It was almost ten, and Buffy paced her living room with anticipation. The rental cars had arrived a few minutes ago, and she'd watched as Lindsey slid into one and followed the delivery men out onto the highway. Spike and Angel... she wasn't sure where they were at, but hopefully they wouldn't find a reason to get involved. The doorbell broke into her thoughts, and she lifted her head as a familiar excitement began to fill her before going to answer it.
"Jenny?" she asked the man on her porch before looking at the black limo behind him. The windows were too heavily tinted to see inside, and she turned back to him expectantly.
"She's in the car," Adam answered before showing her the cuffs in his hand. "Put them on."
She looked at them uneasily before looking back up. "I'm not going to cause any trouble."
"No, you're not. Now put them on." She took a breath, took the cuffs, caught one around her right wrist. "*Behind* your back, Nem."
She slid her arms behind her back and finished cuffing herself, but balked when he tried to pull her outside. "My car's behind the house," she stated desperately. Angel and Spike could see some of her front yard, but not the back, and she didn't want them to see her being led out in cuffs. That would almost guarantee a fight would break out, and she didn't think the FBI agents would win.
He grinned and pushed her back into the living room before kicking the door shut and thoroughly frisking her. Buffy didn't make a move as he patted her down, and when he stepped away, she led him to the door in the kitchen and pointed out the key that was on the table.
About a minute later, she was grateful when he opened the back door of the rental, and she slid onto the leather seats before slouching down low enough she didn't think Angel and Spike would even know she was in the car. Adam climbed into the driver's seat, hit the child locks, and looked at her in the rearview mirror. "I hope you don't disappoint the boss today, *Killer*. He wouldn't like it."
"Wouldn't want that to happen," she muttered as he started the car before driving around to where the limo was waiting.
When they reached the turnoff for the street, she started to give directions on how to get to the land Ethan and Jenny used to own.
Riley sat in front of Giles's mansion and gave a shake of his head as he watched an old turquoise and white car go by. "Some of these old cars are neat."
"Yeah," Xander agreed. "It would probably be fun to run by the show and take a look at them."
The blonde nodded absently as he took a sip of coffee. "I suppose you heard Penn's knife disappeared from the evidence room?"
"Yeah, and Will's not happy about..." Xander broke off and stared with disbelief at the pink car that was being driven down Rupert Giles's driveway. "I don't believe it," he breathed.
"I don't either," Riley answered as he watched Darla turn onto the road with narrowed eyes before starting the car and falling in behind her.
"The license plate *looks* legit," Xander stated as he pulled his cell phone out and punched in a number. The call was answered, and he quickly spoke to the person on the other end before reading off the license plate number. He talked for another few seconds before breaking the connection. "The plate's registered to Giles."
"Yeah, but his car's black," Riley answered grimly.
Silence fell before Xander ran a hand through his hair."Walsh will *kill* us if we pull her over and it's not O'Connor's car."
Riley scowled before giving an irritated shake of his head. "Let's call Giles and see what information he can give us."
Three minutes later, Xander cut the connection. "He says he asked Darla to take his car to the car show. He also says his car's black, but if she claims it's his, he's willing to let us search it."
"So we have reasonable doubt?" Riley asked.
"Yeah. We've got reasonable doubt," Xander agreed.
Adam opened the back driver's side door to Buffy's rental, and the blonde awkwardly slid out with a nervous energy before turning to watch two men, one masked, climb out of the shiny black limo that was parked beside her rental. Jenny exited shortly after, the woman looking uncertain before turning to face the girl that was watching her intently. They locked eyes before Buffy turned her attention back to Adam.
"I can't get you in with my hands cuffed," she stated and felt relief run through her when he worked to remove the cuffs. The cool metal slid off, and she turned to the man wearing the goat mask. "Did you bring all the copies of McDonald's death?"
He didn't comment, but the sound of a pistol being cocked had her looking toward Adam.
"Let me assure you the original copy of your murder is here, Ms. Summers, as well as the copy that was made." Snyder broke into the silence that followed before motioning to the woods. "Now if you're ready, may we continue?"
