Fast Fingers...

[Isolde]

Desiree sat up in the bed and tried to comb through her hair with her fingers. She had to look a sight. Leaning over and snatching a piece of toast from the tray since there was plenty as always, Desiree said,"You dont know my mother. Once we are alone-lecture number three hundred and fourteen."

Laughing she shook her head and then bit into the toast. "Not that she doesnt know that Tom and I are active but she feels its her duty as a mother to make sure we feel guilty about it. After that she will be happy and I can go about my life again."

Her eyes twinkled a bit so that Marcus could tell she was joking-well partly. She finished the toast and sat there just enjoying being with Marcus.

"Tom wants us to go and meet for a 'task force' to discuss this matter with how we are going to find the murderer before he finds you or Mac. Are you feeling up to it? We could really use your input."

[Edited by Isolde on 01-26-2001 at 09:32 PM]

 

[Angelus]

"I'm feeling up to it. If I don't get out of this house then I will go stir crazy, I mean that last night was perfect but I need to do something. I will go to this taskforce as soon as I have washed and you have had breakfast which I say that you do quickly or your mother will get really suspicious."

Desiree looked at him with a smile then leaned over and kissed him which he returned. He then sat back and she rested her head against his shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and said, "I could wash you, you know."

"I would normally say yes but you should go and spend some time with your family and I don't want to keep you here."

 

[Isolde]

Desiree laughed and kissed him again before sliding off of the bed and picking up her sandles. "I have a feeling that that isnt the only reason you dont want me to bath you but I have to agree with you. Time to face the music. But after the sweet music of last night I dont mind."

Putting on her shoes, she walked back to the house and up the stairs to her room. After a quick shower and a change into some jeans, a blouse and some boots. Making her way downstairs, she was startled to see that only her mother and father were at the table.

Sitting down and taking a drink of her juice she asked,"Is Mac still sleeping?" "Dont know," Her mother said as she put a plate of bacon on the table and sat down,"She and Tom havent come back from camping yet."

Desiree almost choked on her juice. Coming out of a coughing fit, she looked at her mother and said,"What?!"

Sara gave her a hard stare and said,"Now dont go acting surprised, Ray. Besides you have no room to talk."

Desiree felt her cheeks redden a bit and she glanced over at her father who was busy reading the paper and ignoring the women at the table.

Instead of answering, she dived into the plate of pancakes that were in front of her.

 

[willywanker]

Tom awoke with a start and realized the sun was coming up. Shit!! he had fallen asleep at his post. Usually, he would have gotten up and moved around if he felt sleepy but with Mac asleep on his chest, he had drifted off to. He started to wish he had a cup of coffee and again gave out an "Aww, shit" when that wish reminded him that they were, after all at his parents place. Yes, he was a grown man, but Momma still tried to keep all that outside the walls of her house and now she was going to find that Mac hadn't been there all night.

With the "aw, shit", Mac had begun to move. She sat up and smiled at Tom. "Whats the matter with you this morning? By the way, you make a great pillow." They laughed and Tom blushed as he tried to explain how he tried to sheild his mother from anything,,,what was the word he was searching for? "Sexual?" asked Mac, "well, nothing sexual went on here last night, unless you count feeling up my breast." She laughed again at his discomfort. They slipped out of the sleeping bag, put on their shoes and started to gather together the gear. Tom reached over and took Macs arm as she went by, stopping her. He bent down and planted a soft kiss on her full lips and said "By the way, good morning, beautiful." It was Mac's turn to blush as they finished picking up the gear and heading back to the house.

"So what is this Task Force thing you were talking about last night?" asked Mac. "Its going to be like what we do at headquarters when there is a high profile case that needs to be solved. We bring in everyone with any knowledge of the case and we pool everything we know. I understand this is going to be very uncomfortable for you, but if your willing, if we put together what you know, with what Des and Mac know and whats Dads old pals can find out, we can get a better look at the big picture." By this time they had reached the yard and could see movement in the house. Tom chuckled, "That is, if there is anything left when Mom gets thru." They both laughed as they entered the house to face the music.

