AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
13. Torment
Laura entered the upscale store on 5th Avenue and headed for the security office. A plain clothes store guard stopped her and she flashed her badge and was escorted into the office. Two uniformed cops and a number of store guards were present.
"Who's in charge here?" she asked.
"I am, Jeff Zegers." The burly guard introduced himself. "She won't say anything except insisting we call you, she freaked big time when we called the cops."
"I'm not surprised. What are you planning to charge her with?" asked Laura.
"Larceny, she was seen lifting around $900 worth of clothes and jewellery." Jeff answered.
"Are there any mitigating circumstances?" Laura looked at him hopefully.
"Just her age, she's only 17." He replied.
"What about an offer to pay?" Laura asked her mind racing trying to work out how to resolve this problem.
"Helps, she a first timer?" he responded.
"Yeah. Can I talk to her?" Laura asked Jeff.
"Detective we should be taking her down to central booking." Said one of the uniformed cops. Laura looked at him, he was clearly a rookie.
"I'll talk to her first. Meanwhile Mr Zegers can you arrange payment on my account?" Laura instructed. He looked at her a little suspiciously.
"You have me on your supplier list, under the Stevens-Madison group" she said.
"You're connected to the Stevens perfume industry?" one of the female guards asked.
"My father's business" Laura answered matter of factly.
"And you turned cop?" asked the rookie in uniform.
"I'm not the business type." She answered. "Can I see the girl?"
Jeff nodded and lead Laura into another room, similar to an interrogation room. "I'll deal with this, I'll let you know when I'm done. Just make sure I get the account to sign off." She said then closed the door then turned to the girl.
"Laura, thank god! You didn't say anything to Don did you?"
"Megan! You are in serious trouble. I really don't know what I'm doing here, why you called me and not Don."
"He would kill me if he found out, I'm already the screw up of the family, this just confirms it. Please Laura I want your help."
"To be honest Meg I'm not sure I can, this is an indictable offence. Another $100 and it's a felony what were you thinking?"
"I .. I guess I wasn't .. thinking. I just wanted to see what it was like to be like Cassidy. Laura I'm sorry, I've really screwed up this time." Moaned Megan.
"Cassidy? My sister? ... Meg how did you get involved with her? ... No forget it, I don't want to know. Listen I'll do what I can but there are no guarantees and you have to tell Don and take whatever he dishes out as well as your parents. ... I know it's hard being your age and growing up with all these things going on around you, but you have to start taking some responsibility. ... It's not my place to give you this lecture, but you've pulled me into this. What do you expect me to do?"
"... I don't know, ... I've got to fix this haven't I?" She asked nervously, tears running down her face. Laura nodded.
"It's not going to be easy and you already know that Don and your Dad will flip, especially if they insist on pressing charges." Laura answered.
"Will you be there when I tell Don?" She asked quietly.
"... I can't take sides Meg, I'll be there, but you have to handle it." Laura advised gently.
"... OK. ... What's gonna happen now?" she questioned.
"It's out of my hands right now, there are two uniforms here to take you downtown. You'll be charged, they are likely to grant bail based on the family background. You are likely to end up with a record." Laura told her as gently as she could. Meg gasped at the last part. "It could also cause problems for Don and Heather too." Meg was crying properly now. Laura handed her some tissues from her pocket. "What you did was stupid, you recognise that now, let's hope it counts in your favour. Let me talk to them again."
Laura returned to the control room leaving Megan alone in the interrogation room. "Mr Zegers, what are you requesting happen with the young lady?"
"I'm waiting for Mrs Fanshaw, she's our deputy manager, she would like to speak with you." He replied.
x X x
Mac and Don arrived in the centre of the maze where Hawkes was already taking photos of the body.
"Flack! See someone let you loose from the pool table!" joked Hawkes.
"Funny Doc! If you see Messer before I do tell him I want all the tapes and Monroe better give up hers too."
"So how much do you remember about last night?" asked Hawkes.
"More than I want to." Replied Don. "Our vic is-" he began only to be cut off.
"So how is the bride to be?" asked Mac with a grin. "I hear she got the needle last night."
"What has Stella told you?" he asked the words from the photo flashing through his mind.
"Enough, we're just waiting to see the photos." Answered Hawkes.
Don groaned. "In case it hasn't escaped your attention we do have a dead body here guys, can we get on with business?" he asked looking around in case he needed to find a place to hide from them.
"I guess we should, what have we got?" answered Mac turning back into professional mode.
x X x
Stella and Lindsay were in the breakroom looking through some cold cases. "What happened to Laura, thought she was in this afternoon" commented Stella adding another file to the growing pile on the table.
"You know they couldn't get out of Danny's place fast enough this morning, I bet they're at home making up for Flack not getting his hands on her last night." Lindsay answered without looking up from her pile of paperwork.
"Linds!" squealed Stella "Too much information! ... Anyway not likely Flack's out at the Queen's County Arboretum Hedge Maze with Hawkes and Mac. Did you and Danny plan that little rescue this morning too?"
"That was all Danny. The first I knew was when he dragged me in the lab to see the video feed. Laura took off from my place when she got a call just after you left." Lindsay advised her colleague
"So where is she?" asked Stella.
"Right here, ... any coffee?" she asked leaning up from the door where she had been listening to the conversation and headed for the coffee pot and poured a mug.
