Chapter 7: Ending

"This is getting us nowhere," Nina said as she went over the notes again with Alex Borgia. When Nina called her friend to complain, she in turn had called someone else. So now, they found themselves going over everything they had in Nora Levin's office.

"Take a few steps back and tell me again what you started with," Nora said.

Nina closed her eyes. "A baby bundled in a blanket under a bush," she said. "The babysitter left her there in an effort to spare the baby's life from a dangerous father."

"Then what?" Nora asked.

"Then we found and removed a household of children from a neglectful parent." Nina sighed. "Upon retracing the babysitter's steps, we found another dead child. No sign of that neglectful mother."

"Or possible drug-dealing father," Alex added. "One possible conclusion is that the parents have fled."

Nora nodded towards the open door before replying. "Could have. Then again, is it possible that the people who forced the babysitter to flea could have killed the parents?"

McCoy sat down at his desk almost unnoticed by the two visitors. When he spoke up, Alex jumped out of her chair. "Didn't we have this talk about how you're not Perry Mason?"

Nina chuckled before composing herself. "We're just trying to get a woman's perspective on this case."

"Ah," Jack said sagely. "And Van Buren didn't qualify because…"

"She's taking the exam today," Nina said smiling.

"Anita will pass; I know it," Nora said. "Jack, if you took note, these young ladies-."

"I'm aware of what they chose to admit," Jack said. "If it stays that way, I might finish this day headache free."

Alex gave him a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nina saw it immediately. "So," she said turning her full attention to the other professor, "as one who has dealt with murdering mothers, as a parent, what do you think Tina and her boyfriend would have done by now?"

Jack gave her a look that was neither scornful nor bitter. "If Tina Keith's habits haven't changed, and I doubt they have, then she's probably in a ditch somewhere." He glanced at Alex. "Her mother had nothing to add, I suppose?"

She shook her head. "Said just what you said, but with more slurring."

"Ouch," Nora said from her side of the room. "Nina, do you and Joe have all the evidence you need to arrest either Miss Keith or the father?"

Nina sighed. "Most of it's circumstantial. Renee's strong and we've a fairly thick collection of calls to Children's Services about how they cared – well didn't care – for their two children."

Nora turned to Alex. "Are you and Connie prepared to go through with the case? Putting parenting on trial, I mean?"

Alex looked from Jack to Nora, to Nina then back to Nora. "You mean to put a murderer on trial? Yes."

Nora nodded again. "Good. So what are you guys waiting for? Besides asking Jack there to interpret something in the file you brought?"

Nina took over. "We went over all of Keith and Ashburn's known associates and can't come up with a plausible suspect. I mean, we've narrowed down the circle of possibilities, but no one definitely." She slid the folder towards Jack. "Do you see an angle we should try?"

Jack perused the file. "I'd suggest you and Joe canvass the area where she probably made most of her drug buys. Find the buyer and you've probably found your suspect. Check with one of the other officers in that borough, someone who knows the homeless and see if you can find the father that way." He paused. "How did the fingerprint checks turn out?"

Nina shook her head. "There were so many in there, you'd have thought it was one of those hotel rooms you'd rent by the hour."

Nora and Jack exchanged looks. "Well," Jack said sliding the folder back, "start with the ones that have the longer rap sheets; go to the ones known for assault and…It very well could be one of the many in that crowd."

"What were you telling me about 'Perry Mason?'" Alex said.

"You two Nancy Drews came by here to ask Nora for help. I got dragged into it."

Nina shook her head. "I won't tell you how lame that just sounded, Jack," she said. Pausing, she added, "On second thought, I will – that was too much like my father."

"Glad for the flashback on your part," he said dryly. "In the meantime, I'm sure Joe will give you the riot act soon enough." He furrowed his brow and took the folder back. "Riots. Riots…" he scanned the list of priors for Tina Keith and found a name worth tapping. "Check out that tenement there," he said pointing out an address. "I forgot about that 'little' disturbance. She might be hiding out there."

Nina looked at the information. "It doesn't connect to anything-."

"And because of that illogical fit," Nora said behind her, "it might be worth checking out."

--------

Joe Fontana shook his head for the umpteenth time. "You didn't discuss this with me because?"

"Because you were busy with Mike," Cassady said. "If I stepped out of bounds, then-."

"No, not exactly." He chuckled. "The fact that you chose to discuss this with an ethics professor; that's something I should needle Nora about. Next game, perhaps."

"Tomorrow night, right?" Nina said, her voice slightly relieved, he noticed.

"Yeah. After the heart-to-heart with Mikey, it shouldn't be as dramatic this time around."

Nina turned to face her partner. "Where is he, by the way? I noticed Ed's working with-."

"This is in confidence," he said in a low tone. "Mike's testing."

Nina's face broke into a big grin, as did Fontana's. "I heard it said that it's about time."

"You're telling me," Joe said. "Of course, if he passes or fails, it isn't exactly the end of the world." He paused before adding, "So long as he doesn't punch another official."

They arrived at the address in question; Fontana putting the car in park. "If you're right about this," he said, "then this will help wrap up two murders."

"And a kidnapping," Cassady added. "Not to mention intimidation."

Fontana sighed as they climbed out of the car. "Yep. Sounds like a decent enough list of charges. Let's go get our guy," he said, leading the way, gun drawn.

------

The interrogation didn't go quite in the direction Cassady thought it would. Fontana, bless his soul, took on the part of good cop because there was no way she could trust herself to keep her anger contained.

The fact that Tina Keith had confessed to the death of her son, her reminder of another love now lost, made no sense to Nina. The calm, cockiness that Tina's voice conveyed as she justified her right to keep her babies away from a 'higher-than-holier-than-thou' babysitter was her choice, her right and her means of saving herself and her boyfriend.

"So why let your boyfriend go after the Renee Maguire and let him assault her the way he did?!" Cassady said, hands pressed firmly against the table's edge. "Why did you-?"

"She had to learn a lesson," Tina said, as if none of that mattered. "Look, if there's a victim here, it's me. My babies are dead."

"Probably because you killed them!" Cassady said, curling her fingers now.

Fontana pulled her back. "Get a cup of coffee, Nina." To Tina Keith, he said, "You take it plain or care for cream and sugar?"

"Two creams, one sugar," she said.

Fontana gave Cassady a look, one that Keith probably took as a victory sign; one that Nina took as a bit of gratitude.

After delivering the coffee, Cassady watched the rest of the interrogation through the one-way glass, amazed still by Fontana's smoothness.

"Look," he said, taking a hand in his, "I can imagine how hard it was to try and juggle so many jobs to try and care for a couple of kids. And I can also imagine what it must have been like to see Miss Maguire try to take your place as mother."

Tina wiped away tears from her face. "Kylie was supposed to save our relationship," she said at last. "It didn't. Her daddy got himself into more trouble. When I suggested we sell her to settle his debts…"

Cassady saw Fontana's eye twitch. "What happened next?" he asked.

"That damn girl grabbed my baby and ran. She would have gotten my Keith, too, but I showed her." Tina nodded, satisfied. "Holler as she might, no one was going to piss me off by grabbing my baby boy." She sneered. "No one gets between a caring mother and her babies."

Cassady felt her fingernails dig into her skin as Fontana continued in a soothing voice. "So, you saved your son by killing him."

"He's with his father now."

"And why aren't you there in hell with him?" Cassady asked herself.

"But," Joe said, "what about Kylie? What did you do to help her?"

At that, Tina Keith turned away and began biting her nails.