A Year in the Life - April
By Sim and Cam
Disclaimer: If they were mine, would I be writing one of these?
Authors Notes: This is part four of the series. If you can't guess how many will eventuate, you must be thicker than the barnacles on Lister's long johns, right Cam
Authors Notes II: Cam and Sim were very silly. When we named the series (and quite aptly too), we didn't search UTB to see if anyone else had used the title previously. So we'd just like to say a huge "SORRY!" to the very great ratfic Queen, Rachel Wakely. This series of fanfic is in no way connected to her or her fic "a year in the life".
"Frank." Rachel looked up from her stack of paper work. This had been praying on her mind all week, and it was about time she got it off her chest.
"What?" he met her gaze.
"About this date…" she began.
"There's no getting out of it now. A bet is a bet. And I didn't scrub the grout in your bathroom for a week for me to get nothing out of it!"
Rachel grinned at the memory. The look on his face when she pulled out a toothbrush and the demestos was priceless. "I hate to tell you this Rachel, but if I brush my teeth with that, my teeth will disintegrate." He had told her.
"Fine. But how about, instead of calling it a date, we call it 'dinner'?" she suggested.
"If you insist." Frank nodded.
"I do."
"So I have to stop calling it a date then?" Frank grinned, teasing.
"Preferably."
"Okay, so when are we having this, um, dinner?"
"I dunno. You decide." Rachel announced, rising from her chair and placing some papers on top of the filing cabinet.
"Saturday."
"Nah, I'm washing my hair that night." Rachel grinned after a moments hesitation.
"You know what, you're the first female that's ever given me that excuse." Frank replied smugly, leaning back on his chair.
"Now that, Francis, I find hard to believe."
"Frank, Rachel." Helen poked her head in.
"Got some *real* work you want us to do?" Frank looked at Helen expectantly.
"Actually, yeah. A passenger boat has capsized, and it looks a little suspicious."
***
"Grab my arm!" Tommy Tavita shouted to one of the victims in the water. Gratefully, she was hoisted out of the cold waters, and onto the Nemesis.
"Thank God! That water's freezing." She announced.
Over the other side of the boat, both Tayler and Gavin were helping the twenty-two passengers aboard the small boat.
"Are there any crew here?" Gavin called out. Three worried looking men raised their hands. "How many people were on board?"
"Twenty-five." One of the men announced. "Twenty-two passengers, and three crew."
"There's twenty on the boat." Tayler did a quick head count.
"There's four still in the water." Gavin met her worried glance. "Are you sure about the number of passengers?"
"Very sure. There were twenty-five on the boat."
Suddenly, a cry pierced the morning air.
"CAITLIN!"
Tayler looked across at the person still floating in the water. The woman did a full turn, then bobbed under water, searching for someone.
"Is there a Caitlin on board?" Tayler asked, getting no response. "That could be our missing passenger." She whispered to Gavin.
"Excuse me!" Tayler called to the woman in the water. She was the only passenger left, other than the missing one.
"I can't find my sister!" she shrieked.
"What's your name?" Tayler asked.
"Toni. My sister's name is Caitlin. I can't find her!"
"Come onto the boat, we'll find her."
"No! I have to find her! She just went inside the cabin, then that other boat side swiped us…"
"We'll find her. The best thing you can do is come into the boat." Tayler tried to coax. Gavin was already beginning to get the dive gear on.
"You think she's still in the boat?" Gavin re-iterated.
"Yes." Toni let out a short sob.
"Okay, you come up here, and let constable Johnson take care of you, and I'll go look for Caitlin." Gavin promised, and reluctantly, Toni climbed aboard.
"What's this about another boat?" Tommy voiced his suspicions to Tayler.
Gavin made his way to the sinking boat as fast as he could. A big gash had been taken along the side of the vessel, causing it to topple as it had.
Firstly, he went inside the cabin, and found who he was looking for straight away. She looked about sixteen years old. Her head was above water, just.
"Caitlin?"
Caitlin nodded her head. "I'm stuck."
"Okay, let's see if I can get you out of there. I'm Gavin by the way." Gavin dived under water to see what was trapping the young girl.
"Hurry!" she cried, throwing her head back ninety degrees to stop the water coming into her mouth.
Gavin spotted the problem immediately. A heavy filing cabinet had fallen across her legs with the impact. With all his strength, he tried to lift it up. But it was no good. The cabinet was too heavy, and he needed some help.
"Where are you going?!" Caitlin shouted, panicking as the water rose even further.
"Just to get some help. Don't worry, we'll have you out of here in no time." Gavin promised.
A few minutes later, he returned with Tommy. But he feared he was too late. The girl was unconscious.
"Quick. You grab the cabinet, and I'll pull Caitlin." Gavin ordered, fear creeping into his voice.
