The Brass Ring (17 page)

“Maybe you just don’t have sex appeal?” Meagan teased.

Jamie flicked her stepsister and then offered her a single digit salute.  “And our parents always thought you were the nice one.”  Meagan sighed.  “So are you going to tell me what’s really stressing you out?”

“Well, there’s this intern following me around at work,” Jamie continued as Meagan rolled her eyes.  “I keep explaining to him that I’m not interested plus I’m his supervisor.”

“Have you told him that you’re gay?” Meagan questioned her.

“No,” Jamie admitted as Meagan gave her a curious glance.  “I will but I just hate having to say that all the time.  Why is it that you just can’t say ‘I’m not interested’ without having to add an explanation?”

“I think I know what you are saying,” Meagan responded.  “Before I was dating Anthony and even after we were engaged, guys just wouldn’t except that I didn’t want to go out with them.  You always have to explain why.  Do women do that?”

“Oh yeah,” Jamie groaned.  “I had this friend back in my days at George Washington who started giving out the phone number to the local FBI office.  She said it was easier then having to endure this long drawn out drama about why you don’t want to give someone your phone number.”

“I wish I had known about that little trick when I was single.”  Meagan laughed.  “Okay, Jamie.  You’ve stalled long enough.  When are you going to tell what is going on with your ex-girlfriend?”

“I’m really trying to keep things with CC in perspective,” Jamie explained carefully.  “I told you what really happened twelve years ago and how it was just a huge misunderstanding?”

“Yeah, and I still say she had twelve years to tell you about the shooting,” Meagan responded firmly.

“I do want to talk to her about that,” Jamie muttered.  “Well, I think she’s seeing someone.  Which makes things a little awkward since she’s my ex-girlfriend.”

“Well, face it.  Once you get naked with someone, you never react the same way to them again.  Even if you want to see them happy, or out of your life, or whatever, you still went to bed with this person,” Meagan surmised.

“Yeah, and since CC and I ended up sleeping together recently it makes things even more difficult,” Jamie said quietly in hopes that Meagan would miss what she said.

“Excuse me?”  Megan choked, almost spitting her coffee out.

“It kind of just happened,” Jamie squeaked out in embarrassment.  “I was secretly hoping that maybe we could start dating or something.”

“What do you mean it just happened?” Meagan berated her.  “How does something like that just happen?”

“We spent the day together and it was great,” Jamie started to explain.

“And you thought you’d celebrate by tearing one another’s clothes off?” Meagan jested.

“Something like that.”  Jamie winced at the implication.  “It just felt right.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just old feelings?” Meagan suggested.

“Maybe,” Jamie reluctantly admitted.  “I just wish I had the opportunity to find out.  Now I think it’s too late.”

“I don’t know, Jamie,” Meagan cautioned her.  “If she’s seeing someone so soon then she’s not the person for you.  I have to admit it is a little surprising to hear you talk about wanting to date someone.  You’ve always been adamant about keeping your solitude.”

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since CC reentered my life,” Jamie confessed.  “Maybe being alone isn’t the paradise I’ve been telling myself it is.”

“My, isn’t this surprising.”  Meagan chuckled lightly.

“Oh, give it a rest,” Jamie chastised her with another sharp flick.  “Anyhoo, I want you to meet CC and her sister while you’re here.  Even if I’ve missed my chance of making things work with her, she’s a really nice person.  I feel bad that I’ve been avoiding her.  I just needed some space on this one.  I’d really like to keep her friendship.”

“I’m a little curious as to why you haven’t asked her if she is seeing someone,” Meagan prodded.

“I’m scared,” Jamie admitted with a heavy sigh.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“B
LUNT FORCE TRAUMA to the cranial cavity,” the medical examiner noted dryly.  CC tried to listen carefully as she stare at the lifeless body.

“Someone hit her on the head?” CC questioned Marissa with a yawn.

“Yes.  Am I boring you, Calloway?”  Marissa curled her lips in amusement.

“Not at all.”  CC waved off the remark.  “I’m not sleeping well these days.  What was she hit with?”  CC blinked her blue eyes rapidly, trying to remain focused on Marissa’s report.

“My best guess is a tire iron,” Marissa explained.  “You’d think they’d come up with something new.  So what’s keeping you up at nights?” Marissa pried.

