He looked out the window of the taxi as it drove down the narrow lane through the cemetery. He could see the splash of red from the vehicle. Litha loved red roses with an undying passion. And since the funeral the sight or scent of them made him physically ill. It looked like some great giant had cut his finger and bled all over the inside of the cathedral. And the spray of flowers over her casket... He got out of the cab and walked up the hill to the tombstone. She would have been 31 right now if he hadn't screwed up things.
"It's peaceful here, isn't it?"
Donovan turned to face his mentor from the FBI. He'd also sponsored Litha into the Hostage Recovery teams.
"What are you doing here?"
"Paying respects an early grave, of course. I could ask you the same thing, but I know why you are here." He chuckled softly and looked down at the black marble headstone coated with the sprays of red roses. "Lillith Morgana Sinclair. Born December 31, 1970. Died January 1, 1999."
"You don't have to read it out loud."
"You know, her mother never blamed you. I still keep in contact with her, good woman, never could grasp the concept of her beliefs and all. But she never blamed you at all for Lillith's death."
"That's comforting. I still blame myself."
"Frank, don't." He handed Donovan two thick brown envelopes. One was so thick that it had to be rubber-banded to keep it closed. The label read "Callahan, Lewis - IAD". The other read "Sinclair, Lillith - IAD".
Donovan looked at it a moment, then at his mentor. "She... was IAD?"
"No. She was working on one specific case for the internal affairs department when she died. It's been speculated that she died as a result of her investigation. She was a witness and in the case."
Donovan's eyes widened sharply. "She was investigating me?!"
"No Frank. Who else was with her that day? Who else seemed to be everywhere she was?"
It clicked suddenly. Callahan. He looked up, the lightbulb shining brightly as he put the pieces together. "But, if she was investigating and going to testify against Callahan, then how did he manage to get away with it?"
"Forensic evidence is a wonderous thing. It's come light years from where it was even three years ago. Still, basic examination can point out a murderer. The doctor pulled a .38 slug out of her. Sadly, he didn't know that you use a 9mm - Which the coroner pulled out of your Walking Bomb."
"I didn't shoot Litha?"
"No, Frank. You didn't. Callahan did. During the investigation, your weapons were confiscated and a ballistics match ran. His gun matched the bullet perfectly."
"So, he's a murderer. Why wasn't he arrested?" Donovan's eyes were blazing again in anger.
"It was safer for them to let him go. The witness was gone. Even with all the evidence and sworn testimony given by Lillith, it still was circumstantial at best. The investigators and the IAD people were going on orders from someone else. Do yourself a favor, read the file." With that, he turned and left Donovan to the cold January air.
The light breeze fluttered the scarf wrapped around his neck. Did he really want to read the file? The triskele around his neck that had belonged to Litha seemed to burn against his chest as he inhaled sharply of the almost painfully cold Washington DC air.
****
He'd arrived back in Chicago hours ago and immediately returned to the ops center. Alex was still deep in her assignment and Monica and Cody were keeping tabs on her. He'd only been gone 24 hours, so nothing major had happened while he was gone. Jake had been pestering the two of them incessantly - a mild case of cabin fever was Monica's diagnosis.
"Jake, come with me. I want to pick your brain a bit on something that's just come to light."
"hey Boss. Alex checked in last night and gave us a new name to run."
Donovan stopped and turned back. "And you're point? You know the drill. Run the name and get a profile for me and Alex. I'll be in my office with Jake for a while."
Cody whistled low and Monica stared for a moment.
"That's so not like him." Cody said.
"Yeah, usually he's on each target like cats on fish. Let's see this person Alex ran over. What was the name again?"
"Seska. Seska Broussard. And she's a hottie! Look at this Monica" He scooted over to show her the few photos of the woman.
Jake and Donovan, however, sat down in Donovan's office across the table from each other. Donovan dropped the inches thick file on the table and stared at it.
"What is this?" was all Jake could get out as he stared at the file.
