Chapter 30: Tell The Girl
The next night, Gus happily played hostess to Stella and Lindsay. At least until Lindsay kept pestering her about how she felt about the news that Flack had a girlfriend.
"Are you sure you are okay with it?" Lindsay asked for the third time as Gus refilled the salsa bowl.
"I am fine," Gus answered through clenched teeth, taking a long drink of her virgin daiquiri. Gus took an angry swipe at the cheese dip she had laid out on the coffee table for a girl's night in.
Lindsay and Stella exchanged a glance behind Gus.
"I saw that, you two, and I am fine, it's all good," Gus tried to convince her friends and herself.
"If you are fine with it, then are you going to follow suit?" Stella asked.
"Who says I haven't?" Gus ignored the fact that both women looked like they were trying not to laugh.
"As soon as someone worth a shit comes along, how about that?" Gus answered finally, "besides, I am still working through some stuff with Dr. Lyons, voluntarily now, but still."
"Is he single?" Lindsay quipped.
"Inappropriate," Gus snarled.
"Sorry, forget you were Dr. Ethical" Lindsay bit back, slightly wounded.
Stella gave them both a look of disdain, lingering longer on Lindsay. She should know better, Stella thought, it wasn't like Gus was actually fine with Flack moving on, or whatever it was the detective was doing.
"Sorry," Lindsay grumbled.
"Me too," Gus muttered.
Stella sighed, some times it really was like they were children. "Now what about this guy I heard Angell talking about that you are working with from the mayor's office is he 'worth a shit'?"
"If you like pretty boys," Gus grumbled and then launched a pillow at Lindsay when she broke into laughter. "I know what you are thinking, Lindsay Monroe and Don is not a pretty boy, cops can't be pretty boys."
Lindsay bit her lip, trying to not laugh anymore, taking a swallow of her drink and grimacing at the brain freeze.
"That's what you get!" Gus teased.
"Fine, new topic," Lindsay replied, "what is going on with you, Stella?"
"Nothing much," Stella answered, refusing to meet Gus' eye.
Gus was willing to bet Lindsay didn't know anything about the gifts Stella had been receiving lately.
"Humph," Lindsay sighed, leaning back on the couch, unsatisfied with the lack of gossip.
"What about you, Mon-taannnaaa" Gus teased, "you gotten the great sit down from Mac yet?"
"Nope, luckily he has been busy with other things and I like to think I have managed a completely professional demeanor at work," Lindsay crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yes, longing looks across lab rooms, breaks my heart," Gus drolled.
They all laughed for a moment until Stella turned serious, "how do you think Mac is doing, Gus?"
"I am worried about him," Gus admitted.
"Me too, I can't believe Peyton..." Stella, trailed off, casting a look over at Lindsay.
"Don't worry, he told me Peyton was staying in London earlier today, I am somewhat in the loop, ya know!" Lindsay sighed.
"How was he after I left Wednesday night?" Gus asked.
Stella blew her curls out of her face, "about as easy to read as always. Like all men, it seems."
"I hear you," Lindsay agreed.
The women chatted from a while longer, from lightheaded topics to more serious. They were extremely supportive when Gus poured out the whole story of Dimitri and that night.
"You were actually going to have Mac come and uncuff you?" Lindsay asked in disbelief.
"Well, you both were busy," Gus replied.
"How did you get loose?" Lindsay prodded.
"I interrupted Flack's date and he came over" Gus said to the floor.
"He left the socialite to come here, I bet she loved that!" Stella replied.
Gus rolled her eyes, "no kidding, but for what he told me, he was already tired of the Uptown crowd and she told him to get a new job so he told her to get a new boyfriend."
Stella and Lindsay stared at her.
Gus looked at them curiously,"what?"
"He just told you this, willingly?" Lindsay squeaked.
"Yeah, why?" Gus looked at them quizzically.
The other women exchanged looks, "no reason," Stella said.
"None at all," Lindsay echoed.
"Okay," Gus replied, wondering what the other two women were thinking but not wanting to get into it just then.
Stella switched subjects again, questioning Gus about her time in purgatory.
