Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to write comments on this story. They're appreciated and treasured.

Diane: heaven knows what I've changed since you saw this last, but hopefully I made clean edits! Your beta skills are without parallel. To both Dinae and Justine, thanks for the push to post this chapter.

Now for some butt kicking of my own...Sarah's writing a WaT fic! Yay! I will be patient and let you get more written, but I will only be patient for a while...And Eloise...WHEN are you going to update your unfinished story! And I believe KATERINA owes us a little something, doesn't she? There is also a certain New Zealander, who owes us LOTS of updates. And there are more, and you know who you are... GET BUSY. GET POSTING! And thanks for the enjoyment your writing brings.

As for this story...it's been a long time, but I think when I left you last, Terry and Jack had an interesting conversation in the car about Jack's new living arrangements. Janice is back and asking a favour not only of Jack, but the rest of team, as well. And it appears that there may be something brewing between Janice and Terry, though Jack is too considerate to comment. We open as the two men arrive at work the next morning, preparing to track down more information about the case... Hope you enjoy...

Too Good To Be True
By: Mariel

Chapter 16

Terry and Jack arrived just in time for the 8:30 a.m. meeting with the team. Having gone over the day's assignments, Samantha and Jack had left to speak with Victoria Newbury, and Danny and Martin had left in search of Stephano Rossi. They all hoped to return shortly after lunchtime.

Left alone at the conference table with Vivian, Terry said, "Guess we're left to hold the fort."

"Until you head out to talk to the NYPD again," she reminded him.

"I haven't forgotten," he told her. He regarded her quietly, his expression serious.

She'd known him for too long not to know what was coming. Looking at him with a certain amount of resignation, she asked, "You want to talk about it, don't you?"

He nodded.

She settled back in her chair and regarded him with dark eyes. "There's not much to say. You win some, you lose some."

Losing her position when Jack returned had hurt, but, all things considered, may have been for the best. She was almost resigned to that fact now.

Almost.

"Is that how you see it? Losing?"

She thought a moment, then shook her head reluctantly. "No, not really, I guess. It was never a contest. It's just...disappointing. It was my dream job."

"You'll have the opportunity again."

"Yeah, but it won't be the same."

"May be better," he said, holding her gaze.

"Yeah."

Her tone was low, her voice doubtful. He didn't think she quite believed it yet.

"He didn't plan it to happen the way it did," he said quietly.

"I know. His life just got messed up and in turn, messed up mine."

"Permanently?"

She hesitated, knowing what he was really asking. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Life happens, and we go back too far. He did things..." She shook her head again. "He's a good man, I know that. He just..." She raised a hand and let it drop. "He likes things neat, predictable, and tidy, and none of what happened with Samantha or Maria was. I told you before - when he met Samantha, he didn't know what hit him. I think he stopped thinking for a while. He was happy, but it was wrong on so many levels...And even after breaking it off..." She shrugged. "You saw what they were like. He thought he had it all straightened out, that by doing the right thing, everything would work out okay. Maria leaving him and taking the girls..." Shaking her head, she said, "Now, that threw him. He and I will be okay, though.." She smiled wryly. "Like I said, we go back too far to be anything but."

He nodded, relieved. Looking at her more carefully, he said, "But there's something else, isn't there?"

She moved uncomfortably. "Terry, stop it."

His mouth quirked up on one side. "I can't help it, it's my nature." He continued to look at her, his expression turning to one of puzzlement. "There's something else going on with you that doesn't have anything to do with work. Is everything okay at home?"

The thought of her son and husband made her smile broadly. Her white teeth flashing, she said, "Of course."

He could see she was telling the truth - so far as she was telling it. Still, there was something not right. She was covering something. With Vivian, however, there was no point in pushing.

"You know I'm here if you want to talk."

Vivan regarded him fondly. "I know. That's what friends are for, right?"

He nodded. There was a temptation to ask her about how Jack was acting these days, and if his situation was affecting the others, but he refrained. He'd been having a lot to say about Jack's personal life, and knew there were limits. If Jack heard he was making inquiries, he'd have his head on a platter. Friends pried, but they also knew when to put down the crowbar.

