Shadows of Doubt (36 page)

“This kid was a freaking drama queen!” Vinny startled her, having been reading the screen from over her shoulder. She would have to remember in the future that he was real stealthy like that.

Lou smirked. “No kidding. I keep expecting to read ‘Goodbye cruel world’ in one of his posts.”

“Well, he wanted the attention, he sure got it.” Vinny reached around her and typed in one of the local news channel web addresses into her browser. “Media is already all over it and we haven’t even filed the paperwork.”

Once the page had finished loading, the headline read ‘Uber-Fan sticks it to Porn Diva’ and had a picture of Toby Bender that made him look even creepier than he did when they were loading him into the body bag.

Lou grumbled. “I’ll bet you lunch someone got paid real well for the tip.”

“That’s a sucker bet.” He scooted back and looked at her. “Hey, that must mean your tummy feels better!”

She almost forgot she had used that as a lame excuse earlier but caught herself and nodded. “Probably better skip lunch though just in case. Let’s get all the paper work ready on this so when Peretta’s stuff comes in all we have to do is file it.”

“So young, yet so wise.” Her partner grinned as he went back to his desk to do just as she suggested.

Peretta had called at around three-thirty to apologize for the delay in relaying the reports to them. The coroner was waiting for the toxicology to come back before they would formalize cause of death. Lou had to admit that the level of courtesy and cooperation was a refreshing change and would probably be hard to get used to. When Caroline arrived to pick Lou up for their shopping excursion just before five, she confirmed Peretta’s story with her and stated things should be wrapped up on their end by the morning. Given that, and the late hour, Lou assured Vinny she would make sure everything got filed properly and he needn’t worry about taking the day to study. Especially since she was taking her own personal day on Friday while he took his test. When he was content with the plan they checked in with their captain to give him their report as it stood. Satisfied with the situation, Captain Davidson sent them on their way for the evening, telling Vinny to study hard and good luck on Friday.

“Donovan, I’d like a word before you go.” The Captain informed her and Vinny gave her a nervous look before he left. Once Vinny had gone and the door was closed he motioned for Lou to sit. “I wanted to talk to you and mostly apologize for having to sit you out of things temporarily. Now you understand that I had a duty above and beyond this desk to uphold.”

Lou nodded. “I understand sir. It was a little disconcerting to learn of you’re association, I’ll admit.”

“You have no idea how frustrating it has been for me, not having anyone on the front lines to be able to work with and handle things that I am clearly not in any position to handle as a captain.” It was odd for Lou to listen to him speak so casually and freely. He usually was so formal, which as her captain he should be, but this was yet another breath of fresh air for her today.

“Sir, may I ask why you didn’t request people be recruited to assist you?” It may have been asking the obvious but she wanted to hear it from him. “I mean, I am new to all this but from what I gather, the Aegis Council has protocols for just that.”

“I did!” He tossed his hands up in frustration. “I mean, I went through the proper channels with the local agent in charge and was waiting. That bastard Gilroy. I never would have guessed he was that corrupt and was just tossing requisitions into the trash. I just assumed the Council was bogged down and would get to me when they could. Anyway, the point is I am sorry and I appreciate your understanding. When you have time I think we should grab a cup of coffee and collaborate on our own protocols here since we will be getting at least a couple new recruits now that our Dom is taking personal control of things.“

Lou stared at her captain, confounded. “Sir, I don’t see where my input would be proper given you’re the veteran Sanguinostri here. I appreciate your consideration, though.”

Davidson cocked his head and looked at her for several seconds, then grinned as he spoke. “Lou, our Dominor hasn’t told you yet, has he?” Davidson laughed a deep and hearty laughter. “That explains all the sir’s and shit! Well isn’t this funny.”

“Sir?” Lou was baffled.

“There it is again! Okay, he really hasn’t told you so I guess I better. This is going to be priceless.” Her captain leaned in over the desk and looked at her with a gleam in his eye. “Yes, I am your captain in this law enforcement agency. But our Dom has made it very clear to all the stewards and agents that you will be in charge of any Sanguinostri criminal investigations from here on out. So technically, and make no mistake I am thrilled about it on so many levels, you are my boss with only the Aegis and our Dom above you.”

