Chapter 5

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. Della folded up the newspaper, she'd read it from top to bottom, finished her coffee and considered having another one, but she didn't really feel like it, she just didn't want to head back to her apartment. Around her most people were in couples or group having breakfast at the cafe across from her building.

Her two best girlfriends had headed to New York for a week. And Perry, in the past she could have called him up and suggested a picnic, or fishing or even just lunch at his apartment. But how could she do that now, now that she had made herself perfectly clear. They had been friends, good friends, she hadn't even realized that she how deeply she had fallen in love with him, just that she would use any excuse to be with him.

They had a closeness since way back at the start, on trips in his convertible she had always felt comfortable snuggling up to him, he had teased her once when she had suggested maybe he put the top up.

"Ah but then you wouldn't need to slide up next to me." He hadn't put it up and when they had arrived at their destination he hadn't moved his arm wrapped around her. They had been driving in the moonlight flooded with the music of Nat King Cole on the radio.

"Are we going in?"

"Maybe." he'd said in a curious tone.

"Perry what is it?" she'd pulled herself up so that she could look into his face. He'd traced her cheek with his thumb.

"Sometimes I find it hard to say goodnight to you," he admitted. She'd known exactly what he'd meant and the way he had looked at her had caused her heart to pound. His finger had lifted her chin, touching it lightly. He'd kissed her then, gently at first as if she might disappear into the mist, her response was anything but gentle as she'd left him in no doubt as to how she felt. Feelings that she had tried to hide to herself. They had said goodnight that night but only after searing kisses that left them both wanting more.

But now even the closeness was on gone. He had accepted her declarations all too readily. She knew it was partly because she had turned him down, and he didn't understand her reasoning. If she was completely honest she didn't understand, particularly when the sensational brown eyes and excessively charming option was only a passing amusement. A panic thought filled her, what if that wasn't it, what if he had just been looking for an excuse to get rid of her. All he'd ever had to do was smile at her and she went weak at the knees, what if it was all one sided and he hdan't meant it to get that far...it would explain why he had just let her go.

She sighed, he had given her what she asked for, so she had to stop thinking about it. Anything else was being unfair. She could almost hear the smart alec comments of that big lanky gooloof of a detective, "Women! Humph, want you to back of when you're chasing them, and when you back off they want you back." She would not do that to him, there would not be an ounce of flirting, a single speck of lust, an iota of come on. To have part of him was better than having none, she could never live without him, she'd made her choice. Her phone rang a bookend to that thought.

"Hello."

"Miss Street? Della Street?"

She held her breath, those rich sexy attentive tones were the perfect antidote for her ills.

"Yes, this is Della Street speaking." She was fairly certain that he would not have detected disappointment in her tone.

"Della its me Aston."

'as if that voice could belong to any other,' she thought.

"Hello Aston."

"We are going for a drive down to a private beach down south, its only an hour or so away I would love for you to join us."

"I would love to, what do I need to bring?"

"Just your swim costume and towel, Vaughan has taken care of the rest, Butler will pick you up if that is alright."

"That's fine."

"Excellent he will be there in about fifteen." She pressed her fingers to her face, maybe this was a sign for her to move on.

"Hi Butler, come in, I've just got to grab a few things."

"No rush, by the time Vaughan gets the crew on board we will probably beat them anyway."

He was carrying a package and there was a hesitancy about him even more so than normal. "Then we've got time for a coffee?" she suggested, thinking maybe he would confide in her.

"Yes, yes I'd like that."

"Come on into the kitchen then," she put the coffee pot on."Have a seat." I won't be long."

She got her basket and hat ready and dropped them on the couch before returning to the kitchen. He was moving the package around, she had tried a couple of times to ask him indirectly and decided perhaps the direct approach might be in order.

"Is there something I can help you with Butler?" she asked him. He glanced at his package and then at her.

"I'm ... I'm not sure how to ask this." he was looking back down at his package. She got up to make the coffee that had started gurgling and so he wouldn't feel like she was staring at him.

"Just ask." she suggested kindly.

"You know I left school early." he said, she nodded. They had talked quite a bit on her frequent trips out with the crew."Well I really have tried to catch up, you know how Vaughan is about education. He made sure I went to night school, and I'm glad I did now."

"Would you like help with a project?" she asked.

"Yes, well, yes but its not a school project as such its mine. Delray says I'm wasting my time but I have to try. He reckons there are better ways to make money and thinks I'm being foolish but I've written this you see," he tapped the package.

"Have you given it to Aston to read?" she asked, that seemed the obvious step.

