Yeaaah. Another multi chap I'm starting...but I wanted to do AU for so long I couldn't resist myslef :D
It's more crime story than espionage. I've decided not to make any background summary, that would spoil all the mystery. You will learn more in next chapters :) Enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Part I
Nikita walks down the corridor at confident, brisk pace. She passes by offices and conference rooms, feeling cautious glares on her back.
Back straight, head up. Stop looking around like a child in Disneyland. She kept repeating in her head.
Building is s full of people, everyone in rush, running from one room to another among constant printer's buzzing, phone ringing. Tension is almost palpable.
Gain their trust. Don't show anxiety , don't let them see your weakness. Be a professional. No one will doubt you unless you give them reason to.
Walking through glass door, she enters the large office. Lots of desks, lots of employers. 14th precinct of NY police, Homicide department. Place where optimism and joy are long forgotten, buried under tons of papers describing macabre things that one person did to another. Nikita swallows seeing photographs of people murdered ,injured in every possible way hanging on the white boards. Few arrest warrants pinned randomly to the walls.
Usual busy day at the precinct. Everyone running around, shouting, talking on the phone, filling the documents. Yet each of them throw a glance at the newcomer. Some keep it for a little longer.
Nikita is aware of the impression she makes on people. Especially on men. She knows how to use it for her advantage if she needs to. But now it is not the time. She ignores all the lustful glares, struggling through the labyrinth of desks and chairs, trying not to trip over.
Focusing her eyes on the glass office at the end of the room, Nikita breathes out with relieve. From distance she sees white haired man in mid 50s talking to other one, who is turned back to her, wearing blue shirt. This is it. She thinks. Time to start the show.
She knocks on the door and enters. Men fall silent, their eyes focused on the intruder. Older man watching her with knitted brows, half angry that she interrupted his meeting, half curious who the hell is she.
Nikita puts on a friendly yet professional smile and says: " Nikita Mears. I've been sent from the bureau as independent consultant in the investigation of Mary Hall's death. " She hands over a file holder to Jon Foldman as it says on the nameplate on his desk.
"Right. I got the info, sorry Ms. Mears." Foldman pinches the bridge of his nose as he remembered the call from the morning. "Michael leave us for a moment. "
Man in a blue shirt nods and directs his steps to the door. His eyes stay on Nikita for a while before he closes the door behind him. His appraising, somehow reluctant glare makes her feel uncomfortable. She forces her head to turn back to face white haired man while Michael leaves the room.
Here we go. Nikita breathes out slowly, bravely holding Foldman's gaze, waiting for him to say something.
888
Michael goes back to his desk, leaning back on his chair, holding a report in one hand pretending to read it. But his attention is still focused on Foldman's office.
Woman is young, probably in her mid twenties, very attractive. She wears well fitted houndstooth suit which perfectly matches her dark brown eyes. Hair gathered in a bun makes her look professional and totally unfun. Typical Federal agent.
"Smoking hot." He hears a voice and spins his chair around to face Lucas Perrino's cocky face.
"From FBI." Michael's eyes drifts back to her. She surely knows how to charm everyone around. He sees Foldman's sour-face is slowly replaced by acclaim for his guest.
"Means she will boss us around now? " Perrino is still behind him. "I could let her spank me."
Michael rolls his eyes seeing the dreamy gaze of his colleague. "Means she is out of your league."
Perrino snorts and sags down into his chair few desks away clearly offended.
888
Foldman leans back in his chair eyeing her up and down. "We know how to do our job Miss Mears."
"No doubt about that, sir. Yet Mary Hall was senator Kerrigan's secretary and in the circumstances of near election we find it suspicious at least. Bureau wants to handle it as discreetly as possible, that's why I was sent here, sir. Not to interfere with your investigation, only to assist and join our strength together."
He watches her carefully and nods with reluctance. "Ok. But just to be clear Miss Mears, you won't be in command. This is Michael's team and he stays in charge. Maybe bureau wants to keep their hand on the pulse but my people are capable of doing their jobs. You will watch and advise but don't think you can boss around my personnel, is that clear?"
"Absolutly, sir. "
He watches her attentively, studying her reaction. Deciding that his words made satisfactory effect, he raises from his chair, his hand extended to her. "Welcome on board agent Mears. "
888
Men in the precinct watch as Jon opens the door letting Nikita walk out before him. He stands by her side, clears his throat and says:
"Guys, this is Nikita Mears from FBI, agent Mears, this is detective Michael Bailey- head of unit, detectives Lucas Perrino and Barry Chase. "He introduced each man. They exchange the usual handshakes and polite smiles. Nikita notices that Michael's is a little bit fake. Probably thinks of her as an opponent, someone who is trying to oust him out of his position.
"Guys , fill agent Mears in and provide access to our data. We don't want uncle Sam to be pissed don't we?" Foldman smirks at his not so funny joke and goes back to his office.
"So… you are our new boss?" Michael asks trying to sound natural. The other two just kept staring at her.
"No. it's still your unit. I'm only consultant. "
"Good, cause guys wouldn't bare commands from a woman. " Michael smiles at her.
