My english essay is done, my house has power, I can finally update at my own free will! Sorry that I've kept you guys waiting, I decided to take on a multi-fandom challenge floating around, although now with more time on my hands all my stories will have my undivided attention. One more thing, I don't own the lyrics in this chapter.
Chapter 9- How Dare She!
Spoilers: Open And Shut
Riley snapped photos of the body while the press crammed against the caution tape like sardines. She was beginning to feel annoyed. Her loud neighbors next door, young Wall Street bachelors who were rock star wannabes, were quieter than this. Apparently the fuss over Mandy, a model who had just flown in from Milan and who Remy had been flirting with for a few months wasn't surprising – looking at the supermodel, Riley was pretty sure Remy just wanted her on his arm. He had had a crush on Babs since high school despite his playboy reputation once he got to college. Stella, who Riley had lost in the melee of paparazzi, finally slipped under the caution tape.
"Swimwear ad done on the rooftop – Mandy Foster found the body," said Don.
"Is our vic a model too?" said Stella.
"Hotel concierge, Sara Jackson," said Don. "20 years old, moved here from Minnesota two years ago."
"From the trajectory, I'd say this wasn't an accident," said Mac.
Danny soon walked in. He looked at the press, looked at Riley, and rolled his eyes. Riley nodded in understanding. He got his kit out and started collecting evidence while Riley took a couple more photos.
"I got a partial print off the fingernail," said Danny.
"Possible defensive wounds on her arms," said Stella.
Mac was upstairs examining a section of railing.
"I want this section to go back to the lab, have Adam look at it," said Mac.
"What about the vic?" said Danny.
"Remove the body with the spike intact," said Mac.
Riley then heard what sounded like two gunshots. Nearby onlookers started screaming and running for the nearest exit.
"That was a gunshot!" said Stella.
"Sounds close!" said Don.
"Danny, Riley, stay here and hold the crime scene!" said Mac.
The three detectives ran off, leaving Danny and Riley to speculate what had happened. They talked as they removed the body, spike and all.
"I heard about the Halloween party you're doing," said Danny. "I don' care what you bring but don' bring any Chucky movies, he scares the crap outta me."
"You're scared of a doll?" said Riley.
"He's an evil doll!" said Danny.
"No sequels, tacky remakes, zombies, black & white, or Chucky," said Riley. "That narrows it down, but considering my DVD collection it makes it easier."
"So much for good times at the Soho Regency," said Danny.
Danny and Riley wheeled the body outside to see an ambulance and Stella trying to comfort a blond woman with wet hair.
"Wow, there's something you don't see every day," said Sheldon.
"Make you wish you were still in the MEs' office?" said Danny.
"No, I can safely say I truly don't," said Sheldon.
"You used to be an ME? That's awesome Sheldon!" said Riley.
"I wanted a change," said Sheldon. "First I was finding out about COD, now I get to figure out the motive behind it – and Riley, call me Hawkes, everyone else does and Peyton calls me Sheldon all the time, and I hate it."
Riley nodded and laughed. Lindsay then arrived. Riley stood with Lindsay and Sheldon waiting to figure out which case she would be assigned to.
"We have two crime scenes, one in the hotel and another in the apartment building next door," said Mac.
"I think it was a full moon last night," said Hawkes.
"My cat Tuxedo brought home another girlfriend last night – black cat," said Riley. "Getting him neutered didn't do much for his sex drive except take away his ability to reproduce."
Hawkes laughed.
"Any way the two crimes could be related?" said Lindsay.
"They don't appear to be," said Mac. "Sheldon, Lindsay, you two hook up with Stella. Riley, you and Danny will be working the hotel with me."
Mac, Danny, and Riley went back to the lab to wait on the autopsy results. Danny and Riley sat in the back of the police van. Mac could hear them joking around about some kid in Danny's building who had eaten an entire pizza at Joe's on a bet, then they started singing the Elvis Presley classic "Heartbreak Hotel".
Well, since my baby left me,
I found a new place to dwell.
It's down at the end of lonely street
at Heartbreak Hotel
You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die
And although it's always crowded,
you still can find some room.
Where broken hearted lovers
do cry away their gloom
You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die
Well, the Bell hop's tears keep flowin',
and the desk clerk's dressed in black.
Well they been so long on lonely street
They ain't ever gonna look back
You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die
Hey now, if your baby leaves you,
and you got a tale to tell.
Just take a walk down lonely street
to Heartbreak Hotel
Danny was tone-deaf and Riley hit every note. He remembered when she had sung "Summer of '69" at Sullivan's and he had played his bass guitar. He had been a little nervous but they had done it anyway, and the applause had been so loud the roof almost came down. When they got back, Mac and Riley went to Autopsy while Danny took the evidence to the lab. Sid was already waiting for them.
'The spike penetrated her chest and perforated the aortic arch. A couple centimeters to the right she would've pulled through," said Sid. "When I was an intern they brought in a guy who fell off a loading dock and into a container of steel enforcement rods, talk about a thousand points of light –"
Riley liked Sid's stories, so it was too bad that Mac and Sheldon always interrupted before he could finish.
