Chapter 19

Roy slammed the dorm room phone down and scrubbed his face with his hand. He stood up, stretching his back. The engine crew had been called out to a grass fire along the freeway, leaving the paramedics alone at the station. Normally it would be time for 'lights out' but with the captain still out on the run, the two remaining crew members were in no hurry to prepare for bed. They seldom got a decent night's sleep anyway.

"Still no pearls?"

Roy turned around, seeing his partner standing with his elbow propped on the half wall beside Mike's bunk. The senior man shook his head, turning towards the locker room. He needed to get ready for bed.

Johnny followed Roy's lead, knowing that now was the best chance he would have to broach the subject of the jewelry and the role Lexi may have played in its disappearance.

As the two men began their nightly routine, Johnny was the first to speak.

"Roy… what if the jewelry wasn't misplaced?"

Roy looked up from the sink where he was brushing his teeth, his blue eyes staring at Johnny's reflection in the mirror. He spit out the foamy toothpaste residue, rinsed his mouth, and patted his face dry with a towel before he responded.

"I know what you're thinking," the red-haired man said, stepping over to his locker.

"Do you?"

"Yea… I mentioned it to Joanne on that last call," he replied, tossing his toiletry bag into his locker before he began removing his uniform shirt.

"And?"

"Damn, Junior…" Roy shook his head as he made his way to his locker.

Having finished his own oral hygiene routine, Johnny followed Roy, unbuttoning his shirt and peeling it off, then hanging it up in his locker. When he was left clad in only his tee shirt and boxers, he leaned against his locker looking at the haggard face of his best friend. "So… what does Joanne think?"

"She's even more pissed at me now than she was before I mentioned it," Roy commented, cramming his spent uniform into his bag.

"She doesn't want to believe that Lexi would steal from her?"

Roy hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, then looked at his partner. "I don't either… but no one else had the opportunity."

Johnny exhaled loudly as the two firemen returned to the dorm room and readied their bunker gear beside their beds. Roy turned off the lights and the two men slipped into their beds. Both men were lying on their backs, staring at the ceiling.

"Roy," Johnny began, bending his elbow to rest his head in the palm of his hand. "What are you going to say to Marco?"

Roy rolled over onto his right side to look at his partner. "I really don't know. Jo doesn't believe it, but… I do."

"Yea."

"I dunno what to do, Johnny. I don't want to upset Marco just a week before his wedding, but… I want Jo's pearls back."

"If it's not too late," Johnny added.

"You think Lexi sold them?"

"Maybe… Who knows?"

Silence fell between them; the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock above Marco's bunk. Neither man spoke, but neither one was going to get much sleep, either. It was Johnny who broke the silence.

"Mike."

"What?"

Johnny leaned up on one elbow, looking over at Roy in the dim light from the street lamp outside the dorm room window. "I said Mike."

"Yea, I heard you, but what about him?"

"Maybe you should talk to Mike; you know… get his opinion on the situation. He might have some insight on Lexi stealing the jewelry."

"I'll think about it," Roy said, rolling onto his back and letting his head rest against his pillow. "One thing's for sure… If I talk to Marco about it, then I run the risk of ruining his wedding… and if I don't, and Lexi did take the pearls, then I run the risk of her hocking them before I have a chance to get them back for Joanne."

"It's a no-win situation, huh?"

"Yep… and if I talk to Mike… well… no fireman needs to piss off the man who controls his water supply," Roy said, sarcastically.

Before Johnny could respond, the klaxons sounded calling the men out on an obstetrical call. The paramedics quickly stepped into their bunker gear, pulling the red suspenders onto their shoulders as they scurried out of the room. Roy acknowledged the call, writing down the address while Johnny consulted the wall map.

In a matter of minutes, the squad was pulling up to a dilapidated house in a rundown neighborhood. The men exited the squad, discretely looking around for any threats to their safety while listening for the approach of law enforcement to back them up. The paramedics began pulling out the gear they knew they would be needing if the baby decided to enter the world prior to the mother reaching the hospital.

Roy, taking the lead, pulled back on a ragged screen door, knocking on the unpainted wooden door behind it. "Fire department!"

