Chapter 44: Cops Lunch Out
After the pitcher of drinks, everyone gathered their belongings to leave. "You want me to come with you?" Lindsay asked Gus hoping her friend wasn't sinking down into depression.
"Nah, I'm fine." Gus attempted to shrug her friend off, thinking maybe she should be alone for a while.
"Even with seeing Flack and hot stuff?" Danny interjected.
"Danny!"Lindsay hissed at him, she could really kill him some days.
"Why would I care who Flack brought?" Gus said flippantly.
Danny made a choked noise, but didn't say anything for fear of Montana beaning him.
"I'm glad he's dating, and she seemed...gorgeous," Gus finished.
"Sure you don't want company?" Lindsay asked again.
"Maybe a little" Gus said. Thinking not really yours but I will take it because you are a sweet friend.
"Alright. Slumber party, can I come?" Danny flirted.
"No!" both women said, going to hail a cab.
Gus and Lindsay acted like adolescents all night long, staying up talking, eating junk food, watching bad movies. Around dawn Gus yawned and said, "Thanks Linds, I really needed this."
"I kinda figured, with that last song"... she trailed off, thinking about her own lost friends. Lindsay covered with with a yawn, "I need some sleep."
Gus caught the sadness, but decided to not press the issue saying, "Me too, maybe in a bit we can go get food."
"That'd be great,"Lindsay said heading to the office and the day bed.
Gus was in a blissful sleep, dreaming about a certain blue eyed detective when her phone started buzzing. "Broussard!" she croaked.
"Sunshine, what did you do after I left last night, it's after Noon!" Flack said bemused to be waking her in the afternoon, seeing as she always seemed to be so damned chipper whenever he was hungover.
"Jesus. Lindsay came over, we stayed up all night. Why are you calling me?" she asked, not coherent.
"Have I mentioned you are a joy to talk to before coffee?" Flack couldn't help himself, but she was a real bear, he had learned that over the summer.
"A coupla times. Was Paige royally pissed at you for bringing her to Cozi's?" Gus said refusing to move from her cocoon under the covers, debating on falling back to sleep once she got Flack off the phone.
"I don't know, I dumped her," Flack stated.
This woke Gus up immediately, she threw back the covers and belted, "You did what?!"
"Told her it wasn't working out, did the whole it's not you it's me spiel." He had expected her to take the news better.
"You didn't?" Gus was horrified, elated and confused all at once.
She needed coffee. She padded out of her bedroom, Lindsay passed out in the office on the daybed, and into the kitchen. "Why?"
"She kept calling me Donnie," Flack said, silently adding, 'and because you broke up with your boyfriend you dolt.'
"So you dumped her, what is wrong with you?"
"Well you dumped the hose dragger," he hit his head with the heel of his hand, he hadn't meant to actually say that to her.
"Because he had a fiancée," she hissed in a whisper.
"I'm just saying, we all have our reasons," Flack added to himself, you just happened to be mine.
"Yes, and some of us actually have good ones," Gus said, dumping coffee into the pot and filling it with water.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Because Lindsay is still asleep."
"Oh, she's still there."
"Yes, why?" Gus felt like she was never going to hang up the phone and she desperately wanting to go talk to Lindsay about Flack's latest relationship development.
"I was gonna see if you wanted to grab lunch," Flack felt dejected.
"Call Danny, he went home alone last night with his tail between his legs, he could probably use a friend." Gus suggested, hoping she would be able to pump Danny for information later in that case.
"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow then," Flack sighed this wasn't how he wanted the conversation to go. He had been hoping for more jubilation, more of a hey look at that we are both single now vibe.
"Only if Daddino gets off his ass and signs the form," Gus grumbled.
"I'll make him," Flack said with authority he didn't really have.
"What time is it?" croaked Lindsay coming into the kitchen and pouring coffee.
"Almost one," Gus answered looking at the stove clock.
"In the afternoon, who are you talking to, tell me that isn't work?" Lindsay looked stricken.
"Nah, it's Flack, he dumped Paige," Gus pulled an oh my god can you believe it face at Lindsay, happy Flack didn't have a video phone.
"Why are you telling my business?" Flack yelped.
"Cheaper than putting out an ad in the times, it will be all over by tomorrow anyway. Especially if you see Danny for lunch," Gus shrugged the phone between her ear and shoulder pouring more coffee.
"He's going to lunch with Danny?" Lindsay asked.
"I'm trying to convince him of that," Gus replied to Lindsay.
Just then Lindsay's phone rang, "Monroe," she answered.
"Hey Montana, you feel like a late lunch?"
Lindsay busted into laughter.
"What?" exclaimed Gus from the kitchen beside Lindsay and Danny from the telephone. "What, what?" said Flack from the other end of Gus' phone.
"Who wants what for lunch, because I think we are all going," Lindsay said still chuckling.
The group agreed to meet up at a restaurant less than a block from Gus' place. She did this on purpose because she knew the guys needed time to get there, and they needed time to get ready.
"I think my clothes are too big on you, dawlin'" Gus said to Lindsay who was sorting through Gus' closet. "And about a foot too long" Lindsay said fussing with a pair of pants.
"Maybe like seven inches," Gus teased, she slid open her closet door, "here try this skirt, it's too short on me, if you like it you can have it" she threw her a camel colored cashmere skirt.
"A skirt, you want me to wear a skirt?
"Fine swim in my pants then." Lindsay slid the skirt on.
"Here, belt," Gus said throwing her a wide brown belt, "sweater," ivory chunky cable knit, "and viola you're done."
