Law & Order CI: Redemption Song Part Seven.
A/N: You all know who you are, thanks to everyone for their kind reviews. 95 hits since this story has been up. I'm glad everyone loves this story and I'm terribly sorry if you have all been waiting for me to update impatiently. For the fans of 'Goren Withdrawals', another instalment is in the works, but to make it easier for me, I'd be interested in e-mails about the withdrawals and fanatical behaviour experienced by some of you!
Anyway, without further ado, I present chapter seven of Redemption Song. For all of you who THINK you know who the murderer is... you're wrong.
The LOCI characters are owned by NBC and Dick Wolf. I own the rest. Redemption Song is owned by Stevie Wonder. Congrats to BSB for their debut at #1 (Incomplete) in the Australian ARIA charts. Well done and what an incredible album (#6, come ON, Australia!).
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXBobby switched off his cell and breathed slowly. Alex was right, as usual. She always was. What he had to do was apologise to Maria before he bungled things further.
'Bobby?'
Bobby swivelled his head around and saw Maria standing in the doorway, holding two steaming mugs. She crossed the floor and handed him one, containing frothy hot chocolate, settling down beside him in silence. Bobby cupped his hands around the mug and looked sheepishly sideways at Maria.
'Maria, I... I didn't mean to,' Goren began, but Maria held up a hand to silence him.
'I'm sorry Bobby. I'm sorry for flying off the handle when I had no right to. I have a very short temper and should learn to control it,' she murmured. Bobby gripped the mug tightly, afraid he was going to drop it out of sheer shock.
'Did you just apologise?' he asked incredulously. Maria shrugged.
'Aunt Alex is your partner. It's been a long time since I've had to work with one, so I guess I forgot how close a partnership can get. You and Aunty are so close, you could be the same person. I tend to forget that sometimes and only see the two different people,' Maria continued, an ashamed look on her face. Bobby breathed slowly, then asked the question that had been playing on his mind.
'Would you tell me about David?' he asked softly. The room went silent, then Maria began to speak.
'When I turned eighteen, I began working for Brisbane Homicide. It wasn't exactly the adventure-filled job I had been looking for, nor did it pay very well. So I put in for a transfer to Sydney Homicide. That's where and when I met David Callea. Oh, he was nice enough, for sure, but something just didn't strike me as being right with him. We had a pretty rocky start. He didn't like me anymore than I liked him. However, when we were working on the Birds Of Prey case, we got close. Too close. That's how we ended up together.'
'Things didn't work out?' Bobby asked. Maria shook her head sadly.
'Obviously not. Six months after we began dating and we were living together, I discovered him shooting up in the bathroom. I turned him in and his badge was revoked. We split up and I was promoted to Junior Detective. That's when Aunt Alex wrote to me.'
'Why did you take the posting over here?' Bobby quizzed. Maria chuckled.
'Aunt Alex sent me a very persuasive letter. Said that she was working for NY's MCS and that she was getting paid well for it. She also said that there was an opening for a junior detective and that I should think about sending my resume over. Then she gave me the deciding factor.'
'Which was?'
'That her MCS partner was none other than the famous Robert O. Goren, senior detective and methodologist extraordinaire. Not only that, he was single and hot, too. She even sent me a photo,' Maria dug the battered photo out of her bag. Goren stared. It was an old photo of him and Eames; in better times before the weight of the job had settled in. He handed it back to her.
'And you kept that photo? You came to New York for me?'
Maria blushed.
'I'll understand if this means that you don't want me here anymore,' she said, starting to get up. Bobby just smiled softly at her and wrapped her in a bear-hug. Maria snuggled into him as he stroked her hair.
'On the contrary, sweetheart. I would have you nowhere else.'
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When Alex arrived at work the following day, it was pretty obvious that Maria and Bobby had 'made up'. For one thing, he was hanging off her every word and looking down at her with puppy-dog eyes. He was smiling; something that the great detective rarely ever did on the job. Maria herself was rather giggly this morning, allowing her hands to trail themselves over the lines and curves of Bobby's face and gently stroking his long arms absently. Eames simply smiled at the pair's antics. Ah, the memories, Eames thought as she seated herself at her desk and pulled out the Delafontaine file. She smiled as she remembered her husband and the way she used to touch him after they had made up after an argument.
Bobby left his bride's side and dumped his weight into his chair and gave Eames a piercing look. Without bothering to look up, Eames simply turned a page of the file and said simply,
'What is it, Bobby?'
Bobby grinned childishly at the predictability of his actions.
'So how did last night go?'
Alex looked up at the remark. Bobby knew that this was the closest thing to a rise that he was ever likely to get out of his partner.
'Well?' he pressed. Alex returned her steely gaze to the file in front of her.
'Daniel dropped me home. Nothing more,' she said simply. Bobby realised she wasn't lying. She wasn't trying to cover anything up, or hide anything from him, so he dropped the matter. Alex's word as good as an oath from her. He tilted his head slightly to read the name on the file.
'Delafontaine? You just re-capping the evidence?' he asked. Alex scratched her head.
'Kind of. There's something off about this case. I don't like the smell of it.'
'No wonder. I don't like the smell of off-things either,' Bobby quipped. Alex stared at him.
'Cut the humour, Mr. Sarcasm. You said it yourself. There's something missing.'
