Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters below – I am only borrowing them – and will not be financially benefitting from the story in anyway. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author Notes: Hey ya'll! Here's the next instalment. Thanks to Mellow Mel for the beta (and kicks up the arse to hurry me up!) and to everyone that has reviewed so far!
Chapter 14
"So…are we all ready to go?" Sharon asked hopefully, trailing Amber back into the house and eying the pile of expensive luggage that was cluttering the hall way.
The Captain was anxious to leave; although Amber had given no indication that she had overheard her conversation with Lieutenant Provenza – she wasn't taking any chances. In order to regain the upper hand – they needed the actress away from her home and on less familiar ground.
"Almost," Amber came to a stop and contemplated her luggage. "There's just a few more things I need to collect before we leave."
Sharon's hands retreated to her trouser pockets. "Can I be of any help at all?"
"What's the rush?" A slight frown creased Amber's brow before she tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder and slinked into the kitchen.
"Well, Miss Moore," Sharon followed closely behind. "We still have your case to solve. There is not a whole lot that we can do from here…."
"I won't be long, Captain – I promise." The actress smiled; had she not got a bloodied lip, her smile may have been considered sweet. However to Sharon - in light of new evidence - the lopsided smirk that touched Amber's features expressed something more sinister. "Would you like a drink while you wait?"
"Um…." Sharon glanced cautiously up the stairs, "Where is Lieutenant Tao?"
"Oh, he just went to the bathroom," Amber rounded the island in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, pulling out a glass pitcher. "Lemonade?"
The Captain came to stand at the opposite side of the island, a forced smile on her lips. "Sure, why not."
As Amber placed the lemonade on the counter and reached into a cupboard for the glasses – Sharon reflected on her conversation with Lieutenant Provenza.
Amber had told the team that she had no remaining relatives - yet in the airport footage, DeSalve had made reference someone's crazy family. If Amber was indeed responsible for DeSalve's death and had lured him away from LAX…'what is she hiding by refuting her family's existence?'
"You have a lovely home, Miss Moore."
"Thank you; it's a far cry from my first apartment."
"Well, everyone has to start somewhere," Sharon nodded. "Did you…grow up locally?"
"Yes I did,"
Amber faltered slightly as she placed the glasses on the counter - sensing her discomfort at the line of questioning, Sharon pressed on.
"In LA?"
"Originally…but I moved around a lot."
"Oh, were you an army brat?"
"No." Amber narrowed her eyes. "Your detectives know this stuff already, Captain; my parents died when I was young."
"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that…" Sharon placed her hand tentatively on the counter between them. "Forgive me Amber; I haven't yet had the chance to read your file…was it an accident or…?"
"Why do you ask?" Amber cocked her head to the side as she reached for the handle on the lemonade pitcher.
"Well," Sharon adjusted her glasses and took a step backwards, folding her arms over her chest. "You never know, it may be pertinent to your case..."
"Pertinent to my case?" The younger woman asked incredulously and tightened her grip on the pitcher; her tone suddenly scathing. "I seriously fucking doubt that."
"I…I'm sorry?" Sharon was taken aback at the sudden change in mood.
"Yes, it was an accident." Amber spat out; releasing her hold on the lemonade and gripping the counter. "Well, at least my dad said it was," she scoffed. "Though it turns out he was fucking some slut at work – so there was definitely motive."
The young woman took a deep breath to compose herself – then as quickly as it had disappeared, the sweet little actress act was back. "Now, would you like some sweetener in your lemonade, Captain Raydor?"
Sharon stared for a beat, a little dumfounded; the change in Amber's demeanour had been so hastily delivered, that she'd had little time to react. The Captain gathered herself swiftly however, her own professional mask falling into place. "Yes…yes please, sweetener would be great," she responded with a polite smile.
As Amber turned her back, Sharon quickly reached into her pocket for her cell phone and began searching for Tao's number. Sure she had just witnessed some severe cracks in the actresses façade, the Captain was growing anxious about her Lieutenants whereabouts.
"We lived with my grandmother for a while after my parents passed…" Oddly - considering her outburst - Amber decided to continue her life story as she rummaged around in the pantry – her tone almost jovial. "Until, you know…the ratty old bitch drank herself to death…now where did I put that damned Sweet 'N Low...?"
