Disclaimer: The Closer and its characters are the property of their respective creators and owners, James Duff, Warner Bros. and TNT. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Why is it that shopping for things that you need is a whole lot less fun than just buying things that you want? Why can't both be awesome? Also, I want to live near the equator, where there's only one season all year because then I won't ever have to buy coats again. Oh, wait, it's awfully hot there, isn't it? Bummer. Now. I once again want to thank everyone who commented on the story, I really appreciate it and it really helps my muse along a little :P Thank you guys, I really, truly appreciate it!

Chapter Ten:

Where there's Smoke…

After rummaging through her purse in search of the ever illusive key card, Brenda entered Major Crimes. Pulling on her coat, trying to get it off, she walked right into the murder room. Tao was still at the scene but Provenza was there and Flynn, the latter was just rolling his eyes when she breezed in while Provenza's head had taken on a decidedly unnatural color.

Probably Raydor's fault.

"Gentlemen, what do we have so far?"

Flynn, who seemed as calm and laid-back as ever, picked up a DMV photo and put it on the big board. "Victor Johnston. 19. One prior for…joyriding. His mother, a Marianna Jimenez, died when he was 15, his father, Paul Johnston, is in prison for battery and assault with a deadly weapon – he almost killed a guy with a baseball bat. He also used to smack Marianna around, units were dispatched once a week to the Johnston residence."

"Charmin'."

"The store belongs to a Manuel Jimenez, Victor's uncle. Couple petty crimes but nothing since 2001."

"We've met him at the crime scene," Brenda said quietly, "seemed genuinely upset by his nephew's death." She studied the board and the information already available to them. It wasn't much yet and this time around Flynn and Provenza had used an actual photograph of Captain Raydor and not a drawing of the Wicked Witch.

Next to Raydor was a picture of Mikki Mendoza, smiling into the camera; she always smiled, except when she wore her tough cop look.

"I talked to the witness when FID brought him up," Provenza said from behind her. "Didn't see much, didn't know anything, he was just there to get some soda. But," Provenza pulled out his notepad. "He heard one of the shooters yell at the victim and I quote 'you killed her, you pervert' and then there was crying, shouting and shooting. The end."

"Alright," Brenda said more to herself. "Where's Captain Raydor?"

Provenza pointed over his shoulder. "I put her in the break room. She's been writing for almost an hour now."

"Writin'?"

"I didn't dare ask after she almost bit my head off for offering to get something from the vending machine." He turned to Flynn. "It's impossible to do anything right these days! They get mad when you don't hold the door open for them and those feminist types get mad when you do!"

Brenda sighed and glared at Provenza for good measure. "Alright then…where's Detective Gabriel?"

"On his way back as we speak. By the way," Flynn said conversationally, "the owner of the stolen vehicle wasn't pleased to be woken up at this late hour and he said to expect a complaint. I was thinking, if anything, he should be pleased 'cause now every cop in the city is looking for his car."

Provenza chuckled to himself but immediately wiped the expression off his face when he found himself on the receiving end of the Chief's death glare.

"We have an I.D. on the second victim, James Marino. Lieutenant…" Brenda's gaze drifted from Provenza to Flynn and back again. "Lieutenant Provenza, if you could find a next of kin."

He lifted an eyebrow at the Chief's brief hesitation. "Oh, and, uh, Sergeant Elliott is on his way here with Captain Raydor's gun and the weapon used by our John Doe in the hospital…if you could…" She made a vague gesture.

"Get rid of him?"

"Nooo," Brenda said immediately. "Sergeant Elliott is supposed to help with this investigation so why don't you find something for him to help with?"

"Understood."

The blonde took another large breath after having delayed the inevitable for yet another couple minutes. "Has Buzz printed out the map from that Google-thingy yet?"

Flynn held up a rolled up piece of paper.

"Alright then…let's get Captain Raydor's statement. Lieutenant Flynn, Interview Room One, please."

"You got it, Chief."

Brenda nodded once then went in search for Raydor. Her feet carried her to the break room while her brain was still adverse to the idea of even going there.

However, needs must.

