Hey! Yay new chapter and staying on "schedule"! lol

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 25

"Congratulations on your new house." Mr. Erikson smiled as he handed over the keys to Beth.

Beth smiled sadly as she looked at them. "Thank you."

Mr. Erikson frowned. "Is anything wrong?"

"Not really. I'm just, um, a little preoccupied. One of my friends is missing, so this isn't as exciting as it should be."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that she's found soon."

Beth chuckled slightly as she looked up at him. "Yeah, me too. Thanks again. I'm sure that my pets and I will love it."

"I hope so! Now, my guys will be here soon to wax the floors, but you should be able to start moving in on Wednesday. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to call me."

"Alright. Have a good day." Beth smiled as she went outside to meet Susie. She was standing on the sidewalk, talking with a guy walking his dog. Beth shook her head as she joined them. "Hey Suz!"

"Hey Lizzie! Are you all done?"

"Yep. Who's this?" Beth asked.

Susie smiled as she patted the guy's arm. "This is Patrick. He lives down the street and is going to be your new neighbor. He and his partner Neil own a bakery and also take in foster dogs. They currently have 5 dogs and Toby here is the newest addition."

"Nice to meet you Patrick." Beth smiled as she shook his hand.

"You too." Patrick nodded.

"Now that I know your life story, I'm interested in what Suz has told you about mine."

Patrick shrugged. "Not much. Just that you are a musician and daycare teacher and that both of you are from Ohio. My sister is currently in Michigan on an internship."

"Boo Michigan!" Susie said with a smirk.

Patrick laughed. "Oh yes, I've heard about the Ohio/Michigan rivalry."

"Well, only if you're into sports. I'm not really a sports fan, so the rivalry doesn't mean as much to me." Beth said.

"I'm not much of a fan either, although Neil follows baseball occasionally." Patrick smiled as he looked at his watch. "Speaking of Neil, I need to get going. I was supposed to be back 10 minutes ago and Neil is going to throw a fit! He can be very paranoid at times. It was nice meeting you two"

"See ya later!" Beth smiled.

"Bye Pat." Susie said as Patrick waved and walked down the street.

Once he was far enough away, Beth turned to Susie and said, "I totally thought you were flirting with him."

Susie sighed as she walked to the car. "I started to, but then I realized that he was gay. At least he seems like a nice guy."

"So if he wasn't gay, you would have asked for his number?"

"Of course! Cute guy walking a black lab while wearing jeans and sandals. Totally screamed no kids and laid back. I hope this Neil guy appreciates what he snagged."

Beth laughed, "Well, I'm sure he does. Better luck next time."

They climbed into the car and buckled up. "So, what should we do for lunch?" Susie asked as she started the car.

"I don't know. Is there anything good at Carlton's house?"

"Probably not. I only used the fridge to store beer, so whatever you guys had before you left on Thursday, it's still there."

Beth scrunched up her nose at that. "Ew. I think we should just stop to get sandwiches, pick up Frisco, and then eat on Carlton's back porch."

"Sounds like a plan."

As they were enjoying their lunch, Susie asked Beth, "So, you never did tell me why you were in love with Carlton."

Beth blushed and picked up her sandwich. "Why do I have to explain how I feel?! You fall in love with people all the time and you never explain to me why."

"No, I get infatuated with people, I don't fall in love. I like people for a few days or weeks, never long term. But you, my dear Lizzie, fell in love with Carlton. Something that Fred can't even claim."

Beth flinched at that as she chewed her food. "I, I don't know how to explain it." She said before taking another bite.

"Try. I won't judge. I just want to know how someone so, so different and uptight could make you want to stay with him for the foreseeable future."

Putting down her sandwich, Beth played with her cup as she finally answered. "Well, the first time I saw Carlton, I must admit, I was a bit wary of him. He hadn't shaved in a couple days, his clothes were a wrinkled and dirty mess, he smelled of gunpowder, his hair was askew, and his whole demeanor radiated 'fuck-off'."

Susie laughed, "So why did you sit next to him?"

"Because he also looked so sad, like his whole world was crumpling in around him. I thought he could use a friendly face. So I tried talking to him, but of course he blew me off. After this creep started hitting on me and Carlton came to my rescue, I noticed a kindred spirit. Not very good with socializing, but still has a sense of humor. Willing to help out and protect others, even complete strangers. The friendship formed into like a brother/sister thing, but I still had a bit of a crush on him. And somewhere along the way, I realized that I had fallen in love with him. Not just the overprotective and sensitive sides mind you, but also the gruff and authoritative asshole." Beth laughed as she wiped a tear away. "That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

Susie smiled sweetly. "No. I think it's really cute and you need to tell Carlton how you feel. And if he rejects you, I'm gonna put a bullet through his kneecap."

Beth laughed, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Yes I would! Because he would be an idiot to reject you."

"But you have horrible aim! You might miss and hit something more vital."

"All the more reason for him not to reject you. He doesn't want to risk losing his manhood, now does he?"

Beth snorted into her drink and quickly grabbed a napkin. "Wow, Suz! Just stop now!" They both started laughing, but were soon interrupted as Beth's phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Beth! It's Juliet."

Beth calmed down pretty quick as she answered. "Oh, hi Juliet. H-how's the um, the case going?"

"To be honest, we're waiting on results from several departments."

"Did Gus call you about my theory?"

"Yes, thank you so much! We have IT trying to figure out what happened and if we can get the signal back."

"Okay." Beth nodded and poked at her sandwich.

"Anyways, the reason that I'm calling, well. We need a urine sample before that window closes."

Beth flinched. "Oh, okay. What about the blood sample?"

"We have that too and are waiting on the results but the chief wants to have as much evidence as possible. So the sooner you can come in today, the better."

Beth looked at Susie before nodding. "Sure. We should be there in an hour."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Beth hung up with a sigh and looked at Susie. "They need me to go to the station and give a urine sample."

"Ew! TMI!" Susie cringed and stuck out her tongue.

"Exactly. *sigh* I guess I should have more lemonade."

Susie laughed as she passed the pitcher. "Just don't drink too much or you might have to pee before we even leave."