Internal Affairs

by ShadowRunner

Elisa and Matt are accused of a crime they didn't commit... or did they?

Internal Affairs

By Shadow Runner

Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com

Whatta mean ya mean their not mine?  How can that be?  Are ya sure? Oh… They belong to Disney?  And I'll get sued if I try to Claim them?  Oh… wow…  All my money if I don't put up a disclaimer?  Well… We wouldn't want that to happen… So, ah… I better get busy with that…. Not mine…. Just borrowing them… Don't sue me… I come in peace and I mean you no harm.  Just adding my own spin to the mix and no infringement is intended…

Well, it's been a while but now I'm back… please…. Stop… the applauds are embarrassing…Yes I am a legend in my own mind… That being said, this takes place after the events of The Hunter's Moon and completely unrelated to any of my other Fics.

Hope you enjoy and Happy Reading J

Shadow Runner

*****     *****     *****

Detective Elisa Maza sat in the front seat of the Fairlane, a look of irritation clearly visible on her face as she finished the last remnants of her already cold coffee, "I swear you can't even count on criminals these days…"

Her partner, Detective Matt Bluestone, gave her a sidelong glance before returning his attention back to the seeming deserted building, "Hey, Toby said it was the real deal…"

"Matt," She glanced over at him briefly, "You know he isn't the most dependable source of information…"

"He did give us the goods on that chop shop bust we had two weeks ago…" He replied defensively.

"Along with an Elvis sighting, three UFO abductions, and the conspiracy theory to overthrow the CEO of the Frito-Lay Corporation."

Matt blushed as he lifted the binoculars off the dashboard.  Raising them to his eyes, he shifted around in the passenger seat and scanned the area for movement, "Hey that Frito-Lay thing might actually have some merit to it… I was surfing the web this afternoon and…"

Elisa wadded up the paper cup and tossed it at the back of her partner's head as she shifted around in the driver's seat to glare at him, "How about next time you just pick up the tabloids and see what they have to say about the criminal element in New York?  It's bound to be more helpful…"

Her sarcastic remark finally took hold as Matt slowly turned around in order to return the expression on irritation. "OK, this would be the part of the movie where you quit biting my head off…"

Elisa took several deep breaths before speaking.  "You're right, that was a cheap shot.  I'm sorry…" The raven-haired woman shifted around and looked out her own window, "It's just that the last few days have collectively sucked and… well I guess I'm taking it out on you."

"No problem," Matt shrugged, "I'm used to it by now…"

She glanced back and gave him an embarrassed smile, "I haven't been that bad have I?"

"Naw… no worse than usual… " He glanced at his watch noting they had been sitting in the parking lot of a seemingly abandoned building for over three hours.  "Wanna talk about it?" he inquired.

"Not especially…"

"You sure?"

Elisa started to reply but quickly bit back her initial response.  Instead she smiled, "Actually no… I'm not.  But I'm warning you now, you have no idea what you'll be getting yourself into..."

"So what else is new?" Matt returned her smiled, "Look at it this way, by telling me now, you'll save me the trouble of jumping to all the wrong conclusions later." 

"Good point…" She paused to collect her thoughts when suddenly the police radio squawked for their attention.  Curious, not to mention irritated that someone would call them while they were working surveillance, she snatched the microphone and depressed the side lever, "This is Alpha Two, go ahead…"

The police dispatcher's voice sounded small coming through the receiver, "Alpha Two, we have a request for assistance in your area from the 44th Precinct… Are you able to respond?"

She glanced over to Matt who simply shrugged as if to say it was up to her.  Elisa hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Copy dispatch; Alpha two and three are available for assistance.  Go ahead…"

Matt jotted down the information as Elisa coordinated their response, "Yeah we got it… tell them we're on our way…" She tossed down the microphone down and started the Fairlane, "Don't think I won't have words to say to Toby about this… we sat here for three hours for nothing…"

"Wouldn't be the first time Partner…" Matt chuckled as he pulled the police bubble from the glove compartment, "wouldn't be the first time…"

*****     *****     *****

"This is Travis Marshall, coming to you live from downtown Manhattan.  Earlier tonight the New York City Police Department arrested six people and confiscated nearly $250,000 worth of stolen merchandise and several weapons in raids at two separate east side warehouses.  The raids were a result of investigative activity by officers and detectives assigned to the 44th Precinct; however, officials will not reveal what prompted the six month long investigation.

The names of the individuals arrested have not been released; however, this reporter has learned at least two officers and one suspect have been injured.  Details are sketchy at this time but early indications are that the suspect, a twenty-two year old male, was injured after attempting to flee from police.  There has been no information concerning how badly the suspect was hurt, only that he was not shot.  NYPD officials are continuing their investigation and we will update you on this breaking story as information comes in.  This is Travis Marshall…"

*****     *****     *****

Three weeks later….

It was only 8 am and already Captain Maria Chavez could see her day was going to go badly.  It was bad enough Lieutenant Ray Collins had been in her officer when she arrived, but in now appeared she would have to read his report twice before fully understanding what it said.

"Is this for real?" She questioned.  The lieutenant remained silent, forcing her to take another tactic to get the answer she was looking for.  "OK.  Tell me why I am even looking at this?" she asked.

"As you know the department has come under heavy fire in light of recent events…" Collins started.

Captain Chavez felt her brow pull tight, "I'm well aware of what the media is reporting about the Sosa investigation, Lieutenant."

The lieutenant shifted slight, "We seem to have something of a… disconnect…"

"A disconnect?"

Collins reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick file and handed it to her. "Two weeks ago, the Police Commissioner and the District Attorneys Office ordered a review of the investigation to determine if there was any merit to the allegations being made by the Sosa family.  By all accounts, the investigation appeared to sound… Then I received this..."  He handed her second report and watched as she read through it. 

Chavez scanned the information with a practiced eye then casually tossed it back towards Collins, "This doesn't tell me anything I didn't know before.  Considering this op was the 44th Precinct's baby you might want to ask them were your disconnect is." 