Looking in through the big glass walls, which seemed to be the theme of the new Headquarters downtown, still without a name, Brenda spotted Captain Raydor easily. The woman sat at a table for two against the wall on the far side of the room. Her legs were crossed and Brenda noticed that she was wearing a skirt now and not her pin-striped slacks from earlier.

The notepad sat on the table and Raydor was leaning over it, her arms hugging her stomach as she seemed to force her body into a composed position.

She was wearing the cashmere cardigan.

Brenda watched her for a moment, trying to assess her own feelings toward the woman and realizing that she wasn't feeling much of anything. A little compassion, an odd appreciation for the woman's silhouette, a sense of amusement at the prospect of being of the receiving end of one of Raydor's sharp jabs again.

Talk to the hand, Brenda thought, a small smile momentarily overtaking her features.

She opened the door slowly as to not startle the woman and leaned into the room "Cap'n Raydor…"

The brunette turned toward her, eyebrows raised as she immediately stood and smoothed down the cardigan. "I'm ready," she said.

Brenda blinked at the presumptuousness. "So are we." She tracked the woman's progress across the room, saw the notepad tucked under her arm securely and then, out of habit, held the door open for her. "After you, Captain."

"Thank you…Chief Johnson," Raydor's voice wavered as she took one big step through the doorway, right past Brenda, clearing her throat right thereafter.

The blonde licked her lower lip as she closed the door, just when Raydor couldn't see her doing it, somewhat put off by the woman's behavior. "This way, please."

Meanwhile, Provenza took a seat next to Buzz, taking a huge bite out of a sandwich he had brought to work yesterday but hadn't gotten around to eating yet. It tasted alright, the salad was a little limp and the tomato had soaked through the bread a bit but the sandwich was still within acceptable eating levels.

The screens flickered to life and they saw Flynn wave at one of cameras then he positioned himself in the corner, waiting, until the door opened again.

"After you…"

Raydor stepped into the picture. "Thank you."

Provenza scoffed. "So she only doesn't like it when men do it!"

"Sir?" Buzz frowned at him.

"…just watch the damn screen, Buzz."

Brenda offered Raydor a chair and took the one right opposite her, Flynn sat last, smoothing his tie down. "Alright, Captain, why don't we start with-"

"Where is Sergeant Elliott? An FID officer should be present."

Brenda smiled in order to keep herself from responding too tersely. "He's helpin' us with ballistics' but he should arrive shortly and is very welcome to observe from the media room. Now, Captain, I want to go over the details as quickly as possible, time is of the essence here, as you know, so why don't we-"

"If I may, Chief?" Raydor interrupted with a raised finger. "In order to conduct this interview as thoroughly as possible, I prepared a written statement earlier that I would like to read to you. Afterwards, if you have any questions, you may ask them…" The Captain blinked once then added, "If that's alright with you."

The blonde glanced at Flynn while Provenza glanced at Buzz.

"Sure…go ahead."

Raydor nodded once, picked up the notepad and cleared her throat. "At approximately 10.15 P.M., while driving west on Madison, myself and Detective Mendoza responded to a shots fired. We approached with our lights turned off, in order to not alert the possible shooter. When we arrived at the address, we were almost immediately fired upon-"

"Captain," Brenda interrupted. "Sorry for interruptin'." Sighing gently and avoiding Raydor's raised eyebrows for the moment, Brenda tried to figure out how to put what she was trying to convey. "I know how you usually conduct these kinds of investigations but I would very much like for you to tell me about what you saw and not so much about what you did."

Raydor blinked slowly, her eyes darting about the room. "I see…"

"This isn't about your conduct, Captain, it's about-"

"But it should be," Raydor interrupted. "I discharged my weapon and wounded a civilian; my conduct during this shooting should be questioned and examined…by the proper authorities."

"Yes, well, I'm tryin' to figure out who shot Victor Johnston."

"Who?"

"The boy, in the store," Brenda responded tersely and glanced at Flynn who was partly bemused, partly baffled by her lack of self-control.

"Captain Raydor," he intervened, "we really need your help here, so why don't we start at the beginning?"

