THE BRASS RING

PART TWENTY-FIVE

By Mavis Applewater

For Disclaimers, see Part One.

Thanks to my betareader Joanne.

As always this is for Heather.

CHAPTER THRITY-NINE

Jamie looked around Harvard Square anxiously. She loved the weather; unfortunately so did everyone else and the popular spot was overloaded with tourists. She also noted a number of students wandering about aimlessly with a blank expression. "Oh yes, it’s time for finals." She chuckled as she recalled the days when she survived on nothing but caffeine and determination. "I don’t miss those days," she commented wryly.

"And what days are those, blondie?" a friendly voice from her past mocked.

"Becky," she squealed like a schoolgirl as she spun around to greet her old friend.

The two women hugged one another tightly before Becky stepped back and took a good look at Jamie. "First, shame on you for taking so long getting together with me," she scolded Jamie who simply shrugged in response. "I was plotting to injure Frank just so I could see you at work."

"You’d wound your poor husband just to see me?" Jamie inquired with a smirk. "I’m touched."

"Come on. Let’s get some food, and more importantly, margaritas," Becky offered quickly as she linked her arm in Jamie’s and ushered her down Church Street.

Once they were settled at a table in the noisy Mexican restaurant, they dipped their chips in the rich salsa while sipping their margaritas. "So tell me everything you’ve been up to, including that glow you’re sporting," Becky demanded as Jamie blushed. "Uh huh, so you’re still a wanton woman these days? I never thought I’d see my little virgin turn into such a player."

"Well . . . ," Jamie began shyly, knowing that once she told Becky the truth the woman was going to freak out. "I’m seeing someone."

"As in a steady relationship?" Becky choked on her cocktail before clapping her hands together. "It’s about time. Of course, after what that bitch put you through I can certainly understand being gun shy."

"Well . . . uhm," Jamie stammered.

"Tell me everything about her," Becky demanded.

"She’s a cop," Jamie offered carefully.

"I never thought you’d go out with another cop after what CC put you through," Becky responded in surprise. "She must be very special."

"She is," Jamie responded proudly.

Becky gave her an expectant look, obviously waiting for more details. Jamie licked her lips and took another sip of her drink. "Come on, Jamie," Becky pleaded. "Tell me everything. Well, not everything but you know . . . everything!"

"You need to spend more time with adults," Jamie teased the schoolteacher.

"And you’re stalling," Becky pressed. "What’s wrong with her?"

"Not a thing." Jamie almost purred as she spoke. "Okay. Well, she’s tall, almost six feet tall, and she has long dark hair and the most amazing blue eyes that I’ve ever seen in my entire life." Jamie felt a tingle of excitement as she described her lover.

Becky stared at her blankly as she processed the information. "Uhm . . . Jamie, she sounds a lot like CC," she said hesitantly. "Are you sure that wasn’t the attraction? Not meaning to rain on your parade, but . . ."

"It’s okay," Jamie cut her off, fully understanding her concerns. "You see, the reason she sounds so much like CC is because . . . she is CC."

"Are you insane!" Becky shouted loud enough to be heard over the din of the busy restaurant.

Jamie slid down in her wooden chair as everyone stared at them. "Hear me out," she pleaded quietly as the waiter delivered their lunch. "I think we need another round," she suggested and the waiter nodded. "Make hers a double," she said, taunting her old friend.

"She walked out on you," Becky flared after the waiter scurried off. "And getting me drunk won’t change that."

"No amount of alcohol will change what happened," Jamie confirmed as she began to rub her temples. Her head was pounding violently. "You remember back then when I didn’t hear from her?" Becky nodded in agreement. "You defended her. You told me that there was no mistaking the way she looked at me."

"Yeah," Becky responded suspiciously. "I was shocked that she turned out to be a jerk. And I could have kicked myself for defending her."

"You were right," Jamie blurted out. "She had a real good reason for not calling me back."

"What? Alien abduction?" Becky snorted indignantly. Jamie laughed at the comment as she recalled her own reaction when CC finally told her the truth. The waiter delivered another round of cocktails as Jamie stifled her laughter.

"Okay, brace yourself; this is going to take some time," Jamie cautioned her friend who looked as if she wanted to beat CC within an inch of her life. "It all started the morning she left my dorm room . . ."

A couple of hours later the two women were sitting in Dunkin’ Donuts, working on their second cup of coffee in an effort to combat the tequila. "Wow," Becky muttered for the hundredth time. "So her sister confirmed all of this?" she inquired in amazement.

