Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 13
Friday - September 30, 2005
Crime Lab – Grissom's Office
8:47 a.m.
"Sorry," Nick tensely sat in the guest chair opposite of Sara while Grissom remained silent at his desk. "With all due respect, I think you're wrong, dead wrong. I think you're lettin' personal feelings cloud your judgment, and as a law enforcement officer, you're not at liberty to turn the other cheek here."
"Fine, I think you're being stubborn and illogical while letting your ranch family values cloud your judgment. It's the logical choice."
"It leaves a girl without her mother." Nick gaped at his friend. "You know what that's like. Why would you want her there when there may be a viable alternative?"
"Because if we out Sally Wells, aka Melanie Keston, then two children will be without their mother. Celine already believes her mother is dead. The Keston children will have to suffer a loss. It's simple math, two is greater than one."
"You don't know what will happen, you're guessing."
"She said her husband would never forgive her for lying or for having a scandalous past as a stripper. She said he'd take the children."
"Again, you don't know that." Nick shook his head. "Everyone thinks the worst when they're under duress and scared. Take my sister Katie for example, she was positive my parents wouldn't accept her if she came out of the closet, but they have…we all have. Hell, my mom is all set to lobby for gay marriage rights in Washington, and my Dad…yeah, he's been much less enthusiastic, but he invited Katie and Jean over for brunch and that's huge." Turning to Grissom, Nick said, "My point is, Katie was scared, but with support and encouragement, she took a chance and the payoff's been great. We have no proof that the outcome wouldn't ultimately be positive for the Kestons and Celine, and we have no right to decide what's best, we have to do what we're obligated to do here. Celine shouldn't be in foster care on the County dime when she has a perfectly healthy mother who can support her."
"How is she going to support her from a prison cell!" Sara blasted. "She faked her own death, which resulted in insurance fraud and she's using an illegally obtained SSN and birth certificate which is a Federal offense."
"Exactly, Sara!" Nick huffed, getting pissed that Grissom wasn't weighing in. "And since you know that, you're obligated to bring it to light. If you hadn't jetted off to Pennsylvania and didn't know better, that would be one thing, but you can't erase what you know. The fact is, the woman is alive, not dead, and she has a daughter who has a right to know her mother exists. Another fact is that you told me and I'm your supervisor. What are you expecting here? You want me to sign off on a report I know is false? I'm not gonna do that and I resent you askin' me to. Hell, for all we know Don Schultz had someone follow you to Pennsylvania and they know Sally Wells is alive too. We're already in deep shit for stuff that looks bad, but is really innocent, let's not give him something legitimately bad to nail us with." After a quick breath, he softened his voice, "I know your heart thinks it's doin' the right thing here, I do, I really do…but you need to start listenin' to your head."
"He's right," Grissom finally declared.
"Thank you," Nick snapped as he collapsed back in his chair. It's about damn time. "Let's not forget we've got Ivan Radko to testify that he was asked to kill Sally. She had just cause for panicking and for believing that the authorities couldn't keep her safe from a guy like Bruce. Ivan obtained the illegal documents, she's only guilty of using them to save her life. With a skilled lawyer, I think any charges surrounding the false identity would be dropped due to extenuating circumstances."
"Now you're guessing," Sara snarked. "But fine, you're the boss, we'll do it your way."
"Jesus H! It's not my way, Sara, it's the law!"
"I'll be curious to see how you feel when she's behind bars, and three kids are grieving the loss of their mother as she rots in jail for a crime she committed to protect herself. Mr. Keston, Bruce Campbell, Sally's father…how many times are we going to let men mentally and/or physically abuse this woman and let her pay the price?"
Gil met his wife's eyes. "Please, stop. You're projecting."
Centering herself with her husband's steady gaze, Sara softly said, "I'm sorry, Nick, you're absolutely right."
"Yeah, well…I'm not gettin' any joy out of it if that's what you think." Rising from his chair, Nick sighed, "It could end up FUBAR, but I'm holdin' out for a happy ending."
The Dwyer Home – San Marino, CA
11:51 a.m.
"Funerals are so depressing," Tawny stated as she prepared to blow her nose a fifth time. "I know…duh…of course they are because there's a dead person involved, but…I mean personally depressing." Standing in the extravagantly decorated living room with Becca and Tony, the hormonal woman had been sniffling since the double funeral of Charlie and his father. They had arrived at the Dwyer home for a somber reception only minutes ago, and she was counting the minutes until they could bolt. As Greg approached with a fistful of fresh tissues, she whimpered, "Funerals always make me think of my dad dying."
"My dad didn't die,' Becca groaned, "he moved and didn't leave me a forwarding address." That's when she saw her ex-husband smirking at her as he made his way to the patio doors. "Ugh, speaking of pig bastards. Even at the cemetery, Peter was flinging vicious one-liners in my direction every time Tony was out of earshot. As if I wasn't depressed enough, I have to listen to that jerk belittle me."
"Really?" Tony quizzed, having missed the incidents. "He's been doing that?"
"The guy's a prick," Greg huffed, "he's always ripping on her at the club, but I'm surprised even he'd stoop to doing it at a funeral." Trying to change the subject, he pointed across the room. "Check it out, the caterer's serving lunch. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."
Tawny patted her belly. "The babies are too."
"I'll catch up to you guys," Tony commented as he glanced around. "I need to find the restroom."
Becca kissed her husband's cheek. "There's seven, eight if you include the pool house, but I wouldn't go out there because you'll probably interrupt someone getting it on."
"At a funeral?"
A nostalgic smile filled Becca's face, "In honor of Charlie, everyone wants to get lucky. He always looked to get laid at funerals. He said chicks screw like animals when they're thinking 'life's too short'."
