The First Case
by S. L. Gombar

Prologue:
     I have always been a pretty popular guy, as a kid and even now as an adult. I have had many "good buddies, " you know, the kind of pal that you can be a guy with. But I've always felt that the close, intimate, "best friend" type of relationship was well, a female thing. Nothing against their great gender, of course, I have admired the way that women can just open up and discuss the dark, personal secrets of their lives with each other, but I never pictured myself doing that with ANYONE-let alone a woman. After all, women like to gossip about guys, right?
     Wrong.
     Despite the many, many encounters I have had with the pretty ladies (grin) I've never considered any one of them to be a close friend. I've never pictured even my future wife to be the person I could truly open up to.
     Then one day, a strange thing happened. I met a woman who had an effect on me like no other ever had. She opened up a part of me that I never knew existed. And before I knew it, she was a greater part of my life than I had ever suspected.
     But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I can go into detail about the course of our relationship, I need to tell our story from the very beginning. It all began about 5 years ago....
      The winds were unusually high that May day. The palm trees swayed from side to side. Drivers were swerving their cars to stay on the road, lights were flickering on and off in many downtown office buildings, and many people were sent home early. However, despite the wind and lights and pending storm, in one building, the Palm Beach Police Department, it was business as usual. Especially in a dimly lit office on the sixth floor, which happened to be the Homicide Department.
     Inside this office, Sgt. Christopher Lorenzo was typing up a case report with much urgency. It was hard, however, with the light situation. "Damn it!!!" Chris snapped as the lights flickered again. "How am I ever going to finish this report and be out of here before six?" he spoke to himself.
     A voice answered him. "What's the rush Lorenzo, hot date?" asked his partner of five months, Derek McCall.
     Chris looked up. "As a matter of fact, yeah, " he said. "I'm going out with Reno tonight, she got a sitter for Rosita."
     Derek laughed. "Well I wish you lots of luck, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news..."he answered.
     Chris frowned. "What is it McCall?"
     "Well, you know what's been happening with the Klis case?" Derek asked.
     Chris nodded, "Yeah, but that's got nothing to do with me, Lem and his new partner are on it."
     "Not according to Stoner, he wants you in his office now, " Derek grinned.
     "WHA-AT!! Oh this is great. Just what I need; a case with kids, " Chris rolled his eyes. He groaned as he glanced at his Powerbook screen. "Tell him I'll be in in a minute, " he muttered.
     A few minutes later Chris knocked on the door of Jack Stoner's office.
     "Stoner, you wanted to see me?"
     Stoner was at his desk with another captain whom Chris vaguely recognized.
     Stoner puffed on his cigar. "Lorenzo, you know Captain Hutchinson, right?"
     Chris nodded, "Of course, Captain, hello." He shook his hand.
     Hutchinson grinned at him. "Lorenzo, how do you do?" he asked.
     "Just fine, sir, although I do wonder why I am here. I am off, " Chris looked at Stoner pointedly, "in ten minutes."
     Stoner looked guilty and answered, "Well, Chris, you'll have to tell Reno to take a raincheck I'm afraid, this is kind of important."
     Chris threw his boss an impatient look and squall, but sighed and asked, "So what am I needed for, gentlemen?"
     Hutchinson answered him. "I assume you are aware of the recent Klis case?"
     Chris nodded.
     Eighteen year old Cassandra Klis was the daughter of Manfred Klis who was an important councilman in Palm Beach. She had been attending a senior class gathering at Atlantic Park near the edge of town the afternoon of her death. At some point in the day, she went unescorted to an abandoned lot on the top of a steep cliff. The cliff was know as Old Hollis's Haunt, due to a mysterious town legend about the remains of an old house at the side of the lot. She was near some of the deteriorating railing at the cliff's edge when she fell 119 ft. into the ocean. Her body quickly washed ashore due to the tide. The police had assumed the death was accidental, until they obtained skin fibers and blood on a piece of the railing. When they later discovered the deceased's bruised knuckles, the coroner felt that perhaps someone had helped her take the fall. It was a gruesome case, especially since the murderer was most likely a classmate of Klis's.
     "Yeah I know about it, " he said. "But isn't this Lem's case??"
     Hutchinson shook his head. "Lem is taking some personal time-department request, " he said. "Anyway, this looks like the perfect case to try our new detective out on, and I think you would be a good. . 'helper' for her. "
     Chris's eyes were wide. "New detective?" he asked.
     Hutch nodded. "Yes, she's been in vice for 5 years, just switched over last week. Her name is Sgt. Rita Lance, have you heard of her?"
     A familiar look crossed Chris's face as he smiled. "Yes, I have. . we met about four years ago. . . But since then I've heard that she's a super-feministic cop, extremely sarcastic. I-I don't know, I think our personalities would clash Captain, it probably wouldn't work out, why don't you partner her with McCall?" he asked.
     Stoner piped up. "Lorenzo, come on, it's for ONE case, and she is very attractive, too, " he added slyly.
     Chris nodded agreeably.
     "Besides, when I asked her, she said she wanted to work with you. . something about. . a score to settle??? Does that ring a bell?" Hutch questioned with a puzzled look on his face.
     Chris laughed. "Oh brother, she remembered. . . . oh, no, " he continued laughing.
     Hutch looked slightly miffed. "Do you want to let us in on it or would you
     rather I call Miss Lance in here so I can brief you?"
     Chris was still laughing. "Go ahead, call her, " he said.
     After Hutch and Stoner left his office, Chris sat down in a nearby chair and collected his thoughts. Rita Lance, he thought. Sure he had heard of her long before he had met her. He had rarely seen her around in the four years since they had first met, but other detectives were quick with the gossip. Still, that day. . . the day he met Rita was probably a day that he wouldn't soon forget. His memories came back to him. . . .

     It was a sunny September day in 1987. Chris was a Vice detective at the time. He was in line for lunch with two of his buddies, Lem and Billy Hammer. The guys were laughing and talking about Billy's blind date with one of Chris's ex-girlfriends. (laughing) "So you really forgot to bring your lucky keychain?"
     Chris laughed. "And THAT'S why the date didn't work out?"
     Billy scoffs. "Come ON Lorenzo!! I mean, the girl is a total bimbo. Don't know WHAT you saw in her. All she talks about is her wardrobe, her career, and that damn poodle!!! I swear, if I had heard another word about Fifi's adorable little tricks I was gonna shove those chopsticks right down her throat!!!"
     Chris laughed as he got his food from Raoul. "Well, Billy, what can I say? The night life made up for all her chatter. Oh, and it's a terrier named KiKi, NOT a poodle named FiFi. "
     Billy rolled his eyes as they sit down. "Oh who cares? Fifi, Kiki, . . . as for the nightlife, man, that girl acted like she was entering a convent!!! All night long, all I got from her was, 'hands off' "
     "Well, I don't know. . at least she is someone to date. . can't say you've had any better offers lately, but at least I've got Lyndi Jean , " Chris looks at Billy laughingly.
     Billy laughs some more. "Oh yeah, little Lyndi Jean Lynn, the little whiner, now tell me you can't find anyone better than THAT, " he said.
     Chris looks at Billy. "Hey! " he said. " At least I have a steady girl. . well. . sort of. . " his voice trailed of.
     "Um, yeah, Chris, that relationship is stable. Whenever Rocky Blaine is in town, you don't have a girl, when he's out trucking, she's curled up next to you. You deserve better, amigo, " he said.
     Chris frowned.
     Billy grinned. "Women. . I tell you, Miss Perfect is out there somewhere, that's what they all say. But tha'ts all a bunch of hype, all that love at first sight crap. I mean, has it ever happened to you, Lorenzo? Love at first sight? No, " Billy answered himself. " That's because it's all fiction, all made up by women. "
     "Oh come on now, Hammer, don't give up on the nobler sex because of ONE bad date. . all right, so maybe fixing you up with Norma was a bad idea, but there are plenty of great girls out there, " Chris added hesitantly.
     "Hey, what are you all discussing here? Is someone in trouble?" Their friend Lem said as he joined them at their table.
     "Women, " Chris and Billy say at the same time.
     Lem nodded. "Ah, " he says. " By the looks on your faces I thought you were talking about ol' Alex's friend over there, " he added.
     Billy's eyes perked up. "Friend? Alex has a friend? Where?"
     Lem laughed. "I can't believe I found the day when both Lorenzo and Hammer miss a new lady but I don't, " he sayed. "Over there. " He nods his head.
     Chris and Billy turned around. "Whoo-ee!!" Billy whistled.
     Sitting across the lunch area sat Alex Dale, a fellow cop, and one of the more attractive women Chris had ever seen. She had short, dark, wavy, brown hair and was wearing a light blue skirt and a white silk blouse. She had on sunglasses, so he couldn't see her eyes, but Chris knew they were eyes he would never forget. As he watched her, eating and laughing along with Alex, he felt sort of a chill come over him, even though it was about eighty degrees outside. He remembered feeling weird, he had never felt this strange towards a woman before. His mind went absolutely blank, therefore he did not hear his friends calling to him.
     "Lorenzo? Lorenzo! Hey, Chris!!! Chris, phone home. . . " Lem was saying.
     "Man he is GONE, " Billy said.
     Chris turned around and realized they were staring at him. "Huh? Oh I was just. . just. . . "he drifted off.
     They laughed. " You were just staring at Alex's friend, " Lem said.
     Billy is still laughing. " Ooh, Lorenzo, I'd say go for it, but I have first dibs!" he sayed teasingly.
     Chris looked shocked. " What?"
     Lem grined. " Go on over. . you know you wanna talk to her, " he says.
     Chris glances back over. "No!" he said abruptly. "There's no reason. . . "
     "You like her, that's all the reason you need. Go on, ask her out!!"
     "NO!!! I have a girlfriend, sort of, well, anyway she's probably. . . no, Hammer, she's yours. You can waltz your butt on over yourself, " Chris added.
     "Yeah right, Lyndi Jean. . . . . she'll never know, " Billy grined harder.
     "Come on, Lorenzo, I've never seen you like this, usually your Mr. Macho, always getting the girls. . you're not afraid of a woman cop, are you?" Lem teased.
     "Lorenzo, afraid of a woman? That'll be the day!!" Billy chimed.
     "Come on, we'll go over and see who can get a date with her first, " he added.
     Chris rolled his eyes. "You guys are impossible! OK, I'll go over-just to watch Billy get turned down!" he cracked.
     At that moment, George Donovan, the D. A. and another woman, Tina Maxwell joined Alex's table. Chris may have been on bad terms with Alex, but he and Tina were friends, and George was now prosecuting for a recent vice case of his, so it wouldn't seem unusual for Chris to go on over. Without another word, Chris rose and slowly walked following Billy to their table. As he caught up to Billy, Chris whispered, "Hammer, twenty five bucks says she tells you to get lost. "
     Billy turns and adds, "And she'll go out with you, right? NEVER happen Lorenzo!"
     Chris smiled. "I'm not planning on anything. . . do we got a deal?"
     Billy grabs Chris's hand. "It's a deal Lorenzo, " he said.
