Chapter Seven

Interrogation

Woody could feel a headache building. It started as soon as he left Leighanne's apartment -- a niggling, annoying pain that gained momentum when he went home, showered, shaved and got ready for work. Four Tylenol and a Starbucks later, it was no better when he arrived at the precinct to go to work. He flipped through the files on his desk…homicide, homicide, homicide, suspicious death at nursing home but probably not a homicide …

The last one in the stack was the Rosen file. Woody shoved this one aside. Right now, between the splitting headache and knowing just how much of a bastard he had been to Leighanne the night before, he wasn't ready to face what this file could open up…Jordan, Eddie, Max, Campbell, Cahill, possible Russian mob connections…a can of worms he had yet to put a lid on.

But like a bad penny, the case wouldn't go away. No matter what Woody did the rest of the morning, the file glared at him from out of the corner of his eye. Finally, he sighed and reluctantly opened it going back through the information, sifting through the pages of interviews, Max's and Eddie's reports, Yokura's coroner files, the pictures of Jordan….

Jordan…Woody rubbed a hand down his tired face. If there was a weak link in this case…one that may not have told him everything, it was her. Whether consciously, she was trying to be a pain in the neck, or unconsciously, she was repressing what she knew, his detective's instinct told him that she may know more than she was letting on. He needed to question her again.

But the thought of that sat cold with him. It was bad when they talked at the diner the other day, to hear her confession one more time. It was worse last night, seeing her and Winslow together – the knowing smiles and glances – the fact that those two had a history he couldn't come close to duplicating and didn't want to imagine. To be alone with her and question her again…the way he had to this time…Woody knew that would be the worst of all.

However, salvation does come at the most unlikely times and in the most unlikely forms. And this time it was in the form of a female detective…Roz happened walk into the room that very moment. "Framus," he called out.

"Morning lover boy. What happened to you? You look like hell."

"I've got a really bad headache, Roz."

"Take something for it?"

Woody grimaced. "Four Tylenol and a Starbucks."

Roz grinned, coming over and sitting on the edge of his desk. "Didn't help any, huh? Maybe you need to go home to Naughty Nurse and get some homegrown lovin' to make it better?"

Woody gave her a death stare.

"Or….maybe not. What happened? You two have a fight? Is that why you have a headache? Not getting' any?"

The death stare continued…only turned up a notch.

"Okay….I'll take that as a no. Forget I said anything." She slid from her perch on the side of his desk, only to feel his fingers curve around her wrist, bringing her to a stop. She tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look. "What's up, Hoyt?"

"I need you to take a look at this file and tell me what you think."

Roz sat down in a chair beside Woody's desk and read through the file, her eyes growing wide at its implications…and who it involved. "I knew Eddie was here yesterday," she said, "but I didn't know it involved all of this."

"You know Eddie?"

"He and I were partners at one time….worked a racketeering job with organized crime several years ago."

Woody sighed. Turning this over to her may be easier than he thought. She was acquainted with all the players…she knew mobs…."So what do you think?"

"I think it's one hell of a lifetime chance to solve a cold case….go for it, big boy."

Woody shuffled some papers around on his desk, avoiding Roz's bright and all-too-knowing eyes. "I….I was kind of hoping you'd want to take this one over…"

"Me? Are you crazy Hoyt? This is a big one…a make-or-break career case. This is your golden opportunity to regain the ground you lost after your DL leave…No way I'm taking this off your plate." She got up from the chair and leaned on his desk. "Besides, I've got a kidnapping, six homicides, and an armed robbery I'm working on." She strolled back to her desk across the aisle from his. "And I know why you're trying to pawn this one off on me."

Woody raised his eyebrows as if daring her to continue.

"I'd like to think it was my great detective skills…which are outstanding, if I do say so myself, but that's not it. It's the Cavanaugh connection. Face it, Woody. She's the ME. When Garret retires, if he ever does, she'll probably be the chief ME. You will be working with Jordan for as long as you have a career here with the Boston police department. Deal, dude. Just remember, you don't have to kiss her at the end of a case anymore…you can go home to Nurse Betty."

Yet another death stare was aimed at Framus. "Her name is Leighanne," Woody quietly said.

"Yeah…whatever.."

"And we broke up."

