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Golden Shields ( Katy1008 & CrimsonMaster )

CrimsonMaster

CrimsonMaster

Pulsar
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Location
The Land of Lost Souls
Los Angeles California home to almost 4 million people. The city it's self sits on an area of some 468.67 square miles. Los Angeles, or as many call it LA is the most populous city in California and the second most populous city in America after New York City. Protecting the populous of Los Angeles is handled by the men & women of the Los Angeles Police Department, better known as the LAPD.


The LAPD protects the almost 4 million with a force which is just under 10,000 police officers.Besides the city the LAPD also covers other areas such as Hollywood, Van Nuys, Wilshire, Topanga, Rampart and 14 other areas around the city. Each of these areas have been formed into 4 Bureaus then broken down into divisions. Each division has it's own station with patrol officers. The detectives of the LAPD are stationed in the Central Bureau and work from the Central Divison Station which is also called Parker Center or Downtown by the thugs and crooks.

Detectives of the LAPD work in different divisions such as Vice, Juvenile, Gangs, Narcotics, Commercial Crimes, Investigative Analysis Section and Robbery-Homicide. One of the detectives who works robbery-homicide is Detective Sergeant Thomas Reed. Tom as he is known by those close to him is a 15 years veteran of the force. During those 15 plus years, Tom has had many partners and today was no different since today Detective Sergeant Reed was not only getting a new partner, but a rookie partner.

Tom's new partner maybe a rookie detective, but she had 5 years under her belt riding in a patrol car before acing the detectives exam on the first try which had never been done before by a woman. Her former partner wrote in her evaluation that she was smart, confident and not afraid to get down & dirty when the situation called for it. Meaning that she wasn't afraid to take down a suspect no matter where they were or who the suspect was. Of course she never had a partner like Tom Reed before who was known as being heavy handed at times with suspects. But all new detective always get partnered with the most senior Sergeant who happens to be free. So it was just her luck to end up with the man known around the department as " The Headhunter "


Tom was a highly decorated officer, and no matter how much trouble he got into. Tom always found ways of getting out of that trouble by doing something heroic. He was seen by many as a hero, but there were also a great number who thought that he should be stripped of his badge. But even those people were glad at certain times that Tom had that badge, and now with a serial killer who was just starting to make himself know those people would be happy to have Tom on the force.
 
In some ways it seemed strange going into work wearing something other than the dark blue uniform. She had worn it for over five years, first at the Academy and then as a police officer on the streets of LA. But those last five years seemed to have suddenly been wiped away and she felt the same way she did when she walked into the station house the day after she graduated from the Academy.

Evelyn 'Evie' Taylor was 5'7'' with dark brown eyes and shoulder length hair to match. She was 135lb, athlethic, with curves in all the right places. But she had been born into a family of cops. Her father was the third generation of the family to have worn the badge and there was never any question that her brothers would follow suit. No-one particularly expected Evie to do the same but no-one was disappointed when she did. She graduated high school, went to college and got her degree in Criminology and then the day after graduation, without mentioning anything to anyone in her family, she submitted her application to the Academy and was accepted that fall at the age of 21 years and 2 months. The Academy itself wasn't that difficult; she had grown up being forced to be the 'robber' in all the cops and robbers games that her brothers and their friends ever played. With some private 'tuition' from her Dad, she learned to put up a pretty good fight, although it didn't stop the usual cuts and scrapes and bruises. And it had stood her in good stead. At the Academy and afterwards. And she had a lot to live up to; the reputation of her father and brothers went ahead of her and she was damned if she was going to do anything which damaged that. Every once in while though, she did wonder whether the time would ever come when she wasn't identified by other cops when she first met them as "Jack's daughter" or "Steve's kid sister" or "James' kid sister". In the last few years particularly however she was starting to create a reputation of her own, although the nickname was something she could really have done without. There was no point in objecting to it though; that would just encourage its use more. Passing the Detective's exam at the first attempt also hadn't done her reputation any harm although there were always going to be some who resented her for it; some who thought that it was her family connections that got her through or worse still that she had earned it on her back. There was nothing she could do about them though either.

So here she was, having swapped her 'Police Officer' shield for a 'Detective' one, wearing dark grey pants and a matching jacket with a white sleeveless t-shirt underneath instead of the dark blue pants and shirt, and walking in to meet her new partner. Tom Reed. Now there was a man with a reputation. Good and bad. Her dad had been his partner for a while a few years ago before a promotion to Lieutenant took him off the streets. Jack spoke highly of him; told her that she couldn't have asked for a better teacher and in a lot of ways no-one else's view really mattered. She had never met Reed... at least she didn't think she had. But her Dad had shown her some photographs so she knew who she was looking for as she walked into the squad room.

She saw him sitting at a desk, reading what appeared to be a case file with a large mug of steaming coffee next to it on the desk. She felt her heart pounding as she walked over to him.

"Detective Reed?"
 
Detective Sergeant Thomas Reed was on his way into work not knowing that today he was getting a surprise.......which was a new partner. He stopped by a small cafe a few blocks way from the Central Station. This cafe was a place that Tom stopped at every morning at this time. Tom stood at the counter after ordering his usual large coffee with cream and no sugar. The waitress grabbed a to go cup then poured in some coffee, but instead of adding the cream she added sugar...............lots of sugar. Tom was reading over the morning paper until the waitress placed his cup of coffee on the counter along with his change.

Tom picked up the coffee then walked out of the cafe. He didn't take a drink until he was out on the sidewalk. Tom almost gagged on the sugar, he turned to look at the cafe then saw the closed sign going up in the window. He quickly walked over to his car putting the coffee cup on the roof of his car then he reached in grabbing for the radio mic. Tom called into the station dispatch that there was possible 211 in progress, he then gave the address. Tom tossed the radio mic back into his car along with his newspaper then jogged around behind the cafe.

Tom entered through the back door where he could hear yelling coming from the front. He exited from back to the kitchen then into the cafe area seeing four men holding guns on everyone. These four men, two white and two black were yelling for money to be placed into a large black bag which was sitting on the counter. Tom slowly pulled his .50 Desert Eagle from the shoulder holster under his coat. " You boys really need a new hobby. " Tom said in a cool calm tone as he pointed his weapon towards these men. The Desert Eagle was one of the most powerful handguns in the world. Most called it a street cannon and it was very deadly in the hands of someone like Tom Reed.

Hearing a voice the men turned seeing that the cop who they thought was gone had come back. Gun fire broke out as two of the men fired at Tom. He returned fire dropping two quickly then nailing the third as he was trying to get out of the cafe. The fourth man grabbed a woman holding his pistol to her head as Tom walked up to him. Tom placed the barrel of his Desert Eagle against the man's head. " Even if you kill her......you'll still die. " Tom said as the man started to become nervous. He really didn't want to die and Tom knew this. The man let the woman go then dropped his gun raising his hands into the air just as two patrol cars pulled up out front.

Tom handed off this man plus the one that he wounded to the officers. The other two were dead and belong to the coroner's office now. Tom left the cafe without his coffee, but he couldn't wait since he was late for work already. About 10 minutes later and almost 20 minutes late, Tom walked into the Central Station. Tom said hello to the other detectives and the officer who were around then he walked over to his desk. He never even sat down since there was a note from Lt. Tamura asking Tom to come to her office when he got in. Tom tossed the note into his trash can then headed off for Lesley's office.

