"All I'm saying is we're in sync and you cannot deny that." I said.
"Oh, I can and I will. I just think you have a thing for redheads with daddy issues." Kensi said
I saw a suit with two uniformed officers, and I knew this wasn't going to end well, but I couldn't say or do anything because it would tip them off. Kensi's line about redheads with daddy issues was a top notch burn, and I let my lady bird hear my laugh. "Ha-ha-ha!"
"Deeks." she said.
At that moment the suit approached us. "Ashono MacLeod?"
"Yeah, what's up?" I asked.
"Put your hands behind your head." the suit said.
"What?" Kensi asked.
"You're being arrested for the murder of Francis Boyle." the suit continued. I comply and one of the officers put me in cuffs. The suit read me my rights, but I silently told Kensi to get lost. It took Kensi a moment, but she got the message, and left.
When they put me in the car, I looked over my shoulder and saw something I haven't seen in in over a year. I see a man staring directly at me, and then he puts on a mask. It's a plague doctor mask. As the driver is pulling away the thought of this man knowing that I killed Boyle, and tipped the police off crosses my mind. But for some strange reason that doesn't seem to be the case. Or does his appearance mean something else?
N.C.I.S. L.A.
L.A.P.D. station-
I'm being led through booking: I empty my pockets, scan my fingerprints, get a D.N.A swab, and then have my picture taken for the record. Next thing I know, I'm practically being thrown into the chair in the interrogation room. I see a new face as the officer leaves.
"Detective Ellen Whiting, Internal Affairs." Whiting said, introducing herself.
"I know who you are, but I thought Rivera was leading this witch hunt." I said.
"Not anymore," she said walking over to the table.
"Why? They decided to give her a real case? Now that the show's over, mind taking these off?" I asked, lifting my hands talking about the cuffs.
Whiting gave me a look that I read as not going to happen, but we had an uninvited guest. At that moment, the door burst open and in walks L.A.P.D. Detective Bruce Steadman.
"You son of a bitch." Steadman said, as he approached the table and back-handed me. I fell out of the chair.
"Detective." Whiting warned, but it didn't do anything to deter Steadman.
Steadman, picked me up off the ground, and slammed me against the wall. "You miss me? Agh! Choke me harder daddy." I said, when Steadman placed a firm hand on my throat and squeezed tightly.
"If you killed my partner, you're a dead man." Steadman threatened.
"Promises, promises." I said, barely able to speak.
A few seconds later, we heard. "Hey! Knock it off, Steadman." Roger Bates shouted, as he entered the room and pulled Steadman off of me.
"Get your man under control, lieutenant." Whiting said.
"Get him out of here! Now!" Bates ordered the officer, and the officer pulled Steadman out of the room. Bates looked at me, and then asked. "Why is it that you bring trouble wherever you, go MacLeod?"
"I don't know. I was born under a bad sign." I said, hunched over trying to catch my breath.
"Yeah, 'out of order.'" Bates said.
I finally looked at Bates, and saw that he had a grown mustache. "That's a nice mustache, lieutenant. Are you doing undercover work in gay porn again?" I quipped. Whiting's face, probably only hearing of my dispensation for humor in inappropriate situations, lightened up considerably.
"Heh. I didn't have to pull him off of you." Bates said, pointing a finger at me,
"Yeah you did." I said
"That'll be all lieutenant." Whiting said.
"I expect to be kept in the loop." Bates said, and Whiting shut the door as Bates exited the room.
"Well, looks like you got enemies everywhere you go, Detective MacLeod?" she said.
I looked at Whiting, and I saw a smile on her face. "What can I say? It's good to be home." I said. I chuckled, and then spit blood on the floor. The expression on my face went from light and cheery, to dark and gloomy.
Whiting exited the room, and then came back a few hours later. Whiting walked over to the table, sat down and opened the case file. I took a seat on the opposite side of the table, and then the circus act continued.
"How long were you partnered with Detective Boyle?" Whiting asked.
"That should be in my file. Can I get a coffee?" I asked, after taking a quick breath.
"You requested undercover work almost immediately after being partnered with him. Why?" she asked.
