into the courtroom.
Stone was shorter than Toperman, and as Diego had noted, the correct height for Isabelle's attacker. Throughout the cross-examination, Stone had remained expressionless, even as it started to become very apparent to everyone that his testimony was flawed and in fact, he himself was very suspicious. Diego had used the poor condition of the plants to suggest that he wasn't a real gardener and since Bernard admitted being present that night it was easy enough to suggest that he had the opportunity to commit the crime. The problem was motive but that was solved when Mia slipped back into the courtroom with a copy of a local newspaper article.
Diego finally understood and wanted to kiss Mia for finding the evidence. However, there were more important matters at hand. "Mr Stone, you didn't like Ms Frost, did you? Or Mr Toperman?
"It's not my place to speak ill of my employers," the gardener said again in response.
"Nor is it your place to kill one of them and attempt to frame the other for murder." Diego saw the man grit his teeth slightly. "This article describes your motive. It's about the misfortunes of a certain Charlie Stone, your grandson. Brilliant boy, all on track for a stellar college education… Until he met a certain woman."
Bernard said nothing.
"You saw Charlie's bright future ruined, thanks to falling in love with Isabelle Frost. When she ended the affair and moved on to the next one, you had to watch his devastation ruin his studies," Diego continued. "When you heard she was looking for a gardener, it was one opportunity. When another presented itself, you grabbed it. You saw it as two birds with one stone: kill the wife, frame the husband, take revenge."
Bernard's hands were starting to shake where he was gripping the stand so tightly.
"When it became clear that Toperman wouldn't easily be convicted, you decided to try and help by testifying. I'm afraid though, Mr Stone, that your plan was flawed."
"You don't understand," Bernard said in a voice that was simmering with anger. "People like them… don't deserve to go free. So yeah, I did it. I'm glad I did, she only got what was coming to her. She ruined Charlie's life." He looked up at Diego, fixing him with a proud stare. "I suppose it was stupid of me to testify… But never mind. I did what I needed to do, and nothing else matters."
Bernard Stone was eventually led away, handcuffed and silent.
Diego breathed a sigh of relief, bowing his head. Mia touched him lightly on the arm and gave him an encouraging smile that helped give him one last bit of energy, enough to watch the Judge finally give the 'not guilty' verdict.
After accepting Toperman's grateful handshake, Mia had withdrawn discreetly to one side, politely allowing the two men to continue talking.
"That guy was right. I'm not the best kind of person." Toperman's fingers flew to his medallion. "Isabelle and I… We were both as bad as each other." He sighed. "Guess I have a lot to think about."
"I guess so."
Toperman looked over at Mia, who was casually people-watching as she waited. "Ms Fey is very attractive, you know. Don't hit me again for saying it."
"I won't. As long as you're a gentleman about it."
"Hah. I hope you appreciate how difficult it was to restrain myself and just shake her hand."
"Please don't make me defend you from any sexual harassment lawsuits, ok?"
"I won't." He reached to shake Diego's hand again. "Good luck with Ms Fey. I do envy you a little… The two of you remind me of Isabelle and I back in our early days." Toperman smiled, his eyes misting over with memory. "If it goes that way, I hope you two have a happier ending."
There was still some time left in the working day, so they went back to the office, waving a greeting to Hammond. When they arrived, both of them saw Grossberg passing through the reception area with another lawyer in tow.
"Sir," the other lawyer said desperately, "if I could just—"
"Mr Brookes." Grossberg spun around very suddenly for a man of his size, stopping Brookes in his tracks. "The Johnsons should not have been delayed for so long while you..." With a sigh, Grossberg raised a hand to his brow. "Let's continue this discussion in my office." He walked off shaking his head, Brookes following.
"Brookes has been having trouble lately," Hammond said. "He had a huge caseload and then there was that business with his daughter... Poor man. Well anyway, what are you two doing now? I would have sneaked off to Langdale's, especially after a case like that." Although his tone of voice appeared light, Hammond's eyes were sharp.
"We're just going to finish a few things off now." Diego looked at Mia, who nodded her agreement. "We should start on the paperwork."
Once in Diego's office, they gravitated towards each other. The clock showed that it was 3pm. The end of the working day was almost palpable.
"So..." Diego began, trying to appear as casual as possible. "The case is finished."
"Yes it is." She stepped a little closer.
"What are you doing after work, Ms Fey?" Diego asked with a smile, reaching for her hands.
She returned his smile. "I—"
When the phone rang on his desk, it was very unwelcome. Diego picked it up to hear Grossberg. "Diego, my boy, send Ms Fey to me, will you? I need her help with something." Click.
The clock read 5:30pm. Diego looked back down at his work briefly before looking up at the time again. 5:32pm.
