Keeping it in the Family
By the time Sally returned from getting the groceries Anneya was fast asleep, her head against Rae's shoulder, and Eliana had listened to her story and then climbed onto the sofa and gone to sleep herself. Rae and the Chief had sat talking quietly about things of little consequence, but gradually the conversation had turned to the matters at hand and Rae had found herself analysing things with her boss.
"When I conduct these interviews what do you think I should be looking for?" The Chief had finally agreed to a cup of coffee and he took a sip.
"Um, well, all the normal things I guess. I try to keep eye contact with anyone that I am interrogating, but I also watch their hands, the set of their shoulders." Rae paused for a moment, she still had difficulty with the fact that Chief Masters was asking for her advice, but she had a feeling that he was trying to make her feel more involved in the case. "You'll be talking to cops, they probably look for the same things I do, so they'll make sure that nothing they do stands out." Anneya stirred in Rae's arms and she carefully got to her feet and laid her into the stroller, the little girl moved until she was comfortable and then, putting her thumb into her mouth, she drifted back off to sleep.
The Chief smiled at the child and her mother. "I think that your daughters' are sustaining you at the moment."
Rae nodded. "They are. If I just had Anneya she wouldn't understand if I went to pieces, but Eliana gets upset if I'm cross, or crying, and I don't want that to happen, it's more than that though, both of them are just carrying on with their lives, and while I'm with them I can sort of do the same; not for long but for a little while I can take a step away from reality."
The Chief nodded his head and Rae knew that he understood. She was just about to speak again when the doorbell rang and she felt herself tense up.
"Do you want me to check who it is?"
"No, Sir, thank you, Agent Perry won't let anybody in who isn't on the list I gave him … mind you, you weren't on the list, but I guess he made an exception." There was a knock on the door at that moment and Rae moved towards it.
"Excuse me, Mrs Travis, but there is a man at the door who claims he is your father-in-law."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Steve looked at the social worker who was sitting opposite him and for a moment his brain refused to function, but Daniel leapt to his feet.
"No! No, you can't take me away! Dad, tell her, I don't want to go."
"Dad? Did you ask him to call you that, Lieutenant?" Karen Stonely looked at the man and the boy beside him in surprise.
"No, of course not! In fact, it was the other way round, and Daniel asked me if I minded him calling me Dad… I was delighted that he wanted to do so."
"Please, Ms Stonely, don't make me leave, this … this is my home, I … I don't want to go." Daniel had backed away as far as he could from the woman in front of him. His back made contact with the wall behind him and he stopped, his eyes darting around as if he was a trapped animal.
Steve had got to his feet too, and now he moved over and placed an arm around the boy he considered his son. "Daniel, I have no intention of letting you go, not without a fight anyway."
"Mr. Sloan, this decision was made at a high level. Your wife has been taken by a very dangerous man, we regret this, but our main interest is the safety of Daniel Upton, and we feel that this will be best served if he is removed from your care."
Tears welled up in Daniel's eyes; he couldn't take any more of this in. His real mom had disappeared from his life one night and never returned, he finally found someone who he really thought could replace her, began to let his guard down and love her, and now she was gone too, and the only man whom he'd ever loved like a father was going to have to let him leave with a woman he didn't even like. For a moment his whole world seemed to shift and he leant heavily into Steve. "Please, Dad…" He couldn't say anything else.
"Ms Stonely, I think, with no offence intended, I need to speak with your superior, personally, face to face, before I even consider letting Daniel leave here." The tone in Steve's voice left the social worker in no doubt that the police lieutenant meant business, and with a nod of her head she took her cell phone out of her purse and began to punch in a set of numbers.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rae looked at Agent Perry in surprise. "I beg your pardon, who did you say?"
"Your father-in-law. He says his name is Dane Travis." Agent Perry looked back over his shoulder in concern. The man was still on the doorstep and there was now another agent standing behind him, but he was momentarily unsure of himself.
