1st Sunday

Jesse was awake first on Sunday, he'd never slept with the blind completely drawn before, he knew he would have to while Rae was with him, but he hated it. He got up just after seven, and padded out to the kitchen. As he got there the phone began to ring. He rushed to pick it up before it woke Rae. "Jesse Travis…oh, hi, Mark, no, I haven't been out to get one yet…what? How come you have one so early? … Oh, right… He doesn't ease up does he…? No I'll get it and no I won't show it to her. Have you contacted Officer Burlington…? It is a bit early I guess... Yeah, ok. See you later. Bye." He put the phone back down quickly, but as he looked up he saw Rae standing in the doorway.

"We've got a problem haven't we?" There was no doubt in her voice.

"No, Rae, it's ok, honey. Go back to bed, I can deal with this."

"Jess, talk to me. You said you needed me to be open with you. Do me the courtesy of treating me the same way."

Jesse knew when he was beaten. As he spoke again his voice was soft. "We need to get a Sunday Comet."

"A Sunday what?"

"A Sunday Comet, Steve once described it as 'the scum of the earth Comet' and they didn't do me any favours one time either."

"Oh, I see." Rae headed back towards the bedroom, and Jesse followed her. They both got dressed in silence, and wandered out together to the newsstand. As they walked Jesse told Rae about the time he had lost five days, and thought he had been abducted by aliens and how the article about it in the Comet had almost cost him his credibility.

Jesse paid for the paper, and they headed back towards the apartment house. As Rae spread the paper out on the work surface she glanced up at the clock. It was just about eight o'clock.  Jesse opened the paper and flicked through it, Mark had told him what page to look for, and if they hadn't known, their picture was on the front cover.

'English Cop is No Shy English Rose'

A Comet Special Reporter

Sexy British cop, Reagan Yeager, is certainly not a retiring flower when it comes to getting to know the inhabitants of our fair city. Pictured here in the arms of her lover, Jesse Travis, Reagan, 36, certainly seems to be making herself feel right at home.

Already involved in one high profile case, she seems far from the stereotype of the reserved personality usually associated with the British. Rumours abound about the small, slim, dark haired beauty, who seems to be an extroverted, and some would say, over friendly woman. She has been seen not only with Mr. Travis, but also kissing, as well as fighting, with her new partner, Steve Sloan. As shown in the second picture she is also more than at home in his arms too.

The Comet has many more pictures of the lovely Ms Yeager, which we hope to show before too long. Let us know what you think of her, and maybe we will even be able to get an interview with her to discuss her likes and dislikes, in the bedroom, as well as elsewhere.

If you have any questions you would like to ask leave them on our question hotline quoting Raunchy Reagan on 555-1234

Rae was speechless. She ran her fingers through her hair, and then rubbed at her eyes. She would not let this get to her. "Who wrote it, Jess? Is there a by line on it?"

Jesse looked at the article again. He shook his head. "No, the article has the by line of 'A Comet Special Reporter' Rae, sweetheart, we'll deal with it. We need to take this to the station. Let's go and talk to Jan."

"Look at the pictures, Jesse, the one of Steve and me, that was taken yesterday on the beach when we both fell asleep. But the others, they were taken here, in your bedroom." Rae fell silent. She felt herself go cold inside and out, and had to hold on to the kitchen counter to stop herself from collapsing. "He was in here, watching us. My God, Jesse." She could say no more; she rested her head on the counter. Jesse put his arm around her.

"Come and sit on the bed, Rae, I'm gonna have a look around. It's just the shock, you'll be ok again in a minute."

Rae just nodded. She couldn't take this all in. She had felt safe in here, in Jesse's flat, and especially in his arms, now this creep, this pervert had taken that away from her.

"Rae, honey, can you come over here?" Jesse's voice was muffled. He backed out of the closet and looked at her. His face was set; he had no expression at all. Rae thought that he was probably furious. As he spoke again she knew she was right. "I need you to see this, and then we have to get on to Steve." He walked across the room and picked up the first ornament he came to, it was a glass paperweight; he hurled it across the room. It struck the wall just next to the doorway and shattered into a thousand pieces. Jesse grabbed Rae by the hand and pulled her off the bed.

"Jess, don't, you're hurting me." Rae reached out and touched his face. "It's all right, Jesse, we'll get through this, together. I know what you found, it's a camera of some sort isn't it?"

Jesse nodded. He was still having trouble keeping his temper in check. He very rarely lost control, but he was having a real problem at the moment. "It's not just a camera, Rae, it's a video camera. He's been watching us, everything we do, and maybe, everything we say. He's been getting his kicks watching you with me." With that Jesse turned and left the bedroom. Rae heard him in the other room and moved over to the door.

"Steve, it's Jesse, I need you to get a team over to my apartment right away. He's put a camera in the closet in my bedroom. No, we'll come in as soon as they arrive. If I don't get out of here I'm gonna break something or somebody."

"Jess, we need to talk, before anybody gets here, and before we head to the station." Rae walked across and put her arm on Jesse's shoulder, but he moved away from her touch. "Jesse, look at me. Do you believe what it says in that article? That I'm at home in Steve's arms? Is that what's bothering you, as well as the camera?"

"Do you want him, Rae? Do you want to be with him as well as me? Isn't working with him enough? I saw you at Bob's the other night remember? Laughing and talking about things you said I wouldn't understand. Maybe you're trying us both out and then you're going to pick the one that suits you best."

