Chapter 7
"Danny, get your butt out here!" Mira called, as Mandy walked in to the living room where Flack and Mandy were waiting for Danny to come out.
"No! I refuse to show you guys this." He said.
"You were the one who wanted to do undercover work again." Mandy reminded him. She could almost picture him, groaning.
The door opened, and the floors seemed to creak a little. And then, Danny stood in front of them. Except, he didn't look anything like Danny.
The pants the strange man wore were low slung, as if they would fall with the next step he took. The white wife beater clung to him and the visor sat cock-eyed on his head. He wore huge jewelry and the glasses were gone.
"Yo, yo, yo, I'm Thumpy G." The guy said.
It took all strength that Mira and Mandy had not to burst out laughing. Flack, on the other hand, seemed to be able to stay more composed.
"Something wrong with that name?" Danny asked, pulling his glasses out of a pocket and slipping them on.
"I don't know, are you meeting Bambi and Flower to go get twitter-paited?" Mandy asked, as she kept fighting back laughter.
"Very funny." Danny said. "I was told that would be a believable name."
"To who? Roy and Walt Disney?" Mira asked.
"So, you'll be there?" Danny said, turning to talk to Flack.
"I'm your thug buddy." Flack said.
"And we'll be near-by too. Just being chatty girls." Mira said. Mandy was sitting on the arm of a chair, trying hard not to laugh.
"In other words, talking about us." Danny said.
"Do they not do it enough?" Flack asked.
"You weren't the one who kept having her arm yanked off so people could see her ring." Mandy said.
"Told you not to shop at Tiffany's." Mira said.
"I happen to like it." Mandy said, looking at the clock. "God, Mira and I have to go meet my Mom." Mandy said, getting up and letting some laughter bubble out.
"Okay, for that you owe me." Danny said, moving to stand by Mandy and getting a long kiss.
Mira looked at Flack. "She's got an earpiece in and so do I. We can hear everything." Mira said, taking Flack's hands in hers.
"Got your guns on you, just incase?" He asked, as Mira gave his hands a squeeze.
"I just got you, you think I'm gonna lose you?" She asked, as Flack smiled.
"Good." He said, leaning in and giving her a soft, yet earnest kiss.
When they pulled away, the four headed out of the apartment.
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"Hey Mandy, do you have a tampon?" Mira asked, as they waited for Mrs. Williams to show up.
"Actually, I don't." She said, playing with her napkin.
"Did you switch back to pads?" Mira asked.
"No, I just don't have any of it actually. I'm not on mine yet." Mandy said.
"Really? You've been getting yours before me for years." Mira said, surprised.
"Guess not this time." Mandy said, looking at the busy street outside the restaurant. Danny and Flack leaned up against a car, waiting.
"Are you okay? I mean, is something up?" Mira asked.
"No, my little darling is fine." Mrs. Williams said, as the two girls stood up and hugged her.
"Hi Mommy." Mandy said, hugging her mom and then started to pull away. At least she did, until her mother caught her hand.
"Amanda Lynn Williams, is that an engagement ring?" Mrs. Williams asked. The three sat down, both Mandy and Mira going slower than Mrs. Williams.
"Actually, it is. That's why I wanted to meet with you." Mandy said, exchanging a look with Mira.
"Are you and Eric back together? I don't know what that spat was in college, but goodness." Mrs. Williams started saying.
"Mom, Eric raped me. Why would I agree to get back together with a guy like that?" Mandy asked.
A waiter came by, taking their drink orders. Mrs. Williams ordered a white wine, Mira ordered a Mud Slide, while Mandy ordered a ginger ale. Mira gave her a look, but Mandy didn't spill anything.
Mrs. Williams noticed the glancing between Mandy and Mira. "You're not homosexual, are you?" She asked, as Mandy's mouth fell open.
"After all these years? God Momma." Mandy said.
"Amanda!" Mrs. Williams warned, her voice rising at Mandy's use of the Lord's name in vain.
"Mommy, I'm engaged to a guy. You can breathe safe." Mandy said.
"Well, who it is? Who is about to be spoiled by Momma Lynn?" Mrs. Williams asked.
The waiter returned with their drinks. Mandy looked at Mira, it was now or never.
"Well? Who is it?" Mrs. Williams pried.
"I'm engaged to Danny Messer." Mandy said.
Mrs. Williams silently sipped her wine. "Daniel Messer?" She asked.
"Yes Momma." Mandy said.
"At least it's not that Sonny Sassone character." Mrs. Williams said.
"Mom? Are you okay?" Mandy asked. Her mother had never been this calm about Danny before.
"Am I okay? I just found out that my only sensible daughter, the one who isn't stuck in a dead-end job, is engaged to a gangster." Mrs. Williams' voice rose.
"He got out Mommy. He wasn't like Chris. And he has proven himself." Mandy said.
"But, was he not accused of killing a cop?" Mrs. Williams said, as tears started filling Mandy's eyes.