"It's true." Greg raised the wine glass he had just snagged from a roaming waiter. "To Good Time Charlie. I think it's time we stop mourning him, and start remembering him for the prankster and fool that he was, he'd want that."
"Yeah." Becca took her friend by the elbow. "I like that idea."
Tony pointed at Greg. "Don't let her out of your sight, Sanders, and no drinking, Becks. I'm hittin' the john." Walking to the patio door, the detective noticed a young man holding out a joint to a sexy young woman in a tight red dress. "Maybe you want to be a little more discreet with that, Cheech."
"What are you gonna do, call the cops?" the playboy laughed.
"I am a cop."
"Gotta go." The guy took off.
"Ugh! Thanks for chasing off my date!" the girl huffed. "Now someone will get to the pool house before us."
"What's with the red dress?" Tony quizzed out of curiosity. "You're at a funeral."
"Charlie slept with my sister after he slept with me." She shrugged. "So, I showed up at the jerk's funeral in a red dress." Grinning she asked, "Do you think he can see me from hell?"
"You people are all friggin' nuts." Leaving the tramp behind, Tony continued out the patio doors and searched the yard for Becca's ex. "Hey!" He waved and flashed a friendly smile. "Pete."
"Peter." The ex husband guffawed. "Tony, right? I've been meaning to ask you, how much did Becca pay you to marry her?"
Tony nodded at the guy's wife. "Do you mind if I speak with your husband alone for a few minutes?" He lowered his voice, "I have some concerns about Becca that I'd like to discuss. I…well…I'm wondering if I didn't make a big mistake and…"
"Oh, you did, trust me." Peter took the pensive man by the elbow and led him away from the crowd. "I can give you at least six dozen reasons to divorce her and run like hell."
"Really?" Tony ran his fingers through his hair and gulped. "Shit, I knew something wasn't right with her, but the sex was great and she's loaded, so..." Pointing to the pool house, he said, "Hey, let's talk behind there, because I don't want Becca seeing me with you."
"Good point."
When the two men were hidden from view, Peter said, "Where do you want me to start?"
"It's not really starting that I need you to do, it's stopping." With that, Tony shoved the man against the wall and grabbed his balls with a vice grip. "Stop harassing Becca," he spat. "Don't talk to her, don't look at her, don't even breathe in her direction. If you do, instead of squeezing your balls, I'll rip them off and shove them down your throat. Do we have an understanding?"
Turning red in the face, Peter nodded and gasped for oxygen.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," Tony calmly stated as he applied double the force.
"Yesssssssssss."
"In addition, if Becca's name comes up in conversation at your Country Club, or the local Starbucks, or wherever else a priss like you hangs out, you don't say a negative word about her. If I hear otherwise…and I will hear about it if you do…you'll be in the plot next to Charlie."
"I…prom….issssssssss."
"Good." After releasing the family jewels, Tony watched the man go weak in the knees and fall to the ground. "Nice chatting with you, Petey."
Crime Lab – Garage
12:07 p.m.
After watching Nick dust for prints for several minutes, Sara coughed to announce her presence. "Up for a chat?"
"Sure, I got nothin' but time." He climbed out of the back seat shaking his head. "I could be here all night. Prints everywhere…even the ceiling. I didn't even touch the front seat yet."
"Why didn't you make Jas do it?"
Nick shrugged, "I needed some space and time to think." The potential destruction of the Keston family as the price for following the rules weighed heavy on his mind. "Sorry we got into it before."
"No, I was being stubborn."
"You made a promise to Sally. It's hard to break a promise."
"I had no right to make it."
"Hell, you're not the first person to promise somethin' in the heat of the moment because of strong feelings you had." Grinning, he pointed to the car. "That's how I ended up tellin' Carissa Linton I'd love her forever in exchange for a little paradise by the dashboard light. It happens."
"But did Carissa get over it?" Sara asked as she gloved up.
"I'm thinkin' so, since she's married with four kids." Nick returned to the back seat. "She runs the Sunday School program at the church my family attends. I see her when I'm back there for Christmas."
"From Bad Girl to Sunday School Teacher."
"That's a lot more common than you think," he laughed.
Climbing into the front seat, Sara remarked, "I had a crazy thought about an hour ago."
"Yeah."
"What if Sally had information about Bruce Campbell that she could give in exchange for not pressing charges against her?"
"What kind of information does she know?"
"I don't know what she knows," Sara smiled, "But I know Ivan Radko knows volumes. He even knows what happened to Carl Burton."
"The previous owner of The Royale?"
"Yep." Sara lifted a print. "Shot him dead in Bruce's study. I wonder who saw him do that."
Nick stopped printing. "I bet Sally Wells Campbell did."
"Me too."
"I bet Bruce pretended he didn't care to her face, but then he told Radko to off her."
"He was ready to trade her in for a new babe anyway."
"Definitely."
Sara grinned, happy her friend was along for the ride. "The plan was to take her out on the boat and kill her, but instead, Ivan handed her a backpack filled with cash and her new identity."
"Why?"
"Because he was in love with her, but when Bruce caught on he took Sally for his girl. He still had a thing for her and it was his way of getting back at Bruce."
"You're good," Nick chuckled.
"No, that part's true."
"No shit."
"Sally had no choice," Sara continued, "if she didn't take the backpack and run, Ivan would have had no choice but to kill her right there to save himself."
"And she didn't go to the authorities after the fact, because…she was scared what Bruce would do to her frail mother!"
"Her mom died when she was five."
"Okay." Nick searched his imagination for a new angle.