"Hey, this looks good," Lindsay admired herself in the mirror.
"Yep," Gus sat back satisfied.
"What about my shoes?" Lindsay said, pointing at the boring black pumps she had worn the night before.
Gus wandered over to them, "hey we wear the same size shoes at least!" Gus studied Lindsay carefully, "I've got it, but you have to give these back, the rest you can keep." Gus dove into her closet and came out triumphantly holding a bare of buttery-soft calf skin boots in a rich caramel color.
Lindsay stared at them in awe, "they're beautiful."
"Aren't they. Shoes are the only really girly thing I ever fell for. They are like my babies. I lost 46 pairs when my front closet caved in in New Orleans, it was tragic. Luckily my winter shoes were all in storage."
Lindsay pulled the boots on and slid the zippers up, "they are like magic, it's like they know me!"
"Fabulous aren't they? Now let's head."
"I think I'm more dressed up than you," Lindsay gestured to Gus' bright green tunic sweater, grey wool pants and matching green flats.
Gus just shrugged as they grabbed coats and headed out. "Why is it so cold already?" Gus asked.
"Because it's October, you were here last year."
"I must have been in shock," Gus said pulling on gloves.
"You are going to freeze by December then!" Lindsay laughed at her.
Danny and Flack were standing in line, talking about sports and other guy stuff. Flack cocked his head, had Gus shrank overnight? Danny cocked his head, had Montana grown?
"What?" the girls said coming up to them.
"Are you shorter?" asked Flack
"Or are you taller?" finished Danny.
"Flats," Gus said pointing a toe, "I am supposed to be on flats until my ankle is better, bastard doctor."
"Boots, Gus let me where her magical boots!" Lindsay said almost giddy in them.
"Magical boots, alright there, Montana," Danny said and turning to Flack, "do you think they've been ya know" he made a drinking motion. Flack just shrugged. "Hey Broussard, this isn't like one of them fruity brunch places is it, and how long are we gonna be waiting in this line?" Danny asked her, he hated waiting to eat, it just wasn't something Danny Messer did.
"Since it is the weekend they do serve brunch, but it isn't fruity I promise. As for the wait, I called ahead."
"You called ahead?" Flack asked, that was not usually the way things went in the city, you wanted it, you waited.
"I know the hostess, she had a little meltdown the first time I came here and I walked through a panic attack, so she lets me call ahead," Gus shrugged.
"Psst, Gus, psst" a girl with massively curly hair, so curly it made Stella's look straight, flagged her, "come here." Gus motioned to the others to follow. "You want inside right? I'm sitting you in Jerome's section, alright? Are these your friends, are they cops too, he's kinda cute," the girl bounced all over the place leading them inside.
"Mandy, we got it from here, thanks," Gus said, the girl grinned and bounced away.
Lindsay shook herself out of her coat and straightened the sweater. "Whoa, Montana, look at those kicks," Danny said admiring his view.
Lindsay blushed, "it's all her fault," she said pointing at Gus.
"Guilt,y" Gus said, shrugging out of her own coat and going to sit by Lindsay.
"Uh uh," Danny said, "I'm not sitting beside him, and eating brunch, no way, no how."
"You are such a child," Gus humphed, but she moved over to the other side of the table to sit by Flack.
Jerome came over, with water and a coffee carafe without being asked. "I do love you Jerome, you know that right?" she said hugging the server after he greeted Gus with a big hug.
"Sweetie, if I every decide I want to know about womanly parts, you will be my first call," he said with a flourish of his pen, "so what can I get you fine hunks of men and this other pretty little thing, dear Gus has bestowed upon me today?"
They ordered and Jerome brought out a basket of croissants. Gus dove on it, "the chocolate one's mine," she said, coming up with it triumphantly.
"How come you never brought me here when I was living with you?" Flack asked seriously curious, had she been holding out on him?
"You have a chip on your shoulder about brunch, remember and I used to come here to escape you," she teased. Flack look wounded. "Don't make the sad eyes Flack, I didn't get enough sleep to stand up to them." He grinned devilishly. Danny and Lindsay were ensconced in their own discussion, something about farmers and fresh ingredients. "So what's the story, Flack, why did you dump your new girlfriend?"
"You want to know honestly?"
Gus wasn't so sure since he put it that way. "Why not?"
"She called you my little friend," he shrugged looking at the menu and taking a gulp of coffee.
"And you dumped her for that, you're a tough cookie there, Flack."
"I saw it as an indicator, we area package deal and anyone either of us date in the future will need to understand that."
"Huh?" Maybe Gus needed more coffee than she thought, how much did she drink last night?
"I am saying there are bound to be questions from people we date about you and my's relationship and if they don't get the concept of partners, then nip it in the bud."
"That's what you were doing, nipping it in the bud?" Gus asked him, a little worried.
Flack just shrugged. What he didn't tell Gus was that he wandered around the city for hours, lost in thoughts of her and wanting to kill Murphy.
Jerome rescued them with heaping skillets of food. "This is not a fruity amount of food," Danny exclaimed digging in.
"This is amazing," Lindsay said forking a bite in to her mouth.
"Foodgasm," Jerome remarked, sashaying away.
"Foodgasm?" Flack furrowed.
"Don't ask, just eat," Gus demanded, pointing at the mound of food.
"You sound like Grams," Flack said digging in.
"How is your family by the way? I've gotten some emails from Sam," Gus asked completely innocent.
"Emails, from my sister? Nothing I need to know about, right sunshine?"
