Hey! Here's chapter 21, as promised. It's longer than usual, so hopefully it will tide everyone over until I can manage to get the next chapter finished, edited, and posted! Again, I want to say thank you to the people who let me know they're enjoying this - it keeps me coming back to the computer to write more! And thanks to Diane, who will no doubt notice I've changed things yet again - and very likely made editing errors that will make her head spin! Remember they're my errors and not her oversights!

To those of you who also write: thank you for the pleasure you provide when you post. And post more. Soon. Please. Feed the addiction, okay!

Oh- and one final warning...this chapter kinda meanders around a bit...

Too Good To Be True
By: Mariel

Chapter 21

Danny's firm knock on the battered, paint-chipped door was answered almost immediately. The young woman who opened it chewed vigorously on a large wad of gum. Hand on jeans-clad hip, her heavily made-up eyes gave Danny an expert once-over before she asked, "Who y'lookin' for?" without missing a jaw-crunching beat.

"Miquella," Danny replied, his eyes surveying what he could see of the inside of the apartment. When the young woman frowned, he gave her his most dazzling smile and took a calculated guess. "I'm not sure that's the name she always uses, but I have a picture."

As he moved to take it out of his breast pocket, the woman at the door laughed and relaxed against the door jamb.

"You're the one who likes to take pictures? She told me about you!" She looked at him sharply, and commented, "I figured you as bein' older." Maintaining a steady snapping sound with her gum as she spoke, she said, "I can't believe she told you where we live. I'm gonna have t'fuckin' kill her. Givin' out our address is against house rules." Her tone, however, was more matter-of-fact than murderous.

Blown away by his good fortune for the second time that day, Danny was smart enough to put away the passport photo, unseen.

Grinning knowingly, he relaxed his stance and happily took advantage of the woman's misunderstanding. "I think she likes me. I'd sure like to see her again. You know where she is?"

The woman eyed him up and down again. Moving to position herself so that he had a good look at what she had to offer, she shrugged. "Workin' her usual spot, I s'pose. Though she may be back in a while. She was out early today, lookin' to pick up some early bird specials. Y'wouldn't believe how many like a little action before they clock in at the office." She cocked her head to one side and gave him an amused, knowing look. "You been there?"

Danny wasn't certain whether she meant to the corner or in need of a little action before work. Taking the safer route, he told her,"I didn't meet her at her regular spot, so I don't know where that is."

Lulled by Danny's smile, the woman didn't question where, exactly, he'd met her roommate. Nodding her tousled, dark-haired head in a vaguely northern direction, she said, "Go two blocks north and hang a right. She should be right there, near the corner, in front of JBird's Bar."

Stepping back, Danny sketched a hasty thanks.

As he walked down the dingy hallway, the woman stretched her neck out the door and yelled, "My names Cindy! It's a little early for me, but if you don't find her, you're welcome to c'mon back here! I'll match her rate!"

Danny turned and sketched a quick salute of acknowledgement before hurrying on his way.

-XXX-

Returning to his car, Danny phoned Jack's cell, got no response, and then tried the office number.

"Hey, you're back already," he said, when Jack answered.

"Didn't take long," his boss told him. "Victoria Newbury couldn't tell me much - it was Georgina who knew the people helping on the street."

Samantha had been right when she'd theorised that Victoria was more involved in the organisational and administrative end of things. What hadn't been expected was how well Georgina had shrouded the identities of the people helping in secrecy. Though Victoria had organised who was sent to whom, she knew the contacts only by their pseudonyms and profiles. Georgina had been the person to actually contact them, wanting, Victoria had explained, to keep her sister as far removed from possible prosecution as possible. "She was always afraid that my helping would somehow hurt me in the end." Victoria had shaken her head, her eyes distressed. Looking at Jack, she'd said, "All that worry about my reputation if it became known what I was doing, and she ends up murdered. How is that right?"

Bringing his thoughts quickly to the present, Jack told Danny, "She had a couple suggestions that we'll have to follow up on. And I'm still trying to figure out why Georgina's records didn't have any of that information in them. Victoria says it should have been there, but it's definitely not. Something's up with that, but I'll have to worry about it later. What's going on with you?"

"I found Miquella," Danny said, trying to keep his voice matter-of-fact. "She's working a corner not far from where I am now."

Jack could imagine the excitement the younger agent felt but was trying hard not to show. Unsurprised that Danny had got results, he heaved a sigh of relief and smiled into the receiver. "Good going! How the hell did you find her?"

