Chapter 71: Cat & Mouse
The next morning Gus and Flack met with Stella and Mac early to discuss the plan for dealing with Shane Casey.
"I don't like this, Mac. This guy is a serial killer as it is and obviously unstable. How do you know know this isn't just some trap?" Flack barked at Mac, his jaw tight, his face tense.
"Well we can't just leave Hawkes rotting in Riker's!" Stella snapped.
"I wasn't saying that Stella, I'm just saying this could need a hell of a lot more people on surveillance at the hotel than just the four of us!" Flack snapped back to Stella.
"Then we'll get back-up!" Stella said getting back in Flack's face.
Gus stepped back, she didn't want to get between the two. Mac stepped in between, "from talking to Sheldon, I think Shane Casey has a plan."
Gus closed her eyes thinking...running through every paper, journal, and book on serial killer she had ever gotten her hands on. "Cat and mouse!"
"What?" Flack asked.
"He's playing cat and mouse, but I think he is still in the hunting stage. He is playing with us all, that we know. He is luring Mac in for something, but not to kill. He has more information to impart on us, hence the 'I hold the keys' crap!" Gus blurted out.
"You sure about this, sunshine?" Flack asked.
Gus nodded, "I'm sure."
"Let's go then," Mac started towards the cars.
At the hotel, Flack, Gus and Stella covered the perimeters as best they could while Mac headed to the lobby. They waited, watching, on high alert. Suddenly, Mac reached into his pocket and answered a cell phone. Gus perked up, it wasn't a department issued phone, she should know having been through about six of them. Mac spoke and then disappeared from view.
"Crap , who's got line of sight?" Flack barked over the radio. "I don't," Stella replied.
Gus didn't seem him either but spoke on a hunch, elevators," and ran to the courtyard of the hotel. Sure enough, the trio saw Mac on one of the clear elevators heading up the side of the building.
"Casey!" Stella said pointing at the adjacent bank.
"Where the hell are they going?" Flack asked following the elevators on their ascent.
"All the way up, by the looks of it" Stella replied. Gus watched, shaking her head wondering what Casey's plan was.
"I'm going in," Flack said starting for the elevators.
"Flack!" Stella and Gus both said heading after him.
"Well, I'm not going to take the stairs and someone has to cover Mac!" he replied.
Gus grumbled but said, "there's more than one bank, I'm going to cover them."
"I'll cover the front and get back-up around back," Stella said.
They went their separate ways and waited until Mac's voice came over the radio. "He's gone, vanished," he said.
"What is he, freakin' spider-man?" Flack asked.
"Loup-garou?" Gus retorted.
"Dammit!" Stella shouted. "How does he keep doing this?"
"I don't know, but I may have something to help us, let's get back to the lab," Mac reported calmly.
Back at the lab, Stella went to work on the phone Shane had dropped in Mac's pocket. Mac, Flack and Gus started working on shoveling through all the information on Ian Casey, Shane's brother who had been convicted of murder.
Gus was juggling a stack of boxes from evidence when Danny caught up with her in the hallway. "Whoa there, BB, need a hand?"
"Yes!" Gus replied, sneezing from the dust and almost sending the stack flying.
"How have you not shot yourself?" Danny asked her.
"You know Flack wonders the same thing and I don't have a good answer," Gus grinned.
They headed into Mac's office with the boxes where Danny froze in front of the smartboard. "Whoa, I recognize that ring," Danny replied pointing to the pictures of the victim, "we booked it into evidence from Peeking Tom's." He shook his head, "Ian Casey was guilty of murder."
Lindsay, came in and added that the GSR from the peep show junkie matched that from the dead bartender's bullet wound. "The junkie was the shooter, and he matches the description of Sheldon perfectly."
Mac picked up on this stating, "Shane Casey needed to find someone desperate enough for cash to make the kill and set up Hawkes, and he found the perfect target. Afterwards, Casey killed the junkie and took his clothes, accidentally dropping what he thought was his brother's ring during the scuffle. Then he made contact with Sheldon and the trap was set."
"It's compelling evidence, but we need the murder weapon," Flack said. "And Shane Casey has it," Mac said shaking his head.
A beeping broke the moment; the computer had located Shane Casey's cell signal down to the exact location. "It's the scene where Ian Casey committed his murder," Stella said, staring at the screen.
Mac's phone suddenly binged with a text message to meet up with Casey. "He wants you, Danny," Mac said, his eyes hooded.
"Shane has a connection to you, Danny?" Gus questioned.
"I talked with him about going to bat for your brother," Danny said bewildered.
"He sees you as an ally," Gus replied.
"Let's roll!" Flack said.
Outside the now shuttered pub, Flack and Mac flanked Danny. Gus circled around to the back of the building with two uniforms, praying that all went well.
Danny, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an evidence kit, headed in, jumping as the jukebox started up. Flack and Mac were on high alert, but did not have a direct line of sight to Danny. Shane Casey came out holding the gun, acting crazy, demanding that Danny work the scene of his brother's alleged crime.
"No man, I'm not gonna do it. Your brother did it! See this, see this ring," Danny threw the ring to Casey, "the ring you've been carrying around really belonged to your brother's murder victim!" Danny held out a copy of the photo that made things fall into place in the lab. Slowly Shane fell apart. Danny kicked he gun away, and led Shane out of the building into the waiting swarm of police. "Cuff him," Danny said, "and he better not get free this time!" he warned with a glare at the uniforms.
