Author Notes: I'd apologise again for the delay in posting – but I'm starting to sound like a broken record. What can I say? Work has been a bitch and those showers won't sell themselves ;).
I owe this chapter to my fabulous beta mellow_mel for her prods from across the pond and my gorgeous boyfriend who refuses to cut his hair until I have finished this story and written 5 chapters of my own book (I quite like long hair on a man – but his grows up and out instead of down :/)
Anyhoo – on with the story
Chapter 13
Andy paced the floor in the break room.
'Sharon had an affair?' He clenched and unclenched his fists. 'All that crap about 'being married' and she had an affair with Jimmy –fucking – Banston?'
He moved to the counter and clutched the edge. As he inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself, he heard the tell-tail clicking of heals approaching at a determined pace.
'And now she's pissed?'
As the door swung open, Andy moved swiftly to the coffee maker and grabbed a mug – pouring decaf into the receptacle calmly – trying to create the illusion of nonchalance. He kept his back to the door even when it was forcibly slammed shut.
"Do you mind telling me just what the hell that was?" Sharon's clipped and clearly enraged tone called for his attention.
"You tell me." Andy took a sip of the warm liquid and turned to face her; her frosty expression just daring him to explain.
"Well," She placed her hands on her hips. "It appears to me, that you heard half of a tale and instead of keeping your feelings to yourself until you and I were in a more appropriate place to discuss them - you acted like a jack-ass."
"I acted like a jack–ass?" He spluttered.
"Andy, I don't think you quite grasp the gravity of our situation."
"What the hell does that mean?" He scowled and placed his coffee on the counter.
"All your little outburst has done is to prove to me that a having a relationship and working together, is completely out of the question."
"That's ridiculous." Andy rounded the counter towards her.
"Is it?" Sharon raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms at her chest. "Andy, what just happened out there in front of our colleague…"
"Provenza?" Andy scoffed. "He doesn't count."
"Your actions were embarrassing and completely without grounds."
"Oh I've got grounds to be pissed, alright."
"Jimmy has been dead for over a decade..."
"That's not what this is about."
"Oh?"
"I'm not jealous of Jimmy; what you did in your past, Sharon - it's none of my business."
"Alright, then…" she faltered - his response was not what she had anticipated.
"You've been holding your marriage to Jackson in front of you like a God damned shield!"
Sharon opened her mouth to respond, yet thought better and closed it again – allowing Andy to continue his tirade.
"And now I find out that you, what? Had an affair with another man?"
"It was not an affair." This time, Sharon was quick to respond - her already folded arms tightened defensively over her chest.
"Then what was it?"
"It was nothing…" Sharon twisted away from Andy's scrutiny and took a step towards the door.
"Bull shit, Sharon." Andy followed her, not backing down. "I saw your face when Provenza told you what Ian Banston had said. What did that kid really see in Florida?"
"Ian was just a child, Andy," Sharon said dismissively as she turned to face him again. "He doesn't know what he saw."
"Sharon, be honest with me here." Andy pressed her for an answer, his expression sincere. "Please, you owe me that much."
Sharon's eyes searched his for a beat, as if she were looking for the right answer; the magic word that would make him drop the subject altogether. Eventually however, she conceded with the truth.
"It was…" she sighed and dropped her gaze to the floor. "It was just a kiss…"
"A kiss?"
"Yes," Sharon brought her gaze back to his. "It was just an incredibly reckless thing to do in a moment of weakness that lasted for about half a minute before I came to my senses." Her brow furrowed as she recalled the night it happened. "Jackson and I had just had a huge fight…I was feeling vulnerable and confused about the state of my marriage and Jimmy…he misread my need for comfort as something else..."
"He kissed you first?"
"He instigated it yes, but…"
"Sounds to me like he took advantage."
"Whatever it was, why ever it happened," Sharon shrugged. "I broke my marriage vows. Not Jackson – me."
"Banston made a pass at you, Sharon."
"That's right - and for a second… I didn't fight it."
"Big deal!"
