NOTES: Welcome to chapter five! Something important to note: Adam dated a Suicide Girl?! And Danny didn't even give him a hard time about it? Is Danny sick?! The other thing I wanted to mention is that Chief Dwight Hillborne is the IAB agent that handled Danny's officer involved shooting case in "In The Job" back in Season One, and he's played by actor Joe Morton. At any rate, there isn't anything else major to report for this update, but keep an eye out for ME Marty Pino – he might not be on the show much, but I really love him so he'll be around. And please do continue to review, I love to hear back from the readers!
THANK YOUS:
Peanut2lb: Ah, Danny angst is always so much fun to write, particularly because his character is so emotional. He wears his heart on his sleeve, which makes writing his scenes easy. Also, I'm glad you liked the Angell twist. What intrigues me is that, as of yet, we don't know anything about her that tells us much, and the idea that she might be crooked came to me after "Not What It Looks Like" and stuck – we wouldn't know yet if she is, and how interesting would that angle be? I think you should definitely write a fic with her in it! Also, thank you so much for saying so! Writing the characters on this show as canon and well-developed is a huge focus for me, so hearing your compliments is a big encouragement!
Xbexyboox: I was so glad to see that you'd reviewed chapter four! Thank you for always taking the time to do that, it really makes me happy! I hope that the story continues to engage you! And that I'm doing all of the characters justice!
Chili-peppers: My TalkCSI compadre! I was really happy to see your name in the reviews! I'm glad you liked it. Unfortunately, chapter five won't have as much action packed in, but lemme know if you like it! I aim to please!
Kday89: Wow, that's really high praise, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the fic so far! I can't reveal the ending, but how cute are they? They definitely have amazing chemistry on screen, which I'm trying to capture here, as well. Ya know, I know a lot of people are big on D/F. What's funny is that I had a lot of problems with D/L, but I'm definitely getting over my initial hatred of the pairing. However, I can't say I'm not a D/F fan, I think it depends on the context. For instance, it can be totally believable if it's handled right. Anyway, I'm really relieved to hear that the D/L hasn't upset you enough to keep from reading the whole fic! I hope you keep reading to find out what happens to Angell and our lab geeks – I don't want to give much away, but the fun has definitely only just begun for them!
Mj0621; I love to read your reviews, I really do! Hawkes needs a girl, doesn't he? He's way too sweet and sexy to be on his own. I really like Peyton too, but I had a hard time with her intro onto the team – did her first scene on the show have to be that one? It made me feel bad for Stella…anyway, I'm glad things are getting more interesting. I'll try to keep everything locked tight so it continues to be a tightly-done case fic while exploring the characters, too. I'm flattered that it's on your C2! I took a look and you've got a lot of really great fics and writers on there, I'm very happy to be one of them!
Chance2: I love the penname, seriously. Also, random side note, but I kinda love the name Chance for a guy. Anyway, moving right along…thank you so much for taking the time to write out a review, and I hope you continue to let me know what you think of the story!
Dddynamite: Could I ask for a sweeter reviewer? I don't think so. Thank you for always being so encouraging! I hope you like chapter five as much as you did the others, and I look forward to hearing from you!
As always, a big thank you to the people who put me on their alerts and favorites, and also on their C2s! I really appreciate the support! Enjoy chapter five!
LYRICAL CREDIT: A Day Late by Anberlin and The Fight by Classic Crime
A DAY LATE
could have been lovers
Chapter Five
Would You Fight For The Weak
Flack stood at the glass in the interrogation room, as expressionless and still as a Greco-Roman statue. His eyes saw seemed to see through the two-way glass, far into somewhere else. He didn't need to see through the glass, however, to know that Danny and Lindsay were watching him from the other side. Danny, he knew, was probably standing right in front of him right now, and it was a struggle to keep from smirking a little. Oh yes, there was no doubt the CSI was paying very close attention – anything to keep his mind off of Lindsay, who would of course be standing right next to him. And that was fine with Flack. He liked being the distraction.
Watch and learn, then, he thought, and turned toward LaMonte. The suspect immediately stiffened at the sight of the icy hatred in the detective's eyes. They were unmercifully blue, and full of accusation. As LaMonte took stock of his situation, Flack settled his palms onto the steel table and leaned over it, towering over his seated prey, a power game that worked almost without fail.