Mia had returned from Grossberg's office after a while, her expression indicating that she had a lot to think about. "Sorry Sir," she said, reaching for her satchel, "I have to assist Mr Brookes with a few things on Mr Grossberg's orders." When Diego had questioned the timing, she had shrugged. "Mr Brookes... needs the help, and it looks like I may be taking over one or two things eventually." Despite herself she smiled, pleased at the hint of added responsibility. "It's quite exciting... Mr Grossberg said you would be fine on your own." She had refused Diego's help, insisting she would be fine before rushing off. Now the working day was over and she still wasn't back. Across the hall, her office door was closed and the sofa seemed strangely bare without her sitting on it.
I should go home. I don't know how long she'll be. Diego looked back at the page, finding that he had re-read the same sentence several times. 5:35pm. Maybe... just a little longer.
It was long after 8pm by the time Mia came back, the click of heels heralding her arrival. Diego's heart leapt when she framed herself in the doorway, lovely as ever in that figure-hugging dress, dangling her satchel at her side.
"You're still here." She seemed unsure whether she wanted to frown or smile, the two conflicting expressions manifesting in a slight furrow in her brow and an upward quirk of her lip. The sight was quite endearing. "I thought you would be gone."
His eyes fell on the pathetic pages of his half-written report. "I was working on something. How was it?"
"Good." Her expression brightened at the thought of work. "I did a lot. It was fun."
"Great. I'm glad to hear it." He was genuinely pleased that Mia had such enthusiasm for her work. She wouldn't be under his mentorship for much longer but it was clear that she would be just fine without him although he did enjoy having her next to him all of the time. "Are you going home now?"
She nodded. "Yeah, just need to leave some things in the office. I'm sorry I was swept away like that."
"It's not your fault, Mia." Diego smiled reassuringly. "We could still go somewhere if you wanted to talk?" He tried to keep the note of hope out of his voice but judging by her smile, she still heard it.
"I... would love to, but... I was supposed to call home tonight. My sis loves getting phone calls from the city. Hopefully she'll still be awake by the time I get back."
"Oh." So much for talking today, then. He tried not to look disappointed.
"I'm sorry, Diego. But... if you're leaving too perhaps you can walk with me for a little while?" She looked at the floor, suddenly shy. "Just... to the station. If it's not too far out of your way." She slanted her gaze back towards him, waiting for an answer.
Of course he wouldn't say no, especially not to a beautiful face like that. "Sure."
"You could take a taxi home," Diego joked as they left the building. "Bill it to Grossberg."
Mia laughed, pausing on the sidewalk for a moment as she looked across the street. "So your apartment is that way?"
Is she taking notes? The thought amused Diego. "Yes, a short walk away."
"Have you ever taken a taxi home and sent the bill to Grossberg?"
"Once, after he made me spend a whole day organizing newspaper clippings. He didn't appreciate it."
Mia laughed again, starting to walk. Diego followed close to her, their steps in perfect rhythm. As they moved, weaving a path through other people, occasionally her scarf would brush against his arm, pale yellow against bright red.
A nearby restaurant was already full of diners. Mia looked in the window with curiosity as they passed.
"It's not great in there," Diego told her. "The price isn't justified by the quality."
She shrugged. "Well, I don't know any good places in the city. I have to rely on recommendations." She looked at Diego and he caught the hint. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious next question but as he did so he misjudged where he was walking, knocking into another pedestrian.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
Diego waved an apology, Mia covering her laughter with one hand.
The moment passing, she changed the subject. "I'm glad the case is finished and that Toperman was freed."
"Yeah, me too. How was your first homicide case?"
"It was interesting." Mia considered something for a moment, instinctively nibbling on her lower lip. "Definitely difficult in places... Those pictures." She shook away a shudder. "But... I'm glad you were there."
Diego smiled back with ease.
"Do you think Toperman will be ok?"
"Yeah." Diego thought of Toperman in the house alone. "He... Has a lot to think about but he'll find a way through it somehow. At least he doesn't have a murder charge on his head anymore."
"He was a bit of a jerk, but nobody deserves to go down for something they didn't do."
"Of course not. That's why we're around, Mia."
She nodded happily.
Another corner turned and they could see the lights of the station in the distance. They exchanged a look, feeling the end of their time together approaching.
The silence between them begged to be filled with something important, but when Diego looked at her, the way she matched his look was distracting. Everything he could suddenly think of to say sounded either trivial or ridiculous so he kept silent. All too suddenly, they were at the station, slowing to a stop.
"So," she said nonchalantly, although the way she was holding her satchel tightly betrayed her true emotions, "this is me."
They had both instinctively drawn to one side, away from the main parade of foot traffic, people either heading home or heading to celebrate the arrival of the weekend.
