They walked into the office, grabbed some coffee and Sara sat at her desk,
trying to sorting through the case files that littered it. Sara settled in
to the disorder, submerging herself in the daily disorder, trying to figure
out where she was but her thoughts kept turning to this weekend and Ian.
After looking for the same file for about ten minutes, she finally turned
to her partner. "Damn, Danny have you seen the Sullivan file?"
"Yeah, I already sent it down. Get with the game. That new boyfriend's got you distracted this morning."
You have no idea. Sara thought to herself. Although "Boyfriend" is hardly a word I would use to describe Ian Nottingham.
Jake McCarty stuck his head in the office door, bringing the conversation to a halt. "Pez, Danny, Captain wants to see you in his office, Pronto."
"Yeah, what's up?" Sara asked curiously.
"No clue, but I'd hustle," Jake said as he disappeared pulling the door closed after him. Sara shrugged at Danny as they rose and headed for Captain Siri's office. Sara knocked and they went in. The Captain was not alone, sitting with him was a middle aged man in a suit, looking a bit slick for Sara's comfort. Politician, her mind immediately labeled him.
"You wanted to see us, Captain?"
"Yes, Mr. Merano, these are Detectives Pezzini and Woo, they are handling the Vorschlag murder case. Mr. Merano is with the commissioners office." The gentleman nodded at them but made no move to get up or offer a hand.
"What is the status of the case? There is some concern downtown about the possible political implications of any case connected with Mr. Irons and Vorschlag."
"We are still investigating. We have tried to interview Mr. Irons but he has been unavailable. Other than that we are trying to trace the victims whereabouts just prior to their deaths. We know that they attended a meeting at the Irons mansion, which Mr. Irons also attended, apparently fairly routine, but we can't place them after that." Sara's voice remained calm but inside she was shaken. She had hoped this would get buried in the avalanche of work on her desk. The last thing she needed was some politico looking to make brownie points by poking into things too closely.
"Well you had best get busy then. The Commissioners office wants this thing solved and solved quickly. Especially now that Irons has not been seen. People are going to wonder if we are covering something up."
"You don't really believe that Irons is involved do you?" Sara blurted out.
"No, of course not," Merano said testily. "But eventually, he and the directors of his company are going to want answers. And I don't want to be the one explaining to the owner of VCN why we have not put away the killer. Do you?" he asked.
I don't have to, Sara thought a bit angrily. Sara gave him a look that was usually reserved for the lowest of street scum. "We try to close all of our cases around here, regardless of who is involved," she said coldly. Danny put a warning hand on her arm.
"Then I suggest you get busy, Detectives," he spat out the last word with scorn. Sara opened her mouth but Danny broke in.
"Then if you will excuse us, we will get back to it. Captain, anything else?" Captain Siri shook his head in the negative and motioned dismissal, knowing that getting Sara out of there as fast as possible was the most important thing he could do at that moment. She had always had a temper and she, like her father before her, had no patience for political players.
Danny practically dragged Sara out the door and out of the precinct before she blew. "God damn it, who does that guy think he is," Sara said as she kicked a convenient garbage can. Her anger was giving her an excuse, something to hide her frustration and growing fear. How on earth was she going to manage this? She needed to see Ian, warn him as soon as possible. There was a very fine line here and she had to walk it like a seasoned tightrope walker. Damn, she thought as she gave the trashcan another undeserved kick.
"Calm down, Sara. He is right about one thing. We really haven't been giving this case much attention,"
"Danny, we have a pile of open cases in the office. What makes this one more important than any of the others?" She let him catch up to her as she walked aimlessly across the parking lot, wondering how she was going to tell this to Ian. Not to mention what they were going to do.
"Because we have this guy on our backs?" Danny said. "Seriously Sara you haven't been paying attention to the Vorschlag case since we had that argument out at Irons'. It's almost like you don't care about it. The guy who did this could still be out there. Unless you know something, that you aren't telling me about?" Danny said, looking at her with concern. She met his gaze with one of her own. She wanted to tell him the truth, explain everything to him, after all he was her partner. But how do you explain murder, sentient jewelry and Ian. It was not like it made a lot of sense to her, and she was living it.
"No," she told him tiredly. "I guess I've just been a little off my game. Listen, I have a contact, a friend that works at Vorschlag. I should go see him, maybe find out something."
