4
Rabin walks out of a small room. Behind him, we catch a glimpse of a workroom with a bench covered with wires.
Davidson comes out a moment later, gently fixing his tie.
Rabin opens the door to his office and Davidson enters. Rabin follows, looking up and down the hall before closing the door behind them.
As the door closes we can just make out the back of Ianto's head. He is seated in Rabin's office, smoking a cigarette.
Davidson and Rabin sit down across from Ianto.
"Ianto, you know we're trying to help you." Davidson implores.
"Sure. And I appreciate that."Ianto nods "And I want to help you, Agent Davidson. I like cops. I would have liked to have been a Fed myself but my C.P. was …"
"Ianto, I know you know something. I know you're not telling us everything."
"I told the D.A. everything I know." Ianto frowns with confusion.
Rabin stands over Louis in the next room, a messy looking technician at his workbench in a room full of electronic equipment. He adjusts several dials on a receiver until the voices of Davidson and Ianto come clearly through a tinny speaker on the wall.
Rabin reaches over for a nearby pot of coffee.
"I know you liked Jack. I know you think he was a good man." Andy is trying to sound sincere.
"I know he was good." Ianto replies with remorse.
"He was a corrupt cop, Ianto."
"Sure. Fifteen years ago, but he was a good thief anyway. The cops wouldn't let him go legit." Ianto bristles as he glares at him. "We all read that file."
"Jack was a piece of shit."
"You trying to get a rise out of me, Agent Davidson?"
"I just want to hear your story." Andy opens his arms to give Ianto the floor.
"It's right here." Ianto replies as he taps a finger on the stack of paper that Davidson brought in. Davidson picks it up and thumbs through it.
"According to your statement you are a short-con operator. Run of the mill scams. Everything you do, you learned from somebody else."
"That's been suppressed. Anything in there is inadmissible." Ianto folds his arms looking smug.
"Oh, I know. Sweet deal you have. Total immunity."
Ianto is laughing nervously "Well I do have the weapons charge. I'm looking at six whole months hard time."
"You know a dealer named Ruby Deemer, Ianto?"
"You know a religious guy named John Paul?" Ianto counters.
"You know Ruby is in Attica?"
"He didn't have my lawyer." Ianto shrugs.
"I know Ruby. He's very big on respect. Likes me very much." Andy smiles back and Ianto sees this getting to something. His smile fades.
"Now I know your testimony was sealed." Andy can see the fragile man is wavering, his hands twisting in his lap like he might wet himself "Ruby is well connected. He still has people running errands for him. What do you think he'd say if he found out you dropped his name to the D.A.?"
"There's nothing in there about Ruby."
"I'll be sure to mention that to him." Andy snorts and Ianto is not smiling anymore. He stares at Davidson with utter contempt, knowing he is being shafted.
"The first thing I learned on the job, know what it was?" Andy is starting to enjoy this "How to spot a murderer. Let's say you arrest three guys for the same killing. Put them all in jail overnight. The next morning, whoever is sleeping is your man. If you're guilty, you know you're caught, you get some rest - let your guard down, you follow?"
"No."
"I'll get right to the point. I'm smarter than you. I'll find out what I want to know and I'll get it from you whether you like it or not."
"I'm not a rat." Ianto shakes his head visibly upset now. Davidson puts his hand on the transcript of Ianto's confession.
Rabin walks in with a cup of coffee. Ianto takes it with his good hand and sips it with a relish. "Ahhh. Back when I was picking beans in Guatemala we used to make fresh coffee. Right off the trees I mean. That was good. This is shit, but hey..."
"Can we get started again?" Rabin asks.
"Now what happened after the line-up?" Ianto sneers at Davidson, unable to change the subject like he had hoped...or was he just thinking.
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SIX WEEKS PRIOR
Jack stops at the top of the front steps of the police station and lights a cigarette. Rose comes out behind him, fuming mad. "...and the desk Sergeant is actually trying to tell me he can't release you? Can you believe that? You weren't even charged. New York police - Jesus. I want to take pictures of your face to bring to the D.A. first thing in the morning."
