Beantown Interests
by Michael Weyer
Despite the early autumn chill, Jane had to admit it was nice to walk the streets of New York City. The town had a vibe much different than Boston, more exciting and upscale. It wasn't the way Jane wanted it as she preferred Boston's older feel to it but had to acknowledge that shopping at 5th Avenue was an experience not to pass up.
"This would be lovely," Maura said, pointing to a nice tan dress on a rack inside the upscale boutique.
Jane shook her head. "Too….frilly."
Maura sighed. "Jane, you have one dress with you on this trip."
"It's the best I have."
"It's the only one you have."
"Not true!"
"The only one that fits right then."
"Okay, I concede that. I don't need that much, Maura."
"Come on," her friend pressed. "It'll be good for dinner tonight, my treat."
Jane looked at the tag and her eyes bulged. "Treat? This is more than a four-course meal! I can't ask you to buy this!"
"Well, good thing you're not." Maura smiled. "Consider it a present."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to turn me into a kept woman?"
Maura frowned. "I didn't intend to. Is that what you think?"
Jane rubbed her arm. "Hey, easy, I'm just kidding, ok?" She glanced about. "I'll pick out something a tad less expensive than a car." She paused as she saw a man not far off, an Asian male in his late twenties, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. He immediately turned his head and looked at some jeans nearby, as if not seeing they were women's'
"Jane?" Maura pressed with concern. "What is it?"
"Nothing," her friend said. "Just that guy…I thought I saw him before."
Maura sighed. "Jane, it's a vacation."
"Okay, okay," Jane said, following her but stealing a glance back at the man, who seemed to be going out of his way not to be obtrusive.
"Leon?" Reese looked to Finch in disbelief. "You sent Leon to tail them?"
"You two are too recognizable," the man calmly replied. "And Officer Carter is busy elsewhere." He turned to the desk containing a trio of laptops, having decided it best to temporarily move his "nerve center" to a special suite inside the Coronet where he was ensured privacy. Finch and Shaw were nearby, both still in their hotel suits ready to go back on duty.
"So you figured that moron was the best bet?" Shaw exclaimed.
"You doubt in his ability to be discreet?"
"I doubt in his ability not to get himself tied up," Reese dryly said.
"Rather cynical, Mr. Reese."
"That's what makes us such a good team, Harold. You're a glass half-full guy. I'm glass half-empty."
"And Ms. Shaw?'
"She's take the glass, shatter it and ram the pieces down your throat."
Shaw simply shrugged in agreement.
Finch moved to tap on his keyboard. "In the meantime, I have managed to identify the man who was breaking into their room." He brought up a mug shot of a glowering figure staring out. "Sergi Lataovya, wanted for multiple murders in Moscow and Eastern Europe, believed to be connected to some Russian gangs on the East Coast. He seems to have little loyalties, doing work for one gang or another at a time. He's more the type to hire himself out to the highest bidder."
"Any idea who he was hiring himself for this time around?" Shaw asked as she sipped her coffee.
"Not at the moment," Finch stated. "But I'm working on it. For now, you'd both best get back to your stations before the two return to the hotel. There may be more working alongside Lataovya and I am still attempting to discern what connection this has to that John Doe murder Dr. Isles was investigating."
A buzzing came to his computer and Finch checked a window, frowning before activating a button. "Officer Carter," he spoke up. "I had thought you were busy."
"I was," came the voice of Joss Carter, filled with annoyance. "Until I answered a call where I found a certain mutual acquaintance of ours handcuffed to a sign post with a rather pissed off Boston cop demanding to know why he was following her and a friend around."
Finch let out a tired sigh. Reese checked the watch on his wrist and then held out a hand, Shaw reluctantly placing a twenty-dollar bill into his palm.
"Look, it's just a misunderstanding," Leon was trying to say, putting on his best smile. "I wasn't…."
"I know a tail when I see one," Jane snapped at him. She wished she had her gun with her but still did her best cop pose. Maura was at her side, looking slightly embarrassed at her girlfriend's behavior, offering weak smiles to passer-bys curious as to why the Asian man had his hands cuffed around a sign post. Next to them stood an attractive black-skinned woman in a NYPD uniform, her black hair wrapped in a bun under her cap and tired expression on her own face. "Why were you following us?"
"I wasn't!" Leon pressed. "Look, really, I was just…"
"Please, shut up," Carter snapped at him. She turned to Jane. "Look, I know Boston is rough but handcuffing the guy is a bit extreme."
"He should be happy I didn't shoot him."
"Contrary to what you Boston folks think, we don't do random gun battles in New York," Carter told her. "Look, if you want to report this, ok but without definite proof he's stalking you, he'll be out on the street in a hour or so, gives me paperwork I don't need and really not worth the trouble. So how about he promises not to come near you again, I'll make sure he does, we can all go about our day?"
"Jane," Maura inserted. "I think it's best to listen to the officer. We do have meetings to attend, we can't waste so much time on a minor event such as this."
