SYLVIA
/Chapter 8/
After escorting Paula to the safe house Kensi offered to do a quick perimeter sweep while Deeks helped Paula get settled.
Kensi now sat in the car and watched quietly as her partner exited the safe house and headed towards the car; ending a call as he climbed into the passenger seat.
"Everything okay; Paula get settled," Kensi asked as she pulled the car from the driveway of the non-descript suburban house.
Deeks just nodded, "Paula told me that 'Manda is out of the country, the curator confirmed it...an acquisitions trip for the museum and she won't be back in the states for a few more days. Chris is in court until after four...told his office it was urgent he get in touch with me; and Lanni's editor said she's meeting with a source for some expose she's working on...a little café on Fourth Street..."
...ncis la...
As Kensi pulled into a parking spot, Deeks scanned the patrons at the outdoor café, soon pointing to a table in the corner.
"There's Lanni...must be her source..." Deeks commented as he directed Kensi's line of sight to a dark headed, petite woman sitting with a rather nervous looking middle aged man.
They sat for several minutes watching the meeting, noting the man handed Lanni something that looked like a flash-drive before quickly departing.
Deeks exited the car and approached the woman who was scanning the menu and had yet to notice his approach.
Coming up behind her, he leaned over her seat, "You should really be more aware of your surroundings if you plan on having these clandestine meetings..."
The woman jumped and turned to look at him, her face registering surprise, "What the hell...Marty Deeks; don't scare me like that...damn..."
Deeks just grinned as he slid into the seat opposite the woman, while Kensi pulled an empty chair from a near-by table.
"So what Pulitzer Prize expose are you working on now," Deeks asked casually.
"Just your typical big money pharmaceutical company trying to save a buck doing illegal testing...no biggie," She replied with a shrug, waving the flash drive, "and if I'm lucky, this little baby is gonna tell me where they're doing the testing."
Deeks just shook his head, "How do you find this stuff?"
Lanni shrugged, whispering conspiratorially, "Hey, you have your 'confidential sources', I have mine: being a reporter is no different than being a detective."
"Sounds dangerous," Kensi remarked.
"Kensi's right Lanni...with billions of dollars at stake, these companies aren't playing around," Deeks said, "You should really turn this over to the DA...if what you're saying is true then it's a criminal matter—not just a story."
"I had every intention of turning it over to Chris, once I had a chance to go through it," Lanni defended, "I'm not about to lose a story I've spent four months on..." she then gave his arm a gentle punch, teasing, "you cops take all the good stuff and lock it away in musty ol' storage room and call it evidence...by the time I'd get it back my kids would be writing the story..."
"Lanni, you're impossible," Deeks grumbled with a shake of his head, adding, "...why don't you just become a cop and skip the middle man..."
"What...and have to play by the rules-never," Lanni quipped.
The moment of good natured ribbing fell away to a strained silence causing Lanni to look curiously between Marty and Kensi, clearly sensing an underlying tension, Lanni asked, "So, what's up...haven't seen you in ages...go so far under you forget to come up for air..."
Deeks snorted, looking at Kensi, "Something like that...Lanni, this is my partner Kensi, Kensi...Lanni..."
The women nodded to one and other as Lanni commented, "Hope your keepin' this one in line...he can be a handful..."
Kensi laughed, "It's a never ending challenge..."
"Uh, sittin' right here," Deeks commented as he pointed to himself.
"Yeah, and..." Lanni smirked. Kensi noted the woman made no comment when she saw Deeks injured hands.
"Ah, someone who knows what I go through..." Kensi offered up melodramatically.
They chuckled for a moment before Lanni commented, "So, really Mary, what's up...no one knew I was gonna be here except my editor...what's so important that you track me down in the middle of a work day?"
Deeks sighed heavily, his voice tight, "Lanni...it's...; Lanni, its Sylvia...she was released..."
