A/N -
Catfight Stephanie? hmmm... stick around a few more chapters... ~EG~
For those of you who are beginning to like Keni... ~sighs~ ya'll are gonna hate her after this chapter and the next two. I can hope that towards the end, you'll like her again.
Sandra - eventually they DO get locked in a room together... wait and see. ~wink~
Karri - yes, they do need a good counselor... but I think they work it out themselves. Keni's a woman on a mission and so much like Frank it's scary. Be patient with her.
Everyone else - THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Shit, thanks for reading!! ~LOL~ Enjoy!
****
Original Sin
- Part Fourteen
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Rating: PG
--
Frank, Jake, Kennedi and Alex were at the Museum bright and early the next morning. Frank had decided to go on Keni's theory of the thief stashing the jewels there in the museum. They had all split up, each taking a room that branched off from the main display.
Jake and Alex reported back that they had come up with nothing in their room. Keni shook her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe this. You're sending them to look for a jewel stash? They couldn't find their butts with both hands when it comes to this."
"So, why don't you look for them Miss Johnson?" came the acidic reply from Alex.
"First off, Agent Cross... tone down the bile. Second, you're both looking in the wrong places. You're looking at the obvious. Look at the not so obvious. Like right out in the open..."
She smirked and walked into the room where she had truly hidden the jewels. The suits of armor dominated the room along with the glass cases of swords on display. Some of them were in mint condition and still held a wicked gleam on the razor sharp edges. As she passed by them, Keni purred in almost orgasmic pleasure.
Jake leaned over to Frank as she and Alex began searching the room in all the non-obvious spots. "What's all that over the swords?"
Frank chuckled. "In high school and later in college, Kennedi was the Rapiers Champion for the respective fencing teams. I had the misfortune of sneaking up on her when she was sparring one day."
Jake blinked and looked up at his boss. "What happened?"
"Nothing. She spun around, got me up against the wall with the edge at my throat and suggested I not do that again. I didn't." He laughed lightly at the memory. What he hadn't told Jake was that he'd heard the sounds of a workout, but it sounded like she was being attacked. He'd rushed in, gun drawn and ready to fend off whoever it was. After he'd startled her, he found himself being driven backwards and suddenly found his gun hand empty as his weapon clattered across the floor.
"I would hate to see Kennedi in a real life duel. She might well kill someone if she had to." Frank said as he left Jake's side to check on Keni and Alex.
"Nothing here. Maybe I was wrong and your thief got away with the jewels." Keni said in an exasperated tone.
Alex threw her a look and shrugged. "Maybe she did. What's eating me is that so far, no leads have come out of Miss Johnson's presence."
"I just don't know Frank. Things have changed so much in the last five years. Old rings have died, the thieves I knew are dead or in jail... there's probably a whole new breed in play. You shouldn't have brought me in."
"For once, we agree." Alex stated flatly.
"Alex, lighten up. Kennedi, you were asked here to give me and my team a profile to work with. You have done just that."
Alex rolled her eyes and huffed. "Why do you defend her when she hasn't done a damned thing except waste our time? For all we know she IS the thief!"
Kennedi blinked in shock and pulled back, inching towards Frank. Damn that woman... now she had to pull something out that she didn't want to - Using Frank. "How... how dare you!! I most certainly am NOT the thief!"
"How do we know you aren't?"
"Because I promised Frank when he got me straight that that part of my life was over!" she shouted back, forcing tears into her eyes. It worked. Frank's hands came up and rested on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Alex, that's quite enough."
"No, Frank. LOOK at the evidence! There is the rappelling rope, sold by weight grade - it matches Kennedi's weight range!"
"So do half a million other women Alex." Jake countered.
"And the holes cut into the display cases... Kennedi can fit her hand through them easily and given the size of the holes and the size of the jewels, I'd say that there is quite enough room for her to grasp them and still clear the edge of the cut glass."
"STOP IT!" Keni shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned into Frank's chest, sobbing in mock hurt at Alex's accusations.
"That's enough Agent Cross!" Frank shouted, his arms wrapping around Keni's shoulders.
"NO FRANK!! It's not!! She told Jake that the thief was her height, her weight, her size, she found the circuit bypass on the roof near the skylight and Jake said you should have seen her climb the rappelling rope! Frank, it's all too convenient for this to be a coincidence!"
"I wasn't... I wasn't even here! If you're so damned certain that it was me, AGENT CROSS," Keni pulled back from Frank's chest and wiped her eyes. "Then go to the airlines, check my credit cards, do what ever the hell you want and check it out. I was in Colorado the day it happened, in Denver. I don't know what I did to you to deserve this, but you win. Tomorrow I'm out of here, back to where I came from and Frank can be all yours." she whispered before she pulled out of Frank's embrace and left the room in tears again.
Frank sighed. "Happy now Alex?"
As he left, she shook her head and looked at Jake. "Not until I run a check on her, just like she suggested. We should have done it to begin with." When Frank shook his head and followed after Keni, she turned to Jake. "Why do I get the feeling there is a whole hell of a lot missing?"
"Let it go Alex. Just let her alone."
"I can't. Something's telling me that it's not right."
