Title: First Impressions
Author: Gwenyth
Rating: M – for Danny's sometimes foul mouth
Spoilers: Maybe a minor one for On the Job
Summary: On three separate occasions Danny Messer makes an impression on Mac Taylor before becoming a CSI.
Author's Note: Finally! I've written for my favorite CSI NY character – and a CSI NY story period. Now I've written one for each show! Go me. Anyways, hoping this will lead to a few more. We'll see.
Disclaimer: CSI and it's characters belong to CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Bruckheimer and et. al. No matter how many times I say I own Danny Messer. (Sad to say I really don't.)
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November 1995Detective Mac Taylor looked across the landscape as cadets from the police academy carefully swept the field. They were walking delicately, not wanting to obscure any evidence or sign of a grave.
It was only his second week in the NYPD's homicide division and he was already working a heart-wrenching case. Rich couple hires nanny, nanny become infatuated with the father, father and nanny have affair, father ends affair, nanny cracks and kidnaps child, police catch nanny, nanny tells them where she buried the baby. It was sad and twisted and unfair that an innocent child paid the price for the adults' stupidity.
Mac was brought out of his reverie when one of the cadet's held up a fisted hand to indicate he found something. Everyone in the field froze.
Mac and the other officers jogged over to the cadet.
There in front of the young cadet was a shallow grave that bore the signs that the wildlife had found it. The remains of the infant were partially exposed and had been ravaged by animals. Mac could hear two or three of the cadets start to gag.
"If you're going to vomit, get out of the crime scene," Mac insisted without looking up from the body.
He bent down and carefully studied the grave and the ground around it. Then he stood up as the crime scene unit arrived.
It was then he glanced up at the cadet that hadn't moved since finding the body.
The cadet looked impossibly young – but then again, didn't they all, Mac thought. What Mac had originally thought was shock keeping the youth frozen was anger that was blazing bright in icy blue eyes behind black wire-framed glasses.
"You can go cadet," Mac offered.
With a muttered "fuck," the young man marched off.
Several minutes later while the CSIs were gathering their evidence Mac went to grab his coffee, which was woefully cold but caffeine all the same. As cadets were loading onto the buses to take them back to the academy he noticed the young man from earlier leaning against one of the squad cars finishing a cigarette.
Mac approached him.
"How are you holding up?"
The young man practically growled. "What the fuck? Please tell me you ain't here to give me some words of wisdom or some shit about this is what I have to get used to if I'm gonna be a cop." He flung the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it viciously.
Mac tried to keep the smirk off his face. The kid had attitude – which probably shouldn't be encouraged. "No. Just wondering if you'd cooled off yet. But I think you just answered that."
The cadet rolled his eyes then looked at Mac. "Funny. Look man, I gotta go. The buses are almost loaded and I'll catch shit if I ain't on one, like now."
Mac watched the kid saunter off and board a bus.
"That kid is full of shit," Mac's partner, detective Bruce Denton insisted as he came up beside him.
"You know the kid?"
"I realize you haven't been here a month yet Taylor, but shit. Don't you know about the Messers?"
"Who?"
"Aw, hell. That kid's Daniel Messer. His Uncle Freddy is the Giacomo family lieutenant and his dad cooks the books for 'em."
Mac raised an eyebrow. "The kid's mob?" He was surprised that somebody so tied to the mob would go into law enforcement.
"Well, I guess not. Least not since his ma was killed. Not sure about the details, but rumor is it had something to do with the Tanglewoods."
"Still clueless here."
"Okay, let me tell you all about the New York mob and all that over lunch. I'm hungry."
"You always are Bruce."
Mac and his partner got into their unmarked car and headed back into the city.
July 1998Mac arrived at the crime scene and was briefed by the detective in charge. Two unis – one of which he thought was familiar – were posted at the tape that blocked off the dead end alley were three dead teens were. People tried to crowd them to get a better look.
In the middle of gathering evidence a commotion at the entrance drew his attention. He looked up to see a sobbing woman being shielded from a news crew by one of the uniformed officers.
"Will ya get that fuckin' camera out of her face? What kinda sick fuck are you? Can't you see she ain't in no condition to talk to you?"
Mac peeled off his gloves and went to intervene.
"What's going on officer?"
"These vultures thought they'd ambush Mrs. O'Dell here with questions about your vics."
"Why?"
"She said one of 'em's her son."
"Your squad car nearby?"
"Yeah."
"Take her to the car and take her down to the station. I'll talk to her there after I finish processing the scene."
