Chapter Five

 The elevator doors opened and Logan waited until Madison had cleared the doors before pushing off the sidewall and exiting the car herself.  Silently they walked into the cafeteria and stood in line.  Feeling the uncomfortable silence, knowing Angela’s incorrigible behavior was the cause, Madison turned her head to speak and was caught off guard as she found Logan’s dark blue eyes peering into hers.  “I…umm, I’m sorry for, ahhh…back there.”  Jesus, Cavanaugh, you sound like a babbling idiot. 

The glint in Logan’s eyes barely preceded the smile that crossed her lips.  “Sounds like you have your hands full with that one.”

Madison grunted as she stepped further down the line.  “The correct term, Officer, would be had.  I had my hands full with that one.”  Madison couldn’t help but chuckle as she replayed the scene in her head, remembering the confused look on Logan’s face.  “Luckily, I got out before she did any irreparable damage to my psyche.  With other’s, I’m afraid, I haven’t been so fortunate.”

Logan was surprised to find Madison so open about her lifestyle and took some time to digest the information as they made their way through the line.  Madison prepared a cup of coffee then looked at Logan with gleaming eyes.  “Remember, you’re buying.  I have an extra-large double mocha latte, and a bagel.”  Logan shook her head and grinned as she watched Madison saunter away towards a table, purposely bypassing the cashier.

 After preparing her own cup of coffee, Logan paid the cashier and made her way through the crowded cafeteria to the table Madison had laid claim to moments before.  Sitting down across from the beautiful blonde, Logan took a moment to just look at Madison Cavanaugh as the woman looked out the window.  Too soon, however, Madison’s eyes turned back towards her and she no longer saw the teasing gleam that had been so evident a few minutes prior.  “So Officer McGregor, what is it that’s so important that you had to come all the way to Mercy, and then sit and wait on me for over an hour?”

Retreating into her professional persona, Logan’s eyes met Madison’s.  “It’s really quite simple, Doctor.  There have been five people murdered along The Strip in as many weeks.  It’s Wednesday and so far, he hasn’t claimed his next victim.  I figure he’ll strike tonight or tomorrow night, what with Friday and Saturday being too crowded to give him any amount of privacy.”  Logan looked out the window, knowing her next words were not going to sitl well with the independent and stubborn woman sitting across from her.  “From what I understand, you visit The Strip on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I’m here to ask you not to go down there tomorrow night.”

Madison’s eyes bore into Logan’s.  “You mean to tell me you wasted both of our time to ask me not to do something that is vitally important to this community?  I think not, Officer.”  Madison drained her cup and stood, but before she could walk away, felt Logan’s hand circle her wrist.  She couldn’t help but notice the warm heat emanating from Logan’s long fingers as she looked down at the bandaged hand that held onto hers.  Her eyes traveled up the long arm, appreciating the taut biceps and firm deltoids, before taking in the dark silky hair, and finally coming to rest in the deep pools of blue sapphire. 

Madison found that she was unable to respond as an unfamiliar heat spread throughout her body and paralyzed her with unexpected sensations that raced through her.  Logan rose from the table and stood very close, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from the other woman.  Madison’s senses were further assaulted as Logan bent close to her ear and whispered, her warm breath teasing her earlobe.  “Then let me come with you, Ms Madi.”

Madison closed her eyes and inhaled as the faint scent of soap, and what could only be the essence of this mysterious woman, further battered her resolve.  Her pulse quickened and she feared Logan would feel it under her fingers, as they gently gripped her wrist.  Tearing herself from the onslaught of emotions, she roughly pulled her hand away, immediately feeling the loss of warmth.  “No!  Absolutely not, Officer.  I’m going to The Strip tomorrow night just as I have for the last two years.  I haven’t needed your protection before.  I don’t need it now.”