Rae's hand had slapped Jesse across the face before the last word had left his lips. "How dare you!" The words were hissed more than spoken. "How dare you say that to me. I have shared my innermost secrets with you, Doctor Travis! I trust you... I love you, Jess. But maybe that means nothing to you, or at least not as much as I thought."

Jesse was filled with shame. He put his hand to his face where Rae had hit him. He knew he deserved it. "Oh, God, honey, I'm so sorry." He moved towards her, she turned to him and what he saw made his heart drop like a stone. He had hurt her, he'd known that as he said it, but the pain in her eyes was endless. "Rae, I'm sorry.  Hold me, please; I'm so scared for you. Rae, help me, I need you to help me take back what I said."

"I can't do that, Jess." The words came out as a whisper. "I wish that I could. I love you, Jesse; we can't let this guy tear us apart. We have to stay strong in spite of what he does. I need you just as much as you need me." She moved towards him then and kissed him gently on the lips. They put their arms around each other and cried together.

By the time the SCU team had arrived twenty minutes later they had both got themselves under control and were ready to leave for the station. Once they could talk with Steve and Jan maybe things would start to improve.

They walked hand in hand into the precinct; Rae thought they were probably being snapped right then, but she and Jesse had planned to show a united front at every opportunity.

They saw the back of Martin Robertson heading up the stairs as they entered. Bob was once again on the desk. Rae walked up to him. "Hi, Bob, you know, when my children were small they thought all their teachers lived in school. I'm beginning to feel that way about you!"

The smile on Bob's face seemed, to Rae, a little forced. Maybe I'm just being over sensitive. "I finish in half an hour, Detective. Then I'm not back until Monday." He turned away from her, and Rae knew she was being dismissed, but she wasn't finished yet.

"Have I had any deliveries, or any mail yet today?"

"No, Detective, apart from my twenty minutes for a bite to eat I have been here all night, Officer Robertson covered for me then. It is Sunday, Detective, there is no post here on a Sunday." She was right; Rae knew she was definitely being dismissed.

"Thank you… Sergeant."

Rae and Jesse climbed the stairs, and as they entered the squad room Rae saw that Steve was sitting at his desk. He stood as he saw Rae enter. His face was troubled, more so than she had expected and her heart sank even further. "What's happened?"

He stood silently. "Steve, what's happened?" He motioned her into the Chief's office; he'd never had so much contact with the man. Because of Rae's position here, he'd been bypassing the Captain for six weeks. On the desk was a copy of the Sunday Comet, and another beautiful bouquet of flowers, mainly roses. There was an envelope with it. Rae looked at Steve, "Has it been dusted?" he nodded.

She reluctantly opened the envelope.

"Oh, my God!" Rae took an involuntary step back. Once again she dropped what she was holding. Jesse looked at her; she'd gone grey.

"Rae, what, what is it?" Steve picked up the photo and Jesse could see that it was one of the ones from the paper. It showed Rae and Steve asleep on the beach, only now the part of the picture with Steve in it had been slashed and marked until all the glossy paper had been removed and they could only see the white from underneath. Jesse shivered; it made him feel very uneasy.

"Bob said that there hadn't been any deliveries for me while he was on duty." Rae was slowly getting her colour back. "Have you spoken to Jan yet?" Steve shook his head, and Rae looked over to the Chief. "Sir, would you mind if I got Officer Burlington up here?"

"No, Detective, I think I would like to talk with her myself." Rae went out to her desk, and called through to Jan's extension. After she'd asked the officer to come up to the Chief's office she went in search of Martin Robertson. She found him by the water fountain in one of the side hallways.

"Martin, could I have a word please?" She knew that her voice was pinched and hard, but she saw everybody as a suspect.

"Yeah, sure, Detective, what is it?"

"You were on the desk for a while this morning weren't you, covering for Bob? Did I have any deliveries while you were there?"

"No, it was completely dead, that's why it's called the graveyard shift. Is there anything that I can do for you? You don't sound quite right this morning, something wrong?"

Rae looked at his open young face, how could she suspect everybody? She tried to relax her face and forced a smile. "No, thanks, Martin, it's just something I have to sort out for myself. See you later." She walked back towards her desk, and saw Jan coming through the room at the same time.

"Hey, I've never been called to the Chief's office before, you sure mix with the big boys don't you!" She was smiling, but Rae could see that she was a little nervous.

"But you have met him, right?"

Jan shook her head, "No, I've seen him from a distance, but that's all!"

"Come on then, no time like the present." But Rae paused. "Before we go in, Jan, have you seen this morning's Comet?"

"No, should I have?"

"There's a copy on the Chief's desk, it will become clear in a minute." Rae tapped on the door and on hearing a voice walked back in.

The flowers were still where she had left them, but the photo and the newspaper had obviously been passed round, as they were now in front of the Chief, and he was regarding them very seriously. "Officer Burlington," He shook her hand and almost smiled at her. "Please sit down." Jan gratefully took the seat behind her. The Chief handed the photo and the newspaper over to her. 

The room was silent. Jan read the newspaper article, looked at the pictures in the paper and the one in her hand. "I think that this could be classed as dangerous, Dr. Travis, to Lieutenant Sloan especially." Looking at Rae, she continued, "The flowers, well, he obviously saw you with the first bouquet, and decided to send you some more. I thought he might. This time you mustn't show him any response. I think that the best thing to do with them would be for me to take them back down to my room, take a picture for evidence purposes, and put them out with my trash." Rae just nodded. "The newspaper article, you have to just ignore it, Rae, there is nothing else you can do really."