"Mrs. Williams, I've worked with Danny for a bit now, and I can promise you that he is not the same as what you used to know him as. And, I know he's loved Mandy for the entire time they were apart." Mira said.
"Times change. People don't." Mrs. Williams said, taking a large gulp out of her wine.
"You knew he got out." Mandy softly said, causing her mom to look at her. "You knew her left Tanglewood. You knew and wouldn't tell me." She said.
"It was your last year. Besides, it was just an infatuation. After you two would split up for college, he would have forgotten about you." Mrs. Williams said.
Mandy quickly got up, pulling some dollar bills out of her purse and tossing them onto the table. "I love him." She said. "I'm going to marry him. You'll just have to deal with it." She said, walking out, with Mira close behind.
he moment they were outside the restaurant, Mandy leaned up against the building wall and started crying. Mira quickly took her friend in her arms, hugging her.
Mira looked over at Danny, who was now watching Mandy cry. She waved him off, as he turned around to keep playing undercover. No need to get him hurt because his mind went to Mandy instead of his job. And, if anyone saw his attraction to Mandy, they could get him in the end.
So, Mira kept calming Mandy down.
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"You doing better?" Mira asked, seeing Mandy the next morning.
"Yeah. Pretty much the second you left, Danny got back." Mandy said.
"Good." Mira said, as they started walking down the hallway. "You didn't get moody on him like you did with your mom, or me later?" Mira asked.
"No." Mandy lied.
"Oh my goodness! There she is, looking as radiant as the day we met." A familiar voice said.
Mandy stopped dead in her tracks. A hand took a death grip on Mira's arm. She didn't want to turn around. She knew that voice and didn't want to face him. Not here, not now, not after everything.
"And is that possibly the beautiful Mira with her?" Another familiar voice asked, causing Mira to grab a hold of Mandy.
The both slowly turned around and came face to face with Eric Peter-Kaiser and Ian Somerhalder, their ex's.
"You do know that a police station is not the best place for us to meet." Mandy said.
"Us? What happened to us? We were so great, and then that TA stepped into the picture." Eric said.
"That TA? That TA that you promised to protect me from?" Mandy said, letting go of Mira's arm and hand. She started stomping her way closer to Eric, a finger dramatically pointing as she went.
"Which I did. He hasn't come anywhere near you." Eric said, moving to hug her.
Mandy, being careful, stepped back. "You make one move to do anything romantic to me and I swear I will kick your ass ten ways from Sunday."
"Mandy, is that any way to treat your fiancé?" Eric asked.
"Actually, I treat him better than I treat you." Mandy said.
"Wait, you're engaged to two men?" Ian finally spoke up.
"Did he not get the hint it was over when I threw the ring at him?" Mandy asked Ian.
"It was just a little spat." Eric said.
"I yelled at you, told you it was over and even left the state as soon as I could." Mandy said.
"Just a little spat." Eric said.
"Look, how about you two just leave. I won't call anyone if you just leave now." Mandy said, turning and leaving.
Mira staid, watching them slowly turn around and then leave. She watched Ian smile at her over his shoulder, and she smiled back.
Now, time to figure out what to do about Mandy.
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"How unfair is it that Eric shows up and I'm promptly given the day off?" Mandy asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Just think though. I already had the day off. So now, we can just hang out all day." Danny said, following her.
"And you'll defiantly keep my mind of anything bad." She said, smiling at him.
He smiled back. "I already grabbed the mail, but I haven't looked through it. It's on the coffee table if you want to." Danny replied, as Mandy walked over and took a seat on the couch.
She started flipping through, till she got to an unmarked one.
Her mouth went dry. She opened it to say something, but nothing came out.
"You okay Mandy?" Danny called.
"Danny, we gotta get to work." She finally managed out.
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"Okay, the guy tripped up this time. He left a print." Chad told Stella and Mira.
"Who is it?" Mira asked.
"I haven't been able to run it yet." Chad said.
"Well, let's run it now." Stella suggested.
"Guess that's a yes." Mira said, watching Chad turn fast and start working hard.
"Does the name Gregory Dawkins make any sense?" Chad asked.
"Not really." Mira replied.
"Well, that's the hit we got. Apparently Mr. Dawkins is after Miss. Williams." Chad said.
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"Gregory, have you ever heard of a girl by the name of Amanda Williams?" Stella asked the man sitting in the chair in the interrogation room. Flack stood off to the corner, while Mira sat across from Gregory.
Gregory looked to his side for a second, sniffed hard and then turned to face them. "No."
"Then do you care how to tell me how your prints ended up on the note that arrived at her fiancé’s apartment?" Mira asked.
"I handle mail." Gregory said.
"Really? Last I checked, you didn't handle mail." Stella said.
"You forget, we're the police. We find out everything." Flack added.
"My thoughts are that someone hired you. They knew it would be their version of a perfect murder. You had no link to the person. Who would think some random New Yorker would have something to do with some girl being stalked?" Stella said.
