Chapter 10
Lavery House
Anna bustled into the living room still fixing her hair. Olin was sitting on the couch reading the morning paper.
"Chum, here's The Gazette. Want to read it first?" asked Olin.
"I've got to get to the office. I'll read it later if I have time." She looked down at the calendar. "Robin's got dance practice today after school. Can you pick her up after?"
"Sure. No sweat." Olin looked at Anna. "Must have been some night. You're still glowing like a candle, no like fireworks."
Anna dipped her head not wanting the older woman to see her contented expression. "You're seeing things again. I warned you about that."
Olin tipped her head to the side. She tapped a finger on her lips. "Hmm, I think I'm the one being played. I fell asleep late last night and you still weren't home. What time did you get home?"
Anna laughed easily as she checked the contents of her handbag. "It doesn't matter what time I got home. It was a … a party like any other with cold food, boring men and gossipy women."
"Are you going out with the Commish again?" asked Olin sagely.
"Maybe. Probably. Depends," Anna picked up her keys and began to walk out. "I'll be home for dinner."
A few minutes after Anna left, Olin sat up and paused in her reading. A hand flew to her open mouth. "Holy heatwave! That was no boring party!" She laid back and read Cassandra Carey's Connections column in the Gazette. She wasn't the only one.
Across town, several residents of the Brownstone were having breakfast together. Doctor Tony Jones came in and put the folded Gazette on the table then went off to pour himself some coffee. Out of habit, Bobbie unfolded the paper and began to flip through the various sections.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Bobbie. Frisco is going to turn Maxie into some kind of … of, what do they call it, a fashionista before she's one," said Felicia.
Beside her, Bobbie giggled. "You should be glad that he doesn't complain about the shopping trips."
"I'm glad, too, but he does most of the shopping. He saw this beret at the window of Wyndhams and just had to have it. She's too little to wear it," Felicia protested. "At least I get practical and sturdy clothes. She'll grow up so fast."
Tony took a seat next to Bobbie. "Are you sure that you're not complaining because you'd rather he was shopping for you?"
"Well, I'd never say no to a … a gift," said Felicia slyly. "Frisco is always Maxie this and Maxie -"
"Oh, my god!" squealed Bobbie.
"What?" asked Felicia and Tony.
"Anna and Robert!" Bobbie looked at Felicia. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Perplexed, Felicia retorted, "Tell you what?"
"That they're getting back together!" Bobbie turned the Gazette so the others could see it. Bobbie contained further questions for a minute until they had read enough.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" crowed Felicia raising her fists in the air.
"You didn't say a word," said Bobbie in a faux accusatory tone. She let Tony have the Gazette while she turned to interrogating Felicia. "Tell me EVERYTHING! Leave nothing out!"
His eyes still trained on the article, Tony said, "I thought gossiping was a bad thing."
The two women ignored him.
"The only thing I know for sure is that Anna bought a dress just for this party," said Felicia.
"To impress Robert," said Bobbie. "What else?"
"And Tiffany told me that Robert was antsy and trying to look his best. He even had a new suit just for the occasion," said Felicia. "When I asked Anna about the dress, she got all evasive and uncomfortable. You know how she gets."
"Won't look you in the eye. Tries to change the subject multiple times. Gets cross and sarcastic."
"Exactly. We saw them for breakfast at Kellys and there was something going on but I couldn't put my finger on it."
"Now we know."
"Yeah. And when Bettina Sarkosian came by our table and began to flirt with Robert, Anna was a little short with her. Normally, she turns a blind eye to that sort of thing," continued Felicia.
"I don't know about blind. Anna's always cared about Robert. That was obvious from day one," said Bobbie. "I remember seeing them together when Anna first came to town and before Robert left for Australia to join Holly. I could tell she was feeling deeply for him but respecting his marriage."
"And when Holly died, he came straight back here. To Anna. And Robin," said Felicia. "This is it. I'm sure of it."
At the PCPD, the detectives gathered before heading out to their respective investigation tasks.
"Cheryl Stansbury, Katherine Delafield and now the chief, whoa," said one detective. "Winners all."
"And lookers," added another. "The chief is hot. And when she smiled at you, man, it was special."
"Maybe Scorpio will ease up on the case load now that he's getting some again," said a detective loudly from the back of the room.
Guy Lewis strolled in and heard the last comment. He frowned. "What's this about Scorpio?"
Looking sheepish, the first detective handed Lewis his copy of the Gazette. "The latest and greatest."
Lewis looked his fill of the article and then said. "Let up on work? Scorpio? I don't think so." Lewis looked around the room. "We're in for a bumpy ride if this is true."
"Does that mean you're in or out of the betting pool?" asked a detective.
Lewis looked flabbergasted at the suggestion. "In, of course. What are the odds?"
"We're still deciding on the bets," replied a detective. "How long she'll put him off because we ALL know she will. God knows, she's not easy. The wedding date because we ALL know where this is going. And, if Scorpio will fire anyone out of sheer frustration."
