One 'Home' Among Many.
As they walked to Tom's car, discussing the game, Penhall wondered, "Where in the world did you learn how to do that? And it wasn't from no horses." "I'll tell y'all on the way to my uncle's. Are you driving Tommy, or am I?" Ninja asked as she spun around. "No way. You are not driving my car. Besides, you don't even know how to get there." Tom said defensively. Of course, Ninja destroyed his defense with a smile and a kiss, "I know Tommy, but I also know how to get to my uncle's. Let's go, I want to see him before he goes into work."
Arriving at the Chapel, Ninja noticed that there were more vehicles than this morning. One, in particular, she recognized, which brought a content smile to her face. I can't wait to see Richter, but I'm not going to ruin his hiding spot. At least, not right now. Tom had just shut his car off when Ninja climbed out. "Come on guys." She said, jogging up the stairs. "Calm down Ninja! No need to rush, we can't debrief without all of us there!" Tom shouted as he and Doug crawled out of the car. When she reached the top, Ninja called down, "I'll see y'all inside slowpokes!" Smiling as he raced up the steps after his partner, Tom thought, She sure seems excited about something.
Inside, Tom saw Ninja sitting at the table with a grin so big it could've lit up a pitch-black room. Not knowing, Tom and Doug walked right past Ninja's handler who was hiding in plain sight among the sea of faces. Fuller had joined them at the table as Judy slid down the red and yellow striped fireman's pole, now in jeans; sitting with the others moments later. "Ok. How was your day?" Fuller asked, starting the debriefing. Ninja spoke first, "'Bout as well as a first day can be I guess." Nodding, Fuller wondered, "Any suspects?" "Yeah. Our history teacher, John Webb, and the P.E. coach, Derek Smith." Tom stated matter-of-factly. Doug, Judy, and Fuller stared at him as the police captain ordered, "Go on." Sighing, Ninja said, "Smith says he was a Marine, so that's not hard to check out. But, truthfully, the guy gives me the creeps. Did y'all see how he completely ignored my instinctive jump when he touched my right shoulder? He's up to something and probably knows more than we think."
"Are your covers blown?" Fuller pressed, concerned for his favorite officers and the young agent. Ninja shook her head, "Don't think so, but we'll know for sure here soon. Webb just seems to be along for the ride. First impression? He's sweet, but first impressions can be wrong." Doug smirked, "Yeah, don't we know. Hey, you never did tell us where you learned how to play dodgeball." "Dodgeball? Did you win Penhall?" Ioki asked, a piece of pizza in one hand and a folder in the other.
Doug glared at the Vietnamese officer while Tom snickered quietly at the two, saying, "No, we lost to Ninja. You should've seen her Harry; dodging, catching, and throwing until it was just three of us." "And somehow she dodged my throw, ducked under Hanson's, caught my second ball, and hit Hanson so hard it knocked his breath out. Personally, I think she can take you, Iokige." Doug guffawed, showing them how Ninja had moved. Amused by the team's comedian, Ninja shrugged, "We played a lot of dodgeball during training. It was supposed to help us learn how to dodge bullets, but you can't dodge bullets; just make 'em miss their targets."
Concern flickered through all five pairs of eyes as they glanced at her, not knowing what to say. "How many scars?" Fuller pressed, his voice soft but his eyes sharp as flint. "More than you hope but fewer than ya think." Ninja shrugged, adding, "I'll tell y'all some of the stories behind them after the case is over." Fuller gave her a reassuring smile as he griped her left shoulder, "I know you will Ninja. Now, I don't want to see you three before Thursday. There are duffle bags with clothes in the house and pots, pans, and food in the kitchen. Call when you get settled in." "Yes sir!" Tom and Doug chorused while doing the McQuaid salute.
It was a small, modest 3-bedroom house. When they walked in, Ninja instantly knew the layout. Kitchen on the left and living room on the right as one enters the front door. There is a hall from the living room with four doors, one to the bathroom, and three lead to bedrooms.
Shutting the door, Doug stated, "It's a lot smaller than I …" "Shh." Ninja instructed, swiftly retrieving a radio-like box out of her bag beside the door. Silently padding through the living room, moving her strange device from place to place until it started beeping by the TV stand. "Ok. I found your little bug. If you don't want me to smash it to bits, you have ten seconds to call." Ninja spoke at a normal volume but directed at the TV. Just as she predicted, the phone immediately began ringing.