A stringy haired teenage girl opened the door, the obvious smell of marijuana smoke billowing from the open doorway. "Heeyyy, c'mon in."

"Miss… Did you call the fire department?" Roy asked, following her into the residence. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed the grimace on Johnny's face. He knew his partner had smelled the familiar odor, too.

"Yea… it's my sister. She's 'bout to have her baby, I think."

The paramedics pushed passed the slow-moving young woman, following the sounds of moaning coming from the back of the tiny house.

Roy followed the sounds to a bedroom and knocked on the door. "Ma'am… Fire Department!"

The only response was a muffled moan. He immediately tried the door knob only to discover that it was locked. He rapped on the door a couple of times with his open hand. "Ma'am, can you unlock the door?"

While Roy continued his efforts to gain entry, Johnny turned to the unkempt young woman behind him. "Miss, how long has she been in labor?"

"Hell, if I know," the girl replied, uncaringly. She took another drag from her joint.

"Listen, we really need you to focus here, a'right? So, would you mind putting that down and waiting on the police and ambulance to arrive?" he suggested, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Ain't lettin' no pigs in my house!"

"Look, your sister's life and the life of her baby may be in danger. We really need for you to direct the ambulance attendants back here to where she is!"

The girl remained standing in place, staring at Roy as he took a few steps back from the door. Johnny, realizing what his partner was about to do, stepped in front of the girl to block her from any attempts at stopping the forced entry.

With one swift kick, Roy breached the lock; the force slammed the door against the bedroom wall, jarring a picture and sending it crashing to the floor. Johnny followed his partner into the room, hearing the delayed slurry speech of the teenage girl.

"Oooh, that was pretty far out!"

Roy removed his helmet, bending down beside the bed to assess the young woman who lay in a fetal position beneath the covers. He began trying to talk to her but was getting no response.

Johnny, after setting down his equipment, turned again to the other resident. "What's her name?"

"Penelope… we jus' call her Penny."

Roy overheard the name and began addressing her by her first name in an attempt to elicit some kind of response, but to no avail. While Johnny began establishing contact with Rampart, Roy started questioning the pregnant woman's sister.

"How far along is she?"

"I dunno."

"Where's she getting prenatal care?" he asked, checking her vitals.

"Huh?"

"Who's her doctor? You know, who's gonna deliver her baby?" Johnny clarified.

"You, I guess," the stoned woman snickered.

Exasperated, Johnny grimaced. "Where's the baby's father? Maybe he can give us more information."

"She don't even know who knocked her up," the sister replied.

"Johnny, respiration rate is 10 and shallow, pulse is 60, BP is 160/90… pupils are constricted," the senior man spat out. "Ma'am, I'm going to roll you onto your back, so I can check you, okay?"

Johnny reached for the oxygen, passing it to Roy then turned to his side, hoping to reduce the background noise while he relayed the information to the hospital staff. But what he saw underneath the edge of the bed made his stomach drop. "Hey, Roy?"

Roy positioned the oxygen mask on her face then turned around to see where Johnny was pointing. There was a pair of sneakers without the laces and a bent metal spoon with soot covering the bottom. Both men knew what that meant. "Ma'am… when was the last time you shot up?" he asked, pushing up the sleeves of her sweatshirt to look for track marks.

Johnny relayed the information to Rampart including the information about suspected heroin usage. When he heard the other woman gasp, he turned around quickly.

Roy had removed the covers and found a large pool of blood. "Johnny, she's hemorrhaging," he called out, reaching for the IV supplies. He knew that the Rampart doctor was going to be ordering an IV of Lactated Ringers to counteract the blood loss.

"Rampart, we have a potential placental abruption," Johnny commented, turning to the wide-eyed sister. "Go wait on the ambulance and send them back here as soon as they arrive," he ordered, pleased when she finally began moving in that direction.

Several minutes later, the ambulance attendants came down the hallway followed by Vince.

"Whatcha got, fellas?" the officer asked, stunned by the amount of blood he saw on the bed. He wasn't surprised when the paramedics didn't respond to his question. It was obvious they were in a battle to save the young woman's life. Moments later, he watched as the pregnant woman was loaded onto the gurney.

