Author's note: I know I say this a lot, but it's from the bottom of my heart that I thank you for your reviews. Writing's a lot of fun for me, and a great escape when real life is complicated like it is right now (contemplating a big career change – nothing to worry about!), but posting what I've written is like the icing on the cake.
I'm not afraid to admit I'm a review whore and after I've posted a new chapter I'll be checking like a madman to see whether people have enjoyed it – hell, it makes the hard slog in front of the computer (especially when I've got writer's block) all worth it. Anyway as a thank you, the next chapter (including Ryo-time - I've not forgotten him!) should be up sooner rather than later because I have a little gremlin on my back making me work. She knows who she is!
So thank you and enjoy- Swordy
Somewhere in Between
Chapter 18 – Desperate Measures
Dee was relieved when the clock in the doctor's room turned to eleven and it was time to leave. He had done his obligatory hour with the shrink, telling him what he wanted to hear, nodding acquiescently when he suggested how he might take his life forward following his suicide attempt. When Dr Graham had finished, announcing pleasantly that he thought Dee was making excellent progress, his patient dutifully scurried from the building to indulge in a much-needed cigarette – an hour of bullshitting created a hell of a nicotine craving.
The sunshine and clear blue skies that greeted him left him thinking he should do something more productive with his day than just sitting in front of the TV watching shows aimed at bored housewives and the unemployed. Maybe he would take Bright for a really long walk to pass the time and make the best of the good weather. He was thinking about calling Bicky and inviting him to come along when his cell phone started to ring, the screen displaying the boy's name. Shaking his head at the coincidence, he answered it.
"Hey, brat. I was just about to call you. Do you wanna come and take Bright for a walk with me?"
"Uh sure," came the crackled reply. "I need to talk to you about something anyway."
Way to brighten my mood, Dee thought as he sensed more bad news. When had 'we need to talk' ever heralded anything else? "Sounds ominous. Wanna give me a hint?"
"I'd prefer to wait."
"Okay. Come to Drake's at one."
"Can Cal come too?"
"Sure, the more the merrier."
When the call ended, Dee stared at the now-silent handset for a moment. Bicky sounded strange – he hadn't even protested at being called a brat. "Weird," the detective muttered as he stubbed out his cigarette and started for Drake's place.
He sensed a similar unease in Cal too when the two teens arrived at Drake's place just after one o'clock. However, he couldn't coax the reason out of them until they were in the park near Drake's, watching Bright tear about happily.
"Okay, you two. What gives? You've had faces like someone died since you got here. Wait… no one has died, right? " He paused and studied them both again, speaking only once he had confirmation that everyone was still alive and well. "Okay then, spill it. What's going on?"
The teens exchanged glances, knowing they had come with a purpose, but not sure how to start.
"Okay, you got us," Bicky said. "We want to talk but you've got to promise not to get mad."
"Oh, so I will get mad then?"
"I dunno – look – d'you wanna hear it or not?"
Dee scrutinized their serious faces for a minute, then nodded. They all sat down on the grass as Bright continued to chase things, either real or imaginary, tongue lolling from his mouth like a long wet piece of ham.
"It's about Tyler," Bicky began, glancing across at Cal who nodded. "I know she's your friend, Dee, but, well, we both think there's something funny about her."
"Am I right in thinking you don't mean 'haha' funny?"
"No, and… ah, shit, I'm gonna say it. I don't like her and I don't trust her."
Dee couldn't resist the humourless smile that touched his lips. "Why don't you say what you really think, Bick?"
The blond teen scowled. "I'm not joking, Dee. She's trouble."
"Some might say the same about you, my friend."
"Dee…"
The detective ceased his teasing, sensing Bicky was getting angry with his refusal to take him seriously. "Okay, sorry. I'm listening."
Slowly, hesitantly at first but with gaining confidence, the teenagers spoke of their fears, suspicions, concerns. Dee's expression, indicating careful listening, remained unchanged until they spoke of their meeting with Kelly Capland.
"The reason we've mentioned it now is because she wants to meet you. She's got some information, she says it's not much but she wants to give it to you herself."
This was the moment of truth – would Dee agree to meet her? His answer was obviously dependent on whether he thought there could be any truth in what they were saying. For several moments there was silence, save for the sound of Bright panting noisily at their feet. Dee reached down and ruffled the fur on his head before meeting the teens' expectant gazes.
"Okay, fine. I'll go." He could see their relief – they were so convinced, if nothing else, he was intrigued. "I hope you two are coming with me."
More glances were exchanged.
"What?"
Bicky looked awkward. "She wants to meet tonight but well, I've got a basketball match and Cal promised her aunt that she'd go with her to visit some family. She's really nice though."
