Chapter 11: Laughable
Gus continued to struggle with cold cases, but she was luckily able to clear enough to keep Daddino and the brass happy.
She was also able to convince Dr. Lyons that three sessions was more than a little excessive seeing as she was not suicidal nor was she have a psychotic break. He agreed and cut her down to two sessions a week and down to the normal fifty minute variety.
"Well that's progress" she joked, "and if you tell me to use my feeling words, I will shove one of them down your throat."
"Client still exhibits aggressive tendencies and may benefit from anger management" the psychiatrist mocked writing a note. "Seriously though, detective, you are very insightful for a law enforcement officer, must be your psychologist coming out."
"See ya in a couple of days, doc" Gus said, leaving his office and heading back to the precinct. Stuck in a cab in the middle of traffic, because if the department was going to force her to continue with these sessions, she sure as hell was going to charge cab rides to them, her phone started buzzing.
"Broussard" she answered.
"Hey, it's Flack."
"Hey, what's up?" Gus replied, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach.
"There's a guy here looking for you. Apparently he has some information on one of your cold cases. You want me to stick him in a questioning room?"
"Did he say what case? I didn't set up any appointments today, at least I don't think I did" Gus scrolled through her calendar to confirm this.
"He just walked in. They sent him up here, I found the file on your desk. Alexander Robbins. Case from 2005. Sanchez is on the DB-5, but he is off this week."
"Awesome" Gus quipped, "I am stuck in traffic, but yeah, park him somewhere, and I will get out of the damn cab and walk if I have to."
"Don't have to go that far, I saw what shoes you were wearing today" Flack snarked.
"Hey, now, junior, when a girl is stuck on cold cases, she can wear whatever footwear she wants, no matter how field inappropriate," Gus volleyed back, looking down at her near stilettos.
"Just as long as you ain't dressing up for your shrink, sunshine," Flack smirked.
"Just because I know all the tricks, doesn't mean I am going to use them, and don't make me regret telling you about my shrink, blue eyes," Gus said with a laugh, but then flushed as she realized she was being far more familiar than she wanted to be.
"Just sit on him for me, Flack, and I will be there asap. Cabbie, move this hunk a junk would ya?" she called as she pushed the end button on her phone.
"I didn't mean literally sit on him!" Gus proclaimed after she had rapped on the glass to get Flack out of the questioning room, where he had been looming over the nervous looking man inside.
"Sorry about that. Didn't want him to pull a runner," he said, watching Gus enter the room and watching the man's reaction. Feeling suddenly territorial, Flack followed Gus into the room as she slid across from the 'witness' and whipped out a pen.
"You look more like a lawyer than a cop," the man said.
"Don't insult me, buddy, I just got out of a mess of traffic and I am not in the mood" Gus drawled, shooting Flack a 'what the hell are doing in here' look.
"Just tell the pretty lady what you told me, Norman" Flack said from over the man's shoulder.
Gus read the notation on the file, apparently the guy's name was Jeremy Norman and he wanted to...confess? Gus blinked her eyes a couple of times to clear them, seriously? Flack clapped a hand on Jeremy's shoulder.
"I killed my roommate" he said, deadpan.
"Alexander Robbins was your roommate?" Gus said, flipping through the case file. It was listed that the victim lived alone in a fifth floor walk-up in the meatpacking district and was a loner who was a graphic artist. It had been listed as a robbery gone wrong, no witnesses, little evidence.
"And you just now, two and a half years later decided to waltz in here and inform us of this little detail?" Gus snapped, incredulous and trying to cover her confusion.
"I couldn't sleep and I am getting married," the man replied, as if that solved everything.
Gus shot Flack a look, he shrugged in response. "Well yeah, I could see how this might be stressing you out then" Gus sniffed.
"The priest told us we both had to go to confession" Jeremy remarked.
"Somehow I think he meant one of those little booths, on your knees, say a few Hail Mary's for playing with yourself" Gus pointed out, as Flack made a choking noise trying to cover his laughter. "Why did you kill your roommate?"
"He threw out my sponge, bought a cat, and stole my iPod" Jeremy looked serious, deadly serious.