"Ok, I'll drive," Danny said as they walked to the car. "Where to?" Sara thought about it, Ian had mentioned that he was going to the office. She just hoped that he was in and not too busy.
"Vorschlag building."
"Oh? Big time then. How come I've never heard of him?" Danny asked. Sara shook her head, what was it with his sudden interest in every aspect of her life.
"Hey, I don't know all of your snitches either. Besides, he is not all that high up. He works in the security section," she told him, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back for the little white lie. "Listen Danny, maybe you should stay in the car. He's a little cagey, we both show up and he may mot talk at all."
Danny agreed reluctantly but only after circling the building twice trying to find a place to park. Sara jumped out and headed for the door.
In an unmarked car parked across the street the man watching the building picked up a cell phone, dialed a number and waited.
"Sir, guess who just went into the building?"
"Who?" asked the impatient voice at the other end.
"Pezzini, you want me to do anything?"
"Find out where she is going and who she sees."
The nondescript man put up the phone and headed for the building.
Sara focused a moment and reached out to Ian. It occurred to her once again how useful this was and how much she really needed to have serious talk with Ian about it. Yeah, she thought, when we have three or four seconds between disasters and emotional crises, homicides, oh and trying to build a relationship or something like it.
Ian, sorting through the papers on his father's desk heard her and reached out for her to find her on her way in the door. "Leave me," he growled to the assistant hovering in the background. "And have Detective Pezzini shown straight to me when she arrives." he told her. In her mind, Sara saw the elevator and some kind of sensor lock that struck a memory that she could not quite place. She shook her head for a moment trying to figure out how he did that and adding it to the list of things they needed to talk about. The assistant hurried out, glad to be away, Ian Nottingham had always made him nervous.
Sara walked past the desk, with a flash of her badge and made her way to a smaller elevator, behind the public banks. Looking around to be sure no one saw her, she placed the red stone of the Witchblade against the sensor. The elevator opened and she stepped in for the express ride to the top floor. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to figure out what to do when she got there.
The nondescript man peered through the glass of the building and saw Det. Pezzini wave her way past the guards, and go to the private elevator. He looked around and saw it slide open and her step in. He had been watching long enough to know where it went. He took out his phone and hit the redial button, speaking quickly. "Sir, I think we may have a problem."
"Yeah, I already sent it down. Get with the game. That new boyfriend's got you distracted this morning."
You have no idea. Sara thought to herself. Although "Boyfriend" is hardly a word I would use to describe Ian Nottingham.
Jake McCarty stuck his head in the office door, bringing the conversation to a halt. "Pez, Danny, Captain wants to see you in his office, Pronto."
"Yeah, what's up?" Sara asked curiously.
"No clue, but I'd hustle," Jake said as he disappeared pulling the door closed after him. Sara shrugged at Danny as they rose and headed for Captain Siri's office. Sara knocked and they went in. The Captain was not alone, sitting with him was a middle aged man in a suit, looking a bit slick for Sara's comfort. Politician, her mind immediately labeled him.
"You wanted to see us, Captain?"
"Yes, Mr. Merano, these are Detectives Pezzini and Woo, they are handling the Vorschlag murder case. Mr. Merano is with the commissioners office." The gentleman nodded at them but made no move to get up or offer a hand.
"What is the status of the case? There is some concern downtown about the possible political implications of any case connected with Mr. Irons and Vorschlag."
"We are still investigating. We have tried to interview Mr. Irons but he has been unavailable. Other than that we are trying to trace the victims whereabouts just prior to their deaths. We know that they attended a meeting at the Irons mansion, which Mr. Irons also attended, apparently fairly routine, but we can't place them after that." Sara's voice remained calm but inside she was shaken. She had hoped this would get buried in the avalanche of work on her desk. The last thing she needed was some politico looking to make brownie points by poking into things too closely.
"Well you had best get busy then. The Commissioners office wants this thing solved and solved quickly. Especially now that Irons has not been seen. People are going to wonder if we are covering something up."
"You don't really believe that Irons is involved do you?" Sara blurted out.
"No, of course not," Merano said testily. "But eventually, he and the directors of his company are going to want answers. And I don't want to be the one explaining to the owner of VCN why we have not put away the killer. Do you?" he asked.
