Upon entering her apartment, Kate threw her keys into a tree-shaped dish—just like she did every evening. Like clockwork, she changed out of her work clothes and slipped on a bathrobe.
She looked out of her window, and saw her neighbor in the building across from her. Every night, at the same time, she always saw a woman at her dining table—counting money or clipping coupons. She was always alone, too preoccupied with her business to notice a nosy neighbor. Even though she knew otherwise, Kate still would ponder if the lady had somebody in her life.
Kate herself was alone. She had moved to Seattle because her boyfriend's company moved. No sooner did they arrive that Kate's boyfriend Scott left her. Another emotionally disconnected man, thought Kate, as she watched the evening rain settle in. Business guides decorated her coffee table. They were the last remnants of him—parting gifts that sealed the star-crossed nature of their relationship. Kate read them when she wanted to escape the stress of the day. Now, every time she passed a business, she wondered what its practices were.
It was rainy nights like this that made Kate miss Los Angeles. Now that Scott was gone, Kate could admit that she used him as an excuse to leave. Seattle wasn't the mecca that she had envisioned. Yet, it fulfilled her objectives. Kate wanted to move as far as she could from the memories: her father, the harassment that she endured from the LAPD, her suicide attempt, and the brush that she had with the supernatural world. Kate didn't even say goodbye to Angel when she left. She figured that their last interaction was enough. In all honesty, Kate was embarrassed that her depression almost robbed her of everything.
As Kate settled into her chair with a cup of chamomile tea, she looked again at Danny Cross' case file. A killer was out there trying to make a name for himself. Kate knew that Mariani knew something. Was she too scared to become involved?
Earlier that day, it was another routine interview. Detective Benson contacted the bartender, Mariani Yusof—the last person that might've seen Danny Cross alive. But he called in Kate to participate in the interview.
If Kate was naïve, she would've been flattered. But ever since Benson had a sexual harassment claim made against him, he didn't like to be alone with women. So she was the "token chick"—as Detective Murphy liked to say.
Kate walked in, and saw Mariani seated opposite Benson. Mariani looked considerably petite for a nineteen year old. She looked more like thirteen, with her small wrists and delicate features. Her name sounded Italian, but Mariani looked like she was of Pacific Islander descent. Mariani had her hair styled in a sideways ponytail, and she wore a vintage-style gray coat.
She didn't look like somebody that worked at Fountain of Diamonds. It was a glam pickup joint, and nobody could tell Kate any different.
"This is Detective Kate Lockley, Mariani. She was told by your coworker, Rick, that you were waiting on Danny Cross."
Mariani nodded a hello to Kate. As Kate took a seat, Mariani began her answer.
"Yes, I did serve Danny Cross."
"How long was he there?" asked Benson.
"I'm not sure. I was helping him and then I left early for a doctor's appointment."
"How long was that?" asked Benson.
"I would say about twenty minutes."
"Was kind of condition was he in?"
"Well, he did order two gin martinis at once. I don't know. He could've been stressed or something."
"Did he look stressed?" asked Benson.
"Well, he did seem agitated. I thought that was why he was drinking so much."
"Was Mr. Cross alone all that time?" asked Kate. She could feel Benson's eyes angrily burrowing into her.
"Yes…but he did receive a phone call from someone," replied Mariani
"Do you remember Mr. Cross saying anything while he was on the phone?" asked Kate.
"I was a good ways from him. But when he was almost finished talking, he was yelling about something. I thought he said 'shipment.'"
"Are you sure he said that?" asked Benson.
"I can't be certain. I'm sorry," said Mariani.
"Did Mr. Cross leave with anybody before your shift ended?" asked Kate.
"Not that I could remember," said Mariani. Kate saw something different in Mariani's body language. She gripped the chair's arm briefly.
"Well, thank you for coming down the station," said Benson. Kate looked confused at Benson's abrupt statement. "If we have further questions, we'll give you a call."
"Okay. Thanks, then," replied Mariani, as she gathered her belongings to leave.
"Why did you let her go?" asked Kate. "She might've told us more about what happened."
"She didn't know anything. Besides, let's talk about you interrupting my interrogation," said Benson.
"Hey, you wanted a woman around to keep you straight. So I thought I'd contribute and go with my gut," responded Kate.
"Your contribution wasn't needed. And I don't need you to keep me straight. If I heard correctly, you were chasing around spooks at your old job. If anything, I should be watching you," said Benson.
Kate bristled from the comment. "L.A. is ancient history. You bring that up again and we'll have a talk outside."
Benson laughed. "Nice tough talk. But you don't scare me one bit. You've got a screw loose, and you need to fix it before you ruin real police work."
Kate kept a straight face as Benson walked away. She wasn't going to follow his lead. She was going to learn all of what Mariani knew, and she didn't care who got in her way. Kate was on a mission.