Donovan flicked a look up to Jake, then back to the file. "Remember the vile mood I was in before I left yesterday?"
"Sure. Everyone says it was over some chick."
"Not just any chick. Until now, it was a co-worker that I believed that I had shot fatally in a hostage extraction."
Jake's eyes lifted to his boss' and went wide. His boss had actually shot someone he worked with?
"Don't look at me like that. It was accidental and I had been cleared after an investigation. I was given this file yesterday. Meet Lillith Sinclair, better known as Litha." At that, he pulled out Lillith's IAD file and put it on the table.
"No wonder Cody and Monica weren't able to dig anything up," Jake said as he looked at the name on the file jacket. "They were looking for a Lita, L-I-T-A. They also hit a stone wall when trying to dig into this Callahan's files."
Donovan half-smiled. He'd always pronounced her name 'Lita', it was almost his pet name for her instead of Litha. "They hit a stone wall because he's on the IAD watch list. Because of this." and he pushed the file for emphasis. "The story I've been given is that Lillith was a witness to something involving Callahan that merited the attention of IAD. She, in turn, was running a special investigation for them on Callahan. It's speculated that it was indeed Callahan that shot her, forensics proving that the bullet pulled out of her wasn't one of mine. I haven't read it yet, I wanted someone else to go over it with me at the same time, in case there is anything I've missed. This means a lot to me personally, Jake, as well as professionally. I've been..." Donovan stopped short of letting down the wall between boss and employee. He just couldn't get that friendly with Jake...
"Gotcha boss. You want an investigator's eye on this also, right?" Jake had an idea of the hell that his boss had been feeling. It was written across the man's face like black ink on snow white paper.
"Please." with that, he slid the rubber band off the file and opened it up. There was a note on the inside. He picked it up and fingered it gently. If his eyes weren't playing games, he'd have sworn it was Litha's handwriting that said 'Cara - I'm sorry... I wish I could have told you sooner.'
He touched it again, fighting back tears at Litha's last words to him... then set it aside to delve into the file with Jake's assistance.
****
The hottie, Seska Broussard, in the meanwhile, sat across the table from Alex at the restaurant. She was a cool customer, watching Montcalvez and his associates through cold blue eyes. Blue eyes made so with contacts.
'Cripes. if only there were less smoke in here' she mentally muttered. The atmosphere of the non-existent overhead lighting and tables lit by candles was drying out her contacts. She wanted nothing more than to get home and take them out so she could relax a bit. She was getting too old for this crap and she wanted out so damned bad. But she had a debt to repay and she'd pay it in spades when the opportunity presented itself. All she had to do was be patient and he'd present himself to her on a silver platter. 'Then,' she thought, smiling to herself, 'he is all mine for the take down. GOD I want his head on my trophy wall... his nuts for paperweights wouldn't be bad either.'
Alex saw the faintest of smiles creeping across the woman's face opposite her. She looked uncomfortable and like she'd rather be elsewhere. Frankly, so did Alex. Listening to Montcalvez croak on and on about his achievments in the drug trade was boring. But, right now she was observing. She looked at her watch as she reached for the glass of water. She also wondered just how much information Cody and Monica had come up with on this Broussard woman. From what she could gather from listening, Montcalvez was courting Broussard's business in lieu of her employer. Broussard had never revealed her employer, giving the excuse he wished to remain anonymous and had given her total discretion. Fine by Alex. Two arrests with one investigation was great. If only she were having dinner with Carlos instead of these people. Broussard caught her eye for some reason. And Alex took a deeper look at the woman. Was she imagining things, or did she see a touch of green in her eyes?
Seska, was eying Alex cautiously. Something had gotten her attention and held it. What she couldn't tell, but it was rather discomfiting. So when her phone chirruped softly in her purse, she took advantage and excused herself.
Once out of sight and hearing, she flipped open the phone and listened.
"Yes. We're running out of time.... I'm well aware of that.... Surely there is enough - alright. I'll see if I can steer the subject." She stopped, one hand bracing against the wall as the speaked on the other end said something. Her hands shaking slightly, she slid the phone down and closed it.
