Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 20 (Ripples of Change)

Waiting was a pain, and watching was hell. Sikowitz informed Jade that while they needed to gather information, they had to play their cards right-and using their connection to Denise meant waiting for the woman to greenlight them by knocking Lanie and Rebecca down a peg.

Tori and Trina had been gone a week now, but Jade still went by the Vega home to check on Holly. At this point, while Holly was in the most danger, she was also the most volatile and needed to be watched. There were many signs she picked up on that now that both girls were safe, the way was open for Holly to attack David in some way. Sikowitz best explained it as a mother whose children had been so damaged that she was willing to exact revenge.

Jade was hoping her influence would keep Holly from taking advantage of such an opportunity.

"I honestly do not see the point of this," Holly muttered while lowering her hand that held a number of playing cards. Jade sat across from her, and with them were Cat and Beck. "Tori and Trina are not here, and you're playing cards with their mother." They weren't playing poker this time around, but rather an old and classic game of Go Fish.

"I'm as surprised as you are," Cat agreed. Jade felt bad that she couldn't explain anything to Cat. What little Beck-and even Andre-were aware of at this point, it was more than could be said of what the redhead knew. With Andre, his mother maintained that Holly was never meant to be with David, and the girls were not his. Because Denise already had history and knowledge enough to say this, it didn't disrupt Jade's investigation in any way.

Cat, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the horror that was in this house. If she knew, she would likely not want to be sitting where she was. "I'm glad Robbie isn't here though," Cat stated abruptly, "That puppet of his always creeps me out. It's like Rex is watching us-does anyone else ever feel that way?"

"On occasion." Beck shrugged and focused intensely on his cards. "I know Rex's eyes aren't normal, but I doubt the puppet's watching anyone." He cleared his throat and his eyes shot out over his cards. "Three. Does anyone have any threes?"

"Draw again," Jade replied smugly. He was currently holding the most cards, but had the least sets on the table. Beck groaned loudly and grabbed a card from the deck. Jade shifted to a more comfortable position on the chair and looked up to Holly. "So Mrs…." Her voice trailed off, she was still unsure what to call the woman. In front of Beck and Cat, it was likely she should still refer to her as Mrs. Vega.

Holly's eyebrow rose and her lips fell partially. "Yes Jade?"

"Have you received any word from Tori and Trina? I know they're both cut off from technology, in their own way, but they're writing to you aren't they?"

Tori would have access to technology at least, but it would be difficult for her to use it because of all the regions she'd be going through. Still, she had to access a computer to talk to teachers back home and do her studies. Trina, on the other hand, was at a camp that didn't allow their students to have access to these things.

"Yes. Tori has some free time when she's able to use the computer, but isn't long. She writes too. I get the mail, so I get their letters."

"How are they settling in?"

"They're good." Holly glanced at her cards, then cracked her neck to the right. "I'll take any Jacks." Beck moaned again and grabbed the card he just drew.

"I swear you guys know what comes next in that damn pile!"

"I'm a mother." Holly smirked as she took his card and inserted it with two other Jacks. "I know all." The woman straightened her posture and moved her eyes into Jade's. "Tori says she isn't looking forward to going through the hot deserts, but she's very interested in seeing all the wildlife and scenery. She's thrilled to learn more about biology. Trina's having a harder time settling in, she's happy about the chance to go to this camp but I think she really wanted to stay here."

"That's understandable," Jade replied coolly, "She wanted to look after you." Holly smiled briefly and nodded her head.

"She was surprised on the first day of camp." Jade leaned forward, raising her eyebrows at the newly chipper tune entering into Holly's voice. The mother's eyes lit up and she swayed to the right as though recalling a fond memory. "In kindergarten, she had this wonderful friend whom always came over to have sleepovers or play dolls with her, and on occasion she'd sleep over at her house."

"You don't say?"

"Lindsay. That was her name. Her father had to transfer out of state, so Trina was devastated when she lost her best friend." Holly peered down at her cards, gripping them firmly as Beck and Cat looked up at her with new interest. "Lindsay was her first real friend. Apparently she got involved in martial arts too at some point, she's also one of the counselors at that camp-she referred to Trina by name. Remembering her."

"By name?" Her lips fell into an open smile and her eyebrows shot up. "As in her full, proper name?"

"Yes, the girl remembered her." This was before the kidnapping, so there wasn't any doubt Lindsay would have called Trina by 'Richardson'-Jade only wished she could have been there to see Trina's shock. "Trina says Lindsay, and Jason as well, have really helped her settle comfortably at camp, although Jason has her working harder than the others."

"Not surprised. I seem to recall him saying that she had to work hard because she wasn't at the same level as the other camp counselors."

