Disclaimer: Early Edition, its characters
and certain situations are the property of CBS
Productions and Sony/Tristar. The rest are
all mine. :-)
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Fatal Edition and Forever Amber
Author's notes: This is the first of a Brigatti
series I plan on writing. At least, I'm hoping to
sometime in this life time. Anyway, this first
one was first posted 1/1/02. No profit is being
made but feedback is welcomed! :-)
Chasing Shadows
~~~~~~
Chapter 1
They said it was a suicide, but my instincts told me otherwise.
There was a note, a motive, and the opportunity. But no corpse.
My name is Antonia Brigatti. Some of my co-workers
down at the station where I used to reside simply called me
Brigatti. I'm 34 years old and at the present time, single. I own
no children, dog, bird, fish or cat. I hate cats! They make me
sneeze, and I swear I can smell one from a mile away.
What do I do for a living? Survive mainly. That is,
ever since I changed professions. I'm a private
investigator working for the City of Chicago.
Before I get started, let me tell you that this was a
bizarre case that I had no intention of getting involved
with. Somehow I did. Little did I know that it would
have me revaluating my own life and relationships.
I first met Nancy Spiolie when she walked into my
office one cold rainy evening last month. She told
me that her brother was missing and that she wanted
me to find him. Sounded simple enough, except, police
reports stated that, according to the note that had been
found at his small beach house, he had committed suicide.
An additional note had been found taped to the bridge from
where he had jumped.
His body has never been found.
I was just packing up my papers for the night, getting ready
to leave my office. It had rained all that day and I was tired
and hungry. I was clicking off the last of the lights when the
door
to my office creaked open. It had grown dark out, and most
of the lights in the building where my one- and a half room
office is located had already been turned out or dimmed to
their soft
energy--saving glow. At that particular moment, I was
wondering if one of my old cases had come back to pay
me--and I don't mean
in cash.
My first instinct was to reach for my gun, which I keep in my
desk drawer. But as luck would have it I was five feet
away on the opposite side of the desk, so I froze knowing
that I had only a few choices.
One- I could scream bloody murder and wind up looking
like a complete idiot if it turned out to be only the night watchman
doing his nightly rounds. Two- I could just try and tackle the son
of a.....well, you get my point, and ask questions later or three,
simply fall back on my years of police training, and further
assess the situation, after all, I hadn't been trained in self-defense
just for the art of it.
Option three sounded like the mature choice, so I waited,
reaching for the metal baseball bat that I keep hidden behind
the door. You know, just in case. I clutched the bat and held
my breath as the door opened slowly.
Her face appeared first, rained drenched and scared.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Lowering the bat, I let out a breath of relief when I saw her
and relaxed my grip. "Can I help you?"
When she saw me, she also let out a sigh of relief .
Clutching her coat at the collar she stepped out of
the shadows of the doorway. "Yes...I'm looking for a
T-Tony...Brigatti? I was told that I could find him here?"
"That depends." I said, eyeing her up and down.
"Who are you?"
"Ah..my name is Nancy. Nancy Spiolie."
I studied her carefully for a moment. With this career that
I had chosen, I had learned that it wasn't too wise to give
out my identity too quickly. So far, I had been shot at, shot
and drugged. While I loved my job, I planned on sticking
around a little while longer. Obviously, the woman was
looking for a man.
"I'm Toni," I finally answered, my instincts clueing me in
that she was safe. Noticing that she was shivering,
her hair dripping wet, I returned the bat behind the
door and crossed the room to my desk,
pulled opened the drawer and removed a box of kleenex
that I kept there.
"What can I do for you?" I asked handing her the box.
"I'm sooo relieved that you're a woman." she sighed,
running a nervous hand through her hair. "I-I mean
I thought you'd be a man, you know, with the name
Tony and all. " She pulled out a tissue and wiped
her hands. "Thanks."
I held out my hand, "Toni. That's ah...Toni
with an 'i', Brigatti."
"I was hoping you could help me." She said as we shook.
I checked my watch. It was 8:00 p.m. I had already stayed
later that I should have, catching up on some old police
business and certainly didn't want to take on any new
cases.
"How did you find out about me?" I asked. I didn't
advertise and took only special cases.
"A detective Ar-Armstrong down at police headquarters
recomended you. He said you were the best."
Good old Paul. "Well," I sighed, " I-I was just closing up for the
night." I was hoping she'd catch my drift.
She stared at me for a moment, her face full of dispair.
She covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Oh, not the tears! I groaned inwardly. Feeling sorry for her,
I drew in a tired breath, trying to ready myself for what I was
about to do. I removed my coat, offered her a seat and flicked
the lights back on. I
already had a feeling this was going to be a long night.
`````````````````
Chapter 2
I turned the key in the lock and let myself into my apartment.
I hadn't eaten since that morning, and headed straight for the
kitchen. Tossing my bag onto the sofa, I click on the radio
sitting on the end table as I passed, immediately, soft music
permeated the rooms. I opened the refrigerator and
took out the package of salami I had gotten from the deli
across the street all the while thinking about the Spiolie woman
who really had me stumped. It had been close to a year now
since
her brother's so-called suicide, but a lot of things just didn't
add up. Most importantly, where was his body?
Secondly, was my bread? I stood on my tip-toe, searching
on top of the
fridge until my hand located an almost-empty package
of whole
wheat bread. I untwisted the plastic, took out the last
slice and
tossed the empty bag into the garbage can. Laying the
salami
slice on the dry bread I rolled it up, grabbed a can of beer
from
the fridge, a napkin, then headed back into the living room
flicking on the small tiffany lamp next to the sofa.
With a sigh of relief, I plopped down on the sofa and kicked
off my shoes then searched my pockets for the suicide note
Nancy had given me. I pulled it from my pant pocket unfolded
it and began to read.
Nancy,
Forgive me for what I have done. I just find it impossible to
go on living if I can't live it with the woman that I love. I can't
continue on knowing that I don't have your blessings. I told
Heather about the argument that we had and she threatened
to leave me if I allowed you to run my life. I can't live without
her Nancy I just can't. Heather won't answer any of my calls.
Please tell her that I love her and to forgive me.
Mike
I folded the letter and pulled out the photo Nancy had given
me of her brother.
Mike Calibre, I whispered his name silently as I studied his picture. He was a rather handsome young man -- tall, dark hair'd and muscular. Nancy told me that, she had exhausted all of her resources trying to find him. She also told me that it was his girlfriend who had found the suicide note at his beach house.
But a thorough search had been done of the house, turning up nothing. Not even a body from the mirky water below the bridge on State street where he supposedly had jumped. A second suicide note had been left attached to the bridge with the same message.
While the police and everyone else ruled suicide, Nancy felt that something wasn't right, that there was something more. Her brother was young, rich. and had everything in the world to live for.
I finished the sandwich, took a sip of the cold beer and
settled back on the sofa, closing my eyes briefly to
rest them. It seemed like only seconds before I heard a
knock on the door. My eyes fluttered open and I glanced
quickly over at the alarm clock. It was 11:00 pm. Who on earth
would be calling at this hour?
Rising from the sofa, I moved cautiously towards
the door to take a peek out of the security hole.
Hobson? What the hell was he doing here? And at this hour?
I ran a hand quickly though my hair, dug into the pocket of
my pantsuit and pulled out a mint. I stuck it into my mouth and
chewed before asking casually, "Who is it?"
"Gary."
"Gary who?" I asked, blowing into the palm of my hand
to check my breath. Minty fresh.
"Gary. G-Gary Hobson."
I unlatched the security lock and opened the door slightly
to peek out. He seemed taller than I remembered,
yet still as handsome as the first time I'd laid eyes on him.
"This is a...ahem, surprise," I commented doing a quick survey
of him. He was wearing his tan coat that I liked on him so much.
His hair was slightly tousled, as if he'd just run his fingers
through it. He looked uneasy standing there rubbing the palm
of his hands nervously together.
"What can I do for you Hobson?" I asked, amused by his fidgety
demeanor.
"I...I know that it's late, Brigatti, a-and I'm sorry to have bothered
you," he said, his eyes surveying the fact that I was still fully
dressed for such a late hour. Still donning my pantsuit, and
in stocking feet, I obviously wasn't dressed for bed.
I arched a quizzical brow at him.
"C-Can I come in f-for a moment?" he stammered.
I blew out a sigh, moved back and pulled open the door. He
stepped inside shoving his hands down into the pocket of his
jeans. I took a quick look around outside before closing the door
behind him.
"I see you're still keeping up on current events," I commented
eyeing the paper he always seemed to carry around with him,
stuffed down into the back pocket of his jeans, the back of
his coat draped partially over it.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, reaching around to touch the paper.
"Look, Brigatti, I...I came over here tonight because I wanted to
tell you something, a-and I thought it should be in person."
