Chapter Three- Mercy Street

'Where we goin'?' asked a small voice over the rumble of the engine as Lissie stopped for a light on the Embarcadero. Lissie smiled at her passenger in the rearview mirror, taking in a small red-headed girl in a car seat, trying to hold onto a sippy cup and her beloved Pooh bear at the same time.

'Mommy's work, then we're having lunch with Grandma and Harvey.' The four year old's eyes widened and she smiled even bigger.

'We're havin' lunch with Unca Harvey!' she crowed, her excitement spilling over into a fit of giggles as her mother floored the gas when the light turned green. While it didn't have the same acceleration as her Mustang, the old Fairlane was fun to drive. Her daughter practically yelled from the back seat 'Faster, mommy, faster!' through her laughter. Lissie kept it ten over the speed limit, braking lightly and downshifting to swing the old boat into the SIU's parking lot. It was her first day off in months, and quite welcome at that. Work had been quiet since they had found the floater two weeks ago, giving her time to build up a more concise image of their suspect, with input from the latest case file they'd compiled. She'd spent a lot of time on the phone with Buck, and under a lot of cautious scrutiny from Harvey. He worried about her, which was fine, as long as it didn't interfere with her job.

She cut the engine, sudden silence after a twenty minute ride with the accompanying dull roar of the car. Even with the new headers, she worried about a possible noise violation from this beast. She swung her door open, then flipped her seat forward, reaching back to loose Meaghan from her car seat. The sippy cup stayed, but Pooh was bundled along as Lissie scooped her onto her hip. Meaghan took everything in with wonder, never having been to the SIU before.

'Mommy works on a boat?' she asked wonderingly, staring. 'Pooh!' she told the yellow stuffed bear, 'Its a boat!'

Lissie grinned, shifting her daughter's weight. Soon she'd be too big to lug around like this. 'Yep, I work on a boat.'

'Too cool.' came her daughter's response, something she had picked up from her cousin the last time they'd visited. Lissie rolled her eyes, the things her family taught their children. She carried Meaghan up the gangway, and in through the doors of the SIU. She set the child down once they were inside, with the instructions of 'Go find Harvey.' as she did so. It was more than enough for the four year old, who yelled loudly 'Unca Harvey!' and ran towards the man who was approaching from his desk, smiling broadly. Her commotion had gotten the attention of the entire SIU, and Lissie blushed as more than a few people laughed and smiled at the welcome interruption. Pushing her sunglasses back on her head, she followed her daughter to where she was now in Harvey's arms, telling him how mommy had gone fast. Harvey laughed.

'Oh she did, did she? Guess we're going to have to tell the cops on her.' he informed Meaghan, who smiled into Pooh's head and shook her head.

'Nuh-uh, silly. Mommy's a cop. We don't tell on her.' she informed Harvey, who duly apologized and grinned at Lissie. Meaghan wiggled, wanting down. "Wanna show you what mommy does.' she said by way of explanation. Lissie could do little more than curse her brother-in-law for teaching Meaghan this little bit. Meaghan had herself a small audience, including Joe and Nash, who stood on the stairs watching. Meaghan set Pooh down in front of Harvey's feet then backed away a few steps. Lissie was doing her best not to cringe, knowing full well what would happen as soon as her daughter finished drawing in a deep breath.

'Fweeze! SFPD!' she yelled at Pooh Bear, who, as expected, remained frozen at Harvey's feet. Laughter rippled through the gathered audience, which only intensified as the serious looking little girl advanced on Pooh Bear. 'You under awwest.' she informed the stuffed bear. Harvey nudged Pooh just enough so that he toppled over on his side, and the SIU was in hysterics. Meaghan grinned broadly as her mother blushed with embarrassment. Yes, come Christmas, she would kill her brother-in-law for teaching Meaghan this little bit of acting.

Pooh bear was back in Meaghan's arms as she was congratulated on her performance by most of the bystanders. Lissie bent and scoped up her daughter before she could attempt an encore. She brushed the curly red hair back and kissed Meaghan's forehead. 'You're silly.' she told her daughter.

'You silly, Mommy.' Meaghan laughed back. Lissie looked at Harv helplessly, and shook her head. She caught Nash coming to a stop by her out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face him and Joe.

'You're going to make a good little cop, kiddo.' Joe told Meaghan, which earned him a bright grin. Lissie groaned.

'Don't encourage her, Joe. Her uncle taught her this when they came out for Christmas. Now she thinks its fun to do it in the middle of the mall.'

Nash laughed. 'She'll be as good as her mommy, I think.' he winked at Lissie, whose receding blush flared again. He reached into a pocket, talking to Meaghan, who was watching intently. 'I bet I've got something for a little girl like you.' Lissie prayed it was a lollipop. Her daughter didn't need encouragement from these two, too. Nash produced a small gold pin-on sheriff's badge, which produced a squeal of delight from Meaghan. Lissie sighed and swiveled so Meaghan could hold Pooh Bear out of the way while Nash pinned it to her tee shirt. 'Wow.' came the quiet response as Meaghan pulled on her shirt to look at it.

Lissie rolled her eyes, getting Harv and Joe to laugh at her. 'What do you say to Nash?' she prompted her daughter. 'Thank you, Nash!' chirped Meaghan, not looking up from her badge.

Nash ginned, very self satisfied. Lissie was heaving another sigh, and Nash knew this was close to the line of not antagonizing their truce had drawn. Who cared? Spoiling kids was fun. 'You're very welcome, munchkin.'

Meaghan looked up, 'Hey! Unca Sonny calls me munchkin!' she studied Nash intently for a moment. 'Are you comin' to lunch?'

Harvey cracked up. It seems Meaghan had claimed Nash as her new friend. Nash held up his hands and shook his head. 'Oh no, your mommy gets the day off while we go catch bad guys.'