Eyebrows rising in disbelief, Lanni repeated slowly, "She was released...Sylvia Gray was released; when...why...?"
"Not sure yet," Deeks replied, "Got people at Pine Crest checking on it right now..."
Lanni shook her head angrily, falling back in her seat, "This is absolutely unbelievable..."
Deeks ventured hesitantly, "Look, Lanni...until we find out exactly what's going on...my boss, she's set up a safe house..."
"What...wait, a safe house; you expect me to go to a safe house...hell no," Lanni said in disbelief, and mirroring Paula's earlier sentiment added, "That bitch is not taking away any more of my life, Marty; no way is she doing this again..."
"Lanni...please..." Deeks begged.
"No," Lanni replied firmly, waving a finger in Deeks face for emphasis.
"Paula is already there...she's given me two days, Lanni...please," Deeks pleaded with his stubborn friend. "Give me two days to find out how she got out..."
Lanni ran a hand over her face, and shook her head, "Marty...if she's out...what does it matter how..."
"I'm gonna talk to Chris later, see it there is anything we can do..." Deeks replied.
"Oh, that's just great...because all those complaints we lodged, and restraining orders we took out...they helped us so damn much last time..." Lanni said bitterly
...flashback...
Lanni squinted against the late day sun as she left the small town courthouse of Scottsville, her research had taken her longer than she anticipated and it would be well after dark before she made it back to LA: but the time had been well worth the effort, both for her-self and for her friends. With what she had uncovered maybe the cops could finally do something to help Marty...other than the flimsy piece of paper, not worth the paper it was printed on.
She clutched her messenger bag tightly, what she had uncovered would finally be the proof they needed... the yearbook, the news articles she found on the boys unexplained death, the people she had talked to...all proof that the woman was truly a threat...that she was capable of murder—then maybe Taylor would get his justice...get the policed to re-open an investigation on the accident.
Her hurried steps slowed, then stopped as she saw a woman leaning against the driver's side door of her car.
"What the hell are you doing here Sylvia," Lanni demanded.
"Last I checked the courthouse was a public place," Sylvia replied casually as she looked around the parking lot.
"So you have a reason to be at the Scottsville courthouse," Lanni inquired sarcastically, realizing uneasily that apparently today she drew the short straw: her only consolation was that if Sylvia had followed her clear to Scottsville she wasn't harassing Marty, he could definitely use any break from the woman's incessant harassment that he could get.
"And you do...what exactly are you doing here, Lanni," Sylvia shot back with exaggerated curiosity.
"Research...I am a reporter, I'm working on a story..." Lanni replied.
Sylvia's answering laugh was without humor, "Researching a story...isn't that adorable: and just what kind of story could Professor Jenkins have assigned you that brings you to this piss ass town I wonder...?"
"Guess you'll have to wait for the headline," Lanni shot back; and despite Sylvia still standing between her and the door, Lanni reached for the door handle of the car, "now, if you don't mind I have a deadline..."
Sylvia didn't move but simply shoved the door closed...her tone cold, "Ah, but, I do mind..."
Lanni's head shot up and she stumbled back away from the angry woman: her uneasiness ratcheted up a notch as her eyes meet the cold, fury in Sylvia's gaze, "What the hell...Sylvia, I'm not playing these games with you...get out of my way..."
"Oh, Lanni, I'm not playing...I'm not playing at all," Sylvia said in a slow, even tone; her head shaking back and forth slowly, her eyebrows raised knowingly, her fingers running along the messenger bag draped over Lanni's shoulder and held firmly in front of her, "I know why you're here...and it's not going to work...digging up lies...parading about some poor boy's death...and just because I knew him...what do you think it's going to accomplish..."
"Oh, you more than just knew him," Lanni said, meeting Sylvia's gaze.
"Did I?" Not looking away from Lanni's gaze, Sylvia said, "I know what you and the others have done...what you continue to do...and I'm not going to let it happen anymore..."