"I don't know how long Sinclair is planning on punishing me, but I can tell you it is getting old already. There was a reason I didn't go into PR and marketing in college," Gus said with disdain.
"Because you don't play well with others?" Lindsay suggested.
"And because I wanted to make money when I got out of school," Gus said.
"Which does not explain why you became a cop," Stella teased playfully.
"I became a cop because I wanted to help, same reason I was a therapist...but it didn't seem like enough and being stuck traipsing between city hall and the precinct sure as hell doesn't seem like enough!" Gus ranted.
"Then it looks like you need to give somebody a piece of your mind," Stella supplied.
Gus nodded her head in agreement, "you're damn right, I do!"
The women talked for a while longer until the other two started complaining about how late it was getting,seeing they both were on call over the weekend. Gus bid them farewell and sat thinking in her apartment for a good portion of the weekend.
Monday morning found Gus in Paul's office, fueled by her ruminating over the weekend while everyone else was working or busy.
"Look, here's the deal, Matthews, and I am going to go tell Sinclair the same thing...I get you think it is a great thing to have this watchdog in the department, but there are cases sitting on my desk going unsolved and the best thing for the people of this city is not to have pretty little sound bites, but for me to get out there bringing justice to victims. So here's the deal, I am going to get back to work and I will call you when I think you or the public needs to know something," Gus took a deep breath, internally wincing as she waited for the wrath of the mayor's office.
Paul shocked her to stammering silence when he leaned back and said, "Good, that's what Sinclair was hoping for."
"That's what, Sinclair was wha-?" Gus felt herself start backing towards the door, banging into a metal trash can and tearing her pantyhose on the way, "shit!" she swore, bending down to survey the damage.
"You okay?" Paul asked, standing over her, close enough that she banged her head on his chin as she stood up.
"Ouch!" she yelped as he rubbed at his chin, mumbling something about her hard head.
Gus stood there rubbing her head as Paul rubbed his chin until both burst out laughing.
"How have you not shot yourself?" Paul asked.
"Lucky, I guess. Now what is this load of horse crap about Sinclair?"
"He wanted to make sure you were ready to be back in the field," Paul explained.
"And he thought the best way was to take me out of the field?" Gus asked, incredulous.
"Maybe he wanted to make sure you knew you wanted to be back in the field?" Paul ventured.
"Why all the cloak and dagger stuff?" Gus pondered.
Paul cleared his throat, "I think he wanted you out of the precinct for a couple of days."
"What for?"
Paul shrugged, "got me, you'll have to ask him. All I know is he wanted me to babysit you until refused to work with me anymore."
Gus squared her shoulders in anger, "Babysit me?"
"I didn't mean it like that...look, it has been great to have insight into the homicide department, and it has made my life a heck of a lot easier having something to give the press other than 'no comment' and it doesn't hurt that you are easy on the eyes-" Paul cut off when he saw the glare Gus was giving him. "How about I call Sinclair and tell him you are on the way over to his office?"
"Yeah, good idea!" Gus snapped.
"Babysit me?" Gus growled as she stormed into Sinclair's office past his secretary.
"Nice to see you this morning, Detective Broussard, won't you come in," Sinclair replied calmly, barely looking up as Gus burst in.
"Where do you get off shipping me over to Public Information as some sort of test and telling Matthews to babysit me? I don't need someone to watch over me, thank you very much!"
"Your actions the other night beg to differ, Broussard," Sinclair said after a long pause. He motioned for Gus to sit. "Your compatriot at The National is of interest to many different people. I was covering you ass and mine by ensuring that you weren't getting reported to IAB by anyone that may have been observing his comings and goings that night," Sinclair explained.
"You could have told me as much before you punted me off!" Gus exclaimed.
Sinclair patted his stomach with a satisfied look, "I could have, but this also gave me the opportunity to guarantee that you were on the path you were supposed to be on in the department."
"I wasn't aware there was any doubt to that," Gus took in Sinclair's look and tacked on, "sir."
"Well, it never hurts to be sure. And it was nice to not have the mayor's office calling over here every five minutes."
