Two Months Ago & The Present Day
The Present Day
Steve wandered into the lounge at Jo's house, he was looking for a CD that he had hidden away, but every time he tried to retrieve it Jo seemed to be around. But now he knew that Jo was in the bath and he had no problem getting all his bits and pieces together.
He had been looking forward to his dad's party for it seemed like ages. The last time that he and Jo had been together with any of their friends had been the night that Rae and Jesse had shown them the wedding video, but Amanda and Ron hadn't been able to be there, and Martin and Cheryl had both been working, so it hadn't been all of them. Steve smiled, his circle of friends had grown over the last couple of years, and there was normally at least one night each week that some of them were at Bob's when he was, his social life was much better than it used to be, and he knew that he was much more relaxed now that he had Jo in his life.
Two Months Ago
"Jo, that was Rae on the phone, she wanted to know if we were free tonight to go see the wedding video."
"Oh, that would be lovely, I haven't seen her since she started work again, an' you began to monopolise her time. Should I be jealous do you think?"
Steve had leant over and kissed her gently on the lips. "No, never, I have no need to look anyplace but right here for everything that I need. I hope you know that."
"Honey, d'you think I would joke about somethin' that serious if I wasn't sure what your answer would be?"
"No, I know you wouldn't joke otherwise, it's a real good feeling, and one I would really like to explore, but I told Rae we would be over in half an hour." Steve ran his fingers through her long hair. "I want to go see you in that dress again, with your hair in ringlets, you looked just beautiful, wonderful, I was so proud that it was me you were gonna be with for the rest of the day."
"Come on then, I think we had better get going. I know what happened the last time you mentioned that dress, an' it didn't include gettin' out of the house an' over to Rae's in thirty minutes!"
The Present Day
Steve smiled to himself. They'd had a great time that night, and laughed so much that their sides still ached the next morning. Five people so relaxed in each other's company that they were able to talk about anything and everything and know that nothing would change, except maybe they would understand each other even more than they did already. There had been one awkward moment, but it hadn't spoilt the evening.
It had been nice, too, to be with Rae in a relaxed atmosphere. Her first two weeks back at work had been hard and he was worried about her. In fact he had sent her home one day after she had become very upset following a short lived siege at a shopping mall.
Two Months Ago
Steve was just finishing his sandwich when his phone began to ring. "Lieutenant Sloan… Ok, we're on our way."
"Rae, we have a shooter in the Tower Mall, two hostages and he has taken out a security guard. Cheryl and Martin are on their way, we are too."
They had rushed out together, and into Steve's car before either of them had really had time to draw breath and ten minutes later had arrived at the scene of the incident. Rae had pulled on her kevlar vest as they had been driving and she handed Steve his as he got out of the car. They could see Martin and Cheryl crouched down behind their own vehicle, and had run round the backs of the other cars to reach them.
"Report, Detective." Steve had almost barked the words out, the tension that hung in the air affecting him immediately.
"Ok, from what we can gather the perp is about forty years old, he has a hand gun and an automatic rifle. There is one security guard down just outside the store, but he won't let anybody get near to see if he is alive or dead. There are two people in the store, one woman who works there and a customer. I think it's a robbery gone bad." Cheryl kept her eyes on the scene the whole time she was talking.
"Right. Has contact been made with this guy yet?" Steve looked round to see the communications van, which was just pulling in behind them.
"No, not yet, we shouted out to him using the megaphone but he didn't answer, well apart from filling the air with bullets that is!" Martin and Steve looked over at Rae, she looked a little nervous and they were concerned for her.
"Ok, I am gonna move back round towards our car, see if I can get a better view of him. Rae, I need you to cover me just in case." Steve had waited for a reply but had got nothing. "Rae, are you gonna cover me?"
"What, oh, yeah, yeah, sorry, Steve." They all watched as she seemed to give herself a shake and then she drew her gun and turned to follow her partner back the way they had come.
Once Rae and Steve had been securely positioned behind his car, Steve had taken mental stock of his situation and he could see that he should get almost all the way to the store without actually being in the line of fire. The most dangerous parts were first of all as he left the safety offered by the parked cars, and then when he would have to cross the walkway to the relative safety of the wall next to the store. He turned to Rae and outlined his plan.
"…Ok, do you understand what I am gonna do?"
"Of course, I know I have been off for a while, but I can follow basic instructions, Lieutenant."
The venom in her voice had surprised Steve, but he had let it go. "Right, cover me. Here I go."
Steve had got across from the cars to the cover of the trees along the edge of the parking lot without any trouble, and Rae had moved quietly and quickly behind him to make sure that he was in no danger. Together they had moved along the grass bank with Steve silently thanking whichever designer it had been who had insisted on greenery and plant life in their work.
When they had arrived at the end of the vegetation Steve had motioned her to stop. They had crouched down once again and conversed together. Rae had then got into position, her eyes fixed firmly on the perp who she could see through the double doors of the store.
Just as he thought he was going to make it to the safety of the wall without being seen a bullet had whizzed by his head, and he had heard Rae call out.
"Police, freeze. Drop your weapons or I'll fire."
She had seen him push a hostage to one side to get a better view of her and as the man had shot in her direction Rae had fired off three bullets.
By the time Steve had checked on the state of the hostages and the hostage taker Rae had moved back over toward the car, and he saw her in the unmistakable position of someone who was being sick.