"Andy,"
"So you're not perfect." Andy shrugged. "You're only human, Sharon – one brief kiss does not an adulteress make."
"Oh, yes it does." Sharon protested, stepping backwards – regaining the space between them. "Andy, Ian Banston saw his father kissing me; everything that has happened since…it all leads back to that very moment."
He frowned. "You make it sound like you're being punished."
Sharon hesitated and looked at Andy contemplatively; her eyes were glazed with unshed tears. When she eventually spoke, her voice was devoid of its earlier harshness. "Maybe I am."
A knocking startled them both and Sharon took yet another step backwards just as Provenza reluctantly poked his head around the door.
"Sorry to interrupt, Captain." The lieutenant scowled at Andy. "Flynn, your lip reading specialist is on her way up to watch the footage of DeSalve at the airport."
"Be right out." Andy barely acknowledged his friend – his gaze was focussed solely on Sharon.
"Oh and Captain?" Provenza continued. "Our actress has requested to leave – you want me take her home and arrange for uniform surveillance?"
Sharon spared a glance at Andy. "No," she shook her head. "I'll go – I would rather you were here when the footage of Ian Banston's lawyer arrives. I'll take Lieutenant Tao with me; please let him know that we are leaving."
"Yes, Captain." Provenza left the room, but as the Captain moved to follow him - Flynn reached out to lightly clasp her arm.
"Sharon,"
"Lieutenant Flynn, I believe that you have a visitor," Sharon locked eyes with her lieutenant. "Please show her to the comms room and call me if you get any leads."
Andy held her gaze for a few more beats, before releasing her arm. "Alright," he said conceding defeat as Sharon left the break room. "Whatever you say, Captain."
xXx
"What do you mean - you need me now?"Lip reading specialist Karen Parisi sat in front of a monitor in the comms room, relaying what was being spoken by Franco Desalve on the screen. Buzz, who sat next to her, was acting as scribe. "I've helped you enough already – you and your crazy fucking family."
Andy hovered in the back, half listening, half caught up in his argument with Sharon.
She was shutting him out – pushing him away; her leaving to take the actress back to her house was a sure sign that she was putting distance between them. She was redefining the boundaries of their relationship.
Sharon blamed herself for what happened to the Banston family – that much was clear.
Is that one of the reasons she's still married to Jackson? Is remaining in a loveless marriage some kind of screwed-up self-imposed penance?
"Lieutenant Flynn?" His name being called drew Andy from his reverie. He quickly realised that Karen had stopped translating and both she and Buzz were staring at him expectantly.
Andy cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "You done already?"
"Um Yeah," Buzz answered, drawing out his words sarcastically with an impatient expression on his face. "The footage gave us no name of who DeSalve was talking to - just a reference to someone's crazy family," he held out the notes to Andy.
"Crazy family?" Andy frowned as he took the proffered item and scan read Buzz's scrawl. "Who the hell is he referring to?"
Before the rooms occupants could speculate, the door swung open revealing Provenza with a stony expression on his face.
"What's up?" Andy asked the obvious question.
"Are we done here?"
"Yeah just finished up, why?"
"Karen thank you so much for your help…" Provenza addressed their guest. "…But could you excuse us please – there's something pressing I need to discuss with my colleagues."
"Um, of course." Karen got to her feet and gathered her things – nodding towards the transcript in Andy's hands. "I hope it helps you with your case, Lieutenant."
Andy nodded his thanks - but the team remained silent until they were alone.
"So what's up?" Andy asked again – breaking the silence
"Sanchez just called - they found a body in the trunk of DeSalves Porsche."
"A body? They think it's DeSalve?"
"Sure as hell looks that way. There's a team on the way now – you good to go supervise? I've got to deal with the other thing…"
Andy frowned, "other thing?"
Provenza raised his eyebrows. "Concerning the Captain…"
"Oh," Andy answered as he grumpily. "Right." 'Yet another thing that Sharon is shutting me out of.'
"I'll update the Captain," Provenza ignored Flynns childish strop. "…and have Sanchez text you the coordinates."
