Beauty Can Be Deadly

Chapter 9

Steve walked into the auditorium and headed towards the judging area.  He waved a greeting to his two new found friends.  He was greeted with a wolf whistle by the retired dressmaker.  How did she do that without her teeth flying out?  he questioned himself.

"Well, well you certainly look mighty fine in one of those penguin suits, makes a girl wish she was 40 years younger, come on over here and sit real close," she instructed with a gleam in her eyes.

Steve felt his face flush at the same time as laughter erupted behind him.  Turning to look behind him he saw the amused faces of his father, Jesse and Amanda.  Oh great, can I ever be humiliated without witnesses.

Trying to salvage both the situation and his dignity, Steve decided to act as if nothing had happened.  "Good evening, how are you all tonight?" he asked.

Mark leaned in closely.  "Watch yourself, Son, I think she is even a little old for me," he said with a wink.

"Steve, be careful if you kiss her that her teeth don't fall out," Jesse advised with a smile.

"Well?" Steve directed at Amanda.  "Where's you little comment?"

Amanda looked at him serenely before replying.  "Steve, I don't have a little comment.  I was just thinking that she would be a very economical date because she is eligible for senior citizens discounts.  Just think of the money she could save you."

Steve had relaxed briefly as he heard the first part of her response.  As she had continued his face had once again flushed and in a behavior that had become common for him as of late he turned around and stomped off muttering to himself the entire way.  The only difference this time was his walk of shame was accompanied by gales of laughter.

Still laughing Jesse hurried after him.  "Steve, wait up."

Steve stopped his shoulders rigid.  "What now, Jesse?"

Jesse looked at him earnestly.  "Has the mystery lady or ladies identified herself yet?  If she doesn't do it soon her bribe attempts were worthless."

"Maybe she chickened out, Jesse.  I really don't know.  I just hope she's ……….," he slowly stopped speaking.

"Steve?" Jesse asked with a perplexed look.  When Steve continued to stare Jesse turned to look behind.  Coming towards them was a radiant vision in red.  The dress fit tightly and was low cut in the front.  It hugged her curves like a second skin.  He turned to look at Steve, and realized that the former had checked out.  He stood with his mouth hanging open and a glazed look in his eyes.  He stared at the vision as if he had never seen her before.  Jesse nudged him slightly.  "Close you mouth buddy, I don't think most women find it attractive to be able to see your tonsils."

Steve snapped his mouth shut and threw a glare Jesse's way.  He then went back to staring at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"You alright, Sloan?" asked Cheryl as she approached them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Steve stuttered.  "Why do you ask?"

"Well you look like you just took a punch to the stomach," Cheryl replied.

"I think the hit he took was a little lower," Jesse responded.

Cheryl frowned as she considered Jesse's answer.  As his meaning dawned on her she blushed brightly muttered an apology and walked away.

Steve felt like he was underwater.  Everything seemed distant.  What he did know was that the vision in red was walking away and that couldn't happen.  With a slight nod to Jesse he headed off after her.  "Cheryl, wait."

Cheryl heard him call her name but she couldn't bring herself to stop.  Jesse's comment had caught her off guard and she wasn't sure of her emotions right now.  The last thing she needed was to say something stupid.  She was saved from her dilemma by a page for the judges to report to the front of the stage.  She breathed a sigh of relief and chanced a glance over her shoulder.  He still stood there.  The look on his face was hard to identify.  For a brief moment she thought he was going to ignore the page and come after her then she saw his shoulders lift as he sighed and with one final look he turned and moved away.  She watched his broad shoulders as they moved through the crowd and then she moved to where Mark and Amanda where sitting.

