Chapter 8
Raven hadn't seen Chelsea in nearly two weeks and the detective wasn't answering or returning any of her calls. The introduction of her new line had gone wonderfully, but she barely noticed, more concerned with the fact that Chelsea saw her kissing another woman. She felt foolish for allowing it to happen in the first place. Jordan had broken her heart and just when she thought she'd finally found love again, she ruined that, too.
The few times she had gone to the detective's apartment, she wasn't there. She thought about going to the station, but she didn't want to cause trouble for Chelsea at her job. She had even considered calling Eddie.
Raven knew she had to do something, but she was growing weary, afraid that she had already lost the detective. Picking up her phone from the counter where she sat in the kitchen, she dialed the familiar number and took a deep breath.
"Chels, it's me again," she began after getting the voicemail yet again. "I know you must be really upset with me right now and I don't blame you, but please know that I don't want Jordan…and what you saw in the club…she caught me off guard…" She sighed, some of her frustration coming through in her voice, "You know, I'd rather not pour my heart out to a machine…please call me…and if you don't…I'll get the hint…and I won't bother you anymore…" Raven pushed the end button and dropped her phone onto the counter once again. She buried her face in her hands and silently prayed that Chelsea would call her back. She didn't want things to end this way. She didn't want things to end at all.
Standing up, she made her way to the fridge for a bottle of water, but was suddenly pulled into a vision.
"Run!" Chelsea yelled. A gun fired and all she could do was watch as the detective fell to the ground.
As the vision ended, Raven stood there in stunned silence as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh my god…"
Eddie returned from lunch to find his partner sitting at her desk, staring lifelessly at her cell phone.
"Another call from Raven?" he asked as he took his seat. Chelsea only nodded. Eddie had never seen his partner so down over a woman before. "Come on, Chelsea…you can't just ignore her. Maybe you ought to hear her out," he suggested.
"Eddie, aren't you the one who doesn't even like her?" Chelsea said as she continued to stare at her phone. She had just finished listening to Raven's last message. A part of her felt like a coward for running away from the situation, but the trip to L.A. proved that she didn't belong in that world.
"Well, you were right. I was way, too, hard on her before," he said.
But Chelsea knew he was only saying that because things had been so smooth between him and Chantel ever since he took Raven's advice.
"Look, I'm just sayin'…I've never seen you as happy as you are with Raven. At least talk to her before you make any final decisions," Eddie said before turning his attention back to work. He was the one always getting advice from Chelsea about his relationships. It was strange to be the one giving it this time.
Chelsea thought about the message again and the defeat she heard in Raven's voice. She supposed she could at least hear her out. Maybe it really was just a misunderstanding.
"Maybe you're right," she finally said. She quickly sent Raven a text message before she changed her mind.
Raven paced her home, nervous about the vision she had. Not for the first time in her life did she curse being psychic and all of the trouble it caused for her. Telling Chelsea wasn't an option at this point. The detective had already lost trust in her and trying to convince her that she was psychic would be pushing it. She would just have to think of a way to keep the detective away from her in order to prevent the vision from happening.
The designer brushed a few more tears away from her cheek. She knew she was in love with Chelsea, but if staying away from her meant keeping her from getting hurt then she'd make the sacrifice.
Her phone sounded from where it sat on the counter and she picked it up to see that the detective had finally responded to her.
"What am I going to do?" she said aloud to the empty room.
"Yo, Chelsea, check it out," Eddie said as he made his way to her desk. He hit a few buttons on the keyboard and a sketch appeared on her computer screen.
"Who are we looking at?" she asked, leaning closer.
"Description a few witnesses gave the sketch artist…and get this…remember that guy who stunk the place up a few weeks ago…that's him. His name is Ben Sturky." Eddie finished.
"What do we like him for?" Chelsea asked.
"Breaking and entering. He fits the description witnesses gave in two cases. It's the same reason he was in here before, but there wasn't enough evidence to hold him," Eddie shrugged. "The captain sent a unit over to his last known address for questioning, but he wasn't there."
"Was there a warrant?"
"Yup. They're running the prints they found at his place against the ones found at the other scenes." he said.