Danny grinned as he pulled out into traffic. "Serendipity's my middle name, remember? I was getting nowhere talking to the owner of that corner store I told you about. Then a customer came in. Honest to God, just like that I had my lead. The customer overhead us and said he remembered coming in to buy a pack of cigarettes. Damn if it wasn't the night of the murder. On his way out, he said he saw a woman running out of the alleyway we found Georgina's body in. He got a good look at her, because she stopped for a minute just a few feet from him and looked around as though trying to figure out which direction to keep running in. But that's not all. He said he was sure he'd seen her a couple days ago, down around St. George Street," he said, naming an area known for its low rents and transient population and located not far from the murder site. "So I went down to St. George Street. I showed her picture around and found someone who knew what building she was living in. Her super gave me her name and apartment number, and her roommate, thinking I was one of her johns, told me what corner to find her on."

While Danny caught his breath from telling his story, Jack asked, "She didn't think it odd you were calling for her at home?"

"You'd have to meet her roommate. I think they're both new at this hooker thing." Making a turn onto the street the roommate had told him he'd find Miquella, he told Jack, "I gotta go. I'm almost there."

"Good. Pick her up and bring her in."

Hoping Miquella hadn't found herself a customer, Danny said, "Sure thing. Just cross your fingers she's there." Flipping his phone closed, he looked around, and wondered what kind of desperate straits you'd have to be in to work the streets at this hour.

-XXX-

Jack had just hung up from letting Terry know they had a lead on Miquella when Samantha rounded the corner and stepped into his office. Walking to the chair in front of his desk, she flopped down into it and crossed her legs comfortably.

"There ought to be a law against wasting federal agents' time looking for spoiled brats."

"Case solved already?" Jack asked.

"Case solved already," Samantha confirmed.

Jack smiled. "I told you it wouldn't take too long." Looking out into the bullpen area, he asked, "Where's Martin?"

"Picking up something for lunch. We figured we'd eat here."

"So you found the kid okay?"

Samantha nodded. "Yeah. Holed up in some dive with a prostitute. Said he wasn't going home. We told the prostitute to get lost. Once his entertainment was gone, we suggested that perhaps we could call his parents to come and get him. He decided he might as well let us take him home." Elbows on the armrests of the chair, she waved her hands in the air. "Mommy and Daddy are grateful for our help."

Jack grunted. "They should be. It's the third time this year." When you got a call from the deputy mayor's office to find his AWOL kid, that's what you did. It didn't mean you had to like doing it, though.

"Anything happen with the case?" Samantha asked, wanting to forget all about the deputy mayor, his kid, and the time she and Martin had wasted that morning reuniting them. Some things just had to be done, so you did them, and moved on. "I'm worried about Miquella," she admitted.

"Danny thinks he's found her. I spoke with him about twenty minutes ago. He-"

The phone on his desk rang. Picking it up, he listened a moment, nodded, said, "Great. See you shortly," and hung up.

Taking his hand from the receiver, Jack explained, "That was Danny. He's picked Miquella up and is headed here. He's not sure how helpful she's going to be."

Out of the corner of her eye, Samantha noticed Martin walk towards the bullpen area with two takeout bags. She ignored her waiting lunch, however, as relief flooded through her. Her mind still focussed on Miquella, she said, "At least she's safe. It must have been hell for her to have been out there all this time, knowing what she knew and being too frightened to come forward. How's she been supporting herself all these weeks?"

Jack inclined his head and gave her a look. It was all the answer she needed. Her heart sank.

"At least she'll be safe now. And she'll be able to help us find our killer," she said.

"She may refuse to tell us anything," Jack reminded her.

"She won't once she realises how important this is," Samantha retorted confidently.

Jack hoped her confidence was not misplaced. Having noticed Samantha's lunch stroll by, however, he nodded his head towards the bullpen table, where Martin sat waiting with the two brown paper bags in front of him. "Go eat," he told her. "When you're finished, we'll talk about what we're going to do about finding our man. Victoria wasn't a lot of help, but we aren't at a dead end yet - she thinks our friend at the shelter may be able to help us."

Remembering Frank Black and the shelter Georgina had spent so much time helping at, Samantha cast him a curious look and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, Jack raised his hand. "No. Eat first. I've got a couple things in here I need to get done. Now that we've got Miquella, I feel safer. Everything can wait a little while more while we organise ourselves. And before we go, I want to watch Danny talk to her, just in case she offers up something we can use."

Samantha nodded, glad for the 'we', which meant he planned for her to go with him. Pleased with the thought, she left. Walking towards Martin and her waiting lunch, she decided to keep an eye on Jack for when he left to view the interrogation. Curious as to what the woman would look like and be like, and concerned enough that she wanted to see for herself that the woman was all right, she too wanted to watch.

-XXX-

An hour later, Jack and Samantha stood on the other side of the one-way glass, looking into the interrogation room. "My God," Samantha said in a low voice. "How old is she? Fifteen?"

"Her documents say nineteen," Jack said, "but you're right - she looks too young for any of this."

"Do you think she saw something?"

