Rae sat and looked over at her partner, it was nine in the morning; she had been in since eight and he hadn't said a word yet. "Steve, what is it?"
"Huh, oh, nothing. I have about a half dozen things on my mind right now, and I can't decide what to do about any of them." He looked across at her and tried to stifle a yawn.
"So, maybe I can help. Fire away."
"Ok, you asked for it. First of all, we have to interview four animal rights activists this morning, and my brain is still at home in its bucket." Rae smiled at him and he continued. "James Worthington has already been on to me this morning wanting to know what we found in his wife's safety deposit box." As he spoke Steve ran his hand across his eyes. "We are going to have to give him that envelope, which could have nothing more than a letter that she wrote when they first met, or a lock of hair in it, or it could be way more."
"I can do that for you if you would like. Or we can both go and I can do the talking, it's up to you." Rae got up and moved over to his desk. "And the next one?"
"I have a date tonight with Jo, and I just checked the restaurant on the Internet, and, well, remember that bank loan you mentioned…"
"Oh, arm and leg job, huh?" Rae smiled. "Where are you actually going?"
"To a place called … Atishoo…"
"Gazuntheit! I think that's what you say here. You must be allergic to me, you only sneeze when I'm near you!"
"Oh, funny, so move away then…Atishoo, Atishoo!"
"Bless you." Rae got up and moved away from Steve and sat on the side of her desk. "So, where are you going?"
"Musso and Frank's on Hollywood Boulevard. Jo wanted to play tourist. But when I looked at the site about it, well it can cost $85 each!" Steve looked horrified.
Rae got her calculator out. "Wow, that's about £54 per head. What are you going to do about it?"
"Oh, I'll go, but I'll be eating sandwiches from home for the next two weeks!"
"Ok, what else then?"
"I just got a letter this morning from my tenant in the house I rent out saying that she is leaving at the end of her tenure, three months time. So I will have to sort that out too."
"Four down, two to go. Nothing too desperate yet, expensive, but not desperate." Rae smiled at her partner and waited.
"That's it. Only four things. Funny it seemed like way more. I will take you up on your offer to talk to James Worthington. I'll come with you, but I'll let you do the talking, unless I think of something earth shattering to ask him." He checked his watch. "Almost ten o'clock. Let's see when he will be free, and then we can get Bob to give us the addresses of those activists and see them too. Then I think we can call it a day. We are both off tomorrow, so Saturday we can pull out all the stops to see what we can do with this."
"Don't forget, Saturday afternoon you are in the dunking booth at the Police Activity Day."
"Oh, I would forget it if I could, but I have a feeling that you won't let me."
Rae laughed. Steve's face was a picture – she had been looking forward to this since the day she had persuaded him to do it.
"You are so right about that! Ok, I'll go and see Bob, you call James." Rae got off her desk and headed down to the front desk. Bob was, as usual on duty.
"Detective, what can I do for you?"
"Oh, please call me Rae, especially as most of the time I am asking you favours." She smiled and took a breath. "Our animal rights activists, that is the four who stormed this place, plus the three from Worthington Labs can you get the officers involved in the original case to get the files out and check the handwriting against this?" Rae handed Bob a copy of one of the poison pen letters and then carried on talking. "If it is obvious that they couldn't have written this then ignore them. If in doubt let me have their names and addresses, home and work please. Then we will have the unenviable task of interviewing them again hopefully this morning."
"And you don't want me to get them to come in here?" Bob looked a little concerned.
"No, I think we'll be all right. We only want to find out if they have alibis and hopefully get a second handwriting sample from them. If they want to come in with their lawyers tomorrow, that's fine with me, I'm off." Rae turned around as she heard a noise and saw Steve coming down the stairs.
"Ok, are you ready to go, Rae? We are late already."
"Bob, don't forget to call me with those addresses? No better still, when we've finished at Mr. Worthington's I'll call you." Rae turned and followed her partner, who hadn't waited while she made her arrangements. She didn't catch up with him until she got to his car.
"Come on, Rae, I said we would be there by half past ten, so we had better hurry up."
As Rae started to get in the car she saw that Kira had left fur on her jeans. She brushed it away and smiled. The little kitten was getting more confident by the hour, and had sat herself on the kitchen counter watching every move that Rae had made that morning. She was about to tell Steve all about her when he cut across her thoughts.
"I don't think that we'll show James Worthington the hate mail, but I feel that we should make some mention of it. We are only assuming that she didn't tell him, we could be completely wrong about that."
"True, but he's going to be hurt even more if he didn't know. Maybe I can help him understand why she wouldn't tell him, but unless you're the person being threatened I don't think you can completely understand." As she finished talking Rae realised that they had arrived at Mrs Fosters house. "Do you know how long before James will be able to return home?"
"They have finished there, I was going to tell him today that his home is his own again as soon as he feels ready to return to it. I sent over the inventory of everything that we found in the room. I need to remember to ask for that back too."
They got out of the car and headed for the front door, which was opened before they had walked halfway up the path. "Lieutenant, Detective, won't you please come in."