"Okay." Tommy replied, diving into the water. Gavin was right, the filing cabinet was heavy, but slowly, Tommy managed to lift it.
Pulling her out from under the cabinet became easier, and soon they were on their way back to the Nemesis, towing Caitlin along with them.
"Quick, clear some room." Tayler ordered the curious passengers back. "How long was she under?"
"About a minute. She's got a pulse." Tommy announced. Gavin began CPR.
"Come on, breathe!" Toni called to her sister, sobbing.
Caitlin's body suddenly came to life, coughing and spluttering to the relief of all aboard.
"You saved her life!" Toni hugged Gavin. "Thank you."
***
"What happened?" Rachel and Frank met the Nemesis on the docks, along with several victims of the accident.
"Not sure at the moment. Looks like another boat was involved." Tommy informed them.
"Did anyone actually see what happened?" Frank asked.
"Several of them did. But most of them are on their way to the hospital now. A few have whiplash and cuts and all sorts of things."
"That Toni girl seemed to know what happened." Tayler interjected.
"That's true." Tommy backed her up.
"What Toni girl?" Rachel asked.
"One of the people on the boat. Gavin saved her sister's life." Tayler sing-songed.
"I kind of thought I was paid to do that sort of stuff." Gavin told them sheepishly.
"So they'll be at the hospital then?" Frank asked.
"They should be. Don't they have to keep them in for four hours after they're unconscious?" Tayler speculated.
"Something like that, yeah." Rachel nodded, getting the keys out of her pocket. "Coming Frank?"
***
"I'm Detective Frank Holloway, this is my partner, Senior Detective Rachel Goldstein. We need to speak to some of the victims from the boating accident that occurred a couple of hours ago." Frank told the receptionist at casualty.
"Which patients in particular? Some have already been discharged." She informed them.
"Toni and Caitlin Robinson."
"Ah, right. I think you'll find them both in room three." She informed them, then turned to answer the ringing telephone.
Slowly, they made their way to the room. Caitlin was still lying on a hospital bed, asleep, while Toni was sitting by her bed, reading a magazine.
"Toni Robinson?" Rachel inquired.
"That's me." Toni looked up from the article she was reading.
"I'm Senior Detective Goldstein, this is Detective Frank Holloway. We were just wondering if we could ask a few questions about the accident this morning."
"It was no accident!" Toni emphatically replied. "Those bastards nearly killed my sister!"
"What happened?" Frank asked.
"We were sitting on the outside of the boat, getting a lift to the other side of the harbor. Caitlin went inside the cabin to use the toilet. She was gone about thirty seconds when I could see a power boat coming right for us. The captain must have tried to avoid contact, but it was no use. It didn't seem to come into direct contact with us, but it stuck out something to tear the hole in the boat. The force of it tipped us a bit, then it seemed to start sinking. Thank god you guys got their when you did. Thank god Gavin was there! He saved my sisters life." She looked upon her sleeping form affectionately.
"Do you know what kind of boat it was?" Frank asked.
"A power boat, I think. Red and silver or something. I'm sorry, the mind's a bit foggy still." Toni apologized.
"That's okay." Rachel smiled comfortingly. "We'll leave you alone now. But if you could drop by the station and give us a statement later, we'd be grateful."
"Sure. As soon as little sis gets out of here."
"Thanks." Frank and Rachel both announced, then left.
"So, something personal do you reckon?" Rachel speculated.
"Sounds like it to me. And obviously pre meditated. A power boat crashing into a passenger boat, no matter how small it is, would topple with the impact."
"They must have had some sort of weapon to make a hole that big."
"My thoughts exactly." Frank nodded, looking over at Rachel. Then he noticed her countenance pale. "Goldie?"
"Huh?" Rachel turned her attention back to Frank. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about me."
Frank followed her gaze, and it rested on Dr Marvelous himself. "I thought you broke up with him."
"I did."
"Then why are you…?"
"You what? It's just a shock seeing him again, that's all." Rachel snapped. "Come on, let's get back to the station."
***
"Hey Rachel, look what Syksie got!" Tayler chirped first thing the next morning. She looked across at the desk and saw a big bunch of flowers.
"Who are *they* from?" Rachel asked, walking over and taking a sniff of the impressive bunch.
"A certain Toni Robinson. The card says 'thanks for saving my little sister'. How sweet hey?"
"Has Gavin seen them then?"
"No. He's not in yet."
"Then how come you know what's on the card?" Rachel inquired.
"If people leave an envelope unsealed, they're expecting it to be read." Tayler explained.
"Uh-huh." Rachel smirked, then walked up to the office.
"Are you here already Francis?" She smiled, walking over to the coffee maker and pouring herself a big cup.
