Spoliers for 2x21: All Access
Taylor froze, the panic stopping her from thinking clearly. Stella had killed Frankie? And Frankie was telling her this. Telling her who his murderer was? This was a new one.
She snapped to life, grabbing her cell phone and her keys. She was hailing a cab within minutes, heading over to Lexington Avenue. She tried calling Stella, on her cell and her apartment, but there was no answer. She even tried her office in a last ditch desperate attempt. And then she tried Flack, and Mac, but neither of them were answering. In the end, after carefully planning what to say, she called 911.
“Hi, um, I think my friend might be in trouble. She’s a detective.”
“And what do you think has happened?”
“I think someone has been shot,” she told the operator, giving them Stella’s address.
“What makes you say that?”
Taylor lost her patience. “Because I heard a gun go off.” Obviously, that wasn’t true, but she wasn’t about to try the whole, ‘I see dead people’ spiel when it involved Stella. She hung up and began cursing the traffic which wasn’t moving as fast as she would have liked.
Finally, she arrived outside Stella’s. There were patrol cars everywhere, and, Mac’s company SUV. At least he had gotten the message somehow. She paid the driver and ran up the stairs to Stella’s door, where she was stopped by Davis. “Taylor?”
“Davis, let me through!” Taylor cried, trying to wrestle free from his grip.
“I can’t do that, Taylor.”
“Like hell you can’t,” she said, ducking under his arm and running through the door.
“Taylor!” She ran smack into Bosco, who took a more… firm approach.
“That’s as far as you’re going,” he told her.
Taylor glared at him. “Don’t make me hurt you!”
“Hurt me, and I arrest you.”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Arrest me then,” she told him, before giving the surprised officer a shove and breaking free of his grasp, dashing into the other room where Mac was bent over Stella’s body, and Flack was checking Frankie for a pulse.
“I got a pulse. Call EMS.” Mac yelled over at Flack. “Stella. Stella!”
“Taylor, what the hell are you doing here?” Flack cried as soon as he hung up his phone and spotted her.
Behind her, Bosco burst into the room. “You are so busted!”
Flack took one look at Mac and ushered the two of them out of the room.
“Is she alright?” Taylor asked, ignoring the handcuffs Bosco was pulling off his belt.
“Put those away,” Flack told him sharply, earning him a glare. “Taylor, what are you doing here?”
“Frankie – he told me… he came to see me,” she told him.
Flack got the message instantly. “Bosco, it’s alright.”
Not really wanting to follow through on his threat, but still annoyed that Taylor had pushed him, Bosco put the cuffs away and stalked off.
“He told me Stella killed him. Don, they don’t do that. They don’t tell me who killed them, and even if they did, well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at… look at that room – the gun was by Stella and, oh lord, is she-”
“Taylor,” said Flack sharply. She was getting slightly hysterical. “We are not going to jump to any conclusions. What is Mac always saying? Let the evidence speak for itself. Let Mac find out what happened.” He pulled her aside to make room for Kim and Alex to get past with a stretcher.
“I’m going to the hospital with her.”
Flack shook his head. “Mac’s going with her. You can come with me – we’ll follow behind as soon as I make sure this scene is secure.” He led her outside and told Davis and Faith to keep an eye on her. Taylor complied with his wishes, even when Stella was wheeled out on a stretcher and despite the urge to rush over to her.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, outwardly, Taylor seemed exceedingly calm. Inwardly, her brain was still racing a million miles a second. Flack disappeared just as the dawn was breaking to talk to Mac, while Taylor was finally allowed in to see Stella. “Hey Stell,” she greeted softly, peering around the door.
“Taylor?” Stella looked over in surprise.
“You want some company?”
Stella, who was sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, nodded, and Taylor sat down next to her in the chair. “I should have known you’d come.”
“Why?” Taylor asked. Surely she didn’t know about Frankie?