"You were buddies with him, weren't you?" he asked, his voice surprisingly soft compared to the look in his eyes. Beside Danny, unseen behind their side of the glass in the observation room, Lindsay tensed slightly. Flack had a powerful presence in interrogation, often using every inch of his height and every trick his father, an NYPD legend, had ever taught him. In the hotseat, LaMonte looked slightly baffled by the context-less question.
"Buddies with who?"
"Oh right, sorry." Flack flipped open the manila folder on the table and then casually flicked over a picture of Luke Casimir's dead body. LaMonte grimaced and jerked back in his chair. Flack watched this reaction carefully, judging the meaning behind it.
"Maybe you recognize him now? See, way I hear it, is you were good friends. Best friends, even, looking at that picture." His brows lifted. "Or do you expect me to believe you didn't have anything to do with that?"
LaMonte's face twisted in indignant fury. "I don't have anything to do with it!"
Flack shoved off of the table, moving slightly around it, behind the suspect. "Right, sure." He let his eyes roam to the glass, leaned comfortably back against the wall and crossed his arms and ankles.
"Look man, I haven't seen Luke since he disappeared. No contact, a'ight?"
"Oh yeah, that's fine," Flack murmured, his voice full of doubt that dripped with sarcasm. His eyes trained on the back of LaMonte's head. He knew the other could feel his gaze. "Except for we both know you saw him every night for two weeks starting last month. I have pictures of you—" he flicked these LaMonte's way as well— "hanging out at the bar. Except you weren't just at that bar to get drunk and laid, were you?" He slammed his hand down beside LaMonte, his body leaning in close over his back. "You two were staking the place out, learning the staff and security, so that you could plot out your attack, weren't you? So what went wrong, LaMonte? Why'd you kill him?"
LaMonte nearly launched out of his chair. "I didn't kill him!"
Flack came around to the front of the table and started unforgivingly at LaMonte. "I don't believe you," he said bluntly, "and when we find what you used to dig the bullets out of Luke Casimir, I just bet your prints will be all over it. We'll probably find the gun you used to shoot him too, won't we?"
"Fuck off, man." LaMonte shoved back from the table. "I ain't got anything more to say to you. Can I go now?"
Flack didn't have anything he could hold LaMonte on, and both detective and suspect knew it. After a long, willful pause, Flack gestured to the door.
"Don't leave town," he warned with chilly finality as LaMonte passed. The other didn't answer, and Flack motioned for another uniformed police officer to escort him out of the precinct. He took a moment, then exited himself. As he did, Danny, Lindsay and Stella appeared in the hallway as well. Danny nudged his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose and sighed, obviously as frustrated as Flack felt.
"So we got nothin' now." He stuck his hands on his hips. "Great."
"Not so fast, Danny." She held up a file. "I just got this from Adam. Our bullets? They're a match to guns reported stolen by Luke Casimir and Michael LaMonte back in 1999."
Flack shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet Stella's infectiously excited green-eyed gaze. "Did you happen to notice who busted them?"
The grim look on Danny's face told the detective that he had, but Stella's eyes flicked back to the arrest report on the case. They widened and Flack had to fight a wince.
"I already called her. She should be here any minute. Mac says to hold onto her until he and the Doc get back from Jersey," Danny told them. "There's something really fishy going on around here, and I'm willin' to bet she knows what exactly that is."
Stella frowned. She'd liked Detective Angell well enough at first blush, but she'd been led to deeply question her judgment after putting her trust so completely in Frankie.
"You really think she did it?"
Danny shrugged. "Do we know her well enough to rule her out? C'mon, Stell, we know there are crooked cops out there."
Stella didn't answer. There wasn't really an argument for that. She looked up and caught Flack's gaze. He looked sympathetic, but he wasn't arguing either. He made a small movement toward her, but Danny caught their attention again.
"At any rate, I'm gonna go keep an eye out for her." He glanced at Lindsay, who'd been rather quiet throughout the exchange. She had a thoughtful look on her face, obviously no longer paying attention to him. Well, fine. Payback is a bitch, sweetheart. But he knew, deep down, that his anger only stemmed from hurt. He moved to turn away from her when another approaching figure caught his attention – Aspen. She was making a beeline for him.
Under normal circumstances, Danny would have braced himself for a slap. Sorry to say, but it was typically the reaction that he got when a woman approached him that way. On the other hand, he was fairly certain he hadn't done anything to constitute Aspen slapping him, so perhaps this wouldn't be all bad…?
