Synopsis for: Only Time Will Tell

Featured characters: Tom, Cassy, Harry

Guest Stars: Janet Angelini and others yet to be named

Warnings: Violence, language, adult situations

Storyline: The woman who had a hand in destroying Tom's marriage returns to Palm Beach. This time, however, will her presence destroy his life?

Time period: Mid 7^th season

Copyright (c) 1998 by Terri Thomas

All rights reserved

Only Time Will Tell

Part 1

"Hurry it up, Thomas. We’re going to be late," Cassy St. John looked impatiently at her watch and then at the man who was scurrying to dress himself. "I can’t believe you overslept. You knew we had court today."

"Cassy, I don’t want to hear it. I know I set the alarm. Something must’ve happened." Tom Ryan tucked the dress shirt into his slacks. After zipping them up, he grabbed for the tie, which was lying on the bed.

"I’ll tell you what happened. You slept through it. . .again. I’ve told you and told you that you need to change the damn thing from the music mode to the alarm, but no. . .you say it’s harder to wake up to the alarm. . .that it makes you grumpy. . ."

"Hey, Cass?" Tom interrupted. She stared at him, not answering, "You wake up to an alarm, right."

"Sure do. It’s the only way to make sure that I don’t sleep through it." She said knowingly.

"Then I’ve proven my point," he gave her a cocky look and stepped through the front door and out into the humid Florida heat.

Cassy looked at him with confusion, then the realization of his comment struck her, "I’m not grumpy!"

Tom laughed as he climbed into the passenger seat of the Porsche. Cassy gave him her look of death and climbed into the driver’s side. "You’re just trying to get me riled because you feel guilty for making us late. . .again."

Tom shook his head, enjoying the fact that he had gotten under Cassy’s skin, "No, I’m just trying to point out to you that you’re grumpy. Lighten up, Cass. The hearing isn’t for another 45 minutes. We have plenty of time. Might even be able to grab a cup of coffee first."

Cassy, fuming at her ex-husband’s cavalier attitude, floored the Boxter, causing Tom’s head to whip backwards into the headrest. "Never mind," he muttered. We won’t live long enough for coffee."

Tom had been correct. They had arrived at the courthouse with plenty of time to spare. He not only had time for a cup of coffee, but he ordered a bagel and cream cheese, too. Cassy watched him eating his impromptu breakfast with impatience. She would switch from looking at her watch, to looking at the restaurant clock, to tapping her feet. Tom, upon seeing his partner’s distress, took each bite more slowly than the last, savoring the flavor. He was driving Cassy nuts and he was enjoying the trip.

Cassy was unable to control herself. In ten minutes, Tom had eaten only half the bagel. There were only five minutes to spare until the hearing would start. She looked at her watch and then looked into her partner’s eyes. He was being an ass. . .on purpose. Not able to tolerate Tom’s behavior any longer, she reached across the table, grabbed the remaining portion of the bagel and the unfinished coffee, walked over to the nearest trashcan and dumped it inside.

"Hey! I wasn’t finished with that." Tom protested as he rapidly chewed what had become his final bite.

"Yes you were. Now come on, Thomas. . .before the judge holds us in contempt.

Tom glared at his partner. He would pay her back for her petulance, of that he was certain. It was just a matter of when and how that he would have to determine.

Two hours later, both detectives had testified in the murder case of Timothy Matthews. They had, once again, ‘killed.’ The defense attorney was not prepared for the thorough testimony the two police officers offered. His case had gone down in flames and the assistant district attorney was certain that the defendant would be spending the next few decades in jail.

Tom held the door of the courtroom open for Cassy. She walked through it with a smug grin on her face. "Don’t think Matthews will be hurting anymore women for a while."

Tom nodded, feeling equal satisfaction with the results of the efforts. He looked at his ex-wife, acknowledging once again, that while their marriage failed and their friendship was sometimes volatile, they made great partners. They knew how to work together.

He glanced at his watch. It was after 11:00. "I’m starving," he grumbled. "Let’s grab a bite to eat before we go back."

"Can’t," Cassy answered succinctly.

"Why not?" Tom looked at her with curiosity.

"I have a date." Cassy replied, the smug look from the courtroom never leaving her face.

"A date? With whom?" Tom’s brain sorted through the list of possible candidates. He could not come up with an answer.

"None of your business," Cassy climbed into the Porsche and started the engine.

