| The killer is caught and our story comes to its conclusion Wednesday 9/19/2001 |
| Jack laid in bed, luxuriating in a lazy morning. He�d awakened when Lennie�s alarm went off, and never really fallen back asleep. Kate was still crashed; he�d checked in on her when they had gone to bed, and found her chatting online with her friends in San Francisco. Given the time difference, he had a feeling she�d been up quite late. So he had the morning to himself. He wondered what they were going to do with Kate. She had been living with David Blake, but that obviously wasn�t an option any more. They had the room here, but he had to admit having Kate around was cramping their style. He just couldn�t even think about sex with her just down the hall. Not that it would usually be a problem during the week; he and Lennie both worked a lot of long hours. But he had to admit that for a couple of old guys they had a pretty damned good love life. OK, better than pretty good. He shook his head, laughing, and got out of bed. He pulled a t-shirt over his scrubs and wandered out to the kitchen in search of coffee. The pot Lennie had brewed earlier was still hot, so he poured a cup and sat down at the kitchen table, still thinking about his daughter. Decent apartments in New York didn�t come cheap. He wasn�t sure what she made at PHC � or even whether she still had a job after all this � but was pretty sure it would be tough to find something quickly in her price range. Well, for now they�d just have to live with it. He was still overjoyed at having her here; he wasn�t ready to let go just yet. The phone startled him out of his reverie. �Morning Jack!� Serena�s voice sounded extra cheerful, making Jack think again of his first reaction to her, seeing her as an over-eager cocker spaniel puppy. She had mellowed some since then, but he still didn�t think she�d ever challenge him like Abbie had. �I hear you have some good news for us?� �Yes. We just formally dropped the charges against Kate. So since you�re not officially responsible for her anymore, Nora wanted to know if you were coming in today?� Jack sighed. Spending yesterday with Kate had been wonderful. He could still take today off. But if he went back to the office, he could get in on the case against Rella and whoever Blake�s contact at PHC had been. �Yeah, OK, I�ll be in around noon, Serena. See you then.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie listened eagerly as Ed filled him in on the details of the search of Rella�s apartment and his subsequent arrest �You guys going to head over to PHC to check out Rella�s story?� Ed shook his head. �Not yet. Want to see what�s on that notebook first.� �Anything yet from the tech guru�s?� Ed shook his head. �Should be soon, Lennie.� Van Buren waved them into her office. �Charges against Kate have been dropped, so you�re off desk duty, Lennie.� She grinned, knowing the detective had been going crazy not being in the thick of things. �But I want you to keep Ana with you on this one; she deserves to see it through.� �Yeah, Eddie�s such a good teacher.� Lennie quipped with Ana�s favorite nickname for his partner. Ed rolled his eyes and shook his head. �You are NEVER gonna let me live this down, are you?� Lennie laughed as Van Buren shooed them out of the office. A clerk was just dropping the file on Lennie�s desk with the printouts of the contents of Blake�s computer. �Well, look what we�ve got here. Records of one Anthony Marucci, one of our lucky traders. Amazing how well he did with Andrews Industries stock!� �All right! So that at least matches what Rella told us last night. He admitted to being Thomas Smith, so that leaves Jane Isaacson as our inside numbers �fixer.� Ana came over to their desks with her notebook open. �Eddie, I think I know who our killer is. The one who told us about Andy � she heard them fighting, she was the one who was sure it was a lovers quarrel. Shari. Starts with sh like Rella said. It�s got to be her!� �You�re right! Damn, girl! Good work!� She was grinning from ear to ear. He hadn�t even objected when she called him Eddie again � Lennie was grinning too. �Shall we go talk to the lady?� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Office of Karen Salerno, PHC Detectives, can I speak with you for a moment?� Ed turned around, looking at the woman he�d begun thinking of as �the wicked witch of the west.� �Yes?� Salerno ushered them into her office and closed the door. She had a very unhappy look on her face, although according to her staff that was normal. �After your comments yesterday, I began to do some digging myself. Apparently you were right; somebody has been playing games right under my nose and I didn�t see it. That doesn�t happen on my watch.� Ed raised an eyebrow, fighting not to say the obvious �Well, apparently it DID.� Ana picked up since Ed hesitated. �What did you find?� She handed them a file. Lennie looked inside. �Andrews Industries. This matches what we found.