CHAPTER FIVE
Chris looked for Rita in the squad room. he asked the desk Sergeant if he had seen her leave, but she hadn't. That meant that she was somewhere in the shop. He looked around for an out of the way place that would be overlooked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old interrogation room 6, that was now used as a holding area for surplus files that had to be retained for cases. That used to be Rita's favorite interrogation room. It was where she solved her first high profile murder case by interrogating a man who fully confessed to the murder. It was her home base. He walked to the door and quietly opened it just a crack. He saw her inside the room, sitting on the counter like a little girl hiding from an angry parent. They had eaten many a pizza in this room. It was a perfect place to get away. He walked over to her and said, "Mind if I join you?"
Rita said nothing, she just shrugged her shoulders.
Chris said, "Thanks, don't mind if I do."
Rita wiped away tears and said, "I don't think I can do this anymore Chris. I can't take it."
Chris put his arm around her and said, "You are right. You can't take this anymore, WE are taking this. I feel what you feel. You feel what I feel. I need you to keep me strong, Sam. We are strong together and weak apart."
Rita contested, "But Sam..."
"No, listen." Chris continued. "I want us to sit in here and let's go back to the basics. Nobody has to know we are in here. As a matter of fact, we can probably go over some of the files in here if we need to. Let's go over what we know. You think, I'll speak."
He waited for her response, which was a slow, quiet nod.
"OK," He continued, "We have a dead kid who gave you a free refill against your request. We have a note and a lighter with an 'E.M.' initialed on them. We have a partial print of hopefully somebody fitting the E.M. We have a note saying 'Justice will be served.' Jump In here any time, Sam." He quipped.
"Sounds like a revenge plot to me." Rita added. "Who is out that would fit ?"
Rita stopped and said, "What if this Erick drugged me? Why though? That is the part that does not make sense. We need to call Keisha to see if that powder was a sedative."
Chris thought for just a minute and then said, "Sam, didn't you say that Amy and her boyfriend had an on/off relationship? Maybe he wanted it to be permanently off. Maybe he arranged for one of his employees, Erick Graffe to do his dirty work. He would have needed to have you out of the way. The kid had a record and maybe no one knew it. Maybe Dale Ritchey found out and wanted a favor to keep it under raps."
Rita smiled the first sincere smile for the first time in days as she said, "That's the best idea I've had in days. Why didn't you think of that?"
Rita remembered she was on suspension and let Chris go to pick up Dale Ritchey. She promised to remain in the old interrogation room until he returned.
Chris loves me and I know that, but it seems that just when I think I have him figured out, he goes and does something that astounds me. He is my place of refuge, my strength. I can't ever recall anyone else besides my father that I feel so completely safe. It is not always easy, but I love him. For the first time in my life, I am beginning to understand the strength of Love.
Chris parked his blue and gray department issue Buick outside the Fresh Grille. As he walked up to the front door, he noticed a man in a shirt and tie, and assumed he must be the right one. As Chris approached him, the man instinctively became nervous and shifted his body weight. He dismissed the two employees that he was talking to and watched them go to the back room. As Chris came closer, he studied the man carefully, but not so that he looked like he was staring him down.
"Dale Ritchey?" Chris asked.
"That would be me. What can I do for you?" The man replied.
"Sgt. Lorenzo, Palm Beach Police. I am here to ask you a few questions about Amy Ross. You do know Miss Ross, don't you?" Chris asked as he displayed his badge.
"Come on now, Sergeant. If you didn't already know she and I knew each other, you wouldn't have come all this way to talk to me." Dale snapped.
"Well, since you are so quick with comebacks, why don't you be just as quick with right answers." Chris added.
One of the female counter help began to walk past and added as she did, "Dale, I'll be in back. The Testosterone is so deep, I need to get my hip waders."
With that, she disappeared into the back room. Chris bit his lip to keep himself from laughing at the remark, and quickly set his mind on the issue at hand. "Can we sit down and go over a few things, please." Chris asked.
Dale motioned with his head toward a booth over in the back corner of the restaurant. The two made their way and sat down across from each other. Chris pulled out his small note pad and began questioning Dale Ritchey.
"Amy and her mentor, Sgt. Lance came in here the other night?" Chris began.