"Its not ready for that, I.. I mean I will but, my English, it needs to be edited and I was wondering if you could given you, well you have to write proper stuff all the time, and I wouldn't have to have someone criticize my story before it was even properly written." He pushed it towards her and took a sip of his coffee. "Can you help with the grammar," he asked her.

"I'd love to, it would make a nice change to reviewing legal documents," she said, "Do they know you've been writing?"

"No, I write at Delray's they have a spare office at the Archane Club and there is always someone there for when I need a distraction. I can get peace to write if need be. Delray and the Penguin share an office, so there is a spare one next to them. Mostly quiet I should say, they have ferocious battles but still, I wouldn't get a chance at home, they would tease me too much." he sipped his coffee thoughtfully, "I think Delray likes having me around, he bounces thinks of me before they get shot down by the Penguin, as much as he says I'm wasting my time, its a bit like the old days, us doing things that the others don't have a clue about."

"Before?"

"Before I got dragged onto the relatively straight and narrow, Delray did a year in juvvy ."

"Well he has done well for himself now hasn't he."

"Yes absolutely, if only they could extricate themselves from that Lurid character. Then with Delray's dreaming and Pengally's, thats the Penguin, his business control the skies the limit."

"They are partners?"

"Yea, Delray and the Penguin go back to juvvy, Delray looked after Penguin's baby brother stopped him getting beaten up and stuff, Penguin helped him when he got out sort of like Aston has done for me and Vaughan. All though its Vaughan who stops Aston going excess and Penguin who stops Delray. Sort of reverse."

"So how does Lurid fit in?" Della asked not seeing any connection.

"Penguin brought him in as a silent partner, Delray hated it at first, I don't think Lurid was all that silent." he thought about it for a moment. "Lurid came into talk to me once while I was writing but someone came to fetch him. He and Pengally, the Penguin, had an blow up, I could hear it through the wall, bits, 'He's Cohen's brother, touch him and you'll ...'Something like that anyway. Penguin came into see when I was back a couple of days later, told me to stay away from Lurid, told me he would bring trouble to Mr Gabriel, he told me to keep my nose clean. He wasn't angry at me, just kinda warning me and all. Lot of people find Penguin a bit creepy, 'specially the girls, but I guess he can't help the way he looks. He and Delray were going to open up another nightclub until Lurid came along. I guess Penguin owes Lurid money or something. He must have something, in public he's as nice as pie but I know he hates him.

"Have you asked Delray?" Della asked realizing that she hadn't drunk any of her coffee because she was too busy asking questions.

"He's pretty smug about it, he reckons Lurid's were its at, that Penguin is too old school." He looked at her in surprise,"Gosh you're easy to talk to, I guess you have to listen to what other people have to say all the time, for Mr Mason, confessions and stuff?"

She laughed knowing that she had been interrogating him just slightly, "I am always interested in other people and what makes them tick," she confessed.

"Do you know what makes me tick?"

"Not yet, although I think you underestimate the support that you would get from your brother and Mr Gabriel."

He looked down at his hands, "I just don't want to disappoint them." he admitted softly.

"Its rarely the people who are prepared to give it a go who are disappointing," she told him, "Now shall we go and enjoy this gorgeous sunshine?"

"You're just swell Della, and I bet you could have gone into the movies when you were younger."

"Referring to a lady's beauty in the past tense is not endearing Butler," she teased him and he blushed.

"I mean, I just mean aww, Della." he blushed again at her laughing at him.

"Come on." Della said standing up.

Aston hadn't been joking when he said private beach, there were no other people in sight. When they crew went swimming Della decided to take a walk. Not really keen on romping around half naked with these people just yet. She'd headed off but he had caught her up. He was very very relaxed away from the nightlife people, away from any fans and they chatted about all sorts of things, after they had gone some distance he asked her,

"You've spoken to Butler haven't you?"

"Yes," she admitted, eyeing him in surprise, how could he be so sensitive to his entourage. He waited, she was not sure what he expected from her.

"What he told me does not require any assistance from my boss," she said. He studied her openly, she could not read his reaction.

"Thank you for trying," he said. From this statement she could not tell if he thought she had succeeded or failed. To change the subject and to divert the intense attention he was directing at her she asked him to tell her about his childhood.

"Its a long story are you sure you are game," he looked down the beach that stretched ahead of them.

"Its always good to walk off the hours spent trapped behind that desk," she told him.

"Walk or dance?" he said, she smiled and shrugged indicating either. He looked ahead as if deciding what to tell her. His accent was less strong when he began talking.

"My father died when I was thirteen and my mother two years later when I was fifteen, I was sent to live with my uncle in Italy. He was a bachelor and being saddled with a boy who should already be a man was not what he had hoped for but family is family so he took me in.