Doug snatched up the receiver, "McQuaid. Kat, it's for you." Still as quiet as a mouse, Ninja took the phone, "Hi, I figured y'all would be listening. Now, tell me how many bugs and where they are. Because I will find 'em and send them back in a bag, smashed into teeny, tiny little pieces." Fuller sighed into the phone, Why won't you trust me? "I know you will, Ninja, but you don't have to threaten me or anyone else at Jumpstreet. There are three devices; the one you found beside the TV, one over the stove, and the magnet holding your 'uncle's' work number." Nodding, Ninja said, "Thanks Fuller, I'll still check to see if there are any others you didn't place. Can I speak to Richter?" She could hear the phone being passed then the rich baritone voice belonging to her friend and handler came through. "How are things, Ninja?" "Good as can be expected. I thought you would have had a better hiding spot." Ninja chuckled. Richter replied, with a smile in his voice, "You want to make it a game, don't you?" "You know me so well, Richter. Back to business, where are the bugs hid?" "TV, above the stove, and a magnet." "Thanks. Any cameras?" Ninja asked. "No. I couldn't get the equipment here in time. I got to go, Captain Fuller wants to talk to his men. Listen, Ninja, I know how you are and I can tell you want to trust them but you cannot be a lone wolf on this one. You understand what I'm saying?" Richter's tone conveying the gravity of his words. Ninja's head dipped slightly as she sighed, "I know, Richter. Doesn't make it any easier." Holding the receiver out for Tom and Doug, "Fuller wants to talk to y'all."
After she handed the phone off, Ninja grabbed her box and went through the rest of the house. "Hey, Coach. Ninja said you wanted to talk to us." Tom said, holding the receiver so Doug could hear. Fuller's voice betrayed his irritation, "Keep an eye on Webb and Smith. But don't blow your covers, because that makes for a lot of paperwork and you know how much I hate unnecessary paperwork." Tom replied, "We will, Captain." "And I'll make sure those two don't get into too much trouble." Doug chimed. Chuckling, Fuller said, "As long as you don't get in trouble yourself, Penhall. Can I speak to Hanson? Alone." "Yeah?" Tom asked, putting the phone to his ear. "Watch Ninja. We can't have her going all 'lone wolf' on us." "I don't know how I can stop her if she does," Tom stated. Fuller reminded the young cop, "She trusts you, Hanson. Just stay close to her and watch your back." "Will do," Tom answered, a touch of worry in his voice.
As Tom hung up the phone, Doug questioned with a raised eyebrow, "What'd Fuller say to you?" Running a hand through his coffee-colored hair, Tom exhaled, "Just to keep an eye on Ninja. Ya know; stay close, watch her back, that kinda thing." Doug shrugged as he picked up the TV remote from the coffee table, "Better you than me, I guess." "What's that supposed to mean?" Tom snapped, glaring at his usual partner. "I just mean, you're better for her. She trusts you, Tommy; while I'm the third wheel." Doug retorted. "Penhall's right, Hanson and you know it." Ninja stated, stepping out of the dark hallway and into view. "How long were you listening?" Doug wondered. "Long enough. Did Fuller tell you to try and keep me from going 'lone wolf'?" Ninja directed the question at Tom. Hanson's soulful chocolate eyes met her's, "Yes, but I don't know how to stop you if you do. Or if I even could." Cupping Tom's face in her hands, Ninja said, "Just stay by my side even if I push you away. Now, let's see what we can find for supper."
After dinner was cooked, devoured, and dishes in the sink; they gathered back around the kitchen table to do their homework. Pulling out her English book, Ninja inquired, "Do we finish our homework or do we work for so long and then stop and what we didn't get to doesn't get done?" Tom and Doug stared blankly at each other before Doug exclaimed, "Why hadn't we thought of that? It'd go great with the McQuaid covers." "But how would Fuller react to us doing only certain assignments?" Tom wondered aloud. Ninja smirked as she read her assignment, Easy A. "Simple. We skip the homework of our suspects and do our cover's best on the others."
Tom thought about the most recent topic of conversation along with the day's events as he did his homework. "I can't think of a better way to get to close to Webb. But we should do the assignment anyway, so when we play dumb it'll either be close or nowhere near." Tom stated hesitantly because he knew how Doug would react but not what Ninja would say. "Are you nuts, Hanson? I knew you were a bookworm but I didn't think you were this bad." Doug exclaimed. Quickly jumping to Tom's defense, Ninja said, "Tom's right, Doug. We do need to know the material so we can 'just happen' to get a few questions right. Maybe we should miss another class's work so it doesn't seem like we're singling Webb out." "Hey, I'll do anything if it gets me out of doing homework." Doug agreed, working a peculiarly difficult math problem. "I'm with ya, Doug, but we should skip different assignments to avoid suspicion." Ninja stated as she finished her English paper.