"Yeah, well, I was on the lookout for an early morning power boat."
"Any luck?"
"None whatsoever. Time to check out the business I think."
"Of the passenger boat?" Rachel clarified.
"Yep. The very one."
***
"She was a beauty." The owner said sadly. He was around forty years of age, with light auburn hair.
"What? The boat is unsalvageable?" Rachel asked.
"Well, the cops have got it at the moment. But the inside was completely ruined, and the tear on the side was going to cost more money than it was worth. It's a complete write off."
"What kind of business do you run Mr. Matthews?" Frank asked.
"A passenger service. An alternative to the traditional ferry. It's quicker, and takes a different route. And because they're only small, there's less customers so it's more comfortable."
"Is there anyone around that would like to sabotage your business?" Rachel asked. Mr. Matthews just shrugged.
"Not that I would know of. We're still fairly new in this business. And so far we're relatively successful. This," He patted a boat that crew were placing finishing touches to, "is to be launched in three weeks time. As soon as all the safety checks are completed."
"So you don't know anyone that drives a speed boat to that description then?" Frank re-iterated.
"I wish I did. When the boys told me what they saw, it just didn't ring any bells." Mr. Matthews said, picking up a cloth and continued to polish his new boat.
"Alright, thanks for your time." Rachel announced.
"Anytime I can be of assistance." He replied.
***
"So we have a business with no enemies, a boat with a grudge, and a number of victims." Helen concluded.
"Basically." Frank noted dismally, swinging back on his chair, putting his hands behind his head.
"It just doesn't seem to fit." Rachel said. "I mean, what business doesn't have competitors?"
"There might be something in that." Frank sat up to attention. "Who are its main competitors. I mean, there's the ferry, but it would hardly be any threat to that."
"Well, what other small business passenger boats are around?" Helen asked.
"I'll look into it." Rachel walked over to her desk and retrieved the Yellow Pages.
"By the way, Frank. Tayler has compiled the list of names and addresses that you wanted." Helen informed him.
"Of the witnesses?"
"Witnesses, victims… your call." Helen smiled, walking out of the office.
"There's five of them." Rachel announced.
"Only five other businesses?" Frank asked.
"Well, five small businesses, on this side of the harbor anyway."
"What are we waiting for then?"
***
"Five businesses, all doing the same business, all doing extremely well. Something doesn't add up!" Rachel thumped the desk with frustration.
"Maybe it was an insurance scam. Maybe Mr. Matthews isn't doing as well as he says, and destroys the boat."
"But yet he's making another one?" Rachel gave Frank a skeptical look.
"Fine, fine. Good point." Frank sighed. "Should we see if we can get a look at the books?"
"We won't get a warrant without further evidence." Rachel pointed out.
"We should get a look at the contents in the 'Harbor Dasher'. Mr. Matthews said we still have it, right?"
"There's a point." Rachel sighed dramatically, stretching her limbs.
"And on that note, we say goodnight." Frank agreed.
"Yeah, I should get home." Rachel muttered.
"Home? It's seven o'clock."
"Exactly." Rachel gave Frank a confused look. "What's churning in that warped mind of your Francis?"
"Well Goldie, I was just wondering what you were doing for dinner?"
***
"I can't believe I agreed to this." Rachel muttered.
"Quite frankly, neither can I." Frank grinned.
"I mean, I spend all day with you, and all evening now too."
"But you're not complaining."
"I could do worse than your company." Rachel grinned.
"And you have."
Rachel smiled ruefully. "You've got me there."
"Cheers." Frank clinked his beer glass with Rachel's lemon squash.
"Frank, just so you don't get the wrong idea about this dinner arrangement…"
"What wrong idea? I'm sitting at an Italian restaurant with my best friend." Frank said simply.
"We're best friends?"
"Always will be." Frank said sincerely.
"If you're lucky." Rachel smiled, taking another sip of her drink.
"Nup." Frank shook his head. "If you're lucky."
"Ooh, biting comeback Holloway." Rachel teased.
"Why did I even invite you out anyway Goldstein?"
"Because you seek intellectual conversation outside of work."
"Ah, that's right. Did you see the score at stumps on the cricket in the Caribbean last night?" he asked.
"Nine for two hundred and sixty three." Rachel told him without hesitation.
"Us or them?"
"Them. McGrath had just bowled a beauty to get Walsh out before I fell asleep."
"That's not so bad."
"Glenn McGrath…" Rachel said, a dreamy edge in her voice. "Now there's a fine specimen of a man."
"Yeah, I guess. If you go for the tall, athletic, good looking sort of a bloke." Frank muttered sarcastically.
"Well, perhaps I do." The words slipped out of Rachel's mouth before she could stop them. "But I don't know where I'll find one out here."
