Me no own, you no sue
Digging through the trash and untangling the wood: Part Two
"Hush little baby, don't say a word
and never mind that noise you heard
it's just the beast under your bed
in your closet, in your head."
-Enter Sandman, Metallica
A body could fall five stories and land on its back. Only problem was that someone would have to hang the body out the window, turn it and hold it length wise and then drop it. Danny and Carmen couldn't see anyone going to that much trouble. Not to mention how awkward and time consuming it would have been to pull off. And with all the windows in the building directly in front of them, it meant a lot of possible witnesses. It didn't make sense to take that much of a risk. Their new theory was that the body had been tossed out the window already in the sleeping bag, then the killer had gone down and arranged the body to make it look otherwise.
Speed was down in trace, his second home, helping out Adam with the mountain of possible evidence pulled from both the dumpster and the apartment. Carmen was in the AV lab scanning through the security tapes from the underground and the front entrance of the building. An hour after she first started, nothing looked even the least bit suspicious.
Sam and Danny were in the lay out room, working efficiently across a table from one another, sipping coffee and listening to a CD of downloaded music Danny had popped into the small stereo on the far counter.
"So much for doing anything today." Danny commented. "Weather's shitty and I can tell ya right now this is going to be a double."
"Optimism, Messer!" Sam encouraged, turning the vic's night gown over and over in her hands as she peered through the magnifying light. "Must be optimistic!"
"Can you see us getting out of here anytime soon? It's almost eight. And we've only gotten this far."
"You can make our rained out date up to me. Buy me lunch and dinner. We'll still be here.'
"Now who needs to be optimistic?" Danny asked. "Think the power will hold out?"
"Hope so. Otherwise, we'll be going old school by flashlight."
Sam stepped away from the table and yawned noisily and stretched.
"Ya just a bit tired there, Brooklyn?" Danny asked. "Had a late night or something?"
She grinned "Danny, you all ready know that answer."
"Gotta say, its kinda weird. Working with the girl that's sleepin' with my best friend."
"There's more to it than that."
"I know. He's told me a few things."
"About me?" Sam inquired.
"About you and him and what's going on. And that's all I am going to tell you. It is between me and Flack."
"Its good though?"
"Like there's a doubt?"
Sam grabbed the Styrofoam coffee cup and took a sip. "Danny, I need to ask you something and you have every right to tell me to mind my own business."
"Shoot."
"First off, thanks for waking me up at three in the morning."
"Like you were sleeping." Danny snorted.
"Second, why in the hell did you let Lindsay stay at your place?"
Danny sighed. "I felt sorry for her."
"You felt sorry for her? She's brought all this on herself."
"I know. I just... I feel like I owe her something."
"Owe her something?" Sam bit back the urge to laugh. "Why? Because the relationship didn't turn out the way she wanted it to? It happens. She's old enough to get over it. Jesus, Danny, grown some balls. Did you feel sorry for her enough to sleep with her?"
"I already went through this with Flack a half an hour ago. I did not sleep with her and I have no idea why she would tell you that. I have no desire to sleep with her. And I would not lie to you and Flack. Especially Flack."
"Well the you best be telling her to fuck off and get out." Sam suggested. "She lies. A lot. Has she always been like this?"
"She's never lied like this before. But she's always been a little dramatic."
"So on to my third thing." Sam sad
"Christ, there's a third?"
"Did I hear right when Don said you met my cousin?"
"Outside of the Starbucks near my place. Said she was your cousin.'
"Fairly tall? Blond curls? Willowy body, works as a nurse?"
"That would be her." Danny concurred. "Erica."
"I know her name." Sam reminded him.
"Helped her to her car." Danny explained. "She gave me her phone number."
"Really?" Sam went back to her evidence. "Hmmm..."
Danny glanced up. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing. She's just..." Sam searched for the words. "She doesn't seem like the type to do something like that."
"People change." Danny reasoned. "She said she hasn't seen you in a long while."
"Its been too long." Sam agreed and went back to her evidence.
"What's up with autopsy today? Never takes this long."
"Pino told me during the last call I made down there that he had a full house all night and he's working a double, too.";
"Only thing he did all night, guarantee, is play X-box and hang out up here fliritin' with the techs." Danny said.
"All I know," Sam sighed. "Is that he better get those damn bullets out of there in one piece. I found no weapons whatsoever in the dumpster or in the three on the side of the building. And you found nothing in the apartment. So..."