“What?!” Lou couldn’t help but shout which made Davidson roar with laughter.

He wiped a tear from his eye. “You need to have a talk with our Dominor so you are better informed of your station, my dear.”

“What the hell? I’m nobody! Why the hell would he do that? I don’t know what the hell I am doing!” Lou shot up from her seat and started pacing the office.

“And I am here to help you with anything at any time!” Davidson got up and went to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry! You will adjust quickly and frankly I think he made an excellent choice.” To Lou’s complete and utter shock, her captain’s smile was sincere.

“I don’t know why the hell you would be okay with this. I am not okay with this. It’s just a ridiculous mistake! I’m going to get this straightened out immediately.” She started to head for the door.

“Lou!” He called to her before she stormed out. “Maximilian Julian doesn’t make mistakes.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right, like in his picking the agents to run L.A.?”

“Gilroy was a brilliant Agent in the beginning and for a good while after. He just became lazy and corrupt as so many do in Hollywood. I will stand by our Dom’s choice on Gilroy regardless of how it turned out.” He spoke sternly now, clearly very protective of Max. She smiled at him because that was as it should have been.

“I stand corrected. It still doesn’t mean I am qualified for what he expects of me. Let alone not telling me! Thank you for the info, Captain. See you tomorrow.” With that, Lou left the office, then the building, barely waiting until she was in Caroline’s car before she dialed the hotel. Once again it was Frank that answered the phone. “Is he out of his freaking mind?!” Lou shouted into the phone and got no satisfaction from Frank as she could hear him call Max to pass her off to him.

“Hello Detective.” His voice was rich and warm on the other end but she didn’t let that deter her.

“Are you out of your freaking mind?!” She shouted the slightly modified question again.

“About what, this time?” He asked smugly and it only made her more angry.

“What the hell are you thinking, putting me in charge of anything? I don’t know shit! You know, that explains everyone being so damn nice and accommodating today! I should have known something was up!”

Lou continued to rant at Max for several minutes as Caroline drove them to the boutique where they were going to get her dress for the gala. Caroline was grinning from ear to ear because she had just won a weekend at her favorite spa over Lou freaking out over being put as lead for Sanguinostri criminal investigations. She had known exactly the first words that would fly out of Lou’s mouth.

“I’ll be collecting on that bet in a month or so!” Caroline spoke loudly so Max could hear her through the phone.

“What bet?” Lou eyed her suspiciously.

“Tell Caroline I said shut up and get me the information. I don’t welch on a bet.” Lou could hear the irritation in Max’s voice.

“What bet?!” She demanded of them both.

“Detective, as much as I enjoy you berating me over one thing or another, I’m afraid we are going to have to continue this conversation Friday evening as I have several people waiting for me on a video conference. Until then.” He clicked off before Lou could tell him she didn’t give a shit who he had waiting. Which in retrospect she realized was a good thing.

Caroline explained the bet while they got a parking spot and Lou could barely contain her annoyance as they flipped through dresses at the boutique. Even when she went into the dressing room she was so wrapped up in her frustration over the situation that she had barely paid attention to what Caroline had shoved in her hands to try on. When Lou finally stepped out and demanded Caroline look at the dress she could have cared less about, Caroline simply smiled wide.

“That’s the one.” Caroline gestured to the woman who was assisting them. “She needs it taken up at the hem a touch. Turn around for me Lou.”

“Are you serious?” Lou huffed and did a quick turn. Stopping only when she caught her own reflection in the mirror on the wall.

Begrudgingly, Lou had to admit it was indeed perfect. It was simple, not fussy, with its clean lines of bronze silk charmeuse that reminded Lou of one of those dresses that Jean Harlow or Ava Gardner would have worn. With a slightly off the shoulder portrait collar, perfectly fitted bodice and bias cut skirt that flowed like a soft breeze.