By the time she returned to the table and Alex's scrutiny, she'd regained the cold exterior. But her eyes were a touch more pink for some reason...
****
"It's peaceful here, isn't it?"
Donovan turned to face his mentor from the FBI. He'd also sponsored Litha into the Hostage Recovery teams.
"What are you doing here?"
"Paying respects an early grave, of course. I could ask you the same thing, but I know why you are here." He chuckled softly and looked down at the black marble headstone coated with the sprays of red roses. "Lillith Morgana Sinclair. Born December 31, 1970. Died January 1, 1999."
"You don't have to read it out loud."
"You know, her mother never blamed you. I still keep in contact with her, good woman, never could grasp the concept of her beliefs and all. But she never blamed you at all for Lillith's death."
"That's comforting. I still blame myself."
"Frank, don't." He handed Donovan two thick brown envelopes. One was so thick that it had to be rubber-banded to keep it closed. The label read "Callahan, Lewis - IAD". The other read "Sinclair, Lillith - IAD".
Donovan looked at it a moment, then at his mentor. "She... was IAD?"
"No. She was working on one specific case for the internal affairs department when she died. It's been speculated that she died as a result of her investigation. She was a witness and in the case."
Donovan's eyes widened sharply. "She was investigating me?!"
"No Frank. Who else was with her that day? Who else seemed to be everywhere she was?"
It clicked suddenly. Callahan. He looked up, the lightbulb shining brightly as he put the pieces together. "But, if she was investigating and going to testify against Callahan, then how did he manage to get away with it?"
"Forensic evidence is a wonderous thing. It's come light years from where it was even three years ago. Still, basic examination can point out a murderer. The doctor pulled a .38 slug out of her. Sadly, he didn't know that you use a 9mm - Which the coroner pulled out of your Walking Bomb."
"I didn't shoot Litha?"
"No, Frank. You didn't. Callahan did. During the investigation, your weapons were confiscated and a ballistics match ran. His gun matched the bullet perfectly."
"So, he's a murderer. Why wasn't he arrested?" Donovan's eyes were blazing again in anger.
"It was safer for them to let him go. The witness was gone. Even with all the evidence and sworn testimony given by Lillith, it still was circumstantial at best. The investigators and the IAD people were going on orders from someone else. Do yourself a favor, read the file." With that, he turned and left Donovan to the cold January air.
The light breeze fluttered the scarf wrapped around his neck. Did he really want to read the file? The triskele around his neck that had belonged to Litha seemed to burn against his chest as he inhaled sharply of the almost painfully cold Washington DC air.
****
He'd arrived back in Chicago hours ago and immediately returned to the ops center. Alex was still deep in her assignment and Monica and Cody were keeping tabs on her. He'd only been gone 24 hours, so nothing major had happened while he was gone. Jake had been pestering the two of them incessantly - a mild case of cabin fever was Monica's diagnosis.
"Jake, come with me. I want to pick your brain a bit on something that's just come to light."
"hey Boss. Alex checked in last night and gave us a new name to run."
Donovan stopped and turned back. "And you're point? You know the drill. Run the name and get a profile for me and Alex. I'll be in my office with Jake for a while."
Cody whistled low and Monica stared for a moment.
"That's so not like him." Cody said.
"Yeah, usually he's on each target like cats on fish. Let's see this person Alex ran over. What was the name again?"
"Seska. Seska Broussard. And she's a hottie! Look at this Monica" He scooted over to show her the few photos of the woman.
Jake and Donovan, however, sat down in Donovan's office across the table from each other. Donovan dropped the inches thick file on the table and stared at it.
"What is this?" was all Jake could get out as he stared at the file.
Donovan flicked a look up to Jake, then back to the file. "Remember the vile mood I was in before I left yesterday?"
"Sure. Everyone says it was over some chick."
"Not just any chick. Until now, it was a co-worker that I believed that I had shot fatally in a hostage extraction."