"Just forget about it."
He looks across the street and sees Owen and Suzie talking by a newsstand. Suzie is thumbing through magazines.
"Absolutely not." She spits, "even tried to say I was sleeping with you. Like … we can't be friends?"
Jack looks to his right and sees Sato trying to hail a cab.
"I'll have this thing in front of a grand jury by Monday." Rose nods with finality.
"Rose, please. I don't want to hear this right now. What did Chrysler and Humphries say?"
"They want more time to think about investing" she pouts.
"Goddamn it."
Rose tries to soothe her old friend "They just said they wanted time."
"Time for what, Rose? Time to look into me a little more, that's what. No matter how well you cover my tracks now, they'll find out who I am. The piece of tech is off-world by now and we both know it."
Rose huffs "Give me some credit. I got you this far, let's go to the grand inquisitors. This is never going to stop if we …"
"No. It's never going to stop, period." Jack cuts her off "It won't take more than a week before
every investor in this city is walking away from us. It's finished. I'm finished. I should have listened to your Doc."
Just then, Ianto bumps into him on his way out the door. He excuses himself and hobbles down the steps, oblivious to who he has bumped into as he tries to navigate the stairs.
"Don't give up on me now, Jack." She sighs, "Don't prove he Doctor right about your attention span."
"They'll never stop."
Ianto gets to the sidewalk and stops. He turns, realizing it is Jack on the steps. Jack and Ianto look at one another for a moment. Jack then looks over to the newsstand and sees Owen looking at him.
Suzie notices Owen and glances up from her magazine to see what he is looking at.
"Come home with me, please. Jack?" Rose implores.
Jack looks at Sato who has one foot in a cab. She is looking at Owen and Suzie who are looking at Jack. This makes Sato look up at Jack as well. Rose tunes in to what is going on. She notices the
others on the street. She reaches over and takes Jack by the arm, pulling gently. She glares at the others. "Come home, Jack the Doctor might have a plan?"
"Alright."
Ianto looks at everyone else from where he stands on the street.
Owen, Suzie and Sato all look at him and then at each other. It is a strange moment of unspoken understanding. All eyes finally turn to Jack, high on the front steps of the police station as he walks away with Rose.
.
.
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Ianto stands in front of an apartment door. He hesitates for a long moment before he knocks.
After a moment, the door opens and Jack stands on the other side of it. He is wearing a bathrobe and smoking a cigarette.
He looks at Ianto without any expression whatsoever. "What are you doing here! How did you find me?"
"I just asked one of the detectives downtown. He seemed pretty happy to tell me."
Jack curses under his breath and motions for Ianto to come in.
Ianto walks in and sits down on the couch, watching Jack cautiously. He looks around the large apartment, beautifully furnished and decorated.
Rose walks into the room in a man's button-down shirt and sweat pants. "Who was at the …"
She stops when she sees Ianto. Ianto stands and smiles nervously. "How do you do?"
"Ianto, this is Rose Tyler. Rose, this is Ianto Jones, he was at…"-
Rose answers coldly "I know who he is."
"I hope I didn't disturb you."
"I hope so, too, Mr. Jones. Can I get you something to drink?"
"A glass of water would be nice." Ianto blinks at her slowly, clearly not the full quid here folks.
Rose shoots a look at Jack on her way out of the room.
Jack tries to hush his voice despite his anger. "What the hell do you want?
"I wanted to talk to you. The other guys …"
"I did you a favour by standing up for you last night, but don't think we're friends. I'm sorry, but I have other things …"
"They're gonna do a job. Three million dollars, maybe more." Ianto blurts out, then slaps a hand over his mouth with wide eyes.
Jack is speechless. Ianto sits on the couch again.
"They sent me to offer you a cut. We could use a fifth man - a driver - That's all you'll do." Ianto hisses.
Rose walks in with a glass of ice water and hands it to Ianto.
"Thank you."
Ianto drinks slowly. Rose stands over him, her face blank.