Mrs Barraclough was standing in the hallway, she looked her normal efficient self again this morning, and she held her hand out to Rae. "Detective, James is in the breakfast room, somehow it seems the right place for him to talk to you." There was a pause, as if the housekeeper was trying to choose her words carefully. "I feel I should tell you that he isn't coping with this very well. Neither of us are, but I am trying to be strong for him, and remain as I always have been. It isn't easy, but I feel I owe it to Candi." She paused then, and Rae saw her compose herself once again. Then she gave a small smile. "If you will follow me."
Rae turned to her partner and saw Mrs Foster smiling at the retreating figure of her mother. They walked down to the open doorway of the breakfast room and entered.
James Worthington stood as Rae entered the room and also held his hand out to her. As she shook it she looked closely at the grieving man standing before her. He seemed to have sagged since she last saw him; it was as if it was taking every ounce of strength he had left just to stand up. "Detective, Lieutenant, thank you for coming to see me so quickly."
Rae was glad that she was dressed in dark more formal clothes this morning. For once she wasn't in jeans, but smart black trousers with a white shirt and a matching black jacket. "We wanted to let you have the envelope from your wife as quickly as we could, Sir." Rae paused, "Before I let you have it, I need to say that I will have to know what it says. If it isn't pertinent to the enquiry then it won't be made further use of." Rae stopped talking and looked over at Steve. He took the envelope out of his pocket and handed it over.
James Worthington's hands shook as he held it, and looked at his name on the front. "She had beautiful writing didn't she?" Rae nodded. She knew that he was frightened to open it.
"I'm sorry, Detective, could you read it for me?"
"Of course, Sir, if you would prefer." Rae looked over at Steve and saw him nod. She took a pair of gloves out of her pocket and pulled them on, then she looked around. There was a set of cutlery on the counter under the service hatch and she walked over and took a knife from it to use as a letter opener. As she turned she saw James Worthington take a deep breath. He was looking very shaky. "Mr. Worthington, are you feeling all right?"
"No, actually, my dear, I am feeling a little unwell." As he spoke he began to sway and Steve leapt forward to support him.
Rae pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called 911. She went out into the hallway and called for Mrs Barraclough.
"Yes, Detective."
"Mr. Worthington has been taken ill, I have called for an ambulance, could you or your daughter let us know when it arrives?"
"Of course," Mrs Barraclough tried to look round Rae, who moved aside. "He seems to be in good hands. I'll watch out for it myself." She turned around and headed up the hallway.
Rae turned and went back into the room. "Steve, the ambulance is on the way and Mrs Barraclough is looking out for it."
"Ok." Steve had managed to get James to lower his head to his knees, and now he was listening intently to his breathing. Slowly the older man straightened himself up.
"I'm fine now, no need to worry."
"Nonsense, Sir, we'll get you taken to Community General and they can just give you the once over. We'll follow behind you in the car." Rae could hear the siren as she was speaking, but she waited a few seconds longer and Mrs. Barraclough re-entered the room.
"It's here."
Rae and Steve pulled up in Community General's parking lot as the ambulance pulled into its bay. They hurried to the ER so that they could advise the doctor on duty about the reasons for Mr. Worthington's semi collapse.
Mark and Jesse were both by the reception desk when they arrived. Rae walked up to the senior of the two doctors.
"Mark, we have a patient coming in for you to see. He is the widow of the victim in one of our main cases at the moment. He is also a close friend of the Chief. His name is James Worthington. He collapsed while we were talking with him this morning. Could you take a look?"
"Hey, and what's wrong with me?" Jesse pretended to look hurt.
"Nothing that I know of! No, Mark is closer to him in age, I think they'll get along well."
"Sure, sweetie. Do you know what made him collapse, just the stress of what is happening to him or was it something more precise?" As Mark was talking the gurney was being pushed into the ER.
"We have a letter from his wife, he was going to read it, but then this happened. He didn't lose consciousness, at least not while I was in the room. He didn't, did he Steve?"
"No, but he is very shaken up."
Jesse had walked the gurney into a trauma suite, but he came out now and Mark replaced him. He walked over towards his best friend, and clapped him on the shoulder. "So, buddy, big date tonight, huh?"
"How did you know?"
"You told me last night, remember?"
"Oh, right, Atishoo, Atishoo. Oh, not again."
"Bless you." Rae smiled at her partner.
"Hey I could give you something for that, don't want you sneezing all through your night out!" Jesse gave Steve a wicked grin, but moved a step back.
"If I was taking Rae with me I might take you up on it. I only sneeze when I am with her."
"Rae, Steve?" Mark came out of the trauma room and walked towards them. "I have checked him over, his blood pressure is elevated, and his heart rate is irregular, so I am having him admitted overnight. I also thought that it might be a good idea to have him see the contents of the envelope while he was here. Then if it is a shock, we'll be able to deal with it."
"That would be a good idea, Mark, thank you."
"He also said that he hadn't slept since his wife's death, so I am going to give him something to help him sleep, and hopefully in the morning he'll be able to face his grief a little better. I'll get him settled into a room and then call you, ok?"