"I can see how that would push anyone over the edge" Gus made a few notes.
"I am allergic!" Jeremy cried.
"Gotcha. Well listen, Jeremy, I am going to leave you alone in here with this little pad, and I want you to write down exactly what happened on the day you decide to off your roommate" Gus slid the pad in front of him and handed him her pen. "Meanwhile, my part-" Gus cut off, "colleague and I are going to get a coffee. You need anything?"
"No, I'm good" Jeremy replied, already writing out his story.
"Freak!" Gus exclaimed, leaning against the wall outside the room as Flack looked in at the man busily writing.
"Figured you would get a kick out of him" Flack shrugged.
"Yeah, a real kick" Gus said, pulling her hair out of its elastic and rubbing her scalp.
Flack stared at her for a long beat, and then clearing his throat, said, "I'm going to get those coffees."
"Mmn hmn" Gus said, her eyes still closed as she tried to fight off a tension headache.
"Here ya go" Flack said, handing her a steaming cup.
"Thanks," she sighed, taking the cup, "so why didn't you take the collar?"
"Wasn't my case."
"But it is probably the easiest collar of the year!" she protested.
"Case file was on your desk, not mine."
"And those eight inches make all the difference" Gus rolled her eyes. He bit back a comment, but Gus could clearly see it on his face. "Watch it, buddy" she warned with a smile.
"How's it coming, Jeremy?" Flack said, leaning on the intercom button and ignoring Gus. Jeremy looked up as though God was speaking to him.
"And someone wants to marry this chump?" Gus snorted.
After Jeremy was in custody, and the paperwork signed off on, Daddino wandered in to the pit.
"I can't keep you two from working together, can I?" he said hovering over Gus and Flack's desks. They both shrugged. "How is it you managed to fall over people wanting to confess?" Daddino continued.
"Luck" "Charm" they replied in unison. Daddino walked away shaking his head.
"Good work" Gus said, a minute later.
"You too" Flack smiled and then looked serious for a moment, "you wanna go grab some food?"
Gus tried to not over think the question or put too much stock in it, "Er, um..."
"It's just food, Gus, I know you gotta eat. To the diner and back" Flack said, reading the concentration plastered on her face, the battle behind her eyes.
"Fine, but I gotta be back to meet Stella", Gus said, grabbing her bag and striding out. "Margarita night?" Flack asked as they settled into a booth.
"I wish, Lindsay has been MIA lately. Stella is helping me paint." Flack looked at her curiously but didn't say anything. "Bedroom, new bed, didn't like..." Gus trailed off and started shredding her napkin.
"About that-" Flack started.
Gus stopped in mid-tear and looked at him, wide-eyed, "Don't, please don't. You don't have to explain anything. I just- you just-" Gus set her jaw, "This was a bad idea."
She started to slide out of the booth, but Flack gently grasped her hand, "Gus, don't go" he pleaded.
Gus chewed on her lip, debating, realizing that Flack was going to be part of her life no matter what, and that she didn't actually want it any other way. Doc Lyons would be proud of that realization. She settled back into her seat, taking a few deep breaths.
"You can't keep running, I thought you had at least figured that out this summer" he said softly, his jaw set.
"I'm not running, just hiding" she flashed a small smile and he fought to ignore the tightness in his chest.
"Stop that as well, okay?" he dimpled back. "I heard it was pretty rough in New Orleans" he stated gently.
"Daddino?" Gus asked.
Flack nodded, "and Mac."
"It's...not the same and much the same and not good, Don. I thought I was going to go back and be able to help things somehow, be able to feel at home. That isn't what happened at all. Instead, I felt like I was stuck in part of the problem and fighting for a lost cause. What else is new though?" she paused briefly, "and I realized I really do have nothing left there, except to maybe visit. But then I am starting to wonder what I have here either" she shrugged, feeling self-conscious.
"Are you crazy?!" Flack exclaimed, "just because you got stuck on cold cases for a while and have to see a shrink doesn't mean you don't have anything here. Have you not noticed how worried everyone is about you?"
