"You could take Rainy Jay with you," Goren stated bluntly, as they buckled their seatbelts.
"What?" Eames missed the seatbelt buckle entirely, looking across to him, "Why?"
"To translate, she's fluent," he responded, as her gaze did not change, "in Arabic."
"I think Ross and I can handle it." Her seatbelt clicked.
"Eames… You heard the roommate. Something isn't right with an exchange student who can't speak the language of his host country, especially at the level necessary for graduate school."
She did not answer until she exited the garage and entered the street, contemplating what she knew versus her options. She shot him a final glance. "You get to explain to the captain."
He smiled in appreciation and took out his cell phone.
Rainy Jay sat on a bench outside the World Financial Center, staring at the industrial abyss across the street. The buzzing of her Blackberry interrupted her reverie.
She checked the display before answering. "It isn't dinner time yet; barely even lunch."
Goren hesitated. "I need a favor."
"Already?" Rainy goaded.
He hesitated again. "It's the case. How's your Arabic?"
Silence.
"Rainy Jay?"
"Is this favor, friendly and helpful, or of the professional badge carrying variety?"
"Both."
"If we could, uh, keep it informal, that would be better."
"We'll try. Eames will pick you up. Ten minutes. Thanks Jay."
Eames reluctantly dropped Goren off at the office of Dr. Olivet, realizing that despite her previously stated conditions, she herself would likely have the responsibility of explaining Rainy Jay's assistance to their captain. She pondered possible explanations as she made way for the hotel.
Rainy leaned against a cement planter smoking a cigarette. Eames identified her and pulled alongside the curb. Rainy tossed the butt into a puddle and approached the car.
She opened the passenger side door with a quizzical gaze. "Where's Bobby?"
"Appointment he couldn't miss. Still coming?"
She nodded and tentatively climbed into the passenger seat.
"So, what do I need to know?" she asked, buckling her seatbelt as Eames pulled back into traffic.
"Just how rich is this kid?" Rainy asked as Eames parked the SUV in front of a row of Morningside Heights residential buildings.
Eames did not reply, and instead led the way to a trio of men standing outside a building's entrance. Rainy quickly followed, but lingered behind Eames.
Captain Ross, however, noticed her presence immediately. "Who's this?"
Eames turned her shoulder slightly but gave no indication of introduction. "Translator."
Rainy forced a grim smile.
"Later," Ross glowered, indicating the need for delayed explanation, and turned to lead the group into the building.
The silent elevator ride to the top floor did not help calm anyone's nerves. Rainy audibly tapped her fingers against her denim-covered thigh until Eames shot her a frown and released a subtle sigh as the elevator doors opened with a ding.
Ross again took the lead heading to a doorway halfway down the hall. He knocked, and then turned slightly to glance at Eames and Rainy.
Chalise Hanks answered. "Oh, good, it's you." She smiled slightly at Eames and opened the door wider. The group entered, while leaving one uniformed officer behind at the entrance.
Ross noticed Lucas and Kelly first, seated at a table across the room. He briskly walked to them. "I'm Captain Ross. What happened?"
Lucas held a blood soaked cloth to his face, while Kelly sat at his side. "Sidiq came home almost an hour ago. I asked where he'd been, he didn't answer and just went into he and Bakr's room and started looking for something. I kept trying to talk to him, he kept ignoring me. So I backed off and told Chalise to call the cops. When I tried talking to him again, we got into it. Bastard smacked me across the head with an incense bottle and went back in there." He gestured with a finger to a closed door.
Ross nodded to Eames and the other uniformed officer while he took out his cell phone and began dialing.
While Ross spoke to dispatch about medical assistance for Lucas, Eames, with Rainy in tow, and the officer stepped cautiously around the glass and scented sticks while they moved to take sides at the closed door. Eames knocked. "Sidiq? My name is Detective Eames. I need to talk to you about what happened to your friends yesterday." After a moment of no response, she looked to Rainy Jay.
Rainy stepped closer to the door. "whtha hw shrth. wnhn bahajh ala althdth alyk hwl asdqaeek." This is the police. We need to talk to you about your friends.
Eames waited another moment longer before nodding at the officer while taking her weapon from its holster. The officer did the same and turned the doorknob. Eames entered first, Rainy on her heels, followed by the officer. Eames looked to the closet, while the officer took the opposite side of the room.
