The trail in Max's murder case had gone pretty cold much to McCall's frustration. Charlie was about to close the case on them until there came a call from New York, it was Mel.
"Oskar Jackson is in New York. A witness to a robbery identified him as one of the men who did it."
"Mel, that's the best news I had in ages about this case, thanks," Hunter said to her and hung up the phone.
"What did she have for us?" McCall wanted to know.
"Mr. Jackson, in person. He's been picked out of a mug book by a witness to a robbery he and some other guy did."
"Great, that means we have a new lead."
"In New York, not here."
"Then we'll just have to get over there."
"Charlie will never let us."
"So you want to go to New York and solve this case?" Charlie paced up and down behind his desk, Hunter and McCall stood on the other side watching.
"I can't send the two of you over there, it would just cost the department too much money. One of you can go," Charlie said as he stopped pacing and looked at them.
"McCall should go," Hunter said.
"It's her case in the first place. I'll help as much as I can from here."
"Okay, is that alright with you?" Charlie looked at McCall
"Yeah it is, thanks. I won't let you down."
"I know you won't. Get this guy."
Back at their desks Hunter sat down on the corner of hers,
"I have to tell you something I think you should know."
McCall leaned back into her seat to listen.
"When I was in New York that year Mel and I had a relationship. It ended because I left and the both of us knew a long distance love would never work out."
"Thanks for being honest with me, I suspected it already. It was the way you talked to her on the phone."
"It's not a problem?"
"No Rick, I know you love me now. It's a thing of your past."
He gave her a light kiss,
"Thanks."
"Now all I need is a place to stay over there. Any suggestions?"
"I do have an idea but I'm not sure if you are gonna like it."
"Try me."
"Stay at Mel's place. I'm sure she won't mind."
"You were right, I don't like that idea."
"Well I don't see why not and besides I'd rather have you stay with her than in some hotel."
"This is exactly what Charlie's afraid of, you getting overprotective with me. But if it makes you feel better I'll stay with Mel," McCall stood up and walked to the ladies room leaving a stunned Hunter behind.
Their row didn't go unnoticed, "Hunter in my office now!"
He did as he was told.
"She's right, this is what I am afraid of, you not giving her any space to work, getting overprotective. She's a big girl Hunter and hasn't stopped being a cop because she fell in love with you."
"I know Charlie," Hunter sighed.
"Then start acting like it cause otherwise it will be new partners for the both of you."
Hunter went back to his desk and picked up the phone to call Mel. At that moment McCall came out of the ladies room and sat down at her desk.
"I'm sorry for getting so upset. It wasn't a bad idea for me to stay with Mel, it will save the department some money too." she said looking down, defeat written all over her face.
"I'm sorry for being so pushy. I'll try to treat you as always," he reached his hand across his desk towards her and she took it.
Later that evening at McCall's place she was packing,
"Take some warm clothes with you, it's cold this time of year," Mel had told her.
Everything had been arranged for her stay over there, Mel said she was looking forward to meet her. McCall did too, she was curious if Mel was the type of woman Hunter usually dated. When she was done she went downstairs, Hunter was sitting on the couch watching TV, she sat down next to him.
"Done?" he wanted to know.
"Yes, I'm all packed and ready to go."
"Good. Then I've got something for you," he turned off the TV and got up to get a small box out of his coat pocket. He sat back down next to her and handed her the box.
"This is to make sure the rest of the world knows you are with me."
She looked at him, then to the box and carefully opened the lid. Inside was a small, elegant ring. Silver with a little diamond in it.
"Rick, It's beautiful."
Hunter took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger,
"Dee Dee would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
She looked at him with tears welling in her eyes,
"Yes, I would," she whispered.
Meanwhile in New York, Oskar Jackson knew the police were on to him and he needed a place to hide.
'What better than right under their noses,' he thought.
He forced a way into the basement of an apartment building, broke into a storage room and made himself comfortable.
