SIU Blues Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the thirteen-inch black and white monitor. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the entire situation set off warning bells in her head. “Where are you?” she whispered to herself as she switched her attention to a rapidly rewinding view of the parking lot video feed. “What is it Rach?” one of the shadowy figures on the screen whispered into the tiny microphone lining the collar of his jacket. Harvey glanced up into the security camera as if he could see the people watching from the other side. She shook her head absently. “Something’s not right,” she returned, putting a voice to her nagging suspicion. “There!” she said sharply as she hit play on the VCR and pointed to a passing shadow on the screen. “I don’t see anything,” the somewhat nearsighted security guard stated flatly. “What’s going on Rachel?” Evan, the second figure on the screen asked as he pressed the tiny receiver more firmly into his ear. “Sinclair is going to be here any second. Don’t leave us hanging.” “What is over in that section of the warehouse?” Rachel demanded to know from the confused guard as she pointed to the area of the screen that she was scrutinizing. “The maintenance shed,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “But there isn’t anyone in there this time of night.” “Is there a camera in that area?” she asked, motioning impatiently with her hand for him to respond when he didn’t answer right away. The security guard started to shake his head, then hesitated. “Camera two is set for the loading bay, but I think that you can see the area just off of maintenance.” “Can you pull it up please,” she ordered rather than asked. “Car pulling in,” Evan announced. “Talk to me Rachel,” Harvey requested. “Run the tape back,” Rachel instructed the guard, the conversation moving so rapidly that they were practically talking over each other. “There!” she said again and the guard hit play. This time the shadow was more pronounced and the security guard finally understood her concern. “It’s a set up guys. Get the hell out of there!” Rachel burst from the security office across from the warehouse in a full run as she pulled her gun from its holster at the back of her jeans. She could hear her friend’s voices yelling, tires squealing, then the deafening report of gunfire nearly drown everything else out. Her heart was lodged up in her throat at the thought of what she might find when she turned the corner. Then, all thought was suspended, her body reacting automatically, taking flight over the hood of a parked car and out of the way of the speeding BMW. Crouching down between the cars, Rachel gripped her gun tightly with both hands, the breath finally returned to her lungs as her ears strained to hear anything in the deathly quiet. “Harvey?” she called out tentatively. “Evan?” “Over here.” The air rushed from Rachel’s body once more at the sound of Harvey’s voice, her eyes closing in a grateful prayer when she saw him stand at the other side of the warehouse. “Are you two okay?” she asked as she made her way quickly over to them, her eyes roving the area for the missing gunman. “We’re fine,” Evan replied with a note of disappointment in his voice from the botched job. “Did you get a look at the guy?” he asked hopefully. He didn’t want to see all of their hard work going down the tubes at that late date. Sinclair was ripe for picking. She shook her head. “There wasn’t much on the surveillance tape. Male Caucasian, I’d say. Nothing distinct.” “Where did he come from?” Harvey asked. “He made his way into the maintenance shed at the back corner of the warehouse. We almost missed him,” she admitted. “Well, I, for one, am glad you didn’t.” Harvey returned as he gave her a pat on the back. “Yeah,” Evan concurred as he returned his pistol to its holster inside his jacket. “Thanks for the heads-up.” Harvey’s brow furrowed as a slight movement caught his eye. “What do we have here, boys and girls,” he said to draw their attention as he moved toward a locked cage full of VCR boxes. “Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” Evan smiled at the white powder that was drifting out from a bullet hole in the box. “Looks like we’ve got Sinclair after all.” “I was wondering how he was planning to transport that much cocaine,” Rachel remarked as she glanced around at the warehouse full of expensive equipment locked behind rows of steel cages. “He wasn’t bringing it. It was already here.” * * * “Okay, so what do we have?” Captain Nash Bridges asked as he joined Harvey and Evan at Rachel’s desk to see what evidence they had gathered from the shooting at the warehouse. “Not much,” Rachel admitted as she turned the television around so that she could show him a small section of the security video she had brought from the warehouse. She froze the image at the best angle to see the gunman. “This guy slipped in just minutes before Harvey and Evan arrived. There wasn’t anyone in the maintenance area where he holed up so the lights were out. All we have is a shadow, but you can just make out the muzzle of a rifle right here.” She ran her finger along a portion of the screen. “Medium height. Medium build. Maybe male. Maybe Caucasian.” “Why don’t you see what you can pull off of one of these car windows,” Nash suggested as he tapped his finger against the screen at a hazy reflection. “Yeah,” she returned softly