"That's terrible to loose your parents so young and so close together."

"My father was killed, he had a fruit shop, he refused to pay protection money. I think my mother died of a broken heart." He talked about his life in America and then returning to Italy and how he had fitted in no where, belonged no where, how he and Vaughan had always stayed in contact, how Vaughan had sent him money and helped get him out before the war. She asked him a hundred questions about Italy, admitting that she was incorrigible when encouraged so he had to tell her no if he wanted her to stop asking him questions.

They reached the pylons of an old wooden pier, in the cool shade they rested against the rocks, "So Miss Street, now you know all about me, what about you?"

"Not much to tell, small town girl, I fled from all my school friends who were getting married and having babies, to the city, to LA, as far away as my fare could get me, I went to business school, and worked when I wasn't studying, I got a couple of jobs in secretarial pools before I went to work for Mr Mason."

"And then you fell in love with him." he said.

"Me and half the women in LA."

"And now you're trying to flee from him?" he said gently, sadly, stroking her cheek to take the sting out of his words, her eyes got blurry and she felt a tear run down her cheek,

"Yes. From the love not the work. Working for him is my life." she admitted, she felt his lips on her cheek and he kissed his way around to her mouth, it was as if admitting that out loud freed something dangerous in her and she returned his kisses with enthusiasm if not passion. He drew back from her, they were both out of breath."I am not some frightened teenager to be seduced by your fame." she said, her hands slipped to his waist and she pulled him back to where he had been pressing against her. "Or to be scared of it either," she added.

"That is one of the most attractive things about you" he said, his kiss was more passionate, and vigorous.

His eyes were incredibly intense as if he was trying to read her soul.

"Its been so long since I dated a real woman, I .." he grinned knowing how absurd that sounded, but a smile played on the corners of her mouth, she lifted her eyebrow.

"Go on." how could her voice sound so normal after that.

"You have to tell me, is it just me, is this all one sided because if it is I will back off and we can become the friends but if its not, if there is more and you feel it."

She put both her hands on his chest. "Aston, I have focused on one man for so long I almost don't recognize these feelings that I have for you," she looked up into his eyes, "but I would like to find out where they lead."

He kissed her again and pulled away. "We should go for a swim before I am not able to pull myself away from you." he suggested.

"That sounds fine." Della said, not entirely sure she wanted him to pull away but confusion and guilt allowed her to let him go.

For the rest of the afternoon he was the perfect gentleman as if their intense interlude by the pier had not happened. But when Butler waited for her, Aston stopped her, "Will you join me tomorrow, just me and you?" it was for her ears alone.

"Will you tell me your real name?" she replied.

"If you come tomorrow I will tell you."

"Your on" she agreed. On the drive back she realized what she had agreed to, and now the guilt erupted into a pit of torment in her gut. It was too soon, it was too much. Butler dropped her off, she didn't even remember letting herself in, just found herself face down on her bed hugging her pillow, she watched the ticking of her clock, sure that it was speeding up, bringing her closer to an act that would surely sever anything that he felt for her. How could something she had been so adamant about fill her with such dread. She was the one who had pushed away. She was the one who said it couldn't work, the one who would not try.

Her phone was ringing, the clock registered it was eight o'clock, she had been lying there for hours. She picked it up.

"Della? Della its me Perry."

'Oh God, how unnecessary, she would know that voice if she hadn't heard it for a thousand years'

"Perry? What is it?" Her voice did not betray the slightest hint of her inner turmoil, low and slightly husky. He hesitated then drawing a breathe launched himself.

"Have you got something on tomorrow?"

"Why? What's on?" she asked avoiding the question.

"I am missing something in the Maskie case, I think that we have focused too much on Phillips disappearance. I want to go over it all, I want to review the witnesses statements all the evidence with fresh eyes."

"Of course Perry, do you want me to meet you at the office?"

He hesitated again and then admitted, "I've got all the notes here," he said, they had always been able to work at each others places all hours, in the past "And I've got some steak" he added.

"I'll bring breakfast but the steak that's yours to cook," she said.

"Deal, see you in the morning."

Della listened to the tone then held the phone to her chest, she hung up, it was eight o five. She picked it up again and dialed a number that had become familiar to her in the past months.

"Yes." the gruff voice of Vaughan.

"Hi Vaughan its Della, can I speak to Aston?" she asked.

"Of course you can Honey, wait a second will you."

"Miss Street you are canceling on me aren't you." he guessed.

"Raincheck?" she said.

"Perhaps, you need to answer me a question first."

"Go on."

"Is this rain check because you are having second thoughts about our activities today and where I had intended they lead or is it a raincheck because someone's life is in danger or is it because your boss called and you must run to him."