"We'll be in the doctor's lounge then, Dad." Steve turned and walked towards the door to the room that was as familiar to him as his own home, and Rae and Jesse followed.
Steve poured himself a coffee and sat on a chair and rested his arms on the table. Jesse and Rae sat together on the sofa, and snuggled up together. "Oh, great, it's cuddly time!" Steve looked at his partner and his best friend, he tried to sound fed up but the affection that he felt for both of them shone in his eyes. "Right, if you can concentrate for a few minutes on the fact that we are both still on duty, you need to call Bob and get those addresses, so that we can have an active afternoon."
"Or even an activist afternoon, right? Sorry, I couldn't resist." She smiled at him and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.
Jesse walked over and poured himself a coffee as Rae was talking, and looked out into the corridor. He saw a middle aged woman looking about her in a lost way and walked down the hallway towards her.
"Can I help you, ma'am? We have met before, my name is Doctor Travis."
"Oh, yes, Doctor, my employer James Worthington was admitted a little while ago. I have bought his things in for him, but I don't know where to go.
"Well, if you go back down to the reception desk in the ER they will tell you what room he's in."
"Thank you young man."
Jesse smiled at her and walked back to the doctor's lounge. Rae was off the phone and she had her head back on the sofa with her eyes shut. Neither of them had got to bed before two this morning, they had had a wonderful evening, but he could tell that it was catching up on her. "Hey, sweetie, I guess it's an early night for you, huh?"
"Mmm, what, oh, yeah, wanna join me?"
"Oh, please!" Before Steve could say anything else, Alex came into the room.
"Hey, Rae, Steve, Jesse, uh, Mark says that you can go up now, room 782."
"Oh, thanks, Alex, come on, Detective, back to work." Rae stuck her tongue out at him, but she didn't open her eyes. "If we don't get on now, we'll have to eat lunch in the canteen."
"I'm coming, I'm coming. See what a slave driver I have to work with." She walked over and kissed Jesse on the lips and then with a wicked grin on her face she followed Steve out of the room.
James Worthington was sat up in bed in a pair of striped pyjamas when they knocked and received a curt 'enter.' Mrs Barraclough was standing by the closet folding and hanging his clothes for him. Steve and Rae waited until she had finished what she was doing, and then following a nod from Steve, Rae walked over to her.
"We need to speak to Mr. Worthington, alone, ma'am, do you think you could wait outside for just a little while?"
"Of course, I quite understand."
"As soon as we can we'll let you know to come back in."
"Thank you, Detective." With that she left the room, and closed the door behind her.
Rae pulled on her gloves once more and slid the envelope out of her jacket pocket; she put her finger into the top corner and gently and carefully opened it. Inside was a single piece of paper. The writing on the paper was small and neat. She scanned it quickly and slid it into an evidence bag. Then taking a breath she began to speak.
"Mr. Worthington, I am sure that already you have many questions. Before I read this I need to tell you that your wife had been receiving hate mail. Once I have read this letter to you we will try to answer your questions as best we can." James Worthington just nodded, and Rae started to read the letter out loud.
My dearest James,
If you are reading this letter, then the threats that have been made against me have obviously been carried out. I realise that the knowledge that I was receiving hate mail will come as a shock to you, but I couldn't share my fear with you, the thought of you going through the same things as me was too much to bear.
I have been receiving this hate mail, one letter a week for just over two months now, and the threats are getting worse each time, I have also been getting at least two phone calls every week as well. I can't go to the police because if I do they have told me that they will kill you, and that is unthinkable.
I am very proud of you, my darling, the work that you have pioneered has saved countless lives. I fear that it won't be able to save mine, but I will not let you down and will never let these bastards think that they have won.
Rae paused. The next piece of the letter was extremely personal. "Mr. Worthington, I will leave the last paragraph for you to read yourself. It has nothing to do with the case, and everything to do with your relationship with your wife." She couldn't say anything else.
"Thank you, Detective. Do you know I never heard my wife use profanity in all our time together?"
"She was a very brave woman, you must be very proud of her." Rae hoped that the emotion in her voice would not upset him, she walked over to James and handed him the bag. She turned away and moved toward the door, she didn't want to intrude as he read the remainder of the letter, even though she already knew what it said.
"Rae," She turned to see Steve moving over to her. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I just feel for him, can you imagine getting a letter like that?" She took a deep breath. She felt Steve's hand on her shoulder, and when he spoke his voice was soft.
"Easy, Rae, it's not a task I would have wanted to undertake, you made a good job of reading that out. I'll stay with him if you want to go and see Jess for a while before we have our exciting afternoon."
Rae nodded her head and left the room, she smiled at Mrs. Barraclough as she passed and walked over to the elevator and went down to the ER. Jesse was writing notes up at the reception desk and she moved quietly over to him. She held her finger up to her lips and looked at the nurse on duty, and then she placed her hands over his eyes.
Jesse suddenly found that the world had gone dark. He put his hands over the ones on his eyes and smiled. He knew who it was. He turned his head so that he could see once more and placed a kiss on Rae's lips. "Hey, what are you doing down here, is Mr. Worthington all right?"