Gus nodded, "I know, but I think it is because they are all worried I am going to crack up on their watch. I'm not though, if I was going to break, I would have already done it."
"Look, I know this might be wasting my breath, but you don't have to keep the front up all the time. And if you ever want to talk, you know how to reach me."
"Do I? I don't even know where you are living now, Don!" the words erupted from her without her knowing where they were coming. She tried to suck them back in and looked a little shocked.
And so did Flack. "Well I didn't exactly think I could stay bunked up at your place" he replied looking at his watch, "It is getting late" he added.
"Running or hiding?" Gus nipped.
"Neither. I have-" he cleared his throat, "I have to meet someone."
"Of course you do" Gus said glumly.
Flack fought his desire to yank her out of the booth and either pinch or kiss her. "Day or night, Gus, you know my number", he landed a brief kiss on top of her head before he left.
Gus sat sullenly for a few minutes before dialing a number on her phone. "Hey, Stella, yeah, I'm ready, thanks again."
Chapter 12: Winds Me Up
"While I love the color, I am confused as to what was wrong with the old one" Stella said, standing back to admire her handiwork.
"Just needed a change" Gus nodded.
Stella caught the tone in her voice, and nodded in understanding, even if she didn't completely. "Tell me you aren't painting your living room since you got a new couch, because I didn't sign on for that."
"Nah, I'm good" Gus grinned and then yawned, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was so late" she said, glancing at the clock.
"No problem, better than sitting at the lab, trying to convince Mac to go home."
"He still getting the calls?" Gus asked, going to rinse off their rollers and brushes. "
A far as I know" Stella said, walking after her, "3:33 every morning."
"Sucks, and they still can't track it?"
Stella shook her head, "Tech and the feds are still working on it, nothing yet."
"It is just weird, I mean, all of a sudden and to start in London. Maybe it is an old boyfriend of Peyton's or something?" Gus suggested.
"I get the feeling it is more than that" Stella looked deep in concentration, "but I can't get him to tell me any more, no matter how much I ask."
"You are a good friend, Stel, to me and Mac" Gus said, suddenly embracing the older woman.
Stella froze for a moment and then patted Gus gently on the back, "It will all work itself out, kid, I swear."
The next morning, Gus was called to Daddino's office before she even sat down at her desk.
"I've been talking to Taylor" Daddino said by way of greeting.
"That's nice" Gus sighed, wondering what was coming.
"He told me your shrink knocked you down to two days a week."
How the hell did Mac know that? Gus thought to herself. "So I must not be about to go postal, huh, Loo?" Gus joked.
"Funny. I am still not ready for you to go back out in the field full-time until Lyons signs off on it, but if Taylor wants you as a consult, I am not going to deny him" Daddino replied.
"Because he's my uncle?" Gus snipped.
"Because I know he will keep an eye on you for whatever reason, and won't let you get in over your head. Something that would have served you well on your summer vacation from hell" Daddino retorted.
Gus crossed her arms and tapped her foot, "I wasn't over my head. I had a surprising good clearance rate, given the circumstances, and had I stayed, I could have gotten on the SWAT team."
"Well that is fabulous, so you could have gotten shot at even more? Do you have a death wish Broussard?" Daddino sometimes really did question the woman's sanity.
"I came back here, didn't I?" Gus raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, you did" Daddino cleared his throat, "What about Flack, you going to be able to work with him? You two seemed to do alright yesterday without killing each other."
"I don't know what you may have heard, Loo, but I am perfectly capable working with anyone in homicide, except maybe Lafferty, but he's just an asshole" Gus stared Daddino down.
"Fine" Daddino puts his hands up in mock surrender, "I was just checking, didn't want World War III happening in the pit."
"I make no guarantees" Gus drawled, "you asking him the same question, though?"
"Already did, yesterday before he grabbed your cold case."
"How did the painting go?" Flack asked as soon as she sat down at her desk.
"Fine, Stella as a huge help."
"Yellow, huh?"
"Creole mustard" Gus said looking curiously at him.
Flack snickered, "You have some in your hair still."
