Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight. And while I may not own it, I refuse to give up writing about it.
Thank you for the very warm reception you gave the last chapter. I am very pleased that you liked it.
Chapter 11
As the day at work on Monday wore down, Beth started to count the minutes until she could leave. Her weekend had been wonderful and Mick's reaction to her new negligee had been everything she hoped. However, she had not been able to find a way to bring up the subject of Mick biting her. In truth she was still unsure if she wanted to have him bite and while her curiosity was growing she knew Kira made sense, she needed to be sure of her own feelings before confronting Mick.
Now she sat staring blankly at her computer screen as her mind wandered. The sound of a throat clearing beside her brought her attention to Ben Talbot standing at the entrance to her cubicle with a file in hand. Other than saying hello that morning, Beth's contact with the ADA had been minimal.
"Beth, a body of a young woman was discovered early this morning in a dumpster in Century City. The ME says cause of death was a broken neck. I want you to do a background check and learn as much as you can about her from the information the police and ME have provided," Ben instructed and handed her the file.
"Do they have a suspect?" Beth asked as she opened the file. She was greeted with a morgue shot of a lovely young woman with a deathly pale pallor.
"Not yet. That's why we need all the information you can come up with on Tammi Montgomery so we can figure out who did this," Ben said with conviction. "Carl Davis said this type of digging is your strong suit."
Beth felt a surge of pleasure at Carl's praise and then felt her heart skip a beat as she saw two small marks on the girl's broken neck. She quickly closed the file and noted the clock on her computer was glowing 4:41 PM. Beth glanced up at Ben in concern.
"Do you want me to stay late and work on this?" she asked, trying to make sure he hadn't noticed her interest in the photo.
"No, tomorrow is early enough," Ben responded. "The police are on it but I want as much info on the victim so we can convict the guy once we nail him."
"Sure Ben. I'll start now and then dig deeper tomorrow," Beth assured him.
"Thanks Beth," Ben answered. He paused, wanting to add that she should keep St. John out of this investigation but didn't want to sound petty. St. John was a good PI and if he helped find this girl's killer Ben wouldn't complain. He went back to his office.
Beth turned back to the file and quickly looked it over. She discovered marks on the girl's arms as well when she looked closely. Knowing that Mick should see these, Beth packed up her laptop and the file. She couldn't risk calling him while still in the office, not after the time when Ben showed up at Kira's club after she had called Mick while at work. Beth would not take that risk again.
*M*M*
Mick had risen around mid-afternoon and later received a call from a young man seeking his services. At four he opened his office door to greet a young man in his late twenties.
"Mick St. John?" the stocky, sandy-haired man asked holding out his hand. "I'm Chuck Boyer, thank you for seeing me."
"Hello Chuck, come on in," Mick said shaking the offered hand and ushering the man into the office. "How may I help you?"
Boyer sat down and looked anxiously around the room as Mick seated himself behind his desk. Mick could feel the nervousness rolling off his new client. Boyer reached into his jacket and brought out a photo, he laid it on the desk and pushed it carefully towards Mick.
"This is my sister Christa, Mr. St. John. She came out to LA seven months ago, pursuing her dream of an acting career. We heard from her every week until four weeks ago. She was so excited, said she might have caught her big break and we haven't heard from her since. My mom is ill back in Cedar Rapids but she insisted I come out here to look for her. I've had no luck so I'm hoping you can help me," Boyer said in a rush.
Mick picked up the photo and felt a rush of pity for the young man. Christa Boyer was pretty, blonde with a vivacious smile that lit her face. Mick had heard this story over and over for decades and the ending was rarely happy. Once in a while the girl was found safe like the young escort that he and Beth had saved from the teenage vamp last fall but that was the exception to the rule and more often than not the ending was not pretty. He wouldn't tell the young man that though, it was his job to give this guy hope.
"I'll need everything you can tell me Mr. Boyer. Where she was living, where she worked, anything to give me a starting place," Mick told him. "I will do my best to find her."
Chuck nodded and again reached into his jacket and brought out two folded sheets of notebook paper. He handed them to Mick.
