I have finished the story :o) So, updating will go fast from now on. Plus, I am on a writing spree for "Breaking lives down to their knees", so those of you who read both stories are in for a nice week :o)

Disclaimer: See Chapter One. I don't own Get Smart neither.

Chapter 10

Walter, Natalia and Ryan met in the AV room. Dave had left the room to them so they could spread out any evidence they had on the cases.

Ryan frowned, "What is the picture of the arson case doing here?"

Walter blushed a bit, "Well, I thought that, maybe… we didn't find any solid evidence there, but Frank found out that the gasoline was purchased at the gas station around the corner where Mame lives. And, I thought that maybe… you know… Mame kissed a buyer from out of town. That kiss burned Chicago down…" (1)

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, okay. Why not. So, let's see what we have." He pointed at the picture. "Case Number One. Arson. Victim Jose Moreira. Nothing to go on except for the order from the gas station. Does the guy remember who bought it?"

Walter checked his notes, "Blonde guy, about 6 ft tall. Nothing more to go on. He paid cash."

"Don't we have any surveillance videos?" Natalia asked.

Walter shook his head, "Tape was empty when we brought it in. Camera didn't work."

Ryan sighed, "Of course. As usual. Now, victim number two, our deep freeze." He pointed at the second picture. "Jeffrey Donald. I guess we can say that he really didn't make a lot of friends that evening. We found DNA. From Mame."

"Did he touch her?"

Ryan thought about it, "I think yes, he touched her." He turned to Natalia. "Where did we find the DNA?"

"On the refrigerator."

The small hope Ryan had that Mame could be innocent vanished into thin air, "Okay, so no chance that her DNA was from the touch." He walked over to the next picture. "Oscar Garcia, victim of what I know most people in the lab refer to as the Miami quake." He gave Walter an indignant look. "Tom has confirmed his initial suspicion that he was alive when the rubble came down. We have defensive wounds on his hands. DNA from Mame. BUT: There are no injuries on her that suggest she was in a fight, other than the scratches on her arms."

"But then again…." Natalia pointed at the last picture. "We found plenty of her skin cells. Under Nicole's fingernails."

Ryan couldn't bring himself to look at Nicole's picture, "She claims it was when Nicole helped her against the ex boyfriend… Chris Walton. And, honestly, we all know Nicole, and it does sound like her."

Walter frowned, "So, this leaves us with Mame's DNA. Which we found everywhere. On three of four crime scenes. She has an alibi for… one at least."

"Not really." Ryan said, "She was with me, yeah, but I cannot confirm she never left. Other than that. I'll ask her later about her alibis for the other murders."

Natalia shook her head, "I don't know. Really, it's a huge coincidence. Like, song and murder, and stuff."

"No, Natalia, this is Halloween. Weirder things have happened on Halloween." Walter said gloomily. "You think somebody set her up?"

Natalia shrugged, but Ryan got up, "I'll find out."

He sat down with Mame and her lawyer. He showed her the pictures again, "Do you know any of these people. Apart from Detective Ferguson and Jeffrey Donald?"

Mame took a closer look at the other pictures, "No, I'm afraid not."

Ryan nodded, "Okay. So, where were you after Ron's party?"

Mame tilted her head, "At home. You drove me home, remember?"

"Can anybody confirm this?"

"Apart from you? No."

Ryan sighed, "Okay. Now, the night when Donald died, we were together. I said I cannot confirm that you never left that night. So, that's no good alibi either. How about yesterday, late afternoon?"

"I was at work till 6 p.m. After that, I went out with a few girlfriends for a glass of wine. I left for home about 10 p.m., and then ran into Chris. He wanted to talk to me. I shouldn't have gone with him, but he told me he was having a therapy, and wanted us to talk things through. That's when I ran into you and Detective Ferguson."

"Okay. I can confirm the last bit. Anybody can confirm the rest?"

She gave him a list of names, "We were out together. They can confirm I'm innocent."

Ryan nodded, "Okay. So, last night. When did you arrive home?"

"It must have been half past eleven. I really didn't check. But the confrontation with Chris didn't last too long."

"Did you see anything once you were in?"

Mame thought about it, "Not really. As I said, I assumed Chris and Ferguson were gone. But then again, I didn't pay any more attention. I had a bath, and then went to bed."

"So, you don't have an alibi for… later that night?"

Mame shook her head, "No." Then she looked at him, "It looks bad for me, right? Ryan, I swear to God, I didn't do any of this. I could never hurt somebody."

"We found your DNA."

"I don't know how it ended up there, except of course for Ferguson. She scratched me."

Ryan scratched his head, "I know. Okay, let's say, somebody tries to set you up. Who?"

"Chris." She immediately answered. "He would do such a thing. You've seen what he has done to your friend."

"Why would he do that?"

