ONE: 7:00 am
“Don’t you dare,” She shrilled as she wrestled the man on top of her. His dark hair falling in his eyes, she laughed before wrapping her legs around him and rolling over. “I got you,” She teased with a wicked smile.
Flack laughed as he got his arms free and tickled her exposed stomach. “You didn’t get me,” he laughed.
“You didn’t,” She asked brushing her dark locks away from her face. Laughing as he tickled her, Nikki’s head rolled back and she squealed again as he tickled her again. “Don’t let me cheat!” She warned Flack. “Don’t you dare.”
“I’m not,” He stated after a minute. Bringing her closer, Flack kissed her after a moment. “I didn’t,” he breathed against her lips. “What you going to do today?” He asked feeling her lean against his bare chest. Tracing a finger around the small of her back, Flack felt her squirm against him.
It was a good day at least for her. Finally a day off before her siblings went on winter vacation. Perhaps she could get a little Christmas shopping done. “Take the heathens to school, pick up my paycheck, Christmas shopping.” She stated as she traced her slim fingers around Flack’s hand.
Watching her fingers, Flack glanced at her again before his hands gripped her wrists gently. “Don’t you start.”
Nikki’s blue eyes silted as she tightened her own grip around his wrists and then attempted to flip him. Getting nowhere, Nikki started to laugh again before hearing the knocking at her door. She thanked God for a lock on her door.
“Nikki, we’ve got school!”
“Oh shit, Milo.” Nikki whispered to Flack between her snickers. Keeping Flack pinned, Nikki smiled. “I got you.”
Flack gave her a small devilish grin before rolling them. Lying on top he listened to the knocking again. “You got their attention,” He whispered.
“Nikki!”
“Getting dressed!” Nikki finally shouted back as Flack pinned her arms to the ground.
“One, Two, Three, Got you,” He whispered into her ear before kissing her passionately.
Nikki smiled after they broke their kiss. Watching the boxer clad Flack get up; Nikki slapped her hand on the blue carpeted ground.”Damn it.” She cursed before getting up herself.
-------------------------
Several minutes later, a sweater and jean clad Nikki exited her room, leaving Flack to dress in peace. “All right, where’s Jaime?” She asked after a moment. She had been beyond ready to take on two young children.
Milo fixed his glasses before shrugging. “Watching TV.” He guessed hearing the loudness of recorded Hannah Montana. “Hannah Montana again.”
“Yes and tonight it will be science shows.” Nikki stated before moving into the living room. Seeing her younger sister still dressed in a pair of pajama’s, Nikki sighed. “Jaime, why aren’t you dressed for school.” She asked pulling her dark locks from under her sweater into a sloppy bun. “Come on. School.”
“They said school was closed.”
Nikki frowned as she saw Flack move into the kitchen and help himself to a bagel. “Who said school was closed.”
“The man on the screen.” Jaime stated. “Milo didn’t tell you.”
Kissing her little sister on her forehead, Nikki looked at Milo. “Snow day?” She asked after a moment as she rested her chin on Jaime’s head.
Milo’s barefoot dug into the carpet as he made a little dent in the carpet. “I want to go.”
Nikki swallowed after a minute and casted a glance at Flack. That royally screwed up her chances of doing any Christmas shopping. “Well then, we’ll go later and get my paycheck right.” She stated as she stood. Of course that meant the morning of shouting over who could watch what, gift snooping, and fights over what for lunch. Part of her wished suddenly that she was searching for a criminal.
Seeing Flack point to the safe on top of the fridge, Nikki nodded before pulling a chair over and standing on it. Punching in the code, Nikki handed Flack his gun before closing it and locking hers in there. “Hey maybe we can go to Chinatown for dinner.” Flack stated after a minute to the younger siblings.
“I’m not eating Clifford,” Jaime whined.
“No Clifford,” Nikki agreed giving a wink to Flack. Since none of their friends at the squad or the crime lab knew of their relationship, it was hard to actually get a date scheduled in. Stepping off the chair, Nikki gave him a soft smile. “Have a good day,” she whispered before kissing him after a minute.