Roy followed the patient out while Johnny, with the help of the officer, packed up the medical equipment. The look on the medic's face let Vince know the situation was grim.

"You need me to call in back up to drive the squad in for you, so you can go in with Roy? I know in these cases, you got two patients," Vince acknowledged.

Johnny looked around, making sure that the sister wasn't within hearing range. "Not this time, Vince."

"Damn," the officer cursed. He hated to think about the loss of a child before it even had a chance to enter the world. "Too bad she was alone."

"Alone? She isn't," Johnny responded. "Her sister called it in."

"Where'd she go?" the officer asked.

Johnny exhaled loudly, locking the supply boxes up. "Probably split before you arrived. There's stuff here she wouldn't want you to see."

"Yea, I can smell it," Vince countered. "Is that what caused the problem?"

"More likely it was heroin," Johnny said, standing and gathering up the boxes. "Look under the bed. I'll catch you later, Vince."

E!

Inside the ambulance, Roy continued monitoring the vitals of the young woman. She was extremely pale, and her breathing continued to be shallow and slow. Her body was drenched in perspiration. Roy looked at her and felt a mixture of pity and anger. It was her behavior that had likely caused the demise of her unborn baby, a fact that she didn't even know about yet; however, he had been a medic long enough to know that the draw of opiates was even stronger than the love of a mother for her child.

He immediately thought of Lexi. If she had stolen Joanne's jewelry, was it to buy drugs? Was she caught up in the nightmare of illegal drug use like his patient? At least she had protected Antonio, unlike the scenario that was playing out in front of him now. He reached to check her pulse again, gripping her wrist just as her body arched in a seizure.

E!

Nearly an hour passed before Dixie joined the paramedics in the staff lounge. The look on her face told Roy and Johnny that the young woman had not survived her ordeal.

"Aww, man," Johnny sighed, standing up to add a little more coffee to the cooling java in the cup he had been sipping. "Why, Dixie? Why the hell would she shoot up when she was pregnant?"

The somber-faced nurse sat down at the round table. "It isn't that simple, Johnny. Heroin addiction left her with no choice really."

Johnny turned around, leaning against the counter. "Bullshit! I don't buy it. If she never used in the first place, then she'd never have become an addict."

Dixie looked at the young man with a stern, no nonsense expression. "So, you've got it all figured out, do you? You knew her a few minutes and already you're judging her."

"Just callin' it like I see it," the young medic countered.

"Don't judge until you have all the information, Johnny. I've been treating her for years. Yes, she was a frequent flyer, but usually came in on foot after some customer beat her up. In the early days, she was a 'throw away' kid, just trying to survive on the street. Her family didn't provide a stable home for her or her sister. Social services were notified, but the family kept moving around to stay just ahead of the social workers, so they could stay together, and their mother wouldn't go to jail."

"So, she was hookin' to support her drug habit?" Johnny asked, clearly unmoved.

"No," Dixie countered. "She began using drugs to cope with the things she was forced to do to keep a roof over their heads and a little food on the table. It was survival sex. She didn't have a family that cared about her like we all did. Her situation simply snowballed. We hadn't seen her here in over six months," the nurse said, staring down at her hands. "I didn't even know she was pregnant. I thought she might have moved on or… " Her voice drifted off as she stared into her cup. She knew she probably wasn't making sense to the paramedics, but she really didn't feel like giving the two men any more details of the young woman's sordid life. Her own guilt was overwhelming. What could she have done differently? How could she have intervened to create a different outcome for the woman and her unborn child?

The silence was deafening. All the arguments Johnny had been gearing up to counter what Dixie was saying simply fell flat. She was right. He hadn't known the entire situation and he should've reserved his judgment. "I'm sorry, Dix. I didn't know."

Roy looked over at the exhausted woman. "I owe you an apology, too. I wasn't very nice to you earlier today. I'm sorry for how I acted."

Dixie reached over, gently laying her smaller hand on Roy's larger one. "We all have bad days. I forgive you," she said in her smoky voice.

The group of friends continued in silence before the disembodied voice of the dispatcher sounded on the handie-talkie.

"Squad 51, what's your status?"

Roy clicked on the microphone. "Available."