"Don't worry," Andy strode around his friend and exited the comms room in a huff, handing him the footage notes from Buzz as he passed. "I'll call Sanchez."
Provenza rolled his eyes and looked down at the notes he'd been handed. "Crazy family?" He huffed, "There's a whole lot of crazy going round today."
"Do you want me to go to the crime scene as well, Lieutenant Provenza?" Buzz got to his feet and reached for his camera.
"Oh no - I need you to stay right where you are and do your thing." Provenza handed Buzz a video tape.
"My thing?"
"Yeah, you know - download this footage for me?" He turned to leave, "Let me know when it's done."
With that, Provenza left the office and shut the door behind him, leaving the younger man frowning at the bulky looking video cassette. "Download?"
xXx
After a short drive, Amber Moore, Lieutenant Tao and Captain Raydor arrived at the actress's house.
Having decided that it was best they took Amber to a hotel for her protection, the actress had asked Tao for assistance in packing some items to take with her – leaving Sharon to wait downstairs.
Having endured a car journey listening to Mike and Amber discussing the plight of the actresses character on her soap opera – Sharon was more than ready for some alone time; she was already regretting her decision to leave the office.
She always stayed at the office. Unless there was a body, Sharon led her team from a central location - she didn't escort victims to their houses.
'It seems that Andy isn't the only one who is exhibiting 'obvious' behaviour'.
Sharon sighed as she perused the actress's sitting room, admiring the expensive fabrics and original art pieces that adorned the walls and furniture.
It did feel good to be out of the office, though; away from the scrutiny of her team and ever watchful eyes of Lieutenant Flynn. With everything that had happened over the past few days, fiercely private Sharon was feeling very exposed – until she was in a room with Andy – then she felt instantly smothered.
Their actions at her apartment last night had clouded her judgement; Sharon's desire to touch and be touched had blinded her to the fact that Andy Flynn was and always would be a hot-head.
His jealous reaction this morning had confirmed Sharon's concern that there was a zero chance of keeping what had already happened between them a secret. Regardless of whether she decided to pursue a relationship with Andy or not - she would need to speak to Assistant Chief Taylor.
Sharon winced inwardly, just imaging the smug look on Taylor's face.
She wasn't sure she was ready to face that.
Leaving the sitting room, she wondered silently over to the double patio doors and stared out across the gardens – thoughts of her argument with Andy filling her mind.
'You make it sound like you're being punished!'
As ridiculous as Flynn made it sound, there was some truth to his off-the-cuff comment.
This was a guilt that she had carried with her the longest time; if Sharon and Jimmy hadn't kissed – would he have decided to use her as an alibi in the first place?
That quandary caused a barrage of questions to flood Sharon's mind – an alternate reality formulating within her psyche of how different life may have been for the Banston family…
If Jimmy hadn't used Sharon an alibi – hadn't told his wife that they were having an affair - there would have been no fight between them. Marion would still be alive and her children – Ian and Chloe - would have grown up in a loving home.
If Sharon had recoiled at the first touch of Jimmy's lips against hers, there would have been nothing for Ian Banston to see. Nothing for him to relate to the demise of his family…
Maybe Andy was right – maybe everything that had happened since was her punishment.
'Andy…'
Despite his outburst today, regardless of her fear for Taylor's reaction to their relationship – Sharon's heart ached at the prospect of ending things. But how could she allow herself to be happy when her previous actions had caused so much pain?
A buzzing in her pocket dragged her from her thoughts and with a quick look at the caller display, she answered her phone promptly. "Lieutenant Provenza, what do you have for me?"
"Captain, we've found Franco Desalve."
"Oh?" Captain Raydor threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure that Amber Moore was out of earshot as she hurriedly pulled open the door and walked out onto the decking to take the call.
"Well, we think we've found him."
"What do you mean you think you've found him, Lieutenant? Where is he?"
"In the trunk of his Porsche."
"Oh," Sharon nodded in understanding. "Okay…So how long has he been dead?"
"Flynn's on his way up there with a team now – we should know very soon – but from Sanchez's description of the smell – a couple of days."