"Just, who was it?" Mira asked.
"Some guy. Claimed she was his. Paid me with cash." Gregory said.
"Get a name from this mysterious man?" Flack asked.
"When a guy hands you cash, just wanting you to write a few letters, you don't ask. You just take and do whatever it takes to get more." Gregory said. "I'm not like you guys, I'm not rolling in the dough. I can't afford name brand clothes or anything fancy. So, when a guy comes and up is willing to help me pay to put my son through college, of course I'm going to sign on." Gregory said.
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"Eric's covering his tracks well. Dealing in money so there's no ties. No exchanging names. If only we could find a way to link them together." Stella said, as the three stood in the lab.
A lightbulb went on above Mira's head. "Times change, but people don't." She said.
"What?" Flack asked.
"It was something Mandy's mom said. I think she may have been in on it, at the least. But, there has to be some meetings! Some place fancy, because Eric just doesn't go anywhere. He won't do just anything. We're gonna have to look high class." Mira said, grabbing a phone book.
"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Flack said.
"Le Tourtourten." Mira said. "It is one of the most expensive restaurants in town."
"So?" Stella asked.
"Eric's family is from around here, and this is one of their favorite places to eat. They rave on and on about here. Eric has been raised there, and eats there so much, that the people know him by name, and would gladly help us out, if only to help out their favorite customer." Mira said.
"I've got a pic of Gregory. Let's go see what we can find!" Stella said.
"No need." Flack said. They both turned, almost forgetting he was in the room. He was sticking his cell phone in his pocket.
"Why not?" Stella asked.
"We caught Eric at the bank, pulling out a large sum of money. When asked what for, he didn't answer." Flack said.
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"You have no shame, do you?" Stella asked.
"What do you mean?" Eric asked.
"Having someone write stalking letters to your ex-fiancée, who you raped?" Stella asked.
"I never got convicted on the rape charge." Eric replied.
"You have no heart. Yet, you thought you could love Mandy." Stella said.
"And, when her mother let it spill that she had moved back home, you thought it would be wise to try and drive her back to you by not letting this stalker thing go. You wrote the notes when she was in college. You paid Gregory Dawkins to write the notes now." Mira said.
"You have no proof." Eric replied, still looking calm.
"Gregory is right now, as we speak, writing his confession. He has agreed to turning you in for a lighter sentence." Flack said.
"Is it so wrong to want my one true love all to myself? Is it wrong to try and keep her from straying while she sows her wild oats? Is it wrong to love someone?" Eric asked.
"You didn't love her. You wanted to control her." Stella said.
"When you met her in college, she was heartbroken from high school, from HER one true love. She was easy for you to manipulate into believing whatever you wanted her to believe. You lead her around like a little puppy. But, once she realized what you were doing, you had to get a new hold on her. So, after the rape, you started with the stalker notes, hoping it would drive her back to you. But it didn't. It did drive her into the arms of her one true love, like you were hoping. But, it was into the arms of her real one true love! And that wasn't you!" Mira said.
Eric sat there, just looking at them. "I won't get anything from this either. I got out of the rape charge. I'll get out of this too." He calmly said.
"I'll bet my life in hell that I'll be talking to you months from now behind bars." Stella said through gritted teeth.
She nodded at the cops, who then brought cuffs to Eric. They started reciting his Miranda rights and then took him off.
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Mandy stood in the bathroom of Danny's apartment. They had been working on moving in some of her stuff, and she had said she was running down to a nearby shop to get something for lunch for them.
She returned with food, but had to stop by the bathroom before she ate.
She looked at the box, "Place the test in the sample you have just collected." She read, looking at the wand test in her hand. She looked at the small cup on the back of the sink, and grimaced. She prayed she wouldn't have to do this ever again.
She placed the wand into the cup, just like the box instructed her to. "Now, wait for a line to appear." She said, setting the box down.
She sat down on the closed toilet seat and picked up a Sports Illustrated off the ground where someone, most likely her, had tossed it from the last time they had read it.
She was so involved in reading The Life Of Reilly, that she forgot about the test for a second. Not until she was done reading and tossed the magazine to the floor did she recognize the lid to the cup she was using.
She looked at the cup and at the test. She carefully stood up and picked up the box. "One line means not pregnant." She read, pulling the test out of the cup.
She looked at the test. "Must be defective. I don't have one line." She said, even though she knew the test wasn't defective.
It was telling the truth. The two lines looked at her, mockingly. It was true. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with Danny Messer's child. They were going to have a baby. She, Mandy Williams, was pregnant.
We've only just begun to live,
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way.
We've just begun.
Before the rising sun we fly,
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run.
And yes, We've just begun.
Sharing horizons that are new to us,
Watching the signs along the way,
Talking it over just the two of us,
Working together day to day
Together.
And when the evening comes we smile,
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow,
And yes, We've just begun.