Sharon stopped scrolling through her phone as she processed Amber's statement; Provenza had specifically said that Amber had no siblings. "You said we?" She asked, poised to call Lieutenant Tao. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"
Amber had stopped rummaging.
"Miss Moore?" The Captain shifted her gaze between her cell phone screen and the pantry door. "Amber?"
"Ah-ha!" Amber exclaimed, reappearing with a small pink packet in her hand. "I knew I had some."
Startled, Sharon quickly dropped her hand to her side, shielding her phone from view as she pressed the screen to place the call.
"Sorry, did you ask me something?" Amber questioned calmly, just as Tao's phone sounded; the shrill ring sounding out – from right there in the kitchen with them.
Sharon felt her stomach tighten and her heart rate escalate as she watched Amber nonchalantly add the sweetener into a glass and top it up with liquid.
'What has she done to Lieutenant Tao? Is he still alive? He must be – why else would she take his phone?' Question's swirled around the Captain's mind as she cleared her throat and kept any hint of emotion from her voice. "Don't you need to get that call?"
"No, they can wait." Amber shrugged. "So your question?"
Sharon struggled to swallow, her throat suddenly dry as she terminated the call so as to avoid Tao's voicemail being heard from her handset. "I asked if you had any siblings."
"I have a brother. He's a little older than me."
"Did you…move in with other relatives after your grandmother passed?"
"Oh no…No Ian and I were placed in foster care."
As Amber pushed a glass of lemonade towards her – the tightness in the Captain's stomach turned to queasiness. 'Ian?'
"In LA?" She asked warily – connecting dots in her mind as she spoke.
"Nevada." Amber answered quickly and flatly; her azure gaze fixed upon the Captain.
'It's not possible…Chloe Banston is dead…'
Suddenly it was all too obvious. In her mind's eye, Sharon pictured Chloe as a child; the sweet young girl with the mop of blonde curls and big blue eyes. The same eyes now stared back at Sharon – all childhood innocence lost.
"Something wrong, Captain?" Amber asked, mock concern coating her words.
"I'm fine." Sharon spoke firmly; breaking eye contact temporarily - she inhaled sharply and straightened her posture. "Is Lieutenant Tao not joining us?" She asked coolly, pointing to the two glasses on the counter.
"He's said he's not thirsty."
"Still," Sharon smiled flatly. "I should go check on him – he's been a little while, don't you think?"
The Captain however had no intention of leaving. Angling her body away from the actress, she slowly lowered her hand to her holster and flicked open the clip - just as her own cell phone began to ring.
"Don't you dare fucking get that!"
The temporary distraction had sprung the younger woman into action; the Captain now found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.
xXx
Andy clenched the steering wheel a little harder than was necessary as he drove the back roads towards the DeSalve crime scene - skilfully avoiding a jam on the 405.
His frustrations were directed at no one in particular; the reasons to be pissed were so plentiful - at that moment in time he had no idea where to lay blame.
'This is all such a God damned mess.'
For the longest time Andy had thought that it was Jackson Raydor who had some kind of hold over Sharon; keeping her in a loveless marriage while he lived it up in Nevada...but it turned out it was her all along.
Problem husbands, Andy could deal with – but catholic guilt...
'It's not like I can just change the damn the past.'
As the Lieutenant rounded a corner, his musings came to an abrupt end when he found himself at the back of a long queue of traffic.
"What the..?" Andy slapped his hands on the wheel, and looked behind him - debating whether it would be quicker to start the siren or turn the car around.
The LA road system was a parking lot today; siren or no siren - Andy now resigned himself to the fact that getting to the crime scene was going to be a colossal pain in his ass.
"Son of a bitch."
'Today just gets better and better.'
The sound of his phone ringing through the car kit interrupted his internal rant; Andy looked at the caller display on the dash and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah?" He answered gruffly, craning his neck to see what the hold-up was.
"Lieutenant Flynn, it's Buzz."
"What's up?" Andy looked behind him as a car pulled up close to his bumper, hemming him in. "Talk fast."
"Lieutenant Provenza asked me to call. He um… he said the cases are related."