Gus started picking through her hair, not able to find what he was talking about, "Hot mess coming through" she sighed as Montgomery and Flack started laughing at her.
"Come here, kid, since junior seems to be all about torturing you" Parker called Gus over to his desk. Gus obliged until he pulled out scissors. "Calm down, would ya" he said, snipping out the paint. "How are things between the two of you?" Parker asked quietly, gesturing over to Flack, who was on the phone.
"Weird" Gus sighed, hopping up on Parker's desk.
"Other than weird?" Parker pressed on.
Gus shrugged, making patterns in the crumbs on the desk top, "The same and so not the same. Ergo, weird. Not being around him is like missing an appendage and being around him is sometimes agony, but whatcha gonna do?"
Parker nodded, wanting to say more, but noticing Flack had hung up the phone. "You really not flinch on that cannibalism case down there in the swamp?" Parker asked louder, changing gears.
"There were 21 other homicides I worked, not to mention the assaults and robberies. Why is that the one everyone keeps asking about?" Gus protested.
"Because we don't get many decapitation cases, especially not in a pot on the stove."
Gus made a face, "Yeah, well I guess couple's therapy wasn't for them" she joked, "but yes, I was the only one who didn't toss my cookies at the scene. I did later though, but you boys have taught me a thing or two about running with the big dogs." Self satisfied murmurs ran throughout the pit.
"Heard they were going to put you SWAT if you stayed, you gonna dump us here?" Parker asked, louder than needed.
"No Parker," Gus gave him a look, "I know it may be hard to believe, but I actually enjoy working with all you lugs." She patted him on the shoulder and hopped down from his desk, wondering the reasoning behind this little inquisition.
"Yo, Hannibal, take a ride with Flack, there's a floater with your name on it" Daddino said from his doorway giving her a look.
"One case, y'all, one case!" she protested as she stomped out of the pit.
Flack looked at her in shock as she tapped on the glass of the car. "You riding along?" he asked.
"I wasn't that much of a screw up, Flack, I am working this case with you," Gus sighed, sliding into the car.
"You got sprung from cold case?" Flack asked, slightly incredulous.
"I think this is on top of. You work your ass off one summer and this is apparently your reward" Gus joked.
"About that" Flack started, sliding her a look.
"Hmn?"
"What the hell were you doing?" he exploded.
"Excuse me?" Gus was taken aback at the emotion in his voice, not to mention the fact that she figured they would be able to at least get to the crime scene before things melted down.
"Why did you clock so many hours? Why did you not turn down and cases? Why did you shut down there but freaked out here?" Flack volleyed the questions at her so fast, Gus thought about jumping from the moving car.
"I thought we already had the running and hiding discussion, Flack!" Gus protested. His silence was answer enough. "Fine, when I left, I didn't really know where I was going. But TB called and I didn't really have anywhere else to go. I got back to New Orleans and realized just how much things haven't changed in two years, except a lot of people were at the end of their ropes a year ago. Of course except for my former supposed friends, who were playing like nothing had happened and think the hurricane was a great cleanser of the city. Needless to say, I wasn't about to hang around them. And the NOPD was more than happy to take me. Their force was half of what it had been and it was always understaffed. I got a little obsessed trying to clear cases, at least through arrests. The DA hates the chief, so there was little to no chance of a conviction. Murder/suicides were probably the best cases to get called out on," Gus paused and shook her head.
Flack noticed her voice seemed far away and he felt guilty for snapping at her and bringing this about.
"The only thing I had there was the job. So I did it, until I couldn't anymore. And then through the divine intervention of Stella and begging Loo, here I am. If you want the longer version, you gotta buy me a drink at least" Gus flashed him a small smile.
Flack wanted to reach over and squeeze her hand, but thought better of it. "What did you partner think of you working all those cases?" Flack asked hesitantly.
"That your way of asking how you compare, sugar?" Gus teased, "My partner was a fat, old, black man from the lower nine who was none to happy about getting paired with little miss white uptown. But he got off my back once I started clocking so many hours, as long as he didn't have to work them, he didn't care."
"You worked without backup?" Flack narrowed his eyes.