"Celine and Nina," Sara said as she dusted a fresh set. "She was afraid he'd take it out on the girls."
"Of course."
"That gets her out of the charges, but doesn't help with her misrepresenting herself to her husband and him not forgiving her for the lie."
"What do we know about the husband?"
"I did some checking." Lifting her next print, Sara said, "He was raised in a conservative Catholic home...very little money, father was a coal miner, mother a homemaker. He got a full ride on a sports scholarship and worked his way up to a prestige spot as a CFO. So, he should appreciate someone who worked hard to overcome obstacles in her life."
"Or resent a woman who took the easy way out by shedding her clothes to bag a rich man while he had to work hard to get the finer things in life."
"You think that's easy?" Sara glanced over. "It has to be humiliating and degrading to know a man is only keeping you around for your body."
"In comparison to working crappy manual labor jobs every day, seven days a week to pay for school and make ends meet? Sorry, I think it's a hell of a lot easier to be a kept woman and live in a mansion like one of Campbell's wives with the keys to a Porsche in your Gucci bag."
"So do you think less of Tawny because she came to Vegas and used her body to make a living?"
"I think Tawny thought less of Tawny for doing that, why the hell else would she have been waitressing at The Cheesecake Factory and dancing? She could have covered her whole Cheesecake Factory week with one extra shift at Tweeters, but she worked there so she could tell people outside the industry that she was a waitress, not a dancer."
"What was your original point?"
"I thought you were making one?" Nick chuckled. "What I'm sayin' is…Keston may not see Sally as a hero, when he legitimately worked his ass off to get a scholarship and work hard for what he has. But why did Keston marry Sally? If he married her solely because she was a beautiful girl with a hot bod and a nice prize for a working class jock from a poor family, then maybe he'll feel guilty for using her like every other man in her life and feel sympathetic towards her. How'd they meet?"
"I thought you were making one?" Nick chuckled. "What I'm sayin' is…Keston may not see Sally as a hero, when he legitimately worked his ass off to get a scholarship and work hard for what he has. But why did Keston marry Sally? If he married her solely because she was a beautiful girl with a hot bod and a nice prize for a working class jock from a poor family, then maybe he'll feel guilty for using her like every other man in her life and feel sympathetic towards her. How'd they meet?"
"According to Ivan, she was working as a cocktail waitress in a bar near Penn where Keston was working on his MBA." Sara's lips curved into a smile. "In other words, he thought she was a hottie."
"Then the guilt card may be available for playin'."
Sara readied for another print. "This is all ridiculous speculation."
"Yeah, but it's makin' the print lifting go faster."
"And the company's not half bad."
"Which half are you talkin' about?" he laughed. "Yourself or me?"
The Dwyer Home – San Marino, CA
12:35 p.m.
"Me!" Greg proclaimed when his father came by and asked if anyone needed another drink. "Tawny's our DD back to Becca's and we're spending the night, so there's no reason to cut ourselves off just yet. I'm still a little tense from the funeral." His father had flown out by himself and was staying in a hotel with plans to wrap up more financial business on Monday.
"Anyone else?"
"I'll have some more lemonade, Dad," Tawny sweetly requested.
For the past fifteen minutes, guests had been taking turns sharing funny memories of Charlie. Greg and Becca had told the infamous 'penguin in the club pool story' and everyone had a bittersweet laugh.
"I'll go with him." Tony turned to head toward the bar and saw Peter, who promptly let out a sissy gasp and dropped his wine glass.
With all eyes on him, Peter exclaimed, "I have something to say too!" He pushed the guest who had just finished sharing a memory of Charlie and took the center of the floor while his wife followed him yelling 'what the hell is wrong with you? You're acting like a lunatic!'
"Whoa, check out my psycho ex," Becca commented as she stood between her husband and Greg. "Looks like he's having a bad trip, he's shaking and freaked."
His eyes jittering from Tony to the crowd and back again, Peter nervously announced, "Every bad thing I've ever said about Becca was a lie! She was unequivocally the best wife a man could ever have and I was a bastard to her! She's smart, funny, gorgeous, kind…"
"Becca is kind?" A party guest burst out laughing, "Who put hallucinogens in the punch!"
"Charlie would have if he was here!" someone yelled out.
"I was a fool!" Peter waxed on, desperate to save his ass. Grabbing a wine glass out of a woman's hand, he cheered, "Here's to Becca and her new husband…a much better and bigger man than me! Detective Vartann, I wish you all the happiness with the perfect woman that I was too stupid to keep for myself!"
Tony cracked a smile and raised his glass. "Your stupidity is my gain. Thanks for the heartfelt toast.."
"What the hell, Peter! Are you saying that bitch is better than me!" The offended wife blasted her husband before slapping him across the face and storming out.
Greg elbowed his friend. "You worked him over when you said you were going to the bathroom, didn't you?"
"I vaguely remember a verbal exchange of some kind," Tony smirked. "It's sketchy, but I think I said something about rearranging his anatomy and a grave."
"You did!" Becca squealed with delight. "That's the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me!"
"Hey!" Greg took offense. "What about me! I got my ass kicked for you twice!"
"You didn't let me finish, Hoj," Becca lied. "I was going to say…that's the sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me without getting his ass kicked. You take the 'ass-kicked' category hands down."
"Much better." Greg accepted the wine glass his father was handing him. "Thank you."
Tawny slipped her arm around her man's waist. "Do you want to know the sweetest thing Chuckles ever did for me?"
Tony laughed and took a guess, "Got you pregnant with twins on your first date?"
"No, that's the sweetest thing he ever did to me, not for me." Tawny laughed with the group. "It was when he told me to move in with him so I could stop dancing, even when there was a chance that the babies weren't his."