Dee held up his hands. "Fine, fine. I'll meet her, but if this turns out to be a big pile of crap then you two will owe me big time." He was surprised when Cal hugged him.
"I've got her cell number so you can arrange when and where. She's waiting for you to call."
Dee smiled and shook his head. "You wouldn't have taken no for an answer, would you?"
"No."
-
Laura shredded the paper napkin between her fingers as she muttered incomprehensible curses under her breath. Her eyes remained firmly fixed on the view beyond the window, despite the fact that there was nothing of interest to see. Not yet, anyway. Earlier she had been at home when Bicky had answered his cell phone and immediately rushed into his bedroom, his actions making her instantly suspicious. Anxious to know what he was up to, she had crept to the door and listened in, ensuring she caught some of his conversation. From what she could gather, he was talking about Dee – she heard Bicky tell the caller that the detective was really low now that he was apart from Ryo and that it would be really good for them to meet up. Bicky then gave out Dee's cell number but promised that he would get Dee to call first to arrange their meeting.
Although she had no proof, Laura had a strong suspicion that Bicky was talking to a woman, but why would Dee be meeting a woman and why was Bicky helping? It obviously wasn't anybody he already knew if she needed his cell number and as for Bicky's input… well, maybe he wasn't as happy with his adopted father being with a man as he had first implied. A smile crept onto her lips. She knew the real Dee would reveal himself in the end if she could only bide her time long enough. By the sounds of things, her patience was starting to pay off. He could never stay faithful to Randy – he just wasn't the type. She just needed to make Randy see it too…
And so she had left the apartment before Bicky emerged from his room and headed straight for Drake's, although she did not venture into the building. She didn't actually want to see Dee after all. Instead she had entered the diner across the street and chose a table in the window where she could keep watch. She hadn't been there a full hour when she saw Bicky and Cal go in and emerge soon after with Dee and Bright. She paid for her drink and quickly left her vantage point, ensuring that she kept adequate distance between herself and the three people she was trailing.
She didn't bother following them into the park. There were too few places to hide and she doubted Dee would be meeting a woman here – he certainly hadn't been dressed for a date. Instead, she headed back to the diner and to some curious looks from the staff, returned to her window position and ordered another drink.
"You spying on someone?" the teenage waiter with an acne-scarred face asked as she ordered her second drink just over an hour later. He chuckled to himself as he walked away, ensuring that he didn't hear her muttered insult, nor did he see the contemptuous glare she shot at his back.
The hours dragged by and evening started to draw in. She had seen them return from their walk, Bicky and Cal bidding Dee farewell at the door before they went their separate ways, but a good four hours had elapsed since then. Her patience was eventually rewarded when she saw Dee come out again, this time dressed in less casual clothes, and set off down the street. Once again she left the diner, wondering where he was going as she started to follow him. When she saw his car, she had a sudden moment of panic that he was going to get in and drive off, leaving her no way of keeping up with him, but he walked straight past, evidently going to his destination on foot. A couple of times he seemed to sense someone behind him, as he would stop and turn, usually combining it with an innocent action like lighting a cigarette. Each time she managed to hide just in time.
The pursuit and near-capture ensured that adrenaline thrummed in her veins. She was onto him – Ryo was certain to want nothing more to do with him once he knew, and then, then, they could be together at last. She had her cell phone in her pocket and if she could get close enough without being spotted, then she would take a photo – proof of his husband's infidelity.
She hung back when Dee finally entered a bar – an anonymous wood-fronted place called Red's. There were several unfettered windows and she decided to look in through one rather than enter the bar and risk being seen. The last thing she wanted was to come face to face with Dee and his slut and listen to his lame excuses as to why he really wasn't cheating on the man he supposedly loved.
The first window she approached yielded nothing but a couple of curious faces that stared back at her in annoyance. The male of the couple eventually mouthed 'fuck off' and she obliged, not wanting him to draw attention to her, which he undoubtedly would if she stayed. The next window was around the side of the building and was much grimier than the first. It did, however, afford her a better view, although she didn't initially spot Dee and was beginning to think that he must have left when she couldn't find him a second time. Then she spotted him.
"Fuck no…"
Her previous caution went to much more than the wind as she pressed her nose to the glass, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Fucking bitch." The words were ground out between gritted teeth. She was desperate to hear what they were saying but she didn't dare go in. The bar wasn't that busy and there was a distinct possibility of being seen if she went inside. Why was Dee meeting her? Her heart raced as fast as her mind jumped between possible explanations. Kelly was blond and pretty. A vacuous blond would be just Dee's type, but it seemed a little too coincidental that, purely by chance, he would hook up with the one vacuous blond that could blow her cover.
"You fucking bitch. I swear you'll pay…"
-
Dee returned from the bar carrying his beer and the glass of white wine that Kelly had requested, once he had made his acquaintance and offered to buy her a drink.