     The two walk over to the table, where Tina and George both greet them.
     "Hey, Lorenzo, Hammer, how goes it?" George asked.
     Tina smiled. "Hi Billy, Chris, " she said.
     Alex scowled. "Oh my, what do YOU two want now, " she said.
     Chris grinned, and remembered his excuse.
     "Hey Donovan, I was wondering. . about that de Marshall case, how much time are you going for?" he asked.
     Donovan frowned. " De Marshall?" he asked. " Oh, at least ten to twenty, hard time. You know that Lorenzo, why do you want to know now?"
     Chris blushed.
     "Oh I know he'll do hard time, but. . these juvenile delinquent cases, they just keep adding up. What do you think of the whole situation?" Chris asked.
     George grinned. He loved to be asked his opinion. "Well, " he started.
     "In the case of juvenile delinquency, most problems tend to arise from the background of the minors. Usually, the kid doesn't get enough attention from Mommy or Daddy, so they use that as basis for. . . " George's voice droned on while Chris tuned him out.
     As George rambled on about the delinquency of minors, Chris glanced at the woman, and found her looking at him too. She had taken her sunglasses off, and she had the greenest eyes Chris had ever seen. Their eyes met, and that moment was one Chris would remember forever. He was looking into her eyes, she into his, and he felt that chill return, only this time it was stronger, more intense. He felt his throat tighten, his pulse race, and his breathing grew more rapid. He and the woman glanced back at George, still talking, and she rolled her eyes at his speech. Chris hid the urge to laugh but instead smiled wide.
     "So I say, you have to lay down the law with your kids from the start. Take my son for example, he will know how the law works by the time he is a teenager. My wife and I find that educating your child about the law is just as important for their morale as basic education, " George continued.
     At this statement, the woman covered her mouth and really looked like she was laughing. Just then her eyes met Chris's again, and this time neither could help it, they both snickered. Chris covered it by coughing loudly. Just then he felt an impatient nudge. He looked up and found Billy, who hissed, " Thanks a lot Lorenzo. Now we gotta listen to this crap before we find out HER name!"
     Chris looked helplessly at Donovan, hoping he'd catch on to their real purpose for being there, but he was caught up in his speech. Tina noticed, however, and dared to interrupt the D. A. "George, " she said.
     "I hate to interrupt, but didn't you promise Alex you'd go over that case before break was up?"
     George and Alex laughed, and George grinned at her and said, "Al, let's go back to my office, and I'll show you the transcript on uh, the Brown case. "
     They waltzed off in the direction of the parking lot.
     As soon as they were gone Tina said, "Thank the Lord, I don't know how much more we could have taken!"
     At this, Chris and the woman both burst out laughing.
      A few minutes later Tina continued. " I don't believe either of you has met my new partner, Rita Lance, " she said. "Rita, these adorable guys are Billy Hammer and Christopher Lorenzo. "
     "Howdy, " Billy said.
     Chris glanced at Rita. She was smiling, and she put on her sunglasses as she rose and extended her hand for Billy, then Chris.
     "It's a pleasure to meet you, " she said. "I've heard a lot about you. "
     "I'm-it's great to meet you, too, " Chris stammered. He took a deep breath.
     "I would ask if your new but I can see that you've worked with George, so. . "
     Rita laughed.
     He glanced down very quickly at her hand as he was shaking it, but Rita noticed.
     "I'm not married, " she laughed again.
     Chris nudged Billy.
     Billy grinned. "Great, " he said. "Now I can ask you out to dinner without looking like an idiot. "
     Rita smiled and tilted her head to the side.
     Billy slid in and swooped his arm around her. "So , what do you say? I'll bet a sweet girl like you likes to play cops and robbers. . . "
     Rita looked at him in disbelief, so Billy hurriedly added, "Or we could do the dinner thing, dancing, who knows, catch a movie. . . "
     Rita gave him a LOOK and moved away from him. "Sorry, I've got. . . plans. "
     When Billy wasn't looking, she rolled her eyes, and Chris couldn't help but laugh.
     Billy frowned. "Oh come on, you haven't REALLY gotten to know the male species until you've been out with Billy Hammer, " he stated.
     Rita said evenly, " I told you, I'm. . not. . interested, now, "she glanced around. "will you leave me alone?"
     Billy muttered something, and left the table. As he was leaving, Chris hissed, "You can pay me on payday, Hammer. "
     Billy glared at Chris.
     Chris, Rita and Tina rose, and as the women threw their lunch away, Rita and Chris made small talk.
     "So how long have you worked here?" she asked.
     "Oh, about 2 years, give or take a few months, you?" he responded.
     She nodded. "About the same, I came here almost immediately after college. "
     He turned to look at her some more. "Oh yeah? I can't believe I've never seen you around, actually I have heard all about you, you know, " he smiled.
     She laughed. "Good things I hope. "
     "Well, if you consider being valedictorian of your academy class good, as well as your reputation for busting over a hundred pimps in four months, " he laughed. "I can't believe it. When I heard about this Detective Lance, who was one of the best in vice, well, I'm impressed, you've achieved a lot in a short amount of time. "
     Rita grinned.
     "Your surprised that a woman cop can achieve as much as a man?" she questioned.
     "Well, that too, " Chris grinned. "No, I'm serious. . . you know, it would be interesting if we ever worked together, I wonder how we would get along. " he said.
     "Well, thank you for the compliment, but be careful what you wish for Lorenzo, " she added. " I would probably bruise that male ego of yours when I caught the criminal before you!"
     "What?" he scoffed. "No, no, no, you've got it all wrong, I mean, I am one of the toughest cops in the department!"
     "Modest, too, " she stated.
     Chris laughed. "okay, okay. So maybe your almost as good as me, "he said teasingly.
     Rita immediately smacked his arm playfully. The two of them laughed as they were heading for the parking lot.
     Rita smiled as they were walking. Just then they reached a green Jaguar and stopped. As they looked at each other briefly, Chris could feel that strange sensation taking control again. he shrugged it off again however, and figured that he must be coming down with something.
     "So is this your car?" he heard Rita asking.
     "What? Oh. . yeah, yes it is, " he said, stroking the hood affectionately.
     "I call her Green Rosie "
     Rita laughed. "I like it, it seems kind of expensive for a vice cop's salary though. "
     "Well, actually I got it as a gift from my grandmother for graduation, I've had it for a few years, " he said. "Ugh, I've got to get back to work. . "
     "Rough case?" Rita asked.
     "Yeah, Lem-that's my partner-and I are doing an undercover drug sting, it's pretty complicated, " he said.
     "Mmm, I sympathize, " she laughed. "Although I bet I could get a confession from the perp before you could!"
     "Ah. . is this a challenge Detective Lance?" Chis asked.
     "Yeah, I guess you could call it that! What do you say, if we ever work with each other one day, lets place a more official bet on it!" she stated.
     Chris nodded. "It's a deal, " he grinned.
     Then he heard someone calling in the distance. "Hey, you two!" Tina called.
     "So you just walk off and leave me, huh?" she said as she caught up to them. "Rita, I hate to tear you away, I know Christopher is SO fascinating, " she laughed. "But duty calls, we've got to get back to work on the Shanton case, "
     Rita groaned and rolled her eyes. "You know, if I had a penny for every time a woman cop posed as a hooker. . . oh well I won't go into that now, " she said.
     "Good-bye Christopher, it was great meeting you. I hope to talk to you again soon! Take care of that car, " she said.
     Chris smiled, "Pleasure was all mine Ms. Lance, " he responded. "And, hey! We will talk about that bet one day soon!"
     "You got it!" she called.
     He watched the two walk away as he climbed into his Jag and started it up.

     Chris smiled as he remembered. Well, it should make this case all the more unusual, he thought. He also had to admit he was looking forward to working with Rita.
     Just then the door opened, and Hutch and Rita walked into the office.
     "Detective Lorenzo, I assume you already know Detective Lance, " Hutch said.
     Rita smiled at Chris. She looked a lot like she did four years ago.
     "Hello, Sgt. Lorenzo, " she said. "It's a pleasure to meet again. "
     Chris shook her hand. "Yes, it is. I understand we will be working together. " he stated.
     Rita grinned.
     Hutch winked at the two of them and dropped a file on the desk. "We'll give you two kids some privacy, to review the case. All of Lem's previous notes are in there. There's coffee in the pot. Get to work, detectives. And, Miss Lance, " Hutch added. "keep an eye on Lorenzo there, ok?" He laughed as he left the room.
     Chris smiled at Rita. "Well, Ms. Lance, what do you say that we discuss business over lunch tomorrow? My treat, " he added.
     "Well, I never pass up a free meal, you're on!" Rita said. "We'll discuss this tomorrow then, " she said.

     As they headed to the parking lot the next day, Rita commented, "I don't see that cute little Jag of yours anywhere. "
     Chris looked a bit nervous. "Well, you see. . . I had to, ah, trade it in. . . personal reasons, " he stated.
     Rita nodded. Probably financial problems, she thought. A cop's salary wasn't one that could accommodate the expenses of a Jag.
     Chris suddenly stopped.
     "Um, my car is at the shop today, can we take yours?" he asked. He flashed Rita his winning smile.
     "Sure, " she said.
     Later they arrived at Raoul's, the restaurant they had met at years earlier. After Chris purchased their meals, they sat down and began to review their first case.
      "Okay, so what we've got is a dead teenage girl at one of this city's most hazardous places, while in the company of 100 other classmates, and no one saw a thing. Does this sound plausible to you, Lorenzo?" Rita asked.
      Chris shook his head. "Well, we have a statement from two kids, a. . Madeline Nosidam and a Bobby Ford, claiming that they heard her scream. Her best friends say they never saw her leave the picnic, her boyfriend says he wasn't with her either. I say, after we are done here, we start by interviewing the two that heard her. Maybe they saw something, just a flash of her falling. . . . "
      "Well, its as good a place as any to start, " Rita said, as she rose from her chair. "Lets go. " She took her purse and headed for the car.
     Chris smiled as he watched her. "Okay, " he said to himself with a smile.

     Chris and Rita rang the front doorbell of a sprawling mansion in one of Palm Beach's more exclusive neighborhoods.
     A stoutly woman answered the door with a tight grimace on her face.
     "Can I help you?" she declared in a deep voice.
     Chris nodded and flashed his badge. "Palm Beach Police, ma'am. We would like to speak to Madeline Nosidam, please. "
     The woman frowned deeper.
     "You must mean Betty's kid. Betty Nosidam is the maid, she lives in the cottage at the back of the property. This here is the Whitney estate, " the woman growled.
     When she saw Chris glance at her uniform skeptically, she added, "I'm the cook; I don't do housework. " With that she slammed the door.
     The two detectives looked at each other and hid the urge to laugh.
     "Well, then, lets steer ourselves to the Nosidam Cottage, instead of sullying up the Whitney porch, " Rita laughed.
      When they arrived at the Nosidam's, they quickly saw that "cottage" was truly overrating the place. Chris knocked at the door gently, afraid it would break if he used force.
     "Hello?" a tired looking woman answered. "What do you want?"