"Sid, that sounds really fascinating, but I'm jammed up here today – why did you leave this on?" said Mac.
Riley saw that there was a bracelet on the vic's right wrist, and it didn't appear that it had a clasp on it.
"Look at this," said Sid. "Cartier came out with these bracelets in the 70's. They're supposed to represent enduring love. Only way to remove it is with a special screwdriver which is kept by the giver of the gift – of course, I could've cut it off but I couldn't bring myself to damage such a sentimental part of the victim's life."
"A bracelet worn for eternal love – how romantic," said Riley. "Personally though I prefer charm bracelets."
"What are these gouges on her arms?" said Mac.
Sid said they were fingernails. He had collected an oily substance from the wound tracts. Also, there had been semen present down south.
"I found some hairs on her inner thigh, they weren't hers," said Sid.
Mac and Riley took a look.
"So we have a bracelet, fingernail marks, sexual activity, and foreign hairs," said Mac. "Add it all up, we could be looking at a lovers' quarrel."
"I think that's pretty stupid – if you really love someone why kill them?" said Riley.
"Love makes people do things they wouldn't otherwise," said Mac.
Sid watched Mac and Riley leave and looked at the vic.
"A lovers' quarrel," said Sid.
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Riley loved microscopes. They were fun. Once in AP Biology her sophomore year of high school, she had tried putting some of her lip gloss in a slide to examine the compounds. High school had sucked. Her parents had signed her up for AP classes all across the board, save for the fine and performing arts classes she had taken as a break from it all. She could still remember her course-load during her senior year. 9/11 or not, she would've remembered regardless, but AP English 4 had gotten pretty morbid as the class was often taught to one Shakespearean tragedy and its place in modern times. Senior year it had been Macbeth and everyone had pointed out similarities between Macbeth's fallen empire and a fallen Manhattan like crazy. First they had read the play, and Riley had scared everyone with her portrayal of Lady Macbeth, proving she wasn't the only decent actress at Hathaway – but Babs was talented. She would've let Babs read it, but her boyfriend, Seth, hadn't let her. He had been an abusive asshole who had done everything to break Babs, and between Alexa and Riley, he had hated Riley the most because Riley had known exactly what he was and unlike Alexa had done everything short of killing the bastard to stop him – which was why Pauline Rayburn's murder had hit home with her: Seth had proposed to Babs right before the Spring Musical, and if not for a chain of events that spanned the next two months, she would've married him and Riley was sure she would've gone to Babs' funeral. Now Babs was on Broadway playing Collette in Les Miserable and she was doing great for herself. Riley moved over and let Danny look at the microscope.
"What were you up to Sara Jackson?" said Danny. "The oily substance Sid found? I don't even think it's human."
"I'm having the same problem with the hair," said Mac. "Microscopic characteristics can be hard to nail down, just focus on it."
Mac wound up getting a hit first.
"Camel hair," said Mac.
"Camel hair?" said Danny.
"Wait a minute… I'll be right back!" said Riley.
She took off like a bat out of hell.
"Looks like a light bulb went off in her head," said Danny.
"She knows something about that hair," said Mac.
Riley half-walked half-ran back to the lab. Mac noticed she had a makeup brush in her hand.
"It has camel hair on it," said Riley.
Mac took a hair off Riley's brush and compared it with the hairs they had found. It was a match, which meant that the hairs they had found had come off a makeup brush made by the same manufacturer.
"On our vic's thigh?" said Danny. "A makeup brush? How did you…"
"I've been using that brand of brushes for nearly a decade," said Riley. "They all come in a set, and they all have camel hair."
"This just gave us a major break in the case," said Mac.
They wound up connecting the hairs to a photographer that had been at Mandy Foster's photo shoot. Mac and Don went to question him while Danny and Riley went to the break room. Adam and Kendall were there, eating pizza. Danny and Riley stole some slices for themselves.
"So Riley, you jus keep on surprisin me," said Danny. "You and Mac at Sullivan's Monday night? Wow! You two outta take that show on the road."
"I'm not that good, Danny," said Riley.
"Yeah you are," said Danny.
"I officially love Mondays," said Adam. "Who knew Mac could rock and roll?"
"We have Riley to thank for that," said Kendall. "From what I've heard, Peyton is mad, which makes me glad."
"You got him to get outta the lab – I think you're workin miracles, Riley," said Danny.
"I'm not God," said Riley.
"Maybe, but you've had an effect on everyone here," said Danny. "Everyone likes you – well, almost everyone."
"Peyton's jealous of you, and no one likes her," said Kendall.
Soon Peyton walked into the break room and to the fridge just as Riley was pouring herself some soda. Peyton took the soda and spilled it all over Riley. It got on her hair, her top, and her jeans.
"Well well well – oops," said Peyton.
"Hey! Clean it up!" Kendall yelled.
Peyton left.
"How dare she!" said Kendall.
Adam and Danny tended to the mess on the floor while Kendall and Riley went to the locker room.
