One night.1
That’s all it took. Paparazzi took pictures of me driving Kyle home, and then again as I left in the morning. By the time I got home to change, my blurry face was on entertainment and blog websites around the globe. 2
I really should have shot him in the ass for the aggravation.3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4
Picking up her phone on the second ring, Izzy grabbed a pen at the same moment she cradled the receiver between her head and shoulder. "Detective Grant."5
"Hello, snookums."6
Pausing as if someone was reporting that the world was about to end in the next two minutes, and sort of hoping it might be true, Izzy counted to five before replying. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ryders," she replied crisply. "Nice to see that you’re finally awake."7
"Oh, we’re back to Mr. Ryders now, are we?" Kyle said, a fake hurt in his tone. "I want my ring."8
"It’s still evidence." Izzy paused. "Speaking of which, you’re going to have to come in to identify it, prove that it’s yours, and give a statement on how it came into Laine Carmichael’s possession."9
"I did all that nearly nine years ago when it was stolen," he replied coolly. "But, if you’re so hot to see me, I can be there in a couple hours."10
"Fine." Setting the receiver gently in its cradle, Izzy moved the pen in her other hand, pressing it against her fingers until it snapped in two. 11
Watching as his partner dropped the pen into the small wastebasket that resided under their joined desks, Gio raised an eyebrow at her. "Problems in paradise?"12
"Don’t… start," Izzy warned him as she searched through the crime database for the theft report that Kyle claimed to have submitted years before.13
"You agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend," Gio reminded her. 14
"I think I was on a caffeine high that day."15
"What’s it going to hurt to play along?" he asked. "Grab all the perks you can, and just enjoy the ride…ders."16
Rolling her eyes as his little joke on Kyle’s name, Izzy finally looked up from the computer. "I was photographed by too many cameras to count this morning when I left his place."17
"That’s what you get for spending the night in a celebrity's bed."18
"Stop that," Izzy hissed as she looked around to make sure no one heard him. "You’re starting to sound like him. He’s got this annoying way of telling the truth that makes everything look as worse as it possibly could."19
"So, you didn’t spend the night?" 20
Sighing in disgust, Izzy went back to the computer. "That’s just it," she said. "I did. I slept in his bed, but that was it. We were both dressed through the whole night." Stopping, she read the computer screen. "If it’s the same ring, it was reported stolen eight years, three months ago. It was a gift from his step-father and mother on their wedding day." She looked at him. "Guesses on what day that was?"21
"Zero two, zero eight, eight nine?" Gio nodded as it all made sense… sort of. "So, what? She steals it, then returns to his house with it, shows it to Heather Woodrow, and then ends up dead? And the ring stays with her?"22
"It was stolen before he bought the Nichols Canyon house," Izzy pointed out. 23
"So," Gio said, reworking it in his brain. "She steals it after they lived together for a week or so…" he paused for a moment, and Izzy could tell he was about to come out with one of his totally implausible, but oddly dead-on, scenarios. 24
"She steals it, he kicks her out, she comes back, maybe to return the ring, shows it to Heather for some reason, tells our illusive Ms. Woodrow that she and Kyle once shacked up together, and Heather decides to take her out of the picture before Kyle sees her and rekindles the old flames?"25
"But how did Laine Carmichael make it back on the property after she left in a cab?" She looked at him. "The cab driver says he dropped her off at the same address that was on her driver’s license."26
"We’ll never know if he’s lying or not," Gio admitted, "since the cab driver can’t be found."27
"He what?" Izzy asked. 28
"He’s missing."29
"When, what?" confused, Izzy stared. "Since when?"30
"Ricardo Mantoia never showed up for work for the past three nights," Gio told her. "He reportedly told his boss that his wife was sick, and he had to stay home to take care of her. He told his wife that his father in San Diego was sick, and that he was going to stay with him for a few days."31
"And?"32
"His father called last night, just to talk, and that’s when his wife called the police." 33
