- Head Above Water
By Camilla Sandman
Disclaimer: They’re borrowed, not taken. Hal owns ‘em, I have fun with ‘em. I will return them in more or less the same condition… umm Frank, mind dropping by my office for a few hours before I return you to Hal? And no need to overdress.. hehehe
Author’s Note: I felt like writing again..
Lyrics used:
Healing Hands – Elton John, Under the Bridge –Red Hot Chili Peppers, Just Ask The Lonely - William Stevenson & Ivy Jo Hunter, Rain – Madonna, Human Touch – Bruce Springsteen, Mad About You – Bachelor Girl, Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen, Crash and Burn - Savage Garden, Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Elton John, If I should Fall Behind - Bruce Springsteen
And no, I’m not the one with the Bruce Springsteen kick.. that’s my mom. I just borrow her CDs.
Summary: A young girls death beings a series of events that stirs things up at the Sydney Water Police. While Rachel’s life could be on the line, Frank has a series of nightmares.. or is it premonitions?
To Kathryn Murphy, for the simple reason of being who she is. And for Suz for being funky.. (hey, how did that get there?? Suz, I told ya to betaread, not take over the story!!!)
HEAVY LANGUAGE AS WELL AS SOME PRETTY DESCRIPTIVE SEXUAL REFERENCES!!!
IF YOU PREFER IT LEFT TO THE IMAGINATION, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!
ADULTS HAVE BEEN WARNED, MINORS SHOULD *NOT* READ IF YOUR PARENTS WOULD HAVE A FIT!!!!
*******
But giving into the nightime
Ain't no cure for the pain
You gotta wade into the water
You gotta learn to live again
Reach out for her healing hands
Reach out for her healing hands
There's a light, where the darkness ends,
Touch me now and let me see again,
Rock me now in your gentle healing hands
Reach out for her healing hands
*******
Water.
Lots of water. He was falling, it greeting him with a splash, embracing him. A pleasant sensation at first, cool water against his skin. The water was green, very green. He tried to find out why, but he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t tread the water, he was sinking, he was drowning… Just like the other victims, he was locked in. They had drowned. In a flash, he saw a girl screaming to be let out too, but she couldn’t keep her head above water, she was drowning, falling to the bottom.
Someone else was there as well, he instinctually knew it to be someone he cared for, and he tried to reach out. But she was drowning too, he couldn’t save her, couldn’t… He screamed her name, but no sound came out, it was only water, lots of water. He screamed and screamed and screamed..
“RACHEL!!!” He bolted up in bed, sweat covering his face. It took him several seconds to realise he wasn’t drowning, that he was in his own dry bed. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare.
Taking a deep breath, he turned the light on. It flickered once, before going out. Cursing silently, he got up, heading for the kitchen.
The time showed 4.27 a.m.
Hell, he probably wasn’t going to get any more sleep tonight. His heart was still pounding too fast. It had felt so real.. Frowning, he recalled the name he had called out. Rachel. Not the first time she had appeared in a dream of his, but they were usually much more pleasant. This was just plain.. scary. He almost wanted to call her up just to hear her voice and know she was alright, but it probably wasn’t such a good idea. 4 a.m. was not a good time to call anyone, and especially Rachel Goldstein. She’d have his head off in a second. Then again he was Frank Holloway, and therefore being used to having his head taken off by her on almost a daily basis.
He’d almost debated for calling her, when the phone rang.
“Holloway,” he answered, picking it up on the second ring.
“It’s me. We have a case,” Rachel’s voice greeted him. He groaned in reply.
“Can’t the crooks sleep at night like we do?” he complained.
“You were sleeping, were you? And you flew down from your bed and answered the phone on the second ring?”
“Maybe I had company,” he teased, “a tall, blonde sheila with a set of….”
“Frank, spare me the details! I’ll come by and pick you up.. the murder scene is not far from where you live.”
“Okay, see you then.”
He hung up, chuckling a bit. He could swear he had heard just a hint of jealousy in Rachel’s voice. Too bad he didn’t really have a sheila over, he’d love to see her expression!
He trotted back upstairs to get properly dressed, and a few moments later, he head an impatient knock on the door.
“Coming..” he muttered, fastening his tie as he walked down the stairs. Opening the door, he flashed a smile at Rachel.
“Morning partner!”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re too cheerful for someone being waken at 4 a.m.”
He shut his door behind him, walking with her to the car, chuckling softly. Yep, he had detected a hint of jealousy. He could play with that some, surely.
She was still throwing suspicious looks his way as they pulled up in front of the crime scene. It was crowded with cars and sirens. Stepping over the crime scene tapes, the two detectives ID’ed themselves, before walking over to the covered up body.
“Young female, barely a teenager,” one officer informed them, pulling away the plastic.
Frank stared. It was a young girl, barely a kid, her blonde hair wet. And he knew her.
“Oh my God..” he muttered, Rachel gave him a curious glance. It was the girl, the girl from his nightmare. It couldn’t be! He looked again.
It was. Oh hell.
“Frank?”
“She is drowned, didn’t she?”
“It would seem so. Fallen off a boat perhaps.”
He shook his head. “She wasn’t drowned by sea.”
“How’d you know?”
“I just do.”
“The water in her lungs will determine where she was drowned.. Frank, are you okay? You look pale.”
He nodded, taking several deep breaths. It’s just a freaky co-incident, he told himself. Many girls looked like that, and he hadn’t seen her clearly in the dream. Freaky co-incident. Nothing more.
“Who is she?” he asked as he managed to gather himself.
“We don’t know yet.. but somebody is probably missing her,” the officer shot in.
“Any witnesses?”
“Just the old lady who found her. She’s standing over there.”
The two detectives walked up to the rather frail looking old woman. Her hands were shaking visibly.
“I’m Detective Goldstien, this is my partner Detective Holloway. We under stand you found the body?” Rachel inquired.
“Yes.. it was horrible! She was just lying there, I..”
“We understand it was a horrible experience,” Frank shot in, “but we need your help to find whoever did this to her.”
The woman seemed to straighten up at his words.
“Yes, of course. I will help however I can to catch that.. monster who did this to her!”
“How did you find the body?”
“I was going to put away my trash in the dumpster, and she was just lying there, in front of it.. So young!”
“Did you see anyone leave the area, or?”
“No.. but I did hear car brakes, and then the roar of the engine.. like it was driving very fast.”
“Did you see the car?”
“No.. but it was close, I heard it very clearly.”
“Thank you. If you think of anything else, give us a call,” Rachel offered, handing a card over to the woman, who accepted it with a slight nod.
“What do you reckon?” Frank asked as they walked away.
“Someone dumped the body here.. we should probably check for tire marks, but with all the coming and goings here…”
He nodded, glancing over to where the body was once again. It put a shiver through him, the feeling of his nightmare was hard to shake.
“What’s wrong Frank?” she asked gently, squeezing his shoulder gently. He stared into the orange horizon, where the day was coming.
