Nothing & Something
"Yeah? A little girl…well, that's terrific doc," Charlie chatted amiably into the phone while Dani tapped her foot in annoyance.
"Glad to hear you kept your job, too. Yeah, well like I said we were investigating a murder not all that other stuff. Listen, doc…I need a favor. Could I come by and pick your brain about some cold cases from last year? Great."
He covered the phone and stated the obvious to his annoyed partner, "she said yes."
"I know, Crews," Dani feigned annoyance but really just wanted to see this woman in the flesh, size her up and get the information they needed.
He snapped the phone shut mumbling the meeting time and smiled brightly, "see how easy that was?"
Dani scowled. "You didn't tell her you were bringing your partner," she noted in a somewhat pinched tone.
"What's your point?" he was flummoxed.
She sighed exasperated at him once again and stomped off. It took him a moment to catch her she walked away in such a hurry.
"You don't honestly think I made time with all these women I'm rumored to have been with do you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied and kept walking.
He caught her by the elbow. "Oh, no. If we're going engage in dangerous acts together, break the law and possibly run up against a conspiracy within the second largest police department in the world, I'm not fighting you, too."
They locked eyes and a little battle began. Her supremacy was no longer the rule of law. Things were changing. For now Charlie was in charge and his steely-eyed look and cocksure stance said so. She'd never seen this side of him before. His confidence and directness was a heady mix – she blinked first. When she broke eye contact and looked away, he stepped close, leaning close so his breath tickled her ear and whispered, "I love you now and I will love you – and only you – forever. That's how I work. Get it?"
She nodded mutely.
He looked up and faraway. "We done here?" he asked to ensure the subject of jealousy was closed and nailed shut. Again she nodded, an embarrassed crimson crept up her throat. That he could not have, Dani feeling she had something to feel guilty about, he gently dragged his knuckles down her bare cheek and waited for her to recover. When her breathing settled he nudged her chin up and again their eyes met, but this time there was no battle, just solace and peace. "We good?" he asked more softly.
"Yes," her answer was a whisper.
He brushed her lips lightly and teased, "good. For a minute there I thought I was going to have to kiss some sense into you. Not that I wouldn't enjoy that, but the things I want to do to you require more privacy than we've got right now."
A tiny smile quirked the corners of her mouth as she fought the impulse to break into a wide grin at him being Charlie. His sly smile coupled with his seductive tone were incongruent with his levity. "You're not as funny as you think you know?" she advised him. "And the day you can kiss sense into someone - I'm changing lines of work," her sauciness returned.
"You are a very good kisser," he tested the waters with a chaste press of his lips to hers. Was the fence mended? He needed to know before they moved forward from this moment.
"No," she objected seizing him by the tie and dragging him down to her eager mouth. "I am an exceptional kisser," she smiled like the Cheshire cat as his hands gravitated automatically to her hips and his fingers dug in there. "You really wanna test that theory?"
"Definitely," he gave as good as he got, crushing her body against his. Their lips locked and tongues dueled as they consumed all the air in a three-block radius. They burned hot and hard edging toward out of control, but reluctantly disengaged as a carload of teenagers drove by hooting and shouting, "get a room."
"Finish this later?" he inquired in a husky breathless voice.
She nodded adding presciently, "but I don't think this will ever really be finished."
"I hope not," he replied grasping her hand. Again their eyes connected and a conversation occurred there without words, before he tugged on their joined hands, "Come on. We've got work to do."
They were standing at a taco cart on the busy street outside the ME's office. Dani was pouring over two anorexic autopsy reports in a plain manila folder, while her tall shadow choked down a taco wrapped in waxy paper.
"See, I told you…" he started between bites, "totally not my type," he continued wrestling with the taco.
The look she gave him was dour and disappointed that he'd revisit the topic.
"Drop it?" he watched her reaction, which was neutral. "Okay, I'll just drop it," he said meekly.
She returned to reading without any commentary on the ME. "This is crap. There's nothing here." Her look said, don't pull any of your Zen anecdotes on me, but she felt strongly enough about it that she verbalized it too, "and yes, I know there can't be nothing."
"You're learning grasshopper," he joked.
