Chapter Five

Ranger Headquarters The Following Morning

With morning coffee in front of her and Gage across from her Sydney sat one handed trying to plug her report into her computer. "Gee Syd I might have to lend you a hand on the reports," Gage couldn't resist teasing.

"That will be the day Gage," she laughed back glad to have the familiar banter back between them. Both chuckled Syd suddenly stopping as Sam made her way in the door of the office. Watching his wife Gage turned in his chair to see who she was looking at his eyes meeting Sam.

"Morning Gage, Sydney," she greeted the two rangers smiling her best at them.

"Morning Sam," Gage returned the greeting.

"So where do we stand on the case?" she asked focusing her attention on Gage ignoring Syd.

"The same place as we were yesterday, once everyone gets here we're going to regroup," Gage answered her.

"Hey Gage, ladies," Sumner called out to the three rangers.

"Sumner," they all replied to him.

"Gage think I could see you for a minute it's important," Sumner asked.

Eyeing his wife and Ranger Webb for a minute he looked back to Sumner, getting to his feet he said, "Sure Matt." Together the pair of them exited the office.

"Wonder what that's all about?" Sam spoke the question aloud.

Shrugging her shoulders Syd went back to her task at her computer.

"Aren't you just a little bit curious?" Sam asked Syd turning to lean on the edge of Gage's desk.

Without looking up from her computer screen Syd answered, "I'm sure that they will let us know if there is something we can help them with. Might just be family stuff Sumner quite often asks Gage for advice in that area."

Sam glared at Syd before agreeing with her turning she sullenly sauntered off to her desk

Inside Interrogation Room C

"Okay Matt what is it?" Gage questioned his young friend.

"I think you should take a look at this," Matt told him handing him a file.

"What is it?"

"Something Anna B pulled up for Syd."

Flipping open the file Gage began to scan it, "Sam's file," he said looking up to Sumner for the rest of the explanation.

"Have you looked at it?"

"Not really," Gage told him realizing that he had been so taken with her that he hadn't bothered to pull her file.

"There is a sealed file in it," Sumner continued.

"And Anna B unsealed it?" Gage questioned again flipping further into the printed pages until he found what Sumner was referring to.

Giving it a quick read his eyes darted up to Sumner's face again. "Has Syd seen this?" he bluntly asked.

"Anna B sent it over to the house earlier…" Sumner left the statement dangling.

Getting out his phone Gage quickly dialed his partner's number. "Hey Syd can you come to Interrogation C?" It was more of an order then a question.

"Be right there," she replied standing up at the same time as she hung up her phone, she could feel Sam's eyes boring into her as she left the room.

Stopping outside interrogation C Syd raised her hand momentarily to rap sharply on door before opening it to enter. "What's up?" she asked them.

"Matt let me have a word with Syd," Gage directed their friend.

"Sure Gage," Sumner agreed making a speedy exit out the door.

As it clicked quietly behind him Gage asked, "Any reason you had Anna B pull up and open Sam's sealed file?"

"First off I asked her to pull up her personnel jacket, I didn't know there was some secret file in it. Anna B just used her expertise to open the file on her own," Syd smiled.

"Just what did you think you were doing?"

Syd stood stock still incredulously looking at her husband. "What was I doing?" she sputtered out. "At the time I thought I was getting to know my enemy. I thought I was checking up on the newest member of this team because I wasn't given any prior information. Since my partner omitted to tell me he was a she I just wanted to see what else he had omitted telling me," she answered her eyes narrowing on him.

"Come on Syd…"

"No Gage you come on. I haven't done anything wrong here and you know it," she shot back. "Face it Gage, its you protecting Sam from me."

Gage's mouth opened and closed his face reddening while Syd's hands went to her hips. "Well Gage I'm waiting," she hissed out her foot beginning to tap.

It wasn't so much that Gage was defending Sam… it was well he just hadn't done his homework where she was concerned. He and Syd had always made a practice of knowing whom they were working with. She was right and the only thing he had to say to her was, "I'm sorry Syd."

"Yeah Gage well me too," she responded cutting him off again turning to go out the door.

"Ranger Cooke," Gage stopped her in her tracks.

"Pulling rank now Gage?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"If that's what it takes," he answered his eyes riveted tight to her.

She whirled around facing him again eyes blazing. Taking a deep breath he began, "Syd I apologize…"

"Save it Gage."

"Not this time Syd," Gage was just as short with her as she was with him. He took two steps towards her closing the gap between them. "Did you intend to share this information with me?"

"Gage I haven't even read it never mind decided what I was going to do with it, your little friend is safe for now," she spit out.

"Knock it off Syd," he barked back his own temper flaring.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Or… or… or," Gage stuttered out his hands suddenly on her arms grasping her tight pulling her hard against him, his lips on hers crushing them. With Syd struggling and fighting him Gage forced his tongue between her lips and into her mouth taking her into a passionate kiss. Before she knew it Syd's arms were going around his neck and she was returning the kiss.

"Francis," she mumbled her lips not leaving his as he crushed her with another kiss. "This isn't… fair," she managed to get out.

"Sydney," he leaned back slightly to catch her face, "I want to apologize to you. I'm ashamed to say that… I didn't pull her jacket, I hadn't seen her file, nor did I know about what her father did to her mother. I had no business trying to blame you for me not doing the check. Man why does this keep coming back to bite me?"

"I think it is a very suitable punishment," she retorted a pang of jealousy eating away at her.

The conversation was cut short by a loud rap on the door. Hastily they parted Gage calling, "yes," at the same time.

"You two interested in joining us to discuss this case?" Trivette asked from the other side of the door. "We've had another murder."

Breaking away from Gage Syd reached for the door pulling it wide. "What happened?" Syd questioned.

