by Robin Hicks
Dakota's Way 2
~ Laney's Beginning ~
by Robin Hicks
[email protected]
* * *
'Laney's Beginning' picks up where we left the gang in 'Dakota's Way.' Recently divorced and new to Virginia Beach Police Department Detective Laney Jacobs is finding it very hard to understand why she seems to be having these disturbing feelings for a young woman who was a victim in a robbery.
Chapter One
"God, I'm starving." Laney Jacobs told her partner Koty as they sat down to eat amongst the mass of people during the middle of lunch hour at Fuddruckers.
"I've been hungry all week; all I've done is eat. At this rate I'm gonna be as big as a house."
"I really doubt that Laney. You're the type of person that could eat all day long, and never gain an ounce. Kasey is the same damn way." Koty told her as she took a bite of her mushroom burger dripping with hot sauce.
"Geeze Koty, how can you eat that thing with all that crap on it? Especially that much, it looks like you used half of the bottle. Your stomach is gonna rot out from the inside."
"You should try it sometimes Laney, it's really good, and it will clean out your sinuses."
Laughing, Laney just shook her head, "No thanks, I'll take your word for it, and just stick to what I have..."
Laney and Koty were both detectives for the Virginia Beach Police Department. They became partners right after Laney was transferred from Richmond. Laney had divorced her husband, who had been cheating on her with a much younger woman, and she had requested a transfer to get away.
When she first started at the beach precinct, there was a young rookie at the station who was all too eager to inform Laney of Koty's sexuality. Actually, she couldn't have cared one bit, and when she approached Koty with it, Koty confirmed that it was true. Laney had told Koty then, that it didn't matter to her what Koty's lifestyle was. She never had a problem with it, and besides, Koty had fast become one of Laney's best friends.
It had taking Koty awhile to become comfortable enough to fully open up to Laney. Laney had told her over and over that she wanted Koty to feel comfortable enough to talk to her about anything.
At a party Koty had once taking Laney to, Laney over heard Koty's best friend Jamie, tell Koty that a woman by the name of Kasey was there at the party. She remembered the look on Koty's face, which led the detective to believe that this particular woman, must be, or had been, very special to Koty. Just last month, she finally told Laney all about what was happening in her life back then.
Laney finally got to meet Kasey, Koty's lover, about three months ago and she immediately realized why Koty was head over heals for this woman. She was absolutely stunning, and was obviously totally crazy in love with Koty.
When Laney had first met Kasey, she almost felt a little jealous, and for the life of her, she couldn't imagine why that had left her feeling a little uneasy. Laney could also sense that Kasey was a little jealous of her at first too. You could see it in her eyes, even though you couldn't read her face.
Through a couple more meetings, Kasey started to loosen up a little more around her. She was actually a very pleasant woman when she didn't feel threatened. Laney felt that with enough time, they could even become friends. Well, as long as no one tried to put the blast on Koty that is...
Laney jump from her thoughts as Koty spoke. "Kasey wanted me to invite you to dinner Saturday night. Jamie and Trish are also coming. It's nothing big, just some steaks on the grill and some drinks. If it's not too cold out, maybe we can eat out on the deck. So what do you say?"
"Sure, but are you sure that you want a fifth wheel hanging around?"
"You know that we don't see it that way Laney. Besides, Kasey told me not to take no for an answer, so I guess it doesn't matter what you say, you've gotta show up any ways."
Laney smiled. "You ladies are awful pushy, you know that?"
Leaning back in her chair, Koty rubbed her full belly and grinned. "Yes, I know that. So that is a yes, right?"
"Yes..."
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Later that evening, Laney sat on her couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, and thought about Koty and Kasey. It was obvious to any one that knew those two that they were soul mates. 'Hell, they were probably lovers in previous lives met up yet once again to enjoy another life together.'
What would it be like to love somebody as much as those two loved each other? To know passion, to know fire and hunger for each other. Once upon a time, Laney thought that she was in love with her ex-husband, but learned very early on, that all she really wanted from him was a way out of her parent's house. Out from under her mothers strict to a fault ways.
She loved her mother dearly, but they were never really close. Not the way that Laney and her father were. She knew that it was proven statistics that fathers and daughters were close, and that mother and sons were close. Laney used to think that maybe that was part of the problem. She had no brothers, or other sisters for that matter, and maybe her mom was just a tad bit jealous of Laney and her father's closeness.
Not until ten years ago when her mother suddenly died of a massive heart attack, did she realize just how much she was going to miss her. Laney's father had taken her death extremely hard, and it took Laney a long time to get him over the major hump of his loss. Three years ago, he married his high school sweetheart, a woman that Laney took to right away.
When Laney had found out about her ex-husband cheating on her she wasn't hurt by it, she was totally pissed. After awhile it actually became rather funny. Not as funny though as the look on his face when she told him that she was divorcing him. That was a look that the detective would never forget. 'Oh yeah. Talk about a Kodak moment!'