Lanni stood straighter, her arms spread wide, shock and anger fighting for dominance in her reply, "What...what we've done...what we've; you have got to be kidding me. How many times does he have to say it...how many times are the cops gonna serve you with papers," sighing in frustration Lanni ran a hand through her hair, "how many more times are you gonna hurt him—"
Sylvia flinched as if slapped, a look of honest shock crossing her features, "Hurt him...I would never hurt him—Lanni, I love him."
Lanni snorted, answering skeptically, "Love him...you call what you're done to him love...how is stalking love Sylvia...how can you justify the slashed tires, the trashed apartment..." moving up in the other woman's space, her tone angry and accusing, "and the things you've said to him—twisting him up inside 'til he doesn't know which end is up...how can you say you love him and compare him to his father..."
"He hurts me...if he loved me he shouldn't do things to hurt me," Sylvia defended.
"He doesn't hurt you Sylvia...he just wants his life back...we all want our lives back..." Lanni pointed out in frustration. "Sylvia, if you really loved him...you would want him to be happy..."
"He is happy...he's happy when he's with me—not you, not those so-called buddies and certainly not with Paula..." Sylvia spat out in disgust.
"Is that why you killed him," Lanni spat out, her voice hitched with emotion.
"Killed him...who, you mean Taylor—you know as well as I do that Taylor died in a car accident..." Sylvia said innocently.
An angry scowl fixed on her face, her voice rough with emotion, Lanni just snorted and shook her head, "Yeah, sure...doesn't matter what the police think—we know Sylvia...we know...and somehow we will prove it..."
Sylvia just raised an eyebrow and smiled evilly, leaning in to whisper to the other woman, "It doesn't matter anymore...because you won't be able taint him with your lies anymore...won't be able to keep us apart ever again..."
Lanni pulled away from the woman, shooting her with a wary gaze, "What the hell is that supposed to mean...what are you going to do?"
Sylvia turned her back and stepped away from Lanni, who demanded suspiciously, "Sylvia?"
Sylvia lowered her head for a moment, saying quietly, "Good-bye Lanni..."
Pain suddenly erupted across Lanni's head as Sylvia turned and swung tire iron, sending Lanni to her hands and knees.
"He's mine...you and the rest of them are not going to take him away from me...after today, you'll never be able to keep us apart ever again," Sylvia screamed as she brought the tire iron down again across Lanni's back.
...flashback #2...the next day...
"Lanni?...Lanni, come on...wake up already-please..."
The pleading voice and a hand gently stroking her forehead, roused the young woman from her drug induced torpor and she sighed lightly and cracked open her eyes to see two fuzzy faces peering down at her.
Hands tried to keep her from trying to push her-self up, as she asked hoarsely, "Wha' hap'ned...what...why am..."
Her question was cut off as a sharp pain tearing through her head and shoulders took her breath away: with a whimpering groan she fell back onto the bed.
"Hey, take it easy...you're not up to running a marathon," Chris chided, as he adjusted her pillows.
Lanni looked to her two friends, noting their tight worried faces she said flatly, "It was Sylvia...she followed me to Scottsville...she knew I was looking into that kid, Scotty White—the one that died mysteriously, after breaking up with her: I found the news articles and talked to a few of his friends...guys, we were right, Marty isn't the first person she's done this too."
"We know... witnesses ID'd her, but in the confusion she managed to slip past the cops..." Chris said.
A fleeting memory flashed through Lanni's mind and she scanned the room in frantically, "Chris...where's Marty...?"
Seeing Paula and Chris exchange pensive looks, Lanni demanded, "Paula, answer me-Sylvia said something to me; said we wouldn't be interfering anymore. I thought she meant she was going to try to kill us...like she did Taylor..."
After exchanging another look with Chris, Paula laid a hand over Lanni's and said brokenly, "He's missing Lanni...no one has seen him since yesterday afternoon...he's not answering his phone and..."