Jane glared at her before sniffing. "Fine." She moved to unlock the handcuffs, Leon rubbing his wrists. "Just don't let me catch you near us again or I'm not giving you another chance." She whirled on her heel and began marching off, Maura following.
"That was rather embarrassing," Maura stated. "Really, Jane, these bouts of aggression of yours are…"
"What?" Jane snapped. "Immature? Unprofessional? Uncivilized?"
"I was going to say, surprisingly arousing. I felt a rather electric thrill seeing you like that."
Jane's anger turned to a sly smile. "I have to admit, you have helped find better ways to work off my aggression."
"I suppose we have to make sure you don't carry that over longer. For your basic health of course."
"Oh, of course." Jane smiled as they walked on.
Leon smiled to Carter. "Thanks a lot, I needed to-" He was cut off as her palm smacked into the back of his skull. "Hey! That can be called police brutality!"
"Shut up," Carter intoned as she got on her phone to dial up a number again. "Okay, Finch, I got your boy out of trouble. Mind telling me what is going on?"
"It might be best to keep you out of this for now, Officer Carter."
She pursed her lips. "Does this have anything to do with why a Russian gang is suddenly putting a Boston cop and her friend on their radar?"
There was a pause that confirmed her suspicions. "You must share with me just where you get this source from, Officer Carter," Finch finally replied.
"Yeah, you were just bursting with info on your secrets when we first met," Carter returned. "Looks like our cases may have interceded again."
"Indeed. Bid Mr. Tao farewell and let him know his services are no longer required for this. Then, we'd best get together to share notes. You know the Coronet Hotel?"
"Be there in an hour." Carter hung up to turn to Leon. "Okay, looks like your job here is done with."
"Fine by me," he intoned as he began to walk off. "I've got business of my own to deal with."
Carter watched him go and sighed, wondering how long it would before the Machine once more spat out that familiar number.
Jane's tastes in dining ran more toward fast food than anything really nice. When it came to going out to eat, she preferred a local bar or diner rather than somewhere upscale. So she wasn't as comfortable as she could have been sitting in the hotel restaurant. It was proven by how she tugged at the hem of her black dress now and then and had to fight not to slide her feet out of her heels under the table. Maura, of course, was the picture of elegance in a red dress with a nice dip in her cleavage, a ring of pearls around her neck and looking gorgeous enough to take Jane's breath away if she wasn't trying to fit in well.
"The talk today was rather good," Maura was saying. "I find the new forensic analysis themes from D.C. to be particularly riveting."
"Is that what they were?" Jane asked, chewing on her food. "I thought it was just a good excuse for me to take a nap." She shrugged at Maura's look. "Just not my thing, ok? Now, the lecture on using new apps in police work was good, made me realize you have to adapt more."
"Always a good thing to do," Maura noted. "You've certainly adapted in the last few months."
"Really?" Jane sipped her champagne.
"I'd like to think so," Maura stated. "You've become…softer in many ways." She chuckled at Jane's raised eyebrow. "Oh, you can try and hide it, Jane but I can tell. It's good, the stress levels of being so high-strung and tense all the time were not healthy at all."
"So embarking on a lesbian relationship is a means to prolong my life? Good to know."
At their station, looking like two people simply running over a file of items from the day, Carter and Reese listened in. "They seem happy," Reese noted.
"Nine times out of ten, those are the ones who end up killing each other," Shaw remarked.
"Feel that off them?"
"No. Which is good as I'm tired of so many of our jobs turning into couples counseling."
"Remind me to tell you about the husband and wife who tried to have the other whacked on our watch." Reese touched his earpiece. "What'd you find out from Carter, Finch?"
"She confirmed that the late Mr. Lataovya was working with some interests in New York. However, her information indicates he was being loaned out as a favor to a police inspector in Boston with long-time connections to the Russians. While details are scare, the indication is that said inspector was not working alone."
"Corrupt cops working with Russians." Reese pursed his lips. "Now how does this sound familiar?"
"It would appear Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles have inadvertently stumbled upon the Boston equivalent to HR."
"Anything yet on the body?" Shaw asked.
"Digging through the Boston PD databases now. Still no definite clues but I'm cross-checking with missing persons, particularly anyone who might have a connection to criminals in that city."
Reese nodded. "We'll keep an eye on the two here." He was about to go on when something came over the cell phone that carried the bugs placed at the dining table. "Hold up, Finch," Reese stated as he and Shaw moved in to listen.
A minute earlier, Jane had just finished her chicken when a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see a man in a waiter's outfit holding a tray. "Ah, we're not done yet, just give us-"
Her words died in her throat as the man raised the tray up enough to show a revolver hidden underneath and pointed right at Jane. Maura's eyes widened but before she could speak, she felt a poke at her shoulder. She turned her head to see another man, as heavyset and in a suit, standing behind her, a towel covering his own gun. "Please do not call out or make a scene," he said in thick accented English. "Simply stand up and calmly come with us."
