Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except Marie and Zena. I no own, you no sue!
A/N: Some of the details may be murky, I'm not a lab tech, but I'm using them for poetic license. If you want to correct the facts I'm always ready to learn. Be nice! My first episode response.
My Name is Goren!
Bobby Goren was still on bereavement leave and Alex was with him. The aftermath of his mothers death was still reverberating through his psychie and his life. The funeral had been small and lightly attended and Frank had gone away. Now he had to try to put the pieces of his shattered life together. Only Alex was there as a stabilizing influence.
And the report that showed that he was Mark Ford Bakers son was high on his list of emotional triggers. Try though he might he could not get passed that and what it meant. He was still hurting from what might have been done to the woman who gave him life and the wanted desperately to refute the evidence of that report but he knew those tests were conclusive.
There was a knock on his door. Not sure who to expect, Alex cautiously opened it to see a woman standing there with a briefcase. She gave them Alex a polite smile. "I'm looking for a Robert Goren."
"He's not here right now." Alex said protectively.
"But I have the correct address? Please give him this card. It's important that I talk to him as soon as possible. It concerns a personal matter that I believe will have a great impact on him. Thank you." She turned to leave.
Alex glanced at the card. It had the womans name as Marie Sisson and a cell phone number. "Wait a minute. Can I tell him what it's about?" she called to the woman.
"I can't reveal that to you. It's personal and private. If he wants to share it with you, it's his perogative, but I can't."
"Let her in." Bobby told Alex from the couch.
"Ms. Sisson, please, wait a minute. I'd like you to come in for a minute." Alex called before she had reached the stairs.
The woman turned around and came back. She didn't seem surprised by the fact that she had just been lied to. She stepped inside and looked at Bobby who had risen to his feet. She stepped close to him, peering intently into his face for a minute. Startled Bobby stiffened and the woman nodded her satisfaction over something. Bobby and Alex exchanged a look.
"Would you mind telling me what this is all about?" Alex asked.
The woman looked at Bobby with a small smile. "You are Robert Goren?"
"I am, and you are?" he asked.
"Marie Sisson." She held out her hand to shake his. She turned to Alex and shook her hand as well.
"I'm Alex Eames, Bobbys partner."
"I understand that you are a law enforcement officer, correct, Mr. Goren?" Marie said genially.
"Yes, but how did….?"
"I just needed to confirm that. May I?" she gestured to a chair.
"Please. I'm sorry. Do you want something to drink?" Bobby offered.
"No, thank you. My visit will be brief. First off, I am nobody. I'm not affiliated with any business, organization or group in particular. That being said you came up in an investigation that I've done on Mark Ford Brady. Ah, I see that name means something to you. I think I can clear up some misconception for you."
"If you came here for money, Bobby doesn't have any…." Alex said sharply. Bobby was hurting sitting next to her and she didn't want this woman to make it worse.
"I didn't come for anything to do with his money. There was a blood test run to try to establish a paternity link between you and Baker recently. Correct?"
"Y-Yes."
"And it showed positive?"
"That is none of….."
Marie Sisson held up her hand. "Don't worry about it. It's obviously a sore subject. I'm here to tell you it's bogus."
"Bogus?!" Bobby demanded.
Marie nodded once. "Bogus. A phony positive result." She opened her briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers and knelt in front of the coffee table. "I'd like you to look at some pictures. These are people who have been verified and falsely linked genetically to Brady. Take a look at them and see for yourself why I can tell for a fact that you are not in fact related to the man."
Alex helped her clear off the table while she and Bobby leaned close to the pictures. Marie spread them out and they looked them over intently. "What are we looking for?" Alex asked.
"The eyes. For whatever reason, Brady's offspring all have distinctive eyes. And you do not, Mr. Goren."
"Bobby."
"Bobby. See the right eye all has a particular shape to it. I'm not a geneticist so I have no idea why. But everyone one of these people were told he was their biological parent. As you can see some of them are quite a stretch. Feel free to group them according to true and not."
Bobby did with certainty. He picked one up and looked from it to Marie Sisson. "This is you."
"Yes, when I was younger." She nodded.
"You are Bradys daughter?" Alex demanded.
