FAMILY
Chapter 5
We will go back to Mike and Sarah for this chapter. Again, this is before Mike started with Major Case, while he was still working on Staten Island. So he has not met Goren, Eames, or Deakins.
I also have to apologize. I said that this chapter would be about their first date. But Mike and Sarah took too long to get to that point. I tried to hurry them along, but they seem determined to move slowly. So I promise the next Mike/Sarah chapter will be about the date.
Sarah Johnson arrived at work the morning after her blind date and began putting her things away in her desk. Her coworker Penny rushed over, an excited smile on her face.
"So…" Penny asked. "How was the date? Was Derek as fabulous as I told you?"
Sarah smiled as she leaned against her desk and folded her arms. "Well, I spent most of the evening plotting your murder. That was pretty fabulous."
Penny's face fell. "You didn't like him? But what's not to like? He's gorgeous, he's rich, he's sophisticated."
"Sophisticated may be overstating it just a bit. Have you ever talked to Derek?"
"Well…just to say hello. But I've talked to some of the women in my husband's office. They said he was great."
"Then they overstated. Derek is very good looking and he is certainly rich. But he also happens to be a boor. And last night he was a drunken boor."
"Oh no." Penny's face fell. "I'm really sorry. I thought you would have fun." She sighed. "My husband told me to stay out of it, that setting people up on blind dates is a bad idea. But I just…."she trailed off.
"You just want everyone married and happy like you," Sarah finished for her. "I appreciate it, but you don't have to worry about me, Penny. My life is full and happy just the way it is. If Mr. Right does come along, that'll just be icing on the cake."
"So you forgive me?"
Sarah smiled and said, "Oh I forgave you last night."
Penny looked at her enigmatic smile and asked, "What is that smile for? Did something happen?"
"Well….Derek took me back to Peter J's after the gallery opening and proceeded to get completely sloshed. When I was ready to leave I was worried about him driving like that so I tried to take his keys and he got a little rough."
"Rough!" exclaimed Penny. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, no, no. He grabbed my wrist, but I'm fine. Besides I had a white knight."
"A white knight?"
Sarah laughed. "A guy from the bar pulled Derek away from me. Then we put him in a cab and we drove Derek's Ferrari to his building for him."
"You got into a car with a complete stranger you picked up in a bar?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I didn't 'pick him up'. And he's a cop. He showed me his badge."
"People get fake ones all the time!"
"No, I looked it over. It was a real NYPD badge. And nothing happened. We drove the Ferrari to Derek's building, gave his keys to the doorman, took a cab back to Peter J's, and I left. That's all there is to it."
"If that's all there is to it, then why are you smiling like that?" Penny looked at her suspiciously. "Was he cute? Something happened. Spill."
"Nothing happened," Sarah said as she moved around the desk and sat down. "We just talked, that's all. He was funny and interesting and…yes, he was cute."
Penny's excitement was back. "So did he ask you out? Did you give him your number?"
"He did ask if we could go out sometime. I gave him my card."
"Your card? From here? You gave0 him your business card, but not your phone number?"
Sarah laughed at her coworker. "A minute ago you thought he was a serial killer or something. Now you want me to give him my number? I gave him my card. If he really wants to go out with me, he'll call me here and ask. Now, we've got work to do."
Penny left reluctantly and Sarah settled down to work.
Mike Logan sat at his desk trying to concentrate on the stack of paperwork in front of him. He hadn't had a call all day and it looked like he was doomed to spend the entire day sitting at this desk. Without the distraction of a crime scene to investigate, his mind kept wandering from the paperwork in front of him to the dark-haired woman he had met the night before. He pulled a card out of his pocket and looked at it again. "New York Public Library Mid-Manhattan Branch Sarah Johnson".
"Hey Logan," John Miller called. Mike looked up to see his partner coming towards him from the captain's office. "Captain wants one of us to go to Riker's and see if we can get anything else out of that kid we got for the burglaries. Wanna flip a coin?"
Mike looked at the card in his hand and smiled. He stood up and patted Miller on the back. "No need, Miller. I'll go."
Miller shook his head. "You're just sad, Logan. You want off this island so bad you prefer Riker's?"
Mike laughed and said, "What can I say? I love to travel." He put the card in his pocket and pulled on his jacket.
He stood on the sidewalk in front of the Mid-Manhattan branch of the New York Public Library, looking up the stone steps at the front doors. He turned to look across the street at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library with its stone lions out front. He looked back at the library and started up the steps. Now that he was here he wasn't sure how to proceed. The library was huge, with five floors. He had no idea how many employees there were. What were the chances that he would walk in the front door and see her? He would have to ask for her, which meant she would probably know he was there before he found her. He had hoped to surprise her.
