Alex cleared her throat and then explained she was in one of the courts for a preliminary hearing on another narcotics case.
“My case has trailed until after the lunch break,” Alex said, and then paused, gathering the courage to continue. “You interested in grabbing a quick bite?”
Sydney smiled “I’d love to.”
Alex was relieved to see that she didn’t seem uncomfortable with what had occurred between them. “Pete’s Café okay?” she asked.
“Sounds good.”
They walked to a small restaurant across from the courthouse. There they talked over salads, sticking primarily to current events at each of their jobs and cases they were engaged in. Then Alex decided she’d branch out and steer the questions to more personal details.
“So, Ms. Rutledge, tell me about your family. Where are you from?”
“Well, I’m originally from the raging metropolis that is Duluth, Minnesota,” Sydney said with a smile. “My dad was a very successful attorney, primarily dealing with large company corporate law and international contracts. My sister and I did most of our growing up in Duluth, but we did travel quite a bit. We both couldn’t wait to get out and experience the big city. Fortunately our parents could afford to support us through college. She went east and I went west. She ended up in medical school on the east coast and now practices in New York. I ended up at the University of Southern California for undergrad and law.”
“Ah, a Trojan, outstanding,” Alex said, her eyes shining.
“Are you a Trojan?”
“Nah,” Alex said with a shake of her head. “I was too dumb and too poor to get into USC. But you know, you grow up in the LA area and you’re either a USC Trojans fan or a UCLA Bruins fan. I don’t see how you can take a football team seriously when they wear powder blue and have a teddy bear as a mascot,” she added with a shrug.
“Excellent.” Sydney laughed. “I’m quite the rabid Trojan football fan myself. So what about you, Alex? Where did you grow up and go to college? Major?” The questions were rattled off.
“What makes you so sure I went to college?”
“You forget, I’ve read your reports. I know you write quite well. And I’ve seen you on the stand being challenged by high dollar and very aggressive defense attorneys. If you didn’t go to college, you should have. Shoot, you should’ve gone to law school. You’d be better than a lot of attorneys out there right now.”
Alex smiled at Sydney’s response and briefly debated on how much detail to provide on her less than ideal family history. But before she could answer, her thoughts were interrupted by an emergency transmission on her radio. A somewhat breathless officer was requesting back-up, clearly chasing a suspect on foot. Then she caught the location.
“That’s just down the street,” she said as she rose, pulling money from her pocket and placing it on the table. “I’ve gotta run.”
“That’s too much,” Sydney said. “You’re part is probably half that.”
“Then you can pay me back next time,” Alex said as she hurriedly backed toward the door. She smiled when she heard Sydney’s response.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Sydney said. “Be careful.”
ON FRIDAY AT the end of that same week, Sydney discussed the Sergeant Chambers situation with Tyler again as they sat in her den drinking wine after sharing a meal. He brought the subject up first.
“So,” he said. “I’ve been doing some investigating on your sergeant friend.”
“What?” Sydney almost choked on her wine. “What do you mean investigating?”
“Well, I saw you two sitting in Pete’s together at lunch the other day.”
“Have you been spying on me or her?”
“Neither. I was picking up a sandwich next door and happened to see you two sitting in there. You both looked quite...what’s the word? Engaged? Singularly focused on one another.”
Sydney rolled her eyes in feigned irritation. “Alex asked if I had plans for lunch because she was stuck having to come back and testify afterwards. I’m sure she was just bored and looking for any company she happened to come across.”
“I don’t know about that,” Tyler said. “She doesn’t look like she lacks the confidence to do anything alone. And, according to my contacts, word in the lesbian world is she doesn’t have to fear being alone if she is in need or want of company. I have it on good authority if she expresses a desire there are those who are standing in line to fulfill it.”
For some reason Sydney felt a certain sense of discomfort at the last comment. But she immediately gave herself a mental kick. She was surprised at the sense of jealousy she felt toward these unknown women who may be keeping Alex company.
“Okay,” she finally said, curiosity getting the better of her. “What have you found out?”
Tyler leaned forward with a smile.
“As we both knew,” he paused and looked critically at her, “well, as I certainly knew, she is a lesbian. She has a reputation for being quite competent and popular both to her officers and her superiors. Though she’s a bit of a maverick at times and this has pissed off some of the more politically correct of the department’s command staff.” He then took a deep breath.
“She’s single.” At that Sydney looked up sharply, having been staring at her wine glass as she listened. Tyler winked at her and smiled. “Uh-huh, very single. She was involved with someone outside the department and evidently that ended abruptly. That was about a year ago from what I’m hearing. She’s not overly social, very committed to her work. She’s occasionally seen at some of the bars and clubs, occasionally accompanied by a date, though rarely the same one more than once from what I hear. And quoting one of my sources, who goes to the same gym as she does and tends to be attracted to the tall, muscular, slightly butch type, she has a body to die for.”
The last part Tyler added with a feigned, overly dramatic and very feminine swoon. He then popped up and looked at Sydney expectantly and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Please tell me no one knows you’ve been conducting this exhaustive background investigation on my behalf?”