"This place is kinda crowded. Perhaps we could find you one in here." He paused while he looked around the room.
"There's one there. But he's too short."
"Frank." Rachel protested.
"There's that guy at the bar, but he doesn't look like your typical fast bowler."
"Frank." Rachel said again.
"What?" this time he turned around to catch her gaze.
"Shut-up and eat."
***
"If I eat any more I'll explode." Rachel told Frank as they walked along the docks of the harbor.
"So you should. I can't believe you woofed that whole bowl of pasta down!" Frank exclaimed.
"And the last of your parmajana too." Rachel reminded him, smiling.
"Geez Goldie, any more and I would've had to roll you out of there!" Frank laughed.
"That was nice. The meal, not the comment." Rachel smiled ruefully.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. It was horrible when we weren't socializing." Frank remembered.
"I know. I hated it too." Rachel admitted.
"Even with Dr Marvelous keeping you company."
"He was nice. He treated me well. But how can you love a man that knows every medical abbreviation out there, and yet not know what LBW means?!" she laughed.
"I know what you mean." Frank sighed, and glanced at the row of boats they were passing. The clear moonlight reflected off many surfaces. But one in particular grabbed his attention. "Goldie, look."
There, right before them, was a mysterious red and silver speed boat.
"Think this could be the one?" Rachel asked.
"Could be. Does it have a number or anything on it?" Frank asked.
"Not that I can see. Anything on your side?" Frank was on the other side of the boat.
"There's a name. 'Crusher'."
"Charming." Rachel muttered.
"Considering what this boat may have done." Frank finished off. "I really can't be bothered working tonight."
"Neither can I." Rachel groaned. "I think I just want to go to bed."
"Yeah, come on. I'll take you home. We'll come back in the morning."
***
Ten minutes later, they arrived outside of Rachel's abode.
"So, early start in the morning then?" she asked.
"I guess we better. If we want to catch those crooks that is." Frank's non existent enthusiasm matched that of his partner. "Thanks for coming tonight."
"Thanks for scrubbing my bathroom."
"Hey, a bet's a bet."
"I think I got the better deal." Rachel grinned.
"Yeah, so do I. It was good. You and me. Kinda like old times, you know?"
Rachel looked into his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, I know."
She knew that she should get out of the car, but she couldn't. She didn't want to. She wanted to stay transfixed in his gaze.
"Look Rachel…" Frank began, but that was as far as he got. Rachel leaned in, capturing his lips in her own. She placed her hand behind his head, pulling him closer for a few seconds, before disengaging herself.
"I had a great time tonight Frank. Thanks." She muttered, getting out of the car. Frank sat there staring at her, as if he was in some kind of daze. Rachel smiled to herself as she walked to her door, looking back only once to see if he had driven off yet. It wasn't until that she was inside that he did.
'Well, so much for only friends' she grinned. But why did she have to do that? Why did she have to complicate things.
She knew the answer to that. She knew that her feelings for Frank ran deeper than a great friendship and successful partnership. But would they prove a hindrance? Only time would tell.
***
"Are you sure?" Frank asked for the billionth time.
"Positive. There are no registered boats titled 'Crusher'" Helen was emphatic. When Frank had walked past the marina on his way to work, the boat had disappeared, leaving a space where it had been docked.
"So where did it disappear to then?" he thought aloud.
"Don't ask me, you're the detective." Helen reminded him as they walked down the stairs to the front desk.
"Speaking of which, have you seen Goldie this morning? She was meant to be in early." Frank asked.
"No, not yet." Helen told him.
"I have. She walked in about five minutes ago." Tayler told him.
"Thanks." He grinned. He could hardly wait to see her. He wasn't sure how to read the kiss of the night before, but he knew not to get his hopes up.
"Hey, did you hear what happened to Gav last night?" Tayler was delighted to be able to spread the gossip around. "Someone nicked his undies off his clothes line!"
Frank found it hard to contain his laughter.
"This could be serious!" Gavin protested.
"Yeah right. Who would want your undies, mate." Tommy laughed.
***
Helen entered the toilets to find Rachel sitting on the lid of one.
"Ah, Rachel, Frank was looking for you." She said as she washed her hands.
"Great. Frank wants me. That's all I need." Rachel looked close to tears.
"What's wrong?" Helen suddenly turned to best friend mode. "Has something happened between you and Frank."
"Nah, nothing like that. It's just, we went out last night, and things were finally back to normal, and I woke up this morning and things have totally gone up the shit, and…" Rachel blabbered.
"Rachel, slow down. If things were going well last night, how has this morning changed them?" Helen asked.
Rachel looked toward the mirror, then at Helen, then at her feet, then back to Helen. Her bottom lip started to tremble, and she bit it in an attempt to control it.