“Well, hell.” Lou hated to admit it, but Caroline had been right. “What shoe...” She started to ask as the woman handed her a pair of classic pumps in the same exact bronze silk as the dress.

“Best to let the person be the statement with the dress as the exclamation point rather than muck everything up with overly-fussy shoes, don’t you agree? I believe you’re a size seven?” The pleasant woman said as she leaned down to help Lou into each shoe.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Lou conceded as she stepped into the shoes that completed the look. The woman immediately began pinning the hem to the proper length.

“If you girls want to go and grab some dinner, I can have this hemmed for you within an hour or so?” She finished with the last pin then admired Lou’s reflection.

“That would be fantastic. Thank you Camilla! Once again you come through for me!” Caroline kissed both cheeks of the boutique owner, then smiled at Lou. “Go get changed, Princess Charming, then you can bitch at me over pasta.”

Lou grumbled but did as her friend ordered.

Thursday morning had come far too early for Lou’s liking and she real
ized while waiting for her train to arrive that she had gotten spoiled with her partner picking her up so frequently. When her train finally pulled in at the Chatsworth station she was only one of a handful of people to hop on to the nearly empty commuter. She found an isolated seat away from everyone else so that she could thumb through the file Abby had sent her on their rogue the day before. Like it or not, for the time being she was who Max had on the chopping block as head of crime for the Sanguinostri. Whatever the hell that meant. She sure as hell wasn’t going to blow it if she could help it. By the time her train hit the Burbank station, things started to get crowded so she packed up the sensitive material and pondered what she had just skimmed over. Lou chuckled to herself over her paranoia, noticing she was clutching her messenger bag like someone was going to actually snatch it from an armed cop. But there was a teeny tiny tingle at the back of her neck that made her feel like she had reason to be paranoid and she started to casually scan the train methodically looking for the source of her tingle. There was the usual aversion of eyes as there often was on public transportation. A few obviously gang affiliated fellows and one dodgy looking guy who Lou chalked up to starting his first day of sobriety. The rest of the crowd appeared to be normal commuters just like her and really didn’t set off any alarms. Still she had a feeling that she didn’t like so she stood up and took a defensive posture just in case as she waited for the train to hit Union Station so she could make her transfer.

The train finally came to a halt, the doors opened and Lou got off with the horde without incident. She moved to the platform to wait for the Orange County line which would take her on the last leg of her morning journey.

“Morning Lou.” She nearly jumped out of her skin when Niko stepped beside her and said hello.

“Christ, would you not do that!” She swallowed hard to get her heart back in it’s proper place. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I had a funny feeling. You had a funny feeling. So here I am.” He smirked down at her. She hadn’t realized how damn big the guy really was before, or how dangerous looking either.

“What do you mean, funny feeling?” She decided to play dumb, sort of.

“You know, you had it. I can tell you did, so lets not screw around with it.” Lou looked at him intently and noticed he was not looking at her any longer but peripherally scanning the area. He was really slick at it too.

“Thought I was just being a paranoid weirdo.” She admitted as she tried to mimic his scan but only succeeded in giving herself a headache.

Her train pulled up and he ushered her on, directing her to an empty set of seats. When the last of the passengers piled on and the train headed out, he leaned in and spoke to her quietly.

“One of my things, gifts you could say, is that I get dreams.” He paused a minute to look down the aisle at something that caught his eye.

“Dreams?” Lou remembered Caroline and Max telling her that people will develop skills after they turn but she wasn’t sure what Niko meant about dreams.

Once he determined the object of his attention was nothing, he leaned back in and continued. “Yeah, they are like premonitions but very narrow. I dream of how someone is going to feel at a specific moment in time. Last night I dreamed of you’re feeling something was off during your train ride.”

“Okay but like I said, I may have been being paranoid.” She whispered.

“Nope. When I dream it I feel it, but objectively because I don’t know the state of mind or emotional crap of the person I am dreaming through. It’s a clean read. You’re not being paranoid.”

