Disclaimer: Dick Wolf, yahoo!

Title: Hurricane Katrina

Chapter 22 – Snooping

Characters: Goren, Eames, Deakins

Rating: T

Location: Major Case Squad Room

Katayeva was in a few minutes before Goren. They were the only two people on the entire eleventh floor.

"You spent the last two nights with Eames," said Katayeva.

"How…uh..how did you know?"

"You look much, much better. Like you actually had a decent night's sleep."

"True enough," admitted Goren.

"And I'm guessing that all you got was sleep. You are willing to accept just being there with her, like you don't think you deserve anything more."

Goren remained silent.

"So, explain something to me."

"What?"

"Why are you and Eames not together, not a couple, not married to one another?"

Goren was stunned. No one ever asked him questions like this. But, Katayeva certainly did have brass ones.

"Uh…."

"Don't give me that little boy look or do the stammering thing, Goren. I am on to you. Save the charm routine for the perps, the witnesses, and Eames," grinned Katayeva.

Goren opened his mouth. Nothing came out. So he closed it again. Scrubbed his face with both hands.

"You can stop stalling with the face rubbing, too, partner. Just answer my question."

"Well…uh…the NYPD has strict rules against ummm… fraternization."

"I've heard of it. But when did Detective Goren ever do anything by the book?"

She just loves yanking my chain. And she's damn good at it.

"I…I don't know …that she…uh..Eames…feels…the ..the same way. The same way as I do about her."

"How did you ever get to be Detective First Grade?" sighed Katayeva, "You two have been partners for three years. I met Eames once. I knew she was crazy about you in five minutes. And not just as partners or friends."

"Uh..really?"

"Duh, really. And you are crazy about her. That's obvious."

"Oh, god…does Deakins know? Anyone else?" panicked Goren.

"I think Deakins ignores a lot. He's ignoring Logan and Barek, so he can ignore you and Eames, too."

"Uhhh…."

"When and how do you intend to tell Eames how you feel, Bobby? Are you just going to keep this bottled up inside your heart forever? Let her finally marry someone else, so you can watch her life from the sidelines? That can't be enough for you. Are you really that much of a masochist?"

Goren sat down at his desk. He had never confronted himself on this subject before. And Kat had just said that Eames was crazy about him! Omigod. Could it possibly be true?

"You…you don't know..about my family…about.."

Katayeva cut him off.

"I read your file. I know all about your schizophrenic mother and the father who deserted the family. And your gambling brother. You know damn well that the majority of schizophrenics are diagnosed by age thirty. That was fifteen years ago for you, Bobby!"

"I…I've had to take care of my mother…"

"Stop making excuses for not having a life! Your mother is safe in Carmel Ridge. She won't be any less safe if you have a life, Goren! Happiness is contagious. Your mother might actually improve if she sees that you are happy."

He just sighed.

"You…you're a royal pain in the ass, Katayeva."

"I will stipulate to that fact any day of the week, Goren."

Other detectives and staff started to arrive. Goren and Katayeva looked around.

"Incoming," said Bobby, as he spotted Deakins approaching from the elevator bank.

"I am not through with you, Bobby Goren. We will continue this later," whispered Katayeva.

How did I end up with this insane Russian woman for a partner? It's gonna be a long day. She's like a dog with a bone. She will not leave me alone. And could she possibly be right? That Eames could actually love me? Does love me? Like that, not just as a partner or a friend. This is overwhelming. I don't think my mind can accept it. It's too much to hope for.

Goren was brought back to reality by Deakins' voice.

"Earth to Goren. Earth to Goren."

"Uh…yes, sir?"

"How we doing on this Martin case?"

"It's …evolving, Captain."

"Good morning, Captain," said Katayeva happily, "We've covered a lot of ground. Still plenty to do, but it's progressing nicely."

"OK, I'll buy that for the moment," said Deakins, as he strolled back into his office.

Katayeva sure knows how to turn on the charm. Just got the Captain off our backs for a while.

"How about you verify Captain Martin's whereabouts the day of his wife's death, Bobby, and I will continue my online search?"

"Online search for what? You said you would tell me today."

"Fan fiction."

"Fan fiction?"

"Fans of a particular TV program write stories based on those characters. They can add characters, do a crossover with another show, insert a character based on themselves, do a case file, spin different endings to existing storylines. And Caroline Martin taught a computer class on fan fiction at her library. I saw it on the library web page last night."

"And this relates to our investigation how?"

"All those pictures she has of D'Onofrio? His show, Lawful Order, has a big following on the fan fiction web sites. The fans publish their stories on these sites. Caroline Martin may have written something that will give us a clue about her life or death."

Goren's elbows were on his desk, his chin resting on his left hand. Thinking.

"How many stories for this show?"

"On this site there's about 1200. The good news is that each has a summary. The bad news is that people create pen names as opposed to using their real names. Quite often the pen names reflect their interests, jobs, hobbies. Authors can also create a profile about themselves."