"Its long gone, Brooklyn. Killer probably took it with him and tosses it. " he suddenly stopped working and stood up and sniffed the air. "The smell is fading." he said.
"I showered three times since I've been back and scrubbed myself with as many lemons as I could find... I've got some biological trace here..." she reached over for a couple swabs to take samples of what appeared to be semen and vaginal fluid to go along with the hair samples she had collected earlier.
"You get to the sleeping bag yet?" Danny asked.
"I am one person, Messer." she replied.
"Slacker. I gotta run down to DNA. Want me to take yours?"
"Sure." she wrote her name number on the boxes. "Tell them to put a rush on it."
"Yeah..." Danny laughed as he headed from the room. "Right."
"Thank you!" she called.
"No prob."
Sam folded and re-bagged the nightie and took the sleeping bag out and spread it the length of the table. She hunkered down over it with the magnifying light and a pair of tweezers, searching the outside first. She had pulled two different hair samples and what looked like skin on the pull tag of the zipper when she felt someone standing behind her. And smelt them.
"I don't have anything yet, Don." she said. "I'm going as fast as I can."
"Actually," he said and stepped closer, so her ass was pressed up against his crotch. "I was bringing you something for breakfast."
She shivered at the feel of him so close to her. Reminded herself to be professional. Strictly professional. Which was hard considering all she realy wanted to do was drag him somewhere private and have her way with him.
He sat a small paper bag down on the table next to her and leaned over to see what she was doing, his body tight against hers, side of his face next to hers.
"Don... we are working..." she reminded him.
"I am looking at the evidence from my crime scene." he argued.
"Sure you are..."
"And thinking about dragging you into whatever empty room I can find."
She grinned. "I think you need to stand on one side of the table and me on the other." she suggested.
He sniffed the back of her neck and goosebumps invaded her entire body at the feel of his breath on her skin.
"Do you mind?" she asked.
"I'm glad to see you don't stink anymore. Only now you smell like a fruit stand."; he snuck a kiss to the back of her neck and retreated to the other side of the table.
"Lemons." she said. "How'd it go with the super?"
"The apartment was rented to Carmen and Danny's vic. Crystal Walters. Twenty, student at Columbia. Our vic is still a Jane Doe. Why aren't you in ballistics?"
"No bullets to work with."
"What's the hold up down in the dungeon?"
"Pino says he's overworked."
Flack snorted. "Over worked? Doing what? Playing video games? Me and you need to have a word."
"About?"
"Us."
"Okay... I'm listening." she continued her search for evidence.
"It's serious."
"So is my work."
Flack reached over and flicked off the magnifying lamp. "What are you telling people about us?" he asked. "I got back downstairs and I'm being called a sex maniac behind my back. And Angell asked me if it was true that I screwed you in my squad car."
"I'm not telling anyone anything." Sam defended herself. "Nice to see you jumping to conclusions."
"Our private life is being broadcast all over this place. It's no one's business."
"Guess you should have stuck to your no messing around with anyone from work rule." she flicked the light back on.
Flack turned it back off.
"What have you been telling your homicide buddies?" Sam asked.
"Nothing. So it must have been you."
Sam sighed. "Don... I haven't told anyone.'
He heard the uneasiness in her voice. "Wanna re-think that answer?" he asked. "Evidence is pretty overwhelming, Sam. You've been shootin' off your mouth just like you always do."
"God!" she huffed. "You can be such an ass hole."
"Gonna spread that around too? What an ass hole I am?"
"I don't understand you! One minute your talking all this I love you bullshit and the next you're acting like this? Or is it just I love you when you're getting your rocks off?"
"No. Its not. And its not bullshit. It's the truth. I just don't see why the whole department needs to know what you and I do in bed."
"Don, I don't have the time for this. That line between professional and personal Mac talked to us about? You're crossing it!"
He grabbed her arm as she went to walk away. "I just like when things are private. Me and you. I don't wanna end up like Danny and Lindsay. That's what I'm scared of. That we'll end up in the same shitty mess, hating each other. You mean too much to me to let that happen."
"Look, I never said anything. Okay?"
"So who said it?"
"I only told two people anything happened between us." she said.
"And they were?"
"Carmen..."
"And?" he pressed.
"Lindsay." she said reluctantly.
"You have got to be shitting me!" he snapped. "What on earth would possess you to do that! It's Monroe for fuck sakes!"