“I dunno..” he muttered, “probably nothing. Just a dream.”
“You can take me out for a drink tonight and tell me about it,” she offered.
He sent her a quick grin, feeling some of the tension flow away. It was just a freaky co-incident, he was going to solve the case, and the nightmare would go away. It had already began loosing its hold on him.
It was just a nightmare.
******
“Alright, we have an ID on the young girl,” Helen announced as she entered the detectives office a few hours later. They both looked up from the reports they were doing.
“Nina Creer. Age 15. Here’s her parents address.”
“15? They are going to be heartbroken,” Rachel said with a head shake, “she’s barely a kid.”
“Yeah, and the doc said there had been signs of sexual intercourse… and she reckons it wasn’t voluntarily.”
Frank and Rachel exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing. They were hunting a bastard.
“You have the address of her parents house?”
“Right here.”
“Alright.. let’s go Frank!” Rachel said as she grabbed her jacket. He sighed, but got up as well. He wasn’t looking forward to having to tell these people their 15 year old had been murdered, and possibly raped as well. Rachel would have to do most of the talking, he figured, she was.… somewhat more tactful than him.
*****
“Mr. and Mrs. Creek?” Rachel asked as the couple opened the door. She and Frank were in the richer parts of Sydney, and the houses looked that way too.
The couple were in their 40s, both dressed casually, but expensively. The dark rings under their eyes spoke volumes.
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective Goldstein, this is Detective Holloway. May we come in?”
“What’s this about?” the mat cut in. He was holding a glass with a clear liquid in it, from the smell of his breath Rachel had a pretty good idea it was alcohol.
“Your daughter.”
“Oh God.. she’s dead, isn’t she?” It was the woman who spoke know, clutching the doorframe.
“I’m afraid we think so.”
Tears began emerging on the wife’s face, and her husband quickly embraced her. Frank and Rachel felt a bit uncomfortable watching, all too often they were the bearers of bad news. But it didn’t make it easier to deliver them.
“We need someone to identify the body,” Rachel said gently after a while.
The man just nodded, stroking his wife’s hair.
No, it never got any easier.
********
“Poor parents,” Frank remarked as they entered the office a few hours later. The body had been identified as Nina Creek, who had, according to her parents, sneaked out through her window the night before. Where to, they didn’t know.
She had not been seen alive again since she claimed to have gone to bed around 10 that night.. except by her murderer.
“Yeah.. must be hard,” Rachel muttered, thinking of her own kid, her precious, precious David.
“Preliminary findings suggests that she was raped,” Frank noted, throwing the report at her.
“Damn. So she sneaks out to meet someone, yeah?“
“Boyfriend, you reckon?”
“Yeah.. a good bet. But who?”
“We should talk to her best friend, maybe she knows something.”
“According to her parents, that would be Carla Jamie. She should be coming by any minute, her parents were bringing her,” Rachel informed him.
He nodded absentmindedly.
“What would you do if something like that happened your kid?” he finally asked
“Go ballistic, probably,” she admitted, “why?”
“I dunno.. I just wish sometimes I had one, but I’m thinking maybe I’m better off.”
“Nah.. it’s worth it.”
He looked up at her, seeing the spark in her eyes at the mention of kids.
“Yeah? You thinking of having another one?”
“I hafta find someone to have it with first.”
“You don’t hafta look more than across the room,” he grinned. She threw a cup at him in reply, but he ducked quickly.
“Detectives?” They both turned to the frightened looking girl in the doorway whom Helen was leading inside.
“Yes…come in.. Carla Jamie?”
The girl nodded, taking a seat in the chair Frank offered. She squirmed a bit under his gaze, not quite knowing where to put her eyes.
"You knew Nina quite well?”
“Yeah.. we were best friends,” the girl muttered, trying to control the shiver in her voice.
“Did you know where she was going that night?”
“See.. see her boyfriend.” Frank and Rachel exchanged a glance. They had been right.
“Did she tell you that?”
“She called me.. and told me,” Carla explained, looking down at the floor.
“Do you know who her boyfriend was?”
When the girl didn’t answer right away, Rachel leaned forward.
“This is really important Carla. We need to know who he was.”
“Kirk.”
“Kirk? Did he have a name besides Kirk?”
“Richards. He was their neighbour.”
********
“Kirk Richards. Age 35, divorced with a kid just a few years younger than Nina. Disgusting,” Frank summed up as they walked towards the house of Mr. Kirk Richards.
“If Carla was telling the truth. And if Nina was telling Carla the truth,” Rachel pointed out.
“I bet she was,” he shot in as she sounded the doorbell. The maid opened, and flashing their ID’s, she led them to the pool where Kirk Richards were lying in a beach chair, getting a tan.
“Kirk Richards?” Frank asked
“Yes.. what’s this about?”
“Nina Creek.”
“What about her?”
“She’s dead,” Frank said bluntly.
“What? How?”
“She was drowned.. after being abused sexually.”
“That’s horrible,” Kirk said with a disgusted frown, but Frank didn’t buy it for a second.
“One of her friends suggested that you two were close,” Rachel said tactfully.
“We exchanged words now and then. She was a sweet girl.”
“That was all there was to it?”
“Just what the hell are you insinuating?” he fumed at the two detectives, who just stared calmly at him. They couldn’t know.. They couldn’t!
“You were not romantically involved with her then?” Rachel asked
“No! She was just a kid for crying out loud!” Kirk exclaimed with just a hint off too much indignation.
Frank sent him a challenging glare, the his gaze fell on the pool.
He stared at it. The top could be pushed on, and had green filters at the bottom. If turned on, the water would glow green. Green water.
It had happened here, he realised. She had been drowned in this pool, his very pool he was staring at.
He lifted his gaze to Kirk Richards again, and just for a brief second the front faltered, and he saw into the eyes of a nervous murderer. Then Kirk Richards reappeared, calm, collected. But Frank had seen enough. He knew this was the killer of Nina Creek, and he would find a way to prove it.
Rachel was still asking some questions, but he didn’t really hear them, he was busy scouting the area. He could see Nina Creek’s house from here, and the small fence that separated the houses. It would be easy to climb. Her window could easily be climbed up to as well.. Her parents would never know about her “boyfriend”, she didn’t need a ride, and could be back in bed before they knew anything.
But something had gone wrong.. had she become too demanding? Threatening to tell her parents, perhaps.. Something that had caused Kirk Richards to drown her in the pool that night and then dump the body in an ally.
“Frank?”
“Hmmm?”
“You coming?” Rachel was standing by the door, obviously done asking her questions.
“Yes.. we’ll be back though,” he said with a smile to Kirk that was everything but warm. The he followed Rachel out, who was staring at him with an odd look.
“That’s the guy!” he exclaimed as soon as they were out. She got a dubious look on her face.
“You think Kirk Richards killed her?”
“Yeah. You see the pool? He could have drowned her there, dumped the body and be back home in a flash.”
