The Pregnancy Ship

Chapter 17: It's a Small World

This is an A/U story

Disclaimer: These are not my characters they are fully James Duffs. I just love them so much and love to play with them.

Andy's phone rang at 6:30am the next morning. He reached for it in his sleep then got out of bed and went down the hall, into the kitchen to answer it. "Hey Louie, why are you calling me at this hour? I'm on family medical leave. I've got a fiancé who is not only in a high-risk pregnancy, but is temporarily blind. We've got doctors appointments and an occupational therapy appointment today and you know that. Not to mention the fact that I'm getting married tomorrow. Her children are coming..."

Provenza replied, "I'm calling cuz you've been specially requested for this murder we've caught."

"Specially requested by whom?" Andy questioned hesitantly.

"Does the name Sue Baker ring a bell?"

Andy tried to recall, finally a memory of an attractive red head came. "Yes, I remember her. So Sue witnessed another murder?"

"No, actually she's being held under suspicion of murder."

"Why?"

"Because she was found with the murder weapon in her hand, about to bury it under some bushes and she was covered in the victim's blood." Provenza answered matter-a-factly.

Andy shook his head being in the business this long they both knew things weren't always as they seemed. "What does she say?"

"She won't talk to anyone but you."

The answers Louie was giving Andy weren't give him very much information and he was getting frustrated. "Did she invoke?"

"No, weren't you listening? She refuses to talk to anyone but you. She won't let her friend Stephanie from Germany talk either." The older lieutenant was in return getting frustrated too.

Andy humphed, "Louie this is not a good time." He said trying again to get out of leaving Sharon.

"I know Andy, but Chief Taylor wants you to come. He says you can leave as soon as you get her to talk."

Andy felt arms encircle his waist from behind. "Go Andy. It's okay I'll be okay. Rusty's here and Ricky's due soon as well."

"I'll be there in 20 minutes, more or less," Andy said and hung up. He turned in her arms and kissed her lips. "How about you take your shower with me now that way Rusty won't be traumatized by having to spot his mother in the shower. We can kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. Hmmm?" Sharon laughed and nodded.

"Are you calling me a bird?" she teased.

"Well not intentionally, but if you were a bird I think you'd be a hummingbird." He said and kissed her again. As they undressed for their shower together, he thought of a solution to their timing issues. "Do you want to come with me to the station? We could leave for the doctor's office from the station? Amy could stay with you while I talk to the suspect."

Sharon shook her head no. "After the way things ended the last time, I'm pretty sure Amy does not want babysitting the captain duty anytime in the near future. No thank you Andy, I can't. I'm... I'm not ready. I don't even want to go to the doctor's office, today. If Janet didn't have a full caseload up to 7:00 tonight I would have asked her to come here."

Andy nodded but with a grimace, "I might have to ask Rusty to take you to the appointment and I'll meet you there if worse comes to worse."

Her face clouded, not liking that scenario. "I really don't want to put Rusty in the position of having to take care of me Andy. He had to do that with his birth mother. It would be...embarrassing for both of us for him to be with me for the examination, especially if it's invasive. Please be here or at least call the doctor and reschedule if you can't make it."

"I'll do my best Honey, I promise. I really do not want to go but I don't want to make Taylor mad either."

She swallowed and nodded, "yeah you had better not make him mad. He has a tendency to attack like a cornered rat at times."

Andy put his finger under Sharon's chin and tilted it upward so he could look into her eyes.

"You know, Sweetheart you can't spend the rest of your life inside these four walls..."

He wasn't entirely prepared for the anger in Sharon's reaction. "It's not for the rest of my life!" Sharon snapped." It's just until I am more advanced in my therapy and am more confident being outside of my comfort zone or until I get my sight back! Whichever comes first!" She gestured with her hand nearly smacking him in the nose. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.

"Andy...you have no idea how hard it is to even open my eyes in the morning, knowing all I'm going to see are lights and shadows! Or to be pregnant and not know whether or not I'll see our babies being born, or see my kids that I already have again or your dear face. I know they say this is temporary, but it doesn't feel temporary! It feels like it will be forever! I'm trying hard to believe it's temporary. I'm trying to be brave, but sometimes... I just... " She choked back a sob, the feelings of fear and sadness overwhelming her.

