A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Season 2: Bridge

The Devil's Swing - Call And Response

"Dunne, ya were supposed to be here an hour ago! The DA's waiting," said Dara, pushing a borderline panting Graham into her office.

Two sets of eyes immediately focussed on the stumbling officer, studying him from top to bottom, from his panicked eyes to his wrinkled and un-tucked t-shirt, to his dust-stained black shoes. From the look of the oldest of the pair--a pepper-haired old man with piercing eyes--his first impression was not a pleasant one. The mousy girl next to him, however, couldn't help but giggle at Graham with a shy and rather flirty tone. Both were standing in front of Dara's desk, eating donut holes from a brown bag.

He tried his best to straighten up his act, to no avail. His mind still raced back to a few hours ago.

The woman's eyes as the bullet traveled through her skull. The smell of her flesh as she soiled herself. Blood and bones mixing together in a wet cacophony as her body was ground into mulch and tossed in the bay for seagulls to eat.

It was too much. He couldn't speak. Thankfully, Dara often took command of such situations, and this one was no exception.

"This is Detective Graham Dunne, in charge of the investigation. He's sorry for bein' late, ain't 'cha, Dunne?"

Say something! yelled a voice inside Graham's mind, but "Yes," was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

The old man gave him another scanning look before stepping forward to meet him with a handshake. A firm, slightly-too-strong handshake.

"Chief Assistant DA, Franco Giudice. Pleased to meet you, Detective."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Detective Graham Dunne."

"Yes. We know," replied Franco, giving Dara a troubled look.

Dara waved it off, motioning the pair to take a seat in front of the desk. In the brief moment when both guests had their backs to them, Dara grabbed Graham from the side, digging her manicured and highly sharp nails into his side. The look on her face, contracting every inch of muscle she could muster into a sharp and wicked grin making her semblance look like a war mask, reminded Graham that the real danger was in front of him. The only one that could make his life a living hell if she just desired was Dara, not the DA.

The whole thing lasted less than a second, enough to remind Graham of his place. It was a simple message, received loud and clear: Don't fuck it up.

Dara took her usual seat behind the desk, letting Graham use a stool to sit at the side of the table. He noted that her seat was not raised as usual, but was slightly lower than the chair the Assistant DA's were using. Covering her ass, Graham thought.

"Sorry, 'fraid I didn't catch your name," said Dara to the girl, who was making herself as small as possible as she nibbled at a donut hole.

The girl quickly wiped her hand on her black blazer, smudging it white with sugar. "Crap--dammit, I'm sorry. My name is Gabriela, Reyes. I'm an Assistant. An Assistant DA. That's District Attorn-"

"She's one of our new attorneys," interrupted Franco, "straight out of law school, with the best of recommendation. She'll be the one handling the case."

"Oh," said Dara, leaning in a little closer, barely containing a grin, "is this your first case, sweetie?"

"Yes, ma'am. But I have Franco--I mean, Assistant DA Giudice, to assist me. Help me. Chief Assistant DA. Soon-to-be-DA. Yes." The whole time she talked, she plucked a few strands of hair from the tip of her bangs. Her whole body was restless and fidgety. She wore thick-rimmed glasses that made her look smaller than she was.

"She might be young, but I assure you, she's more than capable of handling this. I'm just here to make sure her first ride is a smooth one, and to make the proper introductions. Speaking of introductions, I must say I am thoroughly impressed with Detective Dunne's work. Dara was just briefing us about the case, reviewing some evidence, and presenting us all your reports. I must admit, it is a beauty. I wish all detectives were as detailed and focused as you are."