The Report
By Kat
It was a dark and stormy night
"Damn," Jake muttered to himself. "This is a report, not a novel. Get with it, McCartey."
He erased what he had written and started again.
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away�
Once again he deleted the words and sat back in the chair. If he kept this up, he�d never get this report off to his supervisors.
How to explain to them what is almost unexplainable? How to tell them that Sara�s not a threat to the known universe, let alone to their own existence? These people just didn�t understand that if they interfered, things would be much worse for everyone.
He tried it again:
As per your instructions, a number of months ago I became a rookie cop in the 11th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. My orders were to watch for any unusual activity surrounding one Sara Pezzini. It is my understanding that she has been the focus of the Department�s watchful eye for a number of years. I am only the latest to be assigned to the case.
On November 11, 2000, something unusual definitely took place. The subject had engaged in a firefight with a known gunman that resulted in the partial destruction of the Museum of Art and the death of said gunman. It also resulted in a slightly confused, but very much alive, Sara Pezzini. No one could figure out how she survived the devastation.
It was then that I noticed she now wore a distinctive silver bracelet with a Carnelian stone in the center. Whenever she was worried or upset, she caressed the stone as if it would somehow bring her luck or answers. Somehow, it seemed to do exactly that.
"That�s a much better start," he said to the computer. "I still don�t know how to tell them everything that�s happened without endangering her life, but I guess I better figure that out, and soon."
He grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen and tried to compose the report in his head and view it from his superiors� point of view. He rejected version after version, knowing it wouldn�t give him the leverage he needed to protect save her and ultimately save them.
He paced for a while, finally latching onto an idea.
After the death of her partner, Danny Woo, she became like an avenging angel towards Tommy Gallo and any other scumbag she was fixated on. It was almost impossible to keep up with her, especially since it was obvious she didn�t want anyone to know what she was up to. I kept as close an eye on her as I could, given my status as a rookie cop in the office.
It also became apparent that she has another "watcher" in her life. Ian Nottingham, in the employ of Kenneth Irons, has taken a very proactive part in her world. It is he that doles out bits and pieces of Sara�s life, doling it out in increments that Irons has obviously approved.
It is my opinion that Irons is going to be more of a challenge and problem for the Department, than Nottingham will be to me personally. I will need your guidance in deciding what to do about him.
As for Nottingham, I know you warned me that it was probable we would cross paths, but we didn�t take into consideration that he would recognize me in spite of the surgery and dye job. It could turn into a big problem if he tells Sara who I am, or at least was, and what my current duties include. I�ve just begun to get her to trust me and I don�t want to underestimate how much damage he can do to that. As you have pointed out on numerous occasions, without her trust, our mission will be impossible to complete.
You should have received my interim reports detailing the specifics of each week for the last four months. I don�t think I need to rehash them all here. If you have any questions about the reports, you know where to reach me.
My recommendation for this case is to continue to watch and learn. We need Sara cooperative and alive to do the Department�s wishes. If we push too far and too fast, we�ll lose all chance of success. She hasn�t yet opened up to me about the strange occurrences in her life, but I feel we�re getting closer and it will happen sooner than we had anticipated.
Until I hear from you, I will continue to play the part of the FBI Agent on loan to the Department of Justice pretending to be a rookie cop. It�s our best chance.
He re-read the report and knew it was the best he could do at the moment. Hitting the send button on his computer, it was whisked off to his bosses. He could only hope that they�d buy that line of bull as quickly as Dante did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Jake sat across the desks from Sara, talking about their current caseload. "Why is Dante dumping more of this crap on our desks? There are 10 other detectives out there, why us?"
"Jake, you ought to know better than to bitch about this. He�ll only give us more to prove a point," she replied.
He sighed, "You right. But it doesn�t make it any easier to deal with."
"No," she said, "but it silence does make it easier for me to deal with your griping." She smiled as she said that, but Jake knew she wasn�t completely joking.
"Fine," he muttered, going back to the files sliding off the neat piles he�d started with this morning.
A little while later, the phone rang. Sara picked it up, "Homicide, Pezzini here." She listened for a moment and passed the phone to Jake. "For you."
"McCartey." He spoke into the phone. He recognized the other voice and knew this was going to be tricky with Sara in the room. "Yeah, bra, I hear ya. Wanna meet for drinks tonight?"
He watched Sara out of the corner of his eye. She seemed interested in the conversation, but not suspicious. That was good.
"Oh, even better," he said to the caller. "I�ll see you then." He hung up the phone and grabbed another sliding file.
"You got a date, Jake?" she asked with a wicked grin.
"Yeah."
"Anyone I know?" she asked.
"Not unless you picked her up for solicitation," he quipped back.
Both laughed at the thought and went back to working their case files.
