"You don't have to do this, either of you. I don't want you to jeopardize your careers or your pensions; it's totally up to you. But in order to get all the evidence we need to take our case to Rudy and Gerry, there're still things that we need verified."

Dan Healey was sitting beside his partner in a booth at the back of the Geary Street diner. Lee Lessing and Bill Tanner were sitting opposite them.

Tanner glanced at the man beside him before he spoke. "Well, I don't know about Lee, but I'm in. I don't think I want to work for a force that hangs one of it's own out to dry like they seem to be doing to you, Dan."

Lessing swallowed hard then nodded vigorously. "I agree. They seem hell bent on pinning this on you one way or the other, and we can't let them do it. Hell, I'm young enough, I can start somewhere else – but if you oldtimers are willing to risk everything, it's the least I can do," he finished with a wicked grin.

After a split second of stunned silence, the other began to chuckle; Haseejian reached across the table and playfully smacked the younger man on the side of his head. Sighing loudly, Healey smiled with relief. "Whew, you guys don't know how great it is to hear you say that." He picked up the file that was beside him on the seat, laid it on the table and opened it.

"So, we've narrowed the field down. And what we need now is verification." He took out a few pages and turned them so they were facing Lessing and Tanner. "Norm can help out too, but I've gotta lay low. I think someone saw me at Archives the other day and I've been called into Rudy's office this afternoon, so I think I might be getting my head handed to me. I want to make sure this is in the works before the shit hits the fan, so to speak."

He fanned the sheets out on the table. "What I need is these alibis to be verified – and I mean verified beyond reproach – and I need that done asap. I know it's a lot of work, but there is so much on the line here, and the sooner we wrap this up, the better for everyone. Be thorough, be accurate, but above all, be discreet.

"Lee, I have to talk to Mike. I can't call him because he's still at Rudy's and I don't want Rudy involved in this. It's okay if we lose our jobs, but I'm not gonna put his on the line as well. Now I know you're staying with Steve – can you get him to call Mike and we can maybe arrange to meet somewhere in the next couple of days?"

Lessing nodded. "Yeah, I'll ask him. It shouldn't be a problem."

"How is our favorite golden child, by the way?" asked Haseejian with a chuckle.

Lessing rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, if you thought Mike made a horrible patient, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Talk about a bear with a sore paw." The others laughed quietly, trying not to draw attention from the diner's other patrons. "I know he's in pain and he hates being confined to bed, but you'd think I was torturing him by making him take his antibiotics and painkillers and only allowing him to eat soft food. I'll be glad to get out of there and let Mike handle him, believe me!"

"So when is this happy reunion taking place?" Tanner asked cautiously.

"Tomorrow, hopefully," Lessing sighed. "I'm supposed to pick Mike up sometime in the afternoon and take him to Steve's place. Say, that would be a good time for you to maybe drop round to Steve's, Dan, and then you can talk to them both. Sound like an idea?"

Healey nodded. "Sounds perfect, just let me know when. Till then, fellas, here's what I need." He pointed at the first sheet.

# # # # #

"What are you up to, Dan?" Mike asked with narrowed eyes as he sat on the couch beside his partner in Steve's apartment.

Healey cleared his throat, raising his eyes from the floor to meet the blue ones of his boss. "Well, I've been doing a little digging of my own –"

"So I heard."

"- and I need some information from one of your contacts so I can put some more nails in someone's coffin, so to speak."

Trying not to wince, Mike leaned back and folded his arms, his expression unreadable. He glanced sideways and, despite the gravity of the situation, couldn't suppress a tiny smile – Steve looked atrocious. The white bandage over the bridge of his nose made his two black eyes stand out all the more; the packing in his nostrils didn't help either. Truth be told, he looked like a large grumpy raccoon. Steve caught the look and turned confrontationally. "What?"

Chuckling, Mike looked down, biting his lip. He cleared his throat. "Nothing. Ah, Dan, you were saying?"

Trying to suppress his own grin, Healey continued. "So, ah, I don't want to give you guys any details – I'm supposed to be keeping you two out of the loop and that is one thing I fully intend to do – but, Mike, I remember you mentioning at one point that you had a really good contact at the Hall of Records, right?"

"Yeah, Jack McGowan, why?"

"Well, there are some records that I just need to have a look at to make sure I'm right." He paused. "It's really important, Mike, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't mean it and I didn't need it."

Mike stared at his sergeant then nodded slowly. "I understand. And I know how fragile a limb it is you're out there on. Don't think I don't appreciate it."

"It's not just me, Mike," Healey said slowly.

The older man cocked his head slightly, understanding what Healey meant. Mike closed his eyes, let his head fall back onto the couch and sighed loudly. He opened his mouth to say something but Healey cut him off.

