Dangerous Secrets

Chapter 2: Interrogation

12 hours missing

Sam sat at her desk surfing for any possible shred of evidence on Lisa's laptop, but she had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't really yield anything. As she opened the email application she cast a glance over her shoulder just to make sure no one was about to come up behind her as she deleted certain personal email. They may figure it out sooner or later, but they didn't need those kinds of details. Sam blushed at the thought.

At the same time on the other side of the room, Vivian went into Jack's office; she waited patiently as he finished up his phone call. "Hey Vivian, got any leads for me?"

"Yes, I think I may," Vivian paused for a moment and glanced at Samantha sitting across the main room at her desk. Vivian then walked over and shut the door to Jack's office. Jack noticed this and glanced at Samantha as well, "Something wrong, Viv?"

Vivian hated to have to make such an accusation towards one of her team mates- one of her friends, but she wasn't sure what to make of their trip to Dr. Harris' apartment. "Jack, I don't know how to say this exactly," Jack now looked concerned, "But I think Sam might be involved somehow." There. She'd said it and she knew she might regret it, but Sam's odd behavior was at least worth mentioning. Jack was on his feet immediately and he began to pace as he shot her dubious looks.

"You can't be serious, Viv!" He couldn't believe it, but he knew Vivian was generally very objective when working on a case, a quality that made her a major asset to the team. She would never make such an accusation without cause.

"I know how it sounds Jack, but you weren't there," she paused, "You didn't see the way she was acting. She was more emotionally invested than usual and of course she tried to hide it the way she usually does, but something was off about her."

"Well Dr. Harris is her psychiatrist and she's worried about her and," Jack trailed off as he searched for an explanation.

"I know that. But there were some subtle things that I found in Lisa's apartment, things that even a rookie would probably notice, but Sam- she didn't say much about it."

Jack shrugged noncommittally, "Well maybe she just didn't notice it. She was probably distracted, maybe I should have sent Danny, or Martin-"

"When I talked to some of the neighbors they said that a blonde woman fitting Samantha's description was seen at Lisa's apartment last night sometime between eleven and eleven thirty." Jack waited respectfully for Vivian to finish what he felt was a nonsensical tirade. "One witness describes her as angry as she left the apartment, another witness claims she heard a loud argument coming from Dr. Harris' apartment." Jack looked uneasy for a moment. "Apparently the 'blonde woman' has been seen with Dr. Harris frequently."

"So...you think this blonde may have been Sam?" Jack looked incredulous.

'Is it really that shocking?', Vivian thought acidly. She was getting frustrated, "Well I don't know, I'm just looking at all possibilities here. And its not like she doesn't already have a connection to Dr. Harris." She took Jack's non response as a sign to continue, "When I checked out the victim's kitchen I noticed there was quite a bit of broken glass in the garbage can, as well as a few very small spots that resembled blood-"

Jack cut her off, "You send it in for processing?"

Vivian put her hands on hips and looked at him with annoyance, "Jack, how long have I worked here?" Jack put his hands up and digressed, then motioned for her to continue. "Anyway we'll know a little when forensics is finished. I put general DNA on priority so we should have the results soon."

Jack looked lost in thought. He glanced up at Sam momentarily. She looked so beautiful as she stared intently at the laptop she was working on. Samantha, who in his eyes could do no wrong. "So you really think she's involved? What could possibly be her motive?" He said the last word as though it had a bitter taste.

"I don't know if she's involved in her disappearance, but I think that she knows a lot more than she's let on," Vivian glanced back in Sam's direction, "I also question her motive for wanting to go through Dr. Harris' laptop."

At that moment Danny walked past on his way to his desk with a file in hand. Jack made eye contact with him and waved him over to his office immediately. Danny opened the door and shut it behind himself as he entered, "Hey guys."

Jack sat back down in his chair, "So did you find anything useful?"

Danny addressed both of the occupants in the room,"Well, they were very careful about what I was allowed to access- 'doctor-patient confidentiality' and all, but I was able to find out that she was in the process of transferring three of her patients to different psychiatrists." Danny glanced at a paper in his file, "One of them is a man named Jason Foster, agent Leslie Miller, and the other patient is Samantha." Vivian immediately shot Jack a glance.

