Act II

 Lindsay sighed as she unclipped her badge and gun and set both on the nightstand.  She stared at the brass star, letting her thumb run over the rough surface.  She made a mental note to meet Jacobi tomorrow to hand in her gun and shield.  It was a testament to how high tempers had been running that she hadn’t thrown both at Tom, or that he hadn’t asked for either.  With a second sigh, she reached for the clutch piece strapped to her left ankle.

 Her backup piece now resting next to her issued firearm, Lindsay found herself swaying a little in place, feeling like she could fall asleep standing up.  Her gaze slid guiltily to her lover’s back.  Cindy was sitting on the other side of the bed in the process of kicking off her shoes.  She’d already shed her jacket, and her fingers were working on the buttons of her shirt.  Lindsay’s lips quirked as she moved to stand in front of the redhead.  “Need some help?” she drawled.

 Cindy tipped her head back, a sleepy smile on her features, but there was something in her eyes that Lindsay couldn’t put her finger on.  Not yet.  She had an inkling, but she decided to wait her lover out and let Cindy tell her what was wrong when she was ready.

 “Are you offering your assistance, officer?”

 Officer.  Guilt panged in the pit of Lindsay’s gut, but it didn’t reflect on her face.  This wasn’t the moment to share her shaky employment status with Cindy.  Lindsay began to unbutton Cindy’s shirt, letting her knuckles graze the soft skin underneath.  Her fatigue ebbed, replaced by a sudden wash of want.   “Well,” she teased, her voice low and soothing.  “My job is to protect… and serve.”  She leaned down as the shirt came free, easing it off Cindy’s shoulders as she kissed her lover with simple passion.

 Cindy made a sound in the back of her throat as her arms went around Lindsay’s neck, pulling the lanky detective down on top of her.  Lindsay rolled them both further onto the bed before fumbling with Cindy’s jeans as her lover’s hands began undressing her in kind.

 Finally naked, they slid together, belly to belly as need and instinct took over.  Lindsay felt her mind blank from the night’s troubles as Cindy’s thigh slipped between her own.

 “Love you,” Cindy whispered between heated kisses, and Lindsay felt her heart soar with the soft words.  She knew something was bothering her lover, just as she knew Cindy wanted Lindsay to help her forget whatever it was if only for a short time.

 “Love you, too,” Lindsay purred against the redhead’s lips before her mouth moved lower.

 And lower still.

 Sometime later, they lay wrapped up in each other, both on the edge of sleep without the ability to tumble over it.  Lindsay fought the return of her fatigue, waiting out the silence for Cindy to confess what was wrong.  It took another five minutes before the reporter shifted closer and admitted in a halting voice what was troubling her.

 “Do you think I got her killed?”  Cindy’s voice was so quiet Lindsay had to strain to hear it.

 Lindsay closed her eyes.  It was bad enough that Tom had come to that conclusion.  It broke her heart to hear Cindy voice it.  She said nothing, sensing that Cindy wasn’t done talking.

 “The article I wrote on Honeycutt…  I put her promiscuity out there for all to see,” the reporter continued.

 Lindsay put her chin on Cindy’s head and pulled her closer.  “What happened to her isn’t your fault,” Lindsay murmured into sweet smelling hair.

 Cindy turned her head and nuzzled her features into the curve of Lindsay’s neck, breathing in the scent of her lover’s perfume.  “How would he have known about her?” she protested.  “I told him, Linz.  I might as well have offered her up on a silver platter.”

 Tom certainly seemed to think Cindy had.  Lindsay stifled her anger at her ex and used her fingers to tilt Cindy’s face up to meet hers.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

 “Feels like I did,” the redhead said in a hushed voice.  “I just have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I led him to her.  That I got her killed.”

 Lindsay studied her in the muted dawn light.  She could tell Cindy had been crying, and she cursed herself for not noticing it sooner.  “Sweetheart, the only person responsible for Nicole Honeycutt’s death is the person who killed her.  As for her lifestyle… she chose the way she wanted to live with all the risks involved.”

“Are you saying she was asking for it?”  Cindy’s voice elevated and was tinted with outrage.

 “Of course not,” Lindsay’s told her gently. 

 “Because it could have been Jill,” Cindy said in a more subdued tone.  “I mean, she wasn’t paying for sex or anything, but…”

 “I know,” Lindsay’s own voice was quiet.  The thought had crossed her mind more times than she wanted to think about in the last several hours.  “But it wasn’t.  We’re not even certain it was HM yet.”

 “It’s him.  I can feel it just like you can.”  Cindy’s hand went to the cross she was wearing at her throat, and she played with it nervously.  “I want this over, Lindsay.”

