This is a work of fiction. No copyright infringement intended.
Hunter and its characters belong to someone like Stephen J Cannell
Unfinished Business originally written by Morgan Gendal
OK - we all saw Unfinished Business right? So why did it happen? And what happened after? It helps if you can pretend that nothing from Streetwise onwards happened, except maybe in our nightmares. ;)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - the whole story.
Chapter 5
Bingham had just hoisted a car onto an overhead bay when he heard footsteps enter the garage and move to stand behind him. "Earl Bingham?" said a voice in his ear. "Who wants to know?" he asked without turning. "I do," was the impatient answer. With a sigh he twisted to find a woman standing close behind, holding a badge under his nose. From the look on her face, and that of the big guy behind her they were not in the mood for games. With another weary sigh Bingham laid down his spanner. "Look, whatever this is about, I didn't do it." "We know. But you know the guy who did. And you're going to tell us where to find him, right?" Bingham took a nervous step backwards. Women like this one intimidated him, and he much preferred the shoe to be on the other foot. And this one looked to be in no mood to be tangled with. Still, if they were after the guy he thought, he'd much rather have these two angry at him. Big Nick was liable to snap your arms off if he thought you'd crossed him. "I don't know nothing," he mumbled. The tall guy grabbed his arm and led him outside. "Let's talk about this back at the station, shall we?"
Back at HQ, Bingham was no more forthcoming after an hour of intense questioning. McCall found she was fast losing patience with his obdurate refusal to admit to more than knowing Streiber. Hunter's patience had reached breaking point quarter of an hour before and he had left her to it. Bingham just sat there, looking bored by the whole thing. "How much longer is this going to go on?" he sighed. "Until I get the answers I need." "I don't know how many different ways I can tell you. I ain't seen Streiber in months." "That's not good enough, Earl." He was getting stroppy. "Hey, I wanna see a lawyer. I got my rights." "Alright, I'll get you an attorney. But I'm not through with you yet."
Hunter watched from the other side of the two-way mirror. He didn't think they would get anything out this guy, so he'd left McCall to it. Maybe she would work off some of her aggression on Bingham. He heard the door behind him open and turned to see Lt Malone standing in the doorway. "Any luck?" she queried. "No, not yet." "You heard?" McCall appeared in the doorway behind Malone, obviously tired of banging her head on the brick wall of Bingham's obstinacy. Megan moved aside to let her in. "Yeah, I did." Malone gave them both a sly smile. "I found out something that might help. Do you mind if I have a crack at it?" "Go ahead." She grabbed a clipboard off the wall and entered the interview room, seemingly absorbed in the paperwork. McCall joined Hunter at the observation window and they watched the performance. Bingham eyed Malone apprehensively, but his nervousness did nothing to diminish his smart-arse attitude. "Funny, you don't look like my lawyer." Megan glanced up at him as if surprised to find him there. "You're not going to need one. We're cutting you loose." He stood, and had take two steps towards the door when she continued. "Oh, on your way out, say 'hi' to an old acquaintance of yours - a fence name Rivera." Bingham paused, as if sensing more. "We picked him up. Told him someone had snitched him off." With that she went back to her clipboard, writing furiously. Bingham wasn't about to leave it at that. "He'll think it's me," he protested. "Especially after I tell him it was." Earl turned away from her, uncertain. "You're bluffing," he said without conviction. Malone, on the other hand, was full of confidence. "Then call it. Go ahead - walk." Hunter and McCall exchanged a glance as he wavered, obviously torn between telling her where to stick it and protecting his own hide. Streiber .," he cleared his throat and tried again. "Streiber's got a girl named Suzy at the Malobar Arms in Montebello. I've been there. And that's all I know." Megan allowed herself a victorious smirk. "You're a regular encyclopaedia, Earl." With that she strode out, leaving him pissed off at being so easily manipulated. "Very nice." Hunter gave his partner a sideways glance. "She's good, isn't she?" He was aware that deliberately baiting McCall was counter- productive, but he couldn't help himself.
McCall was well aware of what Hunter was doing. With a supreme effort she forced herself not to rise to the bait. "Yeah, well, it does pay to have inside information, doesn't it?" she murmured, only slightly sarcastically. Megan reappeared in the doorway. "Very nice," Hunter repeated for her benefit. "Thanks," she replied, placing her prop back on its hook. "Let's go find this Suzy. We might find something - like Streiber." Damn, thought Dee Dee, glancing surreptitiously at her watch, it's almost time for my appointment with Tate. "You know, I've just remembered, I've got a . dentist's appointment. So let me just cancel, and I'll be right with you." She hoped Hunter hadn't noticed her hesitation. Megan waved a hand dismissively. "That's OK. Hunter and I can handle it." "No, no. It's a loose filling ." Dee Dee protested, taking a step forward. Hunter held up a hand to stop her. "That's a good idea," he said to Malone, then glanced back at her. "Why don't you go to the dentist, get your stuff taken care of, and we'll fill you in a little bit later on." With that they were gone. She hadn't missed the fleeting look of relief that had crossed his face as they left. Her stomach clenched, and suddenly she felt like crying without really knowing why.
