The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
Chapter 24
It was late in the evening when Tea finally walked into the Llanview police station. She noticed Bo putting on his jacket and heading for the door, almost running into her.
“Bo…anything new on Blair’s case?” asked Tea, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving.
Bo glared at her and sighed with annoyance…then took her arm and led her into his office. Tea had been hounding him all day with phone calls about the progress on the case, more persistent than a bloodhound. Turning on the light he sat her down and sat behind his desk.
“Not much.”
“Bo…look, I know that there’s no love lost between you and Todd and I suppose you have every right to think the worst of him, but, as an officer of the law I hope that your treating him with the same fairness as any other citizen. He’s still innocent until proven guilty, isn’t he? Please…help me out here. I want to know what you really think…not as Bo Buchanan, Todd’s Manning’s sworn enemy…but…as a police officer. Can you do that?”
Bo watched her, Todd Manning’s relentless defender. He never understood how such a smart and beautiful woman could love a man like Todd, decidedly one of the most amoral and violent individuals he’d ever known, but, even he had to admit that her influence on Todd Manning was remarkable. On the few occasions when he’d seen the Mannings together in the last year, they just seemed like an ordinary couple in love…well, perhaps not so ordinary. He’d even witnessed Todd Manning smiling in her presence. When the call came in about Blair, no one was more astonished than Bo.
“Look, Tea. I don’t know who to believe. Todd is a convicted rapist…but, Blair’s no pillar of the community, either. I’ll tell you what I think…as a cop. There are certain things about this case that bug me.”
“Like what?”
“Well…the time element is pretty tight. And…how come Blair’s car was parked down the street. I mean why not go into the garage and park near Todd’s car if she wanted to confront him? Also…Todd said she was wearing a white, wool coat when he saw her…and that’s what she was wearing when the ambulance picked her up, but there was not a speck of dirt on it…nothing…almost like it had been removed before she was assaulted. It was a damn cold night to be removing your coat…and that garage floor was full of dirt and oil…and blood. And…the condom thing that just doesn’t fit with a rapist’s MO…and Blair surprised Todd, he didn’t know she was in the parking garage so why would he be prepared, with a condom, to rape her? Also, Todd’s hands aren’t cut up…or bruised the way they should be if he beat her so severely…though, Blair said he was wearing gloves.”
“Todd doesn’t wear gloves…”
“Look, Tea…there are a lot of holes in Blair’s story…but, that doesn’t mean she’s lying.”
“I know…but…just promise me you won’t stop looking into it?”
“I won’t, but I have to tell you if the DNA comes back as Todd’s…you’ll have a tough time proving he didn’t do it.”
“I know,” said Tea quietly, looking away and getting up. “I need to go and see Todd…to discuss his case…I know it’s late…but…could you relax visiting hours this one time?”
“Sure…it’s pretty quiet around here…I’ll make sure you have some privacy.”
“Thanks, Bo…I really appreciate it,” she said.
* * * * *
Todd was leaning against the back wall of his cell, silent and brooding as the guard let Tea in, then left them alone. Tea leaned against the bars behind her and stared back at him, sensing the foulness of his mood.
“Well, this is a vaguely familiar scenario…” sulked Todd. “Has it hit the papers?”
Tea nodded. “Yeah…both The Banner and The Sun. You’re the headline.”
“And I thought my celebrity days were over. Leave it to Briggs…I taught him well. At least we’ll sell some papers, right,” said Todd, looking at the floor. “And…way to go, Vicki and her business acumen…”
“Vicki is 100% behind you…you know that. She had to report this…you would have done the same, and you know it.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. Finally, he faced her. “Tea…does Starr know yet?”
“No,” said Tea as she walked across the cell and stood closer to him. “I put her and Alma on a plane this afternoon with Hedda. I sent them to New York to visit my abuela for the weekend…I told her it was part of her birthday present. She was thrilled. I got them tickets to a ballet and a puppet show, and ice-skating….she’ll be way too busy to even think about us.”
Todd sighed with relief and leaned into her, closing his eyes.
“Good…that’s good,” he whispered. “Thanks.”
“I feel kind of guilty…knowing Blair’s lying in that hospital bed all beat up. Starr should be with her…”
“What? You saw Blair?”
“Yes. I went by the hospital and…”
“And what? Are you telling me…she was really raped?”
Tea stepped away from him and sat on the lower bunk.
“Todd…I think so, she’s really messed up. Severely beaten, black eyes…bruised ribs…I’m not saying she was raped but she was definitely assaulted.”
Todd was trembling as he sat beside her.
“Is she…okay?”
“Yeah…she’s fine…physically, mostly cuts and bruises. They said she’d be out of the hospital in a few days.”
Todd leaned his head back against the cold, concrete wall.
“This is a fucking nightmare…no one is going to believe me, Tea?”
“Yes…they will. We’ll prove that Blair is lying.”
“How?” said Todd shooting up and pacing. “It’s her word against mine.”
“I don’t think so. Blair was assaulted…that’s a fact. So, there is someone else out there who knows the truth, another witness to this, whoever committed the assault. Now…I only have to find them.”
“What the hell do you mean YOU have to find them, Tea?”
Tea got up and walked over to him, caressing his arm, soothing his rifled psyche.
“Amor, let’s face it. Bo is being pretty fair, but I don’t see him expanding a lot of resources to prove your innocence…way too much water under that bridge.”
“Yeah…no shit. He’d love nothing more than to see me behind bars…for whatever reason.”
“So…I thought I’d do a little legwork on my own…maybe poke around a little.”
“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!”
“First of all…don’t presume to order me around…I hate that! And secondly…who else is there, but me? I don’t think I’m going to get you out of here unless there’s some doubt about Blair’s story and I need to find it. I’ve got a hunch…besides, you need to trust me”
“Oh, no…not the trust thing…that’s guaranteed trouble! I’ve got to get out of here!”
Tea took his hand, taking a quick glance at the door before pushing him onto the lower bunk and straddling his lap.
“You know, amor…Bo is giving us some privacy…attorney/client privileges…and we’re wasting precious time,” she said as she leaned over and kissed him. Todd pulled away.
“Delgado…are you nuts? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing…just trying to distract me…beside, there’s a guard right outside that door,” he protested weakly, sliding his hands beneath her skirt, his cool fingers finding the soft flesh above her stockings.
“Well…then I guess we’ll have to fuck very quietly,” she teased, taking a playful bite of his neck as his fingers found her warm, wet flesh and she rocked slowly against them enhancing the exquisite pleasure of his touch.
Todd looked up and smiled.
“Where’s your underwear, Delgado?”
“Where else…in my brief-case,” she said laughing as she unzipped his pants and shoved her hands in eagerly, pulling his underwear aside. “I see you’re incarceration hasn’t dampened your…uh…spirit. U-m-m-m…I love your cock, amor…” she whispered, kissing his forehead sweetly.
“Quite obviously, it loves you back…” he sighed.
Todd closed his eyes and groaned softly as her fingers squeezed and rubbed his organ until it was engorged and bursting in its skin, threatening to explode in her hand.
“M-m-m-m,” he moaned uncontrollably, his mouth nuzzling her breast through her thin, silk blouse. “Are you sure about this, baby…cause…I don’t know if we can be quiet.”
“Just put your mouth on mine, querido…and don’t let go,” she said as she wriggled around on his lap impatiently and he jerked his hips upward…pushing himself into her desperately, crying out uncontrollably.
Tea caught his mouth in hers, catching his delicious cry in her throat as they pushed and rocked against one another, their silent, writhing bodies filled with the screaming echoes of their caged lust and their swallowed passion.
2003 Copyright by Trog

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