 Lindsay hushed her and drew her close once more.  “I do, too.”

 “I want him stopped.  I want him stopped before he consumes you any more than he already has.  Before he hurts anyone else.”

 Lindsay closed her eyes, not bothering to disagree or disassemble.  She simply held Cindy tighter.  It was the one thing she knew she could do right today.  She sighed.  “Listen, um… I have something to tell you.  Promise you won’t get mad?”  She could feel Cindy go still for a long moment, then the reporter was propping herself up on one elbow to look down at her.

 “What did you do?”

 “What makes you assume I did something?”  Lindsay replied.

 “Because you sound guilty.”

 “I don’t…”

 “Linz, I’ve known you for a year and memorized every inflection of your voice.  I know what a guilty Inspector Boxer sounds like.”

 Lindsay was both simultaneously charmed and chastised.  “Technically,” she said slowly.  “I might not be an inspector at the moment.”

 Both of Cindy’s eyebrows scrunched together in consternation.  “Huh?”

 Lindsay sighed again.  “Tom and I got into it at the crime scene.”

 Cindy said nothing, just watched Lindsay with concern.

 “He said some things, I said some things… then I might have… sorta… slapped him.”  Lindsay gave her lover her most innocent face.

 Whiskey-brown eyes widened in disbelief.  All trace of Cindy’s guilt fled with the revelation, replaced by shock and curiosity.  “You hit him?”  Her lover shrugged and looked sheepish.  “Lindsay, what in the hell?”

 Something about that struck her as funny, and Lindsay started chuckling.

 “It’s not funny!”  Cindy protested.  “Linz, you’re telling me you got suspended!”

 Whether it was fatigue, shock or just a morbid sense of humor, Lindsay wasn’t sure, but she found herself laughing harder.  It only got worse when Cindy grew irked with her, and the redhead’s hands skimmed down Lindsay’s waist to find her most ticklish spots.  The taller woman squirmed and giggled.

 “Lindsay Boxer, I may be small, but I know your weak spots, and I will exploit them,” Cindy vowed as she dug her fingers in.  “You are so telling me what your ex said to you to make you… mmph…”  Cindy was abruptly silenced as Lindsay surged upward and found her lips unerringly.  The teasing touch slowed and became more sensual as the kiss deepened, and Cindy forgot all about articles, murder and Tom Hogan.

 For a little while.

 ****      

 Lindsay yawned so widely her jaw cracked. 

 “Ouch,” Claire muttered as she handed her tall friend a large coffee.

 All four of them were bleary-eyed as they accepted their cups from the Medical Examiner.  Jill sunk into one chair, Cindy into the other.  Lindsay settled on the armrest next to the redhead.

 Claire perched on her desk and stirred her coffee without enthusiasm.  “I don’t know about all of you, but I could have used a few more hours sleep.”

 Jill merely grunted and sipped from her cup.

 “Did you get any rest?”  Cindy asked the blonde.

Jill shrugged.  “As much as I could under the circumstances.  I finally took something to help me.  Good thing I don’t have court today.”  She took another swallow of her coffee and looked at Claire.  “That is if Denise even lets me out of my office ever again.  I thought finding a body was bad enough.  I think if Denise thought she could get away with it she’d turn me into one.”

 Cindy winced, not as used to the Jill/Denise dynamic and all its shifting nuances like Claire and Lindsay were.

 “All right.  I’m semi-lucid.  Tell me what the results are on the fibers.”  Jill held her hand out and made a “gimme” gesture with it.

 “Well this will wake you up,” Claire promised.  She handed the file to Jill who flipped it open and read the contents as Lindsay and Cindy looked on expectantly.

 Jill frowned.

 “Care to share with the class, Ms. Bernhardt?” Lindsay teased.

 Jill handed the folder to Cindy who slipped her glasses on to read it.  Lindsay looked over her shoulder.

 “So what does that mean?”  Jill asked, not sure her exhausted brain was processing terribly well at the moment.

 “It means the fibers found at the window were the same ones found at the Hallelujah Man’s other crime scenes, but the fibers found under Nicole’s nails weren’t a match.” Cindy looked at Claire.  “Right?”

 “You get a gold star,” Claire said with a smile barely visible over the rim of her coffee cup.

 “But he was there.  In the conference room?” Lindsay asked for clarification.

 “It would seem so, but there is no proof he was ever in Nicole Honeycutt’s office.  Granted, the fibers under the victim’s nails could have come from something else he was wearing.”  Claire sighed.

 Lindsay sat back and exchanged glances with Jill.  This case was puzzling the hell out of her.  It felt off.  Wrong.  Like HM had been hiding out in the conference room while someone else was killing Honeycutt.  “So… what?  He was writing scripture while someone else was raping and killing Nicole?  Does he have a partner now?” she wondered aloud.