� Ed looked at Salerno. �Do you have any idea who is involved?� She nodded. �Shari Winters.� Again they looked at each other. �We�d like to talk with her.� Salerno nodded. �You can use my office. I�ll get her.� Salerno came back with the Winters girl in tow, then left the office. �Detectives, what can I do for you?� She seemed nervous, but trying to hide it. Ed took the lead. �Ms. Winters, where were you last Thursday evening?� �When David was killed? Why?� �Just answer the question.� �I was having a dinner meeting with John Andrews of Andrews Industries going over information for his quarterly reports due at the end of the month.� �We�re going to need his contact information.� �Of course. I think I have his card back at my desk.� She was fidgeting with her hands. Something caught Ana�s attention � a very elaborate ring. Ed�s cell phone rang. �Excuse me.� �Ed, it�s Serena. I just got the info on those offshore bank accounts. Once I told them Rella confessed, they gave the others immediately. Jane Isaacson is Shari Winters.� �Yes! That�s just what we needed! We�re with her now; will bring her in.� He turned back to the others. �Ms. Winters, or should I call you Jane Isaacson? We�ve traced your offshore bank account back to the trading scam Mr. Rella has already confessed to. At the very least you were involved in the trading scam; at the worst you murdered David Blake to cover it and tried to frame Kate Michaels for the murder. You are under arrest for Criminal Fraud.� Lennie enjoyed putting the cuffs on Winters and dragging her out in front of her co-workers. Salerno glared at her as they walked past. She grabbed Ana�s arm. �Can Ms. Michaels return to work now? I�m really short-handed here and it�s almost the end of the quarter!� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the 27, Winters was interrogated but wouldn�t say anything without a lawyer. While they were waiting, Ana pulled Ed aside. �Ed � once she�s booked, I want to get that ring checked.� Ed looked at her. �What are you talking about?� �She�s wearing a really elaborate ring on her right hand. It doesn�t really match her outfit, so I�m guessing it�s something she wears all the time. And those things are AWFULLY hard to clean. If she killed Blake, I�d bet there�s some blood stuck in there.� Ed and Lennie looked at each other. Neither one of them would ever have thought of this. �Not bad, Ana!� She beamed at winning Eddie�s approval again. Not surprisingly, given Andrews� influence, Winters� arraignment had already been scheduled for that afternoon. With the alibi and no evidence of the murder, they had to go with just the Fraud charges for now. Serena took her place at the podium for the state. Just as they were about to start, she noticed Lennie slip into the back of the courtroom, making his way toward her. In hushed tones, he told her about the ring and the forensics report that there was blood that matched Blake�s type. Not conclusive yet, but enough to up the charge to Murder II. He handed her the paperwork for the new charge. The clerk called the case: �People vs. Shari Winters.� Serena�s stomach did somersaults when she saw who came to stand beside Winters � it was Danielle Melnick. She still wasn�t entirely sure what had happened between Melnick and Jack, but she knew this couldn�t be good. But she had to suppress a chuckle as she noticed Lennie glaring at the defense attorney. The judge commanded her attention back to the business at hand. �Ms. Southerlyn, what are the charges?� Serena focused on the papers in front of her. �Your honor, the accused is charged with Criminal Fraud, and the people are adding an additional charge of Murder in the Second Degree.� Melnick stared at her. �Murder II? Where did that come from?� The judge was watching a tennis match. �Ms. Southerlyn?� �Forensics just matched the blood found on the defendant�s ring to the victim, your honor. David Blake had discovered her fraudulent reporting and she killed him to keep him from revealing her secret.� The judge looked at Melnick, who was obviously flustered by this turn of events. �Do we have a plea?� Melnick nudged her client. �Not guilty.� The ball was back in Serena�s court. �Bail, Ms. Southerlyn?� �$500,000, your honor.� �Done.� The gavel banged, and the guards led Winters away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jack was sitting at his desk, catching up on two days� reading, when the tornado crashed into his office. �What the hell is the meaning of this, Jack?� He looked up. �Danielle? What are you talking about?� She glared at him. �The last-minute addition of the murder charge against Shari Winters.� Jack was pleased that he managed to keep his expression even. Luckily, Lennie had called him and let him know about the blood found in the ring, as well as the presence of �that Melnick woman.� He had to admit, Lennie had every reason to dislike her. �Danielle, the lab found Blake�s blood in her ring. She was already implicated in the Fraud scheme, it�s plenty of motive for a murder.