Sighing, he rose. "I guess it's time to go."

Vivian nodded and also rose. "Yeah. Time to take a look at Georgina's past. I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting one."

Terry regarded her seriously. "I really am sorry, Vivian. You'd have done a great job."

"Yeah, I would have," she agreed. Inhaling deeply, she let it out in a rush and smiled at him. "And now I'm going to do a great job investigating people's pasts. Let's go get our jobs done, shall we?"

Terry nodded. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, "Maybe we can do lunch, if NYPD doesn't take too long?"

She grinned. "You bet, so long as you pay."

He slapped his hand over his heart. "I'm wounded. You think I'd let a fair damsel pay for her meal?"

She laughed. "You know you would! Now go. We have work to do."

She was still smiling when the elevator doors hid Terry's lanky form from view.

-XXX-

Settling into the passenger seat of Jack's car, Samantha looked at him happily. "I'm glad we're finally going to talk to her again. Victoria Newbury knows a lot more than she was willing to tell us. She's probably involved in the organisation as much as Georgina was, just in a different way."

Jack turned out into traffic, then glanced at her. She had obviously given this some thought. "Oh? How so?"

"I figure Georgina did the field work. Victoria did the desk stuff - organising places to stay, overseeing who went where and who got channeled to whom."

Jack smiled. "You've got it all figured out. Any idea as to why they were doing this?"

Samantha shook her head. "No, but I think Vivian will have that figured out by the time we get back."

"You sound pretty confident."

Samantha smiled. "I feel confident."

Indeed, she positively glowed. Yet another reminder that the choice to move on had been the right one for her. He clenched his jaw. Not approaching her, not doing anything to indicate he still cared, was the right thing to do. Trying to reestablish their old relationship would cause nothing but embarrassment on both their parts.

Unaware of Jack's thoughts, Samantha settled back into her seat, cherishing the happy excitement she felt at spending a morning with him.

-XXX-

Ushered into Victoria Newbury's large office, the two agents sat down once again in the large, comfortable leather chairs placed in front of her desk.

"This is a surprise, Agent Malone," Victoria said as she seated herself. "I thought the investigation had been turned over to the NYPD."

She looked cool and professional, her strawberry blonde hair coiffed to perfection, her dark suit appropriately accessorised with a large pin Samantha suspected was comprised of real diamonds. Her eyes, she noted, were still shadowed, however, and there was a hollowness below her cheekbones she had not noticed before. Here, she thought sadly, was a woman who truly grieved the loss of her sister.

Samantha surprised Jack by speaking first.

"We're sorry to have to intrude on you again. We're hoping, however, that you can help us," she said. "We've had new information come to light that leads us to believe you have information we need."

Victoria looked at the blonde woman seated across from her with a mixture of wariness and reserve.
She glanced at Jack. "I'm not sure I understand. I think I've told you everything I can."

Trusting Samantha's judgement in taking the lead, Jack said nothing.

Drawing the older woman's attention back to herself, Samantha began her explanation. "During our investigation, we learned that Georgina was active in a group that helped women get away from abusive relationships. She helped provide them with new identities, helped them find work, and settle into a new life in a new city where it was safe for them." She glanced over at Jack. "The missing files we mentioned when we were here last - they held information about that, didn't they?"

Her inflection at the end of the question made it sound like a statement.

Victoria looked troubled. The two agents waited with bated breath as she took time to think. "I'm not sure I can help you," she finally said. "I know she worked at a women's shelter, if that's what you mean. If she kept files, I wasn't aware of it."

"Mrs. Newbury," Samantha said in a gentle tone. "It was more than that, and there are a number of women whose lives depend upon our knowing what you know. Georgina's death shed important light on a series of murders the FBI has been following. The victims all had something to do, we believe, with the underground railroad your sister participated in. If you could help us, we might be able to find not only the murderer of those women, but the murderer of your sister as well."

Victoria looked at Samantha, a mixture of hope and distrust in her eyes.

"You're saying there are leads in my sister's case?"

