by Jet MacLeod
“Sounds good to me. When do you think we would do this? Where would we go? What would we do?” Tabitha asked.
“I have no idea,” Sam replied.
“Movie?”
“What do you want to go see?”
“I don’t even know what’s playing,” Tabby answered.
“Me either. How about dinner? Wanna get dinner?”
“Dinner sounds good.”
“What should we get?” Sam inquired.
“I don’t know. What do you like? I’ll eat almost anything.”
“Anything, huh?”
“Yeah, as long as it is not nailed down or fire, I’ll try it, at least once.”
“That sounds promising. I haven’t had good sushi lately. Wanna go?” Sam asked her.
“Sure, I know a few good places for sushi,” Tabitha answered.
“Really? I’m a little surprised. Sushi is an acquired taste. Not many people actually enjoy it. I was kidding, but sushi still sounds good.”
“I wasn’t joking. I’ll eat almost anything. I think the biggest problem that people have with sushi is the fact that is its raw fish. We are taught from a young age that raw and undercooked meat is dangerous.”
“True, I know I have had my share of food poisoning from undercooked shrimp.”
“I like shrimp sushi, too. I also know that it is cooked. It’s the same with the ones with crab. Ever had a Kentucky roll?” Tabitha asked Sam.
“Not that I know of, but then again, if you go to a traditional place, who knows? Every place names some of them different, too. So, there’s a possibility, I have. What is it?” Sam inquired.
“A Kentucky roll is a fried chicken finger, spicy mayo, lettuce and of course rice.”
“Really? That sounds good. I’ll have to try it,” Sam replied.
“Trust me, it is. But, you sound like a beginner. We don’t have to do sushi.”
“Sushi is fine. You drive. I’ll pay,” Sam stated.
“You drive, I pay,” Tabitha replied.
“Okay?”
“Car is in the shop. Have nothing to drive. So you drive, I’ll pay,” Tabitha told her.
“Thanks again, for dinner. It was delicious. Now, I know who to call when I’m craving sushi again,” Tabitha said, as they entered her apartment.
“It was nothing. Besides you deserve some compensation for helping with the case. Dinner was the least I could do,” Sam replied.
“Can you bill that to the department?”
“I doubt it, but who knows?”
Tabitha laughed.
“What?”
“You’re gonna be good for Grace.”
“How so?” Sam asked.
“She needs someone with a sense of humor as her partner.”
“Are you sure you know Grace that well?” Sam asked, puzzled.
“I know her better than most.”
“Better than Reagan?” Sam questioned teasingly.
“Maybe,” Tabitha answered, before walking into her studio.
“Come again,” Sam replied.
“No, my dear, that story is water under the bridge that doesn’t need to be rehashed anytime soon. All you need to know is Grace and I know each other very well. Reagan is good for her and I wouldn’t change that.”
“Is there something I should know?”
“About?”
“Grace. Does she have a trigger? Is there a past that could hurt her? Someone out to get her or something?”
“Not that I know of,” Tabitha answered.
“But, you just said…”
“I just said, what?” Tabitha asked.
“Nothing. Never mind. I’ll find out soon enough being her partner.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.”
“Why not?” Sam questioned.
“Grace is a very private person.”
Sam sat there unsure of what to say. She was surprised at how quickly the conversation had turned. She was glad to know that Tabitha cared for Grace and that they were still friends. It made working with them both easier.
“Hey, Sam, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Thought I lost you there for a minute. You thinking about something? What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Tabitha questioned.
“No, I’m good.”
“You sure? We don’t have to work anymore today. It’ll keep until tomorrow. Go home if you want. It’s cool.”
“I don’t feel like going home. But, then again, I don’t want to work on the program anymore. I really don’t want to do much of anything, right now,” Sam stated.
“It’s understandable. Your job is hard. You don’t get enough time to relax and unwind. How have you decided to decompress from your days?”
“I don’t know. I don’t guess that I do. Unless you count programming and playing around with computers, that occupies some of my down time. Generally, I just try to forget about it and sleep,” Sam answered.
“Well, you need something.”
“Like?”
“Meditation? Kick boxing? Sport shooting?”
“Wow…umm…no.”
“I’m telling you it’ll help,” Tabitha stated.
“Not saying that it won’t, but I’m not cut out for that.”
“Then what would you like to try?”
“Something where I don’t have to think. Something where I can just veg-out and I don’t have to worry about not being on-guard. Something that I can do without worry or shame. I just need something that will help me process it all.”
“Well then I have an idea for you,” Tabitha stated.
“Yeah and what’s that?” Sam asked sarcastically.
“Sit for me, tonight.”
“You want me to pose for you?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Tonight?”
“It will help you relax. All you have to do is stay in the poses I put you in. You won’t have to think. You won’t have to do much of anything.”
“Lemme guess, you’ll want me naked,” Sam retorted.
“Only if you want to be. I do have a series of nudes I am working on, but it isn’t a necessary requirement to pose for me. I do different things all the time. However you would like to pose is your choice. I’m not that picky.”
