A/N: Thanks for reading! This fic moves fast, and I appreciate the attention you are giving it. I hope you like all the characterizations. I have tried to find room for everyone here. Thanks for responding. It really helps me stay inspired!

Sheila

Something Precious

Chapter 6

"Bettina must know Zinsky," said Logan gripping the dashboard. Goren was driving and Logan was hoping that his airbag would deploy if he needed it.

"What if he doesn't?"

Logan frowned at Goren. "What? Zinsky's a smoke screen? I don't think so. I have seen the look in that man's eyes. He would kill her if he had the chance. Hey, where are we going?"

"Alex's place."

………………………………………………………………….

Bobby turned the key in the lock and walked in slowly, gun drawn. Logan was right behind him. He didn't hit lights, but the light from the hallway caught the glint of steel.

"Zinsky! Put it down. We know you're in here."

Goren heard a rustling and moved toward the wall. Logan turned left into the kitchen, and Bobby hit the light. A form disappeared from the living room, and there were shouts from the kitchen. Goren reached the door and Zinsky was on the floor, Logan's foot in the middle of his back. There was a large butcher's knife on the floor beside him, and Goren kicked it away. Zinsky tried to squirm away, but Logan put gun in this face and started screaming abuse. Goren quickly cuffed and rolled him over and Zinsky started screaming at him. "I was waiting for her! Just to talk! Just to talk!"

"What about that?" Logan gestured at the knife.

"I didn't have my service revolver. I heard you come in. Knew it wasn't Lexie. I grabbed it for protection."

Goren narrowed his eyes. "In the bedroom I'm going to find equipment. You were waiting for her so that you could show her the error of her ways. It was going to feel good making her cry, beg, beating her. You've been dreaming about this for a long time. You were so ready. Then you would just go back to Queens and damn the investigation that would follow. You've seen too many circumstantial cases fall apart with the right defense attorney, and God knows you probably have a good one all lined up. Getting off would be the final "Fuck you!"

"Where's Alex?" Logan put a foot on his neck.

Zinsky gave him a confused look. Goren saw this and cursed, slamming a hand into a kitchen cupboard. Then he walked out of the room. Logan gave Zinsky a swift kick and followed. Goren stood at the living room window. The skyline was lit up with the night time commerce of the busy city. He felt Logan next to him. "Bettina is the weapon. Zinsky is the distraction."

Logan considered this for a moment. "She didn't do it alone."

"No, she didn't."

"Hey! How'd you know he'd be here?"

"I didn't, but the prick has no imagination. If he wanted Alex, he would take her here."

"You don't think he knows anything, do you?"

"No, he's mean son of a bitch who hates women; his kind are never any good for the kind of plans Nicole sets in motion."

"Damn! Last thing this case needs is another twist." Logan left, pulling out his cell and punching in Deakin's number.

Bobby stayed at the window for awhile. There were so many thoughts clambering for his attention, but the ones that fought to the front were the sensations; the smell of her skin and her hair, the feel of her stomach as he encompassed it with his large hands, the look in her eyes when he promised her she would be safe.

He hadn't allowed himself to consider the possibility that Bettina killed her and dumped her some place. The truth of it would destroy him; it would surely unleash the madness he had fought off these many years. Out of the corner of his eye he saw picture frames on a table. He moved over to look and saw her with her family; her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, parents. Then he saw another frame off to the side. It was a picture of him. It was a black and white, clearly a crime scene photo, but somehow it didn't focus on anything but him. He had that intense look that he wore at a crime scene, wearing his grey worsted and three days of stubble. It was actually a nice photo, it captured him well. He picked it up and slid off the back. There was a little note that said, "Here it is Alex. I'll let you know the next time he takes a good one. Sheri."

He put it back in the frame, and tried to return it exactly where he found it. Deakins had arrived, and Zinsky and Logan were arguing hotly as Zinsky told the captain about being brutalized. Logan finally burst out with, "I kicked him right there, and I'd do it again. Charge me! Hell, put him back on the floor and I'll demonstrate."

……………………………………………………………………………….