Lt. Lesley Tamura waved Tom in when he knocked on her door. The 34 year old detective had dark brown hair which was always kept short. He stood 6 feet even and weighted 210 lbs, dressed in his normal sports coat which was dark blue, white button down shirt which was open at the top since he wasn't wearing a tie and grey pants. Tom was a well built man, his arms were strong and his chest broad. He was also one of the best shots in the department. Tom was the defending shooting champion of the department and had been so for the last 5 years. The next shooting tournament would be in a few weeks and Tom was the heavy favorite to retain his title. Tom stepped inside of Lesley's office then shut the door behind him. Lesley told Tom then she was putting him on a new case. Two different women had been found murdered, one last Tuesday morning and the second one was found earlier this morning which was also a Tuesday morning. Lesley handed Tom a file which contained all the information on the case. Tom started to look through the file when Lesley said that he was also getting a new partner.

This made Tom look up at Lesley as he closed the file. Tom's last partner was still laid up in the hospital after their unmarked car was destroyed by a bomb. Tom and his partner were tracking down a killer who was using bombs in toys to kill people. This killer had placed one inside of a remote controlled car and sent it under the car that Tom was using. Tom was getting coffee for him and his partner when the RC car blew up. It damaged the unmarked police car and badly injured Tom's partner. After the crime scene techs were done at the scene they found enough of the RC car which led Tom to the killer. Lesley explained that Tom's new partner was also a new detective. Hearing this news didn't really thrill Tom, he was just handed a file which could be the start of a serial killer running around LA and now he had to train a new detective. Tom knew that there was little use in protesting this, so he took the file back to his desk and sat down.

Tom had his own well known reputation around the department. He had a no non sense approach towards crime. Tom did whatever he had to do in order to remove the crooks from the streets. Sometimes these actions got him in trouble with those higher up in the department and at city hall. But Tom was a damn good cop who earned the trust of many around him. One of these was Evie's father who worked along side of Tom for many years. Many of the other detectives and uniformed police officers referred to Tom as 'The Head Hunter' for his take no bullshit style of police work.

Tom was reading over the file that Lt. Tamura had given him when he heard someone speaking his name. He slowly looked up seeing a very pretty young woman standing in front of the desk his partner would use. It didn't take a great detective to notice how good looking she was or how fit her body was. It also didn't take a great detective for Tom to know that his new partner was standing right where she needed to be. Tom slowly stood up extending his right hand out towards Evie. " Welcome to Homicide........You're desk is right in front of you. " Tom said as he shook Evie's hand. It was common for all partners to have their desk placed face to face, it was easier to talk with each other this way. Tom then had to admit that no one told him what her name was. He sat back down into his seat waiting for Evie to answer.
 
Evie shook his hand, nodded and gave a little smile. Tom Reed was an impressive looking cop and Evie could imagine that he came off second best to very few perps... if any. She walked around to her desk and couldn't help wonder how long it would look this clear of papers and this tidy. She slipped her jacket off as she sat down and dropped it over the back of her chair. She slipped the Glock 22 out of her shoulder holster and opened a bottom drawer on the desk and placed the gun inside. She figured it was probably going to take her a few months to get used to the feel of the holster and the weight of the weapon on her left hand side, but for now, when she was at a desk, she preferred putting the weapon in her draw. The gun itself she was used to. Her dad had taken her to a gun range first when she was 14 years old and he had taught her well. She had graduated the Academy with the highest scores for marksmanship seen in more than a decade and one of the highest ever scored by a female recruit.

As she sat down, she looked back across at Reed.

"erm... I'm Evelyn Taylor... Evie... Apparently you... you know my old man. Jack Taylor."
 
Tom watched as Evie removed her Glock 22 from her shoulder holster and placed it inside of her deck. This was a common practice among many detectives, but wasn't something that Tom did. He was use to keeping his weapon inside of his shoulder holster until his work day had ended. Tom's Desert Eagle was easily twice the size of the Glock which many detectives carried. The Glock was a fine weapon and Tom used his as a back up weapon. Tom was just taking a sip of his coffee when Evie revealed who she was. A quick gag was followed by eyes opening wide at the news that this new detective was Little Evelyn Taylor. " My God!.......You're little Evelyn Taylor! " Tom said as he placed his mug back down on the desk. " You've really grown out..........I mean up! " Tom said as he felt a sudden rush of heat fill his checks turning them bright red.

This is when Tom put 2 and 2 together and realized that Evie was 'The Brass Cupcake' that he heard so much about. The brass cupcake is what many in the department called Evie. She was given that name by one of her former partners who just happened to be her first. He was an older officer who was close to retirement and she was a fresh rookie just out of the police academy. He had said that Evie was metal tough and yet sweet as cake, when she wanted to be or course. This was then transformed into brass cupcake and spread acrossed the department faster then a whore could spread her legs. " Your father and I were partners before he got promoted and kicked upstairs. " Tom replied then like the icy hand of death, a bitter sounding voice rang out in the squad room. " REED!........GOD DAMN IT REED!! " Lieutenant Finn yelled out as he came into the squad room, his face was beet red. " Adding to your body count already!?.........You hadn't even checked in for duty and you've already chalked up two dead bodies! " Lt. Finn screamed out as he walked right up to Reese's desk then stood there glaring. Finn was a small man, standing only 5 feet 5 inches, weighting around 140 lbs. He had brown hair which Finn liked to slicked back.

Tom let out a deep long sigh of pure disgust when he heard Finn's voice yelling out his name. He slowly turned his chair around to face the on coming Lieutenant. " I was doing my job Lieutenant!.......Those men were holding the people in that cafe at gun point!........I saved every person in there and the streets are free of two pieces of trash! " Tom screamed back as he stood up towering over the much smaller Lieutenant. " If it was up to me you'd lose that badge today!........Sadly that's not my call!...........But I can do something!..........Tomorrow morning you'll report to the departments new psychiatrist for an evaluation on your fitness as a police detective!.................He'll decided whether you're fit to carry that badge! " Finn added as his face grew even redder.
 
Evie couldn't helpt but smile at his reaction when she told him who she was... who her father was and she blushed at little as he seemed to make at least a partial reference to how she looked. Evie was no supermodel and she had never had any desire to be one. Breaking a fingernail had never been something that have cause her a problem and she would much prefer to spend time at a baseball game than a hair salon... or even at the shopping mall. She went shopping when she wanted something, and then she went in, bought it and went home. But she wasn't ashamed of how she looked either. She enjoyed the PT at the Academy and still now she tried to get out on a run every morning before she came into work.

She was about to continue the conversation but as she opened her mouth, someone started shouting... called out Reed's name. She shifted in her chair and turned a little and then watched a little stunned as Lieutenant Finn stormed over and started reading the riot act. She was equally surprised when Reed gave back just as much as he got but she had to stop herself from giggling; there was something vaguely ridiculous about the pair of the squaring up to each other when Finn was shorter than she was. He quite literally looked half the man of Reed. What was clear very quickly was that Tom Reed was still everything her father had told her he had been. This was going to be an interesting experience she thought to herself.

Suddenly she looked a little puzzled at Finn's final statement. Without thinking... and in someways without really appreciating that she was saying it out loud... audible to anyone who was listening, she joined in the conversation.

"Seems to me that a commendation is the order of the day rather than a psych eval. When was the last time you were on the street Lieutenant?" And then she realized that she probably shouldn't have said that on her first day. She saw Finn glaring at her and Reed looking somewhat bemused. She shrugged a little. "Self defence? Saved a hostage or two. Only casualties are perps. Two dead. Two arrested. Isn't that what cops do, Lieutenant?"
 
