"I'm not surprised, to be honest with you. He had it coming," Edna Morris said with no hesitation.
Danny and Lindsay looked at each other in surprise. Edna was the neighbor of the murder victim from their latest crime scene and they had both quickly come to the conclusion that she was a bit…quirky. A poof of untamed white hair covered her head, and her tiny frame drowned in oversized layers of a bright pink top and black skirt.
When they knocked on her door to question her she answered holding a burning bundle of sage. To cleanse the negative energies in the apartment building, Edna had explained. Now, she had moved on to sweeping her apartment floor with a broom made of cinnamon bristles – apparently this was another cleansing herb.
Neither Danny nor Lindsay knew if any of this was in fact true, but they'd take her word for it. Her apartment was lined with wall-to-wall book cases and a quick glance around revealed titles on astrology, herbs, natural medicine, and the afterlife. Each room in the apartment was separated by hangings beads and there were candles everywhere. A Persian cat kept weaving between her feet.
"Well he was a Leo for starters," Edna said matter-of-factly as she continued sweeping.
"Excuse me?" Danny asked.
"A Leo. His birth sign. A lion. He was hot-tempered, always shouting and yelling on his cell phone whenever I saw him. That kind of bad energy is bound to come back two-fold and kick you in the rear end. And the moons were not aligned this month for Leos. Something bad was bound to happen."
Danny bit his lip so not to laugh out loud. This woman was nuts, he thought. He would just ignore the crazy part of her statement and focus on clues. "Any idea who he was arguing with?"
"No, and I don't want to know either. I avoided him like the plague. I only saw him in passing. His aura was practically black. I didn't want him polluting me."
"I see," Danny said slowly, trying to digest this woman's reasoning. He turned to look at Lindsay and shrugged.
Lindsay fought her own laughter, trying to remain professional. New York City was definitely filled with eccentric people – a part of her job that Lindsay loved and hated at the same time. "Is there anything else you can tell us about your neighbor, Ms. Morris? Did he have a girlfriend? A lot of visitors?"
Edna abruptly stopped sweeping and looked at the detectives. Her forehead creased and her lips pursed, as if in deep thought. Lindsay was hopeful that she was remembering something about their vic that would help with the case.
"You must be a Scorpio," she finally said, directing her statement to Danny.
"What?" This time Danny could not hold back the laughter.
"I sensed it when you came in. Your energy is intense. You know, when it's properly unleashed it can actually change your entire life."
Danny and Lindsay were completely dumbfounded, once again giving each other looks of disbelief.
"Don't look so worried," Edna continued. "It can be destructive but it can also be a good thing. This is a good month for Scorpios. You can achieve unusual levels of awareness and soul growth, especially when it comes to love."
Resuming her sweeping, Edna sang as she moved around the room, "Who keeps an arrow in his bow, and if you prod, he lets it go? A fervent friend, a subtle foe, Scorpio!"
Danny stood there with his mouth hanging open, not caring how rude it was. If he had looked at Lindsay he would have seen an equally baffled expression. And no doubt, she was thinking the same thing as he. What was going on with these old ladies talking to him about his life and future and...love.
If he didn't know better he would have bet that Lindsay had somehow set this up as a joke. Logistically he knew that was impossible and neither of them had talked about the fortune teller incident since it happened two days ago. Danny was happy to consider it forgotten, but Edna was not letting it remain that way.
Realizing this questioning was getting out of hand, Danny attempted to regain focus and concentrate on what they had come to do.
"Speaking of unusual, did you hear any strange sounds last night? Anything out of the ordinary?" He asked.
"No, but I'm not the best person to ask. I meditate every night from eight to nine and go right to bed. That's when the magnetic pull of the moon is the most healing. I don't hear a thing when I sleep."
Edna was proving to be no help. She had started going about the apartment lighting a majority of the candles on the tables and shelves, a mix of spicy scents quickly filling the air. Before they could excuse themselves she handed Danny and Lindsay each a stone.
"It's called Tiger's Eye," she said as she dropped one into each of their palms, closing their fingers around it. "It's good for your energy."
Once again focusing her attention to Danny she said, "I'm glad you're on this case. Scorpios have an excellent ability to determine the truth and can be fanatical at times about it. I will sleep well tonight knowing you're catching whoever did this."
"Yeah, sure. Thanks," Danny said as he closely examined the amber colored stone as if he expected to see actual waves or fumes emanate from it.
Lindsay, who had been entertained by Edna's analysis of Danny though slightly disturbed by the third reference to their love life by a stranger in as many days, pocketed her stone. She'd take whatever help she could get in battling through crime scenes, even inanimate objects from odd old ladies.
"To be in a relationship with him you must be a Cancer, am I right?" This time Edna had taken an interest in Lindsay's sign.
Lindsay's mind spun. How the heck did this woman know her sign? And more importantly how did she know she was in a relationship with Danny? Before Lindsay could recover from her shock and respond the woman did it for her.
"You're definitely a Cancer, I can tell. Don't give in to your instincts to worry, especially when it comes to him," she said, waving a hand dismissively at Danny. "He's a romantic at heart and Cancers are patient. Scorpios and Cancers both tend to be a bit guarded. Just because you don't say the word doesn't mean you don't love each other."
A flutter of panic swept through Lindsay. She avoided looking at Danny this time. The fortune teller had hinted at their future together, the fortune cookie could more easily be dismissed, but Edna could not have been any more blunt and Lindsay wanted to disappear into the floor. How do you ignore that, she thought? If they didn't address this issue that kept being thrust in front of them she was sure it would awkwardly hang in the air between them like a huge, scary question mark.
Lindsay was grateful for the ring of her cell phone that broke their uncomfortable silence. She was even more grateful when she saw she was needed at another crime scene. She wanted to get out of this room and fast. Edna looked like a sweet old lady but there was something seriously bizarre about her.