 

[LittleRedDevil]

She followed him into the house, her hand clasped in his. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. She almost giggled like a little girl. But she put on a solemn face when they headed towards the kitchen. Mac reluctantly pulled her hand from Tom's. She didn't want Sara and Jack thinking she had seduced their son. It was what it was, even if Mac couldn't quite define it.

A sudden thought put an end to her good mood. Tom was a cop and she was a thief. Even if they got through this thing, she didn't know if they could work around that fact. The sound of a very stern motherly voice brought her head back to the present. "You two have some very serious explaining to do."

 

[Isolde]

Desiree heard Tom and Mac walk in and then her mother had called out,"You two have some very serious explaining to do."

Desiree stood up and picked up her plate to take it to the sink but her mother's hand stopped her. "Sit down, Young Lady," She said in that no nonsense tone of hers.

Desiree sat and Tom and Mac came in and joined them. Her mother looked around the table at each one. Her father was still hiding behind the newspaper so he missed the scathing gaze.

Clearing her throat, she said,"I want to speak to each of you about how you are putting grey hair on my head by running off without letting anyone know about it. I know Tom was planning on camping out but he should have let someone know that Mac was with him."

"I know you are grown up but there is a killer out there and I would like to know my family is safe." Her eyes fell on Mac at this last statement, letting her know it included her too. "Now that I have had my say, you two go ahead and eat. There is plenty."

Desiree's mouth dropped open and she stared at Tom. That was it? No lecture on the joys of waiting to be with someone-one of momma's favorite lectures.

Sara must have caught her look beacuse she said,"Desiree, there is no need for surprise. I am a grown woman and I am not stupid. How else am I going to get grandchildren? By preventing you two from doing what comes naturally?"

Desiree could feel a blush come over her cheeks and she looked at Tom and Mac to see the same thing. Suddenly she started to laugh. She couldnt help it. Leave it to Momma Ashford to take her family off guard.

[Edited by Isolde on 01-29-2001 at 04:57 PM]

 

[Angelus]

Marcus had washed himself and was now looking clean and fresh as he walked into the main house. The first thing that he heard was laughing so he walked to where the laughing was coming from and looked at everyone seated around the table, "Have I missed anything?"

Sara's head turned at the sound of his voice and she smiled then said, "Come. Sit down."

"I'm afraid that I can't eat another thing. I am pretty much full but thanks all the same. I was wondering if I could watch the news on the television?"

"Of course you can," Sara said.

Marcus then turned and leaning against his walking stick walked back to the main room, sat down on the couch and turned the television on, watching the morning news.

 

[willywanker]

Tom, like Desiree had expected Momma's "Its even better when you wait" speech and even though nothing had happened last night, he decided to just leave it alone. He and Mac had just sat down, the laughter still ringing round the table when Marcus walked in.

As Tom filled his plate, he passed the bowl to Mac, her fingers brushing his as she took it, they both felt a spark and glansed at each other, each blushing slightly. Tom made a mental note to get Des to talk to Mackenzie soon, he had to know if they had a future, and he wasn't sure how he would handle it if she wouldn't go along with their plan.

Talk died down and everyone laid into their food, Momma was such a good cook and he was hungry after a night out. The TV in the next room was the only sound and they all heard,
"And now, new developments on the shooting last week of one of our police officiers", everyone immediately pushed back their chair and headed for the living room.

 

[LittleRedDevil]

Mac followed everyone into the living room. What could be new? They all watched intently as the newsreport, a solemn faced little man, proceeded to repeat the whole story before adding his bit.

"And now we go to a press conference downtown where Captain Harrison is giving a statement on the shooting of Detective Marcus Thompson."

