Author Notes: Sorry about the wait (again!). Many thanks to Mellow_mel for the beta work – I hit writers block with this one and she helped to bring me through it .
Disclaimer: Don't own it – not profiting.
On with the story…
You'll Get Yours – Chapter 12
Sharon's tormentor watched through their rear-view mirror as the Lieutenant known as Provenza left Ridgewater Psychiatric hospital. The aging detective had a frosty expression on his face; he'd been inside for almost an hour.
"Shit."
This was not supposed to happen.
An increase in police protection had been anticipated – but not from those in Sharon's inner circle…running into a member of the Major Crimes team would mean game-over.
Sharon Raydor was a private person – a virtual hermit; she was supposed to be keeping her predicament from her team. The woman was supposed to be suffering in silence – but instead had her detectives rallying around trying to help…
"And it's starting to get irritating."
xXx
Sharon's stomach fluttered nervously as she exited the elevator onto the Major Crimes floor; instinctively she brought her hand to her waistline and inhaled deeply in an attempt to compose herself.
She had barely slept a wink last night; her encounter with Andy and his surprising admission had seen to that. His words and actions had left her feeling confused and anxious…and a little aroused.
'Sharon…I'll wait for you.' She really hadn't seen that one coming; it was quite possibly the sweetest, most romantic thing a man had ever said to her…and it fell straight from the lips of Andy Flynn.
The very same lips that had pressed against her own, had blazed a trail down her neck to her collarbone…Sharon felt herself blushing at the memory.
Andy had made his intentions perfectly clear; he didn't see her as a conquest - he wasn't just after a fling…and as a consequence, Sharon had a huge decision to make.
'Damn him.'
In a week where the Banston case had resurfaced and her team had a fresh murder to solve – Sharon really didn't need another ball in her court.
Concentrating on the steady rhythm of her heals clicking on the linoleum - instead of the torrent of emotions that flooded her mind – Sharon rounded the corner into the Murder Room. Having arrived intentionally earlier than her colleagues, she strode with purpose through the empty offices towards the break-room; the draw of caffeine too much to resist in her sleep deprived state.
"Mike? You're here early," Sharon observed with a puzzled frown as she opened the door – trying to stifle her disappointment at finding she was not alone.
"Good morning Captain," Tao turned towards her, full coffee pot in hand. "I couldn't sleep."
"It appears it's going around," Sharon concurred glumly and walked towards him, dropping her purse onto a nearby table and removing her blue trench coat. "Something on your mind?"
Tao nodded. "It's the footage that Sykes and Sanchez collected of Franco DeSalve from the airport." He filled his cup and gestured towards the captain, "You want?"
"Yes please," Sharon said eagerly, taking a step toward the counter that separated them and tucking her hands to in her trouser pockets. "What is it about that footage that bothers you, lieutenant?"
"There is a section of the recording with DeSalve on the phone where he is facing the camera, but it's only a glimpse; most of the conversation he has his back to it." Tao placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of Sharon and she smiled warmly; he had added a splash of 1% milk – just how she liked it.
"That's right." She clasped the coffee cup with both hands - inhaling the rich aroma like her life depended on it, before taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid.
"Well, when I re-watched the footage this morning, I realised what was bothering me; DeSalve's reflection was actually captured in a nearby window…"
"Meaning that we may have a reflected image of DeSalves side of the conversation," Sharon finished Tao's statement for him and placed her cup back onto the counter. "Mike that is brilliant! Do you think that a lip reading specialist will be able to decipher it?"
"The reflection is pretty blurry as it was still fairly light outside, but I think that we can still do something with it," Tao strode around the counter with his coffee in hand. "Buzz is on his way in now – once he gets here, we can see what can be done to clear it up."
"Great work, Lieutenant," Sharon nodded as she gathered her purse and jacket from the table and swiped her own coffee from the counter. "Please let me know when you have any further developments – I'll be in my office until the rest of the team arrive."
"Will do, Captain."