Flack would have enjoyed the kiss longer if her younger siblings hadn’t made their gagging noises. “See ya tonight.” He agreed after a minute before leaving the apartment.
TWO: 9:00 am
Stepping out of the car, Danny swallowed as he lugged in the evidence bags. Three days before the largest case of the year and the main portions of evidence hadn’t been filed in the evidence locker.
Glancing at Flack while the other man entered, Danny smirked. “Busy night?” he asked after a moment.
Tossing away the fast food breakfast wrapper, Flack gave a devilish grin. “Stevens case.” He asked holding the door open for Danny.
“Yea,” Danny sighed. “Back log.”
Flack snorted as he walked next to Danny. Clocking in, he removed his coat before heading towards the stairs leading up while Danny headed down. “Lunch?” he called after a moment.
“You’re on!” Danny called back as he headed down the stairs. Flashing his badge, with his free hand, Danny waited to be buzzed in before kicking open the door. He then placed the bags onto the counter and signed in. Mac personally hated him. That was the only reason why he was here logging in the evidence that any first level CSI could have done.
Danny still couldn’t believe that nine stupid kids could have actually brought a video game into New York. It was the reason why Walkins was dead; along with four kids who had skipped school to go see a movie at the mall. It was senseless really.
_______________________________
“Yeah, this is Unit 332,” Officer Mycer stated as he stopped the patrol car. Looking over at the newbie across from him, Mycer pulled his gun from its holster. “Still no response?”
“No response from Unit 202, 332.”
Swallowing, Mycer looked over at the newbie again before they moved into the warehouse. He moved silently through the entrance before sniffing. There was a faint smoky scent in the air. It was almost unforgettable to the nose.
Gunpowder.
“Base this is 332. We’re gonna need some more back up.” Mycer whispered.
“Aren’t we going to wait for backup?”
His eyes fell onto the newbie with a look of shock. “We are the backup.” Mycer stated after a minute. Swallowing he moved into position before opening the door.
The smell of gunpowder hit him in the face after he had opened the door. Moving into the room, Mycer lowered his weapon and ran towards the two bodies. “Send two buses now! Officer down, Officer down!”
THREE: 10:00 am
Knocking the snow from his shoes before he entered, Mac looked over at Flack and gave a solemn nod before moving over to the two fallen officers. It almost seemed unreal that just three weeks ago they had buried Walkins. Now they had just lost two more.
Slipping on a pair of gloves, Mac looked at Flack as the other man bent down next to him. “Officers Manazzini and Kennedy. Between the two of them twelve years on the force.”
“Manizzani had the twins right.” Mac asked. Watching Flack nod, he swallowed. New York was going to tell in a hand basket.
“Supposedly the robbery,” Flack told him. “Don’t know if they surprised them but one shot both in the head.”
“Sounds like an execution.” Mac stated after a moment. Looking over at Flack he stood. “No other shots fired?”
Flack was silent as he attempted a way to state the fact that there had been no gun fight. There had been an ambush obviously. Kennedy and Manizzani didn’t even know what had hit them. “It doesn’t appear to be.” He stated after another moment. “Main party is in the other room.” Flack stated to him before standing.
Letting Flack lead him into the next room, Mac’s eyes fell on the safe cracking gear. “Safe crackers?” he asked after a moment.
“Spree started two months ago. Robbery believes it’s the same crew. They’re sending over the files.”
“Light reading.” Mac muttered after a moment. Walking from the side of Flack, Mac swallowed after a moment before looking around. Everything seemed disarrayed, but he still didn’t understand why the crew would have left their tools. The price for them would be expensive. But as he thought about that, He narrowly missed the flashing light. “When was the voicemail checked?” he asked after a moment.
“What do you mean?” Flack asked as he pocketed his notebook.
“The managers got a phone call,” Mac stated as he used his pen to punch the missed call button. “At 9:16.”
“That’s when Mycer and Davidson got here.” Flack informed him. Blue eyes glancing at his friend, Flack took the pen after his gloves went on. “That can’t be right.” He stated after seeing the number.
