A suspect

Chapter 13

The fireplace from Kate's hotel room seemed to be sending sparks out but it was Daniel who was making her feel warm inside. She couldn't seem to avoid his gaze, so intense and restlessly searching, as his eyes pleaded with her to stay.

"Daniel, I don't know what you want from me," she seemed to whisper the words.

Daniel didn't speak for a time. His gaze fell to her lips and Kate knew exactly what he was thinking. And she wanted it too.

"You're in my thoughts all the time, Kate," he admitted, as she slightly gasped and blood rushed to her cheeks.

His words were so startling, so intimate. Kate experienced a sweet sensation, an ache that had to do more with her body than heart. Her insides tightened.

"I...I...feel the same way, too," Kate responded, as she sent him a steady gaze.

Daniel's hand came up to lightly to caress her cheek. She brought her hand up to feel the warm, masculine back of his hand, so different from hers. And she couldn't stop herself from exploring the shape of his long bones, the hard angles of his wrists.

The silence deepened except for the sound coming from the sputtering fireplace. Daniel moved forward and Kate's nerves clamored with excited alarm. He took her mouth in a swift, glancing kiss. It was short and sweet, but Kate felt her whole body quivering in response.

When he separated from her, he had a look of surprise.

"Kate," he muttered, "that...kiss we shared at the night of the dance...it wasn't a fluke, was it?"

Kate already felt she was in a haze; it was beginning to be difficult for her to think.

"I'm not sure," she stated breathlessly, "so maybe I need some convincing..."

He didn't need any more encouragement as he leaned into her again.

His mouth moved over hers and she felt weak all over. Kate reached around his neck to pull him even closer. Gathering her into the hard support of his body, he leaned her back until she was lying prone on the bedsheet on the floor of their makeshift picnic. His body rested above hers as her limbs because weighed with pleasure. He was exploring her slowly, the tip of his tongue stroking, tasting.

The slow kiss was suddenly eclipsed by passion, a desire changing to a white-hot need. Daniel could feel her surrendering to him as his mouth fused to her, as the kiss became deep and hard. Her entire body went pliant and all Daniel wanted was more of Kate.

At last he tore his mouth from hers.

"Daniel?" Kate's eyes were wide and wondering.

"Kate..." he was breathing shakily. How could he explain he wanted more than just this one night, that if they started this, it would change their entire dynamics and he was afraid of that?

"I...I..." he faltered and sat up, rubbing his head and looking dazed.

He looked away. Kate also sat up. Daniel was not the only one who was confused. The only comfort she found was that whatever she had imagine about Daniel, the feelings were there and very real. She gently touched his cheek.

"It's okay, Daniel, I understand."

He reached out and held her, trying to tell her in other ways what his words could not. He pulled her head against his chest and held her lovingly, trying to stop the trembling -not from her, but from his own body.

"I wished I did," he said softly.

Kate rested her head quietly in his embrace. She could feel his heart beating rapidly as one of his hands traversed her back and side. A tremor passed through her body and she closed her eyes to feel the slow ripple of relief. Maybe when this case was over...

But for now, this would have to be enough.

.

Early morning, Daniel and Kate caught a ride back from Serena's chartered plane. No more mention was made of last night's embrace, but that didn't mean it was forgotten. Though there were unanswered questions about what had occurred between them, neither was ready to talk about it just yet. They needed to stay focused on the case.

.

Daniel was relieved when he arrived home and no envelope was laying in wait at his doorstep.

"Lewicki, I'm back!" he announced, when he entered the house.

Footsteps could be heard and Lewicki appeared from upstairs, "Hey, Doc, welcome back! Hope you found what you were looking for in Boston."

"Not quite," Daniel stated, as he went and laid Saturday's mail on the kitchen table, "at least there wasn't a mystery envelope with cutout letters waiting for me," Daniel said as he once again pondered the meaning of HYSTICS.

A horrifying thought entered Daniel's mind: What if he NEVER figured out what those letters meant? He would forever be haunted with those letters, seeing them in his dream, wishing that...

"Doc?" Lewicki burst into his thoughts, "You okay? You want me to get you anything? Some hot tea?"

"Hmm?" it was hard for Daniel to get back to reality, "uh, sure, Max, that would be nice."

While Max went over, filled the tea kettle with water and put it on the stove, Daniel was tossing out junk mails and advertising circulars in the trash.

His eyes landed back on the envelopes filled with the letters HYSTCS. The tea kettle whistled and Max poured a cup of tea for Daniel. He then joined Daniel at the small kitchen table. He couldn't help but notice how distracted Daniel was.

"Doc, I think you should forget about the mystery of those letters," Max told him to ease his mind, "they didn't help you at all solve this case. Maybe we were right to begin with. It was just a prank and had nothing to do with this Hilda Jones thing."

"Nooo, I think it's all related," Daniel said, more to himself as he pondered the letters again.

"You seem so troubled, Doc," Lewicki stated, "I thought the Boston trip was supposed to answer some questions."