"Why?" Jenny challenged. "Ethan would have taken everything with him when he left. There's nothing here."
"He didn't have time," Buffy's voice carried easily through the light breeze. "It's all still here, Jenny, and I'm sorry, but it's going to buy my freedom."
"It's not yours. You haven't been paying for it for the last five years," Jenny told her angrily.
Buffy lowered her eyes. "The house burned a long time ago," she stated quietly, "but the tunnel you're looking for is under the sheds."
The door to the garage creaked open to reveal a pad of gravel and a handmade workbench with a few tools scattered on it. Buffy walked over to it and twisted a latch that held it secure to the wall before pushing it out of the way. It turned easily, the hinges allowing it to open like a door, and she didn't even spare it a glance before moving to shift back the old boards that were covering the dirt. "The safe's down here," she stated quietly as she motioned toward the tunnel. "Ethan booby trapped it. Jenny should go first."
The brunette's eyes narrowed as Snyder pushed her toward the entrance. "Stop it," she ordered, before taking a moment to contemplate the old ladder. It still looked sturdy enough to hold her, and she took a breath before carefully shifting onto it and reaching for the flashlight Snyder held out to her. She looked back at Buffy. "There won't be anything here. Ethan took it with him."
"Let us worry about that," Snyder smoothly cut in. "Now if you're ready, please continue."
With a last look, Jenny thumbed on the flashlight and slid into the tunnel with all but Adam following closely behind.
Cobwebs caught the light and clung to clothes and skin as the four moved slowly through the darkness. Jenny stopped, and the other three followed suit. "What's going on?" Snyder ordered as he brushed at a cobweb he'd just walked through.
"It's nothing," Jenny murmured as she carefully reached for Buffy's wrist before scuffing her foot lightly against the dirt. The blonde looked down, noticed the tripwire before looking back up. "It's just a little nerve wracking being brought down here at gunpoint." She looked over her shoulder before looking back into the darkness. "It's this way." Her light flashed well above the wire to show a sharp right hand turn, and Buffy's light mimicked hers before they started forward again, each of the women carefully stepping over the thin wire.
"It had better b..." Snyder began before breaking off as a hissing filled the small space that caused Jenny to pull Buffy down the corridor at a run. A wild gunshot was followed by the scuffling of feet as the tunnel was filled with men's shouts of pain, and Buffy and Jenny turned a sharp corner before the brunette pointed out the gas masks hanging on the wall. They each reached for one before sliding them on.
"Hurry," Jenny encouraged as they tore down the tunnel before slowing and pointing out a set of tripwires, one almost chest high and one a little lower than Buffy's knee. "It's the last two," she informed before carefully maneuvering through them. A wooden ladder came into sight, and Jenny climbed it before pushing the boards off the covering and climbing into the small shed that had held their lawnmower.
Buffy joined her before reaching for the duffel Giles had left at the exit a couple of days ago. "We need to change," she stated as she quickly started to undress. "I think we avoided most of the tear gas, but we might still have some on us." She unzipped the bag and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.
"Where are we going?" Jenny asked as she pulled on the shirt Buffy handed her.
"The dock. There's a boat there... and Clem made us a key." Buffy quickly repacked the bag with the clothes they'd just taken off before cracking open the door to look outside. There wasn't a sign of Adam, although she knew he'd stayed above the tunnels. An angry cry from below, along with a gunshot, was all the incentive she needed to start toward the docks. A glance back told her Jenny was right on her heels.
They were still a few feet from the water when there was an angry shout followed by a gunshot, and Buffy glanced over her shoulder before tripping over a rock and catching her breath at the sudden pain in her ankle.
"Buffy?" Jenny asked worriedly as she hurried to her side before looking back at the man shooting at them. A second shot had both of them ducking as a chunk of bark from a nearby tree spiraled through the air. "Come on, the brunette encouraged as she pulled Buffy to her feet and helped her into the small stand of trees that separated them from the boat dock.
Neither of them slowed as a third shot rang out and then a fourth as they made it to the boat and boarded it. There was a cry of pain, and Buffy took a moment to glance at the shoreline in time to see Lindsey kick Adam's gun away from him as the larger man lay on the ground.
