Potions of Love 2
Chapter 12 - February
A/N - The rating for this story returns to "T" for the following several chapters.
Rick and Kate attended Trent's funeral the following Wednesday. Once they were at the church, Rick noticed several other classmates were also in attendance. He spoke with Rod, one of his usual tablemates, and learned that the College had canceled classes for the day so students could attend Trent's service. Rick was impressed by the number of fellow students who came and hoped it would be an encouragement to Trent's fiance and their families.
Unknown to Rick or the other students, police authorities and the DEA asked the College to cancel classes so they could complete a physical sweep of several areas in the Med/Sci building and all of the Pharmcy labs.
Meg, Trent's fiancé, sought out Rick before the service began.
"Rick, thank you for being a great friend to Trent. He wasn't the most outgoing guy, but he was grateful you talked to him during your classes. I want you to realize that even the short moments you spent with him meant a lot. And to top it off, he deeply respected your knowledge and sincerely appreciated your growing friendship.
The young woman reached out, hugging Rick as tears streamed down her face. She concluded by thanking both Rick and Kate for coming to the service.
Trent's parents followed and also thanked Rick for caring for their son.
Rick's grip on Kate's hand increased as he tried to hold his composure during both emotional greetings.
Following the service and small luncheon provided by church members, Rick and Kate returned to Rick's, where Kate held him tight as he broke down, releasing the myriad of emotions that had been building throughout the day.
Late that night, Rick tells Kate he feels he needs to accept the position offered by Mason to help prevent this type of thing from happening to anyone else.
Kate remains highly concerned about Rick's safety and begs him to wait and see where this investigation leads before making a final decision about the new PGY-1 course.
Rick reluctantly agrees, but deep in his heart, he knows he needs to try to do something.
The last week in February, Lanie calls Kate, asking if she and Rick can join her and Todd on a double date. "Girlfriend, it's been long enough. You two lovebirds must leave your nest and join us for a night out on the town. I will accept no excuses. Just plan to meet us at 7:00 pm, Friday night, at Pittsburg Blue, and bring your appetites. Todd loves red meat, so I know he'll be a go."
In true Lanie fashion, she said, goodbye, see you Friday and disconnected the call. Kate then went in search of Rick to tell him they had dinner plans for Friday night.
Rick and Todd are surprised when their girlfriends inform them of Friday night's plans for dinner and other activities for the foursome. But neither shows their apprehension about the get-together.
Lanie and Todd are the first to arrive at the restaurant Friday evening and decide to wait for Kate and Rick in the bar. Lanie senses that Todd is quieter than usual but writes it off as him having a tough week. He hasn't shared details, but she knows he is working on a critical case with the Minneapolis PD, so she hopes a night out will help him to relax.
Rick and Kate arrive five minutes later, and the four are seated at a quiet table in the rear of the restaurant. Due to the force of habit, Todd assumes his usual seat on the backside of the table so he has eyes on the front door.
The conversation is causal as the group waits for their drinks and menus. Lanie easily carries the discussion, much to the relief of Todd and Rick. The two men greeted each other with forced smiles. Hoping their discomfort is not noticed by their girlfriends.
Lanie notices the uneasiness between the two but can't pinpoint why. They had gotten along well during the October Halloween party. She realizes it's been several months since the two were together, but she had anticipated a more welcoming greeting between the guys.
Lanie glances at Kate, whose only response is to raise her eyebrows as she observes Rick and Todd.
For the sake of the evening, the two women overlook their boyfriends' strange reactions and try to have an enjoyable evening. After all, it's been a while since they were together too.
The four friends place their meal orders, and supporting the age-old assumption of how ladies act at restaurants, Lanie and Kate excuse themselves to use the powder room, as Lanie calls it. As the two ladies walk away from their table, Rick and Todd exhale large gasps of air and sit sternly, looking at one another.
Rick is the first to respond, saying, "Well, this is certainly nothing I expected."
"Tell me about it. I tried to get out of this night gracefully. But Lanie wouldn't budge, so here we are," said Todd in a more respectful tone.
"And if we know what's good for us. We better get into the mood, or our girls will fry us or worse when we get home." The two touched their beers in agreement, which was the scene that Lanie and Kate saw when they returned to the table.
When the two women entered the restroom, Lanie turned to Kate and said, "Do you know what in the h**l is up with those two? I thought they hit it off when they met back in October. Now they look like they can barely tolerate one another."
Kate looks in the mirror, knowing it's unnecessary, as she had done an impeccable job applying her makeup earlier. Unsure how much to tell Lanie, Kate shrugged and said, "I'm not sure, but I know Rick had a rough couple of weeks. So, maybe he's not in a pleasant mood."
"Yea. The same goes for Todd. He never gives details, but he's working on a big case with the Minneapolis PD. So we need to try and make the best of it, and hopefully, we can help them have a good night. I have been looking forward to this evening all week and plan to have fun. Let's go back," said a confident Lanie as she led the way back to their table.
The foursome's meal seems to be going well as they continue making small talk about what's been happening in their respective lives until Lanie asks Rick,
"Rick, I heard about that pharmacy student's death. Did you know him?"
Lanie's innocent question throws both Todd and Rick. Rick reaches for a glass of water, coughs, and almost chokes on a piece of his steak.
Todd takes a long draw from his beer, refusing to make eye contact with Rick.
Neither reaction escapes Lanie and Kate, who glance at one other, speaking their secret language through eye contact.
Rick gives Lanie a vague answer, indicating that he knew the guy but spent little time with him.
Rick immediately changed the subject to his and Kate's upcoming spring break trip to California, quizzing Lanie about Kate's parents.
