Steve and Mark pulled into the BBQ Bob's parking lot for lunch where they'd agreed to meet with the team. It hadn't taken much to convince the agents, especially Bobby and Jack, that it was a great food joint to hang out. Myles had been picky about the situation, insisting they should eat at something more sophisticated to see what LA had to offer, while everyone else was hungry for some good old-fashioned dinner. "So, do you think these agents will be very helpful?" Mark asked curiously, as they stepped out of Steve's car.
"They're supposed to be really good, Dad." Steve replied. "And they came highly recommended. They're supposed to be the best D.C. has to offer."
"I heard you mention that that Miss Thomas is a wiz at her lip-reading skills."
"That's what I heard too. I guess we'll see for ourselves, won't we?" Then Steve frowned. "I just hope they're not...you know, political and egotistical." He was thinking back on Amanda's old boyfriend, Ron Wagner.
"Well, let's reserve judgment this time for meet and greets, shall we?" Mark suggested. "Besides, with Miss Thomas's recommended methods, which we most likely really need at the moment, we don't have much choice."
"Uh, yeah." Steve nodded nervously and opened the door. Chief Masters was standing near the middle table, among a group of people, mostly men, clad in black jackets. Steve's eyes narrowed in confusion: Did I just see a dog in here? He asked himself. He could've sworn he'd seen a wagging dog's tail. Well, he was one of the owners here, so he could deal with that...uh, later. Back to the business at hand.
"Lt. Sloan, and Dr. Sloan." Chief Masters greeted them. "Good to see you again."
"You too, Chief Masters." Mark smiled.
"So, Lt. Sloan, this is the task force from Washington D.C. whom we requested to assist us with the case. I'd like you first to meet special agent Jack Hudson." Jack stepped forward. He was a good looking guy with black hair and dark eyes. He was slightly shorter than Steve and Mark, but looked like he could take care of himself pretty good in a rough situation.
"Agent Hudson," Steve greeted with a firm handshake which Jack returned without reserve.
"Hey there." Jack smiled. "This is my squad. That's special agent Bobby Manning." Jack pointed out to a tall, dark-haired, friendly looking fellow next to him. Steve nodded. The guy smiled widely and his happy teeth captured a returned, unabated smile from Mark.
"Good to be workin' with ya, mate." Bobby said cheerfully.
"Do I detect an accent there?" Mark asked.
"Hit the nail right on the head, mate." Bobby replied. "I'm from the 'wild' jungles from down under." Steve raised his eyebrows.
"Don't listen to him. It's a bad habit he gets in." Myles said dryly. "He's not really from Australia, he just picked up that accent in undercover training. Ever since then, he's convinced that his life-story began down with the kangaroos and koala bears. I've tried to talk to the bureau psychiatrist about what to do with him, but he said the outback boy is hopeless, and that we should humor him. Looks like he fooled you too. I told ya, the accent will get them every time." Most of the other agents snickered, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Mark and Steve chuckled.
"Ha?" Bobby gaped, acting as if he was confused. "Very interesting piece of news, Myles. I never knew that! Thanks for the tip, mate. I'll be sure to tell it to Garret when we get back. Of course, he'll probably only fire me for presenting my birth certificate under false pretenses."
"That was a very well thought out story you concocted just off the top of your head, Einstein with a gun." Lucy remarked earning her a few confused but amused facial expressions from across the room. "Funny you should say that, seeing as how Bobby was on the team long before you arrived."
Jack chuckled and spoke in low tones. "I can tell you from personal experience, Bobby's for real. In case you were worried." Myles reached out his hand and smiled smugly.
"Myles Leland the Third. At your service, gentlemen." He said in a suave voice.
"Steve Sloan, the first." Steve joked.
"You'll, uh, get to know him as we roll along." Jack whispered, rolling his eyes.
"Oh. Should we be on our guard?" Mark whispered back.
"Nah. Just be prepared with some good comebacks." Lucy blocked Myles' way and cocked her head, smiled widely. "Oh, this is Lucy Dotson. She's our roader. She keeps our office running smoothly."
"Yeah, well, someone's gotta keep these cocky guys in line. Hi." Lucy chirped. "Nice to meet you handsome gentlemen."