“But why?”
“If it came out that he was screwing a 15 year old girl.. maybe she threatened to expose it.”
He could see Rachel wasn’t buying it so far, but there was no doubt in his mind.
“Think about it.. how could the parents not know about her boyfriend? Because she just had to climb a fence to get to him. Come on Rach, trust me on this one.”
“Alright,” she said as they got into the car, “I’ll trust your instinct on this Frank.”
He gave her a grateful smile as they drove off. Kirk Richards stared after them with a worried frown on his face.
*******
“Autopsy confirms it, she was not drowned by sea. The water in her lungs had chlorine in it. Chlorine is often used in pools,” Frank declared smugly, dropping the file on her desk.
“Looks like you could be right,” she noted, hiding a yawn.
“Tired?”
“We got up at 4 a.m. if you haven’t forgotten,” she said sourly, then glanced up at him. “What’s with you, all bursting with energy? You in love or something?”
“Yeah,” fell out of him before he could think. What the hell was she saying, he wasn’t in love.. was he?
“Anyone special?”
“Uh-huh….” If he had said A, he’d better say B.
“Anyone I know?”
“Maybe....”
She stared intently at him. So, he was seeing some bimbo. Didn’t bother her.
“I think I’ll call it a day,” she suggested, getting up, “see you tomorrow!”
“Sure,” he replied, looking after her. He couldn’t be in love. He was just lonely. Yeah, that was it, lonely.
Sighing, he got up and wandered into the night. Alone.
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry
I drive on her streets cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
Well, I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way, yeah, yeah, yeah
It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
At least I have her love, the city she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry
She was screaming his name as she fell into the water, and he fell after her, trying to reach her. She fought desperately in the water, but couldn’t move. He tried to reach her, but the few metres could just as well have been miles, he was totally frozen. He saw the look of terror on her face, the plea to help her, the utter desperation.
But water filled his lungs, and he fell, fell, fell...
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” he bolted up, nearly falling out of bed in the process. Staring wildly at the wall he realised it was just a dream. Again. What was happening to him? He felt totally out of control, like something was changing without him knowing it.
“Damnit,” he cursed, extracting himself from the covers he had become all tangled up in. Second night in a row he had a dream about drowning. Not to mention his first one had featured a girl he was investigating the murder of, and had in fact lead him on the trail of her killer.
This was crazy. Turning on the light, he checked the time.
2.45 a.m. Great. He turned the light off an attempted to go back to sleep.
*******
“Morning,” he muttered as he entered the office the morning after. He hadn’t got much sleep, and it showed.
“Morning Frank.. not sleeping well?”
“No,” he answered testily, heading for the coffee maker.
“Well, we got surveillance on Kirk Richards, in case he does anything stupid.”
“Great,” he snapped.
“What’s with the sour face Frank?”
He finally looked up at her and his face softened somewhat. Having bad dreams was no excuse to snap the head off his partner.
“Sorry.. had a bad dream, that’s all.” She accepted the apology with a nod, and a sympathetic pat on the arm. He took a heavy sip of the coffee.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“We keep an eye out on Mr. Richards and have a talk with more friends of her, see if anything turns up. Her parents gave us a couple of names.”
“Okay,” he said, finishing the cup before following her to the car park outside. He’d hafta lighten his mood if he didn’t want Rachel to snap back at him, so he did his best not to groan at the thought of more interviews.
He was tired.
*******
“They all seem know Nina had some kind of boyfriend, but not who he was,” Rachel observed an hour later.
“Yeah… brings us no closer to Kirk Richards,” Frank noted. They had interviewed several of Nina’s friends, and were heading back to the Station. The last one had lived down by the harbour, and they had to park their car some hundred metres away, and now they were walking back. They had just about reached it, when Frank suddenly paused.
“What’s wrong Frank?” Rachel asked, stopping a few metres ahead of him to see why her partner was suddenly hesitant.
“Didn’t we..” he began, but it drowned in the roar of the flames as the car exploded.
He flew, everything turned black as he hit the ground again. He though he felt someone by his side, but he couldn’t move. It hurt.
When he felt his senses slowly return to him, he looked up to see the smoking remains of the car.. and Rachel lying face down a few metres away.
“Rachel!!” he cried out, feeling all colour leave his face. He couldn’t.. No, no, he couldn’t!! His legs couldn’t carry him, but he crawled over her, feeling for a pulse.
She was breathing. He felt his heart beginning to beat again. Cradling her, he heard distant sirens as he passed out again.
********
“Helen!” Tayler called out as her aunt passed the counter, “Frank and Rachel are in hospital!”
“What??!!” Helen Blakemore nearly yelled, “What happened?”
“Car bomb. Frank’s fine, I’m on the phone with him, Rachel is still being checked out.”
“Car bomb?? Shit, they have any idea who’s behind it?”
“Frank reckons it could be Kirk Richards, their suspect. And he think his gun was stolen.”
“Fabulous,” Helen muttered, heading upstairs to tell Jeff the news.
"I’ll call you back,” Frank told Tayler as the doctor approached him. “How is my partner?”
“She got a blow to the head from some debris, but she is fine. We’ll keep her overnight for observation, but there is nothing to worry about.”
Frank breathed a sigh of relief. He’d gone around with his heart all in a knot, worried to death that he might loose her. With the nightmares fresh in memory, his fear had only grown.
He couldn’t loose her. Not Rachel. He had no idea what to do without her, how to cope without her. It just seemed.. impossible. He didn’t even want to imagine it.
Calling the Station again, he couldn’t hide the joy in his voice. He didn’t care. She was okay, he hadn’t lost her. Yet.
And damned if he was going to let a bastard like Kirk Richards take her away from him.
He knew there had been something wrong with the car, it had been parked halfway on the pavement when they got there, but not when they had left it.
It had saved their lives.
His felt his heart pound faster as he recalled how close to death they had been. He had never even kissed her, even though he had wanted to a million times over. If she had gone just a bit closer to the car, he could have been telling Tayler that Rachel hadn’t made it.
The nightmares.. maybe they were telling him he could loose her, so he shouldn’t wait forever?
Live each day like it was your last. He’d heard the saying, but right now it seemed oddly fitting. Maybe.. Maybe
Closing his eyes, he vowed to at least try.
Just ask the lonely
When you feel
That you can make it all alone
Remember no one is big enough
To go it all alone
Just ask the lonely
They know the hurting pain
Of losing the love
You can never regain
Just ask the lonely
The young and foolish
Who laugh at love and slowly run away
Confident and sure that fate
Will bring another love their way
But ask the lonely
How vainly a heart can yearn
For loosing a love
That will never return
Just ask the lonely
*******
“What do you want?” he asked annoyed.
Grabbing the man by his shirt, Frank pushed him up against a wall, his anger barely withheld.
“Listen, *mate* if you come anywhere near my partner, I’m gonna come back here and do something I’ll regret. Got it?”