Tao held the door open for Sharon and as she left the break room, she felt a little weight lifting from her shoulders. This was great news; a break in their current case was certainly needed. To the captain, it felt very much like they had been chasing their own behinds from the get-go.
After the recent attack on Amber Moore, it was looking likely that the actress was indeed the intended murder victim – which meant that her PA Jessica Ardell, was sadly just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Franco DeSalve was the missing piece in their puzzle; he was either on the run because he was guilty - or he was already dead. Either way, locating him was their top priority…but it would have to wait.
"Captain Raydor…"
As both Sharon and Lieutenant Tao headed towards the murder-room, Buzz intercepted them at the end of the hall - a distraught expression on his face.
"Buzz?" Sharon slowed to a stop, concern in her voice evident; was it another 'gift' from the Banston copycat? Were her children okay? Her team? "What is it?" She took a cautious step towards him. "What's the matter?"
"Captain…" The young man looked to his right and gestured with his arm – bringing Amber Moore around the corner and into to view. "I found her waiting outside."
"Oh my God," Sharon gasped at the sight; the young actresses face was covered in blood – her bottom lip was bust open, and a bruise was starting to form under her right eye. "Amber, who did this to you?"
"It was my agent…" The young woman shuffled forwards, clutching her oversized purse to her chest, "Franco…he attacked me."
xXx
"What the hell happened?" Provenza asked as he entered the murder room to find a medic treating Amber Moore in the captain's office. Through the open blinds he could see Sharon pacing the space behind her desk as the medic crouched in front of the seated actress - swabbing at her face with a cotton ball.
"Amber Moore was attacked this morning, sir." Sykes explained as she strode past Provenza towards the murder board.
"Again?" The lieutenant asked incredulously.
Andy swung around in his chair to face him. "Yeah, DeSalve really did a number on her this time – how come you're so late?"
"Accident on the 405 - so I took a detour and brought breakfast," he held out a brown bag containing muffins of varying flavours. "She said DeSalve did it? She actually saw him this time?"
Sanchez got to his feet and swiped the bag from the Lieutenant's grasp; amusement twitching on his lips. "Sir, you shouldn't have."
"I didn't." Provenza grumped as he moved to stand by his desk, waving an arm at his team. "You all owe me three dollars and fifty cents."
"Miss Moore said that DeSalve stopped her on the way into the studio this morning," Sykes explained as she updated the murder-board. "She said that he had asked for her help; that he was behaving erratically and when she tried to leave he got angry and punched her repetitively in the face."
Amy clipped a photograph of Amber Moore's bruised and bloody face to the board and Provenza winced. "What made him stop?"
"She doesn't know," Sanchez talked around a piece of blueberry muffin.
"Any witnesses?" Provenza asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Sir, are you suggesting that the girl did this to herself?" Sykes questioned her superior's suspicions, gesturing towards the photograph on the board.
"I'm not saying that," Provenza hoicked his trousers to loosen the material at his knees and took a seat at his desk. "But something's off – I don't think she's been entirely truthful with us about this DeSalve character."
"You think she's hiding something?" Andy asked, glancing over his shoulder into Sharon's office, before bringing his attentions back to his partner.
"What do your instincts tell you Flynn?"
xXx
Captain Raydor watched as a medic treated the wounds on the actresses face; her injuries reminiscent of a photograph of Sharon that sat inside the Banston file. The older woman looked on sympathetically as Amber Moore flinched – her eyes watering when the medic applied pressure to her cheekbones and nose.
Sharon shook her self internally when she felt her own eyes welling up; now was not the time to become emotionally attached.
"All done," the medic said cheerfully. "Nothing's broken, but it'll hurt like a bitch for a while." The young man got to his feet, popping various medical tools back in his case and handing the actress a couple of pills. "Ibuprofen for the pain and swelling – after a couple of hours if you're still in pain, take a couple of Tylenol."
