Duplicity
By Divamercury
Well, here's more Duplicity! Hope you all enjoyand trust me, it won't stay this tranquil for long. Here's a little romance for my friends Pixie-Dust, Spin, and all you other Ian/Sara shippers out there. Please, please don't forget to review! Seriously, if I don't get at least 5 reviews for this chapter, I might lose Chapter 9!
~DM
Chapter 8
For once I was home before Ian. It felt weird being in my apartment by myself and I couldn't believe that that was true. I'd never imagined anything but being in my apartment by myself until Ian came along, sitting on my fire escape night after night and worming his way into my heart. When he finally walked in the door an hour after me, he was shocked to see me standing at the top of the stairs waiting on him.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"7:00. Surprised to see me?"
"Just a little. Not that I'm not glad to," he said.
"I missed you today," I said as he climbed the stairs.
"Are there days when you don't?" he inquired, eyebrows raised, as he took off his overcoat and hung it over a chair. I shook my head, smiling.
"Of course not," I replied. "Homicide isn't so entrancing that it makes me forget about you."
"Good. For a second there I thought I was losing my touch."
"You are hopeless."
"I know. Now, what are our plans for tonight?"
"Well, how does takeout and a night to ourselves sound?"
"Perfect," Ian said. "What did you have in mind?" he said, embracing me.
"You, me, some Chinese foodI know a great Chinese place that delivers." I kissed him then.
"Mmmmwhat else?"
"Preferably an appointment with my mattress?"
"Assuming he can squeeze us in."
I laughed. "Let me call the restaurant," I said, and Ian released me.
I made the call and the owner answered.
"Is that you, Sara?"
"Yep. Sure is, Bob. Can I have my usual times two?" I asked.
"Sure thing. I'll get Nick to bring it out there to you. So, times two, huh? Got company?"
"Yep," I said.
"Good for you. I was wondering when that was going to happen. Hope it works out well for you."
"Thanks, Bob. Me, too."
"Nick'll be over there in at least thirty minutes."
"Great. Thanks."
"Not a problem. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
I hung up the phone and turned to Ian. "It'll be here in thirty minutes."
"Well, we're in luck."
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "I was able to get an appointment. He can only see us for thirty minutes at first, though, but I think he'll have another opening later tonight."
"Who?"
"Your mattress."
"Oh, really? Do you think we can get our business done in thirty minutes?"
"I have full confidence in us."
"Well, then, by all means. What are we waiting for? Time's a-wasting."
I glanced at the clock when I heard a knock on my door. "Food. Yay." I disentangled myself from Ian, pulled on some boxers and a large T-shirt, and went to the door.
"Ms. Pezzini?" the delivery boy asked.
"Yes. Hi, Nick. How much do I owe you?"
"$16.67."
I took the food from the kid and put it on the table, grabbed my wallet, and pulled out a twenty.
"Keep the change," I said, and Nick grinned.
"Thanks, ma'am. Enjoy!"
"Thank you." I closed the door after he waved me goodbye and went over to prod Ian awake. "Baby, food's here."
Ian muttered something, making me grin, and got up slowly. "Thank God. I haven't had any in about 8 hoursand the last bit I did have wasn't enough to really be worth mentioning."
"Vending machine?" I asked. He nodded. I winced.
"Yes, that was my reaction as well."
"Well, here's something better than that was, I'm sure. You'd better like it, too, because I slaved over it."
"Hmmm. Unless you learned how to cook while I was asleep, I'll have to think you're lying," Ian said.
I punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up," I said, smiling, and we sat down to eat.
* * *
"Sara?" I asked after we had been eating in silence for a while.
"Hmm?"
"Have you heard anything aboutMr. Irons?" I asked.
She nodded sadly and told me everything her friend the medical examiner had told her. I was amazedI hadn't expected anything like that. To be completely honest, when Sara informed me of his death, I would have believed that he had been shot twenty times or that his head was found in the fireplace roasting on a spit before I believed that his death was clean. It just didn't seem like the way he would go. So when she explained to me about the drug, I was speechless for a moment.
