FicWad

Laura frowned at the laptop's screen, deleting a few lines of text and typing over them. Why couldn't she get this to sound right? She had been trying to edit one this particular section of her story for at least half an hour now, and just couldn't get the wording right. She sighed, blowing some hair out of her face. This was impossible. She needed a distraction, at least for a few minutes.
The bell at the shop's front door rang as it was pushed aside, causing her to look up suddenly. Laura quickly saved the file and closed the computer. She could work on this later.
"Hey, I thought it was you people," she said with a smile as the two investigators walked through the door. Gerard took a quick glance around.
"You're a music fan, I see," he said, noting the posters lining the walls. Laura nodded animatedly.
"We've decided to take you up on your offer," said Frank. She smiled in understanding.
"I'm listening."
They explained everything from the beginning. From the second they got the phone call about the murderer to everything up through the past six days. Gerard seemed to have trouble controlling his anger every time he mentioned Matt's name, leading to an explanation of his former friend's deeds. Laura's face fell when she heard about the case with Brian, but she said nothing. The investigators tried to leave out most of the more gruesome details, but with all their experience dealing with crime scenes it was difficult to determine what counted as gruesome anymore. They had to be careful.
"Sounds like you guys have been through a lot lately," Laura finally said after Gerard finished speaking. "My life isn't nearly this bad."
"What are you talking about? With the exception of Matt, we usually love our jobs," said Frank. Laura shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't see the clock from her place behind the counter, but she knew these guys had to have been talking for at least an hour. They seemed so calm talking about all these murders. It was more than a little unnerving.
"Well...even if Matt sounds like a jerk...I bet you just haven't gotten to know him. He can't be that bad." She felt no weight in her words. It was difficult being optimistic in a situation like this.
"Oh, believe me, we've tried," said Frank. "He is truly unamicable."
"I don't think it's so much that he's a jerk," Gerard said slowly. "It seems like he just can't see how his actions affect people." Laura nodded affirmatively.
"Maybe. But in my opinion he needs to learn to take advice from Dominic; he seems like a smart guy," said Frank, crossing his arms and frowning. A thought struck Laura's mind.
"Let me talk to him." Gerard's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're serious."
"Yes." Frank turned to Gerard with a skeptical look.
"Gerard, would you be able to live with yourself if you put her through that kind of torture?" The senior investigator shook his head.
"No, I don't think I would."
"Really! I might be able to talk some sense into him."
"There's no room in his brain for sense. It's too full of his ego," said the A/V analyst. Laura sighed.
"Your loss." Gerard's cell phone rang just then. He checked the number and groaned.
"Speak of the devil...rather, speak to the devil," he said, handing the phone to Laura somewhat reluctantly. She smirked and answered it.
"Is this Matt?"
"...yes, who am I speaking to?" he responded with some surprise.
"Name's Laura. I've got a few words for you."
A few words quickly became a battle of wits. They exchanged insults and comebacks enough times to make an Olympic sport of it. After a few minutes of this, both of them managed to calm down.
Gerard was somewhat amazed. Laura actually seemed to know what she was talking about. He wished he could hear both ends of the conversation. Matt was finally getting what he deserved.
"Nice talking to you, Matt. Yes, I'll make sure you get the cupcakes," she said, ending the call before handing the phone back to its owner. Gerard was spellbound as he slid the phone into his pocket.
"How...how did you-" he started.
"Cupcakes solve every problem." Laura smiled and reopened her laptop, suddenly thinking of what to add to the story. She began typing animatedly, all the while waiting for one of the two investigators to say something. Neither of them could, especially Frank.
"Well, I hope I've helped." Gerard nodded and smiled.
"You have. Thanks for listening to us not being able to shut up." Laura laughed.
"No problem. Come back whenever." Both investigators stood and left. As soon as they were out of sight, Laura picked up her cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, it's me. You'll never guess who was just here."
-
"Gerard, I know you said you weren't going to come in today...but we really need your help. We've got four dead and no answers," said Mikey, almost pleading with his brother.
"Wow. We're on our way." Frank realized what he meant, and his face immediately fell. He took another drag off the cigarette.
"G, as much as I love this job...I got three and a half hours of sleep last night, and coffee can't solve everything. I don't think I'll be of much use. Especially from what you've told me; it sounds like this team can do more work than the five of us working overtime."
"Four people, Frank. Four dead bodies. I'm certain that as efficient as these guys are, they're going to need all the help they can get." The A/V analyst's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting that.
"How close is the lab?" he asked Gerard. The other investigator looked at their surroundings.
"About two and a half blocks away." Frank tossed the cigarette to the ground and smeared it with his toe.
"Guess we'd better start running."