A scene of the police house and mobs of reports flashed onto the screen. Captain Harrison stood behind a podium mounted with a microphone. He looked like someone had shot him in the foot. "It is my greatest regret to inform the public that, Detective Marcus Thompson, died last night at his home, due to complications from his injuries. He was one of the best and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."

Mac's mouth dropped open. She was looking right at Marcus, and he certainly wasn't dead.

"That son of a bitch!" Mac attention went to Marcus who was smiling broadly.

"I...I don't think I understand." She stuttered out the statement. Tom put his hand on her shoulder, a smile glued to his mouth too.

"Captain Harrison just bought us some time. If the killer thinks Marcus is dead, then he won't be looking to finish the job. Of course he will still be looking for you, but it may take him a while to figure out where you are, and hopefully by that time, we'll have caught him."

Mac laughed a little, "You cops sure are sneaky, I'm suprised you never caught me."

"Yeah, well, I almost did, but you got away from me. I still can't figure out how. You were cornered."

Mac smiled at Marcus and they seemed to share a joke between them. She saw the same spark of jealousy that Desiree had been feeling in Tom's eyes. She shook her head, she'd figure that out later. "Don't you know a magician never reveals her secrets. Now, I think it's about time we started this task force you keep talking about."

 

[Isolde]

Desiree had hurried into sit with Marcus as the news broadcast went out. She smiled at the Captain's report and breathed a little easier.

"It may take some time for them to figure it out if the killer doesnt know that Mac confided in me who she was. I doubt he would think that though. We just have to keep both Mac and Marcus laying low until we find him or her."

Looking at Tom, she nodded,"Yes, I think its about time we took the offense in this case, Big Brother."

 

[willywanker]

Tom moved across the room and picked up a piece of chalk. "All right everyone ready. Ok, first, lets list all the facts that we have. Mac, I know we are asking a lot here, but you know things we don't and we may be able to put them together with things we do to find this killer."

Looking around the room, Tom looked at his family and at Marcus. "And for all the rest of us, I propose that anything we hear here today does not leave this room. Thats hard for me to say, but lets look at it like one of those deals that the DA is always making with one perp to make a case against another. The only way Mackenzie can feel free to help is if she can't be held responsible for anything she might tell us. Can everyone live with that and agree to it?"

Tom looked at Mac and wasn't sure just what was going thru her mind. There was a smile on her face but it looked strained, kind of plastered on. He moved back and put his arm around her and together they waited for the others to respond.

 

[Angelus]

"Oh, I whole heartedly agree. I would have to say that what you said has merit and that whatever Mac tells us does not leave this room. Anyway, who am I going to tell. I am dead."

He smiled at that but didn't laugh. He didn't want to injure himself which he knew that he would but looked at Desiree, trying to fathom what she was thinking. He then looked over at Mac and saw something that wasn't in her eyes the first time that he saw her, peace.

"Well now that I have had my say then we should get this thing started don't you think?"

 

[willywanker]

Tom walked back up and stood at the chalk board. "I'm going to write this stuff down as you guys tell what you know. You three, Des, Mac, and Marcus, have lived and investigated this. Dad's still trying to get info from his old partners. So I guess I'll be kind of the outsider, someone who can take a fresh look at what you have been studying for so long. Together, maybe all the pieces will come together to give us some better clues. And since the killer thinks Marcus is dead, he'll be looking hard for Mac.
So, who is going first. Just start and I'll add it to the board. Lets starts with facts, only things we know for sure."

 

[Isolde]

Desiree thought hard about all the files she had gone through about the old murder. Looking over at Mac, she hoped that what was going to be said today was not going to bring too bad of memories back. From what she had read, it was a horrible sight to come home to.

"The reports state that it was an execution style murder. The family was lined up and shot in the back of the head. The father was shot more than once. They found a bullets in his knees, shattering them and then in his head. The theory is that he was forced to watch his family killed before they finally took his life. They think that his knees were shattered because he tried to save them."