"Aren't these people, the fans, violating copyright?"

"Absolutely. But we are not the copyright police. Most producers allow the fans to do this, so long as they don't make money from it. The fans do it for the love of the show."

"You think Caroline Martin was obsessed with D'Onofrio?"

"No, I think she's obsessed with the character he plays, Detective Oren Roberts. Her photo collection is all of him in-character. The major restriction on fan fiction is that you can never write about the actor, only the character."

"Oh. Alright. I'll verify Martin's whereabouts. You read fan fiction."

They both got to work. Goren worked the phones. Katayeva, the keyboard.

She's typing an awful lot for someone who's just reading stories online. Interesting to watch Katayeva concentrate. She just dives right in and is oblivious to everything else.

A few minutes later Kat was tapping her fingers on her desk. Then she was scribbling on a pad. Cross out, scribble again. And again, etc. Back to the computer screen.

"Goren, we need to visit the library where Mrs. Martin worked."

"What did you find?"

"There's a case file story on this Lawful Order fan fiction site about a librarian who died in an overheated car on a hot summer day. Detective Oren Roberts is trying to figure out if it was an accident, murder or suicide."

"Did Caroline Martin write the story?"

"The author's pen name is Milton Ira Crane. The character in the story is Rose Norbert. The title of the story is Burn Out," said Katayeva, looking at her partner expectantly.

Goren just looked at her, what?

"Milton Ira Crane is an anagram of Caroline Martin. Rose Norbert is an anagram of Oren Roberts. Unfortunately Milton Ira Crane's profile is blank, so no clues there."

Goren just leaned back in his chair. Now he was tapping his fingers on his desk.

"None of this is proof enough for the D.A., Bobby. We need to see if Mrs. Martin accessed this site from her library. We'd better take a search warrant with us, just in case. The New York state statutes govern access to private information in a public library. Computer use is private information. I already called Carver. We can pick up the search warrant downstairs on our way to the garage."

"Let's go."

Katayeva drove the Blazer to the Astoria branch library. First the duo walked around the library to get the lay of the land.

"Public use computers in the reference room only. The reference desk has a couple of computers for the librarians. Must have Internet access."

"We'd better introduce ourselves to the library director," said Goren.

Library director, Marina Okembe, was cordial enough. She told them how Mrs. Martin was beloved by the entire staff and the patrons. No one had noticed any signs of depression or anxiety on her part. Caroline Martin was well known for her sense of humor. When Goren asked if they could look at any work computers that Mrs. Martin had used and all the public computers, the director just held out her hand.

Katayeva pulled out the search warrant and gave it to the director. The Okembe examined it and then nodded her assent. She brought them over to the reference desk and told the other staffers to allow them access.

Kat took one pc, Bobby the other. They quickly discovered those same two programs, Hard Disk Scrubber™ and Window Washer™, as the Martin's home computers.

"Detectives," said the director, "These two programs are on every computer this library owns. The public computers also have Deep Freeze™ on them. It runs overnight to reset and delete anything that may have been changed or added by the patrons during the day."

Katayeva and Goren checked the bookmarks on the reference computers. Several fan fiction sites were in the list, including articles on the topic and the lingo that went with it. Katayeva copied the bookmarks on each pc and emailed them to herself and Goren.

"Didn't Mrs. Martin teach a fan fiction class?"

"Yes, she did it several times over the last year. It was a very popular class."

"Did Mrs. Martin every write any fan fiction that you know of?"

One of the reference librarians spoke up, "I co-taught the class with Caroline. In the class she always said she'd never written any fan fiction herself."

"Was there a handout from the class?"

"Yes. The handout is always a printout of the web page that Caroline created to go with the class." The librarian then logged on to the class page. It contained links to a dozen different fan fiction sites.

"Did Mrs. Martin ever talk about the Lawful Order TV program? Or Vincent D'Onofrio?"

"She was a big fan of the show. She only liked D'Onofrio because she liked his character on the show. Caroline and Ray always watched it together on Sunday nights. Ray would note all the things that were unrealistic and she'd just laugh and shush him."

"Did Mrs. Martin work from a script when she taught her class?"

"No, she worked from the handout. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. Caroline was always well prepared for any class she taught."

"Is there anything…anything at all…you think we should know about Caroline Martin, either professionally or personally?" asked Katayeva.

"Caroline loved what she did. She always seemed happy. Loved her husband and kids. Talked about her and Ray retiring when everyone had graduated college. Other women complained about their husbands. Caroline never did. She and Ray seemed like soulmates."

Goren and Katayeva thanked the librarians. They started looking at the public computers, but it was of no use. Those computer programs had cleaned off everything.

They left the library and headed back to One P.P.

"Those programs on the computers, Bobby, they are the public library's method of ensuring patron privacy in spite of the Patriot Act, the snooping by the FBI, Homeland Security, etc."

"Works real well, too," replied Goren, "How about a visit to Mrs. Martin's oncologist?"