"I'm sorry Honey, you're right. I have no idea what it's like to be blind or pregnant. But to be perfectly honest with you when you came up behind me just now I forgot for a moment that you couldn't see. You are getting so good at navigating the house. When I said that about you going with me to the station I was still in that moment and even if I hadn't forgotten, I wasn't trying to criticize you, Sweetheart." Andy held her tighter as he explained wah he meant to say. " I guess I am just afraid you are becoming housebound and I don't want that for you. I didn't think you'd want that either not the Sharon Raydor I know and love. I'm sorry if I misunderstood your reasoning. It makes sense to become more confident and adept at navigating in familiar territory, before you start trying to navigate in less familiar places. And it is only temporary we have to believe that. The doctors say it and we have to believe it."

Realizing that she may have over-reacted a bit and that Andy understood her better sometimes than she did herself, Sharon forgave him. Once they got into the shower they started to talk about the phone call and why he was leaving to go to the station. He explained about Sue Baker and how he had helped her many years ago. Sue was a math professor at a one of the colleges around here I forget which one. The Dean of the college was a philandering prick pardon my French, he propositioned the teachers and students and threatened them to silence.

In Sue's case he threatened her tenure, she had refused his advances and he was angry so he handed her tenure over to a less experienced professor who happened to be a man then he sent her a pink slip firing her for some bogus infraction. She was going to see him to give him a piece of her mind when she found him; he was dead in his office. He'd been stabbed. In shock she picked up the letter opener that had killed him and she called 911 on his telephone. Priority Homicide was called and everybody but me thought she was guilty. I realized right away it was all circumstantial. It turned out the wife/former secretary did it. She caught him with his new secretary in a compromising situation in his office. Poor Sue was totally humiliated because the guy had his pants at half mast and his...um member was standing at attention and she was the only one in the room besides the dead body. Sharon pressed her lips together and chuckled in amusement.

As they talked they were taking care of their showering. Her stomach was up against his lower pelvis, when suddenly a series of staccato kicks from the babies surprised them both. Sharon doubled over for just a second, caught her breath and straightened up. "Whoo! Sharon, did that hurt?" asked Andy, concerned.

She let out a small gasp, "it did a little. I guess they're trying to remind us they are still here."

"Well I got the message loud and clear. How do you stand that?" His face held an awestruck look as it was brought home to him how much strength it took for a young woman to be pregnant with multiple babies and as beautiful as she was, Sharon was not young.

"It's part of being pregnant, Andy. Usually it's my favorite part. Although this is the first time I've experienced it in tandem. It's a little more painful then I remember it being and this is only the beginning." Though it hurt some Sharon smiled at feeling their babies kick.

They were finished their shower, so Andy helped Sharon out of the glass enclosed shower stall and she let him. Now was not the time to try to exert her independence. One wrong move and she could easily slip. Even Melinda held on to her as she was getting out of the shower. Andy handed her a towel, she took it gratefully and began to dry herself off.

She then found her way to her dresser and picked out some clothes to wear. It helped that when she had her sight she had been detailed and organized with her clothing. Blouses were in one drawer in color specific piles and in another drawer also in color specific piles were her pants. In another drawer were fleece sets. Sharon knew that if she picked the pants on the left side of the drawer with the fleece sets she would find a pair of turquoise fleece pants and next to it would be the matching jacket. An in the drawer above it there was a turquoise tank top to match and if she picked the drawer on the left she could find matching underwear, bra and panties.

"You look beautiful in that color, Sharon, " Andy said admiringly.

She smiled, "I have one in my regular size too. I got this one when Em, my mother and I went shopping while they were here." Sharon felt for and found the zipper of the jacket, she connected it and pulled it up. "Now don't you have to go to the station?"

"Yeah, I'll get back as soon as I can. Before I go though, I'll just make sure Rusty is here. I don't want to assume he's here and leave you alone." He said as he headed down the hallway. Sharon could hear Andy talking to Rusty, as she lay above the covers on her side of the bed. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she tried to catch up on the sleep she lost because of nightmares the night before. She had started having nightmares about being blind and being chased by someone that wanted to hurt her. Or being blind and being lost in a crowd separated from Andy or the children. One dream had Andy leaving to go to work and forgetting to check to see if Rusty was home to be with her until he got back. She was all alone and frightened. Before Andy left he poked his head in their room, he saw Sharon sleeping and covered her with a blanket. He bent down and kissed her cheek and then left.

When he arrived at the precinct ten minutes later, Provenza came from the break room with two cups of coffee, he handed one of them to Andy. "Here, drink this and by the way that was a long twenty minutes. You told me you'd be here in twenty minutes. I called you an hour and half ago."

"I said more or less. Look do you want to argue about how long it took me to get here or do you want to tell me where Sue is so I can get her to talk. I don't have all day." Andy grumbled acting more like his grumpy friend.