I arched a suspicious brow at him, mentally hating myself
for thinking he still looked good. What was it about him that
made my heart do this crazy little flip-flop thing?
"For such a late night call, this had better be good, Hobson," I
threatened, folding my arms across my chest.
"Well...ahh..I ahh..." he stammered, scratching the back of his
head, and looking very uncomfortable.
I uncrossed my arms to check my watch. "Well?
The night isn't getting any younger Hobson. What is it!?"
"Ahh--this." he mumbled, reaching and pulling me into his arms.
"I've always wanted to do this, Toni" he whispered against
my hair. His
breath, warm and sweet, tickled my ear. I was caught totally
off guard when his lips moved around in search of mine.
Standing there
wrapped in his arms, I felt somehow.... protected.
My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I moistened my
lips, anxiously awaiting his kiss. I could feel the heat from our
bodies rising, as he whispered against my lips....
"Brigatti, I...I think I'm in love with you...."
... with you...
... with you...
....with you all day today so keep those umbrellas handy!" The
weatherman
on the radio advised cheerfully. "Again, it's going to be a wet
one today, so keep your umbrellas with you. In other news......."
I stirred, opening my eyes slowly. It was morning. Raising my
head slightly, I scanned the room then glanced down at my
attire. I was still fully dressed, and on my living room sofa
at that. "Great." I groaned.
Reaching over, I quickly snapped off the DJ, who was going
on and on about some Brittany Spears concert tickets and
layed back again to stare numbly at the ceiling, pondering
about the dream I'd just had. What's with this Hobson thing!?
That did it! No more late-night salami sandwiches for me!
The taste of salami and beer lingered in my mouth making me
nauseous. I took another quick survey of my living room, my
eyes settling on the window. Outside, the constant rainflow
made drizzly patterns against the panes and I groaned.
Another dreary day. But as much as I relished the thought
of sleeping in, I knew that I had to get up.
I rose from the couch and stumbled towards the
bathroom to rinse out my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye,
I spotted the letter the Spiolie woman had given me last night
laying on the table and suddenly remembered that I had taken
on another job. Between that stupid dream and the Spiolie
woman, I wasn't exactly sure where to start. Spiolie of
course was paying, and it
wasn't chump change. The Hobson thing, I'd figure out later.
and certain situations are the property of CBS
Productions and Sony/Tristar. The rest are
all mine. :-)
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Fatal Edition and Forever Amber
Author's notes: This is the first of a Brigatti
series I plan on writing. At least, I'm hoping to
sometime in this life time. Anyway, this first
one was first posted 1/1/02. No profit is being
made but feedback is welcomed! :-)
Chasing Shadows
~~~~~~
Chapter 1
They said it was a suicide, but my instincts told me otherwise.
There was a note, a motive, and the opportunity. But no corpse.
My name is Antonia Brigatti. Some of my co-workers
down at the station where I used to reside simply called me
Brigatti. I'm 34 years old and at the present time, single. I own
no children, dog, bird, fish or cat. I hate cats! They make me
sneeze, and I swear I can smell one from a mile away.
What do I do for a living? Survive mainly. That is,
ever since I changed professions. I'm a private
investigator working for the City of Chicago.
Before I get started, let me tell you that this was a
bizarre case that I had no intention of getting involved
with. Somehow I did. Little did I know that it would
have me revaluating my own life and relationships.
I first met Nancy Spiolie when she walked into my
office one cold rainy evening last month. She told
me that her brother was missing and that she wanted
me to find him. Sounded simple enough, except, police
reports stated that, according to the note that had been
found at his small beach house, he had committed suicide.
An additional note had been found taped to the bridge from
where he had jumped.
His body has never been found.
I was just packing up my papers for the night, getting ready
to leave my office. It had rained all that day and I was tired
and hungry. I was clicking off the last of the lights when the
door
to my office creaked open. It had grown dark out, and most
of the lights in the building where my one- and a half room
office is located had already been turned out or dimmed to
their soft
energy--saving glow. At that particular moment, I was
wondering if one of my old cases had come back to pay
me--and I don't mean
in cash.
My first instinct was to reach for my gun, which I keep in my
desk drawer. But as luck would have it I was five feet
away on the opposite side of the desk, so I froze knowing
that I had only a few choices.
One- I could scream bloody murder and wind up looking
like a complete idiot if it turned out to be only the night watchman
doing his nightly rounds. Two- I could just try and tackle the son
of a.....well, you get my point, and ask questions later or three,
simply fall back on my years of police training, and further
assess the situation, after all, I hadn't been trained in self-defense
just for the art of it.