"Did I just see a catfight?" said Adam.
Danny nodded.
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Kendall listened to Riley rant as the detective took a shower, trying to get the soda out of her hair. A change of clothes Riley kept on hand sat folded on a nearby bench that Kendall sat on.
"She just ruined my top!" Riley yelled. "Usually I'm not a bitchy person but I'm hitting her back – and hard! I gotta wonder though, why are you so eager to help me?"
"I was new a few months before you arrived, and when I came she was nice to me only when Sid and Sheldon were around," said Kendall. "She was more interested in soaking up the spotlight – she hated that Sid had a soft spot for me."
Kendall heard the shower turn off and handed Riley a towel.
"He has a soft spot for everyone," said Riley. "What the hell is she trying to do anyway, date Mac AND have all the men at her beck and call?"
"Seems that way, and it would explain why she hates you so much," said Kendall. "You hit it off with Danny and Peyton's 'flunkie' Hawkes on the first day, then you managed to soften up Mac just a teensy bit and hit it off with Sid – and I'm pretty sure she thinks you're after Mac. So all I need to do is make her think she's losing the war."
"Mac and I are just friends," said Riley.
"Relax, I won't name names," said Kendall. "I'm gonna go now, are you okay?"
"I'm okay, just don't imply anything specific if you wanna play dirty," said Riley.
"Don't worry, I have your back," said Kendall.
Kendall left and walked back to the break room. Adam was still there and he had his laptop – good.
"Adam, can you loan me your laptop for a half hour? Pretty please?" said Kendall.
"Sure, no problem!" said Adam. "I gotta get back to work, but you know the combination to my locker, right?"
Kendall nodded and assured Adam his precious laptop would be safely returned. She knew there wasn't any porn on it, so what was the big deal? Too bad Lindsay hadn't been there this time, Lindsay would've been furious. Kendall opened up Word and typed up a very convincing letter that would hopefully do justice while she whipped out her phone and made a call to the florist shop across the street. Then she went down to Autopsy to pick up the letter from the printer – Sid always turned a blind eye to lab escapades, and Peyton would hopefully reveal her true colors to Mac once the letter began circulating throughout the lab.
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Riley's hair was in a wet ponytail when she went back to the lab to help Adam with the railing. Adam was about to ask Riley how she was when Mac arrived asking for an update. Riley vaguely wondered how Mac didn't see through Peyton as several other people did. Riley did know one thing, though. If Stella saw what they saw, Mac would drop Peyton like a bad habit because he listened to her and vice versa.
"Either of you got anything?" said Mac.
"That's a joke right?" said Adam.
"If it was then it was so funny that I forgot to laugh," said Riley.
"Call it wishful thinking," said Mac.
"This thing has more trace than a public restroom," said Adam.
"I hate public restrooms," said Riley. "They always smell – yes Adam, even us women rip it now and then."
"Like the Devo song 'Whip It'," said Adam.
He immediately began singing the chorus.
Now whip it
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It's not too late
To whip it
Whip it good
"Adam – Riley stop laughing it's encouraging him," said Mac.
"Sorry, I had a bad lunch and needed that comic relief," said Riley. "I dropped a soda bottle and when I picked it up and opened it the thing spilled all over my clothes so I had to change."
Mac saw Adam and Riley exchange a look. Mac had noticed that Riley looked different – obviously she had changed her clothes and her hair was wet, but how did the soda get in her hair?
"I don't even know what I'm looking for," said Adam.
"Sometimes we don't know what we're looking for until we find it," said Mac.
Someone came in and handed him a paper, probably with test results. Riley looked up for just a second, wanting to know what it was. Apparently the photographer's prints hadn't matched the prints on the railing but now they were pursuing someone else.
"Mandy Foster?!" said Adam, his mouth opening and closing.
"Don't say anything I'll repeat to Kendall later," said Riley.
Mac walked out smiling. After questioning Mandy Foster at the hotel, he and Don went back to the lab, where murmurings of roses and love letters were spreading like wildfire. He rolled his eyes – one of the lab techs had probably gotten flowers. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last. Danny approached him and said that he had identified the substance on the wounds on Sara's arms – bovine stem cells, and they had no clue how they had gotten there. Soon they were joined by Riley and Don – the latter had a gossip magazine, World Wide, in his hand. Mandy Foster was on the cover and the words "ANGER MANAGEMENT!" were in all caps. They went to the lab with the magazine and figured out from the angle – and the bracelet in front of the camera – that Sara had been the one taking the pictures.
"Just one problem with your theory," said Don. "I called the editor of World Wide – the picture was from a video that was uploaded two hours after Sara's murder."
"Get a subpoena – whoever took that video could be our killer," said Mac.
Mac then went down to Autopsy, taking Riley with him. For reasons unknown to him both Riley and Sid seemed to enjoy each other's company. Mac didn't care, but that was only because Riley paid attention to what they were talking about. Also, Sid had asked Mac to bring her.
"You wanted to see us, Sid?" said Mac.
