Chapter 10

When the two arrived back in the city, they went straight to Danny's apartment. Both of their shifts were long since over, and they were tired from the day of monotonous driving and emotional upheaval. But the day wasn't over quite yet.

"You go on to bed," said Danny. "I've gotta make a call."

Lindsay looked at him, suspicious, before disappearing into the bedroom. When she was gone, he picked up his phone and dialled the number from Carl Roth's personnel file. The phone rang precisely three times before being answered.

"Hello?" The female voice was cautious, clipped and polite. "How may I help you?"

"Danny Messer for Colonel Ames, please."

This time, his call was transferred right away. Apparently some people could be taught. The thought was strangely gratifying.

"Messer," the Southern drawl of Colonel Ames barked over the line. "You get 'im yet?"

"Not yet sir," said Danny. "I'm callin' about Jimmy's cover. I just went over to Fort Drum—"

"What were you doing at Fort Drum?" asked Ames, as if Danny's assertion was some asinine suggestion that he could not fathom.

"Whaddaya think?" asked Danny, puzzled. "We talked to Colonel Velasquez about 'Carl Roth'. He's supposedly stationed there."

"Who's Colonel Velasquez? And Carl Roth? And what the fuck was Jim doing at Fort Drum?" asked Ames, in his usual direct way. "We sent him to West Point."

"What?" Danny was growing more confused by the minute. "Jim was carrying a military ID, identifying him as Carl Roth, who went AWOL from Fort Drum three days before his body was found in the park."

"Carl Roth? He was supposed to be Richard Tate," said the colonel.

"Well that explains a lot," said Danny slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, why his cover sucked so much."

Ames gave a sudden bark of laughter. "That's rich, coming from you."

Danny replied, "Hey, just 'cause I left…the way I did doesn't mean I can't appreciate it when you guys do a good job. But this cover was shit."

"If we do a good job, no one ever knows it happened."

"As it should be."

"As it should be," echoed Ames. "But that still doesn't explain what the hell Jimmy was doing at Fort Drum. And why he ended up dead in Central Park." He sighed gustily. "This shit is deeper than either of us thought, and that's saying something. We're moving up the schedule. Get your ass on a transport out here ASAP. I'll have creds waiting for you as soon as you get on base."

Danny took a breath. "There's a problem…"

"No problem," said Ames. "Either you're here or you're not. Make it work."

"I'm a civil servant now," said Danny. "I've gotta worry about accountability, chain of possession, my evidence standing up in a court of law."

"Cut the bullshit, Messer. I'm a busy man. Spit it out," ordered Ames.

"I gotta bring someone with me."

"Aw, hell," said Ames, his tone of voice conveying his disgust loud and clear. "No way I'm gonna have some civilian cop nosin' around my base. Find another way."

"I did," said Danny. "When I signed up, it was with the understandin' that I could confide basic details with one person."

"Yeah, as in a wife or girlfriend," said Ames. "Not some co-worker five years down the line."

"I'm bringin' my girlfriend. Lindsay Monroe. She's a detective, too. Listen, my boss won't hear about me goin' unless someone else comes with me. If I go, she goes. Simple as that."

"Damn, Messer. You sure twist regs to the breaking point."

"Which is why I was one of the best operators you had. Anyway, blame my boss," said Danny. "He was a marine."

"Shit," said Ames. "No good ever came with a devil dog in the mix." He sighed. "Alright, bring your woman. But she gets the standard 'significant other' spiel. No more, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. We'll head over to West Point tomorrow morning and take the red eye out to you guys when we're done."

"Good. I'll have your papers waiting for you at the gates tomorrow morning. Pick 'em up as soon as you get here. Don't keep me waiting too long. My patience is legendary, but I can only go so far."

"It's your lack of patience that's legendary, sir, and I wouldn't dream of maxin' it out."

"Damn right," said Ames.

Danny hung up the phone, shaking his head. It was always a draining experience talking with his former commanding officer.

"Aren't you going to ask me my opinion? Perhaps there's something you forgot to mention."

Lindsay's voice came from behind him, and he whirled around in surprise. "What the hell ya doin'?" he asked. "How much didya hear?"

"Um, from about the part when you said 'Danny Messer for Colonel Ames, please'."

"You're spyin' on me?" Danny was incredulous. "What the hell? And I'm supposed to trust you?"

"Trust is a two way street, Messer. Obviously I can't trust you to tell me what's going on in my own case, so I had to find an alternative source of information."

"My private phone calls?"

"If need be."

"I woulda told you, eventually."

"When, tomorrow morning when you tell me to back a bag, we're on a flight to God knows where? Are you crazy?"

With that, all the fight went out of Danny. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll try to do better, I swear, but ya gotta realize, there are some things that I just can't tell you. Not ever. Some things…when we get to Fort Bragg, I'll be able to tell you a few other things. Nothing specific, you understand, but a general background. Answer some of your questions, at least. Enough so I won't be lyin' to ya."

"I'm just not sure that's good enough anymore," said Lindsay. She walked over to the door and grabbed her coat.

"Wait, where're you goin'?" asked Danny. "Come on, Montana, don't be like this—"

Lindsay spun around angrily. "Like what, Danny? I'm getting really tired of this whole thing. You've been lying to me since the beginning—"

"I haven't lied, not really," said Danny. "So there's some stuff I didn't tell you—"

"A lie by omission, then. Danny, I told you everything. Everything about my life that you wanted to know, I told you. Even when it was like reliving everything over again, I told you. Now I realize that our relationship was never a two way street. Turns out, you weren't even driving at all."

A/N: I'm always looking for feedback about my work, especially regarding stylistics and plot. This fic is radically unlike everything I've ever done—most of my writing tends to favour a sarcastic and wordy style that goes for irony over concise description. Chapter 10 seems like a good place to stop a moment and ask you all a few questions about how I'm doing so far:

Does the pseudo-minimalist style I have been using achieve its goal of simulating the emphasis on dialogue of the show, or is it too dull or non-descriptive to work properly?

Does the lack of variation in the dialogue tags grow boring, or do they do their job and simply fade into the text and become almost unnoticeable?

Is the introduction of evidence one piece at a time too slow or too confusing for you to follow? Does the plot take too long to unfold?

Are the characters in character when they communicate with each other or does the dialogue miss the boat when it comes to capturing their personalities?

Do the unexplained hints about Danny's past create tension and suspense that foreshadow later events or explanations, or do they only create confusion?

I would really appreciate if you would take the time to read and answer at least some of these questions, as I am constantly seeking ways in which I can become a better writer. Any input at all can dramatically chance the style of my work—I'm giving all the power to you, here.