� �Motive, maybe. But proof? Hell, Jack, you don�t even know for sure if it�s Blake�s blood, only that it�s the same type. She has an alibi.� �Right. Alibied by the man who benefited most from her numbers game. Like that means anything.� �What about the other woman who was originally charged with the crime � weren�t her prints on the murder weapon?� Jack shook his head. �Next time your client decides to frame someone, tell her to know her victims better. Blake was gay, there was no way it was a lovers� quarrel like she wanted the police to think.� Danielle stared at him. �Just because a man likes other men doesn�t mean he doesn�t also like women. You proved that to me, Jack.� Her bitterness showed quite clearly. �Damn it, Danielle. Leave us out of this. Rella confirmed that Blake and Michaels weren�t involved, just friends. Ms. Michael�s blood work showed she had been drugged, and it would have been far too easy to get her prints on the lamp. As soon as we get the DNA testing on the blood sample, we�ll have your client to rights. If you want to deal, Danielle, now�s the time. After we get that blood test, all offers are off the table.� Not entirely true; Nora had insisted that no matter what, he try to get a deal. Even though he and Lennie had stepped back from this case until Kate was cleared, a good defense attorney would cast just enough doubt of preferential treatment to get her client off. And Danielle WAS a good defense attorney. Danielle looked at Jack, realizing that there was something else going on here. He was taking this case personally. She didn�t know why, but she realized that he wasn�t going to back down this time. If she knew WHY, she might be able to play it to her advantage, but as it was, she realized she was up against the proverbial rock and hard place. �I�ll talk to my client.� She stalked out of the office, the storm considerably downgraded from the one that had entered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie came home that night a happy man. Kate had been cleared, Shari Winters was under arrest for the murder, Danielle Melnick had been thoroughly put in her place, and best of all he was back on the streets with Ed where he belonged. Life was good. Only one thing could make this day better � When he walked in the door, Kate was sitting at the dining room table. �Lennie! Hey, I was just writing you guys a note. Since Dad doesn�t have to babysit me anymore, Andi and I are going out tonight to celebrate my freedom.� Lennie couldn�t stop the grin that spread across his face. �That�s great, kiddo. You going to be late?� Kate knew what that grin meant. �You think Dad would be upset if I didn�t come home tonight?� He laughed. �I think I can keep his mind off of it. But don�t you have to go back to work tomorrow? Karen seemed pretty desperate for help.� �I can get there from Andi�s place. I�ve got an overnight bag.� �Sounds like you�ve got it covered. Have fun!� She got up and reached for her bag, then paused and turned back to Lennie. �Lennie? I � I just wanted to say thanks. For bringing me my dad. And for taking such good care of him. I�m glad he has somebody special. And I�m glad it�s you.� Lennie�s heart melted as Jack�s daughter pulled him into a hug. �Oh, Katie. Thank you. For accepting us. And for coming back to him.� He bent down and gently kissed the top of her head. Jack opened the door just in time to see the kiss. The tender moment almost brought tears to his eyes. He just stood there quietly, not wanting to break the spell. As they let go, Lennie noticed him standing there. �Hey, Jack!� Kate looked up, realized that her Dad had seen them, and that it had made him very happy. He crossed the room and pulled them both into a group hug. Finally, she freed herself from two sets of very long arms. �Guys, really, I�ve got to go. See you later!� As she dashed out the door, he asked Lennie �Go where?� �She�s got a date with Andi to celebrate her freedom.� Jack raised an eyebrow. �So we�ve got the place to ourselves for the evening?� Lennie chuckled. �All night, lover.� Jack�s face fell. Lennie laughed. �Don�t you go all protective father on me now, Jack. She�s as entitled to it as we are!� Jack shook his head and groaned. �I�m not sure if it�s a blessing or a curse that I missed the dating phase �� Lennie laughed and pulled him close. �I promised her I�d keep your mind off of it.� He kissed Jack quite thoroughly, long and slow, guaranteed to keep his mind off his daughter. Jack felt all the tension of the afternoon flowing out of his body as Lennie�s hands caressed him, covering every inch of his back, shoulders, neck, sliding up into his hair. His own hands cupped Lennie�s backside, pulling him close, so he could feel his lover�s desire. But clothing was in the way; he stepped back, pulling off his shirt, skinning out of the jeans. Lennie smiled and tossed his clothes into the discard pile as well. He turned to Jack with an evil grin. �I was hoping I�d have you for dinner! Get up on the table.