"Captain, we've found hidden surveillance equipment in your living room and both bedrooms," says Detective Nelson, "and that's not all, please follow me." Sharon and Andy exchange curious looks as they each get up, and follow the detective into the Murder Room.
Lt. Tao watches the trio approach his desk with an excited look on his face. He stands up, and hands Sharon the smartphone he's holding. Pointing at the screen, he asks, "Does this look familiar?"
Staring at the phone, Sharon can hardly believe what she's seeing on the screen. There's a man wearing a suit, tie and socks entering her bedroom. He proceeds to climb on top of her bed. Looking over her shoulder, Andy says, "What the hell?" As they both watch, the man reaches up towards the light fixture with a screwdriver in his hand; a few seconds pass then the screen goes blank.
"Isn't that cool?" says Tao before immediately launching into an explanation of how the smartphone app works using words like megapixels, JPEGs, IP datagrams, WEP and security protocols. The three people standing around his desk just stare at him.
When he finally pauses long enough to take a breath, Detective Nelson says, "My team members are removing the equipment found in your light fixtures. They tell me that it's very sophisticated surveillance equipment, not available to the average person, and that phone you're holding was recovered this morning under the passenger seat in the abandoned vehicle along with the backpack and everything in it. We're tracking down the vehicle registration, and Lt. Tao has confirmed that the license plate number is the same as the vehicle that attempted to run over Lt. Flynn yesterday. Unfortunately, we weren't able to lift any prints off the car or the phone."
"Detective, do we need to be concerned about probable cause in the search of the vehicle?" Sharon asks.
Andy has to suppress a smirk, and the strong urge to roll his eyes when he hears those words come out of Sharon's mouth. He realizes that no matter which division she's in charge of, she'll always be Rulebook Raydor. There was a time when her strict adherence to policy and procedure crawled under his skin and irritated the hell out of him, but that was in the past. He, and the rest of the Major Crimes team, has learned to value her keen understanding and appreciation of the rules, especially when the end result is more criminals end up behind bars.
"The vehicle was partially blocking the entrance to an access road," says Detective Nelson, "so the police officers had public safety issues in mind when they initially examined it. They could see through the driver's-side window that the key was in the ignition. Additionally, they saw photographs sticking out of the backpack through the passenger's-side window. One of the officers recognized you, Captain, from the photo of you sitting on the couch folding laundry. Both officers are aware of the situation with the intruder who attacked Lt. Flynn in your condo, so there's more than enough probable cause to conduct a search and seizure with no warrant."
"Why would anyone abandon a car with the key still in the ignition, and leave their belongings behind?" Andy asks.
"I assume this person had no choice," answers Nelson. "And, it gets even stranger. The driver's-side door wasn't locked; as a matter of fact, it was partially open as if the driver was too hurried or busy to properly close the door. Also, after our officers observed skid marks at the scene, they determined there was another car involved. The abandoned vehicle has damage on the front, driver's-side, which appears to have been caused by a black vehicle, and there's a broken headlight on the same side."
"Let me guess, the black vehicle is long gone," Andy says.
"That's correct," says the detective while holding up a cheap, plastic, promotional keychain with three keys attached. "These were in the ignition of the abandoned vehicle. Notice the keychain says Dion's Pizza, and the address is about three blocks from the Captain's condo."
Pointing at the phone in Sharon's hand, Tao says, "That burner phone called the phone number printed on that keychain at least a half dozen times in the past ten days. We need to obtain the delivery address associated with that phone number."
"Did you find other phone numbers stored in the phone?" Sharon asks Tao.
"Yes, a total of five; three numbers for restaurants near your condo, one for a high-end gift and flower shop in Beverly Hills, and one for another phone which goes directly to voice mail every time I call."
"Lt. Tao please follow up on the delivery address; Lt. Flynn you need to head home with a detective from Robbery-Homicide to check your house for hidden surveillance, and I don't want to see you back here today," Sharon says with a smile and a squeeze of Andy's shoulder. "Detective Nelson, we need to get my building manager in here to look at the footage from the hallway; he might be able to help identify the intruder."
"I'm already on it," says the detective. "I've called him, and he's on his way here."
"Be sure to show him the blonde man with the thick glasses and the limp; I'm betting he has something to do with all this," Andy says.
Before anyone can make a move, Lt. Provenza clumsily enters the room carrying a large basket he can barely see around; he's followed by a young woman with an uncomfortable look on her face. "Captain, I ran into this young lady downstairs. This is Connie Owens, owner of Connie's Custom Gifts and Flowers, she'd like to speak to you," Provenza says.
Stepping forward, and thrusting her hand out to shake Sharon's hand, the young woman says, "Captain Raydor, I'm so sorry this basket wasn't delivered to you yesterday. I guaranteed your boyfriend it would happen, but it took my staff longer than anticipated to source some of the items. I wanted to deliver it and apologize in person."
When the woman mentions her boyfriend, Sharon makes eye contact with Andy who shakes his head no.