"Standby for a response."

"Time to roll," he said, standing up. He took his coffee cup to the sink, setting it beside Johnny's before the duo headed out the door as the tones sounded for their next run.

Dixie stared at the growing stack of cups in the sink. "Men!"

E!

The night seemed to fly by as the squad and engine were called out repeatedly. By the time Roy finally backed the squad into the bay after the final run of the shift, Captain Hookraider was standing in the captains' office doorway. The engine crew from A-shift were still out on the last run, leaving Roy with no opportunity to talk to Marco or Mike about the missing pearls. In a way, he was relieved.

"Rough night?" Hookraider asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yea," Roy replied, slamming the door of the squad. "Have your medics made it in yet?"

"Dwyer's here and Bellingham is subbing on this shift, so he should be here soon."

Johnny stepped up beside his partner. "Go ahead and leave, Roy. Dwyer and I can cover if the tones drop before Bob clocks in. You look beat," he said, placing a supportive arm on his friend's shoulder.

"Cap?" Roy asked, looking at the on-coming officer.

"Go ahead. Dwyer's already in uniform."

"Thanks," Roy mumbled, turning towards the locker room.

Johnny headed for the kitchen and the smell of a fresh pot of coffee perking. His mind was still on the young mother they had lost before midnight. He had been making comparisons between their patient and Lexi – and he didn't like the similarities. He had already figured out that Roy was not likely to discuss the missing jewelry with Marco or Mike any time soon. But that didn't mean that he couldn't do it on Roy's behalf. Because of Marco's upcoming nuptials, he had decided that Mike would be the one he would talk to… as soon as he figured out how to approach the subject.

Using the palm of his hand to push open the kitchen door, he greeted the B-shift medic. "Mornin'."

"Hey, Gage… Ugh… bad run?" Dwyer questioned, seeing the fatigue and angst written on Johnny's expressive face.

"Bad runs," Johnny replied, emphasizing the plural. "Long night. Y'all are gonna need to make a supply run to Rampart soon."

"Got it," Dwyer replied, passing the exhausted man a fresh cup of coffee. "Where's DeSoto?"

"Locker room. I told him to go on home and I'd stay with you until Bellingham gets here. He's more tired than I am." He took a sip of the coffee. "Ahh, thanks."

Dwyer pulled out a chair to join Johnny at the kitchen table while various other members of B-shift filtered in. The growing group made small talk until Johnny heard the engine backing into the bay. He got up, nearly bumping into Bellingham as the larger man made his way into the kitchen.

"See ya, Gage," Bob said, shifting to get out of the way of the swiftly moving medic.

"Later, Bob," Johnny called over his shoulder, heading for the locker room. He was determined to have a conversation with his engineer.

Johnny was changing into his street clothes when Marco came through, collected his bag from his locker, and headed for the door. "I'm ready for a few drinks at Cinders, Marco," the medic said, referring to the lineman's bachelor party.

Marco stopped and offered Johnny a smile. "Can't wait… and I appreciate you fellas not pushing me to have the usual bachelor party."

"Hey, no problem, man. We just want to get together and celebrate with you. We're brothers, ya know?"

Marco offered him a grateful smile. He gave a nod of his head just before he left. His shiftmates understood why he hadn't wanted to have a party with a stripper, but they had arranged for the use of the private room at their favorite bar. They would get together for some good food and friendly banter among the shift brothers. It was all he wanted, and it meant so much to him to have the support of his crew. He was about to become a married man, but his sister's odd behavior was once again casting a dark shadow on the Lopez family. What should be the most wonderful week of his life was beginning to feel stressful and he hated that, but he was determined not to let his anxiety show to his beautiful fiancée.

"See ya next shift, John."

"Bye," Johnny replied, pulling on his street clothing. He slowed down his movements, not wanting it to be too obvious that he was hanging around the locker room longer than necessary. Chet had already come and gone for which Johnny was grateful. The medic could hear Mike talking to the oncoming engineer and knew that he would be in the locker room shortly. Johnny sat down on the bench in front of his locker, leaving his shoes untied. At least he could pretend to be in the final phases of getting dressed when his engineer walked in.