It is an awkward moment. She deliberately makes Ianto uncomfortable. Long pause – finally "So what is it you do, Mr. Jones?"
"Umm..."
"A hijacker like Jack, here? Or something more creative?"
"That's enough, Rose."
She angrily snarls "I don't know what you came here for, but we won't have any part of it."
"Rose, please." Jack takes Rose by the arm and tries to guide her toward the other room.
She pulls away, anger turning to rage. "I've spent the last year of my life putting his life back together again - I won't have you come in here and - What makes you think - GET OUT. GET OUT OF MY HOME. HOW DARE YOU COME HERE?"
Jack is pulling her now. She yanks her arm away and shoves him.
"Don't touch me. Just don't…"She turns and walks out of the room. Somewhere in the back of the apartment, a door slams. Jack turns and glares at Ianto. Ianto cringes.
"Get out."
"If you'll just let me …"suddenly Jack lunges. He grabs Ianto by the lapels and lifts him off the couch, moving him effortlessly across the room and slamming him into the wall next to the front door.
He opens it.
"Don't hurt me." Ianto whimpers with fear.
Jack is seething "Hurt you, you sonofabitch? I could kill you."
Jack starts to shove Ianto out the door.
"They're going to hit the Taxi Service."
Jack freezes.
LONG PAUSE.
"New New York's Finest Taxi Service." Ianto repeats.
"They - That's bullshit. They don't operate anymore."
"Suzie has a friend in the Fourteenth Precinct. They're coming out for one job - Thursday. They're picking up a guy smuggling emeralds out of South America. Owen and Suzie have a fence set to take the stuff."
"What fence? Who?" Jack's hands have moved from the lapels to Ianto's' throat, the left thumb brushing his Adams apple. I don't think he knows he is doing it.
"Some guy in California. His name is Bobby Blowfish".
"Never heard of him." Jack moves to throw Ianto out. Ianto grabs Jack and holds tight.
"You have to come." Ianto begs.
"What's with you? What do you care whether I come or not?"
"They…" Ianto takes a breath to steady himself "… They don't know me. You do. They won't take me unless you go. Look at me. I need this."
"Tough break."
"Don't tell me you don't need this. Is this your place?"
Jack is unable to answer.
"They're never going to stop with us, you know that. This way we hit the cops where it hurts and get well in the mean time." Ianto tries another tactic.
Jack lets Ianto go and steps back, thinking.
"As clean as you could ever get, they'll never let you go now. I'm not knocking you. You look like you've got a good little scam going with this lawyer…" Ianto is on a roll … WHAM. Jack punches Ianto in the stomach and drops him to one knee. Ianto coughs and tries to find his breath.
"You watch your mouth."
Ianto is gasping on the floor "Okay, okay. You say it's nothing, you are just friends kinda thing? That's cool."
Jack reaches for Ianto. Ianto flinches. Jack gently helps him up and guides him to the couch. They bath sit.
Jack reaches for a pack of cigarettes and lights one for each of them. "I apologize."
Ianto takes one and has a few drags, catching his breath and rubbing his stomach in pain. Finally "I was out of line."
"You okay?"
"I'll be alright." Ianto grimaces.
"Well, I'm sorry." Jack says with sincerity.
"Forget it." Ianto sighs "I'll probably shit blood tonight."
Jack laughs. Ianto thinks about it for a moment and laughs with him. Jack's laughter trails off. He thinks for a moment. "How are they going to do it?"
"Suzie wants to go in shooting. I said no way."
"Owen and Sato?" Jack leans forward.
"They're pretty pissed off. They'll do anything. Now I got a way to do it without killing anyone: but like I said, they won't let me in without you." Ianto splays his hands out to show he is being honest and Jack considers.
"Three million?"
"Maybe more."
"No killing?" Jack raises an eyebrow as he glances at the closed bedroom door, Rose listening on the other side judging by the shadow under the door.
"Not if we do it my way. " Ianto smiles, knowing he has everything under control.
Things are all set now.