"Yeah, I suppose it is." Now that it had come to it, he found he couldn't really speak. Why was he so affected by her? It should be easy to ask such a simple question, to acknowledge what they had been hinting at and finally address what had been started the moment they had begun working together.
"Ok." She looked somewhat disappointed and opened her mouth to say something further before closing it again. With an awkward smile, she started to step away.
He didn't want her to go and cursed their useless small talk on their walk. Desperately scrambling for something to say before she left, something to make her stay at least a little bit longer, the first word he could think of tumbled foolishly from his mouth. "Kitten..."
She turned back.
His ability to speak was failing again, thanks to the tension running through him. Instead, he wordlessly reached for her.
Smiling softly she stepped towards him, pressing her body against his as he drew them together. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, pressing his brow to the top of her head, closing his eyes. Her arms encircled him in turn and they stayed there, holding each other for a long while.
Once again, she was warm and fitted against him perfectly, a marvel of feminine curves. Her hair smelled faintly like strawberries and flowers, her satchel sat against his foot where she had dropped it and he could feel the gentle pressure of her hands on his back, fingers clinging to his body and the fabric of his vest.
He pulled back only slightly so that he could see her expression. He wanted very much to see what she was thinking, to see what she was feeling expressed in the soft details of her beautiful face. He was gratified by her breathless smile and faint blush. Studying her face, he brushed her bangs carefully to one side.
She looked back at him, those brown eyes once again ready and waiting for him to fall into. Her expression answered the question that was silently hovering between them. Her hands on his back tensed slightly.
When he bent his face towards hers, time seemed to slow, the moment stretching and tensing like a rubber band being pulled. Mia tilted her face upwards to meet him in the most wonderful way, her glossed lips parting. No more waiting. He was acutely aware of the gap closing between them, shrinking millimeter by millimeter. He closed his eyes, sensing the round tip of her nose, the swell of her cheek, the warmth of her breath mingling with his as their mouths slowly edged closer together. No more hesitating.
When their lips finally met, the way the tension released was both suddenly electric and maddeningly sweet. The combination was strong enough that he almost forgot to breathe until she gently encouraged his mouth to open by opening hers. Her lips were impossibly soft against his and the rest of the world disappeared, falling away until there was only Mia, the way that she felt in his arms and the way that they were drifting into a slow and languid rhythm, their lips meeting again and again in a perfect pas de deux. He felt her hand delicately clutch at his back as he tentatively dipped his tongue into her mouth, wanting to explore more of her, wanting to taste more of her. She tasted like... Mia. Like green tea and early morning smiles. The spark and the sweetness increased tenfold when she responded by pressing her lips against him more, trailing her tongue against his. He knew that she was exploring him too, taking in every detail and the thought made him shiver.
As they slowed to catch their breath, the kiss tapered off into little presses, small nibbles and delicate pecks until just their noses were touching. It was then that Diego opened his eyes. She still had her eyes closed, absorbing what had just happened, her cheek that pretty shade of pink on porcelain.
Now. I'll ask her now. He gently kissed her once more on the lips, briefly, before he was swept away again. "Mia…"
"Yes?" She opened her eyes to look back at him.
He couldn't let himself be arrested by that gaze again. It had to be now. "Would… you like to join me for dinner one evening?" His heart was beating a staccato rhythm, fluttering away in his chest as he waited for her answer.
Eventually she smiled, her eyes softening. "I'd like that."
"This weekend?"
"Sure." She kept her eyes on his as she trailed her hand down his body, making him sigh before slipping his phone from where it rested in his vest pocket. When she handed it to him expectantly, he obediently unlocked it and presented it to her, watching her fingers fly across the keys, tapping out a pretty rhythm. When she was finished, she slid the phone back into his pocket with a flourish.
"Call me," she said quietly.
He could only nod.
When she tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek it was another pleasant surprise, but Diego instinctively returned it. He felt the loss when she collected her satchel and pulled away with a single, fluid motion to start walking towards the station casually, as if she hadn't nearly sent him to his knees with a kiss, a few words and a simple action. Her scarf waved briefly like a cat's tail as he watched, rooted to the spot, eyes following the rhythmic sway of her hips, the tapping of her shoes with her steps keeping perfect timing with the satchel swinging at her side. The wave of brown hair behind her was the crowning glory of her whole beautiful body, sweeping along with easy grace.
She paused at the station's entrance to give Diego another smile.
"Goodnight, Mr Armando," she called.
"Goodnight Ms Fey," he answered.
She resumed walking, gradually passing out of sight. It was like hearing a sweet song fade into silence. Even when she was gone, the impression of her melody hung around Diego, his mind recalling traces of her notes as he headed for home.