****
Catfight Stephanie? hmmm... stick around a few more chapters... ~EG~
For those of you who are beginning to like Keni... ~sighs~ ya'll are gonna hate her after this chapter and the next two. I can hope that towards the end, you'll like her again.
Sandra - eventually they DO get locked in a room together... wait and see. ~wink~
Karri - yes, they do need a good counselor... but I think they work it out themselves. Keni's a woman on a mission and so much like Frank it's scary. Be patient with her.
Everyone else - THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Shit, thanks for reading!! ~LOL~ Enjoy!
****
Original Sin
- Part Fourteen
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Rating: PG
--
Frank, Jake, Kennedi and Alex were at the Museum bright and early the next morning. Frank had decided to go on Keni's theory of the thief stashing the jewels there in the museum. They had all split up, each taking a room that branched off from the main display.
Jake and Alex reported back that they had come up with nothing in their room. Keni shook her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe this. You're sending them to look for a jewel stash? They couldn't find their butts with both hands when it comes to this."
"So, why don't you look for them Miss Johnson?" came the acidic reply from Alex.
"First off, Agent Cross... tone down the bile. Second, you're both looking in the wrong places. You're looking at the obvious. Look at the not so obvious. Like right out in the open..."
She smirked and walked into the room where she had truly hidden the jewels. The suits of armor dominated the room along with the glass cases of swords on display. Some of them were in mint condition and still held a wicked gleam on the razor sharp edges. As she passed by them, Keni purred in almost orgasmic pleasure.
Jake leaned over to Frank as she and Alex began searching the room in all the non-obvious spots. "What's all that over the swords?"
Frank chuckled. "In high school and later in college, Kennedi was the Rapiers Champion for the respective fencing teams. I had the misfortune of sneaking up on her when she was sparring one day."
Jake blinked and looked up at his boss. "What happened?"
"Nothing. She spun around, got me up against the wall with the edge at my throat and suggested I not do that again. I didn't." He laughed lightly at the memory. What he hadn't told Jake was that he'd heard the sounds of a workout, but it sounded like she was being attacked. He'd rushed in, gun drawn and ready to fend off whoever it was. After he'd startled her, he found himself being driven backwards and suddenly found his gun hand empty as his weapon clattered across the floor.
"I would hate to see Kennedi in a real life duel. She might well kill someone if she had to." Frank said as he left Jake's side to check on Keni and Alex.
"Nothing here. Maybe I was wrong and your thief got away with the jewels." Keni said in an exasperated tone.
Alex threw her a look and shrugged. "Maybe she did. What's eating me is that so far, no leads have come out of Miss Johnson's presence."
"I just don't know Frank. Things have changed so much in the last five years. Old rings have died, the thieves I knew are dead or in jail... there's probably a whole new breed in play. You shouldn't have brought me in."
"For once, we agree." Alex stated flatly.
"Alex, lighten up. Kennedi, you were asked here to give me and my team a profile to work with. You have done just that."
Alex rolled her eyes and huffed. "Why do you defend her when she hasn't done a damned thing except waste our time? For all we know she IS the thief!"
Kennedi blinked in shock and pulled back, inching towards Frank. Damn that woman... now she had to pull something out that she didn't want to - Using Frank. "How... how dare you!! I most certainly am NOT the thief!"
"How do we know you aren't?"
"Because I promised Frank when he got me straight that that part of my life was over!" she shouted back, forcing tears into her eyes. It worked. Frank's hands came up and rested on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Alex, that's quite enough."
"No, Frank. LOOK at the evidence! There is the rappelling rope, sold by weight grade - it matches Kennedi's weight range!"
"So do half a million other women Alex." Jake countered.
"And the holes cut into the display cases... Kennedi can fit her hand through them easily and given the size of the holes and the size of the jewels, I'd say that there is quite enough room for her to grasp them and still clear the edge of the cut glass."
"STOP IT!" Keni shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned into Frank's chest, sobbing in mock hurt at Alex's accusations.
"That's enough Agent Cross!" Frank shouted, his arms wrapping around Keni's shoulders.
"NO FRANK!! It's not!! She told Jake that the thief was her height, her weight, her size, she found the circuit bypass on the roof near the skylight and Jake said you should have seen her climb the rappelling rope! Frank, it's all too convenient for this to be a coincidence!"
"I wasn't... I wasn't even here! If you're so damned certain that it was me, AGENT CROSS," Keni pulled back from Frank's chest and wiped her eyes. "Then go to the airlines, check my credit cards, do what ever the hell you want and check it out. I was in Colorado the day it happened, in Denver. I don't know what I did to you to deserve this, but you win. Tomorrow I'm out of here, back to where I came from and Frank can be all yours." she whispered before she pulled out of Frank's embrace and left the room in tears again.
Frank sighed. "Happy now Alex?"
As he left, she shook her head and looked at Jake. "Not until I run a check on her, just like she suggested. We should have done it to begin with." When Frank shook his head and followed after Keni, she turned to Jake. "Why do I get the feeling there is a whole hell of a lot missing?"
"Let it go Alex. Just let her alone."
"I can't. Something's telling me that it's not right."
****