"Actually, I asked the moment I sat down in the chair in Chief Irons' office. And that's because I don't like wearing suits. You know, a cappuccino would actually be lovely." I said.
"Did you and Boyle have personal issues?" she asked.
"Well, he listened to a lot of Nickelback." I quipped.
"You filed two reports on him. The first involving the treatment of a suspect and the other an incident where he pulled his gun on you. Care to comment?" she asked.
"I'd settle for an espresso. It's just been a long night." I said.
"It has been a long night. And yet you still haven't asked for a lawyer. Why is that?" she asked.
"You've read my file?" I asked.
"I have." she said
"Then you know that I have an understanding of the law. Where's Detective Williams?" I asked.
"You were a lawyer as an undercover op, but that does not make you a lawyer. Detective Williams is on assignment at the moment." she said.
"On assignment?" I asked.
"He was the last to look at the Boyle file, and we sent him out so he couldn't interfere in the case. Do you know what I think?" she asked.
"Not particularly, but you're going to tell me anyways." I said.
"Of course you do. That's why your still here. This whole act is just your way of trying to figure out what we've got on you. And the only reason why you'd do that is if you had something truly you were trying to hide." she said.
I smirked, smiled, and then I said. "Just for the record: you have no case. No eye witnesses. All you have is circumstantial evidence, but nothing that links me to Boyle's murder." I said.
"I got a question for you?" she asked.
"What?" I asked.
"Is it Detective MacLeod, or is it Special Agent Deeks?" she asked.
"The truth of the matter is above your paygrade" I said.
"Above my paygrade?" Whiting asked.
"Uh-huh." I said.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
OPS: Bull pen-
Sam entered the bull pen at nine thirty and asked. "Any word on Deeks?"
"Nothing." Callen said, yawning and holding a coffee cup in his hand.
"Wait, wait, wait. You slept here last night?" Sam asked, chuckling.
"I worked late." Callen said.
"On what, lame excuses? Joelle kick you out of your own house?" Sam asked.
"Of course not. Just couldn't sleep." Callen said.
"Because you were fighting." Sam countered.
"Because I had a lot on my mind." Callen countered.
"Yeah. Hmm. What, you were trying to think of places to sleep while she cooled off? You know that's never a good idea. Just prolongs the pain. You're better off apologizing and sorting it out in the morning." Sam said.
"Apologize for what? I didn't do anything." Callen said.
"You know, you are so smart, so brave, and so utterly clueless about women." Sam said, smiling.
"Please, I know women, okay?" Callen asked.
"Oh, yeah? That's why you're sleeping on the couch." Sam said.
"I happen to like this couch. I enjoy sleeping on this couch." Callen said.
"Yeah? Well, it's good you like that couch, because you and that couch are probably gonna be together a lot longer than any of your relationships." Sam said.
"Wow, that's is so harsh, so early." Callen said.
"That's reality baby." Sam said.
Callen sighed, and then said. "I should probably cut her loose."
"It seems like the right thing to do." Sam said.
Callen sighed, paused for a moment, and then said. "I like her, a lot."
"Tsk. I know. It's not fair to her. This job is hard on relationships." Sam said.
"Well, I tried." Callen said.
"Cheer up, G. You'll always have me." Sam said.
"I was hoping they were gonna come up for a cure for that one of these days." Callen said, as he got up from the couch.
At that moment Kensi walked in, and made her way to Hetty's desk. Who was not at her desk, so Kensi walked back to the bull pen and asks. "Where's Hetty?"
"I don't know. I just got here. What's happening with Deeks?" Sam asked.
"L.A.P.D.'s Internal Affairs are holding him on the murder charge. And they won't let me see him." Kensi said, entering the bull pen.
"Blye, I need you in the armory now." Granger said. Kensi dropped her go bag on her desk, and left. Sam and Callen were going to follow, but Granger said. "Just Blye."
"We need to know what's going on." Sam said.
"You two needed to know what was going on a hell of a lot sooner than this." Granger said, and then walked away.
Over in the armory, Hetty and Granger ask what Kensi knows about my situation.
"What do you know?" Hetty asked.
"They're saying Deeks killed a man named Francis Boyle." Kensi said.
"Well, he was briefly Deeks partner, and suspect of being a dirty cop. Did he ever talk you about him?" Granger asked.
