Chapter Four: The Briefing
Many thanks to BMSH, Caranath, Cherylann Rivers, max2013, EvergreenDreamweaver, sm2003495, Drumboy100, Guest, and Ritu (to answer your question, Frank and Callie will appear soon. They're not the focus of this story, but they play a significant part.), for your responses to the last chapter.
And just a heads up- this may move up to M in the next chapter.
Joe was just parking his motorcycle when Nancy pulled into the driveway.
"You're not just getting home, are you?" she called, surprised.
Tugging off his helmet, he loped over for a quick kiss. "I take it you didn't get my message."
"No. I'm sorry. I haven't even looked at my phone since we talked earlier." Nancy darted out a hand to cup his face before he could pull away. "Where are you going?"
"Inside?"
"But I'm not finished saying hello," Nancy said, tilting her face up for a second kiss. One had not been enough. Neither, as it turned out, was two. When she came back for a third, she felt Joe smile against her lips.
"Hello to you, too," he said, catching her lower lip gently between his teeth. "Want to take this indoors?"
"Mm-mm. I'm happy here."
"Baby, I have my fair share of kinks, but public indecency charges aren't one of them. You know Mrs. Graf would call it in."
Nancy glared briefly at the adjoining apartment's window. Sure enough, the curtain twitched. "Mrs. Graf needs a hobby," she muttered, stepping away from Joe and smoothing her blouse.
"If my brother weren't a police officer, I might risk it. But can you imagine how much shit Frank would give us for something like that?" Joe joked, heading for the front door.
Frank. The mention of his name pulled Nancy's attention back to her original question.
"Did Frank meet you guys at the gym? Is that why you're just getting home?" she asked. If Frank had turned up, the odds were that the brothers' competitive streak had kept them pushing themselves far beyond the regular workout Joe and Chet had planned.
"No. I had to take Chet to the emergency room."
"What? Is he okay?" Nancy grabbed for her phone and scrolled through the messages as she followed Joe into the house, searching for one from "Han Solo."
There. "Captain: regret to report casualties sustained. Taking Chet to ER, will explain ASAP."
"Why are you reading that now?" Joe looked amused. "He's fine, Nan. Let's get some windows open."
That was a good idea. Their ancient window air conditioner unit had given up the ghost the first time they had turned it on in June, and they had decided to try a summer without air conditioning rather than shell out the money for a new one.
"Why are all our appliances dying lately?" Nancy said, more to herself than to Joe, as she crossed the living room to open the window.
"Maybe someone put the evil eye on us," Joe suggested from the bedroom.
"Probably Mrs. Graf," Nancy joked. "What happened to Chet?"
She heard the bedroom window open- it always stuck and then shrieked in protest as it was forced upward- and then Joe reappeared, sans helmet, backpack, boots, and jacket.
"He hurt his shoulder," he said, crossing into the kitchen.
"Torn ligaments?" Nancy guessed.
"That was my guess, too, but it turned out to be just a strain. Hurts like hell, but he'll live."
"Did they give him pain meds?" Nancy asked, grinning.
Joe peered around the kitchen door and grinned back. "Strong ones. He's high as a kite. Some of the words he used even made me blush."
"Yeah, right," Nancy scoffed. Then she had a sudden thought. "Wait. You took him to the ER on your motorcycle?"
"No, we took the Queen," Joe said, referring to Chet's beloved jalopy. "Then I circled back to the gym to get my bike. Frank and I can run out after dinner and get Her Majesty."
He retreated into the kitchen. Nancy, who was still standing in front of the open living room window, gathered her ponytail in one hand and held it away from her neck to allow the cooler air to flow across her exposed skin. She could hear Joe moving around, getting glasses out of the cabinet, running water from the tap, singing scraps of something too low for her to catch the tune.
"When do I get to hear about this mystery?" she called, moving over to sit on the sofa. From there, she had a decent view into the kitchen.
"Just a sec," he called back, tossing his t-shirt over the back of a chair. Nancy smiled. Her private theory about this habit of his, the ritual of stripping away layers as he settled in at home, was that the discarded clothing mirrored the shedding of his public persona. He often found it useful to be underestimated, and tended to play up the more impetuous, happy-go-lucky parts of his personality around most people. But here, at home, he was the most genuine version of himself. Nancy was fascinated with the skill and the psychological implications of the habit, and she felt honored to be among the people he trusted.
