6
"Sweet bike Townsend." Angela whistled low as he handed off her cup of coffee. He nodded with excitement.
"I know, isn't it? Got it in New Jersey." She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"New Jersey?"
"Yeah, what's wrong love?" he inquired
"Nothing at all, just didn't quite picture you as the New Jersey type." He chuckled, running a hand threw his hair.
"Well I had to travel for her, but it was worth it... ladies love it." Just as those words left his lips a large truck came barreling down the road, send a slew of slushy snow into Nigel.
Angela stifled a laugh, "Ladies love this huh?" she couldn't help herself, she let out a breathless giggle. She wasn't sure why she was attracted to Nigel, maybe he had the dark mysteriousness and yet he was so total open and fun. He reminded her of Kyle, her poet. She swallowed hard.
"Yeah, ladies love this." He smiled sheepishly, his hair hung in wet clumps, she smiled.
"I have a towel at my place." She said suggestively, he raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to come up?" she whispered, not sure if she was doing the right thing. He looked nervous but nodded.
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Woody trudged up the stairs, this wasn't a good day. The elevator was broken, so it seemed hundreds of people were left to march up the seemingly endless stairwell. And the day didn't improve when he saw Angela, Chief Smith and DA Walcott waiting for him at his desk. He took a deep breath before entering the "snake pit."
"Alright, what did I do now?" he demanded, Angela noted the dark circles under his eyes, and the fact that he was wearing the same shirt as the night before.
The police chief spoke up first. "Nothing Hoyt, now please sit down."
"We understand that your taking care of the witness, Mackenzie Logan?" DA Walcott chimed in her usual cheerless way.
"Yeah, she's staying at my apartment, she had no where else to go." He said defensively.
"We need her Detective, she is the only witness in this case, the press is badgering us for a suspect and the only one that we have has seemed to drop of the face of the earth... Detective Hoyt, we need to question her as soon as possible... while this is fresh in her memory." Woody had never heard Rene Walcott trying to be so nice to him before, usually she didn't speak to him, and when she did she was calling him incompetent. He leaned forward.
"I can't believe you're asking me this... no way, hasn't she gone threw enough trauma, she's already having nightmares almost every night, I'm not going to have her relive it for a bunch of strangers... and so what if she did, what happens when we find the guy, you going to make her testify in court... NO WAY." DA Walcott's face suddenly turned livid red, Woody quickly added, "Ma'am," To his firm decline.
"Listen Detective, I have spent hours reviewing this case, we have nothing... not a hair, not a fingerprint... not so much as a fiber of evidence, all we have is that little girl and we will get her statement, with or without your consent, because, Detective Hoyt, you are not her legal guardian." Woody smiled coldly.
"Not yet." He shot back, standing, looking into Chief Smiths eyes. "Can I go now?" The Police Chief shrugged his shoulders carelessly.
As Woody barreled down the hallway, he felt a hand on his shoulder, he whirled around defensively, ready to take a swing at anyone. When he saw it was Angela, he breathed out.
"Easy there champ." She joked. They stood there for an awkward second. "I think you should let them talk to her Woody, maybe she'll remember something." He shook his head.
"She doesn't remember anything... we've gone threw it, all of it. The last thing she remembers is getting out of a black car."
Angela looked at him with wide eyes. "Just let them talk to her.... It might help." He nodded slowly.
"Alright." He said with a resigning sigh.
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Woody looked on as DA Walcott and Annie Capra interviewed Mac. He only let them near her after they promise twenty times to be gentle, and if she wanted to stop to let her stop. He didn't look up when he heard the door open.
"Surprising how easily it comes huh." Angela whispered knowingly.
"What?" he asked not taking his eyes off of Mac.
" The worrying...listen Woody, I wanted to apologize..." he cut Angela off.
"Don't you dare." He whispered. "I need to apologize.... I acted like an ass, I shouldn't have said that... I was just frustrated you know." He stated, he heard the door open, Jordan was looking at them both warily. He hated that look in her eyes, he wanted to take it away, turn back time.
"I never should have said that about Annie... and I am sorry." She turned to stare out at the two way mirror. "You know, someone told me that in the end, friends may come and go... but family endures, and Woody like it or not, you're my family." He was silent for a long moment, before he turned and looked at Angela.
"I don't believe that... In the end, nothing endures Angie, not family, not love... not even death." She nodded her head slowly and patted his arm.
"Maybe your right Woody, maybe your right."