"You sure got up on the wrong side of the bed today. What's your problem?" Asked Louie.

"Do you have an hour for me to explain? Well you may, but I don't. Which interview room?"

Louie was taken back by the gruffness of his friend and decided it was better to just answer him. So he quickly said, "one, her friend is in two. "

Andy strode down the hall to interview room one. He walked in and saw Sue Baker. She was of medium height with auburn hair cut in a bob. It was a bit disheveled, she was attractive with a delicate nose, blue eyes and a generous mouth she had laugh lines around her eyes. She was dressed in a pair of prison orange pants and top. It kind of clashed with her auburn hair. Her eyes were a little red. He wasn't sure if it was from crying or anger. The Sue he remembered was a bit of a spitfire. "Well Sue, here I am. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Hi, Andy. Sorry about this." Sue said regrettably as she watched him sit down.

"Don't be sorry, Sue. Just tell me what you need to tell me."

"I don't know where to start." She looked up at him and could see he was not happy about being pulled away from his family situation.

"The beginning is always good," he said mildly.

"Okay, here goes. About ten years ago more or less, I met this guy at a bar. He was charming and fun to be around. We hung out together off and on. Had some beers chewed the fat so to speak. Well, one night I was having a particularly bad day. Boyfriend troubles or work troubles, I don't remember, and I went to the pub and started drinking. My friend saw me and came over and started drinking with me. Before I knew it I was pretty much plastered and well I'm not sure what happened but I woke up in Vegas and I was married to the guy." Sue watched the man across from her to see if he judged her about her story so far.

Andy was just here to listen for important information he was not here to condemn anyone from past mistakes. Something he knew about very well. He asked in a neutral voice, "How long after you met this guy did you end up marrying him?"

"Well we were friends for about two or three months I guess. Anyway, I'd always been attracted to Jack; he was a real charmer after all. So I thought what the hell, I might as well try to make a go of it. So I tried and we were happy for about six weeks! Then I started noticing discrepancies in my bank account. I'd inherited some money, quite a bit of money actually. My grandmother willed it to me. I was noticing large withdrawals that I wasn't making, but it was my debit card that was being used. So I confronted my new husband and he confessed that he'd "borrowed" the money to payback some gambling debts and then had "borrowed" some more to play at a big poker tournament. Which he lost at. He looked so shamefaced and sorry, that I forgave him the debt, and changed my account number and my password." Sue paused to take a moment to collect her thoughts. It wasn't easy telling what had happen to her. She let out a sigh then added, "He promised he'd never do it again, but over the course of the next two years, it happened three times. Finally I called it quits. I realized he was just in the marriage for the money, not for me. So I started divorce proceedings, only to find out I couldn't divorce him, because we weren't really married! He was already married to a woman named Sharon and had two children by her."

Andy had started having bad feelings about her story at the mention of gambling debts. Not to mention the name Jack was sending alarm bells running through him. "Are you telling me that the guy you married was Jack Raydor?" Andy said in shock.

"Yes. Do you know him?" Sue asked curiously.

"Uh yeah, I know him. Go on," Andy rested his forehead in his hand. He didn't like where this was headed. How was he going to tell Sharon?

"Anyway I didn't want anybody to know I'd been duped. I was embarrassed for being so naive. I moved from where I lived to a different neighborhood. I didn't want to leave the area completely because of my job, my mother was still living and I didn't want to leave her. I changed banks and everything and I've been living in the new house ever since. Anyway a couple of days ago my friend Stephanie came from Germany to visit me, and we were walking about two miles from my house this morning when we heard three loud bangs, and two men in dark clothes came barreling out the door of this rental cottage like the devils of hell were after them. Steph and I jumped behind a bush, so we couldn't be seen. We heard one them say, 'Why'd you go and kill him, Joe? Vince didn't tell us to kill him. He told us to get the money he owed him. He didn't say nothin' about killimn' him. Now the cops will be after us!' She explained that the other guy said, "he may not have told you he wanted him dead, but he made it clear to me that if he didn't have the money to give Vince he wanted me to off him. Let's go before the cops get here!" That's all we heard, they got into and left in a dark early model Chevy, a really old model."

Andy asked as he ran a hand over his face, "Then what did you do?"

