Riverside's Perfect Murder

Tony

Rita woke before Tony. She was still in the afterglow of their lovemaking from the night before, and she wanted more this morning. Last night had been a night to remember. Rita got hot all over thinking about it.

Rita reached over to excite Tony when the alarm went off. Damn, maybe they could be late this morning. As if Tony could read her mind, he said, "Wow. You were something last night. Do you think we could be late this morning and go for round two?"

"Two? You don't count so well. Maybe round seven would be more like it," Rita said between kisses.

"Ok, my love. How about round seven?" Tony managed to get out.

"I want it more than you know, but it will have to wait," Rita responded and pulled herself away. She headed towards the shower.

"How about if I join you?" Tony asked, looking as gorgeous as he always did. It didn't matter morning, night or halfway in-between he always looked fantastic. Rita felt so alive when she was with him. Of course, on the job they had to play it cool. They were partners after all and fraternizing with your partner was strictly prohibited.

Tony was lying on his side, propped up on his elbow with nothing in the way of Rita seeing all of him. Hard, taught, and as handsome as a god. "What are you looking at?" Tony asked.

"You," Rita said softly. "I want to remember you as you are this very moment for the rest of my life."

"We will have a long life together, and you can look at me like that every day if you like," Tony said.

"Promise," Rita said, nearly whispering.

"I promise. Now can I join you?" Tony said, breathing harder.

"No, but you can watch if it will keep you excited all day. I will even put on a show for you." Rita said, laughing.

"I can't be like that all day. I'll go put on the coffee." Tony said.

"Ok, your loss," Rita said as she danced to the shower.

The sky was crystal clear as Rita drove to the station. Rita and Tony always drove in separate. They weren't ready to tell the bosses yet. One or the other would have to quit or get reassigned when they revealed that they were in love. They cherished being together and enjoyed being partners more than anything. Rita and Tony both said, soon, when they talked about telling the world but not yet.

At the station, nothing was new. No new cases and they had closed most of the older ones. Rita was upstairs talking to the captain about taking some vacation time when the commotion started. They heard the screech of tires, two gunshots, screams, and shouts with more tires squealing.

By the time Rita made it down to the street level half the force was out front. Rita pushed her way to the center of the crowd to see her confidential informant lying in the street, bleeding from two holes in his stomach. He saw Rita and reached for her. Rita tried not to get in the way of the EMT's working on Sal, her informant, but he wanted to tell her something.

"They took him. I'm sorry; they took him."

"Who took who?" Rita asked.

Rita had to get close to him to hear him say, "Bobby Gonzales has your Tony. You were supposed to come, not him. They wanted you but took him." Sal said.

The EMTs wanted to take him away. Rita stopped them. "Wait, please. I need to hear this," she yelled.

Rita asked Sal, "Where did they take him?"

"Bobby said you would know the place," Sal said.

"Yeah. I know where," Rita said.

Rita watched as the EMTs took Sal away. She was numb. She looked down and saw blood on her hands. Was that an omen? She wondered.