Digging deeper
Sharon's viewpoint
For the third night in a row Brenda and I were going over files and leads late into the night.
We'd set up in my office as no one willingly came anywhere near FID if they could help it, ensuring we weren't disturbed. Brenda would order our dinner delivered around seven and bring it down to my office and we'd start.
When we'd first started digging I really thought we'd not find anything, that it was a bungled arrest gone wrong. Unfortunately as we dug further we started to see patterns emerging that had me worried.
In two of Kennedy's previous OIS investigations, he'd been investigating an anonymous tip which had gone wrong, leaving a dead victim. Both cases had been resolved as an appropriate use of force given the evidence available, but looking back at them from a different viewpoint it became apparent that the similarities were starting to stack up.
I concentrated on looking at the OIS files while Brenda dived into the investigation files, looking at how Kennedy and Powell had come to be at Dimery's apartment and at the victim's background.
Around ten thirty Brenda had looked up at me and dragged my attention back from a prior OIS file.
"Sharon, don't you think it's a little strange that Mr Dimery doesn't seem to really exist much before three and a half years ago?"
"What do you mean" She shrugged.
"I mean there's records for driver's licences and the like before that, but their all pretty non-descript, almost suspiciously so. Do you honestly believe that someone can live in LA for decades and have no meaningful interaction with law enforcement or the city and California bureaucracy?"
"None, none at all?" She shook her head.
"I mean there's the usual stuff, but it's all vanilla, all pro forma stuff. As for actual personal interactions, there's practically none until a little over three years ago" I frowned, a memory stirring, something from a very long time ago. Standing, I walked over to stand behind Brenda, looking over her shoulder as she tapped a printout on her lap.
"See, everything before this date was just an automated receipt, it's only after then that we see cash payments, credit cards, signatures, all the evidence of a real person. Before that, nada"
Resting my left hand on her left shoulder, I leaned over her right to get a better look as I took in the information Brenda had highlighted, suddenly becoming intimately aware of how close we were standing. Close enough that her hair was tickling my cheek, close enough that I could take in her orchid scent of her perfume and the gentle coconut smell of her shampoo. I had to concentrate to focus on what she was showing me.
Turning my attention to the papers Brenda was holding, my suspicions suddenly crystallised. I'd seen something like this before, years ago.
"I think I might have an answer Brenda. I think Dimery was in Witness Security, I've encountered something like this before. I had a murder victim who was in Witsec, over a decade ago and it turned out their background looked just like that, the pre-fabricated background they do before dropping someone into a new identity" I felt her curls brush my cheek as she nodded.
"Makes sense, it'd explain why he seemed to just appear as a person all at once, everything before that was getting a background set up. He only became Dimery three and a half years ago" I nodded, all too aware of how close we were, I should step back, but acting on an impulse, I turned my head and kissed her softly on the cheek, then stood up
"Nice job honey" I looked down at Brenda to see her blushing, before she turned to look up at me with a shy smile on her lips.
"If that's the reward I get for doing a good job, I should work with you more often" I laughed as I walked around her, lightly trailing one hand across her shoulders as I did, before making my way back to my seat.
"If we're right, we need to find out some more information" Brenda nodded.
"We could get Maura to have a look at Dimery again, check if he's had any cosmetic surgery" I considered that for a bit as Brenda had a thought.
"Should we ask Ana to make some enquiries with the FBI?"I thought about that for a moment, before realising who managed the program.
"We could, but we really need to have a chat to the Justice Department, they oversee the WitSec program" Brenda gave that some thought.
"You have any contacts in Justice you can trust?" I nodded, remembering someone I dealt with there on other matters.
"Yeah, one of the senior guys over there, he'll give me a hearing at least" Brenda looked thoughtful as she considered my words.
"I suppose that's all we could hope for really"
"I'll make the call tomorrow morning" She nodded before turning her attention back to the files in front of her, sorting through and pulling two out for closer inspection.
About 10 minutes later Brenda looked up.
"When you're talking to your Justice Department contact, ask them about these two as well; Jose Rodriguez and Hector Garcia. Both look like they have the same manufactured backgrounds, same as Dimery. I'm guessing both were WitSec covers as well" I felt sick to my stomach.
