Chapter 5

Jane sauntered down the sunlit sidewalk with a little extra swag in her step. At first she had been hesitant to leave the hotel dressed in this getup yet again, but what choice did she have? Besides, she was kind of enjoying the looks she was getting. The men – and even some women – were definitely checking her out. The totally straight women were glaring at her like she was the most repugnant thing they'd ever laid eyes on, but that was no different than usual. So she just smirked and kept on stepping in her ridiculous stilettos. Jane only became aware of the fact that she was humming something as she approached the towering Copley Place mall. What the hell was that song anyway? She guessed it was probably from one of Ma's old Natalie Cole albums. She must have heard it on the radio recently.

As she watched two women dressed to the nines emerge from the mall through the giant glass doors carrying more bags than they could handle, she said to herself, "Wild women do, indeed…"

This time she got a glare for talking to herself. Great, she thought. Now they think I'm a crazy hooker. But what did it matter? She was really here to find something suitable to wear for her date – er, what was it exactly…an escort? Either way she would be sitting next to Dr. Maura Isles at dinner tonight, and she had to look fabulous. If Korsak was ever going to see her in a dress, she'd better make sure it was a good one.

But as Jane began to pass storefronts in the incredibly upscale mall, she started doubting herself. She hadn't even heard of half of these places. How did Maura possibly expect her to be able to find a nice dress for dinner tonight? Jane tried not to panic. She pulled herself together when she realized that money usually spoke for itself, and money she now had. After a few moments, she happened to notice a designer name that she vaguely remembered her Ma mentioning once, probably dropping a Christmas hint to her father that he'd never be clever enough to take. The foreign name was blazoned above the doorway, and Jane took a deep breath just before stepping inside.

The sound of silence inside had created a vacuum. A tight, white vacuum full of stuffy air and bad perfume. Naturally, Jane observed that the two women working in the boutique appeared to be just as stuffy.

It's okay, Jane. They've got nothing on you. Just start looking for something Maura will approve of and get the hell out of here.

"May I help you?"

Jane winced as the woman who appeared to be made of ice approached her from the next rack.

"Nope, just checkin things out," Jane murmured without looking up. What was she even looking at? A pants suit? No way. Where were the dresses?

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" the Ice Woman continued.

Jeez, were upscale salespeople always this pushy? But then Jane remembered that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, and even if this woman was a bit of a snob, maybe she could actually use her help. So, Jane gave it some thought –what was she looking for? Maura had used the word elegant, but she didn't want to sound more ridiculous than she probably already looked. By now, the tall, stick-figured blonde was glaring at her expectantly.

"Uh, well…I guess something…conservative?"

Really? You're dressed like a hooker and you decide to use the word "conservative"?

"Yes…" the Ice Woman responded coldly. Her platinum blonde counterpart giggled quietly from behind the sales counter. Jane looked back down at her sore boot-clad feet and sifted through another rack behind her. She couldn't take it anymore. She could barely breathe in here from the start, but now it suddenly felt like all the walls were closing in and drowning her with their petty judgments. The bright lights were almost blinding. Jane decided she'd just have to pay them some sort of empty compliment to feed their egos and then make her escape. This place was too disgusting to deserve anyone's money. Especially not Maura's.

"You got nice stuff… " Jane tried. On the mannequin beside her, she saw an absolutely stunning black dress that she was almost tempted to try on. "How much is this?"

The Ice Woman crept forward and crossed her arms as she said, "I don't think this would fit you."

Aw HELL no. Jane felt the disbelieving, wry smile creeping up that overtakes her when people attempt to cross or insult her. "Is that so?" she said, staring daggers into the woman's soul. "Well, I didn't ask if it would fit, I asked how much it was." Now Jane's arms were crossed in front of her.

The frigid grey eyes never broke contact with Jane's as the Ice Woman replied, "How much is this, Marie?"

Marie spoke like a drone from behind the counter, "It's very expensive."

"It's very expensive," the Ice Woman apparently felt the need to repeat.

Wow. Jane wished more than anything that she could whip out her badge and tear these bitches apart. Well, at least give them a piece of her mind. But, she wasn't even a detective yet. Officers didn't get away with running their mouths as often, especially not to hoity toity rich people with connections. But Jane was sick and tired of having to deal with this shit. Where did they get off assuming she didn't have enough money to buy the whole damn store if she wanted to?