"What are your plans for today, Lieutenant?" The Chief looked across at Steve. He was concerned about the safety of his officer. He'd seen what had been done to the picture; he knew that Steve could be in trouble.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be safe with Rae by his side, they're so good together." Jesse knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't stop himself.

Steve was shocked. He could feel his anger rising. "Jesse, what is that supposed to mean. Do you really think I would try anything with Rae? What the hell do you take me for?" Although he knew he shouldn't, Steve got up strode across the room and put his hand on the handle, ready to leave, with or without the Chief's permission.

"No, don't. For God's sake, Jess, we're playing right into his hands... Please, don't do this." Rae's voice was shaking as she spoke. "We can't let him get to us. Jesse, we had this argument at home, please stop. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She turned away from them all. Her thoughts were in turmoil. What if I can't reach them, they're best friends.

"Gentlemen. This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Detective Yeager is right, by arguing you are giving credence to his story." The Chief's voice cut across the room.

Jan's voice lowered as she started to talk. "And you are doing Rae no good at all. She needs everybody on her side right now. We have to show a united front. I wish we could issue a statement about the newspaper article, but that will only make him feel stronger and more powerful. But you two are friends, business partners, you know there is no truth in the story, or if you don't you should. Rise above it. You need to get over it. She needs you." Jan's eyes went to where Rae was standing still with her back to them. She had her hands in her hair, but she wasn't actually moving.

"Rae, honey, I'm so sorry." Jesse moved over to her. Rae turned to him.

"I thought that we sorted this out. Maybe it's just as well that I'm moving out soon. If you can't trust me, Jesse, then we'll be better off apart." Rae moved away from him and looked at her partner. "I think we have bank records to check. If you'll excuse us, Sir?"

The Chief stood and indicated the door with his hand. Steve left the room, closely followed by Rae. Jan turned to Jesse. "I need to check your apartment, do you have anything else to do this morning?"

Jesse looked extremely ashamed as he shook his head. "I'll come back with you if you don't mind."

Jan picked up the flowers, smiled at him and turned back to her boss. "If there is nothing else I can do to help you, Sir..." she left the sentence unfinished, not really sure how to get herself out of his office.

"I would suggest that we keep in close contact, Officer. But you are dismissed."

As Rae sat down at her desk she saw Jan and Jesse come out of the Chief's office. "Jan, could I have a word?" Jan smiled, they walked over to the coffee machine and Rae poured herself a mug of boiling water.  "This is your case now isn't it?" Jan nodded. "What will happen about the video that is in the camera?"

"The Scene of Crime Unit will bring it back here. I'll need to view it I'm afraid, but I will try to make sure that nobody else does. I'm about to go over to the apartment with Jesse. Did you want to come?"

"Yes, and I'd like Steve to come too. But when you're ready to leave I think we need to stay and sort this out. If I'm going to spoil their friendship, then I'll go home. I can't do that to them." Rae looked over to Steve's desk. He was working on the bank statements. Jesse was standing by Rae's desk; he looked as if he had no idea what to do next. "Look at them, Jan. I've never seen Steve and Jesse ignore each other, and it's all because of me."

"No, Rae, it has nothing to do with you. You didn't ask this guy to stalk you. It's not your fault, and Jesse needs to realise that. Spend some time together, just the two of you, away from here, away from his place. Try and enjoy each other without all these pressures."

"Well, we're supposed to be buying furniture for my new apartment tomorrow, we're both off. I was thinking of cancelling it, but I won't now. You're right, this is not my fault, and I am not going to let him split Jesse and I up." Rae paused. "Thank you, Jan."

"You really do need to be careful tomorrow though, anything suspicious, call me, ok?"

"I also need to buy a new phone, after my little outburst yesterday!" Rae looked a little sheepish. She could feel her mood lift slightly. She's nice; maybe when this is over we could even be friends. Rae turned and moved over to Jesse. She took his hand and then walked over to Steve's desk. "Jan is going over to Jesse's apartment," She took Steve's hand in her free one. "We all need to go too, now, please." She let go of both hands and took a step back. The two friends looked at each other.

Jesse held out his hand and Steve took it. They shook and Jesse smiled. "Sorry, Steve, this is really freaking me out."

"Come on, Jess, this isn't the place to discuss this. Rae's right, let's go to your place."

Rae and Jesse stood just outside the doorway to the bedroom. Jesse had his arm around Rae's waist, and she was leaning into him. "I hate this, Jesse, why is he doing this to me?"

"I don't know, Rae, he may not even know himself why he has targeted you."

"Jesse, could you please come in here?" Steve moved into the doorway. "We need your help."

Jesse walked over to where Steve and Jan were standing, next to the closet. "I know what's in there, Steve, I found it remember?"

"Did you check how it had been set up? You didn't see any wood shavings, or lose any power in your electrical appliances?"

"My light stopped working a few days ago. I replaced the bulb but it didn't make any difference, I was going to buy another one tomorrow." Rae moved into the room. "Why?"

"Because this was wired into the electrical circuit, probably in place of your light, and he drilled through for the wires. I guess he must have tidied up after himself." Jan put herself in front of the small lens. "If I stand here, and pretend the door is shut, I can see the bed. I'm sorry, Rae, but there is no doubt what he was filming. And I would guess that the pictures in the paper are stills from his film."

