Title: Ghosts, Chapter 7

Author: Sorsha711
Pairing: Munch/OFC, others implied
Rating: M, for language and references to violence; some adult situations
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Dick Wolf. A quick check of my bank account should prove I'm not making anything off of writing my stories. Sigh!
Summary: A woman with a tragic past holds the keys to solving a series of brutal killings. John/OFC; Fin/OFC; pre-O/E

Ghosts, Chapter 7

"I'm going to need to call Father Roberto's children this afternoon, Emily. I also plan to talk to your step-children," John warned as they approached the entrance to the precinct building. While she had acquired a little color from the lunch and the fresh air, she was still shaky. Munch had kept a protective hand on the small of her back as they walked to and from the deli, a fact Fin had not missed.

Frightened eyes lifted to meet his. "Is that really necessary, John? I know you have to call Roberto's children, but mine…? It scares me to call any more attention to them than absolutely necessary."

"I can understand that, Emily, but they are Panadoron by birth. They may have information you don't." Holding her gaze, he noted, "It will just be phone calls. Since none of them are in the City at the moment, no one will see them talking to the police or them coming to the precinct. That should minimize the risk of them being exposed."

Both men had to bend to hear her murmured, "Unless their phones are bugged."

"Isn't that a little paranoid, Emily?" Fin asked, mentally cringing at the thought she sounded like Munch.

"Maybe, but paranoid people can still get followed." Looking up at Fin's groan, she noted the grin on John's face and the long-suffering frown on that of his partner. "What?"

"He's probably heard me say the same thing a time or two," John offered, a smug smile firmly in place on his lips.

"And then some," Fin complained.

Deciding to wait for another time to pursue this discussion, she asked instead, "Can they bug cell phones?"

"Probably… that's a question I need to pose to the tech guys the next time I see them. The phone company and the government, yeah, but… humm," John mused, an intrigued expression slipping onto his face. Refocusing on the worried woman next to him, he promised, "We'll keep the contacts as low-key as we can. OK?"

"All three of them will be here by tomorrow if you call them. They are fond of Roberto and very protective of me," she predicted. "Marta will be here by tonight if she can find a flight. She doesn't teach in the summer; she only has rounds at the hospital. Their children are visiting Andy's parents, so she will drop everything and rush here to take care of me. She worries."

"I take it you're close to them?" Fin asked, holding the door for her to enter the building.

Nodding, she began, "Yes. Belle was only two when I married Esteban. She accepted me immediately and she's my baby. Paul was six, so he was slower to warm to me, but he did eventually."

Stepping into the elevator, she smiled at the memory. "Marta was sixteen and hated me on sight. We had a war of wills for two years until Esteban sent her to Spain for college. He sent Paul to boarding school there at the same time… a family tradition he said. A few weeks later, he took Belle and me to 'visit' friends in New York so we could finalize my adoption of the children in the US… he wanted the adoption to be recognized in both countries. I argued with him when he left us there and returned to Panador alone."

Leaning back against the elevator wall, she recalled, "We were here when word came he had disappeared. The official story was he had been taken by leftist guerrillas and was being held for ransom. I panicked and went back naively thinking I could get Juan, his older brother, to help me find him. I knew Juan hated me... I wasn't an acceptable wife for a Molina as far as he and his mother were concerned, but it never entered my mind…"

Taking a deep breath, she concluded, "After I got out, I insisted on bringing the older two children to live with me in the states. I was terrified to have them that far away from me. Marta was twenty by then… still in college in Barcelona. She could have stayed there but she needed to be with us too. Frankly, she took care of me and her younger siblings until I got my strength back. We don't have a mother-daughter relationship… she's only six years younger than me after all, but we are very close friends. I'm Mom to the other two. They are mine and I'll die before I let anyone hurt them."

Trading a look with Munch, Fin inserted, "Emily, they need to know for their own safety. Until we uncover the reasons for the killings, they need to be on alert."

The small amount of color that had returned to her features drained away as the reality of his warning registered. "Oh, God… I need…"

"You need to relax and let us help you. This is our job. OK?" Fin insisted. "There's a couch up in the loft where you can rest while John makes his calls."

"I need to call them and let them…" she began, fear giving her voice a shrill quality.

Turning her to face him, Munch shook his head. "Emily, listen. I know they are your children and you want to protect them, but this is a police investigation into the murders of three men. I'll make those calls. Once I finish, you can call them and talk as long as you want. I need to talk to them first. Now, please… let us do our job."

Frantic blue eyes held his for a few more seconds before her shoulders slumped. "I'll give you their numbers."

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"What's the word, John?"

His hand still resting on the phone, Munch turned to face Cragen. "Fonseca's three children had already been notified of their father's death by the Panadoron police. They aren't saying much at this point, but his two sons are coming to New York with Reyes tomorrow. They have confirmed Emily's ID of the tattoo as their father's from the photo I faxed to Reyes, but that's about all I got out of them. They have agreed to a DNA test for final verification once they get here. Their flight will get into JFK around 11 a.m. I'll make arrangements for someone to meet them."

"Ask Sandoval. Another Panadoron may put them off their guard."

"Will do. I've left messages for Emily's children and am waiting for them to call back. I..." Swinging around to grab the ringing phone, Munch answered. "Munch, SVU."

An elegant voice that betrayed only a hint of an accent responded. "Det. Munch… I am Marta Douglas. I had a message asking me to call you."

"Ah, Dr, Douglas… thank you for returning my call."

