Rosalind
This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole
ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a
court of law.
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no permission..no money, no sue, please?
"Get an ambulance here, now!" Andy shouted to the uniforms still fanning out.
"It's too late" Connie told him, bending next to the dead woman, "She's dead."
"Damn it!" John cursed, straddling the burly man's back and locking his wrists into the handcuffs.
"You can't prove it was me!" the man sneered into the carpet.
"Shut up, you!" Andy warned him before John pulled him to his feet and handed him off to the uniforms standing around to take him.
"Hey," the man resisted just a bit, "At least tell me who you are" They all knew better.
"Hey, Detective Clark!" another uniform called racing in from the hall and going directly to John.
"Clark, huh?" the man's black eyes glittered with the information, "Don't think you'll be hearin' the last from me!" John didn't think anything of his threat. Most of the perps they took in made some kind threat or plead and they'd all become used to ignoring them.
Carlos Renald was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in the first degree. The case was a circus, the convict was the brother of Torence Renald, a man the NYPD had been after for two years for a dozen murders and drug charges. Torence, it seemed, was a powerful man in the underworld though and he continued to escape their grasp. The media hounded the detectives that had brought the brother of such a man in, and John had told Grace to start screening all her calls, at work and at home.
"What's the matter with you?" Grace asked one night after they'd put Rosalind to bed.
"Ah, it's nothing" he smiled at her, hoping she'd drop it. But he knew the woman he'd married and he wasn't surprised when she didn't.
"If it was nothing you wouldn't be thinking about it" she said, brushing her lips across his. For a second they both forgot about what it was that was bothering John as he wrapped arms around her and kissed her hard.
"Mmmmm" she groaned low in her throat as she pulled away, "Cheater"
"It's just something a perp said when we took him in" John admitted. Grace furrowed her brow.
"What'd he say?"
"That I wouldn't be hearing the last of him" John told her, popping a beer. She frowned at him.
"Don't most of them say that?"
"Yeah, but....there was something about the way he said it" Grace drained the sink of her dirty dish water and ran her fingers through his hair. She had to reach up as far as she could to do it, but he appreciated the reassuring gesture. He bent his head and nuzzled her ear.
"I'm sure it's nothing" she told him breathlessly. He didn't bother to respond, putting his beer on the table and leading his wife to the back of the apartment.
The day the gavel fell, John had an odd feeling. Like something wasn't quite right with the world. He was sitting at his desk when his phone rang.
"Clark"
"I'm so glad you know who you are" a strange voice said. John frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"You know, we have something in common, you and I" The voice was definately a man's, it was deep and gruff, almost like he was trying to mask it. He spoke slowly and deliberately, dangerously.
"Who is this?" John demanded.
"I'm disappointed. The NYPD can't even anticipate that I might do something about my brother's unjustified incarceration?" John felt the blood draining from his face. He had a very bad feeling about this phone call.
"Torence Renald" It wasn't a question. The name got the attention of the whole squad and Andy snatched up his phone to listen in on the conversation.
"Very good, Detective Clark. My little brother tells me you weren't very amiable during his arrest" Renald continued sinisterly, "Tut tut. You didn't take his warning lightly, did you Detective? Oh, I think you did. Not a very good move. Life is a game of chess, Detective Clark" the sick man chuckled slightly, "And I've just caught your Queen. Your move" And then all of the sudden he hung up.
"He's got your queen?" Andy repeated, "What the hell does that mean?" John was staring off at nothing.
"Grace" he finally breathed and fired his fingers over his phone, dialing the number to his wife's office.
"Laney? Is Grace there?" he asked her secretary.
"No, she just left to pick Rosalind up" the woman on the other end told him.
"Does she have her cell phone with her?" he asked hurriedly, feeling like he was wasting time.
"I don't think so" Laney answered, "She was just going to come right back with Rosalind. But I expect she'll call from the school, she's probably forgotten all about her 4 o'clock. Why, is something wrong?"
"When she calls tell her to come down to the station immediately. And to bring Ros" John instructed her.
"Okay. Oh, that's her now. I'll tell her" Laney hung the phone up so she could talk to her boss.
"She okay?" Connie asked worriedly.
"She's picking Ros up" he told them, "She's gonna come down here"
"I'll tell the boss" Jones offered and knocked on the Lieutenant's door. They all waited impatiently as Grace made her way through the city traffic to the station. John was pacing by the time she got up the steps and rushed into the office.
"Grace!" He immediately enveloped her in a strong embrace, relishing the feel of her in his arms, letting out some of the pent up fear that had been residing in his chest. He planted a kiss on top of her hair and breathed in the smell of her perfume.
"Thank god" he whispered lowly, then glanced around, "Where's Ros?" He demanded.
"Her teacher said Maria had already picked her up" Grace told him.
"Maria wasn't supposed to pick her up today" John said, fear seeping back into his heart, "Was she sure it was Maria?"
"I didn't grill her John" Grace frowned, "What's going on?" He didn't have time to answer before the phone rang. He fumbled to bring the receiver to his ear, and then nearly dropped it when he heard the voice on the other end.
"Daddy?" His heart dropped into his stomach, which leapt into his throat.