"I already have." Collins interjected casually, "And Captain Marcos DeSalvo at the 44th readily concedes that the 23rd was called in after the fact so there was no way for them to be in briefed on the operation… but the fact remains, your detectives were upon the roof before anyone else…"

"And?" Chavez leaned back in her chair and glanced over the report again.  Something told her there was more to this than sour grapes over a lengthy and highly publicized investigation going awry.  "What's this really about?" she inquired guardedly.

"The supplemental report filed by the 23rd is the only one that doesn't fit with the evidence gathered by the 44th."  Lt. Collins replied evenly, "In fact, it doesn't fit anywhere that I can see.  Now taking into account each is the other's alibi…"

Captain Chavez bristled, "Alibi?"

Collins acted as if her tone hadn't promised physical injury under different circumstances. "Captain Chavez, I'm not about busting the chops of good cops but even you have to admit… this doesn't look good..."

"Doesn't look good for what?" She countered irritably.

Collins leaned forward in his chair, "The department has an obligation to look into any allegation of police misconduct…"

"Misconduct?" Captain Chavez picked up the file and flipped through it, "Fine… We've both read the report.  You tell me where the 'misconduct' is!"

"Look, I personally checked out the information a dozen times and it still makes no sense."  Lt. Collins sighed as he rose from his chair, "Yesterday, I put six different SWAT teams on that roof and none of them could do what Maza and Bluestone claims to have done." 

Captain Chavez rose to her feet as well, her anger finally boiling over, "What exactly are you implying Lieutenant Collins?"

"It's simple; their account doesn't jive…"  Lt. Collins leaned forward slightly as if to emphasize his point, "For what its worth I might be wrong… But I really don't think that's going to be the case…"

"Meaning?" Chavez demanded.

Lt. Collin's expression tightened, "Because Captain, from where I'm sitting it looks like they screwed up.  They screwed up bad and when they figured out they were in trouble, Jose Sosa paid the price."

*****     *****     *****

Matt yawned as he pushed against the door marking the entrance to the 23rd Precinct.  The scene before him was a blur of uniforms, voices, and controlled chaos.  Sighing heavily he checked his watch, wincing slightly as he lifted his arm.  His shoulder was still sore but the doctors told him the pulled muscles would heal well enough on their own as long as he didn't try to do too much. 

Wonderful advised to give someone whose livelihood required a significant amount of shoulder and arm movement. 

With his eyes still half-closed, he made his way over to his desk and bumped into someone who was coming from the bathroom. "Elisa…" he replied in surprise. 

She mumbled an incoherent greeting as she moved towards their desks, "Their aught to be a law about this kind of thing…"

Despite having only gotten a few hours of sleep herself, Matt noted she looked a little more bleary eyed than usual.  He supposed he should have expected it all things considered.  On top of everything else, while it might be normal for other officers to meet at noon, for the midnight shift it was the equivalent of calling a dayshift person at 2 am.  Ultimately, Matt figured it was management's way of keeping them on their toes. 

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly as he walked over to the coffee station.  He lifted two mugs off the peg board and filled them with steaming black liquid.  He returned and handed one to Elisa, "Any idea why we've been summoned at this ungodly hour?"

"Beats me," Elisa took a tentative sip and made a face noting Matt had neglected to add any sugar.  Deciding it was too much effort to walk back over to the coffee station she rummaged through her desk until she found several sugar packets.  Dumping the contents into the mug she took a second sip.  It didn't help but at least it was better than it had been before.  "Captain Chavez didn't say anything to me except to be here at noon."

"Hmmm…" Matt frowned slightly as he took another sip from his mug, "How's your back?"  

"Still hurts but it feels like its getting better.  The doc told me I'd be fine as long as I didn't lift anything heavier than a paperclip for a few more days…" Elisa was about to continue when the door to Chavez's office swung open. 

Captain Chavez paused in the doorway before scanning the room.  Seeing the detectives at their desks she said nothing; however, she did motion for them to come in her office.  Elisa and Matt exchanged brief glances before rising from their chairs.  As soon as they walked in the office Chavez gestured to the door, "Close that behind you and take a seat."

Taken back by her abrupt tone both detectives hesitated for a moment.  Normally Elisa, or at the very least Matt, would have been firing off questions, wanting to know what the blazes was going on.  Instead, Elisa shut the door and took and took a seat next to her partner. 

"I'm sorry to have to wake you for this, but I thought it was better that you hear it from me first." Captain Chavez paused as she addressed the two police officers, "Lieutenant Collins was in here this morning."

"The Chief of Internal Affairs?" Matt questioned.

Elisa took a quick sip from her coffee mug before speaking. "What's up Boss?"

Captain Chavez handed over two copies of the report she received earlier from Lt. Collins.  Elisa absently handed one to Matt as she slowly scanned the file; however, the more she read the more incredulous her expression became. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

"No, but I wish I was." Chavez replied evenly, "After Collins left I called Commissioner Watson to see where things stood.  It was probably a good thing I called him first since he was about to call me.  It seems Daniel Palmer, the attorney for the family of Jose Sosa, 'inadvertently' received a copy of the Internal Affairs preliminary report.  He's planning to file a seven million dollar wrongful death suit against the department by the end of the week."

"For what?" Elisa hissed, "Because some judge let their son out on parole early when he should have stayed locked up where he belonged?"

Understandably, Captain Chavez declined to respond to the sarcasm, "The family is alleging police used undue force during the arrest and that negligence directly resulted in the death of Mr. Sosa."

"Undue force?"  Matt replied as flipped through the report again, "Sosa ran when SWAT showed up.  What does the 44th have to say about this?"

"Not much…" Captain Chavez began slowly, "It looks like IA has already cleared them of any wrong doing." 

"What?" Elisa interjected angry, "Don't tell me we are getting blamed for the 44th's screw up?"

"It appears that way.  But if it makes you feel any better, and if my assumptions are correct, IA is working under the premise of a cover-up here in the 23rd…"

Elisa tossed the report back on the desk in disgust, "So when does the inquiry begin?"

"It already has… apparently Collins started looking in to this two weeks ago…"

"Oh this is fabulous… just fabulous…" Matt muttered under his breath, "So when do we go on suspension?"

"You don't." Chavez replied shortly.

Both detectives stared at her in disbelief, "Come again?" Elisa questioned.