as she stared at the screen. “There just might be something there. I’m on it.” “What about you two,” Nash said, moving onto Harvey and Evan. “Any ideas how your cover got blown?” “I’m not sure that it was,” Harvey returned, a note of doubt in his voice. “There were an awful lot of bullets flying around there, boss, but nothing came even close to us. Either Quick Draw was a complete amateur with heavy duty hardware or we weren’t the targets.” “You’re sure our shooter was aiming for Sinclair?” “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Harvey shrugged to show his uncertainty along with his logic. “The shooter disappeared as fast as Sinclair’s car. I think we just might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Or maybe our connection made sure that we were at that place at that particular time,” Evan suggested, thinking out loud as he was accustom to doing with his coworkers. Tommy Boy wasn’t a snitch that they used often because he couldn’t be trusted. Unfortunately, he was the only one with the information that they needed at the time. “I wouldn’t put it past Tommy Boy to have his fingers in two pies,” Harvey admitted as he looked at his captain for direction. “There could be more than one reason for the additional villain in our staged show.” “Okay.” Nash assessed the situation quickly. “Why don’t you lean on your contact, but first, try to get a face-to-face with Sinclair. See if you can set up the deal again without raising too much suspicion. Meanwhile, Rachel, see what you can do about enhancing that image. Now what about the possibilities of other warehouses?” “Already looking into that, boss,” Harvey said as he nodded toward his desk. “I’ve got a search running and Rachel’s going to keep an eye on it while we look up Tommy Boy.” “Okay, good.” Nash looked back to Harvey and Evan. “Don’t let Sinclair jerk you around. After all, it was his hide you pulled out of the fire back there. Lock him into a time and place as soon as you can so that we can have plenty of backup in position.” Nash pointed a finger in Rachel’s direction as he started to walk away. “You’ve got a great eye, Rachel. Good work keeping our boys alive.” “She’s our guardian angel,” Harvey teased as he put an arm around her shoulders to give her half a hug. “We’ll hook up with you later for dinner,” he promised. “We owe you at least that.” Rachel gave him a teasing smile in return. “Steak and lobster.” “Uh,” Evan hesitated as he followed Harvey out of the office. “How about a compromise,” he suggested. “A hamburger at the pier?” Rachel shook her head. “With me buying, no doubt.” “I am a little short this week,” he joked as he pulled a handful of change out of his pocket. Harvey grabbed his partner by the lapel and pulled him away from the desk. He gestured to Rachel once more. “After our shift tonight. You pick the place.” “I’m going to make you wear a tie, Harv,” she warned. “As long as it matches my bandana and sandals.” * * * As he stepped off of the plane into the San Francisco terminal, his stomach began to turn. He had hoped that he never had to come back to the States again. East coast or west, the country left a sour taste in his mouth. He had only just arrived and he already missed the comforts of home. His grandson was the only reason that he even put forth the effort. He was proud of what he had accomplished on his own. It was a shame that his son hadn’t been so eager to join the family business. He couldn’t contain his smile when three young men approached him, bowing deeply in respect.. At least his son had taught his grandson how to greet him properly. “Hello Grandfather.” He spoke clearly and authoritatively, then gave another small bow after stepping up to him. His grandfather was everything he imagined him to be. Even though he had a petite frame, he commanded attention. The sign of a great man. “Hello Grandson,” he greeted him in return, then held his arms open for a brief hug, a gesture of trust. “I see that you don’t like to start on the bottom,” he joked, but his pride shone through. “How can I impress you if I drive cars for a living,” he said with a tiny smile. Earning his grandfather’s respect had been vital. He chuckled, a trait uncharacteristic to him. “You have done well. The family couldn’t have accomplished what you have in such a short time. I would have trusted no one else.” “Thank you, Grandfather.” He gave him another bow, then gestured toward the exit. “We have a limousine waiting for you.” * * * Rachel shook her head at the badly distorted image of the gunman that she had been able to pull off of the computer. “I’ve got nothing,” she said to Nash when he stopped briefly at her desk to check on her progress. “This was the best that the computer could do.” “All right,” he returned, then looked down at her, his mind quickly moving on. “What about the warehouse? Did the search pull up anything?” “Nothing with Sinclair’s name on it.” “That’s not surprising. He wouldn’t want to expose any of his other storage places if one got popped. What about places owned by his staff?” “Already looking into that,” she nodded. “So far nothing.” “Okay. Keep up the good work,” he encouraged her. He loved having a staff who could anticipate his orders. “Give Harvey a call and...” “Nash,” Ronnie interrupted him without apology as he rushed over. “We just got a call. Cortez and Leek were caught in a drive-by down at the projects.” Rachel