Sam actually looked frightened by his temper and took a step back. "She was really down and she seemed genuine and she said she just wanted to be part of the girl talk with Carmen and I and..." she tried defending herself.
"I'm gonna kill that little bitch! And you need to learn the right people to trust. She'll do whatever she can to get a reaction out of people. And you handed it to her. Dropped it right in her lap. I know you're trying to forgive and forget and all that, but this is Lindsay and I've worked with her long enough to know she ain't gonna change. And I'm sorry I lashed out at you. I just want things to go smooth for us. Not hear people talking about how I'm screwing my girlfriend."
"I didn't say anything intending to hurt you. It was just girl talk. I didn't think she'd spread it around. And you scare me when you get mad like this."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'd never hurt you. You know that. I think we both need to be a little more careful about how we handle things. "
Sam's phone beeped noisily. Both she and Flack cast glances down at it before she grabbed it off her pocket and checked the display. "It's Tim."; she said. "Pino just finished posting our vic. I have to go.";
"I'm sorry." Flack said and snuck in a kiss to her cheek.
"I know... so am I. Thank you for bringing me something to eat." she grabbed the bag to bring with her.
"Maybe I can buy you lunch later?" he suggested, walking her out of the lab and towards the elevators.
"Maybe..." she said. "if you're a good boy."
He smiled. "I'll be a very god boy.'
"Is that all you think about? Don't you have some detective work to do?"
"On my way to see Mac and discuss the case." he told her. "If it turns you on, I can go all cop on you later. Use the cuffs this tie.'
"I'm leaving now." she said as the elevator arrived and she stepped onto it. "You go take a cold shower or something.When you're done with Mac, can you go back to lay out and keep an eye on the stuff until Danny gets back from DNA?"
"What do I get for it?" he stopped the elevator door with his hand.
She smiled and stood on her tip toes, managing a kiss to his chin. "I can work something out." she assured him.
Sam had met Speed outside off autopsy. Now they stood over their Jane Doe and Speed and young Marty Pino were in the midst of an intense stared down across the table.
"Who are you?" Pino asked snottily.
"Who are you?" Speed replied.
"Doctor Marty Pino meet Detective Tim Speedle." Sam handled the brief and straight to the point introductions..
Pino smiled warmly at her. "And how are we doing this fine morning, Detective Ross?"
She rolled her eyes. So did Speed. "Better than her." Sam replied, nodding down at the Jane Doe. "What's the story?"
"COD was the GSW to the lower left abdomen." Pino pulled the surgical sheet down and laid his gloved fingers around the wound. ";It all but obliterated the spleen, liver and left kidney. Death was very near instantaneous. I managed to pull these." he handed Sam a plastic dish containing two bullets. "out of the wounds.";
Sam eyed the bullets. "Pretty decimated." she said.
"Think you can work with them?" Speed asked.
"I've worked with worse. I should be able to get some kind of stri off of them. But at first blush, I say they're twenty two's. Tell us about the head wound, Marty."
"Non lethal. A glancing blow like she fell and hit it off the edge of a coffee table or a counter. Sex assault kit came back positive and I sent a sample up to DNA and some blood to tox. I also noticed this..." Pino applied pressure to open the vic's mouth and reached in with a pair of tweezers. He pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. "at the back of the tongue. Never got to swallow it before death.";
"Maybe she didn't want to." Speed commented as Pino dropped the paper into a dish and handed it to him.
"Also," Pino continued. "the eyelids were removed with a very thin, small, extremely sharp blade. Even sharper than my scalpels. Surgical precision. This vic and Devine and Messer's have the exact same injuries, minus the head wound. Has it been established they were in the apartment together?"
"Blood from the vic matches samples taken from the apartment. She was definitely there."; Speed confirmed.
"Would explain why I found hair that matches your vic on the other vic and vice versa. In very intimate places.";
"This is getting weirder and weirder by the second." Speed declared.
They rode the elevator up to the thirty-fifth floor, spending half of the trip in silence as Sam munched on the pink sprinkle donut Flack had brought her and Speed flipped through the autopsy report.
"Need to ask ya something, Mouse." he said, not taking his eyes off the papers in his hand.
"Ask away." she told him.
"You know anything about Carmen being married to a Tanglewood Boy?"
Sam swallowed noisily. "I know she was married to him. She's divorced now."
"How long?"
Sam shrugged. "Long time."
"Was it nasty?The break up?"
"Yes. And that's all I'm going to tell you. If you want details, ask her yourself."