Momentarily, Mike pushed through the locker room door, nodding to Johnny who was tying his shoes. "Tough shift," the engineer commented.

"Yea… uh, how 'bout breakfast?" Johnny asked.

Mike looked at him quizzically. All the men of A-shift were close, but he wasn't Johnny's usual breakfast guest. "Roy gone already?"

"Yea… he's having a rough time at home. I was hoping to talk to you privately about it, if you don't mind."

"No more recipes, John," Mike stated flatly.

Johnny held up both hands. "No way… I ain't askin' for any recipes. I learned my lesson last time."

"Okay, why don't you come over to my place. I can make us some toast and eggs and we can talk privately," Mike said. Truthfully, he also wanted to see what kind of job Lexi had done on cleaning his apartment, too. He had taken a risk for her and he hoped he hadn't made a mistake. His curiosity was killing him – about the job Lexi had done and now about the issue Johnny was talking about.

"Sure, sounds good. Got any milk?"

Mike snickered, knowing how much Johnny enjoyed that particular beverage. "I don't think so."

"Okay, I'll pick some up on the way. Need anything else? Juice? Bacon?"

"Bacon sounds good," Mike said, closing the door to his locker.

"Well, a'right… See ya in a few," Johnny said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

E!

In short order, Johnny was walking up the stairs to Mike's apartment. He was exhausted, but his anxiety kept him shifting from one foot to the other as he rapped on the door and waited for the invitation to enter.

"It's open," Mike called out, recognizing Johnny's knock.

With a pound of bacon in one hand and a carton of milk in the other, Johnny entered the apartment. He inhaled deeply, appreciating the lemony scent. "Nice."

"I had maid service," Mike stated, deliberately leaving off the identity of the housekeeper.

"Big spender, huh?" Johnny joked. "Engineers make more money than us paramedics. I couldn't afford a housekeeping service," he added with his signature grin. He set the bacon down on the counter beside the stove where Mike had already placed a frying pan.

Johnny opened a cabinet and removed a glass. "Wanna glass o' milk?"

Mike cut a glance at his friend then returned his attention to cooking breakfast. "I think I'll stick with OJ."

"Gotcha."

An awkward silence ensued while Johnny prepared toast and Mike fried up the bacon and scrambled the eggs. Mike's mind was still reeling from the discovery that Lexi had only cleaned his apartment; she hadn't taken anything but the folded money he had left for her in his foyer. But Johnny's mind was busy trying to decide how to bring up the subject of Joanne's missing pearls.

Mike plated the food, dividing the bacon and eggs onto the two plates. Johnny added two slices of toast onto each plate and the men each grabbed a plate of food and their chosen beverage, then headed for Mike's breakfast nook.

Johnny devoured his meal while Mike ate his more slowly, sipping his coffee. "So… What's going on with DeSoto?" he asked, placing a lump of scrambled eggs on the edge of his toast before eating it.

Johnny gulped the rest of his milk, using his napkin to remove the remnants from the corners of his mouth. "Well… I prob'ly should be talkin' to Marco about this but… with his weddin' comin' up and all… I jus'."

"Just say it, Gage," Mike said, interrupting the medic's rambling.

"Okay… It's about Lexi."

Mike felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and it surprised him. Why was he getting defensive about Marco's sister? It wasn't like they were in a relationship any more. "And?"

"And…" Johnny felt his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "I think she might've stolen jewelry from Joanne at my party." There. He'd said it. He instinctively backed away from the table as though he thought his engineer might belt him.

Mike sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What makes you think that?"

"Joanne's grandmother's pearls are missing. Lexi was the only one who went into their bedroom that night."

"And the pearls were there before the party and gone after?" Mike questioned, hoping to find a flaw in the story but knowing there wasn't likely to be one. He already knew Lexi had a penchant for stealing – she had stolen from him before… although she hadn't stolen from him while cleaning his apartment yesterday. Was that because she had taken Joanne's heirloom jewelry?

"Well… yea… I mean, it's not like they were out in the open, but Jo remembers putting them up after she wore them the last time and then when she looked for them a couple o' days ago, they were gone."

