The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 133 (Under Investigation)

Sam and Freddie made it to Violet's home, already there were her uncles and aunts. For the first time in years, she was amazed to see Uncle Brian and Aunt Madeline, but she wished it would have been under better circumstances. Her Uncles Morris and Buzz were there, along with Aunt Maddie. All of their children were busy at their jobs and other important things, but they would be filled in on this stuff later. Also there were her grandparents, Susie and Hugh.

Marissa drove up next to them and got out of the car as Sam and Freddie left their car. Sam ran around the car and quickly hugged Marissa. Freddie placed his hand on the roof of the car and looked to his mother from the other side, frowning. She looked from him to Sam worriedly. Sam breathed in and let out a soft exhale. "Aunt Lucy's alive, so is my twin sister." Marissa's eyebrows rose in shock, obviously she knew the story behind the twin, considering Sarah had been her best friend. "Aunt Violet said they think Aunt Lucy took my sister from the hospital."

"That's a kidnapping case…" She hated the thought that she might have to arrest one of her best friends' siblings, but if Lucy indeed abducted the baby from that hospital, then she would likely be under scrutiny. "I'm going to have to charge her...if it's true that she took the child and withheld information."

"I know, I don't want to think about that right now. I just…we need to get inside, everyone else's cars are here and I just saw Uncle Brian go inside, so…" Marissa nodded and led the two into the house where everyone was positioned randomly around the living room. Morris and Maggie ran over to Sam and promptly embraced her, they knew how stressful this had to be on her. "Aunt Maggie, is this really happening? Let me know if I'm dreaming."

"I'm sorry baby, I'm afraid it's really happening." No one was sure if this was good news or bad news. After all, it was good that the little girl was alive, but it was bad that she'd been taken from her mother at such an early age. Maggie looked over to Marissa, who appeared to be deep in thought. "What's going to happen?" Marissa lowered her hand as the others looked at her. "What's going to happen to that twin?"

"Want me to walk you through the legal step by step?"

"Yes." The other relatives walked over as Marissa crossed her arms and looked into Sam's eyes. She breathed in and let out a quiet sigh.

"Sam, your mother made me the legal guardian of her children, should anything happen to her. That is why, when she passed away, you came to me." Sam slowly nodded her head, she understood that part. "Your Aunt Lucy will be arrested, as it is a criminal act, a felony that she will be charged with."

"What about the doctor?" Violet asked quickly. Marissa raised her eyebrow and glanced over as the woman continued her question. "The doctor is the one who told Sarah that her baby was dead, that she would be unable to see her. I remember, I was there when she gave birth to the girls."

Marissa rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes, what she would give to be a lawyer right now. Being the police officer, she couldn't tell them exactly how long the charge could be, or any of the other facts that a lawyer could, but she could easily explain the enforcement process. "Then that doctor will be questioned, if he was indeed involved, he could be charged as an accomplice, and given the same penalty. The legal aspect of what happens to the twin is, typically she would come under my care, but I may have to actually sue for custody, but at the age of sixteen, the judge and legal system usually asks the kid where they want to go. So, that may not even be up to me."

"Okay, good to know."

"None of you had any idea that your sister was alive, Violet?"

"No idea…"

"Then it's going to be fun to question her. How did you find out she was still alive?" Violet rubbed her neck and looked over at Brian, he'd been the one that spotted them.

"I saw them," Brian said while he leaned up against the wall. He pushed himself from the wall and pulled out his Droid phone, the one that was capable of sending and taking pictures while talking. He handed Marissa the phone and she frowned as she spotted a short woman with blonde hair up in a bun, she had light brown highlights and was wearing thin rimmed glasses. She was pulling a can of beans off the shelf. What really caught Marissa's attention was the sixteen year old girl that was staring directly at the phone, she looked exactly like Sam. Marissa moved her eyes from the phone to Sam, who was watching with a racy heart. "I was out shopping, Venus called me to talk about something she wanted to do for aunt, my wife, and as I was talking I saw them. I instantly recognized Lucy, then I realized the girl that was with her couldn't be Sam, so I took a picture and sent it to Venus…after that, Violet took over the phone call."

"I guess you didn't talk to either woman?"

"No. I called out for Lucy, but when I did, she took off running. That was the last I saw of her. I don't know if she still goes by that name or not, but either way…" Marissa gave a brief nod and looked at Sam for a second.

"Can I see the picture?"

"Yeah…" Marissa looked at Sam for a second.

"Can I see the picture?"

"Yeah…" Marissa turned the phone around and Sam froze in shock, it was as though she herself were in that photo. The girl in the picture had a wavy blonde ponytail going down to her waist and rosy cheeks. Her expression was of bemusement, as though she hadn't seen a droid phone before. Sam put her hand to her stomach, she felt winded and ready to be brought to her knees. Maggie hugged her close as Marissa looked to Brian. "I'm going to need to take this phone as evidence and pull the picture off the phone, is that all right?"

