Chapter Seventeen – Goodbyes
It was late morning when Buffy and Dawn walked into the squad room. Benson looked up from her desk and smiled.
"Hey guys," she said. "I guess you two are heading our today."
"Yea," Buffy replied. "Dawn's flight back to London leaves in a couple of hours. Mine leaves after that. We just wanted to stop by and say bye."
Cragen and Cabot came out of the Captain's office.
"Buffy, Dawn, I just got back from the arraignment," Cabot said. "Judge remanded Cummings to custody. He plead not guilty, but the public defender assigned the case is already fishing for a plea."
"Are you planning on offering one?" Dawn asked.
"Four murders, including a child," Cabot shook her head. "My boss has already said we're going for the maximum on this one."
"What are your chances?" Buffy asked.
"Physical evidence is solid," Stabler responded. "Lab's matched his shoes to the prints found where Amanda was dumped, we've got fingerprints, DNA from the jacket we recovered at his house matches Amanda's and we should have the DNA match to his semen by the end of the day."
"Add to that we can link him to all four victims," Cabot continued. "And thanks to the ritual we have a motive. My guess is his lawyer will try for not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect."
"Do you think that will work?" Buffy asked.
"I doubt it," Cabot said. "I talked with Dr. Wong. The murders were all premeditated. He took steps to conceal his actions, which shows that he knew he was breaking the law. It won't fly. Contrary to what you may see on television, juries do not like an insanity defense. Not for child killers. We'll get him."
"Good," Buffy said. "Where's Munch and Fin, I really wanted to say bye to them before we left?"
"That's the other news," Benson said. "They found keys in Cummings pocket. We traced them to a storage facility. Munch and Fin went out there to check it out. Fin called in a few minutes before you arrived. They found where Cummings killed his victims."
Dawn nodded her head and looked over at Cabot. "I'll make sure Linda sends copies of her research notes to you when I get back. Is there anything else you need from us?"
"To be honest no," Cabot replied. "In fact, I doubt we'll need you two for the trial. We may not have anybody who can speak gypsy on the payroll, but we do have several who can speak German. They can handle translating the Beiner text and presenting it in court."
"You've got our contact information, so if you do need anything else just give us a call," Buffy said. "Unless there's an apocalypse going on, we'll be available."
"Buffy, Dawn," Cragen started. "I just want to say thanks for all your help."
"Thank you Captain," Buffy replied. "Under the circumstances I can't say it's been pleasure to meet you, but it has been good working with you."
"Same here," Dawn added. She looked down at her watch. "We really need to get going if we're going to get to the airport on time. Security on International flights takes forever to get through."
"You two take care," Cragen shook both their hands.
"Try not to take too many guys arms off when you get back to Cleveland," Stabler said, shaking their hands as well.
"Keep in touch," Benson said.
"I will," Dawn said. "Remember what I said. You ever get bored here, give me a call."
"Make sure to say bye to Munch and Fin for us," Buffy said.
"We will," Benson said.
With that the sisters left the squad room.
Buffy and Dawn were making their way through the airport. They stopped just outside the entrance to the international gates.
"We didn't get a chance to power shop this trip," Buffy said.
"The merchants on Fifth Avenue will just have to be disappointed," Dawn replied.
"Take care of yourself back in London," Buffy said. "Make sure to give Willow and Giles each a hug for me."
"I will," Dawn said. "You do the same for me with Xander. You only have to give Andrew a handshake.
"Deal," Buffy smiled. "You did good work the last couple of days."
"Thanks," Dawn smiled back. "So did you. When's your flight leave?"
"About two hours," Buffy said. "I'll grab a book and catch up on my reading."
"She does philosophy, she reads books, I barely recognize you anymore."
"I have many unexplored layers," Buffy replied. "You've done a lot of growing up on me the last few months."
"I've had a lot to deal with," Dawn said. "But I think I'm strong enough to handle it."
"I know you are," Buffy said. "Call me as soon as you get back."
"I will," Dawn said. "I'll see you at the anniversary in few weeks. We'll power shop through Cleveland."
"The city will never know what hit it," Buffy said.
The sisters hugged and Buffy waved as Dawn entered the line to get into the terminal.
A little over an hour later Buffy was sitting at the gate where her flight was due to depart reading a book. She paused and smiled.