Kensi remembered a conversation that the two of us had a few months ago. "Never by name, but he did mention a partner that put a gun to his mouth once after Deeks confronted him about getting a confession out of a suspect with a pot of hot coffee." Kensi said.
"Good lord." Hetty said.
"He transferred to undercover after that." Kensi said.
"He tell you how Boyle was killed?" Granger asked.
"Shot with his own gun by a hooker he'd beaten up." Kensi replied.
Hetty and Granger shared a look, but silence filled the room. "I'm sorry, you don't believe him?" Kensi asked.
"Doesn't matter what we believe. It's what IA can prove." Granger said.
"Drop everything, and get Agent Deeks out of this mess." Hetty said.
Kensi nodded her head, and then went to find Callen and Sam. When she entered to the bull pen, Kensi was directed to Ops.
After Kensi took her spot next to Callen is when Nell began the briefing. "Francis Boyle was an L.A.P.D. veteran of nineteen years and detective third class when Deeks was assigned to him as a partner." Nell said.
"He's had a lot of reprimands and complaints in his file." Sam said.
"He came through the department at the time when accountability wasn't considered important." Nell said.
"This is Boyle's former partner, Detective Bruce Steadman. He's still on the force. His docket isn't much better. The police department split them up hoping it would reduce the problem. It didn't." Eric said.
"Deeks said that Francis Boyle had a reputation for beating up prostitutes." Kensi said.
"Sounds like he was asking for it." Sam said.
"And yet Deeks is charged with murder." Kensi said, rolling her eyes.
"Why now? New evidence pop up? A new witness step forward?" Sam asked.
"We don't know. But Hetty wants us to find out." Nell said, shaking her head.
"Then let's find out." Sam said, and then the briefing ended, but Callen didn't move from his position at first.
Sam stopped for moment and then asked. "You good?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Callen said, and then walked out. Sam looked at Eric and Nell, giving the pair a "No he's not" look.
Down in Hetty's office, Callen approached Hetty, who was looking at a file on her computer, and then asked. "You brought Deeks here. Anything you want to tell us before we dive into this?"
Hetty closed out the file, and then said. "No."
Callen raised his left eyebrow at Hetty and asked. "You sure you want us to do this?"
"You don't wanna to help Agent Deeks?" she asked.
"In order to help Agent Deeks, we're gonna have to look into this case. What if we don't like what we find?" Callen asked.
"The truth doesn't take sides, Mr. Callen. Only we do that." she said.
"Deeks was NCIS for years, decades even. How did he wind up at L.A.P.D?" Callen said.
"The director at the time that it was prudent to send Deeks in undercover until the Office of Special Projects was built." she said.
"When did Deeks officially join NCIS?" Callen asked.
"Officially, two thousand four. Unofficially, nineteen ninety-eight." she said.
"Why leave Deeks in limbo just so they could build the OSP?" Callen asked.
"Originally, Mr. Deeks was supposed to inform Macy whenever a case that fell into our purview dropped into .D.'s lap. But in the long run, Mr. Deeks was forgotten after a few years of being with the L.A.P.D." Hetty said.
Callen had felt like he had been punched in the gut when he heard the truth of my involvement with the L.A.P.D., and needed to tell Sam. Immediately.
Up in Ops, Eric was running a search for anybody that had been involved with me, but something was bothering him. He turned to face Nell, and stared at her for a while. Nell, feeling Eric staring at her, stopped what she was doing, and turned to Eric and asked. "Yes?"
"How is it that Steadman is still on the force? He's clearly a bad dude." Eric said.
"L.A.P.D. could never pin anything on him, I guess." she said.
"You know what? I bet—Uh-oh." He said, and then looked at the bulletin on his computer.
"What?" she asked
"Remember this guy?" he asked, and then brought a photo on screen.
"Yes, former Internal Affairs Detective John Quinn. We bust him for selling guns to white supremacists. So, wait, what's the "uh-oh"?" she asked.
"He escaped from jail from jail thirty-six hours ago. He and Deeks were buddies. Deeks put him away." he said.
"Quinn escapes and Deeks is locked up? Coincidence?" Nell asked.
"I think not." Eric said.
