FanStory.com - Spirited Justice Chap 19by Begin Again

Background
"Beauty, Brawn, or Brains" was a global platform showcasing women's diverse talents, yet murders, accidents, and deceit haunted the pageant worldwide. Was there a common link or merely coincidence?

"Boss, haven't we had enough excitement for the day?"

Garth stepped out of the SUV, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Spit it out, Tango. Are you trying to tell me that our old friend won't roll out the welcome mat?"

Poppa had stayed behind to oversee things at the hospital while Tango and Garth made their next stop at the precinct, specifically to see Detective Donatelli.

Tango climbed out of the vehicle and gazed across the parking lot. "I'm telling you that waltzing in there unannounced is like tossing a burning match into kerosene."

Garth smiled, "That explosive, huh? Maybe Matthew has mellowed, and he'll be thrilled to see us."

"Not a chance, especially after he discovers you've already been stoking the fire."

"Listen, I came to town to interview a man about a five-year-old crime. Is it my fault that there was a prison riot and the guy got knifed?"

"No, but you rode into town with your guns blazing."

"Nonsense — I just picked up the slack where the warden dropped the ball."

The two men finished their conversation as they crossed the parking lot. Garth pushed open the door to the police precinct, and the familiar buzz of activity surrounded them. As he approached the front desk, the officer on duty barely glanced up.

"I'm here to check in with Detective Donatelli." Garth's southern drawl caught the officer's attention.

She looked up, her eyes locking with his. A smile crept across her face. "Agent Woodman, what brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Would you believe me if I said I just had to see your lovely smile again, Officer Patrick?"

"No, but you can say it anyway. A girl always likes to be flattered, especially around this place." She flipped through some notes on her desk and added, "Donatelli's out now, but he'll be back shortly. He's got a suspect being brought up to the interrogation room."

"Sounds like there's a lot going on." Garth knew Officer Patrick was a good source of free-flowing information — a definite chatterbox.

"Yeah, the pageant has kept Donatelli busy."

The mention of the pageant put Garth on full alert. "Problems? Those beautiful ladies not wearing their dresses short enough for the detective?"

Officer Patrick compressed her laugh. "Not that he'd notice whether they were or not —"

"What red-blooded American wouldn't notice? Has he gone blind?" Garth offered an animated look of shock.

"No." She leaned forward and whispered, in a hushed voice, "He's got a thing going on with the bottle lately." She raised her finger to her lips. "Everyone knows it's how he spends his nights."

Garth didn't like the sound of what he was hearing, but more importantly, he wanted more information on what was happening with the pageant."So, you were saying he was busy with the pageant."

"Oh yeah, first, they found one of our prominent lawyers murdered at the Art Museum, then there was a suspicious scaffolding accident, and I just heard someone kidnapped a contestant."

"Wow, I see what you mean."

"Donatelli hasn't connected all the dots yet, but he's working on it. He got a break with the murder —" She scanned the notes in front of her. "Klaus Carlsson. His sister is a student at a research university in Germany. Then he's got another one — Johan Erickson. He's accused of kidnapping the Carlsson's sister. Caught him red-handed in the girl's apartment."

Garth glanced at Tango to see if the same alerts were sparking in his head, too. "Well, lovely lady, I've taken up enough of your time. It was nice to see you. I'll wait for our friend in his office."

Without waiting for permission, Garth went down the corridor, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He knew the precinct well — too well, some might say. He stopped outside Donatelli's office and watched as a young, blonde-haired man was escorted into the interrogation room.

Instantly, Tango read his boss's mind. "Don't even think about it."

Garth shrugged his shoulders. "What could it hurt? I'll just say hello." Garth grinned. "Welcome him to the United States."

"Garth, you don't know a thing about him or the case. Let it go."

"A friendly hello, that's all." Garth headed toward the interrogation. "Go get some coffee. I've got this."

The guard recognized him and smiled. "Nice to see you, sir. You working this case with the Detective?"

"Let's just say I thought I'd say hello to our visitor. I understand he's from Germany. Has he asked for council?"