CC rolled her eyes, knowing that Marissa would prod until she got a response.  “Oh, you know - the job, my car has finally died, the usual stuff,” CC lied.

“Uh huh,” Marissa scoffed at the explanation.  “Haven’t seen you around town lately.  I thought maybe some sweet young thing finally caught you,” the dark-skinned beauty taunted the policewoman.

“Uhm, can we just focus on the case?” CC admonished her.

“So it’s true.”  Marissa beamed.

CC was growing steadily more uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking.  She had no idea where she and Jamie stood.  She had been avoiding Jamie since her houseguest had arrived.  It was childish and CC knew it.  On top of that, CC had dated Marissa briefly some time ago and she never missed an opportunity to let CC know that she was still very interested.  “Dr. Vergas, can we deal with the victim for just a moment?” CC snarled.  “Was she sexually assaulted?”

“No penetration.”  Marissa went into detail.  “I did a rape kit anyway.  No signs of semen.  But there is bruising between her thighs.  I think our boy wanted to but he was either interrupted or had equipment failure.”

“What about the other thing I asked you about?”  CC continued, making notes in the little pad she kept with her constantly.

“You were right,” Marissa continued methodically.  “The body was moved.  She didn’t die in the park.”

“Great.  So the park was a dumping ground.”  CC sighed as her temple throbbed.  “No crime scene and we have no idea who she is.  You sent the dental impression over to Clooney?”

“Yes,” Marissa answered her drolly.  “Here’s the full report.”

CC accepted the file with a slight nod and started to leave the sterile environment.  She hated going down to the morgue; there was nothing rewarding about the experience what so ever.  “Hey, Calloway!” Marissa called out.

“Yeah.”  CC sighed, thinking she had missed her opportunity to get out of the room.  She tried to play the role of the big tough cop, but the sights and smells that surrounded her at that moment were making her sick.

“How about dinner on Saturday?” Marissa inquired with sly smirk.

“I don’t think so,” CC responded quickly.

“Come on.  It’s just dinner,” Marissa pushed as CC’s stomach became increasingly queasy.

CC was about to tell her in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t interested but for some reason the brooding brunette found herself hesitating.  “Fine.”  She accepted the invitation, thinking that perhaps going out with a friend was just the distraction she needed.  “But it is
just
dinner,” she emphasized, not wanting to lead Marissa on.

Later she was sitting at her desk looking over the medical examiner’s report and her own notes and photos.  CC drummed her fingers on her desk as she tried to piece together the evidence lying before her.  “I hate it when you do that,” Max grunted indignantly.

“Sorry,” she grunted in response as she rubbed her face in her hands wearily.

“Okay, I’ll get us some coffee.”  Max sighed as he stood, his chair creaking in relief once he had vacated it.

They had worked together for so long and, like most partnerships, they had each developed little habits that they knew drove their partner up the wall.  CC would tap her fingers or fiddle with a pen or some other object.  Max wouldn’t have his chair fixed.  Every time he stood, sat, or shifted, it would let out a high-pitched squeak that sent shivers down CC’s spine.  Max returned with two mugs of coffee; he handed one to CC before returning to his chair directly across their adjoining desks.  CC glared at him as it squeaked.

“Let’s go over it.”  Max sighed, ignoring her glare.

“White female, twenty-five to thirty years old.  Blunt force trauma to the head, probably a tire iron.  Marissa made a notation that it was probably a smaller one, like the kind that comes with a foreign compact car.  The victim was found off the soccer field in Jackson Park, completely nude.  Blonde, not natural,” CC read off their findings.

“They never are.”  Max snorted.

“No rape but based on the bruising on the inside of her thighs, there was an attempt,” CC explained dryly.  “Probably why he killed her.”  Max nodded in agreement.  “None of the victim’s clothing or belongings were present at the scene which makes identification impossible for the time being.  The body was dumped so the murder happened somewhere else.  That’s it for Jane Doe number . . . Good Lord, how is possible that that many women could just disappear?”  She blinked her eyes in shock when she read the tag number.  “Okay, died from a blow to the head; other than the bruising between her thighs, there’s no sign of a struggle.  The blood work came back clean so we can assume that she knew her attacker who couldn’t step up to the plate.  Her remains were dumped.  Her identity and the site of the murder are unknown.”

“Don’t you love these easy cases?” Max joked half-heartedly.  “You remember your first call after getting your gold shield?”

