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Spoilers for the episode 'Consequences'

"This is weird." Vanessa says walking into the room with some printouts.

"Did you get anything from the prints?" Lindsay says looking up from the shredded pieces of paper she was putting together.

"Yeah. The print on the glass part of the table came back as the wife. Was a secretary at some big law firm. Fingerprints were a must."

"What's weird about that?"

"Fingerprint on the side of the table came back Kate Wundt. That's not all. She has a record. Two counts of aggravated assault and stalking in '99 and '05."

"What would her fingerprints be doing there?" Lindsay asks.

"Weird, huh? Guess we need to pay Ms. Wundt a little visit."

"And see how personal his personal secretary got with the victim." Lindsay says getting up.

"Hey! I was going to say that."

"Sorry, but I called dibs on it." Lindsay says, walking out of the room.

Crime Scene

"Sorry, traffic was bad." Stella says walking up to Mac.

"Want to see something else that's bad? Tell me if this looks familiar." Mac says leading her down the alley to where three men sported identical bullet wounds to the back of the head. Their hands and feet were tied behind them and showed signs of being beaten. "It was called in a few hours ago by an anonymous caller."

"I think we got ourselves a serial." Stella says.

"If that's the case then we need to be looking for another victim."

Interrogation

"Is something wrong? Did you find out who killed Rodney?" Kate Wundt asks

"Rodney? Are you on a first name basis with your employer?" Lindsay asks sitting down. Vanessa leans against the wall behind Lindsay, observing Kate Wundt's behavior.

"I have been working with him for 5 years."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Vanessa asks pushing herself off the wall and walking over to the table between Lindsay and Kate.

"It means that I've known him long enough to call him by his given name." Kate says in a matter of fact tone.

"Okay. Tell me how far your job extends." Lindsay says.

"I make his appointments, bring him his mail, sign for any packages, and various other things."

"Have you ever gone into his apartment?" Vanessa asks.

"No never. I have a key, but never used it."

"You have a key to his apartment and you claim that you never used it in the 5 years you have been working for him." Vanessa says.

"I had no reason to."

"You're positive that you never been in his apartment." Lindsay says.

"Never, why?"

"We have proof that you did," Vanessa says sliding the evidence bag with the print inside it. "This was found on the side of a coffee table in Rodney Willis's apartment. The same apartment you claim you've never been in."

"Wait a minute, I did come to his apartment once to pick up some mail that he had taken by mistake. But that was weeks ago."

"Nice try, Kate. But I did a little research and Mr. Willis had just purchased that coffee table two days before he was found dead." Vanessa says showing her a copy of the receipt for the table. Kate starts to get nervous.

"What were you really doing in the victim's apartment?" Lindsay asks.

"I already told you."

"You were having an affair with him, weren't you?" Vanessa asks.

"It was all part of the agreement."

"Agreement?" Lindsay asks.

"Yes. I wanted to get him to publish my book."

"So you traded your body for a paperback." Vanessa says.

"You don't understand I tried everything to get my book published by other publishers and all I got to show for it were empty pockets and paper cuts when they shoved my work in my face." Kate says.

"I understand that you have a strong motive for killing him."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"You catch on that he had no intention on publishing your book and decided to pay him back by killing him."

"I would never."

"I think you would."

"Ask his wife! She probably has more reason to kill him than I do."

"We will, but in the meantime we have enough to hold you."

Outside the interrogation room

"You came on a little strong in there." Lindsay says. Vanessa turns around.

"Had to. She was lying through her teeth. I recognize a liar when I see one." Vanessa says.

"If that's your way of…"

"Look, Lindsay. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were a liar. I have to be somewhere. I'll see you tomorrow." Vanessa says walking away.

"So what's the story between you and Vanessa?" A cop asks Flack.

"We're dating that's it."

"Come on ya gotta tell us more than that." Another cop says.

"There's nothing more to tell." Flack responds

"You could tell us how is she." The third cop says.

"Is she what?" Flack asks

"You know...how is she." A cop says.

"Yeah, Flack. How am I?" The three men including Flack turn to see Vanessa standing there. The three cops leave Flack to explain the conversation he was not willingly a part of.

"I see you gain back some of your cop friends. What was that all about?"

"It was nothing." Flack assures.

"Okay."

"So what's up?"

"I know it seems like I've been avoiding you…in a way I am. I'm sorry about that its just that I…"

"You want out." Flack says. Vanessa looks at him utterly confused.

"No, I don't want out."

"Then what is it?" Flack asks.

"I was avoiding you because of this." Vanessa says holding out a rectangle shaped box.

"What is it?"

"It's a box, genius." Vanessa says with a smile.

"I know that."

"Well, open it." Flack opens the box to find a leather-bound notepad with his name engraved on the front. "I heard you had to give Mac your last one and thought you might need a new one if your going to catch the bad guys. Do you like it?"

"Yeah."

"Thats it. I give you a present and all you say is 'yeah'? I wasn't expect a big tough guy like to get all mushy, but a simple thank you wouldn't hurt. I had to call in a few favors to get it."

"I do like it. Thank you. I don't get why you had to avoid me."

"I'm not good at surprising people. I blow the surprise the second I see or talk to the person. So I had to avoid you if I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Ya did good I'm surprised."

"So now that I don't have to avoid you, how about we grab something to eat?"

"Sure, but first tell me about these favors."

"Nothing you have to worry about, Casanova." Vanessa says with a smile.

"When you say it like that its hard not to be."

"Let's just go. If you're really lucky I just might tell you after dinner." Vanessa says wallking towards the door.

"After you." Flack says.

Hope you liked the chapter. I have already written several of the upcoming chapters and I will begin to post them more frequently. Make sure you leave a review. I enjoy reading them.

Until Next Time, Ancient 85