"You ain't gonna understand from sitting up here on your high horse, Flack"
"Who said I was on my high horse?"
"I am just saying things here in New York don't even resemble the way things are in New Orleans. If you haven't been there, you don't know" Gus ended, hoping she didn't sound too harsh.
Chapter 13: Voodoo Shoppe
"That is way beyond a floater. Or a head in a pot, if you ask me" Gus exclaimed, covering her nose and mouth with her hand.
Flack grimaced as well, as they stared at the body that had been fished out of the harbor. The full wet suit did little to hide the decay.
Despite the smell of decomposition and the methane gas filling the air from an active bubble in the river, people were crowded around clamoring for pictures on their cell phones.
"Guys, can we get these people back?" Gus barked at the uniforms who gave her a look. Gus stuck her hands on her hips, pushing her suit jacket out of the way, "See the badge?" she quipped.
"Make the perimeter wider" Flack barked, and the uniforms rushed to comply.
"Well that is frigging fabulous" Gus glowered, "Even if I was gone all summer, I was still a cop. And last time I checked, I didn't loose any authority while working cold cases."
"They are just new Gus, and you haven't been out in the field in a while" Flack tried to diffuse the situation.
"Whatever" Gus said standing over the body, poking at it with her pump, "This thing has to have been in the water for a few weeks, huh?"
Flack made a face, "Stop poking" he said, pulling her back, "Oh look, you can play with Hawkes, I'll go brief whoever else is on scene."
"Wimp" Gus called with a laugh.
"Gus" Hawkes said, setting down his kit on the tarp the body was on.
"Sheldon" Gus teased.
"See you two are partnered up again."
"I don't know if that is the case, but Mac called Daddino and here I am. Back in the field for this second at least" Gus sighed.
"And you two are talking?"
"Just talking, Shel. Which is better than killing each other, I suppose," Gus replied.
"Or avoiding each other," Sheldon pointed out, while taking photographs.
Mac, Danny and Flack came back up the boardwalk a few minutes later making jokes about Staten Island. Ones that Danny didn't seem to care for, Gus bit her lip and gave Mac a slight nod. She listened as Hawkes explained that the diver looked like he had asphyxiated.
"Full tank of oxygen, face mask, doesn't make any sense" Gus said under her breath to Flack.
"I know, but luckily as of right now, it is their job, not ours" Flack replied.
"Gus, how much do you want to stay off of cold cases?" Mac asked her with a glint in his eye.
Having a feeling of what Mac was about to suggest, Gus quipped, "I am doing pretty good at them, why, Mac?"
"Because someone needs to be at posting" Mac grinned.
The other four exchanged glances of fear and disgust, "Don't look at me" Danny exclaimed.
"I think I gotta question a guy about a thing" Flack stammered.
"Someone has to deal with trace" Hawkes pointed out.
"I don't think Daddino wants me out of his sight for too long" Gus lamented.
"Guess Stella drew the short straw then" Mac smirked.
"You wanna ride back?" Flack asked.
"Didn't think you were in the habit of leaving girls at crime scenes, Flack" Gus drolled.
"Just thought you might want a little extra time with the floater" Flack smiled at her.
Gus shook her head, "I should have checked out my own car" she muttered.
A couple of hours later, Flack leaned back in his chair after getting off the phone, "Sid id'ed the floater."
"That's nice" Gus said, deep back into yet another cold case. Her piles seemed to be growing instead of shrinking.
"Doug Holden" Flack said, raising his eyebrows, waiting for Gus to look up.
"Oh yeah?" Gus continued to make notes on one of the cases.
"Yeah!" Flack said with a hint of exasperation.
Gus chuckled silently to herself, she knew Flack had information he was dying to share. She looked up with a smirk, "Go ahead, tell me your news."
"He was an advanced certified diving instructor" Flack looked at Gus with satisfaction.
"Were you planning on taking up diving?" Gus continued to string Flack along until he gave her a piercing look.
"No, Broussard, I was not. You might want to though, if you keep going hanging out in New Orleans. My point was, how does a diver end up drowned?"