"No, Flack nothing for you to worry about," Gus said digging into her own food.
"They are good," he said, not adding anything else. Gus knew he had somewhat strained relationships with both his parents for drastically different reasons, much closer with his grandmother Irene and Sam, but she wished he would open up. She just raised her eyebrows until finally he revealed a little more.
"My brother wants my sister-in-law to have another kid. I think he is trying to start his own hockey team," he finally revealed.
"She's had three!" Gus exclaimed
Flack just shrugged, "she can keep having 'em for all I care, keeps ma off my back. Who wants you to come by for dinner by the way."
"Your mother?" Gus felt weird all of a sudden, "I've met her like twice!"
"Yeah, I don't know, she seems to like you for some reason that I can't understand." Gus mocked stabbing him with her fork.
"Do we need to separate you two?" Danny asked.
"Nope, we're good", Gus said putting her fork back into her food.
"All good," Flack said kicking her leg under the table.
Gus lightly kicked back, "ankle, you child!"
"Crap, forgot, sorry."
Did he just squeeze her thigh? Gus flushed and starting picking through her food.
Had he just squeezed her thigh, he hadn't meant to; he just couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself when he was around her, he had to get a grip.
The foursome chatted through brunch, frightening the surrounding diners with their discussions about cases and evidence until after four when Lindsay caught sight of her watch, "we've been here two hours, I have to get home!" she exclaimed.
"We'll tip Jerome well, they won't care," Danny said, wanting to make her stay.
"I gotta get home too before cousin Bobby rents out my room," Flack said shrugging into a leather jacket, "I'll walk ya out."
Gus felt disappointment wash over her at his leaving and almost jealousy at him walking out with her friend. Gus stood to hug Lindsay and give her a cheek peck, "thanks for the skirt," she said.
"Yeah just take care of my babies."
"Babies?" Danny looked confused. Gus pointed down at the boots.
Lindsay and Danny looked awkwardly at each other for a second, then Lindsay pulled him into a quick hug, "See ya Messer, thanks for brunch."
"See ya tomorrow sunshine, ready for action," Flack said to Gus tucking her hair behind her ear and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.
Watching them leave, Gus slumped back to her chair. Danny did the same. They moped for a moment and then caught glances of each other.
"We're pathetic," Gus said cracking a grin.
"I'm more pathetic."
"How's that?"
"That 'thanks for brunch', Montana didn't leave any money."
"The girl is good," Gus sorted through the money Flack left, "of course the boy is too, Flack left enough for him and me."
Gus left Jerome more tip and walked out with Danny. "Are you sure Montana can't keep those boots?" Danny asked her as she hugged him good bye.
"Not even for your wildest fantasies Danny."
"Damn. See ya Gus."
"Bye, Danny." Gus walked the two blocks home happy as a clam.
Chapter 45: Babymoon
Gus was happy to be starting the next week able to go back into the field. She had barely settled into her desk with a cup of special vic's coffee in her hand when Daddino came by.
"Broussard, I didn't know you were in such high demand," he said throwing a file down on her desk with his pen.
"What are you talking about?" Gus was confused.
"I had four calls from four different people before 7am to ensure that I signed your paperwork first thing to get you back out there. Try to take your kids away for a weekend and still..."
"Loo, I'm sorry I was a little antsy to get back out there so maybe I said something to a coupla of people," she stopped trying to come up with four, "Who all called you?"
"Your uncle and his right hand Stella, your partner and Parker of all people," he shook his head in disbelief.
Gus grinned, finally she had made another friend on the force.
"So here is your damn form, just sign below mine and I will get it off. But don't push yourself because I got vacation coming up soon and you aren't gonna ruin it with injuries or incident reports."
"Got you," Gus said signing the form and doing a little happy dance in her seat.
Loo tapped her desk with his fist lightly, "now go make me proud," he said, patting her on her back and going back to his office.
Flack came strolling in a few minutes later, "You get your damn form yet, sunshine?" he said standing over her desk.
"Yes I did, blue eyes, thanks to you, Mac, Stella and get this Parker!" she exclaimed.
"I think he's going sweet on ya, I'll have to keep my eye on him," Flack joked.
"Just wish some of that sweetness would rub off on Lafferty or Thatcher," Gus snorted
"Don't count on that happening anytime soon," Flack stood, hands shoved in his pockets.
Gus shrugged, "whatever, oh and um thanks for yesterday you didn't have to..." she trailed off, feeling slightly awkward, not willing to admit how much she enjoyed his company the day before.
Flack caught her flushing, and asked "your ankle is good?" changing the subject.
"Enough, I can't do runners though!"
"I heard you, convenient."
"Well I know how much you love running after some maggot."
They worked in comfortable silence, sorting through case files when they got called out to the Upper East Side.
They arrived on scene, Danny right on their heels, "Broussard back in action. Everyone be ready to duck and cover!"
"Danny you are so hilarious, I think you should go on tour."
Flack ignored them trying to get info from the responding officers.
"Apparent mugging gone bad. Tourists visiting, wife's over there, hysterical," the officer gestured to a frazzled and very pregnant woman right outside the crime scene tape. "She said they were just walking to breakfast and were jumped from behind, man didn't want to give up his ring or something and he got knifed. Visiting from Atlanta, shame..." the officer shook his head.
"From your neck of the woods, Atlanta," Danny said leaning over the body taking pictures.
"It's an eight hour drive and a different time zone, sugar," Gus retorted. "Well the south then," Danny shrugged, not New York what did he care?