Jenny started the engine, and Buffy hesitated before sinking tiredly to the bottom of the boat as the last few minutes caught up with her. She'd done everything she could. There wasn't anything to do now but wait and see how things played out.
It had only been a hunch that made them follow the two cars that left Buffy's house. One that had just arrived that morning, and the other a stretch limo. They were out of the car in an instant when the first shot rang out. "What the hell?" Angel asked.
"This isn't hunting season, mate," Spike answered as they started to run through the brush separating them from the action, before reaching for their guns when there were more shots.
They nearly ran past the small shed but stopped when they heard the angry curses of the men that were starting to exit it.
"Don't move," Spike warned as he held his gun on them.
Snyder turned toward him with tear filled eyes before dropping his gun.
"Where's Buffy?" Angel asked roughly.
"The bitch got away," Snyder wiped at his eyes. "Used tear gas." Angel took that in before starting to give a slow, satisfied smile. It was wiped off his face when the other man turned to him. "Mayor Wilkins?"
The older man scowled, wiped at his eyes, and Spike's aim wavered before he shot a surprised look at his partner.
The brunette met it and shook his head before another gunshot rang out, followed by a second. "Spike..." Angel broke off as he started toward the sound.
"Go," the bleached blonde ordered.
Without any further urging, Angel bolted toward the shots. He didn't see the look that passed between the two tear gassed men, but Spike did, and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
The sound of an engine filled the air as Angel made his way through the brush before he spotted a man down and another man standing over him. "Don't move," he ordered as he aimed his gun and saw the standing man stiffen before slowly raising his hands, his gun sliding around to dangle from a finger. "Now turn around slowly."
The brunette did before giving a faint smile. "Hello, O'Connor. Long time no see."
Angel's eyes widened with surprise, his gun lowering fractionally as he stared at Lindsey.
Maggie Walsh strode angrily through the door of the FBI's L.A. headquarters. She couldn't even take a day off without getting phone calls. "Finn, O'Connor, Harris, Pryce," she started as she strode past the four agents waiting for her, "in my office... now."
They straightened instantly before following. Riley glared at the curious looks some of his coworkers gave before following the others into the room and closing the door.
"Ms. Walsh," Riley started.
"Shut up," she ordered with a glare that set her agent back on his heels. "I received two phone calls today. One was from our mayor." She gave Spike a hard look before turning it on Angel. "It seems he was taken in for interrogation after being sprayed with tear gas."
"Ms. Walsh..." Angel started quietly.
"Shut... up," she ordered again. Silence fell, and she turned to look at Riley and Xander. "My second call was from Ms. Morgan, informing me that Darla Chambers had been arrested *again* by members of my staff. She also informed me that charges are pending." She looked them over darkly before leaning a hip against her desk and crossing her arms. "Do you people have any idea how miserable I can make your lives? Do you have any kind of a clue what assignments you could get?"
"Ms. Walsh," Riley began quietly, "we caught Darla driving O'Connor's car with *all* of Nemesis's stolen items in the trunk."
Angel's head whipped around in surprise as Xander quickly nodded. "The license plate on it is registered to Rupert Giles, so we called him and asked if we could search it. He agreed, and that was when we found the rest of the stolen items in the trunk. Xander looked at Angel. "We checked the vin number Angel, it's your car."
Maggie took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment before looking at Xander. "I hope you're not implying that Rupert Giles is involved."
"We're not," Xander answered. "Giles told us he asked Darla to take his Plymouth to the car show, and that she agreed. Riley and I think she changed cars and license plates to play another one of her games."
Maggie eyed them before turning back to her other agents. "And you two? Why on earth would you interrogate the mayor?"
"We were keeping an eye on," Spike frowned and hesitated before scowling, "Buffy Summers. A limo pulled into her place today, and when it left, it was being led by an unknown car. We followed them to a timbered area in the country. There were shots fired, and we needed to ask questions." Spike shot a glance at Angel. "We also found McDonald there."