 “A disciple?” Jill suggested without humor.

 “The woman does have her enemies,” Cindy murmured.  “Wouldn’t surprise me if two people showed up to kill her on the same night.”

 Jill tunneled her hands through her hair before massaging the back of her neck.  “Okay.  So let’s assume HM is the killer for now.  Nicole definitely fits the “lust” criteria he would be looking for.  The purple fibers are a match to the other crime scenes so we know he was at least there.  Like you said,” Jill’s gaze went to Claire, “the other fibers could be from another article of clothing.”

 “But think about the murder,” Lindsay argued.  “The motive is there but the method doesn’t match. Not even remotely.”

 “What if…” Cindy bit her lip and hesitated.

 “What if what?” Lindsay prompted.

“It is a law firm.”

 “So,” Jill replied with an edge to her voice.

 “Is it possible that someone there could have found out the particulars of the case… the elements that are being kept from the media?”

 “You saying someone from the police department or the DA’s office shared that information with a defense attorney?” Jill asked incredulously.

 “You share that information with a reporter,” Cindy pointed out.

 They all looked at each other.

 “Well that’s a sobering thought,” Claire murmured before swallowing more coffee.  “Someone could know about the fibers and the scripture and planted both?”

 “It’s just…” Cindy rubbed the back of her neck absently then jumped a little when Lindsay’s hand, warm from holding the coffee, slipped under her hair and took over.  Cindy cleared her throat, and she blushed a little at Claire and Jill’s sudden grins.  Lindsay seemed oblivious to their amusement.  “It’s just that from what you told me… if it was the Hallelujah Man then Nicole must have repented pretty damn fast.”

 Jill looked at Lindsay who was staring at the cup of coffee in her hand.  “Do you think it’s him?”

Lindsay took a deep breath and blew it out before looking at Jill.  “In my gut… I know he was there.”

 “That was your chance to say, ‘No, Jill.  It wasn’t him.  Don’t worry about it.’”  Jill gave her friend an exasperated look.

 Lindsay pursed her lips.  “On the bright side, at least we don’t have to worry about figuring out who he’ll go after for lust now,” she muttered in disgust.

 “Was there anything else forensics found at the scene?” Cindy asked.

 Claire smiled.  “That’s the good news.”

 “Thank God,” Lindsay said.  “I need some.  Tell me the guy left DNA.”  Claire’s smile widened, and Lindsay almost gaped at her.  “He left DNA?”

 “Is he in the system?” Jill leaned forward eagerly.

 “Doesn’t look like it,” Claire admitted.  “But if we can get a sample to compare it to...”

 Lindsay gave Cindy a swift kiss on the head before practically racing out the door.  “I’m on it!”

 “You’re gonna need a warrant!”  Jill shouted after her.

 “Um… hate to state the obvious here,” Cindy added once her lover was gone.  “But how is she going to get a warrant when she’s on suspension?”

 Claire’s eyebrows hiked before she took another sip of coffee.

 Jill nodded once.  “Right.  Maybe I should go get started on that.”

 Cindy and Claire exchanged rueful glances when the attorney left before sharing their coffee in companionable silence.

 ****

 “Ms. Bernhardt.”

 Jill hesitated in the hallway as a uniformed man came jogging up to her.  She recognized him as one of the bailiffs she so often saw in the courtrooms below.  “David, right?”

 He smiled at being remembered.  “Yes, ma’am.  Ms. Kwon is looking for you.  She’s got everybody beating the bushes to find you.”

 “I thought Denise was in court.”

 “She is.”

 “Shit.”  Jill glanced at her watch, wondering what she’d forgotten or what surprise her boss was about to spring on her.  Denise could be a vindictive bitch, and finding out that Jill would have left the Hall for a high paying job that pitted them against each other…  Jill shook her head and almost shuddered at the thought.  “I bet you have no idea why she’s hunting for me.”

 “No, ma’am.”  He smiled again, and Jill actually thought he was kind of cute.  He was tall and broad, just how she liked them, and had interesting silver, grey eyes.  She wondered why she’d never really paid any attention to him before, but thought now might be a good time to start. 

 She set her concerns about Denise aside for a moment, deciding a little distraction after work might be just what she needed… and he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.  “So…”

 “Jill!”

 Jill pursed her lips at Lindsay’s shout and let go of the idea of dinner and drinks with a man in uniform for now.  “Sorry,” she said regretfully.  “I’ll see you around.”

 He chuckled and smiled again.  “Probably in court this week.”

 “Maybe I’ll get lucky and it will be sooner.”