"What is this about, Detective Munch?" she demanded, her anxiety clear. "A message to call a NYPD detective is disconcerting to say the least… especially one in the Special Victims Unit. Is my step-mother all right? She wasn't home when I called there a few minutes ago to check on her and her cell phone is off. Her research assistant doesn't know where she is either."

Having anticipated her questions, he quickly answered, "Ms. Morgan is fine. She is here at the station and is safe. I asked her to let me speak to you first and, reluctantly, she agreed. I regret I must inform you that a close friend of your family has been killed."

A brief, fraught silence meet his statement. "Who?"

"Father Roberto Fonseca y Caban. He was murdered over the weekend. Your stepmother identified him this morning from a tattoo on his wrist," he reported.

"¡Dios mío! Is Emily all right? Why would she need to… Is it that bad… that she had to use his tattoo to identify him?" she demanded. (My God)

"Yes, it is."

Another pause. "Father Roberto is one of the men found dead… the story on CNN last night. I'm right aren't I?" she murmured. "How is Emily?"

"Yes, he is," Munch confirmed. "Emily is shaky and grieving the loss of her friend... but she is determined to help our investigation. She came to us this morning when she couldn't find Father Roberto. Thanks to her, we now have a lead in finding the men that killed him. Can I ask you some questions, Dr. Douglas?"

"Of course, Detective. Give me a second." Not bothering to cover the mouthpiece, perhaps wanting to make her actions clear and unambiguous, she called to her secretary. "Janice… see if you can book me a flight to New York City for later today. I'll take whatever they have… the first I can make. Charge it to my Amex. Then see if my husband is still on rounds. I need to talk to him, ASAP. Thanks."

"What do you need to know, Detective?"

"First, I must ask you to keep what I am about to say between us for now. We do not want the media to alert the killers we are exploring this line of investigation," Munch began.

"I understand and agree to your request."

"Your stepmother thinks Father Fonseca may have been killed by members of a Panadoron cell tied to supporters of the Zapatero regime. I read the book you wrote about your father and step-mother when it was published. During the course of your research, did you find any information that might help us in tracking possible suspects with ties to these groups?" Munch asked.

A long pause. "Yes, I think I do. Give me your email address. I'll send you a series of PDF's containing all of my notes and source documents. I scanned everything I collected and have a set of backup discs here at my office. They include transcripts of all of the interviews I conducted. There's a lot in there that might help."

Surprised by the offer, he responded, "Thank you. We'd appreciate getting our hands on that type of information."

After giving her his email address, Munch prompted, "I couldn't fail to notice that you didn't question your step-mother's belief that his murder has a Panadoron connection. Why is that, Doctor?"

"Emily confided in me last week that she was worried about the men he was investigating," she replied. "She and I are very close and I knew something was bothering her. I pestered her until she told me what she knew. I've been worried about them both ever since. Given Father Roberto's history, it is also a logical conclusion. He made a lot of enemies during his years with the State Police."

Following her lead, Munch admitted, "From the initial reports we have found, he was involved in the capture of several high profile fugitives. I assume their families would be at the top of that list."

"Most of the old ruling families fled by early 1986 when it became clear that Zapatero would fall… they had been moving their assets out of the country for months, like rats fleeing a sinking ship. I would imagine some are still bitter and dream of returning to their old lives, but most have moved on, Detective. That includes the children and grandchildren of many of those captured by Father Roberto." Sighing, she noted, "Most of them just want to put their family's involvement in the Zapatero government behind them and act as if it never happened. They have new lives and have no desire to return to Panador."

"Do you have any idea which families would still hold a grudge?"

Silence greeted his question and held for a full minute. Munch was about to repeat his question when she began to answer. "Yes, but most of those that are likely to be involved are not going to be the high profile exiles you are asking about. They are going to be the men that did the dirty work for Zapatero… their sons. Unlike the wealthy, they lost everything when the regime fell. Even now, their families carry the taint of being tied to the death squads and the prisons. They haven't faired nearly as well as the exiles. If they managed to flee Panador, they didn't have money to set themselves up in a new life, so they had to start over at the bottom… menial jobs, that sort of thing. Such a thing is a bitter pill for men used to more."

"And they blame the revolution for their fall rather than their own complicity in Zapatero's crimes?" he prompted.

Signing, she continued, "Yes. They are bitter and resent what happened to them, but they are going to be harder to track than those with money. There is a list of upper and mid-level bureaucrats that served the Zapatero regime in what I will send you. I compiled it from what documents I could acquire and from my interviews. There is also a list of guards and those reputed to be members of the death squads in another file. Father Roberto gave me most of those names, so they are accurate. The lists aren't complete, but it's a starting point. Their descendants… I have no information to offer on most of them. I may know a few."

Jotting down notes, Munch asked, "Were the interviews recorded?"

"Yes, but I don't have the tapes anymore. The FBI came to see me after my book was published. They took them to make copies, but failed to return them as they promised. I asked for them back several times, but they have apparently been 'misplaced'. I may have forgotten to mention to them I had the transcripts made." The dry, measured tones of her voice removed any doubts he might have had that the omission was accidental.

"Imagine that… the FBI being so careless. Can you suggest a name for the likely leaders of such a group… names I should pay particular attention to in those transcripts?" he pressed. "Any help would be appreciated, Doctor. We'd like to find them before victim number four falls into their hands. Is there one of the old families that might be at the heart of this group?"

Another silence preceded, "Yes… look for the name Ernesto Molina y Navarro."

"Molina?? Is he…?"

"My cousin… the younger son of my Uncle Juan, may he rot in Hell." Hatred gave her voice a hard edge. "Ernesto is a carbon copy of his father… ruthless and without a conscience. My money is on him."

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