TorC7

“So anyway,” Lisa said as she waved her fork in the air. “This guy actually had the nerve to come up to me and tell me that he had been expecting hamburgers and grits,” she said with a mocking French accent.

“You’re kidding?” Nash returned as he laughed. Lisa had been regaling him with the latest stories from her budding restaurant in Paris.

“I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know what it is with these guys Nash, but they act like I don’t have a clue what I’m doing in the restaurant business because I’m an American woman.” She turned her attention to spearing more of the salad and was shocked when she saw that it was already gone. She looked up at Nash guiltily. “Did I eat all of that?”

His smile was wide as he reached over and lightly touched away a dab of dressing from her lips. “Hey, I know better than to get in your way when you’re aggravated and there’s food on the table.”

A smile returned to her face as he picked up the large bowl and deposited it in the sink. “Thanks. At least let me cook you something.” She stood just as he was turning from the sink and bumped into him in the process. They caught each other’s arms to keep from falling, then began to laugh once more. It had been a long time since they had simply enjoyed each other’s company.

“Mom?” Cassidy said in stunned disbelief when she walked into the loft with Harvey to see her parents in each other’s arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I hope we’re not interrupting something,” Harvey said hesitantly, following at a much slower pace. He knew that Nash and Lisa remained close even after the divorce, but he had the uneasy feeling that he and Cassidy had interrupted an intimate evening.

Lisa hesitated when she turned to see her daughter striding in. She had been hoping to have a little more time alone with Nash. “Surprise!” Lisa said belatedly as she reluctantly took her hands away from Nash and turned to greet their daughter. “After talking to you on the phone I decided just to come over here myself to make sure that everyone was okay.” She exchanged a peck on the cheek with Cassidy, then quickly turned her attention to her daughter’s companion to avoid the onslaught of questions she was sure would follow. He was certainly not who she expected to see with Cassidy. “Hello Harvey.” She smiled invitingly. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Hi Lis,” he returned, stepping over quickly to take her hand. “How’s the restaurant business?”

“Pretty good, actually. I was just...”

“Dad. We need to talk,” Cassidy interrupted. It was bad enough that she felt like her partner was up to something, but now she had to wonder the same about her parents. It only made it more humiliating to have Harvey in tow when she interrupted them. She gave her mother a quelling look. They would talk later. “It’s business Mom.”

“Oh!” Lisa said awkwardly. The last thing that she was expecting was to be dismissed, especially by her own daughter. “So go ahead and discuss...”

“It’s a bit sensitive,” Harvey added softly in an attempt to keep the peace. Cassidy looked like she was ready to snap after adding insult to current injury. She had been under stress for far too long. “You understand.”

“Yes. Yes of course,” Lisa said and gave Nash a smile. “Sorry about dinner, Nash.”

“Don’t worry about it Lis,” Nash returned and tossed her a wave as she bid a hasty retreat. He glanced between Cassidy and Harvey. The fact that they were there together had him intrigued. “So what’s this about?”

They exchanged a look, then Harvey gestured to Cassidy to begin. It was her story to tell. She bowed her head, then simply blurted it out. “I think my partner is manufacturing evidence against Anna Paxton.”

Nash’s mouth dropped open, as he looked over at Harvey whose face was a grim mask. He knew that the last thing that Harvey wanted to do was to get involved with Anna’s case, but now it looked inevitable. He turned back to Cassidy as questions and possibilities ran through his head. “Alright. Let’s hear it.”

Cassidy told him of her suspicions and doubts, half expecting her father to casually dismiss her concerns as unwarranted. She was actually a little surprised when he appeared to be listening, just as Harvey assured her he would.

“Does Sarah know you suspect her?” His was already trying to formulate a plan.

“No. No way,” she stated firmly. “I didn’t say a word when I noticed the time index on the tape.”

“Are you still working in homicide?”

“We’re supposed to transfer back to vice tomorrow.”

Nash’s brows drew together. “I thought you were on extended duty with homicide.”

“We were. It’s actually a relief that we’re going back early because Sarah has been unbearable to work with since transferring.”

“She wants to get back to vice?”

“In the worst way,” Cassidy confirmed.