"No, not really, but he will be. Steve is staying, I read the letter out to him, and I just needed a change of scene."
"Well, I'm finishing in about ooh, ten minutes, where would you like to go?"
"Home, but I can't I have to interview activists first, remember?"
"Oh, right, hey, I could come with you."
Rae smiled. She would like him to come. Then she stopped. "I'm supposed to be working by the book."
"Well, I could make sure that you do." Jesse looked at her expectantly.
"I'll see what Steve says, ok? Even if you can't come, you've cheered me up, thanks, sweetheart."
"D'you wanna drink before you go back up?"
"Yes please, I've got time for that." They walked hand in hand towards the Doctor's Lounge, and as they walked in Jesse turned and shut the door.
"Do you have your dress for Saturday yet?"
"Oh! I'd forgotten about that, I'll have to go tomorrow and get one. It's black tie isn't it?"
"Yeah, so I'll get the chance to see you all dressed up and smart for once." Jesse raised his eyebrows then grinned at her and waited.
"And what is wrong with what I have on at the moment?"
"Gotcha!"
"Apart from the dress I wore last night, this is my best outfit. This won't do then?"
"No, of course not… You are joking, right?"
"Gotcha! You know if Steve's date tonight is a success, maybe he could bring Jo with him." Rae smiled; she really wanted him to be as happy as she was.
Jesse passed her a glass of water, and they sat together on the sofa. "What do you need to know from these guys this afternoon?"
"Well, I think we are pushing our luck, actually, but we need to know where they were when Candi Worthington was murdered, and, we need a fresh sample of their handwriting."
"Ooh, I'm not sure about that, why do you need it?"
"Well, you know the drill, to eliminate them from our enquiries, at least that's what we say in London, but it's true, if their writing doesn't fit the stuff on the wall, and they actually have an honest alibi then we can eliminate them from our enquiries. Oh, I'm going off this by the minute, can't we creep off somewhere and hide for the afternoon."
"No, Rae, you may not!"
"Steve! Don't do that!"
Steve just smiled at her and got himself a coffee, then he sat down at the table and got his notebook out. "James has fallen asleep now. Apparently, according to dad he hasn't slept since we told him about his wife, I don't think he had any idea about any of the things in that letter." He shook his head. "You know I think it would have been easier for him if the letter said she'd had an affair, or a couple of children hidden away somewhere."
Rae nodded. "I know what you mean, to know that someone you love is suffering, is bad enough, but to find out when you can't do anything to help." Rae stopped and shook her head. She was silent for a moment, they had both known that this was going to be a distressing case, but she hadn't expected to like James Worthington quite so much as a person. Snap out of it, girl. "Steve, can Jesse come with us for our activist afternoon?"
"I don't think I could stop him, even if I wanted too. Just don't tell the Chief, ok?"
Jesse was out of his white coat in an instant, he had been on cases with Steve lots of times but he hadn't worked with Steve and Rae before. "I'll just go and sign out, I'll be right back."
Steve smiled at his partner. "You may regret this you know, he gets very… eager!"
Half an hour later Rae and Jesse drew up outside the house of the first suspect of the four that they had to see. As Rae got out of Tom she saw Steve pull up behind her. She smiled at him and walked over to his car. "Right, Jake Harmesworth, 26, painter. We are gonna have to be careful with this, Steve, or we take him in for questioning. What do you think?"
"We'll see how we get on with this guy first, if it is too close to call, we'll get the other three in to the station tomorrow." He put his hand on Rae's shoulder as he saw her begin to speak "I know we are supposed to be off tomorrow, well, we may not be, Rae, sorry."
"As long as I can go and get my dress for Saturday night, I don't mind. Come on let's get on with it."
They walked together up to the door and knocked. They waited and listened, but the house was silent. "What kind of painter is he?" Jesse looked at the piece of paper in Rae's hand. "House painter or artist? Only if he is an artist, wouldn't he have a studio, maybe round back?" He smiled at them expectantly and waited.
"I'll just take a look round the back then, shall I?" Rae looked at Steve who nodded. She walked slowly and quietly round to the side of the house. She could see what she would have called a hut halfway down the garden I think they call it a yard, so she moved back toward Steve and Jesse and waved them over. "Does that look like a studio to you?"
"Yeah, d'you want me to go first?" Steve moved in front of her as he spoke, so she slid in behind him and watched him as he slowly walked up to it.
Steve knocked on the door, and called out, "Mr. Harmesworth, this is Lieutenant Sloan, may I have a word with you?" This time they could hear some noise from inside the hut and the door opened slowly.
"What?" A tall, thin young man with a black beard stood in the doorway. He was wearing paint covered jeans and a sweater of a beige wool. He had a paintbrush in his right hand and a scowl on his face.
"Would it be possible to speak to you either in your studio or your house please, Sir?" Steve decided that a little grovelling might help.
"Why? I answered all your questions at the station, I have nothing more to say."
"Mr. Harmesworth, we can ask you the questions here, or at the station again, it really doesn't make any difference to us." As Steve said 'us' the artist looked around and saw Rae and Jesse standing just a little way behind Steve. "That is my partner, Detective Yeager."