jumped to her feet, her heart lodged in her throat as the officer continued. “They’re on route to the hospital now. The paramedics say it doesn’t look good.” Nash and Rachel exchanged a stunned expression, then both started for the door. “We’ll take my car,” Nash offered, efficiently dispatching half a dozen instructions to other officers without breaking pace as they left. * * * Rachel gladly left the abrupt questioning of hospital staff to Nash as they made their way down the endless hallways. No one offered any information other than directions when the captain had the opportunity to speak to people in charge. She wasn’t sure if she was going to cry or tear someone’s head off for giving them the runaround. Two of their coworkers, two of their closest friends were somewhere in that sanitized maze and they weren’t getting anywhere fast. Where were Harvey and Evan? What were they doing in the projects? How did they get caught in a drive-by? How badly were they hurt? “The paramedics say it doesn’t look good.” The words kept ringing in her ears. “...it doesn’t look good....doesn’t look good.” She had been with them barely two hours before. They had been joking with each other, making arrangements for a bite to eat after their shift. How could that have change so drastically in such a short amount of time? “There’s Harv,” Nash said as he grabbed Rachel’s arm, pulling her out of her whirling thoughts. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry when she saw Harvey walking slowly toward them. She quickly closed the distance between them with Nash by her side. Her mouth opened to vent a flood of questions, but they wouldn’t come. Her heart wrenched again when she didn’t see Evan following behind. Then she could easily read Harvey’s ashen features. Harvey’s eyes slowly rose from the floor to his captain’s. He knew that he would find the strength that he needed there. Nash could always be depended on to be a pillar. Harvey’s voice screamed of the emptiness inside as he haltingly gave the few details. “The car came from out of nowhere. A bunch of kids.” He shook his head solemnly as he tried to contain the emotions that were threatening to break through. “Evan...” He had to pause once more at the mere mention of his partner’s name. “He took two in the back.” Harvey bit hard into his bottom lip in a vain attempt to keep it from quivering. “He didn’t make it.” Rachel’s hand quickly flew to her mouth to cover the sob that begged for release, but she couldn’t suppress the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. Harvey had been able to contain his own tears until he wrapped his arms around Rachel and felt her body shake with the silent flood. He put his face down onto her shoulder and allowed himself to grieve for his friend. * * * Rachel and Nash sipped their coffee while standing on the four-by-six foot slab of concrete that made up the balcony at Harvey’s apartment. It overlooked the tiny back yard that was littered with King’s toys. As if on cue, the Great Dane leapt out of the shadows to attack a stuffed doll that had seen better days, one of Jerry’s toys that had been long since forgotten. They reminisced about Evan while they listened for any sound coming from inside to signal that Harvey had finished calling Evan’s family. Rachel spoke of when she first met Evan, of a dance they had gone to and of his sense of humor. Nash recalled his first week working with him, a fishing trip that went awry and the endless array of stunts that Evan pulled at work that made Nash want to strangle him, but there were times when he couldn’t quit laughing long enough to yell at him. It was amazing how only the good memories were surfacing. Over the years, there had been a few bad times as well, but those were forgotten in that moment of time. After awhile, Rachel wasn’t thinking of Evan anymore. He wasn’t far from her mind, of course, but it was thoughts of Harvey that became dominant. She had never had to make that horrible phone call to family and friends, telling them that a loved one had died, and she prayed that she never would. She couldn’t even imagine what Harvey was going through. He had been so close to Evan that he had joined him on trips to visit with his family. The two were closer than brothers, practically inseparable on the job and off. Rachel felt the heavy throb of her heart as her eyes dropped to the carpeting just inside the sliding glass door. She hadn’t allowed herself to dwell on the possibility that Harvey could have been the one killed that evening, but the thought had crossed her mind during the interminable trip to the hospital. It had been an instant of agony. Unimaginable, indescribable pain. That had to be something like what Harvey was feeling now. How can he bear it? “Can I ask you a personal question?” Nash asked, breaking into her darkening thoughts. “Uh oh,” she returned jokingly as she looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “Why do I have the feeling that I’m about to be interrogated.