ladytaz29
Rookie Officer
Caution..Must wear flame retardent materials..
Posts: 377
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Post by ladytaz29 on Feb 24, 2009 19:50:20 GMT -5
Good job Duke and JL..
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Post by earthylady on Feb 24, 2009 21:04:39 GMT -5
Duke was wonderful.Would love to see him every once in a while on the show.
Great job JL.
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Post by jaglady on Feb 24, 2009 21:32:48 GMT -5
Thanks, everybody. Me too. I've been checking around on some of the CBS boards, and it sounds like I'm not alone.
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Post by jaglady on Feb 26, 2009 20:10:41 GMT -5
A/N: This is NOT the last chapter. One more to go. I always had this on the brain for a cute, fluffy homecoming celebration. So here you go. Enjoy!
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Chapter 23—A Sort of Homecoming
Frank Stockburne wore a polo shirt that was the same shade of blue as the Miami sky. Like everyone else, he was just relieved that it was all over—the rain as well as his daughter’s ordeal. Through his sunglasses he looked up and smiled at the clear sky and then faced his guests. Members of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab and their guests sat in the shaded white chairs and watched him.
“First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming here today. If you’re anything like me, you hate those long, boring political speeches, so I’ll just keep it short. This is a special occasion for our family. Not only did you all help bring our daughter Emmie back safely, but also because I found out this week that she’s been awarded a special citation by Lieutenant Caine.” He put held up his hands and applauded. “Everybody give yourselves a hand. All of you did a great job!”
The sound of applause echoed across the lawn from the white pavilion.
The CEO smiled. “We knew that in some little way, this family had to say thank you for everything you did. So today, our home is your home. The whole Stockburne-Parr family is here, three generations of us, and I’m glad to see you and your families as well. So without anymore boring speeches, because I know everybody’s had a busy couple of weeks, I’ll just let you know.” He gestured with his hand. “Our pool and hot tub are over there to your right. Eat as much as you want. The food is in the main dining room behind you. So grab some food, get something to drink, sit back, relax, enjoy yourselves, and make some new friends.” He stood back with a smile and held up his arm. “Thank you. Now go have fun.”
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Calleigh wore a tank top and shorts as she sat next to Delko at the pool’s edge. Calleigh gently kicked the pool water, while five of Emmie’s young, swimsuited cousins had their eyes glued to Delko.
“So you’re a scuba diver?” one of them asked.
Calleigh smiled as Delko seemed to enjoy the attention. “That’s right. Great way to get a girlfriend” he said with his boyish grin, glancing back at Calleigh. Calleigh smiled back.
Two of the boys wrinkled their faces. “Ewww!”
Delko never stopped grinning as he put up one finger. “Watch this! I’ll show you how to do the perfect cannonball.”
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Alexx sat at the white-clothed table and chatted with some other ladies when her son and daughter came up to her.
“Mom, can we go swimming? Mr. Delko is teaching us how to do cannonballs!”
Alexx smiled. “Go ahead, Sweetie.” She smiled after them as they ran in the direction of the pool.
A brown-haired girl in a pretty red party dress and black shoes approached her slowly. She carried a porcelain doll in a dark blue Victorian dress and bonnet.
“Well, hello there, Sweetie” the M.E. said, leaning down toward her. “Oh, now that’s a beautiful doll you’re carrying.” Alexx reached over and put a hand on the little girl’s shoulder. “And what a pretty dress. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Tabitha” the little girl said softly, looking at the M.E. with some wonder.
“Tabitha? What a pretty name for a pretty girl.”
“Aunt Emmie says you’re a real doctor.”
“That’s right.”
Tabitha pouted slightly as she held up her Victorian doll. “Lizzie’s not feeling well. Can you make her feel better?”
Alexx gasped delightfully as she held the rustling doll and gently looked it over. Playfully she held her hand up to her chin. “Well, let’s see now. Hmm. I think Lizzie’s just been missing you. If you hold her tight for one hour, she’ll be all better.” With a smile she gently handed the doll back.
Tabitha smiled at her. “Really?”
“Really.”
The little girl clutched Lizzie tightly. “Thank you!” With that she walked away.
“You’re welcome” Alexx called out with a delighted smile.
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Delko stood at the edge of the pool, water dripping off him, as he lifted his last new little friend out of the pool. He couldn’t help but notice that Frank now strolled by, eating cake from a paper plate. He glanced up at him. “Hey. Looks like you’re starting ‘em young, Delko.”
Getting that boyish grin again, he looked at the two boys and three girls who watched him eagerly now. He nodded with a resolve.
