Adam looked at the group of cops and wondered if they all knew what a formidable picture they painted - the warrior-queen flanked by her two sentries, all standing with their fearless leader. They wore the same expression of grim impatience as the two officers from IA - if they could even be called that - primly made their case.

'It's come to my attention through Captain Holmes the investigators on the John Raglan matter are more concerned with investigating the former detective than finding his killer.'

Commander Aaron Attwood was in his late fifties and had a severely square face that matched his severely square haircut. 'Several requests for his phone transcripts have been made and one has to wonder why you are antagonizing the man's memory instead of trying to find this lunatic who obviously had a vendetta against him.'

Beckett fought not to bare her teeth in a vicious snarl. 'Surely, Commander, you understand in order to know the killer, you have to look at the victim to find out why someone would want to kill him with an army-issue sniper rifle on a Tuesday morning.'

'I understand you've also made the asinine leap that his death is connected to a disgraced former officer's death,' Attwood continued, undeterred, as though he hadn't heard Beckett speak at all.

'Mike Doran was shanked in prison. Raglan was his long-time friend.' Esposito ticked off the points on his fingers. 'The morning Mike gets capped, Christine Doran and Raglan are in a car accident while on their way to the prison. Once Christine's cleared from the wreck, a sniper opens fire on Raglan and kills him with a single shot. It doesn't take a genius to make the connection.'

'It seems like you're more interested in spinning grand conspiracy theories than doing your job.'

'And if you'd been doing your job, neither Mike Doran or John Raglan would have had their badges as long as they did,' Ryan fired back. 'The phone transcripts we looked at, well within the scope of our investigation, revealed they were up to their eyeballs in corruption. Tell me, Commander, how the hell does an imprisoned police captain end up with three foreign accounts where he can move twenty-nine thousand dollars around like it was petty cash?'

'Mike Doran's finances aren't your worry. Finding out who killed Raglan is.'

'Don't presume to come down here and tell my people their jobs,' Montgomery warned Attwood.

'Remember, Captain, that it is well within my purview to decide if you and your investigators both are doing your jobs.'

'You understand I can call the Deputy Chief of Detectives for South Manhattan and let him know you're threatening my people.' Montgomery was on his feet, hands braced on his desk. 'And it still hasn't answered our question. Why are you so interested in the death of a retired detective, and trying to break the obvious link between him and Mike Doran when it's clear the motive for both their killings probably lies in their time on the force together.'

Attwood looked at them all and Beckett nearly cheered when she saw undiluted panic in the commander's eyes. 'You are way off base on your investigation into Raglan. Find the killer or I will see to it this case is shut down and never sees the light of day again, and furthermore, I'll see to it you are all reprimanded for gross dereliction of duty.'

Attwood rose stiffly and left, Blake following him like a puppy out the door. As he was closest to the door, Adam closed it behind them and looked around at the others, who let out their collective breath and began to grin.

'Is it just me or should we be adding Blake and the commander to our list?'

'Tell me everything you found out yesterday,' Montgomery demanded. 'Right now.'

'There is a group of cops out of the seven-two who are neck-deep in illegal activity, most likely a drug-running business run by Julio Robinson since the majority of them are all dope cops and they're making a fortune off of it. We'll know once we have the surviving conspirators in interview how they got started,' Beckett informed him. 'We need their personnel files , and probably more phone records, to find what we need.'

'How does Johanna's murder fit in?' Montgomery asked, tossing them a grapefruit of a question.

'Sir, we have circumstantial evidence to be corroborated by one Roman Moore, whose case my mother and her colleagues were looking into. I believe- we all believe,' she amended, looking at her team, 'that when she started sniffing around Moore's case she was silenced because she figured out Moore was framed for murdering a cop.'

'And after that little meeting this morning, we can guess that Attwood and Holmes are tied to it as well, it's the only reason they would stonewall us,' Ryan added. 'If we have IA up our asses, and they're dirty, they could make accessing those records very very hard for us.'

'We've also got Fuqua on our side and we'll get the Deputy Chief there too.' Montgomery hit speaker-phone; he dialed the number for One Police Plaza and requested to be connected to Sean Delancy's office. There was the click-click of the transferred phone line and a few minutes later the man himself was on the line.

'This is Deputy Chief Delancy.'

'Sean, it's Roy Montgomery from the Twelfth.'

'Roy, how's the Raglan case coming? Have you dug anything else out on more potential cops gone wrong?'

'Sir, I think we have a problem with two IA officers, Blake Holmes and Aaron Attwood. They just stopped by to tell us that if we don't refocus our investigation away from the link between Raglan and Doran and Cowlan, and in all likelihood Christopher Spitzer as well, they would ensure that my officers face consequences for gross dereliction of duty.'

'Attwo- what the hell is he doing down your throats on this case?' Delancy barked. 'Why the hell would he care about two dead retired cops, unless...oh damn. Damn, damn, goddammit! You wouldn't come to me if you didn't have a judge already helping you, so what do you need from me?'

'Service records for several cops, without IA knowing about it.'

Delancy's sigh was weighty. 'Let's have them.'

'Mike Doran, Frank Cowlan, George Elliott and John Raglan of the seven-two, Blake Holmes and Aaron Attwood of Internal Affairs.'

'Christopher Spitzer from the seven-two as well,' Esposito said, remembering the name from the report on Montrose's death.

'And Magdelana Cruz of the two-eight,' Adam added.

'Jesus Christ, you found a hornet's nest didn't you?' Delancy mumbled; they could all hear the scratch of pen on paper as he took down the names. 'Any others you think you're going to need?'

'Yeah, Matthew Montrose and Jarrad Brennan,' Beckett added for good measure.

'I'll do what I can. Meanwhile, lay it out for your judge and get whatever warrants you need. Give my name if necessary to speed things up. I'll have these to you by ten this morning.'

Montgomery glanced at his watch. 'I owe you one Sean.'.

'If this leads to the arrest of dirty cops, you don't owe me shit. I'll be in touch.'

Montgomery hung up, then looked at his troops, his dark eyes burning like glowering coals in a fire-pit. 'Adam, Esposito, get over to Fuqua's chambers, tell her exactly what we told Delancy; we need all the firepower she can give us. Ryan, get everything you can from ballistics on Raglan's shooting. Beckett you're going to Rikers. I'll spin some plates from here and we'll debrief at eleven thirty this morning, not a nanosecond later. Beckett and Adam, a moment of your time, please.'

The Ry-Sposito monster filed out and when they were alone, Montgomery looked at them. 'You know I had a small part in this, that I was helping Jarrad in his earlier investigation, but I swear to you on my wife's soul, on the blood of my child, I am not a part of their network.'

'Sir, I would never even think you were,' Beckett said, her centre going cold.

'Good, because you know there is a chance those pricks in IA will try to twist it, saying that I was part of the conspiracy all along because of the photos I was sent, the threats against my family.' Montgomery drilled his fingertip into the top of his desk. 'I have never taken a bribe or corrupted my badge in any way. I corrupted my conscience by not doing the right thing when I had the chance.'

'Sir, you're making it right now,' Adam said calmly.

'I'm glad you're young and idealistic enough to see it that way Adam.'

'You see Adam,' Beckett explained gently to him. 'Had Cowlan not been involved in that corruption you talked about to him, this is how he would react. That is the passion of an honest man in a bad situation.'

She opened the door, then looked back. 'Captain, everyone has been telling me that I'm not alone on this case anymore, but I want you to know, you aren't either.'