"Another dead girl," Trivette answered handing them each a file. The partners flipped them open while Jimmy continued to fill them in on the details. "He's gone back to blondes, she was a working girl, hands tied behind her back like before shot once before a silk scarf was tied tightly around her neck. Dumped like the others in front of a dumpster."

"Man she looks a lot like Sam," Gage commented looking at the picture in the file of the dead girl.

"And it has her rattled even though she is trying hard to hide it," Trivette replied.

Gage gave a sideways look at Syd, she was studying the picture of Patti Haden the dead prostitute. He could tell the case had her full attention, and knowing her like he did he could also tell she was seeing something about this case that the rest of them weren't seeing.

"What are you thinking Syd?"

"Nothing concrete yet," she answered looking up from the photo giving nothing away.

As Trivette headed towards Walker's office, where Sumner and Sam all ready were, Gage fell back to wait for Syd who had stopped to make a call to the CSI people.

"Rangers," Walker was calling to them just as Syd put down the phone.

"What did you find out?" Gage questioned as they walked into Walker's office the rest looking at the pair of them.

"That in each case the victim was disabled in some way mostly a gunshot wound all though not fatal. Then their hands were bound behind their back and a silk scarf was used to choke them to death. Afterwards the scarf was fancifully tied to make it look nice," she answered the rest still looking at her.

"Well it just makes me think that it isn't necessarily a man doing the killing. My best guess would be…"

"A man can tie a bow," Sam jumped in before Syd could finish hoping to kill the whole idea before it got off the ground.

"That is true some men can tie a bow but if you would let me finish," Sydney had cut back in. "Given the profession of the girls, the lack of physical struggle and the fact none of them were raped. I don't think that we can rule out that it may be a woman doing the attacking."

"You make a good point Sydney," Walker agreed. "Gage why don't you and Sydney work that angle while Sumner and Sam you check out the streets again."

"Keep on that green charger angle," Trivette spoke up, "I think there is still a connection."

"Was it mentioned by anyone in connection with this victim?" Gage questioned still not ready to give up on the green charger either."

"No but if Sumner and Sam dig hard enough…" Trivette left the sentence unfinished.

"All right people lets get to work," Walker ordered motioning for Gage and Trivette to hang back.

"Be with you in a sec," Gage told Syd watching her leave and go to her desk.

His attention was brought back to his boss with the door closing and Walker's words. "All right Gage what gives what is going on between Ranger Cooke and Ranger Webb.

Feeling both Walker and Trivette's eyes boring down on him Gage slowly turned around to face them. "I think Sam is just trying to prove that she's as good as Syd especially after Syd saving her from Jamieson last night," he hedged.

"That's all this is?" Walker asked just as his phone rang not giving Gage time to answer. "Walker," he barked into the phone his tone mellowing as he realized it was Alex. "All right I'm on my way up," he said hanging up to once again scrutinize Gage's face. "You make sure that nothing personal interferes with this investigation," he warned leaving Gage and Trivette in his office.

"Francis you haven't gone and done something stupid have you?" Trivette questioned his eyes still on his friend. "I mean you and Syd have been you and Syd forever. You got four kids…"

"I know Trivette, I know," Gage interrupted. "If I could just keep my big foot out of my mouth," he sighed his eyes focusing once again on his wife.

"Just don't do anything stupid buddy," Trivette cautioned.

"Believe me I'm trying hard to stay out of trouble here," Gage answered a slight smile coming to his lips.

The Conversation Inside Sumner's Truck

Samantha Webb had hardly spoken two words to Sumner since they had left the office. His phone suddenly rang and he quickly pulled it out to answer it happy for anything but this one sided conversation he had been having with Sam. "Sumner," he answered. "Oh hi Honey alls quiet what did you do with the twins?" he teased his wife. "Diapers anything else… okay I'll let you know if something comes up… love you too," he finished his call hanging up the phone at the same time.

"Anna B," he announced looking over to where Sam stared out the window seeming not to hear him. "She needs me to stop and pick up diapers," he continued thinking he could have said she needed a pack of coyotes and it wouldn't have made any difference.

"Can you pull over a minute Sumner," Sam suddenly said not giving a reason.

"Sure no problem," Sumner answered her pulling to the curb. Before anything else could be said Sam had hopped from the car and high tailed it into the drug store.

Sumner watched her until she had disappeared inside the door before getting out to follow. Cautiously opening the door he glanced around finding her back to him as she stood speaking into a payphone. Without being detected he moved down the first isle to come up the second one so he could hear what she was saying.

"I want it done tonight," she spat into the phone, "Our phantom serial killer has to disappear." She paused listening to the speaker on the other end before saying, "I said tonight I'm running this operation remember. "You grab her and take her to the usual spot and remember be careful she's a ranger and knows how to handle herself."

With that she slammed the phone down spinning so quickly that she came face to face with Sumner. "Since you came in here I just thought I'd pick up those diapers Anna B wanted," he quickly got out trying hard to cover his tracks.

"Good idea," Sam replied her eyes studying Sumner's face all the same.

Quickly Sumner reached for the biggest package of diapers he could find and headed towards the counter Sam standing beside him as he paid for his purchase. Together they walked from the store Sam getting in the truck waiting for Sumner to put the diapers under a tarp in back.

"Well that's one job done," Sumner chatted as he opened the door and began to slide into the seat only to face Sam gun drawn. "Hey what's up? What are you doing?" he rattled off the questions.

"Get in Sumner and do it now," her voice had become low and threatening as Matt Sumner slid behind the steering wheel. "It's not nice to listen in on other peoples conversations and now you are going to have to pay for it. We have a little stop to make."

TBC