The evening had progressed relatively smoothly and for that Steve was grateful.  No murders, no passes by any of the contestants and other than a brief awkward moment when the retired dressmaker had felt compelled to rub his thigh things had gone well.  He found his thoughts drawn repeatedly to the vision in red.  He hadn't known she was coming and seeing her dressed like that had affected him.  He had always found her attractive but not like this.  He reluctantly brought his mind back to the pageant.  They had all turned in their final decisions and were waiting for those results to be announced.  For the first time since he had let himself get talked in to this, he felt himself relax.  He worked tomorrow and then he had the Sunday off.  A little surf, a little sand and he knew he would feel better.  He needed the quiet time to resolve his doubts about the case and to delve into his very unpartner like feelings for Cheryl.  He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost missed the announcement of the winner.  He applauded with the others as Katelyn Edwards made her way to the front of the stage to receive her crown and flowers.  His eyes strayed to the first runner up, whom Steve found watching him intently.  It was Margie Sullivan's roommate and Steve found her gaze a bit uncomfortable.  He broke the eye contact and moved with the other judges towards the stage to congratulate the winner.  With his official duties completed, he scanned the crowd for a familiar white head.  He spotted him amongst a group of the contestants doing what he did best.  They were all laughing and enjoying his father's company.  Not for the first time in his life Steve felt blessed to have this man as his father and his friend.  As he stood watching his father work his magic, he was unaware of the woman who had moved to stand closely beside him.  He became aware of her when a small hand tapped him gently on the arm.  He turned and looked down into a pair of deep green eyes.  "Hi, can I help you?" he asked.

Savannah Aldridge looked at him demurely.  "Lt. Sloan, I wanted to tell you that if I had realized what Margie was doing, I would have contacted you."

"I'm sure you would have, Ma'am," Steve responded.

"Thanks, I appreciate that and please call me Sa…."  She never got to complete her introduction as a squealing Katelyn Edwards launched herself at Steve. 

"You're the only judge I haven't properly thanked yet," she informed him while showering kisses all over his face.  "You don't know how happy you made me."

Steve hooked his hands under her arms and gently moved her away from him.  "You're very welcome, Ms Edwards, and you don't have to thank me.  You won this pageant based on your performance in all the competitions.  I think you are a wonderful representative for this pageant's first year."

Katelyn Edwards blushed shyly.  "Thank you for the kind words.  When I found out one of the prizes was a fully paid round trip to Hawaii for two I wanted to win so badly.  My mother is terminally ill and she has always wanted to go.  Now I can take her."

Steve felt tightness in his throat and had to blink away the surprising wetness in his eyes.  Her comments only reinforced the reasons he had choose her.  She was the only contestant that has shown any real grief over the death of her fellow contestants and as he had watched her interact with the elderly judges he had sensed that she was a woman capable of a great deal of compassion.  She had been the best in the talent competition, had been modestly attired in the swimsuit portion and had worn an evening gown that accentuated her figure without displaying too much skin.  Her answer to the final question had sealed Steve's decision.    Everything that he had dealt with to judge this pageant suddenly became worth it.  He reached down to gently pull her into a hug.  "You deserved this, you outshone your competition.  I hope you and your mother have a wonderful time."

She gratefully accepted his hug and then with one last blinding smile she turned and walked away.  Steve looked around to finish his conversation with Margie Sullivan's roommate only to find that she was gone.  He shrugged slightly before moving over to join his father, Amanda and Jesse.  He was disappointed when he failed to see Cheryl with them.  "Where's Cheryl, he asked.

Mark looked at him keenly.  "She said she had to be in early in the morning."

"She did?  Did she say why?" Steve asked.

No, Son, she didn't.  Are you ready to go home," Mark inquired.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm more than ready," Steve replied heavily.

~~****~~

Steve woke to an annoying sound.  He reached over and slapped his alarm clock but the sound persisted.  His groggy mind cleared a little and he realized it was his pager.  He turned the light on and blinked trying to get his eyes to focus on the number that was being displayed.  Recognizing the number to Cheryl's cell phone he rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed.  He fumbled with the phone and dialed the number.  "What's up?" he asked when she answered.

 "Sorry to wake you up, I know you need your beauty sleep," she replied.  "I've got some bad news, Katelyn Edwards was hit by a car about an hour ago.  The last report I got she was still alive.  They took her to Community General.  The Captain wants us involved because the eyewitness accounts indicate it was a deliberate act."

Steve didn't respond immediately.  His mind had flashed back to his conversation with her.  "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm on my way to the scene.  Apparently she had a celebratory dinner with family and friends at Fleming's.  She was hit as they exited the restaurant."

"I'll be there in about 30 minutes.  Cheryl, she's a really nice girl.  I hate this."

"I know, Steve, but we make a great team.  We'll catch whoever did this.  I'll see you shortly.  Drive carefully."

Steve wondered at the reaction in his stomach when she had said they made a great team.  He shrugged it off and shuffled into the closet to grab a pair of jeans and a shirt.