"You heard me.  I'm not putting you on suspension." Chavez repeated, "Collins screwed up by not coming to me two weeks ago when IA started this whole mess.  If he had, this whole conversation would have been much different.  According to the Union rep, since neither of you have been officially accused of any wrong doing an IA inquiry must be conducted before a formal investigation is opened."

"And when the formal investigation is opened?" Matt asked guardedly.  He knew better than to ask "if" because from all accounts it sounded like the stage was already set.

Chavez paused, "With any luck it won't come to that."

 "It sounds like it already has…" Elisa's words echoed Matt's unspoken earlier thoughts, "When can we expect to hear something?"

"Tomorrow morning…" Chavez stood and ushered the two detectives towards the door, "Collins is expecting both first thing in the morning."

*****     *****     *****

9 AM the following day

Elisa shifted awkwardly in her interview chair.  The metal seat was uncomfortable and doing very little to alleviate the dull ache in her back; however, she had no intention of letting anyone know that.  Casually, she glanced around the Internal Affairs interview room. 

Like most police interview rooms, it was stark and barren; only one table and two chairs.  No clock or pictures on the on the walls; nothing to look at… nothing to draw the interviewee's attention away from the interviewer.    

Nothing except the large two way mirror on the far wall. 

Elisa knew in the adjacent room, two Internal Affairs officers were watching the interviews of herself and her partner; monitoring the unfolding events and recording everything.

She forced herself to sit straight in the chair, "Look," she replied evenly, "I don't know what more you want me to tell you…"

Lt. Collins cleared his throat, "How about the truth this time."

No reaction. 

Collins continued to wait, not expecting an answer, since by all accounts, he hadn't exactly asked a question.  He glanced down at his watch noting they hadn't even been in the interview room for an hour yet.  He sighed inwardly; this was going worse than he had anticipated and he only hoped his partner was getting better results with Bluestone. 

It suddenly occurred to Collins that the woman detective was waiting on him to say something and it irked him all the more.  It was an unwritten rule during interviews or interrogations, when the silence comes, the first to speak is the looser.

Ten minutes later they were still locked in silence

Jesus, Collins thought to himself, this is bad. 

Instinctively, he knew Detective Maza wanted him speak first and at this rate she was probably going to win.

Elisa noted Collins' discomfort, smiled, and said nothing.

*****     *****     *****

Matt Bluestone yawned dramatically.  He considered stretching his arms out in a display of boredom but figured it might play out badly for the cameras… not to mention his still aching shoulders.  Having already won his battle of silence, he was hoping the IA sergeant would just give up.  Not expecting it to happen, he smiled and asked, "So are we done here?"

"I don't know…" Sergeant Steven Williams replied indifferently, "Are we…?"

Matt shrugged, "You tell me…"

Williams shook his head, "Detective Bluestone, I take no pleasure in having to put you through this and believe me; personally, I would rather be doing almost anything else in the world right now.  However, the information provided by you and Detective Maza leaves us no choice..."  Without waiting for a response, he glanced through his notes until he found the section he was looking for, "According to your report, Sosa was on the street when you first encountered him…"

"That's right…" Matt agreed.

"What made you think it as Sosa?" Williams prompted.

Matt snorted ruefully, "It was just after 2 AM.  He was the only person on the street and he matched the description we had… Logic dictated he was probably the guy the 44th was looking for…"

"Did you call out to him?"

"No…" 

"Why not?"

"He took off as soon as he saw us."

"So you followed…"

"That's right."

"Then what?"

Matt sighed. This question and answer stuff wasn't getting them anywhere.  He took a sip from his cup and shrugged, "Sosa ducked into a warehouse.  Once we got inside, we called out several times for him to stop but he didn't.  My partner and I considered splitting up but since it was dark and we had no idea who else might be in the building we stayed together.  We started to sweep the lower floors when we heard a door at the end of the hall slam.  We realized Sosa must have gone out the fire door thinking it was an exit.  We continued to follow him.  When we got in the stairwell we didn't see him but we could hear him running up the stairs.  We followed up and when we got to the roof, Sosa was standing by the ledge.  We drew our weapons…"

*****     *****     *****

Collins drummed his fingers on the table and decided a frontal assault might work better.  If he couldn't batter down Maza's defensive wall, perhaps he could slide past it with reason.  "Why did you draw your weapons?" he asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Elisa stared at Collins as if he'd just transformed into a ham sandwich, "We just chased a potentially armed suspect up five flights of stairs.  What did you think we were gonna do?  Offer him a medal for getting there first?"

Collins ignored the sarcasm, "Fine; you drew your weapons… How far away was Sosa?"

"How far away was Sosa from what?" Elisa retorted.

"You, the ledge… "

 "Maybe fifteen feet from us…" She paused for a moment before continuing, "Probably five feet from the ledge…"

"OK…then what?'

"Matt… Detective Bluestone told him to get his hands up where we could see them and to move away from the ledge."

"Did Sosa comply?"

For the first time since the interview began, Elisa hesitated before answering, "No… Not really…"

Sensing an opening, Collins leaned forward, "Meaning?"

"Well… he put his hands up… but he kept moving back towards the ledge…" Elisa paused again, "He got this strange look on his face… like he was confused or something.  Initially I thought maybe he didn't speak English so I repeated Detective Bluestone's instructions in Spanish…"

*****     *****     *****

Williams held up a halting hand, "Wait… Your partner speaks Spanish?"

"Yeah…" Matt nodded, "Doesn't everyone?"

Williams picked up Elisa's personnel file and flipped through it, "I don't see any mention of her being a Spanish speaking officer…"

Matt chuckled, "Is that a crime?"

"No," The IA sergeant snapped, "But it is unusual…"

"Really, Steve… Is that what all this is about… a language certification?"  Matt waved his hands nonchalantly, noting Williams' irritation at the use of his first name, "You know as well as I do that if you expect to survive as a cop in this city you'd better pick up some other languages…"

Williams nodded, but not because he understood, rather because he knew Bluestone was right, "Fine," he replied evenly, "Did Sosa comply then?"

Matt shrugged, "No… but it was clear he understood one of us because it took about ten steps in our direction…"

"Then what?"

 "I guess he panicked because all of the sudden he charged Elisa…"

"He attacked your partner?"

