Chapter Fourteen
Saturday, 16th January
A little over a week later on Saturday morning, the investigators all gathered in lab situated on the floor below their office. Graham Archer, Max Beason, the firearms expert, and the other experts, worked in an area that was almost completely white, with white walls and white tiles on the floors. The only bit of colour came from the grey metal desks. Each person who worked on this floor had a large work space cut off from everyone else by thin glass partitions.
At the moment, the investigators were waiting for the firearms expert, Max Beason. His cubicle was full of discarded weapons he had been looking over and left to pursue at a later time. On a shelf above his desk, he had a neat line of different types of bullets. He was fascinated by guns and bullets and according to the grapevine had a large collection of de-acts of his own. Max had been looking over the bullets the Colonel had brought him from Kate's house. Joey, on the night of the shooting, had found a couple of casings on the balcony, which were now also being looked at. The team realised they were dealing with an amateur when Joey came back with the casings, a professional would have been sure to take the casings with him.
The owner of the house at the foot of Kate's property, where their shooter had stationed himself, had finally come into town and let the investigators look around the house. They hadn't found anything to suggest that their guy had been inside, the house was securely locked up and everything was as it had been left. Their guy had merely used the balcony.
"Okay. Good news, guys. Oops, sorry... and girls." Max smiled at Chris and Laurie. "The bullets are Ballistic Silvertips." He held up what looked like a silver bullet. "Ballistic Silvertips have nickel-plated case to give it the silver bullet look. Extraordinary accuracy, maximum expansion, lubalox coating near the tip. I am incredibly surprised no one was hurt. Guy must have been inexperienced, I guess."
"What's lubba...l ubba... what the hell is that?" Joey asked, frowning as he looked at the bullet.
"Lubalox?" Max asked, seeing Joey nod. "It's new on the market. A specialised coating that gives the bullet a rather ominous appearance."
"What are we looking for?" Patrick asked. "What sort of gun?"
"I'll have to run the information through the system and find out," Max said. "But, I am pretty sure the gun used was a Winchester."
Back upstairs, the investigators met with James, who had already gotten the news earlier that morning. "This case is turning out to be a pain in the arse!" James exclaimed, as soon as everyone was seated. "Laurie, I want you to keep doing what you're doing. No matter what, we can't leave Kate alone."
Laurie nodded. "Should I head over to the clinic now? Or do you need to speak with me further?"
"You can head on out," James sighed. "I'm sure one of this lot will fill you in on anything important that may come up."
She stood up and picked up her coat and gloves, before turning to head for the elevator.
"Joey and Jackson, that leaves you two to try and get a lead on who supplied the gun and where these new bullets are available from. I can't imagine it's from here in Honeyport, it's most likely a black market job. You'll probably have to ask Laurie if she has any contacts that can help you out. As I said," he rubbed his forehead in frustration, "this is going to be a pain in the arse."
"What do we do, boss? Same as usual?" Charley asked, glancing over at Chris and Patrick.
"Yes, carry on as you have been. You should head home to sleep." James shook his head and sighed. "This is going to take a while with just the two of you checking out the gun and bullets," he told Joey and Jackson.
"What if the gun or bullets were brought from a magazine or over the internet?" Jackson asked. "Then smuggled into the country."
"Exactly," James muttered. "If they were, we're not going to get anywhere. So keep your fingers crossed that this moron brought the gun or bullets from someone local."
"Since Max is absolutely sure that the gun is a Winchester, we might have better luck checking out just the bullets for now," Joey said. "He said that the Lubalox coating thing is new on the market, so should be easier to trace, right?"
James nodded. "Better hope they were brought locally then. So, let's get on with it," he said, as a final parting note. "You all know what you're supposed to do. Anything new develops, get in touch with me."
* * * * *
Chris sat with Kate in the kitchen that night, each with a hot cup of tea in front of them and both quietly sitting with their own thoughts about the events that occurred the previous week. Charley and Patrick were patrolling outside, keeping a watchful eye on the property, despite the freezing cold weather.
"Have you found anything out from the bullet casings?" Kate asked, breaking the silence that had surrounded them after getting the usual pleasantries out of the way.
"Nothing yet."