Jane tensed at the command but the waiter glared. "Fail to comply…and we have no qualms over killing anyone else here."
Glancing at the people around her dining, Jane swallowed before getting to her feet, Maura following. The two did their best to appear calm as they go their purses and walked slowly through the restaurant, the suited man behind them, the waiter taking the lead. They made their way to the rear, the waiter glancing about before pushing open a door. As soon as they entered the hallway, he dropped his tray, leveling the gun at Jane. "Try anything and we shoot your friend in the leg."
Instinctively, Jane was ready to hit him but managed to calm herself down. She'd been in situations like this before, she knew she had to keep as calm as possible to avoid trouble for Maura. For her part, the doctor was calmer than most would expect, not the first occasion she'd been assaulted by men with guns herself. The two men led the women through the hallway, down a stairway and then exiting into a parking garage.
A van was waiting already, three more men inside including the driver, all looking as burly as the men dragging Maura and Jane around. "Get in," the "waiter" commanded. Jane tensed as he pressed the gun into her ribcage. "I said, get in."
"I'm a cop," she snapped. "You let us go, we can settle this but you try and make this bad…"
The second man cocked his gun meaningfully, aiming it at Maura's right leg. Jane clenched her fists, wanting to grab at the gun in her purse but couldn't see an opportunity. Gritting her teeth, she allowed herself to be pushed to the van, one of the occupants already holding up a pair of plastic cuffs to place around her wrists.
The door burst open as Shaw marched out, her face holding the tiniest hint of a smile as she raised her arm and pulled the trigger on her revolver. It erupted to catch the man holding Maura in the shoulder, sending him leaping back. Shaw fired again to catch him in the leg, the man screaming in pain. Maura let out a cry as she instinctively dropped to the ground, hands on her head.
With the man near her distracted, Jane let out an elbow to smash into his jaw. She dived her hand into her purse to pull out her back-up piece, instantly undoing the safety and aiming it at the man. "Drop it, now!" she yelled. The man simply raised his pistol, only to yell out as Shaw's bullet hit him in the chest, sending him spinning against the van.
The men inside were pulling out guns, one yelling in Russian just as Shaw fired a volley to send them both ducking around the seats. The driver put the van into gear, slamming his foot onto the pedal to send it driving off toward the exit. They were just rounding the corner when they saw Reese standing at the center of the garage, calm and cool as he raised his gun. Not seeming to notice the van's rising speed, Reese fired off a trio of shots that impacted the windshield, hitting the driver dead-on. The van went out of control, slamming into a nearby pillar. Reese moved forward, his gun raised as he called out. "Shaw?"
"I'm good!" she called back, reloading her weapon as she moved to join him. They were steps away when they heard a trio of gun shots inside. Both were alert, Shaw aiming her gun at the door as Reese slowly opened it, both aiming inside. They saw the trio of men slumped, the driver with a fresh bullet hole in the back of his head while his two compatriots were sitting opposite one another, blood pouring from the wounds in their heads.
A gunshot from behind caused both to whirl around as they heard Maura cry out. They saw the last surviving Russian had used his good hand to put his gun under his chin before pulling the trigger. As Maura stared in shock at the corpse, Reese touched his earpiece. "Finch? We got them but the guys killed themselves before we could talk to them."
"Well, that's never a good sign," Finch replied a bit more shaky than usual.
"What the hell is going on?!" Jane demanded, her gun raised at the two. "Wait…I know you from yesterday! What are you doing here?"
"Finch…" Reese began.
"Yes, Mr. Reese, I know," came a tired reply. "It's the time we let these two know just what they've gotten themselves into."
"Do we know yet?"
"Something far more dangerous than a simple John Doe murder, I'll warrant."
"You missed your calling, Harold," Reese said as he walked to the quite upset Boston detective. "That mastery of understatement was tailor-made for the CIA." He signed off as he nodded to Jane. "Detective Rizzoli. You and Dr. Isles are in serious danger so we need you to come with us."
"Really?" Jane didn't lower her gun. "I'm sort of tired of following people with guns around."
"We're not aiming them at you," Shaw intoned.
"We need to stay here," Maura spoke up. "We have to report to the police about this and…"
"The police and we have a…unique situation," Reese told her gently. "I believe that it's better we're out of the way before they show up."
"We can't just-"
"You want to stay, fine," Shaw snapped. "Just don't be surprised if the cops end up turning you over to these guys' buddies."
Jane looked at her, frowning. As much as she hated to admit it, something in the woman's voice made her reconsider. She glanced to Maura to sigh. "Fine. But if we don't like what we hear-"
"People seldom do," Reese intoned as he led the trio of women out, suspecting he was once again about to endure a most unique conversation with a "client."
So next chapter has the groups talking and you can imagine the fun of Shaw and Maura getting along. All comments welcomed.
