Book 2 of Cat and Mouse
Title: Better Off Dead
Author: Jayde
Rating: PG-13 for Language, Violence, and Adult Content
Credits: Thanks to Sassy for the beta read. (Hope I didn't mess up your studying!)
Summary: FBI agent Samantha Gallagher, now a friend of the turtles, starts working on a new case that may spell the end of her career.
Chapter 1:
"Back in the saddle again."
Samantha Gallagher winced as her friend sang off key into her ear. She held the phone away and grimaced. She was too happy, though, to let this or anything else bring her down. She was back at work and away from her desk for the first time in weeks.
"So, what's the big assignment?" Dan asked, and Sam brought the cell phone back to her ear.
"Babysitting," she replied brightly.
"Awfully cheerful for a lame first time out," Dan noted.
It did not matter at all to Sam. She was working again, and on an actual case. "I gotta go, Danny boy."
"Hey, when am I gonna meet the turtles?"
Sam froze in the hallway of the drab hotel. The guys. Leo, in particular, had made it clear that while he would reluctantly accept her, he wasn't prepared to invite everyone she knew into their secret.
"I'm sorry, Dan. They're … kinda shy." She waited through an unpleasant silence from the other end of the conversation. "I'm sure you'll meet them eventually."
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Sam," Dan responded.
"Hey, I'm here. I'll talk to you later." Sam rang off, and knocked lightly on the hotel room door. It opened a moment later, to reveal her partner, Eric, looking less than thrilled.
"You're late," he growled into her face. She stamped down on her immediate desire to snarl in return, and instead adopted a sunny smile.
"Morning, Eric."
He swung the door wide, and Sam stepped inside. The room was the usual cheesy hotel décor: insane floral prints on the walls, and hideous mauve bedding. Seated on one of the two double beds were a dark haired woman, and two little girls who looked like reduced copies. The woman looked like she hadn't slept in a long time. Not surprising. Witness protection wasn't a walk in the park – at least not for the witness.
Two other agents were seated at the little round table near the patio doors. A small balcony led off of this single room.
"Since you're the last one here, you can go get coffee," Eric stated. He was baiting Sam, of course.
"Sure. Any special requests?" Sam was looking at the woman on the bed. The witness gave the barest of headshakes, and Sam turned to the other two agents.
"Black." "Same." Their responses were almost in two-part harmony.
"The usual," Eric added.
"Great. I'll be back … later," Sam said, and stepped out the door. Back in the hall again, she dug in her bag for her keys. She had seen a Starbucks on the way over here.
-
An hour later, Samantha returned balancing four coffees in one of those useless Styrofoam trays, and a bag with a couple of bottles of juice. She had thought of the juice for the girls – it might make their morning a little better to have something to drink besides whatever room service had available.
Reaching the door, Sam tapped it with her foot and waited impatiently for someone to answer. No one did. Sam leaned forward, and brought her ear close to the door. There was no sound from the other side. Cautiously, she set the beverages down on the floor in the hall. Reaching under her suit coat, she drew her gun, and glanced up and down the long hallway. No one was around. She put her hand on the doorknob, and the door popped open.
Samantha pushed the door with her shoulder, and came cautiously into the room. She halted in the doorway, and gulped at the scene. Two agents lay sprawled – one on the bed, and one on the floor. Bullet holes marked each agent's chest, and blood was spattered around the room like a Jackson Pollack painting.
Breathing in harshly, Sam made her way through the room. She stopped by each man, but it was obvious they were both dead.There was no sign of the witness or her children, or her partner Eric.
"Damn," Sam cursed softly. The curtains blew in from the small balcony, and Sam turned in that direction. Checking carefully for a sign of anyone out there, Sam held the drapes to one side, and found her partner slumped against the balcony railing. "Eric," Sam cried, rushing over. She crouched next to him, and reached to check his pulse.
"I'm not dead yet," Eric whispered. Sam noted the blood on the front of his shirt.