"That’s," Izzy stopped with a sigh. "That’s either a huge coincidence, or…"34
"Or this case just got a whole lot weirder." 35
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~36
Feeling a lot better than he had in weeks, Kyle took a leisurely shower, then turned on the television in his bedroom while he took his time getting dressed. Beyond going to the police station and hopefully getting his property back, he really had no plans for the day, and planned on enjoying the quiet.37
His name being mentioned on the television grabbed his attention, and he turned from the dresser in time to see grainy footage of Izzy’s car driving into the property the previous evening. It was followed by images of her car leaving the next morning. 38
Shaking his head at the never-ending wonder of how his life was important enough for even something as mundane as that to be a top entertainment story, he finished getting dressed. 39
Before Izzy had left that morning, she had told him something about Davy knowing Heather Woodrow, but he had been too occupied with both being tired, and the discovery of his ring. The fact that Davy knew the woman didn’t really surprise him. The man was a magnet for trouble, and it always seemed to find him. 40
She had asked him another name, and if he knew someone, but the shape his brain was in, he was lucky to have known his own name. Now, completely rested and ready to face the day, he wished he could remember who she asked about. 41
Heading out of his room, and down the stairs, he walked through the archway leading to the living room, stopping in his tracks as Liam stood from the couch and stared.42
"What now?" Kyle asked, not really wanting anything to impede on his somewhat calm mood.43
"You know her."44
Kyle raised an eyebrow at Liam’s tone. "Who?"45
"Heather Woodrow."46
"No."47
"Davy claims that you both met her."48
That stopped Kyle’s mellow mood in its tracks and squashed it to death. Looking at the entryway that led to the rest of the house, he bellowed. "Davy!"49
"What?" came back the reply from the direction of Kyle’s office.50
"Get the fuck in here!"51
Within a few moments, Davy appeared from the hallway, carrying a large photo album. Flipping open to a page, he shoved it at Kyle. "Is that her?"52
Staring at the image of Kyle standing beside a woman who was gleaming, he had to admit that it looked a lot like Heather Woodrow. Looking at the other images on the page, he frowned when he saw himself in more than a few, still with the same woman. 53
"What the hell?" he whispered. "Where did you get this?"54
"That came in the mail a while back," Davy said. "I told you that someone sent another photo album, you told me to put it with the rest, and that you’d look through it later. Look, who you screw is your business, but-"55
"Who I what?" Kyle shoved the album back at him. "I don’t know her, all right."56
Taking the album from Davy, Liam leafed through it. "This doesn’t look good."57
"No shit, Captain Obvious," Kyle replied sarcastically. Grabbing the album back, he went to the page Davy had originally showed him, and stared at it. "Why show me this one?"58
"End of filming the second movie, she approached you, and gushed over how hot you were. Then she asked for a picture, and I took it on her camera. Then we left."59
"That happens a hundred times a week," Kyle said. "So how did you remember this one?"60
"Ran into her about a week after that," Davy admitted. "She remembered me, and we’ve kind of kept in touch."61
"Jesus, Davy," Liam moaned in aggravation. "Don’t tell me you’re fucking her."62
"No, I’m not fucking her," Davy snarled. "Look, I thought she was one of the safe fans to get to know."63
"Why?"64
"She works at the studio."65
"What studio?" Kyle asked. "My studio?"66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~67
Friday night - quitting time. Grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair, Izzy slipped it on, waved a goodby to Gio who was on the phone, and headed out of the police station. 68
Wondering why Kyle hadn’t shown up at the precinct to identify the signet ring, Izzy called his cell phone as she was walking to her car. Frowning slightly as it was put through to call answer, she flipped her phone closed and slipped it back into the pocket of her blazer. 69
Pulling the phone out again, she looked through her contact list for the home phone number, and dialed it. Sighing as that too went through to a voice message, she waited for the prompt. "This is Detective Grant," she said, her tone official. "Call me as soon as you get this." 70