Sue looked at Flynn a little worried. To her he seemed stressed out more than when he entered the room. "Well, we thought what if the person they thought they killed was still alive? What if they needed an ambulance, so we went in and...and I saw Jack on the floor in a puddle of blood, he was bleeding out. I leaned over him and tried to feel for a pulse and...and that's when he grabbed me and started choking me! He didn't have a lot of strength left so I was able to wrench his hands away! I think he thought I was his killer. Just before the lights went out in his eyes he told me Vince Gardelli did this by way of his goons Joe and Pauley. I'm not sure I think their last name was um...Munzi. Then he said, 'tell Sharon and the kids, I'm sorry!' Then he was gone."

"Did you try to give him CPR?"

"I tried, but he had three big holes in his chest and when I pushed down on his chest blood spurted up like old faithful." She cringed relieving that memory. "So I got up and told Steph to call 911, but she already had. We could hear the sirens in the distance we walked out to meet them and as I was walking out I realized I had something in my hand. It was the gun that killed him. It was a really big gun. I had felt it when I leaned over him and when he started choking me. I guess my hand closed over it and I was in too much shock to realize it. I started to throw it under the bushes and that's when the policeman said, put your hands up, you're under arrest."

Andy questioned her, "Did you know Jack lived in that rental?"

"No! I had known we would have walked in the opposite direction! Jack and I haven't been in touch for many years, since we split up! It was not a very friendly split which I'm sure you can imagine."

"So why didn't you just tell them what happened? Why did you call me?" Andy asked confused.

"Because you know me, and I know you. When I was a witness after the fact to that other murder years ago, you are the only officer that believed me when I said I didn't do it. You were the only one willing to sift through the circumstantial evidence and prove that I was witness not a killer. Plus this situation is even more like a dime store detective novel then the first one was complete with mob bosses and goons! How do I get myself into these situations, Andy? I'm beginning to feel like Jessica Fletcher; with bodies showing up everywhere I go! Only I don't write the stories I just live them!" She said gesturing wildly with her hands, "I can't believe this has happened to me again!" There were tears starting to run down her face.

Andy handed her a handkerchief. She wiped her face, and then handed it back to Andy. He took it back to have it tested for DNA. He could smell her perfume on it. "I'm not sure how you do it, Sue. You're just lucky, I guess. Listen, I'm going to go talk to Stephanie, to corroborate your story. While you are waiting please write what you told me down, all of it. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Andy walked down the hall to interview room two, and opened the door. He found a very attractive thirty something brunette with shoulder length hair sitting at the table, she was fiddling with her fingers and her knee was bouncing nervously. "Guten Morgen Fraulien. Stephanie Wilderman my name is Lieutenant Andrew Flynn," Andy said. He hoped the greeting in her native language would her relax."

"Guten Morgen Lieutenant. Sprechendedeutch?" She asked.

Andy shook his head, "no, I'm afraid I only know a few words here and there. So you and Sue are friends how?"

"We become friends through how you say ...um...the In..ter..net? We are both part of a chat group about a show we like. We decided to meet, and I made the trip to California. Sue has generously opened her home to me."

"Is this your first trip to the states?"

"No. I came here several years ago when I was much younger. I stayed with my pen pal Emily Ray ..dor. Och tu Lieber. The dead man is named Jack Raydor, ja?

"Ja ...er, yes." Andy answered bewildered.

"Then Jack Raydor is...er..was Emily's father and my poor friend Sharon's husband?" Stephanie asked sadly.

He was surprised when she mentioned those names and asked, "You know Sharon and Emily?"

"Yes for a time when I was younger. I still send them emails from time to time. Sharon and I have been pen pals and is my daughter Ciara's how you say... honorary aunt." She explained. "Jack Raydor was Sharon's ex-husband. Wow, it's a small world."

Giving a shrug Andy said, "getting back to you and Sue. She certainly has provided you with an adventure hasn't she?"

"Ja. It is an ad..ven...ture I could do without! Danke." She shuddered at the mental image of the almost dead man's hands closing around her friend's throat and all the blood.

"Tell me what happened this morning," Andy said.

"Sue and I left her house early to walk. She likes to walk before the sun comes up, so it is not hot."

Andy held up a hand to stop her, "When did you arrive and have you had a chance to sleep yet? I'm asking to better understand the timeline."

Stephanie frowned a little at the interruption but continued with her story. "I arrived at 10:00pm at LAX. Sue was there waiting in the baggage claim area. She took me back to her house. We had a glass of wine and talked for hours. We have not slept yet. Anyway we started walking at 5am and walked about 4km, um 2 miles I believe you say here. We were talking and suddenly we heard a loud pop pop pop or... clap clap clap. Then two men come running out of a little house very fast. Sue pulled me behind a big bush and we watched and listened. The tall man in the black clothes says to the little man, 'Why did you kill him, Joe? Vince didn't say to kill him. We were supposed to get the money he owed from him. Now the cops will be after us.' Then the little man say...says," Stephanie closed her eyes and concentrated on the words she had heard. 'Vince wanted me to off him if he didn't have the money he owed. Then he said let's get outa here before the cops get here' and they got into a old beat up car and sped away."