"You've been shot," Sam said, her tone shocked.
"Yeah. Sam, the witness …" Eric waved his gun vaguely to his right, and Sam turned to find frightened brown eyes peering back at her.
"He pushed us out onto the balcony. We hid," the witness said, rising from a crouch on the next balcony. "I climbed over here, with my girls. I heard the shots … Are they …?"
"They're dead," Sam replied. She tucked her gun back into the holster. "Did you see the shooters?" The witness shook her head. Sam could see the little girls now, hiding under a patio table. She turned back to Eric, and noted his pale face and shallow breathing. He didn't have much time.
"You have to let me go. He's going to come back," the witness said anxiously.
Sam frowned, wondering who 'he' was. "I have to call this in."
"Sam," Eric interrupted. "Get them out of here."
Sam reached into her jacket for her cell phone. "I have to get you an ambulance."
"Get out of here now," Eric ordered, a little more strength behind his voice than before. "I'll call it in." Sam noted that Eric's phone was lying on the floor of the balcony, and took her hand out of her jacket.
"Okay, I'll take them to …"
"No. Don't tell me. Don't even tell them," Eric instructed, his voice fading back to a pained whisper. "Tell no one. It's an inside job."
"Okay. We'll take you to the hospital on the way," Sam said, rising to her feet and making plans as quickly as she could.
"No," Eric replied. "Damn it Sam, just go!"
Sam hesitated a moment longer, but she could see that stubborn light in her partner's eyes. She nodded once, and then turned to the woman who had witnessed this entire conversation.
"What's your name?"
"Juliet," the witness responded.
"Juliet. I'm Sam." Samantha retrieved her cell phone from an inside pocket of her jacket. "Is that door open? Can you get into that hotel room?" Juliet tried it, and the glass door slid open. "Great. Go through to the hall. I'll meet you there." With one last look at Eric, Sam stepped back through into the ravaged hotel room. She dialed the number from memory as she walked. "Don," she said, when she heard a greeting on the other end. "I need a favor."
-
"I have to warn you about how they look," Samantha explained as they turned into an alley a couple of hours later. "They're a little different." Sam had taken Juliet and her children from the hotel, and had driven them in a confusing series of circles to reach a distant, and rundown neighborhood. Juliet followed, stepping carefully through the refuse-strewn alley, a child holding each hand. The brunette's eyes flicked here and there, taking in the hulking dumpster and the shadowy dead end.
"Why are we here?" Juliet questioned nervously.
"I'm taking you to a place where no one will ever think to search for you," Sam said confidently. She stepped up to a manhole, and stomped on it three times. Her heel rang against the metal disc with a hollow clang. The manhole cover stirred restlessly, and Juliet drew back a pace. The cover lifted clear, and slid to one side. Thick arms appeared from the black hole. The skin was a clear and brilliant green. Juliet's dark eyes met Sam's – confused and frightened.
"Told ya they were different," Sam noted evenly.
"Hi ya," a friendly voice echoed up from the manhole. "You ladies coming down, or what?"
"We might need a hand, Mike," Sam called down. "The kids won't be able to climb on their own."
"Okay," Mike responded. His wide and smiling green face popped into view. The older child shrieked, and jumped back.
"Mommy, it's a monster!"
"He's not a monster," Sam reassured gently. Mike climbed out, and Juliet and her daughters gaped at him. Juliet recovered first, and lowered her eyes. In her own mind, she had been unforgivably rude.
"I'm … I'm sorry," Juliet offered. She held onto her daughters' hands desperately. Here was a form of aid, and she could not afford to irritate this being. No matter how bizarre he might look.
"It's okay," Mike replied. "Don's waiting at the bottom of the ladder, and I thought you could go down first, and I would bring the girls to you."
Juliet looked up, and gave Mike a tentative smile and a nod in acceptance of his plan. "Do what, um, Mike says, okay Rachel," the mother said, addressing her eldest. "And watch out for Noelle?"
