Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Common Ground ❯ Chapter 7

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter Seven



JJ walked through the doors of the station, humming under his breath. There was a song he couldn't quite remember, but the melody refused to leave his head. He had flung his coat over his shoulder; the weather was surprisingly warm and sunny. Hey, maybe spring hadn't quite forgotten New York that year, after all.

"Hi," he said to Janet, who was sitting behind the counter, as always. "Has Drake-senpai...?"

"No, he's not in yet," Janet said and yawned. She grabbed her coffee cup like the Holy Grail. "There's something for you, though; it came this morning."

"Oh? Thanks." JJ took the file from Janet and opened it. Ah, Phillip Lance's complete autopsy report. Good. JJ nodded and continued on his way.

He couldn't help being a little disappointed, although he hadn't really expected Drake to be there. JJ was a little early, and after all, he was almost always at the station before Drake.

*I guess my mind sort of stuck to the idea that I'd be waking up with him,* JJ thought to himself as he hopped up the stairs. *Funny how self suggestion works. Well, at least I saw to it that he went home without falling asleep on his feet.* He smiled and shook his head at the thought. *Aren't I nice. It must be contagious.*

It had been a while since JJ had felt so light-hearted. Sure, he had never been the brooding type, but this was something heady; the kind of feeling that makes one skip and hum half-remembered songs. JJ might not have had a particularly good track record when it came to falling for his workmates, but he had a good feeling about this. It would work. He'd make it work, somehow. His heart did a funny little somersault as he thought about the kiss at the parking lot the last day, and he had to forcibly drag his thoughts back to matters at hand - namely, the file.


He went through the autopsy report, taking his time with it. Any clue of why someone would've imitated Lance's murder was vital. On the first reading, JJ couldn't find anything, but then he returned to the ankles: the unsolved mystery. Why cut someone's ankles? What connection did it have to the other cuttings?

JJ frowned as he looked at the photo of Lance's cut ankles. Cleaned of blood, the cuts still looked deeper and bigger than the ones on the other victims' ankles. He dug up some pictures to compare, and checked the report, and it was true: Lance's ankles were not cut with a surgical knife, but rather a cruder weapon; most likely a big hunting knife. As a matter of fact, nothing seemed to suggest that a surgical knife was used to cut him up at all, contrary to the other victims. But what about the spleen? How did someone remove a spleen with a hunting knife? It was near impossible. Unless...

Bingo. His spleen must've been removed long before. The old operation scar had just been slashed open.

Pleased with his progress, JJ did a little poking about and made some phone calls to hospitals. True enough, Phillip Lance had gone to the hospital only two months before he had been killed. His spleen had swollen; apparently, a rather common complication. Since it was causing him a great deal of pain, the doctor in charge decided to operate immediately and removed his spleen. Lance had checked out of hospital as soon as he was able to walk, not heeding the doctor's recommendation that he should remain in the hospital for a few days. He had been picked up by his family, and hadn't come back for checking.

That could mean that the operation scar hadn't healed properly, and could be easily spotted. It might've also been still sore, or at least a soft spot, which his killer had taken advantage of. Lance had been alive when the cut was made, but the slash wasn't deep. It sounded like he had had a run-in with someone who fought dirty; a typical back-alley gang fight. Had his murderer been a member of some western gang who had a mean knife and a gun and little to no respect for the dead? Seemed like it.

But why would someone want to play copycat to a murder that on the first glance looked like a normal gang war casualty, if maybe a little on the gruesome side?


"Drake!" Ryou peeked in and glanced around the room. He had a few files under his arm.

"He's not in yet, senpai," JJ said, still pondering over the killer's motives.

"Oh, damn. I needed him to sign this." Ryou bit his upper lip and thought for a second, then looked at JJ. "He's on the early shift, though, isn't he?"

JJ smiled. "I think so. The evidence speaks against it, though."

Ryou snickered in a tell-me-about-it tone. "Well, do me a favor and tell him to stop by our office when he appears, okay? Thanks."

"Sure, senpai, no problem."

"How's that case coming along?" Ryou asked, putting a file on Drake's desk. "Janet told me to bring this to you. You are really digging into the archives on this, aren't you?"

JJ sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, it is a bit of a mess. We've got the pieces but they just don't fit together. I can't figure out what started it all - we've got the first murder victim, but no clues of the motives."

"Did you check the backgrounds? His family?" Ryou immediately asked.

"Yeah, of course. No gang connections there. Good, law-abiding citizens. Seems he was the black sheep, or something." As soon as he had uttered the words, something seemed to click. JJ picked up his notes and read what he had heard from the doctor: Lance was picked up by a family member. If he was the black sheep of the family, the one who joined a gang and was even good enough a thug to climb the ladder to be a respected member, why would his family still be picking him up? Were they just endlessly forgiving? No, it wasn't really likely. Exactly how well had Lance and his family gotten along? He'd have to check it out.

"Good luck. I hear the chief was talking about adding people to your team, to get the case solved." Ryou made a face as he started to walk out. "You better work fast or you'll get Dee and me on your backs."