"New Orleans does not consider itself to be part of the South, they practically don't acknowledge being part of the US," she sniffed haughtily.
"Well whatever there, Broussard, but his throat was slashed pretty deep and there are a whole lot of stab wounds for someone that was only mugged, his hand was sliced pretty bad too," he said picking trace off the man. Flack and Gus crossed under the tape and stood over Danny.
"Whoa, I woulda just given my ring," Flack said.
"I guess he took it anyway," Danny said lifting up a naked left hand.
Gus pointed to the man's right hand, "or maybe not, check out his right hand." Danny lifted the hand and attempted to pull off a jewel encrusted hunk of a ring, "that is one ugly ring, and I've seen some ugly jewelry growin' up in my family," Danny quipped. "It's got some crazy symbols on it and it seems to be stuck!"
"Let me see," Gus said, pulling on gloves.
"What you trying to be a CSI now too, sunshine?" Flack teased.
"No, it just looks familiar," she said gingerly picking up the man's hand and holding it up to the sun. The red garnet ring flashed an image of a bulldog underneath it, "thought so, UGA, class ring, funny symbols are his frat. I never did understand southern men and their damn college rings," Gus shivered thinking about how her lip had split after Gage lashed out at her with his.
Flack caught her remark and remembered their conversation, he squeezed her shoulder from behind.
"Either way, this looks personal," Danny said dropping trace into an evidence envelope.
"I'll take the wife, you take the other witness," Gus said, pointing over to the pregnant woman.
"Fine by me," Flack said, "she doesn't look like she's running anywhere."
Gus walked over to the woman, "Mrs. Stokes? I'm Detective Broussard with the NYPD, I need to ask you a few questions, if you think you can talk."
The woman nodded, smoothing her perfectly coiffed big hair. "Yes I think I can, it's just, so tragic," she wailed.
Gus felt her 'voodoo' working, this woman was acting, she looked legit, but Gus knew something was up. "How about we sit down," Gus said gesturing to the gurney behind them. The woman sat, in her designer maternity gear, fingering her pearl necklace and almost blinding Gus with her diamond rings."So what brought you and your husband to New York?" Gus asked flipping open her memo book.
"We wanted one last trip before I had the baby. A babymoon, so to speak. I wanted to go to the Caribe, but Nathan wanted to be able to do some work while we were gone, of course, so we came here. At least I got to go to Tiffany's," the woman said gesturing to her dazzling bracelet.
Gus sized the woman up, lots of jewelry left on a woman who had just been mugged and her husband killed for not giving up a class ring. "Did you happen to see your attacker?"
"It happened so fast, we were just walking, going to get something to eat, I had a terrible craving for sausage, which I never eat. Suddenly this man came from behind and said he was taking our money."
"What then?" Gus urged the woman on.
"I screamed and dropped my purse and tried to run away," the woman lowered her head, "I can't run very fast though, I am about to give birth after all," the woman twirled her hair around a finger.
"Caught that," Gus said, she wasn't being therapeutic to this one, something was rotten in Denmark for sure.
"I was afraid to turn around, but I did and I saw Nathan and the man struggling, and then I saw the knife and I just kept screaming. That was all I could see was the knife, flashing. And blood, there was a lot of blood. The man looked up, he must have seen I was pregnant, because then he made a quick movement and then ran off."
"When you turned back, and he looked at you, did you get a good look at him?" Gus was quickly loosing patience.
"Not really, he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, black or blue and a baseball cap," the woman fiddled with her jewelry.
"Do you happen to catch his race?"
"Brownish, I guess he could have been black, maybe Mexican," the woman shrugged.
"How tall?" Gus tried to not radiate heat towards this woman.
"A little taller than you," the woman stated looking Gus up and down.
"So 5'10"?" Gus tried to get some usable information.
"About that," the woman said unconcerned.
"Build?" Gus clenched her pen hard enough to bust it.
"Athletic-ish"
"And he took your bag?" Gus let the "ish" statement go.
"I guess so, I didn't see it around when I rushed back to Nathan." Tears on cue sliding down her face again.
"So you rushed back to Nathan?" Gus really knew something was up now.
"Why yes, he was lying there, bleeding, and he is my husband, of course I went back to him."
"Did you try to stop the bleeding, or resuscitate him?" You lying cow, Gus added to herself.
"I didn't know what to do, I screamed for help a lot."
Gus noticed the woman did not have a speck of blood on her clothes, she looked down at her shoes, shoes that most pregnant women wouldn't ever dream of wearing, they were clean too. "You need to stay right here, Mrs. Stokes, the medic will need to look you over and we may need to get you to the hospital seeing your condition and all."
"Bitch is lying" was the first thing that came out of Gus' mouth when she got back to Danny and Flack.
"Whoa there sunshine, I know you had coffee this morning," Flack was shocked at her lack of empathy.
"What's the story?" Danny asked.
"Supposedly a Babymoon."
"Babymoon?" both men asked confused.
"It's the new thing, like a honeymoon except right before you pop out a kid. Last hurrah before your life ends I suppose," Gus replied. "Anyway, my point is that woman is carrying around about 5 carats on her hands and another 7 on her arm and what kind of mugger do you know that would leave that much jewelry?"
"Maybe because she was pregnant?"
"Look at her," she gestured to the woman fawning over the medic. "She's over 8 months pregnant, probably shouldn't be flying by the way, and she weighs like 110. If the mugger came from behind, he probably wouldn't have even known she was pregnant!"
