Chapter 12

"Hey Love, I got a question for you."

"To what do I owe this visit from on high?" Frank's chair squealed faintly in protest as he turned to face Calleigh.

"For one, when is the department going to issue you a new chair? That one sounds like it's in its death throes."

"When I wind up on the floor and get up looking to let blood."

Calleigh giggled. She knew that was as likely to happen as not. The government didn't consider the law enforcement budget for office furniture to be top priority.

"I'm guessing that wasn't really the question you had in mind."

Calleigh swung one leg over the corner of her husband's desk. "What do you know about the Three Six gang?"

Frank waved a hand like he was shooing off an annoying fly. "Penny ante drug dealing."

"Did you know they have a new leader?"

"No, I don't keep up with the rug rat antics."

"Word is they were the ones who shot the Malovasic family and they weren't after the Mister. It was Tad they were after."

"Why?" Frank's interest was piqued.

"He was dealing. I heard he sold to his friends and forgot to collect. When it came time to pay up and couldn't, the gang took care of business."

"Using guns from where?"

"So you didn't know about this?"

"No but I'm going to make it my business to find out. I might be late for dinner tonight."

"Oh, the leader is Tito Yamaguchi and supposed to be computer savvy. He might be smart."

"Damn! I hate the smart ones."

"I'll make something that will keep for when you get home.

"Give little Frank a kiss for me and tell him Daddy will be home sometime."

"I will."

Frank was on the phone before Calleigh had left his cubicle.

"Why did you ask for a German restaurant?"

The two were tucked away into a small booth in a restaurant that was hardly large enough to hold the six booths plus two tables and chairs in the middle aisles.

"One of my great grandparents was from Germany. I only vaguely remember some of the dishes served when he was still alive. He taught his Mexican bride to cook some of the things he could find ingredients for. There are a few German places in Mexico City and I go sometimes. I just wondered what American-German cooking would be like."

"I've never been here. I took a chance. I guess I'm prejudiced towards Latin foods."

"From what I'm hearing from the kitchen, I'd say what we get will be fairly authentic." Anita referred to the sounds of the German spoken between the staff interspersed with the hearty laughter.

Two and a half hours later, the two left the storefront restaurant with full stomachs; the tunes of the accordion and the German folk songs were still ringing in their ears.

"You know, I think this place is going on my return list." Horatio felt like perhaps the last glass of excellent Rhine wine might have been a bit too much even with all the food he had consumed.

Anita paused and looked around her. "What a beautiful night! How lovely warm it is."

"Do you want to go for a walk? The beach isn't far from here." Actually, Horatio wasn't sure he was sober enough to drive.

A quarter of an hour later, Anita was literally dancing on the sand. "I would have thought half of Miami would be out here tonight. I can still feel the warmth of the sun. Have the natives forgotten this place?"

"The nightclubs have the attention of most of the people here."

Anita approached Horatio and tugged on his hand in an invitation to move with the tune in her head. He remained seated on the bench on the side of the walkway and shook his head.

"Thank you, I don't dance." He neglected to add 'now' to the end of the sentence.

"Alright then, let's just walk. I'm over it anyway." She put her shoes back on and stepped onto the walkway.

At first, she inquired about things that most visitors do, the lights on the horizon which, Horatio told her, were cruise ships and pleasure boats, what kind of fishing was available, the entertainment, and so on. When he asked if she would like to take part in any, she replied in the negative, reminding him that her business in the city was the same as his. He didn't try to dissuade her.

Finally, after the dreaded pause, Anita asked, "This woman you were involved with, was she a local?"

"Yes and no. She had been raised here and then various careers took her to other places. She returned a few years ago from what I understand."

"It's not often that a native, who leaves and returns home for any length of time, takes off again. You said she left because of something stupid you had done?"

"Anita, I would rather not talk about it."

"No Senor Rojo. You brought up the subject at the pyramids and made me curious. You can't throw out bait and not expect a cop not to grab at it and want more."

