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

The Deadly Fandango ~ Falseta

"C'mon, Detective Dunne! Don't you know it's rude to leave a lady screaming in the middle of the road?" said Gabriela while chasing Graham down the street. He had run out of the cafe as soon as the words "Lynch family" were uttered. Her legs were quite short, so she had to walk double-time to keep up with him.

Graham turned his head sideways and huffed like a bull. She couldn't help but find it extremely cute. While he was faster than her, she was more nimble, slipping inside the cruiser just as Graham unlocked it.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?!" he yelled, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles went white.

"Well, it all started when I was born, in a town called Sandwich," she commented absentmindedly.

"Look, just get out of my car."

Gabriela tugged at the hem of her skirt, trying her best not to let her smile falter. She was running out of moves--not that she had many. Her only move was being cute until whatever she needed suddenly resolved, but Graham was a tough nut to crack. That's when she thought of a Hail Mary. With the utmost discretion, she tugged her shirt down, making her meager cleavage pop out a little bit more than usual. Summoning the best puppy eyes she could muster, she turned to Graham.

"Can you at least give me a ride to the office? A gentleman like you wouldn't throw out a lady like me to the cold, hard street, would you?"

She could almost see the cogs in Graham's brain move, having an internal monologue, debating whether to take her or not. After a brief, uncomfortable silence, Graham let out a sigh, shifting the stick to the drive position.

"Thank you," she said, content with herself. 'That solves that, but now what?' she thought. He was closed off, and walking a thin line between helping her and dumping her body in the depths of the Charles. She decided to play the truth card. Better than nothing.

"Look, Graham--can I call you Graham?--Graham. You agree with me that things are a bit fucked, right?"

But Graham refused to answer, only staring at the road ahead.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said. "You already told me. We know Skinny Willy is innocent, but now we also have Mr. Prendergast's actions to watch for. The only problem is: He is dead, and William is worthless as a witness. That leaves us with Mr. White, and the Lyn-"

"Stop saying that name!" yelled Graham, braking the car to a complete halt. "Why do you keep saying that name?!"

Nobody had ever yelled at Gabriela like that. She had lived a high-end and very sheltered life. The worst she received as a kid was a slap on the wrist and a stern warning. The man in front of her, huffing and puffing through his nose like a bull, was a completely new territory, one that was beginning to frighten her. Nonetheless, she kept smiling, twisting the hem of her skirt to compensate.

"Because it's the only rational explanation. Even you know that."

"No, I don't!"

Was he really that dense? She thought. Maybe he's just a little loco.

"Fine," she said, casting her eyes to the car in front of them, "I'll explain."

She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. This was a tough one to break, so she needed tact to ease him into it. "The cover-up was set up by the Lynch-"

"No," boomed Graham with his dry voice. "It was Murray Prendergast. I told you already."

"Wait until I'm done," she said, staring down at him from below. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to drive on.