With many thanks to my beta girls. I love you for all your insight, help and encouragement; also to my fans and friends on the USA Message Board and here who keep me going in telling this story -- I love you all, too. As always, thanks to DW, et al and the usual disclaimers apply!

Chapter 13 Forensic Accounting Really Sucks

Joshua Simmons entered the Major Case Squad bullpen to find total silence. The kind of silence that falls over a room when someone has just done something that no one expected. The kind where no one wants to make the first move. He decided to make the first move.

He approached Detective Eames and spoke to her quietly. "Detective Eames?"

"Yes," she said, turning around slowly to face him. She seemed reluctant to turn away from whatever it was she had been staring at.

"I, uh, I'm not yet finished going over Trey Wainwright's financial records but I've found something very interesting. Is there somewhere we could talk?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Over here." Eames led Simmons towards the conference room. I hope they're not mad at me, she prayed quietly.

They sat down at opposite sides of the conference room table and Joshua spread the papers out in front of her. Eames took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully to re-focus her attention on the case at hand.

"I noticed something that seemed insignificant at first. There are regular payments of 6,000 on the same day of every month to the same person. I didn't think much of it, since it seemed like he was paying off a purchase. You know, like in installments?"

Eames nodded, and Joshua continued. "Notice the name of the person receiving the payments." He pointed to the transactions in particular; he had highlighted them neatly with yellow highlighter and they jumped off the page at Eames.

"James Murphy. Trey was making regular monthly payments to James Murphy," Eames asked in astonishment.

"Yes. Once I found out that was the name of the guy brought in the other day, I thought you should know right away. The payments go back for one year." He looked at Eames in anticipation of her reaction to his next statement. "They total 50,000."

Eames' head shot up at Simmons's last remark. "Really? That is interesting. Good work. Can I have these," she asked him, indicating the papers before her on the table.

"Yes. I have copies for myself. You want me to keep looking, or is this enough?"

"Keep looking and send me a full report when you're done. Thank you." Simmons left the room. Eames slowly gathered up the papers before her. I hope for Bobby's sake, Trey has a really good reason for paying James Murphy all that money.



Eames took the papers, grabbed a file off her desk and made her way towards Ross's office. She glanced over her shoulder at the visitor's room. Bobby was now looking at Amy, who was talking. His hands were restless, moving across the table, rubbing his hair, the back of his neck, clenching and unclenching as he listened, but, he was listening. Good, thought Eames. He needs to listen. I just hope he likes what he's hearing.

Bobby did not like what he was hearing. He had agreed to hear her out, so he was listening, but he was not happy. He was finding out that, for the last 24 years, his son had grown up practically under his nose and he had never known. Even worse, the mother of his son had known where he was all this time and had never contacted him. She was begging him to understand, pleading with him for it, as though her very existence depended on it. All he knew was that right now, at this very minute, he felt more alone than ever before. He could have had a family, a real family, with a wife and a child to love and care for; a family that would have been there for him when only his job and now his current partner were.

"Bobby, he's not going to be charged with murder, is he," Amy was now asking.

"I don't know, Amy." Bobby sighed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "No one's been in to talk to him yet. He's been accused of paying a man we picked up in connection with Laura's murder. First our forensic accountant has to go over all of his financial records, then Eames and I have to look at that report, then we go talk to Trey. We'll see after that. I don't like it anymore than you do, Amy, but we have to cover all the bases."

Amy reached out and placed her hand on one of Bobby's, stopping it from rubbing back and forth across the table. Bobby stared at her hand for a brief moment, and then looked up into blue eyes he thought he would never see again. "You can't question him, Bobby. You just can't. Let someone else do it," Amy said.

"He needs to know," Bobby said.

Amy knew he wasn't talking about the charges. "I'll tell him later, after we're back home. This is not the time or the place."

"When, Amy? When will it be the time and place? You've had 24 years for it to be the time and place, and he still doesn't know." Bobby angrily jerked his hand away from hers, stood up and started pacing in the small room.

"You are right," he said suddenly after pacing for a few moments. "I can't question him. Not only is it a conflict of interest, but I wouldn't be able to control myself. Eames'll just have to get someone else to question him with her. Maybe Captain Ross will do it."

Amy looked at Bobby with a sad smile. "Thank you," she said softly.

"We're not finished with this," Bobby told her, looking steadily at her.

"I know," she replied.

"I need time."

"I know that, too."

Bobby stared at her. "I was going to ask you to marry me when you came back for Christmas break. Did you know that?" He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Amy staring stunned at his departing back.

