Sara's thoughts turned to her belligerent superior, and she headed for the fridge, having forgotten her dream for the time being.
Standing in front of his office window, Kenneth Irons frowned, looked down on the scar on his hand, and then pursed his lips. He turned then to face the black clad figure of Ian Nottingham who was standing motionless next to Irons' desk, his head bowed. Irons walked around the other side and sat down at the desk. "Watch her. And those in contact with her. Very closely. Especially anyone...new. And on no account interfere; merely report back to me."
Nottingham didn't move. Irons looked up slightly and waved a hand dismissively. "That is all. Go." Silently Nottingham left the office.
Sara had seated herself at her desk and was reorganizing a case file when her partner walked in. He handed her a coffee, and set another one down on his desk before going to hang up his coat. Sara stared at the cup in front of her, then at Jake. "You got me coffee?"
Jake looked slightly sheepish. "Yeah, well, I figured you'd need it after I woke you up so early." Sara smiled slightly, then grinned. She reached across the desks and tapped Jake's Coffee cup with her own.
"Cheers."
Jake smiled and relaxed. As he sat down, Sara handed him the file she had been looking at. "Seen this one yet?"
"Ah, yeah. But where are all the photos?"
"Oh. We had to move some stuff around a while back. Nasty leak. Water damage. The leak was fixed, but the filing system never recovered. These...maybe archived? I'll go check. Sara picked up a list from the folder, her coffee, and left Jake pouring over the file.
Several minutes later, there was a noise and a knock at the office door. Outside near a back staircase Ian Nottingham looked up, unobserved. Jake didn't turn his head right away as the door behind him opened. "Find them already, Pez? Where-"
He was cut off by the woman at the door clearing her throat. Swiveling his chair toward the sound, Jake found himself looking at the desk clerk standing nervously in the doorway.
"Ah, there's a woman here to see Det. Pezzini. That is, she wants to set up an appointment to see her. Said it was very important, didn't want to do it over the phone..."
She trailed off and looked uncertainly at Jake. He shrugged. "Did she say what it was about?"
"No. No, she didn't. She came in and asked if Miss Sara Pezzini worked here. I told her yes, Detective Sara Pezzini, and she said that it was very important that she make an appointment to see her as soon as possible. I asked if another officer might help her, but she said no, it was Sara Pezzini she needed to speak with. I told her I'd see what I could do. It's rather unusual..." She trailed off uncertainly again.
"It's ok. Send her in. I'll talk to her, and Detective Pezzini will be back shortly." The woman at the door nodded, left, and then returned leading a rather small statured woman in a long dress-coat.
"Just in here," the desk clerk murmured.
"Thank you." And then the woman leaving closed the door.
Jake took a few seconds to take in his visitor while she occupied herself removing her gloves. He judged her to be about five foot two, well dressed, and from the fitted tailoring of her coat he thought she might cut a nice figure. Beyond this he could tell very little, for she was wearing a dark shawl on her head as a hood and it obscured any view of her hair or face.
Jake stood up and held out his hand. "Detective Jake McCarty. Please, sit down." He indicated a chair by the windows.
I She accepted his handshake with one hand and with her other pulled back her hood. "Adrienne Farrell, thank you." Now that he could get a good look at her, Jake was a little surprised. He had expected someone older; perhaps because of the shawl. However, he found himself shaking a hand adorned with sky-blue nail polish, and the removal of the shawl revealed a nice looking young woman, almost girlish.
Adrienne sat down by the window and Jake was about to ask what he could do to help her, when she herself began speaking. Her voice was clear and pleasant but unmistakably earnest. "I really am sorry to bother you like this. I only meant to leave a message with someone to have Miss Pezzini meet with me. I'm afraid I'm inconveniencing you terribly. But please, it was never my intention to interrupt your work." She smiled apologetically.
Jake returned her smile. "Don't worry about it. Detective Pezzini will be back in a minute. I'm her partner. Maybe you could tell me what it is you want to see her about?" As he said this, Adrienne's face went from shocked and pale (and she was fair to begin with) to bright pink and distressed.
"She's here? Oh, I didn't think I'd be able to see her now. Oh damn. This'll be a nasty shock. I should leave. I didn't know, they just told me to ask here... Oh!"
"Calm down. I'm sure you'll be able to clear all this up when Pezzini gets back."
Just then, Sara entered, carrying a pile of folders and envelopes. Jake turned toward her. "Hey Pez, you got a visitor. Adri-" He stopped as he watched his partner drop everything she had been holding. Her face registered shock, uncertainty, and, strangely enough, recognition.
Sara Pezzini had walked through her office door to find herself facing her dream in the flesh. The girl in the office was somehow the same as the one who had been at the back of the cave. There were differences, of course; this girl was wearing ordinary clothes, not ceremonial robes, and her dark hair was cut short and streaked, while in the cave it had been a mass of braids intertwined with silver. But the stature and the face were the same, the same curved features, the same ivory skin, the same dark eyes. At least, some part of Sara's mind told her, theses eyes had no wild, ageless depth to them.
Jake looked from his partner to the stranger, noting that she too had dropped her things (having risen hastily) though she looked far more composed than Sara.
Sara dropped to her knees to retrieve the papers she had dropped. Across the room, Adrienne bent her head. "I'm very sorry. I didn't intend for us to meet like this. But of course, 'the best laid plans of...' Well, nevermind. I understand if you need a while to, um, take things in. Perfectly all right. This is where I can be reached if you decide to contact me." Adrienne stepped forward and placed a card on the desk right as Sara finished picking up. She took the card and left the papers in a messy pile.
"No. No, please. I do want to talk with you. anytime you like. Now, if you want. We could get coffee." All this was blurted out in a half baked attempt to extricate herself from the questioning stare of her partner.
Looking up, Adrienne allowed herself a nervous smile. "Really? Now? Only if you can spare the time?"
"It's fine. Honestly." Sara smiled reassuringly "If you wait outside, I'll be with you in a second and we'll go."
"All right." Adrienne picked up her gloves and bag from the floor and moved to the door. "It's been a pleasure Detective McCarty." She smiled and nodded at Jake before shutting the door behind her.
"Pez? What the hell is up?!" Jake demanded. Sara sat down heavily and covered her eyes with her blade hand.
"I don't know Jake. I..." The image of her parents with a strange girl interrupted her thoughts for a split second. "I think it has something to do with my parents." She looked up and held Jake's eyes. "I have to find out. It's...Jake, just come by my place tonight with that case file and the stuff I brought out. We'll go over the case and I promise I will try to explain the other...thing."
"Pez, Sara..."
"Please Jake. This could be nothing, or it could be a chance I never get again."
Jake looked at her hard. She was in earnest, and the faint note of pleading in her voice was genuine. " Ok. Tonight then." Sara grabbed her coat and helmet but before she opened the door she laid a hand on Jake's shoulder.
"Jake?"
"Yeah?" He looked up at her.
"Thank you." And then she left.