Chapter 2
"Okay, so there's a slight possiblity that Angel knew her assailant." Mandy
said.
"Hence there being no marks from fighting." Danny said.
"But, we still don't know how she got all the way from 5th
Avenue to a small residential area in the outskirts of NYC." Mandy said.
"What did you mean your physical well being?" Danny asked,
out of the blue.
Mandy silently groaned. They had gone a few days without
going back to that conversation. And, she really didn't want to.
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Mandy quickly
said, looking over a sheet of paper she was writing things down on.
"Yes you do. The other day, when we were talking about why we
didn't date in high school. You said it was for your physical well being. What
did you mean?" Danny asked.
"Look, I really don't want to focus on the past when we have
an insane lunatic running around in the city!" Mandy's voice rose.
Danny went back to his evidence. He knew Mandy well enough to
know she didn't what to talk about it. When she was ready,
he'd be ready to.
"Besides, you should know why I was scared to." Mandy quickly
added into the silence.
"Why would I know?" Danny asked.
"Because it was your stuff that stopped me. I would willing
disregard my mother telling me that you were no good. A guy had to be as rich or
richer for her to even consider him charming." Mandy said.
Danny listened to her talking, trying to figure out what she
meant. He was a good kid in high school.
Mandy watched Danny run her sentences over andover in his
head. He wasn't getting what she was saying. And she would be damned if he
thought she was going to tell
"Miss Williams, this just arrived for you." A lab tech poked
his head in, holding out a plain white envelope.
Danny watched Mandy slowly take the letter. He watched her
slowly open it, as if she was scared something was going to jump out at her.
He noticed some color start to slowly drip out of her tanned
skin. And then, he watched her take a deep breath, swallow hard and then pull a
piece of paper out. She quickly read it over and shoved the papaer back into the
envelope.
"You okay?" Danny asked, watching Mandy's skin become tanner.
She swallowed hard again and then turned to face Danny.
"Maybe the killer was a friend who got jealous." Mandy said.
"What did the letter say?" Danny asked.
"It's none of your business!" Mandy said, stuffing the letter
in her lab jacket.
Danny didn't feel like fighting with her. If he even tried to push it, he knew
it would end up in a yelling match. He didn't want to put the lab through that.
Not now.
So, Danny got up and started walking out of the lab. He just
started walking around. He and Mandy had worked a good majority of the day on
the case. Stella had left about the time the night shift of lab techs had
arrived. Mandy was going to stay late, so Danny decided to stay late.
Mira was walking down the hallways, clearly on her way out. "Mirry,
can you do me a big favor?" Danny asked.
"Sure Messy." Mira said, slowing down.
"Will you go talk to your friend?" Danny asked.
"What's wrong with her?" Mira asked, noticing the tired look
on Danny's face. She knew that Danny was head over heels for Mandy, and that it
would take a miracle for him to get tired of dealing with her.
"She got this letter and it unnerved her." Danny said.
"Okay, I'll go chat with her. You go take a break. You've
been at this all day." Mira said, patting him on the shoulder and placing a kiss
on his cheek.
"Thanks, I owe you one." Danny said, as Mira started walking
off.
"It wouldn't work, he's my superior." Mira said.
****************************************
Mira found Mandy writing fast and furiously. Mira thought it
was the case, at first. But, that was before she got closer.
The desk had been neatly cleaned, all the papaers and
evidence was in a pile at the end of the table. She wasn't dealing with the case
at all.
"What's going on Mandy?" Mira asked.
"Nothing." Mandy quickly replied.
"Mandy, I just ran into Danny. What's going on?" Mira asked.
"He's back." Mandy said, sliding the letter across the table.
"I just got this today."
"Jesus Christ." Mira said. "You thought that moving back home
would be safe."
"Guess I played the fool." Mandy said, leaning onto the desk
and rubbing her eyes.
"Danny's in the lounge. I think you should go join him for a
break." Mira said.
"That sounds like a really good idea. Buy me a soda and just
relax for a second." Mandy said, as the two started walking out of the lab.
****************************************
Danny stared at the cup of coffee. He wasn't sure if drinking
caffeine would be such a good idea, but it helped him feel better.
"Hey Danny." He heard a soft voice say.
"Mandy." He replied, not looking up from his steaming cup of
coffee. He slowly took a sip and relished it.
"I'm sorry about earlier." She said softly.
"It's okay." He replied.
"Danny, it's not." She said, quickly sitting down across from
him. "We haven't gotten off to a very good start this time." she said.
"Well, apparently I have some thing in my life that have
prevented that." Danny said.
"I've got my own demons." Mandy said.
"You?" Danny said, raising an eyebrow.
"Life wasn't as simple in college as it had been in high
school." Mandy said, a small smile on her face.
Danny didn't know what made him think of it, but he reached
across the table and took one of her hands in his and squeezed it.
Mandy looked down at her hand, and then back at Danny. Her
smile then grew bigger.
****************************************
Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
Closer where I Started
Chasing after you
I'm falling even more in love with you
letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you
forgetting all I'm lacking
completely incomplete
I'll take your invitation
you take all of me
now.. I'm falling even more in love with you
letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you
I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
I don't know what I'm diving into
just hanging by a moment here with you
there's nothing else to lose
nothing left to find
there's nothing in the world
that could change my mind
there is nothing else
there is nothing else...
Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
Closer where I Started
Chasing after you
I'm falling even more in love with you
letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you
I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
I don't know what I'm diving into
just hanging by a moment here with you
just hanging by a moment
hanging by a moment..
hanging by a moment...
hanging by a moment here with you..
****************************************************************************************
Mandy stood in the front hallway of her apartment.
Another unmarked letter had arrived for her.
She almost debated not opening it, not wanting to see what
was housed in it. She could just take it straight to the police, and have this
entire mess figured out.
But, a little voice in the back of her head kept coming up
with reasons to open it. So, she opened it. She opened it slowly, incase there
was something alive in the envelope.
Incased inside was a picture of her and Danny from high
school, and then one from now. The one from high school could have been scanned
out of a yearbook. But, the one of them now was clearly from yesterday, when
they had gone to look over Angel's house. That was no public picture, or had not
been in anything published.
She pulled the photos out, and out flattered a piece of a
paper. She carefully picked it up off the floor and looked it over.
Written nicely on it was 'Tell Danny I say hi.'.
Mandy turned around fast on her heel. She was not going to
wait much longer. she was going to the police now.