Hey, Im very sorry that this has taken so long to update, but I've had a ton of essays to sort. Thanks to the reviewers and those who've been reading! Much appreicated!
"No, David Pollard?''
"No, Kelsey Jenkins?''
No, Sherry Richards?''
"No, Marshy Kadd?'' I ask, looking over at Danny who's on the sofa opposite me, we're going through our address books and contacts trying to see if there's any person in common who could be our 'connection', its now the only thing that we can think of.
"You seriously know someone called Marshy Kadd?'' I laugh, what a weird name.
"I used have biology with her.'' She sighs, turning another page in her contact book.
"Emma Kingston?'' I continue down a new page, as someone knocks on my front door.
"Hey,'' Flack says as I open the door, giving me a peck on the cheek as he passes me a bunch of sunflowers. "Thought you deserved this after today.'' He says, referring to a rape case that I've dealt with today, I think it's a serial but I have no evidence to connect it to another crime, it was just too clean for my liking to be a first time affair. But dealing with the victim and family really took it out of me, the girl looked like the double of my sister-in-law Kate when she was younger, I just wanted to get her justice, but he's going to get away with it unless he slips up.
"Oh thanks Flack, they're beautiful.'' I say, smelling the flowers as he enters to my apartment. "You fancy a beer?'' I ask as I set the flowers on the counter, looking about for a vase.
"Sure,'' he answers, being engrossed at looking at everything in my apartment. "Danny?'' He asks, always slightly dubious at asking an invisible person for a response.
"Flack.'' I get up and gently flick his left ear. He moves his head in response, nodding in my direction. I sit back down and start flicking through my book, "oh well he's dead.'' I murmur to myself, picking up a pen and crossing out 'Freddy Shaker'. I hear a sudden in take of breathe from Flack who is now glaring at the pen in my hand. "He's seeing this?'' I call over to Holly who's approaching us, three beers in her hands.
"You can see the pen?'' I ask, handing Flack a beer, who if only on instinct clenches his fingers round the bottle as I place it in his hand. He nods, still has his eyes locked on the pen. "He's just crossing out names.'' I take a drink of beer, as Danny begins to move the pen around, which must look like to Flack like the pen is floating in mid air.
"What are you guys doing?'' He asks, sounding slightly distracted as Danny begins to draw on a spare piece of paper I have laying on the coffee table.
"Going through address books, seeing if we have anyone in common, still trying to figure out if it's a person.'' I say retaking my seat on sofa, placing the spare beer on the table for Danny.
"Anything?''
"Nothing, not even a little known link, we've had completely separate lives.'' I sigh, as Danny finishes off his message.
'Flack owes me $20' I push the paper towards Flack, he laughs and shakes his head.
"I don't!" He laughs, grabbing the pen off the table, writing his own message back. 'Danny is an ugly git'.
"I can't believe that the first message you guys give each other are demands for money, then insults.'' Holly smiles, as I write 'Flack is fat' back.
"What else are you thinking for this connection then? Maybe you've worked the same case?'' Flack asks, snorting at the note that Danny has just written.
"No, I've only worked in Boston, Danny's only worked in New York, doubtful that we've crossed paths. But even if we have, how many cases have we both worked? Hundreds? How do we go through every last witness and suspect?'' I sighed.
"You not think it's me?'' Flack smiles.
"Hello, spirit gods? Is Flack our connection?'' I ask the ceiling, I feel no different and Danny is now staring intently at the ceiling, "nah, I think you're just a bystander.''
"What about your family?'' Flack continues, taking a deep drink of beer.
"No, nothing, part from Danny knowing who Deacon is, but so does half of New York.'' I laugh.
"I meant your real family.''
"Real family?'' I'm a bit taken back at this, I hadn't even considered it, I just think of Deacon and the guys as my family, no-one else.
"Like your real parents?'' Flack says quite quietly leaning back into the sofa, not knowing how to take it after my tone of voice.
"Well we're screwed then.'' I smile sadly. Flack takes my hand in his comfortingly, letting his head fall to the side in confusion, his eyes urging me to explain. "I don't know who they are,'' I explain, "I was a dump job.''
"That sucks.'' I had never asked about Holly's real parents, she doesn't seem to like talking about it, mustn't be fun to know that you weren't wanted from the start, and then not know who didn't want you.
"I was, err, found by Saint Andrew's church.'' I continue, I'm finding it hard to look at Flack, I haven't talked about this to anyone but my brothers. "Under, ironically, a holly bush, the nurses at the hospital were very imaginative in naming me.'' I take another drink of beer. "My folks liked the name, kept it, and that's all I know.''
"I'm sorry Holly.'' Both Flack and I say at the same time, there seems to be an erring silence taking over the room as no-one says anything.
"Yeah, well, it's nothing new, can we talk about something else?'' She asks fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.
"How bout your family Dan?'' Flack asks, his eyes however remain on Holly as she does her best to concentrate on peeling the label from her beer bottle.
"You ever heard of Marie or Joseph Messer?'' I ask, she shakes her head in response.
"Louie Messer?'' Flack asks, there seems to a flash of recognition behind her eyes.
"Hasn't everyone on the Island heard of Louie Messer?'' She asks looking at me, "You're related to Louie Messer?'' I nod, "wow, it's just, you're a cop, and Louie was part of, well you know, Tanglewood.''
"Yeah, well if it is him, then we're screwed again,'' I sigh, as Holly shots me a confused look, "He died a few years ago.''
"This is useless,''
Beep…Beep…Beep. Flack groggily put a hand out to grab the offending object that was making the noise. It was early, he didn't know what time it was but he knew it was early, he could sense that sort of thing. His eyes cracked open trying to find the phone; he could feel Holly laying next to him her head resting gently on his shoulder arm placed lightly on his chest. He reached out, trying not to fall off the couch as he felt around for phone on the table; how that beeping wasn't waking her he didn't know. Finally his fingers encompassed the vibrating cell; he flicked it open and placed it next to his ear. "This had better be good.'' He said sleepily.