"Thanks," Amber Moore nodded meekly and reached for the drink of water that sat beside her on Sharon's desk. She winced as the glass connected with a cut at the side of her mouth and she returned her eyes to the medic. "Will I be scarred?"
"Absolutely not," the medic shook his head with conviction. "You'll be back in working order soon enough…speaking of which," he reached into a pocket and pulled out a pen and notepad. "I hate to ask but - can I please have your autograph?"
"Oh, um…sure…" Amber took the proffered items from the excitable medic.
"Make it out to Stefan - that's me," he gushed excitedly, "…and Joe - that's my partner; we just love you in Days."
"Thank you very much, Stefan."
"You are so welcome! Tell me, is it true that your character…"
Sharon rolled her eyes at the exchange and tuning them both out – twisted to look through the open blinds and into the office.
Her whole team had now arrived and were hovering around the murder board; Andy was perched on the corner of Sykes desk, tucking into what looked like a chocolate muffin.
Sharon felt her mouth go dry as she watched him devour the baked treat; her stomach growled in response – although she wasn't entirely sure if her hunger was directed at the food or her lieutenant.
Realising that she was staring with her mouth agape, Sharon tore her gaze from Andy's lips – only to meet his dark brown eyes. She felt herself flush from head to toe - he was looking directly at her.
"Captain Raydor?" A voice from inside her office called for attention and Sharon snapped out of her reverie and back into the room.
"Hmmm?" She tugged at her black suit jacket – straightening it out in an attempt to compose herself. It appeared the medic had already left…'how long was I staring?'
"Are you alright?" Amber Moore sat, staring up at the captain - a frown forming on her bruised face.
"I'm fine," Sharon said, a little defensively before softening her reaction with a tight smile. "How are you holding up?"
The blonde shrugged, "I'm okay, I guess." She plucked absently at a loose piece of cotton on the hem of her floral skirt. "I'm just confused I mean…why would Franco want to hurt me like this?"
"Well," Sharon came to rest against her desk next to the younger woman. "Franco asked for your help, Amber…he sounded like he was pretty desperate."
"No, I mean like this," she gestured towards her bruising. "This face pays both of our bills – I'm his biggest client – well," she scoffed. "Not anymore."
"Oh," Sharon found herself lost for words.
"You know what? I'm gonna take a selfie and tweet it," Amber said decisively reaching for her purse and rummaging around for her phone. "No such thing as bad publicity right?"
Sharon's hands found her trouser pockets and she simply smiled wanly in response; her empathy for the young woman fading – just like that.
xXx
"What's the actress doing?" Sanchez asked with a frown as Sharon entered the murder room. Behind her, Amber Moore had moved towards the outer window of the captain's office and was elaborately posing into her cell phone.
"She's trying to find her light," Sharon answered flatly. "What do you have for me?"
"Well, not a whole lot – this case makes no sense." Provenza collapsed back in his chair, "If Amber Moore was the intended victim and not her PA, then DeSalve's not our man – he let the actress go."
"And he asked for her help," Andy entered the conversation, crossing the office to stand by Provenza. "Which means if he is our killer, then we're back to Jessica Ardell being the intended victim…"
"Square one, you mean." Provenza groused.
"Not quite, sir." Sykes entered the office and snatched a fax from the copier – dutifully dropping some coins into the jar on Provenza's desk. "Call just came through from South Bureau. We've got a plate match on DeSalves Porsche – it's parked up in a neighbourhood in the Harbor City area."
"Alright," Sharon took charge. "Detective Sykes, Detective Sanchez, follow up on this lead. We're assuming that the car has been dumped there – but please execute with caution."
"Yes Captain," The younger detectives moved into action and left the office
"Don't take the 405!" Provenza belatedly called after them, but by then they were already out of earshot. "There's a pile up…" He explained at Sharon's frown, "muffin?"
"Um," Sharon looked at the bag of baked goods and glanced uncomfortably at Andy; her bizarre reaction provoking a frown from both of her lieutenants. Thankfully however, Tao emerging from the comms room cut straight through the awkwardness.