Outside the precinct after getting Casey back without him disappearing, the group stood in the night air.
"Whoa, Dan-o, you all right?" Flack asked coming up and slapping Danny on the back.
Danny shook his head, "I've had better nights for sure. Who's drinking with me?"
"I'm in," Flack said.
"Y'all don't have to ask me twice!" Gus quipped.
"I think Stella and I have someone to spring from jail," Mac said with a smile.
"Send Shel my best, Mac," Gus said, "we still on for tomorrow?" she added. Mac furrowed his brow for a moment and then said, "yes, I believe we are."
"See you then."
"What's tomorrow?" Flack asked curiously.
"Thanksgiving," she replied, heading towards the bar.
Both men groaned. "I need to drink extra then," Danny moaned.
"Me too," Flack grumbled.
"Why is it I get the feeling neither one of you wants to spend the day with your family's tomorrow?"
"Because we don't," Danny snipped.
"First round is on me then, boys," Gus said with a smile.
Chapter 72: Thankful
Gus spent a thankfully quiet Thanksgiving with Mac, they went out for sushi, neither one of them saw the point in turkey for two and she finally got to meet Reed. They met at a coffee shop near his university. Mac practically had to practically drag her down the last bit of the block.
"I can't do this, Mac, what if he hates me?" Gus exclaimed trying to not hyperventilate.
Mac was as cool as ever, "how can he hate you he doesn't know you? And weren't you excited about having an actual relative?"
Gus leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath, "but it's too much pressure!"
Mac snorted and shoved her in the door, Gus stumbled and went flying a little. She tried to recover, but not before a young guy with longish brown hair flopping over his brown eyes who looked a hell of a lot like her aunt, snickered at her. "Reed? Right, of course you're Reed," Gus said brushing herself off and stuck her hand out.
Reed studied the woman before him, she didn't look much older than he was. She was tallish, almost as tall as him, athletic and curvy, long blond hair, dark green eyes, a kind face, peaches and cream looking, like some of the southern sorority girls that somehow ended up at his school. "Augusta?" he asked hesitantly.
"Gus, gawd you have got to call me Gus, no one calls me Augusta unless ehm in a heap of trouble," she drawled, her nerves making her accent pronnounced.
Reed cocked his head, "you aren't from New York?"
Gus sniffed, "Mac didn't tell you? I'm a N'awlins girl, though I have been here a little over a year. You want something?"
Reed shook his head, feeling overwhelmed, "nah, I'm good"
"Well I am in serious need of a coffee the size of my head, brb," Gus flounced off.
Mac came up, "Reed," he said.
"Mac" Reed responded. "Um, she's...energetic."
"She's a good egg," Mac replied.
Gus came back, balancing her coffee and a plate with brownies. "I figured I could bribe you into forgetting about my gracious entrance. I would try alcohol, but I try to not contribute to the delinquency of a minor the first time I meet them." Reed broke into a smile. Mac, stepped back and let the pair talk.
"You're a cop too?" Reed asked, biting a huge hunk out of the brownie.
Gus took a huge bite herself, handing Reed a napkin as she tried to rid herself of the gooey mess. "Yeah, but not like Mac. I was a psychologist but somehow I fell onto the other side and found I was damn good at and enjoyed it. My dad was a cop."
"Oh." Reed didn't seem to want to open up.
Gus stared him down, resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her palms, "look, I know Mac had probably gone through the whole Claire as goddess routine, and she was, but I don't want to force you to talk about anything. I just wanted to meet you. I don't know what you know about me but well, you are my onlyliving blood relative so I kinda wanted to meet you."
Reed furrowed for a moment before asking, "You don't know who my dad was do you?"
"Wow, start with the big guns, I like that. No, I don't. I was only nine when Claire showed up pregnant. She didn't talk about it, neither did my mom. My parents died about 2 years later," Gus shrugged nonchalantly. Reed's face fell a little. "Look, I know Mac got rid of a lot of Claire's stuff after 9/11, but I have some of their stuff form when they were kids if you want to see it or have it or whatever."
Reed just nodded. They talked for a while more, mostly surface stuff when Gus said, "I'm not gonna force a relationship with you. Believe me, I know how much that can suck. But if you ever want to talk, I'm around," Gus slid her card to Reed.
"I'm sorry, " Reed burst out suddenly, "it's just weird, I didn't mean to be like rude or anything."
"You're not, I know this can be a lot to handle," Gus patiently said.
And suddenly something clicked in Reed, this girl or woman or whatever was related to him, really related to him and was just as alone as he was. His eyes went wide. "We're related!" he exclaimed.
"Yep, reckon so." Reed snickered again. "Watch it, I can make you gator bait! " Gus said with a smirk.
After Reed's wall had cracked they spent hours talking about damn near everything and didn't even notice that Mac had slipped out.
Gus suddenly looked at her watch, "Wow, I bet they are ready to go home," she gestured to the barista.
"Yeah, I guess so," Reed said standing, "um it was nice meeting you," he said hesitantly sticking out his hand.
Gus engulfed him in a hug, "Stop it with the Yankee greetings" she said, "that's so not how I roll."
Reed broke into a grin, "well then, I'm glad you're around cuz."
"You too, Reed. Call me, we can hang out or whatever."
"Cool," Reed said heading out into the night.
Gus headed home, hands deep in her pockets, smile on her face. Maybe the concept of family wasn't so foreign after all...
