Leaping In

by Kadi

Rated T

Disclaimer: This is not my sandbox, this is just my favorite place to play. I promise to put all of the toys back when I'm done.


Chapter 11

She had experienced dozens of opening nights, but none quite so terrifying as this one. As exciting as it was, Emily had also been filled with anxiety as she went on stage in her first, true, lead performance. Now, with the last curtain behind her and her costume carefully removed, the thunder of applause was still ringing in her ears. She was smiling brightly as she surveyed her small dressing room. There were several bouquets of flowers, delivered before and during the performance and covering almost every surface.

She knew without looking at the card that the pink roses were from her mother. It was a tradition that began with her very first recital. She received them now at the opening of every show that she took part in. Her mother had them delivered in New York, a reminder that she was with her, even if she couldn't be there to watch her perform. There was a spray of white roses from her grandparents. They didn't travel much anymore, but they had remembered that tonight was important to her. Her performance was recorded for the company; Emily would send them a copy of it. The two smaller bouquets were from her brothers, and Emily knew that was most likely her mother's doing too.

She didn't know which had filled her with the most delight. The cheerful daisies that her father delivered before she went on stage, or the deep crimson of the two dozen red roses that held a prominent spot in the center of her dressing table. Emily tugged a single rose from the vase and lifted it to inhale. Her eyes closed as a smile curved her lips. She decided that they were definitely her favorite.

A knock at the door had her turning. "Come in." Her mother stepped inside and Emily's eyes lit, their hazel depths almost green. "Well?"

Her eyes were shining brightly; there was pride in the tears that she blinked back. "Beautiful." She held out her arms and gathered her girl close. Sharon held her close. "You were amazing," she told her. Sharon drew back and cupped her face in her hands. "How did it feel?"

A delighted bubble of laughter rose out of her. "Amazing." Emily smiled widely. She watched as her mother's gaze was drawn to the daisies. They stood out amongst all of the roses. Her smile softened. "Dad was here. He brought them by before finding his seat." She had sent the tickets to his office, but hadn't really expected that he would come. She was pleased that he had. "He said that he knew that you would want to see me after," Emily explained. "He didn't want there to be any tension tonight." It hadn't been so long ago that he had gotten into an argument with her mother and Andy, primarily Andy, that had left her mother angry at both men.

Emily had agreed that he was in the wrong, and that some of the things that he said were cruel and unnecessary. In that situation she was more pleased that her mother's boyfriend had come to her defense than she was at the fact that her father obviously still felt enough for her mother to be jealous and upset. The truth was Emily felt bad for her father. He realized much too late what he lost. He was still her father, however, and even when she was angry and disappointed in him she loved him. Even when she didn't fully trust him, she wanted him to be part of her life. She was just wary. He was trying, but it frightened her a little, even as much as it delighted her.

"I'm glad that he made it." Sharon was surprised, but tried to hide it. She hugged her daughter again, but let her gaze linger on the daisies for a few more moments. They were cheerful and bright and everything that Emily had been as a very small girl. Jack had always bought their daughter daisies, beginning with the day that she was born. She shook her head as she drew back again; her smile was more genuine. She shouldn't be surprised that he had come. He was doing better, and he was trying. She would never fully trust him again but there was no reason that Emily should feel the same. "You should call him," she said. "He can join us," she offered. She and the boys, along with Andy and Buzz were taking Emily out to celebrate her opening night. It would be awkward, but the evening was about Emily. They could manage for a few hours. She would pull Andy aside and remind him that the evening was about Emily. It would test his patience, but she was sure that he could manage. He loved her enough that she knew he would give it his best shot, and that was all that she could really ask of him.

Emily thought about it for a moment. She was almost tempted to do just that, but shook her head. "No," she said, "Dad and I can celebrate another night. It was okay, really. He was fine. I'm just really happy that he was here."

"So am I." Sharon smiled warmly at her. "Really, I am. He's...well..." She rolled her eyes and offered a shrug. It was what it was. They would always be connected through their children but the situation was still difficult. There was still a lot of hurt between them. Twenty years of separation had not done much to lessen the pain of divorce, especially with his loss of sobriety following it. Sharon decided to change the subject. "You're not even dressed yet. You should hurry. We have reservations." She moved around Emily to get a better look at the red roses that seemed to put the others to shame. She cast a teasing smile at her daughter. "Do I even need to look at the card?"