"Oh, uh...thank you." Steve smiled sheepishly. Mark rubbed his nose with his finger. Lucy was very pretty. She was dazzling. Not only that, but her out-going, if sarcastic manner put both of the Sloan men at ease. She had a very engaging smile and apparently a personality to match.
"And thank you, Jack for that overdue appreciation." Lucy remarked sarcastically to Jack and eyed the other guys in her unit. "Funny how you guys never bring it up though when we're not around strangers." Myles looked annoyed and pursed his lips behind her.
"Boy, she and Amanda would get along well." Steve whispered to Mark who chuckled. They were unaware that a pair of meek brown eyes had not only seen but read their conversation, and she smiled.
"That's Tara Williams." Jack pointed to another woman with short, wispy brown hair and mischievous eyes. She was very attractive too. "You'll be seeing a lot of her, especially around the computer."
"Miss Williams." Mark grinned.
I wonder if she's going out with anyone, Steve thought to himself.
Tara waved and grinned a sweet smile. "Hello. I hope we can work together efficiently, and in a friendly way." Tara replied. "Need anything, just ask me."
Steve was beginning to feel less guarded about these people. Their sense of humor and warmth reminded him a lot of his family. They seem to work well together, he thought. Of course, we haven't started talking about the case yet. And who knows how that's going to go? Well, we have no time for politics with this situation. We're just gonna have to work together, and they'll have to face that hard fact, like it or not.
"Dimitrius Ganz," Jack introduced the senior FBI agent.
"Dr. Sloan, Lt. Sloan," D nodded, shaking their hands.
"And this is..." Jack began to say when a lovely young woman came beside him. She had long, blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She smiled gently. "And this is Sue Thomas, our lip-reader." Jack smiled exceedingly when he introduced her. He looked extra happy as she stood next to him. His countenance did not go unnoticed by Mark, or Steve, or...Lucy, who was smirking with her arms crossed as she gazed at her favorite 'couple'.
"Miss Thomas," Steve grinned, the only words he could get out. He stared endlessly at her. That look did not go unnoticed from two certain FBI members.
"Hello. It's good to meet both of you." Sue smiled, signing as she spoke. Steve reached out his hand to shake Sue's when there was a loud growl close to the floor. Steve's eyes widened and Mark gaped. Levi was staring straight up at the friendly detective and he was snarling big time. His teeth were bared in a very unfriendly message.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, buddy." Steve backed off. "I'm on your side."
"Levi," Sue frowned. However, Jack glanced to Lucy. She'd signed 'snarl' to Levi. Jack grinned and signed 'thank you' to her. She was still trying to play matchmaker for Jack and Sue. And when she'd laid her eyes on Dr. Sloan's tall, robust, very handsome son, she'd decided to have her fun. "Levi, that's not nice." Sue scolded the dog. "We're working together on this, remember?" Levi panted.
"He's...very protective of you." Steve stated.
"Yeah," Jack gloated. "He has a possessive problem. Of course, he doesn't seem to have a problem with us."
"That's odd." Lucy remarked casually, nodding in agreement. "He never acts that way around Jack."
"Sorry about that." Sue grinned. "This is Levi, he's my hearing dog. If the phone rings, or someone's trying to get my attention, he lets me know."
"Hello, handsome fellow." Mark smiled at Levi. The dog raised his paw. Mark took it and laughed. Then Levi offered it to Steve who kept up a suspicious face.
"Look, bud, if we're gonna solve this case, we've got to be on good terms. Okay?" Steve asked. Levi barked.
"It's good to meet all of you." Steve said with his hands on his hips. "This is my father, Doctor Mark Sloan, chief of internal medicine at Community General Hospital, and...medical consultant to the police department where I work."
"Mmm. Impressive." Lucy raised her eyebrows.
"Sounds like a full life." Sue commented.
"Yeah, he, uh, really keeps us on our toes." Steve said sarcastically, smirking at his dad.
"Just trying to help out." Mark smiled innocently and shrugged.
"Well, then I suppose you'll be very helpful to us all, Dr. Sloan." D said.
"I'll do my best."
"We'd really appreciate any help you can give us." Jack stated.
"Same here." Steve replied.
Steve had his other employees serve lunch and Chief Masters prepared to discuss terms regarding the case. "This your own recipe for BBQ sauce, Lt. Sloan?" Bobby asked curiously, licking his fingers.