"Shit Helen. I'm pregnant." Rachel let out a deep breath. Saying it out loud meant that it was real. It was happening.
"Holy shit!" Helen was totally taken aback. "Are you sure you haven't just skipped?"
"I skipped February cos of the drugs I was taking from being injured in January. I skipped March because my system was still out of whack. I haven't skipped April yet, but the pregnancy test I took this morning shows that I probably will."
"Oh Rachel. I don't know what to say. Is congratulations in order?" Helen rubbed her hand up and down Rachel's arm in an effort to show some comfort.
"I'm not sure. I mean, me and Ben split up three weeks now. What am I going to tell him. And Frank? We finally become friends again, and…grrrr!" Rachel screeched through clenched teeth.
"Frank will understand. Granted, I think things may be difficult with Ben. But things will work out. The best thing you can do now is go and see the doctor. Get things confirmed."
"But Frank…"
"I'll deal with Frank. You just get yourself off to the clinic." Helen ordered.
"Thanks Helen. What would I do without you." Rachel sighed, squeezing her friend's hand.
"You'd probably still be sitting on that toilet." Helen smirked. "Now go on, get."
"I owe you one." Rachel said gratefully, picking her bag off the floor, and sneaking out the door before anyone started to ask questions.
Back in the toilets, Helen sighed. Poor Rachel. She had already been through a bit this year. Helen wasn't stupid. She knew how the Holloway/Goldstein partnership worked. How ever was she going to tell Frank?
***"Helen, there you are! Have you seen Rachel?" Frank asked, peeking into all the offices, trying to find his partner.
"Yeah, she just had to duck out for a while. She wasn't feeling too well." Helen told him part of the truth.
"Oh. Okay." Frank tried to mask the disappointment in his voice. That settled things for him. She was sorry that she kissed him last night. "It's just that we were gonna have a look in that boat today."
"The 'Harbor Dasher'?" Helen asked.
"Yeah. The owner gave us permission to peak around while we held it."
"Even the confidential stuff?" Helen asked.
"Funny thing that. He didn't really specify if we could look at only the damage, or everything else as well." Frank grinned.
"Tell you what. Take Tommy with you, and I didn't hear that last comment you made." Helen bargained.
"Deal." Frank smiled. "You'll let Rachel know where we are?"
"The second she gets back." Helen promised. Ooh, this was going to be tough.
***
"I'd say you're at least ten weeks." The doctor speculated.
Rachel mentally calculated her calendar. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"We'll schedule an ultra sound for about five weeks time. That should give us a more accurate time span." She smiled at Rachel. "Congratulations."
"Yeah. Cheers." Rachel forced a smile, taking the referral from the doctor and stepping out.
"Shit!" she muttered.
***
"I keep having nightmares about that filing cabinet." Tommy told Frank as they searched through the wet, sodden contents of the office on the boat.
"This the thing that girl was trapped under? Shit, no wonder Syksie couldn't lift the thing." Frank commented.
"It was heavy, even under water." Tommy tried to pull the drawers out, but each seemed jammed.
"Tommy. It's probably locked." Frank gave some helpful advice.
"Oh, course. That's what I was just thinking." Tommy grinned ruefully. He hated to look the fool in front of the great Frank Holloway.
"Shame. I think that filing cabinet is the only place we're gonna get any paper evidence of anything. Everything else was totally destroyed in the sinking." Frank muttered, looking under the table. "Hang on, what's this?"
"What's what?" Tommy asked.
"There's a little box nailed under the desk here. Do you still have that screw driver on you Tommy?" Frank asked.
"Sure, here." He passed it over.
After a few moments of cursing, Frank finally managed to open the box. And retrieved a key.
"Try this method Tommy boy." Frank grinned smugly, handing the key to him.
Sure enough, it fit like a glove.
"Jackpot." Tommy mentioned, opening the airtight draws. Although water had managed to trickle through, items weren't as badly water damaged. Protective plastic sheets ensured most documentation remained intact.
"Hey Frank, take a look at this." Tommy motioned after sorting through the paperwork for a while.
"Takeover bid?" Frank took the documentation from its protective sleeve.
"Could prove to be motive." Tommy suggested.
"Yet Mr. Matthews reckons he has no enemies." Frank shook his head. It would make his job a lot easier if people just told the truth.
"Whoever did this to his boat isn't exactly a friend."
"Exactly. Come on, I think we've got what we came here for."
***
"Jackpot!" Frank claimed triumphantly, holding the papers in the air as proof.
"You got an actual lead?" Rachel inquired.
"Good you're back." Frank noted, then continued. "Yeah, it seems Mr. Matthews might have some enemies after all."
"You found proof of that?"
"He's formally buying out 'Ryan's Harbor Crossing', and is also trying to do the same to 'The Quay to the Harbor'." Frank explained.
