(Not So) Secret Admirer

Conversation

"Uh... do you want a drink?" Linda wondered, turning towards her kitchen. "I've got apple juice and chocolate milk and regular milk. Coffee, of course." She set her milk down and looked in the fridge, "I have water, of course. Whaddaya want?"
"I want a beer, but I'm on duty, so I'll have coffee."
"Decaf okay?"
"Sure."
"You said you were on duty-"
"Yeah," Danny interrupted, taking a seat on the barstool, "my duty is to protect you right now. And I can't be impaired."
Linda smiled, "how do you like your coffee?"
"Black."
"I cant stand black coffee. I need lotsa cream and sugar."
"My sister's the same way."
"Oh, you've got a sister? What's her name?"
"Erin. She's two years younger."
"Oh, any other siblings?"
"Two brothers. Both younger. Joe's three years younger, and Jamie's ten years younger."
"Jamie was a surprise?" Linda smirked as she poured the coffee.
"A big one.... you got any siblings?"
"An older brother and sister. Jimmy's about your age, and Wendy's four years older than me." She picked up her milk glass, "one boyfriend she approves of, and he turns out to have this incurable disease."
"Diabetes?"
"Stupidity."
Danny laughed, "do you have a boyfriend now?"
"Mm-mm. I was sorta dating LaRue, and dating is used in the lightest sense possible.... he's a jerk."
"Any guy who assaults a girl is a jerk, to put it nicely."
Linda chuckled and sipped her milk. "I don't get it. Every guy wanted to date me in high school and throughout college. They all turned out to be idiots, jerks, and I think some were kinda gay..." she sat on the stool next to the cop, "maybe I have high standards?"
"High standards are good. You shouldn't just settle for anyone." Danny's face read, 'where did that just come from?'.
"That was your mother, talking wasn't it?"
"Yeah..."
Linda smirked and traced the rim of her glass, "did your parents want you to become a cop?"
"More or less. My mom wasn't too happy, but I guess she knew it was in my blood. They both supported the decision."
"Not mine. My Dad wanted time to be a traditional American house wife. Cooking and cleaning and sowing and keeping the blood going... my Mom wanted me to be a seamstress for my sister's potential modeling career... and to keep cranking out children."
"So you became a nurse instead."
"Yeah. Plus, I wanted to prove them wrong. Neither they nor Wendy thought I could amount to anything."
"That's insulting."
"That's my family. They love me, of course, I just... like your brother, I was a surprise. I don't think they really wanted me."
"Well, then, they're just stupid."
Linda felt the blush creep up her neck as she looked into her now-empty glass.
"You, uh, you ready to go?"
"Gimme a few minutes."
**********
Linda waited in the car while Danny dropped the knife off at his precinct. She sighed and switched to a different radio station. She got annoyed when the song was one of LaRue's favorites, "shut up." She switched it over to the CD player, and turned the volume up.
Meanwhile, inside the precinct, Danny was getting information. "What's the status update?"
"Nothing yet." His Sargent answered. "Did the perp use two knives?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Because one was supposedly brought in yesterday by you and your partner."
"Really? I don't... I can ask Linda. She's right in the car."
"Go ask her."
Danny nodded and walked out to the car. He tapped on the window, and Linda lowered it. "Did LaRue use two knives?"
"I... I don't know. Why?"
"We found a knife yesterday, and another one today. You're not.... into self harm, are you?"
"No. Why?"
"Because now we have a mystery..."