Mac glanced at him for a moment before looking at the number. “Call it.”
Flack pressed the dial button and waited for only a minute before the call went through.
“This is the NYPD dedicated line, Officer Hale speaking. How can I help you?”
Speechless, Mac and Flack looked at each other. Finally hearing the officer repeat herself, Mac finally came out of shock. “This is Detective Taylor just checking the line.”
After the call was hung up, Mac looked at Flack as the other detective silently walked away.
FOUR: 10:45 am
Entering the squad house, Flack saw the box of files on his desk. Compared to the day he was beginning to have Flack would have rather dealt with the files and a pair of safe crackers instead of the deaths of two cops. Now he had to question his own, involve IAB, and everything else that had to deal with an inside job.
Her voice echoed through the halls giving Flack a small amount of comfort. Tossing his coat on top of the files, Flack moved away from the desk to see Nikki carrying Jaime over her shoulders with Milo attempting to catch his sister’s feet. “Say hi to Freddie,” Nikki stated after a moment.
“Hi Freddie,” Milo and Jaime repeated together. They glanced over at Flack when the man was in view. “Hi Flack.” They said.
Nikki’s eyes turned to look at Flack giving him a soft smile. Knowing full well she couldn’t express emotion around him, Nikki however did give him a wink.
However when Flack didn’t return her smile, Nikki knew something was up. Stopping at her desk, Nikki lowered Jaime into her chair before pulling out a pad of paper and splitting it between the two of them. “Wait here for me okay?” Nikki stated after a minute. Getting nods from her siblings, Nikki moved to visit Flack. “Hey.”
“We’ve got a situation here,” Flack sighed after a moment. When she remained silent, Flack pulled her out into the hallway away from her siblings. “Two of our own were killed this morning.”
Nikki’s eyes widened as she looked at Flack. Swallowing part of her didn’t know what exactly to say. “Who?”
“Manizzani and Kennedy,” Flack told her. “I maybe a while,” he told her after a moment.
“I’ll talk to the Lieutenant see if he wants me to stay a while longer.” Nikki stated. “All hands on deck mode.”
Flack smiled loosely. He’d feel better if Nikki was on with him running the case. After all if the rat had used the dedicated phone line, then Nikki was the only one he could trust. “And your sibs?”
“I could probably call in a favor for one of their sitters,” Nikki replied. Glancing at one the off duty officers, Nikki sighed. This wasn’t what she wanted to do on her day off. First her siblings were off due to a snow day, which in her opinion wasn’t that bad, and now two of her own were killed.
She then turned but stopped feeling Flack take her arm. “What? There can’t be more.”
Her joke seemed almost light hearted in some ways. Flack however had saved the worst for last. “We believe a call came from the dedicated line…to the killers.”
Nikki stopped and looked at Flack after a minute. Unable to breath, Nikki leaned against the wall. “I’ll,” She paused after a moment. “Let me get those two heathens to a sitter.”
Flack nodded. “I could tell-“ he stopped watching Nikki turn away from him and into the squad room. Following her, Flack watched as she spoke with her brother and sister. They seemed disappointed after a minute but when they saw him it was almost as if the two young ones understood what was wrong.
Moving over to take Jaime’s hand, Flack assisted the three of them down the stairs. Stopping behind Nikki, Flack saw the line up at the door. “Danny!” he called before watching the CSI move back towards them. “What’s going on?”
“They aren’t allowing us out.” Danny grumbled. Looking down at the kids and then at Nikki he never assumed she’d have children. Maybe Nikki was older then she looked.
“What?’ Flack asked confused. He had only been in the squad room for nearly an hour and now they weren’t being let out? Perhaps it was better if he hadn’t told Nikki about the officer shootings. “Who are you?”
Getting no reply, Flack noted the badges. He let out a low guttural curse about the feds begin called before motioning for Nikki to come forward with her siblings. “This woman is taking her siblings home.”
“I can’t let them through.”
So the fed spoke. About to say something else, he watched Nikki put Jaime down and pull out her own badge. “I’m taking my brother and sister home.” She stated.