Gus met Flack's look with one of her own, "Accidents happen all the time, Flack!" With that she flipped back open her case file and continued writing.
"I take it you don't want to come out to Rockaway Beach with me and Stella?" Flack tried again.
Gus shook her head, "Nah, I got some stuff here. But have fun and try to not stumble across any arks this time."
"See ya 'round then" Flack said, giving up.
"What was that?" Parker asked Gus as soon as Flack left.
"What was what?" Gus said, going over and making a few marks on a dry erase board and putting up some crime scene photos.
"You turned down going out into the field. With Flack." Parker tacked on.
"And? I got something going here" Gus gestured.
"Ya know, Daddino asked me if he thought you two would be alright working together. I told him yes, was I wrong?" Parker asked quietly.
Gus turned, her eyes flashing, "Daddino checking up on me with everyone? Jesus!" she swore.
Shaking her head, "And I am fine working with him. I am not fine getting shit from punks in uniform out in the field while they click their heels at him. And maybe I need to ease back into working with him, okay, Parker?"
"This have anything to do with him seeing other people?" Parker pressed on.
Gus set her jaw, but refused to turn around, "Is he? Seeing other people? Bound to happen. Free country, he's a free man" Gus connected some lines on the board.
"Don't punish yourself any more than you need to, Broussard" Parker said before walking away.
"Thought that was what I was doing" she called after him.
Still caught up in old crime scene photos, Gus sighed when her phone buzzed in from Flack. "What's up Flack?" she asked by greeting.
"Um, hi, I wanted to see if you could do me a favor" Flack asked hesitantly.
"Maybe" Gus said, trying to not smile.
"Run a background on Matt Campbell."
"Easy enough, but you wanna tell me why?" Gus prodded.
"He is Holden's partner."
"Partner or partner?" Gus questioned.
"Judging by the bikini clad girls hanging off of them in this picture I am holding and the large amount of single woman I have questioned who took lessons from them, I would say only his dive team partner" Flack answered bemused.
"Large amount of single women, huh? Sounds like you have had an interesting afternoon" Gus joked while silently adding it was a good thing she hadn't come along. And then also adding that she should probably talk about this jealousy thing with Dr. Lyons.
"Not as exciting as it sounds" Flack sighed.
"Well then. I'll go run your background and let you know what I find."
"Thanks sunsh- Broussard," Flack said, ringing off.
"Matt Campbell, you say" Gus said calling Flack back after she had run the name through the system.
"Yep."
"Interesting case you have going here, Flack. He flagged in missing persons. His sister reported it after he missed his mother's birthday party. I am getting the feeling the family isn't that close but not that close. Anyhow, no one has seen him, doesn't look like he has been home and so on" Gus tried to reign in her babbling.
"Well that is interesting. I'll have to pass that along to Stella. And I owe you one" Flack said, hanging up.
Her interest piqued by the latest information discovered, Gus wandered over to the lab the first chance she got. Though thanks to her work on the cold case, it was a good bit later. She ran into Sid and Hawkes talking in the hallway. "Don't ask me, I don't even swim" she heard Sid say before he walked back toward the morgue.
"Hey good lookin' what's cookin'" she joked.
"Not funny" Hawkes replied. Gus made a face. "We found another diver, in just as bad of shape as the one from earlier. And also killed with cyanide."
"Also? I hadn't heard the COD. It don't suppose it is Matt Campbell is it?"
Hawkes gave her a look, "How did you know that?"
"Sheldon, I am not completely out of the loop. And Flack had me run background" Gus added with a smile.
Sheldon raised his eyebrows as he returned the smile, "Always in the know, huh? Anyway, I gotta run. We"ll catch up later."
"See ya, Shel" Gus said walking off before running into Mac.
"How did you like being back in the field?" he asked, staring at her.
"Why do I sense a question in your question? It is nice to get out of this place, especially the pit. But I don't think I can go back to the way things were. Obviously" Gus stammered, feeling her stomach twist as she thought about her waring feelings concerning her former partner.
"What I mean is I still think I should stay on cold cases for now, but don't get me wrong, I liked coming out to the scene. And if you need me to consult I can, I would love to. But there still is...stuff" Gus trailed off and looked at her shoes.