It was dark when she woke. She was cold, lying on a dirty mattress, one hand cuffed to the radiator. She tried to move her muscles, but her side exploded with pain and she let out a loud moan. Gently, she brought up her free hand and touched the wound. There was a clumsy bandage on it, and she could tell that the wound itself hadn't been treated.

She was still in the boroughs. The sound of traffic, radio, and people were the kind of cacophony only found in New York City. She noted that the voices she heard were speaking Spanish, and she went over all the different Latin enclaves she could think of. Her mouth felt like cotton, her throat raw. She wondered if there was bleeding internally, and decided that since it was out of her hands, she wouldn't put her energy into those thoughts.

She heard noises in the next room, and a wave of panic rose in her. The door opened, and Bettina looked in. "I thought I heard something. You're awake, huh?"

It took all of her will to keep from breaking down and begging for her life, but she wasn't ready to be the victim quite yet; she was still Detective First Class, Major Case Squad. "I need medical treatment, Bettina."

The woman chuckled and shook her head. "Not part of the plan."

"What is your plan? I lay here until I bleed out."

The woman reached over to test her cuffs. "I haven't gotten the final word."

Alex licked her lips. "There isn't going to be a final word, 'Tina. She's in lockdown. She's not going to call."

"She'll call."

Alex shook her head, struggling to maintain eye contact. "No, 'Tina, she won't. We have a court order. She's in lockdown until they find you. It could be weeks. You're going to have to start using your head. You have choices now. You can walk away from this. You can run. Do it now. Call 911 at a bodega. Then take off. I bet you have a place to hide."

Tina snorted. "You're a real smart lady, huh? I don't think so. I'm getting paid. I don't do no charity work. We'll wait 'til she calls."

"I'll be dead by then."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Then I guess that's the new plan." She turned and walked out the door, closing her back into darkness.

…………………………………………………………

Eat!" Logan gestured at the large ranch breakfast in front of Bobby. The all night diner was almost deserted; too late for the partiers and two early for the 6 a.m. crowd. "I'm not taking you back to the squad until you do."

"Jesus, Logan, I already got a mother."

You haven't eaten in 24 hours. No idea when the next meal is coming. The task force isn't meeting for another hour so you're going to feed that big brain of yours. We're going to need it."

Bobby glared at him, but picked up a fork and focused his attention on the eggs.

"That's right, eggs are good brain food," Logan said, a coffee cup in his hand, the remains of his own breakfast long eaten.

Bobby shot him a look, but Logan ignored him. "You really think they're going to have Nicole up here by 7 a.m.?"

Bobby shrugged. "Carver says so. He can make it happen."

"I've never met her."

"And you're not going to either."

"You're not going in alone."

"Carver knows her and is completely immune to her charms."

"Hey! Come on. She's not going to suck me in."

Bobby shook his head. "Doesn't matter. She doesn't need a new toy to play with. You'll be a distraction. She'll want to know about you. It'll waste time."

"All right. Good enough for me." Logan sipped his coffee and stared out the window for a few minutes. "I haven't known her long, but she's a good detective and a good woman. We're going to find her, and she's going to be fine. This Nicole as you describe her, I keep thinking that she's probably a micromanager. I bet she needs to make all the decisions; has to make sure everything is just so."

Bobby stopped eating and cocked his head. "I think Nicole is very much a micromanager. I imagine she's quite anxious about now. I think you're right, Mike. She wouldn't want them to finish until she had a chance to see me again. She wants them to wait until we talk."

"Are you sure we shouldn't stall this?"

"If she's alive, then Nicole is looking for something from me. Some humiliation; some indication that she's beaten me, destroyed me."

Logan looked down at his coffee. "You really care about her. And I'm not talking about Nicole here."

Bobby ignored him and returned to his food.

"You get the big cases 'cause you're an encyclopedia and Freud wrapped into one person. I get the big cases 'cause I'm all instinct. I don't remember the last time I was wrong about a suspect. I can feel 'em. My old boss, Anita Van Buren, over in homicide used to say I should try the ponies. If I read them like people, she said she'd give me her life savings." He grinned until he saw the despair in his eyes. "Bobby, you love her. She loves you. Together, you have a language all your own. I respect it, admire it, and probably, I envy it. I have some feel for what's at stake here. Right now, I figure my job is to keep you focused. You know how to play the kind of game she's bringing to the table. You keep your eye on her. I'm going to find Garcia's family, and then I'm going to kick in some doors. One of us is finding her today. I can feel it."