Nell picked up the phone, and called Callen with the update.
Down in the bull pen, the group was gather around the plasma and John Quinn's photo was on the screen.
"I don't see the connection between Quinn's escape and Deeks' arrest." Kensi said, a few minutes after learning of Quinn's escape.
"According to the prison report Quinn just got jumped in the yard by a bunch of other inmates recently." Sam said, looking up from Quinn's file.
"Well, prison is never enjoyable, especially if you're a dirty cop." Callen said, as he walked over and took Quinn's file from Sam.
"Maybe IA thinks that Deeks knows where Quinn might go." Sam said, guessing the motive of the arrest.
"Okay, so you pick up a phone. You don't arrest him for murder." Kensi said, frustrated.
"We're missing something here." Sam said.
"If Detective Boyle is as dirty as Deeks says, he had to be investigate by Quinn." Callen said.
"If Quinn's a piece of this puzzle, we got to find him." Kensi said.
"Quinn's lawyer was Monica Lee. She was disbarred for helping out the same arms dealer working with Quinn." Callen said.
"She testified against the arms dealer to avoid jail time." Sam said, pointing a finger halfway through his sentence.
"If Quinn's on the run, there's a good chance he's gonna run to her for help." Callen said.
At that moment, Kensi's phone rang. It happened to be a nosey neighbor of mine. She was calling to inform Kensi that L.A.P.D. was tearing my house apart.
"Got go. L.A.P.D. is tearing Deeks place apart looking for pertinent information." Kensi said, and then left.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
L.A.P.D. station: interrogation-
I took two sips of the coffee that was finally brought to me, but I grunted after each sip.
"Really? Is that all you got left, Deeks? You're about as defiant as my 8-year-old." Whiting said.
"Wow, you have kids? Whew. Did not see that coming Mommy Dearest. Hey, quick question. Are we sure this coffee was made this week?" I asked.
"We found new DNA evidence that places you in the motel room where Boyle was killed." she said.
"Well, that makes sense since I stayed there for a week while my house was being tented. And again, circumstantial evidence." I said.
"We can play this however you want. But you're not going anywhere until you tell me why killed Boyle." she said.
"I didn't." I said.
"Then who did?" she asked.
"Not my case. I'm so confused by this. Isn't it your department's job to find the killer?" I asked.
"We did. And he's sitting right across from me." she said.
"Wow. Buzz. Wrong answer. Would you like to try Other Terrible Theories for a thousand?" I asked.
"If you didn't kill Boyle who did? Give me name." she said.
I finish taking a sip of the horrendous liquid they call coffee, and say. "Kopi Luwak."
Whiting goes to write down and then asks. "Who's that?"
I launch into a long-winded tale that has no bearing on the conversation. I finish the story with a. "The moral of the story is, you need a French press." There was a moment of silence, and Whiting jus blinks at me. "So this has been fun, but I'm tired and I'm bored, and you have nothing and I have work to do. So, ah, good night and good luck. If you could just help me with this. Hello?" I get up from the chair and walk over to the door, knocking on it.
"Don't you get it?" she asked.
"Don't I get what?" I asked, letting out a breath as I looked at Whiting.
"You're not going anywhere, Deeks. I already spoke to Judge Danzette." She said.
"Dumb-ass Danzette?" I asked, remembering the incompetent judge.
"Hmm, yeah, well, he agrees you're a flight risk. You're being denied bail." she said.
"Is it me or is there just a lot of sexual tension in this room?" I said, sarcastically.
"Keep it up. You're gonna joke your way right into a lethal injection." Whiting said.
"Three things." I said, and as I listed on my responds, I raised my fingers as well. "Number one: promises, promises. Number two: can't be worse than the coffee. And number three, the most important one, I want my phone call."
Whiting nodded her head as if she was making progress, but she was still no closer to the truth.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Monica Lee's house-
Sam parked the challenger around the corner from Lee's house, but the partner's saw the suv parked out front, and the guy sitting in it.
"Clocked the guy in the suv?" Sam asked.
"Mm-hm. Looks like someone else is keeping an eye on Monica Lee." Callen said, and then turned the camera on.
"Internal Affairs?" Sam asked.