“You seem to sit by everybody’s bedside,” Stella told her with a small smile.
“Well, you know Mac. He won’t let me work a case because he’s jealous of the fact that I can solve a murder quicker than he can.” She froze as she realized what she said, “Oh, Stella, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”
Stella smiled weakly, “I don’t remember what happened,” she told her in a hoarse whisper, tears beginning to catch in the corners of her eyes.
As Taylor leant over and squeezed her hand, Mac appeared at the door. He stood staring down at her, a blank expression on his face, and Taylor just wanted to slap him for it. Okay, so he had to do his job, but Stella was his friend. “Stella, what happened?” he asked her.
Stella couldn’t look at him. “It was awful,” she told him, in between trying to sniff back the tears. “I remember some things, and there are others I just can’t… I can’t remember.”
Mac’s expression broke into one of concern as he gently placed his hand on her back, “It’s okay. Whatever you can’t remember, the evidence will fill in the gaps. Look, we’re going to have to do an entire work-up on you. Rape kit. We found you unconscious. We need to know exactly what happened. You’re not a CSI on this one, Stella. You’re a victim. A forensic nurse is going to process you, and then Flack will talk to you a bit. I’m going to go back to your apartment. Do you have any objection to me looking around?”
Stella shook her head, “No… no.”
Mac left soon after that, promising that he would find the answers. But not before he looked at Taylor, the message clear in his eyes, look after her for me.
Taylor gave him a brief nod that she understood, and watched him leave, settling back in the chair. If Stella wanted to talk, she was here, until then, she would let her friend lie back and rest.
Unfortunately, that rest didn’t last long as Taylor would have hoped for, although Stella did manage to get a few hours of restless sleep. Flack appeared with a cup in his hand at ten am. He gave Taylor a quick smile before he handed the cup over. “Two aspirin, extra strength.” Stella took the cup off him and swallowed the tablets. “Stella, this is Linda. She’s here to process you,” he told her gently.
“Hi,” said Linda, before glancing over at Taylor.
Taylor got to her feet and gave Stella’s hand a squeeze, “I’ll be just outside if you need me, Stella.” Stella nodded and Taylor followed Flack out. “Do we know anything yet?”
Flack shook his head, “Mac’s just gone back to the apartment.”
“He’s not working this solo, is he?” Taylor asked in surprise.
“No, he’s got Hawkes on it. Danny and Lindsay are carrying on with the limo driver case.”
“Limo driver?” Taylor frowned, wrinkling her nose.
“Kid Rock’s driver got shot earlier tonight.”
“I was supposed to go to that,” Taylor muttered, even though it hardly seemed important now.
Flack stared down intently at her. “Are you alright?”
Taylor shrugged. “I’m not the one in a hospital bed.”
“That’s not answering the question,” Flack told her with a frown.
Taylor shrugged, “I don’t know. This all seems wrong… just… wrong.”
Flack wrapped his arms around her. “Be careful, Taylor.”
She snapped to life, grabbing her cell phone and her keys. She was hailing a cab within minutes, heading over to Lexington Avenue. She tried calling Stella, on her cell and her apartment, but there was no answer. She even tried her office in a last ditch desperate attempt. And then she tried Flack, and Mac, but neither of them were answering. In the end, after carefully planning what to say, she called 911.
“Hi, um, I think my friend might be in trouble. She’s a detective.”
“And what do you think has happened?”
“I think someone has been shot,” she told the operator, giving them Stella’s address.
“What makes you say that?”
Taylor lost her patience. “Because I heard a gun go off.” Obviously, that wasn’t true, but she wasn’t about to try the whole, ‘I see dead people’ spiel when it involved Stella. She hung up and began cursing the traffic which wasn’t moving as fast as she would have liked.
Finally, she arrived outside Stella’s. There were patrol cars everywhere, and, Mac’s company SUV. At least he had gotten the message somehow. She paid the driver and ran up the stairs to Stella’s door, where she was stopped by Davis. “Taylor?”