"Well then, I guess I'd better get my coat and my lawyer's telephone number." The man disappeared inside the hut and Steve followed him.
Inside the whole room was either covered with paintings or paint. Steve looked around, he had no idea about styles of art, but this was definitely not his style. The canvases were big and it looked as if Jake Harmesworth had picked up the paint and just thrown it at them.
"Do you sell a lot of these then?" Steve couldn't imagine anybody actually wanting to pay good money for them.
"Yeah, what's it to you, you work for the IRS on the side?"
Oh, great, we are in for a wow of an afternoon! Steve glared at the young man before him, "Would you like to call your lawyer from here, or at the station? If you answer our questions now we can save you the fee and the cost of the call."
Jake Harmesworth glared back at Steve and without another word picked up a battered corduroy jacket. As he shrugged it on Steve noticed a small badge with a droplet of blood and a rabbit head on it. "Come on, let's go. Is your car parked out front?"
"No, Lieutenant, I don't have a car, they are bad for the environment. I walk where ever I need to go, or use my bicycle."
"I see, well I'm afraid, Sir, that this time you will have to come with me in my car."
Rae and Jesse stood silently and waited for Steve and his companion to reappear. Then they followed them back to the waiting cars. Rae watched Harmesworth walk over to Steve's car and then followed them over. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Steve, you didn't arrest him did you?"
"What? No, Rae, he doesn't have a car." Steve turned to her and raised his eyes to the heavens.
"Oh, I see." She thought a minute. "Jess, can you drive Tom back for me? I'll travel with Steve, I don't think he should take him back on his own."
"Yeah, no problem, I'll meet you at the station." Rae threw him the keys and walked over to Steve's car. Before she got into the front she put a call through to Bob and asked him to contact the other three people on the list and get them to come into the station, then she got into the car as Steve put the activist into the back.
When they arrived at the station they headed for the same interview room where Neville Grump had taken Martin Robertson hostage. They sat down and Steve looked over at the young man. "Do you want to call your lawyer now?"
"What? No, not yet, I'll wait."
Steve just nodded. He began to read him his rights.
"Hey, man, you didn't say anything about arresting me."
"I'm not arresting you, but I am asking you questions that are pertinent to a murder enquiry, so I am required to read you your rights."
Rae had her notebook out in front of her, and the interview was being recorded.
"So, what is so important that you have to read me my rights before you ask me." Jake Harmesworth sounded very confident, and Rae had a feeling that this was not going to go, as they wanted it too.
"Ok, Mr. Harmesworth, we are investigating a murder that took place on Monday night at approximately eleven pm. Could you please tell me what you were doing for around an hour to two hours before and after that time?" Steve paused, he half expected the man to just say 'no'. Instead a smile flashed across the face of the activist and was gone in an instant.
"Monday night? This Monday night, just gone?" Jake Harmesworth sat and waited for a reply.
"Yes, Mr. Harmesworth, between nine pm this Monday night and one am this Tuesday morning."
The smile re-appeared and this time it stayed. "I was at a meeting, in Van Nuys, there were about 200 people there."
"And you were recognisable how?" Rae knew that she was walking into this man's trap, but she could see no way to avoid it.
"I was a speaker, officer, I talked about animal testing and police brutality for just over half an hour."
"And what time did you start to talk?" Keep going, girl, you are only in up to your neck at the moment.
"Just before ten. I was the last speaker. So, can I go now?"
"Ah, no, Mr. Harmesworth, not just yet, could you please provide us with a sample of your handwriting, just to eliminate it from our enquiries."
"My handwriting, why?" Rae couldn't put her finger on it, but somehow Harmesworth's indignant tone didn't ring true. Once again she was left with the feeling that this was wrong, but she didn't know why.
"We need to see a copy of your handwriting so that we can compare it to some that we already have." Steve didn't want to tell him who had been murdered, but he had a feeling that he didn't need to. It seemed to him that Jake Harmesworth knew exactly who had been killed, whether or not he had had anything to do with it.
"Lieutenant, I will contact my lawyer now, if you would be so kind as to provide me with a phone. If he says so I will let you see my handwriting."
It was ten minutes before Jake Harmesworth decided to write what it was that Steve wanted him to note down. After he had written 'How do you like it' with both his right and left hands Steve terminated the interview.
They walked slowly back to the squad room and Rae walked over to Jesse who was sitting at her desk. "Hi, sweetie, I'm sorry, this hasn't turned out quite like we planned, you were right. The other three guys are going to come here to be interviewed, and I'll bet they just can't possibly come until tomorrow at the earliest."
"Well, you could always go down to Bob and find out, couldn't you?" Steve's tone was dry, as he spoke to her on his way to his own desk.
Rae stuck her tongue out at Steve, but she turned towards the door again. "Ok, I'll be back in a minute."
Rae walked off down to the main reception and Steve got himself and Jesse a coffee. Then he sat down and leant back in his chair, stretching his legs out under the desk. "I just thought I didn't have any lunch. Still price it's gonna cost me for dinner, it's just as well."