"Hopefully, Eric can find out." Callen said, after taking a picture of the license plate.
The partners got out of the car, and then walked to Monica's back door.
"Probably should have come alone." Callen said.
"Why is that?" Sam asked.
"Well, you're intimidating." Callen said.
"Excuse me?" Sam asked.
"You look like you're here to crash through her door. I look like the, you know, boy next door." Callen said, knocking on the door.
"Twenty years ago maybe. You're a sullen loner who keeps to himself. That's the classic description of every serial killer." Sam countered.
"How come I slept on the couch last night, but you're the grumpy one? Oh, right, you're married" Callen countered.
Callen knocked again, and Sam said. "Keep it up."
Monica opened the door, and she was not happy. One might even say that she looked upset.
"What do you two want?" Monica asked.
"Looking for John Quinn, Monica." Sam said.
At that moment, Monica flashed the gun that she was hiding, which Callen did not miss.
"Quinn's in jail." Monica said.
"Is that why you answer the door with a gun in your hand?" Sam asked.
"Can we come in?" Callen asked.
"Not without a warrant. Now get lost before I call the police or mistakenly shoot you two as prowlers." Monica said, and then slammed the door.
"Well, she looks good." Callen said.
"She looks scared." Sam said.
"Heh. Like I said, you're intimidating." Callen said, and then walked away. Sam eyes shoot straight skyward, ignoring the crack.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
L.A.P.D. station: Lockup-
I finally get my call, and I call Kensi.
"Hello?" Kensi answered.
"Hey, it's me." I said.
"Hi, baby. Where are you?" she asked.
"I'm in lockup. This is my one phone call. I'm being held without bail because they think I'm a flight risk." I said.
"Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous." she said.
"Yeah." I said.
"Okay. Listen. Did they ask about John Quinn?" she asked.
"Quinn? No, why?" I asked.
There was a moment's pause, and then Kensi said. "He escaped from prison."
I take in the implications of this turn of events. Wondering if Quinn knew about what happened at the hotel that night, but my silence starts to scare Kensi. "Deeks?" she asked.
"No, I'm here. I'm here." I said.
"Okay. What is going on?" she asked, whispering.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." I said.
"Okay. Well, IA is all over your house right now." she said.
"My house?" I asked.
"Yes." she said.
"I don't know what they think they're gonna find there." I said.
"I don't know. They're tearing the place apart." Kensi said.
"Just keep an eye on them. I wouldn't put it past them to plant evidence." I said.
"Times up, get off the phone." The officer said.
"Just two give me two seconds, all right? Just two seconds. Also, I need you to check out Boyle's old partner, Bruce Steadman. These guys were stealing guns, drugs and money from busts, and they were never caught." I said.
At that moment, the officer walked up and ended the call. I looked at the phone momentarily, and then said. "Thanks man. Thanks."
I placed the receiver on the base, and then followed the officer as he escorted me to my cell.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Some random street-
Sam and Callen went and met Lieutenant Bates, following up on the lead I gave Kensi about Steadman. Bates said that he would meet them. Callen and Sam were standing behind the challenger when Bates arrived. Bates got out of the car, and walked over to Sam and Callen.
"Thank you for meeting us lieutenant." Callen said.
"Looks like our boy's in trouble yet again." Bates said, as he approached Callen and Sam.
"MacLeod has a knack for that." Sam said. Callen and Sam both agreed to us my cover name to protect me from any further fallout. Too bad for them, Whiting already knows that I'm a federal agent, or at least has an inkling that I'm not a cop.
"What can you tell us about Francis Boyle?" Callen asked.
"Well, he was a jackass through and through. Been on the force forever. He was the kind of cop you found a way to work with even if you hated him, because he wasn't going anywhere." Bates said.
"Until he got himself shot." Sam stated.
"Well, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Bates said, sarcastically.
"You buy this whole hooker theory?" Callen asked.
"I've been a cop a long time. It's hard to prove guilt on a hunch." Bates said.
"What about his partner, Steadman?" Sam asked.
"He's got the gambling bug. Heads out for Hollywood Park the second his shifts over, stays until the next one begins. Look we knew these guys were a toxic team. That's why we split them up. That was like kicking the hornet's nest." Bates said.