Upstairs in one of the apartments Mel was just coming out of the shower thinking about the person who was going to stay with her for a while. She wondered if this Sgt. McCall was anything like her, medium height, blond, not afraid but careful.
Hunter hadn't told her much about his partner just some things she needed to know like their engagement. She sat down on the couch to watch the late night news before turning in.
'If she's as good a cop as Hunter tells me, I'm in for a tough ride,' she thought.
The flight to New York was a comfortable one, McCall was glad to have a window seat.
Her mind wondered to earlier that morning at the airport saying goodbye to Huntre.
"I promised myself not to cry," she sobbed standing in front of him.
He put his hands on her shoulders,
"It's okay, I'm gonna miss you so much."
"Last call for passengers for flight 400 to New York, board now!" the speaker sounded through the departure lounge.
They gave each other another long kiss, McCall took her bags and went to the gate. A last look and she was gone.
"Ever been to New York?" the guy next to her asked.
"No, first time," she answered him.
"Business or pleasure?"
"More business than pleasure I'm afraid," she smiled.
"BTW I'm Jim Gordon. I'm flying in for the office appliances salesmen convention. You don't happen to be attending do you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm Dee Dee McCall. I'm going to New York on official police business."
"You are a cop?"
"Yes I am."
"Wow, I always wanted to be one but never made to the academy. So I followed into my father's footsteps and became a salesman."
"My father wasn't too happy with me becoming a cop to put it mildly but he was proud of me in the end."
They spend the rest of the flight talking about their jobs and lives. When they got off the plane and into the airport building Jim went his way and McCall hers,
"Good luck on your convention," she said to him.
"Same to you on your official police business."
The arrival hall was big and crowded, McCall looked if she could see the sign with her name on it like they agreed on over the phone. When she spotted it she walked towards the woman who was holding it.
"You must be Mel, hi I'm Dee Dee McCall."
"Hi Dee Dee. Yeah I'm Mel, welcome to New York. How was your flight?"
"Good."
She looked at Mel who was a little taller than her and understood why Hunter fell for her back then. She definitely was his type. Mel gave her a quick once over too,
'She's nothing like I imagined,' she thought.
"I suggest we take your bags to my apartment first and go to the station after that to meet the rest of your new colleagues," Mel said.
"Okay, that sounds good to me."
They drove through the rush hour crowd to the apartment and Mel showed her the room she would be staying in. After that they went downtown to the 16th precinct. There weren't much officers in the squad room, most of them were out.
"Dee Dee meet Barry Johnson. Barry meet Dee Dee McCall," Mel introduced her.
"Ah you must be Hunter's partner from LA, welcome," Barry said.
"Thanks."
"That's Mike Bowen, Andy Clark and Mitch Michaels." McCall shook hands with all of them.
"Is the boss in?" Mel asked Barry.
"Yeah, I think so."
They went to the captain's office and Mel knocked on the door,
"Come in."
She opened it and the both of them entered.
"You must be Sgt. McCall from the LAPD," Captain Brown shook hands with her.
"Yes I am. Thank you for letting me help with this investigation."
"Well your Captain is an old friend of mine and when he told me you had been working hard on this I figured we could use your help on this. I hope your stay here will be okay."
"Thank you, I think it will."
"How is Det. Hunter these days?"
"He's fine and it's Sgt. Hunter now."
"I believe you are his partner?"
"Yes, I am."
"I hope you are a more sensible officer than he was."
"I'll try."
"Good. Sgt. Baxter will fill you in on the details of the case. If there's anything don't hesitate to ask."
"I won't."
They left the office and Mel showed McCall her desk,
"So Hunter has a reputation here as well huh," she looked at Mel.
"Still reckless and not going by the book is he?"
"You could say that. We kinda keep each other out of trouble."
"You are making me very curious."
"I'll tell you about it later."
The rest of the afternoon they spend comparing notes and information about the case.
That evening McCall gave Hunter a call.
"How do you like the Big Apple so far?" he wanted to know.