"Our only lead at the moment is the connection your sister had to these women through her activities with the underground group. We believe she was meeting someone arriving in the city the day she was killed. There is evidence to indicate that the woman she was meeting saw what happened and fled. We would like to find that woman, if possible. At the very least, we would like to look at the files removed from Georgina's home in order to see if there are any links between the information in them and what we know already. If you can help us, it would mean a lot."

Samantha stopped talking and regarded the woman silently.

Again, Victoria took time to think before speaking. Her decision obviously made, she straightened her shoulders. "I don't have those files presently, but I can get them. Would it be possible to meet you later today, perhaps shortly before dinnertime? It will take a bit of time, and I'll need to contact..." She allowed her voice to trail off, obviously not wanting to say too much.

Samantha nodded. "We can meet again later. And we appreciate your help. I promise we won't do anything to jeopardize what Georgina's group was doing." She paused, then added softly, "And you may be able to give us information of your own. You are involved as well, aren't you?"

Victoria smiled briefly. "You have a habit of making statements out of your questions, Agent Spade. It's very disconcerting. I'll have to think about it. I don't know if anything I know will be helpful or not."

Samantha glanced at Jack. A flicker of his eye told her he had nothing to add. "Then I think we'll be going," she said. Pausing, she added, "Your sister was doing something many wouldn't or couldn't. I'm sorry she died as she did."

Victoria nodded. "Thank you." Inhaling deeply, she asked, "Would you like to meet here, or is there somewhere else more convenient?"

"Here would be fine," Jack said, "Unless there's somewhere else you'd prefer?"

Rising, Victoria shook her head. "Here is fine. Shall we say around five p.m.?"

Samantha rose and reached across the woman's desk. Shaking her hand, she said, "That would be perfect. Thank you. You won't regret this."

Jack lifted an arm to indicate the door, and she preceded him out of the office, her knees trembling.

Walking to the car, she said, "I don't know why that was so difficult."

"You handled it beautifully. I'm not sure she would have read my sincerity as clearly as she read yours."

She nodded. "She's hurting a lot. You look at her and you think she's living a life that's too good to be true - she's rich, beautiful, seems to be a good person, and has everything going for her, just like her sister did. But none of it is really important, is it? Not when you've lost someone you love."

Jack nodded sadly.

-XXX-

It had taken a while for Martin and Danny to locate Stephano Rossi. They finally found him in a coffee shop several blocks from his home address, casually talking over small cups of espresso with a group of men. Approaching him, Danny said, "Mr. Rossi, we're wondering if we could speak to you for a few moments."

Rossi looked at him curiously, then nodded and rose. Waving his hand towards a table near the back of the establishment, he said, "Is there okay?"

When Danny nodded, Stephano led the two men to the table he'd indicated.

Once they were seated, Stephano said, "Thanks for not showing your badges. It'd probably only be confirmation of what everyone here already knows, but it was a nice touch."

Danny smiled, knowing he'd gained points.

"We're here to ask you a few questions," he said.

Stephano flashed a set of perfect teeth. "I figured as much. About what?"

"The question is about whom," Danny replied. "You know Georgina Blackwell was murdered several weeks ago. We're wondering if you could tell us how you knew her."

Danny could have sworn a look of sorrow flashed in the man's eyes before he said, "Why? Am I under suspicion?"

"No, not at all. We're hoping, however, that you might know of some connection that might shed light onto why she was killed."

"You don't think it was a matter of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time? That's what the NYPD boys thought. Why should the feds think differently?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "So you know we're FBI."

Stephano nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "You dress better."

Danny grinned. "Thank you." Liking the man in spite of himself, his smiled faded as he said, "In answer to your question, no, we don't believe her murder was a random act. Georgina was helping women on the run from abusive relationships settle in New York. We believe she was meeting someone the afternoon she was killed. That person is likely still alive, and we'd like to speak with them. Do you know anything about what she was doing?"

Stephano regarded him carefully. He was a handsome man, with southern Italian features and unusual, misty-green eyes. His wavy, dark hair showed the beginnings of grey at his temples. Dressed in a spotless white shirt with the sleeves turned up to just below his elbows, and dark pants that were perfectly creased, he sat comfortably, showing no signs of unease in the two men's presence. Though shorter in height, he reminded Danny of Georgina's husband, Gregory Blackwell.