"Munch," she said. "This is an unexpected surprise. What brings you here?"
Munch smirked. "Why am I not surprised you knew I was coming up behind you. Tell me, did you know when I entered the terminal or when I entered the airport."
"I'll leave you guessing," Buffy got up from her chair and turned to face Munch. "I thought people without tickets weren't allowed in this part of the airport."
"I flashed my badge," Munch replied. "Told them I was meeting a witness."
"Where's Fin?" Buffy asked.
"Back at the squad room filling out reports," Munch replied. "There's a couple of things I wanted to clear up with you before you left. In private."
"Like what?"
"I'll buy you a cup of coffee," Munch said. "We can talk about it."
"I got about an hour before my flight starts boarding," Buffy replied. "And I always like it when somebody else is buying."
A few minutes later Buffy and Munch were sitting at a table in the back of one of airports coffee shops.
"So what did you want to ask me?" Buffy said.
"I did all the initial checking on you and your sister," Munch started. "I got to say it wasn't easy. It's kind of convenient that virtually every record that might contain something bad in it disappeared with Sunnydale."
"What makes you think there was something there too find?" Buffy asked.
"I did have one question," Munch said. "What really happened to Warren Mears and Jonathan Levinson?"
"You're good," Buffy said. "You must have spent a lot of late nights on the phone tracking down former Sunnydale cops to get those names."
"It took me a couple of days, but I did track a couple down," Munch said. "There not that easy to find, most of them aren't working in law enforcement anymore and they seem to want to forget Sunnydale ever existed. One of them had some really weird stories."
Munch paused. "Warren Mears murdered a young woman at your home. Tara Maclay. A couple of hours later someone broke his accomplices to a robbery, Jonathan and an Andrew Wells, out of the Sunnydale police station. After that all three of them just disappeared. A statewide warrant was issued for their arrest. It said they most likely were fleeing to Mexico."
"So?"
"Two months after Sunnydale went boom," Munch continued, "Warren Mears and Jonathan Levinson's names were added to list of people killed in the disaster. A year after that, Andrew Wells turned himself into the FBI and somehow managed to cut a deal that got him only two years probation, which he served in Cleveland. Where he currently lives. My guess is he works for your foundation."
"Andrew's looking for redemption," Buffy said. "He's doing a good job of finding it. I don't know what happened to Warren or Jonathan after they left Sunnydale."
"And I don't suppose you know how Faith Wilkins managed to get a pardon from the Governor of California after pleading guilty to murder, a dozen assaults and breaking out of a maximum security prison."
"What do you think?" Buffy asked.
"I think Warren and Jonathan died a long time before Sunnydale turned into a lake," Munch said. "I think you've got some connection to the government that let's you and your friends get away with murder."
"Believe me Munch," Buffy looked him straight in the eyes. "No one got away with murder. And I don't work for the government. They just owe us a couple of favors. Besides if you really thought my sister and I were criminals or vigilantes, you would never have let us help track down Cummings."
"You're right," Munch said. "I don't think you're a criminal. There were a several times when both you and Dawn talked like you believe this magic stuff is real. You both referred to Cummings as a 'wannabe.' You showed a lot of respect to the people who went to the 'real' magic shops and treated the shopkeepers at the other places with either indifference or hostility."
"Again, so?"
"I saw you at those crime scenes Buffy," Munch said. "I watched you beat Elliot at that arm wrestling contest. I saw what you did to Cummings. You are not a normal girl. Just what exactly are you?"
Buffy spent a few seconds studying Munch and came to a decision. "Just between us?"
"You have my word, just between us?"
"Hypothetically, let's suppose this magic stuff is real," Buffy said. "That the creatures from your nightmares really are walking the streets at night and have been since before history began. What would the police be able to do about it?"
"Truthfully," Munch thought for a second. "Not very much. Although that would explain a couple of those weird stories."
"So if the bad things are out there, who is left to deal with them?"
"Is that what you are?" Munch asked. "You and sister hunt down the creatures from my nightmares. You stand between the bad things of the world and the rest of us."
"That's as good a description as any," Buffy replied. "You have a problem with that Munch?"
Munch thought back over the last few days and actually smiled. "You know, for once, that actually makes me feel good about the way the world works."