Rick's reaction confirms Kate and Lanie's assumption that something is happening between him and Todd. But she goes along with Rick's distraction question, leaning back in her chair and giving her boyfriend her trademark look, saying,
"Okay, Buster. What are you trying to do? I told you my parents are great and they will like you. Quit acting like a baby."
Kate's witty response relieves the immediate tension, so Lanie follows Kate's lead, sharing what she knows about Kate's folks, saying they are good people. Telling Rick he needs to relax and stop worrying.
Following dinner, the couples decide that dancing sounds like a great way to top off their evening, so they meet up about thirty minutes later at The North Star Bar. Dancing is a wise choice, as the couples can spend time with each other and a minimal amount of time as a group.
Around 1:00 am, they decide to call it a night. Thankfully the evening ended on a happier note, with all four agreeing they should plan to get together again.
After separating, both guys are quizzed by their girlfriends regarding their initial reactions when they first saw each other at the restaurant.
"Rick, can you tell me what happened when we first saw Todd and Lanie? You looked like you saw a ghost."
There was a pause in their discussion, but before Rick could respond, Kate added in a subdued voice, "Todd was involved in your interview, wasn't he?"
Rick kept his grip on the steering wheel, not reaching for Kate as usual, and didn't respond. Kate sighed, turned her head, and watched the city's bright lights as they returned to his house. The couple remained quiet until they were inside the house, where Rick turned, pulled Kate to his chest, and said, "I'm sorry, Babe."
The sadness in Rick's voice broke Kate's heart, again realizing the stress this entire situation was putting on her lover.
"It's okay, Rick. I understand and won't bring it up again, but know I am very concerned for you. I hate us not being able to talk about this mess, but worse, I hate seeing you so sad," shared Kate as she returned Rick's tight hug.
On the other hand, Todd had a different experience during his conversation with Lanie. As soon as the couple got in Todd's car, Lanie turned on him, saying,
"Okay, what was going on tonight? You and Rick met back in October, and I can't count the times you told me that you looked forward to getting together with them. Then tonight, you had a staring contest throughout dinner. Please explain," demanded Lanie.
Todd was quiet for the remainder of their drive to Lanie's apartment, thinking that having a relationship with Kate's best friend might not be as simple as he had thought.
Finally, Todd pleaded with his girlfriend, "Lanie, I think the world of you and you have become very important to me. But as I have said before, there will always be aspects of my job that I can't tell you. I don't like that, but it's how it is. Can you please let this go and believe me when I say; that when I can talk, I will tell you."
Lanie knew Todd could not share many aspects of his job, but the desperation she heard in his plea shocked even her. The adage a picture is worth a thousand words came to her mind. Lanie remained quiet but did reach out and squeeze Todd's knee as they continued their trip back to her apartment.
Before Todd and Lanie's first double date with Kate and Rick, Todd and Detective Taylor followed up on their agreed interview assignments with personnel from the Mayo Clinic.
Rick's lab professor confirmed that Rick had been in his session for two hours and was involved in class and all table activities. With that confirmation, Todd agreed there was no need for Detective Taylor to interview Rick's classmates.
Unfortunately, Todd's follow-up with Mason's colleague, Dean Spencer, did not go as smoothly.
Todd had gone to Mayo's Alix Medical School administration offices for General Surgery Residency seeking contact information for Mr. Spencer but experienced some resistance from one of the departmental assistants regarding his requested details. Todd flashed his badge stating that he was a federal DEA agent and needed to speak to someone in charge.
Todd's authoritative tone got the assistant's attention, who gave Todd the requested information. After thanking the young man and noting his name and title, Todd exited the building, returning to the temporary office space the College had set up for their use during the investigation.
Detective Taylor was already in the office when Todd walked in and immediately noticed Agent Todd was concerned about something else.
"Loney, what's up? You look like you could bite off a nail's head, " Taylor asked.
Todd slumped down in one of the plastic office chairs, laying his file on the table, and explained, "I just encountered a young student at the Alix Med School admin office who was extremely hesitant to give me information regarding Dean Spencer. My gut tells me he knows something and is trying to hide it."
"Are you afraid this case might have more tenacles than we first thought?" asked Taylor.
"Exactly. And I think we must be cautious about how we proceed, what information we share, and with whom," responded Todd.
"So, what's your next move?" asked Detective Taylor.
Todd sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin as he stared at the wall before saying, "I am debating on whether to play good-agent or bad-agent when I interview Spencer. I'm leaning toward being the bad agent and maybe pushing Spencer, hoping he makes a critical move in contacting one of the higher-ups in this ring."
Todd remains silent momentarily, then verbalizes the concern he knows Taylor also has, "But now that we suspect Detective Bruce is also dirty. We need to rethink our backup team structures. I don't know who we can trust in the local PD departments."
"I know we can trust Captain James. Why don't I return to the office and see if he has any ideas? I know he will be uncomfortable because all we have on Bruce are assumptions. But he also understands the case, and maybe he has someone he trusts in the Rochester PD that could help us with backup," suggested Taylor.
"But, we can't let Bruce get wind of our plans yet. That will be the tough part about having the local PD as backup," exclaimed Todd.
Detective Taylor smirked, suggesting, "Unless we put a plan into action and allow details to leak, so Bruce knows our anticipated strategy. Maybe he would make a mistake that would help us not only nail him as a dirty cop but lead us to one of his contacts."
"I like that. You take care of talking with Captain James and see if he'll help us with that plan, and I will go and have a little chat with Mr. Spencer. We can make contact later this afternoon, see where we're at, and determine our best next step," agreed Todd.