"Rae?" Steve placed his hand on her back and was shocked by her expression as she wiped her arm across her face and turned to him. She wasn't crying, but it was clear that she was using every ounce of self-will she had to stop the tears from falling, her face was almost white and she was shaking. "Rae, it's over. The guy is dead, so is the security guard unfortunately, but the two hostages are safe. Thanks to you they are safe."
"Yeah. I guess so. Is there somewhere I can get a drink of water?" Rae looked around, not really listening to her partner.
"I have a bottle in the car, hold on." Steve had moved quickly to his trunk and pulled out his gym bag, inside, along with his kit, was a bottle of fresh water. He handed it over and without another word Rae had swirled her mouth out and then spat in the gutter, then she had drunk almost all of the rest straight down. She seemed to pull herself together a little then.
"Thanks, Steve. Sorry about that." She had straightened herself up, and begun to walk over to where her victim lay. Steve could see that she was still shaking, but he let her go, watching her every move as he did so.
The Present Day
Steve shook his head, he had thought that she would be alright, but when they had got back to the precinct he had seen her sit at her desk and she seemed to just move away from them. He had spoken to her three times about starting her report before she had even seemed to realised that he was there, and in the end, when he had noticed that she only had an hour left on her shift and she still hadn't written anything he had sent her home. Then he had called Jesse to let him know what had happened. He had the day off and was at home, which had made Steve feel a little more confident for his partner.
By the time they had met up for the video evening, Rae was fine again, she'd written her report at home and the case was over, almost before it had begun, but Steve was still worried about her reaction to it. She had done everything that was expected of her, but there was something about it all that concerned him.
"Hey, penny for them." Jo had come up behind him without him even realising that she was out of the bath. He hid the CD in his jeans wishing they weren't quite so tight as he did so.
"I was just thinking about the video night we had at Rae and Jesse's. I can't remember the last time we all laughed so much."
"Yeah, it was a fun night wasn't it? But you looked real serious for somebody thinkin' about nice things."
"I did have other things on my mind, but just work things. They aren't important. Especially now that you are with me."
"Well, I am going back upstairs to get ready for the party, but I just wanted you to know that the bathroom is free if you need it."
"Oh, you did, did you, Jo, you have five bathrooms! Is that really the reason you came down?"
"No, but I will leave you to your meanderin's an' carry on gettin' ready."
Steve breathed a sigh of relief as she went back towards the stairs. His memories were getting in the way of what he wanted to do. He headed out towards the pool, intent on finishing what he had started, he knew it wouldn't take long to organise, and maybe because of this his mind began to wander again almost immediately.
Two Months Ago
Steve and Jo had parked on the driveway of Rae and Jesse's house and the door was open before they were out of the car. Jesse had been standing smiling in the entranceway. "Hey, nobody ever has to wait on the doorstep in this street, everybody always knows who is coming before they are in sight. Works for me every time."
Steve had handed over two bottles of wine to Jesse and they had followed him into the house. "We are in the lounge, if you want to go through I'll get some glasses."
Jesse went happily into the kitchen, and Steve watched through the door as he opened one of the cupboards; Jesse reached up to the top shelf and took down five wine glasses smiling to himself all the time. "I just love these shelves." It only took him a minute and as he moved back out into the hallway he nearly dropped the lot when Steve was still standing there with Jo waiting for him.
"Steve? Is there a problem, did you want to talk to me?" Jesse's smile was gone in an instant.
"No, Jess, we just didn't want to go into the wrong room. Where is the lounge?"
"Did I call it a lounge? Sorry, that's Rae, she calls it that. Straight ahead of you, the living room. Sorry guys."
Rae was sat in a reclining chair, which had been their wedding present from Tony. Alex was also in the room, and he was just putting the tape in the machine. Rae smiled at her partner and best friend. She stood up, her daughter in her arms. "I guess you want to have her?" Eliana was already grinning in her gummy happy way at her Uncle Steve, and Rae could tell that he was just itching to take a hold of her.
"Yeah… if you don't mind…Yeah." Steve held out his large, safe hands and took the tiny child into them. She was five months old now, but she was still small, Rae had told him that she was about the size that she would have been if she had been born on time, so he guessed that this was what a three-month-old baby looked like.
Jesse came back in and sat sideways on the recliner with Rae next to him. Rae looked at him and Steve and Jo saw him nod at her.
"Before we start watching the video, which you are just gonna love, we've had a sneak peek, haven't seen it all, we want to ask the three of you a question. Alex, could you come over here?"
The young man stood up and moved back into the heart of the room. "Yeah, what is it Rae?"
"You are all very important to us, Steve, you're my partner, and Jesse's best friend, I trust you with my life, I always have done, from the day I arrived here, and you have never let me down. Texas, you brought me back from the brink of despair, when I was unable to live my life properly. You helped me to regain my ability to talk, to think, I have my life because of you." Rae had stopped then and they could all see her wipe a tear from her eyes. "Alex, you brought our daughter into the world, she is alive because of you, there are no words that can express how I feel about that, how we feel about that. You made our lives complete." Rae stopped speaking then and turned to Jesse.
"Guys, we would like the three of you to be god parents to Eliana."
Rae and Jesse smiled at each other as they watched the reactions of their friends. Both Alex and Jo, Steve could tell, were as surprised and delighted by what they had just heard as he was.