"Yeah… I guess he thought since she was a woman she'd be the weaker link…" Matt took a sip of his water, "Fortunately he was wrong…"

"What did you do?"

"What any cop in the same situation would have done.  I jumped in and together we tried to put the cuffs on him.  But before we could get them on, Sosa bolted again," Matt leaned forward slightly, "I head him yelled something before he ran towards the ledge.  Elisa took off after him but by the time she reached him, Sosa was already up on the ledge…"

*****     *****     *****

"I went to grab his jacket but I couldn't stop my momentum and we both went over.  Detective Bluestone grabbed me but I guess the angle was awkward… I could tell I was loosing my grip but I tried to hold on… Bluestone was yelling for Sosa to give him his hand…" Elisa closed her eyes as memories of that night flooded over her, "Sosa… he just wouldn't listen…"

"Hold it right there," Collins interjected, "Sosa weighted around 165 pounds… you weight about… what… 125-130 pounds…?"

"Give or take." Elisa replied neutrally.

Collins gave her a skeptical look, "How was it that your partner managed to pull both you and Sosa back up onto the roof by himself…"

"He didn't …"

Collins' eyebrows arched as he didn't expect that answer, "Excuse me?"

"I lost my grip on Sosa so Detective Bluestone didn't have pull both of up back up…" She paused and took a deep breath, "He only had to pull me up…"

"How did he do that?"

"I don't know…" Elisa gave Collins an exasperated expression, "Ever hear of adrenaline?"

The IA officer paused for a moment, "Did you and your partner search Mr. Sosa before detectives from the 44th arrived on scene?"

"No…"

"After Sosa fell, did anyone search him?"

Elisa shook her head, "I doubt it.  Sosa was pronounced at the scene.  Policy dictates the only person who can touch a dead body is a corner's investigator."

"And the subsequent searches of the area afterwards… were any weapons found?"

"I have no idea…" Elisa answered honestly, "Matt and I were taken to the hospital to get checked out so we weren't involved in the search…"

*****     *****     *****

Williams smiled as this was the opening he was hoping for, "So let me get this straight… You and your partner see Sosa on the street but before you can call out to him he runs into a building.  In direct violation of department policy, follow him without calling for back-up."   

Matt winched but said nothing as the IA officer continued, "Once inside, you identify yourselves as police officers; however, Sosa fails to stop.  After sweeping the lower floor you realize he's gone up stairs.  You follow him up to the roof.  Once there, you draw your weapons and identify yourselves as police again.  Is this correct so far?"

Matt nodded as Williams pressed on, "So now Sosa is standing by the ledge.  You tell him to raise his hands and move away from the ledge. He fails to comply so Maza repeats the order in Spanish.  He still fails to comply.  Without warning he moves in her direction and attacks.  You intervene and together you attempt to subdue him.  Your efforts are unsuccessful and Sosa runs for the edge.  You and Maza try to stop him but are unable and in the ensuing chaos Sosa falls from the roof. 

Matt nodded, "Sound like you got it…"

"With due respect, Detective Bluestone… I don't think that's what happened at all…"

Matt remained impassive, "You're entitled to your opinion…"

"Well if it was just my opinion we wouldn't be here now would we?"

For the first time since the interview began Matt didn't have an answer but unmistakably, he felt as if the tide had just turned.

*****     *****     *****

"No weapons on Sosa?"  Collins asked again.

Elisa shook her head, "Not that I know of…"

Immediately, Collins went back on the offensive, "When you arrived at the hospital, what were you and your partner treated for?"

"Matt tore a muscle in his shoulders and I was seen for a strained back…"

Collins waited for her to continue but when she failed to do, he produced two sheets of paper, "You and your partner were also given tetanus shots, screened for the HIV virus as well as hepatitis…"

"That's right…" Elisa replied slowly.

"Why was that?"

Her response was slow in coming, "Because it's standard procedure for blood contamination…"

"And how was it that you and your partner received blood contamination?"

Unconsciously, Elisa realized there was more to Sosa's death than the Internal Affairs officer was letting on.  Cautiously she replied, "When Sosa came at me he was bleeding… Matt and I didn't have gloves or protective equipment on when we grabbed him and as a result we came in direct contact with some of his blood."

"Some?  From the amount of blood on the ledge, it looks like Sosa was bleeding like a stuck pig…" Collins pulled a report out of his file and slid it across the table, "The Medical Examiner's report paints a slightly different picture about your altercation with Sosa…"

Elisa left the file where it was, "Really…"

"Really…"

Elisa's eyes narrowed down to slits, "What do you mean?"

"Open the report.  Sosa might have died from the fall but several of his injuries are inconsistent with the information provided by you and your partner."

Despite her better judgment Elisa was curious so she opened the file concerning the botched sting and flipped through pages she found the report the IA investigator had eluded to moments before. 

Part of the information she already knew; Jose Sosa died as result of blunt force trauma consistent with a fall from extreme heights.  The laundry list of injuries reported multiple broken bones, a crushed skull, as well as numerous internal injuries. 

She examined the autopsy photos with the trained eye of a profession as she had long ago gotten past the queasy feeling of looking at dead bodies.  Not surprisingly, nearly every shot showed bones protruding from various parts of Sosa's body.  However, the last set of photos immediately caught her attention and these struck a nerve.

They were overall shots of Sosa taken just prior to autopsy.

Nearly hidden within the carnage were several long but evenly spaced slashes across the man's body. 

"Care to explain how Sosa ended cut up like that?" Collins prompted.

"I…" Elisa continued to look at the picture, "I have no idea…"

"I'll make it easy on you Detective and tell you what I think happened…" Collins started, "Sosa was a two time looser and the cops at the 44th reported he had a weapon of some kind, most likely a knife.  You and Bluestone caught him on the roof but you were ticked off because you had to chase him.  Once you caught him, you decided to teach him a little lesson.  The problem was, Sosa knew he was a two time looser so he had nothing to loose by fighting back.  When he did he got the better of you and managed to escape but he didn't have any place to run so you caught him again.  That was probably when one of you found the knife.  Tempers flared and the whole situation pisses you off all over again so the 'lesson' continued but one or both of you went too far…"  Collins smiled grimly, "Tell me Detective, who cut Sosa first?  Was it you or Bluestone?"