Chapter 73: Snow Fall
Gus had the joy of being on call the next three days. She knew the calls were inevitable, but she was none to pleased when her phone woke her at 5am the next day. "Broussard," she croaked.
"Dammit!" she heard Flack swear.
"Flack?" she asked shaking her head to clear it.
His sullen voice replied, "I didn't mean to call you, I meant to text you."
Gus smirked, but refused to come out from beneath her covers, "you still don't know how to use fancy technology very well, do you blue eyes?"
"Shut it," he growled in the very sexy way that always caused Gus' toes to curl.
Gus had a moment of panic, "why are you up, did I miss a call?"
Flack heaved a sigh, "nah, just couldn't sleep."
Gus slowly peeled back her comforter, shivered and squinted into the dark, "Thanksgiving that much fun, huh?"
"No, well yes but..." he went silent.
"Don, you there, god I hate this apartment sometimes..." Gus said trying to move toward the window.
"I missed you," he said very quietly.
Gus broke out into laughter, "I saw you like 29 hours ago!" He remained silent, Gus could practically hear his blush. "So what was the text going to say?"
"Call me," he replied.
"Ah well, since I already have you on the phone, how about we meet for breakfast. Your treat seeing as you woke me before the sun is even up!"
Flack broke into a smile, while he still felt like an idiot for calling instead of texting, she was taking this awfully well, "sounds good to me, where you want to go?"
Gus thought, looked down at herself and said, "someplace where they have strong coffee and I don't have to shower."
"You are such a girl," Flack teased.
Gus snorted, "hey, you woke me up, you aren't getting showered and prissy Gus."
"I don't think I have met this prissy Gus," Flack retorted.
"Funny, you know maybe I will just go back to sleep," she teased him back.
"Noooooo," he whined.
Gus snickered. "How about I come to you?" Gus suggested, "and then we can go someplace in your neighborhood."
"This is all a ploy for you to see my bedroom isn't it?"
"Maybe, you did say you missed me and I am guessing you were missing more than just my amazing personality," she flirted, while pulling on a sweat shirt to go over sports bra and yoga pants she had slept in.
"Maybe so," Flack said.
"I got you a present," Gus said, shoving her feet into euro sneakers and winding a scarf around her neck.
Flack was curious, and a bit afraid, "really, what?"
"You'll have to hold your horses, blue eyes. I'll be there assuming I can get a cab."
Flack was waiting for her outside, dressed in jeans and a Rangers jersey.
Gus bounding up for a kiss, "why are you out here?"
"Bobby would raise hell if we woke him up," he shrugged.
"Yeah, well if it hadn't been you I woulda raised holy hell myself," Gus admitted.
They walked to a local mom and pop kinds place and tucked into greasy plates. "I'm gonna need a workout after this," Gus moaned into her food.
"I can help with that," Flack smirked.
"I meant a real one."
"What are you saying sunshine?"
"Oh stop it," she said, "and here, it came in the mail a few days agp but Mrs. Potter was holding it hostage," she slid an bulky envelope over to Flack.
He tore it open curiously, shook out the shirt, read it and laughed, "you are horrible, Gus!"
"I thought it was funny, "Gus said, snorting into her coffee.
"Snitchin' is Bitchin', yeah wish I would have had it yesterday."
"Tell me about it," Gus said leaning to his side of the booth and squeezing his hand.
"It was a nightmare..." Flack launched into the tale of family tension and regular chaos compounded with Bobby's recent arrest, Sam's lack of job prospects and heavy drinking, Flack's predicament.
"Sorry I missed it, sounds like a great time," Gus grinned.
He playfully swatted her. "Actually I wish..." he started.
"Crap!" they both groaned as their phones began exploding.
Gus whined, "I guess a whole holiday off was more than we could hope for, huh?"
Flack muttered, "I don't know about you, it didn't feel like a holiday to me."
"Flack, you really need to get over yourself," Gus said rolling her eyes and shrugging into her jacket.
Their Lieutenant caught them as they exited the locker rooms, having changed into work clothes. "Heads or tails?
"Give us heads, Loo," Gus responded.
"Lucky winner of a case in north Bronx. 19 year old female, found dead in her house by her mother," the man sighed.
"Joy, what was tails?" Gus said pulling on her trench.
"You already called it, Broussard" the lieutenant said, "Parker is getting the dead figure-skater."
"Fine by me, I can do without another prima donna case," Gus said heading out to the car, Flack following behind, wishing he had more coffee for his partner. It was gonna be a long shift.
They pulled up to a house that looked like it belonged on a Christmas card. Decorated for the holidays, picturesque, and snow covered. Gus whistled, "nice digs."
"Shows you crap happens anywhere, huh?" Flack said, rubbing the back of his neck. He walked up to the uniforms, "mother called it in?"
"In a manner of speaking," said the uniform.
"What are we talking in code now?" Flack asked.
"No, mother's deaf. Whole family is."
"Great, just great," Flack said thinking he needed to call in for an interpreter.
Just then Gus heard the wail of a baby, "you're kidding me, right?" she groaned.
They walked over to the pretty, middle-aged woman holding the crying baby. Gus waved hello to the woman and started finger spelling "I'm Detective Broussard, NYPD".
"Don't tell me you know sign language," Flack whispered.
"Finger spelling, not the same," Gus said back.
"I can read lips, if you speak slowly," the woman said.
Flack nodded, relieved. "Your name, Ma'am?"
"Gina Mitchum, it's my daughter," she said haltingly, breaking into tears.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Gus carefully spelled out, wishing she had kept up with what she had learned in high school to trick the nuns.