Flipping the phone shut and putting it away again, she pulled out the keys to her Jeep, hit the automatic alarm to turn it off and unlocked the doors. Getting in, she started her vehicle, then drove out of the parking lot towards Nichols Canyon. 71
Traffic was surprisingly light, and she made it to Kyle’s property in under thirty minutes. Pulling up, she sighed at the number of photographers that were still hanging around, hoping to get a shot that would make them money. Izzy never really minded reporters before, but the thought of them clamoring to get her picture gave her a queasy feeling. 72
Jumping slightly as AC/DC’s Hells Bells came from her pocket, she pulled the cell phone out and glanced at the call display. Lau, G. with a Los Angeles number showed, and it took her a moment to connect the name as she hit the hands free function. 73
"Detective Grant," she said as she drove past the property.74
"Detective," Greg’s voice came through the earpiece. "There’s something you really should see."75
"What?" 76
"How soon can you get here?"77
"I just drove past, actually," she admitted. "Too many photographers."78
"Drive around back," he told her. "There’s an access door for deliveries. I’ll meet you there."79
Access door? Izzy thought as she turned a corner. She recalled something about an access door in the initial report, but since it was alarmed by pass code, she never gave it much thought. 80
Driving by rows of fenced-in properties, she was about to call and find out which one was Kyle’s when a door opened about a hundred yards further down and Greg walked out. Pulling to the side of the road, Izzy parked, then got out of her vehicle. 81
"What did you want me to see?" she asked.82
"It’s in the house," Greg said, turning to the small numbered pad by the door. Punching in the code, he pulled the door open, then stepped back to let her enter first. Waiting while she stared at the keypad, he tapped his hand in the door. "Something wrong?"83
"What’s the code?" she asked, her tone preoccupied.84
"Uh, yeah," Greg said. "That’s kind of private."85
"Zero two, zero eight, eight nine?" she guessed. 86
The door immediately closed as Greg stared at her. "And you know this how?" he demanded. 87
Ignoring him, Izzy pulled her cell phone out and placed a call. Walking a little to the side so she wouldn’t be heard, she waited until Gio answered. "I know how Laine Carmichael got back onto the property," she said. "She knew his pass code."88
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~89
Friday night - quitting time. Placing the last of the costumes in suit bags, and hanging them up, Heather Woodrow waved a goodby to her co-workers and headed off to where her locker was. She had a full night planned, and was anxious to get home so she could shower and change. 90
Since there was a movie premier that evening, she had no doubt that Kyle would be showing up. With him, a lot of sightings were hit and miss, but she knew for a fact that he would be at this premier. The star of the movie and Kyle were friends, and neither missed the premier of the other. 91
Heather had already bought a thigh-high teal dress with matching spiked shoes for the event, and wondered if tonight would be the night that Kyle acknowledged her in front of everyone. He would hold out his hand, plucking her from the crowd, and thank her for the photo album that she had lovingly put together for him.92
Walking into the locker rooms, she walked down the corridor, then rounded the corner that was near her locker. Stopping suddenly when she saw two men standing by her locker, she paused for a moment as she considered turning and walking away. That thought lasted until the security guard looked at her.93
Deciding to play it cool, she nodded to him, then centered on the man who was poking through her make-up bag. "What are you doing?" she asked, hoping that this wouldn't make her late for her date with Kyle Ryders. 94
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~95
Looking through the photo album, Izzy felt a mixture of both revulsion and intrigue. That anyone would go through such lengths to create a fantasy world brought a shiver down her spine, but at the same time, she was slightly impressed at the display she was looking through.96
Most of the images were screen captures from his movies, with Heather’s face imposed over the female character. They were very similar to the images that Izzy and Gio had received from Heather’s former housemate, although if one hadn’t known they were faked, they would assume the images were really Kyle and Heather in intimate poses. 97