"That is all well and good, but you are going to have to find yourself another spy, because there is too much that needs to be done out there to be yanking a good cop off the streets."
"And you think you are a good cop, detective?" Sinclair asked leaning towards her.
"No, I don't think I am a good cop, I know I am a great cop. Yes, I am a klutz, and yes, I have some personal relationship issues to work on, but I do my job and I do it well!" Gus said, staring Sinclair down.
A smile finally spread across Sinclair's face, "I can't argue with any of that. But Broussard, you are still on probation and don't get too comfortable in homicide, we still might need you elsewhere."
"Still looking to me to be your pretty face for the news, I think Matthews has that covered," Gus retorted.
Sinclair shook his head, "No, I agree, however Major Case and Special Vics do have occasion to need experienced females that are good in the field and you do fit the bill. Unless you want to voice objections to that as well?" His look said to not argue.
"You won't get an argument out of me in that regard, sir, I just want to be out in the field."
"In that case, go see your Lieutenant, he has a replacement weapon for you, try to not be relieved of this one," Sinclair sighed.
"What about IAB?" Gus asked.
"You never know with IAB, but you seem safe," Sinclair admitted, though he thought it wouldn't hurt for her to be put under the scrutiny of IAB if incidents kept collecting in her file. "Do you need something else, Broussard?" Sinclair asked impatiently.
Gus shook her head, "No, sir."
"Then get out of my office!" he roared.
Chapter 31: Everything You Do
Gus went back to the pit, accepted her replacement weapon from Daddino and tried to not listen to the snickers of her colleagues as she sat at her desk sorting through the files littering the surface.
"How long is this going to go on, Parker?" Gus asked the older man as they met at the coffee cart later in the day.
"Until something better comes along. You did lose your weapon to a mob guy, kid, not to mention the whole ecstasy thing. And the boys had a good time hearing you got shipped over to pretty boy in city hall. Flack enjoyed that bit, let me tell you," Parker raised his eyebrows at Gus.
"I'm sure," she replied, absently stirring her coffee.
"Of course the pictures from OCB didn't help," Parker added, bringing Gus to full attention.
"Pictures?" she screeched, "what pictures?"
Parker backed away carefully, "he's under surveillance, apparently they got a few nice shots of yous two leaving the bar canoodling on the way to a cab. And I gotta say, you looked a little worse for the wear."
Gus response was her storming away whipping out her cell phone.
"You could have told me there were pictures, Flack!" Gus snapped into her phone as soon as a sleepy Flack picked up.
"Wha?" he asked, rubbing the grit from his eyes and groaning as he looked at his clock. He had been stuck at scenes all weekend and had only gotten to sleep a few short hours before.
"Pictures of me in front of The National, looking like something the cat dragged in apparently. The Organized Crime Bureau had it under surveillance, ring any bells?" Gus tried to keep her emotions under control.
Flack pulled himself to a sitting position in his studio trying to make sense of what Gus was saying, "I swear I don't know anything about any pictures, sunshine, and I swear ta God, if I do find out anything about them, I will strangle da neck of whatever bozo leaked 'em."
Gus could tell that Flack was only half-awake, his accent much heavier in sleep and anger. "You didn't see them?" Gus pressed on.
"Ya think the guys woulda been that stupid? They're dumb, but not that dumb!" Flack said heading toward the shower, figuring he better head in before Gus killed anyone in OCB.
Gus took a deep breath, "Yeah, you are probably right."
"Look, I'll be there in an hour tops, you in the pit or over at the hall?" Flack asked as he turned on the water.
"I told Matthews were to stick it, so I am back in the pit for now," Gus revealed.
Flack laughed, "I wish I coulda seen the look on his face, sunshine, how did he take it?"
Gus smiled back, feeling slightly calmer just having talked to Flack, "both he and Sinclair took it pretty well. I am still on probation and can be yanked from homicide as needed and I am also pretty sure Sinclair would take great delight if IAB was to grill me, but what are you gonna do?"
"Sit tight, and we'll catch lunch when I get there, okay?"