"Would that mean that he's a film maker?" Rae looked hopefully over at Jan, who was still perched precariously in her closet.

"No, anybody with a home computer could do this, and take the stills from it. You can take pictures from television programmes, home movies, anything that you can save on video. I'm sorry, but it doesn't narrow it down very much. We could easily do it on the computer system at the precinct."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"What about all this electrical stuff? Surely we must be able to trace this. These are specialist systems aren't they?" Jesse looked over at Steve and Jan.

Steve shook his head. "It would take about half an hour to put this in, and you can buy them over the Internet. We can try to track it, but I wouldn't raise your hopes."

"He's been in here at least twice. To install this and then to get the tape." Rae shuddered, she turned round and walked back into the living area. She started to walk up and down the room, she couldn't keep still. She had told Dr. Dobson that she was worried that she might come unravelled. Now she thought she already had. She moved over towards the window. Rae looked out over the parking lot and on to the buildings beyond. He could be watching me right now, and there is nothing I can do about it.

"Rae!" She jumped and turned around to see Jan looking at her. "Keep away from the window."

"No, let him take his pictures. I will not be dictated to 24 hours a day. I'll go mad otherwise."

Jan walked over to her. "And if he' taking his shots with a gun instead of a camera? Do you still want to stand there? I know you don't want to feel victimised, but you have to stay sensible. You're not stupid, Rae, don't behave as if you are. Normal life is suspended until he's caught!"

Rae looked over at her, but she couldn't say anything. She knew that Jan was right, and she was ashamed of herself. She realised that Jan was talking again.

"Right, I've finished here, I'm going to take the tape back to the precinct and look at it. You're gonna come back in a little while aren't you?"

"Yeah, after we've had a chat. I'll call you when we get there. Can Jesse and I see the tape, alone?"

Jan nodded her head and put her hand on Rae's shoulder. "I'll arrange it for you. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. You should try to put it out of your mind, do your own job, work on your own cases, and let me do the same, ok?" Jan collected up the tape and the camera then she left. The SCU team had finished a short while before, but had found no fingerprints or other clues of any kind.

Steve and Jesse came back in and joined Rae. She looked at them. They were so different, one was tall, strong, completely reliable and as she had found out, very kind. And face it, girl, he is incredibly handsome. She smiled at Jesse; he was short, very sweet, compassionate and passionate! and he held her heart in his hands. And cute, oh boy is he cute.

"I don't know what to say to you. I can't bear it when we fight, Jesse, but when you fight with Steve, that's worse. You were friends long before I came and butted in. If anything changes that, I don't know what I'll do... Jesse, I love you. I thought you knew that. I love Steve too, but not in that way. He makes me feel safe, and I know that whatever happens out there, he'll cover my back and look out for me." She smiled at her partner, reached out and squeezed one of his big hands. As she let go she turned, "But you, Jesse... it's you I want to come home to … I don't know why we hit it off so completely so quickly, but I thank God every day that we did. I would never jeopardise that. I have always been honest with you, and I would never ever hurt you, Jesse, you must believe that. I love you with all my heart." She looked over at them. "I don't know what else to say."

Steve smiled at her; he put a hand on each shoulder and looked down at her. "I have to get back to the station, Rae, but I know that none of this is your fault. We're a team, partner, that won't change. We watch each other's backs. Jess and I will be all right. We've disagreed before; you've just not been here to see it.

Rae looked over at Jesse, and he nodded his head. She put her arms around Steve and they hugged each other. "I'm so sorry about this, Steve, I'll be back at work in a little while, ok?"

Steve nodded at her and took his leave. As he walked back down to his car his mind was working overtime. Who was this guy? They needed to catch him, or he had no doubt that he would come between Jesse and Rae. He knew that they loved each other, but they didn't know each other that well yet, and that may be a problem.

After Steve had left, Jesse moved over to Rae and took her in his arms. "Rae, I don't know what to say either, except that I'm sorry."

"Shhh, I know that. I have no intention of letting this split us up." Rae put her arms round him and began to kiss him. Her hands moved through his hair, but suddenly she stopped. "Did they check this room?" Jesse nodded, and Rae began again. She felt Jesse respond to her and she pulled him down onto the sofa behind them. She kissed him for a little longer, and then she moved away from him. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you trust me, Jesse? Really trust me?"

"Yes, I do. Somebody violated my home, Rae. He told me and the rest of L.A. things that I didn't want to hear. I over reacted, but, hell, I don't know what the right reaction is." He put his hand up and stroked her face. "I love you, Rae, I know you're in danger from this guy, I should be able to protect you. Then I found out that I couldn't even do that in my own home. I just had to vent my anger, I shouldn't have said what I did, I trust Steve, but more to the point I trust you. He won't change that, I promise." He pulled her towards him and they kissed once again.

"I have to go to work, Jesse, I can't leave Steve to do it all. I'll see you later and we can plan for tomorrow." She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. They walked hand in hand to the entranceway, and Jesse watched as she drove away in Tom. Then he turned and walked back inside.

By the time Rae got back to the precinct it was coming up to twelve noon. She walked over to Steve and as she got to his desk he started talking. "Ok, partner, let's go and get the stuff we need from the evidence locker and then we can get down to it." It took them half an hour to bring everything they needed back to the squad room, before long both desks were covered with different piles of information. By the time they had finished she was back in work mode. Rae sat and made notes as Steve started to check through Kelly Brown's box.