"Atta boy." Scott placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Yeah, that's right, Greg was a very responsible young man immediately after he had unprotected sex with a virtual stranger and knocked her up with twins when he only had fifty cents in his bank account to provide for his family. Ha! Isn't it great that we can joke about that now, Son?"
"Yeah." Greg shooed him away. "Wow, look…things are breaking up here and didn't you have business to attend to this afternoon, Dad?"
Squeezing his son's shoulders Scott said, "I'll be home Tuesday." He kissed Tawny's cheek and patted her belly. "Have a safe drive back."
After everyone said their goodbyes to Scott, Tony teased, "Fifty cents in your bank account, huh? That finally explains why you didn't buy condoms before the big date."
Taking Tawny's hand, Greg rolled his eyes. "Like I'm soooo much more irresponsible than you. You married a total stranger with mental problems after one night of drunken sex."
"But I had three condoms in my pocket that night and fifty bucks in my bank account." Tony squeezed Becca's hand. "Besides that, she looked irresistible."
Smiling at his wife, Greg nodded, "Yeah, those irresistible girls will do a guy in every time."
Trinity Christian Bus Stop
3:24 p.m.
"Hi, Lindsay," Sean anxiously greeted the love of his life as she stepped off the bus. After hearing that his brother and Lindsay had been snipping at each other as they walked home, he had decided to meet the bus and play peacemaker.
"I'm not talking to you, Blake," Lindsay snarled while shooting her neighbor her best death stare.
"What? Why!" Sean turned to his brother who was snickering. "Did you tell her bad stuff about me!"
"You mean like how you dropped a stink bomb in the bathroom this morning, or that your farts smell like one-hundred year-old cheese? Nope." Ryan tossed his backpack over his shoulder. "She heard me saying that Celine was moving in and she thinks you've betrayed her."
Her blood boiling, Lindsay finally blew, "She called me and my mom horrible names, said I gave BJs to half the football team, and she's the reason we got kicked out of school! For a genius, you have a really pathetic memory!"
Ryan immediately corrected the girl, "Actually she said you gave them to the entire football team, not half."
"Go to hell, Blake!" she screamed as the jock jogged away laughing.
"Me!" Sean squealed, wondering how he had fallen from hero to hated overnight.
"No, the other one!" Lindsay huffed, "But you're on your way. How could you choose her over me! I thought we were…friends."
"I didn't choose anything!" His world crashing down around him, Sean pleaded, "My parents sat me down and told me that they offered to temporarily foster Celine. They didn't ask me if it was okay…not that I would have said no if they did."
"See! You do want her there."
"But not because I want her there!" he frantically tried to explain. "I mean, I do want her there, but not because I want her, because I want her to have a familiar place to go. I feel sorry for her, Lindsay, and…well…now that I think about it…I'm kinda disappointed you don't feel sorry for her too. Yes, she was very mean to us, but she lost her entire family and her home in forty-eight hours."
"Ugh." Lindsay rolled her eyes as she walked. "Here comes the Sunday School lecture. Why didn't you lecture her on what Jesus would do when she was telling the entire student body I was a tramp! Nooooooooo, then you were quiet as a mouse."
"But! But!" Sean rushed to catch up. "That was when I thought you were mean…because you were mean, remember? Really mean. You got kids laughing at me and so I didn't want to defend you. Face it, Lindsay…you were Celine and I was you, but now I'm me and you're Celine…wait, no I'm you and you're me!"
"What?" she snipped in exasperation.
"I gave you a second chance, remember? I forgave you for being mean when you were lonely and scared and needed a friend. So, forget what Jesus would do in this situation…do what you wanted me to do when you were sorry."
"One problem with that, Sean." Lindsay's irritation grew. "I said I was sorry, the most Celine has done thus far is laugh in my face and call me a loser."
"True." Sean shoved his hands in his pockets and walk alongside her in silence.
"Where is she gonna sleep?"
"The guestroom."
"With your grandfather!"
"No!" Sean snorted with laughter. "He's rented an apartment about fifteen minutes from here. He moved out yesterday."
"Oh." Lindsay's eyes returned to the sidewalk. "I'm sure Ryan will love having his girlfriend down the hall."
"He's moving in with my Aunt Carrie and Uncle Nick."
"What?"
"My mom said it would be inappropriate for a girl he's kissed…"
"They've done way more than kiss according to Ryan that night he popped through your window and thought I was you."
"Yeah, I think that's what my mom was really worried about," Sean felt uncomfortable even thinking of the activity in Lindsay's presence. "Anyway…when Ryan heard her say that, he offered to move out and give Celine the chance to have a family while she was recovering from the trauma."
"Self-sacrifice is so not your brother."
"He gets to eat meat at Aunt Carrie's, and they have the premium cable TV Sports Package, so he's excited."
When they reached Lindsay's house, Sean said, "I hope you won't stay mad at me too long, because the junior high home school group I belong to is having a gathering at the water park in a couple of weeks and my mom said I could ask you to go with me."
Shrugging, she replied, "I'll think about it."
"The water park invitation or being mad at me?"
"Both."
Disappointed with the response, Sean waved. "Bye."
What? He's not going to try and convince me! She stood there waiting, certain he'd turn around before he got to his front door. He'll come back out.
While waiting on her front porch for Sean to have a change of heart, Lindsay saw Carrie's car pull up and park. Sean will come out to help his aunt get whatever she's getting from the trunk and when he sees me, he'll come running back over.
When she saw the front door fly open, Lindsay bolted up.
"She's here!" Ryan yelled as he ran out the front door.
