2020-05-04 - The Case of the Missing Knitting Needles - Frank, Chris, Mrs Norris and Sam

Frank Sharp got out of the APD cruiser after Chris pulled it into the driveway of Ursula Norris.  Of everyone in Alexandra, Ursula Norris was among her least favorite people.  A religious zealot who was homophobic and very possibly several other things, the woman was never happy.  Yet, she had kids … that had left Alexandra the second they graduated high school and never looked back.  Now they were on a call because the woman was reporting stolen knitting needles.  Slamming the cruiser door, she glances in Chris Peterson’s direction.  “I’ll be Nancy Drew.  You can be one of the Hardy boys.”  she quipped, although once they were facing Ursula Norris, she would, as always, be the consummate professional.

Chris pulled the keys out of the ignition and glared at the house of Ursula Norris. He stepped out and stood in his door as Frank slammed hers “Oh can’t we flip the genders just to fuck with her?” He chided. Chris hated bigots, racists and religious freakshows. He also highly respected Frank, his mentor of sorts and felt his blood boil when he saw her facing people’s homephobic bullshit. Love was love and Frank had one of the best relationships he’d ever seen modeled with her partner Tamela. Two strong women he greatly admired as people, friends and work colleagues. Mrs. Norris was clearly alone. She could learn a  thing or two from someone like Frank Sharp. Chris strived to be as professional as Frank. Sometimes his facade slipped though. He took a long breath, determined to give it his best shot.

Ursula Norris was looking out her living room window as the cruiser pulled up as she often did to observe and judge the world as it passed her by. She tensed up as she saw which officers were approaching and crossed herself before walking to the door and opening it to talk to them from the porch. “Officer Sharp, I’ve been praying for you….” She greeted with. “Hello Officer Peterson. I saw you out walking with the Snow girl. Don’t take too much pity on unwed mothers….”

Chris was adjusting his police belt as he walked and now gripped it so hard it left a dent in his palm.

Frank saw Mrs Norris open the door as she and Chris climbed the stairs.  “It’s Lieutenant now, ma’am.”  she corrected.  She didn’t comment on the prayer.  Ursula Norris had been friends with her own religiously questionable mother, who Frank had not spoken to in more than a decade.  “We got a call that you’ve had a break-in?”  she just wants to investigate and get it over with.

Chris bit his tongue so hard it almost bled and followed Frank in silently. He inwardly smiled at Frank’s correction of rank. Chris made a subtly defiant point of standing in front of the door so Mrs. Norris had to go around him to close it. Normally he was exceedingly polite, especially to older people.

Ursula gave Frank a little half nod “Well congratulations on that part….” The door was wide open behind Chris, like he was born in a barn and she huffed a little and walked around him to close it. No manners! She clucked at him and then pointed to her knitting basket, which was just by the door on a small shelf “Yes, they took the needles when I was out digging in the garden…..and they’ve been in the shed….”

Frank gave a polite nod right back.  “Thank you ma’am.  It’s only been a couple of years since my promotion from Sergeant.”  she completely ignores Chris making Mrs Norris go around him to close the door.  Some minor infractions could be overlooked.  Moving in the house, she looked at the knitting basket which had all kinds of needles in it.  “Can you describe the needles?”  it sounds like a stupid questions, but they would need to know them when they saw them.  “And what did they take from the shed?”

Chris looks at the knitting basket and then watches and listens to Frank as he takes out his notebook and pen to jot down information. He was a good note taker with small tidy printing. It helped to focus on that instead of who they were talking to.

Ursula reaches down to her knitting basket and pulls out three sizes of needles. “Like this smaller grey ones...I used to have 3 of them…..good for the necks of sweaters….they have this metal bit here…” she taps it. And she huffs “Nothing was taken….just left a mess…..probably some deadbeat drug addict. You should be asking around in the bottoms….maybe in the more...ethnic houses….”

Chris stabs his pen right through his page and can’t keep his mouth shut “No need to profile people. Let’s just gather some actual evidence. Can we have the needle Ma’am?” He reaches for it after donning gloves and pulling an evidence bag from his belt but has a look on his face like he wants to stick it right through her eyeball.