"Look, I got money to spend in here!" Jane managed. Great, now her voice was cracking.

Marie came out from behind the counter to stand next to the Ice Woman. They stood shoulder to shoulder between Jane and the mannequin she had admired moments before. "I don't think we have anything for you. You're obviously in the wrong place. Please leave."

Jane was speechless. She had encountered lots of shitty people in her life, but never before had she been made to feel this insignificant. If she stood up to these bitches, she'd blow her cover. She'd probably be transferred. It was obvious that Cavanaugh cared more about getting Dr. Isles to sign on than he was about making her detective anyway. But still, Jane felt herself turn and leave without a word.

As her heels clacked back down the cold stone floor of the mall, the words, "You're obviously in the wrong place" still stung her ears.

~LT~

About halfway through her walk back to the Four Seasons, Jane realized that she had returned without anything to wear this evening. What was she going to do? She sure as hell wasn't going back to shop. All she felt like doing was burying her sorry ass underneath Maura's covers and hoping no one would ever find her. But in reality, she'd probably have to get up in a few hours and look through Maura's clothes to see if there was anything she could possibly borrow. If Jane told her what had happened, surely she'd understand…

Nah, she couldn't tell Maura that the heat from a couple of bitches in an overpriced boutique was too much for her to handle.

Just as Jane was contemplating leaving the hotel and moving to Rio, she heard a man's voice call out to her through the lobby.

"Excuse me, Miss. May I help you?"

Not this again. The last thing she needed was one more snooty person in her way today.

"I'm just going to my room," she said without breaking a stride.

"You're a guest here?"

Now Jane was pissed. Obviously this guy also thought she didn't quite fit the description of the clientele. She stopped and slowly turned to face him, her arms crossed defensively, "I'm staying with a friend here."

"And who might that be?"

"Dr. Maura Isles." Surely the name drop would get her somewhere.

As the man eyed her up and down, Jane noticed that the nameplate on his smart suit read: "Hotel Manager Barnard Thompson." Fantastic. She was getting thrown out and she'd probably have to go wallow in Ma's bed instead. Her apartment was too far to walk to from here.

"Ah. Why don't you come with me for a moment, please?"

"UGH! What now?" Jane felt herself having an outburst as Mr. Thompson lead her into his office, but at this point in her horrible day, she just didn't care anymore. If he was going to kick her out, why didn't he just do it instead of going through all this formal shit? She slumped down in the slick leather chair and Mr. Thompson stood erect behind his desk. There was something just vaguely familiar about him, but she was literally too pissed to care at this point.

"What's your name, Miss?"

"What do you want it to be?" Jane snapped, marveling at how easily Kit came right out of her when she was worked up.

"Don't toy with me, young lady."

Young lady? Jesus, he wasn't that old. But his velvet voice was just so memorable. Where had she met him before?

She let him glare for a moment longer before giving in. "Jane. My name is Jane."

"Miss Jane…things that go on in other hotels don't happen at the Four Seasons Boston. Ms. Isles, however, is a very special customer. And we like to think of our special customers as friends. As a customer, we would expect Ms. Isles to sign in any additional guests, but as a friend, we're willing to overlook it. I'm assuming you're a...relative?"

Jane could see that he was expecting her to catch on to something, so she simply nodded, hoping that was what he wanted to hear.

"I thought so," he continued. "And you must be her…"

Shit. This one required an answer. "….sister?" Jane tried. This just reached a whole new level of awkward.

"Of course. Naturally when Ms. Isles leaves, I won't see you in this hotel again. I assume you have no other sisters here?"

Jane shook her head no. This was verging on humiliating.

"Good! Then we understand each other. I would also encourage you to dress a little more appropriately – that will be all," he said as he gestured toward his open door.

That was Jane's last straw. She wasn't going to leave without letting this guy know what she had gone through. "NO! That's not all, you know why? Because that's what I was trying to do. I was trying to buy a dress for dinner tonight, and nobody would help me."

Jane could see his eyes softening, and she felt bad for burdening a stranger with this. As she pulled the cash out of her jacket, she continued, "Not that I expect you to help me, but I have all this money now and nothing to wear."

Jane just stood blinking with an envelope full of cash, and in Mr. Thompson's silence, she suddenly realized what this must look like. The man slowly turned back to his desk to pick up the phone. Now she had really blown it.