"You look harassed" said Stella casting her eye over the detective. "you ok?"
"I will be once I get disentangled from a Flack family feud and stop them killing my sister."
"Flack family? Thought they were all cool" said Lindsay.
"Long story, I'm actually here looking for Don have you seen him?" enquired Laura.
"Still in Queens." Answered Stella. "Can we help?"
"No this is something he's gotta deal with and I advise you to stay clear of the precinct when he gets back it isn't gonna be pretty." Laura sighed as she slid onto a stool at the table where Lindsay was working and stared at the cup of coffee in her hands. Then she rubbed her face. The pounding which had successfully dissipated earlier was now returning full force and her back was still sore. "you know I'm glad I didn't save my bachelorette party for the night before the wedding."
"Did you enjoy yourself last night?" Asked Stella with a grin.
"You tell me, you remember more than I do and knowing you two you're not planning on telling me the easy way." Laura moaned.
"and spoil the fun, not a chance!" answered Stella.
"All will be revealed at the right time." Grinned Lindsay.
"You mean body shots and tattoos aren't enough" whined Laura resting her head on her hands as Stella's phone rang. "Please turn it off"
"Bonasera, ... yeah ... I'm on my way, yeah I'm in the lab I'll tell him." She answered the caller as she packed up the files. Cancelling the call she looked at Lindsay "Can you put these in Mac's office for me? I need to find Danny, we got a case." She didn't wait for an answer and disappeared out of the door.
"Despite his protests, I think Flack enjoyed the body shots off your-" Lindsay began picking up the previous discussion about the night before.
"Enough Linds! ... ow!" Laura sat up quickly and her head spun. "wait till its your turn. I will have my revenge." Laura's phone beeped with a text. "I've gotta get back I'll see you later, if you see Don have him call me 911"
"ok." Answered Lindsay. Laura pushed herself up from the table and left.
x X x
Stella and Danny arrived in the upscale store on 5th Avenue and met Angell.
"Hey guys, vic is Jeff Zegers, chief of security. GSW to the chest. He was trailing a shoplifter. Panic ensued when shots were fired, another guard found him after." Angell told them. "Hey Messer, looks like you had a good night."
"Don't-" growled Danny, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "I'll be feeling it for a week." He muttered. "How come you're so bright?"
"I missed it, some of us had to work last night" she answered. "So Stella, what did I miss? Laura hasn't said much."
"I doubt she will even if she does remember. You could ask her about the fireman, she should remember that." Answered Stella.
"Fireman? What happened?" asked Danny looking up from the body in the changing room.
"Let's just say they got pretty cosy at Lindsay's place" answered Stella with a grin. "What do we know about the vic?"
"He's had a busy day apparently there was a detective in this morning when they caught a young girl shoplifting. They're finding the details for me, but this isn't thought to be related." Angell answered. "The shoplifter in question this time has been stealing thousands up and down the avenue today."
"I think we should cover the bases with this morning's case just to be sure." Said Stella looking around. "What happened with that case?"
"First timer, $900 worth of stuff and she seemed pretty cut up about the whole thing. Cops were called, but she wasn't charged, the deputy manager asked for her to be let off with a warning."
"Isn't that unusual here? They normally prosecute all cases regardless." Added Danny.
"This time it seems there were mitigating factors which cooled their heels, I'll let you know when I find out." Angell wandered away to continue her interviews of the witnesses.
x X x
Don walked back into the squad room and found Laura pouring over paperwork and Megan sat quietly at their desks reading. Meg jumped when she heard his voice.
"Meg, what are you doing here?" He asked giving her a smile which soon faded when she stared back at him blankly.
"Megan go wait across the hall, we'll join you in a minute." Advised Laura. Meg quickly grabbed her stuff and left. Don watched her go. "We need to talk." Laura caught his arm and turned him towards the door, then pulled him to the side of the corridor.
"What's going on?" he asked glaring at her.
"She needs to talk to you before she goes home to your parents and she and I know what your reaction's going to be. I have a request ... listen to her first before you react." Laura told him firmly.
"What has she done this time? ... Laura?" He glared at her. "She's really in trouble this time isn't she?"
"This is between you and her I don't want to be involved, but she called me Don, I couldn't just ignore her. She called me because she knew what she would get from you. I've already laid into her, I think she's got the message, so go easy on her."
"What was it?" he asked. Laura shook her head. "So now you're keeping secrets from me?" he hissed.
"That's not fair. Megan is going to tell you the whole story, just listen to her please." Laura pleaded.
"... I'm sorry Kat, I just don't know that I can handle my screwed up sister today, I'm not sure I can even handle anything right now. ... My head's killing me and I still don't remember how I got on that damn pool table!" He whined
"Go grab some aspirin and coffee and join us in interview 1. I'll wait with her" she advised. He nodded. "and if it makes you feel any better I can remember some of what happened and I think I'd rather forget!" she added. He grinned.
"You gonna share?"
"D'you remember anything about body shots at Sullivans?" she asked. He looked at her confused for a moment then smiled.
"That was you?" She nodded.
"Stella's penalty, my stomach was still covered in tequila this morning!" she whispered.
"Sorry babe, next time I'll make sure I get it all." He whispered back.
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