"Yes, by rape. A fact I'm not proud of. So did you get them all?"
"Yes." Bobby said eyeing her in amazement.
"You are very astute, Bobby. There was someone in here that is one of his offspring that very few people can see. You found everyone."
"This has to be uncomfortable for you." Bobby said.
Marie shrugged. "Sometimes, if people get mad at me for bringing this up."
"How do we know you're telling the truth? What's your angle in all of this? Why are you in this?"
"Which question do you want me to answer first? Let me know if I miss one. Why am I in this? Because there is a man who is out to make a name for himself by proving that Brady was the father of many more children than he was. My angle is to stop that guy from destroying more lives than he has already. Some people take the idea of having a rapist/murdering bastard for a father personally. And yes, I can prove what I'm telling you, if you let me use your internet access."
"I don't have a computer here." Bobby said uncomfortably.
"We could use mine if I'd thought to bring it." Alex said.
"The evidence isn't going to go away. I can meet you another time and we can look at it wherever there's a computer."
"Ms. Sisson, " Bobby began.
"Marie, please."
"Marie, who is this man and why is he out to do this to so many people? It's criminal and it's fraud. Not to mention cruel."
"Greed. He wants to profit from Bradys depravity by publishing a book about the mans activity. And he hopes to go on the talk show circuit. Stuff like that sells." She said disgusted.
"Who is he?" Alex asked.
Marie made a pained face. "My half brother. He's Brady's son by another woman. I was one of the first ones he identified and it blew me away emotionally. Now I'm trying to minimize the damage he's done and neutralize Gary's damage as much as I can."
"Why? You aren't responsible for what he did. You are a victim too."
"Yes, I am. But if I don't do this, at least until I neutralize Gary's influence, I feel like I'm letting him do more damage. It's who I am and it's my problem. Well, I've given you enough to think about for now and I need to see a couple more people. Give me a call when you figure out where we can use a computer and I can prove what I say. That number works most everywhere or leave a message and I'll call you back. Sometimes I'm with someone and turn it off."
"You don't have to go. You could stay for some lunch." Bobby offered.
"Thanks, but I can't. There are four more people around here that I have to talk to."
"It's that big?" Bobby asked.
"He's out to prove 100. Not if I can help it."
"Don't let it run your life." Bobby told her.
"What life?" Marie laughed bitterly. "Enough. When I'm done, I'll be done. Now I really need to go. Can you point me in the direction of the nearest park? I have a dog in the car who could probably use a walk by now."
"You should've brought it in." Bobby said.
"Some people take a dim view of me, I can't imagine them wanting my dog in their house. She's alright. She's taking care of my things. Bobby, Alex, it's been good to meet you. I'll look forward to hearing from you again."
Bobby was grinning when he escorted her to the door. "Thank you. I'll be sure to call you."
"Good. Good day to you." Bobby turned to Alex after she left. "Did you hear that.?"
"That's great, but don't forget we have to see the proof. Right now all we have is her word for it. We need to check it out." Alex said hating to rain on his parade, but she felt she should be the voice of reason.
"She seemed pretty sure." Bobby insisted.
"Maybe she is, but we both know how better than to take things at face value. Something is not right here. Something doesn't add up."
"You're right." Bobby nodded, calming down. "But suppose it is true. I mean my dad was not the greatest, but at least he wasn't a rapist and a murderer."
"True. Bobby, I hope it's true. I really do. Let's wait and see. I'll go home and get my computer and we can find out if she can meet us somewhere this afternoon. Will that be enough time?"
"I'd like to find out as soon as possible. What I want to know is how that test could get run in error through the police lab? We both know how accurate that is."
"True. And why would someone send that information to that guy Gary that she mentioned? I want those answers." Bobby said firmly. "I ought to consider fraud charges. To think what he's putting people through just to cash in on his father."
"That would mean putting Marie on the stand and in the spotlight." Alex said.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to do that, but I think he needs to be stopped."
"I agree."
Bobby sat down next to her on the couch and smiled. "I know there's a chance that she's trying to pull something, but I'm going to hope she's right."
"I do too, Bobby. I do too." Alex reached up to stroke his hair. "Want to come with me to get my computer? We can call her from my house."