"'Kay", Gus said, hanging up.
A while later, Gus saw Angell and waved her over."Did you happen to see these pictures Parker just told me about?" Gus asked as soon as the other woman was in earshot.
"Briefly, wiseguys in OCB came over here flashing them around, but Daddino sent them packing pretty damn quick. Though I think Lafferty may have gotten his own copies," Angell admitted feeling badly for the other woman.
"Just freaking fabulous," Gus said, dropping her head to her desk.
"Hey, Flack, what are you doing here? Thought you weren't on until three," she heard Angell say and looked up to see Flack walking in.
"Yeah, well had a coupla things to look into," Flack replied stalking off to the OCB's pit.
Gus followed him with her eyes, taking note that Angell's eyes were also taking in Flack's retreating form with a less than professional glint in them.
"Of course," Gus groaned to herself and pushed back from her desk.
By the time Gus made it over to Organized Crime, Flack was squared off with a detective and a hush descended the area as soon as Gus walked in. Gus tried to play it off, waving to the couple of detectives she actually knew, but in reality the air was heavy with menace.
Gus couldn't hear what Flack said to the other man, just the low growl in his throat. She also took note of the clench on his jaw and the throbbing vein in his forehead. She bit her lip, regretting following him over here.
Finally, the other detective turned and picked up a sheaf of photographs from his desk, "I think these are yours, Broussard," he stammered.
Gus yanked them out of his hands, refusing to look at them.
"Negatives!" Flack snarled.
"They were digital, I swear!" the man yelped.
"Give me the memory card," Flack demanded.
"We got other shots we need on there, man, hours of work," the detective protested, "I'll erase them right now," he pleaded fumbling at the camera.
"See, look, gone," he waved the camera in both Flack and Gus' direction.
"No harm, no foul, right?" his partner asked Gus, his voice wavering.
Gus sneered at them, making a little hissing noise as she flounced out of the room. Flack quickly exited after her, following her out of the building.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Gus protested once they were away from the building.
Flack didn't reply, other than making a shushing motion and taking the sheaf of photographs from Gus' shaking hands and slipping them inside his jacket pocket.
"Now where do you want to go for lunch?" he asked, looking at her gaping at him.
"Wherever you want to," she answered dumbfounded.
"Thank you, Don," Gus as they settled in to a booth in a place around the corner.
Flack looked at her strangely for a moment, "what for? You would have done the same for me."
"The difference being I wouldn't have to for you, Flack, you wouldn't be so stupid."
Flack smirked slightly, "True." He paused and looked at her, "And you ain't stupid, sunshine, you are one of the smartest people I know, and I work with the geek squad."
"But I have the common sense of a rock," Gus mumbled.
"You made a bad choice with a guy, big deal. Look at Stella, her last boyfriend tried to kill her and she had to shoot him. And then Monroe falls for Messer, I mean come on, not the best choice ever," Flack laughed.
Gus rolled her eyes, "the women in your life make bad choices when it comes to men, I get it."
"Not all, not always," he shot back with a wry smile as the air grew heavy between them.
Gus gulped, trying to turn the situation less serious, "it's not just us women-folk you know, Mac just got dumped."
Flack tapped his head, "that wasn't Mac being stupid, that was Peyton."
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Gus asked, flustered.
Flack shook his head slowly, "nope, you aren't."
The pair spent lunch talking about recent cases and Gus' showdown with Sinclair and Matthews and it very much reminded Gus of when things weren't weird between them, and she desperately missed those times.
"Where did ya just go there, sunshine?" Flack asked as he waved the waiter over for their check.
"Just thinking", Gus replied.
"Watch that!" Flack teased.
As they got back to pit, Flack stalked off and beckoned for Gus to follow.
"What?" she asked, curious.
Flack stopped in front of the shredder, pulling the folded pictures out of his pocket. "You want to do the honors, or should I?"
Gus pursed her lips, "you aren't going to look at them?" she inquired.
"Nope, I don't see a reason for either of us too. Besides, I've already seen you before coffee, so how bad could these be?" he teased.