“Okay! Everybody ready? CANNONBALL!” he shouted. In unison, Delko’s five little friends shrieked as they grabbed their knees and followed Delko into the pool in unison, sending up a wave that doused Frank and his cake.
Frank dropped his wet cake and shook off his brown suit. “Augh! Delko! You….” He quickly censored himself around the young ears. He wiped off the top of his head and walked away, wringing out his brown jacket, ignoring the giggles behind him.
“That’s why you want to know how to do the perfect cannonball” he said with his wet, boyish grin. His new little friends laughed as they hung onto the side of the pool.
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Emmie leaned her crutches on the table as she sat in the pavilion. She perched her injured leg up on a white chair as she watched her co-workers enjoy themselves. Ryan sat with her.
“It was really nice of your family to do this” Ryan said as he watched out on the lawn. “Looks like everybody’s having fun.”
The computer tech smiled. “I’m just glad to be home.”
Chelsea, her five-year-old second cousin, sat nearby, bouncing in her flowery dress.
“Chelsea?”
The little girl looked at her aunt.
Emmie pointed to Horatio. “See that tall, red-haired man in the black suit with the sunglasses?”
The curly-haired little girl whipped her head around and then looked back at her elder cousin. “Uh huh.”
“That’s Lieutenant Caine. That’s a real superhero.”
Chelsea smiled. “Really?”
“I bet he’d really like it if you gave him a hug” she said with a smile.
The little girl trotted over to Horatio and immediately wrapped her arm around one leg. The Lieutenant smiled and stroked her hair. “Well. Hello there. What was that for?” he asked her with a delighted surprise as he bent down to her.
The little blonde-haired girl looked up at him. “My Aunt Emmie says you’re a real hero.”
He gently picked her up. “Actually, your Aunt Emmie was the hero. What’s your name?”
“Chelsea.”
“I had to do that” Emmie said with a smile. Ryan chuckled.
Frank cursed under his breath as he left a trail of pool water. Emmie and Ryan ducked out of his way as he walked under the shade and began to blot his tie and shirt with a white towel.
“Tripp, aren’t you supposed to get changed before you go swimming?” Ryan kidded.
The detective scowled at him. “Yeah, right! Delko’s little swimming club did a cannonball right in front of me!” He now took off his wet brown jacket. “I’m gonna get a beer and dry off!” He quickly disappeared, blotting pool water out of his jacket and tie.
“You gonna want to take a boat ride with Uncle Edwin, Ryan?” Emmie asked, smiling as she watched Frank.
He pursed his lips in thought. “Don’t know. You coming?”
“Uh huh. It’s really beautiful to go down the canal in the sunset. Just be careful. Uncle Edwin likes to make sure you’ve had enough beer.”
Suddenly Emmie pointed out at the lawn and giggled.
“What is it?” Ryan wanted to know.
“Oh my God, will you look at this!”
Horatio now walked carefully across the lawn toward the shade. He still held Chelsea on his hip. The little girl rested her head trustingly on his shoulder and clung to his jacket lapel. Three other little girls in party dresses now walked closely behind him, each one clutching the hem of his black jacket in their fists. He still wore his sunglasses and smiled slightly.
“Mr. Wolfe. Miss Stockburne” he said matter-of-factly.
“Sir, I always knew you were the ladies’ man” Emmie said between laughs.
Through his sunglasses he glanced down. “Well, it would seem word got out that I’m some kind of hero, Miss Stockburne.” He then turned back toward the house with his entourage. “Ladies, what do you say we go back up to the house and get something to drink?”
The little girls turned with the Lieutenant, still clutching his black jacket, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah!”
He smiled. “Maybe we’ll see you two on the boat ride.” And with that he left.
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Post by earthylady on Feb 27, 2009 1:53:32 GMT -5
Horatio and it seems Delko have a way with kids.Frank is as funny as ever.It's nice to see how comfortable Emmie and Ryan are with each other.
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Post by jaglady on Feb 27, 2009 19:54:36 GMT -5
A/N: This is the final chapter of this work. I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments and reviews. You have kept me going. I may take a break, and then I'll have to decide whether to bring A Big, Beautiful Murder out of hiatus, or start on another one that has been rattling around in my head. Either way, I want to let you know how much I appreciate you.
The next in my Emmie Stockburne series "A Monster's Ball" will be in the Crossovers. It will be a CSI Miami/JAG crossover, and I hope to start posting it within the next couple of days.