"Yes, Rae, thank you, I would be honoured." It was Alex who spoke first. "She was the first baby that I delivered for my own patient, I will treat her as I would my own for always." He moved over and shook Jesse's hand, and then kissed Rae on the cheek, then he moved over to Steve, and gently he placed another kiss on Eliana's forehead. He was rewarded by a tiny burp and the happy grin that went with it.
Steve and Jo were sitting smiling at their two best friends. "Honey, I guess you know that we are both just so flattered by what you have asked us to do. There is no chance in the world that Steve is gonna turn this down, an' neither am I."
Rae stood this time and went over and hugged and then kissed her friend, and then crouched down in front of her partner. "Thank you, Steve, I know that if anything happens to either Jesse or me, you will make sure that Eliana is safe, you, Alex and Texas." She leant forward over her happy child and kissed him gently.
"Ok," Jesse broke the spell that their words had put them all under. "I think we have a video to watch."
Alex had got up and moved over to the television. He turned the set on and then picked up the remote for the video and came back and sat on the sofa. The screen flickered and then a pink hazy cloud filled the screen.
"Hey, Alex, you are good at this, how did you do that?" Steve was impressed with what he was seeing.
"I got my friend Mike to help me out. He worked on Space Jam y'know!" Alex smiled, "I knew you'd like the start."
The cloud turned into letters and slowly they could read Reagan Susan Yeager and Jesse Travis Invite you to relive their Wedding.
The cloudy letters disappeared and the concourse at LAX appeared. Rae and Jo began to laugh when they saw Steve straighten up as David moved across towards them. They had seen this part of the film before, but it still made them laugh. And then when Tony had arrived and both David and Steve had done it they laughed even more.
"You know, if you look at this film I was the only one who didn't feel the need to straighten up." As Jesse spoke he sat a little straighter, and then looked confused as everybody laughed at him.
"Yeah, well that was because there was no hope of you getting above his knees anyway!"
"Ha, ha." Jesse had stuck his tongue out at Steve and Rae had laughed too.
"Did you do that before you knew me?"
"Nope, neither did anybody else I know, but I've seen Steve do it, and I think Jo too."
"Ooh, look, we are on to the bachelor party now." Jo turned back to the screen.
They had watched the video happily enjoying each other's company and complimenting Alex on his filming until they got to the day of the wedding.
John, Patrick and Mara appeared on the screen next. Mara was rushing down the hallway towards Alex, her dark hair up in huge rollers, and one of Jo's facemasks covering her lovely features. The location changed and they could see John and Patrick in the pool, both boys were water babies, and could be seen jumping in, diving and playing as well as swimming up and down.
The scene changed again, and for a while they watched different guests as they arrived, and were greeted, first by Steve and Jo and then by Amanda and Ron. They saw CJ and Dion as they posed proudly in their little tuxes, Cheryl looking stunning in a golden coloured dress, and Brian Dobson, with Helen on his arm as they stood chatting with Amanda. Alex looked at Rae, Steve knew why now, they knew what was coming, but they had managed to keep quiet about it. The door to Jo's bedroom was in shot and then the scene in front of them reduced them all to helpless laughter.
Steve and Jesse were waddling around the room in their wedding suits, quacking and laughing until in the end they could continue no longer and had collapsed onto the bed.
The laughing suddenly made Eliana begin to cry, and Rae, who had seen this part before, wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and went over and took her daughter from her partner who was almost helpless on the floor.
"Shhh, baby, it's all right, let's put you to bed shall we?" She had headed down the hallway and was gently rocking the crib back and forth when Steve came and found her.
"Rae, are you all right?" Steve placed his hand on her arm and she turned to him.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Leave it tonight." Rae had known exactly what he was meaning, but he realised that she couldn't talk about it.
"Rae, look at me." Steve had no intention of leaving it. She was due back into the station in the morning; he needed it cleared up, now.
"I need to know that you can cope with every situation that is thrown at you. Not just as it happens but afterwards as well."
"Oh, and you can do that can you, Lieutenant? You were perfectly calm and rational when they took Texas then were you? Followed the letter of the law?"
"Rae, that's different."
"The hell it is. I killed a man, again. The first time I did that I almost passed out and I was sick. This time I was just sick. So maybe, I am getting better at being a murderer. Destroying lives obviously doesn't affect me quite so much any more." Rae's voice had risen to a shout and Eliana began to cry again. "I said now was not the time, Lieutenant, go back and watch your film. I will be back in a minute, and as far as the others are concerned this conversation didn't take place. I won't spoil the evening. But you are way out of line mentioning it now." Rae turned back to the crib then, and began to gently rock her baby, trying to get her to go back off to sleep.
Steve had walked back to the lounge, his hands in the tight fists that he had for so long been unable to make. He sat down on the sofa and watched as he saw Jo standing in the gardens after the wedding ceremony, he began to relax as he watched her moving happily among the guests, she had looked so beautiful that day, and then his pride rose as he saw her move over to him and kiss him gently but passionately.
"You know you just looked so handsome in your top hat an' tails. Jesse an' Alex too. It sure does do somethin' for a man."
"Yeah, it turns them into penguins that quack." Rae came back into the room, and if Steve hadn't known better he wouldn't have been aware that just five minutes before she had been absolutely furious with him.
The rest of the evening had passed off pleasantly. The video had been watched and enjoyed, and they had rewound it and laughed at the penguins twice more before Steve, Jo and Alex had made a move for home. Steve had walked back to his new goddaughter's room and peeked inside. He could see a red light flashing by the side of the crib and he turned to Jesse who was standing beside him.