"He got this when?" she asked.98
"Couple weeks back," Davy told her.99
"Why didn’t he tell me?" 100
"Probably forgot that I told him," came the reply. "He was on the computer when I brought it in, and he’s pretty forgetful when he’s surfing."101
"Why didn’t you tell me?" Izzy asked. 102
Davy took a step back as his defenses immediately came up. "There’s one picture I took of her and Kyle together."103
"Together?" Izzy asked in a low tone.104
"Heather Woodrow worked at Maxwell Studios at the time."105
Pulling her cell phone out, Izzy made a quick call. "Gio? Apparently Heather Woodrow worked, and possibly still works, at Maxwell Studios." Closing the phone, she looked at Davy again. "They were together?"106
"He’s out by the pool if you want to talk with him." Davy took a few steps back, removing himself from the conversation. 107
"You’re not helping him by hiding things," Izzy warned as she walked past and headed for the patio door. 108
Stepping out of the house, she immediately spotted Kyle as he reclined in one of the patio chairs. Staring at the water, he seemed oblivious to everything around him, and didn’t hear as she approached. Standing beside him, she waited to be acknowledged. 109
Moaning in annoyance that he could never escape people, not even for a few minutes, Kyle glanced to the side as a shadow fell over him. "What?" He blinked in surprise at who it was. "Who let you in?"110
"Greg, back entrance." She sat on the edge of the chair across from him. "I saw the album."111
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Kyle looked away. "I think I’m through with this."112
"With what?"113
"This whole thing," he said. "There’s too much going on, and I don’t even know what to deal with first. Cutting this loose will be one less thing."114
"We need you," Izzy said. "Heather Woodrow might strike again, and it’s better that it’s me she goes after, than someone else."115
Kyle turned to stare at her, wondering why she had done a reversal from her initial reluctant participation in this whole scam. "Look, she works at Maxwell Studios, so just go arrest her or something."116
"I've got Gio working on that."117
"Fine then."118
"Are you all right?" Izzy asked as he studied her. "You look pale." 119
"You don’t need to pretend to care for me when there’s just the two of us," he said. "I just really want to be alone right now, if you don’t mind." 120
"Okay," she said in a gentle tone. Standing, she leaned over, gave him a light kiss on the lips, then straightened and walked away.121
Blinking in surprise at the sensation, Kyle sat up and stood. Trotting to catch up, he gently grabbed her arm just as she was walking under the archway that led to the guesthouse. "What was that?"122
She studied him for a brief moment. "A kiss?"123
He had to know why she wasn’t badgering, demanding or asking him questions. It just wasn’t like her to walk away when he asked her to. "Why?"124
"Don’t get your boxer-briefs in a tizzy," she said. "Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss and you actually looked like you could use one." 125
"Well, thanks," he said in a low voice. "I just… I’m not used to you doing anything without there being a reason, or ulterior motive."126
"Oh, I have an ulterior motive," she said. 127
I fuckin’ knew it. He nodded, a little piece of himself drowning under all the tension that was flooding back in. "What is it?"128
"I was kind of hoping that you might kiss me back." 129
"What?" Eyes narrowing, Kyle looked for the hidden meaning in what she was saying. Not finding anything beyond hesitation on her face, he took a small step towards her. "Why?"130
Taking a step so her back was against the archway, she smiled lightly. "You don’t trust people, do you?"131
"Been burned far too many times," he said gently, his hand reaching out to lace with hers. "Teaches one not to take anything at face value." His other hand met hers. 132
Silently, he brought their joined hands up, and gently forced them against the archway behind her. Leaning in, his lips briefly brushed hers, then deepened more out of instinct than need. Moving closer to her, his body connected with softness, which made the kiss deeper. 133
Removing his hands from hers, arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him as her hands snaked through his hair. Tongues caressed each other as he allowed himself to be swept away from the past couple weeks. 134
Stop! his brain told him. This is so damn wrong. Shut up! At least now you’ll look more like a couple when you’re out. 135