As he drove eastwards through the thick afternoon traffic towards Montebello, Hunter realized that he had just unceremoniously dumped his partner. But her appointment had seemed like a small god-send. A little time apart would give them break from each other and the sniping that seemed to erupt without either of them meaning to start it. Thankfully, Megan was absorbed in a report, leaving him free to concentrate on his partner's puzzling behaviour. He couldn't for the life of him understand what had caused her to go on the attack two days ago. Nor could he explain his own counter-attack, or why every time one of them made an attempt to break through walls that had sprung up between them from out of nowhere the other retreated further. He didn't want to do it, and he sensed Dee Dee didn't want to either, but countless times over the past three days they had both done it. Damping down a frustrated sigh he pulled the car into the parking lot of the Malobar Arms. From the outside it was typical of the buildings in the area. The façade was a crumbling shadow of its former glory in the days before this was just another East LA slum. Now it was just the right side of seedy. In twenty years, assuming it had crumbled to dust in an earthquake or under the weight of the LA smog, it would be just another cess pit. Inside was much the same. The dark, sticky carpet had seen better days and the lighting was almost non-existent. Locating the number Bingham had given them in the dingy light was difficult, but eventually they stood outside Suzy's door. Hunter tapped firmly on the door. There was no answer, so he knocked louder. "Police. Open up." The door opened widely and a young Asian woman with a bitter, hardened expression stood to one side, allowing them entry. "Hey, I didn't do anything," she protested without force. Presumably, she had been through this before. Obviously, though, she knew the drill. "No, but you know someone who has." Hunter handed her the photo of Streiber. She glanced cursorily at it. "I don't know him." "Lookit, Streiber is a killer," Hunter explained. "You don't want to be hooked up with him, Suzy." The indifferent look slipped from her face, replaced with seething resentment. "You know, I don't need some cop coming in here and telling me who my friends are!" Malone closed in on her like a jackal smelling blood. "I thought you said you didn't know him?" "Get out of here!" With that she flung the door open again. Megan wasn't about to let go yet. "You help him, you'll go down with him as an accessory. You think about that, hmm?" Cast in the unfamiliar role of good cop, Hunter handed Suzy a card as he left. "If you see Streiber, give me a call." The door slammed after them, and through it they could hear Suzy muttering curses. "She's not going to call," Malone said, striding to the exit. "We need to put a surveillance team on her." "You're right."
OK - we all saw Unfinished Business right? So why did it happen? And what happened after? It helps if you can pretend that nothing from Streetwise onwards happened, except maybe in our nightmares. ;)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - the whole story.
Chapter 5
Bingham had just hoisted a car onto an overhead bay when he heard footsteps enter the garage and move to stand behind him. "Earl Bingham?" said a voice in his ear. "Who wants to know?" he asked without turning. "I do," was the impatient answer. With a sigh he twisted to find a woman standing close behind, holding a badge under his nose. From the look on her face, and that of the big guy behind her they were not in the mood for games. With another weary sigh Bingham laid down his spanner. "Look, whatever this is about, I didn't do it." "We know. But you know the guy who did. And you're going to tell us where to find him, right?" Bingham took a nervous step backwards. Women like this one intimidated him, and he much preferred the shoe to be on the other foot. And this one looked to be in no mood to be tangled with. Still, if they were after the guy he thought, he'd much rather have these two angry at him. Big Nick was liable to snap your arms off if he thought you'd crossed him. "I don't know nothing," he mumbled. The tall guy grabbed his arm and led him outside. "Let's talk about this back at the station, shall we?"
Back at HQ, Bingham was no more forthcoming after an hour of intense questioning. McCall found she was fast losing patience with his obdurate refusal to admit to more than knowing Streiber. Hunter's patience had reached breaking point quarter of an hour before and he had left her to it. Bingham just sat there, looking bored by the whole thing. "How much longer is this going to go on?" he sighed. "Until I get the answers I need." "I don't know how many different ways I can tell you. I ain't seen Streiber in months." "That's not good enough, Earl." He was getting stroppy. "Hey, I wanna see a lawyer. I got my rights." "Alright, I'll get you an attorney. But I'm not through with you yet."