Nash and Harvey exchanged a knowing glance. “Could just be a coincidence or maybe even a boyfriend,” Harvey suggested in response to what they were both thinking.

“No,” Cassidy denied the latter. “Sarah’s boyfriend is out of town at the moment.”

“Know anything about him?” Nash asked.

She shook her head. “Only that his name is Chad Larkin and that he’s some sort of investment broker down in Los Angeles.”

“MCD’s going to want in on this,” Harvey said.

Nash thought about that for a long moment. “Let’s just make sure that there is something to investigate first.”

“I knew it!” Cassidy fumed. “I knew that you wouldn’t take me seriously just because I’m your daughter. Admit it. If I was anyone else, you would be backing them up.”

“Whoa, back the truck up there little girl. I’m not going to risk a cop’s career on a vague memory. You said yourself that you couldn’t remember for certain if there was or wasn’t a time stamp on that tape. I’m not about to accuse a fellow officer of tampering with evidence without something to back it up with. If MCD gets brought in, it won’t matter if Sarah Drake is guilty or innocent. No one will trust her again. Her career will be over.”

“All right, all right.” Cassidy held her hands up in surrender after he effectively put her in her place. “I get it. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

Nash looked at Harvey once more. “Are you sure that you want to get into this?”

Harvey sighed heavily. “Guilty or innocent, I’ve got to know the truth.”

He nodded his approval. “We’re going to need to keep a lid on this,” he said, thinking out loud. “Need to know only.” He looked up at Harvey. “Do you want to bring Rachel in on this?”

“Definitely. If we need a tracker, she’s the best.”

“Alright, good.” He rubbed at his chin. “Joe has a few connections that will be very handy in this particular instance.”

“What about Twon?” Harvey asked.

Nash shook his head. “He’s still an unknown. If Sarah does turn out to be dirty, she might not be working alone and Antwon hasn’t been with us long enough. I want you and Rach to double-check all of the evidence against Anna including interviewing the witnesses. See if you can find any discrepancies. What else does homicide have on Anna?” he asked Cassidy point blank. “I can’t imagine a judge issuing a warrant on just the surveillance tape.”

“There were two deposits made in Anna Paxton’s account within days after a couple of the robberies. One of them was the exact amount reported as stolen from one of the victims.”

Harvey shook his head when Nash looked back in his direction. “Anna may be a lot of things, Nash, but she’s not dumb.”

“Antwon has already checked into pawnbrokers to see if any of the stolen merchandise has shown up, but didn’t find anything. If Anna actually did fence the stuff for some quick cash, someone knows about it. Do a trace on the money as well,” Nash ordered. “See if you can find out where it actually came from.”

“What about me?” Cassidy asked. “What should I be doing?”

He gave his daughter a long look. He didn’t like the position that Cassidy was in. If her partner did turn out to be less than honorable, Cassidy would also fall under scrutiny. “The fact that Sarah is so anxious to get back to vice suggests that there is something or someone there that she needs to get access to. She may be trying to cover her tracks or to establish new evidence. We need to know what that is. Think you can handle it?”

“Absolutely,” Cassidy returned without hesitation.

* * *

“So do you think Sarah did it?” Joe asked after Nash had filled him in on their drive to work the following morning.

“I sure hope not,” Nash returned. “It would definitely backlash on Cassidy if she did.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. I’ll see what I can find out about Sarah Drakes background. I’ve got a couple of people who owe me favors. What about their boss? Haden Kellam? Are you bringing him in on this?”

Nash had a lot of respect for the vice captain, but it was his daughter’s life on the line. “Let’s make sure who all of the players are before we start confiding in people.”

“Good idea.” Joe made a mental list of people to contact before jumping back to a juicy tidbit that Nash had mentioned earlier. “So what was this about Lisa dropping by last night? What’s up with that?”

Nash shrugged his shoulder. “I think she was feeling a little homesick and was just looking for an excuse to come back.”

“To you or to San Francisco?”

“What?” He looked at Joe incredulously. That was the last thing that he had been expecting Joe to say. “What is with you lately?”

“Look Nashman. Every time you and Lisa get together, something happens. It’s only a matter of time before one of you tries to get back with the other. You’re like magnets.”

“Get outta here.”