"Oh." Rae was a little bemused. "I guess I'd better come see him then … and introduce myself." Rae smoothed down the t-shirt she had on, and slid her feet back into the sneakers she had kicked off a little earlier.
"Would you like me to come with you, Rae?" The Chief looked concerned, and moved a little closer to his officer.
"No, no, it's all right, Sir, it's just that Jesse …" Rae paused, she still found it hard to say his name without her heart beginning to pound, "Jesse's dad is a hard man to locate. We've been married over two years and I've never met him."
"I'll be in here then, if you need me." The Chief sat back down on the chair he had spent most of the last hour in, and picked up the paper, frowning slightly as he read the headline. Rae took one more look at him and then with a sigh followed her guard out into the hallway.
Dane Travis was standing on the doorstep, a casual air of nonchalance surrounding him, and a very tall FBI agent standing behind him. Rae looked at his face through the glass of her front door and nodded. "I think it's him, like I said, I've never met him before, but Jesse showed me a picture, and it looks like that… I guess he had ID, yes?"
Agent Perry nodded his head, "Yes, Ma'am, without it they don't even get to stand on the step." The young man smiled as he spoke, and Rae saw that it reached up to his light brown eyes. She knew that he was here for a terrible reason, but she had an idea that she may well miss him when he left. He opened the door and the grey haired man who Rae knew was a part of her family entered her home.
"Reagan, my dear, how nice to meet you." Jesse's father held out his hand and Rae took it into hers.
"Please, Mr Travis, call me Rae, no one ever calls me Reagan."
"Then it is Dane, my dear, Dane." He smiled at his daughter-in-law, and Rae knew without a doubt that he was her beloved Jesse's dad. The tears welled up as she saw her husband's smile and eyes in the face of this man and she turned from him.
"I'm sorry." Rae tried to get control of herself, and as she did so the door to the playroom opened and Eliana came out.
"Mommy, Yana, wanna bink… Mommy?" the little girl's chin began to wobble as she saw her mother's tears and she ran to her.
"Shhh, Sweetie, it's ok, I'll get you one in a minute."
"Mommy, cwy," two large tears rolled down Eliana's cheeks, as she joined in her mother's unhappiness.
The knowledge that she was making her daughter cry helped Rae to get herself back under control, and with a forced smile she turned back towards Dane. "Honey, this is your Granddad. Dane, this is our eldest daughter, Eliana Jessica Travis." Rae wiped at the tears that were still threatening to overflow, but she had herself in hand now, and she knew that she wouldn't cry any more.
"Your eldest daughter, you have another one?" Dane looked at the little girl, and Rae could see the love in his eyes. "I have been out of the country for almost eighteen months, I only arrived back about two hours ago, and came straight here."
"You … you know that Jesse isn't here, don't you?" For one awful moment Rae thought she was going to have to explain to this man, who was still a stranger to her, what had happened to his son.
Dane Travis's face grew grave, "Yes, I do, I didn't, but I bought a paper, and … and I saw the article. I called his mother, and, well, she gave me this address. You have a beautiful home, my dear."
"Thank you, do you want to come in and meet your other granddaughter, and I can let you know what has happened so far." Rae received a nod in reply and silently the three of them went back into the playroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karen Stonely's superior was a man called Dean Garrett, he was just a little over five foot six inches high, with shoulder length brown hair, circular glasses and a very cheap looking suit. Steve had been sorely tempted to instruct Agent Whitlowe not to let him in, but knew that would be childish, and he had, after all, requested the man's presence himself.
As it was now lunchtime Michael had prepared a buffet which he had set up in the dining room. Once Mr. Garrett had arrived Steve had invited him to eat with them, and had been relieved when he'd agreed. They had just begun to put food on their plates when Agent Whitlowe came up to speak with Steve again.
"Excuse me, Sir, but Detective Yeager, Chief Masters and a Mr. Travis are waiting for you in the hallway."
For a moment Steve's heart stopped. "Mr. Travis, Jesse?" but he saw the agent shake his head and felt his emotions roll back towards the hopeless position they had been stuck in for the last few days.