"Yeah, seems too good for him, doesn't it?" Sara asked in that way of hers that seemed like she was reading my mind although I knew she wasn't. "The old girl here would have liked to been involved, I'm sure—" she said, holding up the Witchblade, "—and she came pretty close a couple of times, but I guess it wasn't meant to be."
"I actually am glad that you had no role in his death, Sara. I wouldn't want his blood to stain your hands. Even though you hated him—as I, Raven, and practically everyone who knew him did—you would feel guilty about it and that's not something I would want to watch you go through."
"Thanks," she said. "Besides, it's enough for me that he's gone. I don't really care how. But even he deserves justice if it was a murder, which we're not sure about yet, but—"
"It was undoubtedly a murder," I interrupted. "Mr. Irons never used drugs save sleeping pills, and even if he did, they would not be stimulants or hallucinogens."
"We'll just have to see what turns up," she said. "Oh, before I forget, have you ever heard of a woman by the name of Adair Avilla?"
I rolled the name around in my head for a moment. "Avilla sounds familiar. Adair, though, doesn't. I seem to remember a model by that namebut I thought her name was Aria? She could have changed it, butwhat did she look like?"
"Tall, blonde hair like Irons, and freaky green eyes. Gina the receptionist described her as "scary."
"No, that doesn't sound like her. Aria Avilla was short and had long brown hair and green eyesa very bright shade of green."
"I think this Adair is her daughter by Kenneth Irons. That's who she claimed to beand physical appearance makes it seem feasible. She's also the sole heir named in his will."
"Really?" Now this was just slightly too coincidental. This mystery daughter appears out of the blue and suddenly gets named sole heir. If I was in his will (I had never seen it), I expected to be written out because of what he saw as my betrayal, but stillit seemed too well orchestrated.
"Are you going to investigate her?" I asked.
"Undoubtedly. I think it seems a little strange that she shows up, says Hi, dad!' and gets in the will before you can say illegitimate child.' Something's up."
"I agree. I think she would be your best bet."
"Well, I do believe we're late for that second appointment you mentioned."
"Oh, really?" I inquired.
"Yes, really. And this time I believe we have a lot more time to get some real work done."
"Just what I wanted to hear."
* * *
After the appointment had concluded and Ian and I had drifted off to sleep, my dream about a church tower made me wake up to find that the bells I had heard was the ringing of my cell phone. I reached for it on my nightstand and slipped out of Ian's hold to answer it.
"Hello?" I said quietly.
"Pez, it's Connor."
"Damn it rookie! What's going on? It better be good."
"Oh, it is. We found something interesting on Gina Ramirez's desk."
"Like what?" I asked impatiently.
"Like a packet of LMA, that's like what."
"No way!"
"Yep. We brought her in."
"Oh, boy. Do you want me to come down there?"
"Do you mind?"
I sighed, looking back at my sleeping stalker. "No, not really. Heard anything on our other case?"
"Ms. Head-in-a-Box?"
"Yeah."
"Not so much as a sound of sharpening razorblades. Are you sure this one's gonna go serial?"
"Something tells me, Connor. Just seems like it. Where are you, precinct or Vorschlag?"
"Precinct. Laredo's here, too. He wants to know what's going on so he can tell the press ASAP."
"Okay, I'll be down there in 20."
"See you soon, Pez."
"Bye." I hung up and cursed Kenneth Irons for interrupting me even after he'd left this realm.
I got dressed in record time and wrote a quick note to Ian, just in case he woke up wondering where I was.
Emergency at the precinct. Connor called and thinks he's bagged the person that killed Irons. Wanted me to come down and check it out. I'll give you more info when I get back. Sorry, honey.
Love,
Sara
I left the note on my pillow and got my gear together as quietly as possible. I re-locked the door behind me and, sighing heavily, headed for the precinct.