"Oh yeah that's great," Jane scoffed. "If you're callin the cops, go right ahead. Tell Detective Korsak I said 'hi'!"

"Women's clothing, please," Mr. Thompson said.

Jane was blinking and absolutely speechless.

"Bridget, hello, this is Barnard Thompson over at the Four Seasons – "

He cut off for a moment and chuckled. Bridget was clearly quite taken with Mr. Thompson.

"Well, thank you, that's flattering. I'd like to ask a favor of you. I'm sending someone over. Her name is Jane. She's a guest – rather she's the sister of a very special guest."

Jane missed the rest of the conversation because it immediately came back to her where they had met before. Nearly two years ago, Mr. Thompson had been working the bar in a very unsavory neighborhood where Jane made her first undercover drug bust. She remembered noting that the man didn't look like he belonged there, and yet he was clearly making the most of his job. He was one of the hardest, most efficient workers she had ever encountered. She hadn't been a bit surprised when he helped them detain the unruly suspect. She had nodded her appreciation and said, "Thanks, I owe you one" as she dragged the handcuffed perp out the door. Mr. Thompson had simply nodded back. Now here he was paying her yet another kindness. Had he recognized her? Or was he really just an all around good guy? There weren't many of those around anymore. Jane admired the fact that this all around good guy had worked his way up in the world; made a way for himself. To Jane, that's what truly made a person rich.

So when Mr. Thompson hung up the phone, Jane held out her hand and said, "Thanks, Barney. I owe you one."

While he was a little thrown by the nickname, he nodded once again.

"You're very welcome, Miss Jane."

~LT~

"So, what do you think, Dr. Isles? Think you could get used to practicing here?"

"You have excellent facilities, Detective Korsak. Thank you so much for the tour."

"Oh, my pleasure. I just wish things weren't so out of order in there. I'm sure you'd never allow your lab techs to keep things as disorderly as Pike does. Half the time I don't know how he keeps anything straight in there…"

"Dr. Pike taught a series of guest lectures while I attended BCU. It's truly incredible how much a person can pretend to dedicate themselves to orderliness and still come out with lackluster work. I assure you that though my procedures are certainly less rudimentary, I have dedicated myself to providing accurate results."

"That's what we like to hear," Korsak replied with a smile. "Would you like to grab something for lunch at the café?"

"Certainly, but first may I use your phone? I need to inform my date of the plans for this evening's dinner."

Korsak's eyebrows rose at the word "date". This couldn't mean what he thought it meant…could it? He didn't know the Doctor well enough to inquire further, so he wouldn't even be able to warn Cavanaugh in advance if Jane was in fact coming to dinner.

"Of course. There should be one there at the desk in the lobby you can use."

"Perfect, thank you Detective," Maura smiled at him before turning and entering the lobby. With all the…excitement last night, she had neglected to charge her cell phone. But she couldn't stand not talking to Jane for one more moment. So, she walked up to the front desk and had the secretary dial the Four Seasons. Maura gave the woman on the other line her extension, and as she waited, she propped herself up on the high desk with one elbow, the other hand lingering on her popped hip.

The phone rang in the Presidential Suite and a bathrobe-clad Jane scrambled to the desk to answer it. Her meeting with Bridget had been quite successful, and she was just bursting to talk to Maura. She hoped it was Maura, at least. Who else could possibly be calling?

"Hello?"

"Never, ever pick up the phone!" Maura chided in a light-hearted tone.

Jane caught on and smiled as she replied, "Then why are you callin me?"

"Did you go shopping?"

"Yeah, I got a dress. A cocktail one."

"Perfect. Meet me in the lobby at 7:45 sharp."

Jane liked the demanding side of Maura, but she wasn't about to hang up the phone just yet. "What, you're not coming up to the door?"

Now it was Maura's turn to smile. "This isn't a date. It's business."

Jane's smile faded a little, though she could still detect the jocular tone. "Fine. I'll meet you in the lobby, but only 'cause you're paying me to."

God, Maura just couldn't get enough of that beautifully raspy voice. "Well thank you very, very much Jane. See you soon."

"Bye." Wow, Jane thought. She was almost a little disgusted by how girly her tone had gotten just then.

Maura had just handed the receiver back to the receptionist when her mouth curved into a devilish smile as an idea popped into her head. "Get her back for me," Maura instructed. The receptionist looked dumbfounded, and Maura realized she'd have to instruct her how to get Jane back on the line. But once she did, it would be worth it.