"No, but I think you want to anyway." Emily walked over and took down the dress she had hanging on the back of the door. "He definitely earned major points tonight. I would tell you that there is going to be something in the way of a serious thank you later, but..." She watched her mother shudder and laughed. "There is the response that I knew I would get."

"You are a horribly rotten child." Sharon tucked the card back into the roses, but her eyes were still sparkling. The note was brief, but incredibly sweet. She was still in a peculiar position of wanting to be delighted but also feeling awkward. He worked for her. Rusty kept reminding her that he was just Buzz, but that just wasn't the case anymore. One day, if he became a parent, he might just understand her dilemma.

Emily laughed again as she changed into the dress. "Well, I only learned from the best." She glanced at her mother from over her shoulder. "You still haven't told me where we are going."

"That is because it is a surprise, my darling." She clasped her hands in front of her. Sharon tilted her head and when Emily waved her over, she moved behind her to tug the zipper of her dress up. "You have been asking for a week, I will tell you what I have told you since Monday. You will find out-"

"When we get there." Emily groaned. "You and your sense of occasion," she remarked. "Did it occur to you that I might just want to take Buzz home and-" She squeaked when her mother pinched her side. "Point taken."

"I thought as much." Sharon turned away from her. She would only let the three of them push her so far with their teasing. She took a seat on one of the chairs near the dressing table and waited as her daughter finished getting ready. "Andy mentioned that you sent Nicole tickets for Saturday. You didn't tell me that you were going to do that."

Emily shrugged as she took the pins out of her hair. It was still in the tight bun that she had worn on stage. "You've mentioned more than once that her stepsons dance. I thought they might enjoy seeing it, and the matinee is in the afternoon." She found her mother's gaze in the mirror's reflection and winked at her. "I might have also sent along an extra ticket for a certain new best friend of yours too," she added. "If you aren't working Saturday..."

Sharon blinked at her daughter. A smile slowly curved her lips. Vicki would be occupied spending time with Nicole and her family; she wouldn't have the opportunity to call, although in the last week she had been better. Andy had explained the morning following their interrupted date that he had a long talk with his ex-wife over dinner. He promised that it had not turned into a shouting match. The result was that she was spending more time speaking to her therapist or on her own, and less time relying upon them. Not that they wouldn't still be there for her, of course.

"I think," Sharon decided, "that you are now my favorite."

"Ha!" Emily leaned over and kissed her cheek. "No, Rusty is the favorite. He's the youngest."

Sharon rolled her eyes as she stood. She loved each of them equally, but she wouldn't deny that he required more of her attention. She smoothed out the form-fitting blue dress that she was wearing and arched a brow at her daughter. "Are we ready?"

There was another knock at the door. Emily chuckled. "I certainly hope so. I bet the boys are starving." She glanced in the mirror just once more time and fluffed out her hair. With a nod she walked over and pulled the door open. Her brows lifted in surprise. "It's for you."

Andy leaned against the doorframe. He held up his phone and gave them both an apologetic look. "I'm going to have to go."

"No." Sharon's smile slowly faded. That was the price that they paid for the jobs that they enjoyed. She had hoped that they would be able to slip through this one night without any interruptions. "Where?"

"Holmby Hills." He arched a brow at her. "Sound familiar?" He pushed away from the door and straightened where he stood. "Two blocks over from the Hollings home."

"Really?" Sharon folded her arms across her chest. "That is a coincidence." It was something that neither of them truly believed in when it came to their work. "Send the details to my phone."

"We don't need you yet," he told her. "You can go with Emily, we'll check it out and call you when we know what's going on." That was usually how they handled things. Unlike the Chief before her, Sharon didn't feel the need to be involved in every single aspect of their cases. She trusted them to do their jobs. As much as she liked every situation to be controlled, she could delegate quite well. Andy glanced at the girl that had moved to stand beside her mother. They were both wearing blue, but Emily was in a pastel shade, where Sharon gone for bold, jewel tones. He smiled sadly at her. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take Buzz with me."

While she was a little saddened that her mother was losing her date for the evening, and she honestly was beginning to enjoy getting to know the Lieutenant, Emily's face fell at that news. "Do you have to?" She turned to her mother, "couldn't someone else fill in? Just for tonight. Mom, anyone can run a camera, right?"

Sharon laid a hand on her shoulder and let it slide down her arm. She offered a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid not, Emily. My division has been called out; Buzz needs to go with them. As much as I might like to, I cannot extend him a pass because he has plans with you tonight. I'm sorry sweetheart."

