| SIU Blues Chapter 4 |
| Yong Cha Chon looked at the file on his desk and felt the acid burning in his stomach. He had known that he would have to deal with her one day. He had known that he was making a mistake when he allowed his son to talk him into letting her live. Now she was back to make his life miserable again. Chon opened his desk drawer and, reaching past the herbal remedy his wife insisted on, he pulled out the bottle of antacid. After giving the bottle a good shake, he took a hard swig directly from the bottle before recapping it and throwing it back into the drawer. Tossing open the manila file with anger, he stared down at the black and white photograph taken at a clothing store that he owned in downtown San Francisco. Rachel McCabe. Even though nearly twenty years had passed since he was last forced to stare at her face, he would have recognized her anywhere. He quickly flipped the photo over in distaste and began to peruse the file that his people had compiled. His people were still continuing to search, but they had given him a considerable background on her. Schools, past homes, past jobs and even a list of past lovers. He glanced at the short list and shook his head. His people must be slipping if that handful of men were all they had found. He could feel the acid eating a hole through his stomach when he saw the entry Inspector, Special Investigations Unit, San Francisco Police Department. The page crumbled beneath his hand as it clenched into a fist. A cop. That was the last thing that he needed. It would definitely interfere with the San Francisco relocation. It had taken two years for them to reroute such a large payload through the Bay Area and there was no way that they could make that drastic a change at such short notice. With the simple push of a button, his lithe assistant entered his office and gave a deep bow of respect. “Find out everything about her currently, home, pets, lovers, fetishes, drugs and I want a two year listing of the cases she has worked on.” He slid the file across the smooth acrylic desktop and his assistant caught it on the way to the floor. Chon turned to look out at the San Francisco skyline as he steepled his fingers in front of his chin. This time, he wasn’t only going to get rid of her. He was going to make sure that she paid for every year he had to live without his only son. * * * Nash rubbed his face with his open palm, trying to shake the sleepiness from his brain as Rachel and Harvey relayed everything that Griggs had told them. “Apparently, Post was killed three weeks ago on a drug bust gone south. Coincidentally enough, he was the second agent that testified against Bixby to be DOA this month. The first was the victim of a late night hit and run. No witnesses to either.” Harvey said. “Wait a minute.” Nash had to stop the conversation before it went any further. “The Post we met wasn’t Post? How is that possible? I knew the guy!” “Griggs wasn’t surprised that we didn’t know he was a phony,” he continued without missing a beat. “Apparently, Bixby is a master of disguise and camouflage. Griggs said that he has this whole regimen that he goes through before making a hit including shaving all the hair from his body and scrubbing down with steel wool to keep from leaving even the smallest traces behind. Supposedly, he has had his prints removed too.” “They claim that Bixby was somehow involved, but there’s no proof.” Rachel concluded. “So Bixby is supposedly going around picking off people who slighted him in one way or another?” Nash asked dubiously. “That’s what the bureau wants us to think,” Harvey returned. “It seems a little too textbook for me.” Nash gave him a nod. “There are probably a whole list of reasons for this little revenge binge, if that’s what it actually is.” He tossed his hand in dismissal. “We’ll probably never really know why the family feud, but we’re still going to get stuck in the middle of it if we want Sinclair.” “Lovely,” Rachel concluded sarcastically. “Either we nail Sinclair and get out fast or end up as sitting ducks waiting for the next federal wacko to take a shot at us. Some choice.” “But at least we know that the shooter wasn’t gunning for you,” Nash concluded as he gestured to Harvey. “Sinclair can’t sneeze without us knowing about it so you should be as safe as you usually are.” “Forgive me for saying so, boss, but in this day and age, that’s not saying much,” Harvey shot back. “He sounds like a real nut job,” Rachel added, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, anyone that conscientious of everything he is doing, isn’t going to be that easy to catch. My bet is that this guy is not only bent, but brilliant. Probably has an extremely high IQ and that is why the feds are so hot to get him. There’s no telling what kind of information this guy has or what kind of damage he could do to the bureau or even to the country.” “Yeah, this guy is good, alright. Even when he slips up, he’s covered,” Nash said with a sigh. “The shells we picked up in his hotel