~~****~~

As Steve arrived on the scene, he wasn't surprised to find the television crews there.  With the other murders, and now the hit and run of the pageant winner, it had all the ingredients of a lead story.  He stopped the car, got out, and scanned the area for the lithe figure of his partner.  He found her near the front of the restaurant talking to a group of people.  He made his way through the throng of reporters and under the crime scene tape to join her.

She smiled a greeting.  "Hey, Steve, folks this is my partner, Lt. Steve Sloan.  Steve, this is the Johansen family.  They were here for a birthday celebration and their group was leaving at the same time as the Edwards family.  Jason here," she said pointing to a tall lanky young man in the group, "was the first to notice the car sitting down by the dumpster.  As the Edwards group moved out of the restaurant, Katelyn was walking near the back with her mother.  As they moved out into the parking lot, the car accelerated and Katelyn must have become aware of the danger because she pushed her mother out of the way and was hit by the car.  Jason said the car never slowed.  A couple of the busboys who were out back smoking at the time also noticed the car sitting with its motor running.  They assumed it was someone here to pick up one of their co-workers because it was close to closing time."

"Did anybody get anything on the car?" inquired Steve.

Cheryl shook her head no.  "Not much, it was moving pretty fast and Jason said he's not sure if it even had a license plate.  It was a small car and it was a dark color he thinks maybe blue."

"We can get some detectives to start calling body shops in the morning and get the word out that we are looking for a car with front end damage and hood damage," Steve added.

"It probably has a cracked or broken windshield as well," Cheryl responded.

"Have we got everything we can get from here?" Steve asked.

"I think so.  By the time I got here the other officers had already taken everyone's statements, I just had some follow-up questions."

Steve stood and considered their options before proceeding. "Let's head over to the hospital and see how she is doing.  Do you want to leave your car and ride with me?"

"Uh, no I'll just take my car.  We may need to split up," she responded with an uncomfortable smile on her face.

~~****~~

As they walked into the hospital Steve wished that he would find his father or Jesse there but he knew they were both home in bed.  He moved to the nurse's station to find out Katelyn Edwards condition.  The nurse behind the desk recognized Steve and smiled warmly.  Steve offered a return smile.  "Hi, we are looking for a hit and run victim named Katelyn Edwards.  She would have been brought in over an hour ago."

The nurse looked down at the recent admissions.  "It looks like Dr. Holloway treated her.  He sent her up to surgery.  Do you want to talk to him?" the nurse offered.

"If he has time, we would certainly appreciate it.  Is her family in the waiting room?" Steve asked.

"They're in the surgery waiting area up on the 3rd floor.  Do you want me to have Dr. Holloway meet you up there?" the nurse asked.

"No, we'll come back down here.  I don't want to talk to him in front of them," Steve answered.  "Give us about 10 minutes with the family then we will be back down."

~~****~~

Steve and Cheryl paused as they neared the waiting area.  They shared a glance, then moved forward into the room.  They approached the older couple sitting on the couch.  "Mr. and Mrs. Edwards?" Steve inquired. 

"Yes," Mr. Edwards answered.

"I'm Lt. Steve Sloan and this," he said gesturing towards Cheryl "is Detective Cheryl Banks.  We are investigating what happened to your daughter."

Mrs. Edwards looked up.  "You were at the pageant."

"Yes Ma'am, I was.  I was one of the judges.  Your daughter is a very deserving winner."

"She pushed me out of the way," her mother stated flatly.  "I'm dying you know and she thought of me before herself.  Why did she do that?" Mrs. Edwards asked.

"She talked with me after the pageant, Mrs. Edwards.  She was so happy that she was going to be able to take you to Hawaii.  It was obvious to me how much she loves you.  She pushed you out of the way because of that love," Steve responded.

A brief smile with little joy crossed Mrs. Edwards face.  "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"We may need to talk with you all tomorrow.  Would you be ok with that?" Cheryl inquired.

Mr. Edwards smiled a tired smile.  "That would be fine.  We won't be leaving here until Katelyn is out of danger and we want whoever did this caught."

"Thank you," Steve responded.

~~****~~

Cheryl and Steve found Dr. Holloway in the doctors' lounge.  "Dr. Holloway," Steve greeted.  "This is my partner Cheryl Banks."

