Brad and Scott were waiting for them when Gwen and CC walked into the squad room. They were talking to a stranger—a tall, muscular man in his midthirties with long, straggly, light brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a baggy army jacket which was frayed at the seams.
Scott began the introductions. “Gwen and CC, this is Sergeant Tony Maglia from Vice. He’s been working the downtown area longer than anyone in the department. He has several informants and knows most of the regulars in the drug trade. I think he can help us a great deal.”
“Welcome.” Gwen smiled, offering her hand. “We can sure use your help.”
“Nice to meet you,” CC chimed in.
“Hope I can get you what you need to nail the bastard responsible for your two murders,” Tony offered.
“We were downtown this afternoon,” Gwen said, and told them about the strange conversation they’d had with Jaxon Thomas. “Does Wright really show up in that neighborhood and harass those poor people?”
“Yep. He’s been doing that for years. He thinks he’s helping clean up the neighborhood, and it sure does make our precinct look good with all the arrests. But truth be known, he drives us nuts. We cringe when we see him drive up. As many arrests as he’s ordered us to make, he’s botched up plenty of undercover stings too. I know many of our guys have complained, but I think the brass just plays along with it now because Wright is so close to retirement,” Tony informed them.
“Well, he’s being a royal pain in the ass in this investigation,” Scott said, outraged.
“He’s not going away, so let’s deal with it,” Gwen proposed, surprised at the anger in Scott’s voice.
“Hey, the hair found in the car is the exact match to those you found on Jeffries’ body,” Brad said, breaking the tension. “Now we just need a live body with the same chemistry. Sorry, no DNA, but we can prove they came from the same person. Oh, and the last person that called Kathy on her cell was the captain.”
“That bastard let me think he hadn’t talked to her for a week. It would make sense that Kathy had been keeping close contact with her dad, especially since she knew she needed support for her child. Keep working on the hair, Brad,” Gwen ordered.
“Here’s what we were able to find on the laptop,” he said, handing Gwen a stack of papers approximately three inches high.
She groaned as she stuffed the papers in her briefcase. “What do you have, Scott?”
“I rechecked the car. No trailer hitch. Doesn’t look like there ever was one. The bumper is smooth, no scratches. Brad had his hands full with the laptop, so I took the Holy Cross assignment. Met with a counselor by the name of…” Flipping his notebook open, Scott continued, “Marge O’Connor. She was of the opinion that Kathy was going to be successful with this intervention. It was her second time through the program, and Kathy had a positive attitude. She was doing everything she needed to do in order to stay clean. Mrs. O’Connor didn’t know Kathy was dead; was really shaken up about it. Kathy told her about her pregnancy and how she really wanted to get off the drugs for good. There was no doubt in O’Connor’s mind that Kathy would have been able to ‘chase away her demons’ this time around.”
“That’s so sad,” CC said softly.
“Well, let’s keep at it guys,” Gwen said determinedly. “Good job so far, and now let’s nail this monster!”
“My car’s on the second-floor parking lot,” CC said, walking out of the meeting with Gwen.
“I can drive you up there,” Gwen offered.
“Okay. Sure.”
When they got to CC’s car, Gwen had an idea. She didn’t want to end this day just yet.
“Hey, I’ve got a bottle of red wine and shrimp salad back at my place. Ah, if you’re interested.”
“Umm…that really sounds good. Are you sure you still want my company?”
“You bet! I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be with.”
* * *
When they got to Gwen’s duplex, CC marveled to Gwen at how neat and tidy, and unusual—fascinating, was the word she used—the bungalow was. The older red brick building was divided into two large residences. Gwen’s unit had two bedrooms and a spacious kitchen all in white with a sunflower border along the ceiling. There was a rustic pine built-in corner breakfast nook. Rows of copper pans and cooking utensils lined the wall above the sink. The living room was small, but comfy, with dozens of brown and beige pillows in a variety of sizes stacked in a corner and on top of the brown suede overstuffed sofa. It and a matching recliner faced a fieldstone fireplace. There were old nautical pieces everywhere; the end tables were made from brass portholes and the coffee table was a glass-covered ship’s steering wheel. An antique hourglass stood on the fireplace mantel and an old propeller blade was attached to the wall above it. A floor- to-ceiling bookshelf contained a number of marine and sailing books, as well as a generous assortment of crime novels. CC was also intrigued by the numerous volumes of police, pathology and forensic science educational publications.