And in spite of what he was suspected of, he showed every bit as much confidence.

As though reading his thoughts, Stephano said, "I'd expect you guys to want to talk to me about a lot of things, but Georgina's death and her activities leading to it wouldn't have been among them."

"So you admit she was involved?"

"Yes. If you're here, you know that already. I don't know how much I can help you, though. I wasn't familiar with the operation, just that she was involved."

"So you weren't the one supplying her with the IDs?" Martin asked.

Stephano looked at Martin directly for the first time. "Ah, so he can speak!" he commented dryly. His demeanor changing, he said, "Even if I were the one who supplied the IDs - which of course I am not, since that would be a highly illegal - it wouldn't put me in a position to know anything that might help you. Don't organisations like that shroud themselves in secrecy?" His eyes hardened and the look of lazy amusement disappeared. "I'd love to see the son-of-a-bitch who killed Gina get caught, though. I don't think the NYPD holds a prayer of finding him. They all but told me not to expect too much." There was an unmistakable bitterness in his voice.

Silently noting Rossi's use of a diminutive of Georgina's name, Danny said, "I think you can expect a lot, Mr. Rossi." Deciding to give the man more information than he had originally intended, he continued, "We're following a series of murders. We believe Georgina was killed because she accidentally met a killer we are searching for. We believe she came into contact with him when meeting someone newly arrived to the city. We suspect when she arrived, someone else was also there - someone who planned to do what he has done to roughly a dozen other women - abduct them, rape them, then mutilate and kill them."

"God..." Stephano muttered.

Danny nodded. "Not pretty, is it?"

Trying to recover from his shock, Stephano resorted to a flippant, "Nice to know you people do more than just harass us innocent citizens."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "We just do that for amusement when we're bored. We work, on occasion, too."

Stephano grunted, the shock of what Danny had just told him showing nowhere but in his eyes. Thinking a moment, he said carefully, "I'll have to think about this. You understand that not a lot of people involved in an underground know each other - I've heard that these things are pretty secretive. Like I said, though, I'd like to see the guy who did this get what he deserves." Reluctantly, he admitted, "I've asked around, but I'm not getting much information."

Seeing the look in the man's eyes, Danny had no doubt he had. And knew he wouldn't have liked to see the remains of the guy if Rossi had gotten his hands on him.

"So you're saying you need a little time?" he asked.

Rossi nodded. "Yeah. Not a lot. I just have to check around, you know? See what I can find out for you. Obviously," he said, raising both hands, "I know very little myself."

"Of course," Danny agreed. Rising, he put out his hand. In it was his card. "You'll call me?"

Stephano took the proffered card. "I'll call you sometime later this afternoon."

With a farewell thanks, Danny turned and left. Martin followed a few paces behind.

Once outside the cafe, Martin snorted. "He's so full of shit his eyes should be brown," he said in a disgusted tone.

Danny regarded him with surprise at the outburst - and at the language. Amused, he said, "Hey, careful. Remember the brown-eyed boy you're talking to."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. I liked him, though."

Martin grunted. "I don't see why. Take a look at what he does for a living."

Danny shrugged. Maybe he was just more used to the concept of honour among thieves. Whatever the case, he recognised in Stephano something strong and honest. He was counting on that to get the information he needed. Aloud, he said, "I don't know for sure what he does, and at the moment, I don't care. He'll do what he can to help us. I think he's still protecting the underground, though. I'm beginning to think he's more involved in it than we originally realised."

Martin looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah, right. It's a stretch just to believe a Mafioso rich guy would risk his neck by providing fake IDs to poor women in the first place. More involved I can't imagine."

"I think he could be useful to them in a number of ways. You didn't know he owns a maid service, did you?" Danny asked.

"So?"

"What if he hires newcomers, to help them out? Who else would help get them a start here?" The idea had just occurred to him, but it certainly fit.

Martin stopped dead in his tracks. "You're crazy. People like him don't do things like that. It doesn't make sense."

Danny shook his head and began to move forward again. "Few things in life do, my friend. Have faith, and you sometimes find good in unexpected places."

End
Chapter 16