“Davis, let me through!” Taylor cried, trying to wrestle free from his grip.
“I can’t do that, Taylor.”
“Like hell you can’t,” she said, ducking under his arm and running through the door.
“Taylor!” She ran smack into Bosco, who took a more… firm approach.
“That’s as far as you’re going,” he told her.
Taylor glared at him. “Don’t make me hurt you!”
“Hurt me, and I arrest you.”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Arrest me then,” she told him, before giving the surprised officer a shove and breaking free of his grasp, dashing into the other room where Mac was bent over Stella’s body, and Flack was checking Frankie for a pulse.
“I got a pulse. Call EMS.” Mac yelled over at Flack. “Stella. Stella!”
“Taylor, what the hell are you doing here?” Flack cried as soon as he hung up his phone and spotted her.
Behind her, Bosco burst into the room. “You are so busted!”
Flack took one look at Mac and ushered the two of them out of the room.
“Is she alright?” Taylor asked, ignoring the handcuffs Bosco was pulling off his belt.
“Put those away,” Flack told him sharply, earning him a glare. “Taylor, what are you doing here?”
“Frankie – he told me… he came to see me,” she told him.
Flack got the message instantly. “Bosco, it’s alright.”
Not really wanting to follow through on his threat, but still annoyed that Taylor had pushed him, Bosco put the cuffs away and stalked off.
“He told me Stella killed him. Don, they don’t do that. They don’t tell me who killed them, and even if they did, well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at… look at that room – the gun was by Stella and, oh lord, is she-”
“Taylor,” said Flack sharply. She was getting slightly hysterical. “We are not going to jump to any conclusions. What is Mac always saying? Let the evidence speak for itself. Let Mac find out what happened.” He pulled her aside to make room for Kim and Alex to get past with a stretcher.
“I’m going to the hospital with her.”
Flack shook his head. “Mac’s going with her. You can come with me – we’ll follow behind as soon as I make sure this scene is secure.” He led her outside and told Davis and Faith to keep an eye on her. Taylor complied with his wishes, even when Stella was wheeled out on a stretcher and despite the urge to rush over to her.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, outwardly, Taylor seemed exceedingly calm. Inwardly, her brain was still racing a million miles a second. Flack disappeared just as the dawn was breaking to talk to Mac, while Taylor was finally allowed in to see Stella. “Hey Stell,” she greeted softly, peering around the door.
“Taylor?” Stella looked over in surprise.
“You want some company?”
Stella, who was sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, nodded, and Taylor sat down next to her in the chair. “I should have known you’d come.”
“Why?” Taylor asked. Surely she didn’t know about Frankie?
“You seem to sit by everybody’s bedside,” Stella told her with a small smile.
“Well, you know Mac. He won’t let me work a case because he’s jealous of the fact that I can solve a murder quicker than he can.” She froze as she realized what she said, “Oh, Stella, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”
Stella smiled weakly, “I don’t remember what happened,” she told her in a hoarse whisper, tears beginning to catch in the corners of her eyes.
As Taylor leant over and squeezed her hand, Mac appeared at the door. He stood staring down at her, a blank expression on his face, and Taylor just wanted to slap him for it. Okay, so he had to do his job, but Stella was his friend. “Stella, what happened?” he asked her.
Stella couldn’t look at him. “It was awful,” she told him, in between trying to sniff back the tears. “I remember some things, and there are others I just can’t… I can’t remember.”
Mac’s expression broke into one of concern as he gently placed his hand on her back, “It’s okay. Whatever you can’t remember, the evidence will fill in the gaps. Look, we’re going to have to do an entire work-up on you. Rape kit. We found you unconscious. We need to know exactly what happened. You’re not a CSI on this one, Stella. You’re a victim. A forensic nurse is going to process you, and then Flack will talk to you a bit. I’m going to go back to your apartment. Do you have any objection to me looking around?”