Mac and Stella appeared behind them. Mac wrote down introductions on his memo pad. Gina wrote back, "please find my daughter's killer." Mac and Stella exchanged a look before Mac and Flack headed into the house and the scene. Stella and Gus stood outside with the mother and her baby, when Lindsay and Sheldon arrived. Sheldon came over to them and Gus directed him into the house.
Meanwhile Lindsay took one look at the crying figure of Gina and paled. Gus furrowed her brow, but was trying to get information from Gina and didn't have time to deal with anything else. Where was the damn interpreter?
Sheldon went over to see what was wrong with Lindsay, who just broke down saying, "I can't, I can't, I have to leave. Tell Mac I'm at the lab."
When Sheldon came back, Gus excused herself from Gina's presence and said, "what was up with Linds?"
"I don't know, but I can't focus on that right now. Let's see how everyone else is doing."
They walked into the house and into the baby's nursery where the dead girl, Allison, lay on the floor. "Shotgun?" Gus said surveying the wound.
"Seems to be," Mac said, "I found prints on the windowsill" he said gesturing.
"Here we go a canvassing," Gus sang out, pulling Flack by the arm.
"You are so weird," he said smirking at her.
"Where's your Christmas spirit, Flack?" she said over her shoulder with a grin.
Stella and Mac exchanged another look between the two of them, this one being more of curious suspicion, but didn't say anything about it.
Instead Mac looked at his phone, "Stella, Danny needs help at the ice rink. Where's Lindsay?"
"At the lab," Stella said, resignedly covering for her friend.
Gus and Flack got little information from the neighbors other than they didn't appreciate being woken up or only had various complaints about the garishness of other neighbors holiday decorations. "Apparently no one is in the Christmas spirit," Gus muttered, trudging through the snow and sliding on a patch of ice. Flack reached out to catch her before she fell. "I think I can see why, winter, bah-humbug!" she said brushing snow off her pants.
"You seriously need more winter appropriate clothes there, sunshine."
"Well when I have time or money to go shopping, I will, but the thought of braving holiday shopping crowds..." Gus shuddered.
"Sometimes I think you really aren't female," Flack joked.
Gus wiggled her eyebrows, "well I am aware it's been a couple of days, but perhaps later I can remind you."
"But Detective Broussard, wouldn't that be against your rules?"
"I didn't say now, Flack. Cool your jets," she said lobbing a snow ball at him, "come on, let's see if the interpreter has been roused from bed yet."
"Hey now," Flack said as the snow ball caught him square in the chest, "two can play that game".
He flung his own snow ball towards Gus, who whirled to not get hit, slipped on more ice and ended up in a snow bank. Flack stifled the urge to laugh at her, as she struggled to remove herself from the deep bank of snow. "Here you go," he said sticking out a hand to pull her up.
"Great, now I am gonna smell like wet wool," Gus whined, removing chunks for snow from her sweater. She limped towards the house, snow in every crevice.
They wandered back towards Mac, who was about to head to the precinct with Gina and her baby. "Anything?" he asked them.
"Not really, lots of didn't hear/see/do nothing," Flack said.
Gus didn't say anything, still picking snow and ice off herself. "Gus, I suggest you got take a hot shower and change before you drip all over my crime scene," Mac said to his niece.
"Winter," she sneered again.
"And I have to put you in my car," Flack said, handing his dry gloves over to her.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "tt was your fault, Flack," she quipped.
"Children," Mac retorted, looking back and forth between the two of them, "if you are quite done, I'll see you at the precinct." Mac shook his head and climbed into the car.
Flack turned up the heat as far as it would go in the car, but wrinkled his nose, "babe, you do kind of smell like wet dog."
"Thanks, as if I didn't feel completely unsexy as it was," Gus said, teeth chattering.
"I would have just taken the hit."
"I'll remember that next time."
"What happened to your Christmas spirit?"
"I still have a couple of weeks to find it again," Gus said, turning all the vents toward her.
They walked back into the pit, Gus leaving puddles behind her. "Princess!" Parker exclaimed, "I thought you looked like hell before!"
"Shower, hot shower," Gus exclaimed, chattering towards the locker room.
"You need someone to scrub your back?" Thatcher retorted.
"Not even in your dreams, brah," Gus called back to him.
"You wouldn't be saying that if I was Donnie-boy."
Gus shook her head but refused to turn around, slamming open the door to the locker room.
Gus blasted herself with a scorching hot spray for as long as she could stand it. She grumbled when she realized her boots were still soaked and she only had a skirt and deep v-necked sweater in her locker. She was going to freeze before this night was over for sure. And she said, sniffing at her boots, she really would smell like wet dog. "Perfect, just perfect," she sighed.
Lindsay burst into the room that minute, looking for refuge. She started when she saw Gus and went to back out when Gus said, "Lindsay, what is it, sit down, you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"Just, nothing, a fight with Stella."
"I'm sorry, Linds. If you need an ear..."
"I'll be fine, I just need to be alone for a little bit."
"Okay then, see ya? Maybe we can do lunch or something?"
"Yeah, maybe."
Gus zipped her boots up and walked back to homicide.
"Hey Broussard, they got you working in vice now, hotch cha cha" one of the detectives spoke up when she walked in with her skirt, boots, and cleavage combo.
"I don't want to hear it, someone turn the heat up and get me a coffee!"
"You heard the princess," Parker said with an admiring smile.