"What's that flashing light?"
"It shows that she's breathing. Because she was so small, and Rae was so scared that something was gonna happen to her we bought an alarm that sounds if she stops breathing for twenty seconds."
"I think that would worry me more than not knowing. Has it gone off yet?" Steve looked back at the light, he had a feeling he would spend each evening just standing in the doorway watching it blink at him.
"Yeah, once, but that was because the battery was low. Come on Buddy, I think Jo is waiting to go home, and we all have early shifts tomorrow."
The two friends had returned to the front hallway, neither of them knowing that life was about to take a downward turn.
The Present Day
Steve was almost set up for his special evening. They were due at his dad's in about two hours, Jo had decided to have a pampering afternoon, and after she had popped down once she was out of the bath they had left each other in peace. He found comfort in just knowing that she was in the same house as he was, and he guessed that their relationship must have moved to a new level, because he didn't need to be with her every waking second to feel secure in her love and presence in his life. He knew that she would be about another hour, so grabbing himself a soda from the kitchen he sat by the pool and let his thoughts wander back off again. This time though he knew that the memories wouldn't be quite so pleasant. He and Cheryl had been talking about them just a few days ago. They were both worried about Rae, and as they had talked Steve had realised how things were beginning to mount up for her again.
Six Weeks Ago
Steve and Rae had worked quietly for about two weeks before life began to get really hectic again. Well quiet for them that was.
Bernice Levington had been tried and convicted for two murders that had been unsolved for over five years. The bullet that they had taken out of Steve matched up to the bullets taken from the bodies of two young women who had been killed just over a year apart. There had never been any clues as to why they'd been murdered, but now they knew. Phillip Levington had targeted each woman and his mama hadn't liked either one. So she had silenced them. Both Rae and Steve had given evidence at her trial, and the Reverend Levington would never be free to hurt anybody again.
The website that Levington had set up with Rae's pictures on it had completely slipped Steve's mind until one afternoon when a cop from vice had come up to see them.
"Hey, which one of you is Detective Yeager?" The plain-clothes detective had looked around the room, and as Rae and Cheryl were the only two women there his eyes had stayed with them, although it soon became clear he knew exactly who he was looking for.
"I am, why who wants to know?" Rae looked up at the man in front of her, immediately on the defensive. There was something about him that she didn't like.
"Hi, Detective Neil Crosier, Vice. I need to have a word with you about this." He had dropped two photos on Rae's desk and she had felt all the blood drain out of her face.
"My God, where did you get these from?"
"There's a web site full of 'em, me and the guys had a real fun morning. We just thought you should know."
"What? What's the address for it?"
Rae had headed over to the computer and logged on to the Internet. She typed in the address she was given and looked in disbelief at what she was seeing. "Oh." Rae had no idea what to say. She could see all the details of her capture in front of her on the screen, photos showing her tied up to the bed, and worse. She could see Levington doing things to her that should never happen to anybody, and it was all here, available on the web for anybody who happened to type in the address she had been given.
Steve had been in the Captain's office, reporting on a suicide that they had picked up the day before. As he walked back towards his desk he saw a figure he recognised and disliked.
"Crosier, what brings you up from the slime of vice to visit homicide?"
"Oh nothing much Stevie, nothing much, just letting your partner see how she's being splashed across the net. Well, my work here is done, I guess I'll leave you to it."
"Hold on a minute, how do I get this site closed?" Rae was on her feet moving across to cut off the Vice Detective's exit. "Can I just get an injunction out to get it shut down? The guy is dead. Nobody will be paying for the space it is taking up. I want this done and I want it done today."
"Steady, Detective, you don't want to deprive the male population of LA of such a wonderful si…" Crosier couldn't continue with his offensive speech because Rae had him across the room and up against the wall.
"I will send your brains across the squad room if you don't apologise for what you just said and get rid of that… that … filth now."
Rae let go of the man's jacket and turned from him. Steve saw her take her hand off her gun. He hoped nobody else had realised that she had been holding it as she threatened the vice officer. He was getting seriously worried about how she was reacting to things, and moved over to her as he watched Crosier leave the room, without another word.
"Rae. I think we need to talk."
"Steve. Did you know about that … that site?" Rae moved back over to the computer where the images of herself were still visible. She sat back down, and with an almost morbid fascination began to click on the various headings. She looked at it for about five minutes in total silence before Steve leant across her and just turned the whole machine off.
"That's enough, Detective. Leave it. I think we could do with some lunch. Cheryl, Rae and I are going to Bob's. We'll be back in about an hour."
"Ok, Steve." Cheryl watched them leave the room. She knew that she should have intervened with Rae, but she also knew that Steve would get a better response. They were friends, but she had known all along about the website, and hadn't checked to make sure it wasn't still running. Cheryl slammed her fist into the desk and went to get a drink. Maybe a coffee would calm her anger some. The guy had been dead for eight months and still he was causing trouble.
Three Weeks Ago & The Present Day
The Present Day
Steve looked down at the soda can in his hand. As he had been thinking and getting more and more angry he had crushed the can in his fist. Now it was little more than a ball of recyclable metal. Sighing he put it down on the table. It seemed to him that all he and Rae did these days was talk things over. But it appeared to help her, and if that were the case then he would continue to do it. The lunch at Bob's hadn't solved any of her problems, but the site had been shut down two days later, and that had seemed to do the trick. But then they had been called to a murder site that had brought old memories to the surface once again for Rae, and this time, it had taken Brian Dobson to sort her out. Steve had tried to find out Rae's feelings about the things that had happened, and he guessed that in a way he had been successful. He now knew what had happened when she had received the call, but he was pretty sure that she didn't understand her feelings herself yet, and so once again he was glad she had Brian in the background.