Stepping back at that last thought, he stared at her. "I am so damn stupid," he whispered, angry at himself for falling for what he now recognized as yet another ploy on her part to get a murder investigation settled. 136
"What’s wrong?" Izzy asked, the absence of his lips on hers, and bodies pressed together making her slightly lightheaded. 137
"You can’t control me this way," Kyle said, forcing his tone to be civil. Turning, he strode away, back to his house. 138
Confused, Izzy touched her lips, and sighed. 139
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~140
Showing identification at the gate to Maxwell Studios, Detective Giovanni drove through the gate as it was raised for him. After Izzy had called with the information that Heather Woodrow worked at the same studio Kyle Ryders did, Gio contacted a judged to try to get an arrest warrant. Since they didn’t have enough solid evidence for an arrest, but enough for a search, he stopped by the courthouse on his way to the studio.141
Search warrant in hand, he headed towards the security office. Locating another security guard, and showing both identification and the warrant, Gio was escorted to the area that held employee’s lockers. 142
Stopping in front of a locker that had the name H. Woodrow over the door, he took a step back. "Open it," he told a security guard, who consulted a list of employee locker combinations before quickly opening the lock. 143
Peering inside, Gio took a quick look at the minimal contents. A jacket, pair of shoes, and a small make-up bag were inside. The walls of the locker, though, were plastered with pictures of Kyle; some publicity shots, other obviously taken without him knowing. 144
"What’s listed as her address?" he asked as he searched through the pockets of the jacket. Shaking his head at the reply, he frowned. "That’s her old address," he said as he pulled out the makeup bag and opened it. 145
"What are you doing?"146
Looking up at the voice, Gio straightened as Heather Woodrow stared at him. Slowly placing the small bag down, he took a step forward. "Heather Woodrow?"147
"Yes?"148
"I’m Detective Giovanni, Los Angeles Police. I’d like to ask you a few questions."149
"What are you doing in my locker?"150
"Would you be able to answer questions regarding Laine Carmichael?"151
To her credit, Heather didn’t bat an eye at the request. "Who?"152
"Laine Carmichael," he repeated, suspicious since she didn’t seem overly concerned with being asked to go to a police station for questioning. "Also known as Michelle Lane."153
"The woman killed at Kyle Ryders' place?" she asked slowly.154
"Yes."155
"I don’t know anything about that," Heather said. "And why are you looking in my locker?"156
"Please," Gio said, approaching and trying to put her at ease. "Come with me, we’ll go have a coffee in the cafeteria, we’ll get this out of the way, and you can be on your way."157
"Well," Heather said, wondering if she had screwed up somewhere along the way, and was about to be arrested for something. "I guess so." 158
Motioning with his hand, Gio let her walk in front of him as they exited the room. Walking across the film lot, he kept an eye on Heather as she led the way. She paused slightly as she came to the corner of a building, and turned quickly, swinging out with her arm and purse.159
Raising his hand, Gio managed to block her arm, but missed the purse as it made it over his defense and caught him solidly in the left eye. Reaching for her as she jumped back, his fingers scraped against her shirt, and then she was off running around the side of the building. Giving chase, Gio caught up with her within a few yards, grabbing her by the arm and forcing her to the wall. 160
Holding onto her shoulder with one hand, he reached for his handcuffs with the other, while reciting her the Miranda Rights. Placing his knee against the back of her legs as she struggled, he tried to move as she whipped her head back. Cursing as her head made contact with his face, he transferred his arm to the back of her neck and forced her tighter against the wall.161
"That’s twice you hit me, lady," he said, reaching up to swipe blood away. "Now stop struggling."162
"Help!" she screamed as she tried to pull the side of her face off the wall. "Rape!"163
"Shut. Up," Gio ordered as he grabbed her arm and tried to apply the handcuff. The metal barely touched her skin before he was grabbed from behind and yanked away. Self-preservation took precedence over all else, and Gio tried to steady himself as he was grabbed again and slammed to the ground. 164