Mike felt like he was going to throw up. He stared at Johnny, seeing the sincerity in the other man's features. He knew that Johnny was uncomfortable discussing this which could only mean one thing… He and Roy had reviewed every other scenario and Lexi was the only possible person to have stolen them.

"Did Roy send you over here to talk to me about this?"

"No… He didn't want to talk about it at all, but-"

"But he thinks Lexi took them too?" Mike asked.

Johnny looked away and offered a slight nod.

"Damn it," Mike cursed, dropping his napkin onto his plate. "What do you want me to do?"

Johnny pondered the question. He really had no idea what he wanted Mike to do. "I jus'… was wonderin' if you thought maybe she had taken them. Have you seen her wearing new pearls or anything?"

"No, but I really haven't spent much time with her lately. Besides, I don't think she'd wear them. Everyone knows that she can't afford them. She's doing everything she can to earn money right now to pay off some debt she says she has."

"Ugh," Johnny groaned. "So, if she did take 'em… she's pro'bly sold 'em on the street or at a pawn shop."

Mike didn't respond. He merely sat there staring at the same spot on his table. "Roy knows you're here?"

Johnny raised his eyebrows. "Hmm? Oh… no."

"What's he planning on doing about this?"

Johnny leaned his elbows on the table. "He doesn't know what to do, Mike. He doesn't want to upset our team at the station, but he also wants to have a happy home. He's stuck."

"And Joanne?"

Johnny tapped his fingers on the table. "Not sure. I haven't talked to her, but Roy told me that Joanne doesn't want him to ask Marco about it because of the weddin'. It's just a big ol' mess."

"Mmhmm," Mike grunted. "Let me think on it. I'll figure something out, John."

"Thanks, Pal. I know this is some heavy shit, but… I didn't know who else to talk to. I jus'… I had to do somethin'."

The two men dropped the conversation and set about cleaning up the dishes. As soon as the kitchen was tidied up, Johnny left the apartment and headed home. He wasn't sure if he had made the situation better or worse. Now he had to focus on Marco's bachelor party and how the present state of events might affect Roy's relationship with Marco.

By the time Mike had showered and prepared to try to get a few hours of sleep, he heard a familiar knock on his front door. "Ah, hell," he muttered to himself. He pulled on an old pair of sweat pants and walked to his front door. He blew out a cleansing breath, then opened the door. "Hey, Lexi."

"Hi," the young woman said, waiting for an invitation to enter the apartment.

Mike stepped aside, silently inviting her in. "Are you working here today?"

"Um, yea… Ms. Higginbottom asked me to help her clean a vacant apartment and get it ready to show," she explained, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "I just wanted to check in with you and see if you were satisfied with the job I did yesterday," she said, nervously biting her lip.

"Yes, I think you did a really fine job."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't feel comfortable asking anyone else. I knew you'd tell me the truth. If you're happy then maybe the others will be too."

"I'm sure they're happy. How many clients do you have?" He asked, concerned about her possibly taking something from one of his neighbors.

"I've got three so far. I did yours and apartment C-4 yesterday. Then I've got the vacant one this morning and A-6 this afternoon. Maybe I'll get a few more."

"Good… That's good."

"Well, I guess I better get going. I just wanted to make sure you were happy with my work," she said, backing up toward the door. Something was off with Mike, but she chalked it up to a busy shift. "I'll see you later."

"Later."

After she left, Mike returned to his bedroom and laid down on his bed, but he knew sleep was going to be elusive. Would Lexi really steal heirloom jewelry from Joanne DeSoto? Or was she just a convenient scapegoat for misplaced pearls?

E!

Joanne tiptoed into the master bedroom, trying not to awaken her husband. He had been exhausted when he had gotten home from the station and had been sleeping most of the day. She had almost removed all of the dirty clothes from the hamper when she heard him begin to stir.

"I'm sorry... did I wake you?"

Roy stretched his arms over his head, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed. It took a few moments for him to clear the sleep from his brain. "No… I shouldn't have slept this long anyway. I want to be able to sleep tonight since it's our quick turnaround; twenty-four hours off isn't much." He pushed himself off the bed, heading to their bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw his wife still standing in the same place, staring at her jewelry box.

"Honey, I have an idea," she said, propping the laundry basket on one hip.