Logan watched at Madison Cavanaugh turned and bolted from the cafeteria.  Sitting down at the table, she looked out the window and wondered to herself why and how this woman had suddenly gotten under her skin.  Draining her cup of coffee, Logan tossed the cup in the trash on her way out the door.  Fine Doctor, we’ll do it your way.  You’ve just made my job a little more difficult, but one way or another, I intend to see that you’re safe tomorrow night.

~~~~~

Madison reached the relative safety of her office just in time to see Susan locking the exterior door.  Struggling with a large bundle of paperwork and her keys, Susan let out a relieved sigh when she saw Madison heading towards her.  “Thanks goodness.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to lock the door.  Now that you’re here, I don’t have to.” 

Smiling at her energetic but stressed, assistant, Madison glanced down at the bundle of papers in Susan’s arms.  “So, where are you off to with the latest financial statements?”

Looking guilty, Susan peered up at Madison.  “Well, I really didn’t have anything to do tonight, so I thought I’d just take these reports home and finish them up.”  Susan began moving around Madison in an attempt to escape the lecture she knew was about to come.

Susan felt a hand on her arm.  “Hold up there, missy.  As I recall you promised me last week that you were going to quit taking work home with you every night, and start going out and having some fun.”

Susan could feel the heat rise in her face as Madison reminded her of the promise.  “Well, yeah, I did say that, but that was before…ummm, before…”

Madison cut off Susan’s words as she relieved the woman of the bundle of papers..  “No excuses.  Tonight, I want you to go out and have a good time.”  Turning to walk through the door, Madison called back over her shoulder, “And Susan?  I don’t want to see you here a minute before 10 tomorrow morning.  Is that clear?”

Backing down the hall, Susan grinned at her boss and gave her a mock salute.  “Yes Ma’am.  No work, good time, not before 10 o’clock - got it.”

Releasing a boisterous laugh, Madison returned the salute.  “Now get out of here before that slave driver boss of yours returns and makes you work some overtime.”  Madison entered the reception area of her office, and then closed and locked the door behind her.  Heading towards her office, she smiled at the thought of Susan’s loyalty. 

The young woman had worked as her personal assistant for the last three years and Madison still remembered Susan’s first day on the job very well.  It was a rainy Tuesday morning in mid-January and Susan had been 10 minutes late for work.  Madison had been a little perturbed and let her feeling be known as soon as Susan had walked in the door.  Susan, in return, had casually looked Madison straight in the eye and replied.  “If you are going to be one of those typical self-centered, almighty, holier-than-thou, full of piss and vinegar doctors, please let me know right now so I won’t waste my time taking off my coat.”

Madison had stood dumbstruck at Susan’s fiery appraisal and after what seemed like minutes, she broke out in laughter.  Before long, both women were wiping tears from their eyes and Madison was handing Susan a cup of hot coffee to take the chill off the damp woman.  Since that day, both had earned a tremendous level of respect from the other, and Susan had not only become the best assistant Madison had ever had, but a dear friend as well.

Dropping into her chair, Madison began looking over the financial statements she had confiscated from Susan, but found her mind wandering back over the exchange with Logan.  The nerve of that woman, thinking I would desert my responsibilities just because some psycho is out there.  After several attempts to discern the numbers before her, Madison realized the prospect of getting any work done was negligible.  With a frustrated sigh, she threw the financial statements into her briefcase and left the office, deciding that home would be a much better environment for her at the moment. 

~~~~~

 In the darkness of the truck, Logan could see several blocks north of where she sat in her Durango on Smallman Street.  It was a cold night, the temperature barely reaching into the low 20’s, but the unfavorable weather had done little to quell the bar hoppers from coming out.  Her alarm had sounded a little after 5 this morning and Logan had listened as the weather forecast predicted frigid temperatures and snow flurries for most of the day.  She loved her work most of the time, but days like today, when she spent most of her time out on the streets, that made her bones ache.  What am I whining about? I’m sitting here in a warm truck while Dr. Ego is out there walking the streets.  Damn, that woman is stubborn.

She had been sitting here for over three hours, waiting and watching for any sign of unusual behavior.  Something in her gut told her, that tonight would be the night the murderer struck.  She had caught glimpses of Madison several times as she made her way through the alleys along Smallman Street.  Luckily for Logan, the good doctor hadn’t ventured close enough to spot her sitting there under the street light.  Logan felt a shiver run the length of her spine and knew it wasn’t from the cold air seeping in from the windows but rather from the prospect of Dr. Madison Cavanaugh being out there, alone, amidst the evil that had taken over The Strip.

 Running a hand through her silky dark hair, Logan tried to analyze the unnatural attraction - if that was what she could call it - that she felt for the doctor.  Her mind told her that it was nothing more than a primal urge, but her body reminded her that no one had ever elicited such sensations and yearnings from her…ever before.  Damn, McGregor, you hate doctors.  Couldn’t you at least fall for an attorney or something?  Anyone, with an ego smaller than Texas, for god’s sake. 

She kept her eye on the alleyway Madison had last walked into 20 minutes before.  From Logan’s calculations, the doctor usually remained within each alley for 10 to 15 minutes.  She was beginning to get a little edgy and was reaching over to get her heavy jacket off the seat, when the doctor appeared under the streetlamp.  Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Logan watched as Madison came walking towards her on the opposite side of the street.  She was about halfway down the block when a couple coming out of one of the neighborhood bars waved to her. 