"Busy. Mel only lives two blocks from the precinct but it took us half an hour to get there. The people here look so stressed."
"Most of them are. I talked to Sporty today, a contact of his assures him Jackson is staying in New York. He has a girlfriend there."
"I know, Mel checked her out. She says she hasn't seen him for a long time. Mel believes she's lying."
"How are you two getting along?"
"Fine, she's great."
"That's good to hear. I've been looking for those notebooks you found in Maxine's apartment."
"I took them with me, I thought Mel should have them. There's nothing in them we can use and they did belong to her sister."
"You are right."
They both went silent for a moment.
"Rick are you still there?"
"I am. God I miss you."
"I miss you too," she whispered and for the first time today a feeling of homesick washed over her. She looked at the ring he gave her before she left,
"I've gotta go, talk to you later."
"Yeah okay. I love you."
"I love you too."
She hung up the phone and sat down on the couch.
Mel had made a quick dinner, which she put on the table,
"Did he find out anything new?"
"No, nothing we didn't already know," McCall said flatly.
"Are you okay?"
"Just feeling a bit home sick I guess."
"And missing Rick?"
"Yeah."
"You couldn't have gotten yourself a better guy," Mel sighed.
"He told me about you two. I know he likes you very much."
"I like him too and I'm glad he found someone to love. Now let's eat, the food is getting cold."
Later that evening they sat down with a cup of coffee and McCall gave Mel the diary.
"I found these in Maxine's apartment, it's her diary. I had to read it to see if there was anything in there we could use."
"And?"
"Not much, just that Jackson arrived in LA a few weeks after Maxine did."
"She mentioned him once to me but I didn't think much of it at the time. I just thought he was one of her boyfriends. I was so wrong." Mel looked down at the notebooks.
"Thank you for these. Now I can find out what kind of life my sister was leading since she left."
"That's okay. If you don't mind I'm going to turn in, it's been a long day."
"I think I'll do the same."
When McCall walked into the kitchen the next morning she found a note on the table from Mel,
'I'm following a hunch. Help yourself to some breakfast. See you at the station.'
'So Hunter left some of his influence behind,' she thought with a smile on her face.
McCall's arrival hadn't come unnoticed with the new resident in the basement. Oskar Jackson had recognized her,
'It's a shame you are going back to LA empty handed Sgt. McCall,' he thought as he watched her leave the building.
He slipped into the basement and went to his hideout to get some sleep.
McCall decided to walk to the station,
'It's only two blocks,' she thought.
It took her ten minutes to get there and they seemed to be the longest ten minutes ever. She sat down across from Mel, who looked over the file she was reading,
"What's with you? You look like you just seen something you've never before."
"I have. This city, it's so busy, vibrant, mad even. I always thought LA was like that but this…"
"Welcome to New York, the city that never sleeps," Barry yelled from across the room.
"Now I know why Rick loved it so much here, never a dull moment," she sighed.
Mel smiled from behind the file, she was starting to like McCall more and more.
"Okay, back to business now. How about we talk to Jackson's girlfriend again. You had the idea she was lying?"
"Yeah, when she told me she hadn't seen him for a while she looked away, like she was scared or something."
"Shall we bring her in for some more questioning?"
"Sounds fine with me, maybe we can get her to talk in here."
During the drive to Sheena Miller's place they weren't aware that someone was following them.
Mohammed Johnson, better known as Mojo, one of Jackson's henchmen kept his distance as he saw the two police officers enter the building where Sheena lived. He waited patiently for them to come out.
Mel knocked on the door of apartment 4b, the door opened as far as the chain would allow it.
"Police," they showed their badges.
"We want to talk to you Sheena," Mel said.
"I have told you everything I know the last time. I don't know where he is."
"We are not so sure about that," McCall pitched in.
"We understand that you are scared of him, we know how he can be. But if you decide to help us we can protect you."
Sheena looked down for a second and looked back at McCall,
"You can protect me?" she repeated.