"I'm sorry, Sir, he said his name was Dane Travis."
Steve looked towards the other people in the room with him, "Will you excuse me for a moment?" The two adults in the room nodded their heads, and Steve watched as his son moved over to join him.
"Dad, I can come too, right?" The look in Daniel's eyes almost broke Steve's heart, and whether it was the right decision or not he knew that he couldn't say no.
"Of course, Son, but I might send you back in here, ok?"
"Yeah."
Steve let the boy precede him out of the room and he made sure that he closed the door behind him. Steve kissed Rae on the cheek, and for a moment the two of them hugged each other tightly, and then Rae did the same to Daniel.
"How are you, Daniel?"
"Not good … they want to take me away, Rae. They say I can't stay here any more." The tears threatened him again and Rae looked at her partner.
"Steve? They wouldn't would they? Can they just do that? He belongs here, oh, God, Honey, I am so sorry." Rae moved back over towards where Steve was standing, keeping an arm around Daniel as she did so, and took his hand into her own. She knew just how much he was suffering because Texas had been taken, she couldn't imagine how he would feel if they took his son from him too.
"Don't, Rae, please." The pleading in his voice stopped Rae in her tracks. She knew just how close to the edge he was and so she nodded, but she didn't let go of his hand. "Dane, how are you?" Steve looked at Jesse's father, and then realising that he had ignored his boss completely he turned apologetically in his direction.
"At ease, Lieutenant." The Chief smiled at his officer and saw him visibly relax.
"Steve, I'm fine, but I am so sorry to hear of all your problems. If there is anything I can do, people I can contact, you know I will do so." Dane had clapped Steve on the back, but he felt a little concerned. Rae was married to his son, but she seemed very familiar with the tall, handsome police officer. He guessed that they had a close working relationship, just as he'd had with Cinnamon, but somehow they seemed more than that.
"Steve, the Chief is interviewing vice cops this afternoon, and he wants me to listen in, we were going to ask you too, but you have to deal with this… If you want me to speak with someone, let them know what wonders you have done for Daniel I can do that, any time, you know that."
Steve nodded his head. "They're in there," pointed to the dining room, "probably discussing our futures right now." Steve ran his hands through his hair, "what will I do without him, Rae? He's part of our family, and Jo, when she comes home, what will she say if he's not here?"
Rae saw tears start in Steve's eyes, and she held him close to her again, as she did so she spoke. "The dining room, huh, I guess Michael has served lunch, you know I am a little hungry myself. Sir, could you wait a moment?" Rae received a nod from her boss, and then, taking Daniel by the hand, she entered the room.
Rae felt as if her head was going to burst, there was so much going through it, that she thought that she couldn't cope with anything else, but she needed to put Steve's case for him if she could, because she knew that if she didn't she would have failed him, and she would have no hope of concentrating on the interviews she was to attend that afternoon. Daniel had smiled tentatively at the two people sitting at the dining table eating their lunch.
"This is Detective Yeager; she's my dad's partner." Daniel had emphasised the word 'dad', and Rae had smiled to herself.
Steve watched the two of them disappear, willing the tears to stay where they were, and a thought suddenly appeared in his mind that he knew he'd had a very long time ago. Rae had an instant effect on people, he had never been sure why, but they either liked or disliked her, there was no grey ground where she was concerned, he felt guilty but he hoped that she wasn't about to make things worse for him.
About five minutes after Steve had finished his thought process Rae was back with them, she smiled at her partner and then his three guests took their leave, Rae stopped in the doorway and turned, "He's very proud of you and he loves you, I hope that will be enough." She kissed him on the cheek and then joined the Chief and Dane out in the bright sunlight.
"Rae, I'm going to go and see if any of my contacts have useful information, but if it's all right with you I'll come back to your house later, what time do you expect to be home?" Dane looked at the face of the woman he knew his son loved more than any other, and wondered about her. He had been delighted when he heard that Jesse had finally found someone to settle down with, but she wasn't at all as he had imagined she would be, and she certainly didn't seem bereft without him.
