Chapter Seven
As Jane retraced her steps back toward the elevator, following slowly behind Maura, she pressed her phone against her ear. "Frost and Korsak shouldn't have gotten too far," she said. "We can redirect them, depending on where this rehab facility is. We just need to find out where it is."
Maura nodded, raising one crutch and pressing the elevator button with its tip. She smiled at her own ingenuity, pleased with her ability to employ them in a somewhat useful manner.
Jane darted an amused glance at her. "Putting those to good use, huh?"
"They serve a multitude of purposes," Maura affirmed with a content nod.
"Hey, Frost," Jane said, cinching her brow as she spoke quickly into the phone, her words hurried with the adrenaline that had come with their newest lead. "I may have another location for you to scout out. Just give me ten minutes." She paused, the furrow between her eyes deepening. "What is that god-awful racket?"
Maura glanced over at her, curious, and cocked an eyebrow as Jane rolled her eyes.
"Tell Korsak that doesn't count as rock 'n roll," she said, hanging up without a goodbye. As the elevator dinged its arrival, she followed Maura inside and raised a finger to punch the third floor button, but the blonde beat her to it, once again utilizing her newly discovered method. She gave Jane a satisfied smile.
"It really is about the little things for you, isn't it?" Jane asked as the doors closed.
Maura twitched an eye at her, secretly comforted by the teasing, but she chose to change the subject to something that had nagged her since she'd arrived at the lab that morning. "I looked at the results from the water Korsak managed to obtain from the river, and the levels aren't as high as I would suspect if Moore were dumping all of his runoff into it. Fracking produces hundreds tons of fluids at a time, most of comprised of chemical compounds."
"So, he's dumping it on other sights," Jane replied confidently. "Clearly he has more than a few. Plenty of fresh water to go around. Just like at the reservoir."
Maura didn't seem convinced. "Even so, if he's utilizing disposal wells they could cause a plethora or problems: methane leaking, explosions, groundwater contamination. Finding the boring wells is only one piece of the puzzle. It's imperative to find where the fracking fluids are being disposed of, if only to prevent a major disaster."
"Major enough to negotiate a plea?" Jane frowned. "I can already smell the cushy sentence Moore will get if he can use this as a bargaining chip once Korsak and Frost catch up with him."
As they stepped into the small hallway leading to Jane's desk, a fellow detective passed by them, his suit rumpled and a faint five o'clock shadow coloring his jaw. "Nice battle wound you got there, Doc," he said with a colluding grin and a clap on Maura's shoulder that nearly toppled her over.
Maura didn't seem to mind, smiling widely as he stepped into the vacated elevator. Rarely, in her capacity, hidden as she was down in the morgue, had she been privy to such camaraderie from detectives. "Wow," she bubbled, following Jane through the small doorway to a cluster of desks. "I've never been on the receiving end of an auxiliary kudo; it's quite exhilarating."
Jane flung a grin over her shoulder. "And all it took was nearly losing a leg," she said, chuckling at Maura's seemingly insatiable enthusiasm for even the most trivial of gestures.
Jane stopped short, tilting her head at the sight of Frankie sitting at her desk, bent over what she presumed was the Moore case file. As she made her way toward him she couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion for her younger brother. She had worked just as hard as he had to be promoted to detective, although for her that meant donning a mini skirt and a feigned coke habit. In comparison, her brother had it much easier, but that didn't mean he wasn't pushing himself to make his first big break, and she held a little pride for him. "Come across something we haven't?" she asked, walking up behind him.
He shook his head, running a hand over his gelled hair, his thin lips pursed into a tight bow. "Nothing," he said, dejectedly.
As Maura sidled up to them, Jane kicked the chair he sat in, jerking her thumb upwards. "Get up," she deadpanned. He scowled up at her, annoyed, but his expression softened as he saw her motion for Maura to take the seat.
"I'm just relieved they don't call me 'Queen of the Dead' anymore," Maura sighed happily as she sat, still clearly on a high from casual praise.