“So if, say, I did choose to be naked, how would you pose me?” Sam asked.
“On your stomach, on the bed, the only thing anyone would see is your arse.”
“My ass, huh? That sounds…interesting. I would get to see it first?”
“See what first?”
“The work, before you showed it,” Sam replied.
“Of course.”
“Where’s your bathroom?”
“Over there,” Tabitha stated, pointing at the door, “Towels are under the cabinet, if you want one. I’ll finish setting up the scene in my studio.”
Chapter Thirteen
Grace was pacing in the lab. Cormack stared at her thru the computer desk. Cormack didn’t say anything. She let Grace continue to pace. She knew it was easier.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No.”
“Alright, well, sit down and quit wearing my floor down,” Cormack told her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m just…uptight. Sorry, I just want to catch this guy. Any new information is helpful.”
“Hey, you don’t think I know that?”
“I know you do, but we have scoured over twenty hours of video.”
“I’m not done, either. Besides I have to remove all the family members. We caught a break with Jessica’s family finding out that Trevor was indeed a cousin. I have to get stills and remove all the family members from Jessica and Trevor’s family and then cross reference and remove those from the list. Using Trevor’s bride’s family is going to be tricky, but so far none of the Schmitts are over six feet,” Cormack said.
“Grr…I just hate all this waiting.”
“We all do,” Cormack replied.
“What will you do with the questionable males?”
“Give their stills to Sam and Tabitha to play with the program. If we got a match, we’ll have a suspect. Then you can question Reagan about it. Until then, we watch video.”
“Fine. But, I plan on pulling backgrounds on all the questionable ones.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Cormack said.
Grace laughed. It eased their tension. She sat back down next to Cormack.
“So how did you let the Rookie out of this?” Cormack asked Grace.
“She doesn’t get the night off.”
“Oh, yeah, what you got her doing?”
“She is with Tabitha working on the program. The pictures of Reagan’s family helped somewhat. But, soon, we’ll have him,” Grace replied with conviction.
“Working on the program, huh? Been doing that a lot? Good for them, then,” Cormack stated.
Grace just looked at Cormack confused.
Chapter Fourteen
Sam stood in Tabitha’s bathroom staring at herself in the mirror. She was surprised at herself. Sam was already stripped down and wrapped in a towel. She was trying to psych herself up to actually open the door.
When she was finally ready, she opened the door and headed to the studio. She saw easels up around the studio. Each one had a canvass and some charcoal stationed on it. Sam realized that it was so Tabitha could capture her from different angles and positions.
“Ready?”
“I guess,” Sam answered.
“Okay,” Tabitha giggled, “I think the easiest thing for you to do, since this is your first time, is a laying position. Just lie down on the bed and get comfortable. I’ll move you around as I need to, and I’ll add props as I see fit.”
“Okay,” Sam stated, getting on the bed.
Tabby waited for her to lie down and get situated. Once Sam was settled, Tabitha took the towel and replaced it with a thin sheet, loosely draped over Sam. Sam waited until Tabitha was behind a canvass before she rolled up onto her side. Sam looked over at Tabitha and waited on instruction on how to pose.
“You’re sure you’ve never done this?” Tabby asked her.
“Nope.”
“You’re a natural.
“Bet you say that to all the girls,” Sam teased.
“Only the extremely beautiful ones,” Tabby teased back.
Sam blushed. She pulled the sheet up to her chin. She hid her face from Tabitha and sunk down on the mattress as far as she could.
“My…my…are you blushing?”
“Shut it!” Sam yelled at her from the bed.
“You are, aren’t you? Why are you blushing? Can you not take a compliment?” Tabitha questioned, peering around the canvass at Sam.
“I can. It’s just that I don’t think I’m that attractive. To be honest, I don’t get compliments like that often. I’m not sure I ever really have. I don’t know how to deal with it very well. I haven’t had the practice,” Sam answered, truthfully.
“Really? I find that hard to believe. You’re gorgeous. I can’t believe no has told you that,” Tabitha replied.
“Can’t argue with the truth,” Sam replied.
“You can, but you might not win.”
Sam laughed. Tabby smiled. The air between them cleared. The mood was light, again, and Sam was grateful. She just wanted to do nothing and relax. She hadn’t truly been prepared for Tabitha’s candor, but she couldn’t fault Tabitha for it either. Sam had to admit to herself that maybe she had judged Tabitha too harshly before. There was something about Tabitha, though, she still hadn’t figured out, yet.
“Okay, so how do you want me to pose?”
“Just get comfortable. I’ll tell you when to move. If you get a cramp or something just let me know. We can stop whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, sounds easy enough,” Sam replied.
Sam rolled back onto her back. She threw her arms over her head and let them dangle off the bed. She glanced up from this position at Tabitha. Tabby’s heart skipped a beat and her mouth gaped slightly.
“That’s good,” Tabitha managed to say, more huskily than she wanted, but she was glad that Sam didn’t notice.