"Thanks." She accepted the long stemmed glass from him and sipped the contents carefully before looking up to study him once he was sitting opposite her. He was undoubtedly a very handsome man and, knowing he was gay, she couldn't resist the overriding thought of many heterosexual women: what a waste.
"So Bicky's explained what this is about. You want to tell me about Tyler, right?"
"If that's her name," came the reply, spoken with a soft Australian lilt.
"You sound fairly certain. Cigarette?"
She shook her head at his offer, their conversation ceasing while he lit one himself. "So tell me what it is that's got you so suspicious. Cal and Bicky certainly seem to think there's something in it."
They were on their second round of drinks when Kelly finished re-telling her own experiences with Laura, ending with the day Bicky had burst into Henderson's ranting and raving and trying to get her to remember when they had apparently encountered each other before. She studied the detective's face when she'd finished speaking, trying to gauge from his expression what he was thinking. Finally she broke the silence.
"So you think this is just a whole bunch of coincidences?"
Dee decked his cigarette in the ashtray. "Detectives aren't supposed to believe in coincidences."
She smiled. "But you do?"
Dee shrugged. "No. And although I can't believe I'm about to say this, I trust Bicky and his judgment. It took a lot for him and Cal to tell me what they suspected – they wouldn't have done it unless they were one hundred percent certain."
"So what will you do?"
"Not sure. I need to think it all through first, decide how best to approach Tyler or Laura or whatever the hell she's really called."
He watched as she reached for her purse, opened it and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "It's not much. After I spoke to Bicky and Cal I tried to access the employee records at Henderson's but it wasn't possible. I did manage to get this though." She handed him the paper and watched as he unfolded it and scanned the contents. "It's the address we had on file for her. I presume she was living here up until the point she moved in with you. Maybe her neighbours or landlord can tell you more about her."
He nodded gratefully as he re-folded the paper and tucked it into his wallet. "Thanks. It's a good start."
"No problem. I just wish I could have found out more." She glanced at her watch. "I should get going."
"How are you getting home?"
"I'll walk," she replied, standing and starting to put on her jacket. "I only live a few blocks away."
"Then I insist I walk you," Dee said with a smile, adding before she could protest: "It's the least I can do."
She returned the smile, blushing slightly. "Thanks."
Dee bid her farewell at the entrance of her apartment block. It was a similar style to Drake's place and he commented on it, explaining how he was staying with a friend nearby at an apartment that was probably built by the same company. They had a brief final conversation, with Kelly promising to call if she found anything else out and Dee agreeing to do the same if he got there first. He lit another cigarette, the last in the packet, as he prepared to leave.
"What's up?" she asked, seeing him look around.
"No trash can," came the reply as he scrunched up the empty packet.
"Give it here. I'll put it in mine upstairs."
She watched him go, waving when he turned back to look at her before he disappeared around the corner, then went inside. There was no one around as she took the stairs to her apartment, preferring them to the clapped out elevator that worked as and when it felt like it. Like Dee had done earlier, she stopped a couple of times, certain that someone was behind her. Nothing.
"Strange," she said out loud before she shook her head and carried on.
The apartment was silent as she entered, her roommate out for the evening. The red light on her answerphone was flashing and she wandered over, pulling out her earrings and massaging the lobes before she set the machine in motion. She listened to the message, from a workmate with growing disbelief. Her colleague had agreed to help her look into Laura's background since she could access the company's files much easier, and what she was now reporting left Kelly open-mouthed.
"Oh-my-God." The blond pressed the replay button, not certain she could have heard things right, but no, there it was again: proof that Laura was an even bigger fraud than they had first thought. The pounding knock on the front door startled her and her finger, about to replay the tape for the third time, accidentally pressed delete.
"Shit." No matter – she had heard the message. It wasn't the end of the world that she had wiped it. The knock sounded again, more forcefully this time. "Okay, okay," she grumbled, kicking off her shoes as she approached the door. It didn't sound like Jenny's knock and the night was still young for her party-hard roommate. More likely it was their elderly next-door neighbour, who had a habit of calling late at night, usually to ask if they'd seen her cat. The old bat was so deaf, Kelly wasn't sure why she even bothered trying to converse with her.
Annoyed at the intrusion, she flung the door wide, determined to tell the octogenarian that this had to stop – or at least she should call at a more civilised hour. Instead, she was confronted by an equally unwelcome face.
"We need to talk," Laura snapped, barging into the apartment before Kelly could slam the door in her face. "I'm sure you won't mind if I come in."