"Oh no, they still call you that," Jane replied nonchalantly, leaning over her to reach her computer keyboard.
Maura gave her a disappointed frown, glancing up at Frankie for confirmation, and he nodded apologetically. "We always call 'em out, though," he assured her, although it didn't do much to erase the furrowed lines that knitted her forehead.
"Let's see," Jane said, jabbing her fingers across the keys. "Rehab facilities, Western Massachusetts, 'a newer and better you'."
She scrolled through her search results before floating over one that stood out among the rest. "Ah ha," she said, pointing to the blue link. Maura followed her gaze and Frankie hovered over the two of them as Jane recited the text on the page, which floated over a serene image of a babbling brook. "'New Horizons rehab facility, owned and operated by Whole Life Works'." She pointed towards Frost's computer. "Frankie, check those documents that are pulled up and let's see if this is a subsidiary of Moore's catchall company."
Frankie slumped into Frost's chair and searched through the electronic records Jane had only begun to sift through earlier. "Bingo," he said with a nod. "Launched in 2009, owned by the same parent company as Sensei Mata Yoga Retreat." He squinted, running his cursor over the screen. "Looks like Moore's business ventures really run the gamut," he said. "There's everything from rehab to yoga to wastewater treatment."
Maura's head bolted up at him, her eyes burning towards the computer, and she leaned forward with a sudden interest. "Wastewater treatment?" she asked urgently. "Where is it?"
"Maura's got a thing for wastewater," Jane cut in, grinning, and simply shrugged as she was met with a pointed look.
Frankie ignored his sister, shaking his head. "Don't know; this looks like it's just headquarters or something. Unless this rehab facility actually is in the middle of Las Vegas." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "Which could be kinda convenient, I guess. Plenty of use for rehab there."
Maura shook her head, a thoughtful finger pressing against her lower lip. "No, it's a dummy address, used for tax purposes only. Nevada has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the country." She cocked her head. "Although globally, the United States has the highest corporate tax rate of any developed nation, so relatively speaking - "
"Hey Maur?" Jane interrupted quickly, putting a hand on her knee to halt whatever tirade was about to spill unwittingly from her brain. "How about we stay on topic?"
Maura nodded, used to such interruptions, and leaned over to look at the screen on Jane's computer. "Is there no address on the website you found?"
Jane floated her cursor along the page. "This hasn't been updated in over nine months. All it says is that it's comfortably settled along the Ashley River."
Maura brightened, raising an enthusiastic finger. "Oh! I know that river. It's a tributary off Ashley Lake, near Pittsfield. There's a heightened concentration of Edwardian Newts along the shallower eddies. I used to research them there with my college Freshwater Newtonian club." She paused, waving a less than humble hand. "I came up with the name."
Jane shared a glance with Frankie, treading carefully and trying to prevent an internal smirk from curling her lips. "The Freshwater Newtonians?" she repeated slowly. "I bet you had to turn people away for admission into that club, huh?"
"I recognize that you are making fun of me, because you're jealous of my ability to wittily employ anthimeric devices to create club names, but yes, we did indeed have to turn people down for our weekend trips to the river."
"Why?"
Maura pursed her lips, her jaw clenching with the desire to tell a lie, but she could only offer the truth. "Only five people could fit safely into my Volkswagen."
Jane chuckled, perching on her desk and glancing down at her. "You are tirelessly amusing," she said, briefly lost in the hazel eyes that smiled up at her.
Maura held her gaze, enjoying the line of intimacy that seemed to connect the two of them, no matter where they were: morgue, precinct, crime scene. Buoyed by a fleeting weightlessness, she continued, her brain tirelessly computing their available options. "Well, the shale ridge is in Western Massachusetts, and so was the yoga retreat, so it seems logical that the rehab facility is close by as well. It's also in the vicinity where Moore was allegedly spotted by this culturally-referenced Barney Phife."