"Very funny," Gus retorted.
Flack raised his eyebrows and turned on the shredder, feeding the papers through all at once, "now if you will excuse me, I am going to make Lafferty cough up his copies."
Gus returned to her desk to find a mountain of files on it and looked at them in horror.
Daddino came sauntering by her desk. "Well you wanted to be out in the field, didn't you?" he said with a smirk.
"Yeah? So?" Gus asked, wondering what the hell was going on now.
"These are all the open cases in the department that have been put on the back burner. Too new to be cold, too low profile to spend too much time on. I suggest you get cracking," Daddino informed her, bopping her lightly on the head with a file.
"Thanks Loo, I think," Gus said, moaning as Parker came by to drop another handful of files are her desk.
Gus' desk phone rang the next day as she was deep into reading through all the files, "Broussard."
"How is my favorite homicide detective doing with her serving of the people?" came a newly familiar voice.
"Matthews," Gus sighed into the phone, "and how can I possibly be your favorite homicide detective? I told you off just yesterday morning?"
Paul laughed, "You should hear the normal response I get from your ilk. Believe me, you were nice."
"Well, if I would have known that, I would have unloaded a little more," Gus laughed, causing Flack to look across their desks in curiosity. Gus ignored him, turning around in her chair, causing Flack to become even more interested.
"I'm glad you didn't, I don't know if my ego could have handled it," Paul retorted.
"Somehow I think your ego would have remained in tack just fine. You weren't the one being...what was it 'baby-sat'?" Gus dripped.
"Yeah, about that..." Paul trailed off.
"Yeah, how about that?" Gus shot back causing Paul to tense up, this conversation was not going the way he planned.
"Look, Broussard, I didn't mean what I said, and I can see how you might think I am a complete asshole, but I would like to change that opinion if it is possible."
Gus snorted, "you a miracle worker now?"
Paul sighed heavily, "how about we call a truce, huh Broussard? You stop busting my chops for one night, I take you out, dinner, theater, the whole New York shebang and then you decide if I am a jerk or not."
"I'm sorry, are you asking me out on a date?" Gus sputtered.
"I am asking you to take the chance to get to know me before I lose my only connection to homicide. And so you just happen to be the only hot detective I have met, so yeah, maybe I am asking you out on a date," Paul admitted, sounding a little bashful.
"You haven't met Angell yet," Gus said.
"Who?" Paul asked, bewildered.
"Never mind," Gus replied, thinking about how confusing this all was and her recent conversations with the girls and Mac and Flack.
She paused just long enough to make Paul wonder if she had hung up. "Broussard, you still there?"
Gus chewed on her lip, "one chance, Matthews, that is all you get," she said finally and hung up. Her phone immediately rang again. "Broussard", she huffed.
"How about Thursday?" Matthews persisted.
"Fine!" she snipped and hung up the phone again.
"What was that about?" Flack asked as she turned her chair back around.
"I am not sure, blue eyes, not sure at all", she said, diving back deep into the files.
Chapter 32: Be That Way
"You're here early," Gus said, slumping down at her desk.
"Early or late depending. Got called out to a scene last night, haven't been home yet," Flack replied, flipping through his file.
"Explains the smell, blue eyes," she teased.
"Very funny," he smirked.
"How about I got get us a couple of coffees and you can fill me in on the latest adventures in homicide?" Gus said, giving him a small smile.
"So you can tell your new friend all about it?" Flack said, with more venom in his voice than even he planned on.
Gus took a deep breath. "No, so I can maybe try to get back to actual work rather than this bureaucratic bullshit Brass has me drowning in."
Flack cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what to say next. Gus closed her eyes before turning to get their drinks.
"Sorry about before," Flack said halfway through his cup.
"Whatever, we'll blame it on lack of sleep", Gus shrugged.
"Must be what's going on with Mac too."
Gus looked at him, wrinkling her brow. "Still not sleeping? He must be turning into me."
Flack gave a small laugh, "Guess so."
"So tell me about this case," Gus prodded.
