Continuation of untethered story

NOT BETA'D


Captain's Office

"The New York State Village Justice System. Amateur hour. They got mechanics, crossing guards, people with no legal background ruling on cases from their rec rooms."

"That's how Donny ended up in Tates. He's got eight more months to serve," Bobby pleaded.

"In a prison that's what 300 miles outside our jurisdiction."

Eames opens her mouth to buffer and smooth things over but Goren beat her to the punch speaking first, "If he's dirty, he's dirty." She breathed out. "I just feel the arrest is sketchy." Goren glances at Eames before turning back to the Captain. "He's my nephew and I want to help him."

"No. He's your nephew. We'll keep your fingerprints off this starting now. I need a word with your partner." Here he goes again talking behind my back and putting Eames between us. Goren makes eye contact and addresses his tendency to speak about him to his partner.

"Shouldn't I stay in here for this?" He glances briefly at Eames as he gets up from his chair, shrugs, and exits the office.

Eames immediately rises and speaks anticipating the Captain's concerns, "I understand you worried about Bobby upstate dealing with Tates, I can be the face person on this."

"No, not you either. There's a crystal meth task force"

"A friend from Vice is on it," Eames follows his lead.

"Good. Have him talk to the ADA and request that Donny be transferred to Rikers as a witness and make sure the trail doesn't lead back here." She nods and grins at the idea of the Captain going along with them and glad that they can do something to help Bobby help his nephew.

Goren meets with Frank briefly in a restaurant to inform him that he is following it through. Frank, with gratitude, presses his mother's ring into his hand covering it with his own, "It's yours." Goren just stares at him realizing he, at least didn't sell it for drugs. I guess that's something. After briefly informing him of the plan, Goren leaves and signs in to speak to Donny at Rikers.

Rikers Island


"They told me I was bipolar so they moved me out of Gen Pop to MO. They put me on these meds which I stopped taking 'cause they make me go to the bathroom too much."

"Don't say Gen Pop, it makes you sound like you've been in too long." Donny nods. "So you went off your meds, what happened?"

"I mouthed off to a couple COs. Mom said I had a problem with authority figures."

"Well. My mom said the same thing about me, it doesn't mean you're crazy" Goren's heart swells feeling a kindred spirit to Donny. He puffs up his chest, proud of his nephew.

"I don't know you. You seem like a smart kid. What are you doing selling drugs?"

"I-I-I wasn't. Huffaker goes to Atoona college which is where I do janitorial. Okay. Now, one day he-he comes up to me and says he's going to go Truby and he wants company for the drive up."

"Company. He's on a meth run. He wanted a fall guy."

"Well he got one because that's why I'm here at Rikers right now and he's probably back at class. Don't get me wrong though, I would rather be here than back at Tates."

Goren looks at him knowing he's going to have to break the news that he can't stay at Rikers. "You know that this transfer is temporary. Right, you gotta go back there."

Donny begins begging and pleading, "Please, don't send me back there. Please. Do not send me back there."

"Jail's Jail," Goren proffered.

"Jail, I can take. Okay. Up at Tate's there killing people and they know I know."

One Police Plaza

Goren texts Eames that he's back and she meets him outside. He's shifting his body with an excited but nervous energy.

"Hey. How'd it go?"

"Good. Donny seems like a smart and nice kid. Frank did something right letting him have a life without him dragging him down. He just got himself in a bad situation but not anything he can't turn around."

"You like him." She smiles.

"I do. He reminds me of me. He has authority issues like me." He smiles.

"That's an odd thing to be proud of, Bobby." She smiles back and nods. "I'm glad you had a chance to talk to him."

"He's scared though, seems paranoid about retaliation over witnessing what he said was a murder. I don't know how true it is but his fear seems very real. He was pleading with me not to send him back."

"You want to help him?"

"I do."

"Well let's go see what we can find to substantiate his claims." Goren follows her back inside the building as they call and search the database to find out any information they can about Tate's and possible deaths that occurred during Donny's stay. Eames pulls out a file that she got sent over. "Tate's did have a death last week in the mental observation unit. Jay Lowry, 21. The report says he died of natural causes." They catch each other's eyes and both arch their eyebrows in disbelief.

"21? Jay have any health problems?"

"Schizophrenia and bad teeth."

"Kid like this, would be an easy target for sadistic COs." Goren's eyes displayed a sadness that Eames read as he was invested. He would see this case through.

"I've just been informed that Donny Carlson is in holding." Eames runs her hand on her face.

"I couldn't evaluate him in Rikers." He looked up calculating a believable lie. "It's noisy. I don't have a lot of time," He laid on thick, hoping to press his luck a little farther for his Captain's understanding.

"He asked for tea." The Captain says automatically handing him a cup of tea to give to Donny. "Here." The Captain looks at Goren with a stern glance that let him know not to push any further but that he'd give him this one.

Goren nodded. "Thanks Captain."

Holding Cell


"Okay, this is what we have."

"That's him! That's the guy. That's the guy they killed. He flooded his cell, then they took him to heaven."

"Okay, Slow yourself down. You're talking Fast. Do you know that?"

"I know. I'm Sorry."

"Okay. Now, they took him to Heaven."

