The Pregnancy Ship

Chapter 26: "She's Still Got It"

This is an A/U story

An hour later, the team came in with the evidence. Julio was the first to stick his head into the office. He smiled one of his rare smiles that lit up his entire countenance. "Hello Ma'am, glad to see you!" He said and gave her an awkward hug; she hugged him back thanking him for the sentiment. "And you brought the little niñas! Is it okay if I hold one of them?"

Sharon smiled as she was handing Madison over to him and she saw Andy handed Natalie to Amy. Her children had many honorary aunts and uncles in the squad. Even Commander Taylor considered himself an honorary uncle. "Of course, Julio after all you will be Madison's Godfather soon," she said.

Julio looked at them confused. "Oh I thought I would be Godfather to both of them. Oh um, not to be greedy or anything…"

"It's okay Julio, that was our thought originally, but we um... didn't want to leave Louie and Patrice out completely considering they've asked us to be Godparents to Mikey and…Kayla." Sharon's hesitation reminded all in the room of the precariousness of little Kayla's life. "Oh and um the Lieutenant texted a while ago to say that they have scheduled Kayla's surgery for tomorrow. So Mikey will be staying with us for the day or maybe a couple of days."

Julio observed his Captain. Her hair was loose around her shoulders; she'd abandoned the barrette. Now that her hair was dry and hadn't been straightened, it hung in waves. Her beautiful face was devoid of makeup, it had been washed off, which simply meant that her freckles were more visible and she was a little paler than usual. Her eyes were a vivid green, but he could tell she was tired and a little worried for Kayla. She had lost most of the baby weight, and now sported an hourglass figure. He found it hard to believe she was in her early fifties. "Would you like some help with the babies tomorrow Ma'am?" Julio asked quietly.

"Yes, I could use some help, Julio. Thank you. Actually, I can use all the help I can get, Andy will be at the hospital with the Provenza's. The boys, Rusty and Gus are usually home on Saturday, but I don't want to assume that will be true tomorrow. Rusty might want to go to the hospital to be with Louie and Patrice. I'm not sure of Emily's or Ricky's plans either. My parents will be there, but the girls gave us a run for our money this morning, so we're both pretty beat. We could use a young, enthusiastic helper."

"Well, I'm not as young as I look but I'd be glad to spend some time with los bebes," he said stroking Madison's cheek. As they had been speaking, Sharon had watched as Julio rocked back and forth while he held Madison. The baby stared up at him, mesmerized. Madison was quieter and calmer with Julio then she was normally. He had a magic touch with her. Sharon was sad that he never got a chance to be a father. He would have been great at it.

Mike Tao cleared his throat, "not wanting to disturb the moment, but they needed to get cracking on the case. Nice to see you, Captain. Uh, Julio, Amy, Buzz, let's go we have to figure this case out and write our reports.

"After action reports?" Sharon asked ever the Captain.

"No Ma'am just reports, there was no action. Everybody but the kids and their new nanny were already dead when we got there."

Sharon grimaced at the mention of children, "How old are they?"

The girl is six the boys are four and two. Two boys and a girl for as little as she was the girl seemed to be the little mother. She wouldn't let anybody hold her littlest brother but her. Their names are um, Tammy, Tommy and Timmy; their parents were Trevor and Tracey Townsend. Geez, the alliteration is giving me a headache, I guess they were carrying on family tradition but good grief! Wait there's more! The nanny's name was Teresa Turner!"

"Yeah, and I bet you can't say it all that five times fast!" Andy said.

Although Sharon herself was amused by the banter, Captain Sharon rolled her eyes and shook her head. She understood that it was a reaction that happened sometimes when the murders they investigated were especially brutal; particularly if they involved children it helped sometimes to find something funny to focus on to alleviate the grief. In this case, thank God the children were still alive, but the tragedy of their circumstances was still difficult. "Try to remember this was a murder, people are dead, so keep the joking to a minimum please and… those names sound awfully familiar. I believe I know these people. Trevor and Tracey were bored rich kids who broke every social mores they could, just for the fun of it. I met them their parents Tony, Tina, Terrance and Trudy when they went to school with Emily. They were in her graduating class I kept tabs on them. I'm not sure why, through social channels. They were…cousins and in spite of advice to the contrary, they married. It's not that they were all that close; I think they were 3rd cousins, but their family had a history of medical problems, deafness and hemophilia to name a few. They said they were in love and they were going to marry no matter what."