The two men glared at each other for a few more moments before Finn finally broke off his stare at Tom when Evie spoke out. Finn's glare turned quickly towards her and his face seemed to grow even redder as she questioned him about his police work. He was about to cut into Evie when it hit Finn who she was and who her father was. " That's pretty bold talk for a new detective Miss Taylor! " Finn said as he moved away from Tom and leaned over Evie's desk. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a stripped tie and dark colored pants. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up in his elbows. " You would be doing yourself a favor by not getting close to Reed!.........He's a bad influence on young detectives like yourself!........He should have called for backup then waited for SWAT to arrive then we could have talked with those men!.......But that's not Reed's style!......His style is more suited to the wild west then the modern world! " Finn spoke in a tone that made his words sound as if he was growling at Evie.

" Okay Finn!.....You've had your say!........Now get away from my Detectives! " Lt. Tamura said as she appeared behind Finn. Lesley was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. " If you have any more to say!....Say it to the Captain!.......I've already called him and he's waiting upstairs for you! " Finn slowly rose up from Evie's desk and slowly turned around while Lesley was talking. It seemed that Finn was the runt of the litter since even Lesley who was 5'7" and weighed 127 was bigger then Finn was. Finn walked away grumbling about how Evie spoke to him. He was saying something about not show proper respect for those higher up.

" I'm Lieutenant Lesley Tamura.......Welcome to Robbery/Homicide. " Lesley said to Evie after Finn was going. She approached Evie's desk with her hand held out. " I've heard a lot about you from your father.......He's quite proud of you. " Lesley added then she told Evie not mind Finn. Lesley said that he gets off by being a pain in the ass. " Well you two have some work to do......I gave Tom a case file on two murders.......Once you've filled Evie in on the details hit the streets and see what you can dig up. " Lesley spoke openly to both Tom & Evie then she left them at their desks. Tom picked up the file from his desk then placed it down in front of Evie.

" Last Wednesday morning the body of Michelle Turner was found with her throat slit from ear to ear...........This morning the body of Sheryl Briggs was found with the same kind of wound on her throat.......Both of these girls worked the Hollywood Strip area as hookers. " Tom said as Evie opened the file. He pointed out that both girls worked without the protection of a pimp. It was quite easy too see that both women looked a lot alike. From their mug shot photos, both women were blonde, about the same height with a slim build. The two women were also close in age with Michelle being 23 and Sheryl being 22. The two women were also both killed on Tuesday nights or early Wednesday mornings and their bodies were found within a few blocks from where they worked the streets.
 
Evie fought hard to hold her tongue. She wanted to say that learning from someone with record of solved cases like Reed had seemed like a pretty damn good idea. And that maybe Finn might want to consider how he might explain to the massed ranks of LA's print and television media why a few innocent coffee drinkers had been killed whilst an armed detective stood outside twiddling his thumbs waiting for back-up. But she managed to keep her silence this time. And perhaps Lieutenant Tamura saved her from herself too.

Evie smiled as she watched Finn walk away and then continued the smile as she shook her hand. She stayed silent though as Tamura gave them their orders and then disappeared and then she concentrated on what Reed was saying. She picked up the file and started looking through it, flicking through the crime scene photos, the ME reports, witness statements... The people who found the bodes at least.

"So... Two bodies and lots of similarities and the conclusion is we have a serial killer of young blonde independent prostitutes who either works in ths area of town on Tuesday's or visits on Tuesday's and stays overnight before disappearing again for another week? Truck driver or salesman maybe with a regular route. Or it's someone who has Tuesday or Wednesday off." As she spoke she stood up and retrieved her weapon, before fixing it back into position and slipping her jacket back on.
 
Tom was glad too see that Evie was already thinking about who could have done these killings. Evie wasn't her father, but she sure did seem to have his mind. Jack was always on top of cases like this, working out all the possibilities. Before Tom & Evie could leave, the phone rang on Tom's desk. " Robbery/Homicide......Sergeant Reed. " Tom said as he lifted the receiver to his ear. " Yeah.......Okay........Have them wait there with her.......We're on our way. " Tom said as he hung up his phone while writing what was said to him over the phone. " One of the patrol cars just found a hooker who saw our last victim.........Before she was found dead.......Let's roll cupcake. " Tom said while giving Evie a playful smile. He used her nickname in a playful way and not to demean her in anyway.

Tom led the way out of the squad room and down to the parking garage. He headed for an unmarked dark blue 1998 Ford Crown Victoria police car. Tom stopped for a moment opening the passenger side door then he ran around to the driver side. He jumped in then started the car, Tom backed up out of the parking space then headed out of the garage. Once out in the street, Tom reached down for the microphone of his police radio. " 1 William 56........Reed and Taylor........Day watch........Clear. " Tom said to the dispatcher then he placed the mic back down. All detective units were identified by a W or William designation. The number 1 was used because they worked out of the Central Division Area. The number 56 was given to Tom when he became a detective to identify his car. It didn't matter what car Tom was using, it was always W unit 56. Evie was also given a number when she became a detective, this number was just like Tom's 56. She was also allowed to use an unmarked police car to travel from work to home and back again just like Tom. Of course she could use her own car as long as it had a red light, a siren and a police radio.

20 minutes later Tom pulled his unmarked police car in behind the black & white patrol car. The girl was sitting on a bus stop bench just acrossed from where the last body had been found. Tom exited from the car and was met by one of the officers who filled him and Evie in on who this girl was. Her name was Jennifer " Jenny " Wilson.....age 18......blonde hair......5 feet 6 inches tall......120 lbs........She goes by the name Sweet Sugar on the streets. Tom thanked the officer then he told him that he and his partner could leave, he then walked over to where Jenny was sitting on the bench. " I'm Detective Sergeant Reed......This is Detective Taylor.....We'd like to ask you some questions about your friend Sheryl. " Tom said as he reached into his coat pulling out his badge & Id for Jenny too look at. He glanced acrossed the street at the crime scene which still had the yellow tape up, but the CSI team was long gone.....their work had been done already. Tom sat down on Jenny's left side while the young woman was smoking a cigarette and shaking a bit. Jenny was just like the other two women, she worked the streets on her own without the protection of a pimp. This could be a blessing at times.....while at other times it was a curse and this seemed to be one of those times.
 
When she heard Reed use what had been her nickname almost from the moment she left the Academy, she stopped in her tracks. When her first partner came up with it within a few weeks, she hated it, particularly once her family heard about and teased her relentlessly, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. So she stayed quiet and hoped that after a week or so it would just pass. But it didn't and she had grown accustomed to its usage when she was in uniform. Part of her had hoped that maybe getting her shield might mean it would go away. Clearly not though. She stared at the retreating form of Tom Reed, with mock indignance and the hint of a resigned smile on her face.

"Really? First day and you want to start with that?"

Reed threw a look back over his shoulder and just smirked and shrugged, but kept walking towards the elevator. Evie shook her head andtook a breath and then followed him, trotting a few paces to catch him up before she missed the elevator.

When they got to the garage, for a brief moment, she thought that Tom was about to climb in the passenger side and let her drive. But she should have known better. She couldn't help look a little puzzled for a moment; why on earth would he open the door for her? Maybe the central locking was broken and it was just easier. But she certainly didn't expect that kind of deferential treatment. She let it pass though and climbed in saying nothing as Reed logged them in and reversed out.

The journey across town passed pleasantly enough with Reed asking primarily about her father and telling her some of the things the two of them used to get up to and it didn't take too long until they were pulling in behind the black and white. Evie climbed out as the car pulled to a stop and then waited, letting Reed take the lead. First day... she certainly wasn't going to do anything which made it look like she thought she knew what she was doing - and she didn't think that. As she stood looking at Jenny Wilson, listening, she couldn't help but think that this girl was a walking victim. Blonde. Right size. No pimp. Sure she was younger than the first two victims but middle of the night, street lights, dark shadows... unless the perp was very particular, chances are he wasn't going to be able to tell.
 