Bobby let out a deep breath. "You haven't had any sleep."

"I like beer, Irish beer. Imported stuff is the best. When this is over, you're going to go down and buy me the most expensive case of Irish beer you can find. Got it?"

A grin tugged at Bobby's mouth but it couldn't hold so he shook his head and finished his meal.

……………………………………………………………

Carver looked Goren over when he walked into the squad. The man looked like he'd come off a three day drunk. He could never hide his exhaustion well. "Are you ready for this?"

"Is she in there?"

Carver nodded.

"Let's do it."

Carver followed him in. He noticed that Bobby didn't even look at her. He just walked past and started pacing across the table from him. For once, Nicole did not look her best. Four days without a shower didn't suit her and she knew it. "Bobby!" she snapped. "You haven't been playing fair."

Bobby snorted but didn't address her.

Carver looked down at her. "Ms. Wallace, I think we won't dwell on what's fair and not fair right now."

She turned to look at him. "Why are you here? Bobby, he's the most humorless man. He'll be nothing but a bore."

Bobby stopped and put his hands on the table, leaning into her. "You have me, Nicole. You name the game. I'm yours. Tell me what you want. I'll give you anything."

She couldn't stifle a grin. "You really are desperate. Okay then, get me out of jail and buy me a nice flat in the city. How's that?"

He shook his head. "You need to pick something I have control over. You know that. You want the condo, you got it. You want my life. You can have that too."

"Bobby, you've overwhelmed me here. I've never seen you like this. I should have expected it. I heard about poor Alex, and undoubtedly, you've decided that I'm behind it all; from solitary even."

"Ms. Wallace, we can prove a connection between you and Ms. Garcia. We've traced phone calls that you've placed to her after she was released. We will find her alive and she'll talk to us, and I will send you so deep into the system that you'll never see the light of day again."

She glared at him. "I don't have any worries about that, Mr. Carver. Tina has a long history of lying and even setting people up with her lies. She probably found out about Detective Eames from our nightly chats. She hates police. It's well documented. She had a name and a vendetta. I can't be responsible for what she chooses to do."

"Nicole," Bobby said staring at her intensely. "Your rules. Tell me what you want."

"You love her, don't you?"

"Shall we play our game?" His efforts at nonchalance fell flat.

"Yes, let's. You start."

"I do love her. She's been my friend and my support and she doesn't want to change me."

"Have you slept with her?"

He wagged a finger at her. "No, no, no. Your turn."

"I can be patient, but you're not getting away with that one. All right. Here's something you don't know about Tina. She has been talking to someone about renting some property, but I don't know who. It's your turn and it better be good."

Bobby steeled himself. It was all he could do to not put his hands on her and squeeze for all he was worth. He looked down at the table. She wasn't going to settle for morsels. His career meant nothing to him in this moment. "You want to know if I've slept with her, and the answer is yes. Two nights ago was the first time. You brought us together Nicole. How does that make you feel?"

Carver let out a breath but stayed quiet.

"I'm all tingly and happy for you. But it's just rather sad you waited that long. What if that will be your only memory of her skin?"

"Tell me something more about Bettina that I don't know," he growled, unable to meet her eyes.

"Carlos isn't her boyfriend anymore. I think she was dating a cop."

He slammed his hands on the table. "More!"

She rolled her eyes. "You're not pacing yourself very well, Bobby, but I understand the circumstances. I don't remember his name…although I think it was Irish. Now tell me something. How will you survive her loss?"

He stared into her eyes, "I won't. Next question. Tell me more about the cop."

"Tina knew him from way back; from her days in Queens."

"What do you want to know?"

She ignored him and turned her head to Carver. "Now, let's discuss what you can give me. Clearly, I am an innocent bystander. Tina is acting on her own. I would like to know what my cooperation gives me. You know, it is very dangerous to inform on an inmate."