"Good point, let's bring her in."
"My thoughts exactly. And Danny, you'll probably want to process her clothes, if only to prove there isn't any blood on the supposedly loving wife's designer duds."
The pair walked back up to the pregnant woman. Gus introducing her Flack as her partner with a happy twinge in her stomach. "We need you to come with us down to the precinct to do a full statement, maybe talk to a sketch artist."
"But I didn't see anything, and I really do have a lot of calls to make, and many arrangements to attend to."
"Hopefully this won't take too long," Flack said.
"Well if yooooou say so," the woman cooed.
Flack shook his head, why did they always do this, he saw Gus' jaw tighten the slightest bit. "If could please come this way ma'am and I will help you into the car." The woman followed him with no trouble.
Gus just got in the front and slammed her door. Flack and Gus remained silent on the way back to the precinct.
The woman tried to make conversation in the back, "you know I have never been in the back of a police car before, I am a law abiding citizen. Y'all wouldn't know this but my husband and I are very influential and important people in Atlanta."
"I bet you are," muttered Flack and Gus at the same time and then tried to hide their chortles.
"It is interesting seeing a woman detective, miss, I don't know if we have any of those back home. Most of the women I know about your age are trying to find husbands or start families.
"How nice for them," Gus said icily. She wanted to crack this woman like an egg.
Flack led her into an interrogation room and asked her if she wanted something to drink. "Bottled water please, and lemon if you have it."
"Does she think this is a friggin hotel?" he muttered at Gus, "can you get her clothes for processing?"
"She might not give them up easy. But it won't be a problem. Mrs-, Emily right?" Gus said, "may I call you Emily?"
"If you must."
"Alright then Emily, here's what needs to happen. I need to collect your clothing to go to the lab to be processed, there may be evidence transferred from your husband's murderer to you," Gus waited a beat and was rewarded with a cry on cue.
"Murdered, I can't believe my Nathan was murdered!"
Gus nodded. "I am sorry for your loss. And then we need to take a full statement from you and then I will need to get you to talk to a sketch artist."
"But I didn't see him very well, I told you!"
"I understand, just do what you can. Now if you will hand me your clothing one piece at a time and you can put this on," Gus said handing the woman a jumpsuit.
"You want me to give you my clothes, for that?" she said in disdain.
"Yes, ma'am we are fresh out of Prada jumpsuits I am afraid."
"Is it entirely necessary?"
"Do you want to find who murdered your husband, Emily?" Gus asked adding silently or do you already know?
"Of course." She took of her designer maternity duds with a look of disdain, handing them to Gus to put in evidence bags.
Gus tried to make small talk, even if she knew this woman was a lying bitch. "Know what you are having?"
"I wanted to be surprised."
"Panties, ma'am I'm sorry but I need those too,"
"I'm not wearing any," the woman huffed putting on the jumpsuit, surprisingly flexible for a woman so far along.
Gus walked out of the interrogation room, lifting the blinds as she went. She handed the bags to Danny. "All yours," she said, and gestured to Flack and the bottle of water, "no lemon, I see," she said before they entered the room.
The sat across from the woman, who was still keeping a brave front. "So Mrs. Stokes," Flack started.
"You may call me Emily, all my friends do."
Flack narrowed his eyes, "have you been to New York before?"
"As a girl."
"You know anyone here now, Emily?" Gus tacked on.
"Not really, perhaps some acquaintances, but no one we would visit, why are you asking, this was a random act of violence."
"Random, huh?" Gus asked.
"Yes, like something you only read about."
"I am sure the media will love this one," Flack quipped.
"I suppose, it is so tragic," Emily said, one lone tear trailing down her cheek.
Oh she's good both detectives thought to themselves and exchanged a glance. Wordlessly they sorted out good cop, bad cop and an action plan in a matter of seconds with their eyes. Living together had done them some good.
"I know this must be very hard for you," Flack said, softening his blue eyes and reaching over to rest his hand on top of Emily's.
"Why yes it is," she said coyly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Of course, and you must be so scared, a pregnant woman in a big city, whose husband has just been murdered..."
"I was petrified!"
"I am sure, you must have loved him very much."
"More than life itself," she said staring deep into the detective's blue eyes.
"It is a shame," Flack said patting her hand once more and leaning back. The woman was practically drooling.
"Yes such a shame," she said transfixed on Flack's face.
"You know what I find a shame," Gus said getting up and walking over to the woman with the photographs of her jewelry, "that the New York public school system is so bad that a mugger doesn't even know enough to take about 12 carats of diamonds!" she said throwing the photos down.
"But I ran away!"
"Faster than an 'athletic' man, Mrs. Stokes?" she said bending over the woman.
"I ran and hid," she said looking at Flack for help. Gus shot him a wink over the woman's head.
"You were lucky, and brave," he said cooing at her.
"Yes, brave, "she said sitting up a little straighter, almost knocking into Gus.
"Brave, yes, so brave that you didn't even go back to your dying husband who was lying in the middle of the sidewalk, his throat slashed wide open and his chest stabbed...Gus counted on the next photograph, "eight times," she said throwing down.
"I told you, I went to him, I didn't know what to do!"
"Now I don't know about you, but if my husband was lying bleeding in the middle of the sidewalk, and I was being brave, I think I would have rushed to his side and tried to stop the bleeding however I could or at the very least embraced him so he would die in my arms," Gus said through clenched teeth, banging the table beside the woman.
The woman jumped, "But I, I just, I was, I-" she looked at Flack to save her thinking she had an ally.