"Sure."
They went to Alex's to pick up her laptop. They called Marie, but it went right to voice mail. Bobby shrugged philosophically. They went and got lunch and tried again. Still voice mail. "Let's go back to your place. She knows where you live so she'll come to us there." Alex suggested.
All evening they tried to get her, only to have it go to voice mail until it said voice mail was full. By this time, they were getting worried. Alex stayed the night. Bobby moved restlessly around the apartment all night.
Early the next morning, Alex called the number and a sleepy voice answered. "Marie Sisson."
"Marie, it's Alex Eames."
"Who?"
"Alex Eames, you know with Bobby Goren? We're calling from his apartment."
"Bob- ah, yes, sorry, Alex. Good morning."
"I woke you up. I'm sorry."
"No, that's fine. I was up late last night. I need to be up and going anyway. What's up?"
"We were hoping to get together with you to go over the computer. Could we do that today?"
"Sure. What time?"
"As soon as possible."
"Okay. Let me grab a shower and get some breakfast. Tell me where and when."
"Why don't you come here and I'll provide breakfast?"
"Okay. Where's here?"
"Bobbys apartment." Alex said patiently.
"Oh, right, sorry. I'll see you in about an hour?"
"Sounds good. I'll see you then." She hung up the phone. "I don't think she's a morning person."
"I'll make some strong coffee." Bobby grinned. He felt like a kid at Christmas.
An hour later on the dot there was a knock on the door. Bobby was in the kitchen finishing up breakfast so Alex went to open the door. Marie stood outside with her briefcase and a large black Labrador retriever on a leash next to her. "Is it alright for her to come in? She's very well behaved."
"Of course. Please, come in."
"Heel." Marie told the dog. They walked in and the dog sat as soon as she stopped. "This is Zena. She's my traveling companion."
Bobby came over to the kitchen doorway. "Good morning. Who's this?"
"Good morning. This is Zena. Something smells delicious."
"Bobby's an excellent cook." Alex said.
Bobby crouched down to greet Zena who was uncertain about this man. "Just reach out and let her smell the back of your hand. She doesn't bite. Then reach down and scratch her chest a bit. She likes that."
He did and to her surprise Zena came close enough to let him scratch her some more. "Shameless hussy." Marie chuckled.
"She's beautiful. And so well behaved."
"She has a CD and CDX titles. She thinks she's royalty." Marie laughed.
Bobby stood up and Zena retreated. "I made breakfast. I hope you like scrambled eggs."
"I do. Thank you."
"Let's eat." Alex said.
Zena followed Marie into the kitchen and laid down next to her chair. "How do you take your coffee?" Bobby asked.
"Do you have some hot water? I drink tea and I brought some with me."
"I can get you some."
"Don't go to too much trouble." Marie said. "Zena, lay down."
"Does she need water or food or something?"
"No she's fine. She had food before we left the hotel."
"I could give her some scrambled eggs. I don't eat much." Bobby asked.
"Bobby, relax. We're not here to keep you jumping around. She's fine and so am I. Thank you." Marie said firmly with a smile.
She tilted her head at him and the light hit her eye. It was cleverly covered in makeup but it was a shiner for sure. "What happened to your eye?" Bobby asked, seriously.
"Not everyone is as gracious as you are. It's no big deal. The doctor said it was just a bruise."
"Last night?"
"Yeah, that's why I didn't call you back. I was in the emergency room for several hours and I didn't want to disturb you."
"Did you report it?" Alex asked.
"No. I'm going to just let it go. It's not a big deal. I won't have to see them again, anyway."
"You should still report it." Alex insisted.
"It was the husband who did it and he apologized. His wifes mother had been attacked and Gary had contacted her for a quote for the book. When I proved to him that she wasn't Brady's daughter the guy lost it for the hell they'd gone through because of my family and punched me. He was hoping for royalties from the book, I guess."
"That's still assault." Bobby said concerned.
"Well, he's getting the bill, you can bet on that. Since money is his only concern, I'd say he'll be kicking himself anyway. Can I have some of that bacon?"
"If you give me his name and address, I can…." Bobby started.