     "Are you Betty Nosidam?" questioned Rita.
     "I am, " Betty said. She noticed their badges. "What do you want from me?" she asked again.
     Rita was quick to reassure her. "We would like to speak to you daughter, Mrs. Nosidam, about the incident at the picnic. "
     Betty Nosidam tried to close the door. "My girl don't know nothin'. Your wastin' your time. "
     Chris stuck his hand in the doorway. "Please, it will take only a few minutes, we promise. "
     Betty frowned, but let them in. "Maddy? Doll, can you come here for a moment?"
     A young looking girl with brown hair and big, red glasses walked out of another room.
     "Maddy, these are the cops, they want to ask you about Casey's accident. "
     Madeline looked frightened. "I already told all I know to the other cops, " she whispered.
     Rita smiled gently. "We know, we just have a few more, I promise we won't bite, " she said.
     Betty sat down on a worn recliner, obviously planning on staying through the questioning.
     Chris started, " Madeline, can you tell Sgt. Lance and I exactly what happened that day?"
     Madeline hesitated for a moment.
     "Take your time, try to remember all that you can, " Rita said.
     She took a deep breath, and spoke slowly at first. " I was walking by myself, early in the picnic. I went up to Old Hollis's Haunt-I liked to walk up there, it was peaceful-and then as I was leaving I ran into bobby.
     We started talking, and we went for a walk, then suddenly we heard a shriek. We turned around, and ran towards the cliff, but we didn't see anything. Later, everyone started looking for Casey because she had to present the Senior gift, and we couldn't find her. Then Jamie said she saw her going towards Hollis's Haunt, so we went back. I was afraid, " she said.
     " I knew, in the back of my mind that something terrible had happened, so my friend Gabby and I went down to the shoreline, and that's where, " her voice broke. "that's when we saw her. Her. body, it was all bloody. . . it was moving back and forth along the shore. . it was awful, " Madeline burst into tears.
     Rita looked a bit teary herself. She patted Madeline's shoulder. 'It's okay, take it easy, " she said, trying to calm her down.
     Madeline gasped. "I never saw anything so horrible, " she stated.
     Chris leaned forward. "Madeline, how well did you know Casey? Were you friends?"
     She shook her head. "No, she's. . more popular, we don't really get along, "
     "Do you know anyone at school who was fighting with her?"
     Madeline was quiet. "I don't know for sure. . . . I heard rumors, though, that her boyfriend was seeing someone else, that he wanted to break up with her, other than that. . . you should ask her friends, they would know more about that, " she said.
     "Can you give us the names of her boyfriend or friends?"
     She nodded. "Shakespeare Jones is-was her boyfriend. Um, her best friends were Alyson Martin, Nicole McLight and Jamie Whitney. "
     Rita looked up. "Whitney as in. . " She nodded her head towards the mansion.
     "Yes, Sgt. , the Whitney's that are my employers. That girl takes great pride in attacking my Maddy. " Betty spoke up.
     Chris and Rita looked at each other and rose. "Well, thank you Madeline. You've been a big help. If you think of anything else, give us a call, day or night, " Chris said, handing her a card.
     Once they were outside, Rita asked Chris, " So who would you say we should question next?"
     "Well, personally, my money is on the boyfriend. Man, with a first name like Shakespeare. . I'll guess he has a rough personality, " Chris laughed.
     Rita leaned back. "No way, Shakespeare would probably be as gentle as a mouse. "
     Chris looked at her funny. "You tend to be optimistic, don't you?"
     Rita grinned. " Have you read any Shakespeare, Christopher? It's about as far from violence as you can get. "
     "Oh-ho-ho Rita, that's where you are wrong. See, for the people who have to read Shakespeare, it can invoke a very violent reaction, " Chris laughed.
     Rita shook her head. "Oh, this partnership is going to be interesting. "
     Chris nodded. "Well, I must say, I've had worse looking partners. " he grinned. "So what do you say you go and question Miss Whitney since you're here, and I'll head on over and talk to Bobby Ford?"
     Rita smiled. "Sounds like a plan. You take the car, " she said, and tossed the keys to him, " and meet me back here in an hour. "
     Chris jingled the keys. "One hour then, " he said.

     Forty-five minutes later, Rita emerged from the Whitney mansion completely exhausted. Interviewing Jamie Whitney was about as pleasant as a root canal. The girl was obviously spoiled, and quite snobby. She spoke to Rita with an air, all the while demanding various housekeepers to do certain tasks for her. However, she did seem properly upset that one of her lifelong friends had just been murdered. And she confirmed Madeline's rumor, that Shakespeare Jones was seeing someone else, although she didn't know who, and that Casey was furious at him for it. Casey and Shakespeare had been having some problems lately, and in Jamie's opinion, he killed her to get her out of the way. Shakespeare, she had stated, is a lowlife who all along focused on Casey's money, then he dumped her for someone richer. Basically, Rita got the impression that there was much friction between Shakespeare and Jamie.
      However, Jamie did tell Rita one very interesting detail. According to her, Casey hated Hollis's Haunt. She went there with her friend's family once as a child, and she refused to go back. While other kids enjoyed exploring the ruins of the old house, or parking in the lot late at night, Casey was terrified of heights and refused to go a foot up the cliff. Therefore, it was a puzzle to her why she saw Casey headed in that direction in the first place.
      Rita was more puzzled than ever. Seeing that she had at least a half an hour before Chris was to arrive, and Atlantic Park was a block away, she decided to take a quick walk over and see what she could find.
      After taking a quick shortcut, she arrived near the top of the cliff. "It's a wonder to me that anyone would want to come here at all, " Rita said to herself. Very quietly, she made her way further up the cliff and approached the edge. Rita looked at the broken railing where Casey Klis fell through. She tried to picture exactly what had happened, exactly how she was standing and fell over, when a shadow passed over the railing.
      Rita heard a loud creaking behind her, and pulled her gun. "Who's there?" she called out. She immediately ducked behind a large shrub and looked both ways. Just then a figure jumped out in front of her. Rita gasped and extended her gun, but just then the figure shouted, "Don't shoot!"
     The figure turned out to be a teenage boy with blondish hair and big brown eyes.
      Rita looked at him. "Who are you, and why are you here? This is a crime scene, not to mention an unsafe place. "
     The boy shook his head. "I know, ma'am, I-I had to. . my girlfriend was murdered here, I, " his voice trailed off.
     "You're Shakespeare Jones?" Rita asked.
     He nodded.
     "I'm Sgt. Lance, " Rita said, flashing her badge. " I'm investigating Casey's murder. "
     Shakespeare looked frightened and angry. " Sgt. Lance, you have to catch whoever did this to Casey. I-I can't believe she's gone. "
     Looking puzzled, she asked, " You know, Mr. Jones, I heard from other people that you were seeing someone else at the time Casey was murdered. "
     He was quiet for a moment, then spoke. " We were having some problems, and I was going to break up with her after Prom, but then Nicki wanted me to do it before then, at the picnic, so I could take her, but. . "
     "Wait a second, back up there. Who's Nicki?"
     "Nicki, that's Nicole McLight, the girl I was seeing. "
     "Nicole McLight?" Rita tried to place where she heard that name before, then it hits her. "Wasn't she a close friend of Casey's?" The look on Shakespeare's face answers her question. "I guess all's fair in love and war, hmm, " she says sarcastically.
     He swallowed nervously.
     Rita looked at him and motioned for him to go on.
     "Anyway, I was going to do it, but then when I tried to talk to her, we got into an argument. Then there was Nicki was upset with me for not breaking it off, so she went to talk to Casey, and I didn't see her again, until the picnic was over. "
     "Did you see where Nicki and Casey went to talk?" Rita asked.
     He nodded, and looked a little teary. "Sgt, I'm sure it didn't mean anything, I, I've known her since. . . "
     "Where did they go, Shakespeare?"
     He pressed his lips together. "Towards the cliff, here. I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks, Nicki couldn't hurt a fly, let alone her best friend. "
     "Her best friend, who's boyfriend she was sneaking around with. " Rita stated.
     Suddenly Rita's beeper went off. She glanced at it, then noticed the time. "Listen, I have to go, if you think of anything else, please call me, here's my card, " Rita said hurriedly.
     He sniffled. "Sgt. , I did love her, " he said. "Even though we had problems and all, I never wanted to-I never meant her harm. You gotta understand that. "
     Rita smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "It's okay, we'll do everything we can to find out who did this. "
      Back at the Whitney house, Chris was looking around for Rita. He had just paged her with the cell phone. He didn't see her anywhere, and he was getting worried.
     Just then Rita came jogging up the sidewalk to the car. She jumped in and Chris started up the engine. "Sorry for running off like that, I finished up early and I went over to the park to look at the crime scene. Anyway while I was there, you'll NEVER guess, but Shakespeare Jones was there too, and he told me-"
      Chris looked at her incredulously. " I can't believe this, you went off to the crime scene BY YOURSELF and interrogated a possible suspect alone? What were you thinking? Do you realize how dangerous that could have been?"
      Rita glared at him. " He just happened to be there Lorenzo, and I saw it as an opportunity. Besides, I did not know that I needed to be escorted by you!"
     "It's a hazardous crime scene, Rita. it's very unsafe, especially with a suspect there, you should have-"
     " I am a big girl Christopher, I can take care of myself. I DONT need anyone to protect me!!!" Rita shouted.
     Chris came to a stop at a light and turned to her. "Look Rita, " he said calmly, " I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't take care of yourself, all right? But this kid could be a murderer, he could have done something that would have put you in danger, hell, he could have tossed YOU over that railing. Look, " he said. " I don't want to lose a partner before I've had a chance to get to know her, okay?" Chris smiled. "Can we call a truce?"
     Rita smiled. "All right, you're forgiven, under ONE condition. " she said.
     Chris shook his head. "Under one condition, " he said to himself. "Okay, let's hear it. "
     "You have got to lose that 'I call the shots' attitude. If we are going to work together, we are partners, and that means that we have to be able to trust each other, respect each other. I want you to be able to trust me, otherwise, we may put our own lives in danger here. "
     "What. . ?!?!" Chris looked flabbergasted.
     Rita looked at him sternly.
     Chris sighed. "Okay, it's a deal. . partner, " he stated.
     Rita's face broke into a smile. "Lets shake on it, " she insisted.
     They shook hands.
     Just then they heard a loud HONK. Chris turned and saw that the light was green. They headed towards the chop shop.

     "Lance!!! Lorenzo!! in my office, NOW!!!" called Hutch.
     It was a week later, and Rita, working at her desk, had a headache. She put her arms behind her neck, which was her usual relaxing position. She sighed, and made her way into Hutch's office.
     "Hey, Hutch, you summoned?" she asked.
     Capt. Hutchinson looked around the office, with a puzzled expression. "Didn't I call you AND your partner, Lance?" he asked.
     Rita rolled her eyes. "No, Hutch, I got a double name in the last few weeks, " she replied sarcastically.
     The look on Hutch's face was enough for her to tell him the truth.
     "Chris went out to lunch with his girlfriend, " she explained softly.