Frank’s eyebrows arch at the suggestion of how they should do their jobs and watches Chris as he gloves up and takes a sample for evidence.  It may also have fingerprints they can match.  She looks through the house to the glass patio door all of the houses on this side of 3rd street had.  Norris’s was covered with a heavy curtain … all of her windows were, and it made the house gloomy and a little spooky.  “Let’s check out that shed now, shall we?”

Chris looked eager to be on the move. He took the needle although it seemed to be passed over begrudgingly. He bagged it and labelled it before walking after Frank to the shed.

Ursula followed behind, clucking at them under her breath “Can’t get that size anymore...better get it back….”

At the shed the door which opens towards them has a very old padlock that looked like it had indeed been busted open at some point and just hung on the hook undone.

Frank moves to the shed and sees the door with the padlock just hanging there.  “They picked the lock.”  she murmurs And peeks through the semi open door.  Inside is an old couch .. clean but clearly well used.  There is a small night stand with a drawer and a small but dark window on the wall facing the inlet.  On the couch were a couple of quilts. One neatly folded and the other in a heap on the dusty floor.  But also on the floor, she sees a narrow knitting needle.  “Case closed.  Let’s open another book, Chris….”  she inhales and straightens, looking over at Mrs Norris.  “Ma’am, have there been any guests staying in here lately?”  she’d heard the rumors of Jane Norris, but Jane hadn’t been around since before the earthquake, as far as Frank knew.  She knew the answer was probably ‘no’ but procedural questions had to be asked.

Chris walks into the shed after writing something down about the lock and photographing it. He’s bagging it as he walks in and then labelling. He stoops to scoop up the other needle and there’s a crinkle under his shoe. He lifts his foot and sees what looks like a discarded food wrapping from one of the take out places. Carefully he peels it off and it’s still wet, recent. He holds it up to Frank “Someone had a snack?” He looks at Mrs Norris “Do you you take your supper out here?” It’s a cheeky question and he chooses not to add like the redneck wacko you are.

Ursula looked indignant “I don’t entertain guests in my shed…..and I don’t eat out here like some low life.” She looks at the couch “This is storage and for tools….not a spare room.” She looks thoroughly annoyed by the process now.

Frank looks at the rapper Chris found and her voice becomes very serious.  “Get the SOC kit out of the car.  Photograph and prints of everything.”  she orders and turns to Mrs Norris.  “Well there is a couch in here, an end table and two quilts.”  she explains.  There are shovels and rakes hanging on the wall, but this isn’t much of a tool shed.

Chris bags the wrapper and then nods at Frank, turnsing to pass Mrs. Norris as he exits to get the kit. He returns quickly. A break was good but he still hated that narrow minded old cow, especially after her comment about Noelle today. He steps back in and turns again to pass and begin the work. Chris meticulously goes through the shed, dusting first and then starting the rest. He opens everything as he passes it, dumps out flower pots full of debris to protests from Mr.s Norris.

“You clumsy oaf those are delicate bulbs!”

Chris feigns remorse “Sorry...didn't know…..” Which in truth he did, coming from a family of pretty avid gardeners. He makes his way to the little table again and notices it has a drawer which he yanks open and then chuckles “Whoah…..” It’s filled with many boxes of condoms in various sizes. He steps back so Frank can see in and so can Mrs. Norris.

Mrs Norris looks like she might faint and is for once, speechless.

Frank supervises the job, as the shed is too small for two people to do ‘Scene Of Crime’ work.  Two people could fit, but it would be close quarters … very intimate, indeed.   Knowing she is speaking aloud, she reads the condom boxes.  “Extra small, small, regulat, large, extra large and … magnum….”  she clears her throat.  “They look old, but bag them anyway.  Dust for prints when we get back to the shop.”  she orders Chris and then looks at Mrs Norris and, in her most professional voice asks.  “Ma’am, are these condoms yours, and if not, do you know who they might belong to?”  she knew they weren’t Mrs Norris’s.  Most likely they were her nieces, Jane Norris’s who had a reputation .. and from this evidence, was always prepared.  Frank silently admires ‘Fast Lane Jane’ for that much, at least.

Chris really has to work to keep his composure on this one. He felt a series of laugh turned inward implosions as Frank actually read out all the condom types and can’t stop himself from saying “Bag the condoms….yes Ma’am…” with a little strangled cough.