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Chapter 24—Fair Skies Tomorrow
Natalia sat on the old, worn blue sofa and glanced all around her. She wanted to respect the peaceful, quiet feel the old, gentle house had about it.
Angela Miller sat down in a faded brown armchair opposite from the CSI. “Thanks for coming, Miss, uh….”
“Boa Vista” she corrected.
Angela Miller nodded numbly. “Boa Vista.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Interesting name.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I get you anything, Miss, uh, Boa Vista?” the widow asked.
Smokey lumbered up to Natalia and sniffed her legs and feet. She gently patted his curious gray nose. “No Ma’am, thank you. I’m just here to let you know what happened.”
She looked down numbly as though to brace herself. “It wasn’t an accident, was it?”
The CSI paused. “No, it wasn’t. We found evidence that your car’s brakes were tampered with, Mrs. Miller. We’ve arrested several suspects in the case.”
The lady continued to look down, but she furrowed her eyebrows. “Several suspects?”
“Mrs. Miller—“
She suddenly looked up. “Did Melissa Matherson have anything to do with this?” she almost demanded.
Natalia paused. “Yes, Ma’am.”
The gentle, elegant, blonde-haired widow seemed resigned to her fate. She settled back in the armchair and nodded sadly. “When we left Houston, I figured it was finally over between my husband and Melissa.” She looked down at the old coffee table and absentmindedly followed the scratches. “I knew what was going on between Eric and that woman. I guess I just didn’t want to accept it.”
The brown-haired CSI looked around the old, simple house now. Angela Miller studied her. “I know what you’re thinking” she finally said. “It’s okay. You can ask.”
“Ma’am?”
“I guess you know all about our lottery winnings. You’re probably wondering how we could have all that money and live like this. Why don’t we have a Star Island mansion or a villa in the South of France or something, right?”
Natalia shrugged. “In my line of work, you see people do all kinds of things.”
Angela Miller suddenly changed from being a grieving widow to an understanding older woman. “When Eric and I first started out, we lived in a basement apartment in Colorado. Do you know how cold it gets in the Rockies? It starts to drop below freezing in October. But looking back, we did all right. Eric was a deejay, and I was the secretary at a small station. We lived pretty simply. We thought we were struggling. Then we won that lottery.” She leaned back and sighed. “We thought our hardships were over, but they were just getting started. Word got out, and then they started to show up at our door. Literally.”
“They?”
The widow shook her head at the memory. “Strangers in need, long-lost relatives we never knew we had. So-and-so needed an operation. Low-lifes would tell us how we could triple our earnings with such-and-such a land deal. Eric’s truck got broken into twice. I guess people were looking for money. We liked that little basement apartment, but the landlady threw us out because of all the nutjobs that were coming around and harassing us. Eric didn’t really want to give up broadcasting, and I loved working at that little station. But there was no going back. We were the big-time lottery winners. We finally changed our names and left the state.” She sighed. “Funny. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. We couldn’t have the one thing we really wanted. We just wanted peace and quiet and to live our lives. Some things you just can’t put a price tag on, Miss Boa Vista.”
Natalia simply nodded as she listened.
“So we kept enough for ourselves to pay off some debts. Buy a new pickup truck. Eric went back to college and got his meteorology degree. We kept the money in an account in the Cayman Islands and just took out a little bit when we wanted to spoil ourselves. We’ve had this house, we’ve had each other, and old Smokey here keeps me company. No, Eric and I learned that all those things just wear out after a while.” She looked at the sad old Weimaraner who glanced up and thumped his tail on the hardwood floor at the sound of his name.
“Something I don’t understand, though, Mrs. Miller.”
“What’s that, dear?”
“You went through all the trouble of changing your names and leaving Colorado. But Eric Miller was in a job where he was on TV all the time.”
Angela Miller shrugged. “That’s how much he loved what he did. The lottery thing had blown over. But I guess the wrong people found out who we were.” She looked down again. “Miss Boa Vista, Melissa Matherson’s not going to get any money from Eric’s will, is she?”
“I’m not an estate attorney, Mrs. Miller. But she’s never going to be a problem to you ever again.”
She now buried her hand in her face. “I miss him” she sobbed quietly.
Natalia wanted to reach out and hug the woman. She could only remember Nick. Despite the pain, she understood what the woman was going through. Nick was dead now, but there had once been a simple love between them, much like this woman experienced. “I know what you’re going through” she finally said.
Angela Miller looked up, tears on her face. “You do?”
Natalia shrugged with a sad smile. “I’ve sort of been there.” She paused. “So what do you think you’ll do now?”