"So were you able to find out why she felt the need to transfer them?"

Danny looked disappointed, "Well that's where the confidentiality thing becomes a problem for us. I couldn't just look at their medical files- not without a warrant. We already talked to Agent Miller- she's transferring to a Los Angeles division and she checks out otherwise, which eliminates her as a possibility. But at least with Sam you could always just ask her."

Jack looked at both of them, giving Vivian a knowing look, "I think I'll do just that." Danny nodded and left Jack's office.

As if on cue the fax machine in Jack's office came to life and began printing. He walked over and grabbed the paperwork, "It's from forensics, the only other person's DNA that was found in the apartment belonged to...Samantha Spade."

Vivian hovered over Jacks shoulder as he was reading. "Is it just residual DNA from her being in the apartment earlier?"

Jack bit his lower lip, "It can't be. There's way to much of it. Prints everywhere. Prints in the kitchen, some on the broken glass..." He trailed off as he read the long list, "bedroom, bathroom- she couldn't have possibly contaminated the scene to this extent!" He looked at Vivian, and then directed his gaze to Sam at her desk.

"What about the blood sample I picked up?"

"Sam as well," Jack sighed with frustration and turned and banged his fist on the desk. The sound it created was loud enough to get the attention of a few others in the office, Samantha included. "Viv, send her to my office. And get her away from that damn computer!" Vivian nodded and made a beeline towards Agent Spade's desk. Samantha watched the exchange inquisitively, she couldn't hear what was being said, but it couldn't be good and judging by the look she just received it was probably about her.

Vivian approached the blonde-haired woman who was looking at her expectantly, "Jack needs to see you in his office." Samantha nodded and looked as though she was about to close a window on the computer, but then Vivian said, "He wants to see you now and don't touch the computer." Samantha looked more than a bit surprised at Vivian's tone. It was one of distrust and mild irritation. The interaction did not go unnoticed by Danny or Elena who were busy working at their desks. They gave each other questioning looks.

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Samantha opened the door to Jack's office and stepped in hesitantly, cracking the door behind her. "You wanted to see me, Jack?" He just motioned for her to sit down on the other side of his desk. Jack suddenly felt tired, 'Why did she have to put me in this position?'

He shut his eyes and massaged his temples for a moment before speaking. He opened his eyes and looked at her with annoyance, "Do you know why you're here?"

She looked around, "Um, no." It sounded more like a question than an affirmative response. It also sounded like a lie. And Jack hated that she was lying to him of all people. He tried to control his frustration as it bubbled near the surface just waiting for a reason to erupt.

"Why is your DNA all over her apartment?"

She hesitated for a moment, "I was searching through her things today. I didn't wear gloves, but," he cut her off sounding more irritated than before.

"I'm going to ask you the question again, Sam. Why is your DNA in her apartment?"

She was about to repeat her previous answer, "I told you I-"

That was the last straw for Jack, he slammed his palms down on his desk, "Damn it, Sam! How could you do this? I know you're lying. You could have compromised our investigation!" He said angrily, not quite shouting, but loud enough to be heard through his slightly open office door. At that moment Martin happened to be heading to Jack's office when he caught the last part of what Jack said. He stopped dead in his tracks. Realizing it was probably a private conversation, he turned and went back towards his desk. Jack saw his retreating form and jumped up from his seat and slammed the door to his office. He turned back to Samantha "Did you tamper with the evidence?" He asked her earnestly.

She let out a sigh and tried to think of a response. "What the hell were you thinking?" Samantha had never been on the receiving end of 'angry Jack' before and she was more than a little bit
intimidated. "You do realize that I have to interrogate you formally on record- you've just made yourself our primary suspect!" Jack said unkindly as he paced around his office.

"Why can't you just ask me now?"

He barked, "Because you are obviously having trouble answering the questions!"