"Don’t move," a gruff voice ordered from above as a knee landed on the small of his back. "Call the cops," the man kneeling on him ordered.165
Gio watched from the ground as Heather took off, and closed his eyes at the stupidity of the two rent-a-cop security guards that had wrestled him to the ground. "Get off me," he yelled. 166
"Shut up," the voice said as extra pressure was applied with an arm to the back of Gio's shoulders, pushing his face against the pavement. "So," he said as the handcuffs were dangled in front of Gio’s face. "What were you planning on doing with her once you got these on?"167
"Arrest her, you dumb ass."168
"What?"169
"Get the hell off me," Gio said. "Or I’ll have your ass in lock-up."170
"Show me some ID first."171
"Get off me, and I will." Wincing as the weight was finally removed, Gio slowly got to his knees, then his feet. Wiping at the blood that had slowed to a trickle, he pulled back his jacket with his other hand to display the detective’s badge. 172
"Oh," the guard said. 173
"Oh?" Gio echoed. "You just let a suspect get away, and all you can say is ‘oh?’?"174
"Well, she did yell rape," he said. "And from my perspective, it did look like you were attacking her." 175
"Never mind," Gio said. "Radio your security to hold Heather Woodrow… unless she’s already left the lot."176
"Yes, sir."177
Turning away as the guard did as he was ordered, Gio swiped at more blood. Staring at the wall where he’d been so close to arresting Heather, he took his phone out and made a call. 178
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~179
Making a final check of the entrances to the property to make sure that the new pass codes worked, Liam then headed towards the house. Part of him was impressed that Laine had apparently made it back to the property by using Kyle's own code, while a part of him was decidedly pissed off that she had breched his security. 180
He had been trained by the FBI in certain aspects that he employed in his current job, and to have not only someone gain unauthorized access, but to be murdered on the grounds was still disconcerting. At least Laine having access to the numbers that Kyle used as his pass cleared up one part of the mystery... maybe.181
The only problem was that it didn't exactly explain how this Heather Woodrow had managed to kill anyone on the property without someone seeing her. Since no one remembered whether Heather had left before, with, or after Laine, there was no way to know if she came back with the other woman, lured her back, or even brought her back herself. 182
If Liam had to make a guess based on his years of work, he would say that Laine had gone, then came in through the rear gate in an attempt to sneak in to see Kyle without anyone knowing. Heather could have spotted her, and...183
That was the one thing that stumped him. 184
Walking into the house from the patio door, Liam paused when he realized the others he shared the property with were there. Davy was sitting on the couch, leafing through the newest issue of Playboy, while Greg was slouched in an overstuffed armchair playing a game on his Nintendo DSi. Kyle had moved from the poolside to take up residence on ther other end of the couch from Davy, and was staring blanky at a spot on the wall that only he could see. 185
"He done pouting yet?" Liam asked.186
Greg glanced at Kyle, then went back to the game in his hand. "Hope so. He's got that date tonight, and he'll look pretty pathetic whining on the red carpet."187
Kyle's gaze slid to them, then went back to staring at the wall. He'd forgotten about the movie premier with Isobel, and wondered if it was worth the added annoyance in actually going. The kiss from earlier resurfaced in his mind, which only added to the confusion of what he was feeling. Up until that point, he'd been in a polite, yet obviously strained, professional relationship with Izzy. 188
And all it took was one kiss from her, and he returned it like some horny bastard without even thinking of what the result would be. She had been right at one point... he didn't trust easily, and only hoped that he had been wrong in assuming that she was using him through such means to get her job done. 189
Too many people wanted to kiss 'Kyle Ryders', and not him, and he surprised himself when he realized it actually mattered to him that Izzy not be one of those people... mainly because it had added to his 'weirded out' feeling viewing the album had given him... and pouting over things wasn't something he was overly fond of doing. 190