"If you go with us to the station and tell us your story, we can help you."
Sheena thought about it for a second,
"Okay, I'll help. Let me get my purse."
She closed the door and a few minutes later walked out of the building with Mel and McCall.
Mojo was still watching from a distance. As they drove away he put his car in gear and took off in the opposite direction. He stopped at an abandoned warehouse near the docks and called Oskar.
"Yeah those two cops took her to the station. We can't take any chances with her, you don't know if she's gonna talk. Yeah, I know what to do, don't worry."
He hung up and drove away.
Meanwhile Mel, McCall and Sheena had arrived at the station,
"We can use Interview room 1," Mel said.
They entered and sat down at the table, Sheena wasn't feeling very comfortable she was clutching her purse tightly and looked around nervously.
"Now what can you tell me about Oskar Jackson," McCall started.
Sheena let out a sigh, " Like I said before I don't know where he's staying. He just comes around sometimes, do his thing and leaves."
McCall looked at Mel who shrugged her shoulders.
"But last week I overheard a conversation between him and Mojo. When he found out he threatened to kill me if I told anyone, especially the police."
Mel was getting a bit impatient with her,
"What did you overhear?"
Sheena looked at her with a mixture of anger and fear.
"Remember we promised to protect you," McCall said to try and persuade Sheena to talk.
"I remember," she took a deep breath and started her story,
" It was the first day that Oskar was back in New York. Mojo came by, he does some things for Oskar like set up meetings, do some dirty work too. Oskar told Mojo he had to stay out of sight for a while cause he killed two people in LA and the cops there would find out soon he went back to New York. He knew one of his victims had a sister who's a cop. Then Mojo said he knew a couple of good hideouts if he needed any but Oskar said he had it all figured out. He never said what just that the fewer people knew about it the better."
"Did he ever say why he killed those two people?" McCall wanted to know.
"The first one 'knew too much' and the girl was a witness to that murder."
"That guy doesn't like loose ends," Mel remarked.
"Right," McCall answered.
"Anything more you overheard?"
"No, that's when they found out I was listening in on them and he made the threat."
"Okay, now I want you to write down everything you just told us. That makes it official," McCall explained and handed her a pen and some paper. Then she and Mel left the room.
"That was helpful, now we have something to work with," Mel said to her.
"Yeah. I do believe this is all she knows though."
"I agree."
"Now how about the protection we promised."
"We have a safe house on the other side of town. I arranged for her to stay there until we catch Mr. Jackson and she can testify."
"Good, shall I tell her?"
"Okay, I'll give the guys a call that we're on our way as soon as she's done."
While Mel made the call and McCall was explaining the next steps to Sheena outside Mojo was taking position. He took a shotgun out of the trunk of his car and waited. When McCall and Sheena stepped out of the room Mel joined them.
"I send a black and white to your house to pick up some of your things."
"Thank you."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be I guess."
They walked out of the building to the car, Mojo saw them coming out the door and took aim. All he needed was a clear shot and for a second he got it, he fired. Just as Mel wanted to open the door to the car the sound of the shot rang through her ears and Sheena collapsed.
"Mel get down!" McCall yelled at her.
She threw herself on the ground still trying to look where the shot came from but neither of them saw what happened. When McCall checked on Sheena she noticed that she was dead, shot in the head.
Mojo was watching from his car and saw the two officers didn't have a clue where the shot had come from.
"Damn!" McCall slammed her fists on the roof of the car in frustration.
"This guy is unbelievable," Mel remarked.
"He's gonna make a mistake sooner or later and I'll make sure I'm there when he does," McCall said sharply.
Later that day McCall wrote Hunter an email to tell him about the day,
'It's frustrating you know, Jackson is always one step ahead of us. At least Sheena have us a statement we can work with. I miss you terribly. I love you, Dee Dee.'
The next few weeks Mel and McCall worked hard to get closer to Oskar Jackson and Mojo but the leads went dead or so it seemed.