"Ros?"
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no permission..no money, no sue, please?
"Get an ambulance here, now!" Andy shouted to the uniforms still fanning out.
"It's too late" Connie told him, bending next to the dead woman, "She's dead."
"Damn it!" John cursed, straddling the burly man's back and locking his wrists into the handcuffs.
"You can't prove it was me!" the man sneered into the carpet.
"Shut up, you!" Andy warned him before John pulled him to his feet and handed him off to the uniforms standing around to take him.
"Hey," the man resisted just a bit, "At least tell me who you are" They all knew better.
"Hey, Detective Clark!" another uniform called racing in from the hall and going directly to John.
"Clark, huh?" the man's black eyes glittered with the information, "Don't think you'll be hearin' the last from me!" John didn't think anything of his threat. Most of the perps they took in made some kind threat or plead and they'd all become used to ignoring them.
Carlos Renald was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in the first degree. The case was a circus, the convict was the brother of Torence Renald, a man the NYPD had been after for two years for a dozen murders and drug charges. Torence, it seemed, was a powerful man in the underworld though and he continued to escape their grasp. The media hounded the detectives that had brought the brother of such a man in, and John had told Grace to start screening all her calls, at work and at home.
"What's the matter with you?" Grace asked one night after they'd put Rosalind to bed.
"Ah, it's nothing" he smiled at her, hoping she'd drop it. But he knew the woman he'd married and he wasn't surprised when she didn't.
"If it was nothing you wouldn't be thinking about it" she said, brushing her lips across his. For a second they both forgot about what it was that was bothering John as he wrapped arms around her and kissed her hard.
"Mmmmm" she groaned low in her throat as she pulled away, "Cheater"
"It's just something a perp said when we took him in" John admitted. Grace furrowed her brow.
"What'd he say?"
"That I wouldn't be hearing the last of him" John told her, popping a beer. She frowned at him.
"Don't most of them say that?"
"Yeah, but....there was something about the way he said it" Grace drained the sink of her dirty dish water and ran her fingers through his hair. She had to reach up as far as she could to do it, but he appreciated the reassuring gesture. He bent his head and nuzzled her ear.
"I'm sure it's nothing" she told him breathlessly. He didn't bother to respond, putting his beer on the table and leading his wife to the back of the apartment.
The day the gavel fell, John had an odd feeling. Like something wasn't quite right with the world. He was sitting at his desk when his phone rang.
"Clark"
"I'm so glad you know who you are" a strange voice said. John frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"You know, we have something in common, you and I" The voice was definately a man's, it was deep and gruff, almost like he was trying to mask it. He spoke slowly and deliberately, dangerously.
"Who is this?" John demanded.
"I'm disappointed. The NYPD can't even anticipate that I might do something about my brother's unjustified incarceration?" John felt the blood draining from his face. He had a very bad feeling about this phone call.
"Torence Renald" It wasn't a question. The name got the attention of the whole squad and Andy snatched up his phone to listen in on the conversation.
"Very good, Detective Clark. My little brother tells me you weren't very amiable during his arrest" Renald continued sinisterly, "Tut tut. You didn't take his warning lightly, did you Detective? Oh, I think you did. Not a very good move. Life is a game of chess, Detective Clark" the sick man chuckled slightly, "And I've just caught your Queen. Your move" And then all of the sudden he hung up.
"He's got your queen?" Andy repeated, "What the hell does that mean?" John was staring off at nothing.
"Grace" he finally breathed and fired his fingers over his phone, dialing the number to his wife's office.
"Laney? Is Grace there?" he asked her secretary.
"No, she just left to pick Rosalind up" the woman on the other end told him.
"Does she have her cell phone with her?" he asked hurriedly, feeling like he was wasting time.
"I don't think so" Laney answered, "She was just going to come right back with Rosalind. But I expect she'll call from the school, she's probably forgotten all about her 4 o'clock. Why, is something wrong?"
"When she calls tell her to come down to the station immediately. And to bring Ros" John instructed her.
"Okay. Oh, that's her now. I'll tell her" Laney hung the phone up so she could talk to her boss.
"She okay?" Connie asked worriedly.
"She's picking Ros up" he told them, "She's gonna come down here"
"I'll tell the boss" Jones offered and knocked on the Lieutenant's door. They all waited impatiently as Grace made her way through the city traffic to the station. John was pacing by the time she got up the steps and rushed into the office.
"Grace!" He immediately enveloped her in a strong embrace, relishing the feel of her in his arms, letting out some of the pent up fear that had been residing in his chest. He planted a kiss on top of her hair and breathed in the smell of her perfume.
"Thank god" he whispered lowly, then glanced around, "Where's Ros?" He demanded.
"Her teacher said Maria had already picked her up" Grace told him.
"Maria wasn't supposed to pick her up today" John said, fear seeping back into his heart, "Was she sure it was Maria?"
"I didn't grill her John" Grace frowned, "What's going on?" He didn't have time to answer before the phone rang. He fumbled to bring the receiver to his ear, and then nearly dropped it when he heard the voice on the other end.
"Daddy?" His heart dropped into his stomach, which leapt into his throat.
"Ros?"