"What about Brett? He's a factor in this," Lewis pointed out.
"He'll just motivate Scorpio more," said a detective. "I vote to add a bet on how soon the big guy wipes the floor with Madison. Who's with me?"
Several hands went up. The pool was formalized on a sheet of paper and hidden in Lewis' desk.
(Read Cassandra Carey's Connections at my home page. Look for the links to this story.)
Donely Penthouse
Ring! Ring! Tiffany groaned and stretched out a hand to take the phone.
"Donely residence, this better be good," answered Tiffany.
From the other end came Felicia's excited voice. "TIff! Have you seen it?"
"Seen what?"
"Cassandra's column. Everyone is talking about it here at the Brownstone."
"What about? The latest Mayo Clinic journal? That place is full of medical types."
"About Anna and Robert, you silly goose!"
Tiffany sat up bolt upright and fully awake. "Say again."
"Are you still in bed? I thought you'd be at the station by now."
"Sean got it into his head to relive some of his glory days last night. And, well, I'm knackered. You know how fit spies can be," Tiffany confessed. "What's that about Anna and Robert?"
Felicia proceeded to read the article to her over the phone. Midway through Tiffany shook Sean awake - violently.
"Hold on, Felicia. Sean, wake up!"
"I gave you my all, honey. Really and truly," muttered Sean. "I need sleep."
"YOU need to hot foot it to … to … which one do you think, Felicia?" asked Tiffany.
Over the phone, Felicia seemed to read her friend's mind. "I can handle Anna if Sean takes Robert. I have to get to the office." She hung up the phone.
Tiffany slid out of bed. She yanked the blankets off Sean. "You need to get to Robert and ask him about his … his intentions."
"What are you going on about?" asked an irritated and cold Sean. He glanced at the time. "For the love of god, it's -"
"If you loved me, you will help me get to the bottom of this," said Tiffany gathering the sheets around her on the way to the bathroom.
"Around what?" bellowed Sean.
"Robert and Anna's affair. The one that they have obviously been hiding," said Tiffany. "You don't suppose he couldn't commit to Katherine because subconsciously he still had feelings for Anna?"
Sean slumped into his pillow. "Those waters are the equivalent of a mine field and the combatants are well-armed. I wouldn't put a toe in if you paid me to."
"I hope you enjoy the guest room then," said Tiffany.
"Honey, this is none of our business," protested Sean.
"This is all business, Sean," Tiffany drew her arms about her and tilted her chin up. "Something happened today that has NEVER happened before."
Sean sighed. He began to rise from their bed. "What is that?"
"I have been scooped and by Cassandra Carey no less!" declared Tiffany petulantly. "Being scooped is annoying and by Cassandra, well, that is beyond intolerable. You go see Robert and get the story out of him or else."
Devane Donely Investigations
By the far wall, Felicia placed an arrangement of flowers into a handy vase. Her curiosity was wildly aroused because they were a dozen, red, long-stemmed roses. She pondered two things - if the flowers were from Robert or not and whether Cassandra was right about Brett and Anna.
"God, I wish that party had been recorded," muttered Felicia.
Anna came in humming a tune. She didn't see Felicia in the corner.
To Felicia's ears, the tune sounded like a waltz. She was even more intrigued. She watched surreptitiously waiting for Anna to notice her presence. Her jaw dropped as Anna did a very artful twirl as if she were dancing with someone. She blurted out loud, "It must be love. Definitely."
Anna stopped in mid-movement and turned her head in the direction of the voice. "Oh, Felicia, you startled me! What did you say?"
"Uh, uh, nothing important." Felicia gestured at the flowers. "These came for you. I was just putting them in a vase. The card is there on the table." Felicia carried the vase over to her desk. "I was going to put them in your office."
"How lovely," said Anna picking up the card. She opened it and read. She giggled then composed herself knowing that Felicia was watching with wide eyes.
Felicia put the vase down. "You must have had a wonderful time."
"Oh, I did. I wasn't expecting to but I did," said Anna.
"It's sweet of Robert to send you flowers," said Felicia trying in vain to not look too interested.
"They're not from Robert. They're from … someone else," answered Anna just catching herself. She carried the vase into her office.
Felicia's eyes widened even more at this unsaid revelation. Her mind was adding up the numbers and the words "oh, my god" kept flashing like a big neon sign. Her mouth opened in a round 'O' as she realized another thing. Given Anna's good humor and mood, she had not seen the Gazette.
Mentally, Felicia visualized Anna's office for breakable objects. "That's not going to matter. She has a gun."
"Is this today's edition?" called out Anna from her office.
"Uh, uh, er, yeah," said Felicia carefully. "But … but … there's nothing interesting, really. I wouldn't bother."
"It never hurts to stay current on the news," said Anna. This was followed by the sound of paper rustling.
Felicia sat quietly at her desk much like a woman practicing Lamaze breathing techniques. "Ten, nine, eight … seven … six." She closed her eyes. "Five … four … three … two … one."
