AN: This is a missing moment-or as I have begun referring to them, Stolen Scene, because they were truly stolen from us viewers! Stolen scene or missing moment, this is from S3 Mythical Monkeys. Perry and Paul run to Las Vegas to chase down a lead and Della stays at the office, working on things for court. Someone breaks in and grabs her and drops off a key piece of evidence. The scene ends just as Della dials the operator to get Perry in Vegas and then early the next morning, he's back. Thanks ever-so-much to ValancyStirling48 for her eyes and for PerryLovesDella for staying up late and writing with me!
Della held onto the arms of Perry's chair with an iron grip, drawing in a calming breath. She unfolded the paper that the stranger had shoved onto her tray-the piece of evidence that Perry had been searching for, the map with the cabin marked on it. Why would someone force their way in, hide their face from her, and help them win the case?
Hands still trembling, Della rang for the long-distance operator and asked to be put through to the casino that Perry had called from 45 minutes prior. It took a few minutes of being patched through and then waiting while Perry was located.
"Perry…" her voice was shakier than she expected, and Perry heard it clearly.
"Della? What's the matter?"
"Perry, someone, a man, just forced his way in here and-"
Perry interrupted from his end with a command. "Paul, get Tragg on the phone. Send him to the office right away. What happened, are you hurt?"
"No, no, I'm alright. He knocked on the back door and I assumed it was someone from Clay's coming for my dishes, so I opened it. He shoved his hand in and grabbed my head so that I couldn't see him. He kept me turned away from him the whole time."
"You're sure you're alright?"
"Yes, Perry, I'm alright," she assured again.
"Did he take something? Was he after a file?"
"No, he didn't take anything. He left something. The map that we've been searching for, with the sketch of the cabin and the location marked."
"The map? That's curious…" he mused.
"Then he warned me not to follow him and ran down the hall."
"You locked the door, right?"
"Yes, that's the first thing I did. I didn't see his face, Perry, I'm sorry. And his voice was muffled with a mask, so I don't even know if I could recognize that."
"No, no, Della, I'm just glad you're okay. Tragg is on his way right now. Someone will stay with you until I can be there. There's bound to be a return plane yet tonight-we'll be on it," he promised.
"Perry, you don't have-"
"Yes, I do. Now, I'll stay on the line until the police arrive, and then Paul and I will go to the airport to catch the flight."
Della heard him muffle the mouthpiece against his coat and give Paul instructions to call the airline and make the reservation. The line crackled and she heard him clear his throat before speaking to her again.
"Make a sketch of the map while you're waiting. Tragg will undoubtedly want the original. And if there's any extra writing on it, make sure you get that, too. Hold it up to the light to see if there's something hidden. Anything that could give us a clue. I assume he was wearing gloves?"
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Then don't worry too much about prints. It's unlikely they'll be able to get something usable off it at this point." He waited a moment on the line while she examined the paper and made a rough copy. "Della, take a few deep breaths. I can practically hear your heart racing over the line. There, now."
There was a loud banging on the front door of the office.
"Ms. Street? Are you in there, Della?" She recognized the voice of Lt. Tragg.
"Darling, the lieutenant is here. I've got to go let them in."
"We fly in at 10:55."
00
Opportunities to learn about Lt. Tragg's home life had been few and far between up until that evening. After a thorough search of the whole ninth floor and the connected stairways, he'd plopped down into one of the padded chairs and politely asked for a cup of coffee with plenty of cream.
He told her about his daughters, both grown and married, and about his grandchildren whom he obviously adored. This fatherly side of him warmed Della's heart and eased her mind, calming her nerves while they waited for Perry to return. Nothing calmed her like Perry's strong, quiet presence, but Tragg's stories and jokes were becoming a close second.
At 11:15, keys jangled outside the back door and it swung open a moment later, revealing Perry in his traveling coat and carrying his briefcase.
"Thank you for keeping Ms. Street safe," he said, sparing a glance at the lieutenant, hurrying to stand at the arm of the couch beside Della.
"My pleasure. Now, about this fellow and the map-" he began. Della rose and inched closer to Perry, daring to reach for his hand.
"I'm sure your boys are doing as much as they can, and we appreciate it," Perry said with an air of finality, looking impatiently at the detective.
"I'll just ah...show myself out, then," Tragg said, closing the office door behind himself.
Perry gathered her up in his arms and Della rested her temple against the lapel of his coat.
"Are you alright, Darling? You're sure the stranger didn't hurt you?" he murmured, nuzzling his nose into her hair.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, 'm alright," she promised. Contrary to her words, Della looped her arms around his middle underneath his coat, basking in the comfort of his presence.
With one hand, he tilted her chin up and pressed a kiss into her lips that bordered on desperate.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here, Darling," he whispered, more for himself than for her. "Believe me, when I find him, and I will, he'll answer to me for doing this, my dear." Perry was a man of action, yes, but also a man of words. Della imagined it had been almost painful for him not to spill out all his pet names and loving entreaties while he was on the phone earlier. "Everything's alright, my love."
One of his hands stayed firm and steady in the middle of her spine, anchoring her to him. The other hand slowly caressed the small of her back. She tucked her forehead under his chin, sinking into the safety of his familiar embrace and listening to his whispered sweet-nothings.
"Let's go home." With one arm still around her, he reached into the closet and retrieved her coat and handbag.
"Don't you want to see the map he left? And what did you find out in Las Vegas?"
"There will be time for all of that tomorrow. Right now, you are my only priority."