Elisa felt her temper flare and was about to object to the accusation when interview room door unexpectedly swung open.  Another investigator poked his head and motioned to the lieutenant, "I need to speak with you..." he whispered. 

Visibly irritated by the intrusion, Collins rose from his chair to speak with the man.   After several minutes of heated whispering, the two left the room essentially leaving Elisa alone. 

Confused, Elisa continued to sit in the chair until it occurred to her Collins wasn't coming back, at least not anytime soon.  She got out of her chair and slowly walked out of the interview room and into the observation room.  Strangely enough it too was empty.  She quickly walked around, noting all of the recording devices had been turned off.  Perplexed, she peered into the other interview room and saw Matt, alone, making paper footballs out of Williams's notes.  As there was no one present to object, she opened the door, poked her head in and asked, "What's going on?"

"Beats me…"  Matt murmured as he looked around the room cautiously.  Once Elisa told him the recording devices were off he rose from his chair and walked over to his partner, "Did you see the autopsy photos?"

Elisa nodded, "I can't believe we didn't even think about that…"

Matt rubbed has hand over his face, "I'm not sure we're gonna be able to explain that away…" 

Just then what sounded like voices could be heard in the hallway outside their door.  Elisa gave her partner a quizzical look but he merely shrugged.  Matt walked over to the door of the observation room and opened it, but saw no one.   

Apparently the voices they heard were coming from a different part of the building.  Judging from the noise none of the parties involved in the argument were too happy with each other; however, it was difficult to make out what people were saying from the observation room. 

Curious, Elisa and Matt followed the sounds down the hall until they found themselves standing outside one of the IA conference room.  Although the door was closed, it wasn't locked so Elisa eased the knob until the door opened. 

What she saw surprised even her. 

There were no less than twelve people standing around a small conference table, each yelling in order to be heard over the others.  In the far corner Elisa could barely make out Captain Chavez standing with several people, but more interesting was the fact that Police Commissioner Paul Watson and District Attorney Sara Buskol were also in the room.   

DA Buskol was glaring at Lt. Collins with such an irritated expression Elisa thought the chief prosecutor for the state of New York might walk over and slap the Internal Affairs officer.  Instead she finally yelled to everyone to be quite and after composing herself addressed Collins directly.  "Tell me Lieutenant, did it just completely escape your attention that the warehouse Sosa fell off of was in the industrial distinct?"

"No; however, that being said …" Collins started.

"Well it sure doesn't look that way from where I'm standing." Commissioner Paul Watson, "Ever since the fiasco at the Cyberbiotics Tower, three quarters of the facilities down there have some type of roof top security surveillance... Did it just not occur to you to go and ask if any of them if they had any information about the Sosa incident?"

Collins stuttered momentarily before somehow finding the ability to speak, "No, but I really don't see what Maza and Bluestone's actions on the roof that night has to do with a doctored video tape…"

"A doctored tape?!"  DA Buskol cried out incredulously, "You've seen it for the first time and without conducting a single investigative step you've come to the conclusion that the tape is doctored?  What, are you using a magic 8-Ball?  Tell me Lieutenant Collins, how many other internal investigations have you solved in this manner?"

Lt. Collins appeared to be at a loss for words which would have suited everyone just fine but as luck would have it, he quickly got past it.  Rather than answer the DA accusations, he turned his attention back to Commissioner Watson, "May I ask where this tape came from Sir?"

"Exactly were you and your 'trained' investigators should have looked for it."  Captain Chavez interjected angrily.  Glancing around the room, she finally noticed Elisa and Matt standing in the doorway.  She quickly made her way over to a TV/VCR set up and pressed the play button. 

As soon as the tape began to play the room erupted in pandemonium as everyone began yelling again, demanding to be heard.  After a certain amount of poking and prodding, Elisa and Matt were able to move closer to the screen but only because it was obvious everyone in the room but them had seen the video.  As soon as the partners saw the footage, their jaws visibly dropped; however, it was doubtful anyone noticed.

The footage itself was only about three minutes long, but apparently it had been looped to show the same sequence of event over and over again. 

Covertly, Matt nudged his partner, "Check out the lower right hand corner of the monitor…" 

Without speaking Elisa's eyes drifted over the screen.  Fixated, she watched as the date/time stamp ran smoothly and continuously.  While she was no expert in the area of electronic video surveillance, she knew how difficult it was to falsify or alter such technology.  

The footage itself confirmed the partners version of events; however, for Elisa and Matt, the footage was compelling not because what it did show, rather it was compelling because of what it didn't show.

Matt was about to say something to Elisa until he realized she was no longer standing next to him.  Searching the room he saw her standing next to Captain Chavez.  Carefully he moved over towards them and heard her whisper the same question he would have asked given the opportunity.

"Where did that tape come from?"

Chavez was taken back by Elisa's abrupt tome but given the circumstances chose to ignore it, "Like Commissioner Watson said most the buildings down there have continuous roof top surveillance.  I did some checking around it turns out one of the companies still had their surveillance tapes from that night.  I spoke with the CEO and arranged for it to be turned over to police morning."  She glanced over to where the other IA investigators were clustered.  The whole group was doing their best to distance themselves from Lt. Collins without out looking like they were trying to distance themselves from him.  Slightly amused and feeling very vindicated, Chavez smiled, "I had the lab put a rush on the analysis; the tape is legit.  No indication of tampering or alteration.  Hell, even Sosa's family agrees it's him."

"I know that…" Elisa replied irritably, "What I want to know is 'what' company turned over the video footage?"

"That would be my company…"

Elisa and Matt clearly flinched as they turned to stare at the newcomer.  Unexpectedly, they found themselves face to face with the last person on Earth they least expected to see at that moment.  While neither could recall seeing this person when they walked in the room, unconsciously both wondered how they could have missed the distinct presence. 

However, that being said, in their minds it certainly explained how the video surveillance had suddenly shown up.

But it didn't explain why.

The partners continued to stare in disbelief as Captain Chavez held out her hand in introduction, "Detective Maza, Detective Bluestone I'll like to introduce you the CEO of…"

"Nightstone Unlimited…" Elisa and Matt whispered softly in unison.