"I have no idea, but the girls go to bed at seven and I plan to be home for that. Sir, the interviews will finish around five won't they?" Rae looked from Dane to the Chief and for a moment wished that the latter was her father-in-law. She didn't know why but she knew that she hadn't impressed Jesse's dad, and that troubled her.
"Yes, yes, I have an evening meeting in Fresno, and I have to leave by five at the very latest, I have a chopper booked for five thirty."
"Ok, if you aim to get back here for six thirty I should be back by then, but if you let me have your cell number I will call you if I am gonna be late." Rae took a note pad out of her pocket.
"Young lady, I give my number to no-one, not even Jesse has it." Dane's face showed the surprise he felt at her even asking for it.
"Well, I guess you could be sitting on the front step if I'm late then, because Agent Perry won't let anyone in if I'm not home." Rae turned on her heel and strode down to the chief's car where she stood staring out at the street waiting for her boss to come unlock the doors and let her in.
"Mr. Travis, it was a pleasure to meet you but we really do need to be going." The Chief walked down to his car, pressing the button that unlocked the doors and disarmed the alarm as he went, and Rae got into the passenger seat.
"I can't believe that he wouldn't give me his number," Rae fumed as her boss started the engine. "His son has been kidnapped for goodness sake, and he is worried about himself."
"Just because a man can't show that he loves his family doesn't mean he can't feel it, Detective," the Chief advised her. "I know a little about Dane Travis, and he may be inept as a father, but he has always had his son's best interests at heart." The Chief looked in the rear view mirror as the black BMW drew away, and he could see Dane Travis, unsure of what to do for the first time in his life, standing there and watching it until it disappeared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Steve had re-entered the dining room with a heavy heart, and moved straight over to where Daniel was standing looking out into the garden. He knew that his place was here, but he also knew that he should be at the station listening to the vice interviews, trying to piece together the information that they had with results of the Chief's investigation.
"Mr. Sloan?" The voice cut into his thoughts and he turned round.
"Yes?"
"We need to discuss the situation with Daniel, and I have to say that from what I have seen since I arrived, he seems to be getting very little attention."
"Ok, let's stop this right now. You think that he should be taken away because I can't care for him, right?" Steve's voice was tinged with the anger that he felt, and he realised that he had his hands in tight fists.
"Dad!" Daniel moved closer to him, knowing that if Steve lost control completely then he would be some place else by evening.
"Mr. Sloan, losing your temper will help no-one, least of all Daniel, but yes, we feel that the situation that you now find yourself in is not conducive to providing the boy with a stable, happy environment to grow up in."
"Mr Garrett, first of all, if I had lost my temper you would both know about it, and second of all, I realise that what is happening is difficult for Daniel, but taking him away now, when he is so worried about his mother, when he has found a place that he is happy to call home, seems unnecessarily cruel to me."
"Please, Mr. Garrett, don't take me away, I … I don't want to go anywhere else, I like it here, please, please, let me stay." Daniel had moved closer to the two social workers. "This is the first real home I've had since my mom, since my mom left me, no where else will be as good as this."
"Is that because Mr and Mrs Sloan have lots of money?" Karen Stonely's voice was kind, but her comments cut both Steve and Daniel to the quick.
"No, that isn't what I meant. Anything I want I have to earn. I get my allowance every week from the money that they get for looking after me. If I want something that costs more than that then either I have to save up or do chores, sometimes with Dad, but usually with Mom or M."
"M?" It was Mr. Garrett who spoke, and although it was a question Daniel knew that he wasn't really interested, and the boy had a feeling that he had already made up his mind and would take him away.
"M is what I call Michael, he's Mom's butler, but he's more than that, he's like … well, I guess he is like the fourth member of the family, at least he would be if he would let himself." Daniel couldn't help but smile, he had seen both his mom and his dad try again and again to get Michael to join in family occasions, but he never did.
"I see, he would be the person who provided our lunch?"
"That's right; he has worked for my wife for many years, and for her grandmother before that. Daniel is right, he is like a member of the family, and he too is very fond of him."