Lou wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse but she had to shove it out of the way regardless. Brooding on it would only cloud her observations. “How do you do that?” She had to ask him.

“What? Dream?” He looked down at her now.

“No no, the looking everywhere without looking like you’re looking?” She realized how ridiculous that came out. “You know what I mean?”

“Years of practice, little one.” He smirked and resumed scanning, if only to rub his talent in.

“Don’t be a snot, tell me!” She poked him in the shoulder as a little sister would a brother who was teasing her.

“Ow!” He rubbed his shoulder and frowned down at her. “Violent little sprite! There’s one reason you won’t be able to do it! You’re too tense and angry!”

Lou huffed. “Sorry.” She slumped slightly and looked forward feeling guilty.

“You’re a detective, you’re very observant. So what’s the big deal?”

“Observant is one thing. Doing it without anyone knowing you’re observing is different. People think I’m glowering at them when I observe.” She sat up as the train came into her stop. “I want to be all covert observing like you are.”

He looked at her and grinned. It was like having a little kid asking him how to be like him when they grew up. “Come on, I’ll explain while we walk you to the bureau.”

As they walked, Niko explained to Lou the finer art of relaxing and taking things in. While it sounded mostly like crap to her, she tried to follow his tips and in the process noticed the reflection of a black sedan in one of the mirrored buildings they were coming up on. It was trailing them by about a block but at a dribbling pace which could only mean it was following them.

“Black sedan at seven o’clock” She interrupted him.

Niko beamed proudly at her. “That’s just Frank. Nice catch though.”

Lou looked back at the sedan and the headlights flashed twice. She waved back. “Why is he following us?”

“Because we know you like the walk from the station and I need to get back somehow, now don’t I? Give me your phone.” He held out his hand.

“Why for?” She questioned even though she was already digging for it.

“For why so you can text me when you’re ready to head out tonight.” He programmed his contact information into her phone, then gave her a wide smile when he handed it back. “Don’t even think of soloing it or I’ll sneak up on you and scare you so badly you will embarrass yourself horribly in public. Perhaps even in front of Max!” He made a Gene Kelley-esque little twirl as he turned and started for the sedan. It was then Lou realized they were in front of her building. Lou decided at that moment that she and Niko were going to be excellent friends.

The vein on
the side of Max’s temple was pulsing so profusely that Abby literally backed up for fear of it touching her. To say he was angry was the understatement of the century.

“Why in the hell did you even take a single breath of air before informing me of this?!” He bellowed as he hulked over Niko who looked as if he couldn’t be less concerned about Max’s tirade if he tried. He even was picking lint off his trousers, almost ignoring Max.

“My Dom...” Frank tried to intercede.

When Max’s head whipped around to glare at Frank, both Abby and Frank jumped back. “Do I look like I’m talking to you?! Trust me, you will know when I get to you!” Max spun back around to resume glaring at Niko. “I want an answer dammit!”

Niko casually looked up at him. “And when you settle down, I’ll be happy to answer, but you are answering the question for me with the way you are freaking out at this very moment.”

Max took a step back, never taking his eyes off Niko and was quiet for several seconds before he let out a horrendous roar, then plopped on the couch.

“Feel better now?” Niko wasn’t being sarcastic although he could have been with good reason. “I didn’t tell you because I know how you feel about her and you would have only freaked and popped a vein which in turn would have pissed her off royally.” Niko got up and plopped next to Max on the couch, draping an arm around his shoulders as he did. “This is the twenty-first century Max. She’s a tough cop, not an oppressed girl at the mercy of her tyrant father, like Nila was.” Max winced at the mention of his long dead fiancee’s name. “This is like brand new to you so forgive me if I remember that my place is looking out for your best interests. In a nutshell, it wasn’t necessary to tell you about my dream and if I had, you would have made an ass out of yourself in front of her and we simply cannot have that, can we?” Niko patted Max’s shoulder.

Max grumbled. “Really pisses me off when you’re right.”

