A/N: Just want to say thanks to everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Keep the reviews and suggestions coming.
The chapter contains a breakdown of the L&O:CI episode "Malignant".
The usual ice-breaking chit-chat went back and forth. Goren entertained the doctors with stories about his adventures in Germany during his army days. Next, Eames told a few anecdotes about how she came from a family of cops and never dreamed of being anything else. Cuddy was floored when the blonde detective told of how she was a surrogate mother for her sister, and she promised to show off pictures of her nephew later.
Soon everyone was relaxed, like old friends. The large meal and wine certainly helped.
"So, Bobby," House began as the detective helped himself to another piece of garlic bread. "Do you and Alex have a favorite case?"
"Favorite?" Goren gave the doctor a quizzical look.
"You know, a case you like to hold up as a prime example of your fantastic police work." House glanced around saw everyone looking at the cops expectantly.
"Getting a criminal off the street is a fantastic thing, regardless," Goren said. "I can't really say there's a favorite among them."
"Don't be so modest," House grinned. "Surely there's something that stands out among all the cases you've worked on. If you don't tell at least one juicy story filled with murder and mayhem, Lisa and Jimmy here will be crestfallen."
"Can't have that," the detective smiled and turned to his partner. "Eames? Anything come to mind?"
She said with chin in hand, "Can murder and mayhem wait until after dessert? If I may ask, is there a dessert?"
"Chocolate cheesecake," Cuddy beamed.
"Nothing is going to spoil my appetite for that," Eames declared, shooting a warning look around the table, stopping at her partner.
"Look, you're cops, we're doctors," Wilson pointed out in case someone forgot. "All of us see and hear about blood and guts and mayhem every day."
"That doesn't mean we have to discuss it at the dinner table," Cuddy said curtly, refilling her wine glass.
"Okay, let's compromise," House said. "It would be–pardon the expression–a crime for the detectives here to leave tonight without thrilling us with at least one story. There must be at least one case that didn't involve a bunch of blood, guts and gore."
Goren looked at his partner for an answer since he was chewing the last of his garlic bread.
"That pharmacist, Halliwell," she said as Goren nodded. "It started out as the robbery and murder of two delivery guys–"
"–and ended with one pharmacist, trying to keep a promise," her partner finished, then threw back the rest of his wine.
"A pharmacist promised to kill two delivery guys?" Wilson puzzled as he twirled spaghetti around his fork.
"No, no," the detective said with a chuckle. "That the pharmacist had nothing to do with. Turned out to be some teenagers, now cooling their homicidal heals in jail, doing about twenty years or so."
"And the pharmacist?" Cuddy asked, fascinated.
Goren continued, "The delivery guys were delivering drug orders to pharmacies, one of them run by Halliwell. All American guy, been in the business for twenty years, married, goes to church every Sunday, the whole nine yards. Anyway, one of the drug orders to Halliwell was forged, he didn't order it, one of the teenagers did it to help set up the robbery. But Halliwell lied and told us he did place that order."
"Naturally, that made us a bit curious," Eames smirked, pushing her wine glass away.
"Curious indeed." Goren saw the doctors were hanging on his every word and was a bit amused by it. "Why would he lie about something that wasn't his fault to begin with? Well, records showed some weird inconsistencies with Halliwell; selling more product than he was buying, things like that. Also his customers were keeling over dead from illnesses that should have been cured or at the very least helped by the drugs they were buying from him."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," the Dean of Medicine said. "What was he doing?"
Eames answered, "Diluting the drugs for profit."
"You're joking." House gaped as Wilson nearly choked on his dinner.
"If only," Goren sighed.
"Why?" Cuddy asked with wide-eyed disbelief.
"To save face," the blonde detective replied.
"To keep a promise he made," Goren said. "By all appearances Halliwell was a pillar of the community. He was a good husband, father, and friend. He was active in his church, the kind of guy you could count on, those things meant a lot to him. Unfortunately for Halliwell and his customers, nobody realized how much he needed to live up to that, no matter what."
"So what was this promise he so desperately needed to keep?" the diagnostician asked.
The tall detective paused to refill his wine glass and answered, "A million dollar pledge to his church to help build some kind of recreation center."
"Whoa...," the oncologist gasped.
"And he couldn't just come out and say he couldn't afford it?" Cuddy was ready to fall out of her chair.
"He felt he couldn't," Goren said with a slight scowl. "He had to follow through on that pledge. By the time we found out, he had been diluting the drugs for four years, trying to get every dollars worth to make his pledge requirements."
"That's...that's just incredible." Wilson swayed in his chair.
"Halliwell's in prison now. Nothing to dilute there but the illegal moonshine," Eames informed them. "Juicy enough story for you, Dr. House?"
"The juiciest. You two sure know how to pick 'em," he answered while a few of the unethical and downright illegal things he had done over the years flickered through his head. He knew he wasn't an angel, but he also knew there were more than a few lines he would never be able to cross, no matter how hard he was pushed.
"More like luck of the draw," Goren replied. He smiled at Cuddy as she stood and began to clear the plates. "Need some help, Dr. Cuddy?"
"No thank you, Bobby. Care for some coffee?"
"Coffee would be great. As I told Dr. House once, it's always about love or money."
"Always?" Wilson asked
"Always," the detective replied. " Well, almost always. How about a break from stories for a while. Does anyone here play chess?"