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Martin went over to where the rest of the team was sitting. They had arranged themselves in such a way so that they could have a clear view through the window of Jack's office door. Everyone was watching with intense curiosity as they witnessed Jack go on a full blown tirade. Once he shut the door, they couldn't really hear what he was saying, but based on his passionate gesturing they could tell he wasn't a happy camper. A few minutes later Jack emerged from his office and made his way over to the rest of the team. They immediately tried to look busy as he approached so as not to incur his wrath. It also did not escape anyone's notice that Sam was still sitting in his office.

He approached Martin first, "Were you able to get anything from her coworkers?" He was still upset, but he was trying not to take it out on them.

"Unfortunately no, no one seemed to have a clue as to her disappearance," as soon as Martin finished Jack turned his attention to Elena.

"Elena, phone records. Now," he said brusquely.

A little surprised at his tone, Elena proceeded, "Well there weren't many calls in the last few days- a few to her office, but the majority of the calls were to," she paused and glanced in the direction of his office, "Samantha. Several were made to her home phone and several made to her cell- to and from."

Jack just took a deep breath, "Okay Danny and Elena, work on getting a warrant- there's a chance that we might have to search her apartment." They both just looked at each other uncomfortably- Sam wasn't going to like that.

He looked over to Martin, "Martin, escort Agent Spade to interrogation room #1, please." Martin blanched at the thought.

"Whoa, is Samantha a suspect?" Martin asked with surprise, giving him the same attitude that Jack had given Vivian earlier.

Jack hesitated for a moment, "Maybe." Everyone looked around at each other. "Everyone is dismissed."

They all slowly got up and went their separate ways.

Jack peered over Vivian's shoulder at the laptop she was now checking, "Whatcha got?"

Vivian sighed, "Well she did try to delete most of her email to Dr. Harris, but what's left on her computer doesn't really tell us much, other than confirm the fact that they associate outside of work."

"Nice work, Viv."

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Martin walked Samantha to the interrogation room. The walk over had mostly been a quiet one, he could tell that she was angry. What could he say to her? He felt the need to reassure her, but how could he do that if he still wasn't exactly sure about what was going on. Samantha was completely lost in thought, 'How could I be so stupid! If I'd been honest earlier this wouldn't be happening- this is going to suck.'A part of Sam selfishly blamed Lisa for her current predicament.

As they entered the room Samantha sat down at the small table. Martin hovered for a moment trying to think of something to say, but Sam beat him to it, "Martin, I know the drill- relax already. You're making me nervous." She tried to offer him a small smile to encourage him, but it didn't relieve much of the tension. Martin gave her a small smile in return and walked out of the room.

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Sam sat in the room waiting for Jack to arrive. In all the years she had worked for the Bureau and questioned witnesses and possible suspects she had never imagined that she'd find herself on the other side of the table. Jack nodded to Vivian and Martin, who were standing on the other side of the observation glass. He entered the drab interrogation room and shut the door behind himself. After sitting down at the table opposite Samantha, he looked her in the eye and said, "Lets get this over with, shall we?" Samantha waited expectantly for him to continue. "When was the last time you saw Dr. Harris?"

The logical part of her knew it would be easier if she told the truth, but her fear of being removed from the case overwhelmed her common sense. Samantha spoke carefully avoiding too much eye contact, "My last session was on Tuesday-"

"When was the last time you saw Dr. Harris?" Samantha stared at Jack. "Sam, don't make this any more difficult than it already is." She looked away. He softened his tone. "Were you at her apartment last night around eleven?"

"Yea." She mumbled.

"What for?"

"There was something that I needed to discuss with her."

"And it couldn't wait until your next session?"

"Well..." she shifted uncomfortably.

"Well what?" he asked impatiently.

"It was unrelated to our sessions, but she was fine when I left."

"So you and Dr. Harris are friends outside of work?"

Sam paused, "Yes," it sounded a bit like a question.

"Isn't that a little odd, Sam? I mean most people don't hang out with their psychiatrists outside of their sessions."

"Maybe," she spoke more to his tie than to his face.

Jack became flabbergasted. "How about answers that are complete sentences."

Samantha replied quickly, "Look, I went to her place around eleven. I wasn't there for more than twenty minutes. Then I left."