"Yes." Jamie nodded her confirmation. "It’s all true. Not that I believed her at first."

"How could you?" Becky supported her. "Frank hears a lot of things down at the paper about all the tip offs and FBI corruption involving Whitey. It doesn’t surprise me that a snitch would panic by being pulled over. You must have freaked when you saw her again."

"At first I thought it was some cruel twist of fate that we ran into one another again," Jamie explained as she recalled how badly she had treated CC. "And when I found out I was living next door to her, I was convinced that I’d been very bad in a past life. Now I just think it was meant to be."

"Wow." Becky glanced at her watch and grimaced. "It’s late. Frank is probably pulling out what’s left of his hair by now. I bet the kids are driving him up the wall."

"Your little ones are angels," Jamie protested.

"They’re not so little anymore." Becky sighed. "But since you’re coming over for dinner very soon," she threatened, "you can find out for yourself."

"I promise," Jamie vowed. "Walk me to the T station."

"No car?" Becky asked curiously.

"CC has it for the day," Jamie explained. "She’s working a difficult case and had to go into work today. You know that girl they found in the park in Allston?"

"Oh, that poor thing," Becky sympathized as they stepped out into the warm sunlight. "Frank’s sister walks by that park every day. "

"The girl was one of my residents," Jamie explained sadly. "She was really sweet and full of life. The whole thing is unbelievable. CC has been really overprotective since it happened."

"Good," Becky said firmly.

"Between the murder and a would-be Romeo following me around at work, she’s been on edge," Jamie confessed sadly.

They walked to the train station and exchanged their goodbyes. "Be careful," Becky cautioned her before she descended the staircase for the red line train. As Jamie rode the train, she was unaware that her lover was frantically trying to reach her on her cell phone. Since the doctor was underground the urgent call wasn’t being received.

After several transfers she got off at the green line station near her home. The beeping of her phone startled her as she stepped off the train. She noted that the sun was setting and she briefly wondered if she should hail a cab instead of walking the three blocks to her house. Between fumbling for her telephone and searching for a taxi, she never noticed the black BMW sitting at the corner.

CHAPTER FORTY

After Max had managed to calm her fears somewhat and get CC back into a professional mode, she felt more focused. Still it didn’t quiet her heart that was still pounding furiously. CC called the station and tracked Wayne down just as the poor bugger was trying to leave for the day. She turned on the charm, knowing that it would take relatively little to convince Wayne to do what she wanted. Quickly the quiet little man was agreeing to contact the hospital to find out what Ellen Murdock did there and when she was scheduled to work again.

Once she’d completed the call, CC poured herself into Jamie’s car. She griped the entire time about the lack of room in the little Honda, and for the first time that day she smiled, knowing that this time tomorrow she would be in her new SUV. She flipped open the small notepad she always carried with her and looked up Ellen Murdock’s address. The one reassurance she had to keep her from going completely ballistic was that she knew Jamie was with Stevie. She was nestled safely away from any danger since there was absolutely no way that the unstable Dr. Fisher could know that she was there.

CC parked the Honda in front of the nondescript apartment building. The four-story brick structure looked like so many complexes that littered the city, built solely to house the state’s growing population. She checked the buzzers for Ellen’s apartment number. She found the woman’s name and shook her head, knowing how dangerous it was for a woman to list her full name; it informed any passerby that she was a woman living alone.

CC tried the glass entrance door, knowing that quite often it would be unlocked because of a broken lock or simple negligence. This time the front door was locked. She pressed the buzzer for Ellen’s apartment, which was located on the top floor. Then she waited. After what seemed like an eternity, she rang the buzzer once again. She rolled her neck and shoulders in a futile attempt to alleviate the tension that was growing with each passing second.

CC glanced at her watch and scowled. She pressed the small rectangular black button once again, this time leaving her finger firmly pressed against the button. She allowed the buzzer to ring until the tip of her finger ached in protest. Still no one responded. "Okay, she’s not home," she griped as her cell phone chirped.

CC snatched the small blue phone from its holder on her belt. "Calloway," she barked into the tiny device. She heard a small gasp emanate from the caller.

"Uhm . . . Detective," Wayne stammered as CC’s shoulder blades pinched tensely.

"Yes, Wayne," she droned in response as she began to grind her teeth.

"I found that information you wanted." Wayne’s voice was trembling nervously as he spoke.

"Okay," she said slowly, not wanting to frighten the little man any further.