She heard not a sound. She opened one eye then the other. She leaned towards Anna's open doorway. Silence.
Five minutes later, Anna strode out of her office. Her face was impassive. Her steps were quick and jerky lacking their usual grace. She said to Felicia. "I'm off to the shooting range. God help anyone who gets in my way today."
"You saw the Gazette, huh?" asked Felicia. "People shouldn't believe everything they read."
Anna growled like an angry cat whose fur was standing all on end. Felicia flinched.
Felicia was about to say something when a knock came at the door and Mark Carlin came in trailed by members of the press. The questions came fast and furious.
"How long have you and the commissioner carried on?" asked Carlin.
"No comment," snarled Anna.
"What is your interest in Brett Madison?" asked another.
"What happened in dark corners, Mrs. Lavery?" came another.
Knowing his quarry well, Carlin shot back, "Did you wreck Scorpio's engagement to Katherine Delafied?"
"Drop dead!" exclaimed Anna before turning her back on the mad mob and locking herself in her office.
Felicia stood up and made to stand in front of Anna's office while saying at the top of her lungs. "Mrs. Lavery and this agency have no comments. Leave the office right now!"
"Or else what?" asked Carlin sarcastically. "You'll call her boyfriend down on us? Or your husband? I'm shaking already."
"You better be," said Felicia. "This is borderline harassment, you cockroach."
Carlin looked at his colleagues. "Ah, see I told you so. There IS a story here."
"Tiffany hasn't said a word about this," noted a reporter.
"Friends protecting friends, what else is new?" asked Carlin.
PCPD
Humming a tune, Robert settled into his office chair trailed by Lewis and Frisco. Lewis and Frisco shot inquiring looks at each other.
"Sounds like your morning started off on the right note as it were," said Frisco.
"Had a good night's sleep," said Robert. "I'm not ALWAYS grouchy."
Lewis and Frisco had the sense to not say anything which was the same as if they HAD said something.
"Not ALL the time, all right? Am I allowed to be cheerful, hmm?" asked Robert. "Continue my good mood by telling me we've solved the latest homicide on the docks."
"Not yet but the beat cops are all briefed on the case bulletin and the description of the suspect," provided Lewis.
"I noticed everyone was smiling as I came in. Did we all drink the same happy juice this morning?" asked Robert. "I'm not opposed to it as long as its legal." He glanced over his desk. "Where's my morning paper?"
"You haven't read the Gazette yet?" asked Lewis.
"No. I got up a bit on the late side and came over here."
"Nothing worthwhile today, Robert. No murders or thefts," said Frisco.
"A good cop collects information no matter how trivial. You never know when you'll remember something useful," said Robert. He looked expectantly at Lewis. "So, where's my paper?"
"Coming right up," said Lewis.
Frisco took a few steps back away from Robert's desk. "Late night, huh? The mayor's party must have been good."
"It was fun. I was pleasantly … surprised," said Robert absently as he looked over some documents waiting for his signature.
"You and Anna going to more parties?"
"As many as we can stomach. Let it be a lesson to you about the perils of a life of public service - holiday parties that require the endurance of Atlas, a thick skin and a tin ear."
Frisco grimaced. "That doesn't sound like fun to me."
"The party was horrible but the company made up for it … in spades," said Robert. He sat back in his chair and said, "After what she's been through the last few months, she deserves some time to, uh, just relax, be herself."
"I'm not following. Be herself?" asked Frisco.
Robert chuckled. "I forget that you didn't know Anna from before she came here. She was …" His voice trailed off and he looked down at this desk. He cleared his throat. "Enough chit chat. Let's get to work. Where is that blasted paper?"
Lewis entered at that precise moment followed seconds later by Sean. Lewis placed the Gazette on Robert's desk and stood back.
"He hasn't seen it," whispered Frisco to Sean.
Sean was plainly seeing a horrific vision as he said, "Robert, I'll be right back. I need to -"
"This won't take me long. Stay," commanded Robert as he opened the Gazette. He talked out loud as he flipped and read. "I want to know more about the Chamber of Commerce."
"Why?" asked Sean.
"Something you said at Kellys about preparing for new companies coming into town," Robert looked up at his old friend. "It came to me that we could use the same data to decide if we need more beat cops or coverage of problem areas. Have a seat."
"No, no, not necessary. I prefer to stay standing," said Sean.
"I have to be going," said Frisco.
"No, you're not," whispered Sean eyeing Robert as he turned a page. "I need a shield."
"I have a job to do, Sean."
"You owe me, Frisco," said Sean low and urgently. Robert flipped to another page. "Remember Paris, winery, rescuing Felicia."
"Oh, please," protested Frisco. "I could have handled that with no problems."
"With even less finesse than a bull in a china cabinet."
"You were cramping my style, Sean."
"For the love of god!" exclaimed Robert. He slammed the paper down and stared daggers at his two friends. "Have either of you SEEN this?"
Created on Friday, January 28, 2011 12:33:27 PM America/Chicago from /Users/Orac/Documents/My