Chapter 7
Palm Beach Police Department Headquarters

Cassy shrugged back the despondency that was fighting to break through her determinedly positive facade she had adopted for the day. Tom's question had hit a sore spot and she knew she had evaded answering him directly.

'Given up you mean,' an insistent voice in her head reminded her.

How many times had Cassy said hurtful things to Tom, things she hadn't meant? She couldn't even count and he had always forgiven her. But none of them were a denial of her love for him; not even when she left him had she denied her love.

'The first time you gave up,' that same annoying voice piped up.

Cassy continued blindly down the hall back towards the hearing room. She was oblivious to the press or the other interested onlookers who tried to stop her for questions. Years of explanations and justifications suddenly seemed to be crashing down around her ears.

Should she forgive him for what he said? Should she believe that he hadn't meant it even though he had said it and repeated it? Could she trust him? Did she ever really trust his love? An insistent ache in the region of her chest seemed to illustrate that she never had. Could she now? Should she? Did he want her to?

"Stop it!" Cassy mumbled under her breath. She wasn't used to these self doubts. She had made her decision to leave, to move on, and she had never backed down from a decision. 'It's not running away!' the inner battle continued.

She walked into the hearing room and paused. There was a roaring in her ears and the voices around her seemed to be coming from far away.

"Are you all right?" John was suddenly by her side. He took her elbow and led her towards the table at the front of the room. He helped her into a seat and took her cold hands into his. "You're as white as a sheet. What happened?"

Cassy closed her eyes and shook her head. She took in a few deep breaths and felt her nerves settle down. "I'm fine. Too much stress," she shrugged, wondering once again why all this emotional distress was overwhelming her. Was leaving Tom...

"I wonder where these came from?" John's query interrupted her internal reverie. Cassy looked up and saw him holding two yellow Cala Lilies. "They must be a present for you."

"Not necessarily," Cassy murmured as she took the offered flowers from him. "Where did these come from?"

"I swear Cass, I had nothing to do with this. Beau," John called over the hearing room guard, a uniformed officer. "Do you know where these came from?"

"No John, an admirer must have left them for you Cass. Probably a show of support." Beau smiled and winked.

"Must be, thank you." Cass stroked the soft petals. She knew for sure that these weren't a gift from Tom. Even if they had been on good terms, he had never given her lilies. Only one man had ever given her flowers like these and that was someone long before him. "Maybe these are for Tom?" Cassy mused out loud. Despite her question, though, she found it highly unlikely that even he was involved with someone so soon after Virginia.

"Where are those from?" Sara Meyer asked as she and her stoic looking client appeared to take their seats.

"Seems someone at this table has a secret admirer." Cassy looked questioningly at Tom. He shrugged and looked away.

"They're beautiful, but I doubt they're for me. Yellow really isn't my color." Sara grinned.

"I always thought yellow looked pretty with red hair of your shade. Why don't we share?" Cassy offered her one of the fresh buds.

"Thanks." Sara accepted a flower.

Just as their exchange finished, the board members began to file into the room and the room quieted.

A few minutes later Captain Turow asked whether the officers had decided.

Sara and John had apparently organized their responses and Sara stood up. "Both officers accept the Board's offer and thank the Board for their leniency and generosity."

After a few more minutes of statements by the Board and verbal confirmations by Ryan and St. John the hearing was officially closed.

"Next door, now!" Harry Lipshitz ordered the two officers.

"One minute back on the job," Tom mumbled good naturedly and, as was his habit, he looked towards his partner for her response.

Cassy's hand tightened around the flower she still held. Despite the fact that she had already informed him of her resignation, however, she couldn't refuse the authority in "her Captain's" voice. "I'll be right there," Cassy said quietly before turning to thank her attorney for his hard work on her behalf.

"Cassy, I'd say it was a pleasure, but I hope never to represent you in this capacity again. I'd much rather interview you as the arresting officer of one of my other clients, that is if you reconsider and stay in Palm Beach," John Masters told her.

"I don't think so, but thank you." Cassy shook his hand and watched him work his way through the crowd. Then she took a deep breath and followed in Tom's wake to see what Harry wanted.