"A couple of days?" The Captain pulled the door shut behind her. "That's certainly interesting."
"Isn't it?" Provenza concurred. "Unless we've got ourselves a case of the walking dead – Amber Moore is lying about her attack. Where is she now?"
"Up stairs with Lieutenant Tao grabbing some things to take to a hotel – where she will be under 24 hour surveillance." Sharon emphasised that last point.
"So the victim is our new suspect."
"Let's be sure, Lieutenant. Did our lip reading specialist pick anything up from the airport footage?"
"Nothing useful. A passing reference to someone's crazy family..."
"Crazy family? What do we know about Miss Moore's relatives? "
"Well, there's not a lot to tell…" Sharon heard the rustling of paper over the line as Provenza looked back over their initial interview notes for Amber. "Mother and father are both dead and have been for years…no siblings…"
"Alright," Sharon sighed. "Lieutenant, please call me as soon as you confirm time of death."
"Aye Aye Captain."
Sharon placed her iPhone back in her blazer pocket and turned back towards the house; her heart leapt into her throat when staring right back at her through the glass, was Amber Moore.
The younger woman slid the door to one side, a slight frown creasing her brow. "What are you doing out here, Captain?"
"Amber you scared me," Sharon splayed her hand over her own chest. "I was…checking the perimeter," she fabricated; a forced smile spaying across her lips. "It's all clear."
"Okay," Amber shrugged casually, seemingly satisfied with Sharon's answer, and headed back into the house.
Sharon released the breath she had been holding - before following her back inside.
xXx
Provenza hung up the phone on his desk and rested back in his chair – checking his watch; the sooner they have time of death the better.
Mike had stated, in his usual long winded fashion, that it was possible for Amber Moore to have murdered her assistant before going to the party. But involving DeSalve and orchestrating his guilt would have taken detailed premeditation and an intelligence that the ditzy young actress was yet to portray.
Maybe she had a better handle on her craft than anyone had given her credit for…
"Lieutenant Provenza?" Buzz called from the open door to the comms room.
"Yeah?" Provenza spun around in his chair to face the younger man. "You done already?"
"I can work a VCR," Buzz sniped as he made way from the Lieutenant to pass through the door and into the room. "Who was the man DeSalve there to see?"
"What?" Provenza frowned as he took a seat at the desk.
"On the airport footage DeSalve mentioned someone's crazy family, but I didn't think he was being literal…"
"Buzz," Provenza snapped. "What are you talking about?"
"This," Buzz hit the play button and the screen blinked into action. "DeSalve at the mental institution – who was he there to see?"
"That can't be right…" Provenza's eyes widened as he saw Franco DeSalve on screen. "This footage it's…" Provenza looked to Buzz, "this is what I gave you just now?"
"Yeah," Buzz said incredulously. "Why, what's wrong with it?"
Provenza paled as he saw Amber Moore's agent signing into the front desk of Ridgewater Psychiatric. "DeSalve is Banston's Lawyer…Sharon!" Provenza leapt into action, reaching for his phone to call the Captain. "Get Flynn on the line – tell him to get over to Amber Moore's house - now!"
"Why? What's happening?" Buzz picked up the phone receiver.
"Sharon's the link, Buzz." Provenza's explanation did nothing to appease the young man's confusion. "The cases are related."
As Buzz proceeded to call Flynn, panic gripped Lieutenant Provenza…
"You've reached the voice mail of Captain Sharon Raydor of the LAPD…"
TBC
So…did you know who Sharon's stalker was before this chapter? Are you still not sure? If you are awesomely fabulous enough to leave me a review for this chapter…pretty pretty please could you keep the plot twist a secret for people who haven't gotten this far yet? I'd really appreciate it.
I tend to read the reviews before I chose to read a story and I'm worried that if everyone knows 'who-dunnit' they might not want to read it!
I respond to every review, so if you wanted to chat about it - maybe you want to tell me that you knew who it was from the start, or that I've confused the hell out of you? Either way, please feel free to PM me…I don't bite!
Ta very muchly