Mrs. Norris reels and sputters and harumphs and then just rings her hands and her voice gets really high pitched “Those aren’t MINE!!! I don’t know what tomfoolery has been going on in THIS shed but clearly you have a LOT to investigate…” She steps out and looks up at the sky, palms open to the heavens “Dear Lord, please help me to understand this den of sin!!”

Chris almost drops the condoms as he bags them now, shaking and coughing to cover his struggle.

Frank waits until Mrs Norris’s eyes are heavenward before replying to Chris's statement with a wink.  Then she takes a step towards her.  “Clearly we do.”  she agrees.  “And we will see to it you get a complete report of the goings on in your shet as well as who may have broken in.”  and before she can lose it too much, the  slaps Chris on the shoulder.  “Let’s go, Peterson.  Back to the shop.  We have work to do.”  and she leaves with only a final.  “We’ll be in touch ma’am.” tossed over her shoulder.  Moving around, and not through the house, she gets in the car as quickly as she can, trying her damndest not to laugh there in the woman's driveway.  Maintain that professionalism as long as possible, Sharp.

Chris quickly packs up the evidence and the kit and has to bite both the insides of his cheeks by the time Frank slaps him on the shoulder. He follows seeing Mrs. Norris sink to her knees in some sort of fervent devotional fit.

He can barely drive from laughing so hard and just stops the cruiser in front of the station to let it out until his eyes are just streaming “Oh. My. Fucking.God.” He manages between laughs.

Frank leans left and right as they laugh onc safely back at the station.  “See Chris.  Never say this job is boring.  I don’t know about that breakin, but I know I am looking forward to writing and delivering the report on how that shed was used … before the Earthquake…”  she pauses.  “If the Chief even lets us…”

Chris does  a mock wolf whistle and then quips “Den of Sin indeed. Sometimes Karma is a  bitch….” He’s heard the rumours about Fast Lane Jane even if she was a few years younger than him. He felt a little guilty thinking of the young woman like that especially after his proclamation about people having attitudes to Noelle but that was what was talked about unfortunately. As they got out he asked Frank a pointed question “Hey Frank, tell me if I’m overstepping a boundary here...but….with lesbians…..is there the same kind of labeling that goes on about slut shaming...I mean in groups of….herds….are there herds of lesbians?” He’s only half kidding now.

Frank straightens herself out as she gets out of the car and looks at her young protege.  “Not that I know of, although …  Back when I was single, that was a fantasy of mine …”  she looks mock serious.  “Gay men .. cattiest of the catty when they get in their little cups about whose sleeping with who and why.”  she rolls her eyes.  “Let’s face it .. some stereotypes are truly based on truths…”

Chris looked amused by the first part and then bothered by last “But some aren’t. I didn’t like what Mrs. Norris said about Noelle. I realize she’s a religious wing nut and most of what she says is bat shit crazy.” He says this as he stands, across the top of the  car at Frank and then goes around to get the kit from the trunk expressing more “People call Noelle all kinds of awful things because of her connection with Joey Piccolo...and all if it is his fault...not hers…..It’s not right. I fuckin hate it.” He hoists the kit a little roughly as his agitation grows and slams the trunk.

Frank listens to Chris and watches him.  Once the kit is in his hand and the trunk of the car firmly slammed in his anger, she motions to him and heads into the shop.  It’s gotten a bit busier and many are on the phone.  Not even Ulick says anything, as he is on the phone, but he does lift his huge hand in greeting.  But Frank only heads for the door leading down to the basement and the evidence lockers.  However once she notes that no one is down there, she nods for him to put the kit on the table so they can start cataloguing and finally speaks, as if there was no time passed.  “You feel like that because you’ve had at least a crush on her since her family moved into town.”  she lifts her hand to stem his protest.  “I’m a cop and a teacher.  More trained observer in the first job, but ... “  she shrugs.  “I’m glad you didn’t act on it back then, but I’ve watched you and her .. hell most if not all of the kids that have been in and out of the school since I came here.  And you …”  she points at him with a slight grin.  “You’ve had something for her for a long time .. and the older she got the more intense it got.  But…”  she holds up a finger.  “Human nature is human nature and as much as Noelle tried to hide her pregnancy … Once that cat was out of the bag people started to talk.  Not about the no good boy that knocked both girls up within a week of each other, if the kids birthdays are to be believed, but about the girls who had to carry his kids … and face his … not wanting to face fatherhood.”

