Chapter 4
Wednesday
April 28, 1999
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"Cassy, how do you know people like that? I thought nothing could beat the Lone Gunmen," Tom asked referring to the guys who had made the pen they had used to catch the Senator a few years back.

"You're just ticked off because he said you were too old to attend the rave without attracting attention," Cassy smirked at him as she pulled their department issue vehicle out of the beach parking lot.

"And you're not," Tom snorted and crossed his arms.

"You heard him, he said I was a hot babe and with the right clothes I'd fit right in," Cassy chuckled.

"The right clothes, that will make it easy for you to wear a wire. Listen, I don't think this is a good idea and Harry will never go for it," Tom warned her.

"Listen, we'll try your idea this weekend, if it doesn't pan out we'll try the rave on Monday night. I'm sure we can find someone from one of the other departments to tag along and all you'd have to do is watch the beaches," the determined set of Cassy's chin told Tom she wouldn't be deterred from this plan and he had a sinking feeling that Harry would in fact approve of it providing they came up with some more solid evidence that the rave was related to the case.

"We don't know that this new guy who's been showing up at these raves and looking 'old' is our guy," Tom pointed out.

"Hey, you can pose as a drug dealer if you really want to come in, but we need to appear separate," Cassy was obviously continuing to put her plan together.

"Maybe you're right. It makes sense. Maybe this guy gives away free samples to have a young guy lure someone for him," Tom capitulated.

"From the description John gave us I doubt any of the women who have been killed would leave with him voluntarily or in their right mind," Cassy agreed. "So are you going to back me up on this?"

"If we don't find anything before Monday," Tom said with a resigned sigh and a worried look on his face. "You still didn't tell me how you know this kid."

"I didn't did I?" Cassy said with mock seriousness before winking and heading towards the building and back to their center of operations.

Tom watched her swaying hips for a moment before following.

>>>>>>

"Miami, Stuart and Lauderdale are also checking up on the troubled pharmacists in their area. We're going to start checking out doctors as well. The FBI is lending a hand by checking their databases for any troubled pharmacists that might have come from other states and retired here, but unless they guy has been in trouble before we probably won't find anything. This is still a long shot theory for now, but the FBI profilers like it. They're working something up as we stand here and gab," Harry addressed the assembled team of officers from the various departments including his own.

"All departments are canvassing their areas for past raves and other places where this guy or guys might have worked from before and might work from in the future. Cassy and Tom I want you checking out places in Palm Beach. The next few nights I want officers hitting the nightlife in their cities and gathering information. Engler and Jackson you'll follow-up on hotline leads and let me know when you need more resources. Tom and Cassy will check out the scene in Palm Beach. That's it folks, let's get back to work. Tom, my office pronto," Harry finished.

"I know you're a newly engaged man Tom and I'm sorry, but this case has to come first," Harry said without preamble as soon as Tom had closed the office door.

"I know that Harry," Tom's shoulders drooped.

"I know there hasn't been a big problem yet, but this is probably going to go on until Tuesday morning, if we're lucky. I don't know Virginia all that well and I'm sure that if you love her she's a wonderful woman, but we can't have any of this turning off cell phones and answering machines when you go home to catch some shut eye. Last time it was Cassy getting hurt, luckily Brett showed up. This time it could be something more serious. That tip was given directly to Cassy on her cell phone, that's not a published phone number," Harry reminded him.

"Do you think the killer has his eye on her?" Tom asked in a deadly serious tone of voice.

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed a hand over his eyes, biding his time before answering.

"The thought has occurred to me. I can't take her off the streets because a she would kill both of us and b that might alert whoever is watching her," Harry told him.

"Last night I crashed at Cassy's because I was too tired to drive home and didn't want to wake Virginia," Tom fudged his reasoning a little. "If we're going to be out until the wee hours of the morning I could use the same excuses and stay with Cassy. That way I could keep an eye on her and take care of your concerns."

"Do it," Harry nodded.

As soon as the words left Harry's mouth Tom suddenly remembered the trouble he had sleeping that morning. Virginia's reaction wasn't something he even wanted to consider. 'Oh boy, I'm really letting myself in for it now,' he squared his shoulders in preparation for the battle with his past and future wives.

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"I'm sorry you're going to miss the ballet. You know you can go and then we can go out. Things don't really start hopping until that's over anyway," Tom said apologetically.

"I know, but it would ruin the night you know. I'm going to go see Brett while you go pack your bags. I hope this doesn't prove to be a homicide case of its own," Cassy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It wasn't that bad," Tom said, but wasn't very convincing.

"No, it just led to a bitter divorce," Cassy pointed out wryly.

"Well, it's not exactly the same thing. I'm just a temporary guest and we're involved with other people," Tom tried to be positive.

"And we have our own bathrooms," Cassy's demeanor brightened up. "You have the keys, I'll see you later. And good luck!"