"Watch your tie," she warned expertly dragging it clear of a glob of greasy meat. He smiled appreciatively. "Relax it's not for you - it's for the silk. Women love silk," she advised.
"I'll have to remember that," he said seductively. "Let me see it," he begged nicely for the reports he'd obtained and she'd quickly assumed possession of.
"What are you going to see that I didn't?"
"Something that's not there," he cautioned absently already tuning her out and focusing on the voids in the data, instead of the bland matter on the printed page.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully.
She leaned close looking over his elbow and suspiciously asked, "What?"
"I really like that perfume," he teased. "Or maybe I just really like the woman wearing it," he winked at her casting a sidelong glance.
"I'm not wearing perfume," she warned pulling back from him.
"Like I said…maybe… I just really like the woman…" he repeated.
"Stop it," she interrupted dangerously close to laughter. She schooled her features and attempted to chastise him with a pointed stare. "You think flirting with me at this stage is really the way to go?"
He nudged his sunglasses down his nose and returned a smoldering stare of his own; "I think that flirting with you at any stage is something I enjoy." This time her blush was the proper kind and he let it be. "Now, go away," he elbowed her, "you had your turn."
She snorted a short laugh and walked away. She ordered a Coke from the vendor and thoughtfully pulled on the liquid while watching her partner absorb the data that was there and see what wasn't. It was what he excelled at – seeing things that weren't there, things other people missed. To Charlie absences spoke volumes.
"It says here that both their personal effects we sent to the same address," he commented stealing her Coke and taking a long pull from her straw. "What do you say we go see where that is?"
Dani donned her own shades and motioned for his keys with her outstretched hand.
"Why don't I drive?" he pushed.
Dani's hands were squarely planted on her hips and though he could not see her eyes he knew displeasure colored them dark rich colors.
"Okay, you drive," he acquiesced. Her smile was worth it.
The address was an office building. They sat in the car and rechecked the address before climbing from the car to inquire. The big board in the lobby had a list of companies in the building, but one particular company attracted their attention – Puryer Investigations.
"Now that's something," Charlie muttered.
"Crews," Dani prompted him to explain.
"Let's go," he said under his breath as he shepherded her out of the lobby. "There are probably cameras in here."
Once outside she shook off his arm and stepped away, "I'm not your granny you know? All you need to do is ask," his physicality chaffed her. It was something he made note of, but didn't apologize for.
He began explaining as they walked to the car while she cooled off. "Puryer Investigations provided the security and protection for Mickey Rayborn. The woman that came to see me when we were working the roofing murder case; that was Amanda Puryer."
Reese's eyes narrowed as she started the engine to cool the car off and turned in her seat to face him.
"You remember?"
"Yes, small woman, tiny waist, great dress and shoes; and she smoked in the office," she replied tersely.
He shot her an odd look deciding not to comment on the difference between the things women noticed and the things men did. Had he been asked to describe her Charlie would have used 'petite woman, great legs, low cut dress, impressive cleavage.' He decided to keep those thoughts to himself but was slow to continue. Dani shot him that patented annoyed look of hers.
"So…" he spoke his stream of consciousness, "she thought I killed Rayborn. That's why she was there that day. Turns out he tried to put one over on everyone – her included. She said her company owed his estate $15 Million if he really was dead. But I found Rayborn hiding out in a hospice working as a janitor."
"Why in the hell would you be looking for Rayborn?"
"To trade for him for you," he replied as if it were a simple matter of fact, "Roman wanted Rayborn in exchange for you so I found him."
"When no one else could…" she correctly concluded with wonder and awe sneaking into her voice and her eyes softening.
"I was more desperate than they were," he explained bashfully.
"More desperate than $15 million dollars?"
"Yeah," he softly admitted, "well, you can't put a price tag on what you mean to me."
He seemed to try and sell his admission with his eyes and waited for her reaction.
"I know that, Crews. I know that," she confessed. Her level gaze held conveyed both thanks and awe – the same beautiful mixed expression that graced her features the day he beheld her through a hazy windshield and knew he loved her.
"Now that's something," she added quietly almost as though she was talking to herself like he did. Charlie's smile was quiet and soft, but felt deep in his heart. She knew he loved her and she had all along.