Joe wasn’t at all surprised to hear Nash deny the obvious. Lisa was his high school sweetheart. Nothing could compare to that. “Let me ask you this. Did you tell her about your relationship with Victoria?

Nash hesitated, wary of where Joe's questions usually led. “It didn’t come up.” Nash caught the movement out of the corner of his eye when Joe shook his head and looked away. “She wasn’t there that long,” he argued. “And the majority of the conversation was about her restaurant.”

“Filling you in on the intimate details of her life.” Joe ticked that off in the air as another point in his favor.

“What?”

“You and Lisa, man. It never fails. When the two of you get together, it’s cosmic.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“Anyone within a city block of the two of you can feel the tension in the air. Sparks fly. You could probably light up half the city.”

Nash chuckled at the exaggeration. “You’re way off base on this one, bubba. There’s nothing between Lisa and me other than a long history and a beautiful daughter.”

“Since when have you been able to carry on a lasting platonic relationship with the opposite sex?” he asked sarcastically.

Nash drew in a deep breath to respond, then hesitated. “All right. I’ll give you that one.”

“Thank you.” Joe bowed his head at the slight capitulation. “I’m just giving you a friendly warning. Lisa didn’t just drop in because she was worried. She came back to see if the magic was still there.”

“You’re wrong on this one, bubba.” He accelerated, ending the conversation.

* * *

Anna stared in disbelief when Rachel walked into the secure visitor’s room at the city jail. “I cannot believe that you have the nerve to show up here to see me after you stole my son.”

“I wouldn’t be talking about stealing Jerry if I were you,” Rachel said, her distaste at having to be there evident in her voice. “You’re damn lucky that Harvey isn’t pressing charges. If the feds had gotten involved, you wouldn’t be looking at parole anytime soon.”

“You can just turn around and walk back out of here, Inspector McCabe, because I have nothing to say to you.”

Rachel leveled her with a cold stare as she stood on the opposite side of the table. “It’s Leek now,” she corrected her, satisfied that she hit her mark when she saw Anna cringe.

“You may have Harvey, but you will never get my son,” Anna said with a low, even voice.

Rachel didn’t bother to point out the obvious, that Jerry was already living with her. Instead, she opened up the folder that she was carrying to get straight to business. The sooner their meeting was over, the better as far as she was concerned. “Two deposits were made into your checking account. One on the 13th for six thousand dollars and one on the 21st for four thousand.” Rachel tossed her folder down onto the table in front of Anna and pointed to the photocopy of Anna’s checking account. “Looks like you didn’t waste any time spending it.”

“I paid bills with that money,” she said defensively. “Raising a child costs money, but I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Well I guess I’m about to find out, aren’t I? When the thought popped into her mind, she bit down on her lip hard. Antagonizing Anna wouldn’t help Harvey at all. “Want to tell me where the money came from?” she pressed.

Anna searched her face. It was obvious that Rachel was angry about something. Considering their present situation, she was prepared for Rachel to be smug, not evasive. “Harvey’s working on my case, isn’t he?” she guessed and recognized the telling flash in Rachel’s eyes. Anna smiled as she relaxed in her chair, confident in Rachel’s insecurities. “That’s why you’re here, to keep him from coming.” Her eyes narrowed. “You knew that he would come if you didn’t.”

“Go ahead and tell yourself whatever you need to.” She tried to keep her voice dispassionate, but there was a bit of truth behind Anna’s words. She had not been pleased when Harvey told her the night before that the SIU was taking over the investigation of Anna’s case. She had seen what Anna could do to Harvey and it wasn’t pretty.

“It’s eating you alive that he still cares.”

“Look, it makes no difference to me if you want to stay in here.” She reached out and retrieved the file. “I’m not the one with my freedom on the line.”

“They were payments from clients,” Anna finally answered. “Tips, actually.”

Rachel looked at her with skepticism. “And just what did you do to earn such generous benefactors?”

“I don’t appreciate what you’re implying.”

“I don’t give a damn.”

Anna smiled at the blunt response. Rachel must hate the fact that she had to be the one to question her, Anna surmised. “I danced. Nothing else.”

“Wow. You must have a really bad attorney if he couldn’t get you out of here with such a solid alibi. Why weren’t your work records brought into evidence to provide proof of your location?”