"It's opening night," Emily reminded her. "It's my first big show… I don't believe this." She pushed past the Lieutenant and went in search of her boyfriend. The least she could do was say goodbye before he had to leave her.

Andy grimaced as she left. "That's something she's going to have to get used to."

"Unfortunately." She joined him at the door. When his arm circled her waist she leaned into him. "Sometimes I wonder if we have been doing this for too long. "

The sadness in her eyes had him tipping her chin up. "I don't think so. It still bothers you when you have to leave or cancel your plans with the kids. If it didn't, I would worry."

She hummed in response. He was right. She hated having to cancel on them or being pulled away unexpectedly. There were times when she really just wanted to be selfish, to bend the rules just a bit, and give herself a little more time with her family. There was even a small part of her that was almost tempted to have someone from SID fill in for Buzz, but she knew that she couldn't. For the same reason that she never gave in to the temptation to do it for herself; it simply wasn't in her to skirt the system. "What about you?" She asked.

A small grin appeared. His eyes swept down her form. "You look really great tonight." He dropped a kiss to her smiling lips before stepping away. It bothered him, just as much as it did her, or any of their colleagues. He had really looked forward to spending the evening with her, and her kids. It was really the first time that they would have been together as a couple with all of them together. They would have the opportunity again. "I'll call you," he said.

Sharon leaned against the doorframe with a smile. "That's what they all say," she simpered teasingly. He rolled his eyes at her but waved as he walked away. She sighed softly as he disappeared from view. After another moment she moved back into the dressing room to gather her clutch and Emily's purse. Now to go in search of her daughter, and with any luck, to manage somehow to cheer her up; Sharon winced as a single thought crossed her mind. There was one way in which she might just manage that.

With another sigh she pulled her phone out of her clutch and dialed a familiar number. "Jack." She forced herself to sound pleasant. "The boys and I are taking Emily out for dinner. I think she would like it if you joined us…"

MCMCMCMCMCMC

The rest of their division was already on scene when Andy and Buzz rolled up in the latter's car. Since Buzz usually kept his camera equipment in the car, for just this kind of situation, they had left Andy's car behind with Sharon. The Lieutenant spent most of the ride into Holmby Hills teasing Buzz about the fact that his girlfriend had taken over his car. From the floral scent that lingered, an expensive perfume that had Emily Raydor written all over it, to the programmed music selections, it was obvious that he was no longer the primary driver.

By the time they had reached their destination Buzz had to remind himself every few minutes that tossing the older man out of his car would not be appropriate. While cataloguing his reasons he realized he was faced with the trifecta. For one, he was outranked. It wouldn't do his career any good. Not to mention the fact that the Lieutenant had a heck of a temper. Flynn in a bad mood was not someone he wanted to deal with. Secondly, the Lieutenant happened to be his boss's boyfriend. He didn't imagine the Captain would exactly be thinking about that when she was disciplining him for his actions, but it didn't hurt to keep it in mind. Finally, there was also the fact that the other man was dating his girlfriend's mother. In short, he was screwed.

Buzz was so ready to be out of the car when they arrived that he practically tossed his camera onto his shoulder. He looked around and strode quickly toward Lieutenant Provenza. "Please tell me there is a body somewhere."

"Oh ho!" The Lieutenant took a step back and gave the younger man a once over. "Aren't you all prettied up, Buzz. Big night?" He smirked. They all knew that it was opening night and that he had been called away. He obviously hadn't had time to change out of his nice suit. The way that Buzz looked heavenward and the smirk that was on his partner's face as he joined them made him grin. "Tao is with the body. Go find them. They're over there somewhere," he waved in that general direction.

"Thank you." Buzz scowled at both men before hurrying away.

Provenza watched him go. He shook his head as he turned back to his partner. "So, nice night for a drive?"

"Not bad." Flynn nodded. "Nice little car too. Maybe I'll get one." He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He jerked his head toward the house behind them. "What did we catch this time?"

"Donald Owen," Provenza said, "age fifty-two. Shot to death in his backyard. The wife called it in. She found him. Amy and Julio are with her right now. She hasn't made a lot of sense, too hysteric. They're going to get her calmed down and take her downtown. We'll talk to her there." He tapped his notepad against his palm. "How was the ballet?"

Andy shrugged. "Not bad. You'll like it." When his partner snorted he grinned. "Okay, Patrice will like it, but it really wasn't awful. The kid did real good. You managed to get us after it was over. Thanks for that by the way." It looked like they had been on scene for a little while. His partner had obviously stalled for as long as he could. "I told Sharon we'd call her when we needed her. They were taking Emily out to celebrate."