"Yeah," Dale started. "Came in for coffee. That was the night she died."
"You don't seem too broken up over it." Chris replied.
Dale took offense, "Well it doesn't do me or anyone else any good to fall in the floor and start blubbering, does it? I have to go on."
"What time were they in here that night?" Chris continued.
"I guess about midnight. I worked until 3 a.m." Dale answered, anticipating his next question.
"Erick Graffe, you know him pretty well?" Chris continued, in stride.
"The kid's been working here two weeks. My assistant manager, Karen Wilstead hired him. He's a hard worker. No complaints, Why?" Dale spoke.
"Erick went and got himself killed. His body turned up under a pier." Chris answered somberly.
The look on Dale Ritchey's face threw Chris into a spin. It was not what he expected. "No one could act that convincingly!" He thought to himself.
The color drained out of Dale's face. He began to feel a queasiness in the pit of his stomach, and rested his head in his hands. He let out a sigh as he spoke. "God, why is there so much death? This is all so senseless. Who could have done this? I am sorry, this is all hitting just a little close to home for me."
Chris politely waited from him to have time enough to compose himself. Something in his gut told him that this guy wasn't involved. Something about him told him he was genuine. He had hidden his feelings about Amy's death well, until another person he knew also died.
Wrapping up, Chris asked, "Is there anything else that you can think of about that night that you could tell me?"
Dale sat there and composed himself. He thought about the question and then answered, "Well, Erick thought the other lady cop was gorgeous. Come to think of it, we all did." With that , both he and Chris smiled.
Dale continued, "He asked if he could make an phone call right after they arrived. I thought that was kind of weird, calling some one at midnight, and all. He said he had to call his sister, but he told me that he had no family just a couple of days before. I thought maybe he had a date and didn't want us to know."
Chris raised his eyebrow in interest. He asked, "Did you know that Erick spent some time in the Juvenile Correction facility in Jacksonville for petty theft?"
Chris had his answer by the furrowed look on Dale's face. "No, I didn't. I never would have hired someone with a theft arrest knowingly and then have him run the cash registers as Erick did. That would be dumb! He was a good kid and all, but that would be too much temptation."
Chris rose and thanked Dale Ritchey for his time and made his way back to the station a little more informed.
The doors to the Homicide division swung open as Chris pushed his way through them. He grabbed some files, his and Rita's coffee cup and filled them with coffee as he made his way back to Interrogation Room 6.
Chris was met at the door by Rita, who noticed he came alone. "Hey, Partner, what did you find out?" She inquired as they both climbed up on the counter.
"Well, Sammy, I think some of that gut instinct you seem to have is rubbing off on me. I don't think Dale Ritchey had anything to do with it. You should have seen his face when he heard about Erick's death and about his record. No body could act THAT well. I think he's genuine."
Rita sighed as began to speak, "OK, well let's see what other angles we can find. Maybe that E.M. on the lighter was just more than a coincidence. Has Cap heard anything else about the FBI prints?"
"No, Cap's still waiting on the results. You know he was just following orders. Don't take it personally with him, OK? He is worried about you too." Chris spoke to her.
"I know, but I think that it stinks none the less!" Rita exclaimed.
Chris looked at his watch, and said, "Let's go home for now. We have been here awhile, and besides, we need to get a fresh start in the morning. I think we will break this thing wide open. We just need to keep our heads."
Rita nodded approval as Chris gently kissed her on the forehead. He slid down off of the counter where they sat and offered her a hand down. As he watched her slide down off of the counter, he felt a twinge in his heart. He knew that this woman, tough and driven, yet petite and fragile, was the one woman that he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. All of a sudden, in that second, as he took her hand, electricity transferred from her to him and he quivered inside, both from fear and love. His feelings came up and he fought to keep them hidden just a little while as this particular time and place was not the place to make the declaration he needed to. Rita noticed the strange look on his face. She stared intently and called his name, but no answer came.
"Chris!" She called out a little louder.
"What?" He said as he came out of his thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Rita asked as her face filled with concern.
"Wha-, Oh nothing is wrong, everything is fine, really fine. Believe me."
Rita grinned a strange grin and said, "OK, everything's fine. Let's go."
