CHAPTER 3: TWO WORLDS COLLIDING

T HAT IS, MARIEL Potidean was speechless for about one second. She knew this was Tina Amphipoli from the picture in the file but nothing had prepared her for such a sudden meeting without any introduction or preparation. And nothing in the file had indicated the amazing aura and charisma Tina gave off. It was almost disconcerting for the young doctor.

"But...what..how did you.."

"Know who you were or know you wanted a merlot?"

Mariel felt her face warm a bit as she watched Tina Amphipoli smile slowly in her direction. One of the darker woman's hands rested on the table while the other arm was casually draped across the back of the booth. The scientist looked across the table and nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah..I mean...not about the wine..but..."

Tina's smile widened as she regarded the young woman across from her. Letting her electric blue gaze drop from Mariel's face, the dark woman looked back over her shoulder briefly, then back at Mariel and shrugged.

"It was easy. You're the only one in this restaurant sitting alone, looking at your watch, obviously waiting for someone. Though, to be honest, you're not exactly what I expected."

Mariel's eyebrows creased together as once again, she felt her abilities were being challenged. Either that, or she was simply over-sensitive, which was true but that was her issue to deal with and no one else's business. With her voice holding a slight trace of defensiveness, the young doctor put her arms on the table and leaned across it.

"And exactly what were you expecting? Some older man with more experience? Some seasoned agent?"

Tina's lips quirked slightly as looked back at this fiesty young woman.

"Actually, I wasn't expecting someone quite so...attractive."

The detective's voice lowered a bit as her eyes connected with Mariel's briefly before turning toward the approaching waitress. Tina casually received her beer and took a sip as her eyes watched the young doctor, smiling into her glass at the blush on the young woman's cheeks, a testament to how her fair skin could not hide her reactions to compliments.

"Attractive? What do..."

Dr. Potidean's words were stopped short by a flurry of motion at the end of the table.

"Oh there you are! I've been looking for you."

With that, Sam Lamonie came rushing up to the table sweaty and flushed. Both women turned and watched as the balding and bearded older man pushed past the waitress and eased in the booth next to Mariel, forcing the blond to scoot over against the wall, pressed up against her coat. He was no fool and the cool look he received from the peeved private eye told him he was lucky to be sharing a booth with either of them. Reaching for a glass of water, he drank while his eyes darted back and forth between Tina and Mariel.

"Here, I'll take your coat."

The dark woman's voice caught the young scientist's ear and blue eyes captured Mariel's pale hazel-green. Smiling her thanks across the table, she handed her coat over and watched as the detective efficiently folded it and stored it next to her. With a raise of an eyebrow, she watched as Tina reached for her beer, nodded her head slightly and offered up a little toast to her before taking a sip. Her eyes were glued across the table until she felt a clumsy nudge of an elbow against her side as Sam Lamonie smiled at her.

"So, what'd I miss?"

* * *

And with that, the dinner started. After an order of stuffed artichokes for an appetizer and another round of drinks, their main courses had arrived. Tina smiled slightly as she watched both Sam and Mariel dig into their pasta dishes with equal relish. The dark private eye occasionally took a bite of her salad, but instead preferred to sit back in the shadows of the booth and sip her beer while she listened to Sam and Mariel make small talk. It seemed that the young FBI agent was quite passionate about her predictions for the upcoming NCAA season, even so much as betting Sam that Kansas would finally go all the way this year and Purdue would choke... again. The happy-go-lucky police detective was happy to debate animatedly with the young woman, he was never one to turn down a bet. Talking came easy to both of them, it seemed.

Tina, on the other hand, preferred the more..quiet approach. It wasn't that she didn't know how to hold up her end of the conversation or be charming (she, in fact, had that down to a science...it helped with getting information from reluctant lawyers or shady 'business' men). It was more the idea that she never quite trusted anyone enough to let her guard down fully. Watching her back was something she learned early on in Detroit when she was growing up. And certainly after the...incident on the force years ago, she became more cautious, aloof, and wary. Some mistakes you only make once.

"I'm going downtown tomorrow night, check out the scene."

Mariel and Sam stopped talking and looked over at the relaxed form seated across from them. She hadn't made so much as a peep throughout dinner, so her low rumbling voice took them by surprise. Sam spoke first.

"Wait, now, you're talking about the case, right?"

Tina just chuckled briefly and shook her head. Taking another drink, she pinned him with her dark blue eyes.

"That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

Sam glanced over at Mariel and smiled back at Tina, nodding nervously as he wiped his hands on his napkin.

"Of course, of course. So, what's your plan?"