"Mr. Sloan, I will leave Daniel with you for tonight so that I can discuss this case further, but I have to tell you that my instincts still tell me to remove the boy. We will return in the morning and let you have our final decision then."
"I see." For a moment Steve didn't know what to say or do. "Then … I guess I'll see you then." He felt Daniel move so he was leaning against him and without even thinking he put his arm round him and pulled him even closer.
"I won't come. If you say I have to leave I won't come. This is my home; you have no right to take me away." Daniel's voice was slightly muffled by the closeness of Steve's body to his own, but the message was clear.
The four of them moved out into the hallway, and Steve and Daniel stood together and watched as Ms Stonely and Mr. Garrett left, knowing that they held the future of their family in their hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rae had been on the receiving end of a lecture from the Chief on the drive into the station, he had been right she knew, but it had still hurt.
"Detective, I am concerned at the way you conduct yourself around the Lieutenant." His eyes never left the road, but the Chief still made Rae feel very uncomfortable.
"Sir?"
"I know that you are in the middle of a very difficult situation at the moment, and so I will excuse it, but if you continue to be that familiar with him once this is over, I will have to recommend you are assigned to another detective."
"Yes, Sir, I'm sorry, Sir." Rae had looked down at her hands. She knew that sometimes she forgot herself and let their off-duty friendship slide over into their work relationship and right now, she needed him. She also knew though that the Chief was right, and she would have to take a step back when they were working normally again.
Now though she had settled herself into one of the observation rooms behind the interview suite that the Chief was using. She had a cup of herbal tea and her notepad in front of her, and she had been listening for the past ten minutes to the questions being put to her friend and one time colleague, Martin Robertson. So far she had taken very few notes, and she was certain that he wasn't the one responsible for Texas and Jesse's disappearance. She wasn't alone in the room, and as the Chief began to speak again she smiled across at her companion.
"Detective Robertson, I have a list of dates that I would like to check against your records if I may." The Chief's voice was easily discernable and Rae waited as Martin began to take a note of the information that was required of him.
"What is it that you want to know, Sir?" Martin had been very concerned about the fact that he was to be interviewed by the Chief of Police, and the fact that he had been chosen to go first had been even worse. He watched as the Chief slid a piece of paper across to him and then began to speak.
"These dates, I would like to know whether you were working, and if your records are up to date for all of them."
Martin nodded his head and began to go back through his diary and his notebook. "There are two days when I was off duty, the rest I was here, that is after I returned to work. I was on sick leave for a long time."
"Yes, of course, I realise that, but you should have all that listed in your records. If somebody else came to check these they would expect to know exactly where you were and what you were doing just by looking."
"Yes, Sir, and I think that I can provide you with everything that you need." Martin turned his diary round to show his boss that every day that was on the list had been coloured in on his scheduler. "Blue is the colour I use when I am working, red when I'm not, and then I coloured it green when I was off after the shooting."
"I see, that is very clear, there is no problem with that. Your notebooks that cover this period, did you bring all of those with you as requested?"
"Yes, Sir, they are all dated and … well, I number them so there is no doubt which order they are in. I start from one again each January." Martin looked down, he could still remember Cheryl laughing at him when she had found out what he did, but he'd had no trouble getting all the information the Chief had requested, it had all been just where it should be, and he knew it was all in order.
Chief Masters began flicking through the notebooks and was very impressed by what he saw. It was clear that Robertson took his job and his duties very seriously, and the change from homicide to vice hadn't altered that. He wished that Newman could have kept the young man working with Detective Banks, but when they had started a relationship he'd had no choice but to have him moved.
"Detective, I am very impressed with the way that you have organised yourself, I hope that the rest of your department is run the same way." Although I doubt it. The Chief slid the books back over to the young man in front of him. "Once you have collected your things together this interview will be over, there is an officer outside the door, he will take you to an observation room, I want you to listen to everything that is said to you in that room, and act accordingly." The Chief was purposely vague, knowing that everything would be made clear to him in a few minutes time.