When the Blake family poured out of the house, Lindsay realized it was Celine getting out of the passenger side. One by one the Blakes hugged the witch and each one of them wore a sunny smile. They all felt sorry for her just like the kids at school had for her when her father died.
Sitting in the patio chair, Lindsay recalled the day her mother broke the news. She remembered lying in her mother's bed crying and waking up in her arms later when a nightmare of drowning in her father's car terrified her.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched McKenna extending a teddy bear to the guest and she realized that Celine didn't spend the night her father died in the comfort of a mother's arms, she spent it in a strangers house, in a foreign bed with no one to tell her it would all be okay, that at least they had each other. "Ugh!" Lindsay stormed into her house.
The Vartanns – San Marino
3:40 p.m.
"I love this house even more now," Tony announced as he and Greg left to go grocery shopping.
"Why's that?"
"Becca's ex paid for half of it, the guy's a douchebag, and now his half is my half." Tony slipped behind the wheel of the Spider. "I call that…"
"Poetic justice?"
"We'll go with your answer. It's cleaner and Becca keeps telling me I curse too much. Where are we going?"
"Down to the corner and make a left."
"What did you want to make the wives for dinner?" Because they lost the coin toss, they had to cook dinner for their women, who were out getting facials and pedicures at Becca's favorite spa.
"Uh, I can boil spaghetti, pour sauce from a jar and microwave frozen meatballs, or, my other specialty is breakfast for dinner…frozen waffles and sausage." At the stop sign Greg realized Vartann was gaping at him. "Sorry, I forgot I was giving directions." He pointed. "Left for a about a mile and then right at the light. There's a Ralph's."
"That's not why I'm staring at you."
"Oh."
"Until recently, you were a thirty year old bachelor and that's all you know how to cook?" Shaking his head, Vartann turned the corner, "No wonder you never got laid, Sanders."
"Uh, I think there was a little more to it than that, but yeah, I bet that didn't help," Greg laughed. "I remember now my dad said you were a great cook. What did you want to make?"
"I was thinking we'd make them my 'sure thing' meal."
"Sure thing meal?"
"Every time I had a woman over and made it, I saw action."
"Wait…will I see action too?" Greg joked. "Or just you? Because technically, I'm still on my honeymoon and shouldn't be going without."
"If you help me cook it, you'll reap the reward."
"What is it?"
"Coq au Vin." While following Greg's directions, Tony explained, "Women like the name because it's French, which they associate with romance. When it's cooking, Coq au Vin smells delicious and really stimulates the senses. Here's how it always worked…the girl knocks on the door, and when I open it the aroma of the food fills her nose and it seems like I've been cooking for days to make the evening special. She says," he mocked a bimbo's voice, "'Wow, that smells fantastic, Tony!'. I wink and say, 'I wanted to go all out for you, Baby'. We walk into the living room and she asks 'what are we having?' I conveniently have two glasses of champagne waiting and come up from behind her, handing her the glass and whispering in her ear 'Coq au Vin'." He instructed, "You have to say it just like that, with the right amount of French asshole flair, they love that."
"Coq au Vin," Greg practiced.
"Not bad, not bad. But try to add a little growl to it."
"Coq au Vin."
"Perfect!" Tony pulled into the Ralph's parking lot. "Now do you see where you went wrong? You can't turn a girl on by saying 'I made you frozen waffles for dinner'. Frozen waffles are what you make for your mom on mother's day when you're a kid."
"Uh…we worked together for seven years, why the hell are you just telling me this now?"
Getting out of the car, Vartann laughed, "Because until you got a girl pregnant I thought you were gay, and therefore had no interest in helping you improve your sex life. Hell, at one point I was convinced you were crushing Stokes."
Crime Lab – Garage
3:56 p.m.
"Nick!" Grissom called out from the entrance. "Have you seen Sara?"
"She's…"
"I'm right here!" Sara rolled out from under the car. "What's up?"
Grissom held up his wife's cell phone. "You left this in my office. I answered. It was Melanie Keston, aka Sally Wells. She wants you to call her back as soon as possible."
Sara dove into her pants pocket. "I have her home number on…"
"She's not home," Grissom said as he placed the phone in his wife's hand. "She said to tell you she'll be checking into the Hilton."
"As in the Vegas Hilton?"
"Yes."
Nick snapped off his gloves. "Maybe she's had a change of heart and wants to be a mother to Celine after all."
The Blakes
4:04 p.m.
"Here's your room, Celine," Wendy sweetly announced as she flicked on the light in the guestroom. She had asked everyone else to hang back, so the shell shocked girl wouldn't be overwhelmed. "Ryan told us your favorite color was green. Paul gave the room a fresh coat of paint and Carrie went shopping for new linens."
"Thank you." Running her fingertips over the bright green and pink pillow sham, she said, "It's really soft."
"Carrie is always going on about thread count," Wendy commented as she opened the closet. "So, it's quality stuff. Pull the covers back and feel the sheets, they're wonderful."
"Mrs. Grant's sheets were like sandpaper and they smelled funny." Still holding the teddy bear McKenna had given her, Celine stepped out of her flip flops and slipped between the sheets. "You're right, and the mattress is comfy too. Maybe I'll finally be able to sleep. I haven't slept since...I left home."
"I'll make you some soothing herbal tea before you're ready to try, Honey. It works like a charm on Sean when he has trouble sleeping." Wendy flicked on the light to the adjoining guest bathroom. "Carrie also put a bunch of bath stuff in here for you. She's addicted to that Bath and Body Works place. Maybe a nice bubble bath will help relax you. She got you a really cute robe from Target and some matching PJs."