'All the above' she thought.

"My job is not 9 to 5 anymore than yours is and it someone's freedom if not his life."

"So it wasn't because of today because of what we did today." She chuckled his tone was adorable, rich and earthy and entirely seductive, "no Aston, it's not because of today."

"You are starting to drive me crazy," but his voice was good humored. She wondered if he was too good to be true, this patient, understanding dreamy creature. She hung up the phone, he quickly faded from her thoughts.

They worked all day, Della had brought them breakfast and Perry cooked them lunch, going over all of Phillips financials, all of the witness statements, each of them reading every bit of evidence, and making notes. It was about ten o'clock, early for them, but he looked over and Della had her face down on her folded arms.

"I'll drive you home Della," he said.

"I'll be alright." she said yawning.

"It wasn't open to question," he replied. She smiled at him, way too sleepy to argue.

"We're still in a mess over this aren't we?" she commented. For a moment he thought she was talking about the two of them and not the Maskie case. His heart almost stopped. If it was a mess maybe she wanted to fix it, maybe she was having second thoughts about them being apart.

"Yes." he replied nervously.

"All we got out of today was more questions." she added, yawning again. He hid his disappointment that she was talking about the case.

"Questions are what we do Della, its because we ask the questions no one else does we get to see different side of things to the police. Come on I'll get you home."

He walked her to her apartment door.

"See you in the morning," he said. For a moment they stared into each others eyes, lost in each others eyes. In what felt a lifetime ago he would have kissed her at that moment, instead he squeezed her hand.

"Goodnight Perry."

It was not movie star brown eyes that Della dreamt of that night.

Perry sent Paul to San Francisco chasing down Fraser's connections, letting his agents do the follow up on Phillip's disappearance.

"What are you thinking?" Della asked Perry, he was drumming his fingers on the table.

"I'm thinking that we got distracted by Fraser's sleazy side, I think we wanted him to be guilty, when in fact he might just be scared."

"You think Phillip got them into it?"

"It would explain why he disappeared."

"I don't know Perry, Phillips done some stupid things but he's not, he's just not a dirtbag." she said.

"Dirtbag?" he queried she didn't usually use words like that.

"Well you know what I mean, Fraser, there is something not right, everything he has touched smacks of cover up." He thought about it and then nodded.

"You're right," he agreed, "Maybe Paul can dig out something for us."

"Chicago?" Perry asked Paul, when he threw the plane tickets in his desk."And?"

"And your friend Mr Fraser, before he came to LA via San Francisco, he lived in Chicago, except his name was Guzman. He left some very unhappy vendors in that fair city, they are falling over themselves to help you anything you want, records, signatures, the whole caboose."

"How did you find out."

"Remember when Phillip said his wife had wanted to visit Chicago, had made him stop at a cemetery, how the gravestones had not meant anything to him, but he'd remembered the name because of that boxer who was fighting in Chicago on that day."

"You remembered that?"

"No it was in Della's notes, except she hadn't transcribed them until last Sunday. We talked about it on Monday."

"Good work Paul."

"I'll say, we've hit pay dirt with this one, if we could only find Phillip."

He unwound himself from the chair, "Oh... I did take the day off on Sunday ... did I tell you?"

"No."

"Yea, I went sailing, apparently a certain dreamy movie star had planned a little trip around the bay with a certain brunette who brushed him off to spend the day working with her boss. Lucky for me," he commented as he exited the room. "I got to be on the yacht instead." He left Perry staring after him, a smile broke onto Perry's face for the first time in weeks.

They had flown in the Chicago witnesses, taken statements

"Well that's it Chief, everything we need to clear Phillip Maskie's name." Della said, picking up the last of his corrections.

"Except Phillip." Perry pointed out unnecessarily. "You were right about Fraser."

"There's a lot of places to check Perry, you know he must be hurt, he would have answered your ad if he was able."

She left him to brood so she could fix up the files and put the final changes in. Paul knocked and entered as she left.

"Listen Perry why don't you come out, Della, Claire and I are going to the Archane club,"

"Bit exclusive." Perry commented.

"Well you know Claire is friends with Gabriel and thats were they are all going tonight." Paul explained unnecessarily.

"No, thanks, I am going to have an early night."

Paul stalled lighting another cigarette, "You want some advice?" he asked. Perry looked at him grimly, sensing the change in topic.

"No," Perry growled.

"Okay, okay, information then." Paul said sucking on his cigarette, he jabbed his cigarette at Perry, "the invite is only partly because of Claire. Great detective that I am beginning to suspect the ringleader is not quite as easily dissuaded as others."