room? Completely clean. He wasn’t worried about leaving them behind because he knew that he could, so why waste time picking them up.” “Griggs claims that you wouldn’t see Bixby if he was standing right in front of you unless he wanted you too,” Rachel added. “And we didn’t,” Nash ground out. He knew that something didn’t feel right about Post. Something about his manner, his voice, something that just didn’t fit. It had caught his attention, but not enough for him to dig further at the time. He was regretting that now. “All of this would explain why I couldn’t pull up an active file on Post too,” Rachel concluded. “I wasn’t looking for deceased.” “So all of the pieces are starting to come together, but we still can’t see the whole picture.” Nash continued to pace the floor. “Maybe the question we should be asking is what was Bixby trying to tell us,” Harvey suggested. “There had to be a reason for that meeting. What did he want us to know?” “That’s a good question,” Nash said. “We need to dig into this, boys and girls. I want to know what to expect. There have been far too many surprises on this one. Harv, I want you to go over that file Bixby gave us with a fine tooth comb. He wouldn’t have risked that meeting with us unless there was something that he needed to know or something that he wanted us to know. My guess is it’s the ladder.” “Consider it well groomed,” Harvey returned. “What does Griggs say about all of this? Is he going to help on the bust or does he want to stay under?” Harvey shrugged his shoulders. “Griggs claims that the only reason he is on Sinclair is to get Bixby. Seems like a backwards way to do it, but that’s what he’s saying. He said to play it out any way you want to. He will not jeopardize his position until he has Bixby.” That kind of absolution worried Nash a bit. You can’t stop someone who doesn’t mind dying for his beliefs. “We’re going to have to play this one close to the vest. We could get it from both sides.” “Could be a real blood bath if we don’t handle things carefully,” Harvey warned, voicing his primary concern. Nash nodded. He knew that too well. “Rach, stay on the personnel list from the web auction site. Harv, see if you can weed through all this ‘he said, she said’ stuff and get me some facts.” * * * Harvey darted a glance around the edge of the door as he grasped his gun in both hands. Scattered clothes, empty food boxes and a bare mattress were all that was in sight, but he was certain that he heard movement inside. He wasn’t surprised to find himself in an abandon building, but he hoped that he wouldn’t regret going there without backup. Evan would have admired his bravado. Evan would probably be doing the same thing if their fates had been reversed. The sound of feet shuffling in the next room drew his focus back to the moment. If his snitch was right, that was Tommy Boy inside. Harvey just hoped he was alone. He tipped his head to listen. The plastic rattle of bags, unknown objects hitting the floor, a softly spoken curse. He was looking for something which meant that he was distracted. Harvey confirmed his conclusion by taking a step into the room cautiously. The nineteen year old boy was bent over a pile of garbage. He was so absorbed with digging through the mess that he didn’t hear the inspector’s approach. Harvey took in his surroundings with an encompassing sweep of his trained eye, then tucked his gun back into the holster when he was certain that they were alone. That small sound of snapping the gun securely into place alerted Tommy Boy, but Harvey was already within reach. When Tommy Boy tried to run, he was captured easily by the arm, then shoved into the wall a few feet away. “You don’t look like you’re happy to see me,” Harvey growled into his ear as he quickly patted him down. “I was starting to think that you were trying to avoid me, Tommy Boy, and that just hurts my feelings.” Certain that his captive was without weapons, he pressed him more securely against the wall. “I had nothing to do with it, man,” Tommy Boy swore without prompting. “Nothing to do with what?” Harvey asked in feigned ignorance. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Tommy Boy had some of the answers that he needed. He just hoped that he could hold his anger in check long enough to find out what they were. Where Evan murder was concerned, Harvey had an extremely short fuse. Tommy Boy fidgeted under his grasp. “Whatever it is you think I did,” he returned evasively. When his head was thrust against the wall once more, he chose to forgo the vain attempt. “I had nothing to do with that cop getting killed,” he said more specifically. Harvey sighed heavily, then acted as if he was thinking about that for a moment. “Okay, let’s say I believe you and you had nothing to do with setting us up at the warehouse or in the projects.” Harvey gave him a light slap to the back of the head because he didn’t believe that for a moment. “Personally, I think you’re dumb enough to have a hand in it, but not dumb enough to pull the trigger and that’s