“This place is always quiet.” Gwen spoke loudly from the kitchen. “My next-door neighbor, Pierre, is a pilot and is gone much of the time. He has a big yellow Labrador retriever, so if you see a dog, don’t freak out. We put a dog door in between our two dens so Max can come and go as he pleases. He’ll beg for a walk in the morning from whoever gets up first. Most of the time, Pierre pays the family down the block to feed and walk the dog when he’s traveling, but we have our share of bonding time too. I always know when Pierre is gone for the night, because Max sleeps next to my bed and I nearly trip on him when I get up in the middle of the night to pee and when I get out of bed in the morning.”
CC grinned. “That sounds kind of neat. It’s like a community dog. It has to be the best of all worlds for him with all the ‘family’ members taking care of him,” she commented.
“Yeah, when you meet him you’ll see that he’s far from neglected. He probably should lose a few pounds, but when he looks at you with those big brown eyes, you can’t resist giving him a treat. He’s really a gentle guy,” Gwen said, bringing a tray into the living room. She had cut up cheese and sausage to put on sesame crackers, and had a bowl for each of them with romaine lettuce covered with a generous amount of shrimp and drizzled with a fragrant dressing.
“Hang on, I’ll get the wine,” Gwen said, hurrying back into the kitchen. She was back with a bottle of cabernet and two glasses. She lit the kindling and started a fire in the fireplace.
While they filled their plates, they started chatting about their likes and dislikes, achievements and disappointments. Gwen felt very comfortable talking with this woman, which was amazing, since she was usually very cautious when meeting someone new.
“The dressing on this salad is wonderful,” CC said between bites.
Gwen looked at her and caught the deep pools of blue in her expressive eyes. “It’s actually Chinese sesame oil mixed with mayonnaise. I’m glad you like it.” Was it possible she was feeling the instant attraction also?
CC blushed and looked away shyly. “Everything is delicious. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was,” she admitted.
“I love to cook, but I’m not that good in the kitchen,” Gwen said, “Besides I don’t have much time for it, so I keep easy-to-prepare meals around. That way I have something decent to eat when I get home, instead of filling up with my favorite junk foods.”
“Thank you,” CC said when they’d finished eating. “Let me do the cleanup.”
CC picked up the bowls, carefully placed them on the tray with the leftover cheese and crackers, and went into the kitchen. There were several other dishes in the sink from Gwen’s preparation of the food, so she found the dish soap and filled the sink with hot water.
Gwen stood back watching, contemplating her next move. What did she have to lose, she thought. The worst that could happen would be that CC would leave and not allow Gwen to see her again outside of work. Gwen steeled herself for rejection and made up her mind to take the plunge.
As CC was still washing the dishes, Gwen came up behind her and put her arms around her. When CC turned her head, Gwen’s lips met hers. She didn’t resist Gwen’s long, tender kiss. The electricity between them was full of passion and desire.
When they finally parted, CC said, “My God, I should wash your dishes more often!”
Gwen laughed. “Then you didn’t mind?”
“Hell, no. I really like you a lot, Gwen. I wish it wasn’t so late and we didn’t have to be back to work so early in the morning.”
“Stay for one more glass of wine. Please?” Gwen asked.
“I’d like that,” CC said softly.
This time they sat on the couch holding hands and watching the burning logs die down in the fireplace. As they finished their wine, Gwen pulled CC close to her and gave her another long and passionate kiss. Her hand started stroking CC’s arm, but soon found the softness of her breast. The heat of her body grew and she felt the ache and longing of her desire, yearning to take this passion to the next level.
CC pulled away slowly and said softly, “My God, Gwen. If I don’t leave now, neither one of us will get a wink of sleep tonight.”
“Uh-huh,” Gwen said, nibbling her neck.
“Gwen…shit!”
Gwen bolted upright alarmed, and asked with concern, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
“No, just the opposite. I want to take it slowly. I want it to be the right time, when we don’t have to rush. I really have to go, Gwen. It’s getting late. It’s almost midnight. I know this is a very emotional case for you. Please, let’s not rush into anything we’ll be sorry for later. I enjoy working with you, and I really like you. I just—well, I wasn’t prepared to get into a relationship.”
“Yeah. I know. Pick you up tomorrow?”
“No, I have to go to the lab to go over more of the evidence with Charlie. I told him I’d let him know if we wanted him to run any other tests. Maybe lunch…or dinner at my place? We can talk more then.”
“Both?” Gwen asked, laughing.
“Let’s see how the day goes. Thanks again for the wonderful time,” CC said as she rose to leave.
“Thank you,” Gwen said and almost leaned over to kiss her once more after she’d helped CC into her coat and boots. She’d stopped herself just in time.
“Whew, that woman is hot!” Gwen said to herself, watching CC’s car drive away.