"Who's this?'' A male voice came on the line.
"Flack you ass, do you know the time? What do you want? I'm not in till midday, I'm not coming in.'' Flack continued rubbing his eyes, trying to get some sleep out of them.
"Flack?'' The voice sounded confused. "This is Holly Matthews's phone right?'' The voice seemed to trial off. It suddenly dawned on Flack that he had answered the wrong phone.
"Oh right…'' Flack said quietly, looking to his left where Holly still lay sleeping. "Erm can I take a message?''
"No, you put her on the phone right now.'' The voice said in commanding tone.
"She's asleep.'' Flack continued, trying to move off the couch without disturbing her.
"You telling me you slept with my sister?'' The voice said, getting slightly angry.
"No…well I slept next to her…but we didn't sleep together.'' Flack spluttered. "Is this Deacon?'' He asked, slightly hopeful that it was.
"Actually, it's Charlie.''
I felt my support fall from under me, as my face pressed into the couch. I stretched my back out feeling it click back into place, my eyes flick open a couple of times adjusting to the light within the room. I notice Flack standing in the living room phone pressed to his ear, looking slightly dishevelled with his creased clothes, we must have fallen asleep on the couch last night; the TV is still on quietly in the background. I pull myself up into the sitting position rubbing my nose, noticing that Flack's phone is still on the table whereas mine is missing.
"I…err…I dunno…about a month?'' Flack was saying, looking very uncomfortable as he notices that I'm awake. "Oh she's up…I'll just pass you over…'' He holds the phone out to me; I gratefully take it as his head drops in embarrassment scratching the back of his hair.
"Hello?'' I say into the mouthpiece.
"Oh, baby sister.'' I hear Charlie's voice, sounding half way between confused and annoyed. "Who's Flack?''
"Hi Charlie,'' I say, this is why Flack looked so embarrassed and confused, getting twenty questions from Charlie. "Where are you?''
"Delhi,'' He answers quickly, "do I have to come back right now and do some ass kicking?''
"No, you don't.'' I turn quickly and head for my bedroom. "Charlie, don't freak out.''
"Freak out? Holly some random guy answers your phone at…'' there's a pause as he tries to work out the time difference, "6 am, and you think that I should remain calm?''
"So now you work out the time difference?'' I ask, offended that Charlie is taking this tact. "Flack is not some random guy.''
"Then who is he? And why I'm I just hearing about him now?'' He sounds like he's like he's getting angrier by the second.
"You're in India, you have no signal!'' I raise my voice down the phone in response to his tone. "Plus how many times did some random girl answer your phone to me?''
"Not the point,'' he starts, I can hear him change positions in the background noise, "who he is?''
"He's a detective from work ok?'' I sigh, taking a seat on the end of my bed.
"So he's in the police?''
"Tends to happen when you're a detective.''
"You seeing him?''
"I guess, kinda.''
"You sleeping with him?''
"Charlie! I cannot believe you're asking me that!'' I practically shout down the phone, "It's none of your business if I'm sleeping with him, in fact I could have just had the best sex of my life with bondage and everything and it would still have nothing to do with you!''
"Wow, I think half of Delhi heard you.'' He laughs, oh my god Flack! No, no, no, he did not just hear that. I make my way back to the living room, where he's thankfully he's making coffee although he's not facing me. "So fine, you're not sleeping with him,'' Charlie continued, thankfully he's dropped the attitude although I'm not really listening to him. "I was wondering, before I was side tracked with the bondage clad detective, if maybe sorta you'd wire me some money?'' He asks, kinda sheepishly.
"Charlie, how can you have spent all your money? It's deposited in your account every month?'' I ask, as Flack passes me a coffee, still not looking at me as he moves back to the living room.
"India is a big country, I gotta travel, eat, and you know,'' Charlie continues, "plus come on, I'm back in a week, I only need a couple of hundred, then we can sort it out over the brilliant yawn meeting.''
"Fine, Charlie I'll sort it out before work, will $500 cover everything?'' I ask, I hear an agreeing grunt from down the line. "You'd better make it back, I'm not sitting through another board meeting without you.''
"Yeah yeah, plane is booked for Thursday, thanks Hol, gotta go, bye love ya.'' I hear the line disconnect with a click. I snap my phone shut, take a gulp of coffee and follow Flack's path back to the couch.
"I'm sorry bout that, Charlie is a little, well, overprotective.'' I say quietly as Flack reties his shoes.
"I'm more concerned about the bondage sex, should I be investing in some PVC gear?'' he asks with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Oh, Flack I'm sorry, oh my god, he was just going on at me.'' I say putting my head in my hands, I can't believe he heard me shouting.
"Never saw you as the kinky type.'' He continues to smile, "that why you're a detective, hand cuffs and all?''
"Flack…''
"Or that why you're interested in me? Uniform, handcuffs?'' His smile and spread to his eyes, "you know I can pull off the stripper-gram look.''
"How do you know?'' I laugh, "when have you ever dressed as a stripper?''
He gives a seductive smile at me, letting me know that there's definitely a dark secret behind those beautiful blue eyes, as he leans in over my position on the sofa so his lips are only inches from mine. "Matthews, you're not the only kinky one.'' He whispers, moving in and kissing me, after a few moments we pulled apart as my phone begins to ring again. I give a sigh, as he places a final kiss on my forehead giving me a look that we'll catch up later on, I lean over and open my phone as Flack heads for the door.
"Matthews,''
"Who the hell is Flack?'' I hear James's voice from down the phone, Charlie is so dead…