"What?" Having made the decision to try an alternative route, Andy opened the car door and flashed his badge at the vehicle behind him, gesturing for them to back off. As he sat back at the wheel and slid the car in to reverse, he heard an exchange between Provenza and Buzz – before the former picked up the call.
"Give me that...Flynn it's me."
"You don't say." Andy looked over his shoulder as he backed up the car to allow enough room to swing it around.
"The Captain's break in, the mail she's been getting – they're related to the actress case."
"What?" Andy abruptly slammed his foot on the break and stared at the dashboard.
"I just got the footage from Ridgewater Psychiatric –" Provenza explained, his breathlessness indicating that he was on the move. "DeSalve is Banston's lawyer."
"What the hell?"
"I'm on my way to the actress's house now –"
"Wait, does Sharon know there's a link?"
"The Captain and Tao are still with the actress - and Flynn…" the concern in his friend's voice shook Andy to his core. "…they're not answering their phones."
'Sharon…'
"Keep trying!" Andy put his foot on the gas and swung the car around. "I'm on my way."
As he flicked the switch to activate the siren and accelerated towards his destination - his heart was pounding in his chest.
'Please God. Please keep her safe.'
xXx
Sharon stood still, one hand on her holster – the other on her ringing cell phone – holding it outwards and in plain view.
'She has a gun,' the Captain internally chastised herself. 'I should have assumed she had a gun.'
Both women stared across the kitchen island; silently contemplating one another until the ringing stopped.
It was Sharon who broke the silence, "Chloe Banston, I presume."
"Took you long enough." Chloe - gun still raised, tilted her chin towards the Captain. "Show me your hands. Slowly." She edged over and removed the gun from Raydor's holster and the phone from her hand – placing them both on the counter out of reach.
"Where is Lieutenant Tao?"
"He's upstairs." Chloe took a step back, the gun still aimed at Sharon. "Turn around."
"If you've hurt him…"
"Shut up!" Chloe yelled and before Sharon could react, the young woman dropped a hand to her side and swung it back across Sharon's left cheek. "I said turn the fuck around!"
Stunned, Sharon brought a hand to her face to soothe the sting; she could taste blood.
"Okay," she held her hands up in front of her, her tongue tracing the inside of her lip for the source of the bleeding. "Alright."
As the Captain reluctantly turned around, she felt the barrel of the gun pushed between her shoulder blades; dutifully she allowed Chloe to push her towards the bottom of the stairs.
"Keep your hands where I can see them – we're going upstairs."
Sharon took each step carefully, the heels of her shoes sinking into the carpeted staircase. In the background she could hear her phone ringing again and she silently hoped that not answering would send the message to her team that they needed assistance.
'Where is Mike?'
"Everybody thinks you are dead," Sharon said evenly to distract Chloe from the ringing phone. "I've even seen the coroners' report."
"Don't believe everything you read, Captain." Once they got to the top of the large staircase, Chloe placed a hand roughly on Sharon's shoulder and steered her the right. "That door, straight ahead."
"Who was Amber Moore?" Sharon's trained eye took in her surroundings – open doors, hiding places.
"You mean 'Amber Lynn Moore'?" Chloe spoke with a southern twang. "Just some hick chick I met in Nevada."
"What happened to her?"
"You read the coroner's report."
"She was the girl that overdosed."
"Wow – you're good." Chloe retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I can see why they made you a Captain." Chloe shoved Sharon as they walked towards a closed door. "We looked similar; I told the cops she was me and apparently no one cared enough about a homeless junkie girl to check."
Sharon frowned - finding it difficult to understand how such a mistake could have been made by local law enforcement. There were procedures in place; protocol to follow in the event of any death that prevented misidentification of the deceased.
"Open the door," Amber barked, dragging the Captain from her thoughts.
Sharon lowered her right hand, twisted the knob and pushed it open; finding herself in a laarge lavishly decorated bedroom. A four poster bed - complete with drapes - stood central to the space, and the walls were littered with expensive looking Venetian mirrored furniture.
The Captain spotted Mike right away; unconscious and pushed up against a vanity unit in the corner of the bedroom. As she moved to enter the space, she felt Chloe's knee press into the back of her leg and a push to her shoulder - before she knew it - she was on the floor.