Option three sounded like the mature choice, so I waited,
reaching for the metal baseball bat that I keep hidden behind
the door. You know, just in case. I clutched the bat and held
my breath as the door opened slowly.
Her face appeared first, rained drenched and scared.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Lowering the bat, I let out a breath of relief when I saw her
and relaxed my grip. "Can I help you?"
When she saw me, she also let out a sigh of relief .
Clutching her coat at the collar she stepped out of
the shadows of the doorway. "Yes...I'm looking for a
T-Tony...Brigatti? I was told that I could find him here?"
"That depends." I said, eyeing her up and down.
"Who are you?"
"Ah..my name is Nancy. Nancy Spiolie."
I studied her carefully for a moment. With this career that
I had chosen, I had learned that it wasn't too wise to give
out my identity too quickly. So far, I had been shot at, shot
and drugged. While I loved my job, I planned on sticking
around a little while longer. Obviously, the woman was
looking for a man.
"I'm Toni," I finally answered, my instincts clueing me in
that she was safe. Noticing that she was shivering,
her hair dripping wet, I returned the bat behind the
door and crossed the room to my desk,
pulled opened the drawer and removed a box of kleenex
that I kept there.
"What can I do for you?" I asked handing her the box.
"I'm sooo relieved that you're a woman." she sighed,
running a nervous hand through her hair. "I-I mean
I thought you'd be a man, you know, with the name
Tony and all. " She pulled out a tissue and wiped
her hands. "Thanks."
I held out my hand, "Toni. That's ah...Toni
with an 'i', Brigatti."
"I was hoping you could help me." She said as we shook.
I checked my watch. It was 8:00 p.m. I had already stayed
later that I should have, catching up on some old police
business and certainly didn't want to take on any new
cases.
"How did you find out about me?" I asked. I didn't
advertise and took only special cases.
"A detective Ar-Armstrong down at police headquarters
recomended you. He said you were the best."
Good old Paul. "Well," I sighed, " I-I was just closing up for the
night." I was hoping she'd catch my drift.
She stared at me for a moment, her face full of dispair.
She covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Oh, not the tears! I groaned inwardly. Feeling sorry for her,
I drew in a tired breath, trying to ready myself for what I was
about to do. I removed my coat, offered her a seat and flicked
the lights back on. I
already had a feeling this was going to be a long night.
`````````````````
Chapter 2
I turned the key in the lock and let myself into my apartment.
I hadn't eaten since that morning, and headed straight for the
kitchen. Tossing my bag onto the sofa, I click on the radio
sitting on the end table as I passed, immediately, soft music
permeated the rooms. I opened the refrigerator and
took out the package of salami I had gotten from the deli
across the street all the while thinking about the Spiolie woman
who really had me stumped. It had been close to a year now
since
her brother's so-called suicide, but a lot of things just didn't
add up. Most importantly, where was his body?
Secondly, was my bread? I stood on my tip-toe, searching
on top of the
fridge until my hand located an almost-empty package
of whole
wheat bread. I untwisted the plastic, took out the last
slice and
tossed the empty bag into the garbage can. Laying the
salami
slice on the dry bread I rolled it up, grabbed a can of beer
from
the fridge, a napkin, then headed back into the living room
flicking on the small tiffany lamp next to the sofa.
With a sigh of relief, I plopped down on the sofa and kicked
off my shoes then searched my pockets for the suicide note
Nancy had given me. I pulled it from my pant pocket unfolded
it and began to read.
Nancy,
Forgive me for what I have done. I just find it impossible to
go on living if I can't live it with the woman that I love. I can't
continue on knowing that I don't have your blessings. I told
Heather about the argument that we had and she threatened
to leave me if I allowed you to run my life. I can't live without
her Nancy I just can't. Heather won't answer any of my calls.
Please tell her that I love her and to forgive me.
Mike
I folded the letter and pulled out the photo Nancy had given
me of her brother.
Mike Calibre, I whispered his name silently as I studied his picture. He was a rather handsome young man -- tall, dark hair'd and muscular. Nancy told me that, she had exhausted all of her resources trying to find him. She also told me that it was his girlfriend who had found the suicide note at his beach house.
But a thorough search had been done of the house, turning up nothing. Not even a body from the mirky water below the bridge on State street where he supposedly had jumped. A second suicide note had been left attached to the bridge with the same message.