"Danny seems pretty sure she did. She's scared, though. She hasn't had such a good time of it, so we're not sure how willing she will be to tell us anything."

Samantha nodded. She'd seen it before. People clamming up because they were sure that the mess they were in wasn't half as bad as the mess they might get themselves into if they said anything.

Samantha gazed at the woman silently. Miquella looked small and young and lost. Every instinct in her told Samantha the woman needed reassurance and an offer of help. She glanced at Jack, wishing he had asked her to be in on the questioning.

Jack, seeing the look on her face, knew what she was thinking. Feeling sorry, he told her, "I thought Danny and Vivian should do the questioning."

Samantha nodded. She understood his reasons for choosing the other two agents without him having to give them. Turning more fully towards him, she smiled slightly and tilted her head to one side. "I know. Thanks, though," she told him.

His eyebrows rose. "For what?"

"For knowing I'd want to."

He looked at her with warm eyes and cupped her shoulder with his hand. Their closeness and the darkness they stood in lulled him into forgetting to keep a safe distance. Not thinking to keep the affection he felt for her out of his voice, he said gruffly, "Sam, there's a lot in life I don't know, but I do know you. You've been worried about this woman since you found out she existed. I can understand your wanting to be in on this, but right now, I think Danny and Vivian's presence will do the woman better."

The sound of someone turning the door handle to the observation room made Jack drop his hand abruptly. Samantha took a quick step backwards and turned again to face the woman on the other side of the glass.

"We're ready, Jack."

Jack nodded at Danny. "Be gentle. She's afraid."

Danny shook his head soberly. "She'd be a lot more afraid if she knew what was out there looking for her."

With that, he stepped back into the hallway and closed the door firmly behind him, leaving Samantha and Jack alone once again.

-XXX-

Though she began by telling them she didn't know anything, Miquella was slowly brought around. "It's difficult to say," she finally said in lilting, accented English. "It was dark..."

"But you did see something," Vivian prompted gently. "You did see what happened to Georgina."

"I was rushing," the woman finally admitted "I knew that a woman named Georgina was to meet me, and I was late...the bus didn't get in until after it was scheduled to, and then I took the wrong city bus, and..." She shook her head. "When I went into the alleyway, I was hurrying, looking for the woman who was to meet me and afraid she would not be there. It was dark, so I had to slow my steps. I think he did not hear me coming. I didn't realise what was happening at first. Then I saw the woman in the man's arms slump to the ground. I knew something was very wrong. I turned and ran away. I didn't dare to go back."

Danny and Vivian looked at one another. So Georgina had been killed before Miquella had arrived, and not because she'd interrupted something between Miquella and the murderer.

"Could you describe him for us?" Danny asked, glad that she was finally admitting that she had seen anything at all.

Miquella shook her head. "It was dark..."

"Yes, but not so dark that you couldn't tell that it was a man and a woman. Not so dark that you couldn't see anything," Danny prompted.

The woman scrunched up her features, genuinely trying to remember. "He was not so much taller than the woman he killed," she said. Lifting a slender hand to her own, curly-haired head, she told them, "His hair was short, with maybe a little curl to it, but not a lot. I think it was dark, but it is hard to tell at night if hair is black or brown or whatever..." Her voice trailed off as descriptions became more difficult.

Vivian leaned forward slightly. "Miquella," she said, her voice soft, "If you close your eyes, what do you see? Picture it in your head."

The young woman looked at her with frightened eyes. "Picture it in my head? That's all I've done since it happened."

Inside the observation area, Jack stepped back from the window. Knowing that there would likely be little more information from the woman, and that the next logical move would be to see if she could work with an artist to come up with a picture of the man she had seen, Jack tapped Samantha on the shoulder. "Let's go. I want to get to the shelter before it gets too late."

Samantha nodded, and followed him out of the observation room.

-XXX-

Jack looked at his watch as they walked towards the shelter's entrance. "Hard to believe it's only two o'clock," he commented, feeling as though the day had flown by.

"Yeah," Samantha said. "Time flies when you're having fun." She cast him a curious glance. "What makes you think Frank Black will be able to help us?" she asked.

Jack shrugged. "Victoria suggested I try talking to him again. She was pretty certain he might be involved."

They stopped at the front door. Looking down at the blonde by his side, Jack smiled, "Cross your fingers."

Once inside, they walked directly to Frank's office. They had called ahead, so he was there, waiting. Rising, he walked around his desk to shake their hands in greeting. Looking from one agent to the other curiously, he said, "Good to see you again." Gesturing towards the chairs, he invited them to sit, then asked, "I understand you think I might be able to help you in an investigation?"

As they seated themselves, Jack said, "Yes. We've confirmed that Georgina was part of an underground group that helped women escape from abusive relationships. I've been led to believe that you were either involved yourself, or were at least aware of what she was doing."