"What's the issue? I'm asking you."
"Tim, its not my place to talk about her personal life just like she doesn't discuss mine."
"She ever see the guy?" he asked.
"Tim..."
"Why'd they split"
"Tim! I said ask her yourself!"
Speed sighed and looked down again at the file. "You guys have a lot in common. Both dating gang bangers and all."
Sam stared hard at him. "What?"
"You hooked up with a guy from Pelham Bay. Didn't you?";
"I was fifteen! Where do you hear this stuff?"
"Flack know you got a thing for gang bangers?"
"I told him. He doesn't have a hang up with something I did fifteen years ago."
"Cops and gang bangers." Speed shook his head. "Hell of a combo."
"Tim! I was a teenager! He was my first boyfriend! I thought I was cool dating a gang guy! It has no bearing on my relationship with Don. Apparently, he's a little more confident in himself than you are."
"I just wanna know..."
"Ask Carmen." Sam cut him off as they stepped off the elevator.
"I'm asking you."
"Tim! Enough! Just ask her!"
So that's exactly what he did.
At first he said little as they worked side by side in trace. Adam over on the far wall, typing busily at a computer while bobbing his head to music coming from his I-Pod. While Carmen prepared samples for the GC/MS machine, Speed carefully and gingerly unfolded the piece of paper found in his vic's mouth.
The ink was faded from saliva, but under close inspection with a magnifying glass, he was able to read out the frantic printing.
If anything happens to me, Bradley did it. Jessica Yonge. 555-4676
Speed called Flack.
"So," he said after he hung up. "Hear the newest rumor? We had sex. I'd like to know where I was. I missed that. Did I at least enjoy it?"
Carmen sighed. "You may call it sex, but where I come from, its called going out for coffee."
"And what's this about you and an ex husband?"
"What's there to know about? Hence the word ex."
"Why didn't you tell me? A gang member? That's messed."
Carmen shifted uncomfortably beside him, feeling her temper build quickly and powerfully. "It has nothing to do with you,"she said. "It was a long time ago. I dealt with it and moved on with my life.";
"It would have been nice to know before we began our bout of imaginary sex. And are you sure you got on with your life?"
"If I had a life to get on with..." she sighed.
"I meant with you still seeing him.'
"I don't see him!" she lashed out. "Okay? I don't see anyone! And when I am ready to discuss it with you, I will!"
"Take it easy, Carmen." he said gently. "What's wrong with talking about this now?"
She snapped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash and shrugged out of her lab coat. "You know where Sam is?"
"In lay out. Why?"
Carmen left quickly.
"I'll just stay here and finish all this up! No problem!" Speed called after her. He sighed and looked at the mountain of work. "Thanks a lot." he mumbled.
"It wasn't me." Danny said adamantly. He, Sam and Carmen had huddled together in the locker room.
"If it wasn't you and it wasn't Sam, who was it?" Carmen asked, wiping away furious tears.
"And it wasn't Don." Sam spoke up, rubbing her friend's back comfortingly. "I just called him and he said he would never say anything that private. He never spoke a word to anyone about Pelham Bay or Tanglewood. In fact, he never even knew you were ever married until I told him. Sorry.";
"I don't care if you tell Flack." Carmen assured her. "You're obviously going to tell him thing. Flack isn't the problem. I trust him like i trust you two. With my life."
"So who else knows?" Sam asked.
"No one." Carmen replied. "Not even Mac or Stella."
"Well someone knows." Danny said. "Spread it around."
"Lindsay!" Carmen suddenly exclaimed. "The day you and I were talking about it, she came into the room and interrupted us. I bet you she was listening the entire time and we didn't even know it! I am so going to fucking kill that little bitch!"
"Not before I do." Sam fumed.
"You know what?"; Danny sighed. "I'll take care of Lindsay and you two just take care of yourselves and each other."
Mac had gone along with Speed and Mac to talk to the next of kin. Jessica Younge's mother was a tiny, round woman with salt and pepper curly hair and glasses and a thick Irish accent. Flack had gone and picked her up after she told him that her arthritis was too bad to take the subway. To date he hadn't told her anything further than they needed to speak to her about a personal matter. She'd assumed it was for an unpaid parking ticket her daughter had racked up. Flack hadn't responded.
Now he sat alongside of her in a small private meeting room close to Mac's office. Speed and Mac sat across from them. Speed took notes.