Eddie made his way back to his own desk to get his jacket. It was nearly seven and way past the end of their shift. "So, have you decided what you're gonna do about Raven?" he asked.
Chelsea sighed. "Yeah, I'm going to go see her tonight. Wish me luck," she said with a halfhearted smile.
Raven paced the living room nervously as she waited for Chelsea to arrive. She still wasn't sure how she was going to fix this, but Chelsea's life depended on it.
After a few more minutes, the doorbell rang and her heart sped up so fast that she nearly felt faint. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself as she answered the door, but as her eyes fell on Chelsea, she could see that she was wearing the same clothes as she was in the vision and her fear doubled.
"Hi," Chelsea said as Raven stared at her. "Can I come in?"
Raven snapped herself out of it and moved aside. "Of course," she finally said. She had to make this quick and she berated herself for allowing Chelsea to come at all.
"Chels, listen," Raven began as they moved further into the living room. "I know you've been kind of nervous about dating me…" She took a deep breath to keep her composure as she spoke the next words. "…and maybe you have good reason. Our lives are so different… maybe all of this was, too, good to be true."
"Our lives are different, but the only reason we're having this conversation is because you were kissing your ex-girlfriend," Chelsea said, her anger flaring at Raven's words.
"I didn't kiss her, she kissed me," Raven said.
"But you didn't stop her," Chelsea returned, watching Raven closely. "If you still love her then just say so, Raven, but don't drag this out or make this any more difficult than it has to be."
Raven's eyes were full of tears as she watched Chelsea. All she had to do was say that she still loved Jordan and the detective would be out of her life. Safe.
But she couldn't do it.
"I don't love her," Raven said softly as the tears spilled down her face. "I love you."
Chelsea felt her own eyes welling with tears as she watched Raven. As a cop, she was taught to examine the evidence and base her decisions on that. In this instance, all of the evidence told her that she should protect herself and walk away, but there was something about Raven Baxter that seemed to override any logical thinking.
"I love you, too," she whispered. She brought her hands up to the designer's face and used her thumbs to brush away the tears.
Raven pulled Chelsea closer and kissed her deeply. She felt elated when the redhead returned her affection, but she pulled away, knowing that they weren't out of the woods yet.
"Chelsea, I have to tell you something…and you're probably going to think I'm crazy."
Chelsea looked at her concerned. "Raven, what's wrong?" she asked.
Raven had imagined herself telling Chelsea eventually and explaining all of the details carefully, but she was so worried about her vision that there just wasn't time. She took a deep breath.
"I'm psychic," she blurted, holding her breath as she waited for a reaction.
Chelsea couldn't believe what she was hearing. A smile spread across her face. "Raven…"
Both women were startled when they heard a sound coming from upstairs.
"What was that?" Chelsea asked softly. Her hand immediately went to her weapon as she took a step toward the staircase.
"I'm not sure," Raven said worried.
"Stay here," Chelsea instructed as she slowly began making her way up.
"Chelsea, no! You can't," Raven said, grabbing the detective's arm.
Before Chelsea could figure out what Raven was talking about, they heard another sound and as they looked toward the top of the staircase a gun was being pointed in their direction.
"You're not much of a cop are you, Detective Daniels?"
Chelsea kept her eyes focused on Ben Sturky and positioned herself in front of Raven as best she could.
"Ben, why don't you put the gun down and we can talk," she said calmly as he began making his way down the staircase.
"That's funny. I was gonna say the same thing to you," he laughed as he finally reached the bottom.
His scent was overwhelming and Raven immediately recognized it as the same smell that was in her home before. She also recognized him from the vision she had when her dad called a few weeks ago. Her fear heightened at the thought of him coming and going from her home as he pleased.
Chelsea slowly unbuttoned her holster and removed her gun, but made sure to watch Ben carefully. His gun was aimed at her, but his gaze was eerily focused on Raven. Just as she was about to take advantage of the situation, her phone buzzed loudly.
Eddie drove toward Raven's place as he dialed Chelsea's number once again. After getting the voicemail, he ended the call in frustration. He had received a call from the lab informing him that Ben Sturky's finger prints matched the two open cases, including Raven Baxter's. One of their computer technicians had also found some pictures of Raven and Chelsea on Ben's laptop. It wasn't like his partner not to answer her phone and with Sturky on the loose somewhere, he needed to make sure she knew what was going on.