“I know, it’s a burden someone has to carry, though.” Niko got up from the couch with one last pat on Max’s shoulder. “Now I’m going out for a smoke to give you time to feel like more of an idiot, then we’ll go over security for the gala.”

Max watched Niko walk out on to the terrace then turned his attention to Abby and Frank. “When did you all take to treating me like I’m five years old?”

Abby snickered and sat down next to him, patting his knee with the slightest hint of condescension. “When you started falling in love and acting like a five year old. But it will be our little secret, m’kay?”

Max could only laugh.

After Niko came back in he told Max all about the dream, how he explained it to Lou and that all in all it had been a nice bonding experience for the two of them. It had made Niko laugh to see the knee-jerk flash of jealousy cross Max’s face and it made Max even more embarrassed with his behavior

“Honestly Max, it may have been nothing more than a curious steward wanting to get a look at her but I just wasn’t going to take that chance and still don’t plan to. She’s going to text us when she’s ready to go and I’m going to personally see she gets home safely. I vow to you she will get there safely.” Niko reassured him.

“I know. It is probably nothing but I hate to think of that son of a bitch using her to get to me.” Max got up and began to pace.

“No one but us and the immediate circle knows of you’re feelings for her!” Abby chimed in. “There is no reason for anyone to use her in that way.”

“You need to understand something...” Max turned to make sure he made eye contact with each of them. “... Purrs’ was left on the golf course not two days after I was with Lou and her family playing golf. All the other murders in L.A. have been in LAPD territory and up to Sunday, Lou had been working out of the Lost Hills station. Purrs not only lands in Sheriff’s jurisdiction but a few miles away from Lost Hills. It is a message, however subtle. It is still a very strong message and we cannot be so foolish as to ignore it.”

When Max put it that way he made a very, very good point and they all got it. When Frank immediately took out his cell and started typing, Max demanded to know what he was doing.

“I’m making sure we have eyes on Lou, her building and the McAllister compound twenty-four-seven.” Frank didn’t bother to look up, only kept texting.

“Alright, then let’s get our ducks in a row for tomorrow and tomorrow night.” Max was pacing again.

“Both Caroline and I will be with her and her mother tomorrow doing the girl thing, getting ready for the gala.” Abby said as she spun around on the bar-stool. “I’m sure Frank and Niko will have eyes on us as well so she will be covered there.”

“Absolutely.” Frank backed her up. “Cohen and Dern are thirty yards to the west of her building and all is quiet. Davidson has eyes on her inside via camera.” It suddenly occurred to Frank. “You know I can probably get that feed here if it’s web based.”

“Do it.” Max turned to Finn as he walked into the suite. “Make sure our cars pick up the McAllisters and Lou as well as all the Devereux family tomorrow night. Give Joe and Richelieu the actual photos as well as names of the drivers and the armed escorts for them all so that they know who to expect. I don’t want a single hole for this scumbag to squeeze through on this.” Finn nodded and headed back out of the suite to make the arrangements. “Do we have a copy of the guest list as per protocol?” Max turned to Abby.

“One of von Massenbach’s people faxed over a semi-final guest list about an hour ago.” Abby checked her PDA. “Deadline is six tonight so they will send the final before seven. They have followed all the protocols that they are required for your attendance.”

“Good, alright...” Max raked his fingers through his hair and glanced around the room. “Then lets get some work done on the fifty-million other balls we have up in the air so we can keep my mind occupied so I don’t throw another spazz-fit like I did earlier.”

They all laughed and chortled at him, gathering around the coffee table to do just as he wished. They had a few hours to accomplish things before Max would see Niko and Frank take off to get Lou home safely. Just before they started going over new data that might help point them in the direction of their rogue, Frank spun a laptop around so Max could see the four frames being transmitted to the display. In the bottom left-hand corner he saw Lou. She was sitting at her desk, chair dancing to some unknown music being piped into her ears via her MP3 player. She drummed her pencil and index finger on the stack of papers she was reading and Max felt all the tension melt away at the sight of her. He looked up at Frank and smiled with approval. “Thanks.”