"None of the robberies that he was suspected of were ever proved so we arent sure which one caused the mass murder but we do know that was proffesional. No fingerprints, no pieces of torn clothing, nothing. Of course it was at a time when they did not have all the technology that we do today so something could have been overlooked."

"The paperwork is incomplete. I think it was intentional. Someone who investigated knew Mac's father and tried to keep her name out of it. Unfortuantly, our killer is also connected-the type of slugs he used on Marcus prove that. So we have a friend and foe in the force. If not more than one. We are going to have to be very careful about who we speak to."

OOC: Got an idea, Angelius....since we have already made Barton out to be such a jerk why dont we use him as one of the killer's contacts....thats part of the reasons for his interest in Marcus and Desiree. It could also be part of the reason that he is trying to be so close to the Captain. Just a thought though.

 

[LittleRedDevil]

She tried to close out the memories, but it was hard. She could see each member of her family in her head. She shut her eyes for a moment trying to collect her thoughts. "I know who kept me out of it. She was a file clerk for the station, and she was also a close fried of my mothers. She took care of me that night. She was there when I was admitted to the hospital. They thought I would die right along with my family. I wouldn't eat, I just laid in bed staring at the ceiling." She swallowed hard, "Her name is Liza Jenson. I think she still works at the station, but you would know that better than me."

Mac sat for a moment thinking, "Do you remember the Black Pearl collection? It disappeared from the Jefferson Museum? That was my father's last job, but something went very wrong. They had an eyewitness who placed my father there. Just some cleaning person, an innocent person. But they became a liability, as did my father. The man didn't last very long. Whoever killed my father, went after them too. My father was the only link to whoever he was working for, and there fore had to be eliminated."

 

[willywanker]

Tom had his back to everyone as her wrote down the facts as he heard them. And the more he wrote, the more he heard, it became very clear that the killer had contacts in high places. He could hear the emotion in Mac's voice as she talked. Tom wanted to go to her, to comfort her, but getting this out in the open would help and if they didn't figure this out, that same person would soon be trying to kill Mac and he couldn't, wouldn't let that happen.

"Ok, we've got Desiree's and Mac's points up here. Dad, the phone's ringing. Maybe thats your guys calling back. Lets get a cup of coffee and then start again when Dad is off the phone" Tom suggested. He quickly crossed the room and put out his hand to help Mac up. She smiled quickly at him, but he felt like there was a wall being built between them again.

"Des, can I talk to you outside a minute?" Tom asked. His sister looked up with a question on her face but followed him out onto the porch. "What up, Tom?" she asked. "Sis, can you be the one to talk to Mac about giving back the jewels she still has? I think I'm falling for her big time but I don't think I could handle knowing that the person I love was holding stolen items. I try not to take my job home but,,,,,, well, you know how I am. Can you talk to her?
We can find a way to get them back so it doesn't implicate her and I can even be all right with a little cover up for that, but,,,,,, I want this to work so bad it hurts, Des. Do you think she feels the same way?"

 

[Isolde]

Desiree was floored. It wasnt like she had never seen him fall for a girl before. With her brother's handsome looks and great personality he had the pick of the girls all through school and had never wanted for companionship-in spite of his John Wayne impersonations. But this was something completely different. She had never seen him so serious about someone before and she desperately wanted him to be happy.

"Sure, Tom," Desiree said, not even bothering with the customary teasing she usually gave him about any new girl,"As soon as this meeting is over, I'll make an excuse to talk to her and see if I can get her to go along."

Placing a hand on his arm, she added,"And dont worry, Tom. If I am reading the signs right, she is feeling the same way about you that you feel about her. But remember she is scared. We are bringing up alot of bad memories and we do happen to be a family of cops. Give her time, Big Brother, she's really a neat lady and I am sure she will come around soon."