As he opened the box Steve let out a whistle. "You know I think the thing about this case is that everything about it is extreme. You have a cop who lived in an extremely large house, a deliveryman who kept an extremely large amount of money underneath his bathtub and a prostitute who had an extremely large number of diamonds in her safety deposit box!"

"What?" Rae looked up, Steve turned the box around and she could see about fifteen diamonds in a black velvet box. She instinctively reached out for them. "Oh, Steve, they're beautiful. Marilyn was right wasn't she?"

For a second he looked confused, and then realisation dawned. "Oh, yeah, right, they're a girls best friend."

After that, the rest of Kelly's belongings were rather mundane. They went through her bank statements and her bills and receipts. She had a credit card that was paid in full each month; she also had $5,004 in her current account and over $30,000 in her savings. Not as much as Santos, not by a long shot, but she did have the diamonds.

There was one other piece of information, although they weren't really sure what to do with it. Kelly had a letter offering her contracted work in Pleazure Magazine, and mentioning what a pleasant time they'd had when they'd met the previous week. The signature was impossible to read, but the typed name underneath was Sandi Lane. Attached to it was another letter, not nearly so pleasant in tone, informing Ms Brown that she had signed a contract not to appear anywhere else for the first fifty magazines and that she would not be able to withdraw from it. Ms Lane had also signed this.

"There's something else about this case. We've had no trouble getting hold of all this paperwork, the boxes, all the invoices and bills from the victim's houses. Now it could be that they all had nothing to hide, but if that was the case then why were they killed." Steve laced his long fingers together; he was beginning to get frustrated.

Rae was silent for a moment, and Steve knew that she was working things out in her mind. She picked up Steve's pen and wrote down the three names and underneath them the information they had so easily found out about them. Then she put the print shop and the office in a column in the middle of the page and magazine at the end. She put his pen in her mouth and began to chew on the end of it. Steve looked at her. "Oh, sorry, I used to smoke thirty a day, it's only at times like this, when I'm trying to concentrate, that I miss them." She offered the pen back to him.

"No, I think I'll let you keep it."

She smiled and started to write again. This time she had just four headings, little people, big people, bigger person, and enormous giant! Steve smiled, this was making her relax, and he could see that she was more at ease now. Under the first heading was Kelly Brown, the second was Ethan Norville, then Mario Santos, and the last column was empty.

Rae looked up, "The only thing I can come up with, is that the person at the top thinks that he/she is so safe, that they have covered themselves so completely, that they have no need to get rid of any of this stuff. I love over confidence, it normally leads to a big fall."

"Ok, it's Norville next," Steve moved Kelly Brown's papers back into their folder and then he moved them onto a chair next to Rae's desk.

"Well, this shouldn't take long, considering that the guy had over $250,000.00 in his bathroom!" Rae was right, there was very little in the way of financial details, Mr. Norville had obviously disliked banks. He had a current account which had a few bill payments set up on it, for his utilities, his rent and his credit card, but nothing else.

"I wonder what he has in his safety deposit box?" Steve shook it but it didn't make any noise.

"Probably the address of a good plumber, just in case!" Rae smiled and got ready to list the contents of this box. Steve opened the lid and inside there was a single envelope. He carefully opened it and took out a letter.

"This is a letter explaining Mr. Norville's cut of Pleazure's profits, and his responsibilities." Steve carried on reading. "It seems that he printed it and circulated it."

"No wonder his bathtub's the way it was he had his fingers in two pies.  See, I told you that wouldn't take long." Rae smiled across at Steve. "I wonder what it was that he was going to do that got him killed. You know I hate to depress you, but we have all of this information and absolutely no more idea than we had last Monday why anybody has been murdered!"

"Oh, thank you, Detective! Maybe our mystery man Mr. Myer can enlighten us. After all we have no idea what he did either."

They soon found out. Mr. Myer was the computer expert, he was also an accountant. The papers in his safety deposit boxes were copies of the accounts for Pleazure Industries and they were worth quite a nice sum, thank you, but not enough to kill for, not three times anyway. The boxes from his house contained old coins. Probably valuable. Curiouser and curiouser.

Steve had gone for some lunch at about one thirty, it was now almost five and they were both getting hungry again. Rae went down to a local deli, and then they carried on. Steve had gone and picked up the CD ROMS and now that they thought they knew the passwords they were confident that this might give some answers.

They put the first one in – Accounts or more correctly stnuocca and page after page of business accounts leapt up on the screen. These figures bore no resemblance to the figures entered by Mr. Myer; somebody was not just skimming off the top, but milking the company of about $100,000 each month.

"So, now we know why Ethan met his maker, blackmail. Or maybe not just him, remember the answer phone message, but who was he blackmailing, Sandi Lane? And if so, who is she?" Rae had a puzzled look on her face.

But there was no extra evidence here, no names, or any way of finding out who the mysterious Sandi Lane was. They put the CD to one side for the IRS and moved on to contributors – rotubirtnoc.

As the screen once again lit up, they could see that there were addresses to send the magazine out to, not contributors exactly, well, maybe contributors to the purse, it appeared to go countrywide. "There must be printing presses in other cities too. That garage and office can't run all of this!" Rae ran her fingers down the list on the screen. "But why did Santos have over $1 million?" She shook her head. She would think about that later. There were other details on the CD, invoices, no doubt to advertisers, there were also the bills from other magazines, all addressed to Ms Lane, and at the address where the office was. The last one was Suppliers - sreilppus.