"What?" Riley asked as he turned to stare at them. "Is he okay?"
"Seemed to be," Angel answered, "but we didn't get much of a chance to talk to him. He told us he'd see us at HQ and took off like he had a mission." He glanced back at his boss and met her narrowed eyes.
"And when is Mr. McDonald going to grace us with his presence?" Maggie asked, her voice quiet and annoyed. She didn't like being kept in the dark. She didn't like any of this at all.
"He didn't say," Spike answered as he watched Walsh pace over to the window before turning back to look at them menacingly.
"Fine," she bit out in a low, controlled voice. "But I'm going to warn you... if there are any more screw-ups from here on out, any more bad publicity or embarrassment... either for myself or this office, all of you, Mr. McDonald included, will be assigned as needed. If it's to babysit another agent's kids or walk their dogs while they work their cases, that's what it will be. Now get out of here, and I expect full reports from all of you by tomorrow morning."
"So," Xander started after they'd walked out of Walsh's office, "what was the mayor's story?"
Angel looked at him before glancing at Riley. They were both looking at him with interest, and he returned the look thoughtfully before he stopped walking. "The mayor said he and his men were dealing with 2 criminals... which consisted of Buffy Summers and Jenny Rayne."
"Buffy's not a criminal," Riley spoke up with conviction.
"The mayor said she was Nemesis," Angel stated quietly, "and that she agreed to help them get the Rayne stash. You know the items Jenny and her brother Ethan stole a few years ago... None of it was recovered."
"Buffy couldn't have gotten him the stash because she's not Nemesis," Riley stated as he leaned in to make his point.
"Be that as it may," Spike broke in, "it doesn't change the fact that she was there."
Silence fell before Riley shook his head. "Did you ask Buffy what was going on?"
"We would have, but she and Jenny both disappeared," Spike answered. "Linds said they left on a boat that was docked at the pier."
"Why would she have left with Jenny Rayne?" Riley asked with a scowl. "That woman could hurt her... And where's Lindsey been anyway?"
"I don't know," Angel answered. "All I know is he was holding a gun on Adam when I found him."
"Adam's one of the mayor's men?" Xander asked as he followed the conversation.
"Seems to be," Spike answered before he looked at Angel. "He's the one that let us into Luke Perry's office, isn't he?"
Angel nodded. "Yeah. I mean, the guy's hard to forget. He's built like a tank."
Another silence fell as they all tried to make the pieces fit before they slowly started to head back to their desks.
Luke smiled at the cops he was holding the gun on, the ones that had arrived at Holtz's house to investigate a complaint about barking dogs. "So nice of you ladies to show up. He motioned to the cuffed and gagged man in the chair at his side. "Daniel Holtz appreciates it as well."
Kate didn't take her eyes off the man in front of her, not even to look at her and her partner's guns that were lying at their feet. "This isn't about barking dogs," she stated. "So what's really going on?"
"And here I thought blondes were supposed to be dumb," Luke stated with amusement before shaking his head. "Of course, it isn't about barking dogs. It's about Holtz pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and making people think he's an upstanding citizen. I've got to tell you, Blondie, there's enough cocaine in his garage to point to his being a dealer. And here you are, in his yard investigating those mutts he calls pets... and he's in the garage with his stash of coke. He pulls a gun. You pull a gun." Luke shrugged as his eyes glinted with pleasure. "And we have 3 dead bodies to cart off."
Another silence fell as Kate looked at the cuffed and gagged man and shifted uneasily. "There's blood splatter evidence," she started desperately. "There are gun powder tests... They'll know we didn't fire the shots."
Luke grinned. "I'll take my chances." He lined up his first shot.
"Drop it, Luke," Lindsey ordered as he shifted out of the tree line and held his gun on his target.
Luke froze before spinning to fire. Lindsey's gun went off first, Luke hit the ground, and Lindsey checked on him before looking up at Kate and Amy. "He's alive," he stated before standing and sliding his gun back into the pocket of his old coat, "and I've got to get out of here. Walsh probably knows I'm back by now, and I really need to check in with her."
