fantastic the team are now involved its really a shame that cindy
had to die more soon please Rosa
Lin

keep fantasising guys and then do something about it

'death by chocolate?' i love 'death by chocolate' it's scrummy, not as scrummy as jack but hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cath

It's hot here in Chicago... So, I decided to in my home with the AC on and enjoy this twisted story... I am very intrigued...
More please!

Rosa you are amazing...I can't get enough of this story!

More soon please!

I'm starting to wonder whether or not she might have wandered upon something she shouldn't have. Why else target her?

Thank you all

Bobby and Myles located the bike and Ms Bailey’s possessions without any trouble at all. The officer was more than helpful and told them everything they needed to know, including who the bike had been rented from and that the department had contacted the rental agency and told them why at this moment they had to hold onto the bike.

“It is a fine machine” said Bobby, just refraining from running his hands over its body.

“Yes” Myles said not so convinced “A death trap”

“Except in this case not” Bobby replied.

^^^^

At the service station Jack and Sue climbed out of the car and headed into the store to speak to the proprietor. The office in which they were ushered was hot, cramped and airless; the fan on the window ledge was off. Papers scattered every surface but the manager looked presentable enough.

“I served her; she bought gas and then a short while later some bottled water”

“Did you notice anything suspicious?” asked Sue.

“No, she..the second time looked bothered about something but no. One of my colleagues saw her collapse. I went to investigate. We called 911. We did think at one point it was a ruse to hold up the store but she was alone, that wasn’t the situation at all”

“Did she make conversation? Say where she was from? Or going to?” Jack enquired.

“No, she said nothing…well you know except whatever number her gas pump had been and thank you”

Jack and Sue headed back to DC but instead of going to the bullpen headed to the hospital instead. The senior attending doctor took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with them, at first they gleaned no more than D had already told them but then he added “There was no sign that she was a user, in fact there was no sign that the drugs she had within her system were injected at all, they were ingested, to me that seems odd and suspicious but I am sure that is your department not mine”

^^^^
“So…it appears she was murdered” Tara deduced as they sat having a recap before heading home that evening.

“What a way to be murdered though” said Lucy shuddering at the thought.

“On a lighter note is everyone still on for my bbq tonight?” Myles asked “Seven thirty”

“Yes it’s the perfect night for eating outdoors” said Sue with a smile.

“Count me in” agreed Lucy “As long as there isn’t any chocolate cake”

“And me” Tara and Bobby added.

“Jack?” queried Myles.

“I’m there”

‘Good’ silently thought the team if this one last attempt didn’t bring Sue and Jack together they feared it was a lost cause, forever.

I wonder what plans the team have for Jack and Sue at Myles'

This case is getting more interesting by the minute...I love it!

More soon Rosa!

I'm sure whatever they have planned is going to be great!!!

Can't wait for the

Em

I am really enjoying this!
On another note - you may also be helping to prevent me from putting on any weight - I have gone right off chocolate cake!

The investigation heats up...murder is discovered...and Myles is cookin up a way to get Jack and Sue together. I am really curious Rosa what he has up his sleeve!

I know it is going to be good! Can't wait!

Lynn

I can't wait to see what the team is up to. Great case!

I just hope myles has has better luck at getting them together
than lucy has more soon please Rosa
Lin

wonder what plans they have for jack and sue?

cath

Death by chocolate

OK, it was poison by drugs but .... poor Cindy!

Can't wait for the bbq at Myles Team effort for Jack and Sue

Mmmm.....Mmmmmmmm.... I love
I hope they all have fun...
More soon!

Great story so far, Rosa! You've got an intriguing case, some interesting original characters and last but not least, the team is conspiring to get Jack and Sue together! Couldn't get much better.

I guess it's a good think I don't eat much chocolate cake... not even on my birthday (ice-cream cake is sooo much better!). The only time I eat chocolate cake is when either my dad or I make it... otherwise, I don't really touch it.

I wonder what the team has up their sleeves to push Jack and Sue together... they could always force them to play 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'... of course, that might be more fun if they were teenagers.

