Chapter 26:

Ivy sat at her desk filling out paperwork feeling tired, hungry and irritable. She had arrived earlier in the afternoon at the I.S., papers and evidence in hand, fully expecting Sgt. Pendleton to be pleased with her discoveries. Instead, the photos and ledgers were collected and she was reassigned to her desk and the stacks of paperwork Art had accumulated in her absence. Jack Baptiste's case was to be put on hold until further notice.

Squinting at Art's illegibly scribbled notes, Ivy exhaled a soft puff of air and leaned back in her seat. Reaching underneath her desk, she fished her phone out of her purse. Flipping it open, she smiled to herself as she read Dani's brief text telling her she was done with dance classes and headed out to meet with her study group. At least someone's day was going as planned.

Snapping the phone shut, Ivy turned her attention back to her desk. With a heavy sigh, she paged through Art's notes on his latest case, trying to put the pieces together from his sketchy outline of events.

"Look who's riding the pine," the deep masculine voice mocked from outside Ivy's office. Her eyes darted up and a wry smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Laugh it up Rat," she said twirling her pen nimbly through her fingers before setting it down on the forms. "I haven't made those reservations for you at Piscary's yet."

Rat grinned back at the dark haired vampire. "What happened? We were doing so well."

Ivy snorted and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "You know the motto around here. No good work goes unpunished."

Nodding his head in agreement, he stepped inside Ivy's office space. "You got that right." His eyes scanned her desk and his eyebrows rose. "So what's all this? Paperwork from your missing persons?"

Her good humor slowly fading, Ivy looked down at her desk and frowned. "I'm off the case. Unofficially." She made quotation marks with her fingers in the air. "Pendleton has everything and I've been reassigned to Artie."

Rat glanced over his shoulder quickly. "Careful. If he hears you complaining, you'll hurt his feelings."

"Ha!" Ivy scoffed. "As soon as he saw I was back in his clutches and safely tucked away here for the next eternity, he decided to take a personal day." Ivy grabbed one of the many folders and tossed it onto the growing pile in her in-box. "Can you believe him?"

"Tough break, kid," Rat smiled sympathetically. "That was some good detective work though. Very impressive."

Ivy shook her head and leaned forward to rest her forearms on her desk. "Yeah. Well, thanks for the pep talk Rat. Now if you excuse me, I have Art's work to finish." She picked up her pen and slid the sheet back in front of her.

Rat hesitated in the door frame, a smile still on his face. Ivy glanced up at him, her eyebrow raised in question. "It's not nice to gloat at a fellow officer. Was there something else?" Her question had an edge to it, daring the big vamp to make another wise crack.

"I just thought I would bring you some news to make your day."

Ivy met his gaze, his dark eyes smiling. He casually reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "What's that?"

"Just a warrant for your Were." He handed the sheet to Ivy's outstretched hand and gave her a second to look over the form.

"It just came in today. Tia told me Warren was bitching about having to serve it. When I heard who it was for, I called Warren and told him I would be happy to do it for him."

Rat leaned back against the file cabinet, his hands jammed in his coat pockets. "So what do you say? Want to help me serve it?"

"More than anything else," Ivy smiled flashing her sharp canines. "Give me five minutes and I'll meet you down in the garage. You can drive and fill me in."

… … … … … … … …

The raindrops pattered against the windshield as Rat navigated the unmarked cruiser through the city streets, the wipers rhythmically sweeping back and forth. Ivy settled back against the seat, stretching her legs out in front of her. Thanks to Rat's large frame, the front seats were pushed back. Way back.

"Comfy, Detective?" Rat asked sarcastically, turning to give her a quick glance.

"It beats sitting at my desk," Ivy smirked. "Now how about some details. What's the warrant for?"

Rat kept his eyes forward as they began encountering more traffic. "It seems our furry friend Jimmy can't keep his paws off the ladies." The large vamp shifted in the seat as he turned on the defroster to rid the windshield of its film of fog.

"A witch came in a couple of nights ago. A cute one too, if your into that sort of a thing."

Ivy sighed and closed the vent on her side. "Not really."

"Anyway, she says she was with some friends at the Hydra and he was there working at the bar."