Standing on tiptoe, Desiree threw her arms about her brother and gave him a firm hug. "Besides, who could resist such a handsome devil as yourself," She teased. Hey, she was a kid sister....teasing came with the territory.



[Edited by Isolde on 02-02-2001 at 08:24 AM]

 

[Angelus]

Marcus sat back on the couch in the main room and smiled. Desiree's family worked well together, they were like a police precinct- a very close one to. He knew that there was something that they would find out about who tried to kill him and murdered Mac's entire family. He closed his eyes with that thought in his head.

OOC: I think that your idea has a lot of merit. I was trying to think of a contact for the killer myself but Barton is perfect.

 

[LittleRedDevil]

Her head swam with memories of that night. The police, the bodies covered to hide the horror, and someone staring at her. She had turned at caught the gaze of a police officer with cold troubling eyes. She could still feel the chill from his eyes. His eyes had shot fury and rage at her, almost as if she should have died too.

"Marcus, I remember."

His eyes opened, "What?"

"I remember something new. That night, when I got to my house, there was a police officer who kept staring at me. He seemed angry that I was still alive. Do you think it could mean something? Could he have had something to do with it all?"

 

[Angelus]

"It is very possible. Do you remember what this person looked like at all. I mean was there anything that you would recognize instantly if you saw it again?"

He leaned forward and winced in pain when he did but said, "I need to know, please because if there is a cop that is in on this then we may be all in trouble. That person may know that I am not dead and tell the killer."

 

[LittleRedDevil]

Mac racked her brain. There had to be something about him that made him stick out, "I know he was tall, and his eyes were very dark, brown maybe. I couldn't see his hair, but there was something...THAT'S IT!"

"What Mac? Tell me."

Mac looked at Marcus, truimph in her eyes, "One of his eyebrows was disected by a scar, right down the center, and it stopped very close to his eye."

"SON OF A BITCH!"

 

[Angelus]

Marcus slammed his fist into the couch and looked at Mac.

"That son of a bitch has been there the whole damn time and we never even saw it. I will kill that bastard when I see him next!"

He then saw that Mac was a little afraid of his reaction and he said, "I know who the person that you are talking of is. He is in our precinct and is a slimy little worm- one I now intend to squash."

He then turned to the main door and shouted out, "Desiree... can you please come here! Mac has something to tell us that you will definitely be interested in hearing!"

 

[Isolde]

Desiree looked up to Tom, a puzzled look on her face as she heard Marcus call out to her. Walking into the house, she caught a look at his face and she knew that look. Marcus was pissed...and the look said that someone was in trouble. As long as it wasnt her she could handle it.

Looking from Marcus to Mac, Desiree's look of puzzlement deepened. She went over and sat down on the arm of the chair and put her arm around Marcus, hoping to calm him down.

"Hey, whats going on?," She said in a hald joking voice,"You look ready to kill someone...literally."

 

[Angelus]

"Mac just told me that she remembers a cop that saw her after her family was killed and gave her a look as if she had been killed. The guy was a dirty cop."

Desiree looked at him and was about to say something but before she could Marcus continued, "She remembered something about the way he looked- he had a scar disseceting his eyebrow. Remind you of anyone?"

 

[Isolde]

Desiree's jaw dropped at the description and she sat there staring at Marcus. "No," She shook her head furiously,"I dont believe it...Barton? Good God, Marcus, he must have been a rookie when it happened."

She ran her hand through her hair, trying to take in this new information. "No wonder he wanted to get you out of the way....always trying to make you look bad in front of the Captain. And then when I stepped in as your partner..."

She let out a short laugh,"He must have thought that he could win me over with his charms and distract me after you were out of the way. Or eliminate me once we were partners."

There was a fire in her eyes now and her voice was cold as ice,"We need to get to him somehow and get all the information we can from him. We have to bait him and draw him out."

Looking down at Marcus and knowing he was not going to like what she said next, she added,"And I think I know just the bait to use."