“Sorry Detective I can’t let you through.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “Wrong, I’m not letting my younger siblings stay here for a witch hunt.”
“What witch hunt?”
Flack looked at Milo before ruffling the kid’s hair. “Don’t worry about it eh?” he told him.
Milo looked at Flack and then at his older sister. Moving closer to Flack, he also noted Danny approaching the situation.
“They’re going.” Nikki stated. Moving to slip through the two federal agents, Nikki felt them start to push her back. “Don’t put your hands on me.” She warned. “Don’t!” Nikki shouted as the feds shoved her back into Danny and Flack. “Son of a Bitch!”
Hearing a gasp from Jaime, Nikki stood and looked for a little help from their lieutenant. Seeing him shake his head, Nikki looked at Flack before glancing at Danny. “Come on,” She muttered to her siblings.
With Jaime and Milo in tow, Nikki moved with Flack and Danny bringing up the rear. “Lieu.” She called.
“Dedicated line Lea, I had no choice.” He called back to her. Seeing her siblings, he muttered a curse before motioning to his officer. “They can stay in here.” He told Nikki. “You and Flack are the only two senior detectives in the squad.”
Nikki nodded as she pulled off her coat and tossed it on her desk. Rolling up her sweater sleeves, Nikki saw her lieutenant hold out his hand. “What?” she asked after a moment.”
“All weapons are to be confiscated for testing.”
“Now that’s BS.” Danny snapped. He was kind enough to avoid using the real words due to Nikki’s siblings being nearly a room away. Removing his own gun from its holster, he saw Flack reluctantly do the same. “Come on Nik, hand over your piece.”
Nikki chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “I don’t have it.” She stated after a minute. It’s at home in the safe.”
“You don’t mind Flack patting you down then?”
Nikki pulled away from the three of them as if her lieu had just asked her to do a strip tease for the squad. “Speaking French?” She asked. Though she knew that it was for believability, Nikki wanted her lieu to trust her when she said something.
“Don’t make me put you in lock up,” her lieu ordered. Seeing that got no response from her or Flack, he continued. “IAB may place you on the list.”
Sighing, Nikki raised her arms to the side and motioned for Flack to frisk her. Feeling his hands on her stomach and down her legs irritated her beyond belief but she still could see the truth behind it all. “What other squad houses are to be blacklisted sir?” She asked after a moment.
Danny looked over at her for a minute as Flack stood. “She’s clean?”
“Clean as a whistle.” Flack stated after a minute. “Danny what the hell you still doing here.”
Danny cleaned his glasses after a minute before answering. “Pissing off Mac. Can’t get to the lab for trace testing.”
“I’ll call him,” the lieu answered after he had locked Danny and Flack’s guns in a drawer. Handing the key to IAB Captain, he sighed. “Flack, Lea you two run point on interviews.”
“Now wait a minute.”
Of course IAB had to have something to say of the matter, Danny thought. Why not, they stick their rat noses into everything else. Sighing, he crossed his arms and noted Flack doing the same.
“How can we know that Detective Lea isn’t with the shooters?”
Flack’s jaw dropped before he answered for Nikki. “It’s her day off, moron.” He fired back. “She only stopped in to get her paycheck.”
“Which I still want.”
Danny broke a small smile at Nikki’s addition.
“Flack and Lea are the two senior detectives they run point on the interviews. Trappe will be a fly on the wall.”
“Perfect analogy.” Danny muttered.
“Messner will be searching for motive.”
“Files are on my desk.” Flack muttered. “Who are we to start with?” He asked after a minute. Feeling sick in his stomach, Flack watched Nikki remove her sweater to show the white sleeveless shirt underneath.
“The uniforms, work the way up.” She grumbled before tossing her sweater onto her desk and glancing back at her boss’s officer to see Jaime and Milo coloring.
This was not her day.
FIVE: 11:50 am
Aiden’s camera flashed as she moved to dust the drill. Getting a few smudges, she groaned before brushing a dark lock away from her face. “No cigar,” She muttered.