Three Weeks Ago
"Detective Yeager…" Rae's phone had rung in the middle of the night. She heard Jesse groan and turn over, and she listened to see if it had disturbed Eliana. The house was silent as she listened to the dispatch operator on the other end of the line. She put the phone back on its cradle and gently touched Jesse on the shoulder. "Honey, I have to go. Steve and I are on call this week, and that, as you might have guessed, was a call. I'll see you tomorrow night, ok?"
"Mmm, what, oh, yeah, I guess I'll have to take Eliana to the sitter then?"
"Would you? If I'm not gonna be finished by six I'll get Texas to pick her up." Rae leant over and kissed her husband on the lips and then slid out of bed.
Thirty minutes later Rae and Steve were standing outside a small neat trailer, it had a little bit of grass round it, and was one of about fifty on a private site just off PCH.
"Did they tell you who the victim was, Rae?" Steve looked anxiously at his partner. They both knew the man who now lay dead inside his home and he wasn't sure how she would react.
"No. Why, did they tell you?"
"Yeah, Rae, it's Lee Tennant."
"Oh, my. I was in the hospital just today" Rae checked her watch, the silver bangle winking in the artificial light, "Sorry, yesterday, and I spoke to him in the canteen. He was so much more positive about his life. Oh, Steve, that's terrible." Rae turned slightly away and Steve could tell that she was remembering the first time they had encountered the man whose death they were now to investigate. His son had been murdered during the first case Rae had worked on in LA. It had almost been her last as the murderer had tried to kill her, strangle her, in order to save herself. Steve knew that Rae still had nightmares about it, normally when she was stressed, but most of the time they merged into what Levington had done to her. Now he wasn't sure if she could even enter this man's home.
"Rae, we have to go inside. Are you up to this?"
She had nodded. "Yeah, I have to be, don't I?" She had moved away from him and he had watched as she had gone up the steps with a determination that she probably didn't feel.
Amanda was inside and she moved over towards Rae, her smile showing how pleased she was to see another friendly face.
"Hey, Rae, Steve. I think you know this guy don't you? The name rings a bell with me, and I'm sure it's because of you two."
"Yeah, we know him. Leticia Howard murdered his son." Rae's voice was grim as she spoke.
Amanda's smile had vanished. "Oh. Rae, are you alright with this?"
"YES! For goodness sake, why is everybody treating me as if I should be wrapped in either cotton wool or a straight jacket? Let's get on with it."
"Rae, that's enough. It was just friendly concern." Steve placed one hand on each of Rae's arms and looked down at her.
"Amanda, I'm sorry. What can you tell us?"
Her friend looked a little shocked, but she managed another smile. "That's ok. He was stabbed, through the heart, I would say by somebody who knew what they were doing, and also by somebody left-handed. Apart from that I can't really help you. There was no murder weapon found, and no prints yet. I would also say that he has been dead about two hours, but I could be wrong about that, it was very warm when I got here."
"Ok, Amanda, thanks. We'll come by about lunchtime for the full report." Steve moved into the heart of the trailer, pulling on his gloves as he went. He looked around. Lee Tennant didn't seem to have much to leave behind. There were no books visible, a couple of motor magazines, a laundry basket with a set of dirty catering whites dumped in it and a bill from his telephone company. Steve began to look through the drawers in the living area as Rae walked through to the bedroom beyond.
The room was almost bed sized. The bed was made; there was a dressing table of sorts at the end of it, which had a comb on it, a pair of dirty socks and yesterday's paper. The two drawers underneath it had underwear and socks in them. Rae rummaged around in them for a moment but they contained just what they were supposed to. She moved over towards the closet and opened it. Inside were two pairs of jeans, a checked shirt and a plain white one. Two pairs of shoes and leaning up into the corner of the closet a rifle. "Steve, in here." She moved back.
"There's a gun in the closet. I haven't found anything else yet. You know he didn't have much to show for his life did he?" Rae looked at the shelf above the bed. There was hardly room for a nightstand. On it was an alarm clock and a picture of his son, Terry.
"No, not much. What a waste of a life. He seemed a nice guy, but I guess his world just fell apart after his son was killed."
"Yeah, well I can understand that. My life wasn't so hot there for a while either."
They moved back out into the main part of the trailer. Amanda was just straightening up, she had her hands in the small of her back as she stretched herself slightly. "There doesn't seem to be much more I can do here tonight. I will see you both tomorrow, ok?"
Rae moved over towards her. "Amanda, I'm sorry I shouted at you. Please forgive me."
"Of course I do. I'm not surprised that this affected you. Don't worry about it any more." Amanda smiled at her and placed her hand on her shoulder for a second. Then she turned away and picked up her bag.
It had taken them another hour to search the whole place, and then they had driven back to the precinct, to begin their investigation. Two uniformed officers had been assigned the door-to-door enquiries around the park and they would report back to either detective as soon as possible.
Rae had made herself an herbal tea and a coffee for her partner and moved back over to her desk. As she did so they saw one of the officers come into the room, and motioned him over.
"Hi, what did you get?" Rae sat down as she asked her question.
