Chapter 4

Sam and Callen pulled up to the address for Stephanie that Eric had sent them. Getting out of the car, they noticed that the house was neat but somewhat run down. There were kid's bikes in the yard. They walked up to the front door and Sam knocked. A tall, pretty brunette answered the door. The two men exchanged glances. Deeks definitely had a type.

Callen asked. "Stephanie Wheeler?"

The woman hesitated and then answered "It's Stephanie Harper now. How can I help you?"

Both men held up their badges. Callen said "Agents Callen and Hanna, NCIS. Can you we speak with you?"

"What's NCIS?"

"We're federal agents." Sam replied.

"What do you want with me?"

Sam answered "We're investigating the murder of Detective Francis Boyle. They arrested a man for his murder yesterday and you were his original alibi. You've since changed your story but he insists it was the truth."

Every bit of blood drained out of her face. "They arrested Marty?"

"Yes ma'am." Sam replied.

Stephanie looked up and down the street. "Come in, quickly." Frowning, the two agents complied. Stephanie searched the street again and closed the door behind them.

"I was so afraid something like this would happen." She whispered, wringing her hands.

"Then why did you change your story? Was it the payoff Clarence Fisk gave you? We know about the 50 thousand he put into your account. Do you want to explain that?" Callen grilled her.

"I didn't want the money! When that lawyer came to see me and asked if I was sure about when Marty was with me, I said of course. She wouldn't let it go. Then she offered me the money to lie. I said no, even though it would have come in handy. My husband died two years ago leaving me with a lot of debt and I'm raising our two boys on my own. He didn't have much life insurance and I can barely keep the house. Still, there was no way I was going to lie and put Marty in danger. He's a good guy."

"So why did you?" asked Sam gently.

"She threatened my children. I'd already lost my husband; I wasn't going to let anything happen to my kids. She told me to take the money and when a detective from Internal Affairs showed up to talk to me about Marty's alibi, I was to pretend it had bothered me to lie all these years. I was to tell the detective that Marty hadn't come by until 3 in the morning and that he had asked me to lie for him, to say that he was with me all night but that he hadn't been. I told her again that he had been, that I wouldn't lie and that I would report her to the police. She told me the man she worked for was very powerful and if I didn't want something to happen to Chris or Jimmy, then I'd better cooperate. She also said if I went to the cops, he'd know. That he had people inside LAPD who would let him know as soon as I did."

She hung her head and said "So I did it. I let them make the deposit and I lied to the woman who showed up from Internal Affairs. I haven't touched the money, I swear! I want nothing to do with it!" She looked up at Sam, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

"Do you remember the lawyer's name?" he asked.

"Monica something or other."

"Monica Lee?"

"Yes, yes, that was her name. Do you know her?"

"We've had dealings with her in the past. She isn't a lawyer anymore. She was disbarred after our last run in."

"What's her connection to Marty? Why would someone want him arrested for that detective's murder?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Would you be willing to come in and make a statement that Deeks really was with you that night and why you recanted?"

She hesitated, looking towards the backyard where she could see her boys on the swing set. She looked back at the two of them and said "They're only four and six. I can't take any chances with them. They're all I have left of Larry. They're my world."

Sam reached out and touched her arm. "I can understand that Stephanie, I have two kids of my own and I would do anything for them. We can take you into protective custody, you and your boys. If you go back to your original statement that Deeks was with you all night and testify against Lee, we'll get you into witness protection. You can start a new life somewhere else. We'll help set you up in a nice home, with a good job. Your debts will be paid. You'll be starting fresh."

Stephanie searched his face, looking for a lie but didn't find one. "You can do that?"

"Yes. Let us help you. You help Marty."

"When would we go? I've been so worried that someone is watching me, watching us. I won't even let the kids play out front without me anymore. If they saw you flash your badges, they could be letting that man know that I'm talking to someone from law enforcement right now. They could come and hurt one of my boys the minute you left."

"We'd take you right now. Take nothing but a few clothes and toys for the boys, enough to last a couple of days. We'll take care of packing up your house and getting everything to your new location. There's one thing though. You can't tell anyone where you're going. No friends, no family."

"I understand. It won't be a problem. I'm an only child and my mom and dad are both dead. Larry's family cut him out of their lives long before I even met him. I'm not close to anyone else in my family. I doubt they'll notice that I'm gone. The few friends I have won't miss me. Are you sure you can protect us?"

"Yes, we can. Are you willing?"

"Yes, it would be a relief. The guilt has been weighing on me. What about the money in my account? I don't want it. What happens to it?"

"It becomes evidence against Fisk and Lee. Get your things together and we'll take you to a safe house. You'll be guarded around the clock until it comes time to testify, if it even comes to that. Once everything is over, we'll relocate you."