Amy nodded in shock as she watched Lindsey start around the side of the house with wide eyes. "Good to have you back, Linds," she hollered after him as he disappeared.
Jenny slowed the boat as she neared the beach before carefully studying the figures waiting on it. She didn't edge closer until they gave the agreed upon signal, and she waved wildly before looking questioningly at the blonde sitting on the deck.
"We're home free," Buffy confirmed as she watched Jenny tear up before guiding the boat closer to the dock and mooring it.
"Ethan," Jenny smiled at her brother as he wrapped her in his arms before turning toward the other man waiting on the shore. "Rupert," she beamed blindingly before burying herself in his arms.
Ethan walked over to Buffy and frowned at her wrapped ankle. "How bad is it?"
"I tripped on a rock." She rolled her eyes before shaking her head and snorting. "I guess I was lucky it didn't happen during a job."
He grinned. "Are you sure it wasn't a job?"
Her eyes glittered with amusement. "At least not one where I was by myself... which is a good thing because Jenny had to drag me to the boat.
He smiled before settling back on his heels as he watched her. "I take it you're going to be spending time in Mexico?"
She was silent before giving a slow shake of her head. "I think I'll go back. I mean, if I can do it without going to jail."
"And if you can't, you're more than welcome to move in with us," Ethan stated.
She grinned and nodded. "I may have to take you up on that."
"I can't say for sure," Giles broke in, "but I believe it will work out favorably for you, Buffy. In fact, I think Darla will be more than willing to plead guilty to the thefts."
The blonde glanced at him before giving a slow shake of her head. "I know we set her up with the stash, but I don't think she's going to plead guilty."
"Let's just say Darla likes the spotlight," Ethan broke in smoothly with a knowing look at Giles before turning to Buffy. "Besides, I'm certain that will be the least of her worries. Her first one will be plotting to have an FBI agent murdered."
Buffy was silent for a long moment before giving a slow shake of her head. "I owe you big time for helping me out with Lindsey. I don't know what I would have done if I'd killed him."
"You didn't," he answered quietly. "And I think, given everything that's happened, it turned out for the best."
She nodded. "I don't know how he figured out we were going for Ethan's stash, but if he hadn't shown up, Jenny and I might not have made it out of there." Silence fell before she continued, "One of them didn't follow us into the tunnels, and was waiting for us to come out."
Grim silence fell before Ethan sighed. "There's no use worrying about what might have happened, Buffy... unless you're planning more adventures in the future, that is." He gave her a sharp look. "Are you?"
"No. Well... maybe," she admitted with a faint smile. "It depends on how things work out... but if everything goes okay," she looked at Giles, "I was wondering if you'd be willing to do me a favor."
"Of course," he murmured as his arm tightened around Jenny. "What did you have in mind?"
She gave a warm smile before telling him.
Lindsey glanced at the clock before pushing harder on the accelerator. He had 10 minutes to get to HQ before Maggie Walsh's shift was over, and he wanted to get there before she left. A light turned red, and he waited impatiently for it to change, before driving the last few blocks at a slower pace than he wanted to.
He only had about a minute left when he turned into the FBI's parking lot and found a parking spot before jerking the keys out of the ignition and reaching for the camera Buffy had given him. He'd almost made it to the doors when they opened, and he found himself facing four of his coworkers.
"Linds?" Xander asked as a large smile grew. "It's good to have you back. What was with the disappearing act?"
The brunette smirked before shaking his head tiredly. "I know everything guys... well, almost everything. His eyes flicked to Angel's before he glanced at Spike. "There are two things to do right now. Make sure the men you caught can't make a run for it..."
"Two of them are in jail, and the mayor's already given a statement," Spike broke in as he eyed the brunette curiously.
"Wilkins?" Lindsey asked with disbelief.
"He was the only one that didn't have an unregistered gun," Angel answered.
Silence fell as Lindsey rubbed at his forehead. He hadn't dreamed it went that high up. "The second thing we need to do," he started slowly, "is find Buffy."
Angel's head shot up as a knot grew in his stomach. Lindsey was a good agent, and if he felt they needed to find her... "So, Buffy's Nemesis?"