"About?"

"My pearls."

Roy felt his stomach flip. "What's the idea?"

"You know that the ladies have a bridal shower planned for Beverly while you men are taking Marco out."

"Yea… and?"

Joanne hesitated for a moment, then set the basket down on their bed before continuing their conversation. "What if I mention my missing pearls and then say that we're going to report it to the police and ask them to dust for fingerprints?"

"I thought you didn't want to file a police report?"

Joanne sat down on the edge of the bed, grateful when Roy sat down beside her, pulling her into a sideways hug. "I don't, but since Lexi will be there, I can see how she reacts when I say that… At least it might help me figure out if she's guilty of taking them."

"Jo," he crooned, kissing her lightly on top of her head. "I know you want to see the best in everyone, but you and I both know she's guilty. No one else had the opportunity or the motive."

Joanne snorted. "You need to quit watching all those Adam-12 episodes. You're starting to sound like Reed and Malloy."

"Well… am I right?"

She sighed, resuming her laundry duties. "Of course, you are… but I think this might just be what it takes to confirm it to me. I just need to see how she reacts."

"And if she acts suspicious?"

She picked up the basket and headed for the door. "I don't know… I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Just be careful, babe. I don't want to stir up anything before the wedding."

"And I don't want my grandmother's pearls ending up in some pawn shop in East LA," she countered, heading down the hallway before he could respond.

Roy stood up with a loud exhale. "I just hope they aren't already there," he mumbled to himself, remembering his conversation with Johnny at the station.

E!

The following morning, Mike stood beside the engine, repeatedly polishing the same spot on the officer's door. Johnny pushed through the dorm room door and stopped.

"You're gonna rub the paint off, man," he said, propping one hand on his hip.

"Mmm?"

Johnny reached over, removing the cloth from the engineer's hand. "I said… You're gonna rub the paint off. You've been polishing that door for twenty minutes."

"Oh," Mike replied, standing up to his full height. "Guess my mind was somewhere else."

"Yea… Like on Lexi and the pearls?"

Mike released a short huff. "The way you say her name, it sounds like a new rock band."

"Yea, well… I wish it was." Johnny cut his dark eyes in both directions before leaning in closer and lowering his voice. "Look, we've got another problem."

"What?"

"Roy said that Jo is gonna bring it up at Beverly's bridal shower tomorrow night."

Mike's blue eyes widened. "You mean she's going to confront Lexi?"

"Not exactly, just make a general comment to see how Lexi reacts. He told her it wasn't a good idea, but when Jo makes up her mind about somethin'… nothin's gonna stop her."

"I need to talk to her."

Johnny's head immediately began to shake. "No… No, I don't think that's a good idea."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Not Joanne. I need to talk to Lexi… It'll be better if I talk to her than for her to hear it from Jo at a hen party!" He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the engine. "I'll give her a call tonight."

E!

Lexi kissed Antonio on his forehead, pulling his blanket up underneath his chin. "I love you, Ant."

"I love you, too, Momma," he whispered amid a yawn. "G'night," he mumbled, curling onto his side.

"Good night," she replied, reaching to turn off his bedside lamp. She sat for a long moment staring at his sleeping face in the dim light from his nightlight. He was such a beautiful child. She didn't deserve him. Most of all, he didn't deserve her… He deserved so much better. He was the one thing she had done right in her life; she just hoped that one day he would find it in his heart to forgive her for what she had done… and what she was about to do. It would hurt him at first, but she really didn't have a choice. She knew in her heart that she was doing it for him.

She wiped away the tear that was rolling down the side of her nose, then stood up and walked out the door. She had to get started writing the letters, her explanation to everyone in her life… her apologies.

Just as she reached her bedroom door, the telephone rang. It was after nine o'clock and she knew that Marco was on duty. Her heart leaped into her throat as she quickly picked up the telephone before it woke her son.

"Hello?"

"Lexi, hi… I'm sorry for calling so late."

"Michael? Is something wrong with Marco?" she asked, trying to stop her heart from slamming around inside her chest.

