A/N: Thanks for the reviews villianbabe and kushelkitten! You guys rule!
Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie's Angels or its characters.
XIV
Method of Payment
Dylan
"I wonder how they got this stuff to stick on the walls," Natalie said, holding one of the Ice wafers up.
"I'd like to know that too Alex," I said.
The four of us were at the lab. Alex was doing tests on the Ice while the rest of us watched her.
"Well, the only thing I can think of," Alex said as she put some of the Ice into a petrie dish with water. "Is that they crushed some wafers and added a little bit of water to it."
"Why would they do that when they take the Ice by dissolving the wafer in their mouths?" Natalie asked.
"Good question," Alex said. She turned and put the petrie dish in a machine, pressing a few buttons then turning back to us. "It could be that the robbers were signaling to someone that they had been there."
"So that means that someone who worked at the museum must have been in on it too," I said.
"Catherine Crown," Anthony said.
"Speaking of Crown," I said. "What'd you find out the Newman's?"
"Crown was there the night of the robbery," Alex said.
"But Mrs. Newman said she spent most of her night talking on her cellphone with someone and she sounded pretty mad," Natalie added.
"So we can add her to the suspect list with the Norris,'" I said.
"I just don't understand why they would take the paintings," Alex said.
"Well, I've got an idea of why the Norris' might want those paintings," I said. Then I described all the art and antique furniture that had been in the mansion.
"But is Norris that avid an art collector that he would sell Ice to someone so they would steal those paintings and give them to him," Natalie said.
"Wait a sec Nat," Alex said. "You've got the right idea. But what if Crown offered the paintings to Norris as payment for some Black Ice?"
The lab fell into silence for a few moments as we all thought about that.
"It makes sense," I said. "Ryder did say that Crown had taken Ice before."
The machine behind Alex beeped and she took out the petrie dish.
Natalie took the piece of paper out and gave it to Alex.
Reading the results, Alex nodded and said, "It's the same Ice from the walls."
"What's our next step then?" Natalie asked.
"We'll have to tell Ryder what's going on," I said.
"He's coming in tomorrow morning," Alex said. "Once we tell him, then we'll figure out where we go next."
Anthony drove us to the Santa Monica Promenade after we had left the lab.
I needed to go shopping, or anything else that would make me forget about my father and half brother. I know that I had told everyone I wasn't going to think about them being family, but it was really hard. Ever since my mom died, I had wanted my father to come back that way the two of us could be a family. As I got older, I realized that was probably not going to happen, but I kept hopping deep down.
We got to the Promenade and walked down the street. It was a Thursday afternoon so there weren't that many people there.
I led Anthony to Borders where we spent an hour looking through the store. I ended up buying a book and some CDs before we left.
After that we had an early dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Then we walked along the dirt path on the edge of the cliff next to the ocean.
Usually when we walked here, I would talk constantly. That afternoon, I was quiet, looking out towards the sea.
"Dylan, do you want to go home?" Anthony asked after we had been walking for a few minutes.
I looked over at him and then lowered my head, nodding.
He took my hand and led me back to his car.
Once we had gotten home, Anthony took the plant out of the trunk.
I went into into the kitchen and put the blue rosebud into a small vase that was covered in blue and green mosaic tiles. When Anthony came in, I took the plant from him and put it in the window in front of the sink. Then, without looking at Anthony, I sank into a chair at the table and stared at the vase.
Behind me, Anthony opened a drawer, pulling something out. Then he sat down in the chair next to me.
"Anthony, what?" I asked when he showed me the knife he had pulled out of the drawer.
Holding up a hand to silence me, Anthony pulled the vase closer to us. Then he took my hand, and very carefully, lightly cut my index finger. When the blood started to come out, he held my finger over the vase.
I watched, almost as if I was in a trance, as my blood dripped down the rose's stem and then into the water I had put in earlier.
Letting go of my hand once the cut had stopped bleeding, Anthony took out a handkerchief. He wiped the blood off the knife. Then he cut his own index finger, letting the blood drip into the vase water. "This is no longer your father's, it is o-ours," he said, withdrawing his finger.
I stared into his eyes, realizing that this was meant to be a kind of cleansing ceremony. He was trying to keep my father from 'contaminating' my life.
I was very touched. No man would ever do what Anthony had just done for me. Then again, no man really cared about me as much as Anthony did.
"Thank you," I whispered to him.
Anthony nodded and then motioned to the miniature roses by the sink.
Looking at the plant, I stood up and walked over to the sink. I grabbed the pot and then walked out the
back door. Without a second thought, I chucked the plant into a trash can. I turned and said to Anthony, who was standing in the doorway, "Screw Edward Norris. I don't need him in my life."
Anthony's eyes seemed to light up and he smiled slightly. He wrapped his arms around me when I stepped into the kitchen.