"I will Mommy." Rachel took her younger sister's hand, and watched as her mother climbed down through the hole in the ground. A soft thump came from closer to the fire escape. Another green man had appeared there. He had something on his back – to Rachel's childish mind it looked like sticks.
"Leo," Samantha greeted. Leo nodded in reply, but he was looking at the two little girls.
"You're safe now," Leo said firmly, his light eyes on them. He glanced up, suddenly, at the fire escape. Rachel followed suit, and found another one up there.
"Wow," Rachel said softly, looking at the green man on the fire escape. He wore a red mask, and he had something like knives tucked in his wide belt.
"Okay, who's first?" Mike asked.Rachel led Noelle over, and placed her small hand in Mike's large green one.
"Noelle first," Rachel said. Noelle's face screwed up into an unhappy frown. "It's okay, Elle. Mommy's down there waiting for us."
"I'll take you first," Mike explained gently. "Then I'll get your sister."
"I can take her," Leo interjected. He held out a three-fingered hand to Rachel. The older girl hesitated for a moment.
"He's safe. Really," Sam reassured. The girl finally started moving, and put her hand in Leo's. Mike lifted the smaller girl, and held her with one arm.
"Put your arms around my neck and hold on," Mike advised the little one. Noelle, still a little frightened, wrapped her arms around the turtle's neck and hid her face against his cheek. "Here we go," Mike said, and started climbing down.
Leo crossed to the manhole, and lifted Rachel up. Without being told, she clung to his neck. "You coming down?" Leo asked Sam. The FBI agent nodded, and waited until Leo was down the ladder.
"After you," a voice growled from behind Sam. She resisted the impulse to draw her weapon. Instead, she turned and offered Raph a discouraging glower.
"One of these days, you're going to startle me into shooting you," she noted.
"Hasn't happened yet," he replied. He waved a hand at the manhole, and Sam took the hint. She climbed down into the darkness and joined the others in the tunnel.
"It smells bad," Rachel said, her voice loud in the confined space.
"Rachel," Juliet quickly admonished.
"Yeah, it does," Mike readily agreed. He started leading the way through the shallow running water towards the lair. "But it doesn't smell like this where we're going."
"What does it smell like?" Rachel asked, dropping her mother's hand to run up to Mike's side. She caught his fingers in a tight grip, and the turtle slowed his pace to her shorter legs.
"Like pizza, mostly," Mike replied, thinking the question over. "And a little like burned coffee. Don's burned up at least three coffee pots in the last month."
"Four," Leo corrected from somewhere behind them.
"Anyway, it doesn't smell so sewer-y in our home," Mike explained.
Samantha walked at the back of the pack, and watched Mike talking with the girl. This had been a good idea, and would hopefully give the family some security while she figured this out.
-
"We're here, Sensei," Leo called out as the party reached the inside of the lair. This was always the difficult part – meeting Master Splinter. The aged Sensei stepped out of the kitchen slowly, and greeted the visitors with a small bow.
"Hey, Splinter," Sam greeted casually. "This is Juliet, and her daughters Rachel and Noelle."
"H … Hello," Juliet managed. Her eyes were wide, but she didn't look like she was going to faint. Splinter smiled, and then turned his eyes to the children. Rachel surprised everyone by bowing to the turtles' mentor. Splinter bowed in return, and put out a hand to the child. Rachel let go of Mike's hand, and stepped close to the rat.
"I'm Rachel," the girl explained. She took a hold of the furry fingers.
"Hello, Rachel. How did you know to bow to me?" Splinter inquired gently.
"I took karate before we had to run away," Rachel replied truthfully. "I had to bow to my teacher at the start of every class."
"How many years did you take the class?" Splinter asked.
"Two," Rachel said, holding up two fingers with her free hand.
"So many," Splinter responded. "Would you like to show me?" Rachel nodded happily, and Splinter led her away to the training area.
"She'll be alright," Mike said, noting the worried expression on Juliet's face. She nodded, and tried to smile, but it slipped away fairly quickly.