"Yes. I'm a little concerned, but he seems like a nice guy, and Trina actually sounds taken with him." She paused and watched Holly's mouth close and spread into a more pleasant smile, the first look of joy that she'd seen on the woman's face. "She says they had a long talk on the third day there, she wasn't feeling comfortable about something, so he talked to her, and she sounded a little happier-and that's all I could ask for."

"How can you tell?" Cat marveled. Jade chuckled at the girl while Holly shook her head.

"A mother knows these things. Just like I know my Victoria is taken by Ian." Holly's shoulders dropped and her eyebrows seemed to quiver in place. "I…I can only hope my daughters find some semblance of peace." Holly then cleared her throat and asked for Queens, to which Beck begrudgingly handed over two cards.

To his annoyance, Holly joined four cards together and set them on the table.

Cat excused herself to the bathroom after the game's rotation swung past her. Jade decided now to utilize the moment of asking more specific questions. "Where's David at?" Holly hummed and motioned her head to the door.

"Police chief called him in. I suspect he has some work to do. I'd rather not discuss the menace right now. Now that my girls are out…" Jade reached out to Holly's wrist and set her hand on it, gazing gently into the woman's eyes.

"It's okay." She knew the hatred the woman felt, and how trapped she must have been. After the man hurt her child, it was her children's presence that kept her from fully taking out her rage on him. She was a mother that had to protect her young, and now that they were safe, she would be unleashed if not careful. "He can't hurt them again."

The woman flared her nostrils and pulled her wrist away. "How close are you to figuring things out. Tori and Trina, they're both scared." Jade smiled with reassurance, and Holly began to relax.

"Let's just say we found a very powerful ally. Her assistance, we hope will enable us to pursue an investigation. We probably have enough to arrest David, but he's just a puppet in this…we need more evidence on the people in control, otherwise they'll just put him right back out."

"Shit."

"They can't do that, however, if their power is gone."

Holly set her cards face down and studied Jade for a long time, her face seemed to grow more perplexed with each second of silence that crept up around them like smoke. "Powerful ally? What do you mean?" Holly shook her head and cleared her throat. "Who's helping?"

"One of your best friends. She stayed away because she thought she was keeping you safe, when she realized what happened to you and the girls…she was ready to take action, and that was over a week or two ago. We could be seeing ripples of her influence pretty soon…"

When she saw the tears form, she was relieved to figure the woman knew now. Holly's hand cupped over her mouth and she hunched forward, sobbing once into the palm of her hand. Beck looked up from his cards with a puzzled look, then shook himself.

"Denise? You found Denise? B-But what can she do? What will she do?"

"I don't know exactly what, but I figure it'll be the smallest step first." Denise said she would talk to the governor and police chief, so perhaps the fact that the police chief called David in was a sign of the woman's influence.

She started to say something more, but was cut off by the doorbell slicing through the silence. "I'll get that." Holly stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes before hurrying to the door.

When she opened the door, Gary took a step in and Holly stepped back once. On first glance, Jade noticed something different about him. He had on a police cap, a uniform with a badge, but his insignia was different. Now his uniform had two bars-a sign of a police captain.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes grew in surprise. Beck's eyebrow rose when Holly's hands moved up to her mouth. "Gary? You're…" Gary laughed incredulously and spread his arms out.

"I can hardly believe it myself," Gary announced, "Chief Williams said he pulled my records, did an investigation and deduced that I had been wrongfully demoted. He looked at my conduct over the years and promoted me up to Captain."

Holly's body jerked and she cried out while throwing her arms around his neck. Gary moved his arms around her waist and furrowed his brow as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Is it true? The girls are both safe?" The woman nodded and looked up into his eyes. She pulled her hand up and set it lightly on his cheek, whimpering as her body started to tremble.

"I can't take much more," Holly answered shakily, "Gary, I…" She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "David. What happened to him? He said the Chief wanted to talk to him."

Gary smirked and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's back at the office, working on a shit load of paperwork. Chief's watching over him. Apparently someone high up figured out he didn't deserve those last few promotions-the chief demoted him back to a first tier Detective, and he's also ordered a full investigation on the Commander's conduct. Suffice to say, Rebecca may be discharged…someone pushed for all of this. I don't know what, I don't know who, but someone lit a fire on the Chief-you should have seen him. He's also looking into the former Assistant chief. You remember. Lanie's uncle. The Chief was pissed off to hell having to investigate potential corruption within his own ranks."

Jade felt someone nudge her and looked over to see Beck eyeballing her. "Was this anything to do with your talk to Denise?" Her only response was a smug grin.

"Those ripples I was talking about a while back, Beck? Here we are. Ripples turn to waves." Through investigation, they could prove a connection between Rebecca and David, and one Rebecca lost power, she couldn't save him.

Now all she needed was to get the toxicology reports back from the lab, but Sikowitz likely had those by now. Lanie was still treacherous, and in a strong position, but time would soon tell the cards to be played.