"Why, where are you going?" Jesse looked at his friend, he looked ready for a good sleep, not a night on the town.
"Musso and Frank's."
"Ooh, and you've been saving up for how long? Wow, Steve, I hope she's worth it."
"Yeah, you and me both, buddy, you and me both."
Rae walked back into the room with a look of resignation on her face. "These activists seem to make a point of being difficult creatures. One of them is coming in for ten in the morning, another for three in the afternoon, and the third for eleven on Saturday. We are being taken for a serious ride here guys."
Steve and Jesse both nodded, they agreed with her. "But what can you do, Rae, you don't have anything to hold them on right?"
"No, Jess, not a thing. Steve, it's almost six o'clock, I haven't had any lunch, and I am seriously fed up, please may I go home?"
"Yeah, go on, I'll see you tomorrow morning, about half past nine sound ok to you?"
"No, it's my day off, but I don't have any choice in the matter, so yes, that will do." Rae checked her desk and then took Jesse by the hand, as they walked out of the squad room she turned, "Hey, have a great time tonight."
Steve smiled; he had a feeling he would. It was another quarter of an hour before he left the station and climbed into his car. He drove slowly back to the beach house through a constant drizzle. He arrived home just as the rain increased and headed for his apartment at a run. As he went down the stairs he heard a sound up in his dad's part of the house and wandered up there instead.
Mark and Amanda were sitting at the table by the door to the deck with a large jigsaw puzzle out in front of them. "Hey, Dad, Amanda, I thought you had gotten over your jigsaw phase."
Amanda smiled at him, "So did I, but apparently this is impossible to do, and you know how your father gets when someone tells him something is impossible."
Steve picked up a piece of jigsaw and looked at it. Then he turned it over. "It has picture on both sides."
"I know, and there is no picture on the front of the box. You know I could go to the dentist if I wanted this much fun on an afternoon off." Amanda took the piece back and looked at it, both ways, then she shrugged and put it back down on the table.
"Well, I have a date tonight, so I am gonna go and shut my eyes for an hour and then get ready. See you guys."
"Want me to call you, son?" Mark asked, concern and love shining in his eyes.
"Yeah, Dad, you could, otherwise I may just sleep all night!" Which would be a whole lot cheaper, but not as much fun! He went back down the stairs, undoing his shirt as he went, he balled it up and threw it into the laundry basket, slipped out of his jeans and climbed onto the bed. The next thing he knew there was a hand on his shoulder.
"Steve, you've had an hour."
"Dad? What?"
"You've had an hour, you don't want to keep the young lady waiting." Mark smiled at him.
"Ok, thanks, Dad. It's a good job you woke me, I don't think I would have gotten up on my own." Steve stretched as his father left the room and headed for the shower. He stood under the cold water and came back to life. Then he went and searched out his best suit and started to get ready.
Across town Jo was staring into her closet and humming to herself. She couldn't decide what to wear. On her bed were three dresses and she had another two slung over her arm. She dropped them onto the bed and began to hold them up to herself one at a time in front of the mirror. In the end she decided that simplicity was best and chose a simple but beautifully cut, black velvet, sleeveless knee length dress with a square neckline.
Next she picked out a pair of black court shoes, patent leather one side and suede the other. They had three-inch heels, but Steve was tall, she liked to make eye contact with her men. As she headed for the shower she realised that she was really looking forward to tonight.
The water was hot on her body as she stood and let it beat down on her back. She washed her hair then she picked up her bathrobe and wandered back into her bedroom in search of the hairdryer. As she towelled out the excess water she decided that she would just dry it as it was and let the curls show. She had a feeling that Steve would like it that way.
Just as the clock in his living area hit seven o'clock Steve called out to his Dad and Amanda that he was leaving and walked out to his car. The rain had stopped and the air was fresh. He drew out into traffic and began to sing along to his cd.
It was half past seven when Jo took one final look at herself in the mirror and made for the door. She called out as she opened it. "I'll be back around midnight, Michael, you don't need to wait up." Then she shut the door and headed for the garage.
It was just after five to eight when Steve paid his $2 and parked his car in the lot behind the restaurant. He looked around for Jo's jeep but couldn't see it. He walked over to the back door of the famous restaurant and walked inside.
The place just smelt of Hollywood history. Steve could easily imagine Raymond Chandler sitting in one of the booths writing 'The Big Sleep' while the world went on around him. A middle-aged man wearing a jacket that matched the red leather seats walked up to him. "May I help you, Sir?"
"Yes, I'm waiting for someone, we have a reservation in the name of Walters?"
"Oh, of course, Sir, won't you come this way." Steve looked around him as he was led to his booth. The place was almost full already. He couldn't see anybody famous, but then, he wasn't here for that, not really. "If you would like to take a seat, Sir, can I get you a drink while you wait?"
"Ah, yes, just a mineral water please, and could you check that my order was received this afternoon, in the name of Sloan." Steve leant back in his seat.
"Of course, Sir. With ice and lemon, Sir?"