Here was a name they recognised. It was Lloyd at Perfect Pics. They'd been right, he had taken the pictures of Kelly and then sent them into the magazine. Then Kelly had met with Ms Lane, and signed a contract to appear in their magazine.

"I think lil' ol' Sheree is gonna have to have her picture took real soon. Maybe this is a good time not to look my age!" Rae smiled at Steve, "Who knows with luck I can get to meet the mysterious Ms Lane."

"No, Rae, it's too dangerous, especially at the moment. I won't allow it."

"You won't what! Since when did you become my keeper, Lieutenant?" Rae had stood up; her temper had been just under the surface all day. "Listen, I want to wrap this up, so first thing Tuesday morning I will get dressed up in my excruciatingly tight clothes, and try and find out who the confident Ms Lane really is. We need to know whether she has anything to do with these deaths, and I don't want to discuss it further. I just hope my pictures in the scum of the earth Comet won't mean I get recognised!" She turned away from him and he sighed.

"Well I guess in one way you'll be safer, because we'll be together the whole time. I'll run it by the Chief." Steve wandered off and Rae leant back in her chair and thought. By the time Steve came back she was convinced that getting her picture taken was the logical next step. She had regained her temper, and she also felt that she couldn't look at another piece of paper for a week.

"Ok, the Chief is fine with that as long as you're careful, and anyway, I'll be with you. You know, I think we've had enough of this, d'you want to call it a day?"

Rae nodded. "Yes please. Listen could I come over, and pick up my stuff? I'm moving into my place tomorrow so it would be easier if I could come over now. And," she paused, "Maybe we could have that run on the beach you promised me? ... Sorry."

Steve smiled over at her. "That's a great idea, then you can drive home just before Jesse is due to arrive, and you won't have to spend too much time alone. Besides I can wipe the floor with you, before you move out!" Rae stuck her tongue out at him and started to pick up all the paperwork, which they'd accumulated during the day. By the time everywhere was tidy it was almost six. They let the Chief know they were leaving and headed off in separate cars towards the beach.

Sunday Well, she saw my article in the newspaper, I watched them walk out together and buy a copy. I was so tempted to sign my name, but not yet. It'll be a little while longer before I let her know who I am. I guessed that they would find the camera, what a shame that I couldn't get in and take the last tape. I know she must have got my flowers, and the picture that went with them. Watch out Sloan, I don't plan to wait very long to carry out my threat.

Steve and Rae decided to have their run first and then to pack all Rae's things into the car afterwards. The weather was fine, but not too hot now, and there were very few people on the beach. They stood in the sandy garden outside Steve's apartment and did some warm up exercises. It felt good to have the sun on them; Rae was looking forward to running with Steve, although she knew that he could literally run rings around her if he chose too.

They started to jog slowly at first, and gradually they increased the pace until they were both breathing heavily, OK, I'm breathing heavily, Steve is still on cruise control! After another five minutes Rae flagged her partner down, and collapsed onto the sand. She looked about her; she had got further than when she had run with Jesse, but she had to get back yet!

"Oh… I needed… that… Thanks, Steve!"

"Hey, my pleasure, it's nice to have a little workout after the day we've had."

"You could at … least have… the manners to try... to look exhausted!" She smiled at him and he put his arm around her.

"How are you doing, Rae, and you know I don't mean the running."

"I'm ok, I'm spooked, you know that, what he did to the picture of you, and the camera, that really freaked me out. But we can't let him get the better of us, so I'm going to just keep going as best I can, for as long as I can, and hope it all works out fine in the end." And I hope they aren't famous last words.

They sat looking at the water for a few more minutes and then they got up, stretched a little and began to work their way back to the beach house. The return journey wasn't as painful as the last time, probably because Rae knew that she couldn't beat Steve, so she didn't try. They jogged the last few hundred yards, and then went back up the steps into the house.

Mark was at the hospital so they grabbed a soda each from the refrigerator and sat in companionable silence on the deck each lost in their own thoughts.

Steve was trying to work out how he could watch his back against an unknown, assailant that he apparently already knew. People that he wouldn't normally consider dangerous, he now had to. It felt unnatural and he didn't like it. In the end he decided that he would just carry on as normal whilst trying to stay even more alert than usual. And let's face it the world needs lerts!

Rae wasn't thinking about cases, stalkers or anything like that. She had her eyes shut and she was working out what furniture she was going to buy the next day. She was so looking forward to getting her own little space furnished and made homey. She had a feeling it was one of the few things keeping her sane at the moment.

Steve slowly got to his feet. "I don't want to get rid of you, Rae, but I guess we'd better get your stuff together, so that you can make a move back to Jesse's place, and your place too."

Rae didn't have much left at Mark's, she didn't take long to fold it all up, and put in the holdall that was in the closet. Soon her stuff was next to the front door and Steve was about to take it out to the car. He'd just picked it up when Rae suddenly remembered something. "Oh, wait, my toilet bag, I won't be a minute." She turned and went back towards the bedroom. It didn't take a minute to find the bag and put her toiletries into it, but when she got back to the door she couldn't see Steve, or her holdall. She walked out towards the cars.

As Steve walked towards Rae's car he heard a sound behind him and then a cloth was being placed over his mouth, he struggled, but it was no use and in a few seconds he had slipped to the ground unconscious. His assailant took another copy of the photo of Steve and Rae on the sand out of his pocket. 'I Warned You To Stay Away From Her' was scrawled on it. He left it on Steve's chest, took the holdall, and disappeared.