"Mrs Younge," Flack spoke gently and quietly. "This is Detective Mac Taylor and Detective Tim Speedle. They're from the crime lab. I asked you to come down here because I'm afraid I don't have very good news for you."
She was already sniffling. "This is about my daughter, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so." Flack said and reached for a box of kleenex that said on a small end table nearby. "Mrs Younge...";
"Please, Detective, a nice young man like yourself, call me Karen."
He smiled softly. "Karen... we found your daughter's body earlier this morning in Staten Island."
Karen Younge completely broke down. She sobbed into one hand and used the other to clutch Flack's forearm. Flack said nothing. He just looked out the window and thought of happier things. This was the part of the job he hated. Dealing with the loved ones. Mac left momentarily to get Karen a cup of water. They gave her as much time as she needed.
"Mrs Younge," Speed said when she gave sign she was ready to continue. "We found a note on her that led us to you. It had your phone number on it. It said if anything happened to her, it was Bradley's fault. Was he her boyfriend?"
She nodded. "Some guy she met on that damn internet. He moved here to be with her three months ago. He's twenty years old than her. Got kicked out of the army for professional misconduct whatever the hell that means. He collects guns. That's all I know about him."
"That's enough." Flack assured her and handed her a tissue.
She smiled appreciatively.
"Did you ever meet him?" Flack asked.
"I didn't want to . I wouldn't let her bring him to the house. I couldn't accept the fact she was with someone so much older. And someone with such a shady background."
"When was the last time you saw your daughter?" Mac asked.
"Three nights ago. She was going to stay with a friend who was having personal problems. That's all she told me. Said they were going to some Goth party."
"Do you know the name of the friend?" Speed asked.
"No name. But she's a pretty thing with flowing red hair and lovely green eyes."
Flack opened a file resting beside him and took out a picture. "I hate to ask you to do this Karen, but is this the friend?" he held it out to her.
"That's her! You mean... she's dead too?"
Flack nodded solemnly.
Karen gasped. "What happened to them?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Mac replied.
Flack's phone sounded. He checked the caller ID. "Excuse me, I have to take this." he said and got up and left the room.
"You people should employ more young men like that." Karen said. "He's awful sweet."
"One of the best." Mac agreed. "Was your daughter involved with any drugs?"
"She was into the Goth scene but lived a clean life. She was a decent, wonderful girl." Karen broke down again.
"We'll need you to identify the body." Mac said. "Would you like a female detective to take you down? Is that more comfortable for you?"
Karen nodded.
"Call Stella." Mac told Speed. "Tell her I said to do this."
Both men rose to their feet.
"We're very sorry for your loss, m'am."; Speed said and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She nodded her thanks and laid her hand briefly over his,
"Take all the time you need." Mac told her. "A female detective will be here shortly."
Flack was just hanging up when Mac and Speed joined him in the hall.
"That was Sam."; Flack said. "She just hit pay dirt on the bullets pulled from both vics. Matched them to a rare handgun. An eight millimeter type 94 pistol. Made in Japan prior to the second World War. "
Mac nodded. "Uses eight by twenty two mill Nambu bullets. Six rounds in a detachable box and gauge."
"She said its strictly a collectors item." Flack said. "Only seventy three thou were produced for military use only and they haven't been made since the war. Get this, she called all the high end gun shops, and K and K on east 178, sold one three days ago to a Bradley Sullivan. Dumb ass paid by credit card and left a paper trial longer than I am tall. She also got the military to fax over his file. He was kicked out for several charges of unlawful use of a firearm and assault on fellow officers. She got an address from Oregon and called the main postal outlet there. He left a forwarding address. The guy is a moron."
"Got the adress?" Mac asked.
"Brooklyn." Flack replied. "138 Vine, apartment 702."
"Looks like we're taking a small road trip." Mac said.
Sam and Carmen were the last to arrive. Mac, Flack, Danny and Speed and three uniforms, all in Kevlar vests, were waiting half a block from the apartment so they wouldn't draw attention. Flack broke away from the others and headed over to the two girls as they go out of the truck.
"I take it your here to convince her not to be here." Carmen said.
He just smiled.
"Good luck." she said and joined the others.
"You really need to be here?" Flack asked his girlfriend as she stepped up onto the curb, slipping on her bullet proof vest.
"This is my case." she reminded him.
"Couldn't ya have just stayed in the lab? Doing lab stuff?"
"I've gone on tons of these busts. Tons. I was ESU remember?"