"And what, you think that some people are a little resentful for that?" Rachel asked.
"What? You don't? Some employees must be losing out here." Frank reasoned.
"Okay, where do we start?"
***
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if Gavin was in?" A young girl asked at Tayler.
"Yeah sure." Tayler looked at the girl quizzically. "You were on the boat, weren't you?"
"Yes, Toni Robinson. Gavin saved my sister's life."
"How is your sister?" Tayler asked.
"She's okay now. She was in shock for a while. But it's fine now." Toni truthfully replied.
"Hey Toni." Gavin smiled as he strode up to the desk.
"Hey Gavin." Toni smiled from ear to ear. "I just had a question to ask."
"Sure, what can I help you with?"
"Um, actually, I just came around to invite you around for dinner with me and Caitlin. To say thank you for saving her life, and mine."
"Really, it's not necessary." Gavin dismissed the adulation, much to the amusement of Tayler.
"It is." Toni took a breath. "Two years ago, our parents were killed in a car accident. Luckily we were both over sixteen, so we weren't fostered out. She's the only family I have left. If Toni had died, I don't know what I would have done."
"Then I'm glad I was able to help. It was nice that you thanked me, and it was nice to send the flowers. But that's all that's needed. I'm glad we got your sister out in time, and that I was able to do my job successfully."
"So is that a no?" Toni asked, trying to mask the sadness in her voice.
"I think it better be. But thank you. It's nice to be appreciated."
"As I said, you saved our lives." Toni smiled before leaving.
"Well done Syksie." Tayler congratulated him. "Looks like you got out of that one okay."
Gavin just raised his eyebrows with good humor, and went back to what he was doing.
***
"Mr. Ryan." Frank began. Himself and Rachel had finally managed to track the boat shed down. "I understand you sold your business to Mr. Matthews."
"That's correct." Mr. Ryan told them. He looked to be in his late fifties, his hair graying, and his skin wrinkled from numerous years of outdoor work.
"We hear that Mr. Matthews has been doing good business since he started." Frank left the question hanging.
"Are you asking if he's driven me out of business?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I've been in this business a long time Mr. Holloway. I continued to make good prophets after the other businesses started running. But I'm getting older, and I promised my wife a world trip and retirement. My time had come, and Mr. Matthews offered me a great way out."
"So you wanted to sell?" Rachel reiterated.
"I was just about to advertise it." Mr. Ryan said as a way of clarification.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Ryan." Frank said, then thought of another question. "By the way, do you know anyone that owns a red and silver speed boat?"
"Um, an old mate of mine used to own one, but he sold it a month ago."
"Can we get his details please?"
***
"Alright, so he sold it to a Peter Abbey." Rachel talked it through as they walked up toward the police offices. They had just been to visit the friend of Mr. Ryan's, who gave them every detail they needed. "He might not even be connected."
"He might not, but then again, he might. We'll just have to dig up some dirt on him."
"Don't pin your hopes on this Frank, he might be squeaky clean."
"Never!" Frank grinned at Rachel, the question still burning his tongue. He desperately wanted to know about the kiss of the night before. But now wasn't the time to ask.
"And we've still got that other business he's trying to buy out." Rachel reminded Frank.
"Yeah, but surely that can wait until tomorrow." Frank yawned. "I might even wander past the marina on the way home, see if the reliable 'Crusher' is there again."
"Why not." Rachel said, walking toward her desk and sitting down.
"Want to join me?" Frank asked casually, yet hopefully.
"Frank…" Rachel began.
"Nah, it's okay. You don't have to explain." Frank knew what was coming next. But if he didn't hear it, he could still kid himself to the possibility.
"Actually, I could probably do with a walk." Rachel grinned ruefully. "But before we go, I just have to go see Helen."
"Is she still here?" Frank asked, looking at his watch. It was a little after seven p.m.
"Only one way to find out." Rachel stated, walking toward the office of her best friend.
"Rachel!" Helen cried out as soon as she entered. "Well?"
"Well. I'm definitely pregnant." Rachel said, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
"Oh dear." Helen mentioned. "Is this good news."
"You know, I've been asking myself that question all day. I'm no longer in touch with the father, I already have a son that's growing up way too fast, I'll have to put up with paper work when I'm as big as a house. But I've got this baby growing inside of me, you know. It's a life, and I helped create it."
"And I envy you Rachel." Helen smiled. "Well, congratulations. If you're happy, I'm happy."
"There could be easier circumstances, but yeah, I'm happy." Rachel returned the embrace of her colleague and good friend. "And you know the story…"
"No one finds out until you're at least 14 weeks." Helen recited. She's heard that speech from numerous people over the years. "But you're going to tell Frank, aren't you?"