Part of her didn’t know what exactly to think. Danny was apparently locked down in the police station, with Flack. Interesting combination in her opinion, creepy but interesting.
Now she was attempting to find prints on safe crackers who were tipped off by a cop. This wasn’t happening.
“Find anything?”
Turning to look at Stella, Aiden shook her head. “Plenty of smudges no full prints.” She paused and looked at the drill again. “You?”
“Shell casing,” Stella sighed. Her eyebrow raised as she watched Aiden move around the drill. “What is it?”
“I read this thing once. That out in Vegas a CSI turned something inside out to get a print.” Aiden informed Stella. “What if—“
“There’s a print inside drill?” Stella asked after a moment. “It’s gotta be a two person job.”
Aiden gave a devilish smile before motioning for Stella to join her. “We take it apart and lug it back to the lab?”
“You’re on.”
________________________
Mac raised his camera and stopped before adjusting the corner ruler and then snapping a picture of the shoe print. Slowly then with the tweezers, Mac pulled the piece of tar from the print. Looking at it for a moment longer, he bagged it before moving to the other print.
“Heads up!”
Stella’s voice rang clearly through the crime scene as she and Aiden moved with the wrapped drill piece into the truck. “One down…”She stated.
“Two to go.” Aiden finished before looking over at Mac and his corner ruler. “What you got?”
“Shoe prints.” Mac stated. “What about your prints?”
“Smudges mainly.” Aiden sighed, “Figured I’d take the words of CSI Sanders…I think it was…idea to heart and maybe try to print the inside of the drill.”
Mac nodded. “Let’s bag it all and take it back to the lab.”
SIX: 12:00 pm
Flack swallowed after a moment before looking at Nikki. Nodding about letting the first officer in, Flack watched him enter the coffee room. “Hey Lukas, how’s the family?”
The officer looked at Flack when the detective spoke. Shrugging, Lukas sat slowly and then looked at Nikki and Trappe. “Doing IAB’s dirty work?”
“Shutta up,” Nikki muttered. Running a hand over her face, Nikki sat in the chair backwards and rested her chin on the backrest. “You go by the dedicated line.”
“No,” Lukas muttered. “Why do you care?”
“You know about Manizzani and Kennedy right?” Flack snapped fed up with the rigmarole. “Tell us about the damn lines.”
Lukas glared at Flack for a moment before sighing. “Never went near em, Don.” He stated after a minute. “I passed em though and saw Michaels in there.”
“Michaels,” Flack stated as he scribbled down the name. “Anyone else?”
“Hale, but she was supposed to be there. Light duty.” Lukas stated. “She however left for meeting and I think it was Detective Mari that took over for her.”
“Mari?” Nikki asked after a minute. Mari worked Vice. Actually she had been her handler when Nikki had gone undercover. Casting a glance at Trappe, Nikki saw him eyeing her. “When was this?”
Lukas looked back her for a moment. “Nineish,” He stated. “Come on Don, I got beat.”
“Go on…get out of here.”
Lukas went to stand collecting his cap. Nodding a farewell to Nikki and Flack he moved to the door.
“What about the summer beach house you bought in Point Pleasant New Jersey?”
Trappe’s question startled Lukas along with Nikki and Flack. “Well?”
The officer stopped and looked at Trappe. “Screw you, you bastard.” He snapped before storming out.
Nikki was silent before looking at Flack and then Trappe. “Mari isn’t the one.” She stated softly.
“And you know this how? By pulling a Colombo?” Trappe asked. Closing the file, Trappe stood. “Detective Lea you won’t be present for the questioning of Detective Mari.”
“She’ll be there if I say she will.” Flask snapped after a moment. “We don’t believe rats.”
Slapping the file on the table, Trappe moved out of the room. Watching him leave, Flack moved to stand by Nikki. Gracing her hand with his, he gave it a squeeze. “You okay?” he asked after a moment.
“This isn’t right,” Nikki sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder. Jumping at the sight of Danny, Nikki pulled away from Flack before seeing the file in his hand. “What’s up Danny?”
“Got something,” Danny stated after a minute.