Stella waited impatiently by the fax machine, tapping her foot and checking her watch. It was a little after one and she had just got a call from her friend, Gina Theophilus. Gina was a crime reporter for the New York Post, and they had met at the courthouse a couple of years ago, during a high profile murder that Gina had been covering.

Normally Stella didn't have much use for reporters, but Gina was different. She wasn't a bottom feeder like some of her more annoying colleagues and she always was willing to work with the police when it came to a story. It made her one of the most well connected reporters on the crime beat because she had the respect and trust of a lot of cops and government personnel. It was because of those connections that she had called Stella.

The CSI's mind drifted back over the conversation; fueling her anger.

"Bonasera," Stella answered, clicking on her cell phone.

"Stel, I've got somethin' ya need to see."

It was Gina, her friend from the Post, as usual coming straight to the point. Stella smiled. It was her friend's philosophy that life was too short to waste time on the phone. She always said she believed in three things, short phone calls, strong coffee, and good sex. She believed that a well balanced combination of the three would lead to immortality.

"What have you got?" She asked and adjusted her phone so she could hear better.

"Alex Davis was arraigned today. Entered a plea of not guilty."

Stella frowned. "That was fast. How did he get before a judge so soon?"

Gina snorted. "Yeah well, when Carl Riker gets something fast tracked he can usually get the red tape brigade to move at twice the speed of light. He got a preliminary for next week. But that is not the worst part. I've got a copy of his motion to suppress. You need to see it. It's gonna be trouble for your CSIs."

On her end Stella frowned. "Fax it over and Gina, I would be grateful if you can keep this out of the press."

"I can't promise that 'cause I'm not the only reporter that gotta hold of this. I'll try to make them look good though. I've always liked Danny, he's a good kid, and that new girl Monroe. She don't take no crap on the stand. You gotta like her for that. I gotta go Stel, duty calls."

Gina had hung up without saying goodbye as was her custom and Stella had headed for the fax machine. She checked her watch again and sighed impatiently. Finally a piercing screech emitted from the machine and a few seconds later a ten page document, filled with legalese came through.

She picked it up, stapled it, and started reading through the part that Gina had underlined for her. She cursed when she was done, something that she seldom did and went looking for Mac.

Stella caught Mac as he was heading out to a crime scene. Her expression betrayed the fact that she did not come bearing good news. She stalked over to him, her eyes alight with her anger and handed him the document that Gina had just sent her. He took it and perused it with the sinking feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse.

"I got a call from a friend of mine. She told me that Riker has managed to get Davis's preliminary hearing before a judge by next week. You were right. He plans on attacking Danny and Lindsay's creditability to get the evidence thrown out. That's the motion to suppress that he filed."

Mac stopped walking and faced his partner and friend.

"Why do I get the feeling that there is more and that I am not going to like it?" Stella grimaced.

"Because you are a very smart man and Riker is a parasite on the under belly of humanity."

Her boss shot her a look; she sighed and continued.

"He's going to use the sexual misconduct case from Bozeman to claim that Lindsay acted inappropriately towards Davis during the interrogation. Don't ask me how, I was never a big fan of fiction, but knowing Riker he is going to make that unfortunate incident sound like Watergate. As for Danny…he is going to bring up the shooting."

Mac started. "How did he get a hold of that information?" Stella shook her head. Her frustration showing.

"I don't know. How does he find out anything? Think about it. Since she was cleared that incident wouldn't be on her permanent record, which means we don't have a record of it."

Mac shook his head to indicate that they didn't.

"So how the hell did he find out? It doesn't make any sense. And as for Danny, he might have heard the rumors but he shouldn't have access to internal files."

She frowned. "You know if he goes ahead with this then it is very possible Internal Affairs might get involved."

Mac glanced at her reassuringly. "I don't want you to worry about that. I have Flack making some calls and keeping an eye on IAB. Frankly, I think he was happy to have something to do. He told me cabin fever is setting in. Also Danny called me and told me that he is going to get Lindsay out of town for a few days. I didn't ask him where because I would like to keep plausible deniability an option. We are going to play a shell game with the defense so Riker won't be able to serve them with a subpoena."

Stella shook her head. "But the A.D.A has them on her witness list. They are going to have to take the stand eventually." Mac smiled.

"That's true. It's called picking your battles. By keeping them off of Riker's witness list the A.D.A can choose when she wants to put Lindsay and Danny on the stand. It gives us something that we already have precious little of, time."

She smiled at him and nudged him with her shoulder. "Mac Taylor, who would have thought you had it in you to be so subversive?"

He shot her a quelling look but he couldn't quite hide his small grin.

"In the mean time I want you and Hawkes to go back over the crime scene with a fine tooth comb and see if we can find anything there that Danny and Lindsay might have missed. If the worst happens we need to have evidence that neither of them had their hands on."

Stella crossed her arms and eyed Mac.

"And what about Danny and Lindsay and the little matter of them keeping their careers?"

His eyes looked grim.

"I'm going to take care of it. There is no way that this guy commits a murder, attacks one of my people, and gets away with it."

She tilted her head and regarded him. "So what are you going to do?"

Mac smirked and started walking away. He called over his shoulder before reaching the elevators.

"I'm going to call in a favor."