"Steve, this needs to go in the bag." There was silence. Suddenly her instincts kicked in and she felt very uneasy. "Steve, STEVE!" As she looked around she saw him lying on the ground, her bag gone. "Oh, my God, Steve!" she ran to him and checked for a pulse, at first she couldn't find one and she had to push her panic back down, at last she found a very faint one.

 She saw the photo on top of him and with a presence of mind that astounded her picked it up with the bottom of her t-shirt. "Steve, wake up, can you hear me, Steve?" There was no response, she got his cell phone from his jacket and dialled 911. Then she put him onto his side in the recovery position, so that his airway was clear, opened Tom's back door, pulled the blanket off the back seat, and covered him with it. She waited, with his hand in hers. She didn't know what else to do.

Jesse was waiting when they arrived at the ER. Steve was still unconscious. "Hey, sweetheart, what happened?" They walked together towards the trauma suites.

"I don't know, Jesse, I went to the beach house to pick up the rest of my things, but I forgot my toilet bag and went back inside for it. When I came back out Steve had been attacked, he was unconscious and he had this resting on him, my bag and belongings had gone." She had the photo with a tissue wrapped round it, "I'll get a bag for it in a minute, I called 911, and here we are."

"So he has clothes of yours, photos, what else?"

"I don't know, nothing I don't think."

"I'll come out and see you again in a minute, ok?"

Rae nodded, "I need to make a call, this time I will ring the Chief." She scrolled through the numbers on Steve's phone until she found the one she wanted and then pressed send.

"Chief Masters?  This is Detective Yeager. Sir, Lieutenant Sloan was attacked outside his house tonight, he's in the ER… no, Sir, I found him unconscious by my car… I have no idea what happened to him yet, but there was no sign of a wound, or any blood… Yes, Sir, I'll keep you informed… Thank you, Sir." Rae went and sat down and then picked up the phone again and put in a call to Jan.

Mark came out of the elevator; she'd been surprised that he hadn't been waiting for her. "Rae, honey, are you all right, how's Steve?"

"I'm fine, Mark. I don't know about Steve, he's still unconscious. I have no idea what happened to him. I'm so sorry!"

Rae leant her head back against the wall, and shut her eyes, she didn't like the idea that he had carried out his threat and attacked her partner so quickly.

It was only ten minutes before Jesse came out to see them. "He was knocked out with chloroform, but whoever did it used a lot of it, it could have been fatal. This was no joke, Rae, I think he meant to do him serious damage!" Rae could say nothing, only nod.

"Jesse, how is he, can I see him?"

"In a while, Mark, I'm going to get him admitted, and then I'll come back down for you, ok?" Rae and Mark both nodded and they headed for the Doctors Lounge.

It didn't take Jesse long to admit Steve, he's much more compliant when he isn't conscious!

When Jesse got to the Doctors Lounge he sent Mark up to room 134 and then he sat down next to Rae.

"How is he, Jess? I wasn't gone a minute, I should have been watching his back for him. Oh, God, why is this all moving so fast? I can't keep up."

"Because you've become an obsession, Detective." Rae looked up to see Jan standing in the doorway.

She smiled at her, "I thought you were calling me, Rae?"

"What happened to Steve, Doctor?"

"He was attacked and poisoned with chloroform and that can be deadly. When he wakes up he is gonna feel rotten. He'll feel nauseous, dizzy and very tired. He could have an irregular heartbeat; he did when he came in. We'll need to check him for liver damage. We've already checked that he didn't aspirate any into the lungs, because that could have caused chemical pneumonia. You did all the right things when you found him, Rae, you put him in the right position, you kept him in the fresh air, but warm and you didn't panic." He leant over and kissed her on her forehead.

"Oh, I panicked, Jesse, I just managed to push it away while I did what was necessary." She put her hand over his, "Be careful, Jesse, please, promise me you will be very careful."

Jan, had been sitting slightly away from them but she moved over so that she could make eye contact with them both. "He's getting bold now, he knows you have no idea who he is, and that he can literally do what he wants. The only good thing about your plans for tomorrow is you'll be in public places, and I don't think he'll strike then."  She stood up, "I'll see you at the station on Tuesday morning,  could you ring me as soon as you get in?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you for all your help and advice so far."

"I hope you can enjoy yourselves tomorrow." Jan left the room, smiling at Amanda as she came down the corridor.

"Rae, are you alright, I heard what happened today, and what just happened to Steve."

"I'm fine, I'm just about to go up and see him, if that's all right with you, Jesse?" He nodded and the three friends headed off together towards the elevator.

Mark was sitting quietly in Steve's room, the blinds were drawn and the room was completely silent. He looked up as he heard the door open and then moved over and out into the hallway. "He's still unconscious, but I don't think he will be for much longer, he's stirred a couple of times. So I guess he's coming out of it."

Jesse went over to the bed and checked his best friend's vital signs. He nodded, "I think you're right, Mark."

"He usually is," the voice from the bed was weak and the eyes were unfocused, but Steve was definitely back with them.

"Hey, buddy, how ya feeling?" Suddenly he knew, he didn't wait for an answer he just picked up the receptacle that was kept by the bed and Steve was very, very ill into it.

He looked up, "Sick!"