Thank you all very much

The evening was balmy, the aromas of Myles’ steaks, handmade sausages, burgers, wafted into the air and caused everyone to sniff appreciatively and rub their stomach’s in anticipation of the meal they were to enjoy. The evening so far was going well as Bobby helped Myles with the cooking and Tara and Lucy prepared some salad in the kitchen, both groups telling Sue and Jack there was nothing else to be done and that they should enjoy a drink on the decking, together.

They sat opposite each other not exactly what the team had planned but they figured conversation wise it worked, each on a wooden lounge chair with a dark green cushion for comfort. Sue, Jack noted was quiet, he leaned forward intending to place his hand on her arm but she moved and his fingers brushed her bare knee instead. He swallowed hard, she looked beautiful tonight, she had obviously showered and changed since work and he could almost taste her perfume as it swept by his nostrils.

“Jack, Jack” Sue said with some concern.

He hadn’t moved for some moments now and still rested his hand on her knee, which was sending, small thrills of delight all the way up to her heart. Suddenly as if the trance he was in was broken he looked at her and smiled, retracting his hand and both felt the sudden loss it gave.

“Is everything …alright?” he asked, signing alongside talking, needing to do something useful with his hands, which would at that moment have preferred to be touching the woman before him instead.

“I was thinking” she replied deciding to ignore the fact he had lapsed into a world of his own himself.

“About anything I can help you with?” he asked.

She signed heavily “I was thinking of Cindy, wondering what her last thoughts and steps were”

“We will know more tomorrow when her parents and brother arrive” he said softly.

“I feel for them too. To find out that your daughter is dead, like that. Lucy said they told her she had gone on a weekend away with some girl friends. We have to find them Jack”

“We will tomorrow, it will be fine”

“I hope so” she replied not convinced.

“Dance?” he asked suddenly.

“I can’t hear the music” she told him with a smile, thinking it was nice of Myles to add some soft music to the occasion, or rather she assumed it to be soft, she couldn’t feel a beat.

“There isn’t any music” Jack said “I just want to dance with you, we can make a rhythm of our own”

“Oh” she said suddenly thrown and looked around, the bbq was smouldering at the other end of the garden with Bobby who had his back to them in attendance.

They stood together and it seemed natural to slip their arms about each other and sway to nothingness. A dance which was to become their own as they stood there in the embrace, each revelling in the nearness it brought. Jack tried to remember to breathe as he pulled her closer, their cheeks touching lightly and he let his hands lightly caress her back. Sue couldn’t believe she was dancing with Jack in Myles’ backyard but she didn’t care. To have a close moment with the man she loved was better than secret glances across her desk during the day at work and non dinner dates in the evenings. Sue felt bold as she allowed her fingers to delve into the soft hair and the nape of Jack’s neck. Jack moved back to look at Sue, she gasped slightly.

“Don’t stop” he whispered, his voice husky, his eyes filled with desire which even as inexperienced as she was, she recognised.

“This?” she asked, pausing in her ministrations.

“Yes” he replied, his voice rasping even more.

He didn’t say anymore as his eyes closed and his body savoured the sensations the innocent caress was inducing in his already heated mind and body. His mouth breathed upon hers in a feather light caress, asking, anticipating her response. He felt he stiffen slightly before relaxing into the kiss as her fingers worked their magic at his neck. Jack’s hands came up and cupped her face protectively, wanting to hold her and let her know all that she was to him and more. Sue’s mouth was soft beneath his and he moulded it to fit his own, testing, tasting, shaping, caressing and filling it with his tongue, until she kissed him in return, matching his passion.

From the window of the kitchen the team looked on.

“I feel we are intruding” said Lucy.

“We are intruding” confirmed Bobby.

“But our bbq plan was a good one” said Myles.

“The best” said Tara “This is the best course their relationship has taken in months”

“We’re not going to give up on them after all” commented Bobby.

“Would we have really given up on them?” asked Lucy, looking at her fellow team mates who shrugged and muttered ‘perhaps’ to her. She shook her head at them and added “Well I wouldn’t have given up on them I knew they had it in their hearts somewhere”

They took one last glance at the couple who were still kissing on the decking before moving on to taste the great feast that Myles had put on for them that evening, figuring that Sue and Jack would join them when they were ready..

