~ Never Assume Anything ~
by Miss Widget
Part 5
Once everyone's hunger had been tamed, the conversation took a more serious turn.
"So, does our killer's MO match up with yours?"
At Cindy's typically blunt question, Sofia's head jerked up in surprise.
"Um..." Sofia quickly glanced around the table. "Well..." She threw another questioning look in Lindsay's direction. "I don't..."
Lindsay quickly jumped in, putting Sofia out of her misery.
"Relax, Sofia. This is all strictly off the record. Right, Cindy?" The last was punctuated with a sharp look at the red headed reporter.
"Of course," huffed Cindy. "I've been in this club long enough to know the rules. Nothing discussed amongst us gets printed until I get the go ahead from all of you. Sheesh!"
"It's not a club," came Lindsay's automatic reply, Jill and Claire mouthing along, much to Sofia's amusement.
"I was just clearing things up for Sofia. I'm guessing that Vegas cops have much the same love-hate relationship with the press as elsewhere. You, my little newshound, are the exception to the rule."
A light blush dusted Cindy's cheeks, her hazel eyes lighting up with pleasure at Lindsay's words.
Sofia took in the interaction between the Inspector and the reporter. It was quite obvious to her that these two had a special relationship. In fact, all four of these remarkable women shared an amazing bond.
She could see that Claire was the rock, the solid foundation that the other three depended on. Jill, was the slightly jaded one, the cynic. She was the one to keep perspective, and keep the others anchored in facts, not flights of fancy. Lindsay was the protector, the one to try and shield her friends from harm - physical or otherwise. And, Cindy ... Cindy was the essence of innocence and joy, the awestruck child in a world of wonder.
But the relationship between Cindy and Lindsay ran deeper than that, whether the two of them realised it or not. And Sofia was inclined to think that they were unaware of the true depth of their feelings.
Cindy's voice broke into Sofia's thoughts and drew her attention back to the conversation.
"So, are the killers the same?"
With a quick shake of her head, Sofia tucked a strand of long, blond hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, I'd say that this is definitely the same guy. The MO is exactly the same. The victims all match the killer's type. All were blond haired, blue-eyed professionals held captive in their own homes. Nailed to their own dining room tables and tortured over the span of a weekend before being killed. Polaroids and the address arrive at the crime reporter's desk on the Monday, and no helpful evidence is found at the scenes."
There was a moment of silence as everyone realised exactly what this meant.
"Which means he's got two more victims lined up if we don't catch him soon."
Lindsay's voice was tight with frustration as she glared into her coffee cup.
"Claire, if you wouldn't mind, could you go over the coroner's reports that Sofia brought with her? See if there is anything there that catches your eye - anything, no matter how small."
"No problem, honey. Sofia, if you could get those reports to me, I'll get right on it."
"Not a problem. Give me your email address and I'll send it right now."
With that, Sofia hauled out her laptop and powered it up.
Cindy blinked a couple of times and grinned.
"Man, you're organised! Though, if you're as good a cop as my sources say you are, I actually shouldn't be surprised. Maybe I should take notes..."
Sofia picked up a toothpick and tucked it in the corner of her mouth as her laptop booted up. With a sexy smirk and a wicked twinkle in her bright blue eyes, Sofia drawled out her reply.
"I prefer to think that I am very thorough. I pay attention to details, and I'm very good at research. And, I'd be more than happy to show you a thing...or two."
Jill noted with amusement the flirting going on between Sofia, Lindsay, and Cindy. Sofia had subtly been flirting with all the ladies at the table, though her main attention was focused on the two sitting to her left. This development could be very, very interesting. It surprised Jill at how open and friendly Lindsay was towards Sofia. Usually the tall Texan was very slow to trust new people, taking a while to feel them and their intentions out before opening up to them. Cindy, on the other hand, was the exact opposite; open and friendly with everyone, which came in very handy when following up on a story. However, Jill had never seen Cindy so obviously attracted to anyone. Well, other than the enormous crush she had on Lindsay, that is. A quick glance at Claire showed that she wasn't the only one to notice. The speculative gleam in Claire's eye said more than words. Oh, yeah. She would definitely have to keep an eye on this.
A light blush crept up Cindy's face at the words. She ducked her head as several vivid images flickered across her mind's eye as to exactly how thorough Sofia could quite possibly be. She blushed harder as, when she looked up again, Lindsay caught her eye and winked at her.
Sofia caught the byplay and smiled to herself as she took down Claire's email address and sent the requested files.
"There you go, Claire. Doc Robbins did the autopsy on all four of our vics, and he is great with the details. I'm sure he wouldn't have any problems with you giving him a call if you'd like to clear anything up. As a CSI, he'd always take the time to explain anything I wasn't too sure about. Made my job so much easier."
With that, Sofia packed her laptop up again and reached for her coffee. She smiled as she noted the puzzled look on all faces but Lindsay's.
"I used to be a CSI before I got my detective's shield. I find that it really helps me as a detective, knowing exactly what the CSI's are talking about. I know a lot of the other detectives get very frustrated with the Geek Squad, mostly because they have no idea what they're talking about. The science of a crime scene really doesn't interest them; they just want results that can point them in the right direction. Me, I've always wanted to know the why's and how's of what happened, as well as the whodunits, y'know?"
The smiles and nods from the others were ones of understanding, and Sofia went on to tell a few tales of the more bizarre cases she had been involved in. Talk at the table wended from odd cases to more casual conversation as dessert was ordered and enjoyed. To an unknowing observer, the group of women at the table seemed that of old friends enjoying a good meal.
After the last crumb was consumed and the last of the coffee was being savoured, talk turned once more to the case.
"So, what's the plan of action now?" Cindy asked after a sip of coffee, inquisitive eyes taking in her tablemates.
"Hmmm.... Well, Sofia and I, along with Jacobi, are gonna finish going over those reports and see if we can pick up any more similarities between the murders from four years ago and these more recent ones. Claire will be doing the same with the coroner's reports. Cindy, can you see what all you can dig up about the original murders? Do that investigative magic you do." The last bit was said with a smile and a quirk of an eyebrow, as well as a chuckle from Claire and Jill.
Nods came from all around and Jill added her input with a wry grin.
"Since you guys don't have anything worthy of a warrant or such, I'll make some time to see if I can find any cases that came to court that share any similarity to ours. Maybe we'll get lucky and I'll find something...you never know."
"Good idea, Jill. And I think that basically covers all of the bases for now." Lindsay signaled for the bill as she spoke.
Sofia looked around at the four determined women sharing a table with her and shook her head in admiration.
"You know, if sheer determination was all that was needed to solve cases, we'd have this in the bag!"
Grins all around answered her before a lively debate broke out as to whose turn it was to get the check, with much joking and friendly squabbling. Sofia just casually leaned back in her chair and beckoned the waitress over, unobtrusively handing her a credit card and asking her for a receipt for accounting purposes. That done, she crossed her arms and watched with amusement, smirk firmly in place, as a decision was reached. Cindy heaved a sigh and picked up the bill, reaching for her wallet when a warm hand covered hers.
"It's all taken care of, Cindy, don't you worry."
At the quartet of raised eyebrows, Sofia just smiled and shrugged.
"Consider it a thank you for a great meal."
A round of thanks was her reply, and she flashed a warm smile at her newfound friends.
"It's all good! But now, I think we all need to be back in the trenches. Let's see if we can't find that one little lead that'll help us nail this guy!'
A short while later, the five of them spilled out onto the pavement and said their goodbyes before heading off in various directions, their eyes burning with the determination to find this latest monster to stalk the streets.
TBC...