Chris grinned a little and nodded. His feelings for Noelle had evolved over time. He wasn’t fully in tune with them himself through all the years until more recently and he clearly had no idea how obvious they were until Frank spelled it all out. “You’re right.” He admitted through her explanation. As Frank shifted to Joey his face got red again in anger and he looked down as he unpacked all Jane’s many boxes of condoms for evidence analysis “She told me he hurt her in the art room…”He broke off “I believe her. She has scars. How could that happen and no teachers even knew...I’m not accusing you...but just..”

Frank writes down a description of each box of condom and then picks one to fingerprint.  She tenses when Chris mentions the art room.  “Oh … we knew.  We’re not blind or stupid, you know.”  she tries to tease just a little bit.  “But as you well know … if the victim won’t testify the whole case is rendered moot.”  she sighs deeply.  “One of the teachers noticed the cuts on her and sent her to the nurse.  The nurse saw the cuts, and the pregnancy and called me in … unofficially at first.  Noelle damn near tried to tell me she didn’t even have the cuts at first.  Then I got the ‘I fell’ story.  Then she admitted she’d been knocked into an easel …  and then …”  she lifted both of her hands up.  “She clammed up.  And now you know … if there’s no name, there’s no one to charge.  I suspected Joey Piccolo, but didn’t have Noelle to corroborate.”  she drops her hand, lifting prints off of the first box.  “Noelle I think had it the worst of the girls and that’s knowing that Daisy’s mother threw her out too.  But Kinsie took her back.  Daisy also had Vincent, who had connections here through Darcy.  And the support of the Reinhardts.”  she purses her lips as she lifts prints.  “Noelle … her family didn’t take her back and she had no one, really.  Lydia is a wonderful person, but Noelle had pretty much shut down before that shit in the art room.  So she was alone … until her mother left her father and even then … that was selfish on her moms part….”  she sighs, catalogues the evidence, bags it and starts on another box.

Chris looks understanding of the police perspective. He’d been in that role, knowing someone could only be helped if they fully cooperated, but sometimes it was complicated. He looked depressed by what Frank knew about Noelle’s true isolation. He worked on trying to get prints off the needles which was tricky because of their shape. He looked up after Frank finished “Well hopefully I don’t drive her too nuts and she can know that she’s not alone now….”

Frank smiled softly.  “Hopefully.”  she agrees and goes on as they catalogue.  “But don't forget … She has scars.  And if she gets too scared … she might snap at you .. and tell you to go to hell.  Just trying to make you give her space, or to push you away.  It’s a trick as old as time.  Don’t fall for it.  You’re a smart man … you are a trained observer.  You will know when she means she doesn’t want you in her life anymore versus her just being scared because the love is scaring the hell out of her and she thinks you’re gonna abandon her anyway so she’s gonna beat you to the punch.”  she sighs and looks at him out of the corner of her eye.  “Um … yea …  Tams and I …  might have had a moment or two when my abandonment issues made me … stupid.”

Chris listens carefully, looking a little surprised when Frank admits their and her struggle “You guys are so solid…..so tell me what Tams did right...when you felt like that?”

Frank sighs.  “We are now.”  she admits.  “Tams .. didn’t let me throw her away .. or let me run away.  She told me she’d always be there and … even when I told her to just leave .. she wouldn’t.  I think I left once … and realized right off I’d fucked up … but she came efter me … even before I could come after her and she talked to me and .. it worked out.”  she begins on another box.  “Scarred women .. and probably men now that I think of it … can be scary.  Sometimes you have to ignore your training.  “No will sometimes mean ‘please make me know how much you want me .. please’.  Which looks like sexual manipulation but isn’t because of her scars.  I imagine it's very emotionally exhausting for the non-scarred one in the relationship.”

Chris frowns a bit “Do you mean about emotional shit...or “ He looks like he feels like he should not be asking Frank this “actual sex? I mean I’d never want to push for that ever...I’m assuming you mean just about supporting you..her...the person with scars?” He’s aware but not always experienced enough to be fully there.