"Thank you!" Stephanie turned to pack up some things to get them through the next few days. She turned back and asked "Will you tell Marty why I lied? Will you let him know that it was never about him? That it was only to keep my children safe? I want him to know that I would never have done this to him voluntarily."

Sam smiled and said "We'll be sure he knows. I know Deeks, he won't blame you. He'll be glad that you took the steps you needed to in order to protect your kids."

She smiled sadly at him. "Marty always loved kids. They gravitated to him everywhere we went." She looked out into the yard again. "I think my boys would have liked him." They could hear the wistfulness in her voice and the two again exchanged glances. It looked like the woman still had some feelings for their scruffy detective.

While they waited for her to pack for herself and the boys, Callen called into ops.

"Callen?" Eric answered the phone.

"Hey Eric. Tell Hetty and Granger that we're at Stephanie's house and that she was threatened into changing her story. She's agreed to cooperate and state that she was with Deeks that night. Also, it was Monica Lee that did the threatening. Stephanie has agreed to testify against her. We're taking her into protective custody now and will take her and her kids to the safe house in Santa Monica. Have two agents meet us there for the protective detail. If this is Fisk, he's not above killing this family."

"On it! Oh, and Callen? Monica Lee visited Deeks right after he was arrested! She got in to see him by claiming to be her lawyer. We have their conversation on video. She didn't let anything slip about Fisk being behind this. Just said she wanted to see Deeks down and out."

"Interesting."

"And there's something else! The fingerprint has suddenly appeared in the case file and the bullet in the evidence list. In addition, there's been a new notation about Deeks's DNA being found at the scene. If we hadn't gotten into the LAPD database before they decided to give us access, we would never have known that that info hadn't been there right along!"

"This just keeps getting better and better! Well, one good thing, it pretty much shows someone is trying to frame Deeks for this murder. Now we just need to figure out who's behind this, get proof and get him the hell out of there. Has he turned his earwig back on yet?"

"Yeah, he's in an interrogation room with Detective Whiting again."

"Good. Have you heard anything from Hetty and Granger? Have they talked to Rivera yet?"

"No, haven't heard anything yet but I'll keep you posted. I'll contact them now to update them on Stephanie and the new items that have suddenly shown up in his file."

"Thanks Eric! We'll be in touch."

Callen turned back and filled Sam in on the conversation he had just had. They both turned when Stephanie reappeared, carrying a duffle bag and two back packs. They took everything from her and she went out to get the kids. They seemed to think it was a big adventure, fascinated by the very large federal agent in their living room, asking to see their badges, to see their guns. Neither kid stopped talking. Sam shook his head, if he didn't know better; he would think both these kids were Deeks's.

They finally ushered them from the house, Sam going first and making sure it was clear. Callen would drive the Harper's car and Sam would follow in the Challenger. Stephanie made short work of getting both boys into their car seats and they were ready. No one appeared to be following them but Callen still drove a roundabout route, both agents looking for tails but not finding any. They both sighed in relief when they reached the safe house without incident. They handed the small family over to the two agents who were waiting on them. Both were known to Sam and Callen and they knew they were leaving the Harpers in good hands.

They said their goodbyes and had turned to leave when Stephanie asked. "How is Marty? Before this happened, was he happy? Does he still surf? He always threatened to teach me but I'm afraid of the water. He swam like a fish." The wistfulness was back.

Sam smiled and said. "He's very happy, or at least he was until yesterday. He's involved with a wonderful woman who loves him very much. And yes, he still surfs, sometimes when he shouldn't!"

She smiled back at him and asked one final question. "Do you think I could see him before going into witness protection? I'd like to apologize in person and…I'd like to introduce him to my boys."

Neither man was sure what to say. Callen finally replied. "It's not against the rules as he's law enforcement and involved in the case. The decision, ultimately, would need to be his."

"I understand. Thank you for everything!" Stephanie stood in the doorway, two armed men behind her and watched the two federal agents who had just turned her life upside down, drive away. When they were gone, she turned back into the house to deal with two very excited little boys who wanted to investigate every inch of their temporary home. Watching them, she felt hope for the first time in a long time. They would get through this and they would have a new life. A life where her boys would not be threatened or used against her. She smiled and asked "Who wants lunch?"

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A/N – this is a shorter chapter than the others but the next scene is going to be Hetty and Granger talking to Rivera and that would have made this too long.

A/N2 – I just saw a video on the E! website that shows more of the interrogation with Whiting. I incorporated some of what I learned from that into this but I left the interrogation in two parts. Didn't want to rewrite everything!