Sharon quickly scrambled on all fours across the plush carpet towards her lieutenant, cupping his face as his head lolled to the side. His skin felt hot under her palm; she shook his shoulder. "Mike, can you hear me?"
"Stand up!" Chloe yelled.
"What did you do to him?"
"He's sleeping."
"He's burning up!" Sharon placed the back of her hand to his forehead. "What the hell did you give him?" She started to loosen Mike's collar.
"You just can't help yourself can you?"
"What?" Sharon looked over her shoulder as she loosened Mike's tie and opened the top buttons on his shirt; the actress stood confidently in the doorway, gun still pointing in her direction.
"Tell me Captain, is Lieutenant Tao married too? Is that how you like them?"
"Why are you doing this Chloe?"
"Why? You ruin my fucking life - then ask me why I am doing this?"
"You seem to have done quite well for yourself," Sharon bit back as she looked around the luxuriously decorated bedroom.
"You don't know shit, lady!" Chloe took a step towards Sharon, thrusting the gun forward. The Captain quickly got to her feet and held up her hands as the younger woman continued. "Oh, I tried to put it all behind me; I got clean, went through years of counselling and therapy and I was doing just fine."
"Then what happened? What changed?"
"You."
"Me?"
"I saw you on the fucking news and it all came back."
Sharon recalled the actress saying that she had recognised her from a press conference Pope made her do, "the Marcus Campbell case."
"It was like I'd never had any help at all – back to square one - but now people are watching me and expecting me to perform like some fucking monkey." She jabbed the gun into Sharon's shoulder. "You made me remember – "
"You were living a lie, Chloe." Sharon spoke calmly. "You we pretending to be somebody that you weren't. I may have been the trigger that unlocked your memories – but I certainly wasn't the cause."
"What? How can you even say that?" Chloe took a few steps backwards. "All of this is your fault! Your affair with my dad –"
"Chloe," Sharon slowly lowered her hands. "I'm truly sorry for whatever you have had to endure as a result of your parents' death - but I was not having an affair with your father."
"You can't deny it; my brother saw you together!"
"Ian was a little boy, Chloe. A little boy who has grown up to be a very troubled young man – one that the state decided needed institutionalising."
She waved the gun in Sharon's direction. "My brother has never lied to me!"
"Your father did," Sharon responded in a level tone - she could hear sirens in the background.
'Has Lieutenant Provenza figured it out?'
"No. You're lying!"
"Chloe, I cared a lot for your father – but I never…we never…" Sharon faltered slightly.
"He told my Mom he was sleeping with you! That's why they fought – that's why she's dead!"
"I'm so sorry…" Sharon's voice was thick with emotion – her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "He was trying to use me as an alibi to avoid going to prison."
"That's not true! He said that you were having an affair – right up to when he killed himself. Why would he do that?"
"He was hoping that there would be a last minute reprieve -"
"No,"
"Chloe I swear to you. Your father was facing a long incarceration…"
"I don't believe you."
"He told those lies to protect himself; police officers rarely fare well in prison."
"You are a fucking liar!" Chloe screamed and Sharon raised her hands again.
The younger woman sat down heavily on the bed and pushed hand roughly through her thick blonde hair. "My brother should have killed you when he had the chance."
"Is that what you are going to do, Chloe? Are you going to kill me? Finish the job?"
"The thought has crossed my mind." Chloe crossed her legs and tilted the gun away slightly.
"Then why this elaborate scheme? Why the cards, the break in, the photographs?"
"All theatre darling," Chloe got to her feet again. "You know, getting the first one was a bit tricky - but I enjoyed it very much…Though not as much as your husband I might add; he told me I rocked his world."
Sharon narrowed her eyes.
"We had a very special fifteen minutes together in Vegas…"
"What?"
"Did I hit a nerve?" The younger woman invaded Sharon's personal space and pressed the gun to her side. "I'm sorry Captain Raydor – does that hurt?" She pushed Sharon backwards, her ribs connecting painfully with the corner of the vanity unit. "How the fuck do you think my mother felt?"
The Captain regained her balance as the sound of police sirens filled the room.
"What the..?" The actress side stepped around Sharon, keeping the gun aimed at her as she looked out of the window; cars were approaching from opposite ends of the street – lights flashing and sirens wailing.