 His eyes danced a little at that, and he dipped his head once and gave Lindsay a friendly wave before leaving Jill alone as Lindsay came trotting up.  Jill watched him go, a speculative smile on her lips.

 “Your timing sucks,” Jill told Lindsay before she could speak.

 Lindsay shut her mouth on what she was about to say then darted a look at the retreating man.  “Oops.”  She tilted her head as she watched him go.  “Nice ass,” she had to admit.

 Jill waved her off.  “Let me guess.  You realized you can’t actually execute a warrant now?”

 They started walking shoulder to shoulder. 

 “I made it as far as my car before I remembered.”  Lindsay looked sheepish.  “I was sort of hoping you could…”

 “I was on my way when the bailiff caught me.  Denise is looking for me.”

 “Uh-oh.”

 “Yeah,” Jill agreed.  “You want me to meet Jacobi at the firm with the warrant?”

 “You think you can get one by Denise?”  Lindsay asked.

 “We’re about to find out.”

 “Well if you hurry, maybe you can still grab lunch with tall, dark and handsome back there,” Lindsay teased.

 “I do like the way you think.”

 ****

 “There are few things I like more than taking DNA samples,” Jacobi said drolly as he swabbed another person’s inner cheek with a Q-tip before placing it in an evidence container and handing it to Cho for proper labeling.

 “Glad to hear that,” Jill played along.  She checked her sheet.  “You have fifty three more employees to go.”

 Jacobi shot the attorney a look then sighed.  He glanced down the row of employees in front of him.  They were going floor by floor at the law firm, collecting samples to compare against Claire’s findings.  He had ten left before he could move up to the third floor.

 The third floor of a ten-story building.

 “Jesus,” he both prayed and cursed.

 Jill smiled just a little.  “Well if your partner hadn’t gotten herself suspended…”

 “Don’t remind me.”  Jacobi suddenly held up one finger as the young man in front of him started to protest.  “Ah-ah.  I don’t want to hear one word of legal mumbo jumbo come out of your mouth.  We have a warrant, and nothing you say will be any different than what the other two floors of lawyers haven’t said already.”  The young man opened his mouth wider and let Jacobi take his sample.  “Thank you.”

 Jill hid her smile by dipping her head and rubbing her nose. 

 “So how did you get Denise to let you execute a warrant on a case she didn’t want you working?”

 “I’m a brilliant attorney.  I used my amazing skill with words to sway her to my side.”

 Jacobi turned his head and looked at her.

 “Not buying it, huh?”  Jill shrugged.  “I promised her I’d help her with some of her paperwork over the next three weekends.”

 “And that was enough to make her cave?”

 “You should see how much paperwork we’re talking about.”  Jill shuddered theatrically.  Actually, Denise had yielded with surprising little resistance.  Perhaps her boss had thought things over and realized Jill made the most sense on this case.  Whatever the reason, Jill knew a little extra paperwork was worth it to be back in the mix.

 “Don’t suppose you want to come help me out with mine,” Jacobi joked as he swabbed another employee’s cheek.

 Jill chuckled, pleased to be in Warren Jacobi’s friendly albeit gruff company.  “So Lindsay really hit Tom?”  She kept her voice low as she watched Cho label another sample and file it accordingly.

 “Smacked him right in the kisser,” Jacobi said with a weary sigh as he took another swab from a tiny little redheaded clerk that reminded him of a certain reporter.  “She told you what he said and about whom?”

 “Yeah,” Jill replied, appreciating the fact that they were in mixed company and couldn’t say the reporter’s name.  “I’d have punched him… or kneed him in the nuts.”

 Jacobi winced, as did a few of the male employees in earshot.  “Good thing he was dealing with her then.  And here I thought she was showing no restraint.”

 Jill sighed.  “Do you agree with what he said?”

 Jacobi glanced at her, sympathy clear in his gaze.  “Not at all.  The only person responsible is the one who did this.”

 Jill nodded, believing the same thing herself but feeling marginally better for the confirmation.  “She’s not going to believe that, though.”

 “I know,” Jacobi said.  “I’d have a hard time with it if I were in her shoes.”  He handed another sample to Cho and felt a ray of hope that he had only two people left on this floor.  “Good thing she has friends like you to keep her from dwelling on it too much,” he pointed out over his shoulder.

 Jill paused at the comment before smiling.  “Damn right,” she told him and was rewarded with his chuckle.  She made a mental note to plan a night out with just her and Cindy.  They could drink, share Lindsay stories… Her smile widened as she imagined the fear of God the thought would put in their tall, sexy friend.

 She wondered if Cindy had tomorrow night open…

 ****

 

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