"Seems reasonable to me," Flack responded, looking at Gus, "it's what I woulda done. Of course we're cops, so maybe we think different?"
"That must be it," the woman said, trying to reach out to Flack to get her ally back. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. She deflated.
"Maybe you do think different, Emily, maybe you didn't go over to your husband at all. Because I didn't see blood on your clothes or your shoes and I don't think the lab is going to find any either, are they?"
"Can I have them back then?" the woman retorted angrily.
Gus leaned in about an inch from her face, "listen you rich bit-"
Flack cleared his throat, Gus moved back around to the other side of the table beside him. He hooked a foot around hers under the table, signaling her to calm down. "Emily, did you come to New York to have your husband killed?" Flack asked point blank, spreading his hands palms down on the table in front of her.
"Why would I answer that?" she retorted, angry at both of them now, knowing she couldn't charm the detective.
"My bet would be that your baby isn't your husband's and you thought you could come to big bad New York and he would have a little accident and you wouldn't have to explain to him why the kid came out looking like the pool boy," Flack said leaning forward in a low growl.
"I'm just curious why he wasn't going to give up his class ring, or why the 'mugger' wanted it so bad, Gus said leaning back in her chair and almost tipping it over. Flack righted it without the suspect noticing.
"I think I need an attorney."
"You need us to provide one for you?"
"No, one of my husband's college roommates happens to be in town on business, he's an attorney," she said calmly.
"Just happens my ass," Flack muttered under his breath.
"How convenient for you, Mrs. Stokes," Gus said as the pair got up to leave.
"On business," Flack sneered outside of the room.
"Like the business of having someone murdered?" Gus said slumping on the wall.
"Good work in there, I take back anything I said about you being too nice."
"Thanks, thanks for the chair save too."
"No problem."
"I need a coke," she said wandering toward the canteen, "you want to go come with and see what the lab has found?"
"Right behind you," Flack said admiring her march down the hall.
"Tell me we have some evidence on this bitch!" Gus sneered to Danny and Adam in the lab.
"Why is this one getting to you, Broussard?" Danny asked.
"I know her kind. I don't like them," was her answer.
"Well somebody tried like hell to get the glass ring off of the body, but it was about two sizes too small for the guy. Guess he's put on some weight since college."
"Who hasn't?" Gus remarked.
"We found epithelial but no match in the system, but if we can get a comparison sample, I think it has to be from whomever tried to take it off because that man obviously hadn't take it off in years, we had to snip it off," Adam said.
"And you were right, not a speck of blood on the wife's clothing, so she certainly didn't kill him," Danny said, frustrated. "We found some fibers from a sweatshirt on the vic, consistent with her story. They also brought in her purse," he gestured to the Prada bag on the table. "It was found down in a subway trash can."
"Anything left in it?" Flack asked.
"Wallet missing, but some gum, some pills which are prenatal vitamins, hairbrush, this thing," Danny gestured.
"That's a scrunchie," Gus informed him.
"Whatever," he quipped and "oddly enough a men's wedding band, which is the actually size of our vic's finger."
"What's his ring doing in her purse?" Flack asked, wheels turning.
"Maybe for safe keeping?" Adam asked trying to be helpful.
"With the amount of bling she had on, they weren't worried about safe keeping a simple gold band," Gus said.
"Something tells me troubles been brewing in paradise for some time," Flack responded, turning back to the interrogation room. Gus followed behind, admiring him as he marched down the hallway...
The attorney was already there, cozied very close to his client.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Flack asked Gus looking in the window.
"Meet baby daddy?" Gus said raising her eyebrows.
"Right on again," he said, opening the door, Gus followed behind.
"My client has nothing more to say and I think the accusation that she had anything to do with her husband's murder is preposterous. You even said she didn't look like she had any blood on her clothes."
Gus nodded, "And the lab confirmed it, but that hardly makes her innocent, Mr.?"
"Baker, David Baker, council for the Stokes."
"Family attorney just happens to be in town," Flack asked.
"I had a conference. Not that I need to be defending myself. Look, my client is about to give birth and I think it could be psychologically damaging for her to undergo stress right now."
Flack shot Gus a look knowing this was going to set her off and there was no way he was about to stop her.
"Maybe it was more psychologically damaging for the child to be in her womb why she was plotting the death of her husband with you!" Gus roared. "And it sure as hell will be psychologically damaging for the kid to grow up with both his parents in jail" she said flinging the photo of the class ring at Baker. "Look familiar, matches yours, so why did you want his?" she yelled.
"Excuse me?" he said.
"We have a warrant for a DNA sample, Mr. Barker," Flack said.
"My client would have given one voluntarily."
"Not hers, yours," Flack said, rapping on the window for the tech to come in and swab him.
"This is ridiculous!" he protested after the tech finished.
Flack and Gus sat across from the two mirroring their movements. The two suspects were communicating without speaking, Gus knew this and she nudged Flack's foot under the table to get his attention to it. She slid her eyes toward him while facing straight ahead.
"Are you two an item?" Flack asked.
"No, the correct question would be how long have you two been sleeping together? My bet is a long time, since college perhaps. Married the wrong one, wanted to make up for it, Emily?" Gus seethed.
The woman flushed purple. The man twitched the corner of his mouth. "He wasn't good enough for her," the man said, "he never was but my family wasn't good enough for hers," he said with contempt.
"I loved you David, I always loved you, but I couldn't walk away from my family. Big Daddy was too powerful you know that!" Emily cried.
