NOTES: All wrapped up in a neat little package!
Disclaimer: See part one.
part 3
They didn't have to wait till morning. Chuck had driven all four of them to
Blair's hotel, where they found Detective James Ellison sitting in the lobby. A quick round of introductions and good nights, and the two partners made their way to the room. Before he left, Gary made Jim promise to come by
McGinty's first thing in the morning.
"Well, Chief. You wanta explain now? Or wait for your greek chorus to help
you in the morning?"
"Funny, Jim. Real funny. I'm like injured, you know. You could at least
spare me some sympathy." There was a grunt, then a familiar hand on his good shoulder.
"Alright, Junior. Let me have a look at the shoulder and the ribs, and then
we'll get some shut-eye."
The police were waiting for the partners as they stepped through the bar door. It had been much too late the night before, and Blair had needed immediate medical attention. The police had made an appointment with Marissa for the next morning - well, LATER that morning as it was past midnight anyway at that time. So, when Blair and Jim arrived, they went immediately into giving statements.
Jim monitored his partner, making sure the questioning didn't stress him.
True, the bullet had only grazed his shoulder, but it had left a six inch gash that had required quite a few stitches. And as usual, Blair the purist refused to take any painkillers, not even for the fractured ribs.
"Now, Ms.Clark," the officer started. "You're positive it was a woman?"
"Absolutely."
"Do you mind if I ask HOW you know?"
She took a leisurely sip of her coffee then answered. "I kinda stumbled into
her and she let out a very HIGH-pitched yelp. I dug my fingernails into her arm, too. So if you find someone with nail-type bruising on their left forearm, that's your criminal."
Jim caught the slight bounce to his friend. He had to admit, she'd used her head about it. Very ingenious.
"Is there anything else that makes you believe the perp was a woman?" The
second officer ventured.
"Plenty. If it was a man, he's got some eccentricities. The perp' was
wearing perfume - one of those expensive kinds sold at the big department stores. Oh, and if you still insist on searching for a man, he's a crossdresser."
" Scuse me?"
"My one hand went to her shoulder - I definitely felt a strap there. Like to a lady's undergarment?"
Four men watched two officers blush right down to their socks. And they were proud of it, too. Marissa had been able to describe the woman's height, approximate build and now her smell. Certainly, the perp was a woman.
"Would you agree with Ms.Clark?" the one officer directed to Blair.
"I wasn't as close as she was, but yes. I think you're definitely looking for a woman."
Gary watched the scene, sneaking a peak at the story on the front page of his paper. He was scanning the write-up when something caught his eye. A small piece of information that he'd missed earlier that morning. The sound of the door caught his ear and he turned to see a woman in a perfectly groomed suit approach the officers.
"Dr. Pulaski. Hi." The anthropologist stammered.
"They called the museum curator about the incident. I didn't find out until I got to work this morning...Are you alright?" She stood next to the table. "What happened?"
In as little detail as possible, Blair gave over the story, ending with taking the bullet as he knocked Marissa out of the way.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble..." The doctor said as she took Marissa's hand.
The men watched as Marissa stood to shake the doctor's hand, then excused
herself. Chuck was at her side as she maneuvered towards the kitchen door.
"Chuck," she whispered. "Do me a favor and get Spike. Keep him in the kitchen for a minute, then let him see her... Don't ask now, just do it."
"Right away, Detective." and he smiled, leaving her to rejoin the others.
Jim had heard the rise in heartrate, zeroing in on Dr.Pulaski. *Now, what has she got to be nervous about?* He followed the woman's gaze to Marissa, who was making her way back to the table. She took a bit of a longer route, stumbling a step as she did. The two officers immediately went to assist, helping her back to the table. Blair and Jim exchanged glances as Jim stood to take Marissa's hand and help her into his seat.
"I just stepped the wrong way. I think my shoelace is untied. Jim, could you check it for me?"
As he knelt down, Marissa fussed over him. "It's her. She's wearing the same perfume."
Jim patted her foot. He'd understood almost as soon as Blair that Marissa was onto something. That's when he'd opened his senses up and smelled it -
Gunpowder. As he knelt behind the woman, he'd confirmed it was on her hands. "There you go. Right again."
"Tell me, Dr.Pulaski."Gary started, moving closer to the action. "Just how much is all that stuff worth? I mean. Blair gave us an estimate, but what's it really worth - what's it insured for?"
"2.5 million, why?"
Jim and Marissa turned towards the low growl in the kitchen. Suddenly, both
Spike and Chuck came smacking through the doors. The dog heading to intercept on Marissa's behalf. He stood there, teeth bared and growling ferociously. Dogs locked in closets remember their captors.
Pulaski had nowhere to run. With the officers on one side, Spike on the other, her escape to the doorway was blocked. She did the only thing she could.
She called for a lawyer.
"So she was planning on knocking you off, blaming the robbery on art thieves, and funelling the money into her pocket. But why?" Chuck asked.
"I got a good look at the materials today." Blair said as he took a seat in the booth. "It's good quality, but it's mostly fake. Pulaski had already
sold the pieces to private collectors for big money. Then replaced them with fakes hoping they would never be found. Then I show up. She knew once the materials were out of the museum, they'd be spotted. She confessed that her original idea was to frame ME. But she decided not to when she found out I was affiliated with Cascade PD."
Jim smiled, proud of his partner, even if the kid HAD dragged his overworked
butt all the way to Chicago. "Well, at least she was smart about one
thing..." They laughed at that. "So, Gary. What made you ask about the
insurance?"
He stopped in mid-sip. Oh... uh.... just a hunch. Most robberies are for
insurance money...At least that's what the paper always says."
"And Marissa," Jim said, holding her hand and kissing it. "A lovely piece of detective work on your part. I especially liked your idea of letting Spike identify her."
"Hey, Jim..." Sandburg said with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, Chief." The men smirked at the rivalry. "So, who's got the tickets to the game?"
"I do." Chuck announced then held out the basketball tickets. "Bulls Vs.
Jags. Gar? You coming?"
All eyes were on the man as he smiled and looked at the paper in front of him. Well, it was Sunday - his day off, a decision made quite a while ago. "Sure. I don't seem to have any plans."
Everyone stood but Blair and Marissa.
"Hey Chief," Jim started in a normal voice, then finished in a whisper as he ruffed his partner's hair and headed for the door. "Gentlemen, prepare to see some REAL ball playing. Orvelle Wallace has these guys at PEAK performance..."
"Care to wager on that, Buddy?" came Chuck's defensive reply.
Blair watched the men leave, then turned his attention to Marissa, who sat smiling to herself. "So, what did Jim say?"
"He said NOT to go to the museum on our date... Said you were a walking trouble magnet..."
~~~~~
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~~~The end~~~