"I don't suppose you can find much out, can you?"
"Graham, our fingerprints guy, has just finished checking for prints on the casings. Now Max, our firearms expert, will put the info into the system and soon we'll determine exactly what type of gun was used. He's already determined what kind of bullets were fired." Kate nodded, looking down at her slowly cooling tea. "Then we can check out all the local sellers in the surrounding area and find out if anyone has recently purchased that type of weapon. Joey and Jackson are already checking out where the bullets might have come from."
"What if he didn't buy the... gun... in this area? Or what if it's old? Or it's been the family for years?" Kate asked.
"Let's not think about that right now. We've got to be optimistic." Chris smiled, though she herself had doubts they would find anything. Their guy had been so careful so far, it seemed unlikely he would make such an obvious mistake.
"I didn't think you could get guns over here in England," Kate said quietly. "England's not like back home. At least I... didn't think it was. You hear the odd story on the news of a shooting, but that's so rare."
"We don't have shops that sell real guns and ammo to anyone who applies for one. But there are shops that sell de-acts which can be converted back to a dangerous weapon, and we do have a black market, which with the right amount of cash and the knowing of the right people , you can get your hands on anything."
Kate looked up at the younger woman. "You sound like you know from experience?"
Chris nodded as she stood up. "A previous case taught me a lot." She strode over to the sink and rinsed out her empty cup, leaving it upside down on the draining board.
"Have you got up the nerve to ring Janet yet?" the doctor asked, changing the subject completely.
Chris smiled briefly, before turning to look in Kate's direction. "I need to do my check upstairs."
* * * * *
Sunday, 17th January
The phone rang at Kate's house soon after Chris, Charley and Patrick arrived for their evening shift. They were all sitting around the kitchen table drinking coffee or tea with the doctor, warding off the cold chill before they took their respective positions for guarding Kate that night. Kate got up to answer the phone, finding it was James on the other end. "It's for you, Chris," she said, coming into the kitchen and handing over the portable to the blonde. "James," she said, at the investigator's confused look.
"Boss?"
"
Chris, today is Janet's birthday and I believe the Levens women are going out to dinner. In fact, Janet is probably on her way over there right now."
"What does that mean?" Chris responded, her heart fluttering at the thought of finally seeing Janet after their argument.
"
It means one of you will be staying at the house and the other two will be going out."
"Who do you want where?" Chris asked, desperately hoping she could stay at the house, but knowing it was unlikely what with the guys being so protective.
"
I want you and Patrick at the restaurant. Patrick hasn't done something like this before and needs the experience. And I don't want you alone in the house."
Chris felt a tightening in her chest. "He knocked Charley unconscious before," she reminded her boss.
"
True, all the more reason for you not to be alone there. Understood?"
She nodded, though he couldn't see it. "All right." She hung up after a quick goodbye and turned to Charley, sporting a smug smirk. "Sorry, sweet cheeks, but Patrick and I are going partying tonight. Janet's birthday."
"What do ye mean, ye and Patrick?" Charley asked. "Where will I be?"
"The boss says you need to stay here at the house and keep an eye on things, but that Patrick and I are to accompany Kate and Janet."
"Why do I always get the raw end of the deal?" Charley whined. He got up and went to sit in the living room, taking his coffee with him as he sulked.
* * * * *
Fifteen minutes later, Charley opened the door to the birthday girl and a stranger with her. He smiled charmingly and let the women in, wishing Janet a happy birthday before returning to his post in the living room.
Janet walked through to the kitchen, followed by a petite strawberry-blonde. "Hi, mom," she greeted, coming up behind Kate.
Chris looked over Kate's shoulder and frowned at the stranger.
Who the hell is that?
"Hello, honey. Happy birthday." Kate stood and hugged her daughter. "Twenty-three now, hmm? You'll be drawing your pension soon." Janet rolled her eyes but smiled at the joke. "And uhm... you are?" Kate asked, turning her attention to the newcomer.
What is Janet playing at? I thought she liked Chris?
"Lara," the woman smiled. "Lara Wellings."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. Please, call me Kate."
Smiling warmly, the young woman sat down at the kitchen table and looked at Chris. "Hi," she greeted politely.