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she gave him a nod, then took a sip of her cold coffee. “When are you going to tell Harvey that you’re in love with him?” Rachel inhaled her coffee instead of swallowing and immediately began coughing. It didn’t help to hear Nash chuckling as he gave her a helpful pat on the back either. “You really don’t mince words, do you?” she returned when she found her voice. She searched his face and knew that it would be useless to deny anything. Nash always did have a way of zeroing in on things. “So this is going to be an interrogation.” She sighed, accepting that the conversation was inevitable. Someone was bound to notice sooner or later. “Is it that obvious?” “No, no,” he assured her. “I guess that I didn’t really know for sure until I saw your face at the hospital tonight. You were so relieved when you saw Harvey walking down the hallway that, for a moment, you didn’t even realize that Evan wasn’t with him.” She lowered her head quickly and he knew that he had embarrassed her. “It isn’t that I don’t care about Evan, because I do,” she defended herself. “I understand.” He held up his hand to let her know that she needn’t continue. “But you weren’t in love with Evan.” When she remained silent for a long moment he considered changing the subject, but Nash simply wasn’t one to dodge the tough topics and he wouldn’t let his people do it either. “So why haven’t you told him?” Rachel looked up through the glass doors when a movement caught her eye and saw Harvey walking through the living room on his way to the kitchen with the phone still pressed to his ear. She was grateful that they had closed the sliding glass doors when they came outside. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, she wanted to confide in her boss. She needed to confide in him. “Timing, I suppose,” she said simply as she caught sight of Harvey juggling the phone while trying to fill the coffee pot with water and she smiled. “When I first realized it, Harvey was still married and, as tempting as it was on some of those long, lonely stakeouts,” she shook her head, leaving the statement dangling, as she thought about one of those very nights. He had been so open, talkative. When he started sharing his concerns about his marriage, she had wanted to comfort him, but knew better. “He was married. I knew that he wouldn’t take me up on it anyway and, if he did....” “Then he wouldn’t be the guy you thought he was,” Nash concluded. She nodded as she gave another half smile and looked up at Nash out of the corner of her eye. “Do you know when I realized that he was getting a divorce?” she asked and he shook his head even though he knew that the question was rhetorical. “When he started saving his receipts.” She gave a little laugh at the insignificance of the action, but sobered quickly. “That was a couple of months before Bonnie actually had the nerve to walk out on him with nothing more than a card in explanation. I don’t think that Harvey even knew what was going on at the time. He was just trying to figure out where all of their money was going.” She shifted a little uncomfortably when she thought about the way he found out. “Yeah, that was not a good day,” Nash agreed. “It didn’t help matters when we walked into that hotel on a bust and saw Bonnie walking out with another guy either.” “I’ll never forget the look on his face,” she said, the scene playing out so vividly in her mind. “I’ll tell you, Nash, I’ve never wanted to deck a woman so badly in my life.” He chuckled at the memory. “You practically did! When you put your shoulder into hers as you walked passed, she would have landed on her backside if her boyfriend hadn’t been there to catch her.” “Yeah,” she said softly. It wasn’t one of her most proud moments. “So what about after the divorce?” he prodded. “Why didn’t you say something to him then?” She shook her head once more. “Catching guys on the rebound isn’t my thing either. Besides, by then Harvey and I had become such good friends I didn’t want to risk losing that.” Rachel looked at her boss, hoping for understanding. “I’d rather have him as my friend than nothing at all.” Nash tipped his head to one side as he straightened from leaning against the rail. “Sounds to me like you simply took the easy way out. How are you going to know if the two of you could have anything if you never even try?” She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. “He’s already lost one good friend tonight. He doesn’t need me pressuring him. He needs my support.” “I can’t argue with you there, sister, but I think you’re making a big mistake in the long run.” Their conversation was abruptly ended, much to Rachel’s relief, when Harvey slid back the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony with them. “Evan’s dad is going to be flying in tomorrow and taking Evan home the day after,” Harvey said calmly, quietly. “I’d like to go with him, if you don’t mind, Nash. I will be back by this weekend.” “You take all the time you need,” Nash insisted as he put his hand on Harvey’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “How are his folks taking it?” Harvey shook his head. “It wasn’t good. Evan’s mom went into hysterics. His brother had to go next door to get a neighbor who’s a doctor. They were sedating her while I was talking to his dad. I ended up talking to most of the family before I could get off of the phone.” “A call like that is never easy,” Nash sympathized. “What about you? How are you holding up?” “Oh I’m all right,” Harvey brushed the concern aside. At the moment, everything was still so surreal to him. “The tough part is going to be seeing his family.” He paused for a moment as he tried to imagine the trip, then shook his head. “I don’t want to think about that right now. It’s going to be hard