Sharon shook her head. "Sadly their children suffered for their refusal to listen to reason. All three were born with birth defects, the boys were born with partial deafness and hemophilia, which runs on both sides of the family in the boys, and Tammy was born completely deaf. I know I'm not supposed to be officially back until next week, but give me the salient facts of the case anyway, please. Maybe, I can help."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Tao eager to hand over the managerial reins even for a brief moment and get back to what he really liked, which was gathering facts and putting them together to form a clear picture of the crime. "Trevor and Tracey Townsend were shot dead at three this morning after coming home from a party in Hollywood. Their children's former nanny, Teresa Turner, shot them. At first it appeared that she killed them both at the same time but the baby monitor/nanny cam shows her shooting the husband first then arguing with the wife. Then the crazy nanny shoots the wife walks over to the entryway of the room and then shoots herself. From what we can glean from the nanny cam mostly from action more than sound, the sound is there but not good quality. Buzz says he can clean it up a bit. Let us know when you're ready to show it again Buzz."

"Almost ready, Sir. Okay here we go," Buzz transferred the video from the small screen onto the wall, while Andy turned the lights out. They all watched intently and listened to the events as they unfolded.

Once the video was over Tao continued, "as you can see the nanny was in love with the wife, which I guess just shows how different the world is these days. It's a classic story with a twist. She felt the husband was in the way of them being together, so she killed him only to find out that the wife wouldn't have her. Tracey wasn't interested in continuing a dalliance that they'd started on a family beach vacation. It seems that Tracey was bored and decided to try something different, but found she didn't care for it after all or maybe she just didn't like it with Teresa, who knows. Apparently Teresa didn't get the memo about Tracey not wanting to continue the relationship, even after Tracey fired her. She came back and killed them."

"Where were the children during all this?" Sharon asked. "Please don't tell me they saw all this happening?"

"The new nanny, holy crap," Lieutenant Tao said loudly. "The alliteration continues, one Tessa Trahern, a nurse. Who is familiar with sign language for the girl and the treatment for hemophilia for the boys, heard the first shot, hid the children in the closet with her and a cell phone. From there she called 911. Sadly not in time to save the parents or the nanny and Captain, the saddest thing I ever saw was the children being led away by the DCFS worker. There were no grief stricken cries, no nothing. They didn't even cling to the new nanny. I guess it was the total lack of emotion that was sad."

"Keep in mind, Mike the children are very young and they are hearing impaired, if they were in the closet the whole time they may not have comprehended what happened. Also from what I remember from meeting the Townsends, they were wrapped up in themselves, each other, their expensive toys and their money. They didn't have much left for their children. To give them credit they made sure the nannies they hired were able to care for the children's special needs, they gave them all the outward trappings of a loving home, but it was all just an illusion. It's how they were raised as well everything was superficial. So to wrap this up you're sure the former nanny killed the Townsends?" Sharon asked.

"Yes Ma'am."

Liking to finish things Sharon detailed the evidence, "So the former nanny killed the parents, and then herself. The new nanny saved the children by taking them to a closet and locking them in with her, where she called 911. Did the new nanny offer to take the children in?"

"Not that I know of Captain," Tao said.

"If she did the answer was no Captain," Julio piped in. "The DCFS worker took them with her."

"Ma'am, are we missing something? What are you thinking really happened?" asked Amy. She still held Natalie and was swaying back and forth to keep her sleeping. Ordinarily, Sharon wouldn't have allowed this but she kept reminding herself she wasn't in charge and it was her daughter Amy was keeping asleep with her swaying motions. She wasn't going to disturb that. Taylor was out of town, and Pope was in another building altogether. Tao was busy working on the case and didn't seem to care that two of his detectives were doing double duty as detectives and nursemaids. She supposed it was because both babies were being good. One was sleeping and the other was learning to be a detective from her Uncle Julio. Sharon smiled at Madison's rapt attention to everything Julio did. She was going to be a handful, that one. She used her phone to take a picture, and then turned her attention back to the wall where the video was stopped but could still be seen.