Rachel looked toward the door, a little uneasy. "I'm going to have to, aren't I?"
Helen nodded in response.
"Well, no time like the present. Wish me luck."
"Good luck." Helen called after her as she went for the door. "And Rachel."
"Yeah?"
"Congratulations."
***
"Nope, not here." Frank mentioned to Rachel as they walked along the jetty.
"Nope. What's in their spot I wonder?" Rachel queried, walking a little closer.
"Are you sure that it was here?" Frank asked.
"Fairly sure, you?"
"Yeah, it was. Next to that big one." Frank pointed. Rachel nodded, then proceeded to write down the name of the boat that was now in place of the 'Crusher'.
"So, what now?" Frank asked.
"I'm not sure about you, but I'm going home." Rachel told him, cursing herself for being so gutless. She knew Frank was waiting for her to say something about the previous night. The tension between them was thick all day. But Rachel had other things on her mind to notice too terribly.
"Home? How boring." Frank muttered. "You sure you don't want to get out a video? Or go to the movies? Or the pub? Or…"
"Frank, I'm pregnant."
"Ante natal classes? Or…" Frank realized what he'd skipped. "What?"
Frank turned to face Rachel. "You're…?"
"Pregnant Frank. I'm having a baby." Rachel clarified.
"Shit Rachel, I know what being pregnant means." Frank cursed.
"Don't you dare get angry with me Holloway." Rachel warned.
"When did you find out?" Frank tried to collect a coherent thought.
"This morning. I've been trying to tell you, but, it's just…" Rachel began.
"How many weeks?"
"Ten weeks. I'm due in November."
"Oh. Does the doctor know?"
"Not yet." Rachel turned even more somber. The prospect of telling him was only slightly worse than the prospect of telling Frank.
"But you will?"
"In my own time. I haven't spoken to him since we broke up." Rachel confessed.
"He'll want to know. He's a lucky guy." Frank told her sincerely.
"This is so hard Frank. Everything we've been through over the past few months… and I'm not just talking professionally."
"I know." Frank looked at the sad look on Rachel's face, and pulled her into a hug. "But I'm here for you. Whenever you need me."
"Thanks Frank. I appreciate it." Rachel sniffled. She hadn't even realized she was crying.
"What are best friends for?" Frank told her.
Rachel smiled. Best friends. They were still best friends. She felt a small stab in her heart knowing that that was all they were possibly going to be. But she had his support, she was grateful.
***
"What is this? A funeral parlor or something?" Frank muttered as he entered the front door to the building, which was strewn with roses everywhere. "Let me guess…"
"Syksie." Tayler and Frank announced together.
"I'm getting seriously worried about this girls frame of mind." Tayler announced.
"If I was obsessing over Gavin Sykes, I'd be worried about me too." Frank joked, taking the stairs up to the office.
"Here already Goldie?" He was surprised to see his partner already at work.
"Yeah, well you know me. All work and no play." She told him.
"Actually Rachel, I don't think the all work part got you in your condition." Frank kidded. Rachel smiled, in fact, she almost laughed. She was happy that Frank felt comfortable enough about the situation as to joke about it.
"Well, that's between you, me, and the bed head." Rachel winked.
"And the shower." Frank lowered his tone so that no eavesdroppers could pick up on their conversation. Again, Rachel laughed, this time out loud. Then she walked over and kissed Frank on the cheek.
"What's that for?" he asked.
"For making me laugh. For making us best friends again." There was a time where Rachel thought they could never mention their dalliances again. Not without pettiness anyway. But here they were, three months on, laughing about it.
"So, do anything productive this morning?" Frank asked.
"Actually, yeah. I found out that Peter Abbey is not an employee of any boat shed or passenger boat service." Rachel began, rifling through her papers in search of the information.
"What does he do then?"
"He works part time at a local department store, and goes to TAFE, studying Graphic Design."
"Doesn't sound like our man then." Frank concluded.
"No, it doesn't. Which leaves us with 'Quay to the Harbor'" Rachel informed him.
As they walked down the stairs, Rachel noticed the amount of foliage.
"Gavin, you are seriously going to have to have a chat with this admirer of yours. It's beyond the joke now."
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do." Gavin looked around sheepishly.
Frank walked out of the building to wait for Rachel to get her notes.
"Um, Rachel." Tayler said softly.
"Yeah?"
"This girl going after Gavin. You don't think she might turn violent or anything, do you?" Rachel was amazed by the genuine concern in Tayler's voice.
"Nah. You watch too many horror movies Tayler." Rachel reassured.
"Yeah, right." Tayler agreed, getting back to work.
***
"What? You think that I did that boat over?" Mike Arnott asked reprehensibly. "There were people on that boat!"