"My eyes are up here, Parker, I will call your wife on you!" Gus said catching his glance down her shirt.
She slumped at her desk, calling Mac to see if he had gotten anything more out of the mother. Flack was no where to be seen. Mac informed her the father was going to have to travel back from Hong Kong and the ME's office was backed up so the autopsy wouldn't happen until at least the afternoon. She fought back a yawn, but lost. And then she started sneezing.
"Great, maybe I can end the day with pneumonia," Gus mumbled.
"So did the snowbank win?" her lieutenant said, passing by.
"How did you know?" Gus asked reaching for a tissue and letting out another few sneezes.
"Ran into Flack, he told me you baptized yourself into a good New York winter finally. Why don't you head home and change into some warmer clothes, assuming you own any," he said gesturing at her outfit.
"Will do, just have to do some paperwork first." "Well don't sneeze all over it," he said walking off.
"Thanks, Daddino." She was deep into her paperwork and the coffee that Parker brought her and didn't pay much attention to Flack who had reappeared and was busy between his phone and the computer across from her until her phone buzzed with a text message.
G, Cleavage is distracting me, can't work, time to go? -F
Gus flushed and looked up to meet Flack's eyes and smirk. She also realized that from his angle, there was a straight line of sight down her shirt.
She rolled her eyes, sneezed again and shrugged into her still damp trench, "you driving?" she asked, smacking Flack on the back of his head.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, "I was going to, but not if you keep hitting me," he said, but was already following her out the door.
Flack had to force himself to keep his eyes on the road and not on the expanse of thigh that was clearly on display between Gus' skirt and boot. "Would you mind telling me what's up with the sexy get up there, sunshine?" he said, feeling his libido among other things start to rise.
Gus looked over at him, caught the desire in his eyes and flung her trench coat back around her, "it was all I had left, as you may have noticed, I had to change my clothes at work twice today. And I haven't replenished recently. I desperately need to go pick up some dry cleaning, but I am afraid of the bill."
Flack had to laugh, she was right. Gus was constantly spilling or tripping or otherwise soiling whatever she happened to show up in at work. He knew she had a whole drawer full of wipes and stain sticks and who knows what else. "What dry cleaner?" he asked, "I'll stop by."
"The one right around the corner on 3rd, Cameo's," she said pointing and realizing that her trench probably could use a cleaning now too, which would leave her freezing in a department issued windbreaker.
Flack pulled up in front of the cleaners, "stay here, I don't want you give anyone a heart attack."
"Fine, but drop this off too," she said pulling off her trench. Flack gulped as he got an eyeful of midriff, thigh, and cleavage all at once. "I'll write you a check when we get back to my place," Gus said throwing the coat at him and starting to sneeze again.
He came out a few minutes later, his arms laden with several suits, sweaters, and shirts. "You weren't kidding, were you Gus? Woman said she didn't think you were coming back. Grilled me on who I was too, had to flash the old brass pass."
"Mary, yeah, she's hilarious. Constantly trying to play matchmaker, has some architect she keeps trying to set me up with", Gus said chuckling. Flack gave her a look. "What? I haven't gone out with him," Gus protested.
He shook his head saying, "you know they have way cheaper dry cleaners in the city, right? My guy would cost you like half as much."
"They are practically always open and I can barely get my dry cleaning from a block away, you think I would ever get it if its over by your house?"
"Point taken, but we have to find someplace cheaper around here, especially if you were serious," Flack replied hoping he sounded like he really didn't care.
"Serious about what?" Gus said, sniffling.
Inwardly groaning Flack state, "me bringing clothes over."
"Of course I was serious", Gus sounded indignant.
"Just checking, I know you like your space."
"Yes, I love my space but face it Flack, you are at my place more than your own. Made sense to me," Gus shrugged nonchalantly while trying to force down feelings of panic. It did make sense for him to bring clothes over, but she was still freaking out about it. Somehow clothing in closet meant a lot more serious relationship than partners who happen to have a roll in the hay now and then.
"What you thinking about?" Flack asked her, opening her door in front of her building.
"Nothing," she said with a sneeze, "keeping warm".
"Here," he said pulling off his coat and offering it to her.
"It's like 50 feet, Flack, I'll be fine."
"Tough," he said, putting it over her shoulders. Gus swam in his coat, but Flack found it endearing. He smirked at her while grabbing her dry cleaning, "Come on sniffles," he said guiding her into the building. Gus struggled to open the lock between sneezes, Flack finally took the keys from her, "you're a mess".
"A hot mess," she said feeling her face, realizing she wasn't so cold anymore, most likely because of the look on Flack's face coupled with the fact that he had hooked a finger to the v of her shirt and had pulled her towards him.
"I gotta say that whole boots/skirt combo thing is doing something for me, sunshine," he said as his mouth sought out hers. Dry cleaning, his coat, and her bag fell to the floor, forgotten at least for the time being...
Chapter 73: Sneakers
Afterwards, in between more sneezing, Gus groaned, "how long do you think we have before we need to go back?"
"A couple of hours, I would guess," Flack said pulling her close to him.
Gus curled into him, trying to fight back not only more sneezes, but also a sensation that felt remarkably like being completely head over heels in love, "Good, I need a nap," she yawned.
Flack kissed the back of her neck and pulled the comforter up over them, despite already feeling overheated.
Gus groaned when she woke up, the covers kicked off of them. "What's up?" Flack asked, rolling over.
"I don't feel so hot. Actually, I feel too hot," she said putting a hand to her forehead.
