She gave the lock of hair an annoying swat as it again fell into her eyes. She knew stepping out without putting a half gallon of product into her hair had been a death sentence, but she had been in quite a rush. She tried to focus on the file before her, but found it hard. She thought that if the guy was caught that the world would be good again.
But at the moment the only thing tying him to the victims was the hair, and he claimed he was robbing the place, he saw the dead bodies, looked at them to see if they were real and left, blowing right by the guy who had been the first victim. It provided him an alibi, but a very poor one at that. Unfortunately his whole criminal record had been petty crimes and he hadn't worked in any of the butcheries in the City, just lived down the street from them.
She didn't believe him though, she knew better. Ten years as an ADA in the City had taught her a lot, if nothing else that evidence without a warrant was a very very bad thing. But if someone where to tip off the cops about evidence and they could get a warrant, then it would be admissible. She knew it was a bad idea, but she had a gut feeling that the cops had missed something, something big.
She had just started to head out when Garret cornered her. "Drink?" He suggested and she found herself actually debating it for more than a split second.
"Sure." She agreed and walked out with him, and she enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her as they walked through the parking lot. She did have vague memories of high school though, going out and having her boyfriend wrap his arm around her. It was something all men did though, their way of laying claim to their territory. She had always thought it somewhat cute, and she leaned into his touch.
She started heading towards her car and he started heading towards his. They stopped in the middle of the parking lot and glared at each other. "My car." She said simply and he shook his head.
"Do you really want to risk that thing downtown? Someone could back into it, or steal it, it's definitely safer here." She grinned.
"You just want to drive." She teased, getting into his car. "But you are driving me home." She told him, and he nodded.
"What, you don't want to get left in a bar?" She gave him a playful swat. "Oh, and Renee wanted me to remind you about your testimony." She laughed.
"I swear that woman is like a rabid dog. Once she gets it into her head that someone should do something, she refuses to stop until that person is dead or does what she wants them to do." He grinned.
"You know her well?" she shrugged.
"Three years of law school together and six of working together. She came up here, I stayed in New York before heading off across the ocean." He was silent for a long time, and she lapsed into her own thoughts before looking up. "Forint for your thoughts?" He laughed.
"Nothing really." He commented and she smirked.
"And here you had me thinking I was dating a deep thinker." A smile briefly crossed his face.
"About that-" He started and her face fell. It was a record. The one at least lasted two dates, if you could call them that. And they had gone a whole day, well, almost, since they decided that they were, in fact, dating.
"What?" She asked, wondering what his reasoning was.
"It's just that I'm beginning to think I'm jinxed when it comes to relationships." She laughed.
"You're not the only one." She commented.
"I've had a marriage that was doomed from the start, and hardly a long term relationship before or since." She grinned.
"I think I win. You at least got married. I never made it that far."
"You've never been snapped up?" He asked, and she could see the hesitancy as they pulled to a halt in front of a bar.
"Well, I have, but never walked down the aisle. Gotten engaged five times to four different men." She said it nonchalantly and she saw him blanch slightly. "One was a mutual decision we were both young and good friends, nothing else, we just thought that marriage sounded fun, but once we started planning it we decided it was a bad idea. Two were assholes, and one died." She grinned. "And no, I didn't kill him."
They ordered their drinks, a scotch and a bourbon. "No other strings though, no kids?" She shook her head.
"Nope, missed that one, twice." He looked interested.
"Hard enough to conceive with all the problems associated with my bad blood. Got knocked up once, almost fell down a flight of stairs twisted funny. Lost that one and after the next one decided it didn't want to make it past three months they gave up all hope on me. Just as well, I shudder to think how my children would come out. I've been a bad enough influence to my niece and nephew." She grinned, downplaying it. She always felt a twinge of disappointment when it came to kids.
She never really particularly cared about being a mother, but it was something that she wouldn't have minded trying. But she took what life gave her, the cards she was dealt was what she had, couldn't change that. "What about you?" She asked. "Nothing you're hiding away is there? Secret girlfriends, children, midgets in your closet?" He laughed.
"A daughter. In college." They lapsed back into silence and she looked up at the TV broadcasting Sportscenter.
"Hmm, I'll take this as a sign. Mets and Cubbies won. If the Cubs win the series this year, it's definitely a sign that jinxed relationships have a chance." She said grinning. "Sox last year, Cubs this year, good thing indeed."
"Baseball fan?" He asked and she grinned.
"Born and bred a Mets fan, had season tix to Shea growing up. My dad was of the whole 'if you're going to be in America, be an American' mindset. So we were Mets fans. Of course I was happy to catch any baseball at all overseas." He grinned as they relaxed into easy conversation, back on a good topic, not one that involved their exes. "So." She started and he looked up. "Name one thing no one knows about you."
He looked up somewhat shocked. "What?" She asked. "If we're going to date we might as well know one another." He laughed and thought.
"Nothing. Everyone knows something about me. Just don't stick them all in the same room or they'll be no part of me or my past that won't be accounted for." She laughed.
"I know that feeling. Big family?" He shook his head.
"No, you?" She shrugged.
"A brother. A niece, a nephew, a great-niece. That's about it" They paused again, drinking. "So you know about my illustrious string of careers, do anything besides moonlight as Boomer and be a doc?" He shook his head. "Awe c'mon, you were in Jersey a whole month, you had to do something else down there. By the way, they've got the most wonderful med school to flunk out of, you should have gone there."
"I worked for a hotdog place down there until I could leave. They had the best root beer that I wish they'd have up here." She grinned.
"See, that's not that bad. So you played baseball, at least somewhat?" He nodded.
"High school and college. I think what killed me was my dream of being the hero." She laughed. "Seriously, wound up sitting out a whole season in college cause I tried to make the highlight reel. The fence is there for a reason, and it's not to try and jump over chasing a foul ball." She laughed.
"What happened?"
"I was chasing a foul ball and tried to jump over the fence to get to it. I got it, but my foot caught and I fell right on my shoulder and dislocated it." She grinned.
"Let it not be said that you were not fearless." She raised her glass to him. They finished off their drinks and headed back to his car. "Any other childhood dreams?" She asked and he shook his head.
"Aside from wanting to be either Batman or Robin?"
"Hey, I wanted to be Wonder Woman." He grinned. They climbed back into his car and he started heading for her house. "You know what? I still don't know the public transportation that well, why not drop me back at the mourge, I can pick up my car and get home."
He nodded and hung a left to take them back to the mourge. He dropped her in front of her car and she grinned. "Get home safe." She nodded.
"You too." She said, opening her door. "Night." She said, and he nodded.
"Night." He told her and they kissed for the first time without him being caught off guard.