Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY. I do own Kelly Higgins and Amy Fields.
Notes: Part 4 of 9. Thanks to Nik Nak 17 for reading. Warning. There is a slight crossover with White Collar, but it's so slight you might miss it. Like always, enjoy.
No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined. ~ Paul Gallico
The Perfect Game
Bottom of the Fourth
Seems like the infielders aren't on their best form today. Still, they don't need to be. Even playing poorly, they're better than most. They don't need to be perfect today the way the pitcher's pitching...
Mac settled into the observation room while Don interrogated Miguel's summer team's coach. He was in his late thirties, and he reminded Mac of a kid who never learned to grow up. The head of the crime lab frowned and looked over at the dry erase board where notes from the case were still listed.
The interview was going well. They at least got some information from Daniel Clark.
"We know it wasn't you since you were in California when Miguel was murdered, but we were hoping you'd be able to tell us if he was in any trouble or who would want to hurt him," Don explained gruffly. He was bothered by something, but Mac didn't know what.
Daniel sighed. "I don't know. He was a hard worker. Every practice, he gave 110%. He didn't just pitch. He could play any position out there."
"Did he have any enemies? Anyone on the team jealous of him?"
"Not really. He got along with everyone. He had a problem with Jason Black, but they sorted it out a couple of weeks ago. Jason's one of our other pitchers."
"What was the fight about?"
"A girl," Daniel laughed. "Oh, to be seventeen again."
"Yeah," Don smiled despite himself.
"Her name's Sophia."
Don checked his notes. "Sophia Perez? Miguel's girlfriend?"
"Yeah, her. But like I said, they settled it."
"Did anything happen to Miguel in the past couple of weeks?"
Daniel nodded slowly. "He told me he-"
Mac couldn't catch what he said because the door to the observation room opened and his attention was directed elsewhere. Danny entered observation and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Anything new, boss?"
"Nothing yet," he answered grimly. The CSI nodded and watched the interrogation (question session actually) end.
Flack thanked Daniel for coming in for questions and walked out with his notes. Danny and Mac followed him into the bullpen.
"Oi, Higgs!"
The detective turned her head. "What?"
"I got a field trip for you." He handed her his notes and pointed to what he wanted her to see.
"Why can't you go?"
"You're not doin' anything."
"Got a lunch date?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.
He shrugged.
"What's her name? Victoria?" Danny chipped in.
"What about her last name? It wouldn't happen to be a Secret, would it?" Kelly grinned.
Don shook his head. "Peter actually."
"Don't ask don't tell," his partner responded with a wry grin.
Danny smirked and started to laugh. "I hope he isn't overdressed for your date. He'll probably be disappointed with you."
"Unless you get him a corsage."
"Go to hell," Don groaned. Danny and Kelly laughed heartily which made him even more annoyed. Mac rolled his eyes at the exchange and walked out of the precinct. He didn't want to deal with the three of them when there was work to do.
The three watched him leave before huddling together.
"So Peter is?" Danny asked.
"FBI agent. He works white collar crimes. Anyway, he owes me a favor."
"And he's going to find Mac's new CSI?" Kelly interjected hopefully.
Don nodded. "If I ever meet him. Higgs, go see Judge Walters. He'll get you that warrant."
She saluted and grabbed the car keys. "Danny, come along now. We're goin' on a field trip."
They left Don to straighten up his desk before meeting the FBI agent. He made sure his top drawer with his piece was locked before leaving.
He walked a few blocks to a quaint little bistro that he didn't really go to except when meeting with FBI agents. They seemed to enjoy it. Whenever they needed to meet with the NYPD, it was there.
He sat down at the usual booth and ordered an espresso. It arrived a minute before the FBI agent. Peter Burke sat down with a hasty apology as to his tardiness.
"Peter, it's good to see you."
"I'd say likewise, but every time I see you, there's been a murder."
"No murder this time," Don grinned. "I just need to ask a favor."
Peter frowned. "What kind of favor?"
"The kind that gets killers off the streets," Don answered dryly. He tapped the table a few times with his fingers as he took a sip of espresso.
Peter rolled his eyes at Don's dramatics. "What do you want?"
"We lost a crime lab supervisor. She went to New Orleans, and the crime lab's shorthanded. We can't find anyone qualified."
The FBI agent sighed and finally nodded. "I'll see what I can find. There's something going on in DC. Maybe someone there will be interested."
"Thank you, Peter. I owe you one."
The agent nodded and walked out.
Don finished his espresso slowly before paying his tab. He sat at the table a little while longer, thinking over his plan of action. He hoped Peter would have someone off the top of his head, but that was a long shot anyway. The special agent had things to do in the white collar division anyway. Don only hoped that he could help them find the perfect person.
He walked back to the precinct to finish up some paperwork on a case they closed a couple of weeks ago. About an hour into the paperwork, his partner noisily sat down at her own desk across from his.