"Oh shit, all three?" Brenda nodded distractedly, flipping between sheets in two different files.
"Looks like. Same backgrounds, nothing personal until a certain date, then a more normal pattern, so if you're right about Dimery being WitSec, then I'd bet both of these were too" I thought that over, not liking where my train of thought was taking me.
"If you're right, Kennedy was fingering WitSec relocatee's via supposedly anonymous tip offs then gunning them down" Brenda chewed her bottom lip for a moment.
"But why risk the chance of being discovered. I mean a FID investigation's no fun and he might've been caught in any of them"
"I'm not so sure. In both previous cases he was cleared, mostly on the evidence provided by his partner, Powell…" Brenda finished that thought.
"Who has to be in on it to make it work? Oh Sharon, this looks very bad" I nodded, feeling a scowl appearing on my face at the thought of rogue cops.
"You're telling me, I've had a sick feeling on this since you first suggested it. In particular that I should have caught it much earlier" Brenda wasn't buying that, her voice was firm.
"You didn't have the evidence you had in this one, plus Maura's autopsy results to raise your suspicions, without them you would've had no choice but to clear the shoot" I nodded slowly.
"But what's in it for them? They must be getting something in return?" Brenda frowned at the file I front of her for a good 30 seconds before speaking.
"Can we get access to their financial records? I mean I can't without a court order but does FID have some kind of special ability…" I shook my head.
"No, I'd need a court order as well. We couldn't keep that quiet for long, snooping around in a fellow officer's financials attracts attention and people would talk" Brenda pursed her lips for a moment.
"What about a request via the FBI. We could ask Anastasia for help" I thought about it for a second.
"We could, but we'd have to brief her in on why"
"Well, we could meet her for coffee and brief her outside the building, keep it quiet as possible" I thought about that, it might work.
"OK, let's see if we can set up something in the morning"
With that we both went back to work, cross referencing information in different files, looking for similarities. After another half hour of that I leaned back in the chair and stretched, before settling back to look at my companion.
I contemplated Brenda sitting in the none-too comfortable chair on the other side of my desk, balancing two files and a notepad and pen as she compared information and made notes.
"Y'know honey, when I envisioned spending nights with you, this wasn't quite how I saw it happening" She looked up and grinned at me.
"Oh really? How'd you see it?"
"I don't know, I sort of imagined dinner, dancing, kissing and cuddling, that sort of thing" I shrugged, trying to make it not sound like that big a deal, but Brenda saw right through me, hitting me with her trademark 1000 watt smile.
"Why Sharon, you romantic softie you" I felt my cheeks warm.
"Don't tell anyone, my reputation as the Ice Queen of the LAPD would be ruined" Her laughter was warm and rich.
"Oh sweetie, that reputation was shot with me a long time ago"
"Well as long as it's only with you then that's ok" She winked at me.
"Your secret is safe with me" We shared a smile before going back to work.
We were both silent for a few minutes as we flipped papers before Brenda spoke again, her voice light and teasing.
"Shouldn't we be doing the whole dating thing sweetie? I'd hate for you to think I was going to tumble into bed with just anyone" I smiled at the image of Brenda 'tumbling into bed' before replying.
"Honey, I thought that's what we've been doing for the past 12 months?" Her voice was soft as her warm brown eyes met mine and a smile appeared.
"Oh, yeah, that" I couldn't stop teasing her.
"Well what else would you call what we've been doing" Her smile grew into a grin.
"Really Sharon? Here I was thinking you were being my friend and now I find out your intentions weren't entirely honourable" I matched her grin.
"Honey, my intentions are entirely honourable. I want you to make an honest woman of me"
"Really, I thought it was the other way round"
"Nope, I'm the scarlet woman corrupting you; it's up to you to save me" I didn't miss her smirk.
"Sweetie, I can't even save myself, let alone you" I lifted one eyebrow at her.
"Then we're both going to hell in a hand basket aren't we?"
"Nothings changed then, has it?" We laughed for a moment, before subsiding into smiles. We returned to flipping pages and comparing files for a few minutes before her voice came to me, soft and pensive.
"You don't mind waiting on me do you Sharon?" I looked up; I couldn't hide the surprise on my face.
"Of course not honey, why would I?" Brenda looked uncertain, cute but uncertain.