We kissed passionately for a few moments before hurrying up to our room.
Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie's Angels or its characters.
XIV
Method of Payment
Dylan
"I wonder how they got this stuff to stick on the walls," Natalie said, holding one of the Ice wafers up.
"I'd like to know that too Alex," I said.
The four of us were at the lab. Alex was doing tests on the Ice while the rest of us watched her.
"Well, the only thing I can think of," Alex said as she put some of the Ice into a petrie dish with water. "Is that they crushed some wafers and added a little bit of water to it."
"Why would they do that when they take the Ice by dissolving the wafer in their mouths?" Natalie asked.
"Good question," Alex said. She turned and put the petrie dish in a machine, pressing a few buttons then turning back to us. "It could be that the robbers were signaling to someone that they had been there."
"So that means that someone who worked at the museum must have been in on it too," I said.
"Catherine Crown," Anthony said.
"Speaking of Crown," I said. "What'd you find out the Newman's?"
"Crown was there the night of the robbery," Alex said.
"But Mrs. Newman said she spent most of her night talking on her cellphone with someone and she sounded pretty mad," Natalie added.
"So we can add her to the suspect list with the Norris,'" I said.
"I just don't understand why they would take the paintings," Alex said.
"Well, I've got an idea of why the Norris' might want those paintings," I said. Then I described all the art and antique furniture that had been in the mansion.
"But is Norris that avid an art collector that he would sell Ice to someone so they would steal those paintings and give them to him," Natalie said.
"Wait a sec Nat," Alex said. "You've got the right idea. But what if Crown offered the paintings to Norris as payment for some Black Ice?"
The lab fell into silence for a few moments as we all thought about that.
"It makes sense," I said. "Ryder did say that Crown had taken Ice before."
The machine behind Alex beeped and she took out the petrie dish.
Natalie took the piece of paper out and gave it to Alex.
Reading the results, Alex nodded and said, "It's the same Ice from the walls."
"What's our next step then?" Natalie asked.
"We'll have to tell Ryder what's going on," I said.
"He's coming in tomorrow morning," Alex said. "Once we tell him, then we'll figure out where we go next."
Anthony drove us to the Santa Monica Promenade after we had left the lab.
I needed to go shopping, or anything else that would make me forget about my father and half brother. I know that I had told everyone I wasn't going to think about them being family, but it was really hard. Ever since my mom died, I had wanted my father to come back that way the two of us could be a family. As I got older, I realized that was probably not going to happen, but I kept hopping deep down.
We got to the Promenade and walked down the street. It was a Thursday afternoon so there weren't that many people there.
I led Anthony to Borders where we spent an hour looking through the store. I ended up buying a book and some CDs before we left.
After that we had an early dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Then we walked along the dirt path on the edge of the cliff next to the ocean.
Usually when we walked here, I would talk constantly. That afternoon, I was quiet, looking out towards the sea.
"Dylan, do you want to go home?" Anthony asked after we had been walking for a few minutes.
I looked over at him and then lowered my head, nodding.
He took my hand and led me back to his car.
Once we had gotten home, Anthony took the plant out of the trunk.
I went into into the kitchen and put the blue rosebud into a small vase that was covered in blue and green mosaic tiles. When Anthony came in, I took the plant from him and put it in the window in front of the sink. Then, without looking at Anthony, I sank into a chair at the table and stared at the vase.
Behind me, Anthony opened a drawer, pulling something out. Then he sat down in the chair next to me.
"Anthony, what?" I asked when he showed me the knife he had pulled out of the drawer.
Holding up a hand to silence me, Anthony pulled the vase closer to us. Then he took my hand, and very carefully, lightly cut my index finger. When the blood started to come out, he held my finger over the vase.
I watched, almost as if I was in a trance, as my blood dripped down the rose's stem and then into the water I had put in earlier.
Letting go of my hand once the cut had stopped bleeding, Anthony took out a handkerchief. He wiped the blood off the knife. Then he cut his own index finger, letting the blood drip into the vase water. "This is no longer your father's, it is o-ours," he said, withdrawing his finger.
I stared into his eyes, realizing that this was meant to be a kind of cleansing ceremony. He was trying to keep my father from 'contaminating' my life.
I was very touched. No man would ever do what Anthony had just done for me. Then again, no man really cared about me as much as Anthony did.
"Thank you," I whispered to him.
Anthony nodded and then motioned to the miniature roses by the sink.
Looking at the plant, I stood up and walked over to the sink. I grabbed the pot and then walked out the
back door. Without a second thought, I chucked the plant into a trash can. I turned and said to Anthony, who was standing in the doorway, "Screw Edward Norris. I don't need him in my life."
Anthony's eyes seemed to light up and he smiled slightly. He wrapped his arms around me when I stepped into the kitchen.
We kissed passionately for a few moments before hurrying up to our room.