Bobby reached for his copy of the file and re-read it to himself. He looked up at Alex.
'Can we go talk to Delafontaine's sister again? I have a few questions for her.'
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Angel was less nervous this time. In fact, she appeared to be very smug. Goren moved around the lounge, picking up various knick-knacks and examining them, before replacing them where he found them. Angel's eyes were trained on him as he glided around like an over-sized bat.
'So Miss... Delafontaine,' Goren began, eyeing a snow-globe with a deer inside of it. He picked it up and tipped it over, allowing the flakes to swirl around the figure. He appeared to be fascinated by it. Angel watched him disdainfully.
'Yeah?'
'You and your sister, you weren't close at all?' Goren asked, replacing the globe and moving on to another item in the room. Angel snorted.
'I didn't want anything to do with that upstart. Of course, Mom loved her precious Sarah, so I was shunted to the back of the line. Dad tended to love me more than Mom ever did.'
Goren looked up.
'So... w-what was it like at church?'
'The bitch got all the attention, because she was louder and higher than everyone else. Father Rogers picked her over everyone else to lead the choir. Bloody cow was next in line for a record deal, wasn't she?'
'Was she?' Eames piped up. Angel shot her a look.
'Hillsong had her lined up for a CD later this year. They're only one of the biggest gospel music record companies in the world. She was moving to Australia to record with some of the biggest gospel singers around. Some guy came to our church and recognised her from some gig we had played and offered to sign her. Father Rogers begged her not to go.'
'What about Robby Strickland?'
Angel shrugged indifferently.
'They had broken up by then. I saw them at college, but they were back at church on the Sunday, all close and cuddly.'
'Thanks, Angel. We'll call you if we need further information,' Goren replied and made for the door. Eames got up from the chair she had been sitting in and began to walk out as Goren whirled around.
'Angel, one more thing. How well did you know Robby Strickland?'
Angel grinned sadistically.
'Putting it bluntly, Detective, I know him well enough to know that he wasn't good for my sister.'
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As Goren sat in the SUV, waiting for Eames to come back from Angel's front door, his cell began to ring. He looked puzzled at the number on the screen:
MARIA EAMES – WORK
Why on earth would she be ringing be from there? he thought as he flipped it open.
'Bobby here, what's up sweetheart?'
'Bobby, we have a rather large problem, honey.'
'What is it? Caterer pulled out? Florist unavailable?'
'Very funny, Bobby but no, it's worse than that. I'm afraid it's about the case you're on.'
Goren sat up straight, colour draining from his face.
'What's happened?'
'We just received a call from Strickland here at the precinct. He's been taken hostage at the church.'
'We'll be over there in five,' Goren said stiffly and flipped the cell shut. When Eames returned to the vehicle, he was shrugging into one of the two bullet-proof vests they kept in the back of the car and had his pre-loaded glock out on the roof of the car.
'What's happened?' Eames asked as her partner tossed her a vest. Goren gave her a grave look.
'I think we've been barking up the wrong tree,' he said seriously.
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'Where do you think you're going?' Deakins asked lazily as Maria sped past him, clipping up her vest and checking that her glock was loaded.
'I'm going to the church, where did you think I was going, all suited up like this? A funeral?' Maria asked, slightly incredulous.
'Actually, yes. Your own. Maria, you might be the star young detective, but I make the calls around here. Detective Eames and Goren are headed over there right now, so what's the point? You busted Gotham, you got yourself shot. I will not put your life in danger again,' Deakins said firmly. Maria looked at him kindly, batting her dark lashes.
'With all due respect, Captain, I wouldn't have joined MCS if I hadn't thought that I was going to lay my life on the line for justice,' she said quietly. Deakins smiled.
'You know, you remind me of someone. Someone that had the same audacity as you when he first arrived here,' her captain said. Maria cocked her head to the side.
'You sir?' she asked. Deakins shook his head.
'Close, but no banana. No, I was thinking of a certain detective who had his affections won by our new junior detective,' Deakins replied. Maria glowed with pride.
'Then you understand why I had to go after Goren,' she said. Deakins turned his back.
'I can't see what you're doing. I didn't hear what you just said. Weren't you out on patrol or some...' Deakins began but stopped when he heard the clattering of fast-falling footsteps headed to the lift. He smiled.
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Goren and Eames screeched to a halt outside the church. Glocks raised, they rounded on the door.
'Come on out with your hands up!' Goren yelled. The silence that reigned inside the church echoed in his ears.
'I said come out! This is Detective Goren and Detective Eames! A recovery squad is also here!' he shouted, taking the safety catch off his glock. From inside the church came a quiet voice.
'I know who you are, detective. There's no need to shout and there's no need to lie. I know that you are here only with your lovely partner and there is no task force,' the voice replied to the demands. Eames looked at Goren.
'How would you know? You can't see outside!'
'On the contrary, Detective Eames. I can see you outside, which is also how I know that there is no force outside. There is only you and your partner. Now, why don't you come inside and we can discuss this like grown-ups.'
Goren nodded at Eames. The pair kicked open the heavy doors to the church and blundered inside, guns raised.
'FREEZE!' Goren yelled, then stopped. It wasn't Rogers holding the gun to the hostage's head.
It was Robby Strickland.