the guy that I want.” “I don’t know who it was!” Harvey flipped him around roughly. He was going to push the punk’s head through the wall if he didn’t stop lying to him. “Now is not a good time to hold out on me boy,” he warned him through clenched teeth. He shook his head rapidly. “I swear,” he promised in desperation, sweat beads covering his face as he tried to avoid looking him in the eye. “I don’t know who did it.” Harvey noticed the slight hesitation and pounced on it. “But you do know who was in the car,” he guessed. When he started to fidget again, Harvey grabbed him by the front of the shirt and slammed him into the plaster-board wall. “I want names.” “I don’t know,” he repeated for a third time. He knew that his lies were not working, but he couldn’t stop them from falling out of his mouth. To live on the street meant to deny everything. “I’ve just heard rumors and nothing specific.” “You’d better start finding out specifics,” Harvey said in an angry whisper. “Because I’ve just become your worst nightmare. I’m going to be your shadow, Tommy Boy. Where ever you are, I’ll be right behind you. If you so much as jaywalk, I’m going to be there to bust your ass. You got me?” He waited for the subtle nod, then he dug out one of his business cards from his pocket and held it up in Tommy Boy’s face. “I want names and I want to know where to find them. This is only a temporary reprieve. You get me something fast or there’s not going to be a place on this earth that you can hide from me.” * * * “We may have found one of the storage units in the warehouse district, but I don’t know how good the information is,” Rachel informed Nash as she fell into stride next to him on his way out. “It’s in the abandoned section.” “I thought Harvey was doing a search on the warehouses,” he countered curiously. “He said that he had some business to take care of so he had me watching for the results.” Nash gave her a sideways glance. In light of recent events, he wasn’t happy with the fact that Harvey had gone off on his own, but he had to trust his judgment. Harvey hadn’t become one of his best officers by accident. “Why don’t you ride with me and we will check it out,” Nash suggested as he held the door open for her. “I’m on my way down to chat with the Chief. It seems he wants to have the DEA running this gig and I want to make sure they are kept to a minimum. That’s all we need is to get a Rambo in the mix who’s hot and heavy for Bixby.” Most of the drive to the warehouse was spent talking to others on their cell phones, but they were put away when they got out of the Cuda and went in for a closer look. The warehouse was abandoned, but they still took a moment to walk through looking for evidence. Now that they had a quiet moment, Nash addressed a more personal issue. “So how are you and Harvey doing?” he asked expectantly. Rachel shot him a serious look. “You’re lucky I’m a very forgiving person. I was ready to shoot you the other night.” “What did I do?” Nash asked with a chuckle, spreading his arms wide for her to take her best shot. “Don’t try to deny it, Nash, because I know you too well. I’ll bet you dropped him a hint in that nice subtle way you have. Probably at the send off for Evan, unless I miss my guess.” He chuckled again. “I’ve trained you too well, McCabe.” Denial was pointless. He knew that he was busted. “So tell me what happened. I was dead on about you two, wasn’t I?” “Being smug is not going to endear yourself to me any better,” she warned him with a smile. “And you’re not getting out of this conversation without giving me some sort of details, McCabe. Spill.” She paused for a moment as she put the heel of her boot against a stack of aluminum sheets, then continued walking with her captain. “It’s awkward,” she finally admitted with a shrug. “So far, we seem to be able to keep a good balance with our work and the friendship hasn’t really changed, but then there are other things.” She shook her head as Nash shined a flashlight in a tiny office. “I’m discovering that there are a few things I never knew about Harvey.” “Isn’t that always the case.” He smiled at her. He knew what starting a new relationship was like, the butterflies, the uncertainty, the discovery. In some ways, he thought that was the best part of a relationship. Which could explain why he had so many. Shaking off the thought, he returned to the conversation. “Is this something that the two of you are going to pursue?” She hesitated before answering. She knew that she was talking to her friend, but he was also her boss and fraternization between police officers wasn’t exactly encouraged. “Let’s just say that we’re leaving our options open,” she answered judiciously. “That sounds like a good plan to me.” He waved a dismissing hand as he turned back toward the door. “This is a waste of time. Who ever was here is long gone.” “Yeah, I’ll have to find out who the moving company was,” Rachel commented. “Not even a scrap of paper on the floor.” “So nice and tidy that you think they had something to