Carver sat back and stared at her. "You are quite possibly the most unnerving person I have ever met."

She threw back her head and laughed. Then she leaned toward him. "Counselor, I might be able to cooperate in a way that helps your detective. In order to do that, I need protections. I need you to understand that I knew nothing about what she was planning, and I need it in writing."

"I'll have you up on charges of obstruction!"

"Yes, Mr. Carver. I will hardly survive the extra three months that adds to my sentence."

He looked around the room and smirked. "Well, Ms. Wallace, your offer deserves consideration. I'll go and think about it, and be back here this afternoon."

"You're the key, Mr. Carver. Nothing more happens until we talk again. I just hope poor Alex has that kind of time."

He closed his eyes and swallowed. For a moment, it looked like he was going to speak, but then he got up and abruptly left the room.

Nicole turned and smiled at Bobby. "Shall we play some more?"

Bobby stared at her with weary eyes, and waited for the next assault on his privacy.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Alex drifted in and out of consciousness. She dreamed vividly, and at times, it felt like she was somewhere safe and warm. Sometimes she thought she could hear Bobby. His voice was soft like it always was with her. He said, "I love you" into her ear just like she heard it in his bed, and she remembered the absence of fear she felt in that moment. There was only a feeling of contentment; a sense that what was meant to be had finally arrived. In her dreams, Bobby reminded her that she was strong and brave, and it helped her feel hopeful.

Then she would wake and feel the cold, and the desperate aching would return, drowning her sanity. Her mouth felt like glue and swallowing was agony. She tried to shift, but the pain was too much, and she struggled to find a comfortable position, but there wasn't one. She had to settle for staying as still as possible until the worst had passed.

She could hear the TV in the next room. Bettina had spent the day watching talk shows, the sounds of screaming family members penetrated the thin walls. A phone rang and the sounds of television disappeared. She could hear Bettina's voice clearly, "Its okay, Baby. Everything is good. Everything is going just like we wanted…I'm just waiting to hear…Yeah, she's still alive, I think. I haven't checked in a few hours…Baby no, I wait for Nicole, she has to give the number of the bank account…We can trust her…You gotta stay calm. It's almost over. It'll be so perfect. In 48 hours we're going to be at the resort with money to burn, and all the hassle we've been through will be over…You don't owe them anything, Baby. They have screwed with you for 15 years, and they don't even care…I care…Okay, Baby, I hear you. If I don't hear from Nicole by midnight, I'll finish this myself. I'll have to fool Nicole and that's hard to do, but I'll do it for you Baby. I'll do anything for you…Carlos has been taken care of. I dropped him on Avenue B after we got her up here. He's got so much blow right now, and it's special stuff, Baby. In a couple of hours, he won't be a problem for anybody anymore…Stay cool. You and I are finally going to get the life we deserve…I love you…Don't call me. I'll call you after its over…I have the same knife, Baby. If she's already gone, I'll probably have to stick her once"

The nausea growing in Nicole was fueled by the woman's description of her impending murder. It was surreal to hear the matter-of-fact way in she talked about it. Alex felt the bile rising in her throat, and her body lurched over the side of the cot. Pain radiated everywhere, and she had to clutch the edge to keep from slipping over. She was still handcuffed to the radiator, but didn't know if she had the strength to pull herself back onto the cot. Her body heaved, and she found herself moving in and out of darkness, and for a moment she thought this was the end. Her face hung over the edge and she struggled to breath. Below her was the cold, dirty floor. Her coat had been pulled off and lay on the ground below her. She desperately wished she had the strength to pick it up and drape it over herself. Making these last hours more comfortable seemed worth the effort, but any straining in that direction was excruciating. For a moment, all she could do was stare at the coat. Then, she noticed something which had edged itself out of her coat pocket. A sense of urgency flooded through her as she recognized her cell phone. At first, it seemed inconceivable that they wouldn't have searched her pockets, but then she remembered how often it happened this way with criminals. She had worked many cases where the most obvious things were left undone. She doubted it was on. It probably turned off the moment it hit the floor. It wouldn't be easily reached if it could be reached at all.

………………………………………………………………………………

TBC