Provenza's brows rose when Flynn scowled. Suddenly the other man was no longer pleased with the way the evening had gone. "Do I want to know?" He tried, very hard, not to get involved in their personal relationship. It was difficult sometimes, considering the fact that they had been friends for so damned long.

"Jack." Andy rolled his eyes. "Emily was obviously upset that Buzz got called away, tonight of all nights. Since Jack showed up and was apparently behaving himself for the performance, she invited him to join them for dinner. So my girlfriend is out to celebrate with her ex-husband and their kids." It shouldn't bother him, and it wasn't that he didn't trust her, god only knew he had been spending a lot of time with Vicki lately, but he didn't trust Jack. That was the difference. Vicki was grieving and needing a support system. Jack was an ass that had hurt Sharon time and again and he didn't trust him to not repeat that cycle now.

"Ah." Provenza nodded slowly. That did not bode well for her mood later. "I see." He shrugged. "Well, suck it up. Nothing you can do about it now. She's put up with yours, now you can put up with hers." He waved him toward the house where the others and SID were waiting. "Let's get to work. We don't have all night. Another murder in this neighborhood is going to bring the heat." That was the last thing that they needed after Martin Hollings release a few weeks before.

Flynn followed his partner around to the back of the sprawling home that belonged to the Owens. Like the Hollings estate it was upscale and well laid out. Kendall was already with the body, as were Tao and Buzz, the latter of which was now filming the scene. The SID techs were milling around, looking for evidence while uniformed officers filled the back yard. He nodded to Tao as they approached. "What do we think happened?"

"Kendall identified two gunshots," the Lieutenant replied. Tao pointed at the body. The victim was laying face down. There was one gunshot to the back. He helped Kendall to roll him and revealed the second gunshot, a stomach wound. "We believe that Mister Owen was shot once from the front, and then it looks like he tried to flee toward the house. He was shot a second time from behind."

"Finished him off," Andy said, brows rising. "Once, okay, crime of passion, accident, whatever. Twice? That's intent. While he's trying to get away? Now we're talking about a nut job." He shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head at the body. "What about the wife? Did she hear anything?"

"All Amy could get out of her," Provenza replied, "was that she heard a loud bang. She came downstairs to check and found the husband. She didn't see anyone. It seems like they had just gotten home. Neighbors confirmed that the Owens usually go out to dinner this time of the week." He rolled his eyes. "It's the usual story. They're a nice couple, well to do, how could something like this happen in this neighborhood."

"Again," Tao said, finishing the thought that they were all having.

"You will not believe who showed up out front." Julio strode toward them. He stopped near the group. "We finally got the wife calmed down enough to go downtown and Mister Hollings showed up. He's ranting about some psychopath being loose and obviously whoever just killed Mister Owen has to be the same creep that killed his wife. He wants to know if we're going to let the psycho get away again. Now the media is showing up."

"Oh great." Andy rolled his eyes heavenward. "That is just what we need. That dirt bag probably did both of them." He continued to shake his head and sighed. "You know what this means?" He asked his partner.

"Yeah, I know." Provenza scowled. "That doesn't mean I want to do it." He jerked his hat off his head and shoved it into his pocket. "Crap!"

"Well one of us has to call her," Andy pointed out. "The sooner the better."

"Don't try to sound like you aren't itching to do it." The Lieutenant rolled his eyes. "You were looking for an excuse to get her away from that dinner. Go on, call her up."

"Oh no." Andy shook his head. "You're the incident commander. I just got here. She's going to want details and you've got them."

Tao watched them bicker back and forth for just a moment longer before he stood up. "Oh for crying out loud. I will call the Captain," he announced. He pulled out his phone as he walked away. "You call yourselves senior detectives."

They watched him walk away, the phone to his ear. Andy rocked back on his heels. "Works every time."

"Like a charm." Provenza nodded.

Julio snorted a laugh. "Sirs, that was terrible. Well played, but terrible."

Andy slapped him on the shoulder and walked away to see where SID was with gathering evidence. "Keeps us out of trouble," he called back.

"He couldn't stay out of trouble if he changed his name to Rulebook," Buzz muttered darkly.

By the time that the Captain arrived, just over half an hour later, the media presence on the street in front of the Owens home had increased, and despite the uniformed presence, spectators had come out to watch the show. She moved at a quick pace up the driveway and folded smoothly beneath the crime scene tape when she approached it. Uniformed officers who had taken up position inside the house directed her to the back of the estate.