"Yeah," Tom grumbled as he walked out of the squad room and prepared to face the firing squad.

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"You're sleeping with your ex-wife so that you can go club hopping with her!" Virginia's fiery hair practically stood on end around her face.

"I'm staying over at my partner's house in the guest room so that I can keep an eye her," Tom corrected her patiently.

"Seems to me like your ex-wife is more important to you than your future wife and current lover. Unless she's your lover too," Virginia reached over and clasped Tom's chin between her thumb and forefinger. "You'd better not be playing games with me!"

Tom reached up and pulled her hand from his face so that he could talk. As he pulled her hand down she used her other hand to grasp his pants and pull him against her. She lifted one leg and wrapped it around his thighs and moved her lips until they hovered over his teasingly.

"You don't need another lover," she rubbed herself against him, smiling in satisfaction as she felt his response.

"No, I don't," he agreed in a hazy voice as his hands slid up to cup her breasts.

Their lips touched and they began to devour each other. Tom fell back on the dining room table, heedless of the glass of soda that he knocked over and shattered on the floor as she climbed on top of him and began to unclasp his pants.

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"I'm sorry, I really wanted to go with you," Cassy sat in the couch in Brett's apartment and said apologetically for the fifth time.

"Cass, I know you are. I'm sorry too. You know I never thought I would be involved with anyone whose job was more demanding and all consuming than mine, unless it was another doctor. Of course, my job doesn't entail going club hopping at all hours of the night," Brett observed in a philosophical tone.

Cassy looked away.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by that. I still want to see you. I'm just disappointed," Brett placed his fingers gently on her chin and turned her back to face him. "Maybe we could do a meal now and then over the next week?"

"I'd like that," Cassy nodded the light glinting off the tears in her eyes.

"This doesn't have to all come together this week or even this month," Brett reminded her of her own words.

"It's just that this is where most men end things, the first time I have to cancel on them for work and they feel it's a personal slight," Cassy smiled sadly.

"Don't worry, I'll be canceling plenty of dates on you," Brett promised.

"I think you're too good to be true," Cassy laughed and let him take her hands.

"You keep believing that for as long as you can," he kissed her forehead and chuckled.

Cassy tilted her face up and met his lips with her own.

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Tom dropped his keys as he tried to open the door to his classic Mustang. With a curse he bent over and picked them. As he stood up he reached a hand out to steady himself for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath he stood all the way back up and unlocked the door. He sat for a few moments and concentrated on his breathing and shook off the dizziness he was often afflicted with after a marathon session with his fiancé.

"It's a good thing that I'll won't be staying here during this case or Harry would have more to worry about than an unanswered phone call," he commented dryly as he started the car and headed back to the station where he had to plan his newly adopted nightlife.

Well, Cassy always accused him of trying to relive his college days, he was about to really try it.

He just wasn't sure his body was up to the challenge just then.

'I can't believe I'm contemplating a nap before going out!' he mocked himself.

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"Where's your partner?" Harry entered the interrogation room and demanded.

"He went home to pack his things and explain the situation to...his fiancé," Cassy barely restrained herself from referring to the woman as "the cheerleader" as she usually did when Tom wasn't around. Cassy couldn't help but wonder, when she had been finally introduced to the woman, whether Tom was going through a mid-life crisis and had reverted back to dating cheerleaders as he had in his college days. 'Who looks like that outside of Playboy?' she rolled her eyes, oblivious to the glare being shot at her by her boss.

"If you're finished with your internal monologue, perhaps you could make some time to solve this case?" Harry suggested with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes Sir," Cassy saluted perkily.

"And tell your partner he'd better get his butt back in here, he's been gone for three hours already," Harry bit out before leaving.

"Gee, I wonder what he's doing?" Cassy grimaced before turning her attention back to the fax she had just been handed from Quantico. It was a preliminary profile from the Behavioral Science Unit, or BSU, that they had been waiting for. She definitely wasn't planning on interrupting her partner's tryst with his fiance!

Cassy was still reading the profile fifteen minutes later when her partner came back.

"What are you reading?" Tom asked.

"You're not going to believe this," Cassy promised as she held out the first few pages as she continued to re-read the last few for the third time.

"What is this? How about a synopsis first?" he asked as he pushed his coffee mug aside and put the papers down in front of him on the table.

"It's the FBI profile. Or shall I say profiles? They think we got this partly right. They think it's coming from raves not just from the types of drugs involved but apparently their forensic people found some other substances found at these parties. Confetti chemicals and the like. They also think there is more than one person involved, but they don't think the person luring the women out of the crowd is a guy trying to get some free drugs. They think it's a woman who's working with an older man. She can easily drug them because they wouldn't suspect her and are likely already hopped up on something anyway. Then the woman strips them and prepares them for her mentor," she gave him the summary.