"Nice to meet you, Cheryl.  What can I do for the two of you?" asked Dr. Holloway.

"We are investigating the hit and run of Katelyn Edwards," Cheryl answered.

"Oh, she was pretty banged up.  Her left arm and leg were broken.  Her spleen was ruptured and I suspect she had kidney and liver damage as well.  She has a chance but if she makes it she is facing a long road of recovery."

"I hate to hear that," Steve replied.  "Will you have the nurses keep us updated on her condition?"

"Sure, leave your numbers with the nurse at the desk and we'll give you a call when she gets out of surgery," Dr. Holloway responded.

"Thanks, we appreciate that," Cheryl stated.

~~****~~

Cheryl rested her head on her crossed arms on her desk.  She was so tired.  They had been reviewing everything on the murders and the surviving contestants.  Steve had stepped away to take a call from the hospital.  She hoped it was a good update on Katelyn Harris.  It was 6am they had left the hospital at around 2am.  The fact that they had not had a call indicating that Katelyn was out of surgery had troubled them.

She looked up as Steve walked back in.  "She made it out of surgery.  She's still critical, but they aren't giving up on her."

Cheryl smiled.  "That's good news, how about we take a break for some breakfast?"

"If you had suggested it before the phone call I would have had to say no, but now I am a little hungry," Steve responded with a smile.  The smile was as much about spending time with Cheryl as it was about breakfast.

~~****~~

Steve was exhausted.  It was close to 6pm and he and Cheryl were still at the precinct.  The captain had reopened the case and they had spent the entire day reviewing all the information they had collected.  They had expanded their search to try and find out if any of the women had been in pageants together in the past.  Maybe a fifth individual was taking revenge on fellow contestants who had beaten her in the past.  They had found no pattern to support that theory.  He looked over to Cheryl and could see the tiredness in her eyes.  As he looked at her, her clothes morphed into the red dress of the previous evening.  He shook his head to clear the visual memory.  "You want to go for some dinner?" he asked.  "I would kind of like to talk about last night."

Cheryl turned wary eyes on him.  "What about last night?"

"You know the whole dress thing," was his less than eloquent response.

"The whole dress thing?" Cheryl responded.  "Steve what are you talking about?"

"Just that you looked great and I had never really thought of you in that way," was his less than diplomatic response.

"You never thought of me in what way?  As a woman?" Cheryl questioned.

"No, I know you're a woman.  I was talking about how good you looked you don't always look that way," was his clumsy response.

Cheryl smile contained no warmth.  "How do I normally look Sloan?"

Steve realized he was failing miserably.  "Well, when you wear your work clothes you look like a cop…my partner."  He smiled hopefully.  The look on Cheryl's face told him he had messed up further.  Well, I hope you like the taste of rubber Sloan, cause, you are chewing on a big old size 11 right now.

"Steve, I think you had better stop before you dig this hole any deeper.  As for dinner, I'm tired and just want to go home.  Enjoy your Sunday off, and I'll see you on Monday," she responded tiredly.

"Ok, I'll just grab something at Bob's on the way home.  Cheryl, I'm sorry I didn't mean to insult you, I just have a hard time saying what I mean," Steve explained with a hopeful smile.

As she looked at him Cheryl softened.  He more resembled a dejected child that an adult man.  If he used that look on his mother he probably never got in trouble.  "It's ok Steve.  I've been around you long enough to know that English must be your second language.  What your first is I've never been able to figure out.  Don't worry about it, we're fine," she finished with a warm smile.

Steve flashed her, a grateful smile.  "Thanks Cheryl.  I would never have been able to enjoy my day off if I thought I had hurt you."

"I know so, forget about it.  Go get something to eat and I'll see you Monday," she encouraged him.

Finally comfortable that she really wasn't mad Steve grabbed his jacket and threw one last look over his shoulder and smiled at her as he left the squad room.

He never realized that he left his partner dealing with butterflies in her stomach as a result of that smile.

~~****~~

"Damn!" Steve muttered as he hit the steering wheel with his hand.  "I'm hungry and I'm tired.  I do not need a flat tire."  He opened the door and moved to the back of his car to open the trunk.  He had just inserted the key in the lock when he felt hands grab him and something was pressed against his mouth.  He struggled briefly before he began to feel lighted headed and lost the battle to stay conscious.