"Danny." Ignoring the group, Aspen came to a stop directly in front of him. Stella and Lindsay exchanged glances, and Flack tried to subtly cover his smirk by rubbing his nose. Danny himself only shifted slightly and met the tech's gaze almost uncomfortably. He couldn't tell if a slap was coming or not.
"Yeah, what can I do for ya?" he asked, vaguely aware that they were under very intense scrutiny from his coworkers. Her dark eyes were intense, but certain.
"Still wanna go out for those drinks?"
Danny blinked – this definitely wasn't what he'd been expecting. He very resolutely kept from looking at Stella or Flack – or Lindsay. He could feel her bristling at his side, however, and for a moment he remembered all the tightly bottled anger he had at her flat out – and now repeated – rejection of him. Why the hell shouldn't he take Aspen out for drinks? He should be glad that she, at least, had enough good sense to join him for a fun, strings-free night on the town. Obviously Aspen knew that just because he'd asked her out, he wasn't shoving a diamond ring on her finger. After a slight hesitation, Danny allowed a small smile to cross his lips.
"Sure, yeah. Sounds like fun," he told her. Aspen nodded, returning his smile.
"Great. Give me a call when you're off, I can meet you somewhere," she said.
"Done," he agreed, and watched as she turned on her heel and headed away with only a brief nod of hello to the others. He stared after her for a minute, wondering what in the world he was doing, and then turned to his audience. Stella was looking a bit torn, but not altogether unsupportive. Flack looked more than a little amused and discreetly gave him a thumbs-up, and Lindsay…
Lindsay looked livid. Well, he could tell she was livid, anyway. She was actually doing a surprisingly good job of masking it for Flack and Stella, but Danny could tell that he'd be hearing about it later, when they were alone. Or as alone as they ever got in the labs, anyway. He met her gaze evenly, almost challenging her to say something. In fact, he would have welcomed it at this precise moment. But she only stared back at him, her brown eyes fiery and defiant, but her mouth silent. They squared off for a moment, almost toe to toe, before he too turned on his heel and took his leave. A moment later, Lindsay headed very resolutely off in the other direction.
By now, Flack's smile had faded. He glanced at Stella. "This could get bad."
"Could get?" Stella shook her head. "It's already bad. Did he tell you about the—?"
"It's not you, it's me? Yeah, he told me." Flack wondered then if he could really blame Danny for asking Aspen out. It was clearly the move of a man on the rebound, and he was fairly sure that Aspen knew it. Something was up, he knew – something that had very little to do with Danny's supposed attraction to the dark-haired tech.
"Whatever it is, they better be careful. You know how Mac is."
This earned Stella an amused look. "Oh yeah," Flack agreed. "I almost feel bad for the guy." He paused, then smirked. "Almost."
Mac and Hawkes hadn't been back from New Jersey for five minutes when Chief Dwight Hillborne approached the senior detective with a grim, determined look on his face. Mac felt the beginnings of a massive headache begin to stir, grumbling, to the surface. Whenever he dealt with the surly Internal Affairs Bureau agent, he felt as if he were winding his way carefully through a minefield. The pair had a long and difficult history. And by the looks of it, that history was not going to improve today. He tapped the doctor's arm and motioned him toward Danny's desk, where the CSI was on the phone. As Hawkes detoured, Mac turned again to face the Chief. Before the other could say anything, he steered them both into his office and closed the door.
"Detective Taylor, I understand you're calling Detective Angell in her under suspicion of illegal arms dealing."
Mac was almost – almost – surprised by how quickly the IAB got a hold of information. Then again, Angell had probably called them as soon as she'd gotten off of the phone with Danny. He bit back a sigh. This was exactly the kind of attention he'd been hoping to avoid, particularly when he should be updating his team on what he and Hawkes discovered in Jersey.
"She's not under any suspicion, Chief." He very smoothly took his seat and motioned for Hillborne to take one as well. "We merely have a few questions about the arrest."
"That's not what she told me," Hillborne returned, confirming Mac's suspicions. It had been Angell that tipped off the IAB. "She said Detective Messer was quite aggressive during their phone conversation."
Mac's headache snarled and snapped, and he cursed inwardly. "Detective Messer was trying to stress the importance of her connection to our case. I'm sure he didn't mean to alarm her. But we are trying to find a cop-killer, Chief, and time isn't on our side, as I'm sure you're well aware."