Chris looked her over, then looked at Janet, still frowning. She didn't acknowledge the greeting.
"I invited Lara to come out to dinner with us tonight," Janet told her mother, deliberately avoiding Chris' eyes.
"That's okay. I invited Chris," Kate responded. The statement wasn't entirely true of course, as it was James who had said Chris and Patrick were to go along with them. But Lara didn't know what was going on in the doctor's life and Kate didn't like the idea of Janet bringing along a friend. Not if she was right in thinking the two women liked each other.
I wonder if this is all because they argued?
The kitchen went quiet at Kate's statement. Janet stared at Chris, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Oh, great! The woman I was interested in and the woman I'm trying to get over her with at the same dinner table. Happy birthday to me!
Chris looked miserably down at the table, heart aching.
Great! Welcome to Hell, Branagon!
"Her friend, Patrick, will be joining us, too, but he isn't really with us. He's meeting someone at the same restaurant," Kate said, sort of explaining for Lara's benefit. "Aren't you, Patrick?" she looked over at the new investigator.
"Yes, that's right," Patrick nodded.
"Are you the insurer?" Lara asked, looking in amazement at Chris, eyes studying the blonde more than casually.
Chris nodded and stood up. "And this is one of our other agents," she said pointing to Patrick.
"Do you always work this late?" The petite woman tried again to engage Chris in conversation.
Chris nodded again. "Seeing as Kate invited me out to dinner, I thought I'd come around and go over her coverage. We like to provide the best service for our clients. We come around at your convenience," she lied smoothly. "I'm going to check upstairs one more time before we leave," she directed at Kate, before walking out of the kitchen and heading for the stairs; leaving Patrick staring into his coffee cup, wondering about the tension in the room.
In the first bedroom, Chris looked out into the back garden, as she checked that the windows were locked. She frowned as she wondered if Lara was more than a friend to Janet.
Why am I even thinking about it? I'm not gay. I have no interest in Janet. The little voice she was getting used to arguing with piped up.
But if you're not interested, why can't you stop thinking about her? Why have you missed her company so much? Chris sighed and looked out at all the dark places in the garden and wondered if he was there watching them.
What's your next move? Attack the house again? One of us?
Leaving the bedroom, she walked along to the next, which happened to be Janet's old room. To her surprise, she found Janet sitting on the end of her bed.
Dammit! What does she want from me? And where the hell is Lara? Can we trust her with Kate? Not saying anything, Chris walked across to the windows.
"Do you ever look around my room and wonder what I was like growing up?" the brunette asked, looking intently at the investigator. Chris was dressed to combat the cold, smart black trousers and a thick turtleneck was her uniform that night. The clothes suited her figure nicely.
Chris didn't reply to the question. She had been in Janet's childhood room many times now and had often found herself looking around at the posters that remained on the walls, plus the trophies and the photos on the bedside table.
"I wanted to thank you for taking care of my mom the night that shooter was pumping bullets into the house," Janet said, trying to engage Chris in conversation.
Chris turned to face Janet, her eyes briefly searching the other woman's. "It's my job." As she went to leave, Janet stood up in front of her. Their eyes locked, neither woman willing to look away. "Is she... who...?" Chris shook her head, frowning.
If you ask, she's gonna think you care. She sighed.
But I have to know. It's driving me crazy! "Is she your girlfriend?" she finally asked.
"Why? Are you jealous?"
See, you idiot! "Is that why you're here... to make me jealous?" Chris side-stepped to get out of the bedroom.
Janet stepped with her, then reached behind herself and shut the door, leaning back against it so Chris couldn't leave. "I'm here because it's my birthday and I'm going out to dinner with my mom." Her green eyes searched Chris' blue ones. "I know you have feelings for me, Chris," she said in a softer tone. "We kissed, more than once."
"So?"
"So that means something," Janet persisted.
"Who is this Lara?"
Janet didn't reply, frustrated that Chris was trying to change the subject.
Chris moved closer, her lips skimming Janet's. "Do I need to worry about her?" she asked in a low, husky tone.
"Wh... what?" Janet swallowed hard, feeling her heart pounding and her body temperature shoot up.
