Mikael had finally finished editing their video and had shown it to Crystal. "Now – what do you think?" He took the remote control and paused it. "Does it withstand your critics?"
She was still somewhat hypnotized by the images, which seemed so surreal and yet were a mirror of her and her lover. "Yes," she slowly said but felt the word inadequate for the things she wanted to say.
"So we will do another one. With the new camera. I have a few ideas. That is - If you want to," Mikael answered smiling at her.
Crystal looked at him, lost in his face and his intense eyes. "I want a child from you," She then said without thinking any further.
Mikael's smile froze and then faded, while he turned away from her. The magic of the moment had shattered into pieces.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, surprised by his reaction. "If there's something… You know, you can tell me everything, whatever it is, okay? I love you, and that's the most important thing of all. … Mikael?"
He turned back to her, lifted his arms as if to embrace her, but stopped, staring at his hands which posed black silhouettes against the light from the video monitors. "Do you think I could've killed someone?"
She shook her head, tried to cover her embarrassment. "What gives you that idea now? Of course not!" She took his hands and kissed the palms.
He had not wanted to talk about THAT – it had just broken through the surface before he could restrain. "I'm sorry," he said now. "It's just…I don't think I … should have children."
"It's okay. Let's not talk about it anymore!" She tried to mask the sadness, but he noticed it nonetheless. To end the sudden tension, Crystal asked: "Shall I put some music on? The electronic samples you bought yesterday?"
Mikael nodded and forced a little smile. Crystal stood up and lifted the jalousies. "What a beautiful day! And no storm at all, as they told yesterday in the weather forecast! We could take a walk on the beach." The first tunes of the music filled the room, and she reclined in his arms.
...
Detective Hoover filed through the phone books stapled on his desk. Finally, he grabbed the phone and dialed a number.
„Stone here," a husky voice said at the other end of the line in L.A., and Hoover congratulated himself for having managed a step forward. He had tried to reach his colleague from the L.A.P.D. several times now, but he had been on vacation. He introduced himself, thanked personally for the sending of files and videotapes from last year's serial killings in L.A.
"So I guess you've caught the killer?"
"No, unfortunately, we have not. But – and that's the reason why I want to talk to you: We have a common 'friend': Mikael Gant."
The phone voice became yet crispier. „I hope you have a very good reason for reminding me of this asshole!"
„I do." Hoover lowered his voice in a conspiratorial manner. He was still sitting in his office, after all! "I'm convinced he has killed that woman in Hilo three weeks ago, and I'm sure he will do something again very soon."
„I'm all ears!" Detective Stone answered, and then listened avidly when Hoover told him the details.
„Officially, there is no case. Officially, our hands are tight by a lawsuit. So, I know this doesn't conform to the regulations…"
„I give a fuck about the regulations!" Stone barked, "If I can help to bring this piece of shit down, I will do what it takes! He messed with the woman I love, and she had the decency to rub all the details under my nose!"
Hoover didn't care about his colleague's personal stuff, though. He was not out for retribution, but justice! "I'd need the autopsy files of the two victims in L. A., especially the detailed blood count."
…
Mikael had gone to Hilo to meet with a gallery owner. Exhibition planning always meant long and tedious negotiations and petty squabbling about every inch of space, technical support, lighting, and everything else. He had scheduled another meeting with his lawyer Louis LaMotte afterward in an expensive Nouvelle-Cuisine-restaurant – but by the time he got there, he had lost all appetite and only poked in his meal.
"If they want a room stuffed with objects, why don't they open a thrift shop?!" he said, still angry at the gallery owner. "I'm so sick of those idiots!"
"You should open your own gallery."
"Yes. I should. – Did you take care of this police matter at least?"
The lawyer, a rather round and overweight man who had cleared his small plate long ago, nodded. "If you insist, I will demand a public apology from the Chief of PD and the DA's office."
"Do it. I want this to be finally and forever over when I get married."
LaMotte stared at his client. "Those are … interesting news, if I may say so, Mikael." He restrained from pointing out that the last woman of his dreams had turned out to be a police officer investigating him. "You want someone… doing a background check on her?" He asked as politely and matter-of-fact as possible.
"No, this is not necessary."
"Still, I think you should not run into this without a proper contract."
"I don't run into anything, Louis." Now he smiled happily, while his fingers absently caressed over the glass in his hand.
"No." The lawyer smiled as well." You are on a supersonic flight, my friend! Tell me a bit more about her…"
…
While Mikael was in the meetings in Hilo, Crystal packed her belongings in her old home. There was not much to take with her anyway – Mikael had bought her several new pieces of clothing already. She did not want to grab personal items such as photo albums reminding her of the time with Norman either. She was about to start a new life. She wanted to draw the line under the previous chapter!
Norman stood nearby all the time, watching her and searching for an opportunity to start a conversation. "Crystal, please, just wait a minute! We have to talk about this!"
"I don't think so."
"This Gant doesn't take you seriously!"
"He takes me more seriously than you EVER did." She put some music tapes into her bag.