hid.” He chuckled then waved to her to follow. “Come on. You can hold my hand while I play bureaucrat and make nice with the feds.” “Lucky me.” * * * Harvey tried to shake off the lingering anger he had after dealing with Tommy Boy. He hated like hell having to let him go, but getting any information on the gang that made the hit on Evan was worth the loss. He knew that he would catch up to Tommy Boy again one day. As he mounted the gangway onto the S.I.U., he tossed a wave to the uniformed officer about to pass him on his way out. Harvey stopped short, then looked at the officer again. “Hey Carter. How’s your kid doing?” He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten to ask earlier. “He’s doing better,” he replied as he stopped as well. “He gave us a real scare when we thought his flu was turning into pneumonia, but he’s finally turned around.” “I’m happy to hear that man,” Harvey returned, giving him a pat on the shoulder before continuing on his way. How had he gotten so thoughtless, he asked himself. He has known for days that Carter’s kid was sick, but it didn’t even occur to him to ask about him. Harvey shook his head as he walked into the S.I.U. He had really gotten off track somewhere along the line. “Just the man I was looking for,” Joe said as Harvey came into view. “Take a ride with me.” “Sure.” Harvey did an immediate about face and fell into stride next to him. “So what’s up?” “I want to meet up with a guy I know. A CIA paper pusher. He’ll know what’s going on with this Bixby stuff and if there’s anything behind it.” Harvey’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Man, any help we can get on this thing would be a God send. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Nash on this?” “No, Nash is talking with the feds at HQ. That’s why I need to go now.” “Skittish?” he asked about the contact. “Skittish isn’t the word. Paranoid is more like it.” “If this guy is so paranoid, how do you know he will want to give the info he’s got.” Joe gave him a sideways glance as they stepped off the gangway into the parking lot. “Let’s just say he’s a conspiracy theorist and leave it at that.” “Oh joy.” Harvey could already imagine the way the conversation was going to go. “This could be real interesting.” * * * Rachel felt like a fifth wheel as she stood in the Mayor’s office with the Mayor, Special Agent in Charge Lombardy of the DEA, the police chief and Nash. She was well aware that there was a lot of power in that room and she had to admit that she was feeling a little intimidated. It didn’t help matters any that Nash and Lombardy were at each other’s throats and had been since their meeting at police headquarters. The police chief wasn’t happy about the fact that the DEA was stepping in their territory, but he like Nash having his way even less, so he stood by the agent. “Just how many more of my people have to die before you realize that you’ve got some serious problems in your system, bubba?” Nash asked Lombardy as they stood toe-to-toe in front of the Mayor’s desk. “Try telling your people how to duck when the bullets start flying,” he returned tartly. “Oh you mean hide like your guys?” In typical fashion, the Bridges sarcasm was available on cue. “That’s enough you two,” the Mayor ordered. “This has already been settled. Lombardy, you will get updates from the S.I.U., but Captain Bridges is the lead on this one.” “That’s not how we work,” Lombardy argued. “From what I can see, you’re not working at all,” the Mayor shot back. “Captain Bridges’ team has been on this case for a matter of days and they have already accumulated more information on Bixby then you have in two months.” Rachel suppressed a smile when Nash shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. The only reason that they had as much information as they did was because Bixby had seen fit to enlighten them on his case by supplying his file. Of course, Nash hadn’t deemed it necessary to fill the others in the room in on that small detail. “Captain Bridges will let you know when anything new concerning this case comes up, but let him do his job and try to start doing yours.” Agent Lombardy started to protest, then thought better of it. Too many things had gone wrong for them already. If he pressed the matter, it would only alert his superiors to the fact that he had lost control. He gave Nash a long, hard glare, then stormed out of the room. The police chief also paused to give Nash his best glare before leaving himself. “Nice fan club you have there boss,” Rachel remarked without thinking, then shook her head in apology to the Mayor for being so flippant with her superior. “Yeah, they all want my autograph in my own blood,” Nash shot back before looking at the Mayor. “I appreciate you backing me on this, sir,” he said respectfully. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” he apologized, then shook his hand. “I don’t want the feds shooting up our city any more than you do. Just don’t wait too long before you call them.” “I promise I’ll call before any doors get knocked down.” Nash chuckled along with the Mayor. They both knew that he would be calling at the last minute, probably seconds before the action started, but he would have fulfilled his promise. Rachel fell into step behind her boss and waited until they had passed through the secretary’s office before remarking. “I noticed you didn’t tell them about the folder we got from Bixby.” Nash snapped his fingers. “Darn, did I leave that part out?” Her smile broadened. “Remind me never to play poker with you. That was one heck of a bluff in there.” “Yeah I’m getting way to good at the bureaucratic thing.” He brushed off the sleeves of his jacket. “Now I’m going to have to get this dry-cleaned to get the bureau-crap off of it.” * * * “Dominguez,” he choked out past a bite of a plain hotdog, nearly swallowing it whole when the S.I.U. inspector grabbed his shoulder. Nervously he looked around at the people on the street, quickly moving away from the hotdog vendor as he gestured for Joe to follow. “Why do you have to ruin my lunch? You could have called, you know.” “And have you disappear on me like the last time? I don’t think so, Toby.” “It’s Tobias.” He hurriedly choked down his hotdog as he glared at Joe. He had already had that particular argument with Nash. “You don’t want to piss me off Dominguez or you’ll be on the outs like Bridges.” “I’ll take my chances,” Joe said, unimpressed with the threat. He casually looked around at the people filling the park on such a beautiful day. It looked like half of San Francisco decided to take off of work to enjoy what remained of the day. “So what do you have on Bixby?” “Bixby?” he ground out, half laughing, half coughing at the small piece of bread that got caught in his throat. He took a hurried sip of his soda as he scanned Harvey’s unusual attire. “Why don’t you give me something hard,” he suggested, then nodded toward Harvey. “Is he okay?” “I’ll have my resume sent over to your office,” Harvey returned as he watched the people around them, seemingly bored with the conversation. Tobias gave him the once over. He’s just like Bridges, he thought, then dismissed him out of hand. “Bixby is one hot commodity right now,” he told Joe. “Everyone wants him. The DEA, the FBI, the S.I.U. even some drug dealers if the rumors are true. Everybody wants a piece of his hide.” “We already know that, Toby,” Joe returned, hoping to turn the conversation in a direction that would actually be of some help. “What we need to know is if this guy was set up or not.” Tobias chuckled. “You can’t figure out who the good guys are, can you?” he asked smugly. “It’s not like the Illuminati, carefully planned over decades for world domination. Hell, even the missing laptop last year had a more elaborate conspiracy.” He shook his head. “Secrets are pouring out all over the place and the government is looking for someone to blame. Problem is, the wrong people are setting up everyone else to make way for their own plans.” Harvey shook his head hard at the comparisons. They really had a winner there. “As much as I love a good Satanic overthrow of the world, what does that have to do with anything?” “Are you telling us that he was set up then?” Joe asked point blank. He hated having to wade through all of Tobias’ detours to get a simple answer. “The guy deserved it, if you ask me.” He hesitated for a moment while he took another bite of his hotdog. “He walked right into it, but the thing is, he wasn’t suppose to walk out of it.” Harvey locked eyes with Joe. “The patsy?” “Dead men tell no tales.” Joe followed his line of thinking. “Exactly,” Tobias confirmed. “Bixby was suppose to go down in the bust. Instead, he got away and the feds had to do some fast backtracking to cover everything up.” “Griggs?” Joe asked. Tobias shrugged as he shoved the last bit of hotdog into his mouth, followed by as much soda as he could squeeze in. “His name specifically hasn’t come up yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised.” Joe sighed as he looked at his informant. So far they weren’t getting anything solid from him. “Do you think you can give us any details?” “Look, I’ve already told you that it was a setup. What more do you need?” “How about some names, dates or, here’s a good one, some actual evidence?” he returned sarcastically. Tobias smiled again. “Maybe you’ll call next time. Okay, okay,” he said, holding his hand up to stall Joe’s quickly raising temper. “How’s this. Griggs isn’t the instigator in this. The orders are coming from higher up. I know that there are at least two others above him, but I haven’t got names yet. Give me a couple of days to see what I can dig up.” With that, he turned and walked away. Harvey watched him go with skepticism. “Do you think he will really turn something up?” he asked curiously. “There’s one thing I know about Toby,” Joe informed him. “He loves being proven right on his conspiracy theories. He’ll find something if there is anything to find.” * * * Bixby slipped the night scope out of his pocket to get a better