"Not a great deal, but we do have a sighting, a confirmed sighting of a suspect who was seen going into the victim's home about the time of the murder, although I don't think that we can get a photo fit from it. But no murder weapon, or bloody trail nothing like that." The young man had smiled as he spoke.
"Ok, Officer…" Rae looked at his name badge. "Simmonds, lets hear the description."
"Well, the suspect was definitely a woman, a youngish woman, maybe early to mid thirties, she was short, no more than about five two, maybe five three, and she had dark brown hair."
"Where were you this evening Rae, that could be you!" Steve regretted the words the moment he spoke them.
"Oh, thank you. I suppose you think that's funny." She took a long drink from her mug before talking once again. "Can you get your report typed up and on my desk as soon as possible please Simmonds, and thank your fellow officers for their work tonight." She watched the officer turn and walk away, and as she put her mug down on the desk Steve saw that her hands were shaking.
Steve had worked with Rae all morning and into the early afternoon on the Tennant case. He had seen her make a private phone call at about ten in the morning, and just after two she came over to him.
"Steve, I have to go now… I have made an appointment to see Brian."
He had been instantly concerned about her and had stood up and moved round his desk so that he could stand next to her. "Rae, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I just need to talk to somebody. My mind is just bursting with memories and I feel like I am gonna go nuts if I don't let them out. I'll see Brian and then go home. I'll be back for my shift in the morning."
Steve watched her go, then with a sigh he had returned to the paperwork, which was threatening to take over his desk, and begun to try to get it in order.
The Present Day
As Rae and Jesse drove along in the car Rae found her thoughts returning to her last meeting with Brian, probably because she knew that she would see him at Mark's in a little while. The case involving Lee Tennant had affected her more than she had realised at the start, and following on from that business with the web site, she sighed, sometimes she wished her life could be a little less complicated.
Three Weeks Ago
Rae had been a little early for her appointment and so she had sat and chatted to Helen for just over twenty minutes. The fifth floor hallway had seemed extra busy, and nurses and doctors were going back and forth continually, along with the normal steady stream of patients. Finally the door had opened and a young man had come out and away without a word or a glance at anybody around him. Brian had come over and smiled at Rae, and then with an indication of his hand shown her into the familiar surroundings of his room.
"Rae, what can I do for you today? We weren't scheduled to see each other for another week."
Rae looked at the man across the table from her. She had never really stopped to take in his appearance before. He was a tall man, not as tall as Steve, probably about six feet. He had dark hair, a little thinning on top, and glasses. She guessed that he was probably about the same age as Jesse, but he had the sort of face that it was almost impossible to put an age to.
"Rae?"
"I'm sorry, Brian. Why have I come? Because I needed to let some memories out, and you seemed the best person to come to."
"I see, not the Lieutenant then?"
Rae had smiled at him. "No, not the Lieutenant, I would rather he didn't take me off the case we are working on, and if he listened to what I have to say he might just do that."
"I see, and what if I come to that decision, that you aren't fit enough to work, how would you feel about telling me things in the future?"
Rae had thought for a moment, but it was an easy decision. "I would still tell you things, I trust you to help me."
"Ok, then, so what has happened today, I presume it's today, to make you feel you needed to see me so quickly."
"Lee Tennant was murdered last night." Rae just looked over the desk at Brian. She knew that he would have a good idea who she was talking about.
"Lee Tennant," there was a pause. "He works, used to work in the canteen here… Leticia Howard killed his son… Yes I can see how that might affect you. Does it make you look back in time?"
"I suppose so. But it is almost as if the past has joined up with the present. I don't think I have truly accepted what happened to me at the end of that case, and … Levington he knew my weakness and he used it against me … and …" Rae stood up and moved across to the window. She had no idea how to put her fears into words.
"Rae, look at me. You don't have to sit down, but I would rather that you actually made eye contact with me." Brian didn't move from his seat, but his voice was full of authority and Rae knew that she couldn't do anything but turn back to him.
"Why do you feel that your neck is a weakness?"
"Why? Why? Because it is. All anybody has to do is touch me on my neck and I am a wreck. That, that man only had to hold up a silk scarf and he knew that I would give and let him do anything that he wanted to do. I just couldn't fight back. You don't think that is a weakness?" Rae brushed at angry tears, she would not cry. One escaped and ran down her cheek. "Damn. I never used to cry in London."
"How do you feel when you see other people wearing scarves? They are a fashion accessory you must see people with them on all the time."
"They make me feel uneasy, but I can ignore them." Rae had moved back across the room and she was sitting back in front of Brian now.
"Ok. And if I had one in my hand right now?" Brian lifted his arm and Rae could see what looked like a chiffon scarf hanging over his hand. She stood up, and the chair she had been sitting in fell backwards with a crash.
"No. No, don't, please, Brian, don't. Put it away." Instantly she was shaking and panic stricken. Rae knew that she needed to get away from this man with the scarf, and she began to move back from him, looking wildly around her, as she got closer to the door.
"Rae. Rae, it's gone. Look at me, Rae. It wasn't a scarf; it was my handkerchief. Rae look at me." Brian was right next to her now, and had both his hands held out in front of him.
Rae stared for a moment at the material poking out of Brian's top pocket, and then she had buried her face in her own hands and feeling the wall behind her sank to the ground. "Why did you do that? How could you do that to me?"