"Alright, Ben, you've got our phones and my gun, now what?" Chelsea said. She didn't like the way he continued to look at Raven and she was trying to keep his focus on her instead.
"Now, you can go have a seat on the couch," he said with a wave of his gun.
Both women moved to do as they were instructed, but Ben stopped them.
"No, you stay here," he said to Raven with a creepy smile.
The designer closed her eyes in fear and revulsion as he touched her face and hair.
"Don't touch her," Chelsea said forcefully as she pulled Raven away from him. If he separated them, she knew she would lose any chance of regaining control of the situation.
Ben became angry and shoved the gun against the detective's neck. "No! Don't you touch her," he yelled. "I've seen what you two do together." He gaze turned to Raven with a look of disgust. "How could you let her touch you like that?" he asked. "You and I were meant to be together and you almost threw it away!"
Raven was terrified at the way he was looking at her and repulsed at the thought of him watching them together.
"After I figure out what to do with her," he said, glaring at Chelsea, "you and I can be together."
Chelsea watched as he turned his sickening gaze back to Raven. The gun against her neck was slacking off and she immediately took advantage of the situation. Quickly grabbing his arm, she wrenched it away from her and kneed him in the stomach.
"Raven, run!" she yelled as she continued to fight him. They both fell to the floor and she heard the sound of the gun scattering across the hardwood floors.
"You bitch!" Ben yelled.
He threw a punch and it caught the bottom of Chelsea's jaw, stunning her a bit. She quickly regained her composure and watched as he made a dash for the gun. She looked to the front door to see that Raven was standing just outside of it. "Run!" she yelled again, deciding that her chances of escaping and getting Raven to safety were the better options.
Once Raven saw that Chelsea was on her feet and running toward the door, she ran across the front lawn trying to get as far away as possible. She could hear Ben yelling in rage behind her and she screamed when a shot rang out. She turned around just in time to see the detective falling to the ground.
"Chelsea!" she screamed. Any immediate danger to herself was forgotten as she ran back to where the detective lay face down. Gently turning her over, tears clouded her vision as she saw blood coming from the bullet wound. She was still conscious, but her breathing was labored.
"Now we can be together."
Raven looked up to see Ben smiling down at her eerily, the gun dangling from his hand.
Eddie drove quickly through Raven's neighborhood. After trying Chelsea's phone numerous times and still getting no answer, his worry increased. He was hoping that he'd find her safe and sound at Raven's and maybe she would even give him an impatient glare for interrupting, but he would be glad to see it as long as it meant she was okay.
As he got closer to Raven's street, he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. He parked his car a few houses away and quickly called in for backup before making the rest of the trip on foot.
Staying as quiet as possible, he approached the front yard. A few well-placed shrubs kept him out of sight and he peered around to see that the front door was standing open. Listening carefully, he heard a voice and peered further around the shrubs to see Raven kneeling on the front lawn with Ben Sturky standing above her. He cursed silently when he noticed the gun in Ben's hand.
"Let's go," Ben said as he reached down to grab Raven's arm.
"No!" Raven yelled as she yanked away. "You can't just leave her here to die." She looked to see that Chelsea's breathing was becoming shallower and her eyes were fighting to stay open.
"She shouldn't have tried to run!" he yelled. He watched in anger as she focused her attention on the detective, touching her face and holding her hand. Shoving the gun into the waistband of his pants, he grabbed the designer forcefully.
"SFPD, hold it right there!"
Raven and Ben paused in their struggle and looked toward the sound of the voice. Relief flowed through Raven when she saw that it was Eddie.
"Get your hands up and move away from them slowly!" Eddie instructed as he kept his weapon aimed steadily.
Ben did as he was told and began to slowly move away from them, but he gave pause when he heard police sirens nearby.
"Don't be stupid, Ben. It's over," Eddie said.
Raven watched with wide eyes as Ben began to breathe heavily, his eyes darting around wildly. The gun was still in his waistband and she watched as he quickly grabbed for it.
A shot rang out and she screamed, only opening her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Eddie knelt down next to her to check on his partner and she looked past him to see Ben lying on the ground lifelessly.
