Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…
A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. Immi has insisted that I write on this and I try not to anger the wee one ;)
Sara was seated on the couch with a drink in her hand when the blonde wandered out of her room clad only in one of the hotel bathrobes. Her hair, obviously still wet, was bound around her head like a turban in a towel.
"I see you've made yourself comfortable," the blonde shot as she poured a drink from the fully-stocked bar. "You're obviously accustomed to less than finer clothing since you don't seem the least bit bothered by that mass produced track suit."
Catherine waved her drink in Sara's direction, indicating the burnt orange and green nylon track suit that the brunette was wearing.
Sara looked down at the hideous colored suit and nodded in agreement. Unlike Catherine, she didn't require several hours to shower and dress. They had been in the penthouse for more than three hours and this was the first time Sara had seen her since they'd crossed the threshold. Well, the second time. She had walked in Catherine's room and looked into the adjoining bathroom while Catherine was soaking in the tub—just to be certain that the older woman was still there.
"I think I went with the lesser of two evils, thank you. The white, purple and pink one looked much worse than this one. Why don't you go put on whatever the concierge picked up for you and we can go out and find clothing more befitting your station in life?"
The blonde eyed the former agent before quickly downing her drink and sitting the now empty tumbler back on the bar and crossing the suite toward the room she had just exited.
"It's more than clothing that I'll require at this point. I have nothing. No makeup. No hair supplies. No jewelry. No lingerie. And shoes. I have no shoes. Do you understand how long it's going to take to shop for…"
Catherine's voice drifted into nothing as she shut the bedroom door behind her.
Sara reasoned in her head that she had at least an hour—possibly more—before Catherine was ready and went into the second bedroom of the suite to retrieve the laptop.
She had barely setup the laptop up on the table in the room when there was a knock at the door. She grabbed her gun from the table and crossed the room warily, hugging the wall out of instinct. She stood off to the side and cleared her throat before speaking.
"Who is it?"
A distinctly feminine voice answered back, "Ms. Flynn, this is Laura Holsom. I'm an Arson Investigator with the Clark County Fire Department. I also have CSI Sofia Curtis with me. We'd like to ask you some questions."
Sara left the U-bar lock on the door and opened it. "Your identifications, please."
The two women each slid their ids through the small opening in the door, which was promptly closed, only to be reopened again.
Sara handed each woman her respective identification back as she extended her arm in toward the expansive penthouse, inviting the women in. "I'm sorry, but I'm sure you can understand the precaution," she said as she closed the door and secured the U-bar lock once again. She held out her hand shaking with the hand that wasn't holding a gun, "I'm Sara Sidle, a friend of Catherine's from D.C."
She holstered her gun and offered a lop-sided grin at both women. "Don't worry," she said as she patted her gun, "I'm licensed to carry."
"Why don't you sit down, get more comfortable? I'll let Catherine know you're here. She's just…getting dressed."
Sara left the two women to sit on the couch while she knocked on Catherine's bedroom door.
"Catherine, there are two investigators here to ask you questions."
Without waiting for a reply, Sara came back and sat in a chair opposite the two women.
The blonde, Sofia Curtis, was the first to speak. "You said you're a friend of Ms. Flynn's. How long have you two known one another?"
Sara turned her head slightly to study the woman as she answered her, "We've known each other for a while now. I'm in town on vacation and was staying with Cath."
She forced a smile as she used a shortened version of Catherine's name to make it sound like she was more familiar with her than she actually was.
"Good," the voice from the Arson Investigator forced Sara to break her focus on Sofia. "You can answer some questions for us as well. Where were you when the fire started?"
"We were upstairs."
"Together?" Sofia Curtis asked.
"We were in my room to begin with and then she went back to her room to shower," Sara explained. No sooner had the words left her mouth than she realized what it sounded like she was implying. She felt the blush creep into her cheeks as the two investigators looked at each other before turning their attention back to Sara. The arson investigator made a note of something in her small notebook.
Before Sara could clear up the obvious misunderstanding, everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of a door being thrown open and Catherine entering the living area of the penthouse.
"I can't believe I have to wear this god damned whatever the hell it is. That fucking concierge is going to lose his fucking job. If Sam lets him keep it, it will be a fucking miracle. No one…" She stopped mid-rant as she finally looked up and noticed the two strangers in her current living accommodations.
"Who the fuck are you? Sidle, why are you still sitting here socializing instead of making arrangements for a car so we can leave? I'm probably going to need a full-body chemical peel after wearing this drab piece of shit," she looked at Sara impatiently and again at the other two women. "What? What are you looking at?"
Sara jumped to her feet and introduced the two women.
"This is Sofia Curtis. She's a CSI. And this is Laura Holsom, an Arson Investigator. They're just here to ask some questions about the fire."
Catherine cut her eyes at Sara and the two women.
"Can't this wait? I mean, look at me," she looked down her body and dramatically moved her hands over the clothes she was wearing. "I look like I should be calling Bingo numbers at the local nursing home. So, you two," she pointed to Laura and Sofia, "will either have to come back or, well, that's about your only choice."
Sofia stood and put one hand on her hip, accentuating not only her slight curves, but the holstered 9mm on her hip. "I don't think you understand, Ms. Flynn. We're investigating the suspicious fire at your home. Our walkthrough of what's left of the home gives us very little to go on. Interviewing the two of you is the best chance we have of finding out what happened."
Catherine stepped into Sofia's space and set her jaw before sternly pressing a finger into her chest. "I don't think you get it. Right now, the most important thing—the most pressing matter—is that I need to go shopping. That's something you," she looked Sofia up and down, "obviously know nothing about."
The arson investigator stood and moved toward the two women. Sara thought better of the situation and stayed back, not wanting to come between the women unless it did turn physical.
Laura broke the visual standoff that Catherine and Sofia were engaged in when she placed her hand on the small of Sofia's back.
"Ms. Flynn's right, Curtis. We can do this later. Why don't we let the couple get back ready to go shopping." She pulled out a two business cards and handed one to Catherine and then one to Sara. "Please call me when it's convenient to finish this interview."
"Wait, what? Couple? What gave you the fucking idea that we're a couple?" Catherine, having realized what the woman said, was incensed.
She turned toward Sara. "What did you tell them?"
Curtis was the first to speak, "It's okay, Ms. Flynn. Your lifestyle is only relevant if it has something to do with our investigation."
"Lifestyle? What?" She turned back to Sara again. "What did you say to them? Did you tell them about the pool? Did you?"
Before Sara could defend herself, Laura interjected, "No, we asked where the two of you were when the fire started. She said that the two of you had been together in her room and then you went to shower in your room."
Anger was rolling off of Catherine in waves as she coldly and quietly said, "You let them believe that we're … that ... that we were fucking?"
Sara ignored Catherine's question and instead opened the door of the penthouse and stood waiting for the women to leave.
Both women hurried toward the door and walked out. As it shut behind them, they flinched at slapping sounded that crept through the door.
"You know," Sofia said as they waited on the elevator, "I've heard the gossip about Catherine Flynn, but never once did it include her and another woman."
"Come on, Curtis. Who hasn't indulged in the pleasure of the softer sex? I'm sure that bitch is no exception."
They stepped inside the elevator and Sofia pressed the L button for the lobby. She couldn't help the smirk that formed on her face when she said, "That brunette was hot though, wasn't she? Who could blame Flynn if that's the case? I know I wouldn't argue about being in her room."
Laura slapped her on the shoulder, "You're incorrigible."