"This guy is sitting on shit loads of weapons. Of all kinds." Flack reasoned. "And he knows how to use them."
"So do I." Sam said and attached the velcro straps on the vest tightly.
"I'd feel better if you weren't here." Flack told her.
"I'm a big girl, Don. This is part of my job. I'm not walking into this green.'
"I'd just rather you not be here." he said.
"Look," she laid a hand on his arm. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me..."
"I do. Its all I want."
"But I've done this before. I'm not a baby. I don't need someone to hold my hand and coddle me."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he asked.
"Its the way I am." she replied.
He sighed heavily, decided to lighten things a bit. "You look totally hot in a vest." he informed her.
"Yeah?" she grinned. "I'll wear in bed tonight if you're good." she teased.
"Kevlar and cuffs? You're kinkier than I thought."
They walked to the rest of the group.
"At least do me a favor?" Flack asked "Stay behind me the entire time?"
"Go on a raid and stare at your ass the whole time? My day is looking up."
"Focus, Samantha. Focus."
"Can I help it you have an amazing ass?"
Outside of the building, Mac quickly briefed the team on the amount of weapons, and the individual inside. Told them all to be extremely careful. One uniform went first. The other two stayed outside to watch the perimeter. Mac was behind then uniform, then Flack, Samantha, Carmen and Danny and Speed bringing up the rear. They took the elevator and descended the hall way quietly and quickly.
"What's his name again?" Flack whispered.
"Bradley Sullivan." Mac whispered back.
Flack stepped around Mac and the uniform and pounded on the door. "Bradley Sullivan!"he yelled. "NYPD! We have a search warrant! Open up"
No answer. A t.v blaring inside.
Flack pounded even louder on the door. "Mr Sullivan! NYPD! Come to the door or we'll kick it in!"
Across the hall a door clicked open and an elderly woman stuck her head out.
"Get the hell inside!" Carmen snapped.
Seeing all the guns drawn, the woman wasted no time obeying.
Again no answer came.
However, there was a very distinct sound of someone running through the apartment.
"He's doing a runner!" Flack said.
"Danny and I will cut him off at the fire escape." Speed said and the two of them went tearing down the hall.
"Kick it in!" Flack instructed the uniform.
The young rookie raised his foot and landed a solid kick that sent the door careening off its hinges. A booming gun shot greeted them and the uniform went down hard. A shot gun had been rigged to a trip wire. Sullivan was attempting to make it out the fire escape but never made it. Flack was on him in a heart beat and wrapped his forearm around the man's throat and threw him to the ground.
"That wasn't fucking smart!";Flack bellowed, holstering his gun and placing a knee in the man's back as he reached for his cuffs. "Gonna take off huh? Got something to hide, Bradley? Didn't think we'd figure out you killed two people!" he cuffed him quickly. And tightly.
Mac radioed to Speed and Danny to come back up. And to call EMS.
"Everybody okay?" Flack asked, looking directly at Samantha. A 'next time just fucking listen to me' kind of look. She was kneeling beside the wounded officer, attempting to calm him down.
Everyone announced they were okay.
"He's fine." Sam assured everyone, comforting the terrified rookie. "The vest caught it. He's winded but fine.";
"Look at this place." Carmen commented, looking around at the various guns on the walls and stuffed in several large blue Tupperware containers.
"Regular John Wayne, huh Bradley?" Flack yanked the man to his feet. "Where's the gun?" he demanded, patting Sullivan down.
"What gun? Lots of guns here." Bradley replied.
"The gun you used to kill two girls last night. Including your girlfriend." Flack said. "Where is it?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, pig.";
"Wrong fucking answer!" Flack said and put a hand on the back the perp's head and slammed his face into the wall. "Trying to take off, trying to kill one of my guys. And now your lying. Where'd you stash the gun? You toss it?";
"I have the right to remain silent." Bradley mocked.
"Smart guy, huh?" Flack grabbed the hair at the back of Bradley's head and forced him to look to the side. "See that little brunette there? She's a bigger expert on guns than you are. So tell her where it is before she tears this place apart."
Sam unhooked the shot gun. "Winchester .357." she said.
"Where's the gun?" Flack repeated.
"I'll find it." Sam said confidently and began her search.
"Why don't you check up his ass first?" Flack suggested. "Probably lodged up there along with his head."
"Why don't you bend me over and look yourself." Bradley said. "You're probably into that sort of thing."