"Captain, we think we've cleared up the footage from the airport enough to be lip-readable, we are just making some finishing touches…Oooh muffins."
"Three dollars and fifty cents." Provenza raised his eyebrows as Mike pulled a chocolate chip muffin from the bag.
"Great work, Mike; Lieutenant Flynn," Sharon - doing her best to appear collected - turned to Andy to address him for the first time since their late night conversation. "Please can you arrange for the lip-reading specialist to come in and decipher the footage?"
"Sure thing, Captain." Andy answered nonchalantly with a shrug – for which Sharon was thankful. She had been concerned that there would be weirdness between them at work, but as Andy moved over to the desk to make a call – he didn't even spare her a second glance.
In fact, his body language indicated that he was dealing with their situation better than she was.
"Lieutenant Provenza," Sharon brought her attentions back to her second in command and watched as Mike dropped his payment for the muffin on the desk and retreated back to the comms room. "We will need to arrange some protective detail for Amber Moore."
"Will do," Provenza glanced over his shoulder to ensure that the coast was clear. "Erm, Captain you got a minute?"
"Has there been a development in the other case, Lieutenant?" Sharon asked hopefully.
"Of sorts." Provenza got to his feet. "As you know, I visited Ian Banston last night."
Sharon cautiously surveyed the office area; Amber Moore was currently occupying her office – but apart from Andy who was currently on the phone - they were alone in the murder room. "What did you find out?" She spoke in a hushed tone.
"Does the name John Fredrickson mean anything to you?"
"John Fredrickson?" The captain frowned, and crossed her arms at her chest. "No. No it doesn't. Should it?"
"He's Ian's lawyer; the only visitor the man's had in the past few years. Fredrickson told Ian that there was a chance he could appeal."
"An appeal?" Sharon's eyebrows retreated to her hairline.
"Yeah, - but the thing is – I can't find a lawyer named Fredrickson on a register anywhere locally."
"Really? That's odd."
"I'm having the hospital send over video footage from the days that the lawyer visited – see if we can get a visual on this guy."
"Okay…did Ian Banston give you any indication of his involvement in this new spate of harassment?"
"No," Provenza shook his head. "I don't think Banston knows much – he didn't even know that you'd made Captain."
"I bet that bit of information just made his day…"
"He's a piece of work, alright." Provenza rounded his desk to stand next to the Captain.
"He's a very angry young man," Sharon responded sadly.
"He's clearly delusional," Provenza continued his rant. "He thinks his father was a damned saint – even though – get this – Ian's justification for the attack was that he 'saw you both together in Florida.' I can just see the appeal board lapping that one up…."
"Wait, I'm sorry Lieutenant…what did he say?"
"About what?"
"Florida." Sharon paled slightly. "What did Ian say about Florida?"
"Just that he saw you together once," Provenza shrugged.
"That's it?" Sharon's voice was small, her brow creased with worry.
"Yeah."
"He's never said that before…."
"Look, Captain the guy's delusional…"
"Is he Sharon?" Both Provenza and Sharon turned to see Andy standing behind them – a stony expression on his face. "Did Ian Banston see you and his father together in Florida?"
"Andy I…" Apparently, Sharon's guilt ridden expression was the only answer that the Lieutenant needed.
"Excuse me," he spat out as he briskly walked past them towards the break room.
"Andy," Sharon called after him – temporarily forgetting where she was. "It wasn't like that I…" She cursed under her breath and hung her head as Andy rounded the corner – moving out of site.
Sharon felt sick.
'Ian Banston saw us in Florida.'
But Ian had it all wrong – and now evidently so did Andy.
'How could something so meaningless be the catalyst for so much pain?'
After several long seconds, Provenza shifted on his feet – dragging her from her memories. "So…"
Sharon lifted her head gingerly to look at him, expecting a tirade of disapproval from her Lieutenant; but all she saw was compassion.
"Are you going to go after him?"
TBC
Thanks for reading! Reviews & comments are always welcomed.