Jane nodded, bringing up a map of the river on her computer, which snaked a thin line of blue across the left half of Massachusetts. "Right," she said. "Judging by this, we've got time to catch up with Korsak and Frost. They haven't been gone more than half an hour." She glanced up at her brother, for once eager to give him an opportunity. "Come on Frankie, you can ride with me." She straightened, her shoulders broadening with the anticipation of tracking a perp.
It was a posture that Maura had seen before, and she gave an imperceptible shake of her head before reaching out abruptly with one crutch and blocking Jane's path to the hallway. "There will be no field trips," she blurted, her voice thin with apprehension, which she attempted to reign in with mere logic. "Frost and Korsak are already on their way. You can simply reroute them." They had been through more than enough when dealing with Moore for the first time. The thought that Jane would rush off to face him again was more than worrisome; it was unnerving.
"Where's the fun in that?" Jane argued, glancing at Frankie. "We broke this lead, we should be there, too." A protectiveness had suddenly cloaked her shoulders, weighing them down. She wanted Moore to pay for what he had done, but more than that she wanted the satisfaction that came with arresting him with her own two hands. "And who knows, they might need back up. We certainly could have used it."
"No," Maura corrected, raising a slightly quivering finger, her alarm morphing quickly into exasperation. "Rondo broke this lead, and I'm more than fine if you want to send him to follow Korsak and Frost." This time, she tried appealing to more than simple rationality. "You're coming home with me, remember?"
Jane peered down at Maura, cognizant of her brother's amused expression as he watched their exchange, but she shrugged it off. "What happened to all that stuff about facing your fears and me being one of the bravest people you know?" she reminded her.
Maura's words from the night before looped irritatingly through her head, but now it was her own fear motivating her sudden plea for her detective to stay. "Brave isn't the same thing as foolhardy, Jane."
"Foolhardy?" Jane repeated, grinning down at her, an amused twinkle in her eye. "Maybe you ought to go hang out at Andy Griffith and Barney Phife's precinct for a little while, Aunt Bee. Mayberry could use a few more 'foolhardy' folks."
Frankie snickered at the playful remark, but Jane's own excitement faded as she caught something more than just reason in Maura's eyes. It wasn't the usual chagrinned self-awareness, or even defiance. It was just simple, exposed worry, a feeling that had nearly debilitated Jane when they were caught in the woods, and she never wanted to be responsible for igniting that feeling in Maura. "You know what, maybe you have a point," she acquiesced, slowly reversing course. "There's no reason to traipse across half of Massachusetts if we've already got two well-equipped detectives on Moore's trail." She looked over at Frankie, hoping for confirmation. "Right?"
He shrugged. "Saves Boston taxpayers some gas money," he said, noncommittally, his own disappointment not overshadowing his reasoning. "And besides, you'd be putting the investigation at risk if you went yourself."
"And," Maura piped up, raising a finger and gesturing between herself and Jane. "This... experiment."
Frankie leaned casually back in his chair. "What experiment?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head.
"Yes, Maura, what experiment?" Jane echoed, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a playful eyebrow. For her part, she could shout about their newfound intimacy from the BPD roof, but she was eager to see how Maura would respond to her brother's familial curiosity.
She looked helplessly up at Jane before looking over at Frankie, seemingly at a loss for words that could be deemed truthful enough to ward off an allergic reaction. "The experiment that Jane and I are participating in – together – is to determine the cost-benefits of extrapolating some sort of hybrid relationship out of an existing, cohesive - "
"Oh for crying out loud," Jane said, bending over and placing a kiss squarely on Maura's lips, effectively silencing her loquacious explanation. She caught Frankie's raised eyebrows out of the corner of her eye as she broke the kiss and straightened, returning to her casual stance against her desk.
Frankie recovered quickly, grinning and clapping his hands in mock praise. "About time," he said. "Frost and I wondered how long it would take for the two of you to wake up and smell the - " he cleared his throat as Jane glared down at him, already anticipating his verbal misstep. "Uh, congrats," he finished, busying himself with the action figure on Frost's desk.