view of the couple walking up to the apartment building. He was willing to bet that Leek wouldn’t be coming back out that night. Things had gotten pretty steamy between them at the hotel. He lowered the scope once they were inside. “You’ve got one nice babe, Leek,” he said to himself. “I definitely wouldn’t kick her out of bed.” Freezing for a moment, his eyes scanned the area around him as far as he could see with the streetlights. When had he started talking to himself? The only actual conversation that he had in the last week was with Bridges. He shook his head. That was one habit he could do without. “Hello,” he whispered without thinking when a young Asian man stepped out of the back of a classic Mercedes. The car had stopped in the middle of the street and the man’s focus seemed intent on Rachel McCabe’s building. That piqued his curiosity. “Oh, don’t tell me that you have other admirers, Rach. I’ll be devastated.” Bixby sat up further in his seat as he used the night scope from his rifle again. “It can’t be,” he muttered to himself. He couldn’t stop the cackle that sufficed for a laugh. “I don’t believe it. What are you doing slumming, Samuel?” Samuel Chon scanned the area around him briefly, as if sensing the unwanted eye on him, before stepping back into his car. “Very interesting,” Bixby decided as he watched the Mercedes drive off. “What interest do you have in an S.I.U. inspector, Samuel?” he asked the departed man. On impulse, he turned the ignition and left his roost to see what Samuel Chon was up to. * * * “This has got to be the longest day in recorded history,” Rachel sighed as she walked into her apartment and shrugged off her jacket. She felt like she had been up for a week. “What day is it, anyway?” Harvey chuckled as he walked right passed her. “At least Nash gave us the all clear to go to our own apartments. I feel like I haven’t been there in a week. It was a good thing I decided to put King in that kennel instead of having the neighbors checking in on him. He would have trashed the place by now.” Rachel smiled when Harvey started walking through her apartment, opening each door as he passed it, doing a quick search of the rooms. “What are you doing?” she asked as she leaned against the wall waiting for him to finish. “Better safe than sorry, partner.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “I don’t remember you ever checking my apartment before when we were on a dangerous case.” “Look, you’re not exactly the kind of person who needs a white knight rushing to your rescue so give me the option of gallantry, okay?” he requested, finishing his search and moving back to stand in front of her. “Since I didn’t get the opportunity to make a good impression on our first date, I thought the least I could do was to end it right.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, dinner tonight was our first date?” she asked while trying to suppress a laugh. “And ‘let’s grab a bite’ is your way of asking a girl out? How romantic,” she teased. “I figured that I have nowhere to go but up in the dating area if you have that kind of basis to judge from,“ he confessed and was rewarded with her soft laugh once more. It was moments like that when he wasn’t sure of what to do next. He had dropped her off at her apartment hundreds of times, but that was when they were friends, coworkers. Now that the romance flame had been lit between them, he wasn’t sure where the friendship ended and the courtship began. “I probably should be leaving if either one of us is going to get any sleep.” Should he kiss her or shake her hand? It would sure make things a lot easier if Rachel would only give him a clue. He received his answer when his eyes locked with hers. The flame in her eyes wasn’t meant for a friend or coworker. He knew that she didn’t want him to leave, but that only made things worse. He took half a step closer to her and could feel the warmth of her body along his. She was so beautiful and smart and talented. “What are you doing with a mook like me?” he asked softly. “Are you kidding?” She shifted her feet slightly, inadvertently straddling his left thigh. She was hard pressed to keep from reacting to the intimate contact. “I’m the envy of half the women in America.” When her words came out in such a rush, she held her breath for a long moment to slow herself down. Harvey smiled at the compliment as he placed his hand lightly on her hip to keep her still when she tried to move once more. “What about the other half?” he teased. He couldn’t believe how many electric charges were going through him. There was never a time when he felt so aware and so oblivious at the same time. He was so close. Only a breath away. She couldn’t believe that she actually felt shy suddenly. When his eyes had locked with hers, a tiny shiver quaked through her body. She had never seen such passion in a person’s eyes before. Harvey didn’t even have to touch her for her body to respond to him. “The other half doesn’t know what they’re missing,” she finally managed, ordering herself to stop acting like a teenager with a crush. Harvey reached up and lightly stroked his thumb over her lower lip. She was so beautiful with that sleepy-eyed expression. He knew that he was going to have a difficult time getting any rest with the picture of her face tantalizing his thoughts. He leaned in to kiss her trembling lips, but hesitated for a moment to feel the warmth of her rapid breath against his skin. He never enjoyed the anticipation of a kiss more. His mouth brushed against hers in a feather light caress, then once more for a scarcely longer one, before he moved back to look into her eyes. No, he definitely wasn’t going to get any sleep that night. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Rachel couldn’t trust herself to speak. She nodded quickly and watched in silence as he let himself back out of her apartment. When the door latch clicked behind him, she groaned in frustration and lightly rapped her head back against the wall. She didn’t know if she would go insane from keeping Harvey at bay of if she was already insane for doing it in the first place. She had never wanted a man so badly in her life. His self-control was maddeningly seductive. She was beginning to fear that she would explode if things didn’t move along a little more rapidly between them, but she had been the one to suggest they take things slowly. Hadn’t she? “It must have been a temporary lapse of sanity,” she grumbled to herself as she drug her tired body off to bed. * * * “What happened?” Nash asked as he fell into stride next to Rachel on her way into their offices. The gapping rip in the leg of her jeans was hard to miss. “Just superficial,” she assured him first off. “I was checking into another possible warehouse location and some idiot drove a six-inch nail through two inches of wood. It caught me when I walked by. I was going to run over to my place to change, but I left my keys here.” “I don’t have to tell you to get that checked out if it needs to be, do I?” When she gave him a sideways look as he held the door open for her, he chuckled. “Physician heal thyself.” “Let’s not go down that road again,” she begged, then stopped short when they came into view of her desk. Nash’s smile broadened when he spied a bouquet of flowers on Rachel’s desk. “My, my. Looks like someone has an admirer,” he teased and shot a glance over to Harvey. He was sitting at his desk with the phone pressed to his ear, pretending like he didn’t see them come in. “Lilacs,” he leaned in for a sniff, then straightened to look at Rachel. “Aren’t they out of season?” he asked, then chuckled as he walked away. Harvey had gone to a lot of trouble to get her that bouquet and his not-so-subtle hint was to let her know that he had noticed. Rachel was in stunned silence for a moment as she stared at the lavender-colored lilac. The perfume filled the air around her and she breathed in the scent of her favorite flower deeply. She didn’t dare look in Harvey’s direction because she knew that every eye in the place was on her, wondering who had been so bold to send her flowers at the office. There wasn’t much that a cop loved more than a mystery or the soap-opera-like drama that filled office gossip. She reached into the bouquet to retrieve the card and was glad to see that the tiny envelope was sealed. She debated about opening it, lightly tapping the envelope against her fingertips. When she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked up at a uniformed officer that hesitated next to her desk. Knowing that he was caught, he jerked back slightly from her desk, then quickly walked off. He was one of the more bold “information officers”, no doubt hoping for a glimpse at the signature on the card. That was the only reason for her hesitation. Inside she wanted to rip the envelope open to see what added tidbit Harvey would entice her with. In the end, curiosity won out and she gently tore the seal open. There was no signature and she was glad to see that he was being a bit cautious at revealing his identity, but the flowers themselves drew too much attention for her taste. She preferred anonymity to an audience. However, the simple note on the card in Harvey’s handwriting washed away any misgivings she had. You are worth the effort. She smiled at the card, then looked back up at the flowers. There was something alluring about a man who tempted fate so boldly. The gossip mill in the office was sure to be taking bets by now as to who was Rachel was dating. She just hoped that she could keep the secret to herself a little while longer. She liked the thought of having Harvey to herself. * * * Bixby turned the receiver up as loud as he could and received a blaring horn over the speaker for his effort. He quickly switched off the sound. There was no use. He couldn’t hear a word outside of their car. He reached down between the seats and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. He was lucky that he was able to park on the hill above them. He was able to stay far enough back that the