Jenny Wilson was a young and very pretty girl who was just trying to earn a living. Perhaps Jenny was born in or around LA. Perhaps she was drawn here by the illusion of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. All she and those girls who were the independent prostitutes wanted was to make some money without getting busted up. Freedom was the main reason why these girls worked without a pimp. Pimps did take cake of their girls, but many times those girls paid with a fat lip or a black eye when something went wrong. There were cases where the pimps put their girls in the hospital and still others died at the hands of the man who was protecting them. Money was another big issue when it came to pimps. Most pimps took a huge cut from what their girls made while the independent girls kept everything that they made.

Tom gave Jenny a few moments before he asked her to tell them everything that happened between the last time she saw Sheryl and the time that her body was found. Jenny took a long drag from her cigarette then started to speak. She began by saying that Sheryl and herself were working 2 blocks down the street not far from the adult bookstore which was around the corner. Jenny said that it was around 10:45 pm when a red Mustang pulled up. She walked over to and started talking with the man inside. They were talking over prices for services when a newer model black SUV pulled up in front of the red Mustang. Jenny had looked over as Sheryl walked over then she started talking with whoever was inside. Jenny went back talking with the man in the Mustang when she saw Sheryl move to get into the SUV.

Jenny said that she couldn't see who was driving the SUV, but they did have what looked like a black cowboy hat on. She said that the SUV drove down the street then turned right onto the same street that Sheryl's body had been found on. Jenny and the man in the Mustang couldn't agree on a price so he split leaving her alone. Jenny said that normally Sheryl isn't gone very long, she spends about 15 to 20 minutes with a costumer then she would return. So Jenny waited and waited, but Sheryl didn't return. Jenny said that she started walking around but didn't see the black SUV or Sheryl. Jenny had been picked up a few times that night by men, but always returned to that spot hopping that Sheryl would be there. After Jenny had been dropped off by one man she noticed a small group of people standing on the corner looking down the street where Sheryl's body was found. Jenny walked up and asked what was going on, but nobody knew what was happening. It wasn't until an officer started walking around asking questions about Sheryl that Jenny said that she knew her. The officer then took Jenny down to the very bench which she was still sitting on.

Jenny looked up, her eyes locked on the empty lot where Sheryl's body was found. Her body was shaking when she asked why anyone would want to hurt Sheryl? The empty lot which Jenny was staring at was once an apartment building which caught fire a few years back. It was gutted then last year the city tore down what was left leaving the lot behind. A bum was walking through the alley which ran beside the empty lot when he noticed something odd looking behind one of the buildings. He moved into the lot then stumbled acrossed Sheryl's body wrapped in plastic. The man ran for a few blocks before he found a patrol car then brought the police here.

Tom was taking notes while Jenny was speaking. He could understand how hard all of this was for her. Once Jenny had stopped talking, Tom asked if she could remember anything more about the black SUV? Jenny thought for a moment then started to shake her head no when something did come to her mind, but she knew that it wouldn't be much. Jenny said that there were no stickers on the back. but the license plate was odd. She couldn't remember all of the plate, but there was a dash followed by the letter D and the number 1. Tom wrote down in his notes - D1. It certainly wasn't much to go on, but it was a start and Tom had solved other cases with less info.
 
There was nothing else for Evie to do but stand and listen to the questions that Reed asked but more importantly to the answers that the scared and upset teenager provided. In her mind she pictured the events that the girl described; pictured the locations and the players - Sheryl and the SUV and the Mustang. Was the cowboy hat really black? It was dark; how could it appear anything other than black particularly in the orange glow of the limited street lighting? Did the SUV turn right and go somewhere else only then to return to that street, or did it turn right and stop, allowing the driver kill the girl there and then. Was there someone else? Jenny said that she had her own Johns. She wasn't there the entire time. What was to say that the SUV hadn't brought Sheryl back only for her then to be taken again, this time without anyone seeing her. They were about to spend who knew how long looking for a cowboy in a SUV with -D1 in the registration when neither could be correct.

When Reed stood up slowly and started to put his note book away, Evie assumed that he was pretty much finished. She took a step towards the girl.

"Look. Maybe you should... take some time away.. just for a while. Let us try and catch who's doing this..." Jenny was just too much like the other victims for Evie's liking. As she saw it, if this really was a serial killer, Jenny was a prime candidate to be the third victim.
 
Jenny looked over at Evie when she suggested that Jenny take some time away from the streets. " I can't afford to take any time off........I've got bills to pay......I don't get vacation pay you know. " Jenny replied as she dropped her cigarette to the ground then crushed it out with the toe of her shoe. " Did you know Michelle Turner?......Did she work around here? " Tom asked his questions then Jenny turned towards him nodding her head. " Michelle did work down by the adult theater.......I didn't know her to well.....Sheryl did. " Jenny said softly as she looked back towards Evie. " Michelle worked with another girl called Leather.......They kinda watched out for each other like Sheryl did with me. " Jenny added as a sad smile drew acrossed her face.

" Jenny.......what's Leather's real name? " Tom again asked which made Jenny turn her head again. Jenny had to think for a moment before speaking. " Megan.......ahhhhhh.......Megan Walker........Everybody calls her Leather because she always wears these thigh high leather boots. " Jenny said as she looked from Tom to Evie then back again. Jenny had admitted that although everyone who worked in this area of town knew each other, they hung around in their own groups. This of course didn't mean that they didn't talk once in a while. It only meant that the girls had their own little clicks and really didn't hang up with the others. Tom reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out one of his business cards. He gave the card to Jenny then told her if she could think of anything else, she should call the station to reach him or Evie. Tom then thanked Jenny for her help and sent Jenny on her way.

Tom watched as Jenny was walking away, he then turned towards Evie. " Let's go have a word with Megan. " Tom gave Evie a smile as he pulled a pair of sunglasses from another inside coat pocket. He slipped the glasses on his face while Tom walked to their car. He opened the driver side door then stepped inside. Tom started up the car while Evie got in on the passenger side. He grabbing for the mic then called dispatch and had them run Megan's name through the computer. The dispatcher came back with Megan's address which was an apartment only 6 blocks away from where Tom & Evie were.
 
Evie shook her head a little in disbelief. She was particularly suggesting that the girl take a vacation; she had just meant that the girl should try and find some place else to work. It was all well and good saying that she had bills to pay but there was a reasonable chance, as Evie saw it, that paying bills was not something she was going to have to worry about for long. As Reed engaged her again in conversation, Evie took a few steps away - but was still close enough to hear - and stared across to the patch of ground that was surrounded by crime scene tape. At the mention of the adult theatre, Evie's mind started its tracking again, picturing the location. The Belevedere.... was that its name. She had been on the job about 10 months and there had been a Vice Squad operation to raid it... the sexual encounters were not being limited to those taking place on the screen and money was changing hands. She had been one of about 8 or 10 uniformed officers that had supported the operation. It had been her first ever 'undercover' operation. Vice had needed additional people on the inside so they had 'hand-picked' some uniforms. Six of them had then been paired up just so that they could go in as 'paying customers'; boyfriend and girlfriend just having some fun. The raid had produced the results Vice had wanted but of course it did nothing to the long term problem and a few weeks later everyone who had been arrested and/or scared off that night had pretty much all come back. Those kinds of raids were regular events but closing the business down was possible... 1st Amendment and freedom of expression! Evie turned back around as Jenny was naming Megan Walker. She was fairly sure what the consequences of that would be and sure enough when Reed had finished talking to Jenny, and once the girl had gone on her way, he indicated that speaking to Megan was the next job.

She climbed into the car as Reed was asking Dispatch for the address and waited for him to pull away.