“I haven’t..” Kirk tried to explain, but Frank didn’t even listen.
“GOT IT????!!”
“Alright, alright.. Calm down!”
Letting him go, Frank sent him a final warning glare before marching out. Kirk looked after him, rubbing his neck. Police brutality! He was going to report it, he was..
“Kirk.”
“What are you doing here?” Seeing the gun in the woman’s hand, Kirk totally froze. He was gonna die, he realised.
*******
“Hello gorgeous,” Frank smiled as he entered the hospital room the day after. He had managed a good night’s sleep for once and was feeling pretty good.
“Heya Frank,” Rachel replied from her hospital bed, “any clues as to who tried to car bomb us yesterday?”
He popped down on her bedside, shaking his head.
“Jeff’s got the whole bloody Station on it.. it seems Kirk Richards has disappeared too.”
“What??” she replied surprised. He shook his shoulders.
“We’ll find him.. how are you feelin’?”
“Bit of a headache, but I’ll live. You?”
“Fine.. I was released yesterday, must have been my thick head saving me.” She snorted, then tapped her finger on his head.
“Yeah, it’s thick alright,” she declared with a small smile, “so was that special someone worried?”
He shook his head. “There is no special one.. yet.”
“Oh.” It could be his imagination, but he could swear her smile grew wider.
“Why, you jealous or something?”
“Don’t be ridiculous Francis,” she replied sharply.
“You were jealous!”
“I was not!”
“Rach.. never mind.. But if you did.. I mean, don’t ya get sick of waking up alone sometimes?” he asked, trying to find the right words to convey what he wanted to tell her.
“Yeah, but...”
“And why should we be alone when we don’t hafta? Life is so fragile we shouldn’t waste time being lonely...”
“Frank,” she cut in, getting impatient, “what are you saying?”
“I’m just saying.. I mean, we’re not with anyone just now.. so maybe...”
“We’ve had this discussion before,” she replied calmly, “It would ruin the partnership...”
“Screw the partnership!” he blurted out, then took a calming breath. “Rachel, I can’t work like this.. I could have lost you when that bomb went off, and it wasn’t my partner I was worried about loosing. It was you.”
She closed her eyes, feeling like everything was getting out of her hands. She had no control. She inhaled sharply when she felt his lips against the plan of her hand. He was kissing it with little butterfly kisses, tickling her skin with his tongue.
“What are you doing?” she muttered.
“Giving you a preview..”
“Frank.. this really isn’t a good idea,” she insisted. He had begun kissing her hand now up to her elbow.
“Tell me to stop then.” He was above her elbow now, going up to her shoulder, pausing there just a heartbeat, before moving to her neck.
She should say something, really, she should. But her heart was debating heavily against her mind.
“What harm will it do? You’re both lonely,” it debated.
“Yeah, what about the partnership, the friendship?” he mind shot back.
But her body seemed to ignore both, her hand had somehow found its way to his face, caressing his cheek. He lifted his face to hers, their noses rubbing together. He seemed hesitant to kiss her, but she took the choice for him.
Just a quick kiss, barely a touch at all, before she pulled back. Silence ensued, then he seemed to decide to go for it. Grasping her lips with his, he pushed her against the pillows.
“Miss Goldstein, I.. Oh, sorry!”
They broke apart at the sound of the doctor entering the room. She felt her cheeks grow hot, her and Frank had a hell of a lousy timing. He seemed to think the same thing, knocking his hand to his head with a sigh.
“Umm.. yes?”
“I can see you are feeling better,” the doctor remarked, writing something on his clipboard. A hint of amusement had crawled into his voice. “Nothing like a little loving to feel better.”
“Haha,” Frank muttered.
“The good news is that you can be released, but take it easy for a few days.”
Frank snorted. Rachel didn’t know the concept of taking it easy.
“Sure.” Rachel smiled her best assuring smile, although she had no intentions of taking it easy. And she’d have to talk to Frank. Things were spinning out of control faster than ever, she had almost told him to lock the door and go for it right here in the bed.
She was loosing her footing, and almost drowning in the feeling he was creating in her. But she had to keep her head above water, she wasn’t ready to fall.
But damn him, she had been falling for him ever since they met, and it was getting increasingly hard to ignore.
Waiting is the hardest thing
[ It's strange I feel like I've known you before ]
I tell myself that if I believe in you
[ And I want to understand you ]
In the dream of you
[ More and more ]
With all my heart and all my soul
[ When I'm with you ]
That by sheer force of will
[ I feel like a magical child ]
I will raise you from the ground
[ Everything's strange ]
And without a sound you'll appear
[ Everything's wild ]
And surrender to me
*****
“Here you are,” Frank offered as he drove up in front of her house. They hadn’t said much in the car, neither exactly sure how to begin the conversation without saying something that would be regretted later.
“Thanks for the ride,” she replied, opening the door.
“So, see you at work?” She nodded, stepping out.
“Umm.. Goldie.. about what I said.. I don’t mean to pressure you.”
“I know you don’t Frank.. I just need to think about it.”
“Yeah...” He looked after her as she went inside, his heart going with her. If only.. If only life wasn’t half as complicated, and he and Rachel were on an faraway island, just the two of them. Then she couldn’t throw any excuses at him, and he could seduce her under the fabulous moonlight.
A knock on the window interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up to see Rachel standing there. He opened the door slightly.
“Yeah?”
“It can only be tonight. We can’t ruin the partnership, I’m not ready to risk it. But..”
“But what?”
She took his hand, kissing the tip of each finger. He watched, fascinated.
“I want tonight.”
She let go of his hand, walking to the doorway. He remained seated in the car, then his heart took the decision for him. He would take whatever she offered.
He turned off the engine, and followed her inside.
Soon after, the bedroom light in her house flickered on, a lantern in an otherwise lonely night. And it stayed on till the sun came up over the horizon, creating a spectacular sunrise. The couple in the bed didn’t notice it, they slept, exhausted.
So you been broken and you been hurt
Show me somebody who ain’t
Yeah I know I ain’t nobody’s bargain
But hell a little touch-up
And a little paint
You might need somethin’ to hold on to
When all the answers they don’t amount to much
Somebody that you can just talk to
And a little of that human touch
Baby in a world without pity
Do you think that I’m asking too much?
I just want to feel you in my arms
And share a little of that human touch
*****
Rachel walked into the office humming the morning after. Several colleagues bypassing her looked after her with an bemused grin, wondering what had got into her. She ignored the stares completely, heading for the counter.
“Gooood morning Helen!” she called out.
“Yes, good morning. Hawker wants to see you in his office ASAP. And Frank. Have you seen him?”
“Why should I be seeing Frank?” Rachel blurted out, feeling her cheeks flash a nice red colour.
“What?” Helen looked up confused.
“What?”
“Just head up there.. Kirk Richards is dead.”
“What, our prime suspect? Shit,” Rachel muttered, heading for the stairs.