Frank looks at him and nods.  “Yes.”  she replies, cryptically.  “But when it comes ot sex … if she says no .. back off.  Let her come to you to reinitiate.”  she suggests.  For the entire process of cataloguing and printing a box she looks like she wants to go on and, eventually she does.  “When I was a teenager I knew a guy who I wanted to make me straight, I guess.  He was an incredible guy.  But he was maybe .. half way inside of me when I told him ‘no.’..”  she looks at him.  “And he STOPPED.  He said Ok and then went to the shower.  To finish himself off I guess.  But the point IS … I was naked … under him .. he was twice my size … one thrust of the hips and I would have been being raped.  So I know how hard it can be for men .. no pun intended.  But I can tell you this because I think you’re easily as good a man as Ziven was.  He died in the Cedar Point quake … big mess … anyway …  Be patient with her and be the good man I know you are.”

Chris looks touched by her compliment and comparison to someone who clearly had such an impact on her life. “Well I would stop too….I mean Noelle and I haven’t gone there yet but i would. We actually talked about that...and I told her about Avery…” He trails off and then circled back curiously “So this Ziven, was he part of your realizing you wanted to be with women?” He carefully starts on the other knitting needle. They were extremely fussy.

Frank’s eyes get big when he tells her that he told Noelle about Avery, but says nothing.  That said all it needed to right there.  His change of subject makes her laugh out loud.  “No .. I knew I was a lesbian.  But it broke my parents up.  My mom was .. well .. she and Mrs Norris knew each other and were friends.  And I thought … if I was straight .. maybe they would get back together.  But I couldn’t and Ziven helped me understand that.  And .. I talked to my father and he said that would never have worked .. because I would not be true to myself and if the mother of his child couldn't accept her daughter, he wanted nothing to do with her.” she smiles at the memory.  “So .. I don’t speak to my mother anymore … and I am a happy lesbian in a committed relationship.”

He looks thoughtful “I’m glad you had your dad...and Ziven...sorry he passed away….and I’m very glad you found Tams.” He smiles and looks earnest about that. “I think I got the prints off the knitting needles but they were a pain so it might be a partial. I’m wondering about this wrapper though...it’s wet...could have some DNA. Should we call in Sam?”

Frank smirks at him.  “I am too…”  she looks away, still smirking.  “Had a crush on her for YEARS ….”  and then the subject is changed.  “Yea ….  It might.”  she moves to the landline phone and picks it up, punching in three digits.  Then “Hey Wright, can you come down here?  We need your nose to sniff out some DNA for us.”  a pause followed by.  “Great.”  and she hangs up.  “He’ll be down here in a minute or two.”  she announces.

Chris sets the wrapper aside and looks at the vast collection of condoms “You know it’s almost impressive….” He has to joke “Leave those out for Sam too. He’ll think we investigated a robbery at the Love Shop.” and then he looks wryly at Frank “So you recognize people’s pining because YOU pined for Tamela Douglas?

Frank laughs .. at both statements.  “Yes … I know that look.  And if you tell anyone I have a soft side I’ll…”

Sam Sharp comes down and interrupts.  “Turn you into a pretzel, then rip your cock off and feed it to Daisy.”  he stops at the table and stares.  “Well Mrs Norris, you naughty little minx…”  he sounds almost delighted. “Who knew …”  and he looks around knowing full well those can’t be Mrs Norris’s condoms.  “OK, so you found Jane’s stash.  Good deal.  Make her buy new if she ever comes back.  I can’t be the only one so heavily invested in the Love Shack.”  he folds his arms.  “So what DNA am I sniffing for?”

Chris beams at Frank and then laughs heartily at Sam. He then holds up the bagged food wrapper “This looks pretty recent. I think  the old minx got herself a squatter…...you don’t want to know her list of racially profiled suspects though I assure you. But I am curious as to who’d even want to go near her shed.”

Frank looks at Sam.  “Yes.  Yes, that’s exactly it.”  she then snorts at the two men.  “Find out if anyone drooled over this burger.”  Granted it did come from a greasy spoon in the Bottoms but …  “And then spent the night in the Norris shed.”