Jake's eyes lifted to his boss' and went wide. His boss had actually shot someone he worked with?
"Don't look at me like that. It was accidental and I had been cleared after an investigation. I was given this file yesterday. Meet Lillith Sinclair, better known as Litha." At that, he pulled out Lillith's IAD file and put it on the table.
"No wonder Cody and Monica weren't able to dig anything up," Jake said as he looked at the name on the file jacket. "They were looking for a Lita, L-I-T-A. They also hit a stone wall when trying to dig into this Callahan's files."
Donovan half-smiled. He'd always pronounced her name 'Lita', it was almost his pet name for her instead of Litha. "They hit a stone wall because he's on the IAD watch list. Because of this." and he pushed the file for emphasis. "The story I've been given is that Lillith was a witness to something involving Callahan that merited the attention of IAD. She, in turn, was running a special investigation for them on Callahan. It's speculated that it was indeed Callahan that shot her, forensics proving that the bullet pulled out of her wasn't one of mine. I haven't read it yet, I wanted someone else to go over it with me at the same time, in case there is anything I've missed. This means a lot to me personally, Jake, as well as professionally. I've been..." Donovan stopped short of letting down the wall between boss and employee. He just couldn't get that friendly with Jake...
"Gotcha boss. You want an investigator's eye on this also, right?" Jake had an idea of the hell that his boss had been feeling. It was written across the man's face like black ink on snow white paper.
"Please." with that, he slid the rubber band off the file and opened it up. There was a note on the inside. He picked it up and fingered it gently. If his eyes weren't playing games, he'd have sworn it was Litha's handwriting that said 'Cara - I'm sorry... I wish I could have told you sooner.'
He touched it again, fighting back tears at Litha's last words to him... then set it aside to delve into the file with Jake's assistance.
****
The hottie, Seska Broussard, in the meanwhile, sat across the table from Alex at the restaurant. She was a cool customer, watching Montcalvez and his associates through cold blue eyes. Blue eyes made so with contacts.
'Cripes. if only there were less smoke in here' she mentally muttered. The atmosphere of the non-existent overhead lighting and tables lit by candles was drying out her contacts. She wanted nothing more than to get home and take them out so she could relax a bit. She was getting too old for this crap and she wanted out so damned bad. But she had a debt to repay and she'd pay it in spades when the opportunity presented itself. All she had to do was be patient and he'd present himself to her on a silver platter. 'Then,' she thought, smiling to herself, 'he is all mine for the take down. GOD I want his head on my trophy wall... his nuts for paperweights wouldn't be bad either.'
Alex saw the faintest of smiles creeping across the woman's face opposite her. She looked uncomfortable and like she'd rather be elsewhere. Frankly, so did Alex. Listening to Montcalvez croak on and on about his achievments in the drug trade was boring. But, right now she was observing. She looked at her watch as she reached for the glass of water. She also wondered just how much information Cody and Monica had come up with on this Broussard woman. From what she could gather from listening, Montcalvez was courting Broussard's business in lieu of her employer. Broussard had never revealed her employer, giving the excuse he wished to remain anonymous and had given her total discretion. Fine by Alex. Two arrests with one investigation was great. If only she were having dinner with Carlos instead of these people. Broussard caught her eye for some reason. And Alex took a deeper look at the woman. Was she imagining things, or did she see a touch of green in her eyes?
Seska, was eying Alex cautiously. Something had gotten her attention and held it. What she couldn't tell, but it was rather discomfiting. So when her phone chirruped softly in her purse, she took advantage and excused herself.
Once out of sight and hearing, she flipped open the phone and listened.
"Yes. We're running out of time.... I'm well aware of that.... Surely there is enough - alright. I'll see if I can steer the subject." She stopped, one hand bracing against the wall as the speaked on the other end said something. Her hands shaking slightly, she slid the phone down and closed it.
By the time she returned to the table and Alex's scrutiny, she'd regained the cold exterior. But her eyes were a touch more pink for some reason...
****