"Ellen Murdock is a pediatric nurse," he said, his voice still trembling as he spoke. "She’s been on vacation since she got off work the night Sandra Bernstein disappeared. She was due back today only . . .."

"Only what," she snapped as her chest began to constrict.

"She failed to show up for her shift," Wayne blurted out quickly.

"Shit," she blurted out. "Wayne, I need you to send a CSU crew to Ellen Murdock’s address. Call me when they’re on their way in case I don’t need them," she commanded him firmly, knowing in her heart that she would need the Crime Scene Unit. He agreed and she ended the call. She dialed Max immediately and gave him the address, telling him to get his fat butt there as soon as possible. She offered no explanation before she hung up on him.

She pressed the buzzer for the manager’s apartment, praying that he would be home on Sunday. "What?" came the hostile response through the tiny speaker.

"Police," she answered firmly.

"Right," the voice scoffed before disconnecting.

CC emitted a feral growl before pressing the buzzer once again. "Knock it off!" the voice barked before disconnecting. CC pressed the buzzer, holding it firmly in place, knowing that she was disturbing the obnoxious individual on the other end.

"Look, it’s Sunday . . .!" the voice shouted angrily.

"And it’s still the police!" she shouted in response. "I need to get into one of your tenants’ apartments now!" She had considered threatening to shoot her way in but thought better of it at the last moment.

"Really?" the voice squeaked.

"Yes, really!" she fumed. "Now get up here and let me in."

The box disconnected and she was about to press the buzzer once again when a scraggly man approached the front door. She rolled her eyes at the man’s appearance as she noted that he hadn’t bothered to zip up his fly. "Why do they do that?" she muttered as she held up her badge. He gave her a wary look and examined the badge carefully before opening the door. "Its about time," she grumbled. "4H," she instructed him as Max pulled up to the curb.

"That’s Miss Murdock’s apartment," he responded in bewilderment as Max hustled to join her. Unfortunately, with Max’s large build, it took him awhile to reach her.

"I know," she said as Max stopped beside her huffing and puffing. "This is my partner," she added with a nod to the winded man next her. The apartment manager simply nodded as he headed towards the staircase.

"Elevator?" Max gasped. The scraggly man simply shook his head in response.

"Fourth floor," she informed her wheezing partner. Max simply groaned as they began to ascend the staircase.

"I can’t imagine that Miss Murdock would be in any trouble," the manager babbled as they climbed the stairs.

"Let’s hope not," CC muttered softly.

"She’s been away," the manager continued. "I was going to check on the place tomorrow. She must have forgotten to take her trash out before she left; the neighbors have been complaining about the smell."

Max and CC froze for a moment and stared at each other. "I already have CSU on the way," she explained softly as they continued to climb the stairs.

"Let’s hope we’re wrong," Max said, trying to reassure her. CC nodded in agreement although the constant gnawing in her stomach reminded her that she was right.

As they approached the door to Ellen Murdock’s apartment, an all-too-familiar stench assaulted their senses. CC and Max knew what they would find inside. "Open it," she informed the manager who seemed unaware of what was happening. He complied with her request. "Stay here," she instructed him solemnly as he blinked in confusion.

Max pulled some rubber gloves from his pocket and handed her a pair. She gave him a questioning glance as she put them on. "I had a feeling," he explained grimly as he snapped on his own pair of gloves.

CC turned the doorknob slowly as the apartment manager cleared his throat. "Are you sure you can do this?" he questioned them.

"Yes." She sighed, knowing that the occupant was no longer in a position to complain. She opened the door and the foul stench engulfed them.

"What is that?" the manager groaned in disgust.

"Stay here," CC repeated as she and Max carefully stepped into the apartment.

"Why don’t you open a window?" the man suggested as CC spun around and glared at him.

"I said stay in the hallway," she chastised him.

His mouth opened to protest when his face went suddenly pale. He clasped a hand over his mouth as his body started to convulse. CC and Max followed the direction of his eyes and found what they’d feared. "Max, could you secure the scene while I take Mr. . . . " She blinked, realizing she didn’t know the man’s name. "Him," she finally grunted, "outside to wait for CSU to show up."

Max grimaced as she grabbed the man by the elbow and escorted him out of the apartment. She knew it gave Max the creeps being left alone at the crime scene. But she had no choice. She wanted to ensure that she was never alone at the scene just in case her suspicions were correct. She ushered the manager downstairs and watched as the man emptied the contents of his stomach into an azalea bush. Once he was calm she took his statement.