Sam snorts.  “Oh the list goes on with her.”  he rolls his eyes.  He reaches for the wrapper and looks at it before setting it down again and moving to get gloves.  He takes the evidence bag over to the right equipment and unseals it.  As he begins to work, he talks.  “So … please tell me if Mrs Norris knew that her niece likes to take all cummers in her shed.  Tell me she is THAT aware of the world around her.”  he almost pleads.

Chris shakes his head “I’d say denial. She was having some kind of religious fit when we left. Maybe Jane did it partly as a rebellion against her aunt…..are we outing her every partner to Mrs. Norris? I mean some of that will be...for lack of a better word dried up…..but I don’t want to give her more reason to harass anyone in this town.” He looks between Frank and Sam.

Frank just snorts and shakes her head.  By way of a reply, she only points at Chris.  “What he said.”

Sam isn’t looking at either of them.  He is doing his work, but he is replying.  “Absolute rebellion on Jane’s part.”  he tells Chris.  “The last time she was here …”  he shakes his head.  “And no … let’s not analyze every cum stain in that shed.  I know some of the names from locker room talk at The Gym or Statutes.”  he sighs.  “Names of teens or young men, plus some older men.   Greg Kitner, Malik Warren, Jack Snow, Kevin Bitterson… and more no doubt.  Jane’s mother is Ursula's sister and … yea … the whole family …. Think … if Carrie White’s mother had a sister … but without the telekinesis.”  He is carefully doing his job and speaking slowly, but finally he straightens and flips a switch.  “Come on baby, give me that sweet, sweet DNA analysis…”

Chris smirked at Frank and then tuned into Sam as he talked. He reacted to some of the names he knew from town and then his jaw dropped when Sam said Jack Snow. Sam said some other things but they became like white noise “Did you say Jack Snow? Noelle’s dad...slept with Jane Norris…..almost as young as his daughter…” He was clearly a bit repulsed “AND he apparently ….ugh...just ugh…Jane Norris and Kenzie Dale...who else did he fuck around on his wife with?”

Frank reaches out to touch Chris’s shoulder.  “Steady, Chris.” she intones.  “They’re both adults, even if Jane IS only a little older than Noelle is.”  she gives him a comforting look.  The law said it was alright … so … it was alright .. even when it wasn’t.

Sam looks at Chris.  “Fuck … yea … sorry it was just rattling off of my stupid tongue.”  he sighs and listens to Frank and then looks again at Chris.  “You really do love her, don’t you?”  he half asks and half observes.  “That’s good.  She needs love in her life and I’m all for it.”  he shrugs.  “I know I know I swing but that doesn’t mean I can’t love the right girl.” then he pauses.  “Do you really want to kno who else Jack is or was fucking?”  he asks.  “I don’t think you do … and as a pre-law student ..  I’d suggest you live happily in bliss.  Remember .. what you don’t know you can’t be convicted of assaulting…”

Chris nods at Frank “I know. I just can’t beleive her fuckin family. “ He turns to Sam “yeah I do love her…  a lot. It’s probably best I don’t know. You both know my Scottish temper problem.” He chuckles but it’s a truth spoken in jest. He watches Sam, very curious for the DNA results to reveal their brave squatter.

Frank sighs.  “Yea.  Her family.  Gino D’Antoni … this town has more than its fair share of dysfunction.”  she’s also looking at Sam.  “Yes we do.  You’ve been doing pretty well lately, by the way.”  she commends him.

Sam snorts.  “D’Antoni… yea .. he’s a piece of fuckin work.”  He watched the display and taps a button.  “Now let’s see who our mystery squatter is….”  a printer by the machine comes to life and Sam moves over to it, waiting on it to finish before he grabs the sheet and looks.  Hie brows raise.  “O …  K…”  he blows out a breath before blindly handing the sheet to Frank, who stares at it a moment before she looks at Chris.

“The Chief will make it official, Chris.”  she says, gravely.  “But you're off this case.”  She offers the sheet to Chris.

Chris looks confused by Sam and then immediately affronted by Frank. Off the case? What the actual fuck? He glares at Frank and then roughly takes the page from her and reads the name. His anger at Frank turns inward and his hand shakes as he rereads the name several times. He shakes his head and back up from them “This can’t be true...Jack Rose? How the fuck could he be on this island?” His breath comes faster like he’s been running and he brandishes the paper, crushing it in his fist “How?!!” He screams at the top of his lungs.