"Yeah. Handed down from generations." Steve replied.
"Wouldn't care to sell it would ya?" Bobby joked.
"No, no." Mark frowned, shaking his head. "I'm afraid that's something we just can't let go of." Bobby made a face and bit into his other hot wing. Steve was about to delve into his mega burger when he looked down and noticed the plate was empty. His brows furrowed in confusion. His eyes went straight to Mark's plate.
"Dad?" Steve prodded.
"Hmm?"
"You, uh...you didn't, uh..." Steve pointed to his own plate.
"Oh, no. That wasn't me."
"Well, unless Jesse managed to sneak in here without my knowledge just to get a thrill meet and greet," Steve muttered, "I'm afraid I'll have to have this place inspected for rodents."
"Hmm. I don't think you'll have to look very far to find your culprit, Lt. Sloan." Lucy said from her seat across from their table.
"Hmm?" Steve grunted, confused. Lucy grinned and pointed towards the table behind them. Levi was standing near Sue's seat and glanced in their direction, slowly wagging his tail and licking his lips. His nuzzle was painted with splotches of BBQ sauce. Steve shifted backwards in his chair and his hand on his hip, his eyes narrowing at the culprit. Levi just 'smiled'. Mark was snorting, and trying to stifle his giggles.
"Did you lose something, mate?" Bobby asked.
"Aw, no. No. Nothing of any significance." Steve shook his head. "Just my midday meal that's all." Bobby grinned and nodded. "That dog's gonna owe me." He said, leaning closer to Mark.
"Why don't you tell Sue that?" Lucy smirked. Bobby's jaw dropped and he stared at her in confusion.
"Do what?"
"Go ahead. Tell her that her dog ate your lunch. She'll gladly pay ya back for it. I guarantee it." Lucy said. Mark raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
"Okay. Thanks, I will." Steve nodded, secretly happy for the chance to get to actually talk with the lovely woman with soft brown eyes. He cleared his throat and tried to pretend to be stern, then walked over to Sue's table where she was conversing with Jack and Myles.
"Luce, what are you up to?" Bobby asked in a whisper.
"Shh." Lucy replied. All these years, she'd been hinting and trying to get Jack and Sue to admit their feelings for each other. Right now her little scheme to push them even harder was working!
Steve stopped at their table, but Sue with her back towards the detective, didn't even know he was there. "Ahem!" He grunted.
"Something we can do for you, Lt.?" Jack asked, taking a bite of his meal.
"Plenty." Steve said dryly, then stared down coldly at Sue. Jack noticed it and swallowed his bite. He didn't like that look, especially if Sue hadn't done anything wrong.
"Sue?" Jack prodded, touching her arm to get her attention. She looked up at him.
"Yes?" She inquired. "Did I miss something?"
"Someone wants to talk to you." Jack tilted his eyes in Steve's direction. Sue turned and was surprised to see Dr. Sloan's son standing there, with a cold cop stare.
"Oh...hi." She said nervously. "Uhm...is something wrong?" She asked timidly.
"I'll say there is." Steve said gruffly in mock aggravation. "That scavenger companion of yours stole my lunch!" Sue's jaw dropped and she glanced down at Levi.
"You've got to watch that." Myles spoke up. "Oh, I can totally sympathize, Lt. Being a victim of meal deprivation myself."
"Yeah." Steve said, unamused.
"I'm so sorry!" Sue cried. "He sometimes has a bad habit of helping himself if he thinks he can get away with it. I'm very sorry."
"Sorry doesn't get me my lunch." Steve replied curtly. Jack straightened his posture in his chair.
"My thoughts exactly." Myles nodded.
"Nobody asked you, Myles." Jack rolled his eyes. Sue pulled out her purse and plucked out a ten-dollar bill.
"Here you go." She smiled up at Steve. "I hope this will compensate you for your lost lunch." Steve gaped, not sure what to do next. Usually he was the one to buy the food when he was out with girls, but this woman had just freely given him money from her own pocket! He also couldn't help almost grinning as his lunch had only cost $5.98.
"Here. If anyone's gonna pay for his lunch, I'll do it!" Jack declared, rising from his seat.
"Oh, no." Steve said in mock protest. "I...I couldn't take your money."