The brunette pursed her lips, glanced at her notepad which she then placed on the table delicately and nodded. "But…I'd like to note that I was cooperative and following guidelines and procedure in regards to how this investigation has to be properly handled and I'd like to be clear that it is you who…refuse to follow protocol." She straightened a little. "I don't wanna be accused of double-standards."

Brenda bit her lip. "The beginnin', Captain."

"Detective Mendoza and I were headed home and we-"

"Home from where?" Brenda asked before she could stop herself because Mendoza was a lesbian and Raydor, she kissed girls, at least one that Brenda knew of and the thought that the woman might kiss others somehow didn't seem to sit right with the blonde.

"We," Raydor sighed annoyed. "We had a very long day in court and decided to get something to eat afterwards. We had dinner at the Caliente and left around 10. We were driving down Madison when the call came over the radio."

"Okay." Brenda nodded to herself. "And then what happened? Uh, Lieutenant Flynn, the map, please."

Flynn stood and rolled out the satellite image Buzz had enhanced and printed out on the table, making a show of it.

Raydor glanced the map over then pointed to the drug store. "Detective Mendoza and I parked our cars. She was just about to step out when somebody fired through the window of the store. She took cover behind the door."

"And what were you doing?"

The Captain smiled that ironic smile at her. "I ducked."

"Mmm."

"Yes," Raydor said slowly. "Mmm. Then the doors of the store opened and three males exited," Raydor explained. "I used the passenger side door because the other side would've left me exposed."

"Okay."

"Detective Mendoza identified us as LAPD upon which one of the shooters opened fire."

"Did you happen to see which one?"

"No." Raydor touched the collar of the cashmere cardigan that she was wearing, a fact Brenda had somehow managed to overlook for the most part but now seemed to consume her brain, especially when Raydor wrapped the cardigan that little fraction tighter around herself. "One of them had a submachine gun."

Flynn commented that with raised eyebrows.

"They were shooting at us then Detective Mendoza got hit upon which I fired back, hitting one of them. I remember that the one with the submachine gun wanting to go back…but he never did. They drove off, I fired three more rounds, hitting the tail light, you should be on the lookout for that-"

"We are."

Raydor glanced down at her notepad again. "I radioed in and tried to help Detective Mendoza. I also secured the weapon used by the assailant I incapacitated. I'm sure you will find his fingerprints on the gun. He didn't appear to be as seriously injured as Detective Mendoza which is why I cuffed him and left to help her."

Brenda nodded slowly, her eyes trailing over the cashmere cardigan, how it clung to Raydor's frame, how fragile she actually looked. "And you never entered the store, is that correct?"

"Yes. I would've but backup arrived, they secured the scene and then the ambulances came. I stayed with Detective Mendoza for that duration."

"Did the man you shot say anythin' at all?"

Raydor blinked and shook her head. "No. Well, he begged me to not let him die…"

"What about the others? Did they at any point say anythin'?"

The woman let her eyes roam about the room, the wheels in her head turning as she tried to remember. "Maybe…I'm not really sure." The frustration was written all over her face.

Brenda leaned across the table a bit, pointed at the map and fixed Raydor with an intense gaze. "You were behind your car, they were shooting at you, bullets flyin' everywhere-"

"When I shot him," Raydor said suddenly, "the guy who wanted to go back for him, I think he called out his name…um…Sean, no, maybe Gene…" Raydor sighed. "I can't remember."

"It's alright," the blonde responded soothingly.

"I should've paid more attention."

"The whole thing went down in a matter of seconds, Captain," Flynn chimed in, "you got the plates, so that's something."

"What good did that do? The car was stolen," she retorted and sighed. "I'm tired and I'd very much like to go home now, so if we could just wrap this up..?"

Brenda licked her lip slowly and glanced at Flynn from beneath her eyelashes. "Just show us on the map what exactly the shooters did when they left the store. Did you see anythin' unusual?"