"You sure? I know it must be hard on you"
"To be honest, I'm actually really enjoying the flirting and the teasing and the whole going slow thing" Brenda looked at me over her glasses for a moment, obviously trying to work out if I was telling the truth. She must have realised I meant every word of it, as she favoured me with a small, sly smile.
"Good, cause I'm enjoying it too" I couldn't let it go without revving her up a bit.
"Besides, I like to accessorise and I think you'd be perfect?" It had the desired effect as she yelped in mock outrage.
"Accessorise?!"
"Yep, I pick the accessories in my house with a lot of care and I can't think of anything that would improve the look and feel of my bedroom more than seeing you decorating my bed"
That got me a blush; a shake of her head and a quiet grin as she turned her attention back to the papers on her lap, making me smile even more.
We were silent for a long time; until Brenda finally closed the files she was reading and dropped the files on the floor.
"God I need a coffee" I nodded wearily.
"Me too, but it's too late to go out and get one, so we'll have to settle for instant from the kitchen" She pulled a face, which I couldn't blame her for.
"It's almost better than nothing I suppose" Standing, she motioned for me to follow her. "You need one too so c'mon"
"Can't you make me one?" Her smirk was priceless.
"Sharon, we're not even sleeping together and you already want me to wait on you hand and foot? C'mon, you need the stretch anyway" I couldn't argue with that. Standing I groaned at the stiffened muscles.
"I need to go to the bathroom anyway so coffee sounds good too"
Meeting her in the kitchen, Brenda handed me a hot coffee and I wrapped my hands around the cup, savouring the warmth. Brenda smiled at me; sipping her own coffee and pulling a face at the taste as we stood there leaning back against the bench, side by side.
"Well its coffee I s'pose, but I wouldn't want to swear to that under oath"
"You're just spoilt, too good for instant" She smiled and winked at me.
"Damn right, I should ring Ana and ask if she delivers, that girl makes a mean cup of coffee" I grinned.
"I think Ana has better things to be doing this late on a Thursday night than bringing us coffee" Brenda smiled into her coffee.
"Yeah, like Natalie" I chuckled.
"Can't say I blame her, I'd much rather be snuggled up to a hot blonde in bed right now too. Unfortunately Natalie's taken, so I'll have to find another one" Brenda's chuckle joined mine.
"Well don't look at Maura, she's took too" I mock frowned.
"Damn, I'll have to find another hot blonde. There's not that many available, they're in short supply really" I raised an eyebrow at her, getting a smirk in return.
"I honestly don't know where you'd find one at this time of night, I mean it is…" She made a show of checking her phone. "…almost 11.30 at night after all. I mean, who you gonna call, Blonde's R Us?"
"Nah, I tried, but they couldn't supply one who wasn't a bimbo, apparently the smart ones are rare and they were all out of stock" I got an elbow in the side from Brenda.
"I'll have you know that's a dreadful cliché Sharon. I expected better from you" I let my voice drop to a purr.
"Well then Chief, I guess I'll have to make it up to you in other ways" That got me a sidelong glance from under her long lashes and a teasing tone.
"Oh really, and how might you do that"
"How about I take you out this Saturday night, we could do dinner, dancing the whole romance thing" She laughed at me.
"Right, in front of Pope and half the LAPD, I'll pass on that. Between that and long nights spent with old files you sure know how to show a girl a good time" I smiled at the teasing tone in her voice.
"Yeah, well, neither of us had a better offer for the evening"
"Hey, I don't mind, I like spending time with you. I did even before everything changed" I turned to see her smiling at me. I smiled back and let my tone drop.
"I like spending time with you too. There's nowhere I'd rather be" I watched the scepticism grow on her face.
"Really Sharon, there's really nowhere else you'd rather us be?" I caught the smile trying to break through.
"Well, that's not exactly true, I could imagine other places I'd rather be with you at almost midnight and other things I'd rather be doing, but for now this is the place I want to be" I watched the smile spread across her face and realised just how lucky I was.
Deciding to strike while the iron was hot, I slowly leaned in, giving her time to pull away if she wanted, but she didn't move, as I gently kissed her, softly, not pushing it but loving the thought that I was kissing Brenda Leigh and she was kissing me back.