The private eye's smile faded as she stared at Sam. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the young psychologist pushed her plate back and smiled slightly to herself as she waited to hear what Tina said. There was more than one way to tell the nosy detective to get lost. She had no intention of telling him her plan. Licking her lips, the dark woman leaned forward in a smooth move.

"Sam?"

Her voice was velvety and low as her blue eyes held his intensely, noting the thin line of perspiration start to form at the detective's brow. He swallowed and leaned forward.

"Yes?

Narrowing her eyes just a bit, Tina lowered her voice even more. The private eye took on a rather sultry look, her now bedroom eyes glinting at the cop with a primal spark. The transformation was amazing and given Tina's beauty, easily accomplished. Mariel stopped breathing at the display.

"My plan..."

She paused, her eyes flickering over Sam's face like he was the only one in the room. The older detective nearly had a coronary right there. He'd always thought Tina Amphipoli was a dangerous beauty and here he was getting a front row seat to her charms. He swallowed again nervously.

"Y-yes?"

Tina's lips curved into a menacingly seductive smile before she spoke again.

"...is between me.."

At this, Tina dropped her gaze quickly and all but forgot poor Sam as she focused her attention totally on the young psychologist across from her. Capturing green eyes, she looked in them and lowered her voice to a purr.

"..and my partner."

For long moments, the table was quiet as Tina and Mariel stared at one another. The blond scientist felt like the rest of the room faded from existence for a brief moment in time, unable to break the gaze of the dark haired woman across from her. The waitress showed up just then with their check and all eyes turned to her and the spell was broken. Tina pushed the slip of paper across to Sam and smiled a sweet smile.

"Ah, yes, well...why don't I leave you two alone to discuss your plans, yes?"

Sam Lamonie knew when he wasn't wanted and since he was damn lucky to tender the services of the best investigator in the business, he wasn't going to push it. Pulling out four 20's from his wallet, he laid them down and spoke quietly with the waitress, intending on getting a receipt so the city of Chicago could pay for this business dinner. Meanwhile, Tina stretched out her arm across the back of the booth and finished her beer, her eyes glancing across to Mariel who took this opportunity to compose herself by finishing off her cheesecake.

Standing, Sam pulled on his overcoat he had thrown behind him on the ledge of fake plants, and smiled at both women.

"Ladies...it was my pleasure."

He nodded as he tried to button his coat, his oversized belly getting in the way. With a smile to the quiet psychologist, he put on his hat.

"Mariel, it was truly nice to meet you. I hope we'll be able to work together more in the future. The Bureau is lucky to have you, I'm glad they put one of their brightest on this case. Oh, and when Duke wins, you owe me 20 bucks."

Mariel let out a laugh as she smiled up at him, her features relaxing as she sat back in the booth.

"In your dreams, Detective Lamonie. And thanks, I have a good feeling about this case."

With a nod, Sam turned to Tina, who simply quirked an eyebrow up at him. Good-naturedly smiling, he shook his head at her and spoke.

"Ah, Tina..as always, it's been an..um..experience. Go easy on her please."

Sam jerked his head in Mariel's direction and caught her eye with a teasing smile as her other eyebrow shot up as well.

"I'll be in touch."

Tina smirked as she nodded at him. With a raise of her chin, the private investigator spoke.

"You do that."

With one last smile at both of them, Sam made his way out the restaurant. If there ever was a more unlikely pairing, it was Tina and Mariel, he mused. The tough as nails private investigator and the spunky intelligent young researcher couldn't be more different. Sam smiled to himself as moved through the tables, 'they do say that opposites attract', he chuckled at the thought. Why, if he were a betting man...

* * *

The lights had dimmed as the dinner crowd thinned out a bit and the clinking of brandy glasses and dessert trays became more pronounced. Mariel sat back in her booth and looked over at Tina Amphipoli with an inquisitive, curious eye. When the dark detective's eyes caught her, the young psychologist leaned forward in her booth and spoke with a confidence that belied her truly off-balance state.

"Do you always put on such a show when you want a man to leave you alone?"

Tina chuckled, quirked an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulder.

"It worked, didn't it?"

Mariel just looked back at her, then down at her napkin.

"Uh-huh."

Lifting her head back up, the blond fiddled with her spoon. Dressed in a casual navy sweater over a white t-shirt, and khaki pants, Mariel Potidean looked every ounce the college co-ed. Her long blondish gold hair was highlighted with just a hint of red and her green eyes were warm. She looked like she'd be more at home in Ann Arbor than some of the dives here in Chicago Tina was going to visit. Her plan certainly didn't include a Midwestern archetype as a club companion.

"Listen Doc, this case is going to get a little dangerous from what I can tell, so I think it's best if you do the office research and paperwork while I go out into the field."

