DISCLAIMER: Karen Sisco and its all characters are property of Jersey Television. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
At the End of the Day
By Ann
"You know…this doesn't look good."
"It's not our fault the idiot ran in front of a car," Karen replied as she gestured toward the street.
"I know, but can you imagine the paperwork that's going to be involved?" Marley observed as she looked at the naked dead man lying under the carriage of the SUV.
Following Marley's gaze, Karen responded, "Don't worry about it. I'll call in a favor from Amos; the Marshal's office can handle this one, and Amos is the master of deception. I'm sure when the report is finally filed Denton will have been fully dressed at the moment of impact."
Turning toward the marshal, Marley asked, "Are you sure? I don't want you to have to owe anyone anything."
"Actually, it's the other way around. Amos owes me several favors, and it's about time I collected on one of them."
"Thanks Karen, I'd really appreciate it. I certainly don't need any extra ribbing from my colleagues. If they find out my male suspect was running from me naked as a jaybird, I'd never hear the end of it," a grateful Marley explained.
Leaning against the cement barrier of the parking lot, Karen smiled and said, "No problem, glad to be of assistance." Pausing, she asked, "Do you think we should go over there and cover up his manhood?"
Grinning, Marley replied, "Nah, there's not much to see anyway, but we probably should go over and rope off the scene."
"Good idea, why don't you go on while I give Amos a quick call. I'll meet you in a second," Karen suggested to the detective.
Marley nodded in agreement and made her way to the scene. The driver of the car was looking at the dent in his hood and seemed more upset about the damage than hitting Denton.
"Sir, I need to take your statement; if you'll just wait for me over by the wall," Marley directed to the driver as she flashed her badge.
The man reluctantly left his vehicle and followed the detective's orders. He never once looked at the victim as his gaze remained fixed on the large dent.
Karen joined Marley and soon other marshals showed up to relieve the two women. They immediately headed for their respective cars after promising to file their report the next morning.
"Hey, Marley. Want to get a drink?" Karen yelled to the detective before she could climb into her car.
Shrugging her shoulders, Marley replied, "Sure. Where do you want to meet?"
Holding her finger up, Karen reached into the car and grabbed her purse. Closing the door, she hit the automatic door lock before jogging over to the passenger side of Marley's car.
"You're driving; you decide," was her response as she opened the door and slid into the seat.
Shaking her head at the quick turn of events, Marley climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine.
Several minutes later, she pulled in front of a small secluded bar and got out of the car. Karen glanced up at the sign above the door and took a deep breath. She was fairly certain that "Pussycats Only" was not a place she would normally frequent, and she jumped in her seat when her door opened revealing a smiling Marley.
"You said it was my choice," Marley teased.
Red-faced, Karen took the offered hand and stepped from the car. Marley released the marshal's hand after she was clear of the door, but her other hand automatically migrated to the small of Karen's back as she escorted her to the main entrance.
Many beers later, both women were feeling no pain, and the flirting level was at orange and rapidly approaching red.
"So, you're telling me that you've never slept with a man?" Karen slurred as she struggled to stay upright.
"No….I said I wasn't ever going to sleep with a man…again. Once is enough for me, thank you very much," a drunken Marley replied.
Suddenly realizing that she was the one answering all the questions, Marley quickly blurted, "Hey, Karen! You ever slept with a woman?"
"Huh? Um…could you repeat the question?" Karen asked with yet another red face.
Leaning forward, Marley tried to judge if the red had been there for awhile or if it had just come up when she asked her question. She replayed the last few minutes and decided that the red shade was indeed new.
She smiled and exclaimed, "You have! Why Karen Sisco, I would have never believed it!"
Karen quickly glanced around to see if any of the other patrons had overheard, but no one seemed to be paying attention to the two drunken fools.
"Shush up, Marley. Someone might hear," Karen whispered in a raised voice.
Laughing, the detective replied, "Don't worry, Karen. I think the women in here have slept with other women, too."
"I don't want to sleep with those women," the marshal quickly answered.
"That's not what I meant, Karen, but now that you've brought the subject up, who would you sleep with?"
"What?" Karen asked, snapping her eyes up to meet those of the detective.
Placing her hand on Karen's shoulder, Marley noted the shiver that ran through the other woman's body, and she decided to test things further by running her hand down the marshal's arm until she reached the other woman's hand.
Marley watched Karen closely and was pleased to see the detective mesmerized by the sight of the two hands intertwining with each other.
Both women continued to sit in complete silence holding hands, each afraid that the intimate moment would be broken by any words that might be spoken.
Finally, Marley squeezed Karen's hand and said, "I think we should call it a night. Why don't I get Joan, the bartender, to call us a cab?"
Karen smiled and nodded her head in assent so Marley began to release the marshal's hand, but Karen stubbornly held on.
Looking the detective in the eye, she said, "You, Marley."
"Karen?" A confused Marley asked.
"You're the one I want to sleep with, but I'd like to take things slow," Karen softly whispered.
Marley brought their joined hands up to her lips and placed a light kiss on the back of Karen's hand.
"I'd like that, too," was her only response as she signaled for Joan to call them a cab.
The day was definitely turning out much better than it had begun for both women.
The End