The next morning, Chris beat the alarm clock getting up and turned it off, deciding to let Rita sleep a little later. This would give him a little time alone to deal with his thoughts from the evening before and would let him set things in his mind so as to finish this case. He made himself some coffee and sat down at the bar. He started going over the things in the case, but every time he ended up thinking of Rita. Finally, he shook his head and set his mind to the case. "Maybe E. M. IS a revenge plot. Who could that be?" He thought to himself.
Chris sat there and tried to remember back a few years to when they were first partnered together. Nothing. He thought that perhaps it was before they became partners. He decided to get the Police records computers involved.
"There you are!" Rita began, sleepily. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Good morning sunshine." He said as he kissed her. "I'm sorry, you just looked so peaceful. I wanted to give you a little more time to rest. Rita, I have been doing some thinking about the case. Can you remember anyone, an E. M. from cases past? I have racked my brain and am coming up empty."
Rita said, "I know, I can't think of anyone that could have gotten out by now with those initials, but there have been so many. Why don't you give your friend Julie a visit in records. Maybe she could 'enlighten' you."
Chris smiled at her implication. "You won't mind if I talk to her? It will be strictly professional, I can assure you."
Rita said coyly, "Yeah? Well it better be."
Chris beamed with pride. "That's my Sammy!" He added. "Let's go catch us a criminal!"
Chapter Six
"So you really think there may be something in the computers on an E.M. out of Rita's past? Sounds like you're grasping at straws, here." Said Harry.
Chris answered, " I don't know, but I bet you a pizza that we can find out something on the computer. Maybe we can get a rundown on someone."
Chris walked over to criminal records and saw a former girlfriend at a computer terminal. He wasn't going to hit on her, but maybe if he could use his charm for a favor, all would be forgiven by Rita. He walked up to her desk, put on his best Lorenzo grin, and said, "Hi there, Julie! You got a few minutes?"
The young woman looked up at him and eagerly said, "Sure! Anything for you Chris."
Chris smiled and said, "You know my partner, Rita. Well I need for you to do some computer legwork for me. See, Rita's in a bit of a jam. I need any information in the records about anyone she may have busted with the initials of E.M. You know, dates, addresses, any thing you can dig up about them, especially recent information as to their possible whereabouts."
Julie said, "Chris, piece of cake! I'll have it for you in about an hour."
Chris winked at her, turned around and left before he got into trouble.
Two hours later, Chris and Rita are sitting on the floor in Rita's living room with a pizza and an inch thick stack of computer printouts.
Rita took a sip of her bottled water and said, "Chris, look at this. About three years ago, I busted a kid, Edward Montgomery. He pulled a gun on me and I had to take him down. I remember his father was so upset by his son's death, it made him crazy. He constantly pleaded the boy's innocence. He refused to believe that his son tried to kill me. He told me he would see the day I got my justice."
Chris' eyes lit up. He wiped his hands on a napkin, looked over at the listing and said, "Why don't I remember the case?"
"You were on vacation, with Ricky, or Billy, or whatever she called herself." Rita ribbed.
Chris smiled and said, "I bet if we dug a little deeper, we could uncover some more facts, such as a current address on the dad, and also things about the case."
Chris picked up the phone and made contact with Julie. Chris asked her to dig into the background of Edward Montgomery. He heard the steady clicking of a keyboard and then silence. Julie broke the silence with, "Here it is. His father's name is Elliot Montgomery. According to the records, he sold much of what he owned after his son's death, except..."
Chris heard Julie's voice freeze and prompted, "Except what?"
"2114 Chrestview." She continued. "The Eaton estate. He recently moved into a little place over on Seagull Avenue." With that, Chris thanked her and hung up the phone. He relayed the news to Rita. "I wish those results had come back on those prints." Chris said as Rita interjected,
"Wait a minute! Hold everything! I should have remembered him!"
Chris, surprised, said, "Remembered who? Sam, what are you talking about?"
Rita answered, "Sam, the kid who was killed, Erick Graffe? He was Edward's best friend. I interviewed him trying to find out about where Edward was."
Chris began to smile, "This is starting to make some sense, now. See! Erick was determined to help avenge his friend's death, or as told by deranged Dad. He gets killed because he was himself expendable. Eddie's Dad owns the Estate you were called to but lives in an apartment, that still doesn't make sense."