"Are you wearing a wire?" She moved towards Sharon and grabbed the front of her shirt, tearing the buttons off and exposing the silk camisole underneath. "Is that how they know?"
"I'm not wearing a wire, Chloe. They found DeSalve's body - they must have figured it out."
"Shit," Chloe moved back into the room, away from the window and paced the space at the foot of the bed.
"They'll be up here any minute." Sharon pleaded with the younger woman. "If they see you with a gun –"
Chloe suddenly stopped pacing and levelled the gun at Sharon's face. "Too bad they'll be too late."
The actress squeezed the trigger.
Xxx
The Lieutenant's cars screeched to a halt at the end of the drive way. They simultaneously switched off their sirens and ran from their vehicles towards the house, guns drawn and flanked by several other officers from who had emerged from their black and whites.
"How do we know they are still in there?" Flynn asked, panic stricken as they reached the front door.
As if in answer to his question, a gunshot sounded – the bullet passed through an upstairs window - sending splinters of glass on to the concrete drive way below.
"That proof enough?" With that, Provenza raised his leg and kicked the front door open.
"LAPD – we're armed!"
xXx
It all happened in an instant; in the blink of an eye.
The split second before Chloe squeezed the trigger, Lieutenant Tao shifted on the floor; throwing off the actresses aim.
The gun went off; the bullet skimming past Sharon's hair and flying through the window behind her.
The noise was deafeningly loud; a catalyst kicking her into action.
The Captain's ears were ringing as she lunged forward, grabbing Chloe's arm and pointing the gun towards the ceiling. She used her weight to force the actress backwards until her knees connected with the nearby bed and they tumbled onto the mattress.
Sharon secured Chloe's wrist with her left hand and swung a punch at the younger woman's face with her right; her fist connecting with her jaw. Her assailant successfully stunned, the Captain retrieved the gun and pushed herself off and away from the bed – just as there was a crash from downstairs.
"LAPD – we're armed!"
xXx
"Up here!"
Andy's heart skipped a beat when he heard Sharon respond. He quickly took off in the direction of the staircase, careering upward as quickly as his shaking legs would allow – Provenza following closely behind.
When they were met with an array of closed doors - Andy desperately called out to her, "Sharon?"
"We're in here!"
Andy lunged towards her voice, threw open the door and took in the scene before him.
The actress was sprawled across a four poster bed – a dazed expression touching her bruised features. Sharon stood tall at the foot of the mattress - towering over her assailant and holding her at gun point.
"Sharon," Andy released a breath he felt like he'd been holding since the gunshot had sounded and crossed the room towards her.
Sharon blew her hair from her eyes as she turned her head to acknowledge him; green eyes expressing her relief.
"Are you okay?" Andy reached out and tentatively took her weapon, as her attacker was being hauled off of the bed by officers.
"Mike," Sharon turned sharply towards her stricken Lieutenant – to find Provenza already at his side – phone poised to call an ambulance. "She drugged him with something."
"mmm-kay" Mike slurred and attempted to get to his feet.
"Easy Mike," Provenza soothed as he pressed his cell phone to his ear. "It's over now."
"Did she hurt you?" Andy asked Sharon, cupping her chin lightly and tilting her face towards the light that was streaming through the broken window.
"I'm fine, Andy." Sharon spoke softly, shying from his touch before turning her attentions back to Chloe. It was a lie; in that moment she was far from fine. She wanted to allow Andy to comfort her, to deal with the reality of almost being killed - but now was not the place for emotional reunions.
"What the hell happened, Captain?" Andy asked, sensing her need to remain professional.
Sharon contemplated his question; she wasn't entirely sure what to tell him…she didn't really know what to tell her self. The miasma of emotions that had run though her mind; guilt, anger, fear, then relief and now…exhaustion – it was all just too much to articulate.
She pulled her blouse closed and smoothed her hair, as Chloe Banston was escorted from the room.
"We got our murderer, Lieutenant." Sharon spoke stoically, looking beyond Andy at a spot on the wall – sure that if she were to look into his eyes she would truly lose what little calm she had left. "Excuse me."
The Captain then left the room swiftly, intending to deal with her demons the way she always did; alone.
TBC
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