"Have you all met before?" Captain Chavez noted that while Dominique Destine was more than wiling to shake her hand, she made no effort to extend the same courtesy to either of the detectives.

"No Captain, we have never been… formally introduced."  Demona responded dryly, "However, I am familiar with their… work…"

"Really…" Captain Chavez replied cautiously.  She was more than surprised to learn this bit of information as the woman CEO hadn't mentioned it before when they spoke.   In fact, everything about their pervious conversation indicated the CEO of Nightstone Unlimited was simply trying to do her civic duty.

"Really…." Demona's gaze frosted over and oddly it was only signal she gave that she was even aware Elisa and Matt were standing right in front of her.  Hurriedly, she shifted her gaze back to Captain Chavez and smiled a grin that almost appeared to be genuine, "If you need any additional information from me feel free to contact my secretary."

There was an awkward moment of silence as Elisa and Matt continued to stare open mouthed at the woman standing in front of them.  Demona finally broke the silence as she turned to leave, "If you would please excuse me..."

Without another word she turned and walked out of the conference room. 

Captain Chavez waited until the woman was gone before turning back to her newly cleared detectives.  "Well that was certainly uncomfortable…" She paused before continuing, "Either of you care to explain what that was about?"  

Matt shook his head while Elisa remained locked in a stony silence.  After a moment she glanced over to her boss and asked, "Do we need to stick around for anything more?"

Captain Chavez paused to consider the thinly veiled request to leave, "Well I imagine Commissioner Watson will want to speak to you…"  She looked around the room briefly noting Watson and DA Buskol were still speaking heatedly with Lt. Collins, "But seeing how he's indisposed at the moment…"

"Thanks." Elisa mumbled as she turned to leave with Matt following close behind.

Chavez watched as they left.  Despite the fact that she had no good reason to hold them there, she couldn't help but feel she should have.  She glanced back over to the door and considered following them but a quick glance over to Lt. Collins and the other Internal Affairs investigators prevented her from doing so.

Detectives Maza and Bluestone had been subjected to enough scrutiny for one day.

*****     *****     *****

If it weren't for the hair, Elisa might have missed seeing her. 

Grabbing Matt by the arm she practically dragged him behind her hoping to catch Demona before she got in to the waiting limousine.  They managed to reach her just as the limo driver open the door, "Hold it right there!" Matt called out.

The driver hesitated, torn between following the direction of a police officer and possibly upsetting his employer.  Saving the man the trouble of making a decision which might cost him his job, or possibly his life, Demona leisurely turned around, as if expecting this confrontation. "What seems to be the trouble officer?"

"What the hell is going on?" Elisa demanded none too politely.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Detective."  Demona replied curtly.

The statement practically seethed venom and while her expression never changed, unconsciously, Elisa found herself stepping back.  She'd been enough confrontations with Demona in her human form to know the strength of her gargoyle self was still firmly ingrained.  Rather than continue the course which might lead to a physical confrontation, Elisa took a breath to steady her emotions and in a low voice said, "We just want to talk to you…"

The auburn haired woman carefully appraised the pair with a calculating eye, "About what?"

"How about we start with what just happened back there with Internal Affairs …" Matt interjected.

"I would think that much would be obvious…" Demona shifted her gaze between the two detectives before finally settling on Elisa, "Even to you."

Elisa ignored the rebuke, "Well, no its not…"

Matt noted his partner's voice betrayed the slightest edge of a challenge, and he mentally translated her words: Why did you do this for us?

The trio waited in silence until Elisa final spoke again, "The tape… you did something to it…"

"This is hardly the time or place for such accusations Detectives…" Demona turned to get in the limo and for a split second Elisa thought she was going to leave without an explanation.  Then completely unexpectedly Demona leaned out and replied, "Well are you going to stand there all day?"

Elisa's jaw tightened as this was not what she had in mind; however, given the circumstances and, taking into account she and Matt had initiated this little encounter, they had no choice.  Warily, the pair climbed in. 

The driver shut the door and walked around to the front.  Once he was settled, Demona barked out an address and raised the privacy glass which separated the two compartments.  The three of them sat in silence for several blocks before Demona finally acknowledge the officers had even gotten in the car.  "I am an extremely busy person so keep in mind I have afforded you a great deal of latitude… What is that you want to know?"

As badly as they wanted answers, Elisa and Matt knew they were treading on shaky ground.  All it would take was one wrong word and their host would probably put them out on the street with the car still moving.  Choosing her words carefully, Elisa replied, "You altered the tape…"

"Yes, I did." Demona conceded with an arched eye, "Is that all you wanted?"

"Not really," Matt challenged, "We want to know why?"

Demona sighed exasperatedly, "Haven't we been over this already?"

Sensing the shift in Demona's demeanor Elisa leaned forward slightly, "Not really…"

"You want the truth?"

"I think we're entitled..." Matt replied while instinctively thinking of the court room scene from 'A few Good Men.'

"Very well.  What I did had very little to do with either of you…" Demona was clearly in control of the conversation and Elisa was content to give it to her if it meant getting an explanation, "What I did was more for the sake of the Clan…"

"The Clan?"  Elisa knew she had heard all of this before, but never with such an edge of regret.  Additionally, she wasn't prepared for the immediate personal turn as she expected the woman's rational to be more in line with the protection of her daughter.  Despite that, she caught the concession Demona had offered and suddenly she was consumed with the need to move on, yet she couldn't find the words.

Matt saw the expression on his partner's face and knew where she was.  In spite of everything, they were still partners; still in tune one with the other.  "This wasn't about the entire Clan…" he ventured, "It was about Goliath…"

"The safety and well being of my daughter was my primary concern…" Demona retorted allowing for several short, nasty chortles as if to accent her resentment.  Initially, she had no intention of allowing the male human in the car much less to participate in the conversation but there was nothing she could do about it now.  As an after thought she added, "Believe me when I say that Goliath and the others were an after thought…"  

She averted her gaze and watched as the cityscape moved by outside her window while Elisa and Matt sat in stunned silence.  They drove for several more city blocks before Demona spoke again, "When Angela told me about what happened…"

"Whoa!  Hold up a sec…" Elisa stared at the woman sitting across from her, trying to see behind the hard surface of her unreadable face. "You've been speaking with Angela?"