“What a nice guy.”  CC smiled.  “He called us and then sat and waited while sipping his twelve-year-old scotch.  He put the gun safely off to the side so we would know he wasn’t a threat.  He refused a lawyer and confessed.”

“On the drive over I’d been lecturing you on the do’s and don’ts and not to expect the suspect to just confess.  Then this guy blurts out the whole story while offering to make us tea.”  Max laughed.  “He was quite a gentlemen about the whole thing.  I almost didn’t want to put the handcuffs on the guy.”

“You had to love it,” CC agreed.  “What happened Mr. Henderson?  I got home early from work and found my wife and best friend in bed together.  I shot them both.  Would you nice officers like a cup of tea?”

“I don’t think I’d be that calm if I caught Shirley with my best friend.”  Max snorted.  “Frank is an ugly guy,” Max teased.  CC couldn’t resist laughing.

“Okay, I’ve got a couple of possibilities from Missing Persons,” Max explained, getting back to business.   “I don’t think any of them are our girl.  It might be too soon for someone to have reported her.”

“Let’s go,” CC said grimly as she grabbed the Polaroids of their victim and her jacket.  She hated this part of the job.  She was about to visit people who didn’t know where their loved one was and she was carrying pictures of a corpse.

*  *  *

CC sat at her desk exhausted; she was no closer to finding out the identity of her victim.  It had been hell visiting those hopeful families.  They seemed so eager when they first arrived and then, when they realized what CC and Max were there for, they fell apart.  There was a strange sense of relief when CC viewed their photos and informed them that the girl they had found wasn’t their child.  She left them no closer to finding the answers as to what happened to the young person they were seeking.

Max was shifting in his chair causing the squeaks to increase loudly.  They were both frustrated.  She was contemplating throwing her pencil at him when her telephone rang.  The desk sergeant informed her that she had a visitor.  She made her way across the squad room and out to the desk sergeant who simply pointed through the bulletproof glass to the lobby.  CC’s eyes lit up when she saw Jamie leaning against the wall.  Her joy was short lived when she noticed the brunette sitting close by.

The sight of both women waiting for her startled CC slightly, and she braced herself for the awkward situation that awaited her.  The tall policewoman brushed her bangs out of her face and quickly checked her appearance before opening the door and stepping out into the lobby.  She approached the women as they chatted.   “This shouldn’t take to long,” Jamie was explaining.  “Why don’t we check out that Mexican place for dinner tonight?”

“Hello,” CC said, effectively interrupting the brunette’s response.

Jamie jumped slightly, apparently startled by CC’s arrival.  She smiled as she looked up at the raven-haired beauty.  “Hi,” she responded in a voice just above a whisper.  CC felt like she hadn’t seen Jamie in ages.  Mentally she was kicking herself for staying away.

“What brings you down here?” CC inquired shyly, suddenly feeling like a kid.  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the small brunette looking at her.  CC knew when she was being sized up.  She cast an icy blue stare down at the stranger.  Much to CC’s surprise, the small woman gave as well as she got.  Neither seemed to be willing to give up.

“Uhm Caitlin …,” Jamie said, interrupting their staring contest.

“Hey,” CC groaned as she returned her attention to Jamie, “don’t call me that.”

“Sorry.”  Jamie chuckled lightly.  “CC,” she corrected herself.  “I would like for you to meet Meagan.”

“Hi,” CC responded in a bored tone, not even glancing in Meagan’s direction.

Jamie’s jaw dropped; she was surprised by CC’s rudeness.  CC just folded her arms against her chest defiantly.   Jamie tugged on CC’s arm and pulled her off to a corner of the room.  “Now I know you like to preserve your big tough cop image,” Jamie sputtered.  “But that’s no excuse to be rude to my sister.”

“Your sister?”  CC gaped in embarrassment.  Suddenly her face turned grim.  “You don’t have a sister,” CC snapped in a quiet accusing tone.  “You have three brothers.”

“Meagan is my stepsister,” Jamie corrected her.

CC tried to process the information as Jamie’s face brightened slightly.  The blonde seemed to suddenly understand everything.  “CC, my Dad married Meagan’s mother almost two years ago.  Our families have always been close and Meagan’s Dad passed away about eight years ago and we lost Mom almost five years ago.  Dad was really lost and they just seemed to lean on one another.  We were thrilled when their relationship turned romantic,” Jamie explained in a very slow and careful voice.