The smile quickly faded from her face. She had already been down that road with her attorney. She knew that she had been set up by an expert. “They were private transactions. They didn’t come through work, but other clients.”

“Fine. What were their names?”

Anna hesitated again. “There are some things that money can buy and one of them is anonymity. They paid cash up front and I didn’t ask any questions. I just did my job.”

Rachel smiled as she shook her head. “I suppose you did it blindfolded too?” She couldn’t believe how completely Anna had been taken in. “With someone as expert as you at manipulation, I’m surprised that you didn’t see it coming. I’ll send a sketch artist in, but I doubt that we’ll find the guys even if you do decide to tell the truth for a change. What do you know about Sarah Drake?” Rachel moved on quickly. She didn’t like the prison rooms to begin with, but the present company left much to be desired.

“You mean other than the fact that she seems to have a grudge against me?” she shot back. “I never met the woman before Dabney Charles was murdered. Why? Does she have something to do with all this? Is she the one that set me up?”

Rachel eyed Anna closely. She hated to admit it, but she actually believed her. “I wouldn’t be saying that too loudly in here if I were you. It wouldn’t exactly put you on the good side of the cops or the inmates.” Rachel stared down at Anna without sympathy. She many not have killed Dabney Charles, but Anna had caused plenty of havoc in other’s lives. Landing in jail for a crime she didn’t commit seemed to be an odd sort of cosmic justice. “Sucks being on the other side of the con, doesn’t it Anna?” Before Anna could respond, Rachel walked out the door.

* * *

“It seems that Chad Larkin is and investment broker down in Los Angles who, coincidentally, was arrested by then officer Sarah Drake,” Harvey reported as Nash flipped through the file Harvey had given him. “He was suspected of insider trading, but nothing was ever proven. The charge alone was enough to ruin his career. His current whereabouts is unknown, however, his charge card has been visiting several of the nicest clothing stores that LA has to offer.”

“This just keeps getting worse and worse,” Nash mumbled as he quickly scanned the confidential report. “Nothing from any of the witnesses?”

He shook his head. “Everything checks out.”

“Dig a little deeper on this. Find out if Larkin did any time. Also, I want you and Rachel to flash Sarah’s and Anna’s pictures when you hit the pawn brokers.”

“I’ve already got the list. We’ll start on that first thing in the morning.” When Nash looked up in surprise, Harvey explained. “I’ve got a meeting with the child psychologist about Jerry this afternoon.”

“That’s right. I remember you telling me about it. Go. I don’t expect that you will find anything at the pawn brokers anyway, so it can wait until morning.”

“Thanks Nash. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Harvey made a quick stop by his desk to grab his things and was just about to leave when Rachel walked into the SIU. He could tell from her face that meeting with Anna hadn’t been the best way to spend her afternoon. “So how was it?” he asked tentatively.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” she lied graciously.

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Did you get anything?”

“A couple of sketches.” She checked her watch. “Aren’t you supposed to be picking up Jerry right about now?”

“I was just on my way out. See you later.”

Rachel went directly to Nash with the sketches and gave him the full report on her meeting with Anna. “I hate to admit it, but I’m starting to believe her story. The thing that I don’t get is, how could she not be suspicious with such a large sum of money being waved at her?”

“I think you just answered your own question sister,” Nash said lightly. “Money will buy a lot of things. Including a patsy.”

“How’s this for a coincidence,” Joe said as he walked up to Nash’s desk to join the conversation. “Guess who the arresting officer was down in LA when Chad Larkin was brought up before the grand jury?”

“Let me see. Would that be Sarah Drake?” Nash asked dutifully, not bothering to mention that Harvey had already clued him into that point.

“You guessed it. Larkin’s case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. According to my source down in LA, some of the evidence had come up missing.”

Nash shook his head. “I don’t like the way this is shaping up.” He looked over at Rachel. “I know you’re not exactly neutral here, but what do you think about Anna Paxton? Is she involved in this or was she set up as a patsy?”

“Let me put it this way. If she was involved, she sure isn’t doing much to save herself. As much as I hate to admit it, I think she’s telling the truth in this case. I think that she was set up.”

* * *