She had known the whole time that he was really only after her family's money, but Laney being Laney, she stuck by his side. That is until she grew up and got a little taste of freedom. Free now, of playing the dutiful wife of a snobby but very successful lawyer.
Richard was the center of attention at all of the big parties. So he thought anyways. He never got the clue that the only reason that any one put up with his dry jokes, and his I am better than you attitude was because of Laney. They were all actually her friends, and were only nice to Richard because of it.
What a shot to his inflated ego when he started bringing his little girlfriend to some of the parties when Laney was un-able to go. He couldn't fathom why his 'so-called friends' would rat him out, and leak it back to her.
Then his father talked him out of trying to fight Laney for his share of everything she owned. His father told him that he would never win, and would only end up embarrassing himself and his family.
Shortly after the divorce was final, the Detective decided that she needed a change, and put in her request for a transfer. Laney had told Richard that they could sell the house and divide the money, or, if he chose to stay there, he would have to buy out her half. She was still waiting on an answer from him.
Chapter Two A
Wednesday afternoon Laney and Koty were called to an Antique store where a burglary had just taken place. One of the women had been shot, and the other had been knocked unconscious. When they arrived, the gun shot victim was just being taking to the hospital, and the other was sitting on a large coffee table where a paramedic was cleaning a gash on her forehead.
Laney watched the woman's face as the paramedic was finishing up. 'Very attractive.' "Ma'am, are you able to answer a few questions for me, and maybe tell me what happened?" Laney asked her as she pulled up a stool next to the young woman. Green eyes peered upwards, then, a small frown as those same eyes fell on the Laney's badge being flashed in front of her. '
Wonder what that is about?' Laney silently mused.
"Well…it all happened pretty fast, but I'll do my best detective. Jodi and I were putting some stuff away that we received last night right before closing. The next thing I knew, I came around the corner just in time to see a guy reaching into that glass cabinet right over there." With a shaky hand, the young woman pointed to the cabinet.
"When I yelled at him, I…he turned and started hitting me. I guess Jodi heard the noise, and came out of the back room. I...Jesus, I heard a shot ring out, and saw her fall. Oh God... is she going to be alright?"
Koty came to stand next to Laney, and softly spoke to the shop owner. "They emptied the register. Ma'am, do you know of anything else that has been taken?"
"I don't really know, he was obviously after something in that cabinet, but I haven't been able to check it out yet. God my head hurts."
Laney reached over and gently touched the woman's cheek, looking at the gash on her forehead. "They're gonna take you to the emergency room, and get you checked out. We will have more questions for you though. What is you're name, honey?"
"It's Randi. Randi Daniels."
"Ok Miss Daniels, we're gonna let them take you now, and we will talk with you a little more later on. Oh, and one more thing. What is Jodi's last name?"
"It's Case. Jodi Case."
Laney watched as the Paramedic helped Randi up, and out the door to the rig. Shaking her head she hoped that the woman she called Jodi, would be all right. She knew that outside of being pretty shaking up with some cuts and bruises, Randi would probably be just fine. Physically anyways. Finalizing a few things with the officer in charge, she and Koty decided to head out for the hospital to check on the two young women...
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
They arrived at the hospital about thirty minutes later, and waited while the nurse was getting Randi prepped for the doctor to see her. While they waited, Koty went to check on the other young woman, Jodi, to see how she was doing.
"Detective," the nurse said as she came through the curtain, "You can go in and see her now the doctor will be in shortly."
Laney poked her head around the curtain. "Knock-knock. Can I come in for a moment Randi?"
"Um… sure, I guess detective, come on in. Have you heard anything on Jodi yet? They won't tell me anything." She frowned as she laid her head back on the hard lump that the hospital called a pillow.
"I can't believe that this happened. We have had the store running for three years now, and nothing like this has ever happened. Not even to any of the other merchants."
"Can you think of anything specific that they might have been after Randi? Was there something of great value in that cabinet?"
"Nothing in that particular cabinet had anything worth more than maybe a hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars. The more expensive stuff was in the cabinet beside that one but it was locked, so I guess that they either didn't know the value or they thought that it would be easier for them to get something from the one that he was in. I just don't know."
Just at that time, the Doctor walked in and Laney smiled at Randi, and told her that she would talk to her again if they had any more questions, then turned and walked through the curtain.
As she walked away, looking for Koty, she thought about the woman in the room that she had just left. All cleaned up, Laney thought about her earlier assessment of the young woman being attractive. She was beyond that. She was a very striking woman. 'I'm sure she is older than she looks'.
She wondered why all of a sudden she was noticing different things about women. How their hair fell, how they had certain smiles for different things, and even the soft curve of their waist's before it tapered into the waistline of their pants.
Laney felt her face flame at that thought. 'Holy shit, it's got to be the divorce.' Or maybe the fact that half of her friends now a days were lesbians. She had never had any lesbian friends before. Or had she, and just maybe didn't know it? Come to think of it, she wondered about one of her friends Kathy that worked for her father. She always had seemed a little stand offish around some of the men that they knew, but was always very sweet and friendly towards Laney herself.