"Big Daddy?" Flack muttered.
"It ain't a joke," Gus replied.
She turned to them, "We didn't think we would get caught, people get killed in New York all the time!" she whined.
"Emily, be quiet," the man said his attorney instincts kicking in.
"Oh drop it, Baker, you both need better council than you right about now!" Gus said.
"It was her idea," he said.
"What?" the woman screamed, "you were the one who hired the kid!" she said as she jumped up.
"I didn't ask you to get knocked up!" he yelled back also rising.
"You said you would take care of me!" she screeched, practically shattering the glass.
Flack and Gus jumped up and moved across the table. "Hey, the two of you, sit down," Flack said coming between them.
"Uh-oh," the woman said dropping to her seat.
"What?" Gus asked wondering why her shoes were suddenly wet.
"I think my water just broke."
Gus looked down and whimpered, "they were suede."
"What?" the man shouted, "your water, we're having a baby?" Baker exclaimed trying to get to Emily.
Flack moved him away, "Congrats, pops, but you're still under arrest." Flack cuffed the attorney and called for a medical transport. "Can you handle her?" he asked.
"I don't have a choice, and my shoes are already ruined."
Thirteen hours later, Danny, Hawkes and Flack were having a few beers and waiting to seeing anyone else from the team was going to show up.
"Might just be a guys night," Hawkes said, slightly dejected because he hoped Angell might show, though she rarely did.
"Yeah, guys night," Danny moaned, praying for Lindsay to show up.
"Not anymore, sorry boys, I can leave if you want," Gus said slipping on the end beside Flack, a shopping bag in her hand.
Flack felt a smile spread across his face, "Nope not a guys night," he said staring down at Gus. "You changed."
"Well apparently being a homicide detective in this town involves being present for the birth of a suspects' baby and afterbirth didn't go so well with my suit," she shuddered.
Danny and Flack both did a "gungh" choking noise.
"Human birth is really a marvelous thing to witness," Hawkes said ever the doctor.
"Well, I've reached my limit for the decade," Gus said zipping on the new pair of non suede boots she had just bought on the way to the bar.
"You don't want children?" Hawkes exclaimed.
"Dunno," Gus shrugged, "not anytime soon that's for sure and if you say something about me not getting any younger I will come over there and beat you, Sheldon!"
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Good, and for the record, if I thought pregnant women freaked me out, women giving birth freak me out even more."
"Is that how you got that?" Flack said, running his thumb across the mark on her cheek.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have blacked out for a moment," she grinned.
"How is that possible, I have seen you hold a brain with the spine attached in the autopsy room for fun?" Hawkes questioned.
"I asked her the same question earlier, I don't get it," Danny said, "you are a rare bird, Broussard, most women are all like booties and bonnets."
"Most women are stuck by the constraints of a patriarchal society structure and are inhibited by other's expectations," she responded.
"You keep talking like that and you need to move over next to Doc," Flack said, pouring her a beer.
"Why you keeping archaic viewpoints about women, Flack?"
"No, you keep using the big fancy words."
"Like you don't know what they mean" she teased, "everyone here knows you are hardly just a stupid cop."
"I won't go that far," Danny quipped.
"I can hurt you Messer!" Flack glowered.
Hawkes interjected, not wanting to get in an intellectual debate, "the baby was fine?"
"The baby was fine, a little underweight not shocking considering the woman looks like she doesn't eat. Her sister is on her way up from D.C. to get the baby. I heard you got lover boy to stop rolling over on Emily," Gus said to Flack.
"Yep, I made him sing, I think he really is in love with her and wanted to create a family."
"Sick way of going about it," Danny quipped.
"Patrol picked up the kid, can you believe they wrote a check to pay him, I would love to see that memo line, 'off one husband'," Flack joked.
"People are stupid, and love makes you even more so," Gus said taking a drink.
"Maybe not stupid, but reckless," Flack said, staring at her.
Hawkes and Danny exchanged a look.
"Reckless and stupid often go hand and hand," Gus retorted, not catching his gaze.
"I'm hungry, who wants to go get food?" she said, sliding off the barstool, "come on boys, these boots were made for walking!"
Danny groaned, "you had to, didn't you?"
"Pretty much."
"I think I'm going to head home, I have some reading to do on spatter patterns," Hawkes said.
"Sounds like fun," Gus joked, giving him a hug, "coffee this week?"
"Sure," he agreed heading out the door.
"D and D? What about you two, I think I am finally getting my appetite back which is amazing after-" she stopped and quivered.
"I think I'm going to head too, my mom gave me a tray of lasagna and it has been calling me all day," Danny said, seeing the look Flack was giving Gus.
"Don't eat it all at once," Gus remarked saying goodbye. "Are you going to abandon me too, I promise I am not going to say anything about the so called miracle of birth I was the unfortunate witness of."
"I would never leave you hanging, sunshine where do you want to go?"
"Well, new dress, new boots, I say" Gus paused. Flack wondered what she was going to say, figuring some girly bistro. "Mel's!"
"You want to go to Mel's, it's a total dive."
"A dive with an awesome rib eye special tonight, which is good for you because you're paying!"
"Why am I paying, I just bought you brunch?"
"Because you didn't have somebody's water break on your favorite suede shoes."
"Fair enough, let's go then." He wordlessly helped her put on her coat, opened the door and led her out with his hand on the small of his back, without either of them really noticing.
Tucked into the dive restaurant, Flack ordered wine and grimaced when Gus told the server to "just run the cow by the flame, I like it still mooing."
