CHAPTER EIGHT

Bosco and Faith rolled up to Rachelle Forester's apartment building. Bosco threw a worried look towards his partner. For the past week or so, Faith had been looking a little frayed around the edges and she periodically would reach up and rub her temples. Bosco had been forcefully pushing back concern for her to focus on this case, especially since the eighth body had turned up two days ago, this time the victim taking a six story dive off a balcony. But, now he could see that a talk was in order.

"Let's talk to Rachelle, then go grab a bite to eat, alright?" Bosco suggested as they rode the elevator up to the third floor.

"I'm not hungry," Faith said shortly.

"Well, I am. Ah, here it is right next to the elevator."

Bosco knocked rapidly on Apartment 301. A fresh faced, petite brunette opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked tentatively. "I've already told everything I know."

"Rachelle? Hi, I'm, I'm.Maurice Boscorelli and this is my partner Faith Yokas."

The little woman gave a slight gasp. "I've heard of you.Bosco? Come in?"

They sat down in her cozy living room. From the corner of his eye, Bosco saw Faith discreetly rub her right temple. He then spotted a picture of Rachelle and Darrell sitting on the mantle.

"I can't say how sorry I am," Rachelle began. "Darry and I had only been together for three months, but it was gonna work. I could feel it. He had wanted me to meet you, he said he was gonna call you before he went back to Jersey so we could all hook up."

Bosco nodded, smiling gravely. "I'm also sorry," he said, "but I need to ask you a few questions about where Darry was heading that night. If you could remember anything that you might have forgotten to tell the detectives."

Rachelle shook her head helplessly. "I was so tore up, I just told them he went out for a little while, but I couldn't remember where he had gone. We mostly stayed here, Darry couldn't stand New York. But he said he had to go somewhere."

She snapped her fingers. "That's right! He wanted to hunt down this friend.Paul.Peter.Perry. Perry!"

"Perry Williams," Bosco supplied, excited. "Yeah, they used to bartend together up in Jersey."

"I'm sorry, I don't have a number or an address."

"You've been enough help," Bosco assured her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "Thank you so much Rachelle."

"No, thank you. Just get this guy, will ya?" ×××××××××

Faith and Bosco sat on a bench in the park, Bosco hungrily wolfing down his tacos.

"So we just run this guy's name and come up with an address, yeah?"

Bosco nodded. "If not, I remember the bar where he now works," he said mouth full of shells and beans, "it's on the upper east side. We could drop in on him."

Faith nodded absently. Bosco wiped his mouth clean and started in on Faith. "Talk to me."

Faith looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"I know my head's been full of this case, my cousin, but I'm worried about you," he said sincerely.

Faith smiled thinly. "I'm okay, my family needs to be shot, but I'm okay."

Bosco stared deep into her eyes, fighting off a sense of dread. "It's something else.you can tell me ya know. I'm your partner. Are you sick again?"

Faith pondered this question. Should she tell him? She had been keeping it to herself for so long, she didn't quite know how to voice it. But the look of worry on Bosco's face sealed it for her.

"No, the cancer's not back," she said in a low voice, "it's weird. I don't know.it's really weird."

Bosco prodded her with his eyes. Faith sighed. "I get these.migraines. They're kinda scary."

"Scary how?"

"Well, they come on little then they just build and build until I literally.shut down."

"Shut down?"

"Yeah," Faith said with a half chuckle. "I pass out."

Bosco stared at Faith, horrified. "You.pass out?!"

"Or fall into a deep sleep," Faith reasoned quickly. "Whatever you wanna call it. Then I wake up and I'm fine. But every once in awhile, like today, I get little spurts of pain, but they aren't debilitating or anything."

"I think now would be a good time to go to a doctor Faith," Bosco ordered. "How long has this been going on?"

"A couple of months."

"Aw, Jesus Yokas."

Faith shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Should she tell him the other thing? It really wasn't anything, just a mere coincidence.

"What?" Bosco demanded. "There's something else."

Faith shook her head. That was it for today. "Nothing, I'm just tired and fed up."

"Why don't you take off early? I can look up Perry myself," Bosco offered.

She nodded, taking him up on the offer. She would see a doctor as soon as possible.