Bobby POV


I've always considered myself to be a pretty smart guy. Despite all of the problems that I've had to face over the course of my life, my intelligence was the one thing I never really doubted. The one thing I could count on.

But this time, it failed me. I was wrong, so completely wrong about Quarles.

When we parted ways with him on the highway, we headed towards Waynesville, which was only a few minutes in the opposite direction. Carolyn had found a Wal-Mart there on her previous visit to the area. It wasn't exactly my first choice of venue, but it would have what we needed – a small digital recorder.

"We need to run a background check on Slater," Carolyn said as we sped down the highway. "As of right now, we know nothing about him."

"I'm not calling Ross," Alex said.

"Why not? Isn't he our number one fan?" Logan asked.

"The honeymoon is over," Alex replied. She didn't go into further details, and no one pushed her on it.

"My laptop is at the hotel," Carolyn said.

"I'd rather not wait. Any other ideas?" I asked. I didn't have friends in the department, but I knew the others did.

"What about Wheeler?" Alex asked Logan. He shrugged.

"Yeah, she still likes me. She might do it."

"And not tell Ross?" I asked. I knew she was in pretty tight with our captain.

"She might look like a goody two-shoes, but she knows how to keep things on the down low when she has to. If I ask, she'll keep quiet."

"Then ask. Get her to find everything she can about Slater. We need to know who we're up against."

Alex and I left Mike and Carolyn in the car while we ran in to make our purchase.

"You didn't want to tell them what Ross said?" I asked her once we were alone.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. And then surprisingly, she took my hand. I looked down at our joined hands and then back up at her but she just shrugged.

"We haven't had enough Bobby and Alex time lately. We can just pretend we're a couple doing our Saturday afternoon shopping, right?"

"You won't get any argument from me."

"I didn't want them to know that I threw the whole Liz thing in his face," she said, going back to our discussion about Ross.

"You did it for them, though. They would understand."

"I'm not even sure I understand. I just got so mad at Ross for being such a jackass. Carolyn was kidnapped, likely drugged, and he's going to put up a fuss about running a plate for us? What kind of guy does that?"

She had a point. But I had known for quite some time just what kind of guy Ross was, so this latest turn of events didn't surprise me at all.

"I just don't get why he hates you so much," she continued. "You and Logan."

"I think he feels threatened by us. Or by me. And he did by Logan when he still worked with the department."

"So the whole alpha male thing? What is it with you guys?" she asked with a shake of her head.

"Hey, don't look at me," I argued with a smile. "I don't get into that."

"I'm going to let you get away with that for now," she told me, matching my grin. "But only because we need to come up with our plan. I still think that if I can get Quarles alone, I can get him to talk. When he meets us at the hotel, we should work it out that I spend a few minutes with him in the lobby, just me and him."

"Alex…"

"Not Alex," she reminded me. "Eames."

"Sorry. It's hard to remember that when you're holding my hand. Eames doesn't usually do that kind of thing." She went to let go, but I held on tight. "I'm teasing. I can do both."

"So…you're on board, right? I think he's still reeling about being rejected by Carolyn. And he's given me a few looks since we got here. I think he'll be receptive. I mean, he's not a killer, right? We think he's just a guy that got caught up in this whole counterfeiting thing. I'm guessing he wants to confess."

"He's been giving you looks?" I asked, still stuck on that statement.

"Goren…"

"Sorry. Okay, we'll give it a shot," I agreed. It's not like I was going to talk her out of it anyway. Her asking for my acceptance of the plan was only a formality.

Alex reached up and gave me a kiss.

"You know I was going to do it either way," she added for clarification. I barked out a quick laugh.

"Of course."

She reached up for another quick kiss, but this time I caught her by the back of the head and made it into something more.

"Bobby," she said quietly when I let her go.

"I'm done," I promised. "Let's find what we need, Eames."

We went to the electronics section and found some digital recorders. I bought two of the smallest ones I could find. I figured if we hid one each on two of us then our chances were better of being successful. We picked up a couple more random items, waited forever in a checkout line, and then went back outside.

"Wheeler said she'd get back to us. And she was at 1PP, so it shouldn't take too long," Logan told us when we returned to the car. "I told her to check out Quarles, too. It can't hurt."

"Good idea. Will she keep it quiet?"

"She said Ross is in some kind of mood today. She didn't seem to mind the cloak-and-dagger routine."

"What about Nichols?"

"What about him?"

"Will she tell him?"

"No. She hasn't quite warmed up to him yet. You know, after being partnered with me, I've probably ruined her for anyone else."

"You're what did it for me, that's for sure," Carolyn said with a heavy sigh. She had a subtle wit about her that I was beginning to appreciate. If you blink, you miss it. But if you got it, she was very entertaining.

We drove quickly back to the Fairfield.