Jane glanced down at the crutch that was still passively blocking her way. "Maura, was my demonstration of romantic intent not a good enough gesture for you? I'm not going to run off to the boondocks and track down a homicidal fracker, I promise."
"I was simply being logical," Maura countered, unsettled by the quick onslaught of terror she felt at the thought of Jane recklessly chasing after Moore. After their night together, she was sure of the fact that she needed Jane in more ways than she had imagined; the thought of losing her had fanned a flame of fright that was only beginning to cool.
Jane smiled, leaning down to her. "I think you were being a little emotional," she whispered, as if sensing the internal struggle currently working its way through the shorter woman's circuitry. She stood, adopting an automated, sarcastically robotic tone: "Welcome to the human universe," she said, stiffly moving her arms as she brushed the crutch from her path.
Maura rolled her eyes, giving Jane a half sneer as she plucked her phone from her belt once again, stepping toward the door as she began to explain their findings to Frost. Maura turned her attention back to Frankie, giving him a weak smile. "I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable," she said, gesturing to Jane.
He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Are you kidding me? It was watching Tommy flirt with you that made me uncomfortable." He chuckled. "If Jane ever rides you too hard - " he stopped, his face reddening as he coughed into his hand. "I mean – what I meant was – " Maura suppressed a chuckle as he cleared his throat, finally opting to start over. "If Jane ever teases you too much or gets too annoying, just say these words: Sister Winifred Callaghan. It will stop her cold."
Maura smiled. "I'll remember that," she said. "Was that her dance instructor?"
He shook his head. "Nah, first grade teacher. The evilest woman that ever lived. It was like she took lessons from the devil himself."
They turned their attention to Jane, who sauntered back to them. "Frost and Korsak are going to head over to the river as soon as they stop into the Mayberry precinct. Make sure no one over there's being too foolhardy."
Frankie tossed Maura a knowing nod, mouthing the nun's name as a reminder and pulling a small smirk from her. "What's the point of all this fracking?" he asked, changing the subject and throwing his hands up. "If you ask me, it's too much risk."
Maura shrugged. "Natural gas is an expensive, burgeoning resource, with newfound economic potential. There's plenty of room for unregulated markets to flourish."
Jane's phone let out a distracting, apish grunt from its speaker, prompting her to glance down at it with a knowing grin. "Speaking of natural gas in unrelated markets," she said. "It's Pop." She skimmed the text that popped across her screen. "He wants some help moving some of Ma's old furniture to Good Will this weekend." Jane glanced conspiratorially at Frankie. "I say we volunteer Tommy."
"Done," Frankie replied.
Jane extended a hand to Maura, helping her up. "How about we go home and relax with lunch and a movie?"
"How about Scrabble?" Maura suggested, her eyes perking. "It helps prevent brain depletion as you age."
"Yeah, that's fair," Jane complained, calling after her as the blonde made her way slowly to the elevator. "Me playing Scrabble against a talking dictionary." She glanced back at her brother, who had already turned his attention back to the notes on her desk. "Frankie, is this your day off?" she asked suddenly, wondering why he didn't seem to have anything better to do than sit around at her station.
He seemed slightly embarrassed, but nodded. "I just thought I'd take in a few things. You never can have too much experience, right?"
She smiled down at him, a matronly f. "Listen, if Korsak or Frost need anything, I'm counting on you to step in, alright? If you don't mind doing so on your day off?"
He grinned up at her, his smile brightening, but his expression suddenly turned wary. "You're not on the case; do you have the power to do that?"
She rolled her eyes. "You see anyone else around here trying to give you a break?"
"Right," he nodded quickly, as if she were about to take back her offer. "Thanks, Jane."
"You're a good cop, Frankie," she said. "We all know that."
"I want to be a good detective," he emphasized, his eyes losing some of their luster.
"You're a Rizzoli, you're bound to be good at it. Sticking our noses where they don't belong is a family trait." She clapped him on his shoulder. "You'll get there, don't sweat it."