The second he had promised dragged out into a minute, then longer. He was prying ice cubes out of a tray in a leisurely fashion.
"You're killing me," Nancy groaned, toppling over onto the next cushion in a dramatic feigned swoon. Then, just as quickly, she sat up. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! I have a new case, too."
"Another one? We're busy all of a sudden."
"I'm not complaining. I could use the distraction."
Joe, who had just entered the room with a glass of water for each of them, quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're still not sleeping."
"Not well." There was no point denying it. They shared a bed, after all, and Joe was a light sleeper.
"What's going on, Nan?"
Nancy hesitated. She and Joe were not in the habit of holding things back from each other, but she was not ready to discuss this. So she shook her head, and said "It's nothing. Just a lot of crazy dreams. It's probably the heat."
Her words might have sounded more convincing if she had been able to make eye contact while she uttered them. But Joe was a good man, and he let the subject drop.
"Tell me about your mystery, first," he said instead.
Nancy shelved her guilt, rallied her thoughts, and explained about Bess. "She wants me to find out who this woman is," she concluded. "But I don't know. I told her I'd think about it."
Joe let out a long whistle. "Damn," he said bluntly. "I've noticed him checking girls out a few times, but I thought he was too whipped to actually cross the line."
"Joseph," Nancy protested, giggling despite herself.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Joe said. "That's the vibe they have, you know? She's obviously in charge."
"She is," Nancy agreed. "Oh. I just thought of something. Remember the Davis case last year?"
He nodded. "Sure."
"I was talking to Bess and Tom the day I went to check out the Bay View Motel, and Tom seemed really familiar with the place. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. But now..."
"Now you're wondering if he's done this before," Joe guessed.
"Exactly."
"You do want to investigate this."
"I think I do."
There was a pause. Then Joe snorted. "What kind of no-class animal takes a woman to the Bay View? The place is a shithole."
"Really? That's what you're taking away from this conversation?" Nancy raised an eyebrow at him. "Where would you take a lady for an adulterous tryst?"
"If she's the kind of lady you buy nice jewelry for, you take her to a nice hotel. It's common courtesy."
"Of course. Etiquette is so important when it comes to affairs," Nancy teased. "Your mother must be so proud of you."
"I'm a testament to my upbringing," Joe said with a wink.
"I'll be sure to thank her next time I see her," Nancy deadpanned. She took a sip of water. "Anyway, I don't have any proof that Tom's brought anyone there."
"Fair enough. We'll dig into it."
Joe had been perched on the arm of the couch, looking down at her in a way that reminded her of George's posture earlier. Now he jumped down and started pacing.
"On a more serious note," he said, "do Bess and the girls need a place to stay? We have that extra bedroom, and I can borrow some toys for the girls from Mom. She's been hauling out all our old stuff to get it ready for Miles. And we can- "
Nancy held up a hand. "She knows, Joe."
"Okay. Good."
The next time he passed within range, Nancy made a grab for the nearest belt loop on his jeans and reeled him in. "You're making me feel jittery. Sit down and tell me about your case, please."
"I stink," he warned her, scooting to the other side of the couch. "I didn't get a chance to shower at the gym, thanks to Chester's little stunt."
"So I'll hold my breath. Talk fast."
Joe's smile did not reach his eyes. He seemed very serious, suddenly. "Before I get into the details, I want you to understand that we are not going to take this case unless you are 100% on board with it."
"You're making me nervous," Nancy said, letting go of her held breath and all inclination to joke at the same time. "Who called you?"
"Vanessa," he said.
"Vanessa Bender? That Vanessa?"
Joe nodded.
First Ned, now Vanessa, Nancy thought, feeling a bit broadsided by the coincidence. We've got exes coming out of the woodwork today.
The silence stretched out until, aware that she needed to say something, Nancy blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Why?"
"She said that it's a sensitive case, and she can trust me and Frank to keep a low profile."
"She doesn't know you and Frank aren't working together anymore," Nancy realized.
"She does now," Joe said.