"Yeah, I can use Madeline's phone for a while. What do you think you'll have to do?"

"Probably send some guys to that store to see if she ever checked out. If so, the cashier ought to have a copy of the receipt. Hopefully she wasn't smart enough to use cash and paid by card, if so, we'll have a credit card number to take to the bank. Once there, a teller ought to give us all the info we need. Once we take care of that, we've got an address."

"What if she decides to take off? I mean, she knows I recognized her…"

"Then we'd better hope she doesn't step out. If so, we'll be searching for her. After all…" Marissa narrowed her eyes darkly and an ominous aura seeped from her. "She took my best friend's baby, once I get a mission going…I don't stop until I get my target. This isn't a typical kidnapping, this is personal. I'll be getting a warrant for that doctor. Violet, you got a name?"

"Yes, Dr. Paul Garrison, I don't know if he's still practicing or not, but-"

"Seriously? Dr. Garrison?" Sam frowned as Marissa rubbed her temples furiously. Dr. Garrison was Sam's primary OB/GYN, he had been such for most of her life. In the clinic that he was in, there were two OB/GYN doctors, Marissa and the family were close to both and had been treated by both, so it wouldn't be difficult to switch over. "Okay then. I guess we'll be pulling him in for questioning then."

Hours later, Marissa walked into Dr. Garrison's office, she was going to head this investigation. Nobody could complain, she was the Deputy Chief of Police now, she was hoping to be elected to Police Chief soon. She'd been the Assistant Chief the prior year and a Captain of the force just two years before that. Next to her was the former Officer Carl, who was now a Sergeant in the force, beside him was a man named Travis 'Gunsmoke' Walker. He was a police Lieutenant. The nurses and medical assistants in the office didn't even bother registering them for appointments, they could tell the three were here on business. One woman walked up to Marissa with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Can I help you Ms. Benson?"

"I need to see Dr. Garrison."

"He's currently-"

"Pull him out of whatever appointment or meeting he is in. I'm not in the mood to wait." She hated to be harsh, considering all the staff here was family to her. The woman nodded carefully and led Marissa and her officers to the treatment part of the clinic. She disappeared around a corner and returned moments later with Dr. Garrison. Out of courtesy, Marissa led the doctor into one of the operating rooms. He wasn't too old looking for a forty-nine year old man. He had minimal wrinkles, a full head of brown hair with minimal grey hairs, and bushy brown eyebrows. The other doctor was a woman of fifty years, she had sandy blonde hair that rested on her shoulders and kind blue eyes. She always reminded Marissa a bit of Sarah. The female doctor, Dr. Daphne Baker, was instructed to join them and did so. She remained silent and stood behind Dr. Garrison.

"Marissa, I never expected to see this side of you in my office…" Marissa smacked her lips together and closed her eyes while Sergeant Carl and Lieutenant Travis took a seat in the two grey chairs next to the window. Dr. Garrison sat on the edge of the table. Marissa crossed her arms and bowed her head.

"Dr. Garrison, I don't want to have to arrest you. Please tell me this…sixteen years ago, Sam Puckett had a twin sister." The old doctor's cheeks sank and his eyes drooped down, he immediately knew what this was about.

"Yes…Am I under arrest, Marissa?"

"Maybe…Did you associate with her sister, Lucy Daniels?"

"Yes." Marissa pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. She'd have to take him in for questioning and place him under arrest. Her expression hardened and her gaze sharpened.

"Did you knowingly give the twin to Lucy and lie to Sarah Puckett about the whereabouts of her child?" She prayed, prayed that he had a reason, that he didn't do it completely out of malicious intent.

"Yes…I was young, thirty three years old and just out of medical school. I was not as wise as I am today. I accepted a bribe from Miss Daniels and instructed my head nurse at the time to hand her one of the twins." Marissa's heart broke as the doctor closed his eyes. Dr. Baker rubbed her temples and sighed heavily, she understood what this meant, she'd have to take on all of his patients. Marissa looked to the female doctor, creases formed at the corners of her lips and she slowly crossed her arms.

"Daphne, I'll need you to handle the patient that Dr. Garrison was currently with, then I'll need you to come in for questioning later today. Can you do that?"

"I'll clear up the appointment book for today and I should be able to come in around six. Will that work?" Marissa nodded slowly as the woman looked to Paul, shaking her head with disapproval. "I don't understand how you could do that, Dr. Garrison. Even if you were just out of med school…"

"It was a mistake, but one I'll admit to…"

"A mistake that will cost you your career…" She looked over as Marissa put her hand to her shoulder.

"Daphne, will you please walk him out to the car with Lieutenant Travis here? I don't want to arrest him in front of his staff and patients. It's the least I can do…"

"I understand." Marissa turned to Dr. Garrison and locked her hands together at her waist as he lifted his eyes and met hers.