He shrugged off her hand in mock annoyance. "Go enjoy your "scrabble" game," he said with a snicker.
Jane tossed her head back at the Maura, who was leaning against her crutches at the elevators, her head angled toward a bulletin along the wall that had more than likely been read by no one but her. "It's Maura; that wasn't a code word. She literally wants to play Scrabble. All night long."
Frankie laughed. "Better you than Tommy."
Jane reached out, bumping his fist. "Thank you, my brother," she said with a laugh before walking to the elevator.
"We missed it," Maura said, pointing toward the unlit down button, which she immediately jabbed with the end of one crutch, the same pleased smile on her face.
"Will you stop it with the crutch?" Jane asked. "You do have two good arms, remember?"
Maura stared over at her, nonplussed, as the elevator doors opened and she ambled inside. The two glanced at one another, each eyeing the button for the Lobby level. Maura made no move towards it, but instead waited until Jane reached forward, preempting her jab at the last second with the tip of her crutch. Jane feigned a scowl, but her lips curled into an unintentional smile.
"You know," Maura said, as the floor lurched downward. "If you don't want to play Scrabble, I'll just play my new Words with Friends application."
Jane glanced over at her, rolling on the balls of her feet. "Do you have any cyborg friends to play with?" she asked.
Maura frowned at the question. This was the second time in less than an hour Jane had pinned her into offering a less than gloating answer. "No, I do not."
Jane smiled widely, pointing both of her thumbs sarcastically inward toward herself. "Then I guess you'll just have to make do with a real, live girl," she gushed.
As they passed by the cafe, Angela waved them over, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she looked sternly at each of them in turn. "You two promise me to go home and stay home," she demanded.
"Yes, Ma, we're on our way," Jane replied. "We're just going to pick up some lunch." She shared a look with Maura. "Maybe you need to forward your phone tracking reports to this one," she said, jerking her thumb at her mother. "That way she can nag without having to actually nag."
"I can make you something to go," Angela offered. "The special today is corned beef hash or the tuna melt."
Maura cringed, looking pleadingly up at Jane. "Please not another sandwich," she said quietly, her politeness keeping her from giving an outright decline.
"Goodbye, Ma," Jane said, giving her an emphatic wave. "Come on Words with No Friends, let's go," she said, ushering Maura toward the double doors.
"How about Whole Foods?" Maura asked. "There's a variety. We'll grab something to go."
Jane turned up her nose, but sighed as she followed Maura down the exit ramp and toward her car, which was parked just a few yards away. "Fine, you're the injured one. I can run in and get something."
"No," Maura protested, shaking her head as she peered up at her. "I don't trust you inside a Whole Foods."
"Maura, you're on crutches."
"Exactly, which means this will be my only form of exercise for the next couple of weeks. Humor me."
"I always humor you," Jane said, rounding the side of the car and slumping inside. "Do they have cheesesteaks?" she asked as they pulled away from the curb, prompting Maura to chuckle before rolling her eyes.
No matter how many times she entered a Whole Foods, Jane inevitably ended up lost, and this occasion was no different. Maura immediately limped over to the prepared foods section, leaving Jane standing amidst the small farm that was the produce station. She meandered through the aisles, thoughtfully taking a sample here and there before eventually making her way down the beer aisle. It was then that she regretted not taking one of the tiny grocery carts that she had made fun of on her way in.
She turned a corner, and found herself facing a wall of feminine vitamins, most of which contained the word "yeast", and turned quickly, finally spotting Maura at the food counter. A chiseled, sandy-haired man in a suit bent towards the display case with her, pointing at a rainbow-colored salad of some sort. His tie was slightly loose, giving off an intentionally casual look, and Jane immediately distrusted him. He had probably spent more time in front of his mirror perfecting his disheveled look than Jane spent preparing for a date. She sauntered up to the two of them, giving him a pointed stare. "Finding everything okay?" she asked.