Tabby was itching to touch her. She didn’t know how Sam would react so she refrained. She knew that the way she had Sam now made Sam completely vulnerable to Tabitha. Sam was completely beautiful and absolutely hot, lying on the bed looking like a wonton damsel.
Tabitha shook the sexy thoughts from her head. She picked up a piece of stick charcoal and began her outlines for the canvass in front of her. She would add a little bit of shadowing now and then, but she knew she had to capture as much of the scene as she could right then. She would never be able to get Sam back in the same spot, the same lighting, the exact same angle.
Sam lay there in repose. She let her mind go blank. It was nice. She could get used to this, if Tabitha would let her. Sam finally felt like she could relax. She had to admit that it was because of Tabitha. She was safe. She felt safe with Tabitha. She could let her guard down somewhat and not always be ready for something to happen. Sam didn’t have to be a cop with Tabitha. She didn’t have to be rigid and uptight. She could be herself.
“You sure you’re comfortable like that?” Tabitha asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“You might be there for an hour or more, like that.”
“Okay, and?”
“I don’t want you to get a cramp,” Tabitha offered.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Okay, if you say so. Just don’t want you to lose feeling in your arms. Promise me that you’ll say something if that happens. I don’t want to be responsible for any problems, later,” Tabitha stated.
“You won’t.”
“Okay, then, I’ll take your word for it.”
“You’re sure this how you want me. I could change positions. You’re the artist, not me.”
“No, that’s perfect. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I actually love that position. It’s perfect for what I want this series to be,” Tabitha answered.
“I’m glad that I can help you with your work. I admire you for your creativity. I couldn’t do it. I know that much. I love your work, all of it.”
“Maybe, I’ll give you one, as payment.”
“Payment? Payment for what? I don’t understand,” Sam stated.
“Being my model,” Tabitha replied.
“Umm…okay, I’ll take one, but I don’t really need payment. You’re right this is relaxing. You’re giving me a way to veg-out without much stress or need to pay to do it. Actually, I’m the one who should be paying you,” Sam answered.
“Nonsense, I’m the one who is going to be making mad money of your poses. You’re doing me a favor. Giving you a selection is nothing for me. If you didn’t pose, I would use someone else. The only difference is that I’d pay them cash for their time. Giving you a painting or a selection is more rewarding for me and for you. The selection will only gain more in value or rather it should. Plus, you’re a huge fan of my work. It’s win-win to me.”
“Okay, I see your point. I don’t have to fully agree with it, but I understand it. I do have to admit that earning a selection works for me as well. It’s actually more than okay. There are a few of your pieces I’ve wanted but they were either not for sale or way out of my price range,” Sam explained.
“Which ones?”
“I don’t remember their names,” Sam stated.
“Can you describe them to me?”
“I could try, but that requires thought. I don’t want to think right now. Can it wait?” Sam asked.
“Absolutely,” Tabitha answered.
“How many poses did you want me to do?”
“As many as you can.”
“I meant today.”
“Again, as many as you can. I’m not picky. Do you need to move?”
“Not yet, but soon,” Sam replied.
“That’s fine. I’ve got everything that
I need for this one. I was just adding some extra shading and filler.”
“You’re sure?” Sam asked.
“I told you to tell me when you needed to move.”
“Okay, then, I need to move.”
Tabitha laughed as Sam sat up on the bed, clinching the sheet to her. Tabitha set down her charcoal and stood up off the stool she’d been perched upon. She moved it to the next canvass and began to prepare for the next pose.
“How do you want me for this one?” Sam asked.
“However you’re comfortable.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“Well, I’m not picky when it comes to poses.”
“Then, what are you picky about?” Sam questioned.
“My models.”
“Your models, how so?”
“I’m extremely picky about the ones I want nude,” Tabitha answered.
Sam blushed, again. She stared at Tabitha, whose eyes were smiling and completely full of mischief. Sam swallowed and regained her failing composure.
“So that’s why you don’t have many nudes?” Sam asked, her voice getting thick.
“Exactly.”
“I guess I should be flattered,” Sam replied.
“Yeah, but if how you acted earlier is any indication of how you take a compliment, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just not used to that.”
“Well, you should be,” Tabitha responded matter-of-factly.
Sam just stared at her. She’d upset her and she hadn’t meant to. Sam felt bad. She knew that Tabitha meant well, but she honestly didn’t know how to take a compliment.
She moved around on the mattress so her legs were off the edge. She kept the sheet that Tabitha had given her wrapped around her front. She looked at Tabitha, the pain and the hurt was obvious in both of their eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Sam stated.
“Don’t be. You can’t help it,” Tabitha replied, before she looked up at Sam, “Don’t move. That is perfect.”
“Really? Like this? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it reminds me of a Marilyn portrait.”
Tabitha was furiously drawing on the canvass. She wanted to capture the emotion in Samantha’s eyes. She wanted people to feel it when they saw it. Sam was the easiest model she’d ever used.