“Oh, no.” he said. “Your name never came up. As it turns out, Cindy, the secretary in the gang unit, has had the hots for your sergeant for over a year. There’s also a Vicky-something, one of the third year law students clerking part time in the Domestic Violence unit, who’s been after her. Between the two of them they’ve evidently compiled quite the dossier on Sergeant Chambers.”
“First of all she’s not ‘my sergeant’.” Sydney emphasized the title. “And second, she has no interest outside our professional capacity. And I don’t even understand what I’m thinking here.” She shook her head in exasperation. “I just know when I spend time with her, I kind of don’t want it to end.”
“You have to explore that feeling,” Tyler said. “That’s the only way you’re going to figure it out.”
Chapter Five
SYDNEY SAT AT her desk trying once again to complete the closing arguments for her current home invasion robbery trial. She’d been at it off and on for several hours, but the interruptions never seemed to end in the busy downtown Los Angeles D.A.’s office.
She had to admit the most recent distractions were more of her own making. Her eyes drifted once again to the folded newspaper sitting on the edge of her desk. The front-page headline announced in bold letters:
Third Murder Points to Possible ‘White Rose’ Copycat.
The article described a string of three homicides that had occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada, Barstow, California, and then Ontario, California, just the day before. All eerily similar to the murders of the now infamous, and currently incarcerated, Matthew Sinclair, the “White Rose Killer.”
The case was the most disturbing Sydney had ever handled. She couldn’t escape the fact it brought her in contact with Alex. In the past several weeks she had run into her several more times around the court building. They had smiled and exchanged pleasantries, and e
ach time they parted Sydney couldn’t fight the feeling she would’ve liked it to continue. She frequently found Alex prominent in her mind for a long period afterwards.
Just yesterday they had run into each other during the lunch court recess. It was the first time she’d seen Alex in a couple of weeks. This time Sydney took the initiative and asked if she would care for some company at lunch. Alex at first seemed startled by the invitation and Sydney feared she’d made a mistake. Alex recovered quickly and accepted her offer. They had agreed on a sandwich shop down the street. Once again Sydney was engrossed in the conversation, enjoying Alex’s company and wanting it very much to continue, hoping to learn more about this intriguing woman.
Sitting at her desk the day after the encounter, she caught herself daydreaming again and kicked herself mentally for letting her mind wander. The fact that her mind was constantly being drawn to this woman was exceptionally frustrating. Sydney had never allowed personal feelings to interrupt her work. Never before developed feelings for a woman either, which was somewhat startling, yet not entirely uncomfortable, as she pondered it for the umpteenth time.
Sydney shook her head. This was ridiculous. What was it about that woman that did this to her? Maybe she should just avoid her. After all, there was work to do. Sydney put pen to paper once again and tried to refocus on the partially written closing argument. But before she could continue there was a light knocking on her open door and she looked up to see Tyler standing in the doorway with a big grin on his face.
“Hey, Ty. What’s up?” she asked, frustration evident in her voice.
“I found someone wandering the halls here on the eighteenth floor and thought you might want to say hi.” He stepped aside. Sydney’s breath caught as the source of many of her daydreams appeared in her doorway.
“Hi,” Alex said with an element of shyness.
Sydney’s frustration and irritation boiled momentarily to the surface as the cause of all of her confusion appeared in the doorway to her office. Before she could stop herself, the words escaped her in a less than hospitable tone.
“What are you doing here?”
ALEX WAS SOMEWHAT confused by her own reactions over the past several weeks. She wasn’t one to find herself swept away like this. For many years she’d been perfectly content to slip from one short term relationship to another, never willing to commit, to open herself up to anything deeper than satisfying lustful and erotic urges. Her last lengthy relationship ended in disaster, and she knew most of the fault lay squarely in her lap. The relationship with Regina Carlisle, the dedicated social worker who was several years her junior, was casual and comfortable for Alex, but nothing more. It had been far more serious for Regina. Alex admitted she let the vibrant and passionate young woman think she was taking the level of commitment far more seriously than she actually was.
It all came to a head when Alex hedged Regina’s invitation to move in together. They’d been exclusive and monogamous for over a year by that time, and “domestic unification,” as Regina called it, was the next logical step. But Alex was unable to take that next step, couldn’t bring herself to commit at that level. Regina threatened to end the relationship if Alex refused. She was shocked when Alex let her go without a fight.
There was a reason for her inability to commit, to bond at that level. That reason reached back well into Alex’s relationship past. It was an experience that Alex shared with only one other person in her life. After the disaster with Regina, she gave up attempting to engage in any substantial or meaningful relationships. The past year had been filled with sporadic short term dating forays, interspersed with occasionally seducing, or allowing herself to be seduced by, nameless one night stands. So why did she have the urge to approach this woman? This straight woman of all people? Especially after what happened so many years ago?
These were the thoughts that raced through Alex’s mind just five minutes earlier as she rode the elevator up to the D.A.’s offices on the eighteenth floor of the court building, only to remain inside the car and ride it right back down again. Why was she doing this?