"Not good?"
"Judge Walters wouldn't give us a warrant. He seemed to think that we didn't have enough to go on. We tried going and asking to look in their home, but the husband wouldn't let us in. He said he knew his rights."
"Just makes him look more guilty," Don agreed. She nodded and took a look at the stack of paperwork on her own desk.
He laughed when she groaned and got up to get her a coffee. Their fight a few days before was trivial and didn't make a lasting impact on their friendship. He wanted to make it up to her for blowing up like he had. They were too close to hold a grudge. She smiled and thanked him before drowning herself in caffeine.
"How was lunch?" she asked warily. "Any news?"
"Not yet. He said he'd look."
She frowned and took a sip of coffee.
"You wanna smoke?" Flack grinned and offered her a cigarette from his own pack.
She shook her head. "I quit."
He looked shocked but smiled anyway. "Damn. Well, good for you I guess and me. Now, you can stop bumming my cigarettes." He winked at her, and she found herself laughing. He walked out without another word, and she began her paperwork.
Mac had missed something. He was sure he had. This case wasn't making any sense. They still had no motive. No suspects. Danny had told him that they washed up on whatever he and Higgins were looking for.
He swore quietly at this new bit of information. He picked up his phone, determined to talk to the homicide detective about how exactly their lead hit a dead end, when it rang.
"Taylor," he answered without looking at the number.
"I forgot how sexy you are when you talk like a cop." He felt his heart drop when it wasn't Higgins with an explanation but Amy. Still, he found himself grinning.
"Did I forget something?" he asked cautiously, knowing that it was bound to happen. Not all romances worked out, and things didn't always go well when he forgot something. They had just gone on a date the night before so he was almost positive that he hadn't stood her up.
She laughed, and he relaxed a little. "No, no, I was just wondering something." He knew she was fidgeting on the line.
"Can it wait? I'm at work, and I really can't talk while I'm here," he informed her quickly.
She sounded disappointed, and he felt bad about what he said. "Okay, call me when you get off?"
He hung up after agreeing and sat down in his chair, almost letting out a pathetic groan. He managed to keep it together in time for his homicide detective to come in with a sly grin.
"Should I come back later?" she drawled and couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice.
He groaned (not quite as pathetically as he thought he might). "Higgs, you are so lucky to be single."
Her sarcasm was not missed. "You know, Taylor, I was just thinkin' that the other day. You know, about how much I love not having someone to come home to and the like."
He had the grace to blush slightly. "You could always get a fish."
"Oh yes, a fish," she mocked openly. "A cat would be better. Maybe I'll get a few so I can be a crazy cat lady."
"Or at least Don won't come over," he teased.
She smiled. "That might be even better. He'd stop eating all my food." He laughed and leaned back a little in his swivel chair. She kept grinning at him as she watched him relax a little. "So was that Amy?"
He arched an eyebrow. "How'd you know it was her? And how'd you know her name?" He hadn't mentioned her to anyone from work. That was the point of keeping his personal and working life separate.
She looked a little guilty, but that vanished and she leaned over his desk. "I'm a detective, Detective."
He shook his head. "Speaking of which, how come that lead fell through?"
Plopping down into one of the chairs in front of his desk, Higgins made a face. "Judge Walters doesn't believe we have enough to go on. He said he wouldn't sign off on a warrant unless we have something more conclusive. He also promised that he wouldn't let any other judge sign it. We went by ourselves, but he wouldn't let us in without a warrant. I'm about to go through my reports again. Jason Black's father had something to do with it. I know he did."
"The teammate's father?"
"Yeah, hopefully I can get a warrant in the morning," she sighed, looking at her watch. Her shift was almost over.
He nodded and sighed contently. This was the best they could hope for. He watched the homicide detective sit fixed in her seat instead of getting up like he expected her to do. "What?"
She grinned again. "Well, what'd she have to say?"
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
She chuckled. "Don't you wish, Taylor?"
"I'm not going to sit here and gossip about my personal life!"
"Why not? Your lab does it anyway," she teased, and he grunted in response. He motioned her to the door.
She stayed firmly planted in the chair.
"I'll start, Mac. I don't have one. I'll probably take those reports to my fish-less and cat-less apartment," she grinned. "But, hey, good news for the fellas. I'm a great catch." She laughed, and he joined in, knowing she was just poking fun at herself. "I mean, look at me. I work sixty plus hours a week. I'm always with my partner, and instead of taking off at the end of my shift, I'm in my ex-boss' office. So form a line, fellas. No pushin' or shovin'."
"Is this your way of asking for company to look over reports?" he asked with something slightly less than an eye roll.
She grinned. "Oh, I thought you'd never ask."
A/N: Well, more about the case. Sorry for such a long time between updates. I promise to be better. Please tell me what you think. Have a great day! :)