"You know... on the basis of the two victims so far, that girl back there is a prime target. A bit young maybe, but pretty much everything else is right."
 
Dispatch soon radioed back with the information on Megan's address, Tom pulled the car out into the street and headed off. He glanced over at Evie when she talked about Jenny being a prime target. This was true and Tom couldn't deny that fact, but the kill always stuck on a Tuesday night so they still had some time. Tom knew that if this was a serial killer, they always keep to a schedule. He had worked other cases were a serial killer was on the loose and those people worked in the same manner. Tom & Evie had 6 days before the killer would be looking for his next victim. Even if they couldn't track down the killer before Tuesday, Tom was ready with a plan. He and Evie would stakeout the area where the killer has been hunting his victim's. There was also the possibility that Evie could go undercover on the streets working as a prostitute wearing a blonde wig? But such a job would be up to Evie, Tom wouldn't ask her to do it.

" You're right.........Jenny is a target......But we have 6 days to find the killer before Tuesday night comes around. " Tom said as he drove on through the streets. With downtown traffic being what it is......it took Tom & Evie almost 20 minutes to arrive at Megan's apartment. Tom exited from the car after pulling over and telling the dispatcher that they would be out of the car at Megan's address. Tom followed just behind Evie as they walked into the building. He kept a watchful eye looking around since you never know when trouble was coming or from where it would come. Evie was given the lead on questioning Megan, Tom wanted too see how she handled herself. Tom stood behind and slightly to Evie's right side while in they were in the elevator.
 
Evie gave a slight shrug and nod of her head. Made sense, she thought... Assuming that the killer kept to his schedule, but then they were starting to make quite a lot of assumptions in the expectation that this was a serial killer, albeit at the start of his spree... Unless of course... She hesitated for a moment before sharing what she was thinking. It was her first day...and her first day with Reed. She didn't want him thinking that she thought she had all the answers or even knew all the questions, but at the same time she wasn't sure she could just sit there. Maybe he would be the kind of supervising officer who just expected her to watch and learn, and say nothing. She looked at him for a moment then looked back out of her side window, and hesitated a little longer. Finally, she decided to find out.

"Reed... This could be nothing and I'm not trying to suggest I'm any kind of expert but... This is a pretty advanced signature. A serial killer doesn't usually just start with very element of his signature in place. We've got a consistent victimology - same age, skin colour, hair colour, age, profession, location. The cause of death is the same... But more than that. There were no hesitation marks. The cuts across the throat were confident. Nothing to say that this guy is just starting out. Maybe... Maybe there are more bodies that we don't know about. Maybe not in LA, maybe not even in California. So maybe we should look at some of the unsolveds... " Evie shrugged. "Where did he practice and on whom?"

She took a breath and held it, not sure whether she was just going to have her theory blown out of the water because there was something obvious she'd missed or whether Reed was simply going to dismiss it out of hand because she couldn't possibly know what she was talking about. The car came to a stop as Red pulled into the lot near to Megan's address, but Evie sat where she was looking at Reed. Reed looked at her for a moment and then climbed out of the car. Evie hadn't expected silence. She climbed out of the car and followed him across the car park, nodding briefly when he told her to ask the questions. She walked into the building, with Reed a pace or two behind. The two of them trotted up the stairs... Well Evie trotted while Reed took then two at a time and a walking pace... to the second floor. Evie knocked on the door and pulled her badge out.

The door opened, at least as far as the chain allowed it. A black haired twenty-something showed part of her face in the gap which had opened up. Evie lifted her badge.

"Megan Walker. Detective..." Megan's expression barely changed... There was just a flicker, but Evie had been here before. Almost as soon as the door opened, Evie had turned her foot, just putting enough of the toe of her boot silently in the gap to prevent the door from being closed.

"Megan." Evie said hurriedly. "We're not vice. I don't care what you do in the evenings, who you do it with or where. I want to try and stop more of your friends getting their throats cut. Please.... We just want to talk." There was silence for a moment and then the chain was slid back slowly and the door was opened. The room they stepped into was tidy enough but had long past the date it should have been decorated. Megan sat down in a chair and lit a cigarette. She didn't invite either of them to sit down and neither of them made a move to do so in the absence of that.

"Megan... Can I ask you some questions about the last night that you saw Michelle. We just finished talking to Jenny... you know Jenny don't you? She was friends with Sheryl. I'd like to see if you saw anything... anything that might be the same... that might give us an idea of who we're looking for. We need to catch whoever is doing this."

There was silence for a long moment. Megan clearly didnt like talking to the police but she liked her friends getting killed even less. Every girl who worked the streets knew that it was always a possibility and the longer you worked the more you learned to trust your instincts. Sooner or later a working girls was going to get beaten up; sooner or later they were going to be expected to do something they didnt want to do and when they refused they would get a smack. Sometimes that might be bad enough to land them in hospital. But truth be told, prostitute murders were not common. Evidence suggested though that when two of them happened, that was not going to be the end of it. Megan looked up and stared first at Evie, then at Reed, and then back to Evie. And she nodded. Over the next 10 minutes, Megan not only corroborated a lot of what Jenny had told them, she added more key detail. She didnt seee what happened, but she saw the SUV pick Michelle up at about 10.45 and she saw the driver wore the cowboy hat. Better still, she saw it was a black Chevy Tahoe, and she saw that the man driving was in his 40's.

"If you saw how old he was, can you give us any more of a description? Was he white? Black? Clean shaven? Would you be able to recognise him if you saw him again?"
 
Tom stood not to far from the door as Evie started to question Megan. He watched as Megan sat down slowly then reached for a pack of cigarettes. She pulled one from the pack then grabbed for the lighter after placing the pack back on the table. Megan's thumb flicked the wheel which caused the flame to jump from the top of the lighter. With the cigarette firmly between her lips, Megan took a long drag as the flame from the lighter lit the end of the cigarette. Megan set the lighter back onto the table then she sat back into the couch as Evie spoke. In time, Megan answered Evie questions while she puffed away on her cigarette. Megan again looked towards Tom who was just standing there by the door way. She thought that he was quite handsome......for a cop and wondered if he was married or perhaps played around on the side.

Megan's attention again turned to Evie when she asked whether the man was white or black and whether he was clean shaven, also if she would recognize him again. " He was white......clean shaven.......Looked professional.....In my business you can smell money a mile away.......He had money.......But obviously he wasn't looking to spend it. " Megan said as she crushed out her cigarette. " I will always remember his face......He killed my best friend......If you can catch him....I'll help you put that bastard away. " Megan added as her head hung low. The last moments when Megan saw Michele was playing through her mind like she was watching a movie. Tom looked at Evie and nodded his head. That was pretty much all they needed from Megan. Tom thanked Megan for her help, he then pulled a business card from his coat and laid it on the stand which was next to the door. " If you have any more information......Or you see this guy again.......Give me or Detective Taylor a call. "

Tom exited from the apartment closely followed by Evie. The two walked towards the elevators Tom said that once they got back to the station, Evie could run a check through NCIC on unsolved murders like the ones they had now. Her idea was well worth checking out since they had little to go on right now. The two entered the elevator and soon enough were heading out to their car. Tom reached for the door handle then slipped inside just as the police radio came alive with the frantic call from dispatch. " Any cars in the vicinity of 5131 Oakwood Avenue..........Assist 1 Adam 21.......Shots fired......Officers down..........All responding units handle code 3! " Tom slammed the driver side door of his car as he grabbed the single red light which was sitting between him and Evie on the seat. Tom placed the light on top of the car then he started the motor. He reached out grabbing the microphone of his radio. " This is 1 William 56.......We're responding to 5131 Oakwood Avenue to backup 1 Adam 21. " Tom didn't even bother hanging the mic back on the radio. He just dropped it as the dispatcher gave him a 10 - 4 then told all responding units that Sergeant Reed would be in command on sight until the watch commander arrived. Tom wheeled his car out into traffic and turned on the light and siren.