"Sure, we don't have much else to work with. We'd better call ahead to make sure he can see us," sighed Katayeva, "How about some lunch first? You must be hungry by now."

"Lunch sounds good."

"What's that saying? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" laughed Katayeva.

"Jack married you because you're a good cook?"

"I'm a very good cook, but so is Jack. We both had mothers who insisted all the children learn how to cook. Jack married me for my charming personality," grinned Katayeva.

Goren just snorted. She smacked his arm.

"Can you cook? I mean, besides mac and cheese out of a box, Bobby?"

"Yes, I'm a pretty good cook," he said smugly.

"Can Eames cook?"

"Yeah, she's OK. Not as uh..well as I do."

"No wonder the woman is crazy about you. A man who can cook!"

He just rolled his eyes.

Katayeva parked the car in the One P.P. underground lot. They walked to a local Italian place for lunch.

"You didn't finish explaining to me why you and Eames are playing out this opera of mutually unrequited love, Goren."

I knew she'd never let up.

"I…I'm not uh…convinced it is mutual."

"But you love her?"

"Yeah," sighed Goren.

"I can't believe you're that shy. I've seen you turn on the charm with the ladies. Why does Eames not know this?"

"You must know how many uh…partners …I've been though. I…I can't do anything to risk losing Eames as my partner. We work uh…so well together. She….understands me, she tolerates me."

"Tolerates you? Goren, why do you think you must be tolerated? You are a brilliant detective. I jumped at the chance to work with you. I find it absolutely incredible that there were a dozen detectives who walked away from that opportunity."

"I…I can be uh…difficult."

"There's a surprise," snorted Katayeva, "Everybody can be difficult, Goren. You have not cornered the market on difficult. Eames stayed with you not only because you're a brilliant detective, but because you're a good man. You are so afraid of turning into your parents, that you just can't see it."

Goren just looked at her.

"I also think you are underestimating Deakins."

"Deakins?"

"Yeah. He has a lot of influence and you two have the top solve rate. People owe him favors. He can call them in. You guys make him look terrific to the brass. Don't underestimate that factor."

"I…I just don't know."

"Do I have to lock you and Eames together in a room for a week? You know I will do it, Goren."

He looked at her. He could see her doing it. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. He'd love to be locked in a room with Eames.

"The only things you'll get while you're in there is food and an unlimited supply of condoms."

Goren nearly choked on his pasta.

"What…uh what if Eames doesn't want to… to be locked in a room with me?"

"Jeez, for a smart man you are so thick headed, Goren! I promise you, after a week we'd probably have to carry you out of the room when she's done with you….but you'd be a very happy man."

"Would…would she be …ummm happy, too?"

"That would be your job, Bobby. I can't do everything for you! Surely you know how to please a woman?"

He nodded.

"Excellent! I'll arrange for your lockup."

Goren raised his eyebrows.

"You…you can't really do that, can you?"

"Never bet against me, Goren. Never. Of course, you'd really enjoy losing this bet. Anyhow, you need to get off the dime here. Wouldn't you like to move beyond these platonic sleepovers?"

Goren sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes. And I am not going to ask how long you two have been playing this game. The answer would be too long. Eames' ob-gyn will soon OK her to resume sexual activity. She's been waiting for you for a long time, Bobby, and you've been waiting for her."

Goren just scrubbed his face with both hands.

Katayeva grabbed the check.

"My treat."

"Thanks."

Back at One P.P. Goren phoned Mrs. Martin's doctor. He agreed to see them later in the afternoon.

"Dr. Soros, thank you for seeing us," said Goren.

"I had no idea that Mrs. Martin failed to tell her husband and family that her cancer had returned. This must be such a shock to them."

"What type of cancer did she have?"

"Thyroid cancer. It went undetected for too long by her local doctors. It had already spread to over a dozen lymph glands when she had her surgery here. She underwent the radioactive iodine treatment, but refused traditional radiation therapy. And several months ago she refused additional surgery."

"Would those have saved her life?"

"They probably would have prolonged it. It was caught too late to be stopped."

"Did Mrs. Martin give a reason for declining the radiation and surgery?"

"Oh, yes. Quality of life. She said they would just be torture, make her miserable."

"Would you consider her a suicide risk?"

"Any terminally ill patient could potentially be considered a suicide risk. But she never gave me any reason to think she might attempt suicide. I have always admired her sense of humor. She was a very strong, very intelligent woman."

Goren and Katayeva thanked the physician for his time.

"It's five o'clock. Let's just sleep on it and go over all our stuff in the morning. We still have to look at her scrapbook, too" said Kat.

"Sounds good. I'm tired."

Katayeva dropped him at the subway station, then drove home.

Later that night at the Kennedy/Katayeva household.

"You told Goren you were going to lock him and Eames in a room for a week? With only food and an endless supply of condoms?" roared Jack.

"Yeah."

"Honey, you do have brass ones," laughed her husband.

"I've heard that before."