enough as it is.” Rachel offered a slight change of topic. “Hey, do you think Mr. Cortez would mind if we had some sort of memorial for Evan tomorrow night?” she asked, then expanded on her suggestion. “Nothing morbid or anything. More like a wake. You know, Evan’s friends getting together to share some stories and let his dad know how much we cared about him.” Harvey’s expression lightened slightly. “That’s not a bad idea.” “It’s a great idea,” Nash interjected. “Rachel and I were just out here talking about some of the stunts that Evan would pull and it helped. It may just be the thing that Evan’s dad needs.” “Yeah,” Rachel nodded, taking the conversation one step further. “Maybe we can even have everyone bring in pictures with Evan and make a scrapbook to give to Mr. Cortez.” “Now you’re cooking sweetheart,” Nash complimented her. “Let’s make some phone calls and see what we can set up.” * * * Harvey shook his head as he looked around the room. There were more than fifty people at the restaurant that Nash had managed to get exclusively for their sendoff to Evan with dozens more stopping in briefly to pay their respects. Stories about Evan’s antics were growing bigger and funnier the more they were told around the room. Rachel made sure that every single person there mounted a picture in the scrapbook she had brought and, if someone didn’t have a picture, then Rachel pulled out an instamatic camera and took one. “This is amazing,” Harvey commented to Nash as they surveyed the room. “I can’t believe that you and Rachel pulled this together in less than a day.” “It wasn’t me, brother,” Nash informed him, pointing in Rachel’s direction. “This was all Rachel’s handiwork. I just got the place.” “She really is incredible, isn’t she?” he said as he watched her nab another person to sign the scrapbook. “I mean look at this place. Even Evan’s dad is laughing. I never thought that I would see that considering the circumstances.”  He shook his head.  “That is an amazing woman. I wonder why some guy hasn’t snatched her up yet.” Nash sighed heavily. He knew that Harvey didn’t have a clue how Rachel felt and it really was astonishing to him that some of the brightest people could be so oblivious to a golden opportunity at happiness. “Well maybe it’s because the right guy hasn’t asked her out yet,” he said pointedly. Harvey shook his head. “I see guys asking her out all the time, but she never seems to get serious with anyone. What is it about these guys? I mean, are they dense or something? Can’t they see what a catch she is?” “Some detective you are,” he returned sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he shook his head.  He turned away only to turn back around a second later. He couldn’t leave it at this. He cared about Harvey and Rachel too much. If they needed glasses to open their eyes, then he was going to give them a pair. “Maybe she hasn’t gotten serious with anyone because she’s interested in someone already.“ He waited for several seconds for his implications to sink in, but Harvey still wasn’t hearing him. “Really?  Rachel’s interested in someone?” Harvey asked with surprise. “Anyone I know?” Frustrated, Nash finally opted for the more direct route. “Why don’t you try asking her out?” “Oh no, she’d never....” he began with a shake of his head, then his mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes shot over to Nash’s. “There’s the light bulb!” Nash teased with a sigh of relief. Where work was concerned, Harvey could practically read his mind, but he was obviously a little rusty where the opposite sex was concerned. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do believe that I see my future significant other walking in.” Harvey was dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to think let alone feel. Rachel? Interested in him in any other way than friends or coworkers? It just didn’t seem possible. He couldn’t recall a single moment that he would consider intimate between them other than the three a.m. confessionals during long stakeouts. But that was a situation familiar to most partners, male or female. In the wee hours, after exhausting every other topic of conversation, someone would inevitably broach a personal topic. Had there been something more there? Was there an inference in her words that he had missed? A look or a gesture that had been exclusively for him? As he watched her from across the room, he could see no difference in the woman that he had known for nearly five years. She spoke with a small group of people as she passed around the scrapbook, nodding attentively, commenting where expected, smiling at an introduction and even receiving a one-armed hug from one of the patrolmen in their office. That was Rachel. Polite, helpful, and nothing hidden. Or was there? Harvey sighed heavily as he shook his head and reached for his abandoned beer. There wasn’t any point in dwelling on it. There was no way he was going to get any answers that night. He was there, everyone was there, to remember a fallen comrade. It simply didn’t seem right to speculate about a possible romantic liaison when his best friend had been killed less than twenty-four hours ago. Besides, Nash had to be mistaken about Rachel. She would have said something if she felt anything special for him. Rachel was nothing if not direct. * * * As the night wore down, Rachel sat next to Harvey on the bench seat, propped her feet