Sid nodded.
"I don't think you've seen this before, Riley," said Sid. "When Sara Jackson's body went into rigor, something interesting happened."
"What?" said Mac.
"Check her right hand," said Sid.
Mac checked it while Riley watched.
"It's not in rigor like the rest of her body," said Mac.
"That is so fascinating – granted death is a terrible thing, but stuff like this is fascinating," said Riley.
"You're starting to sound like me – we'll have to creep out Sheldon when you two work a case together," said Sid.
Riley kept her mouth shut, knowing laughing in front of Mac would possibly ruin any indication that she was able to be serious.
"Muscle exertion in her hand at TOD caused it to go into early rigor," said Sid.
"That would only happen if she was clutching something when she died," said Mac.
"There wasn't anything at the scene," said Riley.
"Maybe someone pried her hand open and took it out," said Sid.
"Once the rigor was broken it didn't return," said Mac.
"Right," said Sid. "You're looking for an object that would fit in the palm of her hand."
"Like a video camera?" said Riley.
Sid nodded. Mac and Riley then left.
"I got a call from Don and Jessica, they're coming to the party," said Riley.
"How'd they manage that?" said Mac.
"Don, he's so mean!" said Riley. "He lied to a couple rookies that he and Jessica were taking his little nieces and nephews trick or treating so they could get out of the Halloween Night shift – and they bought it!"
Riley laughed.
"Sorry, I'm kind of a jokester," said Riley.
"It's alright," said Mac.
"I've been dealt a bad hand – I can either laugh or cry the day away and I decided it was better to laugh," said Riley.
Mac didn't think that was so bad – he'd caught himself smiling around her a couple times. She wasn't one of those fake cheerful women that he'd met in the past but her sense of humor seemed to have had a ripple effect throughout the lab. He left to question Mandy Foster with Don while Riley walked to the break room. Danny and Lindsay followed her. Riley saw a vase filled with red roses. She knew the language of flowers like the back of her own hand, red roses signified true love. They were also thorn-less, which meant first love. A letter, folded in half and taped shut, was taped to the vase. Danny promptly took the letter off the vase and took the tape off it. Soon he began to read it.
"Dear Riley –" said Danny.
"Hey, gimme that!" said Riley.
"No, no no!" said Danny. "I'm gonna read it!"
"C'mon Danny, just give her the letter," said Lindsay.
Danny immediately surrendered the letter to Riley. She began reading it.
Dear Riley,
I'm not a man of many words. For one thing, I only believe in what I can see. That is why admitting that I am attracted to you has been tricky. My heart has been broken once before, and it could very well get broken again. We are a lot alike, yet in so many respects we are different. You are a funny, kind, and intelligent woman. Every time you smile it lights up a room – forgive me if that sounds stalker-like. Like I said before, I'm not a man of many words and I'm not skilled in the ways of wooing with words. Mostly I observe the things and people around me, and you are someone I have noticed a lot. I work here in the crime lab, so I see you on a daily basis. You listen to your iPod while analyzing evidence and you chew a lot of gum – I'm just thankful you dispose of it properly. You also eat a lot of pizza, but you don't seem to like anchovies. Also, you drive a Harley to work unless the weather's bad. I'm pretty sure I only scratched the surface of who you are. However, maybe we could get to know each other better. Meet me at Cirque at five o' clock.
Your Secret Admirer
"Seriously?" said Riley. "He has the nerve to say how he notices all these things about me and doesn't even bother to leave his name?!"
"Who wrote it?" said Lindsay.
"It was typed," said Riley.
"Riley got a love letter!" said Danny. "Who do ya think it's from?"
"Don't know," said Riley. "Whoever it is is a very observant person."
"Like you?" said Danny. "Let's see… who else besides you is observant… holy crap! Mac Taylor!"
"Me and Mac?" said Riley. "That's funny, Danny."
Danny waited until Riley and Lindsay started talking then he swiped the letter.
"Hey! Get back here!" said Riley.
Danny had already left. He found the fax machine and made several copies. After he was done he randomly distributed them throughout the lab – everyone was going to go nuts.
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Mac, Don, and Riley were in the lab viewing the video Sara had made of Mandy Foster when Don found a piece of paper. He started reading it, looked at Riley, and snickered.
"Forget the video, this is even more interesting," said Don.
"What?" said Mac.
"Riley's got a secret admirer," said Don. "Riley, you gonna head to Cirque? I love that place – so many pretty women."
"Very funny, Don," said Riley.
Adam walked in. He had a piece of paper in his hand.
"So your secret admirer says you have gum – can I have a piece?" said Adam.
"OK, did someone make copies of this?!" said Mac.
"Yeah, the original was in the break room but Danny took it – he must've made copies," said Riley. "Sorry."
Riley fished out a piece of gum for Adam.
"I'm not a gum chewer, she stopped offering me pieces weeks ago," said Mac.
Adam left. Don snickered again.
"What?" said Riley.
"You and Mac?" said Don.
"Then you and Danny need to go back to the academy," said Riley.