"That was really nice of her."
"Oh, it's no bother, trust me. The girl loves to shop." Noticing the tub hadn't been cleaned, Wendy went into the cabinet below the sink to get the cleanser. "I'll just be a sec, Honey. I want to give the tub a scrub. Ryan was supposed to do this for me, but I guess he forgot." Once she was satisfied, Wendy stood and returned the cleanser to the sink. "I was planning on spaghetti for dinner. Do you like it with…" Wendy gasped when she saw the girl was sound asleep clutching McKenna's teddy bear.
Watching Celine peacefully slumber instantly eradicated all of her doubts about fostering. "Sleep well, Honey," she whispered as she flicked off the light. "I'll save you some dinner."
The Vartanns – San Marino
6:14 p.m.
"Oooh! That smells fantastic!" Tawny squealed as she rushed into the kitchen. She and Becca had just returned from the spa and the mommy-to-be was famished. "What is it?"
Vartann handed Greg a glass of non-alcoholic champagne from the fridge. "You know what to do," he whispered.
With the flute in hand, Greg suavely walked over, stepped behind his wife and summoned his inner French a-hole, "Coq au Vin fait avec amour." He kissed her neck. "Je t'aime, Princesse. Embrassez-moi."
"That's way more than I gave you, Sanders!" Vartann exclaimed when he lowered his wine glass. "You speak French?"
Tawny fanned herself. "Oooh la la! I didn't know he did either! That's way hotter than when he speaks Norwegian." After a steamy kiss she giggled, "I love the little growl when you speak it."
Tony chuckled. "Told ya…chicks dig the growl."
Snatching her husband's wine glass Becca laughed, "Of course he speaks French, he's a prep-school snot. Hey!" She broke into a naughty grin. "Ils ne parlent pas francais! Ecoutez, Hoj! J'ai eu une grande idée!"
"Uh oh." Greg knew Becca's great ideas usually meant big time trouble, and the fact that she could only share it in French meant that Tony and/or Tawny wouldn't like it.
"Je veux voler un pingouin! Pour la piscine au club. Dans la memoire de Charlie."
Greg choked on his wine.
"I don't like this," Tawny snipped.
"Me either." Tony reclaimed his glass. "No booze for you and no more French. Sanders…tell me what she said."
"She wants to steal a penguin from the little community aquarium in town and put it in the club pool to honor Charlie's memory." Greg strategically decided not to mention that he loved the idea and thought it was the perfect tribute to their friend.
"Hoj!" Becca scolded her friend for ratting her out, "Not 'steal', 'borrow'." She shook her head. "His French is rusty, he mis-translated."
"Becks…" Tony placed his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I'll say this once…we are not stealing or borrowing a penguin."
Greg turned to his long-time friend and spoke in non-banned Norwegian saying, 'he didn't say we couldn't capture one'.
"Am I gonna have to cuff you to the bed tonight, Honey?" Tony stirred the Coq au Vin while eyeing his wife suspiciously. "Hmm?"
"The man makes a good point. We're not to be trusted." Greg held out his wrists for Tawny. "I'm thinking some very naughty thoughts. You should definitely cuff me to the bed tonight, Princess…among other things. Please?"
The Hilton – Las Vegas
6:33 p.m.
"Thank you," Sally softly replied when Sara handed her a tissue. "My husband packed a suitcase for me and told me to come here and straighten things out with the authorities. He's told the children I'm visiting a friend. I've…I've never seen him so angry, but I can't blame him, he walked through the door thinking nothing was wrong and then I told him our whole marriage is based on a lie."
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Sara quietly said, "It was really brave of you to tell him. What made you change your mind?"
"After you left, I tried to put Celine out of my head." Dabbing her eyes, the woman confessed, "That's what I did before. I pushed and pushed until I really believed that the life I made up for Melanie's background was real. I know that sounds horrible, because it means I forgot my girls."
"It's what you had to do to survive," Sara commented. "You didn't want to cope with the loss, so you blocked it. I did the same thing when I went to college. I made up this great family life complete with happy holidays and a big brother. Instead of telling people my mom killed my dad, I said they died in a car wreck. Everyone feels sorry for you when your mom and dad die accidentally, but if they find out your mom murdered your dad, you're a freak. I didn't even tell my husband the truth until after we were living together. Some of my best friends only found out this year, but now that it's out there, the pressure of keeping the secret is gone and it's freeing."
"Thanks for sharing your story with me earlier," Sally replied. "Now I understand why you're empathetic about me running away to escape my father's abuse."
"As a former foster kid, I can empathize with Celine too."
Sally gulped a chunk of guilt. "How can you not hate me for not claiming Celine the second you told me she was orphaned?"
"I try not to judge people. I'm not always good at it, but I try."
"Thank you for thinking of a way to present my actions to the authorities so I won't go to jail. At least I won't lose my freedom along with my family."
"I think it's much too soon to know what will happen with your husband, he's in shock." Digging for a positive thought, Sara said, "You said he's religious, from what I understand, Catholics aren't supposed to get divorced, so…"
"He'd qualify for an annulment because the marriage was based on me misrepresenting myself."
"Sorry, you're right."
The Vartanns – San Marino
7:45 p.m.
"This is so wrong!" Tawny yelled when she saw Becca and Greg roll out the old site-plan they used the first time they broke into the local aquarium with Charlie. "We are not stealing a penguin!"
"Don't worry, Tawny." Tony set his empty beer bottle on the map to hold it steady. "We're only borrowing the bird for the ten…twelve hours tops."
"But you're a cop!"
"Why do you think I became a cop?" he joked. "So I could learn how to get away with shit. Don't worry, Tawny, I'm highly confident we won't get busted."