Raydor was irritated by the question which seemed perhaps superfluous to her, would she, if she had seen anything, already have told them. "What I saw were three armed men, one of them white, leave the store and open fire on us." She pointed at the approximate locations on the map. "They ran across the street, shooting and wounding my fellow officer and then the two I didn't manage to hit, jumped into their stolen vehicle and drove off with nothing but a broken tail light."

The blonde glared across the table, frustrated with the woman for not realizing that she was only trying to get to the bottom of this, to help. Flynn took one glance at her and quickly spoke up. "Is that all?"

"Oh, gosh, let me try to remember because I sure haven't before."

"Captain Raydor!" Brenda breathed heavily then swallowed the scathing remark on the tip of her tongue. "Did the driver of the get-away car have a weapon?"

"I can't say."

"You can't say or you don't know?" Brenda prompted tersely.

"I do not know. I realize that this is a very tense situation and that you require answers as quickly as possible but I don't see a reason for you to attack me like you are because if you want to know something then all you have to do is ask."

Brenda glanced down at the map, traced the distance between then cars and the alley with her eyes, darting back and forth for a moment as she felt Raydor's piercing gaze on her.

"What is going on?" The brunette wondered suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

"James Marino," the blonde said quietly.

"Who?"

"The victim. The one in-"

"I thought his name was Victor Johnston?"

Brenda cleared her throat and pointed at the alley. "James Marino, he was found dead here, in this alley."

Raydor shook her head, staring at the spot on the map. "I didn't know."

"It's dark back there," Brenda said, "street lamp's broken and it looks like he dragged himself into the alley." The blonde glanced up at Raydor, studied her features carefully. "We believe he was shot here…"

Captain Raydor pursed her lips after a moment of careful consideration then looked up at Brenda. "So, that's what all this is about? You're asking if it's possible that I shot him."

"No, I'm wonderin' why he was there to begin with, why he was shot – intentional or unintentional, that don't matter right now. We'll find the bullet that killed him but until we do, I need to know everythin' that happened tonight because there's a chance that this boy was there for a reason." Brenda lowered her head to catch Raydor's gaze that slowly dropped back to the map. "And if that's the case then he might be another piece of the puzzle that'll help us find out the truth."

"Well," the Captain murmured after a moment. "I didn't shoot him. The car was running the whole time, the tail lights provided a reasonable amount of light, add to that the fact that it was only 10.15 and not yet completely dark, I would've seen him if he had been in my line of fire when I was discharging my weapon and since I did not see him, I obviously could not have shot him."

Brenda blinked slowly, something in Raydor's voice sent a shiver down her spine; she was upset and angry, her voice was low and gravelly, there was something quiet about her, like a tiger lying in wait. Raydor was never as vulnerable as she appeared to be, Brenda thought suddenly, yet when her mind took her back to that one moment, the moment when Sharon Raydor had pressed her lips against hers, Brenda was pretty sure that she wasn't as brave as she appeared to be either.

She still remembered how Raydor tasted, something not many people knew, something intimate that no amount of thinking and rationalizing could ever erase. She had tasted the woman, consumed a little part of her and Raydor was privy to her taste as well, the texture of her lips, the little sound she made in the back of her throat.

It would always remain between them, always.

"Good, well, um…" Brenda said quickly as she realized her little lapse. "I think that's all for now, Captain. Thank you…for…cooperatin' with us."

"Of course…" Raydor said slowly, glancing at Flynn before she stood, smoothing the cardigan down again. "Um…if you could send Sergeant Elliott my way, I would very much appreciate it, Chief."

Brenda sucked her lower lip in coyly as she stood also, avoiding the brunette's gaze.

"Let me guess," Raydor drawled, "he's not here."

The blonde shook her head. "Probably not, no." Brenda expected a sarcastic remark, that the woman would at least give a scathing look but there was none of that.

"Then can somebody please call me a cab?"

It seemed like complete indifference except for the glimmer Brenda could spot in the woman's eyes, glimmering embers of anger, of the kiss lingering somewhere in the background. It was that bit of familiarity, an unexpected surge of sympathy for the woman, that made Brenda say what she said next.

"That won't be necessary, Cap'n. I can give you a ride home…"

~TBC~

Thanks for reading!