"Some," Daniel said, forcing thoughts about Kate from his mind, "You know those people you trustingly invited to my party, our neighbors, the Claytons? Turns out they are under witness protection."

Lewicki's eyes got very large, "Really? Witness Protection? "

"Yes," Daniel confirmed as he told Max how the mob was determined to get the bar that Hilda Jones and her brother owned and how they had murdered the brother. Then Tom Clayton, aka Trey Canto had turned state's evidence against his underlings and his identity was changed to protect him and Jenny from retribution by fellow mobsters.

"Wow," Lewicki took a sip of his tea, "This whole thing sounds like a mystery spy novel!"

"It does, at that," Daniel responded absent-mindedly, "and I think there is enough to bring in Tom Clayton for questioning in the murder of Hilda Jones."

"So why doesn't Kate do it?" Lewicki asked.

"Technically, it isn't her case," Daniel said, "It's supposedly being handled by this smug, annoying detective...named Rock, or Stone or whatever."

Lewicki shrugged, "So why not tell him what you have?"

Daniel turned and looked directly at Lewicki, "I should, shouldn't I?" Daniel questioned himself, "I guess I hate the idea of him taking credit for something he didn't do."

"Well, whether or not he's annoying, it's more important that a criminal is put away, right?

"I suppose," said Daniel, taking a sip, "but that still doesn't make me happy."

"Well, while you are being your usual unhappy self," Lewicki proposed, "you won't mind if I go to the library for a few hours, do you? My study group is meeting there and then we plan to go out for dinner. I've got your meal prepared for you already in the refrigerator."

"Yes, go, go.." Daniel casually brushed him away, not really paying attention, for his mind was already focused on the phone call. He quickly got up and went to the phone and dialed police headquarters, and asked to speak to a Detective Stone.

"Stone, here," he responded.

It didn't take long for Daniel to explain his theory about the neighbor's true identity.

After the long explanation, all he heard was a sigh from Detective Stone, "Listen, Pierce," he finally said, "Your FBI pal already called me with the info and I am telling you the same thing I told her. You two are way off base."

Daniel was in a state of surprise, but he shouldn't have been, knowing how Stone always doubted his theories.

"What? But everything seems to fit!" he insisted.

"Actually we have someone else in custody now for the murder of HIlda Jones," he finally announced.

"Who's that?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge the name," the detective said over the phone, "let's just say it was another drifter in town, someone who previously had a beef with Hilda Jones. They were in an argument just two days ago. I bought him in and he claims he doesn't remember where he was that fatal night because he was drunk as a skunk, but he doesn't deny anything, ether."

"But the knife!" Daniel was getting agitated, "How do you explain how he got my knife?"

"We'll having CSU dusting it for fingerprints, but the lab hasn't given me the results yet."

"But it couldn't be who you say it was!" Daniel's voice was uptight, "Your guy couldn't have been the killer! He was never at my party!"

"You know how parties are," Detective Stone rationalized, "They get crazy and wild with people going in and out and soon you don't know who was and was not at the place. That's parties for you!"

"Not one of mine!" Daniel insisted.

"Look, Pierce, I've probably said too much to you anyways. I've got a viable suspect and that's all that matters," the detective sounded smug now, "We've discuss this enough."

"No, I'm telling you...Tom Clayton is the... -hello? hello?" Daniel stared at the receiver of the phone. Detective Stone had hung up.

Daniel had no choice but to hang up, too. He was stunned by the detective's refusal to discuss the possibility of Tom Clayton's involvement in this case. He realized it was pure speculation on his part, but still, the detective needed to be more receptive.

As Daniel sighed with disappointment, his internal mind kicked in: Natalie had crossed her arms as she watched Daniel from across the small table.

"The detective was right about one thing, Daniel," Natalie reminded him, "This isn't your case and for once, it isn't Kate's case, either. Let the appropriate law enforcement agency handle this."

"It's just that this...this Detective Stone is being completely pigheaded!" Daniel noted.

Natalie knowingly folded her arms and smirked "Look who's talking!"

Daniel stared at Natalie, "I'm sure I don't know WHAT you mean!"

Natalie tilted her head, "Nevertheless," she sounded serious now, "there could be a very good reason why the detective is being so hard-headed about listening to you."

Daniel faced his hallucination, "Why? What do you mean?"

"It's just," Natalie stated, "that when someone is moved to the Witness Protection Program, local law enforcement officers must be told of their presence in their community. Of course, they are bound to secrecy unless circumstances warrant a breach. Chances are, Stone probably already knew about Trey Canto and he was probably trying to protect the identity of the state's witness."

That reasoning left Daniel speechless for a second as he stared at his hallucinatory friend.

"And how, Natalie, did you become so smart regarding law enforcement matters?"

Natalie smiled knowingly, "When you and I BOTH started hanging around Kate Moretti!"

.

.

(A/N: I would have loved Daniel to stay with Kate, but remember, this is only season 1. We still have season 2 to plod through, where they barely even noticed one another. LOL)

Please review.