A very big thank you to TheShadowsEdge for helping me put together that crak fic (and correcting my many gramatical mistakes). I had all these ideas about Winnie Davis's background and why she hates Sharon so much. I might add another chapter with Davis, I still have ideas lol I hope you'll have as much reading it as I had writing it. Please, let me know what you think ;)
La Bruja Winnie Davis
As she passed the large gray SUV, she recognised him. Worse, she felt his presence. It was something she experienced since joining the LAPD. She couldn't explain it, really. Being in the vicinity of Andy Flynn gave her palpitations. She could feel his presence even before he entered the room. She couldn't control it, because trust her, she tried ! She looked into the rear view mirror and saw a white haired man in the driving seat. Her heart constricted even more as she noticed he had a passenger, visibly sleepy against the side window.
The pain of being rejected once more gnawled at her soul. She did not have time to dwell on her misery though that her mother spoke. "Are we there yet?" She demanded in an exasperated tone. "With the salary you have, you really should buy a more comfortable car…" Winnie decided not to respond, it was better that way and turned on the radio instead.
After 20 minutes of her mother complaining about the lack of comfort of her BMW5, that she bought with the sole purpose to content her, she decided that a break was in order. When she saw a sign indicating the next gas station, she forgot all security measures, blinkers be damned and she pulled over. Once there, she helped her mother use the facilities. Coming out of the bathroom, she saw him. He was talking amicably with the young man behind the counter. She was fascinated by his shorts. It was the first time that she saw him dressed like that, so casual, his legs bare. He was wearing a gray bermuda and an apple green with white palm trees polo shirt. Her heart skipped several beats. She loved him in a suit but like that… wow …
Her contemplation came to an end as a woman came to him. She snuggled into his side, running her hand from his elbow to his shoulder to catch his attention. She gave him a bag of chips and a water bottle for him to purchase them. He casted a glance to the woman by his side, his gaze full of love shocking Winnie to her core. She was so stunned she did not even see them leave. Only the jingling of the door pulled her out. Quickly she trotted outside. The woman was climbing on the driver's side this time. It riled her to no end. She quickly took a picture of the plate, sure he was using an LAPD vehicle in his recreational time. She couldn't believe he even had attached a bike rack and was hauling two bicycles. She did not know what pissed her the most: her reaction to him, the fact that he was clearly out for a weekend of outdoor fun with a beautiful woman or that he was using his work car to do so.
Forgetting all about her mother, she went back to her own vehicle and connected to the LAPD database. She typed in his license plate and was shocked to see the car was registered to his name. She was even more surprised to see the address linked to his file. In a moment of complete insanity, she could herself admit so much, she had once looked into his file to see where he lived. Then, she had searched his address on google earth, wanting to picture it better for her daydreams. She did not remember exactly what his street had looked like but she was pretty sure that he lived in a house and not a condo building. She was about to Google his address when she remembered something. Her mother, she had let inside the gas station. With a pang of guilt, she went back inside. She bit the bullet and tuned out her mother's lashing as she led her once more to the car.
Fortunately, the older woman fell asleep and the rest of the journey was quiet. Thank God for small mercies! Just as she thought that, while pulling into the parking lot of their hotel, Winnie's heart jumped in her chest. Far away in the lot, she spotted a gray SUV similar to the one she saw Flynn in earlier. She shook her head, mentally berating herself. It was a gray car, a common one at that. What were the odds that he came to this hotel?! Her mother and her came here, in Oxnard, every labor weekend for the last decade. It was their way to honor the memory of her late father, who died of a stroke during a conference at the very same hotel. It was a nice one but not one for a romantic getaway. During the week, it was filled with businessmen attending one conference or another while families stormed it on weekends. The beach was just on the other side of its gates, the pool was big enough for her to never have a kid jump on her head and it had this little jacuzzi in the backyard that her mother absolutely adored.
The moment she entered the lobby, her heart started hammering in her chest once more. She knew he was there. She didn't know what to think about that weird chemistry, especially since she had always been more fond of women, but she knew. Indeed, the moment she rounded a big pillar, she saw him. The woman from earlier was next to him. There was quite a line up at the front desk and Flynn was the first one. He had a brown weekend leather bag over his shoulder and the woman by his side had a small checked green and red suitcase. As the couple in front of him moved out of the way, he stepped forward, leading his date by a hand on her back. At the counter, he told her something and she went digging into her purse. Giving the clerk what seemed to be her credit card, she took a step on the side. Winnie breath caught. What the Hell?! How was it even possible that he was there with Sharon Raydor. What were they doing together in a hotel? TOGETHER, in a HOTEL?! She was beyond angry. How many times had she tried to ask him out?! How many times did he refuse, saying he preferred not to date anyone at work? Back then she thought he was being gentle and really meant he would only date young busty blondes. But now… He was with someone even older than her! And Raydor wasn't even that pretty. Well… She had nice legs, and beautiful green eyes. She had a very nice figure too, always wearing those dresses that flattered her behind and her chest. Yes, she had looked at her, more than once. She couldn't help herself. She enjoyed looking at women even though she heard her mother's voice telling her it was unholy each time she laid eyes on them. Precisely when her mother smacked her arm, taking her out of her musing, she noticed two things: the line had moved up and Flynn was gone.