"I don't think I need to remind you that Detective Messer is still—"
"No, you don't, but while we're on the subject, Detective Messer has proven himself time and again, and I don't appreciate you implying that—"
"That he might not be capable of functioning in this kind of high-stress environment? Now, whatever would give me that idea, Detective Taylor? I'm sure he's just fine when he's giving interrogations, but when he's under interrogation, he cracks. Every time." Hillborne stood and straightened his tie. "Detective Angell has an impressive – and untouched – record. Tread lightly, Detective Taylor. The NYPD doesn't need anymore bad publicity right now, and I don't appreciate you leaning on a good officer."
Mac stood as well, unflinchingly meeting Hillborne's gaze. "I have an investigation to conduct, Chief. I'd appreciate it if you would let me do my job," he replied sharply. Hillborne sent him one last look of chilly challenge, then he took his leave of Mac's office and, with any luck, his labs. Sighing as his shoulders slumped, Mac vaguely considered sending someone out to get him some Excedrin while he briefed his team. He was re-gathering himself when a knock got his attention.
"Mac."
It was Stella, and as he glanced up at her, he noted the concern filling her face. Obviously, he hadn't masked the growing pain in his head as well as he thought he was.
"Stella." He tried to get better control over his facial muscles. "You got anything?"
"Angell just came in. Was that Hillborne I saw leaving?" she asked, coming around to his side of the desk. She took a good look at him, then she dug into an inner pocket in the blazer she was wearing.
"Yeah." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Angell called him on her way over." He could almost hear Stella's frown.
"Interesting."
"Then he took a jab at Danny." He opened his eyes as she pressed something into his hand – two somethings, actually. "What…?"
"Excedrin," she replied. "You were saying?"
He only paused for a second, then he brought his hand to his lips and tipped the pills into his mouth. He should have guessed that Stella would have headache medicine with her. She was, he thought with a touch of humor, the labs' boyscout – always prepared.
"He was reiterating the fact that Danny's on the IAB's hit list." Mac's tone told her how much he thought of that fact. Unless Danny seriously stepped out of line, there was nothing the IAB could do to the younger CSI. And Mac would continue to act as a barrier between Hillborne and Messer for as long as he had to. Danny was too good a CSI to lose because of an incident that was nearly two years old. "Put Angell into an interrogation room. I'll have Danny and Hawkes deal with her. In the meantime, I need the team together again for a briefing."
Stella nodded, grabbing her phone to send out a mass text message to the group. Then she glanced up. "Marty Pino wanted you to stop by Autopsy when you get a minute. He says he found something you might find interesting, but he's not sure how much it will help the case."
Mac nodded, ignored his ringing phone, and slipped out of his office with Stella. He caught sight of Flack leading Angell to interrogation, but it was clear the taller detective was trying to make it appear as if it would be a normal questioning. Clearly confused, and starting to get angry, Angell wasn't giving Flack the benefit of the doubt – whatever Danny had said to her on the phone had hit home.
It took a few minutes to get everyone together. Once they all were gathered in a conference room, Mac wheeled over a whiteboard they normally used for timelines and began putting down what they knew.
"We've got a point of connection between three of our victims and two of our suspects to Detective Angell." He wrote down all the names. "We can also connect at least one of the weapons used in the shootings to Angell as well." He ignored the uncomfortable way Hawkes was shifting behind him. He knew the doctor was fond of the new detective, but he also knew with absolute certainty that Hawkes would do his job.
"We can't tie her to Daniel Masterson or to Marcus Clarence, Mac," Danny reminded him. "And we can't tie her to New Jersey, either."
"And Flack and I didn't have any luck tracking down Masterson, either. He has no known address and the veterinary clinic he used to work at has been closed down for almost a year," Stella added. Mac's ears perked.
"Masterson worked as a vet?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked, watching the thoughtful look cross Danny's face, and seeing the wheels in Lindsay's head start to turn, too.
"The tool marks found on Casimir's ribs…" she said out loud. "They could easily have been made by a tool you might find in a veterinary clinic."
"Exactly. Which makes Masterson our prime suspect." He turned to Lindsay. "Did you find out anything more about him?"
"Well, after we found him on Ask Sam, I looked into his record. He's got some minor assault charges, but nothing like this," she replied. "Seems like kind of a big jump."
"Sure, but three of the victims have been directly connected to Masterson," Hawkes pointed out.
"Four?" Danny seemed confused.