Horatio mulled over her words. Yes, she was right in that he had started talking. Her implication that it was unfair of him to now withdraw had no bearing on the argument as far as he was concerned. What he did consider was that he had started the revelations with the selfish intention that he would soon be gone and they would be a long time in seeing each other again. Now, they were working together and, as with any other partnership, part of the deal was in personal disclosures, once started, you couldn't pull back.

"I'm sorry Anita. I'm rather used to keeping things close to the vest when it comes to my life. It's been a while since I have worked with an equal who doesn't know me already. Alright, so, the stupid thing was not accepting her feelings at face value and accepting their importance to her."

"Alright, you told me the other day that she had allowed a sexual encounter and then you had run off on business."

"Yes, that's right"

"But you're a cop. After six months, she had to know it would happen."

"She wasn't ready at that moment, I guess."

"Now comes the hard question; why didn't you call for thirty-six hours?"

"I got ass deep in alligator-chewed body parts out near the Glades. We were trying to find as many as we could before something else distributed them beyond recovery."

"And she didn't accept your explanation?"

"By the time I realized how much time had gone by, she was gone. I didn't have a chance to talk to her. When I got to her house it was empty and her house was up for sale."

After a long silence, Anita said, "That poor woman was in a world of hurt."

"I think if circumstances hadn't conspired as they did, when they did," Horatio's voice caught, "we would still be together."

"Isn't it sad that we have to choose, sometimes?"

"With me, it isn't just the job."

Looking up at Horatio out of the corner of her eye, Anita said, "I won't even ask how many relationships or marriages you have had."

"Two marriages, both killed at the hands of criminals out to hurt me and only a very few serious relationships."

"You tired of it yet?"

"Counselor, when I know the answer to that, I'll get back to you."

They turned and headed back.

"I only had one serious relationship before Geraldo. I was a trainee on the outskirts of Mexico City. He was a dentist and not much older than I was. He came from a good family and didn't have the slightest idea what being a police officer was about except for what is on the television dramas. He sure didn't know what it meant to me. Back then, women on the force had mostly on desk jobs. I was one of the first field officers. He couldn't believe that, as a rookie, I was on call twenty-four hours a day. I had to call in every four hours, and then last thing at night and first thing in the morning. The first time I called in and was told to report, he gently explained that if I just wouldn't call, I wouldn't have to go."

"You went anyway and…"

Anita let out a heavy sigh. "The second time, he actually physically tried to stop me from calling. Only because he was such a sweet man, was I able to phone in. The deal breaker came when I refused to go with him for a weekend trip up to his mountain cabin. I wasn't allowed vacations at that point in the job.

"He did what Mexican men do to get their girlfriends to comply; he begged, pleaded, threatened, and pouted. I wanted to go with him. Oh, how I loved him so. I knew that eventually I could get a permanent assignment and we would find a way to be together."

"But?"

"He gave me an ultimatum, him or the job and meant it."

"And like anyone should in an 'either, or' command, you took or."

"I thought he would relent and he never did. I never thought to look back until eighteen years later. I was so hungry for some physical attention by that time, I couldn't imagine that Geraldo might have ulterior motives."

"You mean like expecting you to overlook the gang's gun running and money laundering?"

Anita laughed and then sighed. "Is there any hope for the likes of us?"

Horatio stopped in his tracks and swung Anita into his arms. "Oh, I think so." He held her tight while he kissed her. He felt her heart beat faster and faster against his chest while his own pulse speeded up. One hungry kiss turned to several.

Finally, breaking his hold on her, he went on evenly, "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Anita looked up into the earnest eyes and slowly shook her head. "And that, Señor Rojo, is why you have had so many relationships. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the kiss. Knowing your history, however, I think we had better consider anything we do while alone together."

Horatio looked around the area observing the few people walking on the sand or on the path. Finally, he nodded as slowly as Anita had shaken her head. "It's a bad habit, kissing women I find incredibly attractive."

Anita chuckled quietly. "My bet is not all of them have waited for you to kiss them. Am I right?"

Looking off to one side, remembering, Horatio nodded to those lovely ghosts.

"I think I had better get to my hotel room. What time will you pick me up in the morning?"