Rae moved slowly around the bed. Steve saw her and how worried she looked. He smiled at her, and watched as a single tear slid down her cheek. He held his hand out to her and she moved towards him. "Steve, I am so sorry about this. He could have killed you."

"But he didn't, and anyway this isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for any of this. We'll just have to be more vigilant is all." He began to go grey again, and Rae picked up the freshly cleaned bowl. This time it wasn't so bad, but she could see that he was exhausted. Steve lay back on the pillows; Rae leant over and brushed his hair off his forehead, and gently kissed him.

"You rest here, partner, I guess you'll be off work tomorrow, too!"

"No, I'll be fine in a little while,"

"Oh, no, you don't, just because I won't be here, doesn't mean you can go skipping off back to the station." Jesse tried to look stern. "You'll stay here until Monday night, and meet up with Rae at your desks on Tuesday morning. Doctor's orders! Now I suggest that you try to get some sleep."

There was a tap on the door and Rae saw Chief Masters looking in through the glass. She went over to him. "Chief."

"Detective, how's he doing?"

"Not too bad. Jess, ah Dr. Travis says that he should stay in here until tomorrow night, and come back to work on Tuesday morning. At the moment, I would say that he's feeling as sick as a dog … he was poisoned... with chloroform."

"I presume that it was your stalker?"

Rae nodded, that made her feel even worse her stalker. "Yes, Sir, he left the same photo by Steve with the words 'I Warned You to Stay Away From Her' scrawled across it."

To her enormous surprise the Chief put his hand on her shoulder. "Detective, this will be over soon, I promise you that." Then he turned and walked away.

Rae sat down heavily in the chair outside Steve's room. She always felt that she had to be on her best behaviour when she talked to the Chief, and always without exception when she finished talking to him she felt that she'd failed. She decided to stay outside; she didn't want to intrude any more.

"Rae, are you alright, are you coming back in?" Mark looked down at her, his eyes full of concern and anxiety.

"No, Mark, I don't want to intrude, I've bought enough trouble into your lives. Maybe I should just pack up and go back to London. Everybody would be a lot better off if I weren't here."

"Hey, I wouldn't!" Jesse put his head round the door.

"Nor I, who will I go shopping with, or gossip with on the phone for hours, while you're in the bath at your house, and I'm in the bath at mine?" Amanda smiled at her and stood next to Mark.

Don't you dare leave me, Detective, you're the only person who can keep my desk tidy!" Steve's voice floated quietly out from his room.

Rae looked at all these people who she knew cared for her as much as she cared for them. "I think you got your answer, sweetie, looks like you're here to stay for a while!" Mark smiled at her and took her hand, he pulled her up off the chair and they all went back into Steve's room. They had been in there about another five minutes when Jesse's pager beeped at him and he had to leave. Rae got up as well.

"I'm going to go back to Jesse's place and sort out my stuff. I'll be extra careful, I'll lock the door once I'm in, and if I have a problem I'll call 999, ok?"

Steve shook his head, and instantly wished that he hadn't. His voice was shaky as he spoke. "Ah, I don't think that would help."

"Oh, sorry, 911!" Rae smiled a little sheepishly. Then she took Jesse's hand and they left the room together.

By the time Rae got back to the apartment house it was dark. She took her flashlight from the car, grabbed her keys and headed up to Jesse's door. Once inside she locked up and, feeling both scared and foolish, took her gun out and then searched the whole flat. It didn't take long, and didn't turn up anything. She placed the gun on the table in front of her and sat down to think. If this keeps on happening I won't have anything to move next door. I just lost all my stuff from Mark's and I lost my bag in Steve's car. Great!

I didn't take long to sort out the clothes in Jesse's closets. See, you've got nothing left; you'll be permanently dressed as Sheree if this carries on.  She sorted them into piles and, picking up her gun, walked over to her own front door. It was still locked; she opened it, and once again went through her search routine. Then she put the first pile of t-shirts onto a shelf, and went back to repeat the process again. It took much longer as she had to search each room every time, but finally everything was in the new place except some clean clothes for tomorrow, and a dirty load, which was in the washing machine. They had already decided between them, that Rae would use Jesse's washer and dryer, it seemed silly to buy a new one of each just for a year, or less than a year now. The same went for the Hoover. She picked up a piece of paper and began to write a shopping list for the next day.

At ten she phoned the hospital to enquire after Steve. She was told that he had eaten a small piece of toast and was now fast asleep. Relieved that he was on the mend she grabbed a couple of eggs out of the refrigerator, and made herself some egg sandwiches. Once this was done she took them back to the table, and continued with her list. She wanted to go to Ikea to get the big pieces, like the bed and the sofa, but she was looking forward to having a mooch about for the smaller things.

Jesse arrived home just after midnight to find her fast asleep on the sofa, her gun by her side, and a shopping list a mile long still held in her hand. He smiled down at her, he didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want to leave her on her own on the sofa overnight.

"Rae, honey, it's time for bed, come on, let's move you into the other room." She looked up at him with sleepy eyes, and just nodded. Then she got slowly to her feet, picked up her gun and let him lead her to the bed where she just lay down, and went straight back off again.

Sunday I told her to be careful, or her friends would get hurt. I even told her that it would be the Lieutenant who would get it first. I thought I had enough stuff on that rag to kill him, but I must have been a bit out in my calculations. Still I think I have warned him enough, next it'll be the Doctor's turn. But I will wait a short while; let them think I've lost interest. Make them all the more frightened when the end comes, and it will come this week, that I promise her.