"Well yes, but also," Flack said bending over her and kissing her on the head, "you do feel kinda warm.
"Must have been from the snowdrift," Gus said.
"Must be. Why don't you go take a shower, while I make us some food?"
"M'kay" Gus said climbing out of bed, trying to ignore feeling woozy as she headed to the shower.
In the kitchen, Flack was flipping an omelet when he realized he was whistling to himself. What are you doing here, Flack? He thought to himself. Picking up dry cleaning, making food, worried that she's sick? It was awfully domestic. The thing that concerned him the most was how much he was enjoying it. He wouldn't deny he had been sexually attracted to Gus since first having her hot body run into his, but now he was attracted to her on just about every level, which was something new to him.
Flack heard Gus come padding down the hallway. She came in bundled in a heavy black sweater, hair flowing around her shoulders, tan low slung pants and sneakers. "You aren't feeling too good, are you sunshine?" he asked her, studying her face.
"Crap, do I look that bad, I tried to hide it," Gus grumbled, turning toward the mirror.
You look fine, it was the sneakers that gave it away," Flack said pointing down at her feet.
Mac Taylor paced the hallway of the lab, waiting for the detectives to meet him. He was glowering, stuck in concentration between Sheldon's revelation that the sister was actually the mother of the baby and probably knew her killer and also in how horribly things had gone in autopsy with Peyton.
He didn't know what he had been expecting, but certainly not the cold shoulder he got. He spotted his niece bounding down the hall, in - were those sneakers, sneezing as she went. Flack was following after her, shaking his head with a smirk.
Gus skidded to a stop upon seeing Mac wavering for a second. Mac saw Don unconsciously reach out to steady her in a way that relayed a lot more intimacy than should be occurring between partners. "Sunshine, I thought the sneakers were so you wouldn't fall. Maybe you shoulda stuck with the boots?" Mac heard Don say under his breath.
For some reason, Gus started turning red. Mac looked at the two of them carefully, noticed Gus bend away from Flack imperceptibility, as she sneezed three more times. "Are you feeling alright, Gus?" Mac questioned.
"Er, um, it just, snowdrift aftermath," she stammered out.
"Refused to stay home," Flack quipped.
Mac shot his eyes over to Don's, meeting them with an intense stare. The younger detective did not waver, in fact Mac thought he may have detected a slight challenge in those blue eyes. He shook his head, he couldn't deal with this now. "Allison was shot a close range with a shotgun, bruising indicates she fought back."
"So she knew her killer." Flack stated.
"Probably, more than likely it was the father."
"I thought he was in Hong Kong?" Gus questioned.
"Sheldon ran DNA, Allison and Elizabeth weren't sisters, they were mother and daughter."
Gus nodded her head, "I can see that. Hence the recent relocation."
Mac nodded back, "exactly. Father of record on the birth certificate is in interview room 3."
"What's his name?" Flack asked, handing the sneezing Gus his handkerchief without even looking at her.
"Seth Wolf," Mac replied then looking at Gus, "Gussie, don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should observe as to not infect any potential suspects."
"You know we could just call it germ warfare," she quipped with another sneeze, "but fine," she said following behind Mac and Flack.
Gus observed as her uncle and her partner quickly broke down the reported daddy. She had to admit that those two made a formidable team. It didn't take long for Seth to cave to prints and a DNA sample. The detectives came out shortly after the tech collected the samples. "Scumbag with an $80 haircut, nice one there, blue eyes," Gus said with yet another sneeze.
"You liked it, huh, been saving that one," Flack said squeezing her arm, but dropping his hand quickly when he realized Mac was staring the pair down again. He sighed, knowing that Mac was going to figure things out, and knowing that Gus was just as stubborn as her uncle and also knowing that this could cause some departmental fireworks.
Mac shook his head, and headed toward the DNA lad to get a rush on the sample from Seth.
Some time later, Mac wandered over to homicide. He found Gus and Flack sitting at their respective desks and was happy to note that they didn't even appear to notice that the other one was there. "Gus, I need you to come with me."
Gus looked up quizzically, closing her file, "sure Mac, what's up?"
"Seth wasn't a match. I want to take Gina back to the crime scene for a reconstruction and I want somewhere there to help her out if she can't handle it."
"I can't do therapy using finger spelling, Mac!" Gus said, pulling on a departmental windbreaker.
"I know, but you are the best we got. Flack, you stay here and try to run down who might be the father."
The drive back to the Mitchum household was silent, but Gus could tell from the looks that Mac was shooting her in the rear view that he wanted to question her about Flack. Or more acutely, her involvement with Flack. She raised her eyebrows at him, giving him a drop it look.
Gina spoke up from the front seat having seen the exchange, "you two know each other very well."
"My niece," Mac said.
Gina just nodded, studying Gus' reflection, "you are very sad but very happy at the same time," Gina said prosaically, turning toward the backseat.
'Part of the job' Gus finger spelled out.
Gina smiled a wry smile and spelled back, "Or love," but didn't say it aloud. Gus bit her lip and leaned back into the seat. Luckily, Gina was a strong woman who not only held up fine during the reconstruction, but also got Mac the information he needed.
A while later, back at her desk and trying to ignore what Gina Mitchum had signed to her, Gus answered her phone, "Broussard."
"We found a print, and need a warrant," Mac said upon her answering. He ran down the information ending with, "and Mr. Mitchum is on his way here from the airport".