Rita coolly added, "This all sounds good Sam, but without those prints to tell us who was in that house, this is all circumstantial."
Chris reasoned, "They must know something about those prints now. I'm gonna give our friend, Tommy Thompson a call and see if he can help."
"Tommy's still with the FBI? I thought he retired?" Rita inquired.
"He did but said things were too quiet to stay away." Chris explained.
Chris picked up his cellular phone and dialed. He said, "Yes, Agent Tommy Thompson, please. Tommy! Hi, it's Chris Lorenzo. Yeah I'm fine. Well Rita's here, but she's not fine. She needs our help, Tommy. We sent a partial print to your crime lab a few days ago and we haven't heard anything. We think that we may know who it belongs to, but we need positive proof to reel him in."
After a few seconds of silence, Tommy returned to the phone and said, "Chris, I had to move into my office, hang up and call me at 555-3874. It's my personal line."
Chris did just that and the conversation began again. Tommy said, "This is my personal, secured line. Apparently this guy is a suspected member in a money laundering case from a few years back. He's pretty classified stuff. The Department of Treasury has been working with us on him. So far, nothing has ever stuck. My Cap would have my shorts on a hook if he knew I told you anything about this guy. The prints belong to a guy named Elliot Montgomery. Does this help?"
Chris smiled and said, "More than you know, Tommy!"
He thanked him and hung up the phone and said, "Rita, meet me at the station parking lot in about an hour. I'm gonna go get a warrant and tell Cap. We got him!"
Chris kissed her on the cheek as he then turned and bolted out of the room. He dashed into Harry's office and gave him a rundown of what he and Rita had just come up with. Harry told Chris that Keisha had just called and said that the powder under the dead boy's fingernails was indeed a very powerful sedative, and that it was also indeed the same medication used to drug Rita.
"Go get him." Harry commanded. "I'll call Donovan and get things going! This is more than enough for a warrant. You'll have one before you get down to your car." Chris went for the door and stopped. Harry was already on the phone for the warrant. Chris waited for him to finish, and Harry saw him as he hung up and said, "Why are you still here , Lorenzo?"
Chris answered, "Can I have Rita's gun and shield back. I won't give it to her till you give me the go ahead, but I want to be the one."
"Sure thing, Chris. Now get going! The warrant is being delivered by Donovan personally to the scene." Harry handed Chris the gun and badge and Chris left in a hurry. He put the gun and shield in his jacket and went to meet Rita at the car to head on the way to Elliot Montgomery's apartment.
Rita arrived in the parking lot as planned. She got out of her car and instinctively reached to secure her gun, but it was not there. She shrugged her shoulders and decided to wait for Chris at his car. As Rita made her way to the car, she was overtaken by Mr. Clark. He held her and Mr. Montgomery approached her. He smiled and said, "So, Miss Lance, we meet again. I told you I'd get back even with you. We will discuss terms of your punishment later. She tried to escape, but was soon growing lightheaded and sleepy as Mr. Clark held a handkerchief of Chloroform across her face. Before she lost consciousness, she dropped her shoe off as a sign to Chris that she was in trouble. She soon became unconscious. Mr. Clark hurriedly carried her and placed her into a van securely tucked away in a dark corner of the police department's parking garage.
As Chris arrived at the car, he noticed Rita was not there. Her shoe was under the edge of the car. He knew what had happened to her. He called in for backup and with lights and sirens, made his way to the apartment on Seagull avenue.
Rita's eyes opened and all she could see frightfully reminded her of the night at the Eaton estate. Everything was in a haze at first. This time, however, when she shook her head, things began to clear up. She was obviously tied up and gagged. The room she was in was cold and damp. It was dark and she could hear nothing but the hum of an engine. She began to shudder from the cold. As she struggled to free herself, she prayed that Chris found her shoe and that he would likewise find her, soon.