"But Frank was planning to jump in on our next case," Nancy said slowly. "Why don't you two just work this one?"
"Whoa. No way." Joe reached for Nancy's hand. "First of all, we're a team. I meant it. If you don't want to touch this case, none of us will touch it. And second of all, isn't Callie due, like, yesterday? There's no way Frank wants to work a case right now."
"Her due date is August 21. That's still a few weeks away," Nancy said.
"Really? But she looks- " Joe reined himself in. "Really pregnant," he concluded lamely.
"You'd better watch your mouth around her tonight," Nancy teased.
"Noted," Joe said.
There was a pause. Nancy looked down at their clasped hands and ran a fingertip idly across Joe's knuckles.
"Didn't she move to San Diego?" she asked finally, returning to the subject of Vanessa.
"San Francisco," Joe said, nodding. "But her mother's latest boyfriend bought that abandoned campground out near Stoney Point last year, and she moved back to help run the place."
"Camp Sunshine?" Nancy said sharply.
"That's what it used to be called. Is that important?"
"Some girls went missing from there in the 70s," Nancy said.
Joe nodded. "Yeah, Van mentioned that. That's actually why she wanted me and Frank on the case."
A chill rippled up Nancy's spine. "Did she find a clue to the disappearances? Are there- "
"Easy, Drew. It's nothing as exciting as that."
"Oh." Nancy deflated. "What, then?"
"Petty theft. Vandalism." Joe shrugged. "I told her there's no way we're driving all the way out there to catch some bored teenager. That's what the local PD is for. But Vince, that's the boyfriend, is dead set on keeping this off the record."
"I can see why, especially with that old case making headlines again. The last thing they need is for people to connect their new business with those poor girls."
"Exactly. Publicity like that might draw a few adrenaline junkies, but most people would decide they'd rather feel safe on vacation and take their business elsewhere." Joe's thumb stroked along her hand, absentmindedly. "Though, let's be realistic. It's probably a little late to keep everything on the down-low. People aren't that stupid. But hey, they're entitled to give it a shot."
"So she called you."
"So she called Frank," Joe corrected. "And Frank gave her my number."
Nancy thought for a moment. In her experience, there was no such thing as a true coincidence. The universe had been shoving that camp in her face at every turn, today, and it was not in her nature to walk away from a hint like that.
But, on the other hand, she thought, why should we do Vanessa a favor? She has some nerve if she thinks she can say the word and make the Hardys come running, after all this time.
"I know that look," Joe said. "What's up?"
"Ned approached me today," Nancy said, squaring her shoulders. The blunt approach seemed like the best one.
"What?"
"He asked me to give him another chance. I said no."
The confusion on Joe's face cleared away. "And you think I should have told Vanessa to fuck off, too."
"Yes. No. Kind of." Nancy sighed. "It's not the same thing. She didn't proposition you. It's just a case."
"If you don't want it- "
"I know. You keep saying that. But that implies that you do want it, or at least that you have no problem with it."
"Okay, so it's not ideal, but when it comes down to it we never spend much time with the client. I have a feeling this could be an interesting one."
"It bothers me that she came running to you."
"Yeah, I wasn't thrilled, either." Joe sighed. "Did I mention we'd get to go undercover as guests? And that Vince remodeled the whole place? I looked it up online. There's a pool, a lake, a stable..."
"So it's basically a free vacation, mystery included," Nancy said. "How could we turn that down?"
Joe leaned in to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger against her cheek. "We don't have to decide right now. We can sleep on it."
Though she already knew they were going to do it, Nancy just nodded. "Thanks," she said softly. "I appreciate the way you handled this."
"Like we already established, I'm a gentleman," Joe said with a wink. He patted her hand and rose. "Okay. Shower time."
He moved off toward the bathroom. Nancy got up, too, and grabbed an apple from the kitchen to mollify her rumbling stomach before returning to the living room to eat her snack and text George.
How are things?
The answer came back almost instantly: She's ok. I'm still here with her. The douchewaffle left.
As in, went out for awhile, or left for good?
Don't know, don't care, George wrote back.
I feel so helpless. Should we break out the champagne and chocolate?
Not yet. I'll stay with her tonight.
If you need ANYTHING call me.