Sharon asked Buzz to play the video again and stop it at certain points. "Well, from what we see in the video the former nanny kills the husband then she pledges her love for the wife. The wife rejects her and the nanny shoots the wife. Then Teresa Turner, the first nanny walks over here to the entry way and looks back at what she has done. She's leaning into the doorjamb. Her expression seems to be one of satisfaction, and then she acts like she's going to leave, but the look on her face suddenly turns to one of terror. We see the gun here," Sharon pointed to the gun, "but not her arm because it's hidden behind the doorjamb, but it appears to be hanging down. The shoulder is in the wrong position to be holding a gun to her head and the gun is at an awkward position to have been held by her. It seems to be a 22 like the one she shot the Townsends with, it shoots and she falls. The other gun, the one you think is the one she's holding disappears and the gun she was actually still holding clatters to the floor. Do the ballistics match up with my theory or yours, Mike? Remember, I have been away from this a while I may be way off."

Julio got off the phone from talking to Firearms Francine. He looked down at Madison who was not asleep but watching her Uncle Julio with great interest and concentration. He looked up and at his captain with a smile on his face. He said, "You're not off, Ma'am. The gun Teresa was holding was the one that killed the Townsends but not her. The one that killed her was a 22, but not the same one and it was nowhere to be found. Dr. Morales says the gun she was holding could have made the wound in Teresa's head, but it's not likely. The entry wound is in an awkward position for suicide not impossible, but not likely."

"So you think someone else shot the former nanny, that it wasn't a suicide, but why? What motive would the new nanny have for killing the former one?" Amy asked.

Sharon sat in a chair facing the murder board. She tilted her head and considered her answer then she spoke, "I'm not sure Amy, I'm just going by what I see. Andy, is there a clause in the parents will about beneficiaries? Perhaps the new nanny wanted to be able to live the high life with the children's money. Also have you gone over her financials? Are there any outstanding debts? Is she in the red or in the black?" Sharon was rapidly throwing out questions as quickly as they entered her head.

Andy looked through the financials to find what he was looking for. "The children are the sole beneficiaries of their family money. There are provisions to pay for their needs the upkeep of the house they live in and the nanny to take care of them. Her salary, which is substantial and the entire amount going to the children is fifteen million. Her financials are non-existent. She doesn't own a car. Her phone was paid for by the Townsends, her room has very little in it. She wore uniforms paid for by the Townsends." Andy whistled, "That's a lot of reasons right there."

"But, that's just one theory Andy. It seems to be valid, but there are several other possibilities."

"Such as?" asked Andy smiling at her.

"Such as," Sharon said with a tiny smile she used only for him. "Perhaps she just wanted to get rid of the parents because she thought that they weren't good parents and she thought she could do better. Was there anyone besides the new nanny, the former nanny, the children and their parents in the house? And how did the former nanny even get into the house? Did she have a key?"

"Captain, I've been looking through the security discs I haven't found anything on them that shows her going into the house, but there is a blind spot, here near the new nanny's room. She has a patio with a sliding glass door, but there is no security camera from that area. According to the security discs, everybody else left at 11pm, so it was only the children, and the new nanny in the house. I guess it's possible, Teresa got in through the door in the nanny suite. She used to live there."

Sharon listened but she kept looking at the pictures of the former nanny and the new nanny. Then she turned, "has anything pointed to the possibility the new nanny knew the former nanny before she got the job? They look similar in appearance. They could be sisters. They have different last names, but their names are similar. People change their last names for lots of reasons. It could be, if they were related someway, she could have known about the former nanny's feelings about her employer and used them to goad her into killing the husband and knew she would be rejected and was unstable enough to kill the wife. She may have orchestrated the whole thing or not," she shrugged. "Also where is the closet she put the children in? Is it here?" Sharon stood up and pointed to the map of the interior of the Townsend house. "Or over here?"

"It's over here Ma'am and I'm not sure you can really call it a closet. It's huge," Julio pointed to the closet on the map of the house. It was a huge walk in-closet that was an extension of the master bedroom. It split into three parts, his, hers and a laundry area. With three doors one into the bedroom, one that led into the hallway and one into the master bathroom. It held laundry facilities as well. There were comfortable benches and some of the children's toys were there to amuse them while the nanny did their laundry.