The trip to Rikers had been fruitful. After a few nights in jail, the kid had been only too eager to tell everything he knew about the burglaries, including the other participants and the ringleader. His lawyer would be able to work out a good plea deal for him. Mike was glad, although he didn't let the kid see. This was a kid caught up with the crowd and Mike thought he would probably be "scared straight" by his time in Rikers.
He walked in the front door and looked around. Just as he thought, it was large and spacious. He briefly considered wandering around to look for Sarah but realized that he could wander all day and still never run into her. He found the check-out desk and walked over. A young woman saw him and came over.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm looking for Sarah Johnson. Could you tell me where to find her?"
The young woman spotted the badge on his jacket and her eyes widened in surprise. She exclaimed, "Are you the white knight?"
"Uh…excuse me?" Mike looked at her like she was crazy.
"I…I mean….are you the cop who helped Sarah last night?" Penny blushed at her slip of the tongue.
Mike chuckled and said, "I am a cop and I did help Sarah last night. Are you by any chance the coworker who set her up on the blind date?"
Penny blushed again. "Guilty, I'm afraid."
"Well, it's nice to see that you are safe and sound," he said with another chuckle. "She wasn't too happy with you last night."
"I know and I apologized. I really thought she would have fun. But you are here to see Sarah, not to check on my well-being. She's up on the fourth floor teaching a computer class." She looked at her watch. "They should be finishing up in about ten minutes, if you'd like to wait. The newspaper and magazine section is up there too."
Mike smiled at her and she blushed again. "Thanks. I think I'll just go have a look at the newspaper."
Mike made his way to the fourth floor. As he stepped off the elevator he looked around at the rows of magazines and newspapers; it looked as though they had every magazine and newspaper published. There were tables to sit at and a few couches and chairs, giving it a cozy look. The other half of the room was taken up with tables and chairs where people could use their laptop computers with wireless internet, and with glass-walled classrooms. Only one classroom was in use at the moment and Mike spied Sarah standing in the front with about fifteen people sitting in front of computers. He picked up a magazine at random and moved to sit in one of the comfortable armchairs with a direct view of the classroom.
As he settled into the chair and held the magazine open in his lap his eyes stayed on the dark-haired woman giving instructions. She was wearing a conservative black skirt and jacket with a white blouse. The skirt came to just above her knees, giving him a nice view of her nylon-clad calves. He smiled as he looked at the black pumps she was wearing, remembering his comment about librarians wearing sensible shoes. These were sensible, low-heeled, and plain. But they did nothing to detract from her shapely ankles and legs. Her dark hair was not pulled up in a tight bun, either, but was pulled back in a pony tail that made her look like a teenager.
She seemed enthusiastic about whatever she was saying and he heard the rumble of voices as her students responded to her comments or asked her questions. It looked as though the class was wrapping up and he watched with fascination as she said something that caused the entire class to erupt in loud laughter. Her face lit up with pleasure at their response and he thought again that when she smiled like that she became breathtakingly beautiful. The students were gathering up their things and most paused to speak to Sarah on their way out. As the last few people made their way to the door, she turned to her desk and began gathering her things. Mike got up and walked across the room.
Sarah was putting her papers in her folder, feeling very pleased that the class had gone so well. All of the students seemed to be "getting it", and enjoying the class at the same time. She had fun teaching these computer classes but usually there were one or two people who just could not seem to understand the technology or her instructions. She heard footsteps and thought one of the students had forgotten something.
"Excuse me, Miss," a deep voice said behind her. "Could you tell me where the romance section is?"
She turned to find Mike's hazel eyes watching her with amusement. She smiled and found herself suddenly shy; in fact she suspected that she had blushed, something that didn't happen often.
"Well, Detective Logan, this is a surprise. I'm afraid you're on the wrong floor for romance."
"Well that's OK, I was just catching up on a little news." He held up the magazine he had been pretending to read.
"Mad?" Sarah laughed. "You don't really look like the 'Mad Magazine' type."
Mike looked down at the magazine in his hand, realizing he hadn't even looked at the title when he picked it up.
"Well, I like a little humor with my news," he smiled. "The truth is that I was just waiting to talk to you."
He watched as she smiled and blushed. He had a sudden urge to reach out and touch her cheek, run his thumb over her bottom lip, and kiss her. The mental image made him feel suddenly nervous and shy as he struggled to think of what to say next. He mentally shook himself as he also imagined his old partner, Lennie Brisco, laughing at him for fawning over a girl like a school boy. He could hear Lennie's voice saying, "Smooth Mikey, real smooth. Some ladies man!"
He finally found his voice and said, "So, uh…you said that you might go out with me sometime. I just wanted to ask if you would have dinner with me Saturday night."
Sarah smiled again. "I would like that very much."
"Do you like jazz? I know a little jazz club that has great food."
"I love jazz!"
"Is seven alright? I'll pick you up."
Sarah hesitated a moment before saying, "Why don't I just meet you? We could meet at Peter J's at seven."