Will do.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Joe returned before long, dressed in fresh jeans and a t-shirt, and squeezed himself into the armchair alongside Nancy.
"Comfortable?" she asked archly.
"I am now," he said, pulling her into his lap. "Anything good on?"
Nancy glanced at the television, which she had turned on and promptly forgotten in her worry over Bess. "I have no idea. Here, take the remote."
"I just talked to Frank," Joe said, clicking idly through the channels.
"In the shower?"
"I put him on speaker. He's interested. He wants to hear more about it tonight at dinner."
"Okay. What time are we going over?"
"Around six." Joe leaned over her shoulder to steal a bite of apple.
"Hey!" Nancy said in token protest, even as she let herself relax against his chest. It was really too hot to be sitting on top of each other like this, but she could not bring herself to move. The familiar angles of his body, the warmth of his hand resting on her leg, the clean scent of his shampoo, all provided a sense of peace and security which Nancy appreciated after the day's events.
"I like these shorts," Joe said, tracing a finger lightly along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. "They're short."
Nancy laughed. "Nothing gets by you, does it?"
"Don't mock me when I'm trying to seduce you." He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her neck, just behind her ear. Nancy let her head fall back against his shoulder, baring the length of her neck to him in a silent invitation to carry on.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that's what you were doing," she said lazily. "I'll shut up and let you try another line."
"Too late. My feelings are hurt now."
Nancy raised her free hand and threaded her fingers loosely into his still-damp hair. She could feel his smile against her skin. "Maybe there's some way I could make it up to you," she suggested.
"I like the sound of that," he answered. Then his tone sobered. "All joking aside, last night has been playing on a loop in my head all day."
"Last night?" Nancy twisted to look at him. "But it wasn't- I mean, it was really good, but why?"
"Why fantasize about last night when it was possibly the most normal sex we've ever had? Beats me, but I can't get it out of my head." He bit lightly at her earlobe, grazing it with his teeth before circling her earring with the point of his tongue.
Nancy moaned. "To be fair, it's never normal sex," she said, tipping her head back against his shoulder again. "Normal sex is boring. I'm never bored with you."
"Shit. If he let you get bored, he wasn't doing it right," Joe drawled.
He had been stroking her thigh during the entire exchange, softly and slowly but with evident intent. Now he let the upward stroke continue until he was pressing between her legs, rubbing along the inseam of those stupid restrictive shorts which had been nothing but a nuisance to her all day.
"I was wrong. I don't like the shorts anymore," he said, slipping his other hand up under her blouse to cup a breast. Nancy arched back against him, wanton and breathless.
And then they both went still.
"Joe," Nancy said eagerly, sitting up.
"On it." He was already punching the volume button on the remote.
On the screen, the news anchor was speaking in a somber tone. " - identified as the remains of Elizabeth Langley, who disappeared in August 1974," he said. "The discovery has raised hopes within the community that answers may finally be forthcoming in the cases of several other young women who went missing in the area that summer." The man paused, shuffling papers. "On Wall Street today- "
Both detectives relaxed. Nancy hit the power button, cutting off the rest of the news report.
"I was hoping for more information than that," she said, disappointed.
"Me too." Joe shifted, pulling his other hand out of her bra as though he had just realized it was still there. "I'm starting to agree with you, Nan. There's something going on here."
"You don't think..." Nancy let the thought trail off.
"What?"
"Vanessa wouldn't be covering anything up, would she?" She hated to say it. The last thing she wanted was to sound jealous or catty. But Joe seemed to take the idea at face value.
"No," he said thoughtfully. "Downplaying anything isn't really her style. We could check up on her mom's boyfriend, though. Maybe he has some literal skeletons in his closet."
"We should research the missing girls, too. It can't hurt to be familiar with the details." Nancy turned to look up into Joe's face. "I love that we both went into sleuth mode at the same time," she said, smiling.
"I don't know. Is it a good sign that our detective instincts are stronger than our sex drive?" Joe pondered.
"I guess it was inevitable for the passion to die sometime," Nancy said, shaking her head in mock sorrow.
Joe leaned in, cupping her chin, and kissed her tenderly. "As if that could ever happen," he said. "We'll pick up where we left off after dinner, Nan. That's a promise."