Mac took Don's copy of the letter and read it. He definitely hadn't written this – whoever had had tried too hard to make it seem like he was the writer, or in this case the typist. He saw Riley reading it and rolling her eyes.
"I know who wrote it – and I'll be seeing them in a couple hours," said Riley.
The three of them got back to discussing the video when Stella walked in. Riley thought Stella was a kind and beautiful woman. They way she walked, it seemed nothing or no one could touch her.
"That's the Thomason's apartment in the background," said Stella. "Where did you get this?"
"Sara Jackson took it on the roof yesterday before she died," said Mac.
"Looks like Mandy was on the up-and-up about the videotape," said Don.
"I still don't think she's innocent," said Mac.
Mac and Riley left. Don followed, but not before Stella asked him what time the video was made. Riley soon got a call on her BlackBerry Pearl – it was Remy.
"I heard that Mandy Foster got arrested," said Remy. "I tried bailing her out and she told me to get lost! What a little bitch – why I even bothered to try getting her to go with me to the Club X opening is beyond me."
"You don't need her for the opening to be a success – I think all she wanted from you was press, and when it became clear that you weren't that kind of guy, she decided to show her true colors," said Riley. "Ask Babs – it can't hurt, just ask her as a friend."
"I may wind up doing that – both you and Babs have been supportive of me," said Remy. "I'm surprised her parents aren't in the funny farm yet. They disowned her because she became an actress and dumped Seth – he cheated on her AND he rearranged her face!"
"I know Remy – who do you think paid for the plastic surgery?" said Riley softly.
"I don't get it – why does a guy hit a girl? My parents got drunk and high and hit each other, and if I had even told Vinny that Seth had tried killing you that time he would've killed Seth himself," said Remy.
"We don't even know it was him, Remy," said Riley.
"Riley, that theater may have burned to the ground, but Jared's sister found pour patterns all over the remains – someone knocked you out and left you there to die, then set the theater on fire," said Remy. "You were the only one who didn't run out – Jared and Brad had to run in and get you, and we both know what happened then."
"I only know what I was told after I came out of the coma," said Riley. "I don't remember anything from that night – I was taking off my stage makeup and I saw a silhouette in the mirror then everything went black. All I can remember is that it was a girl, so Seth didn't knock me out."
"He was too busy soaking the theater in diesel," said Remy. "Of course, when everyone from Engine 36 got there everyone was out of the theater but you and I was so nervous that you wouldn't make it – then when Jared came running out with you in his arms the goddamned building exploded."
"Remy, I know what happened, but right now I'm working and I gotta go," said Riley.
"Remember remember the third of November," said Remy. "That's the opening date for X!"
Riley laughed. The two friends said their goodbyes and Riley shut her phone off. She joined Mac and Danny in the hall.
"Guess what bovine stem cells are used for these days – facials," said Danny.
"That's a new one," said Mac.
"Just 'cuz I can afford it doesn't mean I'm trying it," said Riley.
Danny laughed.
"It reverses the aging process, which you definitely don't need," said Danny. "Only a couple places do it, luckily for us one of them is the SoHo Regency Spa."
"Was Mandy Foster on their client list?" said Mac.
"Her, several members of her entourage and several hotel guests," said Danny.
"Now all we gotta do is narrow it down," said Mac.
"Maybe look at people who had access to the atrium?" said Riley.
"That's a good place to start," said Mac.
"Boom," said Danny.
Riley grinned. She always thought it was funny when Danny said that. He had his own catchphrase/word – like Paris Hilton had "That's hot!". She then laughed, comparing the L.A. socialite to the Staten Island detective – although she would never tell Danny that. She and Danny soon found their way to the break room while Mac went to see Adam about the railing. They sat down in a couple chairs. Riley was reminded of the earlier incident with Peyton and cursed.
"Femmina stupida!" said Riley.
"If you're gonna curse in Italian do it in front of someone who doesn't know the language," said Danny.
"You know Italian?" said Riley.
"Yeah, my whole family's Italian," said Danny. "Don't worry, I curse a lot – I just wanted to see the look on your face."
"How about we talk in Italian and see who else we can screw with besides each other," said Riley.
Danny laughed.
"Mi domando se impressionerebbe Montana – sebbene lei chiama il suo Lindsay," said Danny. "Dove l'ha fatta l'impara in ogni modo?"
"Ho avuto AP italiano il mio anno superiore alla Scuola preparatoria di Hathaway," said Riley. "Ho odiato la scuola superiore privata. Se lei non è andato alla Lega di Ivy dopo che la graduazione che lei non era niente."
"L'ha fatto va?" said Danny.
"No, sono andato a NYU," said Riley. "Mi sarei potuto si preoccupare meno dell'opinione popolare, non ho mai seguito la folla – e New York è la mia casa. Era sempre, ed andando a uno di quelle università mi avrebbe messo fuori della città ero cresciuta in, una città che sente come è una parte di me."
"Non era lí un intorno qui?" said Danny.