"Did you have an argument with Dr. Harris last night"

"We had a...disagreement, yes."

"Did this 'disagreement' involve shouting and things getting broken?"

"Something might have fallen."

"Why is your blood at the scene, Samantha?"

"I had a nosebleed" Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Things," Samantha hesitated, "Got a little physical, but nothing big."

Jack allowed himself to chuckle at the absurdity,"So let me get this straight. You showed up at your psychiatrists' apartment and then she...punched you in the face?" He asked not believing what he was hearing. Not for the first time that day, he seriously considered ripping his hair out.

Sam let out a loud guffaw, Jack immediately frowned indicating that he did not see the humor in the situation. "Jack, she didn't exactly punch me...more like a slap, that coincidentally caused a nosebleed. I know its sounds lame as hell, but that's what happened. I never laid a finger on her. I left right after that."

"Okay, now we're making some progress here." Jack cleared his throat and leaned forward in his seat a little, "So you went to her place to 'discuss' something and the two of you 'fell out'?"

Sam shrugged, "More or less."

"Do you visit her at her apartment often?"

Samantha rolled her eyes, "Define often," she said with some hostility in her voice. He tilted his head and glared at her, "I suppose so, yes."

"So we can assume that the two of you are good friends then?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And you get along well for the most part?"

"Mmhmm."

"Then why was she transferring you to another doctor?"

Sam looked like a deer caught in the headlights, then she looked at the table nervously, "I don't know." Jack fought the urge to pull his hair out.

"Yes you do, Sam!"

"We've been seeing each other," she said quickly.

"Yes," he said testily, "We've established that the two of you are friends."

She spoke slowly and looked him in the eye, "No, I mean we've been seeing each other."

Now Jack looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "Wait, you mean you're having a....sexual relationship with your...." Jack trailed off as his brain went into shock. In the observation room, Martin's train of thought also derailed at the revelation he'd just heard, Vivian simply raised an eyebrow- she'd already suspected. Sam sat there, waiting patiently for him to find his words.

"So," he said awkwardly. Now he was the one shifting uncomfortably. 'Well that explains the DNA in the bedroom', he thought, his arousal warring with his jealousy. He looked dazed for a moment, "What were we just talking about?"

"We were just talking about how I'm involved in an illicit sexual relationship with my psychiatrist who is now missing," Samantha stated matter of factly. 'Now I can watch you squirm for a while,' she thought.

Jack was trying to keep his jaw from dropping, "Right." He cleared his throat unnecessarily.
"So", he cleared his throat again, "Tell me about it," he squeaked uncharacteristically.

Sam couldn't keep the annoyance or sarcasm from coming through, "What exactly do you want to know, Jack?"

"Is that why she's transferring you to another..."

"Of course!"

"So the argument was more like a... spat?" He said the last word as though it was foreign to him.

She gave him a look that said 'duh'. He just looked at her for a few moments. Underneath her sarcasm and defensiveness, he could see that she was hurting. After all, it wasn't just her doctor that was missing; it was her lover, not to mention the potential repercussions of such a relationship in the Bureau. He could tell that Sam had had more then enough of his questions; he also knew that she didn't have anything to do with the doctor's disappearance, not that he ever really believed she could be capable anyway. He decided that he would look into other leads for the time being. If they could find any.

He softened his tone. "Sam," he touched her hand as it was resting on the table. He could see that she was tearing up a little, "I understand that this is difficult for you," he looked for something to say, "but you do realize that I have to take you off the case?" She looked ready to protest, but he stopped her, "I understand why you did what you did, but that still doesn't make it okay-"

"You can't reassign me!" she sounded a little desperate, her carefully crafted facade finally
cracking under the stress and scrutiny.

"I'm not reassigning you," he paused, unsure as to how she would take the news. "I'm sending you home for a while."

"A while?" she looked at him with puppy dog eyes, "But-"

"No 'buts' Sam, go get your things, you are dismissed. And as for the investigation: you are not to interfere in any way. If you have information that may help us contact me immediately, beyond that I don't want to see you here until I call you in, is that understood?" He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder.

She sighed, "Yes."