Colin met Bonnie on a street corner just as it was starting to get dark. "Evening," she said lightly, her hands stuck in the pocket of her trenchcoat.
"Evening." Colin headed down the street and glanced at her as she walked beside him. "Why the trenchcoat?"
"Why not the trenchcoat?" She asked quickly.
"I asked you first," Colin protested. "And before you jump to conclusions, I don't mind the trenchcoat. I'm just curious."
"I thought we talked about this before."
"The trenchcoat?"
"No, your curiosity."
Colin laughed. "No, we were talking about your curiosity. This is different."
"Fine." Bonnie stepped around a puddle and cleared her throat. "I like the feeling of wearing a trenchcoat."
"And that's it?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Does there have to be some other reason?"
"No...I just...uh...realized that it kind of covers you up."
Bonnie's elbow jostled Colin. "That's the point of any coat."
"No...I mean..." Colin's brows met as he tried to formulate his next words. "Do you want to be covered up on purpose?"
She tilted her head to one side, her expression veiled by the darkness. "Ah. Hm...maybe? What do you mean...on purpose?"
"It covers up your figure," Colin burst out. "Makes you look less...feminine."
She stopped walking. "Is that bad?" Her voice had taken on a sharp edge and Colin realized he was treading on dangerous ground.
"No," he said emphatically. "Like I said, I'm curious. You talked about how hard it was to get into the detective business. And...I wondered if you thought the coat helped."
"Helped?" Bonnie started walking again, but the sharp tone still lingered in her voice.
"Helped people...men...forget that you're a woman." He held his breath, not glancing in her direction.
Bonnie was silent for a moment. "I guess maybe I did. Do," she corrected herself. "It's...it's all an act, I guess. I'm not even sure it's a good act. I'm not sure that I'm fooling anyone into thinking I'm actually a detective." She drew in a deep breath.
"I don't think it's all an act," Colin said in a low voice. "You handled yourself pretty well yesterday with that body." He glanced over at her profile and saw that it was set firmly.
"I guess so..." She ventured after a moment. "So...you think it's a good act?"
Colin scoffed. "I don't think it's an act at all. This - " he motioned to her trenchcoat "-is you, not an act. You've got an angle, sure, but it's not an act."
He heard Bonnie's breath catch in her throat. "An angle, not an act. You really think that?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?" He shook his head at her hesitance to believe him.
"Yeah..." She took a deep breath again. "But...we're partners. You're not just saying that to make me feel...better?"
"If I was, that wouldn't be a good partnership. I've learned - the hard way - that it's better to be honest with your partner."
"Oh?" The sharp edge was gone from Bonnie's voice now.
"Because if you know that your partner is honest with you, it makes everything so much easier." Colin sighed, glancing up at the sky. There were no stars out - or if there were, he couldn't see them.
"You used to work on the force...with Hudson, right?"
"Under Hudson, not with him. There's a difference. But, yeah."
"So what happened?"
Of course she would ask that. Colin blinked. "I..." He cleared his throat. "I'll tell you about it later." He turned a corner, avoiding Bonnie's gaze. He could still feel her eyes on him, though.
Bonnie grabbed his arm. "What happened to being honest, huh?" She demanded.
Colin glanced at her and then at the pavement below his feet. "I'll tell you," he said after a minute. "I just don't like to talk about it."
Bonnie's grip on his arm tightened momentarily. "Well...then don't. Not right now, anyway." She looked around at the buildings on either side of them. "What are we doing besides walking around?"
"We're...on patrol, I guess." Colin sat down on the steps of the house they had stopped in front of.
"Why haven't I seen any of the policemen that Hudson was supposed to send? You did call him, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I called him. I-"
A figure rounded the corner. Colin stood and peered at him, then nodded. "Hey, Daughtry."
"Everton! Haven't seen you in a while." The two men shook hands.
"Daughtry, this is my partner, Bonnie Taylor." He put an arm around Bonnie's waist and drew her forward.
Daughtry's expression was obscured by the darkness, but that didn't disguise the surprise in his voice. "Partner? They're letting women on the force? Hudson let you back on the force?"
Colin was about to answer, but Bonnie spoke first. "What is it with policemen and questions? I thought I was supposed to the be one who never shut up." She casually took Colin's hand and extricated herself from his grasp.
Colin felt his face grow hot without knowing why. He let his arm hand by his side where Bonnie had left it, cleared his throat, and tried to focus on whatever Daughtry had said. "Yeah, what's with all the questions?" He joked. "No I'm not back on the force. Neither is Bonnie. Hudson asked us to work on a case. You know, the murders."
"Ah, so you're working on the mother murders?" Daughtry asked lightly. "That's why I'm here - Hudson having extra guys around would keep anything else from happening."
Bonnie made a sound of displeasure. "The mother murders?"
Daughtry nodded. "That's what we're calling them."
Bonnie sighed. "Give it a catchy name and the horror of it goes away."
Colin glanced at her. "That's the point - for it to go away."
Daughtry glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Speaking of going away, I'd better get back to my beat." He saluted playfully and headed down the street.
When he was out of earshot, Colin turned to Bonnie. "What's wrong with you?"
She laid a hand on his arm, her fingers tense. "I just don't like making light of murders. It's...it's disgusting."
Colin sighed, shaking his head. "We don't do it on purpose. It's...a way to deal with it, I guess. With the horror of it, like you said." He laid his hand on top of hers, only to be thwarted when she removed her hand from his grasp.
"And another thing. Next time you introduce me, don't put your arm around me."
"What! Why not?" Colin drew back, frowning in confusion.
"It's patronizing," Bonnie said simply, tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat.
"Patronizing!" Colin exclaimed sharply. "I wasn't trying to be patronizing, Bonnie! How am I supposed to introduce you?"
"Just like you would introduce another man. Not with an arm around the waist."
Colin ran his fingers through his hair. "Wait, wait. You're forgetting something else. You're a woman, not a man. We've slept together, Bonnie. I can't overlook that."
Bonnie chuckled dryly. "Work and play don't mix, Colin. At least not with me."
"You mean I'm supposed to forget about what we do after hours? That's impossible!"
"Not for me, it isn't." Bonnie took a step backwards. "Look, maybe this was a mistake. Neither one of us is up for this...this stakeout thing tonight."
"Oh?" Colin challenged, stung into a sharp reply. "I am. If you want to go home to Jesse, go ahead."
Bonnie's breath caught in her throat as she scoffed. "Fine. Fine. You stay up all night and see what it gets you. It won't get you anything!" She turned and stalked down the street, the clicks of her shoes accentuating her sour mood.
Colin rolled his eyes and sat down on the steps again. I'll show her.