Law & Order, Criminal Intent

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!

Summery: It's in the first chapter.

"I guess this was a good idea after all, this place is charming, & it reminds me of home." Esmeralda said as she looked around. "A buddy of mind runs it, he's from Argentina." Bobby said as Esmeralda tilted her head towards the live trio as a tango movement began to play. Bobby stood & offered his hand but to his great disappointment, she declined. "The tango isn't for public places; it's a very private & sensual act." She said they sat in comfortable silence, listening to the music, allowing it to fill their souls as they watched the other couples dance. "You have to maintain a certain level of modesty when you dance in public, to truly experience the tango, there must be no modesty. Only feelings & bodies expressing those feelings." She said, her eyes glowing with that same passionate light. All too soon, it was closing time, the musicians were packing up to leave & the manager began turning chairs on top of tables, locking the door as he went. "Shouldn't we…?" She said but Bobby held up his hand. "The door locks from the outside; Carlos pulls the blinds & leaves the bar open." Bobby said, waving to Carlos, who gave him a thumbs-up as he ascended the stairs to bed. Bobby walked over the jukebox & put a few quarters in, tango music poured out of the speakers as he held his hand out to her once more. "There's no one here now." He said; there was something devilish in Esmeralda's smile as she put her hand in his & allowed her self to be lead to the dance floor. "Let me lead first, I want to show you how it's really done." She said as she drew close to him, leaving no space between them. "American tango instructors teach with space between the man & the woman." She said as they swept around the dance floor. "They forget that the tango is meant to eliminate the space between the man & the woman." She said, slipping her leg around the back of his as she allowed him to take the lead. He pivoted her, their attraction growing with every battle of their legs. When the song ended, they were both dripping with sweat & teaming with sexual tension. "& that… is how it is really done; see why it's not for the prying eyes of the public?" She said as she made to walk back to their table, but Bobby took hold of her hand & pulled her close to him once more. "I know that you're attracted to me, I could feel it when we were dancing, why do you keep fighting it?" Esmeralda blushed shamefully. "I… I didn't mean for you to feel that, I'm sorry." She said; she resisted against his embrace, trying with all her might not to succumb to it but she couldn't block out how right it felt. "I've been attracted to you sense I first saw you, but I guess you could feel that when we were dancing." He said as he cupped her face in his hands. 'I shouldn't be doing this.' The voice in her head screamed, but her limbs didn't seem to be listening as he began to caress her neck. All the resistance she had left crumbled in wake of this sensual caress as she brought his lips to meet hers, their kiss lasted until their lungs finally burned for air & they were forced to part. "We… we shouldn't be doing this..." She said, not really meaning it as she reveled in the gentle caress of his hands on her body. "Esmeralda…. I think I'm falling in love with you." Bobby said, his passion talking, Esmeralda pulled back in shock. "What!" She said. "I think I might be falling in love with you." Bobby repeated. "… I have to go!" Esmeralda said as she ran out the doors of the restaurant.

"& she just ran out?" Alex said the next morning to her devastated partner. "By the time I caught up, she was speeding away in a cab. Why did that have to come out?" He said as he put his head in his hands. "Well, you do love her, right?" "What does it matter, she doesn't love me." He said dismally. "Don't be so sure." Alex said with a smile. "How do you know?" "Just call it woman's intuition." She said as Deakins waved them in. "Harbor patrol just pulled a body in a car out of the Hudson; they're saying that it matches the Drowner's MO."

"That makes four this month." Bobby said as he located the Drowner's signature, a single needle mark on the side of the jugular. "He injects them with air to kill them before they go in the water." Bobby explained to the harbor cop. "He's still taking every precaution to prevent from getting caught." Dr. Rogers said down in the lab as she covered the woman's body up.

"Oh god… our baby." Tina Seller's mother said as she looked at the photo of her dead daughter. "Mrs. Sellers, was she seeing anyone that you know of?" Alex asked. "Yes, a very nice young man by the name of Sam Gains." "Tina's dead? Oh god." Sam said as he sank down onto his couch. "You didn't know?" Alex said. "We broke up; it was a mutual decision to end it. We stayed friends, she even set me up with a friend of hers named Clara Hanson." "She managed to stay on good enough terms after a breakup to offer to set him on with another woman? Alex said as she pulled away from the curb in their SUV, its tires sloshing sickeningly through the snow. "I guess the next stop is the new girlfriend's house." Alex said. "She didn't deserve this, she was a wonderful person. She helped me meet Sam." Clara said as she blew her nose with a tissue. "Even wonderful people make enemies, Miss Hanson. Can you think of anyone who might want to harm her?" "Well, she was seeing someone new; she didn't talk about him much. I don't think it was that serious because she hadn't told her mother about it yet." "Did you ever get a name out of her?" Alex asked. "John… I'm pretty sure it was john." Clara replied.

"The girl's got a good memory. John Sanders, thirty three & already has priors for date rape. No wonder she didn't tell her mother about him." Alex said.

"Mr. Sanders! It's the police; you don't have any choice but to let us in!" Alec yelled through the door, to her surprise, John opened it with out incident. "Good job, you caught me." He said smugly. "How'd you like that, he just confessed to it all." Deakins said as they watched him talk with his lawyer in the observation room. "I'm going for the death penalty. Send him to arraignment when you're ready." Carver said.

"Well that was the quickest arraignment trial I've ever seen." Alex said, they had just exited the court room when Bobby stopped so suddenly that Alex crashed into him. "What in the..!" She began, but stopped as she saw Esmeralda standing there, the thousands of were people rushing around her the way a stream rushes around a rock. Tears were evident in her eyes even from this distance as Alex watched as their gazes met.

End of Chapter 3