It was Detective Goren who strode out of the visitor's room towards the captain's office. He simultaneously knocked, opened the door and spoke, stopping in mid-sentence as Eames and Ross looked up at him from where they'd been studying several sheets of paper laid out across the desk.

"Yes, Detective," Ross asked him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize you still had someone in here. I'll come back later," Goren said, taking a step back and starting to close the door.

"No, that won't be necessary," Ross stated, waving Goren into his office. "You need to see this anyway." Ross handed Goren one of the pages as he neared the desk.

"These are the initial findings from Simmons, the forensic accountant," Eames told him. "Trey's been paying James Murphy 6,000 a month for the last 12 months; a grand total of 50,000 dollars."

"Damn it," Bobby muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Eames said sympathetically. "It appears, at least for now, that Mr. Murphy was telling the truth when he said Trey paid him to kill Laura."

Bobby handed Eames back the sheet and rubbed his hand through his grey curls, looked down at his shoes, and sighed. "Captain, we have to talk about that. Trey Wainwright is my son. I can't question him."

"I understand," Ross said. "Would you prefer it if I went in there with Eames and you watched through the glass? We could really use your insight if we're going to find any way to get Mr. Wainwright out of this mess."

Bobby looked up at Ross, stunned at what he had just heard. "How long have you known," Bobby asked him, making one of his famous mental leaps from A to D.

"For sure? Today, when Eames brought me that photo of yours. She and I have suspected since the case came in. She found the pictures of Laura with Trey, and well, the resemblance was uncanny. We felt it in everyone's best interest to keep those pictures out of sight until we could confirm it for ourselves. How are you holding up?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure right now, Captain. I may need some time off to think things over."

"I understand. Let's get Trey's questioning out of the way and you can take all the time you need," Ross said understandingly.

"Thank you, Captain. I would appreciate it. So, what's the game plan," Bobby asked, looking at Eames and Ross.

When they left Ross's office some time later, they found Amy Wainwright sitting at Bobby's desk visiting with a distinguished looking gentleman who was seated at Eames's desk. The two seemed to be going over some papers and having an intense discussion.

Eames gave Bobby one of those special looks that pass between them, the kind that speaks volumes without saying one oral word. She approached the pair at the desks and cleared her throat.

"Oh, hello Detective Eames," Amy said cordially as she stood and faced the three officers. "I'm sorry we're using your desks, we needed to talk and they were the only ones available. We got kicked out of the visitor's room." She turned to gentleman with her, who had also risen to stand. "Detectives, this is my lawyer, Andrew Harrington. He'll also be representing Trey. Andrew, this is Detective Eames, Detective Goren," she indicated each in turn. "And, I'm sorry; I don't believe I know who you are." She looked at Captain Ross.

"Captain Ross," Ross said. "I'm the head of this department."

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier Captain. I was rather distraught."

"Apology accepted, Ma'am," Ross said with a nod. "Mr. Harrington, if you'll come with me, I'll take you to the interrogation room and we'll have Mr. Wainwright brought in."

Harrington nodded to the other three and followed Captain Ross out of the bullpen and down the hall.

Bobby looked at Eames. "I, uh, I need to go get those files out of the visitor's room." He turned to leave.

"Bobby," Amy called. Bobby turned and looked at her curiously. "I grabbed the files. They're on that chair by the Captain's door. Andrew and I had some other papers we needed to go over, so I put the files over there. We didn't want anyone accusing us of looking at them out of turn. It was Andrew's idea. I hope that's ok?"

Bobby studiously looked at her; he tilted his head slightly to the left. Amy returned his gaze with equal measure. "Thank you," he finally said. He went over to the chair and retrieved the files. "I'll be in the observation room if you need me, Eames." He walked away.

Amy turned and looked uncomfortably at Eames. "I really am sorry for my behavior earlier."

"You should be," Eames told her forcefully. She took a step closer to the taller woman and pulled herself up as tall as she could. "He didn't know, Amy. You never told him. Do you have any idea what that has done to him?" Alex held up her hand to stop Amy and continued. "You have no idea how his life has been since he got back from the Army. You know nothing about his family, his childhood, his emotional state, nothing. Knowing about Trey would have meant everything to him. Everything. I don't have time to explain it to you, but you and I need to have a long talk before you go anywhere near Bobby again. Do you understand me? Stay away from Bobby."

Eames turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a stunned Amy standing in the middle of the squad room, all eyes on her. She moved back over to Bobby's chair and sunk down in it.