"We're simply inquiring as to your whereabouts at that time Mr. Arnott." Rachel interjected.
"I was here, working! Just ask Al out there!" Mike defended.
"Let's face it Mr. Arnott. Business hasn't exactly been booming since the 'Harbor Dasher' came into business now, has it?"
"I admit, we lost some revenue…"
"And now he's offering to buy you out…"
"Which I am not accepting!" Mike said adamantly.
"Why not? Business is down, and he's offering more than the business seems to be worth." Frank put in.
"I'm not denying that the offer was tempting Detective, but this is my business. It's my livelihood. I'm not going to sell it to Colin, but then again, I'm not going to go about destroying property either. Or endangering lives."
"Okay, thank you for your time. Also, do you know anyone that owns a red and silver speed boat?" Rachel tried. It was worth the shot.
Mike Arnott seemed to hesitate for a few seconds. "No, no I don't. You think that might be involved?"
"It's whereabouts would help us with the investigation." Frank offered.
"I'll keep my eye out." He promised.
"Thanks, appreciated." Rachel said, and they let themselves out.
"So, what do you think?" Frank asked.
"Dodgy."
"I agree." Frank said. "There's something not right."
"Hey Frank." Rachel said, leading him over to some piping lying next to the boat shed.
"What?"
"Do you reckon this, travelling at eighty k's per hour, would tear a hole and knock over a boat?"
"Not sure about that piece. But this piece would certainly do the trick." Frank's eyes rested on another bit of piping, with a spear like head on it.
The sound of an approaching boat hit Rachel's senses.
"Speaking of the 'Crusher'…"
A red and silver speed boat soon pulled up, it's only occupant climbing out. They hurried to meet him.
"Excuse me." Frank called out.
"Yeah?" the man looked no older than twenty years of age.
"Are you the owner of this boat?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Detective Frank Holloway, maybe you wouldn't mind coming down to the station and answering a few questions."
The man nodded his head slowly. Then made a run for it. It wasn't long before both detectives had hold of him.
"Alright, you're coming with us."
***
"So how did you go?" Helen asked Rachel as she left the interview room.
"We got him." Rachel said triumphantly. "It appears that Peter Abbey is the nephew of Mike Arnott."
"So he was trying to protect his uncle's business." Helen speculated.
"At the cost of his father's." Rachel informed her.
"Huh?"
"Colin Matthews is biological father of Peter Abbey, but Peter changed to his mother's last name when his parents divorced. Mike is Peter's mother's brother, and Peter has always looked up to him more than his own father. So when it looked as if Mike was going to loose his business to Colin Matthews…"
"Peter drove a large spear through his father's boat."
"He insisted it was just to do some damage, just to get the boats out of the way so that Mike could build his takings up."
"How sad. Thank goodness I'm not in that world." Helen sighed.
"And if you'd excuse me Helen, I actually came out to go to the toilet."
"Oops, sorry." Helen grinned.
***
"Well?" Tayler inquired.
"Well, it's all sorted out. No more stalking." Gavin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Really?"
"Yes, she bought me lunch today."
"Oh Gav…" Tayler sighed. "That will only encourage her.
"No, I don't think so. At the end of the meal she said 'Thanks for finally letting me show you some gratitude. I may never see you again, but know that I'll remember you for saving our lives.'. Then she left."
"Yay. She was starting to scare me." Tayler grinned.
"You? Concerned for me?" Gavin asked.
"Dream on Syksie." She told him, turning back to her work.
"If I have to." He grinned.
***
"Helen!" Frank called from the interview room. "Have you seen Rachel?"
"Yeah, she just went to the toilets." Helen told him.
"Ten minutes ago! We want to finish this interview up." Frank complained, but Helen could sense that he was worried.
"Sure. Um, Tayler, do you want to help Frank." Helen instructed, then raced to the toilets.
Upon entering, she heard the sound she did not want to hear. Sobbing.
"Rachel?" she called.
"Yeah." Rachel choked out through sobs.
"What's wrong?" Helen had grave feelings about it.
"I'm bleeding Helen." She said softly.
"Spotting?" Helen hoped.
"No. Not anymore. I'm bleeding now."
"Do you want me to call the hospital?" Helen asked, at a loss of what to do.
"I already have. On my mobile. There's nothing I can do except to sit it out. Then I have to go to the hospital."
"Oh Rachel!" Helen sighed, leaning against the cubicle door. She knew there was nothing more that she could do.
All signs pointed to Rachel miscarrying…
*****
And on that happy note (just joking!), that is the end of April. Cam should be out with May very soon. Please, lots of feedback to us!
Cam’s Final Note: Geez, Sim, do you want me to live here or what? I mean, I’ll be flooded with “Get May done or…!” *sigh* Oh well.. better get writing!!
May
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