"Quarles should be here in a little over an hour. We need to get these recorders set up. Eames is going to get him alone for a few minutes and see what she can get out of him," I told the others as we crossed the hotel parking lot.

"Good idea. Give him a sympathetic ear," Carolyn agreed.

"You think he'll open up?" I asked. I still hated the idea, of course, but it had its merits. And Carolyn knew him better than any of us, so I wanted her opinion.

"It's a good possibility."

But when we went through the lobby, there was Quarles. I did not like this one bit, and every nerve ending was on alert. He seemed to have a knack for showing up, one step ahead of us.

"That was fast," Logan muttered. "You took those boys to the Haywood sheriff?"

"It's not far. He's taking care of them and then he'll get them some medical treatment. Are you ready to talk to Slater?"

"I need to run back up to the room first," Carolyn said slowly. She caught my eye and nodded. "We'll meet you back down here in a few minutes."

I wanted to abort the plan. Alex wasn't miked up and I was getting a really bad vibe from the whole situation. But Alex had other ideas.

"I'll stay and keep you company," she offered to Quarles. It took every ounce of my restraint, coupled with Barek shoving me from behind, to leave Alex alone with him.

I watched as Quarles stood back and gestured grandly, allowing Alex to walk in front of him into the seating area in the lobby. She sat down on a couch and he settled in next to her, much too close for my liking. I stared hard at the back of his head, but Alex caught my eye and gave me a look. And I knew what that one meant. Get to work, Goren.

"We need to call the Haywood sheriff," I said on the way up to the room.

"I'm on it," Carolyn said, pulling out her phone. Did Quarles really take the men there that fast? It had taken us a little time at Wal-Mart, but enough for him to handle the exchange of two men in custody?

We went into Logan's room and opened up the digital recorders. I ran a quick check to make sure they were working properly, but my mind was on Alex. Eames, I reminded myself. Eames, the highly qualified kick-ass detective, not Alex the love of my life.

I forced myself to stay focused. I handed one of the recorders to Carolyn. She was just hanging up her phone.

"The deputy who answered said that the sheriff had gone out to meet someone, and he said it was something about a custody transfer. He's going to call out to the sheriff and get back with me," she told us. I relaxed but only marginally.

"I hope it's quick."

"Eames is fine. They're in a public place, and she's armed," Logan reminded me.

"How long is it good for?" Carolyn asked, getting my concentration back where it belonged – on the recorder.

"It says three hours."

"This should all be over in three hours," she said quietly. I took my knife and made a small slice in the bottom of the inside pocket of her parka. She slipped the recorder into the hole so that it blended with the interior polyester that filled the jacket.

"This feels a little too much like James Bond," Logan said as Carolyn did a test on her recorder. She pulled it out and confirmed the sound quality. It would suffice.

"Makes you want to work with me all the time, doesn't it?" she asked him.

"You're thinking about working together?" I asked in surprise. I was happy to let my mind ponder things other than what Alex - I mean Eames - was doing right now.

"We're considering it," she replied with a smile.

"We're doing it," Logan confirmed.

"Yeah?" she asked him.

"Sweetheart, if you can put up with me, then I'm all for it. I'll give Deakins my notice when we get back."

She went to give him a hug, so I fiddled with my recorder to make sure that it was set. I didn't have as bulky a coat as Carolyn, but the device wasn't much bigger than a credit card, so I slipped it into my wallet.

"Are we good?" I asked, interrupting their moment. I didn't want to be upstairs any longer than the few minutes Alex and I had discussed.

"Yeah, let's head down."

Logan's phone rang just before we left the hotel room. It was Wheeler. He spoke with her quickly and then looked up at me with anxious eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, the alarm building.

"She pulled everything on Quarles and Slater. They went to high school together, here in Cherokee."

"So he lied about not really knowing him well."

"There's more. Slater's wife was murdered five years ago and her killer was never caught."

"And?"

"Six months later, Slater was arrested for murder, but the charges didn't stick. It was dismissed."

"For killing his wife?" Carolyn asked. And then her phone rang.

"For killing Quarles' wife," Logan said. "And get this. Both of the bodies were found in Pisgah National Forest, six months apart."

"They killed each other's wives," Carolyn mumbled as she pulled out her phone. "It's straight out of Hollywood."

"Carolyn Barek," she answered. My brain was off in a hundred different directions. Slater and Quarles had known each other since childhood, both of their wives had been murdered with the bodies dumped in Pisgah...

"Shit," Carolyn said, slamming her phone closed after only listening for a second. "The Haywood sheriff is meeting with the Cherokee marshals on another matter. He's never even heard of Jack Quarles."

I couldn't speak, but I could move. I took off running toward the stairs, not wanting to waste any time with the elevator. How could I have been so wrong about Quarles? And more importantly, how could I have left Alex alone with him?

TBC...