Stella shook her head, “No… no.”
Mac left soon after that, promising that he would find the answers. But not before he looked at Taylor, the message clear in his eyes, look after her for me.
Taylor gave him a brief nod that she understood, and watched him leave, settling back in the chair. If Stella wanted to talk, she was here, until then, she would let her friend lie back and rest.
Unfortunately, that rest didn’t last long as Taylor would have hoped for, although Stella did manage to get a few hours of restless sleep. Flack appeared with a cup in his hand at ten am. He gave Taylor a quick smile before he handed the cup over. “Two aspirin, extra strength.” Stella took the cup off him and swallowed the tablets. “Stella, this is Linda. She’s here to process you,” he told her gently.
“Hi,” said Linda, before glancing over at Taylor.
Taylor got to her feet and gave Stella’s hand a squeeze, “I’ll be just outside if you need me, Stella.” Stella nodded and Taylor followed Flack out. “Do we know anything yet?”
Flack shook his head, “Mac’s just gone back to the apartment.”
“He’s not working this solo, is he?” Taylor asked in surprise.
“No, he’s got Hawkes on it. Danny and Lindsay are carrying on with the limo driver case.”
“Limo driver?” Taylor frowned, wrinkling her nose.
“Kid Rock’s driver got shot earlier tonight.”
“I was supposed to go to that,” Taylor muttered, even though it hardly seemed important now.
Flack stared down intently at her. “Are you alright?”
Taylor shrugged. “I’m not the one in a hospital bed.”
“That’s not answering the question,” Flack told her with a frown.
Taylor shrugged, “I don’t know. This all seems wrong… just… wrong.”
Flack wrapped his arms around her. “Be careful, Taylor.”
* * *
“Detective?” It was Linda. “I’m done.”
Flack gave her a smile and turned to Taylor. “You want to come in with me?”
Taylor frowned. “Is that alright?”
“Well, we’ll have to ask Stella, but it’s not official.”
“If she wants me in there, I’m going.” She followed Flack back into the room.
Flack headed over to the bed and stared down at Stella. “Hey,” he said softly. “Mac wanted me to get some info off you, off the cuff, just so that we can make sense of what happened. Do you feel like chatting?”
“Sure,” she told him.
“I have Taylor here too,” he gave Stella a wink. “Now be warned, I think she’s only here because she’s nosey.”
Taylor gave Flack a shove. “Hey, doofas,” she rolled her eyes at Stella. “Thinks he knows everything, but he’s wrong, as per usual.” She grew serious. “Look, I’m only here for moral support. If you need me? I’ll go if you want?”
Stella gave her a grateful smile. “No, please stay.”
Taylor nodded and headed to the far side of the bed.
“Well, let me tell you what I know,” said Flack, growing serious again. “COD on Frankie was a fatal gunshot to the heart.”
Stella sighed. “That’s just it. I only remember bits and pieces.”
Flack sat down next to her. “Alright, well, just start with what you remember. Bad day, huh?”
Stella nodded with a dry laugh. “Frankie was following me. I had been out, running some errands, and he cornered me at my car. I’d been avoiding his calls all week.”
“But when I saw the two of you together last, he’d made you that…uh, sculpture,” Taylor interrupted.
“Aresanob – that’s what he called it,” Stella said dryly.
“A woman’s soul, or something,” nodded Taylor.
“Aresanob is Bonasera backwards. I got on the internet and did a search – I saw me and Frankie making love,” Stella’s voice broke. “It was all over the internet.” She sniffed, collecting herself. “So, when he cornered me in the parking lot, I broke up with Frankie right then and there. I told him that I never wanted to see him again.”
“And where did you go after that?” Flack asked gently.
“I finished some errands, and then I went home. When I got there, I heard noises – it was Frankie. He was in the kitchen.”
“You weren’t armed?”
