Notes: Never let it be said I'm not a writer for the people lol In all seriousness, I read your reviews and love the ideas and the insight you all offer and sometimes those suggestions and insight find their way into a future chapter! As requested by Tenaji, a chapter on Jealousy.
CH 16: Fox in the Henhouse
"Isn't it a little early for people to be running around dressed like Santa?" Frost remarked as he looked at the portly dead body bedecked in a full Santa suit.
"Hell Frost, it's December, the stores have been decorated and blasting a Mariah Carey Christmas since October. I'm actually surprised this is our first Santa of the season," Jane laughed.
Maura handed Jane a wallet from the suit's pocket.
"Well, someone's going to need to notify Mrs. Claus, anyone want the honors?"
"Very funny, Jane." Maura smirked.
"No seriously, his last name really is Claus."
Frost and Maura both stood looking at the wallet ID.
"Well, I'll be…" Frost laughed.
"Anything to report on Jolly old Saint Nick?" Jane asked as she strode into the morgue a few hours later.
Maura was decked out in her scrubs, hair pulled back in a loose bun. She looked over her shoulder, "No, I've only just started the Y incision, had some results come in on a few other cases I had to deal with first so I'll probably be here a little late. Do you still have that women officer's meeting?"
"Yeah, newly formed Association of Women Officers or something, they didn't like my suggestion of Badass Bitches Brigade for the name, fathom that. Can't wait, I'm sure it's gonna be a blast," Jane said with more than a note of sarcasm in her voice, "we're meeting at the Robber, why don't you just head over when you're done and join us for a drink."
"Sounds good, I'll text you when I'm done." Maura dove into her work.
The idea to form the Association of Women Officers had come from Captain Cherise Franklin, the highest ranking woman at BPD. Franklin had put together a mission statement and other materials and presented it to the Commissioner and received some funding for the organization. The Boston AWO would work to promote understanding and recognition of the role of women officers, aid in recruitment of women officers, facilitate programming geared towards specific issues confronted by women on the force, and assist the larger force with compliance on standards of ethics, conduct and professionalism where gender issues were involved.
Jane was somewhat ambivalent about the AWO. On the one hand she understood the historic under-representation of women in the field and the difficulties of cracking the good 'ol boy's club. But, on the other hand she'd always prided individualism and the satisfaction of achievement on her own merit. She hoped the AWO wasn't going to turn into a henhouse of complaints and requests for special treatment. She'd never gotten any and she didn't want any.
Much to her surprise the meeting was actually informative. Cpt. Franklin ran a tight ship and had definitely done her research. She was no nonsense and that eased Jane's mind that participating wouldn't be a colossal waste of her time. As soon as the meeting part was over Franklin left but a good many of the women stuck around to have drinks. Jane was familiar with most of them; a lot of them worked patrol including Gretchen Robinson who oversaw Frankie's shift. Jane knew Gretchen fairly well. Gretchen was a beast of a woman; she actually competed on the amateur female body builder's circuit in her spare time. She was slightly older than Jane and had passed up several offers to up rank and move out of patrol. As Gretchen put it, patrol was the place for her, only reasonable opportunity to get a good perp slam in every now and then.
"So, Jane, we uh, expecting any additional company tonight?" Gretchen asked with a sly wink.
Jane laughed into her beer as she arched her eyebrows, "Yeah, Maura had to finish up an autopsy, she should be here soon."
"The Medical Examiner?" Michelle Davis asked. Michelle was new to Boston PD having transferred in from a smaller force from the greater metro area. Fair skinned with pitch-black hair that hung in perfect barrel curls to her shoulders Michelle Davis was striking looking. A smattering of freckles dusted from cheek to cheek over her nose. She had piercing blue eyes and long sultry eyelashes. She should be in a mascara commercial, Jane thought
"I hear she's quite an eyeful," Michelle continued with a slight chuckle.
Gretchen threw one of her steel-toned biceps around Michelle's neck and raised her other hands towards Jane mockingly as if Jane were about to come across the table, "Now Rizzo, Michelle here's new, her pass on the force gossip train is provisional and does not yet allow full access."
All of the women laughed loudly clinking beers, Jane included.
Sarah Donahue from Vice jumped in, "Ya see Michelle, Jane here and Doc Isles, they're…" she made a clicking sound with her tongue as she waggled her eyebrows, "…if ya catch our drift."
"Are there many lesbians on the force?" Michelle asked with a quizzical smile, holding Jane's gaze as she slowly raised her pint to her lips.
"It's not about quantity Michelle," Gretchen responded, "It's about quality, with an available and fine specimen such as myself it's almost not even fair for everyone else."
An uproarious laughter rolled through the women.
"In all seriousness," Gretchen continued, "Nah, not a lot, me, Jane here's a recent out for the club, Deena that skipped out after the meeting, couple more that weren't here tonight. Those are the knowns."
"Well, you can add me to the list" Michelle said taking another drag off her beer as she winked at Jane, "It's kind of nice…not being the only one anymore."
"Gee Gretchen, didn't realize you were keeping a membership list," Jane laughed.
"Oh you know me Rizzo, nothing if not organized, don't worry you'll be getting the membership package in the mail soon, comes with a free toaster. Dues are paid at the beginning of the month but we might can work a couple's discount for you and the Doc…Hey! Speaking of which!"
Maura approached the rowdy group with some mild trepidation; clearly several pitchers had already been consumed. She didn't really know the other female officers, not having much occasion to interact with many units besides homicide. Gretchen she had of course met at the hospital after the shooting. Sarah Donahue had the outside seat in the booth next to Jane; she slid out and motioned for Maura to take the seat.