Very handsome. Nikita thinks stalling for a moment not able to stop staring into those green flickering eyes. She hears Perrino's chuckle. She clears her throat and remembering why is she really here, she says:
" So… detective Bailey, what do you've got so far?" She sits on the edge of the desk crossing arms over her chest.
Michael needs a second to collect thoughts, trying to get them back from her petite silhouette sitting on his desk. Either she didn't realize how she impacts men or she exactly knows that and uses that to her advantage. Either way she is making him angry. They have a tough investigation in their hands. Such distraction was the last thing they needed right now.
„It's Michael. Everything is there. " He points the whiteboard covered with pictures and words. "You probably have more fancy equipment in bureau but we like tradition here."
Nikita is sensing sarcasm and reserve in his comment. Somehow he is prejudiced against her.
"Mary Hall- female, 32 years old, several stab wounds to the chest killed her on the scene. Murder weapon wasn't found. She died between 7 and 9 p.m Tuesday evening. Autopsy results came this morning, we are still waiting for victim's call records and financials. As for now We've talked to victim's sister, she doesn't know anything about her potential enemies or if she was in any kind of trouble. They weren't very close. We also interrogated her Boyfriend – Jason Kerrick who claims they were in -obviously- happy relationship and he has no idea why someone would want her dead as well. Right now we crossed him out of the suspect list. He alibied out, 7 witnesses confirmed he was working at the time of the murder, he is a bartender in some fancy college bar on Lexington Street. "
Nikita nods sorting the facts in her head. She debates taking out a legal pad to write it all down before deciding against it. It wouldn't be in FBI agent style. She has to maintain the character. Shadow of smile forms on her lips as her fingers travels to her purse which has sunglasses in it. Her features school quickly as she notices Michael's raised brow and irritation on his face.
" Am I boring you agent Mears? "
" Not at all, please continue."
"This case looked like mugging gone wrong at the beginning but when 3 weeks before election leading candidate's secretary is stabbed to death we need to investigate it from every angle. "
"Anything doesn't add up? "
"Only meetings with mysterious "MeeMee" Regularly, about 3 times in a week. It was scribed in her calendar. Nor sister neither boyfriend knows what those initial stand for."
"Ok." Nikita stood up. " Can you take me to the crime scene?"
"It has been already cleaned, you won't find there anything interesting."
"I want to see it anyway."
" Right." Michael snorted. He was allergic to any peacock who thought that those three letters on his badge were making them somehow superhuman. Even if they were that much of attractive woman.
Miss smartass probably thought he and his team with 7 years of field experience missed something.
They kept sending here some douchebags from bureau once in a while to show them how the real work is done. Yet those professionals did nothing but walk around saying big words, using their fancy equipment while he and his people did the real work, hard investigation. Foldman wanted to maintain good opinion about the precinct so Michael, as head of the unit had to kiss their asses.
She wasn't the first, nor the last he has to endure. The sooner they will find the killer the faster she will be gone. "Follow me, agent Mears."
It looks different than Nikita remembered it.
Piles of documents on the desk are gone as well as the trash from under it. She is standing now in a quiet, empty apartment, full of labels with numbers of evidence, furniture dirty with the dactyloscopic powder sticking to everything around. This formerly cozy and neat apartment now became a playground for Forensics.
" I would like to talk to senator tomorrow. " she says.
" We've already talked to him." Michael snaps. She looked at him with knitted brows surprised with this hostility. He quickly schools his features.
"Senator doesn't need scandal right now. He says he is eager to cooperate and he has nothing to hide."
Nikita smiles ironically. "Everyone is hiding something. I want to ask him couple of questions, that's all."
"With all due respect agent Mears, your consultant position doesn't allow…."
" I don't care about my position agent Bailey. I want to question senator Kerrigan." Her voice stern, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't risk all getting here only to be benched by some offended cop.
" As you wish." Michael said bitterly.
Nikita sighs having a strong feeling that working with him won't be a piece of cake. She walks over to the drawer and grabs one of the photographs.
"She didn't deserve it. " She says lost in thoughts. Inhales tingling scent of a dust. Air is heavy and sticky. Not only because the apartment was locked up for the past few days and it needs fresh air. It's also the atmosphere of tragedy and unsolved murder.
All that left was a stained rug as a reminder of a life that slipped away
„She was found here. " Michael pointed the stained rug in front of her . „No signs of forced entry or a struggle. She probably knew the killer…"
He pauses as his pocket starts to vibrate. Michael takes out the phone and glances at the screen.
"Everything ok? " she asks seeing his gloomy face.
"Yeah. It's just my girlfriend. She is getting nervous when I stay after hours." He hides the phone back the back pocket of his jeans. „As far as we know, she was squeaky clean." Nikita heard his voice again. " No lover, no drugs, no debts . For now I can't think of any reason she could be killed for."
Nikita nods her head in silence.
There is one. She knows the reason why Mary was murdered. The only unanswered question is who did this?
Determined to find that out more than ever Nikita turns back to Michael who is leaning against the wall, clearly bored.
" I know everything I wanted, we can go. "
Yap. Michael is taken.
A little bit complication to Mikita bliss.
It will be veery exciting and eventful relationship, I can tell that much!
Please review ;)