Chris tilted her head and still not kissing, but brushing her lips against Janet's neck, she watched as the policewoman's breath caught in her throat. Chris felt her heart jump as she felt the throbbing of Janet's pulse. She smiled with exulting glee, knowing Janet wanted her so much. "There's... some nut out there gunning for your mum. Do I... have to worry about this... Lara?"
"No," Janet barely whispered.
Chris leaned back and looked into Janet's eyes. She licked her lips, slowly.
You don't know what you're doing to me! "How do you know?" she said, instead of what she was thinking.
Janet licked her lips, anticipating a kiss. "She... she's on the force with me."
Chris stepped back, smiling. "Okay."
She was trying to make me jealous. "Excuse me."
"Wh-... what? But I thought... aren't you going to kiss me?"
Chris laughed softly. "No. Why would I do that?"
"Because we're attracted to each other. We want each other. I know you can feel it. Whenever we're around each other, there's this... electricity."
"If we're attracted to each other and we want each other, why would you bring another woman over and give me the impression you're together?" Chris asked, frowning.
Janet reached up and stroked Chris' arm. "I wanted you to realise what's between us."
Chris leaned forward and kissed Janet passionately, giving in to her heart for that brief moment. Janet, surprised at first, responded quickly. Her hands slid down to Chris' hips and pulled the blonde against her, both of them moaning at the contact. She tilted her head back as Chris kissed her way up her throat, the blonde's soft lips eventually finding her lips again.
Breathless, Chris pulled back. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. We both wanted it."
Chris shook her head. "No. Not about... the kiss. I... I can't do this. I can't be this way. I'm sorry."
"But..."
"Janet, it's... it's not me. It's..."
"It's?" Janet pressed, wanting to know the excuse.
"I'm sorry." Chris turned Janet around, moving her out of the way of the door, and swiftly left the bedroom.
* * * * *
As Chris walked back into the kitchen, Kate raised an eyebrow at her, aware that her daughter had disappeared soon after Chris had left. Chris gave the doctor a small smile and sat back down at the table.
"I meant to ask earlier... did you find out who the owners are of that house?" Kate asked, deciding not to intrude on whatever may have happened upstairs.
Chris glanced at Lara, then over at Kate. "Yes. I'll fill you in later. I'm surprised the boss hasn't given you a call."
"He left a couple of messages on the machine, but I've been too busy to get back to him."
Janet walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Lara.
"Are we going to dinner?" Lara asked, leaning slightly against Janet. She had no idea what Kate and Chris had been talking about, but guessed it had something to do with insurance.
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah," Janet replied, managing a weak smile. She glanced down at her watch. "We've still got half an hour until our reservation.
The kitchen fell quiet. Chris tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling, aware of Janet's eyes on her. Kate put her mug in the sink, aware of the tension in her kitchen. She turned to face to look at the group at the table and broke the silence. "Right. I should get back up to my office to finish off what I was working on, then I'll get ready."
Chris stood up. "I'll come with you. I can fill you in on... your estimate." She turned to her colleague. "Hey, Patrick, why don't you go and wait in the car? I'll be there in a few."
The big man got up and headed for the door, catching the car keys that Chris threw to him.
I don't know what the bloody hell is going on, but it sure was tense!
Kate and Chris walked upstairs to the doctor's office, leaving the two policewomen in the kitchen. Chris sat in her usual seat and let out a deep breath, as Kate sat opposite her. She was stressed, overly so, what with Janet showing up with a friend and their stalker still out there somewhere, and her ever growing feelings for the birthday girl, she had a lot to deal with.
"What's the news then?" Kate asked, her black leather chair creaking.
"You were right about the house being a holiday home. Tania got in touch with the owners, a Mr and Mrs Haggety. The husband finally come into town with a key once we explained someone might have been squatting inside."
"Didn't Joey go over there that night?"
Chris nodded. "He did, but not inside. He found no sign of anyone, but did find the bullet casings on the balcony. When the owner came down, he looked around but said he couldn't see that anything as out of place or had been disturbed."
Kate pondered over what Chris had told her. "Is there any chance it's this couple?"
"We don't think so. Apparently the bloke is an accountant who works for some big firm in the city, and the wife's a hair stylist."