Demona's voice dropped slightly, taking on a more ominous tone, "Does that surprise you?" 

"Yeah… it does…" Matt interjected.

Without allowing anyone the opportunity to speak further Elisa cut in, "How long has this been going on?"

"Does it matter?" Demona's reply was laced with frustration but she knew the human woman was not going to let the matter drop, "A few months..."

"Does the Clan know about this?"  While Elisa's response had included the entire Clan what she really meant was Does Goliath know about this?

"No, and I would just assume to keep it that way."  Demona appraised the pair with an icy stare, "Now would you like and explanation about the tape or would you rather continue interrupting me?"

Knowing any response would be taken as another interruption, Elisa and Matt inclined their heads signaling that she should continue.  Having again established herself as the controller of the conversation Demona continued, this time addressing only Elisa, "After your little 'altercation' on the roof, Angela came to see me.  I knew it was only a matter of time before the police came looking for information so I took matters in my own hands.  When they never showed up, I assumed you had somehow managed to conceal my daughter's involvement.  It wasn't until your captain contacted me that I realized my mistake…"

Elisa recognized she was being asked a question, "And what mistake was that?" she prompted.

"That I was wrong…" Demona smiled thinly and when she continued her voice was subdued but full of bitterness and vengeance, "The humans in this country are more ignorant and irresponsible than they appear."  

"We are not all like that Demona…" Elisa whispered, "You know that…"

Inexplicitly, Matt saw the woman flinch as if Elisa had physically struck her and then even worse he saw the CEO's eyes narrow as her face slowly turn from a creamy white to a dark angry red.  He'd seen Demona enraged before but he had never seen the full force of her human rage directed at someone.  In a knee jerk reaction, he tensed just as Elisa placed a halting hand on his shoulder and shook her head as it to say wait.

Demona continued to glare at Elisa but eventually turned her head away and refused to make eye contact with either of them.  For a moment no one moved and it was clear that Demona was fighting to maintain her composure.  Eventually she pulled a small compact disk from her briefcase and handed it to Elisa, "Here is the original recording from that night…"

"Thanks…" Tentatively, Elisa took the disc, handed it Matt, who tucked it safely in his jacket pocket.  As badly as she might have wanted ask if there were additional copies, she didn't dare. 

They'd pushed their luck too far already. 

Elisa wasn't sure what to say next but it turned out she didn't have to say anything.  As soon as Matt placed the disc in his pocket, Demona pressed a butting on one of her console and told the driver to pull over at the next corner.  Knowing her orders would be followed to the letter, Demona appraised the Elisa and Matt with a practiced eye, "I assume this matter is closed and there will be no further inquires?"   

"We can only hope." Matt replied in a pleasantly tone that almost made his response appear to be genuine.

Elisa said nothing as she felt the car slow and then come to a stop.  As the passenger door opened, she figured the driver must have broken a land speed record for getting out of the car.  In retrospect she figured he was used to a short leash when it came to pleasing his boss.  After Matt exited the car, she glanced over to Demona and considered saying thank-you, but she didn't.  Instead she simply got out of the car.

The driver dashed back to the front of the car but before he could pull away from the curb Elisa, tapped on the passenger window.  After what felt like eternity, Demona lowered the window, "What?"

Elisa braced herself against the car as she leaned down, "What happened on that roof that night was an accident; a bizarre twist of fate.  We had no idea Angela was going to show up or that she might somehow become involved…"

Demona arched her eyebrow in skepticism, "Really…" 

Elisa frowned as she was tired of hearing the word 'really' in response to a statement, "I would never intentionally do something to put Angela, or any other member of the Clan for that matter, in harms way..."

For a moment it didn't appear she would respond and the silence that ensued lingered until Demona realized Elisa had no intension of moving away from the car until something was said. 

In a compelling voice Demona replied, "I know what has happened between myself and the others can never be undone but I still have a chance to make peace with my daughter…" she firmly locked eye with Elisa, "However, over the years, and reason I cannot begin to comprehend, it would seem my daughter has developed something… of a 'friendship' with you…" 

Elisa was momentary taken back by the comment, "I care about Angela a great deal…" Suddenly realizing was the woman was saying she added, "As a friend… not a mother figure…"

The pair held each other in icy stares, and finally Elisa stepped back, rapping her knuckles on the roof of the limo. 

Just as the limo pulled away, she could have sworn she heard Demona say, "Ensure it stays that way."

*****     *****     *****

That night Elisa and Goliath stood silently in her apartment as they watched the video footage.

On the screen Jose Sosa could clearly be seen running across the roof of a building.  A few seconds later Elisa and Matt entered the camera's view as well.  Apparently Sosa didn't see them right away; however, it was quickly apparent that he knew they were there.  He spun around and faced the two detectives.

Seemingly from nowhere, the blurry image of Angela dove into the picture.  The young gargoyle woman went to grab Sosa but somehow miss judged her angle and collided with him.  Sosa fell to the ground but quickly rolled over and began crawling towards the ledge. 

Once Angela got to her feet, Elisa quickly moved in her direction.  The two spoke briefly after which Angela disappeared from view.  Elisa then moved closer to her partner and drew her weapon. 

Goliath pressed the pause button on the remote and glanced over to his mate, "What did you say to her?"

"I told her to leave…" Elisa took a sip of her tea, "And I assumed she had…"

The lavender gargoyle nodded and pressed play again.  On the screen Matt could be seen gesturing at Sosa to put his hands up.  Two seconds later Sosa pointed at something that couldn't be seen in the surveillance video.

It took Goliath several times of viewing the footage to figure out Matt and Elisa both looked in the direction that Sosa pointed.  While it was not clear whether his actions were intended to be diversionary, it was obvious that he used the momentary distraction as an opportunity to run. 

Whether by design or intention, he collided with Elisa.

It was also very evident Angela had not listened to Elisa's instructions because suddenly she dove back into the camera's field of view.  It was also very clear the female gargoyle viewed Sosa's actions as a direct threat to her human friend because she hit them both with a flying body tackle.  In a split second, Matt entered the fray and soon all four of them were rolling around on the ground. 

