Participants:
Scene Title | Avon Calling |
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Synopsis | Kaydence Lee meets with MacKenzie to keep her informed about the Civella case and let her know she's protected. |
Date | August 25, 2008 |
Queens - MacKenzie Myers' Apartment
MacKenzie is in the kitchen of her apartment on the top story of a two-level in St. Albans. She moves her hips to a song by Emiliana Torrini while quickly chopping onions and putting them into a large bowl with other chopped vegetables.
There's a knock at the door, somewhere between a pounding and a light tapping. Loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to sound like someone you really don't want to talk to is on the other side of the door. "Miss Myers?" A feminine voice calls from out in the hall, lightly peppered with a Southern accent. The woman has well-kept brown hair, a satin topaz blouse with smart black slacks and wearing enough (tasteful) make-up to look like a- Well, what do you know? She is a make-up saleswoman if the large kit she carries is any indication.
MacKenzie goes to her door and looks through the peep hole. Disarmed by the other woman's looks and the feminine sound of her voice, MacKenzie opens her door a bit. "Can I help you?" she asks.
"Why hello, sugah. It isn't you who can help me, but Ah can sure help you!" The woman works with the fastenings of her case like a pro, balancing it in one hand and opening it with the other - she's obviously done this before. "Let me tell you about the wondahs of Mary Kay!" Inside the case is an impressive assortment of makeup. And when the woman slides aside a cluster of eyeshadow samples, there's something shiny beneath. A shiny badge for a Detective K. L. Damaris. "D'ya mind if Ah come in?" She flashes MacKenzie a brilliant smile.
Upon seeing the badge MacKenzie says nothing but gives the other woman a smile, albeit a nervous one. She opens the door wide and extends a hand towards a love seat in her living room.
The detective saunters into the apartment and waits until MacKenzie shuts and locks the door before putting her equipment away. "Sorry about that," the accent is considerably diminished. "You never know who's listening or watching. I'm Detective Kaydence Lee Damaris. I believe you've met my partner, Detective Demsky." She smiles faintly, more genuine than kill-you-with-sweetness this time.
MacKenzie gives her own faint smile and says, "It's okay. I'm glad to be visited by someone who knows how to be inconspicuous — and someone who isn't really trying to sell me Mary Kay!" Returning to her cutting board in the kitchen, she says, "Have yourself a seat," and asks, "Is there anything you don't want in your salad?"
Kay seems a little surprised by the offer of a salad, but she shakes her head and takes a seat, setting the make-up aside. "Just no cucumbers, I think. Anything else should be fine. Or I'll pick it out." She retrieves a small notebook from her pocket, along with a pen. "I came to tell you that we've discovered the identities of the men who shot you, Miss Myers."
Having begun chopping onions again, MacKenzie stops and asks, "Who were they?"
"A Larry Santos and Paul Lezama. Your typical hired thugs. Nothing we can link back definitively to Civella. But the fact that he's hired to men to try and kill you means that you're getting to him, Miss Myers. Are you sure you don't have my information than just that recording? It will likely get thrown out in court, though if we find an enthusiastic judge, we might get a search warrant. I'm not holding my breath, though." Kaydence shrugs a little helplessly. "Do you need any help with that?" She peers curiously into the kitchen, awaiting an answer on all counts.
MacKenzie shakes her head, apparently in reply to both questions and sets back to work on the onions. "I have nothing else to offer besides my testimony," she says while she finishes her chopping. She wipes her eyes with a towel before mixing the salad with tongs. She then prepares two servings, taking them into the living room and putting one before Kaydence.
Kay smiles and murmurs a thank you as the salad is set in front of her. "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about the woman who, ah… Why don't you just start from the beginning for me? I know you've been over this before, but I'd like to hear it from you myself, rather than reading it in some report. Indulge me?" Her tone his hopeful, encouraging.
Fork in hand, MacKenzie says, "I don't know what else to say. It all happened so quickly. I was in the cafe with my friend, and another woman was there. I felt something strange, and realizing I'd been shot, I turned to see that the shooter had been knocked to the ground. The woman I didn't know kicked some more ass, and my friend finished the job. I was under a table most of the time, observing."
"This woman you didn't know, can you describe her to me?" The salad is ignored and Kay is instead perched with her notebook resting on her knee and pen poised to jot. "How old did she look, in your opinion?"
MacKenzie says, "She was blonde, somewhat tall —" She pauses. "I'm sorry if that's not helpful. I really didn't get a good look at her."
"Do you remember what she was wearing at all?" Kay smiles encouragingly. "Anything you can remember, even if it seems silly, may prove helpful."