Momentary shock gave way to anger. "What the hell are you doing here? Get out!" Kelly growled, holding the door to demonstrate her point but doubting that the bitch would actually do as she ordered. She didn't, and Kelly rolled her eyes in frustration. "Fucking hell…"
Laura glared up at her from where she had sat down on the couch. "Just shut the fucking door."
"Hey! You just barge in here and I'm expected to take it? Don't tell me what to do."
"Spare me the dramatics. Just sit the hell down, okay?"
Kelly shot her a furious glare as she conceded defeat and let the door swing shut. "What are you doing here, Laura? More to the point, how do you know where I live?"
"Maybe I'll tell you if you tell me who you were with tonight."
"I was out with Bryce."
"Liar!" The force of Laura's response made Kelly jump. "Spare me the fucking fairytales. Now who were you with?"
"What if I said it was none of your goddamned business?"
"Yeah well it is. His name's Dee right?"
Blindsided, Kelly's expression gave her away but she wouldn't give Laura the satisfaction by confirming it verbally.
"So how'd you know him?" Laura demanded.
"I don't see what it's got to do…"
"With me? Yeah well, that's where we'll have to agree to disagree. Now why don't you just tell me what I want to know, then I can go and we'll both be happy."
Kelly found it hard to think, especially in the face of the phone message she had just received. How could she explain how she knew Dee without alerting Laura to the fact that her new acquaintances were suspicious about her identity?
"Look, you stupid bitch, you're wasting my time here." Laura's voice snapped into her thoughts and Kelly felt her anger rise a notch. She couldn't resist the urge to antagonise the girl further and the smirk was painted on her face before she knew it.
"Why? You got Randy keeping the bed warm for you?"
This time it was Laura's iron-hard expression that flickered at the comment.
"And did you know," Kelly said, offering Laura a feigned smile of innocence. "Dee's partner is called Randy? Or should I say 'husband'? Now isn't that a funny coincidence?"
Laura visibly bristled at the reminder that Dee was still married to her beloved. "Shut up, bitch."
"You of course realise that being married to another man makes Randy gay, don't you?"
"I'm warning you…"
Kelly wasn't for stopping. Laura probably knew Dee was onto her so there was no point trying to hide it. "Sorry to be vulgar, hon, but Randy clearly likes it up the ass. You're kidding yourself if you think this little charade's gonna win him over. I mean look at you! Talk about trying too hard. You're a sad little bitch, Laura or should I say Tyler." She paused. "Or maybe should I say Stacey."
She enunciated the last word, interested to see what Laura would do. She was prepared for her anger but not her actions as Laura leapt from her seat and launched herself at her enemy. The Australian could only throw her hands up to protect herself as the taller girl rained down punches on her. A blow to her face sent her stumbling backwards, her mouth filling with the taste of liquid copper. Once on the floor she felt booted feet joining the fray until everything became first hazy, and then nothing at all.
-
Laura studied the body on the floor impassively as she regained her breath. There were no signs of movement, not even from the chest area, leading her to the conclusion that Kelly was dead.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," she muttered, barely giving credence to the thought that she might have gone too far. She turned her attention to the layout of the apartment, looking for the bathroom so that she could wipe the blood from her hands. Kelly deserved it – she'd told the stupid blond bitch to stop pushing her and she hadn't listened.
From the bathroom she took a small cloth, which she used to remove her fingerprints from wherever she had been. Soon there was no physical trace of her in the apartment, but something was still missing – someone needed to have been there, even if she hadn't. On the coffee table, she spotted a scrunched up cigarette packet and her eyebrows knitted into a frown. Dee's brand. The seeds of an idea quickly took root and she hurried to the door, ensuring the catch was on so that she could let herself back in. She knew Kelly shared with one of the other girls from work, and the thought of being caught added to the adrenaline rush that flooded her veins. She took the stairs two at a time until she was in the lobby. No one was around, and she couldn't resist a 'yes' of triumph when she realised her idea could be used as she pushed the front door open.
When she had watched Kelly and Dee conversing outside she had seen him stub out his cigarette and light another. From a distance, she'd also seen him hand her something and having now been in the apartment, she realised that it must have been his empty cigarette carton, presumably to throw away. The stub was still where he'd been standing and she carefully picked it up, using the sleeve of her jacket to prevent her finger prints contaminating it, then hurried back up to the apartment.
She barely glanced at the body sprawled on the floor as she deposited the cigarette butt in the ashtray on Kelly's coffee table. There was ash in there already, much to her relief, making it look as if Dee's cigarette had been smoked there. Satisfied that all was well, she slipped from the apartment, wiping her fingerprints as she went, and hurried away.
She hadn't gone there tonight to kill, but circumstance had forced her hand. The love she and Randy shared was pure and unspoilt and anyone that tried to sully it would be sorry.
Kelly Capland certainly was.
TBC…