Sosa was the first to break free.  He ran towards the ledge of the building but Angela reached him before he could climb up.  Just as she grabbed him, Sosa jerked around and a fine mist of blood could be seen emanating from his body.  Angela stepped back, clearly horror stricken, giving Sosa enough time to climb up on the ledge.   

By this time Elisa and Matt could be seen running towards Sosa and just as they both told Internal Affairs investigators, Elisa leaped for Sosa and the momentum carried them both over the ledge.  Matt dove for his partner and for several tense seconds all that was visible of the detective were his legs and one arm holding the ledge of the building. 

By this time Angela appeared to snap out of her shock.  She grabbed Matt and jerked him back, simultaneously pulling Elisa with him.  All three lay sprawled on the roof for an extended second before rising to their feet.  Elisa and Matt looked around the roof and then quickly moved to the ledge of the building.  After looking over, the pair slowly turned around.  Elisa could bee seen talking with Angela, who quickly moved out of the camera's view again. 

Less than thirty seconds later officers from the 44th Precinct could be seen running out onto the roof.

Goliath took a deep breath and shut off the TV.  While he did his best to keep his voice neutral, the accusatory tone was still evident in his words, "Why did you not tell me of all this before?"

Elisa paused before answering, "I guess we were just trying to spare you a lot of heartache over something was wasn't anyone's fault…"

Elisa waited for Goliath to say something, anything.  She knew he was upset and rightfully so.  Immediately following their release from the hospital, Angela had stopped by Elisa's apartment and asked her not to tell Goliath about what happened.  Initially Elisa assumed Angela's reaction was because of Sosa's death.  After speaking with her partner, they both agreed it might be for the best. 

Strangely enough neither of them thought to ask why Angela why she had been in such close proximity to them in the first place.

It wasn't until they spoke with Dominique/Demona that they understood the true reason for the request. 

Angela had been leaving her mother's building when she saw Elisa and Matt with Sosa on the roof and didn't want Goliath to know where she had been.

Ultimately, Elisa had been right when she said what happened on that roof that night was an unfortunate accident; a bizarre twist of fate.  But had Angela not shown up, the events of that night might have turned out much differently.

Ironically, it was Lt. Collins who pointed it out, but probably not in the manner he intended.   

Sosa was a two time looser and he'd said as much on the roof.  He also told them he had no intentions of going back to jail.  Whether it was a half-assed attempt at suicide or an escape attempt, Sosa jumped off the roof. 

What he didn't expect was for Elisa to catch him.  Once Sosa realized he was caught, he decided to see if he could take Elisa, and eventually Matt, with him.  

Had Angela not been there, he almost certainly would have been successful.

Elisa took another sip from her cup and turned to her mate.  Goliath's face was unreadable as he tilted his head, his eyes distant, considering their current situation.  The entire incident was an unfortunate situation but Sosa was a criminal and the choice he made was his own.  It was a poor decision but it had very little to do with Angela, Elisa or Matt.

But the domino effect which transpired could not be ignored.

Angela was in contact with her mother.

Goliath walked through the living room and out on to the balcony.  The cool air felt good against his skin.  Elisa joined him a short time later and after a fashion he draped his wings gently over her shoulders, pulling her close. 

"Demona has been exiled from our Clan and I don't believe it would be wise to welcome her back under any circumstance…" He sighed heavily, "She's become a prisoner of her own hated and a danger to others…"

Elisa hesitated before speaking and when she did her words surprised even herself, "Can we really be sure of that?"

Shocked, Goliath turned to face Elisa, "Surely you of all people are not in support of Demona returning to the Clan?"

"No, I'm not… and I agree with you that she is something of a head case.  But, Big Guy, I really think you need to take something into consideration before you go barreling off to tell Angela she can't see her mother any more."

"And what is that?" Goliath questioned.

"Demona was willing to help me to regain the love of her daughter…" 

Goliath flexed his back slightly, "Another example of her manipulations…"

"Maybe… but I think in this case Angela was the one who initiated the manipulation…"

Clearly confused, Goliath turned to face Elisa, "What are you implying?"

"Demona told us she and Angela had been in contact for a few months before all this happened right?  Ok, fine, but picture this.  The night Sosa died, Angel immediately went back over to Demon's building and told her what happened.  Why would she do that?"

Intrigued, Goliath leaned back against the ledge of the balcony, "Her actions were designed to protect you and Matt…"

"No way, because at that point nobody knew Internal Affairs would be looking into Sosa's death."  Elisa spread her hands out, "Think abut it Big Guy.  Why would Angela do that?"

Goliath considered the question for some time and when the reality of answer hit him it was like a slap in the face. "Because she wanted to see how far her mother would go to protect her… even if it meant protecting you…"

"I doubt Angela knew it would come to this but either way, it turned out to be the perfect opportunity for her to test her mother.  Demona would have had to immediately pull the tapes and digitally edit them before police came looking for them.  When that didn't happen she assumed it had been handled but Angela already had her answer.  I'm sure it was a total shock Chavez called about the roof top surveillance almost a month after the fact…" Elisa stretched as the events of the day began to catch up with her, "If you think about it, they both did me and Matt a favor since what the tape shows is essentially what happened... minus Angela."

Goliath's eyes narrowed as if he were trying tap into the logic which was his former mate's mind.  Finding the task unpleasant, he asked, "So what do you propose we do about this?"

"I don't know.  A part of me feels Demona will forever be a potential threat, but after today…" Elisa mulled over several possible answers before selecting the one she cared for the least but made the most sense, "Unless she does something to the contrary…"

"Demona has her own truths…" Goliath's voice was barely above a whisper yet his words spoke volumes.

"You plan to tell the others then?" Elisa guessed.

"In time…" Goliath nodded, "They have a right to know…"

"Angela may not react well to that…" She warned.

"Perhaps," Lovingly, Goliath raked his fingers through Elisa's hair, forcing down the weak backlash of earlier anger which had flowed over him, "But until then, all we can do is remain vigilant."

"And wait." Elisa added.

"Yes," he agreed softly. "And wait."

Gradually, the echoes of their whispering voices died beneath the sounds of the city below.  Wordlessly, they watched the night sky wondering, and hoping, they were making the right decision. 

*****     *****     *****

Deep in the bowels of Destine Manor, Demona began to plan anew.