"When I met him, he was working security." Ivy said, eyes on the impatient taxi cab a few cars in front of them. The driver kept drifting over to the center line, obviously hoping to make better time by attempting to pass the car ahead of him. Bad idea in this traffic.

"You know those guys are trained for almost all the lower level positions in clubs like that. One night you're working the velvet rope, the next your shoes are soaked through as you serve rude drunks from behind the bar." He smiled and his teeth glinted in the lights on the oncoming traffic."

"Hold tight, we're getting out of this mess." Rat gave a quick look over his shoulder and cranked the wheel to the left, barely turning his signal on before completing the turn.

"I was wondering when you were going to share some of your short cuts. Maybe now I can figure out how you and Tia always manage to be first on the scene." Ivy looked over at him, an amused expression on her face.

Ignoring her comment, Rat's grip on the wheel eased. Resting one hand in his lap, he steered them through the maze of side streets deeper into the Hollows.

"Back to my story," he said, his posture more relaxed. "The witch flirted with our friend Jimmy as he continued to ply her with alcohol. At the end of the night, I guess he expected to collect a little something-something for all the free booze."

"That's the only way someone like him could get any," Ivy said, not surprised where this was going. "So, let me guess the rest. He got grabby. She got mad. He got rough."

"Give the lady a prize," Rat said. "She's OK, though. Said all she had to do was punch him in the nose. He had it all taped up, so she knew his weak point." Rat turned and shot Ivy a look. "Was that your handy work?"

"I like to give my men a little something to remember me by," she said.

"Nice," Rat muttered, the corners of his mouth curving up with a nasty grin.

"Are we nabbing him at home?" Ivy asked, checking her watch. It was still too early in the night for him to be getting ready to leave for work.

"That's what I'm hoping," Rat said as he pulled up to a small apartment building.

He put the car in park and turned off the engine. The lights were on in both units. Another good sign. "So what do you want this guy for? You still pissed he roughed up Baptiste's sister?"

Ivy kept her eyes focused on the building. "I want to use him to put the squeeze on Sirio," she said quietly. "I know he knows what happened to Jack, and if I can get him to tell me where the body is, I can close the case."

"Yeah, but Pendleton pulled you. I know that sucks, and not in a good way, but are you sure you want to keep stirring the pot?" Rat turned his bulk to face Ivy. "There has to be someone else telling her to sink the case. Someone higher up."

"I know," Ivy said, her gaze meeting his. "I have my reasons." She looked away, watching as the rain stopped and a light drizzle began to coat the windshield. "Once we get him back to the station, if you don't want to be involved when I question him, I'll understand."

Rat laughed and Ivy's eyes flitted up to him. "I wouldn't miss that if you paid me. I can't wait to see you in action," he said smiling broadly in the dark interior of the car.

Returning his smile, Ivy reached for the door. "Get your popcorn ready, Rat. It's going to be quite a show."

… … … … … … … …

Ivy peered into interview room number three's window at Jimmy. One of his hands was shackled to a bar bolted under the table, and seeing as how the moon was waning, she wasn't too worried that he could break the cuffs.

She took a deep drink of her bottled water and moved away from the thin strip of glass, letting the Were stew a little longer before going in. Rat had stepped away to grab a coffee and would be back any minute. Then they could play bad cop/worse cop.

Ivy reached into her jacket pocket and checked her phone. NO NEW MESSAGES flashed on the small screen. Scrolling through the saved messages, she checked the time of Dani's last. It's only a couple hours old. I'm sure she's catching up with her study group.

Hearing Rat's approaching footsteps, she stuck her phone back into her pocket, but a small spark of worry had already ignited in her mind.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Rat asked as he came closer, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

"You can start by wiping the crumbs off your face," Ivy said while leaning against an empty desk. "Did you just shove a whole doughnut into your mouth or something?"

"It was a muffin, and I was trying to hurry," he said grabbing a Kleenex and mopping his lips. "Excuseme."

Ivy gave him a pointed look before she pushed away from the desk. "I'll let you start with him. Bring up the warrant from the witch and see if he squirms." Ivy took a step closer to the large vamp and brushed a lingering crumb off his shirt.

"If he starts with an attitude, you let me step in. We'll stack up his priors and that, along with him attacking an I.S. officer, should soften him up for my questions about Jack Baptiste."

