Law & Order, Criminal Intent
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!
Summery: Another murder victim, another case… same old cat & mouse game, right? Not exactly. Bobby O/C. Author's notes: This is a totally new set of stories that has no reference to my other works.
"Uh…" Goren trailed off as he & Eames sidled into a dilapidated apartment building that looked to have been on the condemned list for some time. All thirteen drug entrepreneurs were dead, shot to death with a mac ten. "It's most likely a rival drug gang." One of the detectives said. "Maybe." Bobby replied, more to himself then those around him.
"Our dead perps were big-time dealers of crack cocaine & meth. We had tabs on them from the inside via an informant, he was killed, too. We were weeks from pulling the sting." Jake Sanders of Narcotics said in Deakins office later that day. "Thanks, we'll keep you posted on our findings." Deakins said as Jake departed with a nod. "That was one convenient killing." Alex said to herself. "What's your thinking?" Deakins asked Bobby. "That someone affiliated with their organization knew they were going to be busted." He replied as Deakins' phone rang. "Is that right? Yes sir, we're happy to get any help we can on this." He said as he hung up. "That was the chief of D's, apparently our dead perps were part of an Argentinean drug gang that was being tracked by the Argentinean police, their sending a detective over now who's familiar with the case. They should be arriving at JFK this evening, would you mind picking them up?" Deakins said with a wry smile
"I wonder what he's going to be like." Bobby said. "& what makes you think 'he's' a 'he'?" Alex interjected. "Because, there aren't many female officers on the Argentinean police force, even today." Bobby replied as they stood at Gate seventy two, he was rendered speechless when a woman approached them. "Excuse me; are you detectives' Goren & Eames?" She asked coolly. "Yes, it's nice to meet you." Alex said, nudging her partner as he continued to stare, transfixed. Alex could see why, this woman was tall, & very pretty with porcelain skin, natural white-blonde hair & ice-blue eyes. "I'm sorry for my partner; his wits seem to have left him." Alex said as she gave Goren a withering look as they all entered their vehicle.
"Really Goren, that's enough, you're acting worse than a teenager!" Alex said annoyingly as he stared longingly at her as she talked with Deakins in his office, she sighed exasperatedly when Bobby didn't answer, he continued to watched her as she walked towards them with Deakins. "I know you have met, but I want you to be officially introduced." He said as the woman stepped forward. "My name is Esmeralda Torrez & I'm a captain with the Buenos Aries police narcotics division." She said as she held out her hand, both Alex & Bobby stood to shake it. "I'll leave you three to it." Deakins said as he excused himself. "Captain Deakins has told me a lot about you, he says you're one of his best teams he has." "We try." Alex said good naturedly as Bobby rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly in response to the comment. "We have been tracking this gang; they call themselves 'The Guillotine' & they have been moving drugs in & out of Argentina for the past three years. All that work is now for nothing." She said. "This gang worked for a local drug lord by the name of Iso Maldonado; perhaps he got wind that his… employees were going to be made." She said. "Has he had any activity at all?" Bobby asked. Esmeralda turned to him, her face remained expressionless, but there was a fresh twinkle deep within her ice-blue eyes as she looked upon him. Alex smiled,she couldtell,eventhrough Esmeralda's professional exteriorthat she found her partnerattractive."He never has any activity, he always sends his minions to do his dirty work." "So, how do you suggest we go about catching him?" Bobby said with an amused smile on his youngish face. "One of his Iso's weaknesses is that is he a severe paranoiac, he has to make sure his minions do it right. If we find the minions, we'll find him." She said
"Well, that was easier then I thought it would be." Alex said as they walked out of their last stop of the day, the mother of the last victim. "It seems that this Iso person roped them into a life of crime by offering unprecedented riches for them & their families" Bobby remained silent as they got into their SUV & drove away. "You're still thinking about her, aren't you?" Bobby nodded slowly, still somewhat lost in thought. "I wouldn't spend too much time on her, Goren. She seems like a bit of a cold fish to me." Alex said, the fact that Esmeralda was seemingly an untouchable made her all the more desirable, men loved a challenge… especially men like Bobby.
Esmeralda was also deep in thought as she got into her vehicle & pulled slowly into rush hour traffic. She found the other half of thevictims' families to be equally cooperative in wanting to find the person responsible for the death of their loved ones. She cursed to herself as she realized there had been an accident up ahead & the wait would be a long one. She leaned back in her seat, no time like the present to relax. Then; a tall, dark handsome figure with intense dark eyes drifted into her conscious. She suddenly realized what she was doing & shook him out of her mind, she was here as a rep. for her police department as well as her country, the last thing she needed to be doing was daydreaming about a man. Still, she found that she couldn't entirely push him out of her mind.
"We're going to be here all night sorting through all this info." Alex said hopelessly as they all sat in an empty interrogation room, the table was littered with files & papers. Bobby didn't answer; he was deeply engrossed in the case file he was reading. Alex was mildly surprised when she saw that Esmeralda was watching him intently, perhaps Bobby wasn't wasting his energy, after all. "I'm going to grab some coffee, does anyone else want some?" She asked. Esmeralda shook her head; Bobby distractedly raised his hand, never breaking eye contact with the file. "Okay then." She said as she left them to it in hopes one of them would break the ice. "That's a beautiful tango." Bobby said without looking up, Esmeralda looked at him peculiarly. "I'm sorry?" Bobby gestured to her headphones. "What is that, from the 1920's?" "You're familiar with the dance?" She asked. "I spent six months in Argentina when I was with the Army, I learned there. I haven't danced it much sense I came back to the states, I can't find anyone who knows it well enough." He said. "Back home, people know the dance moves, but they've forgotten what tango really is about." She said, her intense ice-blue gaze never wavering from his as she continued to explain. "It's about attraction, lust & sometimes pain… a vertical expression of horizontal desires. The tango, if done right is truly better then sex." She finished. "I would sure love to dance it with you sometime." Bobby said as Alex returned with their coffee, Esmeralda quickly returned to work as Alex rejoined them at the table, a knowing smile on her face.
"I'm sorry, detectives but gut instincts alone don't produce arrest warrants." Carver said the next morning in Deakins office. Bobby ran a frustrated hand over his face as he moved next to Carver to explain. "Look… Victor Morales… the victims' loved ones & friends said this was their only contact. His financial records show that he was banking more money then he was making at his temp job." Carver sighed. "The best I can do right now is a search warrant of his home."
"Mr. Morales, it's the police, open up or we're coming in anyway!" Alex said, she waited a moment before nodding to SWAT, who burst the door down & they all rushed in. "Damn it!" Esmeralda cursed as they found Victor Morales dead in a pool of blood.
End of chapter 1
