Roll

Detective Don Flack stopped in his tracks, he knew it was her, she'd seen him and bolted.

"Never a good sign" said Danny starting to run "You comin'?"

"I'll get the car" he said.

There was a reason this suspect really didn't want to speak to him, but how could he get out of it? Danny had known her as his informant, Danny had found the DNA, Danny had pushed him into a corner. There was no way he could tell him, not even Danny. He wasn't scared of Danny telling Mac, or anyone else, he'd just seen the look of disappointment too many times in Danny's eyes in the past few months, when he'd drank and not hidden it. When he'd lashed out at everyone. Truth be told he didn't want to catch her, because he knew she'd use it to get out of what she may have done. That would spell trouble for him, Danny might not tell anyone but after what he'd done, she sure as hell would, and he couldn't blame her.

3 months earlier

Don Flack rolled over in bed, opening his eyes carefully, he needed to do that these days. If he didn't the pain was almost unbearable, compounded by the trick his brain played on a regular basis – he would see Jess. Only he didn't see Jess, because she was dead.

As he focussed he sighed and flung himself onto his back, arm over his eyes as the pain started. What was he doing here, again?

"Well good morning Detective" a voice said.

He didn't speak, stealing himself for the stabbing pain through his eyes and into his skull, he got out of bed and got dressed.

"You not gonna speak this morning Flack?"

"I got nothin' to say" he grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping into his shoes.

She leaned across the bed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders "You had plenty to say last night" she whispered, trying to suck on his earlobe.

"Vicky" he protested, standing up "This has to stop"

"Yeah, until next time you come a lookin' huh?" she replied angrily "You don't seem to have the same scruples when you're sober do you?"

"I'm trying not to make this harder than it has to be" he said flatly.

"Oh really!" she shouted "You come to me. You come and knock on my door and next morning you're sorry, you're not gonna do it again. I bet your bosses'd be real impressed to find out you been fucking an informant, an addict from the Bronx huh?"

He got in her face "Who they gonna believe Vicky?" he shouted back "A slut informant like you or a career cop?"

"I'm pregnant!" she yelled.

"Nice try" he stepped back, this really was the last time, he didn't know how this was different from the half a dozen other times his loneliness had brought him here full of whiskey, but he did know it'd be the last. He held up a packet of condoms "You think I'm stupid? I may be drunk but I don't wanna catch what you got"

She slapped him, a mark of how hungover he was that she managed to get him.

"That" he said "You get for free, next time..." he tailed off.

"I..." she faltered and he felt wrong a moment, she wasn't all bad, just got into the wrong groups and they'd dragged her down, he'd seen it enough times. That's why she made a good informant, she had a moral compass still "I have feelings..."

Don didn't feel bad for long, he had no room in his head for anyone else right now.

"Look, I may fuck a girl from the wrong side of the track" he told her "But I ain't gonna marry one"

"You bastard"

"Unlike you, actually I'm not" he was being cruel and he knew it, deliberately hurting her, he wasn't even angry "I used you, I got what I wanted. Now I'm done and you need to get over it because it ain't never gonna happen"

"Until next time" she sobbed.

"Won't be a next time" was his parting shot, they both believed him this time.

Present

"So you wanna tell me how I found your DNA all over my victim?" Danny Messer asked her "Vicky, we got you bang to rights here, self confessed thief and addict, been in the cells more times than enough for solicitation, now you graduated to robbery- homicide, it's not such a big leap"

She leaned across the table towards him, flashing a look at Flack, she turned back to Danny "You sure there's nothing I can do to make this all better Detective?" she asked "I have a lot of skills"

"Sure you do" Danny replied "None we're willing to avail ourselves of"

"You sure about that?" she said "Maybe your buddy here has other ideas? I'm sure he appreciates the skills I have, in fact I know he does"

"Give us a minute" Flack shot at Danny.

"What?" Danny frowned, he knew there was something going on here and he hoped to hell he was wrong.

"Danny please" Flack stood, blocking Danny with his body "Five minutes"

Danny shook his head and left, Flack turned off the intercom.

"What's up Flack, you wanna replay huh?"

"No" he sat opposite her again "I owe you, big time. You tell me what happened, if you didn't kill the guy, point me in the right direction and I'll keep you out of it. If you killed him, I'm willing to take the rap for what happened Vicky, so I ain't playing games here. It's a one time thing, you tell me the truth and as soon as I corroborate your story you go, all charges dropped. You lie to me and we both go down"

"Seem to remember you liked that" she smiled, this was the Vicky he liked, he could see she was attractive under the cheap clothes and smudged make up.

"What's it to be Vicky?" he pressed, there were no guarantees but this was his only option right now "'Cos if I need to, I'll go see my boss now"

"You'll lose your badge" she said.

"I'm willing to take that risk to catch a killer, I'm dedicated" he replied.

"Ok, I'll tell you" her shoulders slumped "But I want no part in any more, you get me?"

"I do" he replied, going to the door to get Danny. He opened the door and Danny beckoned him out.

"Please tell me that what I'm thinking is way outta line here buddy?" Danny asked.

"She's gonna talk" Flack dodged the question "he didn't kill him, but she knows who did"

"I don't care about that!" Danny growled "You been sleeping with her haven't you? You been trying to get out of this all day Don"

"A few times, months ago" he admitted, he already knew, there was no point in denial.

"Geez Flack!" Danny exploded "What kind of an idiot are you?"

"Drop it Danny" Flack squared up to him "It's done with and sorted, lets just catch a murderer?"

Danny stared at Flack's back in disbelief as he re entered the interrogation room. But he knew he wouldn't tell anyone else, Don had lost enough recently, he was fighting his way back on the job at least.