"So you've checked on their whereabouts at key times and they've come up clean?" Kate asked, smiling knowingly.
Chris smiled and nodded. "Unfortunately. Jackson is checking their phone records, just in case."
"So we're still stuck on square one," Kate stated.
"For now. But the guy's getting bolder. The letters are more frequent and he's coming to the house more. Soon he'll get over-confident and fuck up. Sorry, mess up."
Kate smiled. "Don't apologise, we all do it. In one of James' messages he mentioned that you investigators are getting letters now, too?"
"The guys are. It seems our nutcase is jealous of the time they spend with you. This could work out to be an advantage, 'cause the more worked up about it he gets, the more likely he is to make mistakes."
Kate looked at the clock nearby and stood up. "I better start getting ready to go out. Are you... do you mind Lara joining us? I can always tell Janet..."
"It's fine, Kate. It's Janet's birthday and I'm technically working."
"Okay then, if you're sure. Excuse me." She left Chris where she was.
Janet appeared in the doorway, surprised to see Chris alone. "Where's my mom?" she asked coldly, hurt by the earlier incident.
"Getting ready."
"Lara and I are going now. Can you let her know I've left and we'll meet you at the restaurant?"
Chris stood up and stretched. "I'll walk you down."
"I can find my own way out, Chris."
Chris walked over to Janet and stopped at her side. "You should go let your mum know you're leaving and that I'm walking you downstairs."
Janet sighed, then nodded and turned to walk along to the bathroom. She returned quickly. "Okay. She knows." Together, they headed for the stairs. "Why did you insist on walking me down?" Janet asked sharply, her emotions all over the place.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"About what? That kiss that was wrong? My hurt feelings? What, Chris? What do we have to talk about?"
Chris didn't say anything until they started to walk downstairs. "Will you... be coming back here tonight?"
Janet scoffed. "Is that it? You just wanted to know my plans for the evening!"
"No, it's just..."
Dammit, just tell her! "I've... missed you lately."
Janet stopped and put out an arm to stop Chris. Turning the investigator around so she could look into blue eyes. "Really?"
Chris nodded shyly, blue eyes looking down. "Yeah. We used to spend a lot of the evenings together, then we had that stupid argument and..." Their eyes locked, both caught in a moment of honesty from Chris. They started leaning towards each other.
Lara walked out of the living room and looked up at them. "Are we going, Janet?"
Janet jerked back from the blonde, the moment lost. She looked down at Lara. "Uhh, yeah. I'm just coming. Why don't you uhh... wait in the car?" She took out her car keys and threw them down to the strawberry-blonde, then waited until she'd gone before turning back to Chris. "Look... you really hurt me, Chris." Chris looked down at the floor. "That kiss tonight... I've been wanting you to kiss me like that for weeks. Tonight you finally did it, only to ruin the memory for me by saying it was wrong and that it's not what you wanted. I get the message, Chris. You're not interested." Janet took a deep breath, her heart breaking a little at her own words. "So I'm going to move on." She hurried down the stairs.
"Are you coming back here after dinner?" Chris called out.
The brunette stopped at the front door and turned to look back up at Chris. "I don't know, Chris." She wanted to say something else, not wanting to leave things bad between them. Not finding the right words, she opened the door and left.
* * * * *
Dinner was a nightmare for Chris. They were seated in a booth near the back of a cosy little Italian restaurant in Elmswood, the town next to Honeyport. Chris sat next to Kate, with Janet and Lara opposite them. Patrick had excused himself from their company to go and sit at a separate table, saying he would wait for "date" there. He sat at the back of the restaurant, out of sight of the group of women, his back against the wall, with a clear view covering the whole restaurant.
"So, Chris, do you like working in insurance?" Lara asked, smiling politely, her hand sliding over the back of Janet's.
"Yeah, sure." Chris swallowed hard as her heart ached, she looked everywhere but in front of her.
"How long have you been doing it?"
"About two years."
The table fell quiet, Lara taking the hint that Chris didn't want to talk. Chris could feel Janet's eyes on her. She could hear the suggestive remarks Lara was whispering into Janet's ear and Kate shifted nervously next to her, hearing as well. The waiter brought their food and the group starting eating, happy for the distraction.