"It's like a damn cartoon world come to life. Seems this girl got offed, after leaving this club, which is not so weird on its own, but she had herself all done up like a...oh damn what did Adam call it? An avatar?"
"Like in computer games?" Gus asked.
"Nerd", Flack shot back.
Gus glared at him."I take it you don't want my help?"
"Not much you can help on," Flack replied, "still waiting on autopsy and the lab."
"Well how about I help you catch up on your paperwork in the meantime, since you are running out of desk?" Gus pointed at the piles.
"Thanks, Gus," Flack said, suddenly not sure what to say next.
They worked the day away, until finally Danny called with a lead on a suspect, thanks to Adam playing computer games. "
Gotta go", Flack said, slipping on his jacket.
"Have fun out there for me, would ya?" Gus replied, still buried in her own files.
"Will do", he said before disappearing out the precinct.
The day had gone to hell, leading into an equally miserable evening. Flack couldn't believe their suspect had just disappeared.
Brass was having kittens, no wonder with an assassin on the loose.
Flack leaned against the building pulling out the old fashioned lighter.
He wasn't proud of the fact that he had picked up smoking again this summer, but he also wasn't proud of the reasons behind his horrible summer.
The thing that sucked the worst was now it was fall and soon these smoke breaks would be taken huddled in the alley out of the wind, trying to avoid snow slipping down your back.
"Dammit, Gus!" he swore.
"Pardon?" asked the man in a light trench coat beside him.
"Nothin', sorry man," Flack muttered.
"You work here?" the man questioned.
"Yeah, homicide."
The man nodded, "must be one hell of a job."
Flack gave a shrug,"what about you?"
"A cop?", the man shook his head, "no way, couldn't pay me enough. I work with the Mayor's office, bad enough as it is."
"I hear ya, name's Flack", he replied sticking out his hand.
His fellow smoker took it with a quick pump, "Nice to meet ya, Flack, Paul Matthews."
"Oh, you're the PR guy", Flack smirked, though he felt a chill run down his spine. Something was not sitting well with him, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Yep, guilty as charged. And hey, here she is, New York's finest finest," Paul called.
Flack followed the man's smiling gaze to the woman who was making her way down the steps, his heart stopping when he saw her smile in return. "Gus," he yelped.
"You know Augusta?"
Flack stomped on his cigarette butt with venom, "yeah, I know Gus" he growled.
"Hey, Matthews, saw you mugging it up on channel 2", Gus said sliding up to the pair of men, "and Don, I know I did not just see you smoking after all the hell you gave me."
As Flack started to speak, Matthews cut between them, "we should go if we want to make it to the theater on time."
'Theater', Flack thought to himself, and then took in the little black dress Gus was wearing under her coat. "Have fun", he said to their retreating backs before heading inside to run a background on Mr. Paul Matthews.
"She took off to California with her boss and didn't even have the courtesy to lie about sharing a hotel room with him?" Gus shrieked into her wine with dinner.
Paul shook his head with a sad grin, "nope, I mean I've been in the guest room for six months, but I was holding out hope until she informed me to, and I quote 'not be shocked if Steven answers the phone' if I called her out there."
"Harsh, looks like you have a track record about as good as mine," Gus said, spearing a bit of her steak.
Paul studied her for a long beat, "nice to see you are a girl who eats. And speaking of track records, I heard a couple of rumors about you and your former partner."
Gus struggled to not choke, taking a big slug of wine and wiping at her mouth. "Get right to the point, don't you? We were together, and now we aren't. It wasn't the wisest choice to get involved with someone I work with on a daily basis, but I have never been the queen of wise choices."
"What about someone you don't work with on a daily basis?" Paul said with a seductive smile.
"Depends on how involved you mean," Gus shot back, not breaking eye contact.
Paul squirmed slightly, to which Gus gave a hearty laugh. "Speaking of right to the point," he teased, "but I suppose whatever you are up for."
Gus considered this for a moment, feeling the full weight of Paul's lustful gaze on her. "Nothing serious, that damn much I can tell you, but I might be up for a little fun."
"In that case, how about dessert back at my place in Bay Ridge?"