She discovered that his name was Ronnie Dunhill and he hadn’t seen Ellen Murdock since a few days before her vacation was due to start. Her car was parked in the back and had been there since the night before she was scheduled to leave on vacation. She asked if he thought that was odd. He didn’t since he was certain that she would have taken the train wherever she was going. The crime scene unit arrived and CC accompanied them to the crime scene.

Her first glance at Ellen Murdock’s body was eerily familiar. "Just toss her in the park and she could be our last victim," Max noted dryly.

"Yeah," CC confirmed as she fought a wave of nausea. She wished they could open a window but she knew it would attract flies that would disturb the corpse. "Check everything," CC informed the technicians. "Her car is out back. I want that checked as well.

"Nothing on the answering machine," Max noted.

"Everyone expected her to be out of town," CC explained as she carefully examined the room. The sweat was pouring off her brow. "I’ll be right back," she offered as she dashed out into the hallway. "I never saw her react like that," one of the techs commented.

CC quickly grabbed her cell phone and dialed her home. "Stevie, let me talk to Jamie," she barked at her sister.

"Uhm . . . she’s not here," Stevie responded timidly.

"What do you mean she’s not there?" CC demanded in a blind panic.

"She’s out with a friend," Stevie explained quickly.

"I told you to keep an eye on her," CC fumed.

"I know. I just took Emma to the park while she was asleep," Stevie defended herself. "By the time I got back she was gone. She left a note saying that she was meeting a friend for lunch. What the hell is going on, Caitlin?"

"I’m not . . ." CC’s voice trembled. "Look, when she gets back, make her stay put. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Stevie confirmed adamantly.

"Sorry to yell," she mumbled quickly before disconnecting the call. She instantly called Jamie’s cell phone and was bumped to her voicemail. "Jamie, call me right away," she blurted out frantically before quickly dialing the number once again. "Come on. Where are you?" she muttered when the voicemail greeted her once again.

"What is it?" Max asked from behind her.

"I don’t know where she is," she whimpered as her face grew pale.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Jamie moved across the street as she continued to fumble for her cell phone. She stood in the doorway of a shop; since it was early Sunday evening everything in the tiny village square was locked up tight. She punched her code into her cell phone so she could retrieve her voicemail. Her jaw hung open as she listened to the terror in CC’s voice. "What the hell?" she said under her breath as she quickly dialed CC’s cell phone.

She heard a car engine rev to life and out of the corner of her eye she spotted a black BMW pulling away from the corner. She shrugged as it drove off towards her street. Seeing a BMW in the neighborhood wasn’t the least bit unusual. She was far too preoccupied waiting for CC to answer to think about it any further.

"Jamie!" CC snapped before the doctor could say ‘hello’. "Where are you?" she demanded loudly, causing Jamie to yank the cell phone away from her ear.

"Please tell me that you’re premenstrual," Jamie shouted into her phone indignantly.

"Where are you?" CC repeated in a slow careful tone.

"Caitlin, you’re scaring me," Jamie stammered as she looked around for a taxi. Finding none, she turned her attention back to her lover’s voice.

"Jamie, will you please tell me where you are?" CC pleaded.

"I’m at the Boylston Village T stop," Jamie informed her in a desperate effort to calm her down. She could hear CC repeating her location to someone else.

"Jamie, I need you to do something for me. I need you to go into one of the shops and wait for me," CC instructed her carefully. "And don’t ask me why."

"Why?" Jamie inquired before she could stop herself. Once again she found herself yanking the telephone away from her ear as CC released a frustrated growl. "Sorry. Reflex," Jamie explained sheepishly in her defense.

"Jamie, just go into one of the shops," CC barked at her.

"Caitlin, it’s Sunday night. Nothing’s open," Jamie explained. "Look, I’m just going to walk home and you can explain everything when you get there." She was ready to end the telephone call; she could have been halfway home by now. It was getting dark and the tone of CC’s voice frightened her.

"No! Take a taxi," CC ordered her.

Jamie sighed in exasperation, wishing she had started walking already. "There aren’t any cabs," Jamie explained while she tried to calm her nerves. Normally she would have just told CC off for speaking to her like she was an errant child but she could hear the fear echoing in her lover’s voice.

"Are there any people or cars around?" CC continued in a strained voice.

"Caitlin! You’re scaring me," Jamie sobbed into the telephone. She was unable to hold her emotions back any longer.