Chris pushed her food around her plate, suddenly not very hungry. She felt miserable. She had to sit opposite the woman she couldn't stop thinking about and watch her flirt with another woman. Chris knew she had changed. She wanted a woman, but not just any woman. She wanted Janet. Suddenly Janet had become all she could think about daily.
We've kissed more than once! Chris thought, as she continued to poke at her food. She loved Italian, but right now couldn't face it.
If it was just the once, I could write it off, but... I... want her. I can't stop thinking about her and yet I keep pushing her away!
"Do you feel like going to a movie after this, Janet?" Lara's voice broke into Chris' thoughts.
Yeah, Janet, go sit in the dark with her, Chris thought sullenly.
Where she can grope you and kiss you and... ahhhh! Stop already!
"Yeah, I'd like that, Lara," Janet replied, noticing the face Chris was making.
I have to move on. Chris obviously isn't interested. But then... why do we keep ending up kissing?
"So, Lara, you recently joined the police force?" Kate asked, feeling the tension at the table.
Lara nodded. "I did. I moved here because my parents have a summer house I could stay in. I fell in love with this town a long time ago and couldn't think of a better place to live and have a career."
Janet suddenly gasped, her knee jerking beneath the table; her eyes darted about, wide in surprise.
"Honey, are you all right?" Kate inquired, already having a good idea what had happened.
"Yes... I'm fine. It was a... uhh... cramp."
Chris stood up. "I need to use the toilet." The investigator rushed into the women's toilets, which were at the back of the restaurant. Slamming into one of the cubicles, Chris lowered the toilet seat and sat down.
Why is this bothering me? I told her it wasn't for me, that I couldn't be this way. So why the hell wouldn't she flirt with Lara? Chris rubbed her hands across her face, growling in frustration.
Why don't you just face it, Branagon. You're hopelessly in lust with her!
The toilet door squeaked open. "Chris?"
Oh, God! What did I do in a past life to deserve this? "What?" she asked, exasperated.
"Are you all right?"
Oh, just peachy. I get to watch you flirting all night. What more could I want? "I'm fine," she said brusquely. "Just using the facilities."
"Oh... well then. I'll just uhm..."
Sighing, Chris stood up, flushed the toilet for show and walked out of the stall. Without looking at Janet, she crossed over to the sink and began washing her hands.
"I'm sorry about tonight," Janet said softly.
"Why? What did you do?"
"I invited Lara. I never thought that you and Patrick would have to come along as well."
"Don't apologise. It's your birthday. You should be allowed to bring a... date." Chris reached over for a couple of towels.
"I don't know why you stormed off like you did," Janet said. "After all, you're the one who said you weren't interested."
"I didn't storm off. I needed to use the bloody toilet!"
"You look angry."
"I am angry!" Chris snapped. "I get to spend my evening watching two women blatantly flirting with each other!"
Janet's face went red, a scowl appearing on her brow. "So you have a problem with two women flirting?"
"No. I just don't like it when it's in my face!"
Oh, God! What are you saying, you idiot!
"I see. You have a problem with two women being intimate over a romantic dinner?"
"No. That's not it! I just don't appreciate groping while I'm trying to eat, be it a straight couple, or two..."
"Well, I like it!" Janet interrupted. "The way her fingers trailed slowly up my thigh..."
"So that's why you slammed your knee into the table leg? Because you liked it?" Chris gave Janet a cocky smile.
"Her fingers weren't on my leg when it jerked," Janet shot back her own cocky smile.
Chris felt her heart drop.
Ouch! She cleared her throat. "I... should get back to your mum."
* * * * *
After dinner at the restaurant, Janet and Lara left to go see a movie, while Kate returned home with the two investigators. Charley wanted to know how things had gone, but retreated to another room when Chris snapped at him. Chris spent the night trying not to think about what Janet was up to. Of course, she failed miserably and took her bad mood out on Charley and Patrick, in the end making everyone miserable. Knowing she was being a bitch, she apologised and told them she'd try to be nicer.
To make matters worse, Janet had shown up at Kate's house in the early hours.
Continued...