This is for amusement only; I own nothing, not even Mac Taylor from CSI:NY! Though I wish to rent Gary Sinese for a long weekend.

June 8th, 2000 4:10 PM

Sanos came to the end of an alley three blocks from Kenshin's brownstone. Police were everywhere and the area was cordoned off. A cop stopped him. "Sorry, sir, there's an investigation going on here. No public allowed."

"Hey, Ramirez, it's okay, he's on the case too!" Officer Myojin walked up and shook Sanos' hand. "Have you seen Lt. Gaudro? She was going to stop by her home, its just a little way from here. She was worried about her husband."

"You know that she's married?"

"Yeah, most people do." He gave Sanos a quizzical look. "You didn't?"

"No, I wish I had. What's going on here?" They ducked under the yellow tape and started down the alley. The day had beenhot and the smell of dried blood hung thick in the air. Sanos saw a dark haired man in a grey suit hunched down by the curled up body. He wore foot covers and gloves.

"Forensics is here. The blood spatter area is pretty big, so you'll need foot covers to get too much closer. It's a pretty young kid, probably not older than eighteen, maybe younger. I wish the Lieutenant was here."

"Then your wish is granted, Myojin. Move out of my way now, that's a lad." She walked past Sanos without even looking at him; grabbing a couple of shoe covers out of a box and a pair of gloves. Sanos and Myojin did the same and followed her. Teo crouched down next to the forensic detective. "Hi Mac, long time. How's your good lady?"

"Beautiful as ever, Teo, and you can't have her. How's your husband?"

"The same. You can't have him either, as if you'd want to. What have we got?"

"Caucasian male, teenaged." He pulled back the cover and Teo sucked in a sudden breath. "You know him, Teo?"

"I've seen him in the neighborhood. Mike... something, I can't remember now. A runaway, he found the Center before the streets really got to him. He was working at a newsstand near here and going to the alternative high school they offer. Hey, Katsu?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go north of here about five blocks, to Kim's newsstand. Tell Choon to come down here. Wait, before you go – was there any ID on the body, Mac?"

"No, Teo. There was a wallet with a little cash and a MT pass in it, but nothing for ID."

"Shit, it'll have to be Choon then. Go get him please, Katsu." Sanos peered over her shoulder at the torn bloodstained face of a young man. His brown eyes were sightless; a band of black electrical tape was wrapped around his head as some kind of gag. As the cover was drawn down farther, he saw the hands were bound with tape as well behind his back. His clothing, probably just a t-shirt and jeans, was shredded off as if with a knife. As the body was fully uncovered, Sanos had to turn his back and take a deep breath to keep from puking. "Joy, joy, he found a broken green beer bottle this time. Or did he break it himself?" she said, nodding her head towards the glitter of glass against the wall across from them.

"I'm betting he broke it himself. The cuts and damage are extensive."

"And he was awake, Mac. See, there are defensive cuts on the arms and shoulders and scrapes as if he was trying to get away. If he was hit it was just enough to stun. The animal wanted him awake for this. Look at his face, see the cut?"

"On the right side, starting low and going high. Pistol-whip mark?"

"Yeah, and by a lefty. This looks like something I've seen before, a long time ago. I just can't place it." She turned at the sound of footsteps and Sanos tried to be invisible. "Cover him, Mac. This'll be hard enough on this poor man." She stood to greet Myojin and a short Asian man with platinum-bleached hair. "Choon Kim, I'm sorry to ask you to do this."

"This officer says it may be Mike? Can I see?" He stared down at the still face and turned away with a sob. Teo pulled off the gloves and put her hands on his shoulders. He took several deep breaths and nodded. "It's him. Mike Simione. He was just seventeen! What did that bastard do to him?"

"You don't need or want to know, Choon. Did he have family?"

"Yeah, he finally started talking to his mom a couple of months ago. A runaway from upstate, he couldn't stand being gay in that little hill town anymore, thought it'd be better here, the same dream we've all had. He worked the early mornings for me 5-9AM. That way I didn't have to get up as early and he could make class and help out with expenses at the youth hostel. Jake got him the job with me. God, he was just a baby!" Kim began to cry, and Sanos was a little shocked to watch Gaudro hold the man and pat his shoulders till he got some control. He didn't think she could so understand a man so badly hurt, or show any tenderness. She gave him some tissues.

"Choon, do you have any phone numbers for us? His mom? Okay, please go back with Officer Myojin here and get them. Call Kelsey to come pick you up, you shouldn't be alone- stay with him till someone comes, Katsu, and then get the number to me. I'll call Jake at the Center. I'm so sorry, Choon."