"What?" Lindsey looked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. "No. Buffy's not Nemesis. As a matter of fact, she was working with me to take down a crime syndicate." He looked at their dumbfounded faces before sighing. He really had a lot of explaining to do, and he weaved his way through his friends before entering the building with resignation. A moment later, they followed him.
Lindsey had been running on adrenaline, but now, after an overwhelming day of facing life or death situations, he was starting to feel it. He looked at the six people sitting around the conference table. They were all looking at him expectantly, and he rubbed a hand over his forehead as he tried to organize his thoughts. "I guess I should start at the beginning," he stated before glancing at the blonde sitting across from him. "I hope you're ready for this Amanda," he gave a smile to the woman that was going to be taking shorthand.
She grinned back. "I've got you covered, Linds."
He nodded before settling back into the chair. "I was getting off the ship at Puerto Vallarta when Luke Perry bumped into me. He said he knew who Nemesis was, gave me a piece of paper with a rough map on it and a note asking me to meet him in half an hour. The note said to come alone, and he'd give me evidence. I did," he stated grimly, "and it was a trap. He and Snyder had a gun on me the second I walked into the warehouse." He broke off as he stared at the table. "I was gagged and tied to a chair when Darla came in with a gun on Buffy a few minutes later." He paused uneasily and ran a hand through his hair. "They thought she was Nemesis. They also thought... if they could get her on video killing an FBI agent, she wouldn't give them any trouble when they gave her orders."
He shook his head. "She told them they were wrong, and she wasn't going to kill me. And they put guns to both our heads and said there'd be more than one death if she didn't." He looked at Riley. "I tried to let her know... I mean... I was hoping she'd remember our conversation about bulletproof vests. And when she looked at me, I nodded to let her know it was okay. I wasn't sure for a while... I thought she was going to refuse, but then she started cooperating." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dvd before getting to his feet and walking over to hand it to Riley. "This is what they told her to say, and what they were going to blackmail her with."
The agents moved to where they could watch as Riley slid it into the computer. The screen flickered to life to show Buffy holding a gun on Lindsey. "Nemesis always wins," she stated before gunshots rang out, and they watched as Lindsey slumped in his chair, blood soaking through the front of his shirt.
Silence fell before Xander cursed. "If they'd put a bullet through your head, Linds... just to be sure." He looked away.
"I know," he answered before giving a slow shake of his head. "I guess they wanted my body to be found, and a shot through the head wouldn't fit with the video."
Riley gave Angel a hard look as he watched the brunette move back to his seat. "And Perry spent two hours with her in her room after they got back to the ship." Angel's eyes were as hard as Riley's when he looked up.
"Perry spent..." Lindsey broke off in distress before running a hand through his hair. "She didn't mention that."
Spike looked at him grimly. "We've got it on the ship's cameras."
Silence fell, and Lindsey gave a slow shake of his head as he stared at the table. "She didn't tell me about it," he repeated. "The um... next thing I remember is waking up in a bed. The man that found me, Mark Bernanke, he said he was Buffy's friend, an FBI agent that she'd contacted." He looked at Walsh. "I told him I was FBI and needed to contact my boss. He said if I did that, it might put Buffy in more danger than she was in. I didn't really have a lot to say about it at the time. I mean, I wasn't in the best shape, and his arguments were sound."
"We should have been contacted," Walsh broke in.
Lindsey nodded. "I was going to contact you, but I didn't see the harm in putting it off a few days. I mean, as long as no one got hurt." He hesitated and studied the table. "I got back to L.A. the day before Buffy's bracelet was stolen. I stopped off at my apartment first, picked up some cash, my spare gun, some clothes... and showed up at her front door. She gave me a spare room." Silence fell before he looked up at Riley. "I was hiding in the closet when you and Xander showed up on the day of the challenge."
"I bet she was happy to see you," Xander stated with a smile.
"She was happy I was alive and willing to listen to my advice, but she wasn't interested in taking it. I mean, whenever I wanted to contact you guys, she would tell me she was already on the inside, and all we needed to do was wait for their next move." He hesitated. "She was sure Perry and Snyder had a boss, and she wanted to know who it was."