Chris arrived at the small apartment on Seagull avenue. He silently made his way out of the car with his gun drawn. As he motioned for uniformed officers to quickly and quietly encircle the first floor apartment. As he waited for the officers to fall into place, his heart began to pound. He knocked on the door and announced, but no answer came. With that, his heart began to pound faster, and adrenaline began to course through him. He spun around to face the door, held up his gun and kicked the door open. He searched high and low, right and left, but saw no movement. He entered the apartment, and felt the eerie silence. He entered the bedroom and saw one of the closet doors slightly open. The room was cold and slightly dark. He heard the hum of a fan motor. He slowly entered the room and headed to the closet. He said, "Rita?" He got no response from his call, so he decided to tread softly. He reached to grab the door knob, and with a tug at the door. He saw the body.
Chapter Seven
Chris jumped back in surprise as the body fell out onto the bedroom floor. It was Mr. Clark, Elliot Montgomery's companion. Chris felt of his thick neck, but no life was in him. As he called for assistance, he looked up and saw the terrifying shrine built in honor to revenge on Rita. A chill went up his spine as he saw the photos, especially the one with the bullet hole. He turned and finished searching the house, but nothing turned up. He ran out to his car and hit the roof in disappointment. He picked up the radio to call in. As he made his report, Harry interrupted, "Chris, something else turned up in the background search on Montgomery. He owns a restaurant, the Fresh Grille, do you know where it is?"
Chris felt for sure in his gut this was the right place. He answered, "Yes, I do. I am on my way. Send the Calvary."
At that, Chris dropped the radio and spun the wheels of his car in pursuit of Rita and Elliot Montgomery.
Rita struggled at the plastic fasteners used to tie her up, but to no avail. She knew that the longer she was there, the greater chances that she would die. She worked even harder at the plastic, until she bumped into something and the silence was punctuated by a loud crash. Rita winced at the brightness as Elliot flipped on the light and entered the large walk in cooler. Rita quickly studied the objects around her in case she would get the chance to be alone. She searched rapidly for something she could use to free herself. She spotted a jagged edge on one of the shelves across from her. Elliot spoke up as he entered the cooler.
"Well, well Rita. Are you cold? I am sure the coolness bothers you doesn't it?" Rita silently nodded.
Elliot continued as the anger filled his face and the two large veins on his neck bulged. "You didn't think about that when my son's body got pushed into that cooler now did you?"
Elliot slapped Rita so hard, it tumbled her over. She didn't get up, she pretended to be knocked out. She hoped his sense of justice and revenge would not allow him to kill her without her being conscious. It worked. The man, filled with rage, shouted, "Get up! You will pay! Wake up! Wake up!"
The last shout was punctuated by a kick in the ribs. Fortunately for Rita, she was able to stifle the pain and any desire to cough. The man, realizing she must be unconscious, left the cooler to make preparations to leave after he killed her. Rita quickly went to work to free herself. She made quick work of the ties and silently snuck out the cooler door. She hid behind one of the dry stock shelves and prayed that Chris would soon arrive. Her pulse pounded when she heard a car outside. She hoped more than anything that it would be Chris.
Chris entered the restaurant by raising up a panel of glass in the side door. He slid in, in stealth like fashion and began searching for Rita. As he stood up, he heard the angry voice of Elliot Montgomery. "Cop, this has nothing to do with you. Leave and forget this. I won't have to kill you too."
Chris turned to face the voice and much to his shock, stood Elliot Montgomery with his .38 at the side of Rita's neck. He was using her as a shield. He had seen her sneak out of the cooler and decided to play along. Chris' mind raced as beads of perspiration began to run down his forehead. Chris answered the man's request, "I am sorry. You see, she is my partner, so it makes it have something to do with me. Rita, are you OK?"
Rita said, "Yes, I am. Please do one thing for me, Sam."
"What's that?" Chris answered back.
Rita widened her stance, and shouted, "Aim HIGH!"
At that, she elbowed him in the ribs, he was caught off guard and the wind was knocked out of him. Chris shot a round from his gun as Rita dove down as best she could with the man's one arm still partly around her. The bullet hit Elliot Montgomery in the side of the head and threw him back into one of the supply shelves, knocking cans into the floor. Chris ran to where Rita lay on the ground, and helped her up. "You OK Sam?" He asked as he hugged her tightly. Their privacy was then interrupted by the onslaught of uniformed Police officers and Captain Harry Lipschitz.
"Oh, not so hard, Chris. I've got sore ribs, but otherwise I am OK." She replied.
He told the Cap she was fine and needed to be checked out. Harry said, "Remember what you wanted to do? Go ahead, when you are ready."