He tossed a glance over his shoulder, and Jane put her hands on her hips, not so casually revealing her badge. "Uh, we sure are," he said quickly as he straightened, glancing back at Maura. "I was just recommending the wheat germ encrusted salmon."
"How lovely," Jane replied with an exaggerated smile. "Sorry, but this one's on a wheat sperm - excuse me - wheat germ-free diet."
Maura looked up at her, mortified, and quickly covered, giving the man an apologetic smile. "That's right, I am allergic to wheat germ. But it looks delicious," she offered.
"Uh huh," he said, glancing down at his basket and studying the items inside, intentionally avoiding the dark eyes that were still locked on him. "Well, uh, you two ladies enjoy your afternoon." He cleared his throat, the sound resembling more of a choked cough, as he brushed past the two of them, ducking down the next aisle as quickly as his loafers would take him.
"Why did you scare away that nice man?" Maura questioned.
"Because he was taking advantage of a walkingly challenged woman."
Maura laughed up at her. "That is not a word that can be utilized as an adverb. And I am not some damsel that needs you to rescue her, Jane."
The comment was meant in jest, but Jane's eyes darkened slightly at the memory of Maura's calm demeanor when she had clearly and explicitly described the process of saving her own leg. "I know," she replied quietly, but shook the anxiety from her chest. Maura was more than apt at taking care of herself, whether it be through decapitating a leg or politely declining male advances. That didn't mean she couldn't do her part, though.
Jane eyed the container she held, which, to her, looked as if someone had stuffed leaves inside it and stuck a price tag on top of it. "Who's that for, Bass?"
"No, it's for us; it's a kale salad."
Jane shook her head, sneering down at it. "That is not happy-people food."
"No, it's healthy people food."
"Fine," Jane said, holding up her own selection. "I got this to go with it." She brandished a pizza that she'd plucked from the frozen food aisle. "Look, there's even spinach on it."
"That's basil."
"Well, it's green, isn't it?"
Maura laughed. "One day, you won't have the metabolism of a twenty-year-old, remember that."
"Then I'm lucky I found you while I still do," Jane retorted gleefully, leaning over and kissing her lightly on the cheek.
Maura smiled at the feel of her lips, that same feeling of weightlessness lifting her higher onto her good foot as she angled her cheek upwards. "How are you so charming half the time and so off-putting the rest?" she asked quizzically.
"The appropriate term is 'fiery'," Jane quipped back at her, recalling Constance's description. She leaned over, thumbing through the spread of prepared food. "Sure you're not in the mood for some wheat sperm fish?" she asked.
Maura rolled her eyes. "You are not coming home with me if you say that again."
Not one to test her limits too far, Jane kept her comments to herself until they reached the car, where she piled the bags and crutches neatly in the back seat. Their ride was quiet, the rumble of the engine and passing row houses enough to keep them both happily occupied. Maura's hand found its way over the middle console, resting casually on Jane's thigh, holding a promise of more closeness once they arrived home.
"You know, when you're all patched up, I think we should get out of the city," Jane suggested, casually glancing out the rearview mirror, as if she hasn't been stewing over the idea for most of their drive. "We should take advantage of warmer weather and hit up a beach." After finally glimpsing Maura's body, she saw no reason to be holed up in a cabin; showing her off in a swimsuit seemed much more preferable.
"Oh, Chateau du Monde!" Maura breathed, clearly appreciating the idea. "My mother would love to host us for a weekend. The water is absolutely beautiful; the pH content is by far the best in Europe."
"Wow," Jane said, surprised by Maura's enthusiasm, but also secretly relieved by it. "I am going to enjoy the perks that come with dating you." She tossed a smile over at her. "You don't think Constance would mind an unrefined Italian crashing her French chateau for a weekend?"
"Despite what you think, my mother is quite taken by you," Maura returned. "She's fascinated by androgyny."
Jane frowned, unsure of whether that would actually constitute a compliment to anyone outside of the Isles family, but she shrugged, brushing it off and instead focusing on the idea of a weekend alone with Maura. "Well, then, I say we do it. I've never been to France."