"Join me in my office," Sharon says to the woman in her Captain Raydor voice, "and Lt. Provenza, please put the basket on my desk."
Connie Owens is sure she's going to get an earful from an unhappy customer; however, she's pleasantly surprised when Sharon offers her a seat and a smile before closely examining the basket on her desk.
"Ms. Owens, would you please answer a few questions for me?" asks Sharon.
"Of course, and again, I'm so sorry if I missed your birthday or anniversary."
"I'm not concerned about the delivery date," Sharon says. "I need to know who ordered the basket because I can assure you it wasn't my boyfriend."
"Oh, well that's really odd because I spent over 20 minutes on the phone with him. He was so charming. I have to say, I was a little jealous of you because he spoke so lovingly about you, and he was very precise about each gift. I was surprised at his attention to detail; most of my male clients don't really have such specific requests. He told me that I was not to settle for less than the best products because his girlfriend deserves the best. You need to read the note he dictated to me over the phone. It's in the basket."
Sharon reaches in her drawer for scissors to cut open the cellophane covering the basket.
"He said the note should be a work of art because Sharon is a work of art; he insisted that the note be hand-written using calligraphy on papyrus. It took me two hours to locate a calligrapher who could do the job on such short notice. I've been in business five years, and I've never had anyone ask me to do that."
Reaching into the basket, Sharon removes a rolled-up scroll and begins to read to herself:
My True Love,
It has been so long since I've caressed your face, and stared into your soul through your beautiful jade eyes. Not a day has passed that I haven't dreamed of you, desired you, and loved you. I will give you the remainder of your gifts when I can gaze upon your beauty in person. We will be together soon. It is our destiny.
The office is very quiet as Sharon silently reads the note twice. The first sentence really rattles her because he is stating he has been close to her in the past. Andy shifts uncomfortably in the chair next to Connie Owens. He notes the worried expression on Sharon's face, and the slight tremor in her hand as she hands the scroll to Detective Nelson who is standing next to her desk studying the contents of the basket. His left side is aching; he has a pounding headache, but he doesn't want to leave; he wants to help even though he's feeling frustrated and hampered by his injuries.
Sharon asks, "Did the man give you his name and address, and how did he pay you?"
"His name is Clinton Williams; I don't remember his address off the top of my head, but I can get it for you; he paid with a Visa Gift Card over the phone. Is … is there a problem, did I do something wrong?"
"No, you've done nothing wrong," Sharon says reassuringly, "it's just that we're in the middle of an investigation, and it's vitally important that you tell us everything you can about the transaction."
"Well, I did ask him if he needed my assistance with the gifts he intends to give you in person. He said no, but he did ask me for a recommendation regarding the best place to buy lingerie. I told him La Perla on Rodeo Drive is my personal favorite because their clothing is so luxurious."
At the mention of lingerie, Andy grimaces, tenses his jaw and makes a fist with his right hand.
"Oh yeah, he also said that he's going to surprise you with the lingerie as soon as the two of you can get away to the special B&B he picked out in the Napa Valley."
Sharon and Andy lock eyes as they both remember the evening they discussed taking a trip together to the Napa Valley. That was the same evening Andy saw the strange, blonde man with a limp, and Sharon drank a tad too much wine and fell asleep on her couch after dinner.
"Was there any problem with the payment?" asks Detective Nelson.
"Not to my knowledge, and the final bill was over $900. When I realized that the delivery wouldn't be made on the requested date, I tried to call him, but the contact number he gave me is not a working number."
Sharon begins to pull items out of the basket: three Archipelago candles in her favorite exotic scents, a 2012 bottle of Sine Qua Non white wine she told Andy she has always wanted to taste, a box of dark chocolate Godiva truffles just like the one she keeps in her bedside table, a bottle of the exclusive Crème De La Mer lotion that's twice the size of the tube Ricky bought her for her birthday, and a sterling silver hairbrush inside an indigo silk pouch. Fingering the engraved scrollwork on the back of the brush, she realizes that the pattern is the Claddagh, Irish love symbol, that is on a needlepoint pillow she keeps on her bed. Her mother made her that pillow when she married Jack. The thought of Jack, and the thought of how the intruder has learned what she likes by watching and listening to her in her own home gives her a sudden urge to get up and go wash her hands.
Glancing up, Sharon looks at Andy, and is concerned about how pale he looks. "Detective Nelson, please have one of your colleagues drive Lt. Flynn to his house, and make sure they check for hidden surveillance. Ms. Owens, please get back to me with that address as soon as possible, and thank you for your cooperation."
As everyone stands to leave the office, Provenza sticks his head in the door to inform the captain her building manager is waiting with Buzz in electronics. Sharon stops in front of Provenza and tells him to get rid of the items on her desk. "I don't want any of it," she says before walking out the door. Provenza's eyes light up while he calculates, in his head, how many brownie points he's going to score with Patrice on her birthday, Christmas and Valentine's Day.