"Si, Columbia U – mia madre non sentirebbe di esso, mi ha voluto applicare a Harvard, a Yale, ed a Princeton," said Riley. "Mio padre mi ha incoraggiato a applicare a NYU perché ho voluto andare. Lo manco."
Danny frowned. He hadn't heard Riley talk about her parents before now, and it wasn't a stretch to realize that her mother had cared about vanity and her father had only wanted her to have the life she wanted – now both of them were dead and only one appeared to be missed.
"Non vado d'accordo con sia dei miei genitori," said Danny. "Mi biasimano per ciò che è successo a Louie."
Riley decided to change the subject to a lighter topic. They kept talking in Italian, waiting for someone to walk in. Hopefully it would be Peyton. She didn't seem to know any languages at all. Stella they wouldn't be able to fool, she knew Italian and Greek. Anyone else besides her was fair game. Mac then walked in. All they accomplished from him was a confused look.
"Riley, I need you for an experiment," said Mac.
"Dopo Danny," said Riley.
"Vedere Riley di ya," said Danny. "Fare attenzione."
Mac and Riley left. Mac needed Riley for this one – he and Adam had deduced that the victim had weighed 115 pounds, and Riley was about the same height and weight as their new prime suspect, Tess Larson, which made her perfect for what he had planned. They walked into the room where the railing was kept. Mac had already explained to Riley on the way over what had to be done so she wasn't nervous when Adam brought over a black belt with a turquoise belly ring attached. Riley put it on and stood behind the railing.
"OK, let me have it," said Riley.
Mac handed her a weighted drum. The weight of it caused her to lose her footing and her waist was planted right on the railing, and she was leaning over, her feet off the floor behind her and she was staring down the floor in front of her.
"So is your theory correct or will I be doing gymnastics over the railing?" said Riley.
Adam laughed.
"Don't worry, we're done," said Mac.
He took the drum from Riley, and Adam helped her back up.
"Thanks Adam," said Riley. "So did Tess do it?"
Mac walked around the railing and looked at where Riley had just been leaning over. There was new trace just like the trace from Tess' navel ring.
"Looks like it," said Mac. "Now all I need is a confession."
When Don called telling him Tess had arrived, Mac left and Riley and Adam exchanged a look.
"How dare she!" said Riley. "I probably just missed the chance to meet my secret admirer!"
"You still have a half hour – go, I'll cover," said Adam.
"Thanks, you're so sweet," said Riley.
"You're welcome," said Adam.
By the time he turned around Riley had already left the room.
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The minute Riley left the building she took off at a fast walk. Cirque wasn't that far away and whoever sent the letter could've gotten there by now. Soon she got there. If the sender was trying to sound like Mac, they would be at the table that she and Mac had been sitting at. It had only been a chance encounter, but she was sure that table would only have one empty chair when she arrived. Sure enough, when she got there, one of the chairs was occupied. When she saw who the other person was she burst out laughing and ran over.
"I knew it!" said Riley.
"Let's talk trash," said Kendall. "Didja see Peyton's face yet?"
Riley sat down and took a piece of cheesecake and a cup of espresso.
"Thanks for buying food," said Riley. "I'll pay you back."
"Don't bother, I didn't even pay for it – men still buy me stuff at restaurants, and I still capitalize on it," said Kendall. "I know I shouldn't given that I'm dating Adam, but it allows me to go shopping more because I have more money for rent – you wouldn't believe how expensive food is."
"Sometimes I have that happen to me – I don't follow through either 'cuz I'm single and liking it," said Riley.
"We gotta go to Sullivan's tonight – last time the four of us went, it was a blast," said Kendall. "So how did everyone react to the letter?
"Danny made copies!" said Riley. "They're all over the lab!"
Kendall laughed and nearly spit out her espresso. Riley laughed too.
"So was it convincing?" said Kendall.
"How the hell should I know, I only care if it convinced the piranha," said Riley.
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Peyton saw a piece of paper in the Autopsy room. She picked it up.
"Dear Riley…" Peyton read.
She kept reading the letter, wondering who the sender was. It sounded an awful lot like… no, it couldn't be Mac – but then why was he now performing with her at Sullivan's every Monday night? Peyton immediately began crying. She made a mental note to get back at Riley later – she had googled the CSI and had found out her secret, the one she hadn't told any other members of the team. She would throw it in Riley's face the next time the CSI even dared to come between her and Mac.
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Lindsay overheard Stella telling Mac what had happened during Grace's questioning. When Stella walked back out Lindsay was there.
"How dare she!" said Stella. "For her to say that…"
"It was out of line," said Lindsay. "She's a killer, you're not. She knew that and was just trying to antagonize you."
Stella nodded and went to the locker room, where she saw Riley putting on her biker boots for the ride home.
"Hey Stella!" said Riley. "Was it a rough day?"
Stella noticed that Riley had probably seen it all over her face. She was grateful that the younger woman hadn't asked for details.
"You could say that," said Stella.
"Then you need to come to Sullivan's with us," said Riley.
"Us?" said Stella.