Her heels clicked against the granite walkway as she stepped out onto the patio. Sharon's eyes quickly scanned the expanse of the yard. The body had already been removed, it seemed, and would be on its way to the morgue. She did quickly identify her people, with the exceptions of Detectives Sykes and Sanchez. They were standing in a group to one side of the yard. Martin Hollings was standing with two uniformed officers several feet away. It was immediately obvious to her that he was being watched.

"Gentlemen," the Captain spoke in a clipped tone as she approached the Lieutenants, "do tell me that you have a very good reason for pulling me out here this evening?" The attitude was for Hollings benefit, as it became readily apparent to her that he was hanging on every word and action.

Andy knew that she had come directly from the restaurant downtown. She hadn't bothered to change; there hadn't been time or opportunity. Her beige jacket was pulled closed at least, and the sash tied. "Captain." He walked around to stand beside her. "The husband of one of our past victims was making a scene." He jerked his head toward where Hollings stood. "He was saying things like serial killer and preying on the rich where the press could hear. There was plenty of crap about LAPD incompetence thrown in too. We thought you'd like to come down and smooth over the situation before Chief Taylor got wind of it."

"I see." She looked around at all of them. "Has Mister Hollings been questioned at all? I find it interesting he just happened to show up at the scene of another murder."

"He only lives a few blocks over," Tao explained. "He heard about what happened and came over to see it for himself. He was concerned, given what happened to his wife."

"We didn't question him," Provenza pointed out. "He still has that law suit pending against the city for the way he was detained. We asked him, very nicely, to join us away from the prying eyes of the press and all of our friendly onlookers out front. Since this is an open crime scene, it seemed only reasonable that we ask two of our uniformed finest to keep an eye on Mister Hollings. We wouldn't want to end up with any Chain of Custody or evidence tampering issues later, would we Captain?"

He was being overly cooperative, almost simpering in his rule abiding statement. The corners of Sharon's mouth twitched toward a smile. "No, Lieutenant, we wouldn't want that at all." She glanced at Andy beside her when he cleared his throat. She was tempted to nudge him. He was struggling too hard to keep a straight face. "Do you have some problem with adhering to proper regulations, Lieutenant?"

He shook his head. Andy stood just a bit straighter. "Absolutely not Captain." His dark eyes sparkled merrily at her. "I'm a big fan of regulations. I like the rules."

While Provenza snorted and tried to keep from gagging on that statement, Tao made a face at him. "Since when?" He shook his head at the other man. "Captain, what would you like to do about Mister Hollings? If we take him downtown…"

"He can claim that he is once again being detained without provocation," Sharon finished. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket and stood there for a moment, thinking. Her lips pursed. "What we can do is invite Mister Hollings to join us, and when he refuses, as I am sure that he will… we can have a couple of plain clothes officers in place to keep an eye on him. Let's see what he does, or if this all really is a coincidence and he's simply using this tragedy to further divert attention away from the fact that he murdered his wife."

"I'll call Cooper," Provenza suggested. "We can have him put a couple of his people on the Hollings house…"

"Better." Andy snapped his fingers. He looked at each of them. "We've got that bullshit Johnson Rule. Mister Hollings could be in danger. Why use plain-clothes guys? Just assign a couple of officers to keep an eye on him, for his protection. In the meantime, we bring him downtown to keep an eye on him while we put it all in motion. If there really is some psycho, other than himself, going around his neighborhood preying on the rich then he could be a possible next victim. He's made it known now that he knows about the first murder, right? So all he's done is put himself out there as a target. We would only be…" Andy stopped and looked at Sharon. He grinned crookedly as he continued, "following proper procedure and regulation by doing everything in our power to protect him from this maniac."

"That is…" Sharon trailed off while she thought it through. She was looking for any problem that could arise as they implemented that little plan. Her brows lifted as she exchanged looks with the other two men. They were just as curious about the idea as she was, and just as startled by it. "Not a bad idea," she finished after a moment. She nodded at Lieutenant Provenza. "Make it happen. I will have a chat with Mister Hollings and let him know what is going to happen."

Andy huffed quietly. He tossed his hands up at her. "Always the tone of surprise."

"To hear you quoting rules with actual comprehension?" She smirked as she turned. "Absolutely, Lieutenant. I was not aware that you even knew what the rulebook looked like."