"Maybe." He said in a happier tone. "What are you talking about I am right woman." He joked cockily. His smile diminished when he saw Jordan, who had been silent all this time. He walked up to her, remaining a safe distance away from her.
"I owe you an apology... Jordan, I am so sorry, I should have never spoken to you like that." He scooted a bit closer to her as Angela softly walked out.
She nodded her head in agreement. "You were a ass, and I do deserve an apology." She stated self-righteously.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, running his hands down her arms. She sighed in a world weary type of way.
"Alright... your forgiven if you by me lunch... not at that greek place we had last week... terrible food."
"Deal!" he said excitedly.
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"Why do I have to wear a dress?" Mackenzie complained, walking out of the bathroom in her purple dress. Woody laughed when he saw the curl in her lip.
"Because its my brothers wedding! And my Aunt has to meet you... and my Aunt is the antichrist." He stated as he tied his tie. "Now, let me have a look at you." He asked as she turned around slowly. Angela had spent the better part of the morning with Mackenzie's hair. Half was clipped back, with curly wisps framing her face. She flopped down on the easy chair in the corner of the room. Only then did he notice she was still wearing her sneakers.
"What happened to the new shoes I bought you?" he stipulated
"There in the living room." She said with a groan.
"Well put them on... Angela and Nigel are gonna be here any minute."
"No, I hate them."
"Well then why did you have me buy them for you?" he asked
"You told me to pick out some dress shoes so I did." She countered.
"Go put them on."
"Yes sir!" she said mockingly. He looked at her surprised.
"I have got to stop letting you hang out with Jordan." He said as she walked out of the room.
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"So this is the Hoyt family!" Nigel said as they entered the church. After several hours of arguing with Cal, Woody had a seat at the wedding. Cal hadn't wanted him at the wedding because "Work was all Woody thought about." Woody agreed his cell phone would stay off, but unknown to Cal, Woody had his pager on him.
"I know, sad isn't it... since Cal moved to Boston it seems the Hoyts are everywhere, I don't even know half are family members." Woody said with a frown.
"Here comes the devil herself." Angela whispered as Woody's mother walked up to them. She was dressed in her horrid bridesmaid dress of seafoam green.
"So this is the infamous Mackenzie." She said, leaning down to look at Mac with judgemental eyes.
"Is that Woody's Mum?" Nigel whispered into Angela's ear.
"No she's his aunt Sarah... she's either that, or the precursor to the second coming." She whispered.
"Angela," Woody's aunt said condescendingly. "How are you?"
"Good Mrs. S. how are you?" Angela stated coldly.
"Oh... I'm as good as can be expected."
"I bet Woody could use a drink." Angela suggested in a flat tone as Woody turned to face her.
Woody could indeed." He said pleadingly.
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Cal and Shelby stood at the alter, Shelby was dressed in a beautiful white strapless gown, her white/blonde hair covered in a simple veil. Cal and Shelby were just about to say there vows... when it happened.
Woody's pager went off.
Angela groaned from the other side of the alter. Woody smiled sheepishly, even as Nigel and Mac, who were sitting together in a back pew, shrugged there shoulders.
9-1-1
"Sorry." He said as he grabbed Mac from the crowd and ran down the steps and out the door. He knew it was Jordan, but he had to go to her. He could hear his aunt complaining even as he drove away.
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"Okay...I'm here what!" he demanded as he entered Jordan's office, out of breath, dressed in his tux, his tie loosened around his neck.
"Gee Farm Boy, no need to get all dressed up... I have something really important to tell you... but first can you hand me that book." She asked, pointing to a thick white textbook on the top shelf.
"Sure." He said handing it down to her effortlessly.
"Okay, I wanted to tell you that we found a hair on Katrina Norman's body ... but it was hers." Woody looked down, fire growing in his face. Jordan backed up slowly.
"You had to call me out of a wedding for THAT!!!!" he demanded.
"You were in a wedding, why did you come!" she retorted
"Because you told me it was an emergency!!!"
"Bug and Nigel are always happy to do this type of stuff for me." She replied with vigor.
"But I don't live in the palace and serve the evil queen!" Woody shouted back. Rubbing his neck tiredly. "Please Jordan; tell me, what is an emergency."
She sighed. "Death, FEDS, process servers, lots of blood." She recited from memory.
"Very good..." he was about to sit down when Lily entered, her face white.
"Woody, I've been looking for you every where... I think you should come with me... its about Mac and her nightmares, you ran out on me kinda quick and we never got to talk about it."