� Jack had to laugh. �You and this fixation on sex and food! Oh, all right!� He jumped up onto the kitchen table, hoping it wasn�t going to collapse under him. He slid back and spread his legs, giving Lennie plenty of room. Lennie licked his lips. �Hmmm�. What flavor sauce?� Jack�s eyebrows climbed as Lennie turned to the fridge and dug out a bottle of steak sauce. �This should do!� He twisted it open and tipped the bottle over Jack�s quivering cock. A gasp: �Hey, that�s cold!� Lennie laughed, the deep baritone chuckle that sent further shivers down Jack�s spine. �I�ll warm it up.� Lennie took his seat in front of his �plate� and started licking the sauce as it ran down the sides of Jack�s erection, his arms wrapped over Jack�s thighs. Jack sighed; the warmth of that tongue after the cold liquid felt awesome. He leaned back, supporting himself with both arms, and let Lennie do his magic. The tongue teased at him mercilessly, chasing every rivulet of sauce. With his eyes closed, he didn�t even notice when Lennie reached for more sauce; he almost jumped off the table when the cold liquid hit him again. �Lennie!� He could feel his lover laughing as the tongue resumed it�s work. He shook his head and once again gave himself over to the sensations. It wasn�t long before another flavor sauce filled Lennie�s mouth, this one all Jack. He eagerly lapped all of it up as well, then stood up, leaning in to kiss his lover and pull him off the table. Jack sagged into his embrace, still a little weak-kneed. �Damn, you�re good, Lennie.� Lennie hugged him. �Your turn for dinner?� Jack let go and pushed him toward the table. He hopped up, more than ready to be eaten. He raised an eyebrow as Jack took the chair without a stop at the fridge. �No sauce?� Jack grinned up at him. �You know I like my meat plain, Lennie. Steak sauce just hides the natural flavor.� Lennie chuckled and got comfortable as Jack leaned in and began licking him, tasting him, teasing him. His �dinner� had left him hungering for this, badly. Jack took it slow, knowing Lennie was already over-excited. But finally he slid his lips over the top, slowly taking the whole thing in as Lennie moaned. He held there as long as he could, then pulled back and started sucking in earnest. Lennie watched the silver head bobbing over his cock, enjoying the view as much as the sensations. �Getting close, Jack,� he warned. Jack responded with one last deep plunge, his tongue swirling over the sides as he took all he could. The hot liquid filled his throat; he had to let go to breathe. He sat up, gasping, and felt Lennie�s arms around him. He rested his head against Lennie�s stomach, and they sat there for several minutes until they both could breathe again. Lennie bent down and kissed his head. �You�re pretty damned good too, you know.� �Mmmm,� Jack answered contentedly, his head still pillowed on Lennie�s stomach. Which picked that moment to growl loudly. He looked up at his lover, laughing. �I guess you want your OTHER dinner now?� Lennie shrugged. �What can I say? I�m a man of many appetites.� Jack just shook his head. �So � what do you want?� �For some reason I have a taste for steak �� �Why did I know you were going to say that? Come on, let�s get dressed. I�ll take you out.� Over dinner, they discussed the situation with Kate. Jack sighed with relief at Lennie�s report of Karen�s eagerness to have Kate back at work. �I was afraid they�d pull some stupid stunt like thinking she was involved with the trading scam.� Lennie shook his head. �Nah, it was pretty obvious that that IS what she and Blake were fighting about � she found out what was going on and was going to expose it. So when Winters heard them fighting about it at work, she decided to take care of two loose ends with one stone.� �Yeah, but what I want to know is who drugged her drink?� �It had to be Blake, Jack. I�m guessing Winters confronted him after she heard them arguing, told him to knock her out, she�d be over to take care of it. She did � and took care of him too.� Jack look confused. �Lennie, I haven�t seen Winters. But Kate isn�t one of those tiny almost-not-there types. Could she have dragged Kate out to the car?� Lennie shrugged. �You think she had help?� �Andrews is her alibi. Maybe they WERE together, just not having a dinner meeting in his office.� �Makes sense. We�ll check it out. So did Melnick turn up at your office?� �Yeah. Wasn�t pretty, but I think she realizes I won�t let her pull any personal games when it comes to work. Serena told me you looked pretty pissed when you saw her there.� Lennie sighed. �What can I say, Jack. I know you�ve been friends for a long time. But I just don�t like that she tried to break us up.� Jack caught his hand, his fingers tracing the ring there. �It led to something important, Lennie. I know it was rough, but I�m glad it happened.