Mike frowned for a moment, puzzled. She didn't seem to have any intention of telling him where she lived. He said, "OK, seven at Peter J's. So…can I have your number? Or am I only allowed to contact you here?" He held up the card she had given him the night before.
"Oh, of course you can have my number. Here, I'll write my cell phone number on the card."
As she reached for the card, Mike noticed something that made his heart sink. Sarah wrote her number on the card and handed it back to him. Instead of taking the card from her, he grasped her hand and held it up.
"Before we go any further, is there something you want to tell me?"
She looked to where he was holding her left hand up, with the diamond engagement ring and gold wedding band sitting on her ring finger. For the third time in just a few minutes she blushed.
"Oh…I…uh….I'm sorry. I sh…should have mentioned it. M..my husband died a year and a half ago."
Mike's eyes softened. He took the card and let go of her hand.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"Thank you. I…it's habit, you know? I wore them for so many years…I…I just keep wearing them."
"You weren't wearing them last night," he pointed out.
"No I wasn't." Her smile returned. "It just didn't seem to be the right accessory for a date."
"I guess not," Mike chuckled. "Well, I should put the magazine away and get back to work. Can I offer you a ride down?" He swept his arm towards the elevator.
She laughed and said, "Yes you can. Thank you very much."
She picked up her folder as Mike put the magazine back in its place and they walked to the elevator. He looked down at her as they waited for the elevator, although he didn't have to look too far down. With her heels on she was only a few inches shorter than him.
"You looked like you were enjoying your class," he said, hoping to see her smile again. He was rewarded as she looked at him, her face lit with excitement.
"Oh I was. I love teaching these classes." She turned and looked back at the room. "I love this place, this entire library. The computers, the papers, the magazines, the art, but most of all the books. Sometimes I just walk up and down the stacks and run my fingers across all these thousands of books. All those words, all those ideas…it's intoxicating."
Mike listened to her and watched her face, mesmerized. He thought that she was beautiful when she smiled, but this look of rapture made her glow. The elevator opened and the spell was broken. She looked at him with a sheepish smile and they both got on. There were three other people on the elevator already, coming from the fifth floor, and they all rode down in silence.
As they stepped off the elevator, rows of bookshelves were directly in front of them. Sarah smiled and hooked her arm through Mike's, drawing him towards the books.
"Well, Detective, you were asking about the romance section. Let me show where it is. This whole section is fiction. Along here we have mystery novels, here are the short story collections, westerns are next, and here are romance novels. Would you like me to help you find any particular one?" Mike chuckled as she pulled a book from the shelf. "How about 'Love's Burning Desire'? Or 'The King's Mistress', 'Notorious Proposal', 'Heart's Surrender'? Anything sound particularly interesting?"
"Well," he said laughing, "I, uh, don't have my library card with me and I really need to get back to work. So maybe next time I'll let you pick one out for me."
She laughed with him and kept her arm through his as they walked towards the entrance. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Penny at the circulation desk watching them. They stopped in front of the doors; Sarah pulled her arm away and turned to face him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card and a pen.
"Since I have your number, at work and at home, I thought maybe you should have mine too," he said as he scribbled on the card. He handed the card to her and she looked at it.
"Staten Island? You work on Staten Island?"
"Yeah, its, uh, a nice place."
"Do you live there too?'
"Not on your life! I live in Brooklyn. Actually, I live around the corner from Peter J's."
"Convenient."
"Hey, I offered to pick you up. Peter J's was your idea," he laughed. "It's not too late, you know. I would still be happy to pick you up."
"No, I'll meet you at Peter J's at seven," she said firmly.
"OK, then….I guess I'd better get going. I'm looking forward to Saturday night, Sarah Johnson." He reached for her hand, and kissed it quickly before turning to walk away.
She watched him walk out the door before looking at the card again and murmuring, "So am I Detective Logan, so am I."
As she walked back towards the circulation desk she was almost tackled by Penny, who then pulled her behind the desk.
"That was the cop from last night?! He's gorgeous! Did he ask you out? What did you say? When are you going out? Where is he taking you?"
Sarah laughed and set her folder down. "Calm down, Penny. Yes that was the cop from last night, Mike Logan. And yes he is cute. Let's see now: Yes he asked me out, I said yes, we are going out Saturday night, and he is taking me to a jazz club. Any other questions?"
"Cute? Are you crazy? That guy is HOT!"
"OK, he's hot. He also happens to be funny and smart and…I don't know…entertaining."
Penny clapped her hands in delight. "This is SO romantic! And I'm responsible! If I hadn't set you up with Derek you never would have met your soul mate!"
"Whoa girl! No one said anything about a soul mate. I'm just going out to dinner with an interesting guy, that's all."
"We'll see," Penny said smugly. "We'll see."
End chapter 5
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