'Fweeze!' piped Meaghan, Lissie groaned. 'All of you are no help whatsoever.' She pulled her left hand loose from under the child and looked at it. 'All right, we've got to get going. Say good bye to Nash and Joe, Meggie.'

Meggie waved, and then made Pooh wave too. 'Bye, Nash! Bye, Joe!.' Harvey reached out to take Meaghan from Lissie, giving her a break as Lissie led the way out of the SIU. 'Too cool.' she heard her daughter quietly behind her, no doubt showing Harvey her badge.
.-.-.-.

Lissie was well on her way down the Embarcadero when Harvey finally broke the silence in the car. 'If I didn't know better, I'd say you kinda liked our boss.' Lissie looked quickly at him, catching the smirk on his face.

'You know, Harv, you're lucky I'm driving otherwise I'd have to hurt you.' She switched lanes, looking for the street she needed.

'I don't think so. I can tell these things, I know how you act when you like someone.'

Lissie moved into the turn lane and floored it through an opening in the traffic, earning a squeal of delight from the back seat. 'Harvey, just because we dated doesn't mean you know everything about me.'

Harvey smiled. 'Oh, but I do know a lot, Lissie. And judging from your apparent reconciliation with him and the girly looks, I'd say you like him.' Harvey finished as she pulled into a parking space and cut the engine, just in time for her daughter to pipe up from the back seat.

'Mommy likes who?'

Lissie glared at Harvey, who took the look unfazed. 'I think mommy likes Nash.' Lissie couldn't glare at her four year old daughter, who was nodding in her car seat.

'Oh yeah, I like Nash. Mommy, do you like Nash?' Meaghan asked, as Lissie swung the door open. Lissie didn't answer until she was leaning in to work the buckle on her daughter's car seat. 'Mommy likes Nash as a friend.' she replied, loud enough for Harv to hear. He chuckled as he stood on the curb. Lissie's head appeared over the roofline of the Fairlane, along with Meaghan's. 'Tag teaming me with my daughter is not nice.' she informed Harvey in a low voice. The Deadhead cop shrugged and smiled, watching the two of them cme around the back of the car. 'I just call em like I see 'em.' he took Meaghan from Lissie. 'Don't I, munchkin?' he asked Meaghan, who nodded enthusiastically. 'Oh yeah, Unca Harvey.' Lissie followed behind them, glaring holes in Harvey's back as her mother came out from the restaurant to greet them. 'Grandma!' shouted Meaghan, squirming to get form Harvey to Mary Shaw. Lissie watched her mother take her granddaughter and listened as Meaghan told her all about this morning at the SIU. Mary looked at her daughter, eyes twinkling.

'So Lissie likes someone, does she?' she shared a sly smile with Harvey while Lissie glowered.

'Not you too, Mother.'

Mary laughed. 'There's nothing wrong with liking someone, Lissie. Have a little fun in your life.' she told her daughter as she led them inside the restaurant.

'Thanks, mom.' there was nothing more she could do or say then to endure lunch with them, being outnumbered as she was.
.-.-.-.

Mary was ordering coffee for the table when Lissie's beeper went off, followed a moment later by Harvey's and his cell phone. Lissie grabbed the offending device from her pocket and silenced it, looking at the display. Harvey looked apologetic as he rose from the table, heading towards the door as he pressed the phone to his ear. Mary sighed and shook her head. It'd been easier when her husband was on the force, none of these high tech devices to interrupt lunch and dinner, no way to reach people anywhere, anytime. Lissie stirred her iced tea idly, waiting for Harvey to return. It didn't strike her as very odd that she didn't get a call, too, it was her day off. Meaghan was back hard at work on the coloring sheet before her, making circles with a green crayon. Harvey finally returned, looking none too happy.

'Mrs. Shaw,' he spoke to Mary, who listened patiently, understandingly. 'I'm afraid Lissie and I need to get back to the SIU, something's come up.' Mary smiled and nodded.

'I understand the way the job works, Harvey. You two go, I'll spend the rest of the afternoon with my granddaughter.' Mary smiled at Meaghan who was now concentrating on making circles with a red crayon. Lissie blushed, and thanked her mother as she gathered up her purse, pausing to give her daughter a kiss goodbye, then heading to catch up to Harvey, who was already halfway tot eh door. She caught him on the sidewalk.

'What's up?' she asked, passing him to unlock the car door, listening for a response as she headed around to the driver's side.

Harvey sighed. 'They just found another body, an apartment in Chinatown.'

Lissie ducked into the driver's seat, barely giving Harvey time to close his door before she revved the engine. 'Okay, tell me where and we'll go.' She had her eye on the side mirror, watching the traffic, ready to pull out.

'Lissie,' there was something in his voice that made her look away from the mirror, something that usually meant trouble on her end. Uh oh... 'Nash wants you to meet him back at the SIU, drop me there and I'll take my car over.'

Lissie started to protest. 'But...' was as far as she got. God Dammit! She growled as she took a quick look out her window, no traffic, and floored the car hard enough to leave rubber. She drove like a pro back to the SIU, and sat stewing in the car as Harv got out and went his separate way. With no one in view, she banged hard on the steering wheel. Well, he wasn't hear yet, so there was nothing to do but wait. Purse slung over her shoulder, Lissie went into the SIU to do just that. Forty five minutes later Nash walked in looking none-too-happy. He pointed at her as he stalked past.

'You, topside. We need to talk.'

Lissie raked a hand through her hair, cursing herself. Well, it wasn't the first time she'd gone from the frying pan and into the fire, and she doubted it would be the last. She hauled herself out of her chair and obeyed her boss, not looking forward to what was coming.
.-.-.-.