� Lennie had to smile at that. �You�re right. OK, so what about Kate? Is she staying with us?� �You know how hard it is to find an apartment around here. Unless this thing with Andi gets serious, she�s probably going to have to find a roommate. It might be a while.� �I know, Jack. It�s ok. She�s family.� He smiled, remembering the scene when he walked in the door earlier. �I�m glad you feel that way, love.� Lennie squeezed his hand. �So we�ll just have to take advantage of evenings like this when she�s out.� His grin left no doubt what he was talking about. Jack shook his head, laughing. �I love you, Lennie Briscoe. I really do.� Epilogue: Tuesday, Sept 25 It was Kate�s birthday, and she was getting a very special birthday present. John Andrews� and Shari Winters� alloquition. She took the afternoon off work and met her Dad at his office. Jack proudly introduced her to Nora, then they went to the courthouse. She took her place among the observers, focusing her attention on Shari�s attorney. Lennie had told her how this woman had tried to come between him and her dad. She decided she was very glad she hadn�t. Things were just right the way they were. Almost. She still wasn�t sure quite how to tell them, but was determined to do so tonight at dinner � The judge entered, drawing her attention to the present. Shari was up first, telling what happened. �John and I met about two years ago when I was assigned to work on his company�s accounts. We became lovers, and came up with the idea that I could manipulate the figures of what Andrews Industries reported to its stockholders, which would result in John getting large payouts as the CEO who led the company to its profits. He naturally spent much of it on me. About a year ago, David Blake discovered what was going on. He threatened to expose me. So instead I offered to feed him the false numbers before they were released, so he could profit from trading AI stock with inside information. I was also worried that John might someday get tired of me, so I wanted my own payout from all this. David said he knew a broker who might help us set it up so we wouldn�t get caught. Everything was going fine until Kate Michaels showed up. She got wind of the trading scam, and threatened to expose David. I heard them arguing about it at work, and knew it was time to plug that leak. I told David to knock her out when they got home, I�d come over to take care of it. He didn�t like the idea, but I made it clear that if he didn�t cooperate, I�d take care of him, too. I called John, told him to meet me at 7PM and gave him David�s address. By the time he got there, I had already killed David with the brass lamp. Kate was asleep on the couch. John was horrified at what I�d done, but realized he was already implicated just by showing up. I told him they were lovers � I really thought it was true � so we made it look like a lovers� quarrel, she had killed him in the heat of the moment. I wiped off the lamp, then put her fingerprints on it. John carried her out to the car, set it up to look like suicide. That way the sleeping pills in her blood would make sense. Then we left.� The judge looked at McCoy. �Is the state satisfied?� �Yes, your honor.� �Ms. Winters, you are hereby convicted of Criminal Fraud, Manslaughter in the first degree for the murder of David Blake, and Attempted Murder in the Second Degree for the attempted murder of Katherine Michaels. In accordance with your agreement with the state, you are hereby sentenced to a term of not less than 30 years and not more than your natural life, to be served at a state facility to be determined.� Winters bowed her head, beaten. Melnick looked unhappy, then confused as she saw Jack allow himself a small smile in Kate�s direction. The judge turned to Andrews. �Mr. Andrews, do you have anything to add?� �Just that I did not know about her plans to murder Blake and Michaels until I arrived at the scene, your honor. I freely admit to the fraud, and to my part in trying to kill Ms. Michaels. But I didn�t know anything about Blake.� The judge nodded. �So noted, Mr. Andrews. Mr. McCoy? Is the state satisfied?� Jack stood again. �Yes, your honor.� �Very well. Mr. Andrews, you are hereby convicted of Criminal Fraud, and the Attempted Murder of Katherine Michaels. In accordance with your agreement with the state, you will serve a term of not less than 15 and not more than 30 years in a state facility to be determined.� Kate felt something inside twinge. �Attempted murder of Katherine Michaels.� These people were going to jail for a very long time, partly because they tried to kill her. She sighed, more convinced of her decision than ever. And David � she really had thought he was a friend. She really had cared about him. It was going to be a long while before she really recovered from this mess. The guards took Winters and Andrews away. As people filed out of the courtroom, she went to her father�s side. He smiled and hugged her. �You OK, Katie?