Brian got down on the floor and sat next to his patient. "Because I needed to see how you reacted, so that I could see just how much they affect you. Rae look at me and listen. Leticia Howard tried to strangle you because she thought it was the only way to save herself from going to jail. Phillip Levington used the same tactics because not only was he deranged, but also he knew that it would reduce you to a helpless victim. But you are not a victim any more. Nobody else has any reason to hate you, or to cause you harm. I am not suggesting that you will be able to wear a scarf, but you have got to pull yourself together and stop letting it rule your life."
"Yes, Sir, I know. So why is it that instead of wanting to go and find the killer of Lee Tennant I just keep returning to what happened to me?" Rae was still huddled on the floor, but she was no longer shaking.
"Because you are getting obsessed with it. Rae, have you ever written down what happened? How it appeared to you?"
"No, no I haven't. Do you think that might help?" Rae was looking at him her face full of interest now.
"Yes, yes I do. I tell you what, I think that you should find some quiet time between now and next week and begin to write down your account of what Leticia Howard did to you, and how it has affected your life since. Then when you come to me I want you to bring it with you and we will go through it and see if we can put the memories to the back of your mind where they belong."
Brian had held his hand out then and pulled her to her feet. "So, how is that baby of yours. You know I still haven't seen her yet. Maybe you could bring her with you next time."
Rae rewarded him with a big smile. "Of course, I would love you to see her. I will do that, I will bring her with me."
Rae had left his office, and checking her watch had headed towards Eliana's sitter. She had been to see five people before she had decided on Sally. As soon as Rae had begun to talk to her she knew that this was the lady she would happily entrust her child to. She was a friendly, happy family lady, she had two grown up sons, and Rae had felt at ease with her immediately.
Rae pressed the doorbell and waited. There was the sound of singing coming from inside, and then Rae could see the shadow of a person moving towards her through the glass. The door opened, and immediately Rae could see Eliana getting very excited in Sally's arms.
"Mamamamadadada."
"Hey, Sweetie, Hi Sally, how are you?"
"I'm fine, come on in, don't stand on the step." The two women walked into the house, Rae now holding her daughter in her arms.
"How has she been today?"
"She has been fine, no problems, well, apart from those teeth, but I think that the weekend should see the end of that. They are nearly through. Two at once, poor little thing."
Eliana had the bright red cheek, which showed anybody that she was teething. Rae opened her purse and paid for the week's care. "Thank you, Sally, the week starts Tuesday next time, is that ok?"
"Sure, you know that. I understand about the shifts that you and Jesse have to work. I don't have a problem with it, and she is just such an angel while she is here, that it is a pleasure to have her."
Rae walked back down the path, her ears still ringing with the praise from her sitter. In London she would have found a childminder, and this was the same as that. She had often wondered when she had been pregnant with Mara whether she would be able to give up her career and stay home with the baby. She hadn't been able to then, and even with everything that had happened she didn't think she could do it now.
The Present Day
Rae sighed and tried to get her mind off the past and into the present. They would have a great time at Mark's and maybe it would be another start at getting life back to normal. She leant down to get her bag and realised that she had left it on the kitchen counter. "Jess, we have to go back, I left my purse at home."
"Rae, we will be the last people to arrive at this rate." Jesse slowed right down, and indicating right, began to work out the quickest route back to the house.
The Present Day
Steve went back into the house. He was glad that Rae had told him about her visit with Eliana's carer. He had wondered whether she would rather be at home, but he had been able to tell as she spoke to him that she was happier working, even with all the problems that it entailed.
Jo was just coming out of the bedroom as Steve rounded the corner from the stairs. "Hey, sugar, I was just comin' to look for you, an' there you were, waitin' for me. Are you going to get ready for your daddy's party?"
"Yeah, I am, do you want to come and talk to me while I have my shower?"
"No, I am going to go an' call Mark, just to make sure that there isn't anythin' that we can pick up on the way over. I'll come back up when I have finished."
Steve didn't take long in the shower, and in just under ten minutes he was on his way back down the stairs. He saw Jo come out of the living room and moved over to her.
"Hi, listen, before we go, will you come with me?"
"Yeah, sure, what's the problem?"
"Nothing, I just have something I want to show you." Steve took her by the hand and moved her gently out towards the pool.
As Jo walked out she looked in amazement. There seemed to be a beach by the side of the water, and she could hear music playing in the background. The sun was just beginning to go down, and as she continued to look around Jo spotted a bouquet of beautiful dark red roses lying on the table on the patio.
"Steve, Honey, what is all this?" She moved across to the roses and picked them up. There was a card resting in the leaves and she gently extricated it from where it lay. As she read it she smiled, I'm sorry that I couldn't arrange the Caribbean beaches, the string quartet and the moonlight but this is the closest I could get, please turn around, slowly and doing as she was told found Steve standing right behind her.
"Jo, you have made my life complete, I can't imagine existing without you." As he spoke Steve went down on one knee. "Jo, will you marry me?"
"Oh, my, Steve, darlin' of course I will." Jo put the roses back on the table and then she pulled him to his feet, moved him closer to her, and began to kiss him passionately. She felt his hands go through her hair, and for a moment the rest of the world ceased to exist, then gently he pulled away from her.
"Would you like your ring?"
Jo just nodded and watched as a beautiful solitaire diamond ring was slipped onto her finger, it was a little tight, but nothing she couldn't live with. "I don't know what to say, thank you, Steve. I just love you so much."
"You don't have to say anything, and as much as I would like to stay here with you, we need to go to the beach house."