The day flew by between the piles of paperwork and some much needed leg work � even if that leg work was only a walk around the block and a quick lunch at the hot dog cart down the street. Jake was beginning to feel that they were getting in sync with each other�s habits and their comfort zones. He knew she didn�t completely trust him, but it was coming. He was sure once he told her the tale of his FBI days, she�d be more open to sharing. He hoped he was right, his bosses weren�t giving him a lot of latitude.
Six o�clock rolled around and he packed up his desk. "I�m headin� out, Pez. You need anything before I go?"
"Nope. Enjoy yourself � and her," she said with a grin.
"Thanks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The woman he met at the restaurant definitely did not fit the image of a streetwalker. Nor was she what she appeared to be.
"Hi," he said.
"Glad to see you�re on time," she replied. She pulled out a file from her briefcase and set it on the table. "We need to go over your report, it�s incomplete."
Jake sat down, motioned for the waiter to bring him a beer and waited for her to continue.
"This is an interesting piece of fiction you�ve written here, Jake. I almost expected to it to start with �Once upon a time,�" she said.
He winced at the memory of his many attempts to get the report written. It didn�t go unnoticed by his dinner companion.
"Something you want to share, Jake?"
"Not really, Nadine," he replied. "I�d rather have you get your chastisement out of the way first and then we can talk."
"Then I�m done. Talk to me. What�s really going on?"
Jake waited for his beer to come before deciding what to say. Nadine sat patiently waiting for him to speak.
The waiter brought the beer, took their dinner orders and left. Jake�s time had run out.
"Nadine," he began, hand spread open in confusion. He couldn�t seem to find the words.
"You haven�t done something foolish like fall in love with her, have you?" she asked.
He tried not to react, but failed. She caught the despair mixed with elation in his eyes. "Oh, Jake. What have you done?"
"Nothing. I swear, nothing," he said.
"Yeah, but �"
Jake sighed and hung his head. He wasn�t going to be able to get away with much in front of this woman. She knew him for far too long and under circumstances that made it difficult to lie to her.
"I know what I�m supposed to do," he said. "But I can�t reconcile my mission with what I know to be true about this woman. She�s not a threat to us. She won�t use the Blade to destroy us."
"That�s what you say now," Nadine replied. "But can you guarantee that she won�t change with prolonged use of the Blade? Can you say she�ll never turn it against us? You know what it can do as well as I. You�ve seen the files the Vatican has on the Blade. It�s full of good women wanting to do the right thing, but somehow always getting sidetracked by the Blade�s wishes instead."
"That�s not entirely accurate, Nad," he answered. "Just because the Church doesn�t think it was right, doesn�t make it so."
"Jake," she cautioned, "while I don�t think you�re intending to slander the Church with that comment, you must be careful who you say such things to. It wouldn�t help you win friends or influence people."
"I know," he sighed, "but it�s true. Joan of Arc wasn�t wrong in what she did, other than not obey the Church in all things."
"Jake," she warned.
"Fine."
"And that doesn�t excuse your behavior in this situation. You know better than to get involved with your charges. You�ve always been the best at this in the past. What changed this time?" Nadine asked, worried she was going to lose a good man to this case.
"I did, I guess. She � she makes me feel things I�ve never felt before," he answered. "She makes me want to be more than I already am. And I�m conflicted about it, as you can well imagine."
"Yeah, I can. Jake, you know you can�t continue down this path. You need to make a decision and then stick to it," she counseled.
"I know," he replied. "Let�s get back to this report you need for our bosses. What do you suggest I do to keep them off my � our backs?"
"I think you�ll need to revise your statement about Irons being a threat to the Vatican. You know how much they hold him in high esteem."
Jake scoffs at the thought of Irons being held in high esteem by anyone, let alone the highest of high Churches.
"And you�ll need to decide how to handle Nottingham," she continued. "If you don�t, it won�t be long before Pezzini finds out the truth about you."
"Yeah, that�s what I�m afraid of too," he said. "If that happens before I get the other information, she�ll never trust me again. It�s going to be hard enough to retain her trust when she founds out I�m a Fed, finding out I�m actually a priest is going to set us back twenty steps."
"Exactly. You better figure out what to do with Nottingham first, then deal with Sara and her trust issues later."
"Cool," he said, falling back into the surfer lingo. "If we�re done, I need to head back home and prepare for tomorrow. I need to find something that�ll pique her interest and get her to trust me."
"We�re done � for now," Nadine said. "Just don�t blow the case because you have feelings for this woman."
"I know," he said. "I gotta go. I�ll talk to you later."
"Bye, Jake. Go with God," she answered. "And don�t forget the revised report. I need it before tomorrow evening."
"I will, Sister Nad," he laughed, waving as he walked out the door.
"I hope he finds the strength to resist this temptation," she mused. "He won�t be long for this case or this woman if he can�t."
She paid the bill and left by the back door. Knowing that eyes were always seeing things in the dark. Knowing that even now, she was being followed by people that didn�t even trust her to keep him in line.
It was going to be a long year.
This story ©copyright Kat, September 12, 2001