"Codes are changed," Liam told him, breaking into his thoughts.191
"Thanks."192
"Detective Grant leave?"193
"Hopefully." 194
"She coming back?"195
"Why?"196
"You’ve got that movie premier date tonight."197
"Don't remind me." Standing, he stretched lightly. "The way this week is going, tonight should be real interesting."198
"Careful what you wish for," Greg muttered. 199
Kyle laughed, showing that he was well on his way from the funk that had set on him since he had seen the photo album. "Hey, maybe my father will show up at the door and make the week a real treat." 200
"You want me to let him in the next time he shows up?" Liam asked wryly.201
"The what?" Kyle asked. "He’s been here?"202
"Twice," Liam said. 203
Groaning in annoyance as one more thing seemed to pile on him, Kyle turned away. "Okay. Wonder if it’s too late for me to pull a Howard Hughes."204
"What?"205
"He's the recluse," Davy offered, his eyes never leaving the page in front of him.206
"I know who he is."207
"Then why ask?"208
Ignoring him, Liam went back to Kyle. "Why be a recluse?"209
"Stop being an actor, and this Heather won't want me any longer," Kyle said. 210
"You think that’ll stop her?" 211
"Think, no. Hope, yes."212
"It won’t," Liam said. "I’ve got a bit more knowledge in this field than you do, Kyle, and this woman won’t be stopped just because you quit," he paused. "And your father’s just being an asshole. Soon as the tabloid money runs out, he’ll disappear."213
"Way to take pressure off him," Davy said dryly.214
"No, it’s okay," Kyle said. "This woman is serious about her obsession with…" he trailed off and swallowed, then exhaled nervously. "Anyway, she has to be stopped before someone else gets hurt."215
"How?" Davy asked. 216
"I’ll go to the studio, talk with her, and tell her to stop."217
"You can’t be serious."218
"Fine," Kyle said. "I’ll go to the studio, talk with her, and make her stop."219
"Okay, yeah," Liam said, standing from the arm of the couch. "Let me offer a different plan. One, you stay away from her. Two, you stay away from her. And three…"220
"Stay away from her?" Kyle guessed. 221
"Now you’re catching on. Look, this woman is not going to listen to anything you have to say unless it’s you professing your undying love to her." He paused for a moment. "Are you going to do that?"222
"Nope."223
"Then stay away from her. Your cop, slash girlfriend is the key to stopping Heather. Work with Detective Grant on this."224
"I’d rather be gelded."225
"Would you rather be dead?"226
"Not particularly, no."227
Liam nodded. "Then stop being such a stubborn fuck and stop playing around with Izzy."228
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~229
The small area by the building was packed with security, police, and a crime scene unit. Sitting on the hood of a police car while a medic checked him out, Gio patiently answered questions another officer was asking. The security guards that had interfered where talking with another officer, and casting worried looks at Gio. 230
Although he would never arrest anyone who came to the aide of a woman screaming rape, Gio was still pissed at their actions. His one good chance at bringing in a possible murderer had flown out the window the moment he was slammed to the ground.231
He had already shown a crime scene technician the basic area where Heather had been held against the wall, and watched as they took trace evidence from more than a few places. Hopefully, Heather had left a bit of herself behind, and the lab would be able to match DNA with that of the samples taken from the attack on Laine Carmichael. 232
A security officer walked up with the news that Heather was no where to be found, and that her car had been logged as leaving the movie lot approximately three minutes after Gio had tried to arrest her. 233
Knowing that now Heather knew they were on to her, Gio didn’t like the way this was quickly spiraling into something that could turn very ugly. Heather had attacked a police officer, and had run from an arrest. That made her a wanted fugitive, and Gio knew she was just unpredictable enough to cause some real damage if she was cornered again. 234
Hopping off the hood of the car he was sitting on, he brushed away any further attention from the medic, and looked around for Izzy. He had called her more than thirty minutes before, and wondered what could be keeping her since she only lived about fifteen miles away. 235
