Cat and Mouse
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 9
"Come on, move it, Ryan," Harry Lipschitz ordered his detective. Tom remained seated on the couch. "I'll take you to the hotel on my way home."
"No, Harry," Tom replied quietly.
Harry, who had been moving towards Tom's bedroom, stopped in his tracks. Slowly he turned to the younger man. "No, Harry?" he repeated, shock in his voice. "Did you say, 'no Harry'?.'"
Tom pushed himself to his feet. He glanced at the two officers who stood near the doorway, looks of total astonishment at his defiance on their faces. "You can go," he said to the two men.
The officers glanced at the Captain. Harry curtly nodded at the men and the two uniforms escaped from the apartment before the impending explosion occurred.
Harry turned his attention back to Tom. "It wasn't a request, Sergeant. Now, pack your bag."
"No," Tom repeated.
Harry shook his head, unable to believe he was hearing total disobedience from the younger man. "Not that I have to, but can I ask why?"
"Because there's no reason. He's not interested in me," Tom answered.
"The man attacked you. Roughed you up. He didn't have to do that. I think that shows he has more than just a passing fascination with you."
Tom's weariness finally got the best of him. He could no longer hold back his anger. "Look, Harry, I'm telling you. He didn't intend to kill me. I was an easy target." Tom pointed at the bruises on his neck. "He could have snapped my neck as easily as a toothpick, but he didn't. You tell me why unless he had no intention of doing so."
Harry was silent for a long moment. "I don't want one of my detectives the target of a murderer."
"Too late, Harry. Cassy already is. And you need my help to make sure that, if Murdock is after her now, we bring him in."
"Your help?"
"Murdock came to me. . .no one else. It only makes sense that I stay involved in this."
"Doing what?"
Tom's eyes made contact with his boss'. "Well like you said earlier today, my job. I'm going to do my job. Sara McCarthy was presumably murdered and I'm going to find out who did it."
"You really think it wasn't Murdock?"
"If he killed her, why would he risk capture by coming here tonight? Why would he take that chance unless he didn't do it?"
Harry thought about Tom's words. He sighed and shook his head. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."
Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Well, neither do I, but we've got no choice."
Harry thought about Tom's words. Finally he plopped himself down on the couch. "Okay. We'll do this your way. . .for now."
Tom smiled grimly and nodded. Harry's held tilted down as he looked over the rim of his glasses. "But, I call the shots here. If at any time I think you're at risk, you're out of it, understand?"
"But Harry. . ." Tom started to protest.
"Ah," Harry interrupted. "No, 'buts' Sergeant. It's my call."
Tom shook his head and walked away. "Okay. Your call."
Harry kicked his shoes off and brought his legs up to rest on the couch. Tom frowned at his Captain's actions. "Harry, what are you doing?"
"Getting some sleep. It's going to be morning soon."
"On my couch?" Tom asked, worried that he already knew the answer.
"On your couch," Harry confirmed.
"You have a home, Harry, and a wife. She's a wonderful woman who'd probably like to have you with her," Tom desperately reminded the man.
Harry shook his head as he slid his arms behind his head using them as a pillow. "Told Frannie I probably wouldn't be home tonight so she's not expecting me."
Tom felt a stabbing pain behind his eyes. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I call the shots, remember? If you won't go into protective custody then I'm going to take it upon myself to bring protective custody to you."
Tom's frustration grew once again. Before he could protest further, Harry continued. "No arguments, Sergeant. I'm staying. . .at least for tonight. We'll deal with tomorrow when it gets here."
Tom shook his head and walked towards his bed. "Unbelievable," he muttered.
"What was that?" Harry asked innocently from his position on the couch.
"Nothing, Harry. . .nothing at all," Tom sighed as he collapsed heavily on the bed.
"Good." Harry's satisfaction was evident in his voice. Tom could swear he heard the man's smug smile in his words. "I'll see you in the morning, Thomas. Oh, and if you think of it, could you make tea in the morning? You know how bad that coffee can be for you."
Tom's eyes snapped open. He glanced at the clock by his bed. It was a little past 5:00 in the morning. The apartment was dark, giving Tom the hope that he had awakened before his Captain. If he was lucky, he could dress quietly and head to the station before Harry would discover he was gone. His hopes were dashed when he heard a quiet voice from the living room. "Good morning, Thomas."
Tom sighed at his failure. "Morning, Harry. Didn't expect you to be up already."
"I've been up for awhile. Hope I didn't wake you?"
Tom turned on the nightstand light. "Nah. I wanted to get an early start today."
"Okay." Harry pushed himself from the couch. Tom could see the man's rumpled clothes. "Let's get to it then. We'll stop by the hotel and check in on Cassy and then head into the station.
Tom could feel a weight settle over his chest. "I really. . .really would prefer to just go into the station."
Harry frowned at the man. "Why?"
Tom's hand gingerly rubbed the still-present lump on his forehead. "Oh. . .never mind."
Harry chuckled at the man. "Afraid about your partner's reaction when she finds out Murdock came after you last night?"
Tom ignored the older man's accurate guess. "Let me shower and then we can leave."
Harry smiled and nodded, knowing he had hit the nail on the head. He had no doubt that Tom's petite partner would explode when she found out that Murdock had gotten the drop on Tom. If there was a way he could avoid telling her what had happened, he would, but lying to Cassy rarely worked. The woman was just a little too curious and when she had a look at the bruises on Tom's neck and forehead it wouldn't take long for her to put two and two together.
End part 9
To Part 10