Laney saw Koty over by the nurse's station and walked over to see if she had found out anything on the young woman that had been shot.
Koty smiled as she walked up to her. "Jodi is in surgery right now, but Liza here said that she was real alert and talking when they wheeled her to the O.R. So I guess that she will be alright. Did you find out anything from Randi that could help us?"
"I'm not sure, but it seems that the guys who did this don't have a clue to what's valuable, or they were definitely after something in particular..."
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Laney and Koty had gone back to the station at the end of their shift and were walking each other to their cars.
"Hey Laney, you want to go with me to Laces and have a drink? Kasey and Trish are going to meet me there. Jamie has to work tonight or she would be there too."
"I don't know Koty."
"Come on Laney, you had a lot of fun the last time that you went with me, besides, I promise not to let any of them beautiful women hit on you. You can even tell them you are with me." Koty told her with a smile and a playful punch to her arm.
"It's not that and you know it Silvers. Besides, everybody, probably on the whole East Coast knows who you belong to. I was just thinking about going home and taking a very long and very hot bath, but I can do that later. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
Laney and Koty arrived at the same time, and walked in together to find Kasey and Trish already there at their favorite table. Kasey stood and pulled Koty into a hug and gave her a light kiss on her lips. "Mmm. Hello Detective."
She then hugged Laney and gave her a kiss on the cheek, surprising Koty, and Laney both. Blushing, Laney sat down by a smiling Trish who was grinning at Kasey. They all decided to go a head and have dinner there as well.
"Tina came into the clinic today." Kasey said off handedly, looking at Koty.
Koty's jaw dropped just as all of the insides of her hamburger dropped to her plate, leaving her holding just the two ends of the bun, which caused an up-roar of laughter at their table.
"What the hell was she doing there?"
"Well, it seems that she got an early case of the flu. Chris is the one who treated her, and told me about it later when I asked the same thing. She was looking pretty ill, had a fever of 103."
Scooping the insides of her burger back onto her bun, Koty just shrugged her shoulders then took a bite. They had seen Tina, Koty's ex, a couple of times when they all went out, but she never approached them. She was caught a couple of times watching Koty from a distance, but was smart enough to stay at the other end of the bar, away from Kasey.
Laney looked between Koty and Kasey to watch their expressions. She had only heard a little of Koty's ex, but enough to know that Kasey would flame with jealousy at the mere mention of Tina's name.
Laney laughed out loud trying to picture Kasey's beautiful face having a 'temper tantrum' as Koty had put it. Koty asked her what was so damn funny?
"Nothing." And then she laughed again...
"I rode here with Trish honey, maybe I should ride back with her." Kasey told Koty as she reached for her hand as they walked out of Laces.
"Nonsense Kasey," Trish said, "You go get in the car with your woman and go home."
Koty opened the passenger door of her lavender Jag for Kasey, and then hollered out to Laney. "You are coming for steaks on Saturday aren't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. Go home Koty, I've seen your mug far too much for one day, see you tomorrow."
Chapter Two B
Saturday nights 'little dinner' ended up being a small party of about twelve people. The weather turned out to be absolutely wonderful, and Laney sat in a lawn chair with her feet propped up on the porch railing with a glass of wine in her hand.
"Koty, you didn't tell me it was going to
be a party, you said a small dinner."
"Yeah well, Kasey gets a little carried away sometimes when she invites people over. Are you disappointed?"
"Not at all, I think it's great, and I am having a really good time. Stop worrying so much Koty, you're friends are a lot of fun."
The party went on well up until two in the morning with Trish telling Laney to leave her car at Koty's, because there was no way she was going to be able to drive.
"Wellll…if Koty wouldn't...'hic-up'...have made me drink that whole bottle of wine, I would be jussst fine. She said laughing and leaning against Jamie for support.
"I'll pick uup my car tomorrow Ko…'hic-up'…Koty." She said patting Koty on the head the way you would a good little puppy.
"Jesus Trish, take this drunk home would you." Koty said and they all laughed, including Laney.
"You had better watch it little mi... I mean big Miss Dakota, I"...hic-up, "I have friends on the po...lice...department."
"Yeah, yeah. Take her away," Koty laughed…
"That was a great little party sweetheart." Koty told Kasey as she slid up next to her, and pulled her closer for a deep kiss. "Mmm. You taste really, really good Kase. I think that I will have myself a little snack before I go to sleep." A low growl escaped Kasey's throat as she wrapped herself around Koty's tight muscular body.
"Ooo, is that a promise?"
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Something about the burglary at the antique store was plaguing at Laney's mind. Something just didn't fit. The perps had only gotten a measly three hundred dollars from the register, and two ugly porcelain statues valuing at a hundred and seventy five dollars.
That just didn't seem like much considering that they had brought a gun with them and shot a woman in the process. 'They had to have been after something else,' Laney thought to herself. 'Just what in the hell was it that they were after?'
Putting the lid back on her water bottle, Laney told Koty that they needed to swing by the antique shop so that she could talk to Randi Daniels again.