Tom crossed to the driver’s side of the car and started to open the door. Cassy's voice stopped his progress, "You don’t mind walking back to the precinct, do you Tom? I have to go the other way and I hate trying to turn around on 15^th."

Tom was speechless. He started to answer that yes, he would mind, but then he realized that the station was only a few blocks away and pissing Cassy off by making her late for her date would only get him in more hot water with the woman.

So Tom nodded his agreement. Cassy blew him a quick kiss, "See ya in an hour. . .or two," and then she floored the Boxter and turned right at the next corner. Tom watched her departure with a twinge of regret and jealousy. "How dare she date someone else," his heart wanted to scream. But then his mind answered, "You're divorced. She’s a free woman. You’re a free man. . .deal with it."

He shrugged his shoulders, took off his jacket, loosened his tie and proceeded down the street towards the police station. On the way, he passed Carlos and Marena's, a small Cuban restaurant and decided that since Cassy had cut his breakfast short, he was going to take the opportunity to eat lunch. Harry wouldn't be expecting them back until the afternoon anyway, so there was no reason to rush back to the station.

He placed his order and then grabbed a chair in a shaded area of the small restaurant's patio. It was nice to be able to relax and just watch people go by. It seemed that whenever he was with Cassy they were always in a hurry. The woman had no tolerance for stopping to smell the roses. In fact, unless the roses were the murder weapon in an investigation, she wouldn't even notice them.

He closed his eyes and could hear children laughing in a small park across the street. There was a warm breeze coming off the ocean and not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to play hooky, he thought deviously. Then he realized that if he tried to skip out on work, he would never hear the end of it. Cassy would tell Harry. . .Harry would blow. . .Frankly, it just wasn't worth the headache.

The waitress placed his food and a cola on the table in front of him with a warm smile. "How are you today, Sgt. Ryan?" she spoke with a heavy Cuban accent.

"Just fine Marena. How are you today?" Tom returned the older woman's smile.

"I am fine. It's a beautiful day today, isn't it."

"Yes, it is. I was just debating on whether to actually go into work today," Tom admitted.

"You should take the day off," Marena lectured. "You work too hard. You need the rest. You look tired."

Tom gave her a slight shrug of the shoulders, "We've been pretty busy lately. But things are starting to quiet down now. Maybe I'll even take a few vacation days soon."

The woman nodded vigorously, "You need a vacation. Spend some time at the beach." The woman bent over the table secretively, "Have I told you that my niece, Isabel, is in town for the summer? You would like her. She is very pretty. She would like to go to the beach. Maybe you could take her."

Tom closed his eyes with a sense of dread. He should have known Marena would try her hand at matchmaking. She had been hinting about Tom's single status ever since he and Cassy had divorced. "Thanks for thinking of me, Marena. But I'll have to see if I'll be able to take the time off," Tom didn't want to offend the woman, but he had no desire to escort her niece around the city, either.

The woman shrugged her shoulders, "It is your loss, Sgt. Ryan."

Tom nodded with a smile, willing to accept the consequences of his excuse. Marena patted him on the back and left him to his lunch.

Tom opened up his mouth to take the first bite and his cell phone rang. Grimacing, he knew who was calling before he pulled it out of his pocket. Flipping it open, he answered with "Hello, Harry."

"Tom, it's Ha. . .hey, how'd you know it was me?" His captain stumbled.

"There was no doubt. Cassy's the only other person who has a knack of calling me in the middle of meals. . .and she's occupied. It had to be you." Tom responded sarcastically. Harry scoffed at the response. "What do you need, Harry?"

"Are you and Cassy done testifying in the Matthews case?"

"Yep. He's going down," Tom said, the satisfaction clear in his voice.

"Well, we've got another one. A woman just called in. Says she killed her husband. Patrol is already on the scene. I need you and Cassy to take a look at what went down. I already tried Cassy's phone, but she's not answering."

Tom knew after seeing the look on his partner's face when she left for her 'lunch date' that the cell phone would not be answered, no matter how many times it rang. "I'm not sure where she's at. . .she said she had lunch plans. We were going to meet back at the station this afternoon."

"Wonderful," Harry sighed. " Well, I guess that means I'll be taking her place. Where are you at?"

"Carlos and Marena's."

"Okay. Meet me out front in five minutes. We'll go out together."

Tom shook his head, looking at his uneaten food in front of him. There was no choice. . .duty called. "Fine. I'll be there."

End Part 1