Fiction: Title to Be Determined (Part Eleven)

Read Part Ten.

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Jules backed out of her office almost as soon as she had entered - it was rather full with two unknown men and her partner. She'd felt the office would be tight quarters when she joined Sterling, but with the additional bodies it was a sardine tin.

"Ah, Dr Julian, let me introduce to you to some friends, this is Detective Mike Howard," Alistair pointed to the elder of the two men, probably in his fifties, his blonde hair thinning on top. Howard grudgingly held his hand out for Jules.

"Elizabeth Julian," she muttered.

"And this is Charlie Sullivan," Alistair pointed to the younger man, one of the few African-Americans she had seen since she had left Austin. Of the three men in the room, she felt he would probably be the first to befriend her.

"Welcome," Charlie smiled. "Elizabeth?"

"No one calls me 'Elizabeth' except for my mother. You can call me Jules."

"We were just catching Alistair up on your newest vic."

"Ah," Jules gave a quick glance at Sterling. He had chosen not to wait for her. He squirmed slightly, not meeting her gaze. "You won't mind starting over for me, then?" She caught the look Howard gave Alistair. "My apologies for being a few minutes late."

"No worried, Dr Julian." Charlie answered. "Howard was just going over some of the details we got yesterday from the family."

"Yeah," Howard spoke up, taking his cue from his younger partner. "Vic's name is Miriam Jones, twenty-four, single. Worked for an accounting firm in Springdale, family lives in Rogers. No known problems, seems like every other vic - this is out of the blue, doesn't have any obvious ties to any other of the victims."

"You've got the family's address?"

"Right here," Charlie said, handing a slip of paper to Alistair. "We're on our way to her apartment to see what we can dig up there."

Alistair nodded before handing the address and his keys to Jules. "Well, let's go on out." he said, standing.

Jules looked down at the address in her hands, then back up to Charlie Sullivan's face. "I know things can be tense here - especially right now - but Sterling's a good man."

"I appreciate that." Jules said, looking at the door through which Sterling had just left. "I'm probably more worried about the Chief than anyone."

"You're an intelligent woman, I can see that." Charlie smiled. "If you stay out of Preston's hair, he'll leave you alone..."

"But?"

"You're working with Al - you're pretty much on his bad list."

Jules sighed, "Great."

"You'll get used to him."

"Thanks." Jules headed to the door way. "Charlie, can you do me a favor?"

"I can try."

"If you see anything like a journal or a diary, even a calendar, will you take it into evidence?"

"Sure thing," Charlie agreed as Sterling stuck his head around the door jamb. "Dr Julian, are you coming?"

"Yes, sir." Jules answered, speeding out of the office.

Alistair looked at Charlie for a moment. "I'm not saying that you can't be nice to her, Sullivan, but you'd best remember that Preston's on the warpath and I wouldn't go making friends with anyone on his list."

"Including you, sir?"

"Especially me, Charlie."

"Sir, have you considered that Dr Julian, as the newcomer, feels she's being made an outcast by us?" Charlie considered his next words carefully, "I can relate to some of that, sir."

Alistair nodded, remembering very well some of the grief Charlie had put up wtih in his early days on the beat, mostly from a couple of fools who had long since gone. But it was a sufficient reminder from the younger man - Alistair had befriend Charlie at the time, had taken him under his wing. It had been the right thing to do. "I'll work hard at helping her, Charlie. Any other observations about Dr Julian?"

"She's cute."

Alistair grumbled something incoherent as he walked away from his office.