"No, no… Nothing like that. I'm sorry; I guess I should've led with that. Uh," Mike hesitated, looking around inside the dorm to ensure once more that he was alone. He didn't need Roy to overhear his conversation and Johnny had agreed to keep his partner occupied in a card game until lights out. "Listen, I need to let you know something."

"Okay… W-what's up?" Lexi stammered, concerned that her job may be in jeopardy. She was making more money cleaning apartments than she had thought she would which meant that her plan was coming together much faster than expected.

"Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up on something. See, Joanne DeSoto had some jewelry stolen from her house the other day and-"

"And she thinks I did it, right?" Lexi broke in, feeling a mixture of fear and anger. She knew she was guilty, but she had to get the focus off her herself – a tactic she had learned a long time ago.

"I didn't say that!"

"Well, does she?" she asked, taking the phone into her bedroom and closing the door. She didn't want her mother to overhear the conversation.

"Did you?" Mike asked, having grown accustomed to her deflection. He knew how to redirect her.

"Hell, no and you know it, too, Michael. How dare you accuse me of this?"

"I didn't accuse you, Lexi. I called you because I know you used their bathroom during Johnny's party and when the cops go over there to dust for fingerprints, yours might be there. Since you've been arrested in the past, your prints will show up in the system and I wanted to go ahead and warn you of that. I didn't want you to get upset when the police show up at your house, you know?" Mike knew he had struck a nerve, and even though he had no idea if the DeSotos' might file a police report, if Lexi was guilty, maybe his comments might be enough to get her to return the stolen jewelry. His comments were met by total silence. "Lexi?"

"I'm here… I'm just… My past will never be truly in my past, you know?" She sniffled, realizing what a mistake she had made. She quietly opened the drawer of her desk, pulling out the trinket box. Opening it, she ran her fingers over the pearls. With the money she was making now, she wouldn't have to pawn the stolen jewelry, but how was she going to get them back to Joanne without getting into trouble? She couldn't afford to go to jail – not when she was this close to accomplishing her goal.

"Sure, it will, Lex; just give it more time."

"Look, I might know who stole the pearls, but no one will believe me," she whispered, baiting him.

"I never said the items stolen were pearls," Mike said, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice. She had just inadvertently confirmed her guilt.

"Yes, you did," she countered, angry at herself for slipping up.

"No… I didn't… but the jewelry taken happened to be Joanne's grandmother's pearls… How'd you know that?"

"Like I said… I might know who took them… I'm not the only one with a past, you know."

Mike rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Who?"

"I'm not going to rat her out, but… Just let Roy know that I'll do my best to get Joanne's pearls back to her, if they promise not to ask any questions, alright?"

"So, you DID take them?"

Lexi felt like she was being interrogated by the cops. "I've already answered that question, but I can't tell you how much it hurts me that you think I did. I told you… I might know who did it and, I'll get them back." She inhaled a deep breath, despising what she was about to say. "But I see now how you really feel about me."

"Wait, Lexi… Listen… Just… If you can get them back, why don't you leave them in my apartment… You know where the key is if I'm not at home… Just leave them in the bowl in the foyer, no questions asked… okay?"

She felt her throat constrict, her voice cracking. "I picked up a new client. I'll be over there tomorrow. I'll do my best… I'm not sure if I can talk her into it but… If I can get them back from her… then I'll bring them over when I go to work tomorrow."

"You're doing the right thing, Lexi… Everything will be okay… you'll see," he said softly, hearing her sniffle on the other end of the line before she hung up. He was disappointed in her for this behavior, but thankful that he might be able to get Joanne's jewelry back to her soon. Yet, he felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He heard the dorm door open.

"He's in the shower."

Mike turned around, seeing the questioning look on Johnny's face. He shook his head, looking down at the floor. "She did it, John."

"Damn it," the other man grimaced, running an anxious finger beneath his nose. "She admitted it?"

"Kind of… Said she MIGHT know who took the pearls… But all I said was jewelry. I never said what kind of jewelry. So… It had to be her." Mike stood up, pushing the rolling chair back beneath the desk. I think she's bringing them to me in the morning when she comes to clean for a new client, but… Now I've got another problem."

Johnny looked at him, knitting his eyebrows together.

"I can't let a thief keep working for my landlady."