Stella shrugged, “I had my piece in my handbag. I didn’t think Frankie was a threat. You know, I thought he broke in to get back together.”
“Did Frankie have a key to your apartment?”
Stella firmly shook her head. “No. No, he had never even been to my place. It’s one of my rules. No men in my place. Just in case things go bad, I always have a safe place to go home to.”
Taylor got up from her seat and began pacing back and forth in front of the window. This still felt too wrong. Why had Frankie come to her? With Maddy?
“So you have no idea how he got in, huh?” Flack asked, keeping his eyes on Stella.
Stella shook her head as she struggled to remember. “Maybe he kicked in the door?”
“When you got back to your apartment, you used your house key to get in, right?” Flack offered gently.
Stella sighed. “Yeah.”
“And the door wasn’t kicked in. Frankie didn’t kick in your door, Stella. I did. Frankie got in your apartment somehow. Frankie was an artist, right?”
“Sculptor.”
“Traces of polymer clay were found in the key hole. He made a mould of your key. The lab also found microscopic particles of the dust inside the door knob. He used liquid metal to make a cast.”
“It’s how he got in. Son of a bitch probably took the key right off of my key ring,” Stella growled.
Flack nodded. “Let’s go back to Frankie being in your apartment for a sec. How come you didn’t call us?”
Stella frowned. “I, uh, I tried to. But he yanked the phone out and threw it across the room. So I made a run for the front door, but he grabbed me and hit me. I told him not to… I told him, don’t you get violent with me, but he had a knife.”
Taylor couldn’t take it anymore, “I’m sorry, Stella, I…” she walked out of the room without even giving a reasonable explanation.
A few minutes later, Flack was tearing down the corridor after her, “Taylor?”
“I can’t do this, Don. Not again,” Taylor admitted.
“What do you mean again?”
“This is the second friend who… I met Frankie, chatted with him, even went out with him a couple of time. I should have seen it. If it wasn’t for the fact that… it could have been Stella’s ghost visiting me.”
“Hey, hey,” said Flack, wiping the tears that were now streaming down her face, away with his thumbs. “This is not your fault.”
“No?” Taylor asked him. “I didn’t do enough with Maddy, and now with Stella?”
“Stella was not the victim of domestic abuse. Nobody saw this coming, Taylor, not even Stella. And Maddy dying wasn’t your fault. I thought you were past that?”
“My best friend died because I didn’t do enough to help her,” Taylor snapped at him. “Of course it was my fault.”
Flack took a deep breath, “Taylor, do me a favour and go to the Crime Lab. Stay in Danny’s office, or something… you don’t need to be here. I’ll look after Stella.”
Taylor ran her hands through her hair and sighed, “I’m sorry.”
“And stop apologizing. It’s not your fault.” He watched her nod, even though he knew she was still blaming herself, and then gave her a quick kiss, before watching her leave.
Flack gave her a smile and turned to Taylor. “You want to come in with me?”
Taylor frowned. “Is that alright?”
“Well, we’ll have to ask Stella, but it’s not official.”
“If she wants me in there, I’m going.” She followed Flack back into the room.
Flack headed over to the bed and stared down at Stella. “Hey,” he said softly. “Mac wanted me to get some info off you, off the cuff, just so that we can make sense of what happened. Do you feel like chatting?”
“Sure,” she told him.
“I have Taylor here too,” he gave Stella a wink. “Now be warned, I think she’s only here because she’s nosey.”
Taylor gave Flack a shove. “Hey, doofas,” she rolled her eyes at Stella. “Thinks he knows everything, but he’s wrong, as per usual.” She grew serious. “Look, I’m only here for moral support. If you need me? I’ll go if you want?”
Stella gave her a grateful smile. “No, please stay.”
Taylor nodded and headed to the far side of the bed.
“Well, let me tell you what I know,” said Flack, growing serious again. “COD on Frankie was a fatal gunshot to the heart.”