"Wow," Tom's eyes were wide and he was at a loss for words. He definitely wouldn't have figured that scenario, but the BSU was well-respected and knew their business.

"They haven't written a full profile on the accomplice yet. They want to examine the crime scenes and some of the physical evidence again. They should have that in a couple of days. This is either really right or really wrong," Cassy herself was still a bit stunned by what she was reading. She had seen a lot of things in her career, but this one would be the sickest. She could hardly come to grips with the picture of some woman out there luring women and preparing them to be raped and killed. Her face tensed into a mask of rage.

Whoever she was she'd better hope it was a male cop who found her first.

>>>>>>>

"You realize that everyone else is jealous of us?" Tom asked his partner as he put his carton of chinese food on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch.

"Everyone is jealous because I'm letting you eat in my living room?" Cassy looked at her white furniture with a pained expression.

"Because we get to party like it's 1999," Tom rolled his eyes but didn't otherwise respond to her comment.

"It'll fit your lifestyle these days," Cassy observed.

"What do you mean by that?" Tom turned to his partner with a scowl on his face.

"Nothing," Cassy shrugged and stood up to begin clearing up their dinner.

"No, you never say anything you don't mean. So what did you mean by that?" he demanded.

"Really Tom, I didn't mean anything by it," Cassy looked at her partner.

"I don't believe you," he said angrily.

"Fine, but you're not going to like it," she warned.

"When do I ever like what you say?" he shot back.

"We haven't even been here three hours and already we're at each other's throats," Cassy stalked to the kitchen and began to slam the empty cartons into the garbage.

"You started it!" Tom accused.

"I know I did and I tried to stop it before it got out of hand. I didn't mean anything by it," she made a visible effort to control her own rising ire.

This was exactly why their marriage hadn't lasted. Short tempers and over sensitivity to the other's opinion.

"Fine, let's just plan where we're going tonight and try to get some sleep first," he bit out.

Tom was still snappish, but Cassy ignored him and let him bring himself back under control. She knew better than to try and mention anything remotely related to Virginia and she wished she hadn't let herself become so comfortable with him that the comment slipped out. What she had been referring to was a vague idea she toyed with that Virginia, like his car, was Tom's way of trying to stay young and at the same time planning for his old age. She knew how much Tom wanted a wife and children, even as he continued to admire beautiful women. It certainly wasn't something worth bringing up with Tom though. It wasn't her place since she was his ex-wife, despite their friendship. These days she wasn't even sure their friendship was going to be able endure his marriage.

"Superclub Krome is a hot scene after midnight," Cassy said with authority.

"Why do I think people are going to be greeting you by name there?" Tom asked rhetorically.

"It's a good place to start. There are a bunch of other clubs within walking distance. Try not to stand out as a cop all right?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Do you want to pick out my clothes Mommy?" he practically stuck out his tongue at her.

"Might not be a bad idea," she leaned her head to the side and studied him.

"I'm going to catch some shut eye," Tom pushed himself off the floor and bounded up the stairs.

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11:30 pm

"You are NOT wearing that!" Tom roared when his partner came slinking down the stairs. Slinking was his word.

Cassy looked around the room.

"What are you looking for?" he asked her in exasperation.

"Whomever it was that gave you the right to tell me what to wear?" she said primly, or as primly as she could given her outfit.

"You're a cop you can't go out like that," Tom stood in front of her with his hands resting on the hips of his tight and faded jeans.

"I'm not supposed to look like a cop remember?" she asked.

"You definitely don't. You'd better stick close by me. Where's your gun and badge?" he asked.

She held up a purse that was just large enough to carry the items he had asked about. It was black like her stiletto heels. They both stood out in sharp contrast to her dress.

He'd prefer to call it a slip.

What she was wearing was a dress with spaghetti straps that attached to a dress that barely covered her breasts before sliding over her stomach and hips to rest lightly in the middle of her thighs. The dress itself was made of a red sheer silk over a thin layer of material that made the dress barely short of obscene in Tom's mind.

Her nails and lips were painted red to match.

Her hair was a mass of curls flowing over her shoulders.

Catching his perusal Cassy spun around.

He swallowed heavily as he realized her back was bare and her underwear matched the dress.

Tom realized shakily that his pants felt even tighter.

And all thoughts of his fiancé left his reeling brain as his hands reached out of their own accord to plaster the dress to her body. His intent had been to force some modesty on her. But then his hand slid over the silky material and he heard her gasp.

He didn't know if it was surprise or arousal because, frankly, he couldn't think.

Apparently his marathon session earlier that day hadn't completely drained his resources.

Before Cassy could gather her wits Tom smashed his lips against hers.

Within seconds her purse fell forgotten to the floor and her hands found their way into his hair.

End of Chapter 4