"Well," Andy shrugged as he followed her. There was a devious glint in his eyes. "You've been beating me over the head with it for years, something was bound to stick."

Tao and Provenza watched them go. The former just shook his head. "Boggles the mind, doesn't it?" That was still one relationship that Mike couldn't quite fathom, but oddly enough it seemed to work.

"You have no idea," Provenza muttered. The two of them alternated giving him a headache and making him nauseous.

Andy glanced down at Sharon as they made their way across the yard to where Hollings and his uniformed escorts were waiting. "How was Emily when you had to leave?" He asked quietly.

"Not pleased." She cast a sideways look at him and offered a small shrug. "I will take her shopping and make it up to her. We'll do something together, just the two of us. Right now she has her father regaling her with tales of his latest courtroom triumph. The boys are keeping her company." Sharon looked up at him again. "I'm going to owe Rusty for having to abandon him with them, but I think Emily will be okay with her brothers and father. I did promise Rusty that if we need him I would call." Now that he was only interning part-time she didn't feel the need to bring him down to the Murder Room every time that they caught a case.

"It's not quite the same thing, though, is it?" He spoke in a low tone. His hand brushed her arm as they walked. He offered a sympathetic smile. "We'll work something out for her," he promised. He hated calling her away, but the situation had demanded it. "At least we got to see the show," he reminded her.

"We did," Sharon nodded. The evening had not been a complete loss and so salvaging the situation would still be very possible. Emily would get over whatever disappointment that she felt, Sharon had no doubt of that. She shook her hair back and squared her shoulders as they reached Martin Hollings; her professional mask was easily slipped back into place. "Mister Hollings," she spoke pleasantly, "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Captain Raydor." His hawk-eyed gaze swept over her. He glanced only briefly at the Lieutenant beside her. That was the guard dog, the one who was always near to hand. Martin had done a little more research on her after his release. It seemed these two had more going on than just a professional association, although he chose to keep his knowledge of that to himself for the time being. "When I heard about this senseless and terrible tragedy I was compelled to see what the LAPD was doing to capture the monster responsible."

"So my Lieutenants explained," she said. "I assure you, Mister Hollings, we are doing everything that we can to find the person responsible for the murder of Donald Owen. We are as concerned as you are that a second killing has taken place in this neighborhood." She held up a finger before he could interrupt her. "Further, we are so concerned about this situation that we are as of now providing you with police protection." She affected a small smile and tilted her head while she schooled her features to look suitably worried. "I am afraid that your statements earlier may have given people the idea that you were a witness during your wife's murder. If the same person is responsible for both killings that has put you in a precarious situation." Sharon shrugged helplessly. "We would be remiss to overlook that."

Martin stared at her for several moments. He had not expected this. His gaze moved between her and the Lieutenant before he shook his head. "Captain, I will not be made a prisoner. The LAPD has intruded upon my life enough."

"Still," Sharon said, "there are certain regulations at play here. We have to provide you with an escort, and we have to see to your safety. It just isn't avoidable. What I am going to need you to do is go with these officers," She waved a hand at them, "they will take you downtown and keep you safe while we arrange a more official security detail. Don't worry, we will make sure that everyone is aware that you are cooperating fully and that this situation is just a formality."

He stuttered and attempted to protest but there was no way for Hollings to get out of the escort that he had managed to arrange for himself by showing up at their crime scene. Andy shook his head after the man was led away. "I always love it when the nut jobs do most of my work for me. Now we know exactly where the suspect is."

"Mmhm." Sharon clasped her hands in front of her. "Indeed. I also need to talk to Hobbs. We need to find out how legal it will be to seize evidence during the precautionary search of his house and vehicle." She arched a brow at him. "I wouldn't want to risk that his car has been tampered with or that our killer circled back. Would you?"

"Absolutely not, Captain." Andy rocked back on his heels. "If we can't find a murder weapon here, I think we may know exactly where to look next."

"Indeed." She pointed a finger at him. "You should get on that." Sharon strode away. "I am going back downtown." She had to figure out a way to convince the DDA that they had more than just coincidence to link Martin Hollings to both killings. What they needed was for him to lay their trap for them, and on the off chance that he wasn't involved… baiting the LAPD and impeding a criminal investigation would not look very good when his law suit went before a judge.

This particular suspect might not be nearly as intelligent as he believed. Either way, Sharon was going to find out just how extensive his research into her really was if he thought that she was going to play his game his way.

-TBC-