"That's not the Heaven that I'm talking about, okay. There's an isolation unit. It's a room in Tates. Heaven is a room in Tates in the isolation unit."

"And they use restraints there?"

"Yes, they use restraints there. They strap you to a slab until they break you or they kill you, just like lowry."

"And you're sure that they killed him, because the report says that he died of natural causes."

"You called the warden? Now, she's gonna know that I'm telling you about this murder, and then she's gonna kill me."

"We didn't call the warden and you're sounding a little paranoid."

"I think I got a little right to be paranoid, okay? I heard what I heard. If you wanna hear it from the shrink, her name is Dr. Stern. Go ahead and ask her. Just don't send me back there."

"Calm yourself down. Okay. Let's sit down. Sit down and calm yourself." Goren put his arm around him and guides him back into a seated position.

"Dad tells me that your mom just died. Nut job. You think I have what she had."

"No. I don't think that."

Captain Ross addressed Goren, "So the Task Force ADA heard from the warden at Tates who was surprised that they subpoenaed Donny as a witness considering his history of hallucinations."

"Donny says he saw the COs kill an inmate. Now the warden, she's worried about what he knows. She's discrediting him."

"Whatever's going on up there, it's not in our jurisdiction."

"Understood, Captain," he placated knowing full well he wasn't going to let this go.

Goren and Eames tracked down the lead to what they were starting to believe was the murder of Jay Lowry. Goren became determined to verify Donny's story. They had his parents exhume his body and the ME noted cause of death was severe dehydration and pointed out several bruising patterns consistent with restraints. Goren went to share their findings with Donny but realized he was no longer in the holding cell. Eames simultaneously trying to put out fires with the captain who realized that they went against his orders and investigated a case outside of their jurisdiction.

Goren couldn't wait and out of concern for his nephew, he became adamant advocating for his safety.

"Where's Donny?"

"Bobby, I was-" She jumps to try to explain but the Captain asserts his authority and tells him in a matter of fact way. It would have gone a little smoother if he had let her talk to him.

"The ADA couldn't extend his transfer. He went back to Tates this morning."

"You can't send him back there." He glances back at Eames for support, "He's at risk."

She nods an understanding but closes her eyes at the frustration of not being able to do anything. She just knew it was not going to end well. She felt for Goren. He didn't really ask for much in terms of his family maybe some flexibility around the time leading up to his mother's death and here he has his hand out looking for support from the blue and yet again they turn their collective backs on him. She just knew if it was any other person, they would find a way to sort it out, and Goren would be the first one in line to help and lend support, but it was Goren so they just towed the line.

"We did everything we could, Detective."

"'Cause of what he knows."

Eames nods trying to force a plan in motion in her mind to de-escalate the upcoming situation, she knew was coming. She knew Goren's frustration and he would not take it sitting down like most people.

"Then we shouldn't draw attention to him. When this dies down, we'll ask the ADA to speak to the warden."

She licks her lips and then sucks them in forming a thin line keeping her mouth shut knowing there's nothing she could do and the Captain just said the words that would set Goren off. She shakes her head. Here it comes.

"When this dies down?"

"Bobby-" She pleads hoping to catch him before he made the situation worse.

"Put Donny in Protective custody."

"Bobby-" She calls out again hoping to get him to refocus on her. If she could get him to focus on her, she knew she could calm him down but it was too late. His emotions had already begun escalating.

"That's not good enough! Are you crazy?" Her head just drop and she shakes her head. Dammit, Bobby. By now the entire squad has eyes fixed on him and the Captain and the Captain has to get him in line.

"Detective, in my office now." Goren's head sinks down after he realizes he shouldn't have blown up.

She raises her head as he does his and locks eyes communicating You went too far, Bobby and his eyes communicate with her, Yeah, I know. He tries to calm himself down. The same thing he's been trying to tell his nephew to do all day. He knows he has to be calm and bring reason if he has any way of getting out of this hole he dug.

"Captain, listen. The warden. Donny says that everything that happens there is under her orders. You send him back there, she'll make sure that Donny never talks to anyone again."

"Sounds a little Paranoid, Detective."

"It does?" He does everything in his power to stay calm. Here we go again with someone insinuating I'm crazy. I'm not. They just won't listen.

"I know you're worried about your nephew's safety and mental health. I'm worried about yours."

"I'm fine." He exclaims with conviction but couldn't resist the urge to poke him back, "How are you?"

"You've been under a lot of stress." Code for I'm gonna give you a chance to humble yourself and I'm just going to chalk it up to everything that has been going on. " I can tell you're not sleeping. I need you to take a weekend's sick leave."

"Uh there's nothing wrong with me."

"One week. Don't come back 'till you've been to Psych services."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Goren mumbled to himself since no one was inclined to believe him and exited the Captain's office into the bullpen to see Eames standing and waiting for him and reads Eames' disappointment on her face and sees her questioning eyes. "I'm on sick leave,"

She nods Dammit Bobby.

"But then he gives me a rubber gun." He locks up his gun and puts up his hands like I don't know. I guess I'm on my own, He thinks. He gets ready to leave but walks back up to Eames' desk as an idea formulates in his head.