It wouldn't be long before she realized what was happening, however. Still, the ripples that just came provided her with an advantage-and a decision that was not lightly made.

"David and Rebecca will be losing power. They're not going to be happy, but Ms. Harris just provided us with an opportunity." Now, it seemed Gary had more power than David-the pendulum had gone full swing.

She stood from the table and clapped her hands once to gain the attention in the room. "Gary, you're in charge of a team now, I presume?" Gary stepped away from his wife and turned towards Jade, nodding once. "How are they? Do you know them yet?"

"Yes. I've worked with all of them before. They're good detectives. David is…not on that team, thankfully. I'm no longer trapped under that man's damned thumb."

She approached him and looked out the door, humming thoughtfully. "Are your relatives safe? Your parents, your siblings? I know from what Mr. Sikowitz says, you received threats over the years that if you acted out, they'd go after your other relatives."

Gary furrowed his brow and nodded firmly. "My parents have lived in New York for the last five years, and my younger sister is in Texas with her family. I have no doubt in my mind that they are all out of reach and safe."

"And now your daughters are safe on trips that will keep them at least four or five months. So…" She motioned to Holly and cleared her throat. "The only one still in harm's way at the moment is your wife. She's still married to you, she can leave with you…you can have the detectives working for you-that you know and trust-place her under protective custody even."

"I have to have cause. I would do it in a heartbeat, though. Still, ordering them to protect her, that means-"

"It means they'll know you were a victim. If they don't already." Jade crossed her arms and Gary frowned. "I probably have no business suggesting something like this right now, not without going to Sikowitz first, but I think a door's been thrown open. We can now investigate further, and maybe-hopefully-get to the point that we're able to make an arrest."

"As long as Rebecca is Police Commander, David's untouchable. I could potentially reach out and have him fired, but that would just be seen as me acting out."

"And I don't want him doing anything," Holly interrupted, "Because they could go after him. I don't want to lose my husband to those people. I don't want my daughters to lose their father. Anything done needs to be done carefully."

Jade could see it in Gary's eyes; he wanted to take Holly to freedom now. David never allowed Gary over here when he wasn't present, and this was the reason, but now David couldn't control the man's actions.

Holly was a proud woman, and she put her family's safety before her own-even now she didn't appear to want Gary doing anything to endanger himself, even when it meant keeping herself in the line of fire.

"I agree, it's delicate. Just…I need to talk to Mr. Sikowitz first." He had to have something more. There ball was, without a doubt, in their court. "Also?" Her lips curved into a smile and she crossed her arms. "Denise wants you to call her, you'll have to go through Andre's phone, but she wants to talk to you." The two parents froze, their mouths fell open in shock and Gary took a slight step forward.

"Denise. She's a senator now-was this her doing? Chief said someone high was pushing him to investigate, to act. Could she-?" She heard a clattering noise and turned to see Beck dropping his phone onto the table. He was glaring at it as if it were an insect to be swatted.

Her lips pursed and he glanced up slowly. "Mom's texting. She wants me to come home-apparently she's having a panic attack."

"Perfect." Beck rolled his head sideways and she wrung her hands together. "Beck, you mother's the weak link. If we can weed her, get her to talk to us…without implying anything, Beck, get her to talk to you. She's in an emotional state, I'm sure."

"What? You want my mother to confess to me?"

"Just play off her emotions for a bit. I know how this will work…if she's guilty of anything and feels guilty, influence her. Play the concerned, grieving son, find a way to get her to turn herself in."

"Maybe have her step down while you're at it," Gary scoffed, "I'd love to see that bitch resign from her job. No offense to you and your mother." Beck dismissed him with a wave and drew out a heavy sigh.

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't know if I'll get far with her."

Jade was sure he'd get somewhere at least. If the woman was having a breakdown, then it was obvious she was in a very emotional and easily manipulated state. If Beck was good at anything, it was controlling the situation when talking to someone in such an emotional situation.

In the meantime, she would head over to Sikowitz's office and see what he could find. At this rate, their investigation could move in full swing, but they still had to be delicate. Even with David and Rebecca in strong positions, Lanie was the greatest threat-with the two pillars crumbling, she was still a threat. However, how long could a table stand when its legs have been kicked from beneath?

She could only pray Denise's motion to remove Lanie from office would be swift. If there was anything to investigate that woman on, they didn't need her power as judge to play any sort of immunity.

So many things to focus on here, what are your thoughts? We're beginning to see small changes, which are big on the scale of progress, but small when considering Denise's involvement. Pushing the current, non-corrupt Police Chief to make some adjustments and investigate his own people is one thing. What do you think will come next? Gary does want to take Holly to safety, but she doesn't want him endangering himself, but could he? Let's see what Sikowitz has, certainly there's something more. One thing is certain, the safeguards that the three villains had are falling. Also food for thought, perhaps Gary's team that he now leads could be a strong ally.