     Just then they heard a shout, "Hey, did someone tell my partner she could go home early? We still got work to do, the Capt. is going to be pi-"
     "Pickled onions? " called Hutch from his office. "Lorenzo, get into my office NOW!!! What, what's so amusing to you?" Hutch inquired. Rita was standing by his desk, trying not to laugh.
     "I was just trying to imagine myself in your position, you know, being able to order detectives into my office at will, " she said.
     Hutch grinned. "Well, I'll guess that you will have THAT skill down to perfection Lance, " he said. "But you are not advancing to anywhere if YOU PARTNER DOESN'T GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!"
     "Hey, hey. What's all the commotion?" Chris asked, appearing in the office. He tossed a fast food bag to Rita. "Here's some grub for you, partner, " he said. "But save the onion rings for me, I'm starved. "
     She looked at him quizzically. "I thought you went out for lunch with Reno, " she said.
     He shook his head. "Nope. She, ah, is a little mad at me. "
     "Why?" Rita asked.
     Chris shook his head. " She's mad that I have to work again tonight, apparently she has tickets to some play, and she wanted me to go. "
     "But-" Rita started. Hutch threw her a look saying, Don't say it. Rita knew that working late that night wasn't necessary, but Chris probably used it as an excuse not to attend that play. She kept her mouth shut.
     Chris shrugged. "Oh well, she'll get over it. "
     Hutch grinned slyly. "It looks like it's time to hit the car dealerships again, huh Lorenzo?"
     Chris laughed. "Heh-heh. Don't even start with that, Hutch. "
     Rita looked at both men. 'Am I missing something here? How did we get from Chris's relationship to cars?"
     Hutch was laughing now. Chris was shaking his head, mouthing the words, No, no, don't tell her. But Hutch couldn't help it.
     "You see, Lance, " he began in a semi-calm tone, "Lorenzo here likes to give a token of his affection to his women when they split. " He was laughing harder.
     "Hutch, come on, " Chris moaned.
     "He gives. . . (laugh) each girl(sputter) the car he owns at the moment!!!!" Hutch exclaimed.
     Chris closed his eyes.
     "Lorenzo has probably owned more cars in the past five years than I have in my whole life!!" Hutch stated.
     Rita looked at Chris incredulously. "You mean. . you just give them your car? How does that work, do you say, oh I want to break up, here's the keys to my car?" Rita started laughing also. "Well, lucky for you, none of them asked for your Jag. I can't imagine you'd EVER want to give that car away!"
     Hutch was hysterical now. Chris suddenly looked very pale.
     Rita's mouth dropped open. "You. . you didn't give someone your Jag, didn't you? Tell me you didn't. "
     Chris looked away, his face turning a nice shade of pink.
     "You didn't sell it?"
     "Well, no, I, uh, did, technically. My ex-girlfriend Lyndi Jean got into an accident in it about a month ago, and wanted to sell it. So I had to go down and sign some papers I didn't transfer over. . " Chris sighed.
     "Oh, Christopher!! Your grandmother bought that for you!!! How could you just give it away?" she asked.
     "I didn't mean to, it just. . . that's how it worked out, " he said, looking halfway miserable.
     Meanwhile Hutch was beginning to calm down. "Well, now Lance, if you weren't already a co-worker of Lorenzo's, I'd suggest that's one benefit of dating him. "
     Rita smiled. "Sorry Chrissy, I already HAVE a car. Otherwise, -"
     "Otherwise. . . . "Chris grinned.
     "Hey, come on, let's get off this subject, huh? I did call you to nimbleheads in here for a reason. "Hutch said.
     "Sorry Hutch, what's up?" Rita asked.
     Hutch sat down and batted his eyelashes. "So tell me you two, WHAT are you doing all day while you're supposed to be, ah, what's that word, " He snaps his fingers. "Working? Investigating the case? Something, anything like that?"
     Rita and Chris smiled sheepishly.
     "Well, we've questioned several of Cassandra Klis's close friends and classmates, " Chris started.
     "And what we've come up with is a pretty complicated situation, " Rita finished.
     Hutch indicated for her to go on.
     "You see, according to her three best friends, she was terrified of heights. They've been friends since grade school, and every time they went to Atlantic Park, she would never go anywhere near the cliff. So they all feel that it was a shock in the first place that she was there at all. "
     "Hmm. . . and the witness's, what do they say?" Hutch inquired.
     "Apparently, Madeline Nosidam and Bobby Ford were the last two students on the cliff. They both have a simple story-they took a walk, ran into one another at the edge, and left together. A few minutes later, they heard a scream, but ran back and didn't see anything. Later they joined other students to look for Cassandra, and Madeline, Bobby, and another girl, Gabrielle Olsen found her body in the water. End of story. "
     "Do you think one of them had motive? Any grudges against the girl, anything?" Hutch asked.
     "Um. . no, I don't think so Hutch. Madeline seemed very quiet and shy, completely harmless. granted, she was occasionally the butt of jokes by Casey's group, but. . . I don't think even that would have been strong enough to move her to kill, " Rita said.
     "And the boy? Something might have been going on between him and this girl. "
     "Bobby barely knew Casey, but he was quite shook up about her death. " Chris stated.
     "Yeah, I'd say that the real motive here is the boyfriend and/or his other girlfriend. Shakespeare Jones-" Rita said.
     "Wait, wait , wait a second. SHAKESPEARE Jones?? Shakespeare? What ever happened to ordinary names like Tom or Dick or. . " Hutch shook his head. "Oh man, I tell you only in Palm Beach. Only in Palm Beach, " He repeated softly, head in hands.
     Chris and Rita laughed.
     "Anyway, now he was dating Casey's best friend Nicole McLight on the side. And from other's stories, Nicole was angry with Shakespeare for not telling Casey sooner. Supposedly, she was very angry about it, and someone heard her threaten to "fix it so that Casey wont live to see another date with Shakespeare. " And someone else saw her walking in the direction of the cliff shortly before she disappeared. I'd say we have a prime suspect, Hutch. " Rita concluded.
     "Well, why aren't you out arresting her then?"
     "Because she has been conveniently out of town since the picnic, and we can't get hold of her until-" Chris looked at his watch. "about twenty four hours from now. "
     Hutch grinned. "Ok, you two jokers are done for the day, " he said. "Go home and get an early rest. Go on, " he said. "You'll never get an early dismissal from this teacher again!" He laughed.
     "Ok, thanks, I'll see you tomorrow Skipper!!!" Chris called.
     As they walked out of Hutch's office, Rita commented to Chris, "I guess you will be able to make that play tonight after all!"
     Chris laughed. "Are you kidding? I'm going to hit the gym and-" He stretched his arms out. "you know, do some bodybuilding. " He smiled widely.
     "Yeah, I can see that you've been neglecting the gym for a while, " Rita teased. She lightly punched him in the stomach.
     "Ha ha ha, very funny Miss Lance. Now, what about you, you got a hot date tonight?" Chris asked.
     "I told you already Lorenzo, my car's in good shape, so don't press your luck. "
     "Hey! You, you're getting a kick out of this aren't you, " Chris asked as they approached the parking lot.
     Rita laughed. "Actually I am enjoying this. I don't know many guys who give away their cars when they break up with someone, it's pretty weird. "
     Chris shook his head. "You know, I would never expect you to understand, it's a guy thing. "
     "A guy thing? Oh wow, I guess since I'm just a helpless female I couldn't possible wrap my mind around anything that a guy does, " she replied sarcastically. "There's a lot about you that I don't understand. "
     "Likewise. " Chris said. "So what are the lady's plans for the evening?"
     "Well, I don't know, there's this documentary on about my favorite golfer, I think I'll just stay home and watch that. " Rita said.
     "Really?" Chris's eyes perked up. "Who might that be?"
     "I doubt you'd know of him, he's an old one. His name's Sam Snead, he played during the-"
     "Wait a sec. 'Slammin' Sammy Snead? You've got to be kidding me!!!" Chris laughed.
     "What?" Rita looked confused.
     "Slammin' Sammy is the all time best golfer!!!! I can't believe that YOU'RE a fan, this is incredible!! There's really a documentary on him tonight?" Chris asked.
     Rita nodded. "Channel 32. "
     "I knew that play wasn't a good idea!!!! This is great!!!!" Chris exclaimed.
     Rita grinned. "Well, what do you know, we have something in common after all. Do you want to come over and watch it with me?" she asked.
     "Sure, anything for a fellow Sammy fan, " Chris said. "What time?"
     "It starts at 8:00, " she said. " Here's my address. " She scribbled it on a piece of scrap paper in her purse. "I'll see you tonight then, Sammy!!!" Rita walked to her car.
     "Ha, ha!! Sammy, " he said to himself. "That's very cute, Sammy!! See-yah!!" He waved as she drove off.

     At approximately a quarter to eight that night, there was a knock on Rita's door.
     "Coming!" she called.
     Rita opened the door and found Chris there, shopping bag in hand. "Hiya Sam, I brought a little treat. " He held up cartons of ice cream. " I ran into Tina, she told me that double chocolate was your favorite. "
     Rita smiled. "She was right, " she said, accepting a carton. "Thank you very much Sam, that was sweet of you. Come on in, " She gestured for him to enter her apartment.
     Chris glanced around at her rather colorful home. "Was it your secret dream to be an interior designer?" he kidded.
     "Very funny. No, I just like my place to be cheerful, bright. I'm not one for ordinary beige. "
     "Ah, well, beige it's not. Very nice, " he said approvingly.
     "Thanks. Have a seat, " Rita said, waving her hand towards the couch.
     After getting settled and turning on the TV, Chris asked, "So how long have you been a Slammin Sammy fan?"
     "Ever since college, I guess. A. . friend of mine was a golfer, and I learned a lot through him. That's when I became interested in the game, and in Sammy, " Rita said.
     "Yeah. . he is the greatest, " Chris sighed.
     Just then the documentary came on. For the next two hours Chris and Rita were engaged in the show, occasionally trading comments.
     Once it was over Rita switched the power off, and turned to Chris. "So that's the glamorous life of Sam Snead, " she remarked.
     "Yeah. . " Chris said. "You know, I played golf occasionally during college, too. "
     Rita chuckled. "Uh-huh, I'll just bet. The outdoor or indoor kind?"
     Chris looked confused.
     Rita shook her head and laughed. "Sorry, just a joke of mine. One day I was home sick and I was reading a golfer's instruction manual, and I came up with my own version of INDOOR golf. "
     "Indoor golf, Sam, you don't mean-" Chris's eyes widened. "Oh, Sammy, you've got a deviant's mind!!!!" He shook his head.
     Rita laughed.
     "So where did you go to school, Sam?" Rita asked.
     "Well, I went to elementary school in Philadelphia, where I was born. When I was older I went to Palm Beach High, and I went to Florida State after that!" Chris pronounced with a sigh.
     "Florida State? That's where I went!!!" Rita said, looking amazed. " I went to Palm Beach High too. What year did you graduate?"
     "PBHS in '81, Florida State, Class of 85. "
     "Two years behind you in each, Chris, that's incredible. I can't believe we haven't met before. . . . " she said.