She had spent the last several weeks making up excuses for running into Sydney, which primarily consisted of taking every opportunity to coincidentally find herself near the right courtrooms during the lunch break. Why? All the information she could surreptitiously gather indicated fairly clearly Sydney Rutledge was quite straight. She had very briefly discussed the issue with Sal as they worked together on New Year’s Eve, ending the conversation by again reiterating it was pointless pining on her part. Yet Alex couldn’t help but feel some portion of the attraction she felt toward Sydney was being reciprocated.
The elevator doors opened again on the ground floor lobby. Alex remained unmoving in the elevator a second time, then finally pressed the button for the eighteenth floor once more. As she rode the elevator up again she tried to think of an excuse for being there after business hours. What reason would she have for being here on one of the D.A.’s office floors rather than on one of the lower courtroom floors? What rationale could she have for wandering around the eighteenth floor?
Before she could come up with something the slightest bit believable the doors opened onto the eighteenth floor reception lobby. Alex stepped out into an empty waiting area. She presumed the receptionist, who usually sat behind the glass partition, had already gone home. Alex was standing in the empty lobby contemplating whether this was just a bad idea, or perhaps a really bad idea, when a door at one end of the lobby opened. A gentleman stepped through it with an armload of case files. She recognized him as Sydney’s friend.
Tyler looked up as he came through the door and seemed to notice Alex and smiled.
“Hi. How ya doin’?” he said. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. Cathy took off early for a long weekend.” He nodded toward the empty reception desk. “Who are you here to see?”
“Uh, I was around the building so I thought I’d swing by and see Ms. Rutledge.”
Tyler’s smile grew wider and his eyes seemed to sparkle. Alex got the distinct impression he found this scenario somehow amusing.
“Oh, great,” he said with enthusiasm. “She’s been shut inside that office all day working. She’ll be thrilled for an excuse to take a break.”
Alex willingly followed as he took off across the lobby and led her through the secured doors on the other side. He dropped the files on a desk as he passed it, then turned and waved for Alex to keep following him. She noted the smile once again as she followed and wondered what exactly was so amusing.
They approached Sydney’s office and Tyler stopped in the doorway and knocked politely. A slightly tired sounding female voice that Alex immediately recognized said, “Hey, Ty. What’s up?”
Alex had a momentary feeling of anxiety, then just as quickly Tyler stepped out of the doorway to make room for her, indicating that she should enter. She responded automatically, stepping past him into the office. And there was Sydney Rutledge, looking somewhat tired but still so very gorgeous in Alex’s eyes.
“Hi,” Alex stammered.
Alex knew immediately how lame she must sound and struggled to think of something to add. The look she saw on Sydney’s face when she looked up solidified in her mind that this visit was a very bad idea. Sydney was clearly irritated by her interruption.
“What are you doing here?” Sydney said with an exasperated sigh.
“I was, uh, in the building for a meeting and thought I’d stop by. Hey, bad timing on my part. You’re obviously busy,” Alex said. “Sorry for the interruption.” Alex retreated from the office and started down the hall back toward the elevator lobby.
“Alex, wait!” Sydney called and Alex paused and turned back. “I’m sorry,” Sydney said as she drew near. “It’s been a long, frustrating day and I was at my wits end. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I could really use a break and a few minutes of distraction. Please don’t go.”
Alex believed Sydney was honestly regretful and sincere in
her invitation. She nodded her assent. “No problem,” she said. “We all have those days sometimes.”
As they re-entered the office and Sydney returned to her seat behind her desk, Alex saw the newspaper sitting on the edge of the desk and jumped at the opportunity for an excuse to keep the visit and conversation going. “I was wondering what you thought about all this,” she said, stepping forward and tapping the article on the killer.
Sydney leaned back in her chair and pointed at the chair across the desk from her. “Please, have a seat,” she said. Alex sat down, working hard to keep her face neutral and not reveal how thrilled she was that the effort to extend the stay had been successful.
“That’s the creepiest thing,” Sydney said. “This copycat is right on the mark. I’m not sure how much detail was in the papers during the trial. I was a little too busy to pay attention to the media, but whoever’s doing this must have studied every detail.”
Alex nodded in agreement. She picked up the newspaper and glanced at the article she had read earlier that day. “Yeah, that’s certainly the way the article makes it sound. And it’s almost as if he’s making his way toward L.A. First Vegas, then Barstow, now Ontario. All tortured, raped, strangled.”
The conversation continued for several minutes as they talked over the facts laid out in the various recent newspaper articles. When the conversation eventually petered out Alex grasped for an excuse to return to Sydney’s office in the near future.
“You know, this has really got me curious. I’m going to check with the guys from R.H.D. and see what they can tell me. They have to have had calls from Vegas P.D. and the others. I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow morning.” Alex let the idea hang between them for a moment until Sydney replied.
“I’ll be tied up in court all day tomorrow. I have closing arguments then jury instruction on this robbery trial. But it’s Friday and I’m not going to want to wait all weekend wondering if you found out anything interesting. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to brief me tomorrow at the end of the court day?”
White Roses Calling Page 6
