Olivia collapsed into her desk chair, muscles rigid with frustration. The military was poking their noses into an investigation that had no obvious ties to them, and were less than forthcoming about explaining their interest. Talking with the Major had only confirmed her growing suspicions; they were going to try to edge in on her case. She wanted to be angry at the woman, but Sam had seemed genuinely apologetic. She came off as honest and loyal, and Olivia figured if she had kept pushing, Sam wouldn't hesitate to push back.
A voice inside of her wished for Sam to do just that.
She felt heat start rising in her cheeks at the thought. Olivia shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought. Their case was threatened, she reminded herself.
"You ok?" Elliot said. His face softened with concern.
"Yeah... No. I'm just trying to figure out what their deal is."
"Maybe they're thinking about a career change. Our flexible hours and generous wages are hard to resist." Flexible hours being seemingly never ending overtime and the dubious pleasure of having a case fall in your lap when you were actually off duty. The generous wages were equally as enticing. Olivia was more focused on the fact that he believed her. Probably because she really was trying to figure them out, among other things. And she should really stop thinking before her brain found a way to twist that around.
"Something tells me that might not be it."
"Well," Elliot was serious this time, "they do know something. And whatever it is they don't want to share."
"You'd think a few dead bodies would make them a little more eager to play ball."
Elliot just shook his head, equally frustrated. Their bitching was interrupted by the heated sound of Cragen in his office. They both looked over, unable to see anything through the closed blinds. Whoever was on the other side of the phone did not have good news.
"Dad doesn't look happy," Elliot said.
Olivia turned back to her desk, angrily sifting through a sea of paperwork she needed to work on. "What do you want to bet it's our new friends about the case?"
*
Jack had had a point earlier, Sam certainly felt better outside of the confines of her dress uniform. They had all cut back the attire as formal wear wasn't conducive to actually working. However, a comfortable pair of civilian clothes, just a step above what she'd classify as casual, didn't quite even out against the hostility Sam felt from all of the detectives in the bullpen. Much like her beloved Air Force, these people closed ranks to stand as one. Sam didn't like knowing that such solidarity was aimed at her and her team.
Though most went back to their work, she could still feel the eyes glaring at her as they worked the phones or juggled paperwork.
She noticed Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were both at their desks, not even pretending to be busy. The coldness in their gaze made it perfectly clear that their captain had already broken the news. Sam turned her head away from the intensity of it, chewing absently on her bottom lip.
The arrangement wasn't ideal for either party. Hammond had tried the soft sell with Cragen, but the police captain would not give up all claims to the case. They could take it over, but that involved going through channels. Bureaucratic red tape would stall them, not to mention formal opposition from Cragen. In the interest of saving time Hammond didn't want to waste, they settled on a joint investigation. With the current lack of progress the police were having in locating their suspect, Sam wondered if it really mattered.
Cragen retained control, but her team would be actively involved in all aspects of the investigation. So, they had to figure out how to "cooperate" and still keep classified information out of civilian hands when they caught up to the Goa'uld.
The door to Cragen's office opened brusquely, getting their attention. His face steeled with annoyance, but he only pointed in their direction and beckoned them over with a curt signal. Sam felt like she was being called into the principal's office. She followed the others into the small room. Squeezing through, the Captain shut the door behind them.
"Let's get one thing straight right now: do not play with me."
Despite his street clothes, Jack aired professionalism. "We have no intention of the kind, Captain."
"George has never steered me wrong before, and he's promised your full cooperation, within the scope of anything that isn't confidential. So I'm going to ask once and leave it at that, are there any new insights or understanding you can contribute to this case?"
"Within the scope of anything that isn't confidential, no, sir," Jack replied.
"Ok." Cragen nodded his head slightly, and Jack returned it. It was as much of a bone as they could throw Cragen, and he realized it. Jack as much as admitted that they did know something. "Benson and Stabler aren't happy about this."
"So we noticed," Daniel said, interrupting.
Cragen eyed Daniel, causing the archaeologist to shut his mouth and stiffen slightly. "And frankly, neither am I. But they will cooperate, because no one wants to jeopardize closing this case."
*
Detective Fulson grabbed the phone on his desk. No one noticed him dial, why would they? They spent most of their days on the phone—to witnesses, to agencies, to other cops—so the act didn't even register. The line rang only once.
"Speak," the voice said.
"They're here."