     "I know, it's incredible, " Chris said. He turned back towards the television and sighed.
      "Slammin' Sammy, hey? Now that guy was pure poetry in action! The
     greatest golfer that ever lived. . . well, outdoors, that is, " he said, smiling cheekily.
      "You know I'd say by the number of cars you've been through in the last few years
     you've probably earned the title of a pretty good golfer
     yourself ! Maybe you could be the next Slammin' Sammy, hey?" Rita said grinning. "Hey, enough with my personal life, partner!! What, are you judging me BEFORE you've
     tried it out?" Chris said, laughing. "What about you, Sam, another great golfer?"
     Rita leaned over to Chris and whispered, "You'll never know as long as we're
     partners!!"
     Chris raised his eyebrows. "Well, in that case, let's hurry up and solve this crime!!!"
     Rita laughed. " Enough with this already!!! So , tell me Christopher, what did you tell your poor grandmother happened to that gorgeous Jag??"
     Chris groaned, still a bit mortified, but otherwise enjoying her amusement at his expense. "I'm never going to live that down am I! Yeah, she gave it to me just before she died. "
     "Oh Chris, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry like that. "
     "Nah that's OK Sam. She was a wonderful lady. You would have liked her
     a lot. " Chris smiled, remembering, and Rita knew he'd loved his grandmother
     a lot.
     " So, what about you ? Your family still living in Palm Beach?" Chris asked.
     "Ummmm. . . sort of. " Rita looked slightly uncomfortable at this question, and quickly changed the subject.
     "So, where do you think we are on this case? I mean, all signs point right to Nicole McLight, but. . . I just don't think it's her for some reason, you know?"
      Chris looked at her and KNEW she was evading the question. But he could also see that talking about her family was upsetting her a bit so he went along with her.
     "I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out more from her. But, why don't you think she did it? Have you discovered a new lead that you're holding back from me?" Chris grinned.
     "I wish. No, it's just a feeling I have. . a hunch. "
     "A hunch? Where's that going to get us?" Chris asked.
     Rita laughed. "Hey, I have good instincts, and my hunches are usually on the right track, so you are much better off listening to me. "
     "Mmm. . modest too, aren't you?"
     She giggled.
     Just then the phone rang. Rita reached over to the nearby coffee table and picked it up. "Hello?" she answered. A moment later she handed the phone to Chris. "It's for you, " she stated.
     Chris looked puzzled. "For me?" he asked. He took the receiver from Rita. "Hi, Sgt. Lorenzo here, " he grinned. He quickly covered the mouthpiece and said, "I'm still not used to saying, Sgt. Lorenzo. It's so cool. "
     A high-strung voice echoed in Chris's ear. "Christopher Lorenzo, you have some explaining to do!!"
     "Reno?"
     "Who did you expect? Your other girlfriend? Or are you at her house right now, you liar, " Reno said angrily.
     "Reno, hold on just a minute there, " Chris said. He looked up at Rita quickly, who nodded and went into the kitchen. "Now, what's the problem?"
     "What's the PROBLEM? As if you don't know!!! You told me that you couldn't go to the play because you were , and I quote, 'working late. ' But I went to the station to bring you a snack, and an officer said you went home hours ago. So I went to your house, let myself in, and found an address and phone number written-in woman's handwriting- and I call and SHE answers, and you want to know what's the problem? Who is she, is MY question!!"
     "Reno-" Chris tried to get a word in edgewise.
     "Now let me tell you something. Maybe you are used to this type of thing, I knew you were a ladies' man, but I won't put up with this kind of crap. If you want to see me, it's me only. If you want her, then it's over between us, finished!" Reno declared.
     "Look, Reno, it's not what you think. She's my partner! I'm over here, ah, working, "Chris said, hoping she didn't notice his hesitation.
     "Your partner? Honey, last time I checked, your partner was Derek. "
     "This is temporary, for this case I'm working on, you know, the seventeen year old
      girl-"Chris started.
     "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, " Reno cut him off. "Okay, so let's suppose she is your partner. Why are you at her house?"
     "I told you, we are working on the case. "
     "You can't work at the station just as effectively?"
     "Reno, it's never bothered you when I go over to Derek's to work. "
     "That's different. "
     "Oh, it's different. Why? Because Rita is female, right?" Chris asked angrily.
     Reno paused. "Well, so what Chris? Maybe I don't like the idea of you alone in some woman's house!!"
     Chris shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe you, Reno. You act like you can't trust me. I have never done anything to make you doubt me, I've never-"
     "It's not you I don't trust, it's her. " Reno stated.
     "Oh, so you're angry at me because you don't trust someone you don't know? That makes a lot of sense, "Chris snapped.
     "Chris-" she began.
     "Look, I've got to go. We'll finish this conversation later. " Chris hung up the phone abruptly. He put his head into his hands and sighed. When he looked up Rita was standing there, a sympathetic look on her face.
     "Oh, Rita, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to argue so loudly. " Chris looked around. "Hope the neighbors aren't around!"
     Rita patted his shoulder. "I guess she was upset. " It was a statement, not a question.
     "Yeah. . Reno's a little hyperactive, she gets jealous easily. . I'd better go anyway, though, it's getting late. " Chris stood up. "Ah, thank you for inviting me over, it was a great show, " he grinned.
     Rita followed him to the door. "You're welcome. Thank you for coming, and for the treat, " she smiled.
     Chris tilted his head and looked at her for a moment. "There is a lot more to you than meets the eye, lady, " he said.
     "Well. . don't expect to understand me that easily, Lorenzo, " she said. "After all, we've only been partners for a while. "
     He smiled. He reached out for her hand and kissed it softly.
     "Quite the gentleman, aren't you, " Rita remarked.
     "Ha!! Well, that's all of my offering for now!" Chris stated.
     "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow then. . partner!" she said.
     "See yah!!" he called, as he left.
     Rita closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She held her hand in front of her mouth for a brief second. Yes, working with Chris Lorenzo was definitely going to be an adventure, she thought, as she turned off the lights and headed for bed.
      As he started up his car, Chris turned and saw the lights go out in Rita's apartment. Yes, Rita would definitely be one of his more interesting partners, he thought.

     At eight a. m. the next morning, Rita and Chris rang the doorbell of Nicole McLight's house.
     A woman in her mid-thirties answered. "Yes, may I help you?" she asked.
     Rita held up her badge. "I'm Sgt. Lance, ma'am, this is my partner Sgt. Lorenzo. We are investigating the homicide of Cassandra Klis. Is Nicole McLight around?"
     The woman paused. "She is, but she just arrived home from an international flight, she's tired. "
     "We won't take much time, ma'am. " Chris said.
     "All right. . Do come in, " she said. They followed the woman down the hall until they reached a door, where the woman knocked.
     "Nicki? There are some people here who wish to talk to you, " the woman said.
     "Mom, tell Jamie that I'll call her later, all right?" a girl answered.
     "It's the cops, Nicole, they want to talk about. . what happened at the picnic. " Mrs McLight stated.
     The door opened. A petite redhead looked at Chris and Rita curiously. "I don't know what you want to know from me, I wasn't there, I didn't see Casey fall, " she said.
     "We know that, Ms. McLight, we wanted to ask you a few questions about something though, " Rita said. She glanced at Mrs. McLight. "Can we talk to your daughter alone?"
     Nicole's mother frowned, but left the room.
     Nicole turned to them. "I don't understand, what is this about?"
     Chris glanced around the messy room. The girl noticed. "I just got back from Australia, visiting my aunt. Please excuse the mess, have a seat, " She motioned towards a small couch.
     Chris nodded. "Thank you. "
     Rita glanced at him and rolled her eyes briefly. "Anyway Ms. McLight, we have been talking to some of your friends about what may have happened , who may have had motive in killing Casey. "
     "And you think I do. " Nicole said quietly.
     "We aren't making any accusations at this point, Nicole, but if you cooperate and tell us the truth-"Chris started.
     "It's okay. I'm sure you know about me and Shakespeare, " she said, sitting down at her desk. "Listen, detectives, I know it probably seems like I had reason to kill Casey, but I wouldn't. I didn't. I couldn't ever hurt another person, especially not my best friend!" she cried.
     "Nicole, we need for you to tell us what exactly happened that day. We have witnesses stating that they saw you and Casey heading for the cliff, "Rita said.
     Nicole sighed, and sat down, her eyes bright with tears. She took a deep breath, and looked out the window, as if she were holding back from talking to them.
     "I didn't do it. Isn't that all I have to say?" she asked.
     Chris shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not that easy, Nicole. "
     She sighed again, and looked at the ceiling for a long moment, before beginning her speech haltingly.
     "I-for a while before. . I mean, " she said, "Things were great for Casey and Shakespeare at first, " she said slowly. "But then, things got complicated. "
     Rita shook her head slightly. "Complicated how?" she asked.
     "Well, nothing really between them, it was her parents. . they caused a lot of trouble for them, " Nicole said.
     "Like, they disapproved of him?" Chris asked.
     "Yes. . sort of. . anyway, things were rough for a while, then he and I were working together on a science project. . and one thing led to another, and. . " Nicole drifted off.
     "And you two fell madly in love. " Rita stated a bit sarcastically.
     Nicole's head lifted abruptly. "I didn't mean to steal Casey's boyfriend, it had nothing to do with her!" she exclaimed.
     "Nicole calm down, we're not here to judge your loyalty to your friend. " Chris said.
     She sighed. "Well, anyway. . we were getting close, and finally one day I asked him to go to Prom with me instead of with Casey. We argued about that for a while, and then, I decided, maybe if I talked it over with her, maybe she'd let him go, once she saw how happy he was. . it wasn't going to work out between them, she knew it wouldn't, " Nicole said fiercely. "So I asked her, on the day of the picnic, to take a walk with me. . and we did head for Old Hollis' Haunt, but she didn't want to go up it, I had to beg her. . she hated that place, " she added, "but it was the only place we could talk with some privacy. "
     "We didn't go very far up, we stayed right near the bottom, " she continued. "We were just talking, I hadn't said anything yet, when she suddenly started crying. "
     " 'Nicki' she said, 'I'm in trouble, big time'. I asked her what was wrong, and finally she told me-she was pregnant. "
     Chris and Rita looked at each other in shock. "Pregnant?" Rita asked.
     Nicole nodded. "Yeah, um-hmm. With Shake's baby, " she said, tears falling down her cheeks. "I was surprised, I mean, I knew they had been doing it, but, not for a while. . but she said she was around three months along. "
     "Did anyone else know about this? Did Shakespeare know?" Chris questioned.
     Nicole shook her head. "Are you kidding? He would never have considered sneaking around on her if he knew. . he loved her more than anything, " she said.
     Rita looked at Chris with her mouth open. "I don't get this Nicole. First you say that you two fell in love, that it would never work out, then you say he loved her more than anything. Do you see a bit of a conflict here?" she asked.
     She sniffed. "Sgt. Lance, he always loved her, even when we were together, but he couldn't be with her, you don't understand, it was never possible. "
     "Why don't you explain that, then?" Chris asked.