As Logan witnessed the interaction, the radiant smile she had glimpsed in the cafeteria the previous day flowed across Madison’s face.  Madison Cavanaugh was an extremely beautiful woman, and Logan once again felt the familiar heat traveling down the length of her body.  The woman hugged Madison, and a laugh was shared as the doctor waved goodbye and headed for her car. 

Logan watched as Madison climbed into her Pathfinder and pulled out into the late night traffic, turning her attention back to the street only after Madison’s taillights disappeared from view.   

~~~~~

 Turning out the light in the bedroom, Logan lay on her back staring at the ceiling.  Absently stroking the bandage on her hand with her thumb, she thought about the long lonely nights she had spent in this bed over the last year.  Diane had been gone now for 12 months and 14 days, but to Logan, the pain was still so raw and acute that it seemed just like yesterday.

She was drawn away from her musings as the phone on the nightstand rang.  Rolling over, she roughly grabbed the handset and barked into the phone.  “McGregor” She immediately sat up as her Lieutenant’s voice came over the line.

“Sorry to wake you Logan, but our guy just struck again.  This time we got lucky, she’s still alive.  Someone just found a white female, approximately 30 years old, in an alleyway at the corner of Smallman and 23^rd Street.  She’s already been transported to Mercy.  Head over that way and see what you can find out.  Rodgers will meet you there and fill you in on what they have so far.”

Logan kicked off the covers as she listened to the few details the Lieutenant was able to relay to her.  By the time she hung up the phone, she was fully dressed and on her way to the kitchen.  Grabbing a soda from the refrigerator, she headed out the door and towards Mercy Hospital.  Luckily, she lived only a short distance away and was running towards the ER entrance five minutes later.

She spotted Rodgers as he came through the doors leading back to the trauma suite.  Walking towards him, she saw the grim look on his face and knew before asking, that the woman in question was in bad shape.  “How is she?”

Rodgers pursed his lips and shook his head.  “Well, if she makes it, she’s going to have a hell of a long way back.”  Looking at Logan with a sad smile, he nodded his head back towards the door.  “She put up one hell of a fight, Detective.  If we’re lucky and the doctors do their job right, the lab might be able to get some good physical evidence off of this one.”

Logan took the bag the officer held out towards her and listened as he detailed the information he had gathered so far.  “The woman, Jennifer S. Richardson is a white female, 32 years old, lives in an apartment over on Van Braam Street.  I have some other officers over there now checking out the apartment, and trying to locate her next of kin.”

Just as Rodgers was completing his commentary, a short, balding doctor in rumpled scrubs walked through the trauma suite doors.  “The Richardson family?  Anyone here from the Richardson family?”

Logan immediately walked over to the doctor and looking into tired eyes, told him that they were still trying to locate the family of the victim.  “Is it possible for me to see her, Doctor?”

The obviously tired doctor frowned and glared at Logan.  “No Detective, you can’t.  She just regained consciousness and we are about to take her to surgery.  Maybe tomorrow.”

Taking a deep breath, Logan tried to restrain the anger welling in her gut.  “Look Doctor, I’m not trying to be unreasonable, but this woman is the first lead we’ve had in this case in the last five weeks.  Can you promise me she’ll make it through surgery to talk to me tomorrow?”  Seeing the uncertain look in his eyes, she went in for the kill shot.  “I didn’t think so.  I’ll only ask a couple of questions, and then I’ll be on my way.”

The overweight doctor muttered under his breath as he motioned Logan through the doors.  Walking beside her down the hallway, he outlined the conditions of her visit, pointedly regaining control over the situation.  “If she shows any signs of distress from your questions Detective, you’re out, no argument, no discussion, nothing.  Is that clear?”

Deciding not to press her luck, Logan nodded her head and replied between clinched teeth.  “Yes sir, perfectly clear.”  Damn doctors, always having to have all the control. No wonder half of them are divorced, separated, screwing around, or somewhere in between.

The trauma room was about 20 degrees cooler than the waiting room and the sudden change in temperature caused Logan to shiver.  Monitors hanging from the walls and ceiling, detailed a menagerie of bodily functions, as thin lines danced across the screens and an audible beep kept perfect rhythm.  Walking quietly towards the gurney, Logan carefully took in every detail of the woman that was visible to her.  The woman’s face was partially obscured from view by a large bandage over her right eye.  She unconsciously gasped as the other eyes opened to meet hers, and her heart stopped as she looked at a face that had smiled back at her only 24 short hours ago.

~~~~~

Continue to Part Six of Code Blue

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