The unmarked police car was flying down the streets of Los Angeles like a rocket. Each turn that Tom made caused the tires of the car to scream as if they were in pain. But tires were a small price to pay when a fellow officer's life was at stake. The drive from downtown to Oakwood normally took almost 15 minutes, but Tom made it in only 7 minutes. Tom brought the car to a screeching halt just behind the parked patrol car A-21. Two shots rang out from a house just acrossed the street which made Tom duck as he opened his door and rolled outside. Officer Eric Moore who was wounded had taken cover behind his car. Eric's partner Officer Ed Connors was laying on the front sidewalk which lead to the house. The two officers had responded to a domestic call at this address when a man opened the door shooting Connors then Moore. Eric was able to get back to the car while still under fire and after being hit two more times.

Tom pulled his .50 Desert Eagle then fired two shots at the house before telling Evie to check on Eric. He then grabbing the mic from his car. Tom radioed in that they needed more backup which was already on it's way. He was told that SWAT was 20 minutes from scene, but Tom knew that Officer Connors didn't have 20 minutes. Since Tom was the senior Sergeant on scene, he was in charge until someone higher up came. " You're in command until I return. " Tom said to Evie, then he gave her a reassuring touch on her shoulder. This was going to hard work for a new detective, but Tom had faith that Evie could do it. She would set up the arriving patrol cars to keep the street as safe as possible. Evie would also have the arriving Ambulances waiting nearby so they could swing into action once the scene was secure. Adam 16 and Adam 20 showed up on opposite side of the street which caused the man in the house to spray fire his AR-15. Tom waited until the man started firing in the other direction before he took off running acrossed the street. He soon disappeared between the two house heading for the back.
 
Evie got out of the car, keeping cover behind her door. When Reed told her what to do she just nodded. She wasn't particularly happy but she wasn't really in a position to do anything else. The morning so far seemed to suggest that there wasn't going to be much discussion between them about the case and now clearly he was going to go off on his own and take down the shooter without back up. Evie was quickly getting the impression that Reed didn't particularly want a partner. He was pleasant enough and it certainly didn't seem personal, but he was obviously used to working on his own. Once Reed disappeared, keeping low she moved round to the officer sitting up on the ground next to the open door of his own patrol car. He had taken a bullet to the shoulder but was still conscious. She opened his shirt and checked the wound as he told her what happened. She reached into the car and opened the glovebox. She was looking for something to try and apply to the wound and was lucky to find a box of large tissues. The pulled them all out, formed them into a tight pad and applied it cautiously at first to the wound.

"Keep the pressure on"

As she worked she kept looking across at where Connors lay. He was still alive but was out in the open. Maybe she could get to him. She went back to her own car, climbed in the passenger side and scooted across to the driver's seat. The keys were still in the ignition. She pulled the car out from behind the patrol car, more rubber being left on the Tarmac as she did so. Short sharp manoeuvres, rapidly changing gears - neutral, reverse, drive - trying to move the car in as small a space as possible as quickly as possible. She drove the car across the street, bullets richocheting off the body work, bouncing it up the curb with the passenger door still open. She spun the car and came to a stop so that the open door was next to Conners. Putting the car in neutral, she reached across the seats, half lying across them so that she could reach outside. She grabbed hold of Conners' shoulders, gripping his jacket and shirt firmly and pulling. He groaned but she figured getting him out of the way was worth it. Once she had him half inside, she knocked the car back in gear and screeched away once again. This time she drove two blocks and then brought the car side ways across the street just in front of the two arriving ambulances. She climbed out of the car and met the paramedics and advised them at that the moment there was no-where for them to go. Similarly when the patrol cars started to arrive, she had them close off the street two blocks either side of the building that Reed had disappeared into ... and then she waited. There was nothing else for her to do and she had no idea what Reed was going to do... well except the obvious.
 
Tom moved quickly between the two houses while shots were still coming from inside the house on his left. Once Tom had reached the backyard of the house where the shots were coming from, he climbed the fence and dropped into the yard. Tom could see that the backdoor to the house was wide open and once he was on the back porch, he could see a body laying just inside the house. After having a quick look around, Tom entered the house while the shots continued. He knelt down checking the body which was laying on the kitchen floor. It was a young woman who was dressed in a city water department uniform. She obviously had come too read the water meter, but ended up dead after being shot in the stomach with a shotgun. Tom rose up to his feet, his weapon was ready to fire. He moved forward towards a hallway which lead to the front part of the house. From here, Tom could see the front doors was open and Ed Connors was laying on the front walk. This was before Evie's act of bravery where she pulled Officer Connors from the shooting scene.

Tom moved just a bit into the hallway when he noticed a pair of feet stretched out in another room. This room was the living room of the house and Tom stepped inside looking around. There he found the body of Linda Yeager laying on the floor. She had a 10 inch butcher's knife sticking from her chest. Tom checked her for signs of life, but like the woman in the kitchen Linda was dead. Tom knew that the gunfire was coming from the dining room of the house which also faced the street like the living room did. He exited from the living room going back into the kitchen were Tom had noticed another entrance into the dining room. Tom moved through the kitchen quickly then leaned against the wall which led into the dining room. He could hear the person inside reloading a weapon which sounded like a shotgun. The man had been peppering the car Evie's was driving with shotgun fire trying very hard to kill her. But he failed and Evie was able to move Connors from any more danger.

" POLICE.......DROP YOUR WEAPON! " Tom yelled out as he jumped into the doorway between the two rooms. The man turned when he heard the voice coming from behind him. Tom could see the crazy look in this man eyes then he saw the shotgun being raised. The man fired his shotgun at Tom once it was level, but all he hit was wall and part of the kitchen. Tom had ducked back into the kitchen then he popped back out and fired his .50 Desert Eagle. The Desert Eagle made a crack which sounded like thunder as the bullet flew through the air then hit the man in his right shoulder knocking him off of his feet and backwards out of the window had had been shooting from. Tom made a mad dash for the front door. As he was running through the room, Tom saw that this man had another shotgun laying on the table and a pistol. Tom came out of the house seeing the man laying on his front lawn.

Tom was a little perplexed at what had happened with Officer Connors. On the way back to the kitchen, Tom never looked up the hallway too see if Ed was still laying out front. That was when Tom noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. The man started to struggle to his knees as he looked at Tom who just seemed to be standing there. He couldn't move his right arm, it was hanging limp at his side after being broke by Tom's pistol shot. Tom could see this man moving and he saw that the man was trying to reach for his shotgun which was laying just a few feet away. The man had looked down too see where his weapon was laying and when he looked back at Tom, he froze in place. Tom was now standing right in front of him with the .50 Desert Eagle pointed straight at him. " I'm crazy you know........I'll get out one day.......I'm crazy and they'll let me go........Then I'll come back and start all over again. " The man said as an insane look came to his eyes.
 
Evie crouched behind the shotgun-pellet riddled car, waiting... watching the upstairs window of the house from where all the shooting had been coming. The Glock was in her hand but the chances of her needing to use it from that distance was slim. In her mind she tried to imagine Reed moving within the house. She heard the explosion of the shotgun inside the house and held her breath but it only took a second or two for the sound of the Desert Eagle to be heard. And then almost instantly, the sound of splintering wood and breaking glass filled the air as the body feel heavily through the air. She stood slowly, watching it land and she actually winced as it hit the floor hard. Then there was silence.
At that moment, Evie was aware of another man coming up on her shoulder.