"That's what I thought. The closet here is close enough and compartmentalized enough for Tessa to have snuck out to shoot Teresa then sneak back in." Sharon nodded to herself as she thought out the puzzle. "My theory is based on what I see on the nanny cam video. The gun looked like it was at an awkward angle for Teresa to be holding it when the gun went off. Plus the look on her face just before the gun went off was one of terror. You can't hear or see what's going on behind that wall that she's leaning

Against, but you can see part of the barrel of a 22 automatic and the time between the first shot and when the new nanny… um what … what is her name?"

"Tessa Trahern, Maa'm."

"Okay. Tessa Trahern, the time between the first shot and when Tessa Trahern called 911 is a fifteen-minute time lapse. A lot can happen in fifteen minutes and if they are sisters, well family gone badly is a theme that keeps us in business. Amy, Julio go interview our...I guess now she's our suspect and you should maybe interview the children. I'm sure Dr. Joe would help you with that, I believe he knows sign language. Oh! I'm so sorry Mike, I forgot you're the one in charge now," Sharon said blushing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emily come down the hall, wave and go into her office.

"It's okay, Captain, just holding the fort till you come back to us. Actually, I was enjoying watching you putting the pieces together. You're amazing at seeing things we don't see." Mike replied then bowed to her authority, honestly impressed with his captain. "I'll be more than glad to hand over the reins to you when you are back officially."

Sharon blushed again, pleased by his praise. "Thank you, Mike. It means a lot coming from you. Let me know would you, how it all works out? Also, if it works out that the case is solved and you are free tomorrow. Remember Lt. Provenza and Patrice are going to need a lot of support. Now, I think Emily is here to take the children and me home. Bye, everyone."

"Bye Captain. Hurry back," said Amy as she handed Natalie to her.

"Bye Amy and thanks," she said inclining her head towards a peacefully sleeping Natalie.

"Oh, no problem. I loved holding her."

Sharon looked at Andy, he was grinning at her in a besotted sort of trance. She grinned back and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Andy? Hey Andy, are you in there?" she asked amused at his behavior yet secretly thrilled by his regard. They were married, but in her previous marriage… that hadn't mattered there had been no regard just derision.

Andy shook himself out of the trance he was in and took Madison from Julio who reluctantly gave her back to her dad. "Sorry Captain, but you see I just couldn't take my eyes off my wife. She's really hot when she's solving murders," he said and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Andy was just so proud of Sharon for practically solving the case after being away for so long. He looked down at her, she had been completely exhausted and yet there was a slight spring in her step now, a lightness to her that hadn't been there before. He realized that she had proven to herself that she was still capable of doing her job in spite of how long she'd been away.

Sharon pulled a Darth Raydor face and pointed at him. "Thank you, Andy but see that you keep your eyes where they belong instead of on my derrière when I come back next week."

"Oh yes of course, Captain." Andy said with mock seriousness and his fingers crossed behind his back.

She smiled up at him put her free arm through his and they walked to her office. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You know I will never stop looking at you, don't you?"

She giggled. "I'm counting on it," she quipped.

They both knew what she had asked was impossible for him to do, but their banter was for show in any case. She loved knowing that he watched her when she walked and she gave him an extra sway once in awhile. It gave her confidence to know he found her sexy even after giving birth to twins. She had always been confident as a youth, her parents had seen to that, but Jack had torn down her confidence when she was pregnant. Making derisive comments about her weight, how her breasts looked when she was nursing Emily or Ricky. Andy built her confidence up. He always let her know how desirable she was to him and not in spite of the pregnancy, because of it. Still, once her doctor gave her permission she swam and did yoga.

Sharon had to keep a high calorie content to her meals because of the nursing, but because she nursed twins and sometimes Mikey if they ran out of expressed milk before Patrice came to get him, the nursing had helped to flatten her stomach. It helped that she'd always been healthy and athletic. She looked fantastic to others, but most especially to Andy. Her chest was definitely bigger, with nursing twins. Her waist wasn't as tiny as it had been but it was tiny. Her hips were just a tad wider, her stomach wasn't completely flat like it had been, but to Andy she looked sexier than before she'd given birth and she'd looked damn sexy then.

When they got to the office Emily was waiting for them.

Thank you for reading my story. A special thank you if you have taken the time to leave a review.