>>>>>>>

"She shared it with that other woman," the boy told the man who had just slipped him a fifty dollar bill.

"That's all right, she'll still get the message," the man shrugged and shooed the boy away. His eyes were inscrutable under his sunglasses. His black hair glinted in the sun as he stood outside the Police Department Headquarters building.

>>>>>>

"I want you two in bright and early tomorrow. No more wallowing in self pity we have work to do," Harry said in his best "I'm the Captain and you have to listen to me" tone.

"Does this mean you've taken your job back?" Tom asked, amusement curving his lips.

"Damn right it does," Harry confirmed and looked at St. John with raised eyebrows over his glasses.

"Does that have anything to do with the offer we got today?" Cassy asked.

"Hmmph. I told them if they wanted me to run their division they'd better let me run their division," Harry said. "Well, young lady?"

"I already gave you my resignation Harry." Cassy avoided looking at Tom.

Harry waved his hand. "I wasn't your superior at the time, doesn't count. I'm asking you to reconsider."

"I thought you were telling me." Cassy rolled her eyes. Despite her discomfort at discussing this in front of Tom and the difficulty of having to tell Harry once again of her intention, she couldn't help but be touched.

"I'll put in a bad word for you in Houston, your stepfather notwithstanding." They all knew the threat was empty. "You're my best team. You can put your personal problems aside for the work. I know you can. At least until I find a replacement partner for Ryan here. That might take a while though."

"Replacement, hmm, where have I heard that before." Tom rolled his eyes, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "You might as well give in. He's relentless."

Cassy looked up at Tom, her blue eyes inscrutable. She opened her mouth to speak and then her cellular phone rang.

Chirrp

Cassy sighed and pulled out her phone, relieved at the interruption. She flipped it open and saw her sister's phone number in the caller id. "Claudia, probably calling to see how the hearing went," Cassy said by way of explanation before turning away and walking a few steps.

"Hey Claud." She wandered further away.

"It's not going to work Harry," Tom said, his eyes never leaving Cassy's figure.

"I've heard that before," Harry reminded him.

As Tom watched the cala lily dropped from Cassy's hand.

"...murdered..." he heard her say in a strange voice, the likes of which he had never heard from her. Then he watched in horror as she began to crumble before his eyes. In a flash he was behind her. His arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her back against him to prevent her from falling.

Harry took the slipping phone from her fingers.

"Claudia, you're sister is about to faint. What's going on?" Harry spoke as Tom began to murmur in Cassy's ear.

"Cassy, what happened?" he repeated as he helped her to a sitting position on a nearby folding chair. He took in her pale features and pushed her head down between her legs. "Take deep breaths."

He kneeled down in front of her and pushed her hair away from her face.

"I'm all right," Cassy said in a shaky voice a minute later and she began to sit up.

Tom slowed her down, studying her face to make sure she should be sitting up so soon.

"What happened?" Tom's hands continued to hold her hair back. He could feel her tremble beneath his touch.

Tears sprang to Cassy's eyes and he could see she was struggling to hold them back. Then her eyes seemed transfixed by something on the floor. Tears began to slide down her cheeks as she bent down and lifted the now crushed flower from the floor.

"Patrick..." Cassy gasped out, unable to take her eyes from the flower.

Just then Harry thrust a glass of water between them. Cassy took the drink gratefully. After taking a few sips she seemed to have herself back under control.

"An old friend was murdered. It was just a shock. We haven't seen each other in years." Cassy stood up and began to pace. "But it was always comforting somehow knowing he was out there living a happy life," her voice broke on the last words.

"Who Cass," Tom asked gently.

"Patrick Jensen, Tom." Cassy looked up at Tom knowing he would understand who she was referring to.

"From high school." He took her hand in his as he recognized the name of her high school sweetheart. The football quarterback to her head cheerleader. Her homecoming king to her queen.

"He always gave me yellow flowers, especially cala lilies." Cassy looked at the flower in her hand. A shiver ran down her spine and she looked back up at the homicide detectives standing before her. As much as she tried to believe it, she doubted it was just a coincidence.

The looks on Tom and Harry's faces echoed her thoughts.

End Chapter 7