up on the chair across from her, then dropped her head to his shoulder. “I’m exhausted,” she sighed. “You should be after the way you worked this room,” Harvey teased. “You didn’t let anyone get away, did you?” “Not one,” she returned, then smiled. “I even ambushed this one couple who wandered into the restaurant by accident. I insisted on taking their picture and having them sign the scrapbook. It wasn’t until after they were done that they were finally able to get it through to me that they were in the wrong place. They didn’t have a clue who any of us were.” “You didn’t?” He laughed along with her, trying to imagine the scene, then they settled into their usual companionable silence. “How was Mr. Cortez when he left?” she asked a moment later, trying to gauge the mannerisms of a man that she had never met before. She had seen him smile a few times and even heard a small laugh on occasion. She hoped that he wasn’t just being polite and actually enjoyed meeting his son’s coworkers, but she wasn’t certain. “He was doing okay,” Harvey replied with a note of surprise in his voice. “He insisted on taking a cab back to the hotel. I think he needed a little alone time tonight.” His mind wandered to the arrangements for the next morning. Nash had insisted on a formal unit to accompany the casket to the airport as a show of respect to Evan and his father, but relented to keeping it confined to that. Evan’s dad didn’t want any pomp and circumstance. His thoughts jumped back to the wake for Evan. “Mr. Cortez couldn’t stop singing your praises,” he eventually said, the tone of his voice lightening slightly as he tried to get a glimpse of her face against his shoulder. “Really?” “Are you kidding me?” He pressed his cheek briefly against her head to suffice as a hug. “He was carrying around that scrapbook you made like it was a bar of gold. He didn’t set it down once. You did a good thing, Rach.” They were distracted for a moment when a couple of people across the room called out to them, then waved good-bye. “Yeah, it is getting to be about that time,” she said as she sat up and started looking around for her things. “Can I give you a lift home?” Harvey asked. “No, I’ve got my car.” She spotted her jacket tossed haphazardly over the back of a chair and retrieved it before turning to Harvey once more. “What about you? Need a ride to the airport in the morning?” “No, I’m going to be riding with Evan’s dad. Nash arranged for a limousine to pick him up at the hotel and I’m meeting him there.” “Wow. Nice.” “I thought so,” Harvey agreed. “Nash doesn’t miss a trick.” He draped his arm around her shoulders as he escorted her out to her car, then nearly pulled away when he remembered what Nash had said earlier. Was that simple gesture something that could be mistaken for attraction by Nash? Was their teasing and camaraderie being blown out of proportion or was there really something behind it? It was so natural for him to put his arm around Rachel, for her to cuddle up next to him in the restaurant or for them to comfort each other at the hospital. He had never thought twice about it until now. “Has anything been arranged for Sinclair?” he asked, changing topics to get his mind to stop wandering into dangerous territory. “Not yet,” she responded. “Word on the street is that Sinclair is in Mexico for a few days. Nobody’s really sure when he will be back. I’ve got one of my search programs running on the individuals in Sinclair’s organization. We’re still hoping to make a connection.” “Good luck. Sinclair’s not a stupid man. He’s probably made sure that his name was left out of everything. The last thing he needs is a paper trail. But, call me if anything develops,” he instructed her as they reached her car. “Here, let me write the number down.” He searched his pockets quickly for his notepad and pen, then scribbled the number out. “I’ll probably be spending most of my time with Evan’s family, but I’ll call you with my hotel information when I get there.” He paused for a long moment before handing Evan’s parent’s phone number to her. “I never realized that I had that number memorized.” Rachel felt her heart give a heavy thump. Even Harvey was unaware until that moment how much of an integral part Evan had been in his life. She didn’t dare speak or her voice would betray her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, to comfort and be comforted by him, but in the end, all she could do was take the slip of paper from his fingers. She stuffed it into her jacket as she made a show out of searching for her keys, then focused all of her attention on fitting the key into the lock with only the dim lights of the parking lot. She had to get out of there before she said or did something she would regret. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she finally managed before ducking into her car, tossing him a little wave in farewell as she pulled out. * * * The atmosphere in the office that morning had been charged as well as somber. Rachel let her eyes scan the people milling around her, people doing their jobs, but there was something missing. She couldn’t stop herself from looking at Evan’s desk. It had already been emptied, the personal effects given to his father before he left on the plane that morning and the files handed out to others in the office. Life goes on...for the rest of them anyway. She watched as a uniformed officer walked passed the emptied desk and rapped his fist once on the top. People had been doing that all day as a silent farewell to a friend and it nearly brought her to tears. She looked away quickly and tried to focus on the report in front of her, ignore the tightening of her throat. There was a reason behind Evan’s death. That was the fuel in the office that morning. Everyone wanted to find the person responsible and they were shaking up every source they had to do just that. Rachel’s sixth sense was itching. While the uniformed officers were rousting the street gangs, she was looking in another direction. The gunfire was isolated, aimed just at Evan and Harvey. Her instincts told her that it wasn’t a random drive-by shooting, but there wasn’t any proof. No one was talking. Her usual sources had vanished and the gangs weren’t pointing fingers like they usually did. No one wanted to take credit for killing a cop. No one wanted that kind of heat to come down on them. She shook her head, trying to clear the random thoughts that made no sense. “Where’s the connection?” she whispered to herself as she leafed through fugitive reports, federal most wanted transcripts and known espionage organizations. “Why can’t I stop looking at these files? What do they have to do with Evan or Harvey?” “We may have just got a break Rachel,” Nash said as he paused briefly by her desk. “Someone in the hood has seen one of Sinclair’s men sniffing around.” “I knew it,” she said with certainty, rising out of her seat quickly to follow him out the door. “But why would Sinclair want Evan killed? I thought their cover was secure?” “I’m not sure that’s why,” he returned elusively, holding the door open for her as they made their way to his car. “I think the shooter from the other night may have something to do with it.” “Wait a minute. You’re not saying that Sinclair blamed Harvey and Evan for what happened in the warehouse, are you?” “That’s what it’s looking like,” he said, his voice tinged with anger. “So he paid off one of the locals to do the job for him,” she concluded. “But that still doesn’t explain who the first shooter was.” “That’s the million dollar question.” Nash opened up his car door and gestured for her to get in as well. “But we may have one lifeline left before the final answer.” They were in the car and pulling out onto the street before he continued. “We just had a call from the Charlton Hotel. Seems one of the maids stumbled across something she wasn’t suppose to and took one to the head, but not before she could report it so our guy had to get out of there quick.” “Did he leave any hard evidence?” she asked hopefully. “A box of shells spilled onto the floor and he wasn’t able to get them all before he had to clear out.” “The same from the other night?” “You got it, sister. We’ve got our guys dusting the place right now. We are going to do some one-on-ones and see if we can get a description of this shadow. If he’s the heavy hitter I think he is, there is a reason for him to be here. I want to find out who hired him and exactly what this guy is up to before he disappears on us again.” * * * “What do you mean you don’t have any prints?” Nash demanded from one of his junior officers. “This is a hotel room, for crying out loud. There have got to be dozens of prints in this room alone.” “That’s what’s so strange about this, Captain,” the forensic officer, Tom Frey, explained. “It’s like this whole room was meticulously wiped down. The only prints that we have for sure are from the dead maid. And I’ll be willing to bet that we don’t get any hair or fiber from the bed or carpet.” He shook his head. “I don’t know who this guy is, but he knows what to clean up.” Nash sighed heavily as he pulled at his bottom lip, deep in thought. “Okay. If this guy is so careful, then check the bathroom. Check the shower drain for hair, the sink drain for stubble, a footprint on the tub. Anything. I’m tired of chasing shadows. We need to be able to put this one particular guy in this room. We’ve got him for the maid’s death, but maybe we’ll get lucky and find out that he’s the one responsible for Evan’s as well.” “So the rumor’s true then?” Tom asked. “You aren’t buying the random drive-by story?” he clarified. “Let’s just say that we’re not closing the book on that one yet,” Nash returned evasively. Even though they were carrying out an official investigation, he knew that most of he people at the SIU were doing everything that they could to find out if there really was someone else behind Evan’s death. “This is ridiculous,” Rachel remarked, gaining Nash’s attention as she stepped into the hotel room after talking to several of the staff members. “No one can give me a definite description of this guy. He’s somewhere between five-foot-six and six-foot-five. He has blond hair, he has brown hair. He walks with a limp or possibly doesn’t. He’s black. He’s white. I’m getting no where with this Nash.” “Okay, okay. I get the idea,” he returned, holding his hand up to stop her. “We’ve got a chameleon.” Before he could lose his train of thought, he turned back to the forensic officer. “Tom? Make sure you check for latex, glue, anything to do with stage makeup. I’m betting that no one has seen this guy’s actual face.” “So we really are chasing shadows,” Rachel said, deflated. “Oh no.” He shook his finger in the air as the two of them started back out of the room. “No one is perfect. This guy