"Lindsay, Jessica, Kendall, and I," said Riley. "You come that makes five."
"Sounds fun – I need to get drunk," said Stella.
"I've had plenty of those days," said Riley.
They left the lab together. Stella saw Riley's Harley. It was pretty cool. The license plate read "NYSOUL" and there was a scarf tied on one of the handlebars. Stella noticed there was a B stitched on it.
"Who does the B stand for?" said Stella.
"Babs," said Riley. "She got it for me because she heard somewhere that a lot of people have sentimental stuff on their bikes pertaining to their loved ones – not that I'm hardcore, from what I heard the hardcore bikers are Hell's Angels."
Stella laughed, feeling somewhat better. She noticed Riley fingering the scarf, a serious look on her face.
"She was the vulnerable one out of the three of us – back when Alexa was alive," said Riley. "I was the tough girl in the group – no one dared to mess with me because I paid it back worse."
"Is this going somewhere?" said Stella.
"Yeah – I'll tell you later at Sullivan's," said Riley. "You'll hopefully be too drunk to remember it in the morning."
She then got on her bike, put her helmet on, and drove away.
Later that night
Riley met them all there several hours later. They had all traded their work clothes for girls-night-out outfits. Stella looked a little wary.
"What are we gonna do?" said Stella.
"Get drunk!" Kendall yelled.
Riley laughed.
"Shooters!" said Jessica.
"Who's paying for the first round?" said Lindsay.
"I am – Frankie! Five Liquid Cocaines!" said Riley.
"Those things taste terrible!" said Jessica.
"I know. Frankie! Bring out five Sex on the Beach shooters with those!" said Kendall.
"Good, we'll have a chaser for after – Stella, you okay?" said Riley.
"Yeah," said Stella.
Riley shook her head not believing her. The two women then went to the bathroom so Stella could tell Riley about what had happened to her.
"That's terrible! Also, what that murderer said about you was uncalled for!" said Riley. "Hey, remember what I said earlier before I left?"
Stella nodded.
"Well it's a good thing we're out for drinks then," said Riley. "You know how I brought Babs up a couple times?"
"Yeah," said Stella.
"When we entered our freshman year of high school she began dating this guy, Seth Baldwin," said Riley. "He treated her like a queen, had flowers delivered to all her classes and all the jazz that went with it. When Alexa, Babs, and I entered our sophomore year, things changed. She didn't punk up her uniform anymore like Alexa and I would and she just stopped being the social butterfly she was – also, when they thought no one was around, they argued. However, I was always privy to something."
FLASHBACK
Riley walked out of the bathroom, careful not to get caught by Darcy and Caitlin, who were sneaking booze from a flask in a nearby stall – they were the cruelest and most popular girls at Hathaway and she didn't feel like getting on their bad side. She walked out just in time to hear shouting. She followed the noise and saw Babs and Seth arguing again…
END FLASHBACK
Stella and Riley left the bathroom so they could finish the story while doing shots. They got back just in time to down the first round, the Liquid Cocaines.
"This is the only cocaine that is legal!" said Lindsay.
Kendall and Jessica immediately began laughing. They all did the Sex on the Beach shooters and got the taste of the first one out of their mouths. Riley resumed the story she had been telling Stella while Kendall told Lindsay and Jessica about the letter.
"So junior year she comes over my place one day and I see this nasty bruise near her hairline – you don't get something like that from falling," said Riley. "Seth was hitting her, and after that I made it my personal mission to out the bastard – 'scuse my language."
"You're excused," said Stella.
"It only got worse after that – one night all three of us went to Serendipity 3 after final exams, and he called her," said Riley. "She and Alexa told him where we were. Me? I cursed him out and despite Babs' protest I shut her phone off."
"That probably wasn't the best idea," said Stella. "You could've gotten yourself killed if you're saying he was that dangerous!"
"He tried and he failed – I hailed Babs a cab and Alexa and I took off in my Mustang," said Riley. "A pickup truck was tailing us and I was almost run off the road!"
"Was it him?" said Stella.
"Yeah – he got close enough to my rear bumper that I could see his face in the rearview mirror," said Riley. "I did over a 100 until I got to a gas station – after that incident my old man started taking me to the shooting range so I could learn how to 'shoot between the eyes' as he always said."
A third round of shooters, Kamikazes, came along and everyone downed the shot.
"Just what the doctor ordered," said Stella.
"Okay where did I leave off – oh, senior year!" said Riley. "That one was a doozy! Seth became meaner, Darcy and Caitlin became drunker along with their gay friend Josh, and Darcy decided that I should be in her clique – which got me into all the good parties! However Seth was beating up any guy that talked to Babs. He beat up my friend Remy, who back then was a sweet smart kid who wouldn't hurt a fly and even though he had a crush on Babs kept his distance, and then he beat up Josh because he was opposite her in the fall musical! Spring musical they were opposite each other again, and the tension was so bad with everyone I knew that it could be cut with a knife – Caitlin had been kicked to the curb by Darcy and Josh so for the first time in my life I had to play the politics game."
