Agh! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I got side tracked with Memory… then Cinderella… I promise to get a few more chapters up before I get distracted again (I had a brilliant idea last night, but had to store it away to work on this)… Thanks!

And I guess it's time for another disclaimer… I do not own nor have I ever owned any of the characters associated with Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I write these stories to get some much-needed attention from people who don't know how pathetic I am (that and I like imagining VDO tripping over his pants). By reading this disclaimer Dick Wolf & Co. are waiving any right to sue…

Chapter 14

Bobby and Alex climbed into the SUV, preparing to head to Mark Jones' home. However, due to the lack of each other's company for some time, they had one thing to do first…

Some time later, after Alex had managed to pull herself away from Bobby before she got any visible marks on her neck, she turned the key in the ignition, only to discover the car was already running.

"Are you sure you should be driving?" Bobby asked with a grin.

"Shut up, I'm perfectly fine to drive," Alex said smartly.

"I really did miss you," Bobby said, reaching a hand out to Alex's cheek.

"I know," she said, calming down. "And I missed you too, but I'm glad to have proper focus back on the case."

"I think we need it," he said, looking at her adoringly.

"I would say so. But the distraction is nice as well." She leaned over and kissed him, then pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Mark Jones' house.

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"Mr. Jones? I'm Detective Eames, this is my partner, Detective Goren."

"Nice to meet you," answered the tall man in a German accent.

"We'd like to ask you some questions about the violin you just purchased," she said.

"Mark Jones. That's a pretty common American name for a German person," Bobby piped up.

"Yes, well, my parents were pretty common," he answered curtly.

"Mr. Jones, how did you hear about the violin?" Alex asked.

"A friend of mine who works at the auction house. Why are you so interested?"

"The violin you bought was stolen and its owner was found murdered."

"Oh my goodness. I had no idea," he said, cupping his mouth.

"Where in Germany were you born?" Bobby asked.

Every now and then Alex got annoyed at his seemingly unrelated line of questions. At first she thought he was just ignoring her. But once she learned to step in and continue her own lines of questions, she found out that having two things to think about at once kept the person off guard and more likely to give an honest answer… most of the time. That, and Bobby usually had a reason for asking what he did. The advantage was two fold, though it took her a while to see it and get past its annoying qualities.

"Berlin."

"What was the name of your friend at the auction house?" she asked.

"Luke Masters."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but we're going to have to confiscate the violin and return it to its rightful owner."

"I thought she was dead, I am its rightful owner," he said rather quickly before stopping short and looking at each of the detectives. Bobby's eyebrows shot up in interest. "I had no idea it was stolen. If I had known I certainly wouldn't have bought it. Is this really necessary?"

"Mr. Jones, when did you immigrate to America?" Bobby asked.

"Two-thousand one, why?"

"The violin, Mr. Jones," said Alex, returning him to the matter at hand. Mark reluctantly turned and walked into the dining room where a violin case sat on the table.

"Here she is, Detectives. Please try not to hurt her." He handed Bobby the violin.

"We'll try," said Alex, though she didn't really mean it. She was just giving her usual smart-ass response. "Thank you very much, Mr. Jones. We'll be in touch."

"I certainly hope so."

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Alex and Bobby left the house and walked back to the SUV. "I don't recall mentioning that the victim was female, do you?" Bobby said.

"It's been all over the papers, he might have put two and two together," Alex responded.

"I don't know; he seemed awful defensive of it. And he came to America shortly after Karaka reported the violin stolen."

"What do you know," Alex said with a grin. "A German immigrant comes along a long lost violin…"

"It's a match made in heaven."