Electricity

By LMR

Disclaimer: My kitten helped ;vl ,.c,mlcxxxxxxxxxxxx;vl ; me ty9999999pe the discccclaimer that says Dicksdddddd Wolf owns it not l;kasdj me. She'''''''s veary helpfuladio that wayj999-0ij;.

A.N.: Beta: 1 (def) the second letter of the Greek alphabet. Beta: 2 (def) Claire aka coolest BA fan ever!

A.N. 2: Reviewers make my day.

Chapter 14: The Un-Interrogation

xXx

"Why aren't we in that whatchacallit, conference room?" Simmons had seen the room on the way in, shades closed.

"Because there's a conference," Eames explained, using the tone she might use with Nathan to explain why one plus one doesn't equal three. Bobby supressd a grin.

"Well do we have to be in this pit? I feel like I'm in prison." He twisted his hands under the table; wiped them on his shirt.

"It was the only room available," Eames lied. "But relax, we're not interrogating you. We just want to know exactly where you were the night of the murder and who you were with."

"I was at work until five," he intoned wearily. "I was in my car until five forty-five. I was at the Eat it or Else Diner until I got the call at seven. I was with Audra from six till the call. I got the call and went to the hospital right away. Audra went home then, and I didn't see or talk to her for a few days. I've already told you all that.

"Look, no one's given me any reason at all to believe her death was caused by anything but lightning. You won't tell me anything except that you think it was murder, you have your reasons, and you suspect Audra."

"And you," Eames said somewhat cheerfully, getting a startled and frightened look for her trouble and an undisguised grin from Bobby. "Thing is, we think your alibi really sucks, which makes Audra's equally pathetic."

He tightened his jaw. "The only reason I haven't called a lawyer is because this is about Iskra and I want to help any way I can. I have nothing to hide here, but you seem to be hiding an awful lot from me.

"I want to know what makes you think her death was a murder, and why on earth you would suspect me."

Ooh, he's good and annoyed now! Eames thought gleefully, shooting Goren a communicative look. He pulled the picture of the pool out of his portfolio and slid the evidence baggie toward Drake. He took it and stared.

"Pretty clouds. What's the point?" he asked, disdainfully shoving the photo away.

"Notice anything odd about that stereo, Mr. Simmons?" Eames wondered.

"No, wh-" He picked it up again, squinted at it. "That's water below it. It's wet."

"Nice of you to notice," Eames quipped. "See, you're looking at a murder weapon. What about last week? I don't suppose you were lucky enough to be out of town, because that sure would help us narrow this thing down."

"No, I was here," he said triumphantly, apparently thinking that would make him look better.

She shook her head. "Too bad for you, because this," she gestured to the photo Goren had just removed from his portfolio. "Is Justin Buck." She slid the picture to him, getting a look of disgust. "He was a friend of Iskra's, and he was killed last week because he knew what happened to her. That makes you a person of interest in two murders."

"I never met this guy."

"You might want to take a closer look, Mr. Simmons," Eames encouraged. "It's a little hard to make out the details of his features with all those maggots in the way."

He looked at her sardonically. "If I puked all over this table, would it convince you that I couldn't commit a murder?"

Hey, Bobby thought. That was good. Almost Alex good. He made sure not to convey this particular thought to Alex in an expression.

"Well, we know you loved her," Goren pointed out gently to Simmons. "Audra told us that, and if she's willing to admit it... Well, it must be true. She wasn't happy about it you know. Not happy at all."

"Don't you want to find out the truth about what happened to her?" Eames prodded.

"Of course I do," he said wearily. "And I'm telling you the truth so you can stop focusing on Audra and find the real killer. She was with me all evening!"

Goren frowned. We're not getting through to him. Eames nodded agreement. "Perjury can get up to five years in the state of New York. Think about that while we're talking to the A.D.A." She rose and walked with her partner out of the room.

Deakins was frowning at the window. "Nothing's going to make him roll on her. He either believes she's innocent or doesn't care."

"Oh, he believes her," Goren confirmed, passing his portfolio from one hand to the other pensively. "He'd never deny her an alibi. He really thinks he's helping us catch the killer. Good thing we got that confession," he added as he headed back to the double desks.

Eames regarded him in puzzlement for just a moment before a small smile graced her lips and she followed him out. "Good thing."

Carver and Deakins looked at each other, each one hoping the other was feeling just as lost. Finally, Jimmy just shook his head and laughed. "It's so much easier with Mike and Carolyn. If they want to talk to each other, they have to resort to primitive verbal communication."

xXx

Questions to be answered:

What confession are these wackos talking about?

Was Drake faking that high school injury? Maybe he's the killer! (Nah, I just feel like messing with your heads.)

Are Bobby and Alex going to just confess their love already?

Tell us what's in the damn gift bag right now, you lousy little tease!