Tina's voice spoke reasonably across the table as her eyes regarded Mariel passively. It was clear that the private eye had already made up her mind way before dinner and the scientist was clearly not a part of this woman's plan. Mariel took a breath and calmed herself before speaking.

"Let me get this straight, Miss Amphipoli.."

With a smile, the older woman held up her hand.

"Please, call me Tina.."

With a nod of her head, Mariel's caught the detective's eye with an assertive look.

"Alright...Tina, am I to understand that you intend on fielding this case all by yourself while I sit in my office and...take notes?"

Mariel was the picture of controlled indignation. Her expression clearly conveyed what she thought of the idea and her voice couldn't help but express it. Tina took stock of the woman sitting across from her and decided she liked her spunk. That still didn't change the fact that she intended on going alone on this. This young graduate was as green and inexperienced as they came. Her fancy degrees were not going to help her out there in the real dirty world of crime. She wasn't meant for the streets like Tina was. Still, there was something...determined about Mariel Potidean so Tina would see just how serious this young woman was about the gritty matters of criminal investigation.

"Well, you do seem more like the...scholarly type who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Besides, the places I have to go to get a lead aren't exactly Reader's Digest Book of the Month meetings."

Quietly seething, Mariel steeled her gaze at the amused look she was getting from the private investigator. To say it pissed her off would be putting it mildly. Years and years of people underestimating her and dismissing her abilities finally came to a boil. The blond's temper had always been fiery and this is what got her where she was. She didn't give up easily and she would not take no for an answer. Furthermore, dammit, she was qualified enough to handle this as much as anyone else in the Bureau and they had given the case to her. Lowering her voice to barely controlled ire, she spoke.

"Look, Ms. Amphipoli, I don't know who you are and what gives you the right to judge me but I'm going to tell you one thing. This is my case, I may not have the experience you think you have, but I intend on being involved in every aspect of this case whether you like it or not. So, you'd better just get used to the idea that I'm not some sidekick notetaker for a private eye with a past."

With that, the psychologist took a breath and kept looking at Tina. Something unreadable crossed the detective's face as she sat motionless. In the dim light of the dining room, the blue of her eyes seemed to darken just a bit. Clearing her throat, Tina nodded slightly, her voice tight.

"I see the feds told you all about me. I'm surprised you even bothered to meet me."

Sighing, Mariel looked over at the detective and then down at the table. She hadn't really meant to mention that she knew anything about Tina Amphipoli's past. The files agent Ephran had given her were sketchy, but from what she gathered, the dark haired woman sitting across from her had been involved in an internal affairs investigation while with the Chicago PD, for what, the young researcher didn't know. She did know though, that the blue wall of silence had literally fallen on the rookie cop and nearly crushed her. There were never any charges brought against anyone in the force and Tina had given up her badge and gun unceremoniously. The files were incomplete since that time and the Bureau kept loose track of Ms. Amphipoli, employing her for cases in which the federal government did not want to be associated with, but wanted taken care of nonetheless. In a quiet voice, Mariel spoke again as her eyes found the detective's.

"Listen, Tina, I don't know you very well and I may not be the type of person you'd choose to work with, but I can't do this without you. Agent Ephran told me you were the best and right now, those kids that are disappearing out there need the best. I'd like to try to do what I can for them."

Mariel paused and bit her bottom lip, glancing at the guarded face of the detective across from her before she took a breath and continued.

"And to be honest, I don't care about the past or whatever might have happened. We're here right now and we both want the same thing, to find these kids and bring the people responsible to justice. I've always thought that the greater good was more important than any single person so I'd like more than anything to not let our personal differences get in the way of helping them.."

The muscles in Tina's jaw moved slightly as she listened to Mariel, looking as if she was weighing the options silently in her head. With a low voice, she glanced down and then back up to the young psychologist's face, her face softening just a bit in the flickering candlelight.

"My grandma told me the same thing when I first joined the force...about the greater good. Sometimes I forget that...Mariel."

Smiling softly, Mariel nodded. She liked this woman despite herself, drawn to her charm and mystery. She knew there was more than met the eye when it came to Tina Amphipoli and she was looking forward to finding out more about her while they worked this case. With a warm voice, the forensic psychologist and budding FBI agent quietly spoke to her newest ally.

"So, does this mean we can work it out and come up with a plan together?"

A smile slid across the lips of the ex-cop turned private investigator, softening her face from stranger to newfound partner. The blond woman sitting across from her could hold her own with gentle strength and fierce conviction. Maybe she had underestimated the scientist, had put on the charm a bit too thick, had played it a little too cool. Tina nodded slightly at Mariel and spoke sincerely.

"Yes, I think it does."

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 470