"I would love to see it with you," Maura sighed happily.
"Yes, the veil of sarcasm does truly make a difference," Jane said with a laugh. "I'm happy to oblige."
"We could always invite your mother, too," Maura said thoughtfully. "Has she ever seen France?"
Jane stared over at her with an open mouth. "Are you being serious?" she asked. "Over my dead body. The closest my mother will get to a French chateau is Le Maura Guest House. This vacation would be strictly for us."
Maura chuckled. "Fine. But let it be noted that I am a nice, polite experimental girlfriend."
Jane nodded, placating her. "Yes, you are the nicest robot I've ever dated. All the other humans are very jealous."
As Maura's house loomed before them, and Jane pulled into the narrow drive, a sigh came from the passenger's seat. "Jane, I really am going to have to go back to work soon. I can't take being at home all day."
Jane leaned over the center console, cupping Maura's chin and guiding her closer and pressing her lips against hers, an action she was finding harder and harder to resist. "Well, it's my job to keep you here for the next few days," she said. "Any suggestions on how I can make it more tolerable for you?"
Maura returned the kiss, deepening it slightly by letting her tongue slip quickly inside Jane's mouth. "I think my right brain is advanced enough to come up with a few."
Jane idled in the narrow drive, pointing towards Maura's back entryway, which was hidden behind an ivy-covered wall. "Why don't you go ahead and slip into those silk pajamas so I can slip you out of them?"
Maura smiled, but her expression turned serious, and she shook her head. "I can't put on pajamas this early," she scoffed, gesturing toward the dress she wore. "Not when I'm wearing a Carolina Herrera."
Jane sighed, resigned to saving her sweet talk for another time. "I'll park and bring the food in," she offered, preferring to leave a space in the drive for her mother. If she didn't, she would most certainly hear about it. "But not before I give those damn cops and earful for letting you leave so easily this morning."
"Be gentle," Maura encouraged as she lifted herself out of the car. "Remember, I can be charming, too, when I want to be."
"The appropriate term is 'bossy'," Jane called out of the window as she watched Maura walk towards the back door. She backed her own car slowly into the street, where she found parking surprisingly easy, thanks to the midday hour. Jane slunk out of the car, grabbing the food from the backseat and shielding her eyes against the sun as she started toward the unmarked car that sat along the curb. She waved, but the officers didn't bother returning the gesture, as she got closer, she let out an irritated sigh. Both of the their heads were reclined on their seats, their eyes closed. "Great, Boston's finest," she muttered, rapping harshly on the window.
The passenger door was slightly ajar, and Jane bristled as she jerked it open. The cop fell immediately towards her, nothing but dead weight, and as she caught him, dropping the bag of food, she noticed the tranquilizer dart sticking out of his neck.
"Jesus," she said, pushing him quickly upright, searching for a pulse, which was faint under her fingertips. "Shit."
Fumbling with the car radio, she was suddenly all thumbs as she struggled to jerk it towards her. "Officer down at 3340 Beacon Place, send backup immediately." Her voice shook, and the radio slipped out of her hands as she fumbled for her own phone at her belt buckle. Her world has suddenly tipped beneath her feet, and she struggled to orient herself as her fingers quickly dialed Frankie. "Shit," she muttered as his voicemail popped up, her pulse suddenly catching up with her instinct. "Maura," she said softly, forcing her legs to move. As if on cue, a strangled cry pierced the eery tranquility around her.
"Jane!"
It wasn't a cop's instinct that kicked in; if it had been, she would have moved stealthily toward the house, not giving away her position. But her panic had already exploded in her chest, and the only thing she could do was yell the one name that fluttered through her: "Maura!" She ran at full speed, the quietness of the street mocking her as her boots beat against the pavement, echoing the pounding of her heart.
In my fanfic world, cliffhangers don't last more than eighteen hours. I promise. Yell, scream, etc. Just do it in review-form. Thank you so much for reading - I love hearing from you!
Ren, Cat, thanks for the read-through :)