I don't have to, Sara thought a bit angrily. Sara gave him a look that was usually reserved for the lowest of street scum. "We try to close all of our cases around here, regardless of who is involved," she said coldly. Danny put a warning hand on her arm.
"Then I suggest you get busy, Detectives," he spat out the last word with scorn. Sara opened her mouth but Danny broke in.
"Then if you will excuse us, we will get back to it. Captain, anything else?" Captain Siri shook his head in the negative and motioned dismissal, knowing that getting Sara out of there as fast as possible was the most important thing he could do at that moment. She had always had a temper and she, like her father before her, had no patience for political players.
Danny practically dragged Sara out the door and out of the precinct before she blew. "God damn it, who does that guy think he is," Sara said as she kicked a convenient garbage can. Her anger was giving her an excuse, something to hide her frustration and growing fear. How on earth was she going to manage this? She needed to see Ian, warn him as soon as possible. There was a very fine line here and she had to walk it like a seasoned tightrope walker. Damn, she thought as she gave the trashcan another undeserved kick.
"Calm down, Sara. He is right about one thing. We really haven't been giving this case much attention,"
"Danny, we have a pile of open cases in the office. What makes this one more important than any of the others?" She let him catch up to her as she walked aimlessly across the parking lot, wondering how she was going to tell this to Ian. Not to mention what they were going to do.
"Because we have this guy on our backs?" Danny said. "Seriously Sara you haven't been paying attention to the Vorschlag case since we had that argument out at Irons'. It's almost like you don't care about it. The guy who did this could still be out there. Unless you know something, that you aren't telling me about?" Danny said, looking at her with concern. She met his gaze with one of her own. She wanted to tell him the truth, explain everything to him, after all he was her partner. But how do you explain murder, sentient jewelry and Ian. It was not like it made a lot of sense to her, and she was living it.
"No," she told him tiredly. "I guess I've just been a little off my game. Listen, I have a contact, a friend that works at Vorschlag. I should go see him, maybe find out something."
"Ok, I'll drive," Danny said as they walked to the car. "Where to?" Sara thought about it, Ian had mentioned that he was going to the office. She just hoped that he was in and not too busy.
"Vorschlag building."
"Oh? Big time then. How come I've never heard of him?" Danny asked. Sara shook her head, what was it with his sudden interest in every aspect of her life.
"Hey, I don't know all of your snitches either. Besides, he is not all that high up. He works in the security section," she told him, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back for the little white lie. "Listen Danny, maybe you should stay in the car. He's a little cagey, we both show up and he may mot talk at all."
Danny agreed reluctantly but only after circling the building twice trying to find a place to park. Sara jumped out and headed for the door.
In an unmarked car parked across the street the man watching the building picked up a cell phone, dialed a number and waited.
"Sir, guess who just went into the building?"
"Who?" asked the impatient voice at the other end.
"Pezzini, you want me to do anything?"
"Find out where she is going and who she sees."
The nondescript man put up the phone and headed for the building.
Sara focused a moment and reached out to Ian. It occurred to her once again how useful this was and how much she really needed to have serious talk with Ian about it. Yeah, she thought, when we have three or four seconds between disasters and emotional crises, homicides, oh and trying to build a relationship or something like it.
Ian, sorting through the papers on his father's desk heard her and reached out for her to find her on her way in the door. "Leave me," he growled to the assistant hovering in the background. "And have Detective Pezzini shown straight to me when she arrives." he told her. In her mind, Sara saw the elevator and some kind of sensor lock that struck a memory that she could not quite place. She shook her head for a moment trying to figure out how he did that and adding it to the list of things they needed to talk about. The assistant hurried out, glad to be away, Ian Nottingham had always made him nervous.
Sara walked past the desk, with a flash of her badge and made her way to a smaller elevator, behind the public banks. Looking around to be sure no one saw her, she placed the red stone of the Witchblade against the sensor. The elevator opened and she stepped in for the express ride to the top floor. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to figure out what to do when she got there.
The nondescript man peered through the glass of the building and saw Det. Pezzini wave her way past the guards, and go to the private elevator. He looked around and saw it slide open and her step in. He had been watching long enough to know where it went. He took out his phone and hit the redial button, speaking quickly. "Sir, I think we may have a problem."