Riley dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Buffy's... impulsive Linds. She needs someone to help her make decisions." He rubbed at his forehead before glancing at his friend. "You really should have let me in on it."
"Well anyway, I wanted to be around for her bracelet challenge. I mean, Spike and Angel thought she could be Nemesis... and Chambers, Perry, and Snyder were sure of it... I just wanted to get involved in that. Buffy and I ate out that night." He looked at Walsh. "I was at the restaurant with her when you and Giles showed up." Her eyes narrowed, and he looked away. "We split up at 10 pm. We'd rented a car, and she thought I was going back to the hotel room, but I drove to her house. It took me thirty minutes to get there. Buffy didn't show until around 11... so that leaves half an hour that I can't account for. I don't see how she could have had anything to do with that."
Spike's finger tapped on the table as he looked at Lindsey thoughtfully. "Did Perry or Snyder say why they thought she was Nemesis?"
"No. They just stated it, like it was common knowledge."
"What did Buffy have to say about it?" Angel asked.
"She denied it, and made a comment that it looked like Darla was keeping secrets from her mobster friends, but that was all."
Walsh's cell rang and she pulled it out with irritation. "Walsh," she answered before rubbing at her forehead. "Are they okay?" She listened. "Alright. Thank you for the call." She ended it before quickly punching in another number and waiting. "Ms. Rosenberg," she started. "Gunn and Fred's car went off the road earlier today. I guess the brakes went out of it." She listened. "Thank you. I'd like a full report on that tomorrow." She ended the call and looked at the agents. "They're shaken up, but should be fine."
Riley looked up with a hint of anger before looking at Lindsey. "They were following Luke Perry."
"Perry?" Lindsey asked with surprise before giving a shake of his head. "I put him in the hospital about two hours ago."
They all looked at him, and he rubbed at the back of his neck before looking at Walsh. "Are we still doing this in sequence?" She nodded. "Well..." he started uneasily. "I'm not... " he broke off. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to have an illegal trespass charge coming against me." Her eyes went to the ceiling before she looked back at him. "Well..." Lindsey started again as he turned to Riley. "You remember the storage shed we followed Darla to?"
"The one we *didn't* have grounds to get a search warrant for?" Riley asked pointedly.
"That's the one," Lindsey answered. "I mentioned it to Buffy, and we ditched Angel and Spike to go look at it." He looked at them. "She walked through the woods, and I drove around to meet her."
"I remember that," Spike answered.
"Yeah... well, that was the day we went to the storage units." He took a breath. "That was also the day we picked the lock to see what was in it."
"It was Buffy's idea, wasn't it?" Riley asked with irritation, at the same time Angel leaned forward with interest.
"Did she pick the lock, Linds?"
Riley snorted, and Lindsey shook his head. "No. I did."
Silence fell, and he looked at Walsh. "We didn't *touch* or take anything, except Angel's car."
"What?" Spike asked.
"It was there, keys in the ignition, and the 'Angels' license plate on it. We opened the trunk and it was *all* there. Everything from her robberies."
"And this is information we *can't* use because you broke the law to get it," Walsh stated angrily.
Lindsey nodded as a silence fell before he took a breath. "The night you and Buffy went on a date, Angel... Buffy wanted you to stop following her..." he paused before snorting, "and I guess she wanted to ditch you as well since that was the night Perry and Snyder ordered her to rob the bank." He shook his head with irritation. "She didn't tell me about that, and I don't know why." He looked up. "I was the one driving your car that night. She thought if Nemesis made an appearance while you were out with her, it might get you to back off."
"It wasn't hard to figure out I was ditched, Linds," Angel answered. "But I didn't have a clue why she'd do it only to be arrested less than an hour later."
He nodded."They told her to rob the place, and I don't know what she planned on doing. Whatever it was, though, they didn't even give her the option. She said someone had already broken into it that night and the cops were watching it."
"She called me and said something didn't look right," Riley answered thoughtfully. "The cops were watching it because they got a phone call saying it was going to be robbed."