"Oh god, that's what she meant," Lanni said in dismay, looking towards Chris, "she's kidnapped him...that's how we can't interfere with her 'relationship'...by taking him away from everything that she sees as a threat to her delusion...we gotta do something..."
"The police know Lanni...they searched his apartment...it was trashed, all his pictures were torn...some of his belongings were missing..." Chris explained, adding, "and there was take-out on the counter...it was drugged..."
The next ten days passed in a blur of soul wrenching fear...and the man pulled from that small room in a non-descript house in a non-descript small town was nearly unrecognizable to his friends...
...end flashback...
Deeks urgent and concerned voice calling her name roused Lanni from her reverie, "Lanni...Lanni, you with me? You alright?"
"Yes, Marty...I'm alright," Lanni answered as the horrid images were forced down and buried away.
"I promise...it won't be like last time; but you have to give me some time to sort this out," Deeks begged, "please, I can't do this if I have to worry about the rest of you..."
Lanni shook her head, "I don't know Marty...yeah, it scares the hell out of me that she's out, but...I know what to expect this time..."
Deeks face scrunched up in a pout before a mischievous look suddenly crossed his features, causing Lanni to look at the detective warily, "What are you up too, Marty."
"You know, as a sworn officer of the law, I am obligated to report crimes...and 'collect' evidence..." Deeks said with a nod of his head, adding, "And I will be seeing Chris later this afternoon..."
"You wouldn't dare..." Lanni exclaimed, wrapping her hand around the flash drive.
"Well, now, if I knew the evidence was secured, I could probably hold off for, say, a few days..." Deeks hedged slowly, waving his hand to punctuate his point, "say, if it was secure...in, I don't know...maybe, a safe house..."
"That's blackmail..." Lanni said.
"Ah, such an ugly word; no, I see it as a 'friendly request'..." Deeks replied smugly, adding shrewdly, "Look, you're gonna spend the next day or so holed up going through whatever is on that drive anyway...am I right; so why not do it at the safe house..."
Giving a huff of frustration, Lanni finally relented, "Fine, Paula gave you two days—I'll give you those two days...but, I need to go home first and gather some files."
Deeks smiled triumphantly, "No problem, we'll follow you to your house so you can park your car and pack."
Shaking her head with a wry smirk, Lanni reached over and ruffled Deeks shaggy mane, "I hate you...you know that..."
"Love you too," Deeks replied with a smirk.
Deeks would swear the next several minutes were actually a lifetime as one moment he and Kensi were watching Lanni begin to cross the street to her car and the next, the young woman was flying over hood of a car that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Lanni," Deeks screamed as he ran to his downed friend and fell heavily to his knees, "Lanni, oh god, Lanni...can you hear me...Lanni..."
Following behind her partner, Kensi had drawn her gun, but couldn't get a clear shot as the car ploughed through a red light, causing traffic to skid and careen in the intersection.
Losing the car for now, Kensi turned back to her partner and the injured woman, pulling her cell as she did so, "Eric, I need an ambulance at Fourth and Clover...hit and run, pull up the traffic cams and get a fix on an off white, 'O3 Escalade...no plates..."
Pocketing her phone, Kensi stooped down to her partner, "How is she?"
Hands hovering over his injured friend, Deeks said tightly, "Blood, there's so much blood..."
In the distance the scream of the sirens could be heard.
...NCIS LA...NCIS LA...NCIS LA...NCIS LA...
a/n: I hope I portrayed Sylvia sufficiently "creepy" (& deranged) enough...I promise that there will eventually be a "creepy" Sylvia flashback with Deeks...but to flesh out a truly well-rounded psychopath I need to share the wealth/memories/flashbacks amongst the characters in Deeks past...
...this was another chapter I struggled over...just had way to much information for one chapter, had a heck of a time evening it out...Lanni's investigative story is soon to offer a twist to our story...