"Very funny, smart guy!" Flack resisted urge to pummel the perp.
"Much rather stuck something up her ass." Bradley said and winked at Sam.
"Hey!" Flack smacked the guy's head off the wall. "Watch your mouth!"
"That's police harassment, man!"
"I'll be putting you right through the wall if you don't tell me where the gun is!"
Sam spotted a windowsill planter with just potting soil in it. There was dirt on the floor and more on the ledge of the window. She headed over, shoved her hand into planter and dug around.
"Got it!" she exclaimed and pulled out the gun. "You stupid sonofabitch! Every decent criminal knows to at least clean up after themselves!"
"I have no idea how that got there." Bradley said.
Flack chuckled. "Famous last words."
Sam brought the gun over. Both Flack and the perp watched as she easily and seemingly effortlessly took it apart and examined it.
"Recently fired." she said. "Four bullets missing from the magazine. This is our gun."
"Got some explaining to do." Flack said. "Starting with why you killed your girlfriend and her friend."
"I got nothing to say to ya." Bradley remained defiant.
"We'll see about that." Flack said and yanked the perp away from the wall. "Let's go. We're taking a little ride to a place called central booking."
"Good job." Mac praised Samantha. "Go with Flack. Take the gun up to ballistics and get started on it right away. Call me with the results."
Flack was half dragging, half pushing Bradley towards the door.
"Me and you, huh, sweetheart?" Bradley blew Sam a kiss.
Flack hip checked the guy and sent him face first into the wall beside the door.
"Sonofabitch!" Bradley roared in anger and pain.
"Sorry." Flack said. "Didn't see that wall there."
Sam tried not to laugh.
"What? She your bitch or something? You given Mr. Police Man freebies, cutie?"
Flack stepped through the door and pushed Bradley hard into the frame.
"Mother fucker!" the perp roared even louder.
"Man." Flack shook his head. "I must need glasses. I didn't see that wall there either."
Sam hid a laugh with a cough.
Bradley continued to give her a long once over as they headed for the elevator.
"Damn," he licked his lips. "You are something fine, girl! I wouldn't mind bendin' you over and..."
Flack stuck his foot in between Bradley's, sending the man falling flat on his face. Hard. Sam simply stepped over him.
"You're clumsy today, Detective Flack." Sam commented, pressing the down button for the elevator.
"Don't know what's gotten into me. Sorry about that, buddy." Flack yanked Bradley back onto his feet and shoved him in the direction of the elevator.
"Sure you are... motherfucker!"
The elevator arrived and they got on. Bradley in between them. Flack's hand firmly on the man's shoulder.
"You got a boyfriend, sweetie?" Bradley asked Sam.
"Yes." she replied simply.
"What's the chances of ya ditching him for me?"
"Slim to none."
"Come on, girl... what's he got that I don't?";
"You tell me." she said. "He's standing right beside you."
"Be nice, Bradley. Flack warned. "I'd hate for my gun to accidentally go off."
"Good for you, copper! Lucky man! She's a sweet piece of..."
Sam hauled off and elbowed him hard enough in the gut to bring him to his knees.
"Ooops."; she said. "My arm slipped."
"Nice move." Flack praised. "Teach ya that out in Arizona?"
"They actually teach us how to knee guys in the balls, but I thought I'd be nice."
"You... bitch.. " Bradley gasped, still on the ground.
"She's tougher than she looks, huh?" Flack needled him. "She's the mean one out of the two of us."
"Fucking... bitch... whore..."
Flack yanked the man back up. "You gonna be nice now, Bradley?"
He nodded, his face scarlet red. "She is a tough little Brooklyn bitch. You are in for a world of hurt."
Flack grinned. "That's what makes it so much fun." he said.
Aphina:LOL! the dumpster scaring part had me laughing as I wrote it! Carm and Sam continue to become even closer! And Lindsay's demise is coming very soon!
Mauveine: Danny will soon be getting his revenge on Lindsay. But it doesn't go as planned.
Madison Bellows: the case will wrap up next chap. And the bonds will continue to become stronger between Sam/Carmen and Flack/Speed. Lindsay is on her way out. Not sure about Angell but I think she's good for Sam, jealousy wise!
laplandgurl: Danny grows them next chap!
Bluehaven4220:LOL! I know what you mean! I can't resist throwing in the dumpster diving.Something about it is humorously satisfying.
And to all of those reading and not reviewing (I know there's a lot) I'd like to hear from you guys!