DISCLAIMER: Nikki & Nora are the property of Nancylee Myatt and Warner Bros. Television. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
THANKS: To Ann for the beta.
Partners, On the Force
By ralst
Part One
Nora watched as the new detective made her way through the squad room; heads turned and eyes devoured as the gorgeous brunette sashayed her way through the crowd, but it was almost as if she was unaware of the interest she was stirring, as she aimed a thousand watt smile in Nora's direction.
"Hi, you must be Nora," she said, holding out her hand and squeezing warmly as Nora complied to the invitation. "Nikki Beaumont."
Nora knew all about Nikki Beaumont; daughter of a city councilman and one of the rich and beautiful people who looked down their noses on anyone who worked for a living. Or at least that was Nora's general impression of the rich-set, but Nikki didn't quite fit into the usual mould; debutantes didn't tend to become cops or receive commendations for their work in Vice.
"This desk is yours." Nora pointed towards the scarred metal desk adjacent to her own. "You can find copies of all the department -"
"Do you want to go get a drink?" Nikki moved a little closer, the smell of her perfume gently invading Nora's senses and derailing her train of thought. "I'm starting to feel like a goldfish in a bowl."
Dan had given specific instructions about Nikki's orientation to the unit, and they certainly hadn't included slinking off at the first opportunity, but then he'd never been surrounded by a pack of salivating detectives straining to hear every word. "Okay."
Nora could sense the disappointment along with the stares as they pushed their way through the maze of desks to the door. She'd worked in the Special Crimes Unit for two years and, in all that time, she'd never once received the kind of attention Nikki had garnered on her first appearance. It wasn't just that she was beautiful; although, the big brown eyes and teasing smile certainly helped. There was just something mesmerising about the taller woman that instantly caught Nora and everybody else's attention.
"Are they always like that?" Nikki asked.
"Like what?"
"My daddy's cousin Matilda spying her first bottle of gin." Nikki's grin was infectious, and Nora found herself instantly warming to the other woman. "I would have thought they'd be used to women in the squad room by now."
Not such beautiful women, Nora wanted to say, but, as usual, she kept those particular kinds of thoughts to herself. "They're just curious."
Nikki opened the door to the outside, the balmy spring air bringing with it the scent of Hibiscus and freshly baked beignets; the perfect combination to entice the work weary into forgetting their commitments and lazing the afternoon away at one of the myriad of small cafes and restaurants that lined the side streets near the police station.
"Days like this make me want to throw off my shoes and walk barefoot through a fountain."
Nora didn't respond. Cavorting in fountains and wasting the day on trivial pursuits might have been okay for the rich and privileged, but she'd always been taught to take her responsibilities seriously, and that didn't include having her feet washed in the local statuary.
"There's a coffee shop around the corner that's usually pretty quiet at this time of day."
"Quiet is good," Nikki agreed. "Especially after a morning spent listening to the captain extol the virtues of the squad and my 'valuable place amongst his team of warriors'," she mimicked, the booming tone nowhere near as deep or pretentious as the real thing.
Nora smiled. "He loves that speech," she agreed. "He gave a variation of it when Dan received his promotion."
"He was your partner, right?"
"Yeah." They'd worked well together, and if it hadn't been for Dan's barely hidden romantic interest, they could have been great friends. As it was, she trusted him more than most people she knew but had never been able to drop the last vestiges of her privacy and let him see the real her. "We were partnered for eighteen months. He taught me a lot."
"I'm envious." Nora gave her a quizzical look. "My first partner thought that women should be restricted to one of two places; the bedroom and the kitchen."
Nora knew the type. "We've a few of those in the squad, but Dan's okay, and the rest will follow his example." It still bristled that some of the 'good old boys' took it for granted that Dan had been the brains and brawn behind their partnership, with Nora left to provide nothing more than a pretty face and adequate typing skills. "Do you know how to type?"
"Yes." Nikki's smile was teasing. "And I make a lovely cup of coffee."
The rest of their conversation was cut short by the chirping of Nora's phone. "Delaney."
Nora spoke quietly into the receiver for a few moments before turning and beckoning for Nikki to follow her back towards the station. "There's been a murder in the Garden District," she informed. "Dan wants us to meet the coroner at the scene."
"So much for getting acquainted." Nikki put aside thoughts of pastry and coffee, the realities of her life as a homicide detective intruding even quicker than she'd imagined. "Your car or mine?"
Charlie peered up from the corpse, a sad smile of greeting focused on Nora, before he turned an inquisitive look in Nikki's direction. "Company?"
"Nikki Beaumont." Nikki would have held out her hand, but she doubted she'd want her skin contaminated with whatever was covering Charlie's gloves. "I'm Nora's new partner."
"A sight prettier than the last one," Charlie commented, his open smile taking any offence out of the words. "Charles Dubois, MD." He waited for Nora to finish rolling her eyes before amending that to, "Charlie."
"What have we got?"
Charlie stepped aside to let Nora take a closer look at the body; the man was partially clothed, his chest and upper arms covered in blood, burn residue combining to turn his pale skin black.
"Shotgun blast to the chest." Charlie pointed out the blood splatter surrounding the body. "He died where he fell."
"Do we have an ID?" Nikki asked.
A uniformed officer passed Nikki a clear plastic evidence bag containing the victim's wallet and identification, his grip on the bag remaining firm until Nikki's eyes met his, and he bestowed on her what he thought was a charming smile. The action, combined with the location, instantly marked him as someone the brunette did not want to get to know better.
"Jonathan Dane," she informed Nora as she sorted through the array of brightly coloured credit cards. "His driver's license has him as living at this address."
"No wedding ring," Nora added. "And I didn't notice any photographs or signs of a family on the way in." Her gaze met Nikki's, "Bedroom," they said in unison.
The bedroom was large and airy, the bed linen as impersonal and freshly laundered as any you'd find in the top hotels in the area. The walls and cabinets were once again devoid of photographs and, opening the wardrobe, it was obvious he lived alone, or with another man who shared not only the same shirt size but a drab sense of style.
"Such a waste." At Nora's look, Nikki elaborated, "He obviously spent a lot of money on clothes, but they're all so . . . It's a crime."
"The style does suggest someone of a conservative nature."
"These aren't conservative, they're boring." Nikki pulled out a few shirts and pullovers, before peering into the far reaches of the wardrobe. "He's hiding something."
"And you know that simply by looking at his clothes?"
"Nobody spends that much, to look that bad, without a reason," Nikki explained.
Nora wasn't convinced with the explanation, but a hole in the chest didn't exactly point to a man who lived a boring life. "He made an impression on somebody, that's for sure."
The uniformed officer once again made himself known, his blatant disregard of Nora and their conversation put him further down the list of people Nikki was willing to waste time on; if he didn't mend his ways, he was in danger of being lumped in with the politicians and television evangelists left to wallow in a social no-man's land.
"We've canvassed the neighbours, but nobody saw or heard anything." He gave the room a cursory look. "He moved in a few months back, but no one remembers seeing a girlfriend or," he sneered, "boyfriend hanging around."
"He was the quiet type," Nikki said.
"Kept to himself," Nora added.
"The last person . . ."
". . . You'd suspect."
He looked at them as if they'd lost their minds. "I'll write up my notes and e-mail you a copy."
"You do that." Nora's smile was obvious in its insincerity. "We should head back."
To Be Continued