With that, any further discussion concerned arrangements and what the plans and hopes were for the next day.

"Cal, I'm sorry?" The remark came out as a question.

"Hey! You're not all that late. You come up against a wall and decide to leave work early?"

"Food first, woman or I'll eat you." Frank grabbed his wife and ravished her for a few moments. Even though she was dressed in pajama slacks and a large t-shirt displaying her son's current favorite animal, a rabbit, she smelled of fresh soap and powder. Frank remembered the days, before they started dating, when he would pass her in the hall and get a whiff of this mix of her scent and have to exercise every bit of control in his power not to whirl about and follow her. The only thing that stopped him from picking her up and carrying her up the stairs now was his need for food.

Calleigh laughed gaily at her husband's continuing interest in her. She felt the same way about him. Her thoughts went back to the days when she delighted in asking him for a boost so she could get to places beyond her stature. Sometimes, she could just as well have used a chair or found a ladder or even pulled herself up. It was more fun to use Frank, to be close to him.

Unaware of his wife's train of thoughts, Frank began telling her of what he had found out. "This Yamaguchi kid is all about organization from what I've heard. He always pays cash for what he buys and then gets his shorts all in a bunch if his sellers don't do the same."

"And by that you mean he kills them?"

"All I heard was that he had issued threats up to now. I guess this last was to prove he meant it."

"And the guns?"

"That's going to be what you have to find out. Yeah, mostly street guns. My bet is they're also buying from Mala Noche or a similar outlet. That's another reason for Mala Noche to be all uptight about the bad guns; it really ruins their market."

"Have you heard anything yet about the Liang setup?"

"Not yet. Speaking of which, where is that food? I'd rather eat and run than be this hungry and have to head out."

"Yes, oh Master of Mine!"

Calleigh pulled a plate out from the refrigerator, put it into the microwave and pressed the 'reheat' button. "It should be done in about three minutes."

"Since that isn't enough time even for a kitchen 'quickie' I'll go take a load off."

"Here, take a fork and a knife. Go set up a tray. I'll bring it to you."

Moments later, Calleigh sat curled up in the corner of the old couch while her husband fairly inhaled his food. She had barbecued a Cornish game hen, made a serving of mashed potatoes from a box, and cooked some mixed frozen vegetables. She had eaten a leg and both wings with some vegetables and set the rest onto a separate plate for Frank.

"You know, we're going to have to get some dining room furniture one day."

"Why?" Frank spoke around the food in his mouth, chewed once more and swallowed. "We'd never use it."

"Well, what about having guests over? I was talking with Ryan this afternoon and said I wanted to invite him and Yelina for dinner sometime. He thought it was a rather odd thought since we had no dining table or chairs. You remember the last time he came over with the gang he had to sit on the floor?"

"Well, tough luck."

"Frank!"

Sitting back and wiping his mouth, Frank let out a loud belch. "Aw, I'm sorry, Honey. Let's let the food get to work on me for a minute, okay?"

Calleigh turned around and laid her head on his lap and stretched her legs over the end of the couch. "That's another reason to eat like regular people; we'd eat slower, maybe even have real conversations."

"Okay, the first holiday the crooks take, we'll run out and find us a dining room set."

"By that time we'll be too old and have to send the grandkids out to shop for us."

"You see?"

As if on cue, Frank's phone rang. Calleigh popped up and retrieved it from his jacket draped on the rocking chair.

"Yeah?

"I'll call Horatio and I'll get right there."

"The setup?" Calleigh asked.

"Yup. That was one of the guys at the condo. Someone took out one of the men acting as a janitor. The guess is, they're headed up the stairs now. Also a shot came through the window. They think that's a diversionary tactic."

"You be careful."

"Yeah." Frank gave Calleigh a quick kiss on the lips and headed out. He never told her that he kept himself safe by envisioning her in his favorite see-through negligee standing with her hands above her head, standing so that she was backlighted. Although he never gave a criminal any quarter, stood and shot when he thought he had a clear line of fire, he never played Lone Ranger either.

TBC