"That would be great, thank you." Once again he looked around. This really was quite a place. He had heard about it, but had never been here. Everybody had heard about Musso and Frank's, the oldest restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard. His waiter brought over his drink and quietly put it down on the table, and then moved away. Steve checked his watch, it was just after eight. As he sat there his mind began to wander back to the day he had had. He saw James Worthington's face as Rae had been reading out the letter. She had never lifted her eyes from the page, so hadn't seen the fists clenched on the top of the bed covers, or the constant movement of his jaw as he tried and failed to relax just a little as she read to him.
"Steve."
He felt a hand on his arm and looked up into the beautiful face of Jo Walters. He stood up and mumbled an apology.
"Never mind, you looked miles away, don't worry I won't ask, I know you won't be able to tell me." Steve smiled at her as she sat down opposite him in the discreetly placed booth.
"Can I get you a drink, Madam?"
"Yes please, I'll have a dry martini, Steve?" She looked over at him. "They are wonderful here, so I've been told. Could you make that two?" The waiter looked at Steve and he nodded.
"Certainly, Madam." The waiter walked away but was soon back with their drinks, and a basket of sourdough rolls, then he quietly disappeared leaving them alone.
"Jo, you look beautiful, I… I love your hair." He felt himself blush and looked away.
"Why thank you. They drive me nuts, but sometimes I go for the curly look."
"So, why Musso and Frank's? Oh, I know you wanted to be a tourist, but I can think of all sorts of places we could have gone. Are you a movie buff, or a Bogart fan, what is it about this place?"
"Oh, I love Bogart movies, an' I have been meanin' to come here ever since I arrived in Los Angeles, but it's not the sort of place to come to on your own, you need to share it. I thought it would be nice to share with you. Although you livin' here an' all I expect you've been here lots of times."
"Oh, I see. No, I've never been here."
"Really? Oh, I'm so glad, I had been worryin' that you would be bored."
"No, not with you to talk to. So, I guess we'd better order. I read a couple of reviews of this place, most loved it, but one did say that the service could be a little slow." Steve picked up a piece of the sourdough and took a bite. "Mind you this is delicious just on it's own."
Steve raised his hand and their waiter came across. "Could we have the menus now please?"
"Certainly, Sir, I will be right back."
They sat looking at their menus for quite a while. "So, Jo, what do you think you are going to have?"
"Well I'm gonna try the shrimp cocktail an' then the oyster stew, I always seem to go for meat, so tonight I'm gonna have a fish night."
"Mmm. Ok," Steve looked down the menu again. He couldn't believe that he could come to such an expensive restaurant and get Welsh Rarebit. "Well, if you are going to go for something different, I guess I'll have to be brave and adventurous too. So I'll have the shrimp, and the Okra Chicken Chowder."
Their waiter didn't return for ten minutes, but the time seemed to fly. The shrimp cocktails had come and gone before the conversation slowed.
When the main courses were placed on the table Steve looked at his with a little trepidation. He had never had okra before, and he wasn't sure that he should have it now. "Ok, here goes nothing."
Jo watched with amusement as he put a spoon full of his meal into his mouth. The chicken and okra seemed wonderful to her as the smell wafted her way. As Steve began to eat she laughed out loud as he tried to repress a shudder.
"Would you like me to swap with you? I just love okra, an' I think you are havin' a slight problem with it."
"No, no, I'm fine." Steve swallowed and then smiled. "It tastes great, but it's a bit … slimy. No, you enjoy your stew, and I will be ok."
They ate quietly for a while and then Jo looked up. "Steve, I have to ask, how is James? I tried to call his house, but I just get the answerin' service. I don't want details, I'm just worried about him."
"He'll be all right, but it will take a while. You know, I like him, he seems like a decent honest man."
"Oh, he is, he's a gentleman, an' there are precious few of them left these days." She smiled at him across the booth and moved her hand towards the middle of the table.
As Steve watched her, his mind raced; he felt so at ease with her. He saw her hand as she placed it nearer to him and he put his own over it. It felt warm, smooth and somehow so right to be holding it. He smiled back at her and catching the waiters eye nodded discreetly at him.
He walked over to them, "Would you like to order your dessert now, Madam, Sir?"
"Oh, yes please."
Their waiter handed them the dessert menus but Jo looked up at the waiter, "I would like the chocolate gateau please, Steve, the same?"
"Ah, no, I'll have the baked caramel custard, thank you." Steve was delighted to realise that when the waiter had come over she hadn't moved her hand.
"Certainly, Sir, Madam."
The man moved discreetly away and Steve looked around, the service had been good, he was pleased that it hadn't spoilt the evening.
"I am so glad that you suggested this, it's a great place. We could almost be the only people here, I like the booths, maybe I should get them in at Bob's."
"I don't think you would have room for more than about three of these things, an' I think that might cut your profits some!"
"Yeah, you could be right." Steve looked round as he saw their waiter coming back with their desserts and another waiter walking behind him with a small bouquet of flowers.
As Jo's chocolate gateau was put in front of her the second waiter handed her the flowers. There were freesias and small carnations and also two tight yellow bud roses. Jo looked up in amazement and saw Steve with a big smile on his face. She took the card and read it.