Ivy tossed her empty water bottle in a recycling bin and turned toward Rat. "He's the weak link, I just know it. If I can get him to roll over on Sirio…"

"It's risky," Rat said as he set his cup down, "but I'm game if you are." He rolled up his sleeves showing off his muscled forearms. He was at least a head taller than the Were and just as bulky and Ivy was glad to have him in the room with her for the intimidation factor alone.

Ivy picked up the rap sheet and stepped over to the side of the door. "After you," she said, putting on her best poker face.

Jimmy's eyes darted over toward the opening door, his expression blank. The two strips of white tape across the bridge of his nose stuck out against the ugly bruises under his eyes. "What took you so long?" he grumbled. "My hand's fallen asleep." He raised his cuffed wrist and shook it toward the detectives.

Rat pulled out the chair across from him and sat down while Ivy crossed the room to stand behind Jimmy. "Your hand is the least of your worries my friend." Rat sat down and gave him a glowering look. "In fact, you're in trouble because of them."

"If you're talking about that bitch from the other night…"

"You mean witch," Ivy said from behind him. Jimmy twisted in his chair, giving Ivy a quick glance, clearly not comfortable with her in his blind spot.

"No. I had it right. She's a bitch. All night long, her and her friends are coming up to me, getting free drinks, flirting with me and asking when I get off. I know when someone is interested."

"If she was so interested, why did you have to get rough with her?" Rat asked, sliding a picture of the woman's battered face in front of the Were. "Or do all your dates end up looking like her?"

Jimmy sneered at the picture and then up at Rat. "She was drunk. She fell in the parking lot and I helped her up. When she sobered up and saw what happened, she comes running to you with this line of bullshit. You can ask Michael, he was the other bartender on with me that night. He can tell you how wasted she was."

Rat reached out and grabbed the picture, tucking it back in the folder beside him. His gaze went above Jimmy's head to meet Ivy's, giving her a subtle look to acknowledge that she now had the floor.

Ivy smoothly stepped around the table, taking Rat's place in the chair in front of Jimmy. The Were watched as the large vampire moved to stand beside him and eyed him up cautiously.

"We don't have to ask Michael, Jimmy. Your reputation with women speaks for itself." She set the print out on the desk and slowly started flipping through the pages.

"Let's see. We have two assault charges, three restraining orders, a vandalism charge and a reckless endangerment. All filed by women you were involved with." Ivy folded her hands on top of the papers and locked eyes with the Were. "Were they all making this up?"

Jimmy dropped his gaze, choosing to stare at the top of the desk instead. "This looks pretty bad for you James. Not to mention our little run in the other day in the parking garage." Ivy tapped her nose lightly. "That looks like it really hurts."

Jimmy's face flushed a deep red as his eyes met hers and he leaned forward putting both arms on the desk.

"Don't get your hackles up," Rat warned, resting his hand on the Were's shoulder. "Listen to what she has to say."

The Were looked at Rat's hand and then back at Ivy. He eased back slightly in his seat, but continued to glare.

"You didn't identify yourself as I.S. I was just trying to talk to Jack's sister and you come charging in. What do you expect?" he snarled.

Ivy stood from the chair and slowly paced toward the door, keeping her back to both men. "You don't get it, do you? You've dug yourself a pretty deep hole that not even Adam Sirio will help you get out of."

"What are you talking about?" Jimmy asked, the first notes of worry in his voice.

"We've just been to your apartment, Jimmy. We know you haven't made bail without some major help. Namely Adam SIrio." Ivy turned and leaned against the wall, her hands behind her back as she gave the Were a good, long look. "Danielle told me what you did. That you were sent by Sirio to find out what we were doing at her brother's bank. If she were to decide to press charges and the story somehow got leaked to the press," Ivy looked over at Rat and paused. Jimmy glanced up at the vampire nervously and then turned back to Ivy. "What do you think SIrio would do to you?"

Jimmy looked down at the table, staring at the printouts. Rat ducked his head, hunching over closer to the Were. "It would look pretty bad for him associating with someone like you, don't you think? He may just try to sweep you under a rug. If you're lucky."

Jimmy swallowed hard and Ivy knew she had him on the hook. Now she would just have to reel him in.

"There's a way we could work together. If you can answer a few questions for me." Ivy sat back down in the chair, her expression blank.