The door to the observation room slowly opened and for a brief moment Martin peered inside, then his face broke into a huge smile. "Rae!" He moved closer to her, and as he did so he saw the other person looking at him with a grin almost as wide as his. "Cheryl? Honey, what are you doing … I've been set up, I have no idea why, but I just know I have been set up!"
"Martin, come in and sit down, and we will explain it all to you." Rae stood up and closed the door behind the obviously bemused detective.
"Rae, I'm sorry, how are you? Have you heard anything more about where Jesse and Jo are?"
Rae shook her head, the feelings of being back where she should be, of belonging, were helping her to cope, but Jesse was never very far from her mind, and every time anyone mentioned his name she had to strengthen her resolve again. "Martin, we need you to help us find them, we think that the person behind all of this is … is a cop, a vice cop."
"What?" Martin looked at the two women sitting at the table in front of him and sat heavily into the one free chair. "How can you be so sure? And you are sure aren't you?"
"Oh yeah, we're sure, and we need you to work with Cheryl to root him out."
"With Cheryl … but that's, that's not allowed." Martin knew that he sounded like a gibbering idiot, but right now he felt like one too.
"Honey, just sit quietly and we will explain it all to you. But you are the only cop at the station with up to date knowledge of both vice and homicide investigations, we need you." Cheryl smiled across at him, she knew that what was happening was most unusual, and that as soon as the case was finished, or sooner if they didn't succeed, then Martin would be back in vice, and they would never work with each other again.
"We know that they have been taken by a vice cop because of what happened when we found Crosier's head." Rae closed her eyes for a moment, the vision of the freezer in the maggot and fly filled kitchen flooding her mind.
"Steve came and saw us, and he got Crosier's address…" Martin began to think back to what had happened. "That was when Wanda Harris was murdered, and then her husband too."
"Yeah, and the only people who knew where we were going, apart from ourselves, worked in vice." Rae had the notes she had made at that time in front of her and she slid them across to her friend and one time colleague. "Denny Harris was murdered by the same type of knife as was used in some of the dismemberment …" Rae stopped talking.
"What, Rae? What did you remember?" Cheryl looked at her, and knew that something had come into her head.
"Attend the tale of Sweeny Todd. My God, he killed him to stop us getting to Crosier's place before he could put the head there, and Wanda, maybe he killed her too." Rae had gone pale, and for a moment she closed her eyes. "We are responsible for his death, we stayed there to secure the scene, and it was much later than we planned before we got to Van Nuys… I guess I always knew, but I just hadn't put it into words before."
Rae put her hand into her pocket and took out her cell phone; she punched in the number for Community General, and then waited. "Oh, hi, this is Detective Yeager; could you please put me through to Doctor Bentley…? Yes, I'll hold."
Amanda was just finishing for the day when her phone rang, with a deep sigh she moved over towards it, hoping that it wouldn't be a case that she had to deal with right away. "Hello, Doctor Bentley… Rae? How are you … have you heard anything…? No, I guess you would … Harris? That was a while ago, let me check my files." Amanda pulled the case up on the computer just in front of her and waited while the information appeared. "Rae, I have it, what was it you wanted to know…? Um, yeah, I guess it could have been a cutthroat razor, except I would call it a straight razor, why…?" Amanda listened to her friend, and as she spoke her heart went out to her, not only was she explaining and joining together three cases, she was increasing the danger to her own husband and her best friend.
By the time Rae closed her cell phone the tears in her eyes had been pushed back for the umpteenth time that day, and with a sigh she looked at her two colleagues. "Amanda says that yes, Denny Harris could have been killed by a cutthroat razor, and she thinks that some of the … parts we have received could have been dissected that way too, especially the fingers which were removed from the hand that we have… 'Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd, His skin was pale and his eye was odd, He shaved the faces of gentlemen … who never thereafter were heard of again' … excuse me." Rae turned and hurried out of the room, but not before both of her friends had seen the tears finally fall and run down her face.