Chris nodded at Harry, looked at Rita caringly and said, "Let's get you to the Hospital."
The next day, Chris and Rita were walking on the beach, reflecting on the past few days' events. "So, this Mr. Clark guy, the one who's body we found, was the thug who helped kidnap you?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. It is amazing to me how many people got sucked down into Elliot's rage and warped sense of justice. Erick, Amy, this Clark guy, all victims and pawns." Rita replied.
"It seems that Mr. Clark couldn't take the guilt anymore. I thought maybe Elliot killed him, but he didn't have enough time. When our uniforms swept the crime scene, they found a note from Mr. Clark. He apparently forcibly made Amy say phrases while Elliot recorded them and them killed her. That's how the messages came about. He committed suicide."
"So old Elliot was trying to play with my head, eh? He did a good job of it. For a while, I wondered if perhaps, I did kill Amy." Rita spoke as her voice trailed off.
"Well, that is all over. There is a couple of things that I need to do, however. First-" Chris paused as he pulled her badge and gun from out of his coat pocket. He continued, "First, I asked Cap if I could have the honor of giving these back to you. They are yours once again."
Rita swallowed hard as she took the badge and nine millimeter gun from Chris. She placed them in her purse, which was hanging on her shoulder. She realized he had said there were a couple of things and asked, "What's the other thing?"
Chris stopped and looked around for a quiet spot where they could rest. he spotted some rocks just a few feet up the coast and guided her to them. He helped her onto the rocks and sat on a rock just below the one she was on. Chris searched in his head for the right words to say. Nothing came. He realized that the right words had to come from his heart and there was no preparation for them. He cleared his throat and began,
"Rita, from the first day I saw you, the first day we became partners, I knew we had something special, it was magical. I never acted on my feelings for you, out of fear of screwing things up."
Rita interrupted, "Me too. I was afraid to act on them, because we might have been split up and I might have lost my best friend, but I know better now."
Chris said, "Sam, let me finish this here, OK? I was afraid to lose my best friend too, but to be honest, I knew we would be together. I knew that what we had was so strong that nothing would keep us apart eventually. I think that that frightened me. I was, I guess, afraid of opening myself up completely for one person, letting them in completely, no secrets, no hidden areas of my heart. But the other day, something happened. I was helping you down from that counter. A surge of electricity hit me. I knew I could not live one more day without you. I know we have been together, but I never realized how much you have become a part of me. I am nothing without you to complete me. You are no longer just my best friend, my partner, or even my lover. You are a part of me."
Chris sat up and wiped a tear away from Rita's cheek. He looked deep into her eyes and kissed her passionately. As he pulled away, he stood up and helped Rita down to the ground. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He slid down in the beach sand onto one knee and opened the box. The diamond glistened in the sun. Rita gasped as she saw the ring. Her heart began to race.
Chris began, "Rita Lee Fontana Lance, will you marry me?"
Rita wiped the tears away from her eyes, and tried to swallow so she could speak. She looked him straight in the eyes, cupped his face in her hands, and said, "Yes."
Chris' expression lifted and he repeated, "Yes? Yes!"
Rita laughed at his response, she verified with another "Yes!".
Chris placed the ring on her finger, then picked her up and spun her around and gently eased her onto the ground. He kissed her passionately. When they released, Chris said, I love you. Wait, what about Capt?"
"Cap's already married." Rita jested.
"No, silly. Do we tell Cap?" Chris asked.
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, Christopher, you are mine. You see, you are also a part of me. I never want to be without you again. I feel so complete and safe with you. You have given me everything I could ever need." Rita replied as she studied her ring.
"Well, that's a shame." Chris said.
"What do you mean?" Rita replied with a surprised tone.
Chris continued, "I was going to take you back to your place and give you the rest of my present. But, since you already have everything you need-"
Rita smiled and said, "Well, maybe I could handle a little more. I Love you too. Come on, I'll race you."
The sun began to set as the two playfully raced all the way back to the apartment.
THE END
No infringement to anyone or anything intended. SILK STALKINGS and its characters are the creation of the producers and creators and the USA television network. No intent to infringe upon these parties is meant in anyway whatsoever! What do YOU think???
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