Rainy headed straight forward towards the window and caught a reflection. Instinct took over. "Going up!" she shouted before hurtling herself through the opening and grasping for the ladder bolted to the brick above.
"Rainy!" Eames shouted in protest, turning towards the window and then quickly back. She motioned at the officer and hurried for the door, ran past Ross and the young people, and out the door of the apartment, the uniformed officer right behind her.
They hit the stairs in a rush, taking the dozen and a half steps two at a time and reached the roof seconds after Sidiq and Rainy Jay. Sidiq neared the rooftop's edge and jumped when he reached it. Rainy did not falter in her pursuit. Eames ran harder, stopping at the edge to notice the adjoining building 20 feet below and the runners headed across its rooftop.
"Radio their direction, get some back up to cut them off," Eames ordered the uniform before running back towards the stairs.
Rainy Jay chased Sidiq across the adjoining rooftop to its fire escape. They clamored down the ladder to the first platform, then leaped and stumbled down the steps of the remaining platforms, and finally jumped from the lowest level to the hard gravel below. None of this deterred Sidiq's evasiveness, or Rainy's pursuit.
Sidiq hit the sidewalk with a fury while his heavy backpack swung against his shoulders. Rainy matched him stride for stride, only a few steps behind. Initially, the walkways were blessedly barren of pedestrians and the street traffic was light. However, the farther the pair ran from the residential calm, the more contested the streets and sidewalks became.
They darted through another cross street, barely avoiding the oncoming traffic. A bodega with a sidewalk full of lunchtime patrons loomed ahead. Rainy pounded her feet harder and exerted her remaining energy to come within a stride of Sidiq. She let out a pained cry of determination before lunging herself at him, wrapping herself around his upper body, forcing them both to the ground as they skidded to a halt against the cement.
Rainy immediately pulled her concealed glock from her ankle holster with her left hand, while her right hand held Sidiq's face to the ground and her right knee dug into the small of his back.
"ayda ala rask!" she ordered as sweat ran down her nose. Hands on your head.
Sidiq did not comply. She pushed her weapon harder against his side and repeated herself. Slowly Sidiq raised his arms. Rainy let up slightly, pulling his backpack from where it hung at his elbows, and then resumed pressure on his backside. As the pounding in her ears decreased, Rainy became aware of the sirens. She remained postured over Sidiq less than a minute longer before a patrol car came to a screeching halt at the corner.
The officer approached while radioing his status and location to dispatch. Rainy peeled herself away from Sidiq, while pulling on his hands and head to encourage him upwards as well.
"Cuff him, search him, and put him in your car. Get EMS down here to check him out." Rainy ordered, handing control of the suspect over to the officer. She picked up his backpack and handed it to him as well. She unzipped her coat and tucked her pistol into her waistband. Her hands shook with adrenaline as she fumbled through her inner pocket for her badge, which she clipped onto her belt. Still breathing hard, she paced slowly while she waited for Eames.
As expected, Eames was not far behind. She pulled behind the patrol car seconds before an EMS ambulance parked in front of it. She quickly exited the vehicle and assessed the scene around her. There was no property damage, or injured civilians, as far as she could tell. A paramedic stood at the rear passenger side of the patrol car, speaking to Sidiq and the officer. She looked around for Rainy, and located her leaving the bodega with a bottle of water, walking in her direction.
"This your idea of keeping things informal?" Eames asked sharply.
Rainy shrugged. "It was impulsive. I don't like suspects to get away."
Eames stepped back and sighed in frustration. She pointed at Rainy's right hand. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding."
Rainy turned her right hand palm side up. "Just some road rash. We took a little tumble. Any chance we can get out of here before your captain shows up? I need to make contact with the local office before he starts asking questions. Cover my ass sort of thing."
Eames nodded in understanding and turned back towards the patrol car she had parked behind.
"He going to live?" she asked the paramedic sarcastically.
"Nothing a little Neosporin won't heal," he responded.
"Good." She turned to the police officer at his side. "When he's done, take him to 1PP and leave him with Major Case."
The officer nodded.
Eames turned to Rainy and gestured to the SUV. "Where to?"
"Uh, my hotel, if you don't mind."
Eames shrugged, fully resigned. They buckled their seatbelts as Eames navigated around the patrol car, ambulance and street gawkers.
Rainy took out her Blackberry and pressed a several keys. "Yeah, this is Special Agent RJ Jansen. Put me through to Arlen Pace. It's urgent."