It was sweet and tender and felt wonderful and I didn't want it to end but finally Brenda pulled back, a small look of wonder on her face.
"Oh my, that was nice" I tried to hide how much it had affected me as well but my voice still came out soft and quiet.
"Yes it was, very, very nice" We stood there for a moment, our heads close, just soaking up the closeness and the intimacy. Finally she leaned back.
"I s'pose we should try and wrap up this side of midnight, we're going to be busy tomorrow and we are not working back tomorrow night" I raised an eyebrow.
"We're not?" Her tone was firm.
"No, the Ball is Saturday night and we both need a full night's sleep tomorrow night, we are not staying here to midnight Friday going over dusty old files when we'll have a late night the following day" I nodded, she was right.
"True, gotta look good at the Ball, there's this person there I want to impress" She smiled into her coffee.
"Oh really, anyone I know?"
"You might, a pretty blonde, very pretty actually" Brenda made a play of thinking it over.
"Hmm, only ones I know that fit that description are Maura and Natalie and I think they're both spoken for" I smiled.
"Nope, another one" Brenda's tone was light and teasing.
"Oh her, you don't want to waste your time on her, she's taken"
"Oh really, who?"
"I understand she's seeing this really attractive brunette, they're dating actually, so she's off the market" I laughed, enjoying the easy intimacy and the gentle teasing.
"Oh, so I've missed my chance with her, damn" Brenda just turned and rinsed her empty cup in the sink. Her voice was soft.
"I wouldn't say that, I think you always had a chance, she just didn't know it" I was silent, taking in what she was saying.
I went to say something but Brenda just leaned in and kissed me, light and gentle and soft. For a moment I just enjoyed the contact, before gently reaching up to place my hand on her shoulder, as I pulled her gently in, holding the kiss.
Brenda's mouth opened just a fraction and I felt her tongue gently touch my lips, to be met by mine. For a second they just touched gently, teasing and touching before her tongue pulled back, offering entrance to mine.
I oh so gently probed forward, not wishing to push her boundaries too hard, but feeling the warmth of her mouth envelop my tongue and tasting the coffee aftertaste in her mouth. I don't know how long we stood there, before Brenda slowly pulled away, breathing slightly hard.
We stood there for a moment, our faces so close it would have been so easy to just push in for another kiss, but I resisted the incredible temptation.
"Mmm, nice" I smiled happily; I'd loved just kissing her. It made me happy and warm in ways that I hadn't felt in years.
"Honey, the pleasure was all mine"
"Oh no Sharon, I can attest that it wasn't all yours"
We stood there for a moment, the silly, happy expression on her face a match for mine. It felt so right, we were going slowly but I didn't care, it felt like old time courting and that brought its own special charm and joy.
I slowly leaned in and placed a gentle teasing kiss on her lips, leaning back before it deepened again.
"We'd better wrap up, it's getting late and if I start kissing you like that again, we'll be here for the rest of the night" Brenda's laugh was soft and happy.
"Good point sweetie, I don't know about you but I don't want my team seeing me in the same clothes two days running, they might start getting some strange ideas about what their boss has been up to" I smiled back at her.
"Excellent point; I suppose we should finish up"
I slowly trailed after her as she sashayed out of the kitchen and back to my office, enjoying the view as her hips swung and her skirt swished as she walked. I had a smile on my face as I watched, only to see her look back and catch me watching. 'Oops, busted'. Brenda smirked at me as my eyes met hers, a tad guiltily.
"That's hardly lady-like behaviour Commander Raydor" I matched her smirk.
"Chief Johnson, whatever made you think I was a lady?" Brenda winked at me.
"Obviously I was misinformed"
"Yes, I'll have to set you straight"
"Oh Sharon, I thought my problem was that I was too straight"
"We're working on that honey, give it time"
"As much as you need sweetie, but given how much I enjoyed kissing you, I think the jobs almost done"
I just stood there for a moment stunned, replaying Brenda's statement as she disappeared through the door. 'Damn'. I felt a warmth spread through me and another silly smile break out on my face. Brenda's voice floated through the door, rich with laughter, she knew exactly what she'd done to me.
"You comin' Sharon, or are you just breathin' hard?" I had to stifle a laugh.
'Oh that woman'