At least they were getting somewhere now he thought before he asked, "Then what did you do?"

"Sue said the person they shot might still be alive so we should see if we could help them. When we went into the house Sue said, 'oh my God! It's Jack!' Then she kneeled down beside him to check his pulse and Jack grabbed around the throat her. Um no.. I mean grabbed her around the throat. She pulled his hands away easy like and he say.. says um...Vince Gardelli sent Joe and Pauley Munzi to kill me. Tell Sharon and the kids I'm sorry. Then he was gone."

"Did Sue try to give him CPR?" Andy asked trying to confirm both of the ladies stories.

Stephanie nodded and answered the question. "She started to try to but when she pressed down blood came like a ... geyser? He had three big holes in his chest. He was a... how you say goner? I called 911 while she tried CPR."

"Then what happened?" He asked her to continue.

"When Sue stood up I noticed she had a big gun in her hand she did not seem to notice. I told her as we were leaving the little house and get rid of the gun. They'll think you did it. She looked at me with confusion and then looked down at her hand with the gun and cried out. 'Oh no not again!' Then she started to throw it, and then the policeman says 'put your hands up you are under arrest.' Now we are here," she said gesturing around her.

Andy closed his eyes and shook his head a little. He pushed a legal pad and a pen towards her. "Can you write English as well as you speak it?"

"My friends say I do better writing, than speaking." She smiled proudly.

"Well, you are amazing, you speak English 1000% better than half the people here in the states. Write what you told me down and sign it please." Stephanie nodded. "I'm not promising anything but I'll try to get you and Sue home sometime today and I'm sorry your trip here started out so badly."

"Danke and um give Sharon and Emily my best." She said with a small wave.

Andy nodded and left interview room two and rejoined the rest of the team in the electronics room. He stood before his partner and tried to keep his voice from shouting, "Why did you not tell me that Jack Raydor was the victim, before you let me go in there? Why?" His face was red with the effort to control his ever-mounting temper.

"Because, we needed to see your reaction to make sure it wasn't you that killed him considering it is your fiancés ex-husband that's dead! I was protecting you, you idiot! Provenza said loudly. "You and the Captain being romantically involved complicates this case, Flynn and you know it."

With Provenza's statement the ire left him, but not the irritation. "Well, I got them to talk. What time is it? He looked at his watch. "Holy crap! It's 11:00am Sharon's and my appointment was at 10:30."

"Relax Flynn, Rusty called and said the doctor's office called to reschedule. The doctor had to do emergency surgery and Melinda called and asked to come early because her daughter has a softball game at 6:00pm. Ricky arrived so there will be someone with Sharon at all times. Now, I think this Sue person did it. You know it's always the ex-wife, it's always the ex-wife, it's always the ex-wife!" Provenza filled in his friend, feeling a bad for him. He knew Andy had a lot to worry about right now.

Andy rubbed the back of his neck as he disagreed with his partner, "come on Louie with that reasoning Sharon could've been the killer. Sue and her friend were at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Louie quickly defended his line of thinking, "but she had motive. The dirtbag married her falsely and stole her money!"

"That was years ago and she gave you the name of the guy who had him killed and the guys that actually did it!" Andy was getting louder.

"Yeah well we're checking but I gotta tell you the whole thing sounds too simple, too easy."

"With your reasoning, it's always the ex-wife. Blah blah blah, Sharon could be the killer, she isn't because she was with me the whole time not to mention she's blind!" Andy shook his head with disgust. Sue has motive, but no opportunity, her friend and her never went to sleep after she arrived here last night and she didn't even know he lived in that rental. Sharon has motive and this Vince Gardelli and half the continental US! Hell there are times when after hearing some of the truly awful ways he treated Sharon when they were married, I would have loved to strangle him. Which I get it is why you didn't tell me it was Jack. I don't care if it seems too simple or not, find these guys Vince Gardelli, Joe and Pauley Munzi. Then let Sue and her friend go or keep Sue until you find Gardelli and let her friend go. I have a death notification to do." Andy said and left.

Thank you to all that have taken the time to leave a review. They are appreciated and really help keep the motivation flowing.