"We got a name, need a warrant and an address" Gus said looking at her watch. "Hopefully I can catch a judge at dinner and get us an automated DB2".
"Maybe you should have kept the skirt and cleavage shirt on in that case," Flack smirked from his desk.
"Are you saying my charms won't get me a warrant on their own?"
"I am certain your charms can get you just about anything you want there, Gus".
"Just find Cole Rowen's address, Flack and call me when you got it," Gus said heading out to a steakhouse she knew at least three judges would be dining at at any given dinnertime. High on quick success and happy to not have sneezed in the past ten minutes, she breezed back into homicide. "Tell me you got the address, blue eyes?"
"Of course, and I can tell by your grin you were successful."
"Don't ever doubt my charms, should be coming up on the network now," Gus said logging on to her computer. "Voila!"
"Let's roll then," Flack replied, slipping into his own department windbreaker.
"How many uniforms to we need?"
"Four at the most," Flack responded, shutting her car door after she slid in, on the phone with dispatch.
They arrived at Cole's apartment building with two uniforms to cover the back. Flack started on the buzzer, leaning on it over and over. "He's not deaf too, is he?" Gus asked.
"Mac said he got an implant two years ago. We might have to break-" Flack started in.
Gus leaned over him and punched a buzzer, "Whadya want?" a gruff voice said.
"Special delivery," Gus cooed in a sultry voice compounded by her head cold. The door immediately buzzed open.
"He only opened it because you sound like a phone sex operator,"
"Thanks a lot," Gus sniffled.
"I call it like I see it," Flack replied, heading. The super met them in the hallway, looking expectantly and then dejected while still leering at Gus. Flack moved in and stood in front of her, "we need Cole Rowen's apartment, we have a warrant," Flack said holding up the paper and his badge.
"Fine, but I think he left," the super said leading them up the stairs.
Flack banged on the door. "Cole Rowen, NYPD, open up". Silence met them, they both knew no one was in the apartment.
Gus called the uniforms up to their level while the super fumbled on his key rings to open the door. Flack shoved him aside and went in to clear the apartment, Gus went in low beside him.
"Clear" he called going right down a hallway.
"Clear" Gus said from the living room/kitchen. Something on the counter caught her eye, cans of formula. The uniforms clamored in behind them.
"Hey Gus, come check this out" Flack called from what Gus was betting was the bedroom.
"Dang, it looks like Babies R Us threw up in here," Gus said surveying the crib, changing table, baby clothes, "explains the formula in the kitchen".
"Somehow I am thinking Cole was ready to play daddy."
"Kidnapping gone wrong. This is why I don't do custody evals anymore,"
"Other than being a damn fine cop?" Flack said smiling at her.
"Well, that too".
"Let's head back and let Mac know," Flack said and turning to the uniforms, "Take good reports you guys".
The uniforms groaned at being stuck with the paperwork, "Detectives," they muttered.
Flack and Gus rushed back and into Mac's office. "Cole wasn't trying to kill Allison!" Gus burst in without knocking.
"What?" Mac asked, looking up.
"Cole Rowen didn't go to the Mitchum house to kill Allison, he went to kidnap Elizabeth," Flack explained.
"How do you know?" Mac asked.
"We hit Cole's apartment," Flack said.
"He wasn't there," Gus said bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"But we found a lot of brand new baby stuff. Crib, dipers, clothes-"
"Formula" Gus interjected. Flack had to laugh at her boundless energy when moving forward with a case.
"He was getting ready to play daddy," Flack said to Mac who was dialing his phone.
"Gina Mitchum isn't at her hotel," Mac busted in. Mac's phone rang, he answered it on speaker.
All three detectives froze when they heard a lilting voice say, "I want my daughter, I want Elizabeth."
Mac turned to Gus, "call Sheldon, give him Gina's number and have him triangulate her signal for a location." Mac turned to Flack while grabbing his coat, "Cole Rowen has Gina and the baby". Gus dialed Sheldon while Flack called into dispatch. Adrenaline coursed through all of their veins.
Chapter 74: Vested Interest
They flew through traffic, lights and sirens blazing, Mac and Gus strained to hear what was going on in the Mitchum's car while Flack called for backup. "We just got a 911 call from Mr. Mitchum, he reported the abduction. Santucci's on his way to pick him up," Gus said after answering her ringing phone.
Flack answered his and said, "we got 'em. Just got off the FDR northbound."
They arrived on scene of the Mitchum's SUV, tires flat from the road spikes. Mac started toward the car while Flack barked instructions to ESU. Gus looked around for a negotiator and not seeing one, followed after her uncle. "Mac, come on, wait for the negotiator!" He didn't turn around or acknowledge her. "Crap!" Gus hissed, following at a safer distance behind him.
Gus saw the window roll down and the shotgun come out, she readied her hand on her weapon, starting to pull it from her holster at the same time Mac put his hands up saying, "It's okay, I just want to talk". There was no response from the vehicle other than a flurry of motion inside.
"Aw hell!" Gus said through clenched teeth. She was pulled back by a much bigger man from ESU in riot gear, "miss you aren't even wearing a vest." Gus looked down and sighed.
She stepped back beside Flack and the translator. Flack had been smart enough to pull on a vest. "Forget something, Broussard?" he said with a warning tone, holding out her vest. She pulled off her sweater, down to her tank underneath and pulled on the vest. Flack tightened the back for her and slipped her windbreaker back on her. "You have to get better about that," he snapped at her, anger icing his eyes.
"Easy for you to say, you don't have boobs!" she said.