"He… he only plays with you, and one day, when he has enough, he'll throw you away!" He tried to grab her, but she eluded him. "All those naked women in his art, what do you think he did with them, he? Do you believe he only looked at them and filmed them, Crystal? He's a playboy; having for sure mistresses everywhere in the States! Read the tabloids, they are full of his scandals! In New York, he got even convicted for sexual harassment!"
"Norman! Stop it!" She hurried downstairs. "Nothing you say will change anything. I love Mikael and we're going to get married!"
He followed her. "What has become of you? A high-society-chick walking around in 500-dollar-dresses?! - Don't you care for anything anymore? What about our fights for our planet's future? We wanted to stand side by side!"
"I still care, Norman. But I also want to LIVE and to LOVE!"
He stood in the door of the kitchen and seemed quite exhausted suddenly. "You never… said a word you missed something with me!"
She turned around, while everything in this little kitchen that had been her home for almost a year, was sharply etched in her memory. Finally, her glance was on Norman. "I did not know. I did not know what I missed before I met Mikael."
"Crystal, I love you!"
"Don't make it any harder on us, Norman."
"What shall I do without you?!"
Now she turned. "What you always did. Fight against some injustice. You don't need me." With that, she ran out of the door.
...
At the Hilo PD, Ray Hoover waited impatiently for the investigation files to arrive from L.A. Because his partner in this insubordination could not work in the open, he had to wait until the respective offices were empty and Stone could procure the files and send them via fax. Finally, the machine beeped. Hoover snapped to attention and watched as one paper after the other was printed, just like a gambler waiting for the distribution of his prize. Then, he grabbed them all, filed hastily through, and retreated into his office. He needed not only the data from L.A. but the ones from the lab in Hilo that had tested the blood in Gant's car, too. And these were in his chief's room, a place which was still occupied at the moment. Hoover stared at the watch and hoped, Shea would not make another night shift today but go home early for once.
…
Crystal prepared dinner. She still thought about yesterday evening and Mikael's reaction to the child-topic. She was willing to accept his decision – but perhaps he was only stressed out by this dreadful police business right now. Maybe they could talk about it in a few weeks… Not that she wanted a whole bunch of kids, but … She had just finished setting the table and put the candles in the middle when Mikael came home.
Greeting him with a kiss, she noticed how tired he looked. "The meeting didn't go too well?"
He huffed. "We had our differences as usual. He's a total ignorant who should work in used car deals." He did not mention the meeting with his lawyer, though. "What about you, my love? You look strained as well. Did you get your belongings or did Norman harass you?"
"No, I mean, he has not given up, but I told him I won't come back."
"If he ever threatens you in any way, I will see to it he will get a restraining order."
"No, no I don't want that. He surely has enough trouble on his own, as usual." She opened the oven to take their dinner out.
"That smells delicious? What is it?"
"Potato-Curry."
"Oh, I'm hungry!" Now being home and seeing her, his spirits slowly came back. "I am glad I skipped lunch more or less."
...
Head Detective Shea had been on his way home already when he discovered he had forgotten his daughter's graduation present in the office. Quite sore, because this meant some hours more on the highway – construction areas inclusive – he turned around and headed back into the city.
When he arrived at the police station and the respective floor, it was shortly before 9 PM. To his surprise, he discovered the lights in his office still on. Forgotten to switch them off, he thought even grumpier. Key in hand, he wanted to open, realized that he had forgotten to close properly, too… or…? All other hypotheses became obsolete when the door swung open and he found himself face to face with one of his detectives: Hoover.
He took a deep breath. "Ray, you're one of my best men. Therefore, I hope you'll have the best explanation I've ever heard in such a situation!"
Shea marched to his desk, eyeing Hoover and shaking his head. Then, his gaze fell on the staple of faxes which had the seal of the L.A. police department. "What have you done?"
Hoover fumbled for words. "I know I went against orders, but it might save lives! And so I thought-"
"You thought to hell with the law, I'm going to do this wild-west-style!"
Hoover's next words made the chief sigh. "Ray, you're such a goddamned idiot!"
"I've found a blood sample matching the stain we've discovered in Gant's car, and it belonged to the victim in L.A.!"
"It still doesn't connect him in any way to the dead girl in Hilo! And the killer of the victim in L.A. is DEAD! We'll get into a hell of a mess with that! Gant's lawyers will eat us alive, for the way alone you acquired this!" He pointed to the faxes, sighed again, then went to the water dispenser to fill a glass. The time he needed to empty it was indispensable to lower his level of Adrenalin, before continuing the conversation. "Do you have any idea what the Chief told me?! He was threatening to demand my resignation!"
"Shit! But—"
"As I told you, we can't proceed on that ground. You can't proceed on that ground! You're a Detective, not a bounty hunter, for Christ's sake! We are police and we have to obey certain regulations! I'll have to suspend you; you can work that out for yourself!"
"Not if you cut me a break," Hoover insisted, but the head detective shook his head. "Not this time, Ray. I just can't do it. It is either my head that's rolling or yours."