has made a mistake somewhere and it’s our job to find it. Where are the files on Sinclair? Did Harv have them back at the office?” “I think Evan had them,” she said, pausing for a moment to think back. “I’m almost positive that he brought them here the other night. He and Harvey were trying to get some sort of angle on the situation so that they could arrange another meeting. I don’t know for certain, but I think they were trying to contact Sinclair from here before they went down to the projects.” “See, I don’t like that either,” Nash commented. “Why did our shooter choose this hotel to stay in? With all the places to stay in San Francisco, why did he choose the one that we just happen to have an operation out of?” “Close to the airport?” she offered in return even though doubt was in her voice. “Easy access?” “You don’t buy it either, huh?” He was quick to pick up on her suspicion. “It does seem a little far fetched,” Rachel agreed as she punched the elevator button for the floor where the department had rented a small suite for the Sinclair sting. “But again, I would have to ask, why would the shooter go after Evan and Harvey if their cover hadn’t been blown? It’s not like they were competition or anything.” Nash’s eyes lit up. “Or maybe they were,” he returned. “Find out if there is any new action in town. You know, anyone throwing their money or weight around. Then see if they have made contact with Sinclair. I’m betting that we have a connection somewhere among all of this mess.” When they reached the suite, he pulled out his copy of the key card from his wallet and made quick work of the door. Nash glanced around the room for the files, then made his way to the desk when he didn’t see them. The flashing light on the telephone caught his eye. “Looks like someone has been trying to get a hold of our guys. Maybe Sinclair is sending his condolences.” “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Rachel returned as she worked her way around the suite to see if Harvey or Evan had left any of the files laying out. “Shoot first and send flowers later.” Nash easily found the file in the top desk drawer, then reached for the phone, hesitating when it started ringing. He waited for a second ring and a third before picking up the receiver. “Yeah,” he said simply. “Glass. I’m glad that I finally reached you.” “Well, don’t get too enthused, because you still haven’t.” There was a long pause. “Who is this?” Nash chuckled maliciously. “Your boys haven’t been doing their homework, Mr. Sinclair, or you wouldn’t have to ask that question.” “Mr. Malone, I presume,” Sinclair said with a mocking tone, referring to Nash’s undercover identity as a well-to-do businessman/smuggler. “They can’t be very efficient if they didn’t tell you that I was in town or that they did an extremely poor job of covering their tracks when they started asking questions about my men down in the projects. By the way, how’s Mexico?” he asked and could practically hear Sinclair grinding his teeth over the international connection. He loved the efficiency of his people keeping him so well informed. “I had nothing to do with the unfortunate demise of Mr. Castle,” he returned primly. “That’s not the story I’m getting, Mr. Sinclair.” Nash let the implication hang in the air, covering the mouthpiece quickly when his cell phone started ringing. He slipped it out of his pocket and handed it off to Rachel. She made her way out of the room to answer the second call. “In fact, I was told that you would not have survived the ambush in the warehouse if my men hadn’t acted so quickly. Is this how you repay people who save your life?” “Let me assure you, Mr....” “I don’t want your assurances, Sinclair,” Nash cut in authoritatively. “Assurances will not erase anything in the past. And, as warranted as retribution might be, I’m a businessman first. We had a deal and you haven’t fulfilled your part of the bargain.” “You’re absolutely right,” he returned without contrition. “Business must come first even in the wake of such unpleasantness. I suggest that we meet this evening.” “Unacceptable.” Nash refused. “Mr. Glass has initiated the deal with you and he will conclude it. I’m sure that you will understand that he is with the family of his colleague and is not expected back until this weekend.” “And I’m sure that you understand that I have other engagement that simply can not be put off,” he countered, unwilling to relinquish any power that he still had. The game had begun. Knight took rook and now it was time for the kings to square off. “I will be unreachable by this weekend. The deal has to be made before then or we will be unable to conclude our business.” Checkmate, Nash thought. They would be able to salvage the undercover operation after all. “That can be arranged,” he capitulated slightly. “You can reach Mr. Glass here tomorrow night.” Then, before Sinclair could add any further addendums, Nash hung up the phone. He was willing to give Sinclair a foot of rope to hang himself on, but he wasn’t going to let him tie the noose too. Details for the meeting were already beginning to fill his mind when Rachel walked back into the room and handed him his cell phone. “I don’t like that look,” he said as he gauged her expression. He knew more bad news was coming. “You’re not going to believe this,” Rachel warned him. “Someone has bugged the SIU.” “What?” Nash returned incredulously. * * *