Framus looked crestfallen. "Aw, Woods….I'm sorry…I didn't know. If I had of, I wouldn't have teased you so…"

Woody sighed yet again. "You wouldn't consider questioning Jordan for me, would you?" he finally asked, hoping to play some broken hearted sympathy on Framus.

It didn't work. "Hell, no. It's your case, Hoyt. You question the woman…and you just have to question her…not sleep with her…not unless….."

Framus received yet another death stare as Woody picked up his phone and punched in Jordan's office number.

"Okay, Jordan, I just want to go over again what you know about the Rosen case," Woody said, sitting across from Jordan in an interrogation room.

"I've told you everything I know," Jordan replied, unsure of exactly why Woody had called her in. When he had phoned her earlier in the day, he had simply said he had a few more questions about the case and about what Max and Eddie had told her. She had assumed whatever inquiries he had could be answered quickly, painlessly, and in his office. Not in an interrogation room. "Why? Do you think I'm hiding something from you?"

"Your father is involved…as well as your former lover….so yeah, I'm wondering if there's just this much of a chance," he held up the thumb and index finger of his right hand with just a small space between the two, "you're covering for someone."

"Woody…I know what you're thinking. That my dad discussed his cases with me and we role played to try to solve them. But this is the one case he absolutely refused to do that with. He told me to forget it, don't ask any more questions about it, don't speak of it again. You know how Dad is…once he says that, there is no more discussion. None."

That much Woody did know. He had heard Max's responses to Jordan about her mother's death – don't speak of it again. And Max didn't. He left Boston to avoid his daughter's questions.

"Okay…what about Eddie? You two were dating then. He kept a close eye on you, according to Max. Did he mention anything?"

"Eddie? No. He rarely discussed work with me unless it was me, him and Dad together. We'd talk about anything but his cases."

"So he said nothing about the Rosens…especially Daniel?"

"No…even when I asked him about the case after Dad shut me down…he wouldn't discuss it, either."

"And you don't remember anything else….didn't over hear anything?"

Jordan stopped and put her head in her hands, wrinkling her brow in concentration.

"It's important, Jordan. I don't need you to hold back anything in order to cover for Max or Winslow."

"I'm not covering for anyone, Woody," she replied, her voice rising in frustration and anger. "You have to remember…I wasn't even a ME then. I was an intern at Boston General, in the thoracic department. Other than listening to Dad and Eddie discuss their case, a lot of the forensics went over my head….tox screens, ballistics…that was Dad's thing…valves and bypasses …those were mine."

Another barb that she had a past before the Farm Boy from Wisconsin invaded her life. And that Eddie was a part of that life…an important piece of her history.

"What about Eddie?"

"Woody…we were dating for Christ's sake. We didn't talk about work when we were together .. "

"Winslow said nothing about you being in danger with this case?"

"Me? In danger over one of Dad's cases? Woody ….don't be ridiculous..."

"Then explain how your dad got these…" Woody shoved the packet of pictures that Max had given him at the bar several days ago. He watched Jordan go through the pictures, a bewildered look in her eyes. Her and Max ….her and Eddie….her coming out of her apartment….going into Eddie's….

"I don't understand…I don't remember anyone taking these pictures…Who did? Dad or Eddie…"

"Neither. Your Dad and Eddie began getting these pictures of you in the mail. The Russian mob had you under surveillance. They were, in their own subtle way, threatening your father and Eddie by strongly insinuating that you would come to the same fate as Claire Rosen."

Jordan felt the blood drain from her face. At that time in her life she was engrossed in her studies and head over heels in love with Eddie. She would have never known she was being watched. She would have never known what to even be aware of. Why didn't anyone tell her….Bewilderment and confusion filled her eyes as she looked up at Woody.

"I didn't know…." she began, her tongue tripping over the words.

Woody nodded, stood, and leaned toward her, his hands on top of the table. "So tell me Jordan….what else did you know?" His face was mere inches from hers, and anger filled his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jordan nearly yelled at her father, the file in her hand shaking in anger. "You knew and you didn't say a word…"

"Nice to see you, too, dear," Max said, after answering the door and letting Jordan into the house. Max had decided to stay put in Boston until Woody could clear up the Russian mob and the Rosen case. Part of it was to finally see some justice. The other part, the bigger part, was to make sure his daughter was safe. "And tell you what?"

"The Rosen case…that I was being watched. That I was in danger…."