Stella sighed. “That’s just it. I only remember bits and pieces.”
Flack sat down next to her. “Alright, well, just start with what you remember. Bad day, huh?”
Stella nodded with a dry laugh. “Frankie was following me. I had been out, running some errands, and he cornered me at my car. I’d been avoiding his calls all week.”
“But when I saw the two of you together last, he’d made you that…uh, sculpture,” Taylor interrupted.
“Aresanob – that’s what he called it,” Stella said dryly.
“A woman’s soul, or something,” nodded Taylor.
“Aresanob is Bonasera backwards. I got on the internet and did a search – I saw me and Frankie making love,” Stella’s voice broke. “It was all over the internet.” She sniffed, collecting herself. “So, when he cornered me in the parking lot, I broke up with Frankie right then and there. I told him that I never wanted to see him again.”
“And where did you go after that?” Flack asked gently.
“I finished some errands, and then I went home. When I got there, I heard noises – it was Frankie. He was in the kitchen.”
“You weren’t armed?”
Stella shrugged, “I had my piece in my handbag. I didn’t think Frankie was a threat. You know, I thought he broke in to get back together.”
“Did Frankie have a key to your apartment?”
Stella firmly shook her head. “No. No, he had never even been to my place. It’s one of my rules. No men in my place. Just in case things go bad, I always have a safe place to go home to.”
Taylor got up from her seat and began pacing back and forth in front of the window. This still felt too wrong. Why had Frankie come to her? With Maddy?
“So you have no idea how he got in, huh?” Flack asked, keeping his eyes on Stella.
Stella shook her head as she struggled to remember. “Maybe he kicked in the door?”
“When you got back to your apartment, you used your house key to get in, right?” Flack offered gently.
Stella sighed. “Yeah.”
“And the door wasn’t kicked in. Frankie didn’t kick in your door, Stella. I did. Frankie got in your apartment somehow. Frankie was an artist, right?”
“Sculptor.”
“Traces of polymer clay were found in the key hole. He made a mould of your key. The lab also found microscopic particles of the dust inside the door knob. He used liquid metal to make a cast.”
“It’s how he got in. Son of a bitch probably took the key right off of my key ring,” Stella growled.
Flack nodded. “Let’s go back to Frankie being in your apartment for a sec. How come you didn’t call us?”
Stella frowned. “I, uh, I tried to. But he yanked the phone out and threw it across the room. So I made a run for the front door, but he grabbed me and hit me. I told him not to… I told him, don’t you get violent with me, but he had a knife.”
Taylor couldn’t take it anymore, “I’m sorry, Stella, I…” she walked out of the room without even giving a reasonable explanation.
A few minutes later, Flack was tearing down the corridor after her, “Taylor?”
“I can’t do this, Don. Not again,” Taylor admitted.
“What do you mean again?”
“This is the second friend who… I met Frankie, chatted with him, even went out with him a couple of time. I should have seen it. If it wasn’t for the fact that… it could have been Stella’s ghost visiting me.”
“Hey, hey,” said Flack, wiping the tears that were now streaming down her face, away with his thumbs. “This is not your fault.”
“No?” Taylor asked him. “I didn’t do enough with Maddy, and now with Stella?”
“Stella was not the victim of domestic abuse. Nobody saw this coming, Taylor, not even Stella. And Maddy dying wasn’t your fault. I thought you were past that?”
“My best friend died because I didn’t do enough to help her,” Taylor snapped at him. “Of course it was my fault.”
Flack took a deep breath, “Taylor, do me a favour and go to the Crime Lab. Stay in Danny’s office, or something… you don’t need to be here. I’ll look after Stella.”
Taylor ran her hands through her hair and sighed, “I’m sorry.”
“And stop apologizing. It’s not your fault.” He watched her nod, even though he knew she was still blaming herself, and then gave her a quick kiss, before watching her leave.
Originally posted 04/09/2006