"Then you need a better vest, they make them you know."
"It's not a big deal," Gus shrugged.
"It could easily be a huge deal, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Flack was raging now.
"What the hell?'" Gus said ignoring him and pointing to Mac and an object that had just been thrown at him.
"What is that" Flack asked the interpreter who was holding binoculars.
"External transmitter, Cole can't hear without it," the officer replied.
"Come with me, I got an idea" Flack said to the interpreter, pulling him away, "you, don't move," he said to Gus with a look that did not leave any room for protest or argument.
Gus was torn between keeping her focus on her uncle and following Flack with her eyes. She closed her eyes, sighed and turned slightly to split her focus. "What are you doing Mac?" she muttered to her uncle who was trying to negotiate with Cole. "And you blue eyes, why you always gotta be the hero?" she said noticing he was creeping around to the other side of the vehicle in the shadows.
Gus stepped back, drawing her weapon and reading for whatever the hell was about to go down. She stared intently into the SUV, saw that Gina had noticed Flack and the other officer approaching and had lowered the window. Gus said a silent prayer for Cole to keep focused on Mac and to not shoot him. Flack reached in and pulled baby Elizabeth out. Gus felt her breathe catch in her throat as he passed the baby to the officer beside him and drew his weapon. She stepped forward, out of reach of the ESU officer and cocked her gun as she heard Cole scream, "Elizabeth!" and saw Mac lunge forward. Gus gasped as the shotgun exploded through the roof of the vehicle, ESU shoved her back. She was relieved to see Mac throw Cole on the ground to handcuff him, but her heart still dropped as she heard the father's mournful sobs and screams and saw the look of mourning on Gina's face.
After the chaos died down, Mac moved away to discuss plans for debriefing the Mitchum's in the morning as the officer reunited Elizabeth with her grandparents. Gus turned to look for Flack, angry that he chastised her for not wearing a vest but then went after the baby like he was part of ESU. She knew her anger was born in fear and swallowed. Gus' green eyes caught with Flack's blue ones over the top of a cruiser, where he was being cooed over by every other female on the scene it appeared.
He didn't acknowledge any of his admirers as he moved toward Gus. Flack could plainly see her anger and fear, he felt a pang in his chest. He knew it must be hard for Gus to continually watch as the people she cared about put themselves in danger's way, but she had chosen this life for herself. That didn't relieve the tension in his chest though.
"Everybody loves a hero, huh?" she said chewing on her lip, gesturing to the flock of women still staring after Flack.
He replied, "I don't care about everybody," and pulled Gus to his chest, not caring who saw, smoothing her hair down.
Gus of course had to ruin the moment with a sneeze, "Sorry," she mumbled, wiping her face on her windbreaker, tears mingling with the snot.
He smiled down at her, "nothing to be sorry about, sunshine. Come one, let me take you home." and wiped her cheeks off tenderly.
Mac caught sight of the pair in his periphery while Gina Mitchum was thanking him and telling him how he talked with his eyes. As she walked away, he turned to study Gus and Don, who were facing each other and in their own world. He realized his niece was also adapt at talking with her eyes, he just wasn't sure he liked what they were saying to her partner. If she had stayed a psychologist, he would be fine with the pairing but...he shook his head. He didn't want to deal with it right now, seeing whatever was going on between the two of them made him want to go talk to one person and one person only, Peyton Driscoll. He turned away from the pair and headed to the ME's office.
Gus remained silent on the way home, staring out the window lost in her thoughts, trapped in empathy for Gina loosing a daughter, Elizabeth loosing her mother, even for Cole. She didn't know why this case was sticking with her, other than she didn't feel good. Or is she was honest with herself, something about seeing Mac with a shotgun pointed at his chest and then Flack's heroics that could have landed him with a hole through his chest cavity, vest or no vest.
Sometimes she thought maybe she wasn't cut out to be a cop, but she knew that her profession wasn't the only reason she saw pain, it seemed to follow her. Or she followed it, she wasn't so sure. Coming home from school to find your parents murdered tended to mess with you. She figured that had been her reasoning for always running away.
Flack didn't say anything, could tell she had taken a trip down bad memory lane. He reached over for her hand, squeezed it, brought it to his lips with a gentle kiss and set it back. She didn't look at him, he could tell she was trying to not cry. Sometimes he felt there was this gulf between them. He figured the sketches he knew of the dark times in her past were only outlines, he knew there had to be more below the surface. He also knew she wouldn't let him dig.
He sighed, "I'm sorry I snapped at you about the vest, it's just you can't make mistakes like that out there."
"I know that, I was stupid, got it," she snapped back between sniffles.
"Hey now, I was trying to apologize."
"If you want to apologize how about an apology for being all Mr. Rescue Team practically by yourself. You know the NYPD pays people to extract hostages!" Gus realized she was close to yelling and also that they were at her place. She turned and stared at Flack, still caught in anger and sadness and darkness.
Flack could see he wasn't going to get anywhere with her tonight, "Gus, please, I made a call and everything worked out."
She nodded her head, "this time," and then sighed, "Look, Flack, I'm exhausted and I don't feel so hot and I think I just need to be alone, alright?"
"No problem, but if you need anything, cold meds, tissues, whatever, you call me. See you tomorrow at the precinct?"
"Yeah, we got a crap load of paperwork since we brought in ESU" she said with a sneeze.
Flack still came around, opened her door and held her for a moment. "Sleep tight, sunshine," he said with a kiss on the top her head.