Mac studied her for a moment, "I see." He cleared his throat, "If you want to talk."
Gus shook her head, "I am good" and then catching Mac's look, "I mean, I have a shrink for that. And friends. I'm not shutting down again, Mac, promise" Gus crossed her heart before heading back to homicide.
Gus did a double take as she saw Flack sitting in one of the questioning rooms with an apparent suspect. She slipped into the observation room, adjusting the volume level on the speaker and settled in to listen to the British man attempt to answer Flack's questions.
Gus was able to piece together than the man was a jeweler who had been questioned by Flack and Stella earlier in the day, so he must have been diving with one of the vics.
In addition, apparently Stella had found gold coins in Matt Campbell's wet suit, which had turned out to be electroplated fakes. Hence the jeweler was now under Flack's intense gaze.
"Diving for sunken treasure, ahoy matey" Gus joked to herself, "and I thought my New Orleans summer was weird." Gus bit back a smile as she saw Flack going in for the kill with his suspect and get shot down.
"Open marriage burn, Flack" she quipped as Flack left the room, "Rules don't apply to lifestyles of the rich and famous."
"Don't you have cold cases you were working on?" Flack said with a slight bite, though a smile took out most of the sting.
"I was just getting back to them" Gus said, raising her eyebrows and turning on her heel.
Flack watched her go, trying to decipher what was going on in her head, and trying to figure out if disconnect between the two of them too large to surmount.
Gus was back at her case board when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Dammit, Thatcher!" she yelled turning around with her heart pounding. She had been so caught up in trying to connect dots on a three year old case that might be connected to a hot homicide, Gus had lost touch with what was going on around her.
"Sorry, Broussard, I called out to you about six times" Thatcher said looking slightly bashful.
"Whatever. What's up?" Gus asked, wiping marker ink off her face.
"Just wanted to ask you something" Thatcher said to the ceiling.
"Let me guess, about New Orleans?" Thatcher shook his head. Gus was slightly amazed, "What, girl trouble? Family issues? Need a profile?"
Thatcher continued to shake his head at Gus' rapid fire, "Nah, none of that. I gotta extra ticket to the police/fire hockey game, wanted to know if you wanted to come." Gus wrinkled her face until Thatcher added, "Lafferty is playing, so is your old boy Colin."
Gus smirked, "I gotta hope they both get hit in the face with pucks then. Sure, I'm game" she shrugged.
"Alright. Meet you there?" Thatcher said, walking away whistling about the lunch his partner now owed him insisting there is no way she would say yes.
"How did things turn out with Daddy Warbucks?" Gus asked, stopping by her desk and seeing Flack sitting there downtrodden.
"His alibi for Paris checked out. Back to square one. Stella and Mac think it might have something to do with a shipwreck diving scheme. Lindsay was going on about a sea cucumber, I dunno" Flack shrugged and threw his pen down.
"Yummy" Gus remarked. Flack looked at her curiously.
"What? They are good, just because you don't like sushi" Gus retorted.
"Nah, not that, I was just wondering if we were cool?" Flack put the question out there, feeling trepidations over the answer.
"Cool as a sea cucumber" Gus joked, giving him a wink. His silence turned her serious, "We are big boys and girls, Flack, we'll be fine."
"Then what is with you avoiding the field?"
"Honestly?" Flack gave her a long look. "I can't be back out there right now, I, uh, might have gotten a little burned out in New Orleans. I just need...some time before I am of any use on hot cases."
"Wow, Augusta Broussard admits weakness, they must of sent you to one good shrink" Flack teased with sincere eyes. "Take care of yourself, I mean that" he added.
"I will." Gus felt suddenly like her temperature had risen about 20 degrees, looking at the clock she said, "Wow, look, it's late. I'm not supposed to be clocking overtime, I've gotta head, but see ya tomorrow?"
"Sure thing" Flack said, trying to not look too curiously at her, which was made easier by the fact that she seemed to disappear into thin air once again. "She musta brushed up on her voodoo down there" he muttered to himself.