"What kind of questions?" Jimmy asked. His nerves gave way to suspicion and he looked at the detective warily. "I really should call my lawyer."

"We can save you that call. Maybe make a few of our own to smooth things over with your witch. If you cooperate."

"What could you possibly want from me?" Jimmy asked, slumping back into his chair.

Ivy gave him a slow smile, watching how his eyes stared uneasily at her sharp canines. "It's not what I want from you, James. You're a little fish in a big pond. But you can help me catch the big one."

"That's just like you vamps. Always talking in riddles. Half the time I have no idea what you are trying to say," Jimmy looked up at Rat. "You tell me, what is she asking me to do?"

Rat looked over at Ivy and arched his brow. "Listen wiseass, the Detective is going to ask you for some information on someone more important to us than yourself." Rat gripped the Were's shoulder and squeezed. "Pay attention and tell us what we want to know, and you'll get out of here a lot faster."

Jimmy jerked himself forward trying to break Rat's grip, and the big vampire complied. "Go ahead, Detective," Rat said to Ivy as he smoothed Jimmy's shirt.

"I'll keep it brief and to the point James. So there's no confusion." Ivy leaned forward on the table and locked eyes with the Were. "Tell me what happened to Jack Baptiste."

Jimmy shrugged his shoulder slightly. "I know what you do. He's missing."

Shaking her head, Ivy stood from the chair. "Stop dicking me around, and stop trying to protect Sirio. I know he had Jack killed. Now tell me who did it and where his body is."

"Do you think I had something to do with it?" Jimmy asked, playing coy.

Rat laughed, earning him an angry stare from the man handcuffed to the table. "You're too stupid to have made someone disappear like that."

"Yeah," Ivy chimed in. "Besides, you only like to hit girls."

"Fuck both of you," Jimmy snarled. "Fucking vamps."

Ivy gave Rat a quick glance, seeing a chink in the Were's tough exterior. Her thoughts raced as she planned how she could use it to her advantage.

"I'm sorry," she said stepping back from the table. "You're right. That was very rude of us to say that to you."

"And unprofessional," Rat agreed.

"You don't have to get so personal," the Were said as he gently pressed against the side of his nose, checking the bandages. "Sirio always did that. Made everything personal."

"How long have you worked for him?" Ivy asked.

"Long enough to know not to try to go up against him," Jimmy answered, looking down.

Ivy sat on the corner of the table, one foot on the floor. Folding her hands over her bent knee, she paused. "What would you say if I told you the Hydra may be getting a new owner soon?"

Jimmy's gaze shot up to her, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"And if you were to cooperate, maybe this new owner might have a better position for you and the rest of the Weres." Ivy leaned forward, her palms flat on the table as she put her face close to Jimmy's. "I know Sirio doesn't respect you or the rest of your kind. He treat's you, pardon the expression, like dogs. Am I right?"

Anger flashed in Jimmy's eyes as he stared at Ivy. "Yeah," he grumbled, "like he's better than us."

"So why protect him? He's not going to be in the driver's seat for much longer, James. Play it smart."

Jimmy shifted in his chair and with a heavy sigh, he looked down at the table. "Look, I would tell you if I knew more, but…"

"I know about Victor. Sirio's Were that he uses for special jobs…"

He looked up blankly at her.

Ivy shook her head, exasperated. She slid off the table and gripped the back of her chair, her knuckles white. "Just tell me where Sirio had Victor get rid of the body. Can you do that?"

"I think you got some of your facts mixed up," Jimmy said, nervously glancing at both vampires. "Victor doesn't work for Sirio. He works for the vampire with the pizza place… PIscary."

Ivy froze, eyes locking with Rat's. Pushing her chair in, she stepped toward the door. "I'm going to step out for a minute. You can take over."

"Hey," Jimmy shouted. "That counts for something, right?"

Ivy shut the door firmly behind her and leaned against it. Her head was spinning. How could Piscary be involved in this? Why would he have her assigned to the case?

Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket. Checking the caller ID, she let Kisten's call go to voice mail. "Shit," she ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to make sense of it all. Why would Piscary have done this? A test?

Her phone vibrated again. Pissed, she saw she had a text from Kisten. CALL ME NOW. IT'S URGENT! the screen read.

"Fuck," she swore softly. "What now?"