"This is when MacLeod partnered up with Boyle." Callen said.
"And the winner of a brand-new Steadman?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. Now, Christine Riley, that was a tough chick. She lasted six months." Bates said.
"Six months is long enough to figure out Steadman's little side business. All right, we'll talk to her, see what she knows." Callen said.
"Well, not so easy. She only last six months because she got killed in a drug bust. The same kind of drug bust she'd been through twenty times before." Bate said.
Sam and Callen share a look, and then Callen said. "That's convenient for Steadman."
"He figures she's onto him and has her killed before she can report it." Sam said.
"Thank you, lieutenant." Callen said.
"Thanks, lieutenant." Sam said.
"Good luck fellas." Bates said, and then left.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
OPS: Ops-
Nell walked into Ops, and explained the new lead that she was given to Eric. "Get this. Callen and Sam talked to Lieutenant Bates. Steadman had a former partner, Christine Riley, killed in the line of duty." Before she could continue, Nell noticed that something was bothering Eric. "What's up, Beale? Why do I get the feeling you've been caught cheating at "Minecraft"?" she asked.
"I've been looking through Deeks' covers to see if we missed anything. Every month, one of his aliases, Monty Richards, wires four hundred dollars to a woman named Julie Sanders." he said.
"Huh. Maybe his alias rent a room from her or something." she said, unsure what to make of this new piece of information.
"Julie Sanders is actually Tiffany Williams." he said.
"Aha." she said.
"Multiple arrest for prostitution. And seven years ago, she was Deeks' L.A.P.D. informant." Eric said.
"Ruh-roh. I'll call Callen and Sam." Nell said, and then left to make the phone call.
N.C.I.S L.A.
L.A.P.D.: holding-
"I've got my jailhouse blues. They even took the laces from my shoes. I got my jailhouse blues—Does anybody in here have a harmonica?" I asked.
"No." Whiting said, approaching my cell.
"Great. L.A.P.D.'s little errand girl has come to continue harassing me." I said.
"Relax, Deeks. I'm here to make you a deal. Confess to Boyle's murder, and I guarantee you won't go into general population." she said.
"So much for our détente. That is a good deal. I got a better plan. Why don't you let me go free, and then I can go find the killer because you obviously can't?" I asked.
"You are aware that this is a temporary holding facility? We're gonna have to move you to county. At least you'll probably know a couple of people there." Whiting said.
"Don't tempt me with a good time. As a matter of fact send me to county, I'll be running that place before my trial." I said with a smile.
Whiting gave me a long sideways glance. She was stupefied by what she just heard. Before she could respond I cut in and say. "Yeah, I will."
Whiting didn't say anything. She just turned and walked away. While she is walking away, I don't even bother to stifle my laughter. My laughter is so boisterous and loud, it echoes throughout the facility.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
A random nursery-
Sam and Callen arrive at the nursery were Tiffany worked, and split up in case she tries to make a run for it. Sam approached Tiffany and flashed his badge as he said. "Julie Sanders? Federal Agent Sam Hanna."
"How can I help you?" Tiffany asked.
"You can't help me. Tiffany can." he said
"There's nobody named Tiffany working here." she said.
"Look, we could do this a couple of ways. I arrest you on a murder warrant. That's the hard one." he said, with a smile.
Tiffany put her gloves and pruning shears down, and said. "Let me ask my boss if I can take my break."
"Appreciate it." Sam said.
As Sam expected, Tiffany tried to run away, but she ran directed towards the exit that Callen was covering. Callen held out a pair of cuffs, and Tiffany stopped in her tracks.
"Told you she was a runner. You owe, me by the way." Callen said.
"How about I get you a ficus, and call it even?" Sam said.
"What is this about?" Tiffany asked.
"The murder of L.A.P.D. Detective Francis Boyle." Sam said.
"I have no idea who that is?" Tiffany lied.
"That's funny, because your prints and your blood were all over the murder scene." Callen countered.
"I didn't kill him." Tiffany exclaimed. Sam and Callen, surprised by her sudden retraction, were taken back by this. "But I who did." Tiffany continued.
Callen and Sam share a look, and then take Tiffany back to the boat shed.