After an early dinner, her mother could not tolerate eating past 18h00. She tucked her in and went out to the pool bar to get herself a well deserved night cap. She sat there, enjoying the sweet iodine smell in the air and the soft breeze. It wasn't too hot but the ocean wind was always a nice relief. She checked her phone and considered once more replying to Anna, the very nice nurse that came to her mother's house. She knew the other woman was looking for something more than a friend and that led her to a whole moral dilemma, once again. A throaty laugh caught her attention and she looked around. She quickly found the culprit and felt her cheeks burn. For once, she had not felt Flynn's presence but here he was… In the jacuzzi, with Sharon Raydor laughing next to him. He had one of his arms behind her, resting on the concrete edge of the small pool. They were close but not actually touching. They were talking, smiling, laughing. She sipped her bourbon without taking her eyes off them. Were they investigating? That would explain their presence and the fact that she never witnessed a kiss or any conduct more worthy of an actual couple. Before she had time to finish her drink, they got out of the hottub. Raydor was wearing a black bikini that more than enhanced her very enticing chest area and Winnie knew deep inside her that there was no way she would wear that for a stake out.
She had trouble sleeping. Her mind kept on wandering to Flynn and Raydor. She couldn't understand how they ended up there, at the very same time as her. What she could understand even less is how they ended there, together. It was a match made in hell: the rulebook aristocratic bureacrat and the hot headed Don Juan. She couldn't see anything other than a screaming match happening between them. A sly smile appeared on her face, maybe that was what got them off. She certainly could understand that. Around 5am, thoughts of Flynn'S chest and the image of him sleeping a few walls away finally lulled her to sleep. Too bad her mother decided the night was finished a little bit before 6am… Starting her day by helping her to the bathroom on very little rest was not very conducive to patience and they started fighting before the sun even rose. Nothing fancy, really. It was their usual grievances: how could the older woman be so mean, how could her daughter be so useless… It was the typical banter of their dysfunctional relationship. Since they didn't have anyone else in their life, they both thought it was better to have a sick relationship than none at all. The wound was deep though between them. The old woman idealized the ghosts of their past and kept on comparing her daughter to them. How could Winnie compete with her deceased siblings? Her brother died 5 years ago as a hero, killed on duty by a gang member, leaving behind his 4 kids and a wife. Her young sister, Winnie didn't even really remember her. She died aged 6 of meningitis, but that didn't prevent her mother from repeating time after time how that little girl was kindness and beauty personified, the exact opposite of how her mother perceived her.
With that dark cloud above her head, Winnie decided that it was enough and they needed some fresh air, and a cup of coffee. She nearly dragged her mother out of their bedroom to the breakfast buffet. She installed her at the back of the room, so she could see everyone going in and out, her mother loving to gossip before going in search of their breakfast. She plated all her favorite food and mentally prepared herself for the berating that would follow, since apparently she always screwed up in one way or another. Nothing came. Quite the contrary, in fact: her mother put a calming hand on Winnie's leg and told her "I know I'm not always easy, neither are you." The old woman took a deep breath, her kind words visibly costing her. "Thank you for bringing me here and for doing so every year." Winnie's eyebrows went all the way up to her hairline and she nearly choked on her coffee. She managed to play it cool though and responded with a calm "You're welcome" even if every cell in her being screamed with joy. And just as her morning couldn't be any worse, Raydor and Flynn entered the room. She still couldn't decide if they were working undercover or if they were there on a romantic getaway. They seemed close but not that close. They seemed too comfortable around each other to be mere coworkers but did not display any real sign of affection. She observed them, from the Lieutenant's hand on the small of her back to the Captain caressing his forearm to gain his attention. She watched with attention as they divided and conquered the buffet. Obviously, they both knew what the other liked since Raydor went in search of beverages and sweets while her subordinates made the line to get eggs, bacon and pancakes. She imagined working closely with someone would bring you that kind of intimate knowledge but, on the other hand, she definitely could not imagine the same event display between Raydor and Provenza.
The day passed and she saw little of them. After breakfast, she saw them pass by the veranda with their bikes. As she was coming back from the beach, having watched the sunset with her mother, she saw two figures walking back from the dunes, hands in hands and she would have sworn it was them but in the dark… but that night, that night she got her confirmation all right !
At 1h53am, the fire alarm went off. She ran outside before she remembered she was with her crippled mother. She went back and assisted her going outside. It took them longer than anticipated and when they finally moved into the central yard, they were there too. Raydor, in a skimpy black negligee, was trying to defeat the night's breeze and warm herself against a half naked Flynn. He had only his boxers on, for God's sake! The Captain's hair was quite tousled, more than she imagined regular sleep would do. She was fuming, beyond furious. She was not sure what irked her the most though: Raydor being into Flynn, Flynn saying no to her just to run to Raydor the first change she got, herself for thinking he could be interested, the dickhead that caused a fire or just the whole world.