"We should talk," Sam interrupted. She nodded at Leo significantly. "Mike, would you watch Noelle for a bit?"
"Sure," the orange-masked turtle said. He bent down to the younger child. "You wanna watch t.v. with me?" She nodded, and followed the turtle across the lair.
Sam steered Juliet towards an archway near the door. Leo joined them, and they held a hushed conversation.
"I'm not going to pretend to know what's going on, okay? And I don't have time to ask you all the questions right now," Sam said quickly. She glanced at her watch – she needed to get back to the surface and check on Eric. "You need to stay out of sight – this is the place."
"Okay," Juliet agreed. She glanced around her, still a little shocked to be hiding in the sewers. "How long?" At Sam and Leo's puzzled expressions, she clarified. "How long will we be allowed to stay?"
"As long as you need," Leo reassured.
Wordlessly, Leo and Sam exchanged a look. Feeling like she had done all she could for now, Sam turned to the door. She found Don there waiting for her.
"Going back?"
Sam nodded, and looked at her watch again. "I'll call as soon as I know something."
"We'll look after them," Don reassured her.
"I know you will. I know I can count on you," Sam said. She headed out the door, and listened as it shut firmly behind her. She knew her way, now, through the sewer tunnels, and she left by a different manhole than the one they had entered. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.
-
"Explain to me, Agent, how you managed to lose a witness and her two children." The man punctuated his statement by slamming his fists down on the table in the hotel room. The FBI had taken over the section of the hotel where the shootings had occurred. Sam's supposedly quick debriefing had been held in the room next to the one the witness had been staying in. Samantha studied the senior agent as he turned back to her.
"I returned from getting coffee, and found two agents dead and my partner wounded. The witness was missing," Sam explained. She had repeated her story at least three times now. It was a lie, but it was getting easier with each telling to this self-important asshole. She had received the news as soon as she called in – her partner, Eric, was dead. She had left him alone to die, and this guy just kept asking the same damn questions. "I searched for the witness, but I couldn't find her."
"Or her children," the senior agent added.
"Or her children," Sam agreed through gritted teeth.
"What do you know about this case, Gallagher?" Another agent questioned and Samantha frowned at him. These two agents had dragged her aside as soon as they arrived on the scene. Their badges identified them as agents with the Washington bureau, and what they were doing in New York in connection with this case was a mystery.
"Almost nothing, sir," Sam replied. "It was a babysitting job."
Sanders stared hard at her, and Sam met his gaze evenly.
"This woman is wanted for questioning in a case in Washington, Agent. It is critical that we get her back here. We went to a lot of trouble to track her all the way to New York City, only to have her disappear."
Sam controlled her response to this news very carefully. "If I see her, I'll be certain to report it."
"See that you do, Agent," Sanders retorted smoothly. "Of course it is unlikely you'll see her if she is hiding out."
"Yeah. Of course," Sam agreed, still raging inside. Eric was dead. How could she have left him alone?
"You're free to go, Agent," Sanders ordered. Sam stood up, and headed for the door. She stepped out into the hall, and navigated the confusion of crime scene investigators and NYPD to get to the parking lot. Once at her car, she sat for a moment after she had started it.
Eric had demanded she take Juliet out of there immediately. He had either seen, or suspected an inside job. Sanders didn't buy her story. Sam pulled out of her parking space, and signaled to leave the lot. Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. A bland navy car was behind her. She joined traffic, and took a left onto another street.
The navy car remained in her mirror. Samantha took a wild route, changing lanes and driving in a series of bizarre circles. No matter what she did, the navy car turned up behind her. Finally, she pulled into a parking garage, and drove her car up to the top. She stopped, and got out, locking the car behind her. She hurried for the stairs, and rushed down them as fast as her heels would allow. With her cell phone held to her ear, she shoved her way through a door on the street level.
"Don," she said rapidly into the phone. "I've got another problem."
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