Wow!
Dancing to their own music... wonderful

Now how could they give up on true love?

I love it!!!

Joy

A delicious smelling... mouth-watering = &

fantastic myles you have brought them closer together more soon please Rosa
Lin

wonderful, beautiful, fuzzylicious

cath

Beautiful Rosa!!!

I was so excited to sit down to read a whole Rosa story. Then, the first word I read was Lorna, and I thought, "Oh no, she's probably evil." You know, Lorna's on T.V. are always evil. Then, I was all excited when I read she was not evil at all (at least I don't think she is). Next, she at the chocolate cake -- which I can assure you is a very Lornalike thing to do.

Jack and Sue are

Great mystery and great relationship development!

Rosa, that was totally melt worthy. Dancing to their own rhythm and then the kiss

That, Rosa, was fantastic!

Loved that Myles offered to

But, they didn't have any

Loved the dancing to their own music! So romantic!

And loved the kiss!

Thanks.

Lynn

I don't think they really would have given up on Jack and Sue if this hadn't worked out. I feel like there would have always been that one thing that continued to tell them that those two were perfect for one another.

I hope they save them some food... this could be a while

Em

Thank you



Madeline was weary, she hadn’t heard from Cindy to say her flight got back okay and she hoped she was alright. She just guessed her friend was tired or found she had some urgent work to finish or perhaps a friend of the male variety had turned up for a romantic evening. She ordered room service; it arrived slightly longer than she was accustomed to waiting, served by a young man in his early to mid twenties.

Madeline had chosen to stay in a suite, a room would have been sufficient but she liked to spread out, make herself at home and feel generally pampered when having to stay out of town. She took her meal to the polished oak table and lifted the lid of the silver plated dish cover. There was salmon salad, fruit salad and the third was contained a generous slice of chocolate cake. It was Monday, she didn’t eat cake on Monday and she certainly hadn’t ordered it. She guessed some poor soul was on the phone now complaining of the lack of their indulgent chocolate cake. Slowly as she liked to ingest her food properly she ate the two salads. When she was finished, she walked into the lavish bathroom and took a deep hot bubble bath, a luxury she never allowed herself at home, mostly due to time.

Madeline padded back into the sitting room; the cake was still sitting there, asking her to eat it. The salads hadn’t been that filling and she had skipped lunch so she finally gave into temptation and began to eat the cake, just as slowly as she had consumed the salads. It was heavenly and she wondered why she didn’t let go of her routine and eat cake during the week more often. She felt tired and full when it was all gone and fell on the bed, in an instant she was asleep; a sleep that she was never to wake from.

Another chocolate cake??? I will never look at chocolate cake the same way again!!!

Ok may be once or twice!!! What can I say its CHOCOLATE!!

Sam

I know chocolate is deadly, but not that kind of deadly

Rosa, this story could do wonders for my waistline. I didn't need chocolate cake, anyway.

Great job building the suspense.

First of all poisoning by chocolate ... Quite original...

Then a BBQ plan ... interesting

And then the BBQ Party


And finally, another chocolate cake

So now it's nearly dinner time and I'm just hungry (but no chocolate cake tonight )

O'seam

Oh dear....and she ate it. Why must chocolate be so tempting?

The team HAVE to solve this!!
Who is targetting these women... and why?

( Have to say, though, it's probably an excellent way to kill someone off. Free yummy chocolate cake... it would get me every time!
(I was last in the willpower queue and they ran out ))

ok i have no will power at all cos i'll still be eating chocolate cake,

cath

I really have gone off chocolate cake now
I know its dangerous to ones health more soon please Rosa
Lin

You have really killed the idea of eating chocolate cake for me, Rosa... Seriously... no one else needs to die from the deliciousness of ... I'm just kidding, it's your story; do whatever you want!

But, please update soon!

**waves off concerns** Chocolate cake?

Bring it on!!!!

Remember... we only need to be wary of 1. unmarked bakery boxes with strange notes from men who use initials... and 2. unordered room service cake.

No chocolate cake so I felt the need to get up and get a piece of Dove dark chocolate. Love the story Rosa!

Why? Why does this person have to use the most delectable confection known to man to poison his victims? Why the chocolate cake?!