two inspectors would never notice him. “You look a bit on edge today, Inspector McCabe,” Bixby said to himself as he watched her fidget while her partner questioned a young gang member. “I would have thought that you would have worked off that sexual frustration last night.” He laughed to himself. “Or did you send poor Inspector Leek off unsatisfied?” When she continued to squirm, Bixby also began the shift restlessly. “What’s got you so nervous?” he asked curiously. He didn’t remember her looking that nervous when she was in the meeting with Bridges and the Mayor. He saw her fingers smooth over the hair at the back of her head and neck. “Don’t tell me that you’ve got a sixth sense,” he joked as was surprised to see her looking right back at him. He lowered his binoculars quickly and realized that there was no way that she could see him from where she stood. He was willing to bet that she didn’t even see his car. “You’re good, lady.” * * * “All right. Go on. Get out of here,” Harvey ordered. The twelve year old slid a pair of sunglasses back over his eyes and strutted off. Harvey shook his head. He knew that he would be meeting that kid again one day and he just hoped it wouldn’t be over the barrel of a gun. “This is getting us no where,” he complained as he turned back to Rachel. “At least we know that there is some new action in town,” she returned “That’s something.” “Not much. Go down to Chinatown and you can’t throw a rock without hitting a dealer. Knowing that there is another Asian dealer in town is like knowing that there is another Johnson in the phone book. It’s added information, but just try to pick him out in the crowd.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at her for a long moment. “Are you okay?” “What?” she asked, giving him her attention for the first time since they had arrived. “You act like you’re ready to come out of your skin. Is everything okay?” She gave her shoulders a shrug. “Just a case of the creeps, I guess.” He studied her face. “Worried about tonight?” he asked. They had come so far in the case against Sinclair and it was only natural for her to become a little nervous when they were so close to the end. “With you driving? Of course!” She had to do something to break the tension that was mounting up inside of her. She felt like someone was staring a hole in her back. “Hey, I’ll have you know that it may have been awhile since Evan and I went out on those dirt bikes, but I’m perfectly capable of handling myself,” he told her as he circled around to the driver’s side of his PT cruiser. “I’m counting on that.” She climbed into the cruiser next to him, touching his arm to stop him from turning the ignition key. “Hey, have I thanked you for those beautiful flowers yet?” He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. “No need. Your expression was thanks enough.” “I can’t believe that you remembered my favorite flower. I won’t even ask how you found them.” “That’s a good thing because you know I can’t reveal my sources,” he teased. Rachel reached over, the palm of her hand lightly caressing his cheek. She actually felt wanton with the simple gesture. She had wanted to touch his face for so long. She still couldn’t believe that she was so lucky to have him. Slipping her hand behind his neck, she pulled him toward her for a long, leisurely kiss. As Harvey sat back in his seat, his eyes locked with hers. Their partnership was becoming more interesting every day, he thought. “You’re welcome,” he whispered. * * * His back was ramrod straight as he stared down at the street, his hand clasped behind his back. To the casual observer, he was calm and collected, protected from unwanted eyes behind the reflective windows. Inside, a shooting pain darted out from his stomach in the general direction of his right lung. Hate was eating away at him. Chon wanted to spit as he watched Rachel McCabe on the sidewalk opposite his offices. She looked so smug standing there with her partner harassing some thug. She was probably setting one of her traps for the unsuspecting police officer with her. He had his suspicion confirmed when he saw the two of them kissing in that ridiculous excuse for a car. Perhaps he could save the man a lifetime of bitterness by taking him out as well. That was all that McCabe was good at sowing, heartache and bitterness. She had already snared the poor man in her web of lies. Chon nodded his head. He would be doing him a kindness by killing him. What ate at him more than anything was having her so close and not being able to end her torturous existence now. To have her only a few yards away and not be able to crush her was maddening. He would have to ensure that she suffered. But not for long, he added in his twisted heart. He couldn’t bare to leave her breathing for much longer. Where was Ling with that report, he wondered. He wouldn’t risk his empire by a careless act of revenge. He had to plan, to observe, to eradicate. She was the cockroach that had managed to scurry away once. Not again. * * * |
 |
 |
 |