"Dr. Garrison, do you understand your rights?"

"I do."

"Do you understand that you are being charged with assisting a kidnapping?"

"I do."

"Okay…" Within minutes, they were outside and Dr. Garrison was in the back of Marissa's car. She turned to Dr. Baker, who was looking at her with gentle concern. "Take care of the remaining patients for the day. We'll be expecting you in for questioning later. "

"I'll be there."

In the questioning room, Dr. Garrison sat in front of Marissa, who was holding a tape recorder in her hand. They'd found the woman who had been his head nurse at the time, she was retired now. They'd brought her in for questioning and were going to have to arrest her as well for being an accomplice and having not come forward. "Dr. Garrison, you were offered a lawyer, why did you not take one?"

"I don't need a lawyer, I'm willing to make a confession." Marissa nodded and started writing down notes. The pain in her heart was tremendous, but for professional purposes, she pushed it aside. She trusted this man. Hell, Sarah had trusted him.

"Tell me what happened. Why'd you do it, doc?" The doctor leaned forward and pressed his lips together, eyeing Marissa sternly in the eyes, he wasn't going to lie to her and she knew it. They had a mutual respect for one another.

"I didn't want to, but I wasn't thinking. Lucy came to me in tears, she was barren and without a partner. All she wanted was a child and I took pity upon her. I wasn't going to give her a baby, but she informed me that Sarah was her sister and she would not care. I was not aware at the time that she'd already vanished away. I was skeptical of her intentions at first and she offered money for me to give her one of the twins." Marissa's throat tightened as she wrote down her notes with a heavy heart. "I wasn't thinking of my practice, I was not thinking of lawsuits, I was only thinking of her at that time. She'd told me she'd already had an okay to go forward, but I neglected to ask Mrs. Puckett about her consent. I handed Nurse Davies the baby and she took it to Miss Daniels without question."

"I see. Doctor Garrison, would you be willing to testify in the court of law against Lucy in exchange for a lighter sentence?"

"Maybe…"

"Then I suggest an attorney." She stood up and turned away from him, shaking away the tears in her eyes. Why hadn't she caught this back then? She should have. She knew Lucy had been a bit on the mentally manipulative state of mind before she went 'missing' from her family.

"I am really sorry Ms. Benson, know I let you down. I let Mrs. Puckett down as well. I know there's nothing I can say that will take away the pain this is causing everyone, it should never have been done." Marissa rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, then started walking off, leaving Paul in the small cold room on his own. He stared at his trembling hands and tears started to drip down his cheeks as he thought about his future falling down the drain.

Sergeant Carl and Lieutenant Travis walked into the store and made their way to one of the cashiers in the aisle. The cashier was a teenage boy with glasses, acne, and a red crew cut. They flashed their detective badges at him and all the customers at the aisle backed up a few paces. He shifted his gaze to nervously to the side and chuckled. "C-Can I help you officers? If this is about the party last week, that was a one-time thing, I promise I'm not doing that shit anymore." The two detectives looked at each other and laughed once. Travis crossed his arms and smirked.

"We're not narcotics. We're investigating a kidnapping." Travis nodded towards Carl and he showed the blown up image of Lucy and the twin. Travis pointed his thumb to the picture as the boy looked towards it, his eyes flashed with instantaneous recognition. "You recognize this woman?"

"Oh yes, Sheila Carmichael." The men raised their eyebrows and glanced at each other, the woman was using an assumed name? "She comes here almost every day with her girl, sometimes the girl comes by on her own. My coworker enjoys hanging out with the girl, he's a bit too shy to ask her out though."

"Okay…Do you have a recent receipt for this woman?"

"Yes, but…" He swallowed and his eyebrows rose sadly. "You're investigating a kidnapping? Who was kidnapped by whom?"

"You let us decide that. We need a receipt, sir."

"Okay, hang on…" The man turned to the cash register and chuckled as his customers began groaning and moving to other aisles. The police watched quietly as they left and looked back at the cashier. They checked his nametag, it read "Ned". Within a few moments, he had a receipt printed out. "Here you are. Oh, I forgot to ask, did you have a search warrant? You know, before I-" Travis lifted up the warrant and Ned smiled a toothy grin as he tore the receipt off and handed it to them.

"Thank you." They took a look at the receipt and spotted a credit card number. Their next stop would be the bank. They took one last look at Ned, eyeing his chest pocket. They could smell weed on him. They started walking off, stopped and looked back at him with a smile. "We'll stop by the narcotics division for you."

"Okay th…" He paused and his color began to drain from his face. The two officers chuckled and continued on their way, passing Sam, who was waiting at one of the claw games.

Here we go, officially hurtling into the story. This will become everything I and you may hope for ^_^. Maybe not, but hey, I'm happy about this.