"No, please. Take it." Sue begged. "I wouldn't want you to lose your lunch on my account. It'll make me feel better." Steve was having a hard time keeping up the tough guy facade when she smiled like that. He had to clear his throat to stay in character.
"All right. Thanks." He said, stuffing the money cash into his shirt pocket and walked away. Sue glanced down at Levi.
"You don't want me to check out what the California penalties are for stealing someone's lunch are, do you?" She asked Levi who grunted.
"A fine impression you're making for us, Levi." Myles muttered. You'll certainly never get my vote if you decide to run for media liaison."
Lucy smirked as she watched Steve return to his seat with a smile on his face. She'd seen the whole thing and had given herself a thumb's up when Jack had kept his sharp, protective eyes on Steve, watching every move he'd made. Mark's eyes widened when he saw the ten dollar bill in his son's hand. "She actually paid you?" He sputtered.
"Yeah." Steve grinned, pursing his lips. "This doesn't happen to me everyday." He was definitely looking forward to working with these guys, especially Sue.
When the meal was finished, Chief Masters updated everyone on what was happening with the case. Then, he asked Jack to stand up and speak a few words. Jack rose from his seat and held out the photos of Jeff White where everyone could see them. "Lt. Sloan? Dr. Sloan? I understand that you provided the metro police with these snapshots?" He asked.
"That's right." Steve nodded.
"And, it was you, doctor, who had a hunch to look this guy up?"
"Yes." Mark agreed.
"Well, excellent deductive reasoning, Dr. Sloan. Because this is the man we're all after: Jeff White." Jack declared.
"Are you serious?" Steve sputtered.
"Dead serious, Lt." Jack answered, wide-eyed. Tara went on to explain about White's profile, including his criminal charges, and the back story of his vengeful motive.
"Man, what a twisted mind." Mark shook his head. He honestly felt bad for Jeff White after he'd heard about the guy's lost love. But that was no excuse for him to go around taking the lives of other people! "He's let his grief take over his life, and now he's become a vicious killer."
"Right. Dimitrius spoke up. "So, Lt. Sloan, you followed him yesterday and then lost track of him?"
"Yeah." Steve growled.
"Well, without a home address, it's gonna be tough to locate him."
"But if White was in D.C. just a few weeks ago, then he must be staying at a hotel." Lucy remarked. "Or maybe with a friend."
"We found another victim last week that White can cross off his list." Jack explained. "We went to his hotel room, but he'd disappeared, and the place was clean as a whistle."
"We even checked his phone bill from the hotel, but he'd made no phone calls at all!" Tara exclaimed.
"Great!" Steve huffed. "That leaves only how many million connections he could've worked through in all fifty states."
"He used an alias at the hotel." Myles chimed in. "White's a lone wolf. His relatives don't want anything to do with him, and as far as we know, he doesn't have any close friends."
"Well, with all the victims that have turned up inside Los Angeles, he must be right in our midst somewhere." Mark stated.
"I've put out an APB out to all the hotels in the city, but so far nothing." Steve said.
"Let's start back to square one." Chief Masters spoke up. "I say we check any flights in the metro area from the past month that have come in from Maryland or Cleveland. And see if anyone matching his description turns up."
"I can take care of that faster than you can say, 'Reach for the sky'." Tara said.
"We appreciate it, Miss Williams." Mark nodded. Tara grinned and fiddled her fingers in Sign Language.
"It's no problem. And you can call me Tara."
"That's fine." Chief Masters said in approval. "Sloan?" He turned his head toward Steve. "I'm leaving this in your hands now. I expect a full-scale working operation. Everyone, Lt. Sloan will be your tour guide through our progress in the case. I strongly recommend that you all do your best to work together. Remember, this isn't about us: it's about the victims and their families, and the justice they deserve. Maybe now that we have some solid leads, we'll be able to pull this scum off the street and send him to where he belongs! I expect full cooperation from all involved. And, any developments you make get reported to me asap. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." The whole group said in unison.
"Good."
"We have a chance now." Steve sighed in relief.
"Yes. For the first time in days, I have a very good feeling about this." Mark agreed.
"So do we." Jack smiled. "It'll be a pleasure working with you both. As long as we remember that it's not about us."
"My thoughts exactly." Steve narrowed his eyes.
"Well, I say we quit talking, and start doing!" Sue added.