Hunter watched from the other side of the two-way mirror. He didn't think they would get anything out this guy, so he'd left McCall to it. Maybe she would work off some of her aggression on Bingham. He heard the door behind him open and turned to see Lt Malone standing in the doorway. "Any luck?" she queried. "No, not yet." "You heard?" McCall appeared in the doorway behind Malone, obviously tired of banging her head on the brick wall of Bingham's obstinacy. Megan moved aside to let her in. "Yeah, I did." Malone gave them both a sly smile. "I found out something that might help. Do you mind if I have a crack at it?" "Go ahead." She grabbed a clipboard off the wall and entered the interview room, seemingly absorbed in the paperwork. McCall joined Hunter at the observation window and they watched the performance. Bingham eyed Malone apprehensively, but his nervousness did nothing to diminish his smart-arse attitude. "Funny, you don't look like my lawyer." Megan glanced up at him as if surprised to find him there. "You're not going to need one. We're cutting you loose." He stood, and had take two steps towards the door when she continued. "Oh, on your way out, say 'hi' to an old acquaintance of yours - a fence name Rivera." Bingham paused, as if sensing more. "We picked him up. Told him someone had snitched him off." With that she went back to her clipboard, writing furiously. Bingham wasn't about to leave it at that. "He'll think it's me," he protested. "Especially after I tell him it was." Earl turned away from her, uncertain. "You're bluffing," he said without conviction. Malone, on the other hand, was full of confidence. "Then call it. Go ahead - walk." Hunter and McCall exchanged a glance as he wavered, obviously torn between telling her where to stick it and protecting his own hide. Streiber .," he cleared his throat and tried again. "Streiber's got a girl named Suzy at the Malobar Arms in Montebello. I've been there. And that's all I know." Megan allowed herself a victorious smirk. "You're a regular encyclopaedia, Earl." With that she strode out, leaving him pissed off at being so easily manipulated. "Very nice." Hunter gave his partner a sideways glance. "She's good, isn't she?" He was aware that deliberately baiting McCall was counter- productive, but he couldn't help himself.
McCall was well aware of what Hunter was doing. With a supreme effort she forced herself not to rise to the bait. "Yeah, well, it does pay to have inside information, doesn't it?" she murmured, only slightly sarcastically. Megan reappeared in the doorway. "Very nice," Hunter repeated for her benefit. "Thanks," she replied, placing her prop back on its hook. "Let's go find this Suzy. We might find something - like Streiber." Damn, thought Dee Dee, glancing surreptitiously at her watch, it's almost time for my appointment with Tate. "You know, I've just remembered, I've got a . dentist's appointment. So let me just cancel, and I'll be right with you." She hoped Hunter hadn't noticed her hesitation. Megan waved a hand dismissively. "That's OK. Hunter and I can handle it." "No, no. It's a loose filling ." Dee Dee protested, taking a step forward. Hunter held up a hand to stop her. "That's a good idea," he said to Malone, then glanced back at her. "Why don't you go to the dentist, get your stuff taken care of, and we'll fill you in a little bit later on." With that they were gone. She hadn't missed the fleeting look of relief that had crossed his face as they left. Her stomach clenched, and suddenly she felt like crying without really knowing why.
As he drove eastwards through the thick afternoon traffic towards Montebello, Hunter realized that he had just unceremoniously dumped his partner. But her appointment had seemed like a small god-send. A little time apart would give them break from each other and the sniping that seemed to erupt without either of them meaning to start it. Thankfully, Megan was absorbed in a report, leaving him free to concentrate on his partner's puzzling behaviour. He couldn't for the life of him understand what had caused her to go on the attack two days ago. Nor could he explain his own counter-attack, or why every time one of them made an attempt to break through walls that had sprung up between them from out of nowhere the other retreated further. He didn't want to do it, and he sensed Dee Dee didn't want to either, but countless times over the past three days they had both done it. Damping down a frustrated sigh he pulled the car into the parking lot of the Malobar Arms. From the outside it was typical of the buildings in the area. The façade was a crumbling shadow of its former glory in the days before this was just another East LA slum. Now it was just the right side of seedy. In twenty years, assuming it had crumbled to dust in an earthquake or under the weight of the LA smog, it would be just another cess pit. Inside was much the same. The dark, sticky carpet had seen better days and the lighting was almost non-existent. Locating the number Bingham had given them in the dingy light was difficult, but eventually they stood outside Suzy's door. Hunter tapped firmly on the door. There was no answer, so he knocked louder. "Police. Open up." The door opened widely and a young Asian woman with a bitter, hardened expression stood to one side, allowing them entry. "Hey, I didn't do anything," she protested without force. Presumably, she had been through this before. Obviously, though, she knew the drill. "No, but you know someone who has." Hunter handed her the photo of Streiber. She glanced cursorily at it. "I don't know him." "Lookit, Streiber is a killer," Hunter explained. "You don't want to be hooked up with him, Suzy." The indifferent look slipped from her face, replaced with seething resentment. "You know, I don't need some cop coming in here and telling me who my friends are!" Malone closed in on her like a jackal smelling blood. "I thought you said you didn't know him?" "Get out of here!" With that she flung the door open again. Megan wasn't about to let go yet. "You help him, you'll go down with him as an accessory. You think about that, hmm?" Cast in the unfamiliar role of good cop, Hunter handed Suzy a card as he left. "If you see Streiber, give me a call." The door slammed after them, and through it they could hear Suzy muttering curses. "She's not going to call," Malone said, striding to the exit. "We need to put a surveillance team on her." "You're right."