"Get the fucker, Teo, that's all I ask. He was such a sweet little boy." Mr. Kim moved off with the big young cop. Sanos watched Teo's shoulders sag, and then straighten.

"Mac, are you done? Can you take him now? I want to know what you find."

"Well he couldn't have gotten away this time without being bloody. There's too much here for that. If the boy left work at nine, that gives us a time frame for when he must have been killed. Have any of the other vics had their IDs taken, Teo?"

"No, this is the first. Was it taken to hide the boy's identity or to cause fear in as many people as possible who didn't know where their loved ones were?" She looked over her shoulder at Sanos, and chewed on her lip. "How tall are you, Mac?"

"I'm 5'9", why do you ask?"

"I wanted to make sure you're out of our perps range. You fit the description otherwise, but you're too tall."

"That's the first time I've ever heard that. Thanks. So you think it is a man, huh?"

"Has Shou gotten to you too? Yes I do, especially sick shit like this. I may play rough, but it takes a sick fucking mind to think this horror up and that tends to be a man's game. But the quiz question is, - how did he pull it off? Broad daylight, busy streets, no body sees or hears anything. It's the Invisible Man?" She stopped and looked off into the distance, then shook her head. "I've got to chew this over. Let me know whatever you can, Mac. Thanks." She walked past Sanos again without looking, dropping the shoe covers in a hazardous waste can ready on the scene. Sanos stared after her.

"She'll chew it hard and come up with something. She's really good at her job," said the other detective to Sanos. "I'm Mac Taylor; they told me there was a reporter following on this case."

"Dave Sanos, Detective. You've worked with her before? I thought she worked in fraud cases?"

"Sometimes they overlap. She was working on an embezzlement case when I first moved here from Chicago. The bookkeeper she was following apparently leapt off a building. She knew the man inside and out, he may have been a crook, but he was also a devout Catholic. She set off the bells- when we looked closer; we found a prior skull fracture on the vic's skull. He'd been taken out by his boss and dropped off the building to make it look like suicide. The boss is doing hard time in Attica, instead of just being in a federal prison for embezzlement. Teo can be a huge pain in the ass, but she's second to none. She'll find this guy or know the reason why. See you; I've got to get to work."

Sanos pulled off the covers and threw them in the can. As he walked out of the alley, he saw Teo standing in front of a tall, thin, sandy-haired man. "You can't go in, Jake. It's a crime scene. Choon shouldn't have called you, that's my job."

"I want to see him, Teo, you let Choon!"

"That's because I needed the ID, not for the joy. You do not need to see this, believe me. Go back to the other kids; they're going to need you."

"God dam it, Teo! This wasn't supposed to happen! Years ago, when Ken and I were runaways, our choice was thief or whore. This kid didn't have to make that choice, take those filthy chances! He was smart -he would have made it! Why is he dead?"

"Because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's it. There is no reason for this. Go back to the kids, Jake, I'll come tomorrow and tell you what I know, but I have to deal with this now. I've just been given the boy's mother's number. Will you talk to her? Good, I'll give her your number and extension. Go take care of the living, Jake, and leave me to avenge the dead. That's my duty." She hugged the man, who swiftly walked away, hands to his face.

"Lt. Gaudro?"

"Mr. Sanos, unless it is pertinent to this case, I'd appreciate you giving me a few hours to get my wish to thrash you out of my system. If it isn't, please go away." She reached into her coat, left-handed and pulled out a small black cigar. Sanos realized for the first time that her gun was on the right side of her body. She was left handed? But he had seen her write with her right hand. She struck a match and lit the cigar, for a moment he could see the green eyes of the portrait. This time they weren't looking at him, but off into the distance.

Mac Taylor came out of the alley. "Kenshin's gonna have your ass if he catches you!"

She took a drag and blew a circle. "Big if, unless you tattle. Later, Mac." She left without saying another word to Sanos. He turned to the other man.

"Mr. Taylor is Lt. Gaudro right or left handed?"

"Oh, you noticed? She's both, sort of. She's a natural lefty, but she went to some old-fashioned kind of school where they "broke" you of the habit, in writing, at least. It isn't done anymore, it tended to cause more problems than it solved. She favors her left in everything except writing. Good eye, Mr. Sanos, you should be in my line. Bye." He nodded and moved off, leaving Sanos to think about the wounds caused by someone left handed.