"Right. Morelli, Carter and Brad Totah all busted him, we know that thanks to the complaints he filed against them. And thanks to our trip to Jersey, Mac and I IDed some of Casimir's old crew, including—"
"Daniel Masterson," Stella finished, and Hawkes nodded. "Throw in LaMonte, and it's starting to sound like these attacks weren't so random after all."
"No, but they are increasing in intensity." Mac turned from the whiteboard to face his team. "The bar shooting was an attempt to take out both Morelli and Carter at once. Our third bar victim was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the second shooting took down four cops, and the fatality – Brad Totah – is only very loosely connected to Masterson through a minor possession charge from over a decade ago."
Stella nodded. She'd read Masterson's file, too. But one thing about the Totah connection was relevant. "Totah was the first cop to arrest Masterson. He was the flashpoint for this guy's obsession with cops."
"And the other three victims?" Lindsay asked.
"He's getting hungry," Mac replied, and she shivered.
"So it's not just specific targets anymore," Danny murmured. "He's developed a liking for the killing."
"Classic serial killer," Hawkes pointed out.
"But if Casimir and Masterson were old friends, why would Masterson kill him?" This was a point that had been bothering Stella since they'd began theorizing. Even Mac paused at the question, and Lindsay tapped her foot thoughtfully. It was again Danny who provided the answer.
"Deal went bad. Let's say they came to an arrangement of some kind. But then let's say Masterson wasn't satisfied with just taking down one or two cops, and Casimir called him on it. There's only one way at that point to keep Casimir from going to the cops and letting us in on the plan in exchange for a deal – kill him. There's no honor amongst thieves, isn't that how it goes?"
Mac opened his mouth to comment when Flack stuck his head in. "Angell's not saying much, but she is telling us that she has no idea how some of the guns from that arrest got back on the street. You wanna hold her on arms dealing?"
Mac shook his head. "Let her go. IAB's already hounding us, and if she did leak those guns, we'll be able to find her. But Flack? Have one of your guys keep an eye on her."
"Done." With a brief nod, Flack disappeared to make the call.
Mac tapped Danny's arm with the pen. "Go grab Adam, we're gonna need him on this." With a nod, the Italian disappeared in the direction of the A/V labs.
As he made his way through the halls, Flack caught up with him, jogging to meet up with his friend. He looked troubled, that Danny could tell at a glance. He slowed a bit, knowing that whatever it else it was, it wasn't good. He stopped altogether when Flack failed to say anything.
"What's up?" he asked. Flack glanced around, then pulled Danny into an empty break room.
"We've got to talk."
The intensity from Flack was unexpected. Danny met his gaze and then nodded slowly. "Sure, sure. We can't talk and walk?"
Flack shook his head. "This is kinda…I don't want anyone to overhear."
"Are we in the third grade also?" Danny asked, looking confused as Flack pulled him deeper into the empty room, away from the door. "What's going on that has you acting like my thirteen-year-old niece?"
"You're a real slayer," Flack replied with an eyeroll. Then he sobered. "Danny – I've been thinking a lot since I got out of the hospital. You know. Live life like any moment could be your last?"
"Yeah yeah, all that therapy bullshit." Danny flashed a fierce grin, more a baring of teeth than a smile. "So lemme get this straight, you've been thinking a lot about us, right? About where this—" he gestured between the two of them— "is going? Well, I uh…I hate to break it to ya, bro, but uh…I'm not gay."
"You're a real clown, Messer – but in your dreams." But Flack's slight smirk faded quickly. "Nah, c'mon, be serious, would you? I think…" He took a deep breath, his blue eyes troubled. "I think I have feelings for Stella."
It took almost a full second for that to sink in, and when it did, Danny's jaw dropped open. "Don…c'mon, you serious? That's…Stella?" He couldn't logically think of any reason why it couldn't happen, but the idea of his friend and his semi-boss dating…not to mention it hadn't been too long ago that there was an inner-lab pool going for how long it would take Mac to ask her out. That had fallen to the wayside once the rumors about Peyton Driscoll had started up, but this…this was completely out of the blue. There was just no way that Flack was having serious feelings for Stella. No. Fucking. Way.
So why did Flack look so serious?
"I know. Believe me," Flack said with a sigh. "I know."
"Don, I…"
Flack met his gaze, his normally clear blue eyes cloudy. "I know," he repeated, and then he was briskly walking away, heading for the door. Danny called after him, but the tall detective ignored him. A moment later, and he was gone completely, leaving Danny feeling a little breathless. He was glad now that he had an excuse to go out tonight – he was going to need that drink.