Out of the Shadows

By Kathy S

The tall good-looking detective hurriedly gathered the folders on his current case from the desk and turned, hoping to make a quick getaway. He grimaced when the familiar voice bellowed through the near-empty squad room. "Ryan, in my office! Now!"

His shoulders slumped in defeat. Tom Ryan turned again, slowly making his way into the Captain's office. He knew exactly what his captain was about to ask. " Yeah, what's up? I was just getting ready to head out."

"You and Cassy finish the paperwork on the McMartin case yet? DA wants it before noon tomorrow. His office just called. Again." Harry punctuated the request with his trademark look, his head bowed slightly while his eyes peered out over the top rim of his glasses. Tom hated that look and Harry knew it.

"Almost finished, we just need to dot the i's and cross the t's. I was just heading over to Cassy's place. We'll have it on your desk first thing in the morning." Tom was trying his best not to lose patience, but this was the third time today that he and Harry were having roughly the same conversation.

"I thought you said earlier that you would have it done by the end of the day." Harry wasn't giving up just yet.

"No. I told you earlier that Cassy had a dentist appointment this afternoon and that I was going over there afterward so we could finish it tonight. She'll bring it in with her and you'll have it on your desk first thing in the morning. So can I go now?" Sarcasm crept into the younger detective's last question.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get the damn report done." Harry paused a moment as realization hit home. "So why is Cassy bringing it in and not you?"

Tom sighed and explained for the second time in as many days. "I'm not coming in until after lunch. My air conditioning is on the blink and the super is out of town for the next couple of weeks. I couldn't find anyone else to let the repairman in for me, so I'm taking the morning off. You okayed this yesterday, Harry. Is there a problem now?"

Harry suddenly felt a little embarrassed and a lot tired. As he again peered out over top of his glasses in the despised gesture he responded, "No, no problem. Just be sure you make up your time."

Tom couldn't believe his ears. He had already made up the time by staying late yesterday and again today. Add in the two hours or so he and Cassy were about to put in on the McMartin paperwork, and the department was going to owe him time. Tom took a closer look at his commanding officer. "Harry, you look beat. You calling it a day pretty soon? Frannie'd probably like to see you get home at a reasonable hour for a change."

Harry's face clouded at the mention of his wife. "She's gone to visit her sister for a couple of weeks. Won't be back for another nine days. Why do you think I've been here so late the past few days? House is too damn quiet without her. But you're right. It's late and I should get out of here." He looked away for a moment and then continued, "Tom?"

"Yeah, Harry?" Tom responded.

"Thanks...for umm...for umm..." Harry was touched by the younger man's concern. He considered all of his officers to be family, but this one and his partner even more so than the rest. He just wasn't very comfortable openly expressing it.

Tom shot a mischievous grin at his superior. "So can I go now or what? My partner is waiting and some of us still have work to do tonight."

Harry shot back 'the look' for the third time since Tom entered the office. "So, go already. Get to work! And I want that report first thing in the morning or else!"

Tom turned, still grinning and made his way back to the desk to again gather the files he and Cassy would need.

Harry couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched the detective retreat into the squad room. 'Somehow Tom and Cassy always seem to be here, saying just the right thing when I need it most. Of course, they certainly know how to balance things out by being a royal pain in the ass. Must be what it's like to have kids,' he thought to himself as he closed up his office for the night.

************

Tom stood at Cassy's doorstep, files in hand. He was about to ring the bell for the third time when the door finally opened to reveal his partner in pair of blue satin pajamas. "Sorry about that. I decided to change into something more comfortable. Got everything we need?" Cassy turned and headed for the kitchen, expecting Tom to follow.

"Yeah, I got everything. So how about dinner? I'm starved. My mouth has been watering all afternoon just thinking about that Italian deli by your dentist's office." After a short pause, " Cass, you're not saying anything. You did remember to get dinner didn't you?" Tom was getting nervous waiting for her answer.

"Well, of course I got dinner. I said I would didn't I?" Cassy was standing in front of the refrigerator, her arms folded across her chest looking obviously uncomfortable.

"Okay, so what aren't you telling me? I know that look. Come on, spill it." Tom was starting to get annoyed.

"Oh, all right. I was halfway home when I remembered about dinner and I really didn't feel like going back so I just stopped at the Chinese place around the corner. So yes, I got dinner, just not from the Italian deli. Sorry." She was hoping he would be reasonable about it. Her mouth still ached and she really didn't feel like arguing.

"Aw dammit Cass! You know I just had Chinese for lunch. I really don't want to have it again for dinner." Tom was more than slightly irritated.

"Well I forgot you had it for lunch. I'm sorry. I'll call for pizza or something, okay?"

"Let's just forget about dinner for now. I kind of lost my appetite anyway. Let's just finish the paperwork and I'll grab something on the way home." Tom wasn't going to be appeased as easily as she had hoped.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. Let's get to it. You want a glass of wine or something?" She was hoping to salvage a somewhat civil tone for the hours ahead.

" Yeah. No. Well, maybe just one. I do have to drive home you know," he reminded her as he moved to spread out the folders on the table. He looked up just in time to see her washing down some kind of pill with her wine.

"Should you be mixing those pills with alcohol?" he asked with genuine concern.

"They're just a mild painkiller from the dentist. It's no big deal." She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of admitting otherwise, especially not tonight. Besides she didn't have to drive home, so what if they made her a little drowsy?

They spent the next couple of hours working at Cassy's dining room table. Tom nursed his one and only glass of wine, while Cassy refilled her glass several more times. When they finished, it was nearly midnight. By now she was extremely drowsy and not walking very steadily. Tom didn't trust her to make it up the stairs alone, so he helped her with the climb up to her second floor bedroom. He tucked her in and turned to set her alarm so that there would be little chance of her accidentally oversleeping. Harry would have their heads if that report was not on his desk first thing. He glanced down at his sleeping partner, a smirk on his face and mischief in his eyes. "What's that you say, Cass? You think you'll need extra time to get ready in the morning? Oh, but of course, I'd be happy to set your alarm half an hour earlier for you." With a chuckle bordering on evil, he reset the clock. After a mental pat on the back for his cleverness, he made his way downstairs for one final check of the report.

It was a high-profile case so this one had to be absolutely perfect. Everyone from the Commissioner to the Mayor to the public-at-large was pressuring them to get this one wrapped up. Leaving the report on the kitchen counter, he decided that Cass would no doubt need a good strong cup of coffee first thing, so he got her coffee-maker ready and set the brew-timer. 'You're gonna owe me for this one St. John, especially after the dinner fiasco,' he thought as he reset her security code and headed out the door to his car.

A pair of eyes watched him from the shadows as the detective climbed into the Mustang and drove away. The darkly clad figure then carefully made his way to Cassy's front door. Seconds later, the intruder was inside canceling the alarm.

End Part One

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