“I don’t know, dear.” She looked distantly out the picture window. “Are you a widow too?”
“Yes and no” Natalia told her with a sad smile. “We split up, and he’s dead now.”
Angela Miller held out her hand and kissed. “Smokey? Come here, boy.” The gray Weimaraner sadly lumbered over to his owner and put his gray head under her hand. She gently petted him as he sat with his eyes closed blissfully. His cropped tail thumped on the hardwood floor. “Smokey’s still waiting for his daddy to come home. I guess it’s gonna take some time for us. I know. Maybe I should just go somewhere and blow some of that money.” She sighed deeply. “I just don’t feel the need.”
“Have you ever thought about donating it to a charity? A battered women’s shelter, perhaps?”
“That might be a good thing. Lord knows I’d just rather take a long walk, well, with Smokey.” She looked at the floor. “Now that Eric’s gone. I wish I could thank you enough, Miss Boa Vista. And I’m sorry about your husband.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.” Natalia stood up. “I better go now. Call us if there’s anything else we can do.”
The widow stood up behind her. Smokey walked dutifully next to his owner as she followed Natalia to the brown front door. “Well, thank you, dear, I mean, Officer.”
“’Dear’ is fine” Natalia said with a smile. “If there are any new developments, I’ll certainly call you.” She shook hands with the pretty, blonde-haired widow. “Take care, Mrs. Miller.”
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Emmie typed on the laptop that was balanced on her injured leg when she heard a knock at the door. “It’s open!”
Ryan carried more case files in his arms as he slowly opened her front door. “Hi Emmie. How you feeling?”
She looked up from her laptop. “Oh, hi Ryan.” She shrugged. “I slept a little. What have you got?”
“More work from the lab. You shouldn’t have complained to Horatio that you’re bored.” He grinned at her as he laid the folders on her coffee table.
She reached for the folders and thumbed through them. “Great. I finished the stack you brought me yesterday. So how are things going over there?”
“Same old.” He picked up the stack of folders that she had left on the couch for him. “Got any dinner plans?”
Emmie shrugged at him with a smile. “Not really.”
“How about I cook something?”
“I don’t want you to trouble yourself, Ryan.”
The CSI stepped into her small kitchen and glanced through her cabinets. “No trouble. I'll just take a bite off the top. Preferences?”
“Well, whatever it is, it has to be better than Cheese Twists and coffee. I mean, I really can’t stand up for too long.”
“You just stay there. I’ll take care of it.”
Emmie set her laptop aside and picked up her TV remote. She flipped through the channels randomly. “I’ve been working as much as I could. Gonna see what’s going on out there.”
From the WTVM Weather Center, for one last recap of Miami-Dade weather, here’s our new Senior Meteorologist, Al Coleman.
The tall, blonde-haired meteorologist smiled and clasped his hands as he faced the camera.
“Thank you, Tonya. Thank you, John. Before tonight’s last recap of the Miami-Dade regional weather, I’d like to give one last salute to our Heroes of the Day, the Miami-Dade Police Department. Like all of our first responders in the South Florida area, they were some of our real heroes during the storms that we’d had over the last couple of weeks. Miami-Dade Police, give yourselves a round of applause.” He paused and smiled again. “Weatherwise, I’m happy to announce that the cold rain is long gone. It’s out of here. We’re going to see some warming temperatures with highs in the seventies for the daytime and lows in the sixties. Very slim chance of a pop-up shower over the beaches, but it looks like things will finally be getting back to normal.” He smiled again as he faced the camera. “We’ll see you on the eleven o’clock broadcast with more weather updates. This is Al Coleman. Good night.”
END
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Post by earthylady on Feb 28, 2009 12:01:44 GMT -5
Great job Jl,loved it. ;D
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ladytaz29
Rookie Officer
Caution..Must wear flame retardent materials..
Posts: 377
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Post by ladytaz29 on Feb 28, 2009 14:40:08 GMT -5
I always hate to see these end... But it makes me look forward to the next..
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Post by jaglady on Feb 28, 2009 15:00:08 GMT -5
Thanks, everybody. I'm really glad you enjoyed. And thanks for TELLING ME. It's funny. We have some new team leads at my current workplace (I'm a temp), and while I kid them about being able to read minds, it's obvious they're having a rough time of it, and they appreciate a little humor in the middle of it all. My favorite line? "Oh, they didn't teach you Mindreading 101 in school, huh?"
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Post by ct150563 on Mar 1, 2009 16:22:36 GMT -5
This was a damn good story. I can't wait to read more of your work.
Cass
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