     "You see. . Casey's parents. . they were from Germany originally. Her family is pure German, and her grandfather was an important businessman back there, decades ago. . Anyway he was. . friends, you could call it? Or something with this other German family, and they had ties to the government or something. . I really don't know all the details, just what Casey told me. But anyway, way back before she was born, her grandfather and father made an arrangement with that family, that said that when Casey was born, she would marry their son when she was 18. "
     Chris looked shocked. "You mean, they arranged her a marriage?"
     "Exactly. "
     "But she was 18 already. . when she died. " Rita said.
     Nicole nodded. "Yeah, she was supposed to marry the guy this summer. . in August. "
     Rita's face became clear with understanding. "And that's why they didn't want her dating, " she said.
     "Which means that her pregnancy probably didn't go over too well with them, " Chris mused.
     "Didn't go over well? They would have hit the roof!! Casey's parents are very strict, not to mention that they were getting a lot of money once the marriage went through, " she said. "God, they'd probably kill her if they found out-" Nicole's voice drifted off suddenly.
     Chris and Rita looked at each other. They could almost read what was on the other's mind.
     "Nicole, you've been a big help, but we still need to know. . what happened at the mansion after Casey told you about her pregnancy?" Rita asked.
     "Nothing, I swear, " she said. "We talked some more about what she would tell her parents, and Shake. . but that was it, " she added. "I left not long after that, she said she wanted to be alone. "
     "You didn't tell her about your little affair with Shakespeare, then?"
     "No way!! I couldn't. . not after what she told me. . I didn't know what to do, so I left and went for a walk. Later that day, when the ambulance came, and took her away, " Nicole broke off, sobbing. " I didn't know what to do, I thought she fell at first, but when I heard she was murdered. . I couldn't be around him anymore, I just didn't know. . so I went to my Aunt Kate's, in Sydney, " she said.
     "So. . you think that Shakespeare did it, " Chris said.
     "No!! I mean. . I don't know. . how could he? But I just don't know anyone else who would've. . I just don't know. . " Nicole sobbed.
     The door opened abruptly. "Are you two done interrogating my daughter yet?" Mrs. McLight asked. "She's upset enough as it is!!"
     "Yes, ma'am we were just finishing up, " Chris said. He handed Nicole a card. "Listen Nicole, my number and the police department number is on here, " he said. "If you think of anything else. . "
     She took the card and nodded, crying still.
     Rita patted her on the shoulder slightly, and said, "I'm sorry, " then followed Chris out the door.

     Later that day, after arriving back at the station, the two detectives continued to work on the case. The pieces were slowly but surely coming together.
     Rita sat at her new desk, flipping through the notes of the past few interviews. Something was missing, she thought. The answer seemed to be flashing in front of her face, but she just couldn't quite see it. Frowning, she turned back to the notes taking early that morning at Nicole's house.
     A hand clamped itself over her eyes. "Aha! Didn't your mother ever tell you that prolonged reading was bad for your eyes?" a voice said.
     Rita spun around. "Tina!" she cried. Tina Maxwell had been her partner back in vice for a few months, until she had gotten promoted to sergeant and transferred to Homicide. The two had been good friends as well as partners, and there were times when Rita missed her snappy repartee.
     Tina laughed. "So how is it going up here on the sixth floor? You into serial killers yet?"
     Rita smiled. "Not exactly, although I think that would be pushing it for now! No, we are investigating the murder of a teenager. How are things on your floor?" she asked.
     "Oh, well you know. . the usual amount of hookers, pimps, and thieves. Actually, I may be transferred to Narc next month. " Tina said.
     "Ooh, you'll get to play with drugs. Better watch out, you can't wear all those short skirts you bought for Vice while you raid a crackhouse!!!" Rita teased.
     "Hey, enough already!! I'm anxious to dump the wardrobe, and go somewhere where I may be able to make a difference, " she said. "So tell me about your new partner. Anyone I know?"
     Rita shrugged. "Ah, actually yes you do. I'm working with Christopher Lorenzo, but it's just for this case, " she said quickly. "He's supposed to be 'training' me in homicide, since he's been here a little longer, and once we nail this perp, " she said, hitting her pen at the file, "I'm sure I'll be placed with a permanent partner. "
     Tina's eyebrows arched. "Oh-ho, you lucky girl! Getting to pair up with Lorenzo, eh?" she teased. "Oh, come on, you have to admit he's a hunk, Lance. You could've gotten worse, like Freddy Kruger, " Tina indicated the homely looking detective across the room. "I'll bet you two are putting in the late late hours, huh?" She grinned, noticing for the first time Rita's face was scarlet.
     "No, it's not like that, Maxwell, this case is intense, and it requires more work!" Rita snapped. "Homicide is so much more difficult than vice. "
     Tina laughed. "Okay, okay, chill girl, I'm just teasing you, " she smiled. "Seriously Chris is a sweet guy, you are lucky to be working with him. Where is that cutie, anyway?"
     "He's getting lunch from some Chinese place. We were out questioning a girl this morning. " She proceeded to fill Tina in on the details of the case. When she was done, Tina looked impressed.
     "I certainly don't envy you, the work that involves. God, kids killing kids. . that's so sad, " she said.
     "Well, at this point, everything is spinning in circles. One minute I think Nicole did it, the next I think Shakespeare, I'm even beginning to wonder if maybe she just jumped off the balcony after all!"
     "Well, I wouldn't blame her, poor girl. But, when you look at her situation, it makes sense. She was pregnant, her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend, and then you add in all this arranged marriage stuff. . . I guess her dad ended up losing his fortune after all, " Tina said.
     Rita nodded. "Yes. . I guess so, " she said. Something about Tina's statement seemed to alert her, but she wasn't sure what it was. She yawned.
     "Looks like you were up late, " Tina commented.
     She nodded sleepily. "Yeah, Chris came over and watched the Sammy Snead documentary with me, it ended kind of late. "
     Tina cracked up. "I don't believe this!" she stated. "You actually found someone who's as crazy about that golfer as you?"
     "Yes! And we had a good time, too, " she said.
     "Well, I'm glad for you-not because of ol' Sammy Snead was on the tube either, " Tina said.
     "Okay, and why are you glad then?" Rita asked lightly.
     "Because it gave you guys a chance to get to know each other. I think you and Chris would have a lot in common, besides Snead. You two could be good friends, he would be good for you, " she remarked.
     "What's that supposed to mean? I have plenty of friends, aren't they good for me?" Rita asked.
     "You know what I mean, Rita. You don't really let people get that close to you. . maybe it's because of what happened with your family, I don't know. You have a lot of friends, but you don't open yourself up to anyone easily, not even me. " Tina said softly.
     Rita smiled. "Don't you worry about me, okay? And don't try to throw me at Chris, either, " she kidded. "I'm afraid that we really don't have all that much in common. "
     "How can you say that, you barely know him!" Tina said.
     "He's much too dominant, too macho for me even to work with on a permanent basis, let alone be close friends with!"
     "Give him a chance, Rita. Chris isn't at all what he seems to be, you never know. "
     "Yeah, well. . . " Rita's voice drifted off. "Don't expect me to run out and pair up with him after this case!"
     Tina laughed. "Hey, you know if you play your cards right, there could be a BIG reward in it for you!"
     "You mean like a four wheel reward?" Rita asked.
     Both women burst out laughing.
     Tina gasped. "I know I shouldn't make fun of Chris. . but, I'd sure like to know where he gets that from!"
     "Where I get what from, Maxwell?" Chris said coming up to them with food. " My intelligence? My charm? My. . . great body?" Chris flexed his arm muscle and grinned.
     Rita rolled her eyes.
     Tina smiled. "Hey, hey Lorenzo! How's it going?" she asked, punching his arm lightly. He cringed. "Ow. " he whispered.
     Tina and Rita hid smiles.
     Chris groaned. "Oooh. . okay, I can see how this goes. "
     "Well, I'd better go. . . gotta get back to work, " Tina said. "It was great seeing you both again, good luck on that case! Rita, remember what I said, okay? Bye!!" she called.
     "See-yah Maxwell, " Chris grinned. He turned to his partner, who was already pawing through the containers.
     "Mmm, this smells good. Where did you go? You were gone awhile, " Rita said.
     "Ah, I went to this place called Mo Fats. They're the greatest. Here, this one is yours, " Chris said, indicating a pale yellow container at the far end of her desk. He placed it by the food Rita was digging in, and carefully pulled the first one away.
     "Hey, stop that!! That looked good, " she complained.
     Chris's eyes widened. "Oh well, here you can have some , Sam, " he said. "We can share. "
     Rita smiled.
     "So. . did you find out who the murderer was while I was gone or were you more into that girl talk?" Chris inquired.
     Rita looked at him accusingly. "It was not girl talk Lorenzo, that's so typical. Two females can have intelligent conversation without it being labeled as some sort of mindless chattering, " she said. "Anyway, I did get to tell her a bit about the case. . she said something that seemed a little startling though. . . "
     "What was that?"
     "We were talking about Casey's arranged marriage, and Tina said something about how her parents lost out. . that they lost that money, the money they were getting for the marriage, " Rita said, realization finally dawning on her face. "That's it!"
     "What?" Chris asked, still confused.
     "I knew there was something in Nicole's interview that stood out. . now I know what it was. Remember when she said that Councilman Klis was getting money-a lot of it-for Casey's marriage?"
     Chris's face was cleared.
     "And that she was supposed to marry into some wealthy, powerful German family, right?" he asked.
     "Right. . " Rita said, a thoughtful look on her face.
     Chris tapped a pencil against the desk. "Okay. . so what we need to find out is exactly how much-"
     "Klis would've benefited from the marriage, " Rita finished.
     "We need to have a talk with the Councilman, Sam, " Chris said.
     "Yup, " she agreed. She grabbed her badge off of her desk and headed for the door, but Chris stopped her.
     "So, ah, anyway, " he grinned. "just what were the two of you talking about?"
     Rita smiled mischievously. "Girl talk, Sam. " She walked ahead of him.
     Chris laughed.

     As they approached the Councilman's office, they were stopped by a secretary.
     "I'm sorry, Councilman Klis isn't available right now. He's out of the office. " she said.
     Chris sighed. "We are police officers ma'am, we really need to have a word with him, do you know when he'll be back?"
     "I'm sorry, I don't, " she started to say, but was interrupted by another man.
     "It's okay, Laurie, I'll handle this. Hi, I'm Dennis Gordon, I am a business partner and friend of Manfred's. If you'll step into this office, I am sure that I can answer any questions as well as he. Please, come in, " he motioned.
     Chris and Rita followed Gordon into a large office.
     "Now, I understand you must be investigating the death of his daughter. Terrible tragedy, terrible, " Gordon remarked.
     "Yes it was, " Rita said. " Sgt. Rita Lance, my partner, Sgt. Lorenzo, " she introduced, smiling widely.
     Gordon smiled back, and Chris felt a bit funny about the look between them. Suddenly, the two burst out laughing.
     "Rita! It's great to see you again!" Gordon exclaimed.