Nobody had really thought about the sleeping arrangements, thinking they'd just each get their own room, until 10 o'clock that is. Yawning, Ninja said, "I'm going to bed. You coming, Tommy?" "What are you talking about? There are three rooms, Ninja." Hanson stated, wide-eyed as he tried to stifle a yawn. "I know. But last night was my first good night's sleep in months and I'm not going to any count if I don't sleep." Ninja revealed sheepishly. Mine too, Ninja, mine too. Tom exhaled, "Ok I'll be there in a minute. Which room?" "First one on the left and don't worry about being quiet, I'll probably still be awake when you come in." Ninja called as she walked down the hall.
Doug slugged Tom's shoulder, "What are you thinking, Hanson?" "I don't know. But she kept those 3.3 seconds from replaying over and over again for the first time since Amy's death." Tom sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's 17, Hanson." Angrily, Tom shot back, "I know, Penhall; that's what makes this so hard. I want to get close to her but I know it'll just wind-up causing more trouble in the end. You don't have to worry about me tonight; I'll make sure we both stay fully clothed." Then he ambled out of the room and down the hall.
Swinging the door open without knocking, Tom gasped as he glimpsed the scars on Ninja's back before lowering his eyes to the floor. "I'm so sorry, Ninja. I thought you would've been dressed by now." He apologized, slightly blushing. "Just don't forget to knock again if you don't want your eyes removed with a spoon. I'll be back in a few." Ninja stated, grinning as she grabbed her toiletries bag and headed to the bathroom. Tom simply traded his jeans for red flannel sleep pants before snatching his toiletries and joining her in the bathroom.
With her toothbrush in use, Ninja used sign language, "I see you learned from your mistake." Dumbfounded, Tom asked, "What?" Spitting out the toothpaste, Ninja repeated, both signing and speaking, "I see you learned from your mistake." "What was that and where'd you learn it?" Tom wondered, brushing his teeth. Ninja explained as she washed her face with a wet washcloth, "I have some deaf family members and the best way to talk to them is sign language. I can teach you and Doug a little." "Thanks, but I don't know if or when we're going to have time to learn." Tom replied to her offer as he wiped toothpaste off his mouth. Ninja responded, "Ok. I'll be in bed."
Tom knocked the tune "Shave and a haircut, two bits" on the bedroom door. "Come on in." Ninja answered, her voice muffled by the wood door. Walking into the brightly lit room, Tom was surprised to see Ninja under the covers already. Just as soon as he had turned the light off, Ninja squeaked out, "Can you leave the door open a little? The darker the room is the worse the nightmares get." "Ok. Whatever I can do to help." Tom smiled as he left the door open a crack before padding softly toward her. As Tom neared the bed, Ninja pulled back the colorful quilt she found earlier. "I don't want to get you in trouble Tom. I put the quilt on top so you'll have a blanket while laying on top of the other covers." "I can handle myself, Ninja." Tom smirked, reaching to pull the rest of the covers back. Ninja grabbed his hand, fighting the urge to pull back from the surge of electricity, "You're a good cop Hanson, and where I come from you don't waste good. One rumor can ruin your career and I don't want that to happen. Do you want to help me, Tom? Then, please, know that I've thought about everything I'm asking you to do even if I don't give the reason behind it." Shocked by how much she worried about him after only having met him yesterday and how soft her touch is, Tom gazed at her young face and slender body with wonder in his eyes. I think I'm in love. "I can't guarantee that I won't question you but I promise I'll try to do what you ask. As long as it's not illegal." He vowed, regretfully pulling his hand away from the soft, tender touch before laying down beside Ninja with two blankets separating their bodies.
Such a small, thin barrier won't stand for long if two people don't want it to. Tom pined while exhaling, as Ninja laid her head on his chest. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?" Ninja asked, resting on her elbows so she can see his face. "No, you didn't hurt me, Ninja. Lie back down." Tom answered as he put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Once she got situated again, Tom stated, "Finding this quilt is what took you so long to get dressed, wasn't it?" Ninja simply nodded. "When are you going to tell me the story behind those scars?" Tom wondered aloud a few minutes later, before noticing Ninja's steady breathing, indicating she was already asleep. Smiling as he craned his neck to look at her peaceful face, Tom stroked her chestnut locks. Saying, "Good night, Ninja." before drifting off to sleep with a content grin on his boyish face.