While the police and everyone else ruled suicide, Nancy felt that something wasn't right, that there was something more. Her brother was young, rich. and had everything in the world to live for.
I finished the sandwich, took a sip of the cold beer and
settled back on the sofa, closing my eyes briefly to
rest them. It seemed like only seconds before I heard a
knock on the door. My eyes fluttered open and I glanced
quickly over at the alarm clock. It was 11:00 pm. Who on earth
would be calling at this hour?
Rising from the sofa, I moved cautiously towards
the door to take a peek out of the security hole.
Hobson? What the hell was he doing here? And at this hour?
I ran a hand quickly though my hair, dug into the pocket of
my pantsuit and pulled out a mint. I stuck it into my mouth and
chewed before asking casually, "Who is it?"
"Gary."
"Gary who?" I asked, blowing into the palm of my hand
to check my breath. Minty fresh.
"Gary. G-Gary Hobson."
I unlatched the security lock and opened the door slightly
to peek out. He seemed taller than I remembered,
yet still as handsome as the first time I'd laid eyes on him.
"This is a...ahem, surprise," I commented doing a quick survey
of him. He was wearing his tan coat that I liked on him so much.
His hair was slightly tousled, as if he'd just run his fingers
through it. He looked uneasy standing there rubbing the palm
of his hands nervously together.
"What can I do for you Hobson?" I asked, amused by his fidgety
demeanor.
"I...I know that it's late, Brigatti, a-and I'm sorry to have bothered
you," he said, his eyes surveying the fact that I was still fully
dressed for such a late hour. Still donning my pantsuit, and
in stocking feet, I obviously wasn't dressed for bed.
I arched a quizzical brow at him.
"C-Can I come in f-for a moment?" he stammered.
I blew out a sigh, moved back and pulled open the door. He
stepped inside shoving his hands down into the pocket of his
jeans. I took a quick look around outside before closing the door
behind him.
"I see you're still keeping up on current events," I commented
eyeing the paper he always seemed to carry around with him,
stuffed down into the back pocket of his jeans, the back of
his coat draped partially over it.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, reaching around to touch the paper.
"Look, Brigatti, I...I came over here tonight because I wanted to
tell you something, a-and I thought it should be in person."
I arched a suspicious brow at him, mentally hating myself
for thinking he still looked good. What was it about him that
made my heart do this crazy little flip-flop thing?
"For such a late night call, this had better be good, Hobson," I
threatened, folding my arms across my chest.
"Well...ahh..I ahh..." he stammered, scratching the back of his
head, and looking very uncomfortable.
I uncrossed my arms to check my watch. "Well?
The night isn't getting any younger Hobson. What is it!?"
"Ahh--this." he mumbled, reaching and pulling me into his arms.
"I've always wanted to do this, Toni" he whispered against
my hair. His
breath, warm and sweet, tickled my ear. I was caught totally
off guard when his lips moved around in search of mine.
Standing there
wrapped in his arms, I felt somehow.... protected.
My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as I moistened my
lips, anxiously awaiting his kiss. I could feel the heat from our
bodies rising, as he whispered against my lips....
"Brigatti, I...I think I'm in love with you...."
... with you...
... with you...
....with you all day today so keep those umbrellas handy!" The
weatherman
on the radio advised cheerfully. "Again, it's going to be a wet
one today, so keep your umbrellas with you. In other news......."
I stirred, opening my eyes slowly. It was morning. Raising my
head slightly, I scanned the room then glanced down at my
attire. I was still fully dressed, and on my living room sofa
at that. "Great." I groaned.
Reaching over, I quickly snapped off the DJ, who was going
on and on about some Brittany Spears concert tickets and
layed back again to stare numbly at the ceiling, pondering
about the dream I'd just had. What's with this Hobson thing!?
That did it! No more late-night salami sandwiches for me!
The taste of salami and beer lingered in my mouth making me
nauseous. I took another quick survey of my living room, my
eyes settling on the window. Outside, the constant rainflow
made drizzly patterns against the panes and I groaned.
Another dreary day. But as much as I relished the thought
of sleeping in, I knew that I had to get up.
I rose from the couch and stumbled towards the
bathroom to rinse out my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye,
I spotted the letter the Spiolie woman had given me last night
laying on the table and suddenly remembered that I had taken
on another job. Between that stupid dream and the Spiolie
woman, I wasn't exactly sure where to start. Spiolie of
course was paying, and it
wasn't chump change. The Hobson thing, I'd figure out later.