A young uniformed officer walked up behind Maura, clearing his throat. "Uh, Dr. Isles? Detective Korsak wanted me to tell you he'd be waiting for you down at the café when you're ready."

"Yes, thank you. Tell him I'm in the middle of a very important phone call."

The young officer scampered off and the receptionist handed Maura the receiver once again.

"'Lo?"

Maura sensed the slight annoyance in Jane's voice. "I told you not to pick up the phone!" She could barely help laughing at her own cleverness.

Jane was eating this up. Maura was beyond adorable. "Then stop callin' me!" she replied with a chuckle. Maura was laughing too just before she reached over the desk to hang the receiver up herself.

Jane stood staring at the phone, shaking her head in disbelief for a few moments before stalking off to the bathroom and devising a plan for zipping herself into this doozie of a dress.

~LT~

Maura stepped into the hotel lobby at 7:53. After leaving the precinct late that afternoon, she had done a little shopping of her own. But it hadn't been her normal shopping trip. Maura had been through the works – a new gold Dior dress, Louboutin shoes, fresh makeup, and even a quick manicure for good measure as they fluffed her hair to perfection at the mall salon. She was giving in to this incessant desire to impress Jane. She surmised that her pituitary gland would continue working overtime if she spent any more time thinking about what Jane might look like when she finally saw her. When she noticed the time on the lobby clock, she mentally cursed herself for tacking the word "sharp" onto 7:45. And yet, Jane was nowhere to be found.

Mr. Thompson approached the puzzled doctor and said, "Ms. Isles?"

"Yes?"

"I have a message for you from your sister."

Now Maura was even more puzzled. Her brow furrowed as she answered, "I'm sorry, who left a message for me?"

"Your sister. The young lady staying with you in your room, ma'am."

"Oh." Maura wondered why this man – the hotel manager? – seemed to be completely oblivious of who Jane actually was. But when she looked closely into his eyes, she saw that he caught her drift. "Well, Mr. Thompson, is it? I think we both know that she's not my sister. The reason I know that is I'm an only child. But anyone could postulate that Jane is certainly not genetically connected to me with simple observations made by the naked eye."

Mr. Thompson stood practically un-phased, but he noted for the tenth time this week that he was grossly underpaid. "Yes, well…the message is she's waiting for you in the lounge."

"Thank you, Mr. Thompson," Maura said sincerely, almost as an apology for his trouble. But as she started to walk in the direction of the lounge, she heard him add something.

"Intriguing young lady, Miss Jane is," he had said.

Maura had stopped only briefly to smile, repeating the adjective to herself as she made her way toward the sounds of soft piano music that played in the lounge. When she reached the entryway, she looked around for Jane, her heart beating well above its normal rate. Someone at the bar with her back facing Maura matched Jane's hair color and skin tone, but Maura turned away when she realized this gorgeous woman was dressed too elegantly to be –

Jane could sense that someone was staring. And this time it was different than the three men that had approached her so far and asked to buy her a drink. She'd have to have a word with her date about her tardiness. But Jane's gaze drifted behind her to locate the source of heat making contact with her bare back.

It didn't take her long to find it.

Dr. Maura Isles was an absolute vision in her strapless, shiny gold dress with the sweetheart neckline. Even from across the room, Jane was slain by Maura's black stilettos and matching black nail polish that added the perfect amount of edginess to the ensemble. When the doctor turned to face her and flashed a killer smile, her smoky eyes nearly knocked Jane to the floor.

Maura had turned when she remembered that elegance had been all she asked of Jane for the evening, and she had certainly delivered. Even in a fairly simple black halter dress, she was….for once the doctor found herself at a loss for words. All Maura could think about as Jane wobbled on her heels toward her was how desperately her fingers yearned to make contact with the exposed skin on her back where the dress dipped dangerously low.

"You're late," Jane said with a small smile when she reached her date's side.

"You're stunning." There was the word Maura was looking for. The tips of her fingers ghosted across Jane's back, willing her to come closer.

That sensation took Jane's breath away. When she could speak, she answered, "You're forgiven."

Maura couldn't wait to take this beautiful woman out. She offered Jane her hand and said, "Shall we go to dinner?"

Jane accepted her hand and the pair emerged from the lounge, beaming as they made their way through the lobby and out into the night.