“You wanted to see me sir?” she asked as she came into Hawker’s office. Another man was already there, she recognised him from homicide division. Cal Jason.
“Yes.. close the door, will you?” Jeff asked, “this is Cal Jason.”
She shook the offered hand, then took a seat. “What’s up?”
“Kirk Richards is dead, we found him this morning.. he was shot with Detective Holloway’s gun.”
“What?” She almost jumped out of her chair, “it was reported stolen some days ago when the car blew up , you can’t seriously think..”
“We have to look into every possibility. You and your partner believed him to be the killer of a Nina Creek, yes?” Cal asked, consulting a note book.
“Yeah, but..”
“And had no evidence against him.”
“Frank did not kill Kirk Richards!!” she countered, just as Frank peaked in.
“What’s going on?” he asked, catching the last bit of her sentence as well the tension in the room.
“Where were you last night between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.?” Cal said without further ado.
Frank exchanged a quick glance with Rachel, both perfectly aware of what he had been doing between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., in fact all night.
“I was sound asleep in me own bed,” Frank answered after only a moments hesitation.
“How do you explain that your gun was used to shoot Kirk Richards?”
“It was stolen, anyone could have taken it.”
“Supposedly stolen. I suppose no one can vouch for you?”
“No, I was..”
“Oh shut up Frank,” Rachel broke in testily, “Detective Holloway was with me all night and never left my eyesight.”
3 eyebrows were raised, including Frank’s. Cal was the first to regain his composure.
“The whole night?” he asked. She kept her head high, sending him a look that dared him to make any of that.
“Yes. The whole night.”
“Umm.. okay, that will be it for now. Thanks for your help detectives. We’ll be in touch,” he said as he walked out, closing the door behind them.
Hawker looked at the two detectives remaining in his office sternly.
“I hope you were discussing the case that night and not doing anything that would make me have to transfer one of you out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Leaving the office, Frank and Rachel headed for their own, a somewhat tense silence filling the air. Sitting down at their respective desks, Frank was the first to break the silence.
“Rach..”
“Shut up Frank. Let’s just find out if anyone is trying to frame you, and who that would be.”
“Anyone with a grudge against me.”
“That leaves half of Sydney,” she muttered, staring at the desk with a frown. He looked up at her.
“Hey Rach.. thanks for sticking up for me.”
Before she could reply, Helen knocked on the door.
“Hey you guys.. the report on the car bomb,” she declared, putting it on Rachel’s desk.
“Great, thanks,” Rachel muttered, throwing a side way glance at her partner. She didn’t quite know what to say to him, it had been a good night, and she didn’t really regret it as such, she just..
“Stuff it.” She didn’t realise she had spoke aloud until she saw the funny glare Helen sent her.
“Nothing, just thinking aloud,” she muttered, firmly putting her trail of thought on the case. “You reckon the guy who placed the bomb in our car is the same one who killed Kirk Richards?”
“Must be, how else would he get my gun? I was only out a few seconds.”
“You remember anything Rach?”
She shook her head at Helen’s question. “Just a bright flash, and then the hospital.”
“Perhaps you should see if anyone you have locked away have been released recently,” Helen suggested to Frank. He groaned.
“Yeah, alright, alright.”
“I’ll see what I can find out about the murder of Kirk Richards,” Rachel declared, heading out of the office. Frank looked after her. She was walking in her usual Rachel manner, but he suddenly found it most fascinating. His eyes wandered up her legs, pausing at her bum, moving down her legs again..
“Frank!” Helen thwarted him, not missing his mental undress of Rachel.
He turned his attention back to Helen with a boyish smile, she just shook her head. Fact of the matter was, he had seen Rachel in a state of undress, and wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Of course Helen didn’t know that.
“How about moving your eyes to some reports and do some proper police work, eh?” Helen suggested, and headed out. He sighed, then picked up the report Helen had left on Rachel’s desk to have a proper look.
But his mind seemed to drift, unwilling to focus on the case, instead it were showing him a re-screening of last night. How she had barely let him come inside, before tearing at his clothes, how impatient they both had been to finally do it, after all those years.
She was a control freak even in bed, he hadn’t minded terribly, and besides, he had managed to..
Wrong trail at work, definitely. He focused on the report again. C-4, pretty heavy explosives. They had been damn lucky. Controlled by remote? Had it just been a scare shot?
He lifted his gaze to the window. The though troubled him. If it had just been a scare, what was next? And why Kirk Richards? If it was an attempt to frame him, it was rather poorly. He had an alibi, wouldn’t someone trying to frame him check that out?
Could the whole thing be a diversion, the real target being Kirk Richards all along?
Or.. No, the target was not Rachel, he wouldn’t let it be. It didn’t make sense either, then her gun would have been the one stolen.
He sighed, frustrated. He had a feeling of seeing only half the puzzle, something was hidden from him. He would figure out what it was, straighten this whole mess out.
It didn’t stop the miserable feeling he was having, and he knew the source of it. One night. One bloody night she had given him. Not that it been bad, far from it, and a one-night stand with such a gorgeous lady like Rachel was on the top of many guy’s fantasy list, but..
“Damn!” he cursed. He was just making a bigger and bigger mess of his life.
*******
“Hey Frank!” Rachel called to her partner as she re-entered their office later. He seemed to be lost in thought.
“Hmm?”
“Except for using your gun, there was nothing to point towards you. Seems like the gun theft was just a convenient way of getting a gun.”
“So I’m in the clear then?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t look like a frame at all. I still can’t figure out how the car bomb fits into it all.”
“Me neither,” he sighed, then locked his gaze with hers. “How do you do it?”
“How do I do what?”
“Act like nothing has happened?”
She blushed fiercely, and lowered her voice.
“I though we agreed to never talk about that.”
“I sure can’t,” he plunged on, “look, when I gave you that speech, I wasn’t trying to talk you into bed, I was trying to establish a relationship.”
“I know. But we can’t Frank.”
“Why?”
She shifted uncomfortably.
“Don’t give me that ‘missed our moment’ crap, last night was anything but missed,” he lowered his voice as well, “last night was damn good, why can’t we do it again? It’s not like we got anyone else.”
“Better screw you than no one, eh?” she snapped.
“This is not about getting a screw!” he shot back, “this is about you and me!”
“Oh crap, Frank, this was from the beginning about sex!”
They stared at each other angrily.
“Think what you may, Rachel, but with you I never wanted a one night stand. Never!”
He slammed the door behind him so loudly everyone in the vicinity looked up, but he was too angry to care. Damn. Damn!! He had ruined it all with his big mouth. The chances of working it out now was like zero. She was pissed, he was pissed. Maybe sex did ruin things, especially when he wanted..
What? A relationship? A wife? A lover? He wasn’t sure anymore what he wanted, except sleep. He wanted a good nights sleep without as much as a hint of a nightmare. And he wanted her in the bed beside him, sleeping peacefully.