"I’m sorry, baby," CC explained in a crestfallen voice. "I’ll be there soon. Just hang on and wait for me or the squad car that’s en route." Jamie released another sob. "If it’s any consolation, I’m probably overreacting," CC offered lightly.

Jamie saw through the act instantly. Granted, CC was known to overreact at times, particularly where the blonde doctor was concerned. And Jamie knew she was guilty of doing the same thing when it came to the tall dark policewoman. Somehow the level of pure panic in CC’s voice mixed with the sound of a siren blaring in the background didn’t lead Jamie to believe that CC was simply overreacting. "I don’t believe you," Jamie confronted her. "There’s no one around. There was a BMW here earlier but it just left," she said as she tried to slow her rapidly beating pulse.

"A BMW?" CC echoed. "What color?"

"Black," Jamie responded slowly as the color drained from her face.

"Are you sure it is gone?" CC pushed.

"Yes." Jamie sighed in relief as she looked around to reassure herself.

"I’m almost there; just keep talking to me, baby," CC encouraged her.

"What would you like to talk about?" Jamie grunted in annoyance; she had a sudden urge to throttle her lover for scaring her half to death.

"What did you do today?" CC inquired in a casual tone that Jamie didn’t buy for one second. Jamie scanned the dark square as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "Jamie?" CC prompted her.

"I had lunch with Becky," she finally responded. "You remember her; she lived on the same floor in my dorm."

"Oh yeah, she was a doll," CC responded. "What’s she up to these days?"

"Married with three kids," Jamie explained. "I told her about us."

"How did that go over?" CC laughed.

"She asked me if I’d lost my mind." Jamie snorted as the urgency of the situation slipped away for a brief moment.

"And have you?" CC teased her further, lulling the young doctor into a false sense of security.

"Absolutely." Jamie laughed as she saw the flashing blue lights approaching her.

"Is that you?" she inquired, her smile fading as she saw a police cruiser approaching her. It came to a stop at the corner where she was standing. Two uniformed police officers quickly emerged from the car. One was a large man of color who would have towered over CC. The other was smaller, also dark-skinned, with a bushy moustache. The drastic differences in their heights struck Jamie as amusing.

"Dr. Jameson?" the taller man inquired.

"Yes," she responded with a smile.

A few seconds later she saw her small Honda approaching with a flashing blue light of its own. The car skidded to a stop behind the squad car and CC struggled out of the front seat. Once again Jamie was amused as she saw the tall woman unfolding herself from the small car. "The SUV was definitely the right choice for her," Jamie noted under her breath. CC rushed over to her with a look of relief written across her chiseled features. Max looked weary as he trailed behind his tall partner.

"Hey Calloway," the smaller man greeted her. "The doctor seems fine. Anything else we can do you?" he offered sarcastically.

"Actually there is," CC said firmly as she scribbled on a small notepad. She tore off the top page and handed it to him. "Go to that address. No lights, no sirens. Drive by, check around, and keep doing it. Also keep an eye out for a black BMW."

"In this neighbor?" the taller policeman grunted. "Could you be more specific?"

"The license plate is on the paper," CC snapped indignantly. "Call my cell if you find anything, and I mean anything."

The two officers nodded in understanding before climbing back into their car. Jamie looked at CC thoughtfully. "Are you all right?" CC inquired anxiously.

"Why is there a light attached to the roof of my car?" Jamie inquired thoughtfully.

"Don’t ask," CC responded as she rolled her crystal blue eyes.

"Can I keep it?" Jamie asked hopefully as she turned off her cell phone and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"No," CC groaned.

"It has a siren too?" Jamie added with enthusiasm.

"No," CC lied.

"I heard it when you were talking to me," Jamie stated as CC went to get in the driver’s side. "I don’t think so," she said quickly as she nudged her lover out of the way. She climbed into the car and adjusted the seat. Jamie was amused as she watched Max and CC maneuver their larger bodies into her compact car.

Jamie reached over to the strange black box dangling from her cigarette lighter. "Don’t - it’s not a toy," CC chastised her as she swatted her hand away.

"Why can’t I keep it?" Jamie pouted.

"It belongs to Max," CC grumbled. "Speaking of which, we need to get him back to his car and then go on to the station."

"I want to go home," Jamie protested.

"Not yet," CC groused.

"Oh come on; Stevie will be there," Jamie whined.

"No. I called her and sent her and Emma over to Brad’s for the night," CC quickly explained. "Now we need to go to . . ."

"I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on," Jamie stated as CC shrank back in her seat. "Out with it, Caitlin," she demanded.

TBC

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