Jane passed Maura a freshly poured pint courtesy of Michelle, "If you can make do with a beer this round I'll get you something else next trip up to the bar."
Maura smiled and took a sip, "Believe it or not I am starting to appreciate your beverage of choice."
The remaining beer in the pitchers was quickly downed and Gretchen, ever the booze monitor pounded one of the empties on the table to quiet the din of conversation, "By my count it's…Rizzo and Davis' round. Come on ladies, beer me!"
She's gorgeous, Maura thought as she watched Michelle slide out of the booth, And…clearly can't seem to take her eyes off of Jane. Hmm.
"Maur….Maura!"
"Huh?"
"Can you slide out so I can go get the beer? Ok, ladies, this is the last round, I'm already feeling a little tipsy and some of us have real police work to do tomorrow." Jane did her best to duck and dodge as bar napkins and coasters were hurled at her.
Jane joined Michelle, who had already ordered the pitchers, at the bar.
"She is very pretty…Maura," Michelle said as she stepped closer to Jane so that their elbows which were both resting on the bar were practically touching.
"Don't get any ideas," Jane said jokingly.
"Oh, don't worry, not my type," Michelle said, her eyes darting to the deep V of Jane's shirt that was hanging open as she leaned over the bar.
"Huh, I would have thought Maura would be everyone's type." Jane drummed her fingers on the bar.
"Mmm, no, far too femme for me. Too high maintenance."
Jane laughed with a half-nod.
Michelle smiled, "Yeah, you know what I'm talking about."
"Maybe, just a little. It's not so bad though, has its perks."
"If you say so," Michelle added with raised eyebrows as the pitchers arrived, "Hold on Jane…your tag…" Michelle brushed a bit of Jane's hair off her neck and slowly tucked the protruding shirt tag back under her collar. Her fingers lingered ever so slightly long, grazing part of Jane's neck and upper back as she dropped her hand before reaching to grab one of the pitchers.
"You seemed to be having a good time tonight," Maura said sarcastically as they entered Jane's apartment. She marched back to the bedroom with Jane trailing slightly behind; her inebriation preventing her from picking up on the cues Maura was leaving as to her irritation.
Maura strained to reach the zipper in the back of her dress. Jane stepped up behind her to assist only to receive a swat to the hands.
"Damn Maura! I was just trying to help you, is something wrong?"
Maura spun around, her hands on her hips, head cocked, look of annoyance on her face, "Really, Jane!"
Jane bit down on her lower lip trying to recollect what egregious faux pas she must have committed, "Umm, Oh! Shit! I forgot to order your drink, I'm…"
"Jane!" Maura rolled her eyes and removed her heels laying them neatly next to the dresser, "You simply cannot be this daft!"
"Maur, I'm a little tipsy, and using words like 'daft' aren't going to help me figure this out."
Maura crossed her arms, "Michelle Davis…." She raised her eyebrows and waited for 'it' to dawn on Jane.
"What about her?"
"UGH! You are that daft! She was flirting with you! And…and I think you liked it!"
"What!" Jane practically shrieked. "We were not flirting!"
"Really Jane!" Maura was trying to stay angry but more and more she was just starting to feel hurt, her eyes started to glisten as her lip quivered. "She was practically making love to you with her eyes and then when you were at the bar she touched your neck."
Jane furrowed her brow as she tried to replay the evening's interactions, "Ok, I definitely don't remember any eye sex and even if she was checking me out, Maura you made googly eyes at me before we got together and I never had a damn clue what was going on! Detective failure at being flirted with, right here!"
Maura uncrossed her arms and glanced down at the floor and then back up at Jane, "Fair point…But, she did touch your neck."
"My shirt tag was sticking out she said, she tucked it back in," Jane reached back and put her hand on the back of her neck and then thought about it a moment longer, "I…I guess she did sort of linger a bit when she did it. Shit. Was she really flirting with me?"
Eureka, Maura thought.
"Maura, seriously, I wasn't even paying attention to what she was doing, I had no idea. She knew you and I were together it didn't even occur to me she was flirting with me."
Maura walked up to Jane, turned and moved her hair, presenting the zipper of her dress to Jane, "I'm sorry, I…guess I got a little jealous."
Jane pulled the zipper down and then began to massage Maura's shoulders as she placed a soft kiss on the bare neck in front of her, "Why on earth would you be jealous?"
Maura shrugged out of the dress and turned to face her girlfriend, "She's very attractive."
Strong and reassuring arms wrapped around Maura's waist and pulled her in close, pressing their cheeks together Jane stood caressing Maura's bare back, "You're much prettier."
Maura tilted her head to check the sincerity in the brown eyes which stared back, "Really?"
Jane ran her hand through Maura's hair, "Yeah, really, baby you're stunning and I won't lie it does my ego good to know that plenty of men and women alike are jealous when I get to strut around with you on my arm…"
Maura laughed, resting her forehead sheepishly on Jane's shoulder before raising her head to lock eyes with her again.
"Sure, Michelle Davis is attractive, there are plenty of other attractive people out there, but they're not you. I love you. I hope that you know me well enough by now to know that I would never be unfaithful to you."
Maura's hands rose to stroke Jane's cheeks as she smiled and pulled her forward into a deep kiss, "Loyalty is one of your finer qualities. I'm sorry I overreacted. I…I know you'd never do that."
"Now you know what I have to deal with every day."
Maura tilted her head oblivious to Jane's meaning.
"Mmmm," Jane exhaled into Maura ear, pulling her close again, tightening her embrace, "Watching other people want you."