"He's right, Princess." Greg patted his lap. "Swiping a penguin is a piece of cake when you've got a veteran detective and a genius CSI on your team. Check it out, you have a great part."
"I have a part!"
While cuing up his favorite heist movie, Ocean's 11, on the plasma TV, Greg explained, "Aside from being the designated driver, you're going to distract the security guard."
"How am I supposed to do that?" she asked while taking a seat.
Becca and Tony's eyes gravitated to Tawny's ample chest.
"You expect me to use my boobs!" The ex-stripper snapped, "Sorry, those days are behind me."
"This isn't like stripping," Becca replied, "This is for a noble cause. Erin Brockovich used her boobs to distract people and swipe information!"
"To help kids stricken with cancer!" Tawny blasted back. "No disrespect to the dead, but I don't think Charlie's memory is as worthy a cause. You and my husband are certifiable and Tony…you're only doing this because you want to cheer up your basket-case wife and be her penguin-thief hero. I never thought you'd be the kind of person to pull a stunt like this."
"Actually…" Tony cracked open his next beer. "My brothers and I used to do stupid shit like this all the time and I'm finding it kinda nostalgic. Maybe it'll even delay the onset of my mid-life crisis."
"Dude…" Greg choked on his beer. "You're freakin' driving a red Ferrari and just married a hottie…you're in the throes."
After clanking his Heineken bottle on Greg's, Tony shared, "One Valentine's Day, my brother and I didn't have a lot of money to spend on our girls, so the night before we got drunk as shit and swiped the giant Larry Lobster from The Seafood Shack and put it on campus with our girlfriends names in two hearts. I'll never forget the look on Regina's face when I showed it to her and said 'I got you lobster on Valentine's Day just like you asked!'"
"Aww." Becca fell a little more in love with her husband.
"She didn't appreciate it," Tony laughed. "She dumped my ass and beat the crap out of that poor plastic lobster. We had to crazy glue his claws before returning him. It took like fifteen tubes."
"I won't dump you if you get me a penguin," Becca cooed as she snuggled up to her husband. "I'll thank you profusely."
"Are you in, Princess!" Greg prodded as he smoothed his palm over her back. "Come on, you had to do this kind of thing before. I saw Footloose…Midwestern kids do crazy stuff like playing chicken with tractors."
"What if we hurt the penguin?"
"No," Becca jumped to allay her fears. "We researched it the first time. Magellanic Penguins are the most common and durable of warm-weather penguins. That's why we gave up on a dolphin…too tricky. As long as you pick a friendly penguin, you don't have to worry about their razor-sharp beaks. The one we nabbed the first time seemed like he was really jonesin' for a little adventure and was cuddly. Hoj and I even talked about making a movie about a penguin who was desperate to break out of the city zoo."
When she saw her husband smiling at the memory, Tawny's jealousy gene kicked in. "Okay, okay…I can nab a penguin as good as the next girl. Just tell me what you want me to do."
Greg reached over and undid the top button on his wife's already tight blouse. "It'll be a lot easier this time, since we have a girl with boobs. We asked Becks to get a boob job back then, but she's afraid of needles and going under the knife, so she declined."
The Blakes
8:01 p.m.
"Of course I'll give it to her for you."
"I thought it was the least I could do," Lindsay said as Wendy took the shopping bag from her hand. After watching the generous display on her neighbor's front lawn, as soon as her mother returned from work she asked if they could buy a few things for Celine. "If something doesn't fit, we left the gift receipt in the bag."
"I'll give it to her as soon as she wakes up, Sweetie."
"Is Sean around?"
"One of the moms from the home school group organized a trip to the movies to see that new animated movie, Corpse Bride. He wasn't going to go, but I told him Celine would probably sleep through the night because she was exhausted."
"Oh." Lindsay's shoulders slumped. "So, it sounds like he's making friends in this new group."
"Yes, thank goodness." Wendy flitted around the living room picking up after the girls. "It's a nice change of pace. Ryan is making a ton at Trinity, but that's no surprise. What about you, Honey? How are you adjusting to your new school?"
"I made the softball team."
"Good for you."
"Yeah."
Wendy noted that the girl exuded the same enthusiasm expected at the dentist. "I'll tell Sean you stopped by."
"And make sure he knows I brought the stuff for Celine."
"Will do."
Nick and Carrie's
11:56 p.m.
"Done!" Carrie announced as she walked into the family room and plopped on the couch next to Nick and Binda. Ever since Sara called from the Hilton and asked her to Celine's mother, she had been working on paperwork to present to the DA. "I don't expect any problems….at least not with the identity theft portion. As far as Sally's marriage and her taking custody of Celine…that's all up in the air."
"At least one thing's settled though."
"I checked on Ryan, he's out cold."
"I figured he would be. I took him to the park and the guys let him in on the pick up game. That's a tough crowd, he held his own, but he was dragging after. I dozed off on the couch for an hour myself." Gently removing the puppy from his lap, Nick said, "Sorry, Binda, but your mom always has top priority. C'mere, Darlin, let me see that pretty little birdie…make sure it's not getting' infected."
When he lifted her shirt, she glanced over her shoulder. "Looking good?"
"Yeah, it's healin' up nice." His fingertip traced around it. While it seemed crazy that etched flesh could mean so much, staring at the Phoenix and the symbolic dates swirled in its flames, he felt linked for eternity. "It looks perfect."
The tenor of his voice, along with his gentle touch, sent a sweet shiver through her body. "Let me check yours."
As she turned to straddle his lap, Nick tugged off his t-shirt.