"No. Drop it. So have you given anymore thought to how you want to handle this?"
"Handle what?" Alex asked.
"You are entitled to contact Gary and deal directly with him, if you'd like to. So he'll take you off his list of offspring."
"You're that sure you are right?" Bobby asked eagerly.
"I'm 99.9 right."
"How did this get changed to the test result then? This was the police lab."
Marie nodded. "There's a flag on his name. Any results that are matched against his are copied to this address. There are enough common markers to make a close match to people without being perfect. It's a sleight of hand. Once the book is published it can be refuted, but in the mean time, Gary would get the royalties before it's discovered. Or at least that's my take on it. I take the blood tests one step further and can keep some of the trouble from happening, but I'm only one person and Gary has backers that have multiple people."
"How is he paying for it?"
"I think it's against the royalties coming in. That's all mostly conjecture on my part."
This is good food. So you were able to get a computer?"
"It's mine. I have internet access." Alex said.
"Good. I can show you where the tests are flagged. It's similar to my understanding of a virus. I'm not a computer genius, but I can surf the web enough to find out what Gary has been up to. He has a website for this, with a big announcement for his upcoming book. It also has his face on it, the dirty rat."
Zena whined and sat up at the anger in her mistress's voice. "It's alright. Lay down that's a good girl."
"She's really attuned to you, isn't she?" Alex asked.
"Yeah. We've put a lot of miles on her and I. She'll be going back home in a couple of weeks to have her puppies. I'll be going solo for a few weeks before she joins me again."
"She's pregnant? How do you know?"
"She's showing. Her boyfriend has more titles than she does. I'm looking forward to the puppies. I might bring her daughter, but she's not as well housebroken. Anyway, where's the computer. I imagine you're anxious to get this resolved."
Bobby and Marie cleared off the table while Alex brought out and booted up her computer. When Marie opened her briefcase, Zena sat up interestedly. "Yes, I brought your ball." The woman told her.
She rolled a small rubber ball and Zena bounded after it. Bobby watched the dog a minute. "I always wanted a dog."
"I wouldn't feel right if I didn't have one. They make great confidantes and they never argue back. And some people like them, and some fear them. You saw how she reacted to me. She's a good barometer of my mood."
Zena came back with the ball and a happy grin. Marie picked it up and tossed it again, absently. She stood behind Alex on one side and Bobby on the other and she showed them what it was that she was talking about.
Bobby was ecstatic."Do you know what this means, Alex? I'm not his son. I am a Goren." He said happily.
"Congratulations." Marie said.
Bobby threw his arms around Alex and gave her a big hug. "Marie, that is the best news I've had in weeks. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. Zena, you ready to go?'
Zena cocked her head and sat. Marie put her papers and the ball back in her briefcase. "Where are you going now?" Bobby asked her.
"I have a couple more people to see then I'm moving on to another of his former addresses."
"That's a hell of a life." Alex said.
Marie shrugged. "It's my choice. I chose to do this because I can't do this over the phone or the internet. It's too personal and I like to keep moving. So anyway, if someone contacts you, you have proof that they can go to hell."
"How do you make a living? You're always on the road." Bobby pointed out.
"I get by. Ready?"
"Can I pay you something?"
"No. I don't do this for money."
"You need money to live. At least let me give you something. I won't take no for an answer." Bobby went to get his checkbook.
"I'm leaving while he's gone. It was nice to meet you, Alex."
"Don't go. Bobby's had a rough time lately and this has taken such an enormous weight off his mind. Let him give you something. He's a detective. He'll find a way to give it to you. You might as well accept it." Alex advised.
"Alright. I guess I could use it."
Bobby came back and handed Marie a check. "Thank you for everything." He said sincerely. Spontaneously he gave her a respectful hug, that made Marie blush. "Sorry." Hea apologized.
"Hugs are nice." Marie said. "I'll show myself out. Thank you for breakfast. Good bye."
Marie and her dog walked out the door. She paused outside to look at the check. It was for $500.00. She heard a happy voice from inside. "I'm a Goren!" she glanced at Zena, and tore the check to pieces, leaving it in a stack in front of the apartment door and left the building.
COMPLETE