"How did she get Walsh for a lawyer?" Angel asked.
"Buffy said she showed up within five minutes of her being brought in." Lindsey gave a humorless smile. "The whole thing was nothing but a warning. They thought they had Nemesis working for them, and they wanted her to know they had all the power."
"And yet an argument could be made she was sharp enough to notice the cops were there, call Riley for an alibi, and walk up to the door without even trying to hide her identity," Spike broke in.
Riley snorted. "She doesn't think like a crook, Spike. She didn't notice the surveillance, and probably thought she'd get lucky and someone would leave the door and safe unlocked." He scowled and rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Well, she managed to get out of that," Lindsey murmured as he thoughtfully studied the table. "It was a couple of nights later that she went to the strip club."
"She danced at a strip club?" Riley asked with disbelief before giving a shake of his head. "I know in high school the cheerleaders used to pole dance for fun, but what was she thinking?"
Silence fell, and Angel settled back into his chair, his expression shuttered as he looked at Riley before turning back to Lindsey. "Did she have a reason, Linds? We thought she was there to talk to Snyder."
"Getting arrested shook her up, and she thought if she could talk to him, she might be able to convince him she wasn't Nemesis." He ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, I guess he wasn't there, but when she went back to change clothes, she found," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag holding a small digital camera, "this wrapped in her shirt along with a note telling her to look at the pics."
"That was convenient," Spike murmured before shooting Angel a pointed look that the brunette thoughtfully returned.
Lindsey nodded. "I guess someone must have known what was going on." He shook his head. "Some of the papers mention Penn... others are about drugs... they mention names, times, shipments... dates. I'll have to come back to the documents later, but right now I should probably talk about what happened with Buffy today. She gets up earlier than I do, and she was in the kitchen when I was just coming down the stairs... Anyway, the phone rang and the answering machine kicked on. It was Snyder telling her they wanted the Rayne stash, and she was going to help them get it. He said they'd be by to pick her up at ten. I walked into the kitchen thinking we needed a plan, and she asked me if I could run to the store for milk."
"You're kidding," Xander asked with disbelief.
"No. But she'd left me out of the bank job, and I knew a little about the Rayne stash... so when the rental cars came that morning..." he broke off and looked at Angel and Spike. "We put a gps tracker on your Plymouth, Angel. I figured you wouldn't complain if we tried to keep track of it, but ever since that happened, Buffy was worried you might put one on her car. Anyway, she decided to rent a couple of cars. I took one and followed the delivery guys when they left, and since I already knew where they were going, I drove to Rayne's old piece of land. After that, I guess you know everything. The guy I took down was shooting at Buffy and another woman as they ran toward a boat at the dock. I'd just shot him when you showed up." He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't have a clue the mayor was involved."
"And he was working *with* the guys that wanted you dead?" Xander asked.
Lindsey nodded. "Buffy said she wanted Perry and Snyder's boss..." He looked up humorlessly. "I guess she got him."
Silence fell. "And we're almost caught up, at least on my end. I told you we'd get back to the documents on the camera.
"There are ten photos... and most of them show documents referring to illegal drugs, drop-off points, and payments made to suppliers. One of the documents has Wilkins's name penciled in for a meeting..." he broke off, rubbed at the back of his neck, gave a shake of his head. "But the most interesting one was a press release dated today at 1:30 pm. It stated there had been a barking dog complaint called in for Daniel Holtz's house, and the cops found cocaine in the garage. Holtz was supposed to have shot and killed the cops before dying from wounds he suffered from return fire." He hesitated. "I thought it was a joke at first, but the more I thought about it..." He shook his head. "I wanted to be there just to be sure." He studied the table. "When I got there, Luke Perry had a gun on Amy and Kate. Holtz was tied to a chair." He looked up at them. "Perry's alive, but I'm really looking forward to seeing him go from the hospital to the jail."
Walsh frowned and tapped a finger on the table. "I want evidence, gentlemen, statements... everything you've got, and I want it by 7 pm tonight. If the evidence is good enough, we'll go in with search warrants bright and early tomorrow morning."