"Mac needs me at another scene. You okay here by yourself?" she asked the question out of politeness, but was already halfway out the door.
"Yeah, fine." Danny wished he could leave with Lindsay. He wasn't sure why but his life had turned into a weird Twilight Zone episode and it was freaking him out.
Lindsay was grateful for the thinking time the car ride to the scene offered. Maybe fate or something was intervening, pushing Danny and Lindsay in front of Lady Esmeralda, that fortune cookie and Edna Morris so that they could confront their true feelings. Lord knows all three were making declarations of love for them. Or maybe she was reading too much into innocent coincidences. Either way, it was out there between them, unspoken and awkward.
At first, Lindsay had been afraid that maybe things would get old between her and Danny, that their attraction would fizzle after they finally acted on it. But the longer they were together, the more she seemed to need to stay that way. Edna Morris had been right about one thing – Danny was romantic. He brought her flowers and silly little gifts. And she had been completely happy just enjoying and living for the moment. She hadn't expected to fall in love. But she had. I love Danny Messer, she said out loud to herself as if it made the sudden admission more official. The realization made her dizzy. Lindsay laughed at how afraid she'd been at the idea and how excited it made her feel. She'd feared it would be too much for her to handle, but instead she knew she wanted even more. She would just tell Danny how she felt and accept whatever happened. That's the way fate worked, right?
Danny Messer was on a mission. He'd hightailed it out of Edna Morris' apartment when she started singing more jingles about various astrology signs, and he'd done nothing but think about Lindsay Monroe ever since. And how much he loved her. He wasn't sure if Edna Morris had put a spell on him or the fortune teller had gotten under his skin but he needed to tell her or he was sure he would explode. Her words kept running through his head, "Just because you don't say the word doesn't mean you don't love each other."
He already knew he loved Lindsay. Sure, the thought of saying those words was a little scary but he wanted to be honest with her so that there were no misunderstandings. No confusion over what Edna or Lady Esmeralda or the fortune cookie had said. Edna had been right that Lindsay was a worrier and there was no way he wanted her concerned over how he felt. Even if he accepted that fortunes and karma were real, he wasn't about to let them interfere with what he had with Lindsay. Things would happen on his terms. It couldn't wait another minute. He was still trying to figure out how to tell her, what words to use, what tone. But it would come to him, he thought as he stalked his way around the lab looking for Lindsay.
Finally spotting her talking with Hawkes he stormed into the break room and without a word lifted Lindsay off the floor and over his shoulder.
"Danny!" Lindsay shrieked as she resisted his hold on her. "What are you doing!"
"I need to talk to you. Hawkes, please excuse us." With that he started carrying her towards the elevator.
"Danny put me down! I can talk to you right here. What is wrong with you?" The initial shock had worn off and her temper kicked in. Her kicks and shoves were futile, nothing weakened Danny's grip on her.
"No. We can't be interrupted by anybody…or anything," he said, thinking about the strange occurrences of the past couple of days. Lindsay thought she heard him mumble something about fortune tellers.
"You've lost your mind!" Lindsay was certain of this as Danny continued striding purposefully down the hallway. People laughed and pointed and stared as they passed.
Trying a different tactic she calmed her voice and tried reasoning, "Danny please put me down and I'll forget this ever happened. You've embarrassed me in front of our co-workers, but I will put aside that mortification if you please just put me down."
When Danny remained silent and tightened his grip on her she accepted her fate, knowing his stubbornness would not be beaten. Even when he stepped into the elevator and asked the tech already riding in it how he was doing as if he didn't have a woman hauled over his shoulder, Lindsay remained calm. Why be embarrassed when there was obviously nothing she could do to stop this mood Danny was in?
When Danny stepped off the elevator and made his way down a short hallway Lindsay realized where they were headed. He finally put her down after he'd pushed through the heavy door that led onto the roof.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked, fighting the urge to punch him in the chest.
"I need to talk to you."
"Well spill it. What the heck is so important that you needed to drag me up here like that?" The second Lindsay said the words a realization crawled into her mind that had her feeling queasy. Why would Danny want to talk to her privately? Was he going to end things with her? There was no denying the past few days had both of them thinking about their relationship. Had Danny come to a different conclusion than she? Did he not love her? There hadn't been any signs that he was unhappy, but isn't that how it always happened?
Danny's knees were shaking a little bit and his palms sweaty. "Lindsay, this isn't what I expected…to feel…or happen. And some really weird things have been happening lately."
Oh god, Lindsay thought. Here it comes. This is it. All this talk about love and marriage had scared Danny away. She felt her breath shorten and heart race. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. Fate was cruel, she decided. Right when she was ready to move forward with Danny, he was going to break her heart.
Before he did or said anything foolish, Danny decided to just spit it out. "But I love you, Lindsay."
Lindsay's heart stumbled, her throat closed. She shut her eyes, soaking in the flood of emotions that streamed through her. Well, that was definitely not a break up. Opening her eyes, she looked into Danny's and smiled. "Say it again," she asked. She wanted to make sure it was real, that she hadn't imagined it. Danny loved her. She loved him. Perfect.
Danny stepped towards her and pulled her close. She hadn't laughed in his face. Or run in the other direction. That was a good sign. He kissed her, her brow, her cheeks, her lips. "I love you."
Lindsay couldn't help the small giggle that escaped from her. She would never get tired of hearing those words she decided. "I love you too, Danny Messer."
Grinning, Danny held her closely, laughing at the way things had a funny way of working out sometimes.
A/N: The Scorpio jingle came from a website that I can't seem to find again. Wish I could credit it properly, but instead just know that it's not mine.
Thanks for reading and reviewing and an especially big thanks to mel60 for beta-ing!