The Present Day
Amanda, Ron, CJ and Dion were among the first evening guests to arrive. There were a few familiar faces from the hospital already chatting, or getting food from the barbeque. The boys rushed out of the house, down the deck stairs and onto the beach. There was about an hour of daylight left and they planned to use every minute of it. They had looked around for Uncle Steve, or Uncle Jesse, but neither of them seemed to be there. Dion had come back up the stairs and taking Ron by the hand had pulled him along with them.
Amanda moved over to where Mark was getting himself a soft drink. "Hi, Mark, how are you?"
"Not too bad, Sweetie, I've had a nice day, but all the important people seem to be coming in the evening, so I guess the best is yet to come. What about you, are you ok?"
"Oh, I'm alright, I'm a bit worried about Rae though. Maybe later could I have a word with you?"
"Of course, I was thinking that if you wanted the boys could sleep in Steve's apartment and you and Ron could stay here, then you could wait and chat at the end of the party, just like we used to do."
"That would be great, thank you, Mark, excuse me." Amanda saw one of her friends from the hospital and moved across for a chat. She heard the doorbell as she went and saw Mark head towards the sound.
"Alex, hi, thanks for coming." Mark took the bottle of wine that his young friend offered him.
"Hey, no problem, thanks for inviting me. Wow, there are lots of people here. I was worried I might be late, am I the last?"
"No, there are still people to come, although as you said there are already lots here, aren't there? You know Ron is out on the beach with CJ and Dion, I think he may be able to do with a bit of rescuing about now."
Alex laughed and headed over towards the deck, acknowledging people as he went. Mark watched and smiled. He was a popular young man, and it amused him to see that most of the people who spoke to him were young, single and female.
As he turned to go back into the house he heard another tap on the door and saw Rae and Jesse waiting to come in. Jesse had Eliana in his arms, and Rae seemed to be laden down with every baby caring contraption known to man.
"Mark, how are you? It seems so long since I saw you. I am sorry we are so late, I forgot my purse, we had to go back." Rae managed to free a hand from all her necessities and squeezed his arm. Then she leant over and kissed him on the cheek.
Mark kissed her back and then turned to Jesse, "Hi, Dad, and how is your little lady?"
"She is just fine Mark, just fine, she has two teeth, and she can say mama and dada, normally at the same time." Jesse was beaming as he spoke.
"Oh, that's just great, well come on, don't stand in the hall, go mingle."
"Ok, Mark could you just hold Eliana for a moment, so I can go and get the buggy out of the car."
"Of course, come here, Sweetie."
Rae and Jesse were having a pleasant evening chatting with all their friends, and people that Rae in particular hadn't seen in ages. Eliana had just sat in her buggy enjoying all the activity around her; only making her presence felt when it was time for her to eat. They had been there about half an hour when Steve and Jo had arrived, and Steve had gone straight over and looking round for permission had taken the child out of her seat and then found a place where they could both sit and watch the world go by.
Rae was just moving over to see Texas when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. "Hello? Tony is that you…? Of course, that's no problem. I'll call you tomorrow and sort out all the details… Yeah, we're at a party at Mark's… Ok, bye love."
Rae carried on over to where Texas was standing, and by the time she got there she knew that something had happened. "Texas, you are glowing, girl…" Rae looked down. "Oh, my God. He asked you, didn't he? He asked you!"
"Shhh, Mark doesn't know yet, we are gonna tell him when most people have gone. You will still be here won't you?"
"Well we will now. Eliana will sleep anywhere, so we'll just stay until the end." Rae leant over and kissed her friend on the cheek. "I can't tell you how pleased I am. I'll be right back." Rae moved over then and headed over to where she could see Steve sitting with her little girl.
"Rae, your daughter bit me!" He held out one of his fingers, and Rae could see tiny teeth marks on it. She held back her laughter as she kissed him on the cheek. "I just saw Texas's ring. Oh, Steve, I am just so happy for both of you." She kissed him again and gently so that she didn't squash her daughter she hugged him.
It was past midnight before the last of the guests left, and Mark surveyed his house. It looked as if a small tornado had gone through it. Then he shrugged his shoulders and decided to ignore it until the morning.
Rae and Jesse were sitting cuddled up together in one corner of the sofa, with Eliana fast asleep in the buggy beside them. Ron and Amanda were also sitting together, although not quite as close, Alex was sprawled in an easy chair, his long legs taking up half the room, and Jo and Steve were talking quietly together by the doors to the deck. Mark came back into the centre of the room, and looked around at all his friends, "I had a great time tonight, but to have the eight, sorry, nine of you still here in my house, well, you're the best friends a man could have."
Steve moved into the centre of the room to stand next to his father. "Dad, could I just say something. Like you said, all these people here are our closest friends, and I want all of you to be the first to know, I asked Jo to marry me this afternoon, and she said yes."
Everybody was immediately around the happy couple. Rae stayed back as she saw her daughter stir, and because she had already congratulated both of them. She looked at the scene in front of her and sighed. She knew that she had some serious ghosts to get rid of but the people here in this room cared for her, and would give her all the help she needed.
Author's Note.
I hope that you have enjoyed my little journey into the recent past. It was an interesting way for me to try to write, and turned into a much more gentle story than normal. Now though the past is just that, past, and the present and future beckons, so the next chapter will be the start of the next adventure in the lives of our favourite characters, please continue to read and enjoy.
Tracy