"We all know what we're doing, Mike – the risks we're taking. We're not going into this blindly, we all know what we could lose. But we can't let this go – not now, not with so much at stake. Not after what's been done," he added softly as he nodded towards both partners on the couch.

Mike uncrossed his arms slowly and leaned forward, his austere demeanor intimidating. Steve eyed him sideways, holding his breath and his tongue. Healey met Mike's eyes evenly then he blinked and looked down, suddenly uneasy.

"Go home, Sergeant," Mike said quietly and Healey sighed dejectedly, starting to get to his feet. "I'll have Jack call you at home later tonight."

# # # # #

"He did what?!" Mike yelled into the phone, and from his place at the kitchen counter pouring coffee, Steve winced and looked towards the living room. He quickly picked up both cups and strode towards his partner, putting the cups down on the coffee table and raising his finger threateningly.

"Calm down!" he whispered quickly and reached for the receiver.

Mike turned his head away, "When did he do this?!" he shouted into the receiver, holding his hand up towards the younger man and shaking his head.

Steve made another grab for the phone with one hand and when Mike deked again, snagged it with the other. The sharp movement caused Mike to wince and he glowered at the younger man, but Steve pointed angrily at the couch and after a quick standoff, he sat and glared.

Continuing to hold Mike's fierce stare, Steve put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?... Yeah, Norm, it's Steve… yeah, I know I sound funny. Look, I've just made Mike sit down and relax," he looked a threat at his partner, "because he's not supposed to get excited and let his heart rate increase, so you can tell me what you were telling him and then I'll let him know whether I want him to know anymore or not. Think of me as his filter, so to speak." He paused. "Unh-hunh…okay…yeah, thanks. Okay. Yeah, so from now on, if Mike answers the phone, don't tell him anything, you got that? All his calls go through me first… Thanks… okay, yeah, see ya." With exaggerated deliberateness, Steve hung up the phone, still staring at his partner.

Eventually Mike looked down. "Rudy suspended Dan," he said sharply, trying not to let the anger colour his tone. "Two days ago. When Dan was here yesterday, he'd already been suspended for a day. And he didn't tell us."

"Mike, relax! Please!" Steve's voice was heavy with concern. Wearily he sat beside the older man on the couch. He exhaled loudly. "Let's face it, it's out of our hands right now, isn't it?"

"I want to call Rudy –"

"You're not calling anyone, so forget about it."

They sat in silence for a several long moments then Mike put an apologetic hand on his partner's back and patted him. With a tired, sad chuckle, Steve slapped Mike's knee as he got to his feet. "Come on," he said softly, "let's get you upstairs and into bed. I bring up our coffees and make us some popcorn and we can watch some TV and try not to think about things we have no control over right now."

"I hate this," Mike muttered as he got carefully to his feet.

"I know you do…"

# # # # #

"At least it's with pay," Tanner said with a shrug as he settled into the booth and put his file folder on the table.

Healey looked up at him with a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah, well, still doesn't look great on my record." He shook his head in exasperation.

"How'd he find out?" asked Lessing as he put the menus on the next table, glancing up for the waitress.

Healey shrugged. "Not sure. But it had to have been someone at Archives and they put two and two together. I thought I was careful but who knows." He chuckled again, this time in irony. "Maybe a friend of Shepherd's saw me."

"Speaking of which – or is it whom?" Haseejian asked rhetorically as he arrived at the table, file folder in hand, "that bastard still hasn't opened his mouth, from what I've been told. But I think we know his story now, don't we, boys?" he asked with a grin as he sat, looking very much like the Cheshire Cat. He tapped the file in his hand then tossed it on the table on top of Tanners. "Gentlemen, I don't know about the rest of you, but I have had more satisfaction in the last three days than I've had in ages. I actually felt like I was doing something productive for a change."

Tanner nodded in agreement. "You can say that again. So, which one of us hit the jackpot?" He glanced around the table.

Lessing held up his hand. "I think that would be me," he grinned as he tossed his file folder onto the growing pile.

Healey picked up his own folder from the seat beside him, tossed it on the pile as well, then rubbed his hands together. "Well, if we have in these files what I think we have – then tomorrow morning, Norm, I want you and Lee - because you are the 'good guys' in this case right now – sorry, Bill," Tanner nodded with a smile, "to take this to straight to Rudy and see if we can proceed."

Haseejian glanced at the others then back to Healey. "That sounds good, but what, precisely, do you want us to ask?"

"By the beginning of next week I want to get everyone involved in this case, from both murders – Pettet and Garrity – in one room at the same time. Cops, ambulance attendants, family, neighbours, everybody that was interviewed – well, everybody except Mike and Steve – all together at the same time." He smiled with anticipation as he sat back in the chair. "And then we get to play Perry Mason."