"To pay me back? To make sure I go down for refusing him? I don't even think he needs a reason…"

Mame's lawyer now said, "Detective Wolfe, Mr Walton has a record. He might be your best bet."

"Well, actually your client is my best bet, Mr Driver. But you say Walton has a record?"

"Yes. Robbery, assault, the whole thing." Martin Driver didn't look like a lawyer who just wanted to get his client out of trouble no matter what. He looked genuinely concerned when he reached Ryan a folder. "Look over this. I got this information when Ms Collins first told me she thinks of reporting Mr Walton."

Ryan took the folder and got up, "Thanks for your help. I will do that."

He went back to DNA lab where Valera and Natalia were whispering with each other. When Ryan entered, both silenced immediately. "Are you making fun of me?"

Valera shook her head, "Not more than usual."

But Natalia could bring herself to smile, "Ryan… Maxine and I were working… We looked back at the cases from the last few days. Our own, the nightshift's cases, anything that came up…" She swallowed, "I don't know how… they all came back positive for Mame."

"What? Come on, you're kidding me, right?"

Natalia shook her head, "We ran every sample test twice. It's her. She's a serial killer. She killed about seven people during the last three days."

"That's…." Ryan checked the papers Valera were holding out to him. "Oh my God. It's true." He shook his head, "I can't believe it. She used me. She used me because she thought I would never… I can't believe it."

Natalia walked around the table and laid a hand on Ryan's shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Ryan. I know how you must feel right now."

But Ryan just shook his head again, "I can't believe it. I was so stupid. Nicole and Walter were right all the way. Nicole didn't trust her from the beginning."

"Ryan, it's not your fault. There was no reason to not trust her in the first place." Natalia tried to calm him down.

"I know. Still…" He laid the folder he had been carrying on the table. Valera took it and flipped though it. Her eyes were still red, Ryan noticed. But he couldn't care about her now. He had to handle the thought of Mame having used him. Again, he had been used by a woman. Erica, who wanted information, and Mame, who thought that if she made him falling in love with her, she could continue that killing spree.

He heard Valera's voice through a haze, "… I think he should be in jail for those abominable Q-Tips, but then again, those other charges are of course worse."

Ryan raised his head, "What?"

Valera pointed at the folder, "This Walton guy. He works at the firm who got us those crappy Q-Tips I told you about. Who is he? Why are you carrying this around?"

Ryan licked his lips, "He's Mame's ex boyfriend…" He exchanged a look with Natalia, "Can it be?"

Natalia nodded, "It's possible."

"What are you guys talking about?" Valera was getting impatient.

Ryan put his gloves on and reached out to take an unused Q-Tip from the box Valera had on her desk. He gave it to her, "Run this, please."

Valera frowned, "That one's not been used before."

"Run it. Please."

She shrugged, "Sometimes, you are rather weird. But okay, I just run an unused Q-Tip. Like it's the most normal thing in this crazy world populated with crazy people just like you." She worked on the Q-Tip and then asked, "Are you going to visit Nicole?"

Ryan nodded, "Today after work. I know I should have gone before…"

But Valera shook her head, "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to drop out from a case just because of her." She smiled bitterly, "You know, she always wanted to be like 99. From that show, Get smart. She said that was a cool lady, and that she wanted to be just like her. And now?"

Ryan noticed tears coming back to Valera's eyes, "Don't worry. I'm sure she's gonna be fine. You know how Delko works with a bullet in his head, and how Nicole always tried to be harder then him? I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Doctors don't know if she'll ever wake up again…"

"She will. You have to believe. Like Travers."

"I wish I could. But, you know, when you work here, and see all those dead people…" The beeping of the computer interrupted her. "No match in CODIS."

"Run it against Mame's DNA and against the open cases." She did, and after a few seconds, got a result. "Positive."

"So, it's Mame's DNA?"

"Yeah. On an unused Q-Tip." Valera frantically ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh my God, if I made a mistake again…."

But Ryan calmed her down immediately, "That was not your fault, you didn't make a mistake. It's the Q-Tips."

"But how?"

Natalia had understood, "The guy prepared the Q-Tips. Chris Walton. He works at the firm. He prepared the Q-Tips with Mame's DNA. To set her up."

Ryan doubted, although Natalia had the same idea he had, "But is that really possible?"

"Why not? I mean…"

"Okay." Ryan took a breath, "Let's plan ahead. I tell Frank to get a warrant for Walton's flat and workplace."

"Right. And I talk to Mame and figure out how he could have gotten her DNA."

Both Ryan and Natalia literally race out of the DNA lab. Valera looked at them leaving and said, "And I wait here until you care to explain to me what just happened."

(1) First verse of Put the blame on Mame

I know a similar case has appeared on CSI New York, but I only found that out when I was doing research on the original case from Germany. I think though my version is different enough from both so that no one of you will think I stole the idea from CBS. I haven't seen the episode, and everything you recognize from it is really pure coincidence.