“Is that our only shooter?”

She turned around and looked at him. The man was in his fifties maybe, wearing a Sergeant’s uniform. The silver name plate on the man’s right breast said Ramirez. Evie had heard of him ... a watch commander... but she had never met him before.

“Not sure yet Sergeant. My partner is stil...” Evie stopped mid-sentence, turned, ducked and lifted her weapon in one smooth movement. She looked back at the house in time to see the man who had fallen out of the window being carried a few feet backwards in the air as another report from the Desert Eagle rattled around the neighbouring buildings. As the man actually landed, Reed stepped out of the front door and was holstering his own weapon. Evie smiled and stood up slowly.

“Apparently he was on his own.” Evie tucked her own gun away inside her jacket, nodded to the Sergeant who took that as the silent hand over of the scene it was intended to be and she made her way back to their own car. Part of her wasn’t entirely sure it was going to make it back to the station house, but Reed was already climbing into the driver’s seat. As Evie got in on the passenger side, she noticed for the first time the blood on her white t-shirt. For a fraction of a second, she wondered how she had gotten hurt; she certainly hadn’t felt anything, but then she realized it wasn’t her blood. It must have gotten onto her as she had pulled Connors into the car. Mentally she decided that as soon as she got back to the station she would change her shirt. She looked at Reed who simply waited for her to get in, smiled, nodded and then put the car into gear.

Twenty minutes later they were back at the station. She told Reed that she was going to change into a clean shirt and that she would catch up with him. She went into the locker room and pulled a fresh clean t-shirt from her locker. Having a set of spare clothes permanently in her locker was something she had learned almost as soon as she had gotten out of the Academy. There was no telling what might happen on any given patrol – from the downright lethal to the simple ridiculous and having clean clothes could make the rest of the shift a lot easier. It took her a few minutes to slip off her jacket and the holster, to pull the soiled t-shirt off and replace it with an almost identical sleeveless t-shirt... identical except instead of white it was a pale blue. She didn’t put either the holster or the jacket back on, but carried both of them in her right hand as she trotted up the stairs to Detective’s floor and returned to her desk, slipping the jacket over the back of the chair as usual and dropping the holstered Glock in her bottom drawer. Reed was already writing his own report. There was blank documentation sitting on her desk. She completed it quickly – her report had little to say by comparison to Reed’s and then she decided to set up a search in the computer database for any unsolved murder cases with a similar MO to what they had. She made a call to the local FBI office and asked if they would do a search nationally.

And that was pretty much the end of her first day as a Detective. No-one could deny that it hadn’t been adventure filled that was for sure. By 7.00pm she was sat on her couch in her apartment on the beach front in Marina Del Rey. (http://www.trulia.com/property/1063970547-5205-Ocean-Front-Walk-Marina-del-Rey-CA-90292)
 
While it was true that Tom's report would be longer since his actions ended the shootout, Evie would have to explain what happened to their unmarked police car in her report. Lt. Finn wouldn't be happy that Evie damaged an unmarked car, but Tom was sure that Evie would get a metal for pulling Officer Collins out of danger. Before leaving once their shift was over, Tom commended Evie on her quick actions. Evie had done just what Tom would have done if he had thought about it. She was very much like her old man, but in a girl's body. This fact did make Tom happy since he was having thoughts about his partner. Relationships between partners is frowned upon by the department. So if partners do find themselves growing closer then normal. They must keep it well hidden from those around them. Even if Evie didn't notice it, she was quite pretty. Her lean athletic body was quite striking when she was dressed in a bikini.

Tom returned to his apartment which was a houseboat sitting in King Harbor Marina near Redondo Beach. This had been Tom's home since his wife died in an auto accident 6 years ago. She was a nurse who was coming home late one night. A drunk driver who ran a red light after leaving a party and smashed right into her head on. She was dead at the scene and the drunk driver didn't even get a scratch. Tom sold the home they once shared and moved into the houseboat which he bought from a friend. After stepping on to the boat, Tom went down below. He remove his sports coat and tossed it onto the couch. Tom walked over to his refrigerator opening then pulled out a bottle of beer. He took a long drink after twisting off the top. Tom then sat down into his reclining chair. He set the beer down on a stand which was beside his chair. Tom removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He removed his pistol and laid it on the same stand which his beer was sitting on. Tom picked up the remote for his tv and turned it on. He sat watching the news while drinking his beer.

The next day, Tom had his meeting with the Police Departments new psychiatrist......Doctor Arthur Bolin. Doctor Bolin was a good friend of Lt. Finn who helped his friend get the job as department psychiatrist. The good Doctor had a checkered past which would have raised some questions about his ability to hold the position of department psychiatrist if anyone had bothered to do a background check on him. But Lt. Finn pushed the paperwork through and didn't bother checking up on his new friend. Bolin's wife who lived in Arizona could tell the police some stories about her former husband's temper and how their marriage ended badly.

The meeting didn't go well between Tom and Doctor Bolin. Bolin felt that Tom was playing hero and trying to save the city to make up for his father's criminal past. Tom's father had been a major underworld figure when Tom was a kid. But Tom didn't follow his father and his father couldn't have been happier that his son didn't. Tom's father was in the front row on the day Tom graduated from the Police Academy. Very much the proud father who just happened to be an underworld boss. Doctor Bolin played Tom up to be a one man army looking to right the wrongs caused by his father. Bolin was working hand in hand with Lt. Finn to get Tom fired from the department, but Bolin couldn't do that.....not from only one meeting. The department said that an Officer or Detective must have three meetings before by declared unfit for duty. So two more meetings would be needed before Tom could be stripped of his badge. Tom left the meeting with an uneasy feeling. It wasn't that Bolin was trying to set him up for a fall that was bothering him. It was the look in Bolin's eyes that made Tom feel uneasy. Bolin's eyes had an almost crazed look too them when Tom challenged him on how Tom did his job. There was something very off about Doctor Bolin and Tom just wasn't sure what that was.

The rest of the work week was a normal one, well as normal as it can be with Tom Reed as your partner. Tom & Evie were in 3 more shootouts during their week. One took place at a liquor store where Evie showed off her shooting skills by nailing two of the three suspects who were trying to slip out the backdoor, Tom took out the third suspect. One was dead at the scene, the other two were sent to the hospital before going to jail. Evie had done her best during the search for unsolved murders like the one they were working on. But sadly there was no match anywhere in the country. Soon the new work week had started and with that came the knowledge that Tuesday night was coming quickly. Tuesday night was the night that the killer stalked the streets along Hollywood Boulevard. At this point there was no choice, they had to stakeout the area. Lt. Tamura had a meeting with Tom & Evie on Monday before they went home for the evening. Lesley asked Evie if she wouldn't mind dressing up as a hooker and going undercover. Tom would wait in the car not far from where Evie would be working on the street. Evie would be dressed in sexy clothes and would wear a blonde wig in the hopes of trapping the killer. Jenny had already agreed to help and she would work with Evie. Another girl who was also a blonde would be there as well. Her name was Amber and she had just started to work with Jenny along the boulevard. Before the workday ended bad news hit the department hard. Officer Ed Connors died from his gun shot wounds. He left behind a wife and two kids, one a girl who was 10 and her brother who was 8. The wake would be held at the family's home on Wednesday afternoon and all Officers & Detectives from the Central Station were requested to be there at some point during their shift.