Damn!
I know that you feel it
deep inside
but you just won't admit it
you’ve got too much pride
don’t deny what's in your heart
you’re safe with me
all your love is locked away
won’t you set it free.
I endure the sleepless nights
filled with doubt
and I try to comprehend
why you shut me out
If you’re scared darling
just let me know
you just gotta understand
how I love you so
Mad about you
********
It wasn’t water
Fire. He slowly felt his senses beginning to wake up.
Fire.
He blinked, trying to figure out what his mind was telling him, why it was waking him.
Fire. The house was on fire.
“Shit!” he exclaimed, forcing his eyes open. His room was already beginning to fill with smoke, and he felt a flash of heat. Orange light were flickering on the floor from under the door. Opening it, flames flew against him. The stairs were on fire. He was trapped in, the stairs an inferno. He couldn’t get out that way.
“Shiiiiiiiiiit!” he yelled, feeling panic emerge. What the hell was going on? Grabbing the blanket off the bed, he used it as cover, opening the window. Flames were crawling up the walls, he coughed in the heavy smoke.
Then he dived out. The ground hit him hard, the blanket taking some of the fall, but not much. He rolled away while feeling his eyes burn.
The ground was hot as well, and hard. Every bone in his body hurt, as if telling him what a stupid idea it was jumping out of a window from the second floor.
But he was alive. He breathed in the fresh air with great joy, feeling it fill him. He was alive.
He heard sirens, cars pulling up, and suddenly he heard the ever-sweetest voice.
“FRAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!”
“Over here,” he called out. She came running towards him, nearly crushing him to the ground as she embraced him. If she noticed the fact that he was in his boxers with only a blanket for protection, she didn’t comment.
He let her hold him, his head was swimming and he saw white dots before his eyes. The adrenaline that had kept him going, had vanished and he felt dreadfully tired.
“I heard on the radio,” she muttered, “I thought.. I was so scared.”
She was stroking his back while talking, he could swear he saw something water in her eyes, but he was too tired to check. He felt himself drift into darkness, the last thing he saw was her worried face.
********
He awoke several times in the hospital. Jeff was there, so was Helen, the rest of the gang was there as well the second time. The third time he woke, it was just Rachel, asleep in a chair by the bed. He didn’t want to wake her, so he just placed a hand on hers, and drifted back to sleep.
He had the nightmare again, but it felt distant, like something he was watching, and not participating in.
When he woke again, he was alone.
It hurt a bit to breathe, but otherwise he couldn’t find anything wrong with him. It was the second time in less than a week he had nearly lost his life, he was starting to feel freaked out.
“How are we feeling Mr. Holloway?” the nurse asked gently as she entered.
“Dunno about you, but I feel fine.” She gave him a small smile.
“The doctor will be here in a few minutes. Try to relax until then,” she instructed.
“I’ll be a good boy,” he promised.
“You don’t know what good boy is,” Rachel replied from the doorway, “I should probably warn the nurses about you.”
He grinned, she sent him a small smile back, then she grew serious.
“Your house was burned to the ground Frank.. not much salvageable. I’m sorry.”
“Shit. How the hell did the fire begin anyway?”
“Arson, they reckon. They found traces of petrol.”
“Arson? Someone is really out to get me.”
“So it would seem.” She popped down in the chair behind him. “Any clues as to who?”
He shook his head. “No friggin idea.”
She took his hand in hers briefly, squeezing it.
“I’m really sorry about your house, Frank,” she said honestly, “but your got insurance, and you can move in with me in the meantime.”
“Move in with you?” he asked incredulously.
“Why not? I wouldn’t want ya sleeping on the street.”
“Of course.”
“But you better not make any mess okay?”
He grinned.
“Scout’s honour!”
“Yeah, right,” she replied, but didn’t seem to horrified.
*****
“Glad to still have you with us,” Jeff declared as Frank got back to work some two days later.
“I’m a hard man to get rid off!” Frank replied, getting grins from his colleagues. He had been released from hospital earlier that day, Rachel had taken him clothes shopping before heading for work.
“Look on the bright side,” she had told him, “you need a new wardrobe anyway.”
He felt a bit like a little boy being dressed up by his mum, but he had to admit the clothes were okay. So were his current living arrangement. What little he had left after the fire, he had moved in some boxes over to Rachel’s place. They hadn’t had much chance to talk yet, and the near-death experience had robbed either of any desire to fight.
“So, what’s new?”
“We may have a lead on the guy who put the car bomb in your car,” Helen told him, “we found a guy selling C-4, we’re squeezing him right now. Maybe he’ll cough up a name.”
“Great.. let’s have a chat with him.”
They walked to the interview rooms, entering the number two.
“So.. Mr. Fenrick is it?”
The man, in his 20s, fiddling nervously with his thumbs, looked up at the new arrived detectives.
“The stuff wasn’t mine!”
“Uh huh. You were just storing it for a friend you don’t know the name off,” Frank replied.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s right!”
“Bullshit, mate. Now listen, you’re in deep shit. But if you give us the name of someone you have sold to the last week, you will be improving your situation heaps.”
The guy seemed to consider this.
“Okay.. Look, I only sold to this one bloke, and only cos he was desperate, yeah? He threatened to kill me, yeah?”
“Alright mate, give us a name.”
“Kirk Richards.”
The two detectives exchanged looks.
“Can you describe him?”
When the young guy described Kirk Richards to a tee, the detectives confusion grew. What the hell was this?
“I don’t get it,” Frank said as they left the room, “if he tried to blow us up, who set my house on fire?”
“I don’t know. Let’s have a talk with Kirk Richards’ sister tomorrow.”
“He has a sister?”
“Yeah, she’s been out of town apparently. Came in yesterday to have a talk with us.”
“Yeah, alright,” Frank replied, “let’s get something to eat. I’m starved.”
“Sure. Since you’re homeless at the moment, I’m buying.”
“Drinks too?”
“Don’t push your luck, Holloway.”
********
“To stayin’ alive,” she toasted. They were back at her place after a rather nice dinner. She hadn’t managed to tell him what she had decided when she had stepped out of the car and seen his house as a flaming inferno.
“To being alive,” he countered, and they clinked their glasses.
She smiled at him, the suddenly placed her glass son the table. What the hell, actions spoke louder than words, she might as well just do it. Looking at him intently, she leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. He was too surprised to react at first, then he pulled back. She groaned as she lost the lip contact, but he had to get a clear answer out of her.
“What happened to ‘only tonight’?” he asked seriously.
“It burned up with your house. Frank.. if I had lost you..” she trailed off, fighting tears. He took her face in his hands, wiping away the one tear she couldn’t hold back.
“You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid,” he said sincerely, smiling slightly. She nodded, before closing the distance between their lips, kissing him passionately. His hair tickled her cheek slightly, and she giggled into his mouth.
Taking his hand she lead him up the stairs, to bed.