"Not yet. Witnesses say he was fighting with the deceased just moments before the murder, but that's all I know."

"Hmmm — Donatelli's on his way. Mind if I wait inside?"

The guard opened the door. "Be my guest, sir."

Garth stepped inside the room, circling the table while Klaus's eyes stared at him.

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Just here to say hello. Nothing to worry about."

Klaus didn't like the vibes this Cowboy gave off. He felt like his mind was being read before he spoke. He understood the other detective's rough side better, so he remained silent, staring at a spot on the wall.

Minutes passed in silence until the door burst open, and Detective Donatelli stormed in, his eyes blazing with fury. "What the hell are you doing here with my suspect?" he barked.

Garth didn't flinch. "Spending a little one-on-one time," he replied, his tone as smooth as ever.

Donatelli's fists clenched at his sides, barely containing his anger. "My office. Now."

Garth shrugged, pushing off the wall. "Sure. If you've got coffee." He shrugged and grinned at the young man as he left the room.

Matthew stormed down the hallway, his footsteps echoing with fury against the tiled floor. Garth followed, keeping a slow, calming pace. As he neared the office Donatelli had disappeared into, he felt a coolness around him and paused and waited. Eleanor's ethereal form shimmered under the fluorescent lights and materialized beside him as he expected.

Seeing her expression, Garth immediately went on the defensive. "He started it."

Eleanor shook her head. "I saw what happened. You were antagonizing him by being in the room with Klaus."

"Wait a minute! It was your idea for me to get involved. So far this morning, I've been to a prison riot — Thomas Whitaker was stabbed —"

"Oh dear, me! Is he okay?"

"Undergoing surgery, but by the looks of the lack of security, someone hoped to finish him off."

"That can't happen, Garth. He's our link to the first murder."

"I've set up a detail and covered all entrances and exits. It didn't make the staff happy, but it's the only way to ensure Whitaker stays alive until I can talk to him." Garth looked down the hall. "Guess I owe him an apology for stepping on his toes."

Eleanor squeezed his arm.

"I'll try, but I'm leaving if he blows another gasket."

She sighed and slipped her arm through Garth's, a gesture meant to soothe, but when they walked into the detective's office side by side, it had the opposite effect.

Matthew's eyes widened in shock, then turned to rage. "You knew he was here?" he bellowed.

Garth's smile widened, unbothered by the outburst. "We keep in touch." He patted Eleanor's hand.

Eleanor stepped closer to the detective. "Matthew, please. There's no need for all this. Let's just —"

Before she could finish, Donatelli cut her off with a glare, his fists clenching at his sides. "Don't patronize me, Eleanor. Not with this guy."

"I would never!" Eleanor's finger bobbed up and down in his face. "You seem to forget how often I've helped you with cases. I was merely doing the same."

Still invisible except to Eleanor, Danni watched from the corner of the room. She studied Garth with interest, having never had the opportunity to meet the Cowboy. She was enjoying the fireworks. She couldn't decide which was better—the Cowboy's cool demeanor or Eleanor's moment of retaliation, something she'd never experienced from the grandmotherly woman.

Donatelli's gaze flickered, torn between anger and his inability to remain in control. "Get out of my office, Woodman. Now!"

"You promised me coffee." Garth returned the glare. "And I don't leave until I'm ready."

Danni giggled, and Eleanor looked at her. The hostility was getting out of hand. The two men were at a stand-off, neither willing to budge.

Eleanor's eyes pleaded with Garth. "Maybe we should go."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea to me," Donatelli snarled.

Garth looked at her, then Donatelli, before deciding to back off. He gave Eleanor a nod, turned on his heel, and moved toward the door, but not without firing a final shot. "You're a good detective, Donatelli. But you've got your nose in the bottle too much. My team already suspects there's more to this pageant than you can see."

As he exited, the detective slammed the door shut.

Seconds later, Danni materialized, her expression alternating between concern and amusement. Matthew's eyes narrowed as he spun around to face her. "When were you planning to tell me?" he snapped. "Who's side are you on? Letting that guy waltz in here like he owns the place."