"What?" she asked him, "it's not my fault you torture an otherwise innocent piece of meat."
"I ordered it medium!"
"Whatever," Gus said, taking the glass of wine the server handed her.
"We make a good team," Flack said staring at her, willing himself to not look down the front of her dress no matter how much he wanted to.
"We do, don't we?" Gus said nodding, a satisfactory grin spreading across her face.
Flack found it endearing and infectious and grinned back, "sorry about the shoes though."
"Next time, I'll cuff the man and you stand next to the knocked up chick."
"No way," he said, cutting into the food that had just been set before them. Gus went to hers with gusto, Flack shivered at how rare it was. "You better not get food poisoning."
"I have eaten here before, let's just say the steaks are primo grade but fell off a truck."
"Ahhh, I see. But I don't get how you freak out about being in the delivery room and then can eat raw meat."
"I am a woman of many contradictions, Flack," she retorted stabbing a piece of meat and relishing in it.
Flack studied her rapture over steak served in a bar while looking like she should be at Tavern on the Green and suppressed the urge to lick the steak juice from her lips instead he burst out with, "so you really don't like kids?"
"When did I say that?" Gus said wiping her mouth.
"The squeamishness, you told Hawkes you didn't want any."
"I said not any time soon," she replied, wondering where he was going with this and why.
"Point taken, but really?" he was curious, almost felt like he had a share in her answer.
"I have mostly seen kids in the worst situations," she swirled her wine, "I don't know if I could add to the planet's population without helping out a child who really needs it first."
Flack considered this, "like adoption?"
"Or maybe being a foster parent or something," she shrugged, "I'm not saying I wouldn't want to have a child, I mean I do have some amazing genes to pass on," she pulled a mock modest face, "but for right now, I like children who I can see in small doses and give back. You know, like Bridget's kids."
"My sister-in-law's kids?" Flack didn't know what she was talking about.
"Yeah," she said sheepishly.
"What do you know about my sister's kids? You've met them once."
"She is trying to finish her Master's in nursing, Flack, so maybe I have watched her kids for her a couple of times."
"You've been watching my brother's kids and emailing with my little sister? Next you're going to tell me you are volunteering with Grams at the nursing home. How come I don't know about any of this?"
"I think this might be why," Gus said gesturing to the look on Flack's face. "Neil figured you would flip out over them taking advantage of me why I was on desk duty and blah blah, like you did when I picked up some of Sam's shifts at the bar."
"Well you were supposed to be off your ankle!"
"And I was."
"So are you like friends with my family?" Flack couldn't figure out how he felt about this, especially since he wasn't even that close to his older brother or his mother and Frank. Since the divorce their relationship was strained at best and mainly confined to the occasional family dinner.
"No, no I am not."
"Are you going to keep watching my brother's kids?"
Gus shook her head, I wasn't planning to. In case you hadn't noticed, I do have a pretty busy job. What is your angst about anyway?"
"I just don't talk to them much, Neil, my Ma, not since she and Frank..." he trailed off, Gus trying to read between the lines. "I am not that close to them and I don't want them to use you to get close to me."
"Regardless of how close you are or aren't, they care about you, Don. Do you know how much time they spent in the hospital, even if they wouldn't come in to see you? I think Irene scared them away. Anyway, calm down, nobody is using me," she said smiling over her wine glass, "I love that you are so protective." Where had that come from, she set down the wine glass, maybe she didn't need anymore wine.
Flack caught the comment and tucked it away saying, "I like to protect people I care about, didn't think that was a bad thing," he said trying to remain casual.
"It's very noble, Don Flack, and rare," she fixated her eyes on him.
"Like your steak," he joked trying to lighten whatever was happening between the two of them.
"Like my steak," Gus beamed biting her lip and rolled her eyes.
"Well, if kids are ok for you in small doses, I have a favor to ask."
Gus leaned in and whispered, "you can't afford my eggs, Flack," and sat back laughing.
"No I couldn't," he laughed, "I was going to take my basketball team to this pickup game this weekend, rumor is there is going to be an NBA guy playing, and I could really use another chaperon to help me out."
"10 and 11 year olds right?"
"You remembered that?"
"Yep, it's like a steel trap in there," she replied, tapping on her head, so details?"
"Saturday I'll pick you up, feed ya breakfast first and then we will go meet the little hoodlums at the community center".
"Works for me, but now," she said checking her phone, "I think it is time to head home, I'm exhausted," she said trying to suppress a yawn.
Flack signaled for the check, "you do look tired."
"I am, like all of a sudden, must be the wine."
Once again he helped her into her coat, held open the door, and lead her out gently by the waist, on automatic pilot. This time however, Gus caught a reflection of the two of them in the door and realized how cozy they did look. She started to stiffen, but realized she didn't necessarily want him to move his hand from her back. She shivered.
"You cold?" he asked moving to put his arm around her, "I know it doesn't get below what 60 in the swamp."
"It gets cold there, just not in October," she said indignantly, stepping into his arms.
"It will be warm again by the end of the week."
"Crazy," she said, not wanting the spell to be broken.
"Global warming I suppose," Flack said, shocked that she had let him put his arm around her and in fact seemed to move into his hold. He looked down at her, she did look cold, her face was red. He was giving great thought to kissing it and then her when a cab appeared before them. And I can't ever get a cab when I need one, Flack thought.
"Night Flack, thanks for dinner, see ya tomorrow," Gus said, giving him the briefest cheek kiss and sliding into the cab.