Monday soon came to an end and Tuesday morning was here. The day passed quickly and soon it was time for Evie to get dressed. She would hit the streets joining Jenny & Amber while Tom listened in and watched. Evie would wear a wire under her outfit so Tom could hear when she needed help. Tom made sure that they had proper backup for this stakeout. Lesley let the four patrol cars in the area know about the undercover operation which was going on. Adam 19, 22 and 25 were standing by along with X-Ray 17 which was the extra patrol unit on duty that night. Tom waited at his desk while Evie was gone getting dressed. Another female detective who worked Vice helped Evie pick out an outfit that would be hot. It would certainly show off Evie's assets and would turn heads when Evie walked out of the locker room.
 
Evie stood in the bathroom just off the locker room. She stared at herself in the mirror although the reflection she saw in the mirror wasn’t exactly what she was used to seeing. It wasn’t just the blonde wig; the heavily made up eyes, the glossy hot pink lipstick, the rouged cheeks, all made the face staring back at her mostly unfamiliar. She had worked undercover before when she was in uniform, but never like this. When the Lieutenant had asked her though, she hadn’t hesitated in agreeing. In some cases it was just a part of the job and it wasn’t always practical to pull in a female vice officer to do the job, although it had been an experienced vice cop who had picked out the clothes for her. But it also wouldn’t have looked good for her had she refused. She was just short of a week into her job and if a rookie said no that early on, chances were that it would not be something easily forgotten or overlooked, by both her peers and her commanding officers. Saying no was a bad option. And so here she was, standing in the bathroom in a tight... tight...short black dress.

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This was again something which made the reflection in the mirror a strange one. This was not the kind of dress that Evie would voluntarily choose to wear, although she couldn’t deny that it certainly accentuated her shape in every way that was good. Underneath the dress she had a smallest of black thongs so there was nothing which showed through the dress. On her feet she had black patent leather lace up boots with five inch stiletto heels. There was nowhere that a wire could be put in the dress which wouldn’t show, so instead she had been given a heavy silver necklace into which the wire had been easily hidden. With it there had been matching earings and a matching bracelet. It had already been tested once before she had been handed it by the vice cop but it would be tested again just before she headed out onto the street. She was going to get dropped off a couple of blocks away from the Belvedere Theatre. Evie was then to walk the 5 minutes or so it would take to get to it, where she was to meeting Jenny and Amber and then three of them would head towards the adult book store. If this was going to work, Evie knew she had to act it damn well. Any hesitation, any lack of confidence was going to be an obvious give-away. She had to truly behave like a hooker. Whilst she didn’t look old, she was certainly too old to be playing the new-to-the-scene role. She had to trust the fact that the back-up would be there... close enough but not too close.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. First thing she had to do of course was walk out into the squad-room. She knew she could deal with whatever reaction there might be – if she couldn’t do that then this really was a bad idea – but still...having her work colleagues seek her like this... see this much of her... She shook her head a little ruefully as she smiled to herself. this was not what she had imagined as her first week as a detective. She took another breath and let it out, picking up the black purse she had also been given. Inside was $50 and some loose change, her lipstick, blusher, eye liner pencil, mascara. What there wasn’t though was a weapon. No knife. No pepper spray. And certainly no Glock. She turned and headed to the door, the heels clicking loudly in the tiled bathroom. Then she walked through the empty locker room and into the squad room.
 
Tom was sitting at his desk counting the money he had been collecting all day for Ed Connors family. Every fallen officer's family gets benefits from the Police Department, but these didn't start right away. Linda, Ed's wife still needed to pay bills and buy food for her kids. So a collection was started to help Linda and her kids over this rough spot in life. Cops take care of their own at times like this and Linda & her kids was still considered part of the police family.

Detectives Webb & Pierce stood near Tom's desk as he counted out the cash. There was over a $1000 dollars which Tom had collected from the other Officers, Detectives and the Civilians who worked at the Central Station. Tomorrow when Tom & Evie stopped at Linda's home, they would hand this money to her. But for now Tom just folded up the bills and placed them in the inside pocket of his coat. There was still work to be done tonight. A killer was on the loose and Evie was placing herself out on the streets as a target. Tom had spoken with the patrols that would be their backup before they headed out to start their night watch. He wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be to close, but yet close enough in case trouble started. The backup units wouldn't roll unless Tom called for them. He would be sitting in an unmarked police cars which would be parked in a parking lot just down the street from where Evie would be working. This lot had a clear view of the area where Evie, Jenny and Amber would be standing. Earlier that day, Tom & Evie checked out the lot and the area while going over the details of the stakeout. Tom would watch and listen, but he wouldn't act until Evie gave him a codeword. The word that Tom & Evie would use was "Angel." If at any time Evie said the word "Angel", Tom would call the backup units then they would rush in and save her.

Tom had just looked down at his watch when Detective Webb saw Evie entering the squad room. " Holy Shit! " Detective Webb said as his jaw dropped open. His partner Detective Pierce turned his head, his eyes flew open wide. Tom's eyes shifted from his watch towards where the others where looking. By now every eye in the room was on Evie and whistles rose up as she walked towards Tom's desk. At this moment, Tom felt a sudden rush of warmth all over his body. It felt like someone had cranked up the heat in the squad room. Most of the men who were standing had to adjust their pants since a certain body part had quickly become harder then normal for their work day. " Oh WOW! " Tom said out loud as he slowly stood up from his desk. He then cleared his throat as if to cover what just came from his mouth. Tom then asked Evie if she was ready to go?
 
As she walked across the room, she could feel everyone's eyes quickly move to her. There was only men in the room at that moment; the Lieutenant was in her own office. She felt her cheeks flush but when the wolf whistles started, she couldn't help but smile. Her heels continued to click on the floor but they didn't quite sound so lound in here compared to the bathroom. As she walked in them, her ass swayed slowly from one side to another and back and fabric of the dress remained plastered to her body highlighting the movement of practically every muscle beneath it.

She walked up to the desk and stood in between Webb and Pierce and in front of Reed. As she had walked towards the desk, neither, Webb nor Pierce made any effort to hide from her the fact that they were checking her out practically inch by inch, from the floor up and then back down. Reed didn't really seem to notice at first and by the time he did she was practically at the desk.

"Do I get the job then?" she asked, really wanting to know whether she looked like the real thing. She held her hands out slightly to the sides, as if presenting herself for their approval.... which in some ways was exactly what she was doing. She needed to know whether or not she was going to be taken - at least on sight - for a genuine hooker.
 
Tom moved around to the front of his desk where Evie was standing. He pushed Detective Piece aside then stood next to Evie. Tom's eyes carefully scanned up and own over Evie's body. She sure did look very much like the women who work along Hollywood Boulevard. " You certainly look the part Evie. " Tom said as his eyes continued to slowly move over Evie's body. " We had better hit the street. " Tom added then he let out a sigh. Evie certainly looked different from when she was dressed in her normal work clothes. She even had a strut down that made each man in the room wishing they could see more of her body. While Tom & Evie walked out of the squad room, another detective spoke as she walked passed his desk. " Hey baby?.......Do fries come with that shake? "

Minutes later, Tom & Evie reached their car. Tom opened the passenger side door for Evie. Once she was inside, he moved around and jumped into the driver side. Tom radioed dispatch telling them that their special duty watch had started. 30 minutes later Tom pulled the car over on Vine Street. This where Evie would get out and walk to the corner then head down Hollywood Boulevard until she met up with Jenny & Amber. Once Evie exited from the car, Tom drove on ahead. He turned right onto Hollywood Boulevard traveling a few blocks before he saw Jenny & Amber standing near the adult bookstore. He pulled into the parking lot which was half a block from where the girls worked. Here Tom would wait until something happened. He looked at his watch.....the time was 10:00 pm. If the killer kept to his schedule, he would show up around 10:45 pm.
 
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