     Rita laughed. "You too, Denny. "
     "So you're a Sgt. now, huh? You're moving right along up there!! Look at you, you act so business like now, unlike the way you were back in Miss Hayes class!!" Gordon stated.
     Chris was wildly confused. "Can someone tell me what is going on here?"
     Rita and Gordon laughed. "Chris, this is Denny Gordon, we were classmates in elementary and junior high school. But he moved away in, eighth grade was it?"
     Gordon nodded. "Yes, to Massachusetts, where I got my degree, " he said. "I didn't even recognize you until a moment ago, Rita, you look great!"
     "So do you, Denny. "
     Chris cleared his throat, and glanced at Rita.
     "Unfortunately, though. . as much as I'd like to catch up, we are here on business, " she said regretfully.
     "Right. Well, ask away, to you I am an open book!" Gordon exclaimed.
     "Okay. . . well, we need to know some things about your partner, Denny. " Rita said.
     "As I said earlier, there's not much about Manny that I don't know. What all do you need?"
     "We need to know about his daughter's arranged marriage, " Chris said.
     Gordon looked thoughtful. "Ah, I see. Get right to the easy matters don't you?" he joked.
     Rita smiled. "What can you tell us about that?"
     Gordon twiddled his thumbs for a moment. "It was a difficult situation, you could say. Not as much as it had been in the last few years, that was the worst. But, from what Manfred has told me, he was buddies with a guy back in Germany. Anyway, the buddy, his name was Gotthard, was involved in a German high-society organization, something like a cult, that had access to the government. And somehow, Gotthard was ostracized from the cult when he was involved in a political scandal that nearly led to war with a nearby country. The cult was so angry that they threatened his life if he ever set foot on German land again. He wanted to be forgiven, be allowed back into the cult, however, so he asked Manny for help. He couldn't return to Germany, or to the organization, until he had a complete German-blood descendant two generations down. Gotthard's own father was a leader of the group, and had cut his son out of a sizable will. He left his inheritance instead to the group, under instructions that he would not receive it until he had a full-blooded German grandchild. "
      "So Gotthard arranged it with Manfred and his father-His firstborn daughter would marry his firstborn son, and have a child in Germany. If the Klis' agreed to it, he would receive over 25 million dollars, as well as a high position in this group, which was quite exclusive. . Now, I know what you are thinking, " Gordon said hurriedly, "why would he need more money? Manfred himself was from a powerful German family and he's already involved in politics here. But, you have to understand-Manfred Klis is a blue-blooded German, he loves that country. He was devastated when his father chose to move here, and has always wanted to move back. Cassandra's marriage provided him that opportunity. "
      "Why didn't Klis just move back there once he was of age?" Chris asked.
     Gordon sighed. " I don't understand that part, myself, but he wanted to return to Germany with money and power. He doesn't really have that much, I mean, well, he's wealthy of course-" Gordon laughed. "But his family was extremely wealthy, and went bankrupt when he was a child. I think he wants to prove that he has become a full- fledged success, and wants plenty of respect from the German aristocrats. Hey, I have the documents here, " he said, indicating a file on his desk. Chris reached over and flipped through it while Rita continued talking.
     Rita nodded. "So Manfred Klis definitely was not about to let his daughter marry a local boy, nor have his child. "
     Gordon shook his head. "No, certainly not. "
     Chris looked up. "What I don't understand is, what happens now? I mean, Casey is dead. . there won't be anymore marriage, right?"
     Gordon shook his head again. "Actually, there will be. In the agreement that Manfred and Gotthard drew up years ago, it was stated that if his first daughter were to die before a wedding could take place, his second born daughter would then be next in line, once she reached her eighteenth birthday. And, " Gordon drew his breath. "they do have another daughter, who was just fifteen months younger than Cassandra. "
     "So, you're saying. . . " Rita said.
     "Manfred's daughter Helen will be 18 this July, and she will marry Joseph Gotthard in August. " Gordon stated.
     "Where exactly is Helen Klis now?" Chris asked.
     She's attending boarding school in Switzerland, a good one with a famous music department-she was studying the piano with top-notch instructors. Actually, it's funny that you stopped by when you did Rita, " Gordon said. "because I was just making arrangements for Helen to meet with Mr. Gotthard Sr. "
     "Why is that?" Rita asked.
     "Just a formality, " Gordon said.
     Rita and Chris looked at each other for a moment. Rita wondered if Chris was thinking the same thing she was. She rose from her chair. "Denny, thanks you've been a BIG help, " Rita said.
     "My pleasure Rita, I hope you catch whoever did this to that sweet girl. Manny's been bawling like a baby ever since it happened. " Gordon leaned over and gave Rita a quick hug. "Sgt. Lawrence, it was nice to meet you too, " he said shaking Chris's hand.
     "That's Lorenzo, " Chris said slightly gruff.
     Gordon smiled to Rita as if he hadn't heard Chris's comment. "We must get together one of these days, Rita, and catch up, " he said.
     "Yes we should Denny, thanks again, " Rita said.
     He followed them to his door.
     Once they were in the car, Chris groaned. "Well, it looks like we are back to square one, Sam. God, I don't know if we'll ever solve this case!"
     Rita turned to him incredulously. "I know, I know. I-I was so sure that Councilman Klis may have done it! But, he couldn't risk losing the money or opportunity. . . "
     "But we know he had motive, Rita. "
     "We can't make an arrest on motive alone. Shakespeare Jones and Nicole McLight had motives too. "
     "Klis had the stronger motive though! Casey was pregnant and willing to marry the father! His plans for her were about to go down the toilet, and he knew it. You know, if there hadn't been the second daughter, he would definitely have been number one in my book. "
     Rita hit the brakes suddenly. A car behind her sounded their horn loudly.
     "Rita!" Chris yelled.
     "Sorry about that, I think we have to make a little detour here, " Rita said, turning onto a smaller residential street. She pulled the car over to the curb and put it into park. She turned to Chris and said, "We have to talk about this. "
     Chris grinned mischievously. "You know Rita, I really feel uncomfortable doing this sort of thing, I mean, we haven't even gone on our first date yet!! And, call me prude, but don't you think that we just experiment a bit with the kissing? I don't know how you like it, French, Swiss- I just don't think we're ready to jump into the back and-" He was cut off by Rita shaking his head.
     "Would you knock it off for a minute Lorenzo, I'm serious!" Rita said.
     He laughed.
     "Okay. Think about this-Klis would have had plenty of motive to kill his daughter right? She was due to enter a marriage that her father arranged this summer, and she was protesting loudly, according to Denny and Nicole, and I'll lay bets that Shakespeare will come forward and admit that she's cried on his shoulder about it more than once. She wants to be with this boy, Shakespeare, more than anything, but she's forbidden. "
     "And so Shakespeare gets tired of waiting for her, and finds comfort in the arms of her best friend. " Chris added.
     "Meanwhile, she's pregnant with his child-what better way to get out of a marriage that she didn't want?" Rita stated.
     Chris had his chin in his hands. "Okay. So she's pregnant, and let's say for the sake of argument her father knew. There goes his chance for big money AND big opportunity. "
     "He would be pretty mad, " Rita said.
     "He would be livid, Sam!"
     "But why resort to murder? How could he kill his own daughter? I mean, being pregnant wasn't the end of the world, why didn't he just send the-what was it Gotthard's?-the second daughter in the first place?"
     Chris laughed. "Sammy, while you were busy making goo-goo eyes at your 'friend' I read that copy of the contract between Gotthard and Klis. It said-"
     "Ex-cuse me? Goo-goo eyes?"
     "It said that the marriage-"
     "I was NOT making goo-goo eyes Christopher! I was simply happy to meet up with an old friend!" Rita protested.
     Chris just smiled. "As I was saying, I read the contract, "
     "And?"
     "Would you stop interrupting me?" Chris asked.
     Rita laughed. "Okay, go on, I won't make a peep. "
     "Yah, I'll bet. Well, in the contract it said that if for some reason Klis firstborn daughter were to become-ah, unable to complete her end of the agreement, that the deal would be null and void. "
     "Null and void?"
     "Null and void. Gotthard didn't want his son to marry a girl with a past of any sort, I guess. "
     "And Ill bet an illegitimate child didn't qualify Casey for the Virgin Queen. I'll bet that that quack society wouldn't have been too pleased, either. "
     "No, probably not. I would also wager that Gotthard wouldn't want to join bloodlines with the Klis if it were known that the children wander. "
     "But, how does daughter #2 enter the picture?" Rita asked.
     "Well, it said that if Casey were unable to participate for a good reason, such as she were terminally ill, or incapacitated, or" Chris stated.
     "Or dead. . " Rita said.
     "Or dead, that the next in line could then take her place, and the deal would go through as planned, " Chris finished.
     "Christopher that's it! You've just solved this case!!!!" Rita's eyes shone.
     "Now all we gotta do is get Klis to confess, " Chris said.
     "Or somebody to testify against him. We need hard evidence Chris, unfortunately, all we have are theories, " Rita said.
     "Yeah. . . so what do we do now?"
     "We can start by questioning Mrs. Klis, " Rita said. "Maybe we will get lucky and she will confess. "
     "He-he, right Sam. Maybe we'll get enough to request a search warrant. " Chris said.
     "What do we need to search for? He didn't use a weapon, he sure as hell didn't write out a confession and leave it lying on his desk, " Rita said.
     "So maybe we can get the other side to drop a clue or two. "
     "You really think Gotthard would know anything? Klis did this to keep his daughters indiscretion from him in the first place. " Rita reminded him.
     "Ok, right. But what about Klis's lawyer? Maybe he would know something. " Chris said.
     "It's possible, he would certainly know more about the legal mumbo jumbo. But I can't see myself exactly barging into his office and demanding that he tell us confidential information, " Rita said.
     "Hmm, you're right. You know, I sure wish I could be a fly on the wall of that meeting, " Chris stated.
     "What meeting? You've lost me again. " Rita said.
     "The meeting between all the bigwigs Rita, you know, Gotthard, his attorney, Klis attorney, Klis daughter. . . " Chris said.
     Rita's eyes lit up. "What if we COULD hear that conversation, Chris. . or at least one between Klis attorney and himself?"
     "What do you mean?" Chris asked.
     "I mean, what if we could get the attorney to wear a wire, and he gets Klis to confess!" Rita said excitedly.
     "Oh yeah! Why didn't I think of that? Let's just go over to his office and ask him, 'Mr. Lawyer, would you please wear this wire so that we can catch your client, who is a criminal, and probably one of your main means of finance?' I'm such an idiot!!" Chris said.
     Rita rolled her eyes. "We get enough evidence to make him scared, tell him he can be an accessory if he doesn't help us! Come on, let's go, " she said, starting the car up.
     "Where are we going again?" Chris asked.
     "My place. "
     "Your place? Sammy I keep telling you, we are not ready-"
     "-to pick up my notes, and then we are going back to the station to figure this thing out, " Rita finished, shaking her head.
     Chris nodded. "I knew that, " he said.

