Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!
Chapter thirty-eight – Police!
Santo Domingo. Or better said, Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Capital of the Dominican Republic and largest city in the Carribean region by population. Founded by Bartholomew Columbus in 1496 on the east bank of the Ozama River and then moved by Nicolás de Ovando in 1502 to the west bank. For further information, it was better to ask Maura because Jane had fallen asleep in the bus that had taken them from Punta Cana to it.
A last peaceful moment before the stress brought by the city that had crept into her body insidiously.
Violently.
Everything was noisy, all around. A dizzy cacophony. The traffic, the music being played on sidewalks and inside the restaurants which doors remained wide opened to attract tourists. At first, the Italian had been disappointed by the very modern buildings that could have been found in any metropolis of the world but soon their guide had taken them further down in the Zona Colonial district and she had changed her mind.
Buildings from the 16th century were everywhere around – churches and palatial houses – on which the strong sun got reflected in a way she had never seen before. As if the walls were made of gold. It was breathtaking.
Of course, she had remained close – too close? - to Lisa and Guadalupe. If for the past couple of days Jane had left them alone, she was now with them in permanence. From the moment they had stepped into the bus to the visit of the local cathedrals and monuments.
Friendly enough in spite of the gun weighing on her thigh under her skirt.
"Alright, lindas. You now have three hours to go around the city by yourself for some shopping and such. You have your maps – areas to avoid in red – and have my cell phone number on top of the paper we gave you just in case you need to reach me. Enjoy your free time and don't go too far. The bus will wait for you here right on the square at 4pm."
María nodded at the group but soon harassed by questions, found herself surrounded by most of vacationers on the small square of the historic district. Of the disadvantage of playing the GO guide for the day.
Leaned against a tree – hands in her back – Jane looked at the scene, a smile on her lips. Lisa approached. Joyfully. Was she ever in a bad mood? Even when she had learned about her ex, the art dealer had seemed to bring within herself an endless happiness. It was odd, hypnotizing.
"How about having lunch together? Unless you have planned something special. It's not our first time in Santo Domingo and to be honest, I think we're going to stay in the area; at the terrace of a cafe or walk around."
Perfect. You don't even have to ask yourself, she does half of the job for you. Trying to ignore the weight of her lies, Jane nodded enthusiastically and passed an arm around Maura's waist as the medical examiner arrived, a couple of guide books in hand. "That would be fantastic. Take us to some local restaurant. Are you okay with it, honey?"
Honey. Jane repressed a mock of horror. She had never been the pet name type. She found it cheesy, incredibly girlie and way too far from her own temper. By the face Maura made, she assumed that the honey blonde was not a big fan of it either.
"Wonderful. I am starving. Do you know any restaurant worth it in the area?" Genuine question. Maura smiled politely at Lisa and Guadalupe who had just come back from a conversation shared with a couple of other girls a few feet away.
"El Café de las flores is a nice one, not too far and very famous. Let's go there!"
…
"These earrings suit you very well, Jane."
The detective repressed a moan and smiled politely in return at Guadalupe. She found them way too colorful but Maura had insisted and next thing she had known, she was wearing them as they had made it to the cafe.
Mouth full of a delicious Creole dish, she nonetheless nodded. "Thank you. I'm not sure I will wear them every day but we'll see. Perhaps by night it can save a life. Cars should see me five miles away with them on. More effective than a fluorescent jacket."
The medical examiner snorted. For short seconds, Jane prayed for her partner to not lose herself in one of her scientific explanations that would highlight the fact that what she had just said was impossible – missing thus and one more time her sarcastic comment – and held her breath. Almost anxiously.
"You got your ears pierced four months ago and you almost never wear earrings while they suit you so well... It is really too bad, Jane."
Maura's fingers brushed her lobe. The light touch sent a shiver down her spine. She swallowed hard. Once the gray clouds of their arguments and fears had cleared upon their heads the day before, they had retreated to their room and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed.
Curiously, the sexual part of their new relationship was not an issue and had never been one but all the feelings, the strength of a future together weighed a lot more all in all. This was the delicate part. Very, very delicate. And fragile.
"You forced me to get them pierced, Maura. We both knew by then that it wouldn't mean I would wear any kind of earring whatsoever afterward. Except for the small gold ones I had to wear, great source of entertainment as the... As the lab saw them on me for the first time."
The BPD. She still could hear Frost and Korsak's teasing remarks, how these earrings were the ones kids had to wear when she was almost forty herself. Yes. And all that because of Maura. Just because of her.
"The skirt, the earrings... You're very pretty for Santo Domingo!" Lisa laughed lightly. After two weeks and a half spent with the brunette, it was evident that this wasn't her very own personal style. "I have a friend in Boston – a jeweler – whose creations would look good on the two of you. She works on Beacon Hill. I'll give you details about her shop if you want to."
Beacon Hill. Maura forced a smile – a painful one – and swallowed hard. She might already be a client. It was – after all – her neighborhood. And everyone there knew who she was, what kind of occupation she had.
But apart from that allusion to Boston, the rest of the lunch went rather smoothly. The patio was nice – quiet – and Jane wouldn't have minded staying there in the shadows of the trees for the rest of the afternoon; chatting, sipping on an iced coffee.
The sun blinded her as she stepped back on the street an hour later. She winced, sighed happily. Perhaps it would be a peaceful day and nothing would happen. Perhaps she had exaggerated and stressed for absolutely nothing. Leaned against the wall of the restaurant – waiting for Maura who had gone to the bathroom – she observed Lisa and Guadalupe down the street a few feet further. They were checking postcards, laughing lightly.
Yes. Everything was going fine. Perfect.
"I ate too much, Jane. I think I need to walk for a while or else I am good for a three-hour nap on the next chair I find."
Maura's comment made her laugh.
"You'll sleep in the bus. That's no problem. Besides there's..." But she didn't finish her sentence. As she turned around again to look at Guadalupe and Lisa, she noticed that a man was talking to them insistently. A man she hadn't seen before.
Immediately, a red alert set up in her head as her heart began to beat faster. It might have been almost three weeks, her instincts were coming back right away; just like all the things she had learned over the years at the BPD. She checked their surroundings, observed the scene. The street was empty and quiet. Too quiet.
The man approached Guadalupe and entered her personal space, putting a hand on her shoulder. The painter shook her head, made a step backwards.
"Maura, stay here."
The guy insisted, not caring much about Lisa and her partner's closed faces; the constant shaking of their head. Jane began to run towards the scene. He wasn't a suspect from Boston, the one who had taken a flight to the Dominican Republic but who knew if he hadn't been sent by the drug dealer himself?
Voices rose as he didn't leave Lisa and Guadalupe alone. Menacingly. Way too menacingly.
The cold metal of the gun sliding on her hip made her swallow hard. She grabbed the weapon within a second and held it tight. Out in the open. She spread her legs, feet firmly settled on the ground. Her breath was short for her having run unexpectedly, fast. Adrenalin got released through her veins.
The three of them were speaking in Spanish. She could hardly understand the slightest thing. Yet the anxiety on both women's faces resulted enough for her to point the gun at the man as he made another step - towards Lisa this time a- nd grabbed her shoulder rather firmly.
"Don't move! Police!"
Jane's voice resounded loud in the quietness of the afternoon, echoing against the golden buildings embraced by the sun. A raspy tone of voice that surprised everyone and all of a sudden, waiters from the restaurants and salespeople stepped outside – their curiosity piqued – to see what was going on in their usually peaceful district.