His words stung, but Danni refused to let him see how he had affected her. "I wasn't aware of him or Eleanor coming here, but you wouldn't have listened even if I was. The Cowboy is right. You are too busy drinking yourself to death." She'd never used such a sharp tone with him.

Matthew froze. His anger flared and then changed to guilt, perhaps, or shame. He reached into his desk, pulled out a half-empty bottle, and stared at it for a long moment. Danni watched him, praying he'd put it back.

Finally, Donatelli sighed and dropped the bottle back into the drawer, his shoulders slumping slightly. "What's the point, Danni? Everything's gone to hell."

Danni's stare softened. "Only if you let it. Everyone's here to help you, but you refuse to see that. You don't have to do it by yourself."

He slumped into his chair and stared out the window, knowing Danni was right. It was time to face his demons before they destroyed him.

*****

In the hallway, Eleanor hurried after Garth. His stiff posture told her he wasn't in the talking mood.

"Where are you going?"

Garth stopped and turned to stare at her. "Back to Washington D.C., where I should have stayed."

"You can't leave it like this, Garth. You both need to come to terms with Allie's death and now is the time."

"What do you want me to do? It's his town — his case — though I suspect the cases are connected."

"I've never known you to start something and not finish it."

"You heard him. He doesn't want my help."

"Maybe not — but Thomas Whitaker sure needs it. Are you going to forget about him, too?"

Garth's thoughts flashed back to the prison and the hospital. He knew something was wrong there. Could he walk away and turn his back on it all? He knew the answer before he even asked himself the question.

"Okay, Eleanor, you win. I'm staying at the horse ranch. If Donatelli wants to talk, I'll be grilling steaks for the boys and me tonight. It's the best I can do."

Garth and Donatelli might be at each other's throats, but Eleanor wasn't about to let them tear each other apart. She knew the horse farm, with its peaceful surroundings and old memories, was the perfect place for them to confront the past finally—and hopefully, bury the hatchet.

She smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Cowboy."

Garth returned her smile. "Now, can you say the same for your hotheaded detective?"

"I think I can." Her voice was soft and hopeful. As she turned to leave, she stopped and added, "Frankie says hello."

Garth grinned. "You're welcome. I hope the girl does okay."

"Me, too!" Eleanor made a mental note to check on Naomi.

*****

Klaus had repeated his story twice and never changed a word. Matthew rubbed his eyes as he considered that he was telling the truth. "So, you're telling me that you argued with Bennett after finding out he was threatening your sister for sexual favors? Things got heated between the two of you. Beckett refused to listen to you and walked away. You followed him, but when you reached the door, you saw him arguing with a woman. You want me to believe this woman picked up a brick and hit him with it?"

"That's what happened. He called her some names, and she swore at him. She was wearing red high heels. I think one broke, and she stumbled. She grabbed a brick and hit him when he lunged at her. The man fell to the ground."

Donatelli knew the autopsy indicated a blow to the head, but the fatal moment came from a scalpel sunk deep into his temple. Things weren't adding up.

"Did you see anything else? Was the woman alone?"

"I think she was, but someone might have been in the shadows. I saw something move, but honestly, I just wanted to get out of there."

"Okay. Klaus. That's all for now. Your sister is waiting for you. She's had a rough day as well. Maybe you two can have a quiet dinner and piece things together."

The guard showed Klaus out of the room.

Donatelli pushed back his chair and stood. With the room empty, Danni materialized. "I think he's telling the truth. But who was the woman, and was there a third person in that alley?"

"Maybe his wife? Or another contestant?"

"Or the lawyer?

"Lawyer? Are you referring to Naomi? Why would she kill the guy she kept out of jail?"

"I don't know, but I know she's hiding something."

Donatelli shook his head. "I'm telling you, it's not Naomi." He walked to the door. "Don't we have another suspect to interrogate?"

"We do, but that doesn't put your girlfriend in the clear."

"Shut up!" He stepped out into the hallway, knowing Danni would have to disappear. He sighed, "It wasn't Naomi."