     A little reviewing, a few phone calls, and an argument with George Donovan later, Chris and Rita walked into the office of Smith, Brown, and Jackson, Attorneys at law.
     A secretary looked up from her computer. "May I help you?"
     Chris flashed his badge. "Sgt.'s Lorenzo and Lance to see Mr. Jackson. " he said.
     She showed them into Mr. Jackson's office.
     A tall man in his mid-forties stood up when they entered the office.
     "Two cops here to see you sir, " the secretary said.
     "And to what do I owe this honor? Another unpaid speeding ticket?" he asked.
     Rita smiled slightly. "Sgt. Lance and Sgt Lorenzo, Homicide, Mr. Jackson. "
     "Homicide??" the man bristled slightly. "I don't know I can do for you, I haven't murdered anyone today, " he said, giggling nervously.
     "Oh, we don't think that you did, " Rita said. "But we do know that accomplice to murder is a serious charge. "
     "Very serious, I'd say. What do you think, Sgt. Lance, accomplice to murder. . you can get years, decades for that, couldn't you?" Chris asked.
     "Yeah, Sam. Mr. Jackson here might be old and gray by the time he was released, " she said.
     "If he gets paroled, that is, " Chris said.
     "What the hell are you two talking about?? Get out of my office this instant!!" Jackson yelled.
     "We are referring to the murder of the daughter of one of your clients, Mr. Jackson. Cassandra Klis, 18 years old, ring any bells?" Chris asked.
     "You see, we know that her father killed her. We know about the arranged marriage, the money, everything. " Rita said.
     " I have no idea what you are saying. Manfred Klis is one of the city's most prominent businessmen, not to mention a councilman. He's done great things for Palm Beach, he built that new park, funded the school system, he's a good man. He wouldn't dare hurt one of his children, " Jackson stated furiously. "How could he?"
     "Very simply, counselor, " Chris said. "He had the whole thing planned to the last detail. He had been spying on his daughter for weeks. "
     "He knew that she was pregnant, and that she was about to tell her boyfriend. But he also knew that her boyfriend was fooling around with another girl, one of his daughter's best friends, " Rita added.
     "So he decided to wait until the senior class picnic. He watched her the whole day. He saw her go off to the cliff at the edge of the park. He watched her talk to Nicole, and he watched Nicole leave. Then he made his move, " Chris said.
     "He walked up to Cassandra, told her he was out walking, what a coincidence, and took her up to the top for a father-daughter talk. Only, this wasn't the type of talk that ended with them hugging and smiling, " Rita said.
     "He told her that he knew of her pregnancy. He said that he would forgive her if she were to have a secret abortion, one that no one would know about. He said he would pay off anyone who knew about the pregnancy to keep quiet. He offered her everything he could think of to persuade her to go along, terminate the pregnancy and continue with the marriage. " Chris said.
     "We know this for a fact. We have one of the doctors at the Women's Health Center who will testify that Mr. Klis paid him to do the procedure at his home for 100 thousand dollars, " Rita said.
     "And we have other witnesses that can give some very damaging information about your client, " Chris said.
     "But we also have a witness that says that you knew about the whole thing. We know that Klis came to you after he killed her and asked about the contract between himself and Gotthard. We also know that after she was killed, a large sum of money made its way into your savings account, Jackson. " Rita stated. "That was the money he gave you for spying on Cassandra, wasn't it. "
     Jackson swallowed, and looked very pale.
     "I assume that you are not here to implicate me, so what is it that you want?" he asked.
     Chris and Rita grinned.
     "We want your full testimony against Klis in court, " Rita said. "And we want a confession from Klis. "
     "He'll never confess. " Jackson stated firmly.
     Chris leaned on Jackson's desk, eyes twinkling. "Which brings us to plan B. "

     Two days later Rita and Chris were sitting in the back of a police van parked in the back lot of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. They sipped coffee as they wore their headphones.
     Just then a crackle of static came through their ears. "Testing, testing, " Jackson's voice murmured.
     "Loud and clear, " Chris muttered. "You really think this will work, Sam? Getting Klis to admit his guilt at this meeting?"
     Rita yawned. "Don, t ask me deep questions this early in the morning, " she groaned.
     "Rita, come on. Klis was meeting with Gotthard at eight a. m. Jackson had to get to him before hand. While they are talking one on one, he'll mention the murder. Klis will incriminate himself somehow. It has to work Rita, it has to, " Chris said doubtfully.
     "Whatever you say. In the meantime, while we wait for Klis to show up, I'm going to catch up on my z's, " Rita said, leaning against the wall of the van.
     "You are giving me much confidence in this, Lance, " Chris said.
     "I'm sorry. Look, it'll go down, trust me, " she said. "And when it does, I'll have won the bet, " she added sleepily.
     Chris laughed. "The bet? Oh yeah. What do you say we call it even?"
     "Nope, absolutely not. You owe me a dinner, and I intend to collect. But right now, I intend to collect on SLEEP!" she said.
     Chris groaned. A few minutes of silence passed. he watched Rita trying unsuccessfully to lie down comfortably.
     "OK, Sammy, enough is enough. I'm lending you a shoulder, " he said.
     Rita sat up and looked at him. After hesitating for a minute, she leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Thanks Chris. "
     "You are welcome, my lady, " he said, grinning.
     "And don't get any ideas, " she warned.
     Chris grinned wider.
     Twenty minutes later, they heard voices in their ears. "Wake up Rita, I think this is it, " Chris said.
     Rita sat up and the two were quiet, listening to the conversation between Klis and Jackson through his wire.
     "Good morning, Manny, " Jackson was saying.
     "Hey, morning, Dave. What's up? What did we need to discuss before the meeting?" Klis asked.
     "Just wanted to go over the fine print of the situation, " Jackson said.
     "How's the schedule looking?"
     "Helen arrived last night, " Klis said. "Her mother is bringing her over at a quarter to eight. And Gotthard should be here soon thereafter. " Klis said.
     "Good, that's good. And the contract should be the same as the, um, original, right?" Jackson asked.
     "Absolutely. Gotthard should be pleased with Helen, " Klis said. "She looks good, not as attractive as her sister was, of course, but good enough. She's been well educated, has well manners, and has been seeing the right sort of people, " he said.
     "Of course, she was not kept in isolation like her sister, but these are unusual circumstances. "
     In the van, Rita shook her head in disgust. "Listen to him talking about his child like she was merchandise, " she said.
     "Yeah, " Chris agreed softly.
     "Right, extreme circumstances, " Jackson said. "Uh, listen, Manny. . about Cassandra. . "
     Klis's voice went rough. "I don't ever want to speak of that, Dave. It's past. "
     "I agree, but I just want to mention it before. . I mean, one last thing before we close it and put it behind us. " Jackson said.
     "What about it?" Klis asked.
     "Well, first of all. . Gotthard has no idea that her death was the least bit suspect, right?"
     "None at all, " Klis said.
     "What about the police? They've been asking questions haven't they? What do they think?"
     "Oh don't worry about those local yokels, " Klis said. "They couldn't make an arrest if they had a criminal in front of them, " he said. "They think that one of Cassandra's little friends did it, I'm sure. "
     ""Right, what else would they think, " Jackson said. "I still wish there was another way, Manny. She was such a sweet kid, " he said regretfully.
     "Sweet kid, " Klis scoffed. "Yeah, she was 'sweet' all right. She was sweet right into that little hoodlum's bed, " he said.
     "Kids make mistakes, Manny, " Jackson said.
     "Mistakes? That little witch's mistake was going to cost me MILLIONS!! Getting rid of her saved us all a lot, " he said.
     "Yes, but. . I don't know. I just wish. . was she afraid?" Jackson asked.
     "Why all the questions, Dave?" Klis asked harshly.
     "I just want to ease my mind, Manny, before we just forget it, you know? I have nightmares about her, " Jackson said.
     Klis sighed. "Well, don't. She had no idea what I was doing up there. She turned around and I pushed her before she knew what was happening. I kicked her hand away when she grabbed onto the railing. The whole thing was over in five minutes, " Klis said.
     In the van, Chris grinned. "We got him, " he said, taking his headset off.
     "Let's go, " Rita said.
     The two jumped out of the van and raced inside the hotel.
     Back inside the hotel, Klis sighed. "So let's get down to business, shall we Dave?" he asked.
     Jackson nodded nervously. The two began to look over some documents.
     Just then the door opened forcefully. Rita and Chris entered, guns drawn. "Freeze, police!" Chris yelled.
     Unfortunately, Klis was quick. He jumped to his feet and removed a gun from his pocket. "I knew something was up with you Jackson, " he growled.
     "Drop the gun Klis, you are under arrest, " Rita said.
     Klis nodded. He walked over to Rita calmly, holding out his hand as if he were going to surrender. Suddenly he swooped behind her, knocked her gun to the ground, and held his at her neck. Chris gasped.
     "Don't move or she gets it!" Klis yelled.
     Chris nodded slowly. "Ok, Klis, drop the gun, nice and slow, " he said.
     "Drop your gun or I blow her head away!!" Klis shouted.
     Chris swallowed nervously. He had been in these situations before, but for some reason seeing Rita with a gun aimed for her head made his legs shaky. He knew what he had to do-he just hoped that Rita would understand him. He looked at her carefully for a moment, and she nodded, ever so slightly. She suddenly jerked down and Chris shot at Klis's shoulder. Klis fell backward in pain.
     Rita walked away, brushing her hands. Chris walked over to Klis.
     "Call an ambulance for him, " Rita ordered Jackson.
     Meanwhile Chris leaned over Klis. "Manfred Klis, you are under arrest for the murder of Cassandra Klis. You have the right to remain silent. . " he recited.
     Rita smiled. "Nice work partner, " she said.

     One week later, Rita and Chris were finishing up the paperwork on the Klis case at the office. The doors swung open and George Donovan waltzed in.
     "Hey, Lance, Lorenzo!" he called.
     "Hey George, " Rita said.
     "What's up, Donovan?" Chris asked.
     "Just wanted to tell you the hearings up on Manfred Klis. He got twenty-five years to life, without parole, " he said grinning.
     "Yes!" Chris called. He slapped a high five to Rita across their desks. She grinned.
     Donovan, still smiling, said, "That was a good call guys, you did good work for your first homicide. I think you've got talent, " he kidded.
     Rita laughed. "Thanks George!" she said.
     "Well, I have to get home to my wife, " he said. "See you kids around. "
     Chris laughed and shook his head as he left. "Well, I must say, I'm sure glad that case is over!" he said.
     "Yeah, so am I, " Rita said.
     "So now I guess our temporary partnership is up, too, huh?" he asked. "Tomorrow you go back to working with your partner, I go back to mine. . all's well that ends well, " he said.
     "Yeah, guess so. Well. . " she said.
     "Well. . " he said. "Is this goodbye?"
     "No way! We should really keep in touch, you know? Besides, you DO owe me a dinner, " Rita grinned.
     Chris smiled. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You won, don't rub it in, " he said.
     Rita shook her head. "You know, for what it's worth. . I really enjoyed these past few weeks, both on and off the job. I'm really glad I got a cha