"Gotcha." The young man turned and shouted to a pair of officers standing on the other side of the tape trying to control the crowd. "Hey, Sumner! Give me a hand here?"
"Sure thing Messer."
Mac watched the kid disappear with the distraught woman. He knew that name from somewhere.
"Is that Daniel Messer?" Mac asked, recalling the cadet he met years ago.
"Don't call him Daniel," Sumner instructed. "He hates that."
Mac chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."
December 2000
Mac and Stella arrived at the sight of a massacre. Seven bodies were strewn about the nightclub in odd positions, like they had dropped in the middle of a dance – which is probably how it happened.
The homicide detective wearing glasses was on the scene busy questioning a witness and taking notes. He dismissed the college kid and glanced at the crime scene detectives.
He came over. "Hey. I got ya some notes from the witnesses. Lots of conflicting reports though. Only thing they agree on is more than one shooter came in and opened fire. Some say Pelham Bay and others say Tanglewood." He offered a shrug. "Doesn't sound like either one's style though."
Mac nodded and took the notes the detective held out for him.
"I'm detective Messer by the way."
Stella held out her hand. "Bonasera. Mr. Tall, Dark and Silent here is detective Taylor."
Danny shook her hand and then turned to Mac. "Have I worked a scene with you before?" He asked Mac.
"Yes, actually twice. Once when you were a uni a few years ago and when you were a cadet before that."
"Oh yeah. Right, right. The nanny that killed the baby to get back at the dad and then Mrs. O'Dell's kid."
Mac was a little startled that Danny remembered the woman's name. He must have worked several crime scenes since then.
Danny shrugged as if reading Mac's thoughts. "I remember she broke down in my squad. Her boy was her only kid and her husband died the year before. I felt bad for her, you know? I still check in on her time to time. She's getting up there in years."
"You must have mad an impression on Mac," Stella teased. "It took him a year before he remembered my name, and we work together everyday."
"Yeah well, I got that face," he chuckled. "I'm gonna go question some more witnesses."
The pair watched him walk off. "Nice kid," Stella commented. "Turned out good."
Mac turned to her in question.
"He's a Messer."
"You know?" Mac was surprised.
"Hey, I grew up here. You don't think everyone in this town knows the mobbed-up families? Come on Mac."
Mac shrugged. "It took me a few months to get them all straight in my head. Bruce was the one who laid it all out for me after the nanny case. He told me about them all, including the Messers."
Stella gave him a little smirk. "Glad he's on our side. He knows the mob and gangs inside out. Rumor has it he was a Tanglewood."
"You know how I feel about rumors Stella."
She shrugged. "I don't put a lot of stock in them either, but sometimes you just need to take note. Sometimes you can learn something."
"Let's process the scene," Mac insisted snapping on a pair of latex gloves, effectively ending the conversation.
Stella rolled her eyes following suit.
A few minutes later Danny came back to them with a huge grin. "Guess what I found for you?"
Stella, to Mac's chagrin, decided to play along. "A diamond tennis bracelet? You shouldn't have."
If possible Danny's grin widened. "Nope, but good guess. One of our genius shooters tossed the gun in the trashcan on his way out the door. Along with his gloves."
"Definitely amateurs," Stella joked.
"Yeah, no Tanglewood or Pelham boy would be such an schmuck."
"Initiation maybe?" Mac asked.
"Probably," Danny agreed. "This area is supposed to be neutral. Crips and Bloods come here to hang, along with some others. Interviewed some Crips that were here. No Bloods though."
"So the Bloods set it up?"
"Safe bet."
"Thanks Messer," Stella offered.
"No prob." He walked away with a bounce in his step.
"You know, Aaron's position needs filled," Stella said turning to Mac with a grin.
He lifted an eyebrow. "You don't even know if he's interested in working in the crime lab."
"Wouldn't hurt to ask. He's quick, knows about the criminal element and how they work. He's observant. Remembers details. And he's got that twisted sense of humor I appreciate."
Mac sighed. "I'll offer, but don't get your hopes up."
Stella smiled smugly and went back to work.
Mac studied Danny and he talked animatedly with two of the uniformed officers about something. The pair exited the club where, Mac assumed, Danny wanted them to question people at the surrounding stores and bars to see if anyone saw anything. Then Danny moved to question more witness who appeared to be gang members. Mac had to admit he was impressed with the way Danny handled the belligerent gang members. The young man stood his ground and the gangsters began to get a little nervous and began to cooperate – apparently with the right amount of intimidation.
Mac could see where Danny could be an asset to his crime lab. He'd call the kid tomorrow.
End…