"I think people should have to get matching tattoos along with a marriage license, it would weed out who's really serious and who's not. It's painless to exchange rings."
"Maybe my mom can lobby Congress for that while she's there working on gay marriage rights."
"Is she really going to do that?"
"She's like you, Darlin', once she latches onto something, it's all or nothin'."
Placing her hand over Nick's heart, she smiled, "Like when I latched onto you."
"I didn't stand a chance of escaping…not that I wanted to." Watching her study his tattoo, he asked, "How does it look?"
"It looks permanent." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips just below it. "You're branded with my logo, Cowboy." Her voice softened to a whisper as she brought her mouth to his, "That means you're mine forever."
"Or until you sell me at the County Fair." When her only reply was a laugh, he poked her. "Hey, that was your cue to say you couldn't possibly sell me, 'cause I'm priceless."
"Sorry, I was too busy visualizing you naked on the auction block with your goods up for inspection." After a shared laugh, Carrie demanded, "Kiss me, Stokes…a real one, not like you've been kissing me. I've had a stressful day and all I want to do is let it all fade away in your arms."
"What do you mean, Darlin'?" he asked as he let his hands drift around her waist. "How have I been kissin' you?"
When their eyes locked she answered, "Like you're afraid I'll break."
"Yeah, I guess I have been, huh."
Grazing her lips over his she closed her eyes, "I've missed those kisses, Nicky…the ones that suck my breath away."
"Uh, but what about…"
"Remember in the beginning when we'd make out and leave it at that?" When he responded with a slow, drugging kiss, she knew the answer was yes.
"Wait…no…it went like this," Nick teased as he slid so he was lying with his back against the couch. "You pinnin' me against the leather and not lettin' me come up for air until I was dizzy from lack of oxygen."
Giggling, she slid next to him, "Guilty!"
Saturday - October 1, 2005
San Marino Aquarium and Wildlife Center
12:17 a.m.
"I'll have to go to confession tomorrow," Tony whispered as he left the car with Tawny.
"I thought you were a lapsed Catholic?"
"I like to err on the side of caution in case my mother's right about hell."
"Let's hope not for my sake."
"If there's a bunch of women like you in hell, I won't mind frying." Covering his mouth, Tony said, "I hope that didn't sound like I was flirting with a married woman, because I take my vows very seriously."
"You've been drinking beer all night and even three months pregnant I'm sexy as hell, so it's understandable." She winked, "That wasn't a flirt, I'm getting into character." Turning to face him she gave her best pout, "How do I look?"
"You'll need to stop practicing on me now, for the aforementioned reason…I'm a bit drunk and not in control of my…uh…reactions."
Tawny smiled brighter. "Good…I've still got it."
Laughing, Tony stopped behind the wall of the entrance, "Okay, this is it…if the security guard isn't male or a lesbian, or if he's gay, you sneeze really loud and we'll go with Plan B."
"Okay." Tawny fluffed her hair and her boobs as she hurried for the security booth at the main entrance. "Diego! Diego!" Waving her hands and whistling, she hurried for the gate. "Diego!" Wrapping her hands around the bars she pulled. "Diego!"
"Excuse me!" The twenty-one year old college student by day/security guard by night came bolting out of his booth. "Miss…what are you…" Mesmerized by the girl's extraordinarily perfect cleavage, Trent fell silent.
"You have to help me!" Tawny exclaimed in her best bimbo voice, the one she used to bilk old businessmen at Tweeters. Jumping up and down she pleaded, "Help me!"
"Wh…I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Diego, my Chihuahua! He jumped out of my Dolce and Gabbana dog carrier and ran through your fence." Producing crocodile tears, Tawny cried, "He's probably being eaten by one of your wild animals as we speak."
"I'll unlock the gate and we'll find him." The young man ran forward with his keys. "Don't worry, I'm sure your dog smelled the scent of the other animals and steered clear."
"I sure hope so!" Tawny pointed to the opposite side of the zoo from the penguins. "I saw him run that way!" Then she yelled after the guy. "Sorry, I can't run with you because I'm wearing heels! Don't stop 'til you find him! Pleeeeeeeeeeeease! I'll love you for it!"
When Tony saw Tawny and the security guard disappear into the night, he hustled to the security booth and disabled the cameras with his gloved fingers. "That was easy." Forget a detailed description, that guy was so busy looking at her tits, he won't even remember what color hair she had. From his pocket, Tony retrieved one of the walkie-talkies they had purchased at Wal-mart on the way over. "All clear, Chuckles."
"Tell my Bond Girl that I said thanks for doing her part for Operation Remember Charlie."
Vartann smiled as he met his accomplice at the gate to walk her back to the car. "I will, and you tell my Bond Girl she better not break her neck climbing over the wall, because I've gotten used to having her around and want to keep her."
Irving's Apartment
12:43 a.m.
"Thanks, Sof," Irving remarked when he opened the mysterious shopping bag that she hadn't let him peek into all night. Finally she had brought it over to the bed and told him to look.
"The sheets aren't for you, they're for me." Propping up on her elbow she said, "It's all about the thread count, and your sheets are like sandpaper. I'm sure a tough jock like you doesn't notice, but if we're going to live together, we'll need new sheets."
"Is that a yes?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"Awesome." After sealing the deal with a kiss, he brushed her hair from eyes and asked, "What made you change your mind?"
"A little birdie."
Author's Notes:
Next Chapter: Find out if there's a penguin in the Wildfire Country Club Pool and much, much more. Posting: Late Saturday or Sunday (I'm teaching the next two days and then going to see the musical Wicked on Thursday, so I'm not sure if I'll have it polished for Saturday).
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts,
Maggs