Frank looked down at his hands. He frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose there's not much point in denying it now," he said. "I'm not sure that we're going to continue. Georgina was really the guiding force behind it, and now..." His voice drifted off. Here was yet another who missed Georgina Blackwell's presence.

Samantha's voice brought him back to the present. "What we're interested in," she said, "is someone she used as a contact person. There were a number of people who met the women when they first arrived in the city. We're looking for one in particular. A man."

Frowning, Frank paused to think. "There were only four of us who ever met people - at least that I know of. Georgina was one of them, I did it occasionally, when no one else could, and then there was Nomi and Raphael."

"You each had code names?"

He nodded. "It always seemed silly to me, but Georgina insisted. She said that if anyone ever found the files, she didn't want things to fall apart because it became known who everyone in the group was."

"And perhaps she wanted to protect people, since what you're all doing is illegal?" asked Jack in a dry tone.

Frank nodded again. "Yeah, that too, probably."

"Do you know who 'Raphael' and 'Odin' are?"

"I'm Odin," he replied readily, surprised that they knew so much.

Jack nodded. That fit with what Frank had told them earlier. Odin had had the fewest contact meetings of all the names. "And 'Raphael'? he prompted.

Frank paused, obviously wondering if he should betray the confidence.

"We're looking for a serial killer, Mr. Black. He's been killing the same women you've spent so much time and effort to help," Samantha told him.

Her words swayed him. Opening up a desk drawer, he began to search through its contents. "I'm not supposed to even have this, but there was an emergency one night, and Georgina asked me to contact him to tell him about a change in plans...it should be here..." He frowned when his search came up empty. He looked around the cluttered office, as though wondering where else it could be hiding, then opened up another drawer in his desk. "It has to be here somewhere. I remember saving it, figuring I might need it again, someday, you just never know..." He began to pile papers and pens, a stapler and notebooks, and then other desk drawer minutia onto the top of his desk. Finally, he made a sound of discovery and held up a piece of paper.. "Got it!"

Rising, he said, "I don't have an address or name, just this number, but you can figure that out if you have this, right? I'm sure this person has nothing to do with the murders. I can't imagine Georgina not being very careful about the people she chose. But perhaps he can give you some information that will help you," he told them.

After thanking Frank for his help once again, Jack and Samantha left. holding the piece of paper Frank had given them up in his hand, Jack said, "We'll head back to the office and get what we need on this."

Samantha nodded.

-XXX-

Once back in the office, Jack moved things along quickly. Learning that Terry's contact with the Houston PD had given them important information about one particular name they were investigating, Jack promptly called a meeting in the bullpen.

Looking up at the board, he said, "Okay, we've got two people to track down. One in Houston, one here in New York. Martin, Danny: I want you in Texas. Try for a flight out tonight so that you can start first thing tomorrow. I want you to find this guy and question him. Samantha, you and I are going after Raphael. I've called in the phone number, and we'll soon have a name and an address." Turning to Vivian, he said, "I'm going to save you as back-up for anything that might come in, and to act as office liaison while we're out in the field. Just keep the home fires burning, okay?"

A few more comments, and the agents prepared to leave.

Once she had gathered her things, Vivian approached Jack and surprised him by quietly asking, "Could I speak with you for a minute? In your office?"

Jack nodded and walked with her into his office. Once inside and with the door closed, she moved to stand in front of his desk.

"I know this isn't exactly the best time to request this, but I need a couple personal days...Starting tomorrow." Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she put up a hand, "I would have given more notice, but I didn't have any myself. Something's come up that I have to take care of. I'm sorry. Forty-eight hours is all I need. Perhaps you can call someone in to take care of the office stuff while I'm gone?"

Jack looked at her, his eyes showing his curiousity. He knew the woman standing in front of him too well to ask why she was asking for time off now. If she wasn't telling him straight out, then she didn't want to. And Vivian was a private person who wouldn't like being put in the position of refusing to give an answer. He sighed. If she needed two personal days, she really needed two personal days. Trusting her, he nodded and said, "We can handle it. Got the paperwork filled out?"

She nodded and produced a swathe of papers from a file she was holding in her arms. "All ready for your signature."

Still standing, he placed them on his desktop. He perused them quickly to see that everything was filled out as required, and signed where he needed to sign. Straightening up, he passed the papers back to Vivian. "Here you go. We'll see you in a couple days."

Vivian smiled. "Thanks Jack."

He nodded, knowing that what she was really thanking him for was for not asking any questions.

"No problem, Viv," he said. Holding her gaze so that she saw his concern, he added, "Just make sure you're back here on time."

Her smile broadened. "I think I'll manage that."

He watched her leave, a puzzled frown marring his features. Then the phone rang and the case once again took precedence in his thoughts.

End
Chapter 21