Well I wouldn't stop eating chocolate cake altogether especially if you made it yourself Thanks for all your replies

Part 9

Cindy’s close family arrived just after ten and Jack and Sue spoke with them in the conference room. Mr and Mrs Bailey were in their mid sixties an attractive couple who were dressed smart, but casually. Gavin their son who was in his forties and greying at the temples, smartly dressed in a suit had accompanied them. The three of them were distraught over the news of their daughter and sister.

“She was such a free spirit” Mrs Bailey said, wiping her eyes again “We had out differences, she believed different things to us”

“My mother means that she had a number of relationships, the most permanent of them was perhaps a year” Gavin informed them.

“But she was our daughter and we loved her” said Mr Bailey.

“When was the last time you saw your daughter, sister?” asked Jack gently.

“We hadn’t seen her since Easter” Mr Bailey confesses “She came over for dinner on the Sunday”

“I saw her a couple of weeks ago” Gavin added “She did some work for a friend of mine and was dropping it off”

“So you’re weren’t close?” asked Jack again, wincing at the question.

“Not as I would have liked to be” Mrs Bailey replied.

“Do you know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Cindy?” asked Sue.

Mr Bailey shrugged and replied “No, she got on with most people she knew and met, she hadn’t had a regular boyfriend for some time as far as we were aware”

“If she had problems with the business she would always pick up the phone and give me a call” Gavin added.

“Can you tell us why she was in the DC area this weekend?” Sue continued.

“Yes” all three answered together but it was Mrs Bailey who continued “It was her annual visit with two friends she met when she was a young teenager. They meet the same place, same time every summer, or have done for a number of years”

“Can you tell us the names and addresses of her friends and where she stayed?” asked Jack.

“Yes” said Gavin “We can”

^^^^^
Tara and Myles arrived at the small resort a little after noon that day. An elderly man sat in reception.

“Good afternoon” he said a pleasant smile upon his face “How may I help you? Are you looking to rent a chalet?”

“No” said Tara with a smile.

“FBI” announced Myles showing his badge “We would like to ask you a few questions”

“Certainly whatever I can do to help your good folk do your job better” he added with a wink at Tara and reminded her of her grandfather.

“We understand that at the weekend a Cindy Bailey, a Madeline Cox and a Lorna Parker rented a chalet”

“That’s right, been coming here for a decade”

“Can you tell us anything you thought was perhaps suspicious?” prompted Tara.

“Not particularly, they keep themselves to themselves, never had any bother with them. Has one of the done something?”

“One of them is dead, murdered”

“Oh” said Cyril, visibly distressed and sat back down on his stool with a thump.

“Can you think of anything” Tara asked one last time.

“On their last morning there was a delivery for Ms Bailey”

“What sort of delivery?”

“Brown package delivery, they never usually get parcels, but I took it down to them”

“Did you see what was inside?”

“No that was personal”

“I assume you cleaned the room where did any trash go?”

“The trash can. Tell you what go round and take a look if you like”

“One more thing” asked Tara “Who delivered the parcel?”

“A young man”

“Can you be more descriptive?” asked Myles.

“I am not much good with ages, he could have been anything from eighteen to thirty, average height, build with brown hair nothing usual or striking. He just told me there was a delivery and that was it”

“Do you have close circuit television?”

“No, no need here, never had any trouble before”

“Thank you for your time” Tara said with a smile “We’ll just look through your trash and we will be on our way”

Myles and Tara rifled through the large trash can for forty minutes before Myles triumphantly held up part of the packaging with the name and address printed on the side.

“This is better than nothing” Tara said.

“Let’s hope we get a stronger lead soon” Myles responded as they looked gravely at each other and placed the brown paper securely in a clear plastic bag.

I agree....it's certainly better than nothing. They are making progress.

I caught up

The BBQ fuzzies...now that was Good plan gang!

another murder...I'm still never going to look at chocolate cake the same again

I'm glad they are making some progress tho!

Rosa

I really hope they get a lead soon
Lin

I'm sticking to oreos!!!

Joy

a small step forward but at least it is a step forward

cath

I'm thinking the team will be in for a surprise when they stumble upon another murder of the same kind...

faster Rosa... I'm waiting for more