You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
******
He was drowning, his lungs were desperately crying out for air, but there was none. His eyes stung, his arms felt so heavy… And he couldn’t reach her, couldn’t..
“Frank? Frank?”
He felt her twist away from him, but he couldn’t loose her now, couldn’t..
"Frank!”
He opened his eyes with a gasp, breathing heavily. He was in bed, holding onto a warm body next to him. The small light by the bed was on, enabling him to make out Rachel’s features.
He lifted his hands to his face, trying to clam his breathing. Another damn nightmare.
“Frank, you okay?”
“Yeah…” he muttered, “just had a bad dream. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Her hands went to rub his arms gently, a small gesture of support that meant the world to him.
“You really haven’t been sleeping well lately, have ya?”
He shook his head. “I keep having this nightmare…. I think I’m loosing me mind.”
“Nah, that’s a lost cause already,” she replied, and he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
“Come on, I’ll let you make me some coffee,” she suggested, and he followed her downstairs. Putting on the kettle, he suddenly remembered the thing he had sneaked out to buy while she was eating lunch.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he told her mysteriously, and vanished into the living room where his boxes where located. Pulling out the wrapped gift, he went back to the kitchen.
“Sort of a housewarming gift,” he declared, handing it over. She looked at him suspiciously, but tore open the paper nevertheless.
“Frank..”
“You can always trade it,” he told her as she held up the grey silk slip. She shook her head.
“I was kinda hoping I would get to see you in it.. And that I’m sorry, ya know, for saying all those things.”
She sent him a warm smile, he was about to lean in to kiss her, when the kettle started making noises.
“Shit, the coffee,” he muttered, taking the kettle off the plate. She grabbed his hand when he went to get cups.
“Screw the coffee,” she told him.
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face they day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
*******
If anyone noticed the detectives arriving late the following morning, and with silly half-grins, they didn’t comment on it.
And they didn’t stay in long either, heading out to talk to Kirk Richards’ sister. She was a tall, blonde woman, oozing money and self-confidence.
“Miss Richards.. we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us,” Frank said politely as the woman showed them in.
“Not at all, I want you to find whoever killed my brother. And it’s Anna, Miss Richards makes me sound so old,” Anna smiled.
“Anna. What can you tell us about your brother?”
“He was a good man.. but he had some character flaws.”
“Like falling for young girls?”
She shifted a bit uncomfortable in the chair. “I’m afraid so, detective. He never forced them though. They were in love with him, he just..”
“Miss Nina Creek had been sexually abused before she was killed, Miss Richards,” Rachel cut in. She didn’t like the woman, and certainly not the way she was looking at Frank.
“I can’t believe Kirk would do that!” Anna gasped, putting down the drink she had been holding.
“Where were you the day Kirk was killed?”
“In Melbourne. I only got home yesterday, I have the tickets. You’re not insinuating..”
“We’ll be in touch,” Rachel shot in. She gave Frank a look, and they both walked out, leaving the blonde woman staring after them.
“She knew all about Kirk and his girls,” Rachel declared as they headed back to the office, “not one bit surprised.”
“Yeah.. We better check her alibi. Cold woman.”
“Glad you noticed!”
“Jealous, Goldie?” he teased.
“Nah.. I think I know where I have ya.” He grinned.
“Can ya drop me by the insurance company? I have forms to fill out and such. Will probably take the whole day.” He groaned at the though.
“Sure. I’ll head back to the office, see what I can dig up,” she replied, pulling up in front of the insurance company building.
He smiled, then pulled her in for a deep kiss, driving every sentient thought about not making out at work from her head. He winked at her as he headed inside.
She shook her head slightly. Sooner or later she would regret letting this happen, she was sure, but from the feels of it, it would be later. Maybe it could work.
And it had happened, she couldn’t changed that, she could only make the best of it. And the best of it were so good, too.
She smiled as she drove off.
*********
She arrived home first, with a truckload of case files. She had a feeling she was missing something, and that the answer were there. A few minutes she heard Frank fiddle at the door.
“It’s open, I’m home!” she called out.
“Hey.. didn’t notice your car,” he replied as he got inside. He looked tired.
“Rough day?”
He nodded miserably, popping down on the couch beside her.
“5 hundred papers to fill out, a thousand forms to sign..br>
“Come on, I’ll drive that tension away.”
“Nah…” he replied as she made signs towards giving him a backrub.
“Come on,” she insisted, turning him around so she had access to his back. “Take of your shirt.”
“Rachel!” he teased, “anything else I should remove?”
“Don’t get any delusions, Holloway!”
She smiled as he removed his T-shirt, putting her hands on his strong shoulders. He was tense, but soon relaxed as her hands began tracing slow circles. She worked his neck, his shoulders, his back, until all he concentrated on were her touch. As she felt him relaxing more and more, her touches became more sensual. He let out a sigh when her lips began making a trail of kisses down his spine.
She broke off briefly, he heard her shift and pull off her blouse. Then her skin made contact with his, he could feel smooth silk against the lower part of his back. She was probably wearing the slip he had given her. He swallowed, remembering when he had given it to her...
She was concentrating on his neck now, nibbling gently.
“Feeling better?” she breathed into his ear.
“Mmmmm.. my lips are feeling neglected though,” he said in a husky voice. She lifted her face as he turned a bit, bringing their faces just a few centimetres apart. She planted the first kiss on his nose, her teeth gently scratching against his flesh. The next one came on his lips, a slight brush, then he impatiently parted her lips with his tongue, drinking her in. Her lips were moist, swollen, sending jolts of fire through him.
Damn, he was lucky to have her! No matter what cruel blows life seemed to deal them, he managed to hold onto her. She was the best thing in his life! And he was going to show her just how much she meant to him..
Breaking off the kiss, he took her hands in his, pushing them out of the way, gently, but firmly.
“Frank!” she protested, but it was somewhat half-heartedly. He was pushing the slip out of the way with his nose, kissing the skin as he went along, finally focusing on one of her breasts.
“Oh God..” she moaned, aching towards him. Her breath had gone rapid and she could feel something awakening in her abdomen. Humankind’s primary defence against extinction: The sexual drive.
She moved her leg slightly, allowing her foot to move up his thigh. She was rewarded with a groan.
“Not yet Goldie..” he muttered, sensing her impatience, but wanting to make it last. He moved his attention to the other breast, and she closed her eyes, succumbing to the sweet torture. She couldn’t get enough, yet she could barely stand the touches. He had let go of her hands, and she moved them to his hair, resting them there. His were busy trying to wriggle her skirt of her without interrupting too much.
He lifted his face to look up at her. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes closed and her could almost hear her heart pound.
“Rachel?” he whispered, and she opened her blue eyes to look into his brown.
“Mmmm?”
“I love you.” It came so easily, so naturally he didn’t even think about what he was saying.
“Yeah?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
He brought his head to level hers, brushing away a strand of her from her cheek. She glanced deep into his brown eyes, seeing the truth. She had known it was there all along, but she had been scared to face it, so scared she had almost grown blind for it.