To a lovely lady, I'm so glad we took our chances, Love Steve
The waiter had put Steve's dessert down and tactfully retired. Jo stood up and leant over the table, she kissed Steve fleetingly on the lips and then sat back down again. "Thank you Steve, they're beautiful."
The table was silent as they both ate their dessert. Jo looked around and then gave Steve a mouthful of her chocolate gateau. "An' I don't do that for everyone, my main vice is chocolate, I just love it!"
Steve returned the favour with his baked custard, which he had to admit he preferred. A few minutes later they both put their cutlery down and smiled across at each other. "So, would you like coffee?" Steve went to signal for the waiter.
"Actually, I don't think I will. It keeps me awake. But you go right ahead."
Steve ordered his coffee and then he took a deep breath. "Jo, I'm going to a fundraising ball for my father's hospital on Saturday night, would you come with me? It's a black tie affair, so if that's a problem…"
"Why thank you, Steve, I would love to come. But tell me, what would have happened if I'd said no?"
"I would have gone on my own." And it wouldn't have been the first time, either.
"Well, we can't have that can we? I would be honoured, Sir. Maybe you could pick me up at, say eight?"
"Of course. Where would you like me to pick you up from?"
" 39405 North Crescent Drive, Beverley Hills." Jo smiled at him.
"You live in Beverley Hills? Ok, I'll be there about eight then… Thank you." Steve smiled at their waiter as he placed a coffee in front of him.
"I do, where do you live? Obviously not Beverley Hills."
"No, I live in Malibu, on the beach."
"I guess you don't mean actually on the beach?" Jo smiled and then laughed. "Or maybe you do, how else would a cop be able to afford to live in Malibu?" Steve saw her wink as she spoke.
"Or a secretary live in Beverley Hills?" Steve returned her comment and grinned at her.
"I inherited my house from my grandmamma, she left it to me about…" Steve could see her working things out. "Three years ago. I only came here about eighteen months ago though, an' I love it. It's a beautiful old house, an' it has so many memories." Jo stopped talking and smiled. Then she giggled and looked at him. "Sorry, I guess I'm just a home person. Anyway, how does a cop afford to live at Malibu – beachside, not landside?"
"I share the house with my father. He lives in the upstairs apartment, and I live in the downstairs one. I have lived in the house since I was eleven, so I know what you mean about memories…" Steve stopped talking for a minute. "We thought we were going to lose it during the last bad fire in the hills, it came real close, but we're still there."
"My God, that would be terrible. I can't imagine losin' my home, or the possessions I have there."
"Hey, come on, how did we get on to this? Smile." Steve took her hand in his and she felt him squeeze it gently.
"I've had a great time tonight, Jo, but I think we ought to be getting back, it's half past ten already, and they shut here at eleven." Steve put his hand up a little and his waiter returned. "Could I have the check please?"
"There is no need, Sir, it has already been taken care of."
"What?" Steve looked around, but the waiter had melted away. "Jo?"
"Steve, this was my suggestion, I know it is an expensive place, an' I just paid the bill when I booked."
"Jo, no. I should at least pay some of it."
"Hey, leave it be, ok? Don't spoil it. I'll find something else expensive for you to pay for another time, I like to do expensive every now an' again."
She stood up then, and Steve knew that the conversation was over. He liked her, very much, but he didn't like having decisions made for him. But now wasn't the time to tell her. As they left Steve left a $20 bill on the table, and hoped that it would be enough.
They walked over to where the coats were kept and the waiter handed Jo a black stole. Steve put his arm around her and they walked together out into the parking lot. He could see her jeep and steered her gently over to it. As they got there she turned to face him.
"I had a lovely time tonight, Steve, an' I am lookin' forward to Saturday. Will I get to meet your daddy then?"
"Yes, he'll be there, Jesse and Rae, and my other friend Amanda with her date. We have a table for eight."
"That will be lovely." Jo put her hand up to his face and gently pulled him towards her. She kissed him gently on the lips, and they moved closer together. Slowly Steve felt her tongue begin to probe into his mouth and he responded immediately. For a few minutes they could have been anywhere in the world, because nothing else mattered but the two of them. Jo could feel Steve's hands as he ran his fingers through her curls and she held him close in her arms. Gradually they moved away from each other. "I… guess I had better be goin'. Thank you Steve for a lovely night. I'll see you on Saturday, 39405 North Crescent Drive, remember?"
"I don't think I can remember my own name after that kiss, but yeah, I'll be there." He leant over her and began to kiss her once again. Her hair felt silky as he moved his fingers through it yet again, and he could feel her hands running over his back.
"Steve," she pulled herself back, "I have to go, honey. It's gettin' late, an' I am goin' into the office tomorrow."
"Ok, but I won't let you leave so easily on Saturday night!"
"I hope that's a promise." Jo kissed him on the cheek, and then she got into her car. Steve stood in the parking lot a smile on his face until Jo's tail lights had disappeared, then he turned and walked over to his own car and headed back to his house full of memories and love, in Malibu.