Max's face fell. "He showed you the pictures, didn't he? Woody showed you the pictures?"

"Yeah. He showed me the pictures. Why didn't you and Eddie tell me anything?"

"Jordan, you were busy…you were doing an internship…studying….we decided that you didn't need to know…"

"I didn't need to know my life was in danger?"

"You weren't an ME then, Jordan. You weren't involved. You were….an innocent."

Jordan choked back a laugh. "So you and Eddie took it on yourselves not to tell me my life was in danger….that I didn't need to know?"

"We were keeping a close eye on you until me, Eddie, and Yokura could bury the case."

"Oh. So that's why you kept wanting me to come home on the weekends and even week nights. Was that the reason Eddie practically lived with me during that time….and then cooled off so quickly that it was like a deep freeze with our relationship?"

"Jordan, it wasn't like that…not at all. We both enjoyed having you nearer us."

She snorted and grabbed the file she had dropped on the couch beside her when she confronted her father. Rising quickly, she headed for the door with her father's words echoing behind her. "Yeah, sure," she said pausing before she left. "You've lied to me nearly all my life….how am I supposed to believe that, either?"

She slammed the door behind her, the swiftness of her motions and the cold Boston wind whipping her hair around her face. The tears that had been threatening since her time in Woody's office earlier that morning finally finding a release and sliding down her cheeks. Had any of the men in her life ever told her the truth? Her dad? Eddie? Woody? How much of the truth had they revealed to her?

How much of their love had been a lie?

"So how'd it go Wood man?" Roz asked Woody when he came back into his office after questioning Jordan.

"It went," he replied quietly, dropping into his chair and burying his head in his hands.

Concerned over her partner's attitude, Roz perched herself on the side of his desk again. "She didn't take it well?"

"No…it wasn't that…I just dropped a lot of information on her she wasn't aware of…I think I may have blown part of her past…part of her history out of the water…maybe the only part she was really secure in and felt like she had control over," Woody mumbled from behind his hands.

"Oh." Roz mussed the ends of Woody's hair up. "Would it help if I said she will get over it? Jordan's a strong woman…one of the strongest I've ever known. She's been through hell and back…and survived. How many of us can say that?"

"I know." He uncovered his face and sat back in his chair. "But you were right about one thing…"

Roz raised her eyebrows, curious about what he was going to say.

"It would have been easier to sleep with her."

Roz chuckled and went to the door. "Want some coffee, Woodster?"

"Yeah…a large….black."

Roz nodded and went to find the needed caffeine. Woody turned his attention to the other files on his desk when his cell phone rang. "Hoyt," he said absent-mindedly into the receiver, not noticing the caller ID on the front. There was silence on the other end for a second.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"Woody…it's me…it's Jordan..." Her voice sounded so weak and tired that if she hadn't identified herself he wouldn't have recognized her. Instant concern flooded his body. His brain registered it hadn't felt this about her in several months.

"Are you okay, Jo?"

"Yeah, fine." She followed it by a long sigh. "I just needed to tell you something."

She didn't sound fine. "You remembered something?"

"No…no. That's just it. After you interrogated me today…I went to talk to Dad. He wouldn't tell me anything he hasn't already said before…and he's probably told you more than he's told me. I tried to talk to Eddie, but I couldn't get in touch with him…I don't know if he's gone back to Springfield or if Dad tipped him off that I was asking questions and he's not taking my calls. If he's still in Boston, I have no idea where he's staying…and have no desire to try to find him…that's your job…you're the detective…" she gave a weak laugh, but it came out more like a choking sound.

"Jordan, have you been drinking?"

"No…I haven't. I wish to God I had." She sighed again. "Maybe this wouldn't hurt so much, you know?"

"What hurts, Jor?" His concern for her doubled in the space of less than two seconds at her confession.

He heard her take a deep, wavering breath, trying to steady her voice. "Me. Everything. Has anyone told me the truth ever in my life? Dad … Eddie….you….has anyone ever been honest with me? Has everything in my life been a lie…even Dad's and Eddie's love?"

Woody was silent for a moment. He really didn't know how to react.

"Anyway," she continued, her voice still soft and weak, "I don't remember anything else, Woody. And I'm being honest. I don't remember anything else…"

"Jordan…." He began, wanting to reassure her somehow that everything was going to be okay.

A soft click in his ear was her only response.

Jordan had hung up on him.