� She leaned against him. �Yeah. I still can�t believe all of this happened.� Melnick was waiting out in the hall. The expression on her face when she saw Jack and Kate was priceless. �Jack?� He smiled. �Danielle, I�d like you to meet my daughter, Katie.� She stared at him. �That�s why you were so eager to deal.� He nodded. �You would have taken what is really NOT an issue and made it an issue in the courtroom, Danielle. This way justice is served. They did it; it�s pure coincidence that the person they tried to frame was my daughter. They�re not getting anything they don�t deserve.� Danielle sighed and shook her head. �You never stop surprising me, Jack.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lennie met them at D�Allesandro�s, one of the nicest Italian restaurants in the city. As he sat down, Kate looked at them. �So, how about a bottle of wine to celebrate?� They looked at each other. Lennie jumped in. �Sorry, sweetheart. I�ve been sober for about 5 � years now, and I plan to keep it that way.� Kate mentally smacked herself. �I�m sorry, Lennie. I knew that.� He smiled. �It�s ok, Kate. Don�t let me stop you, though.� She looked at her dad. �Join me?� Jack shook his head. �Just about 6 months now for me, honey.� She stared at him, not expecting this. But then she noticed how Lennie�s hand slipped across the table to cover his, and smiled up at him. �You do take care of him, don�t you?� Lennie smiled and nodded. �I try.� �Really, Kate, it�s ok. Don�t let us stop you.� �Nah. Don�t need it.� And they didn�t. They had a wonderful time, laughing and talking, enjoying the excellent food. Finally the waiter came and took away their plates. She ordered coffee to give them a little extra time. �Guys, I�ve got something to tell you.� Something in her voice warned them; they looked at each other, then at her. �What is it, Kate?� Jack finally asked. She took a deep breath. �I gave Karen my notice today, Dad. After everything that�s happened, I realized I just don�t want to live in this world of big money, bigger corporations, greed. I took the job with PHC because it was a great way to start my career, but now I know it�s not the world I want. And New York isn�t where I want to be, either. You�ve both been so wonderful, letting me stay with you, but I know I�m cramping your style. It�s so expensive here, there hasn�t been anything promising in terms of finding my own place. I�ve decided to go home to San Francisco.� She looked up at them, saw the disappointment in both faces. �Kate, are you sure this is what you want?� Jack looked like he had lost his best friend. She took his hand. �I�m sure, Dad. I was chatting with Scott and CJ over the weekend. There are lots of accounting jobs for smaller companies that I could handle out there. They said I could move back in with them until I got my own place there. I realized I really do think of it as home.� Lennie sighed, knowing Jack was devastated by this news. He slid his arm around Jack�s back, glad they were sitting beside each other in the booth. Jack took a deep breath and looked at Kate. �I understand, Katie. After what you�ve been through, this place can�t feel comfortable. But promise me something, Katie. Promise me you won�t disappear on me again?� He fought the sting of tears behind his eyes. �Oh, Dad! Don�t even think that! I love you guys. We�re family.� She squeezed his hands. �I promise. In fact, I hope you�ll come out to visit after I get settled? I�d love to show you around MY city.� Lennie smiled, thinking of all the trouble they could get into in San Francisco. He looked at Jack with a raised eyebrow. The look was exactly what Jack needed to make him laugh. �We�d love to, Kate.� Later, back at the apartment, Lennie asked the question Jack was afraid to. �So when do you leave?� �I told Karen I�d stay through the first week of October to finish the quarterly reporting. So Oct 5 will be my last day. I guess I�ll fly out that Sunday.� Air travel was finally staggering back to something resembling normal. Jack nodded, reluctantly accepting the inevitable. �OK, sweetheart. Is there anything I can do to help?� She bit her lip. �There is one thing, Dad. I sold my old clunker of a car when I came out here. I�ll need to get something new. I was thinking about a motorcycle. Would you cosign for me?� Jack grinned. �Hell no. But I�ll buy it for you.� She stared at him, overwhelmed by his generosity. �Dad! You don�t have to do that!� He looked at Lennie, who nodded. �Think of is as a make-up for all the birthdays, Christmases, and graduations I�ve missed, Katie. It�s the least I can do. And besides, it would annoy your mother.� �Oh, Dad!� She threw her arms around him and hugged for all she was worth, then let go briefly to pull Lennie in too. Lennie chuckled. Daughters. They made it all worth it sometimes � Continue on to "Birthday Surprise" Send me some feedback Back to the Story Index Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Daughters Chapter 8 |