But it was there. He loved her. His eyes said it with even greater intensity than his words.
“Upstairs,” she muttered, the couch was too uncomfortable. He drew back a little, and she wound her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. He giggled, wrapping his arms around her waist and locking their mouths in a passionate kiss as he walked unsteadily up the stairs. He intended to drop her on the bed, but she had him locked to her body still, and they both fell, the mattress taking up the impact of the fall. She helped him wriggle out his pants, no clothing getting in their way anymore.
She bit into his neck as his hands wandered down her body. The sensation was overwhelming, all powerful, she was oblivious to anything but the feeling of his touches, his body so close she wasn’t sure where his began and hers ended.
Two bodies, one soul, one urge. To be joined.
She gasped as he entered her, the sudden warmth filling her and filling her till she was bursting and so was he. Their gazes locked and stayed locked all through the moment of joining.
And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
*******
He lay awake afterwards, stroking her hair slowly. Her head was resting on his chest, he’d have to remove it to get any sleep, but he didn’t really want to move her. So he stayed awake, looking at her. She seemed so innocent when she slept, the defences she constructed so carefully through the day all gone. She seemed happy too, it warmed his heart to know he could make her happy.
And he was going to continue making her happy, he vowed to himself. He wasn’t going to mess this up.
She snuggled closer in her sleep, he kissed her forehead gently. That’s when he heard it. Footsteps up the stairs. Pushing Rachel away, he reached for his gun on the floor. He heard her protest slightly as the door slowly opened to reveal a young boy, hardly more than 19. He held a knife, but froze when he saw the gun pointed at him. Thanking whatever was out there he had brought his gun, Frank held it firmly pointed at the guy’s forehead.
“Drop the knife,” he said icily.
“Whaaaat?” Rachel muttered, looking up. She took in the scene in matter of seconds.
The knife fell to the floor with a clang, Rachel reached for the phone to call the Station.
“Who are you?” Frank asked.
“Liam.”
“Liam. What the hell are you doing with that knife, eh? Attempted murder on a police officer, that’s going to cause you heaps of trouble.”
“I was paid to do it!” the boy shot back.
“Oh yeah? By whom?”
“Some rich guy named Richards. I needed the money.”
“Kirk Richards?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“He’s dead,” Frank replied calmly, “don’t ya read the papers?”
The boy shook his head vigorously. “He hired me, I swear!”
“You’re the one who set my house on fire. You little bastard!”
“Frank,” Rachel said, trying to calm him, “he’s not worth it. And you better get dressed unless you wanna give the Station something to talk about for a year.”
He looked down at himself, realising he was butt naked.
“Oh yeah.”
*********
Morning greeted the Water Police HQ with one of the most spectacular sunrises in a while. Unfortunately, everyone was too busy to observe it.
“So Kirk Richards hired someone to get rid of Frank,” Helen said as the two detectives filled her in on what the night’s interview with Liam Hanson had brought.
“Yeah. He somehow got it into him that Frank knew he killed Nina Creek. First he tried the car bomb, and when we survived, he knicked Frank’s gun, maybe he meant to shot us with it, but saw it was too risky,” Rachel explained.
“Yeah. Then when he realises it’s too risky, he decided hiring someone is better.”
“Unfortunately our hired man doesn’t read the papers, and don’t realise the one who hired him is dead.”
“Yeah, alright, but then who killed Kirk Richards?” Helen asked.
“My bet is the sister.. remember, she knew about his ‘girls’. She gets home early, hears the news, finds the gun lying in his house and wastes him. Boom,” Frank declared, pointing a finger at Helen like a gun.
“Yeah, we’re heading over to talk to her,” Rachel cut in.
“Alright, I’ll fill Jeff in.”
“Thanks love,” Frank said with a wink to Helen.
“Oh, I think I know who your ‘love’ is,” Helen muttered with a smile when the detectives were out of hearing range. The looks those two had been sending each other lately spoke volumes. She just hoped they knew what they were doing. And that it worked out.
Somehow, she had a feeling it would. It was a million-to-one chance, but million-to-one chances seemed to crop up 9 out of 10 times.
*******
“Miss Richards?” Rachel asked as they approached the pool. The young blonde looked up at them through her sunglasses.
“You two again.”
“We have some more questions,” Frank informed her.
“Alright, shoot.”
“You said you were in Melbourne when your brother died, but we have witnesses seeing you get on a plane home the day he died, and it landed in Sydney just two hours before the time of death,” Rachel said. She saw the woman twitch.
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“No, but you see, when it comes to murder, we’re a stubborn bunch. We’ll find proof. Trust me, we will.”
Glancing up at Frank, Anna seemed to realise he was serious.
“He killed that girl, the filthy bastard!” she yelled, pulling up Frank’s gun from a towel.
“Put that down, you’re only making it worse for yourself,” Rachel said calmly, holding out her hands.
“I won’t go to jail!”
“Come on Anna, don’t do anything stupid,” Frank insisted. Anna moved the attention to him for a second, and Rachel saw an opportunity. She went for the gun, but couldn’t quite grab it. Anna knocked her hard in the head with it, shoving her.
She fell towards the pool. With a sickening feeling he saw her hit the water and go under. He was pretty sure he cried out her name, but everything seemed to have gone quiet and in slow motion.
Anna was turning the gun towards him, but he reached for his already. He hit her in the arm, she missed. His second hit her in the chest and she fell to the ground lifeless.
He dived into the water. It greeted him with a splash, cool against his hot skin. Pictures from his nightmare flashed before him, Rachel was lying lifeless on the pool floor, for an eternity or more she seemed out of reach. Then finally he got hold of her, his lungs were crying for air.
He broke the water with a gasp, the fresh air streaming into his lungs. Pulling her up on land, he checked for breathing.
She wasn’t breathing!!
Panic rushed through him, he started mouth-to-mouth with shaking hands. 3 breathes, then he waited. Nothing.
“Come on Rachel,” he pleaded, breathing air into her again. And finally, an eternity later, she coughed up water. He closed his eyes in gratitude, stroking her cheeks.
The nightmare finally made sense.
“My biggest fear is losing you,” he whispered, wanting her to know that.
“Frank?” she muttered
“Hmmm?” he muttered, totally exhausted and breathless. She looked at him with fondness, tracing his nose with a finger.
“I love you.”
He laughed, crushing her against him. He was wet already, so he didn’t care if he got wetter.
“I know,” he replied, grinning broadly.
He had a strange feeling of walking out of a long dark tunnel and into the daylight. Everything he held precious had been on the line, his job, his house, his Rachel.. But he had come out winning. He still had his head above the water, and he had her with him.
It would work out. Somehow.. he just knew it.
Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true
But you and I know what this world can do
So let’s make our steps clear that the other may see
And I’ll wait for you
If I should fall behind
Wait for me
*******
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