"Maybe you should tell Mac your secrets," said Stella.
"You kidding?" said Riley. "It snowballed real fast – when I told Darcy and Josh that Caitlin was talking trash Josh aired Caitlin's dirty laundry. Then there was the rumor that Seth and Caitlin were sleeping together – not to mention that after the spring musical the theater caught fire and I was trapped inside."
"This sounds like a soap opera," said Stella.
"I was in a coma – someone knocked me out and I don't know who it was," said Riley. "Soon the spring formal – technically it was a prom but the chaperones didn't want that name used – came around and I had evidence of him cheating on her. Funny, she tolerated getting hit but not cheated on. At my spring debutante ball, I used my video camera –"
"Mac told me about that thing, this can't end well!" said Stella.
A round of voodoo shooters was soon followed by a round of Tequila Boom Booms, which fizzed when you banged them on the table.
"That last one was fun!" said Jessica.
"Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!" said Kendall.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"I had a video of Seth making out with Caitlin, so all I had to do was arrange a big-screen TV to be at the hotel – it was supposed to play music videos – then when they were both onstage for spring king and queen and I was making my class presidential speech, Remy put the DVD in and Seth was humiliated out of the state!" said Riley. "Seriously, last I heard he lives in Canada and Caitlin lives in Dallas."
"It looks like he tried killing you twice," said Stella. "Why did you chance it?"
"To save Babs – one night she showed up at my place and half her face was gone," said Riley. "Her parents wouldn't pay for the plastic surgery because they thought she brought it on – I got my dad to pay for it. Being a rich girl in that environment was no cakewalk – appearances were everything and in her parents' minds Seth was the perfect husband."
Riley rolled her eyes. Growing up Stella had been envious of the rich girls at her high school, but maybe they had had their own problems. Apparently the Upper East Side was nasty, but the adults sounded worse than their offspring.
"I'm glad I'm drunk, I needed it," said Stella.
"I feel great," said Lindsay.
"Bring on the magic potions," said Kendall.
"Riley, show me the letter!" said Jessica.
"I think we had too much," said Riley.
The five of them hailed a cab laughing and giggling. Riley realized she and Stella would forget about that story and Kendall telling everyone about the letter by tomorrow morning. Tonight, everything was fair game. Soon Riley was the only one left in the cab.
"Where to?" said the cabbie.
"Times Square – there's a theater out there," said Riley.
Soon she was there. Riley got out and paid the cabbie.
"I should stay," said the cabbie.
"I don't know how long I'll be here," said Riley. "It's late, go home."
The cabbie nodded and drove away. Riley entered the theater – she had known it would still be open, Babs was always there the latest rehearsing even though she should be in bed. Sure enough, Riley saw Babs onstage singing one of her numbers. Babs, with her light brown hair and dark brown eyes, was a beautiful young actress who the tabloids weren't able to get enough of lately.
"Sounds great Babs," said Riley.
"Hey Riley!" said Babs.
She jumped off the stage and gave Riley a hug.
"You're drunk," said Babs.
"I had some shooters with the girls," said Riley. "I haven't seen you since I graduated from the academy and your opening night for Les Miserables.
"So you hailed a cab all the way down here?" said Babs. "Did Remy send you?"
"I'm not his maid, if he wants to ask you to be his date for the opening of Club X, he has to do it himself," said Riley.
"He already did – I said yes," said Babs. "However it's platonic."
"I think it's great that you said yes though," said Riley. "He just wants someone there who will support him for who he is and not just 'cuz X is supposed to be the biggest thing since Limelight, Twilight, and the Tunnel combined."
Babs nodded.
"I'm finished, how about I drive you home?" said Babs.
"I'll just hail another cab, I don't wanna put you out," said Riley.
"You're my friend, that isn't possible," said Babs.
They went outside to Babs' car, a robin egg's blue Volkswagen bug convertible. Both women got in. Babs started the car, and they headed for Riley's bachelorette pad.
What the Italian words meant in English. I used a free translating site for everything.
"Stupid bitch!" said Riley.
"I wonder if it would impress Montana – although you call her Lindsay," said Danny. "Where did you learn it anyways?"
"I had AP Italian my senior year at Hathaway Prep," said Riley. "I hated prep school. If you didn't go to the Ivy League after graduation you were nothing."
"Did you go?" said Danny.
"No, I went to NYU," said Riley. "I could've cared less about popular opinion, I never followed the crowd – and New York City is my home. It always was, and going to one of those colleges would've put me outside the city I had grown up in, a city that feels like it's a part of me."
"Wasn't there one around here?" said Danny.
"Yeah, Columbia U – my mother wouldn't hear of it, she wanted me to apply to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton," said Riley. "My father encouraged me to apply to NYU because I wanted to go. I miss him."
"I don't get along with either of my parents," said Danny. "They blame me for what happened to Louie."
"Later Danny," said Riley.
"See ya Riley," said Danny. "Be careful."
So I hoped you liked my very late update, lol. Press the green button and make my day!