"I've listed the addresses of the place she rented a room, the diner where she was working at and any names of people she mentioned in her phone calls," he said. He licked his lips and continued. "I talked to her landlord and she hasn't been seen for three weeks but her rent is paid up. She quit the job at the diner. That's when I figured I needed help." He pointed to the papers Mick was holding. "I wrote down everything I could remember about our last conversation. Christa said she had an acting offer but she wasn't allowed to give details. She mentioned the name Laslo but then refused to say more. Is that any help Mr. St. John?"
"You've given me a lot to work with Mr. Boyer. I will see what I can learn and I will be in touch," Mick assured him.
"Thank you," Chuck said in relief. "It's not like Christa to not stay in touch with Mom. She has been worried about her health. I'm afraid something is really wrong, no job would keep her from checking in."
Mick nodded as he rose to his feet.
"I understand, I promise I will do my best to find her," he told the young man as he came around the desk. He guided Boyer to the door. "I have your number and I will call when I've learned anything. Let me know if you hear from Christa," he said extending his hand.
"Thank you Mr. St. John, I will," Chuck Boyer replied and shook Mick's hand once more before leaving. Mick returned to his desk and began to go through the information Chuck had given him. He switched on his computer and went to work.
*M*M*
Beth hurried out of work and headed for her car in the parking lot. She brought out her phone but then decided against calling Mick. She wanted him to see the file so she headed in the direction of his apartment building as fast as traffic would allow.
As she headed to his building she reviewed mentally what she had learned from the file and a preliminary Google search. Tammi Montgomery's story was one Beth had heard many times in Los Angeles. Tammi had come to California from Ohio with the intention of being a star. Beth always wondered why the aim was never to just be a working actress but always was about being a star. Like many before her, Tammi's dreams looked like they would be unfulfilled until she quit her job at the shoe store two months ago. She told her boss she had gotten her big break and disappeared, although her rent was paid up on her small one room apartment. And now her body was in the morgue and it looked like there were vampire bites on her.
At Mick's place, Beth rode the elevator impatiently to the top and rapped first on his apartment door and then on the office door. Mick answered at the second knock.
"Beth, hi. Is something wrong?" Mick asked in surprise. He could see her excitement and the worry radiating off of her.
"Hi Mick. Ben gave me a case today to do a background search on a girl who was found dead today. You need to see the photos of the body, I think she was a freshie," Beth said breathlessly as she hurried passed him to get the file out of her tote. Placing it on the chair she dug into the bag and brought it out and then paused when she saw the desk was covered with printouts of Mick's search on Christa. "I'm sorry, you're working."
"I got a case late this afternoon," Mick said closing the door and joining her. He and Beth had not had plans for tonight but he couldn't help the rush of pleasure he felt at her arrival. "Show me the photos."
Beth showed him the morgue shots.
"Aren't those bite marks?" she asked pointing to the neck.
"Looks like it," Mick agreed. "What does the ME report say about the marks?"
"He guessed it was an old injury of some type," Beth said from memory as she dug out the report. "He thinks the marks on her arms are drug related. He doesn't give it much importance."
"Thank goodness for that," Mick muttered darkly as he accepted the report from her and looked it over.
"Poor kid thought she had finally caught her big break," Beth mused. "And all she catches is a chance to be dead."
"What's that?" Mick asked his attention yanked away from the report. "Her big break? Was she a wannabe actress?"
"Yea, oldest story in town. Tammi told her boss she had her big break when she quit two month ago."
Mick's eyes lit up as he turned to the desk and found the photo of Christa that her brother had given him. He showed it to Beth.
"I think we have related cases. My new case is a missing person. This girl's brother came in looking for help to find his sister who stopped calling a month ago. Last call from her, she announced she had gotten her big break," Mick related eagerly.
Beth looked at the picture and then back at Mick, her eyes wide in anticipation. This was too much of a coincidence.
"They must be related in some way Mick. Just like the escorts…its fate," she said excitedly. "Seems we are on the same team again."
"It does seem that way," Mick agreed, smiling at her enthusiasm. Then he sobered. "But then it would mean that we have a careless vampire on our hands and the police have the body. This could be very bad. We need to talk to Guillermo," Mick finished seriously.
End chapter.
So now we have a story to follow. Mick and Beth are working together again. I couldn't have it be all fluff but we will get back to other matters soon. I have not forgotten that there is a TALK that must be had. Thanks for reading.