Turning as his name was called, he froze. Images from a few years previous flashed before his eyes… arresting a well known actor, being tossed to the media sharks as they did a feeding frenzy on his ass over every little thing he did, being called in front of Internal Affairs after allegations that he offered to let the actor go for a certain sum of money…236
"Oh, this day just got better," Gio moaned as two men approached. Recognizing them immediately as Internal Affairs, he didn’t even want to think of why they would be here. 237
"Detective Giovanni," one man said as he stopped walking. 238
"Hey, Lorne," Gio said, more to piss the other man off than out of friendship. "To what do I owe the honor? Going to try to piss on my career again?"239
"Always a pleasure to run into you," Detective Lorne Williamson muttered. "Tell me what happened."240
"Why?" Gio asked. "No one was shot. Hell, I didn’t even pull my gun." 241
"You tell me what happened, and I’ll tell you if it’s important enough for me to be here."242
"You’re still pissed off that you failed last time you tried to screw me over, aren’t you?" Gio said. "Look, I came with a search warrant, Heather Woodrow showed up, agreed to go sit in the cafeteria so I could ask her questions, then she hit me, made a break for it, and when I tried to arrest her, two wannabe cops decided to intervene." 243
"You sure she did anything worthy of questioning?"244
You’re a fucking ass. "Honest people don’t run."245
"They do when they think they’re about to be raped."246
"Oh, fuck this," Gio said, his patience gone.247
"I’ll need you to come in for a few questions."248
"Look, how about you just suck my left nut, and we’ll call it even."249
"Gio!"250
Moaning again, Gio turned and glared at Izzy who was standing directly behind him. "Yes?"251
"Why the hell are you antagonizing Internal Affairs?" She looked at the other cop. "And why the hell is Internal Affairs even here?"252
"A police detective was involved in an assualt and accused of rape," Lorne said. "So quit your whining." He looked at Gio. "And you might want to think about playing fair and-" stopping as his partner approached, he took a note from his hand, read it, and looked at Gio. 253
"Appears that brass thinks you acted properly," Lorne said. "Guess I’ll have to forgo that sucking."254
"Imagine my relief," Gio said. "So, you want to get the hell out of my face so I can finish this?"255
Izzy watched, baffled as the two from Internal Affairs walked away. "That was weird." Since most times the 'police's police' had to beaten off with a stick, to have them leave this early in one of their investigations was completely out of character. 256
She turned and stared at Gio, taking in his black eye, scrapes and bloodied nose. "What happened?"257
"Don't you have a date tonight?"258
"In two hours, and stop changing the subject. What happened?" 259
"Pretty much what I said on the phone," he said, pulling his equally confused gaze away from the retreating IA officers. "Heather Woodrow was fine, and then she smacks me, takes off running, and then head butts me when I catch her. Then, she yells rape when I’m getting my cuffs out, and the rent-a-cops slap my ass to the ground and she takes off."260
"So, she’s gone."261
He nodded slightly. "Yeah, but she made enough contact with the wall that there had to be transfer of something. Crime scene is checking it."262
"Good."263
"I’m fine by the way," Gio said. "Thanks for not asking."264
"I knew you were fine," Izzy said. "After all, you did call."265
266
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Comments
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Finally! I was wondering if I was ever going to have time to read more of this series. I love how you set up the scene cuts between Gio and Izzy. It has just the right amount of page turning (or scrolling) anticipation that forces you to continue. Do you write it like that or do you write them seperately then split them up? I couldn't find any faults other than paragraph 253 -assault. A minor typo thing.
As usual this was great, the characters stay true to the first chapters and it flows perfectly. I feel a climax coming on! Wait, that did not sound right...but you know what I mean.
Now I pray I will be able to read the next chapter in peace.
Thank you for writing!
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Sometimes I write them together, and other times it automatically splits in my brain.
And yes... a story climax just may be coming soon....
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