A short chapter, necessary for setup. As always, thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 14

Alex Eames loved being a cop. She loved, for all of its faults, being part of the Blue Tribe. She loved putting on her dress uniform—except, of course, for the funerals—and kept it in immaculate condition. Her late husband Joe suggested that they might want to get married in their uniforms, and Alex seriously considered the idea for several minutes before she realized he was teasing her. Bobby once commented that Alex would probably bleed blue if she got cut, although he didn't particularly want to test the theory.

There were, of course, things she hated about the job—the "Buddy Boy" network that protected bad or worse cops; the bureaucrats and Brass who seemed determined to keep her from doing the job; the violence and its victims that haunted her; and the torturously slow wheels of law that frequently didn't provide any sort of justice.

It appeared that those wheels were going to be particularly slow when it came to Gregory Enders Claret. Alex had seen the type before. Outwardly he was charming and handsome, with dark, wavy hair, a perfect smile, tall and a muscular build. She could see how in the shadows he might be mistaken for Bobby Goren. But Bobby's eyes were dark and warm, full of feeling; Gregory Claret's eyes were a pale blue green and cold and calculating. Every word Claret uttered was polished, rehearsed, and insincere. His family's money got him an excellent attorney, and Claret offered plausible explanations for everything. His presence at the hospital parking garage—well, he was an employee of the state police. Angela Corelli's identification of him—well, she was obviously a very traumatized woman making a mistake; a cousin could give him an alibi for the time in which she was taken and tortured. The presence of DNA from the other victims, the torture room, and the bomb at his farm—well, it was his family's although he hadn't been at the farmhouse for some time; someone must have broken in.

Alex, standing between Stabler and Benson, glared through the interrogation room window at Claret and his lawyer. Inside the room, Munch and Fin were growing increasingly frustrated with Claret's smooth evasions. Claret appeared to be enjoying their frustrations. He leaned forward at one point and, in a voice dripping with superiority and disdain, said that he'd heard there was at least one other suspect, one very close to, perhaps even part of, the NYPD. Stabler winced at Claret's words.

"Damn," he said, shaking his head. "If Claret knows, how many other people do…I swear, Eames…I didn't tell anyone…"

"I believe you, Stabler," Alex said sadly. "But gossip gets out so fast…and there are a lot of people willing to believe the worst about Bobby…"

George Huang stepped up behind the detectives. He'd also observed Claret's interrogation. "Don't worry, Elliott," he said quietly. "Claret knows nothing about Goren being a potential suspect…He knows something about the profile Goren and I developed…and he's smart enough to make the jump that a suspect could be part of the investigating team…He's trying to divert attention away from him by playing a long shot…"

"We've got him, haven't we?" Alex asked desperately. "These things he and his lawyer have brought up…They're not going to make a difference…"

"I think we can hold him," Benson said. "I don't think he's going to get bail…But he's got a good lawyer…They can keep this case going for a long time…"

Huang frowned. "That worries me…Angela Corelli is remarkably tough and strong…and Elliott and Goren handled her so well…but she was horribly tortured and hurt…This is going to hurt no matter what happens, and a long, drawn out process is going to make it worse…"

"And there's her husband and kids." Benson shook her head.

"What we need," Stabler sighed as he looked at Claret through the one way window. "Is Goren…a healthy Goren…taking on this guy…"

Alex spun to face her colleagues. "No," she said. "Not now…" Her voice betrayed her fear. "You can't think…It's not just his physical health…Right now…His Mom…and everything about this case…It hit so close to him…"

"We know," Huang said softly. "But Goren may be the one person who could get Claret to confess…and save Angela Corelli a great deal of pain."

End Chapter 14