MacKenzie puts her finger to her chin. After a moment she shakes her head. "No, I don't remember. I have a better memory for words than visual details … and before you ask, no, she didn't say anything."
There doesn't appear to be a trace of frustration on Kay's face as she puts her notebook away. She simply nods and then reaches for her salad. "It's all right. I'm just glad you're all right, Miss Myers."
Smiling, MacKenzie says, "Thank you. I feel very fortunate. Do you know how the other woman is doing?"
"Everything's… fine," Kay responds after she chews a mouthful of salad. "There's units stationed outside of both your home and your friend's. We're doing everything to ensure the safety of you both while we continue this investigation." She's silent for the space of time it takes her to chew and swallow another bite of greens. "This is a brave thing you're doing."
MacKenzie takes a bite from her own salad and says, "I'm grateful for what you're doing for me and my friend. But the other woman — is she being offered protection?"
"Even we haven't been able to track her down." Kay admits. "Hopefully this means the mob won't be able to, either. When we find her, though, she'll get the same protection. I promise." Because she feels she owes it to this woman to make that sort of promise.
MacKenzie smiles when she hears the word promise. "I'm glad to hear that, because she was was brave too. When I was cowering under the table, she —" MacKenzie's voice cracks, and a tear streams down her face.
Kay sets her salad off to the side and reaches out to rest a hand reassuringly on MacKenzie's shoulder. "Shh. It's okay. She didn't get hurt and you didn't die. That's what's important here. You've never been in a situation like that before, right?"
Wiping tears from her cheeks, MacKenzie says nothing but shakes her head.
"I'll let you in on a secret, then." Kay's voice drops not quite to a whisper, but definitely like someone telling a secret would do. "I froze the first time I was ever attacked. All I could do was scream and cry. Nobody knows how to react when faced with a situation like that. Nothing can prepare you for what happens. All the training in the world, and telling yourself not to freeze… None of that does you any good when you realise you've been hit and you're bleeding." She looks as though she may hug the crying woman for a moment, but she doesn't go through with the gesture. It just seems like an invasion of personal space. Or too presumptuous. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
MacKenzie smiles, responding warmly both to the hand that rests on her hand and the divulgence of personal information. "Thank you," she says.
"Yeah. No problem." Kate squeezes MacKenzie's hand gently. "Here. Let me give you my card while I'm thinking about it. It has my direct cell line. If you need me to come by for any reason, I want you to call me, okay?" A small, powder pink business card is plucked from the pocket of her slacks. It's decorated with the Mary Kay logo. "If anybody finds this on you, they won't think anything of it. If you're in trouble, and you need me there immediately, you just tell me you want to place an order for some cover-up. You got that? I'll come down here. No sirens or nothin'. No one will be the wiser."
MacKenzie accepts the card, looks at it, and giggles a bit. "Thank you, Miss Damaris. This means a lot to me."
"Mrs. Damaris," she corrects gently, though it's definitely insistent. "And it's no problem at all. I mean that." Kay reclaims her salad and flashes a smile to MacKenzie before she begins eating again.
MacKenzie takes another bite herself and then says, "I gave Officer Demsky my card. Will you be able to contact me if you need anything?"
"Absolutely," Kay confirms with a nod of her head. "If I need anything, or something comes up, I'll be in touch."
"You really took me by surprise, Ms Damaris," MacKenzie says. I'm glad everyone is okay — or at least there's no reason to think anyone is terribly hurt." She takes another bite of vegetables, finishing her salad.
Kay flinches just a touch at being referred to as 'ms.' "Please. Call me Kay." She finishes off her salad and sets the plate aside carefully. "And don't you worry about it. It's the least I can do. What you're doing isn't easy. The more I can put your mind at ease, the better I'll feel."
"Once again," MacKenzie says, "Thank you." She gathers her and Kay's plates and stands to take them to the kitchen. "Is there anything else I can get for you, Kay?"
Kay stands up and shakes her head quickly. "No. You've done enough already," she assures her witness. "Thanks for the dinner. I'll let myself out. Remember, don't hesitate to call." She fixes her with a serious 'I mean it, okay?' expression before gathering up her make-up kit and heading toward the door.
MacKenzie looks Kay in the eye and says in all seriousness, "I won't."
With one final nod, Kay heads out the door. She really believes MacKenzie will be a good girl and call at the first sign of trouble. Or, at least, she certainly hopes she will…
And with the mob, there's always trouble.
August 22nd: The Curious Case of Larry Santos and Paul Lezama |
Previously in this storyline… Next in this storyline… |
August 25th: Are You Interested? |