JJ laughed a little. He didn't really worry about getting the case solved; he and Drake were only just getting started, but the big picture was becoming clearer and clearer. "Duly noted, senpai. Thanks for the warning."

Ryou waved his hand and left. JJ returned to his notes. So then, Phillip Lance's family.


He had just gotten started when he was interrupted, again. JJ looked up and huffed in exasperation, but his irritation faded when he saw who it was.

"Hi," Drake said, a lopsided grin on his face. He looked like a bird had made its nest in his hair, but seemed otherwise chipper. He had a cup of coffee in each hand.

"Morning. Ooh, is that for me or are you just stocking up?"

Drake chuckled and handed him the other cup. "Don't act like I never buy you coffee, you freeloader."

JJ pushed his notes aside and sipped the coffee. Drake's good mood lighted up the room. JJ noticed that Drake had dressed in a slapdash manner; his shirt wasn't buttoned all the way up, and if Drake hadn't been wearing a tie, the shirt would've been all too easy to get out of the way. JJ bit his lip a little and grinned. Maybe, if they got this case to a turning point that day, they could finish early and pick up from where they had left it last night...

"I'm gonna have to finish early today," Drake said as he walked over to his desk, eyeing the file on it.

JJ raised his eyebrows, shaking his head clear of daydreams. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Jill called. Apparently there's something she wants to talk over, or something. Shouldn't take long, but I gotta get there before she leaves for work."

JJ sighed under his breath. Drake never did learn how to tell someone 'no', did he? Well, most of the time JJ considered it a good thing, but he couldn't help being disappointed. Dammit, he wanted some time alone with Drake outside work, too. Would he have to make an appointment or something?

"So what does she want to talk about?" he asked, somewhat uneasily. He didn't like the sharp tone of his voice - the least he wanted now was to appear petty and jealous.

Drake seemed completely oblivious, however. He glanced absent-mindedly at the file Ryou had left for him. "Hell, I dunno. She seemed pretty upset; I was thinking maybe she had seen a glimpse of our killer."

"Really now? Well, we can't ignore that, naturally." JJ didn't honestly believe Jill had seen anything that could help them. She would've called the station if she had really seen a dangerous killer in her neighborhood. Or at least she would've if she was smart, and she had seemed sharp enough at the party.


JJ went through Lance's file, trying to gather his fleeing thoughts. "In any case, I was just looking into Phillip Lance's background. His family and so on."

He heard Drake switch on his computer. "Found anything interesting?"

"Nope. Boring, nice folks. So I can't help wondering - why would one sheep stray from the flock? His brother has a perfectly clean record and a respectable business in medicine, so it really--"

"In medicine?" Drake looked up suddenly. "His brother's a doctor?"

"Hold on..." JJ shuffled through the papers. He had a hunch of what Drake was thinking. "Thomas Lance, here we go. He's a surgeon; has a nice private clinic downtown. He made the diagnosis of his brother's condition first and recommended the splenectomy to the doctor who operated on Phillip."

"Whoa, hold on, hold on." Drake held up his right hand. "Splenectomy? Like removing the spleen or something?"

"Uh huh. Looks like Lance, our original victim, went to the hospital to have his spleen removed. His killer just cut along the operational scar, and supposing that we're dealing with a copycat here, our killer imitated him." JJ frowned. "Come to think of it, that would mean that the killer had to know about Phillip Lance's operation. I mean, when Lance was killed, his spleen wasn't removed on the spot, but the following victims all had their spleens removed, too. So, speaking hypothetically, our killer would be someone close to Phillip Lance."

Drake grinned. "Feel free to breathe once in a while, JJ."

"Oh hush. You got me started by bringing up Thomas Lance. You don't think he--?"

Drake got up and came over to look at the open file on JJ's desk. He leaned his hands on the edge of the table. "JJ, I'd take any clue at this point. And it's not like we haven't seen anything like this before. Maybe Tommy thought his renegade brother needed to be taught a lesson, or maybe he just figured killing Phil was the only way to get him out of the gang; whatever. Besides, like you said before, how many people can remove a spleen that fast?" He gestured towards the note in front of JJ. "Here we have a professional surgeon."

JJ tapped his notebook with his pen in order to draw both Drake's and his own attention to it. He liked the faint scent of the cologne Drake was wearing. "But what about the gang relations? These Red Robs would've gotten Thomas's head if he'd just gone and killed his brother. Maybe Thomas was actually one of the Red Robs, too, and simply wanted to remove Phillip to get ahead in the pecking order."

Drake nodded thoughtfully. "It's possible. Red Robs seem to be pretty high class for street thugs; it makes sense that they'd have a couple of doctors in their ranks."

"For an easy access to drugs and so on."

"Yep, exactly." Drake bit his lower lip. "So, let's assume both brothers are Red Robs, and Thomas is smart enough to keep this hidden somehow. Thomas killed Phil to get into a better position in the gang, and is now repeating the murder to the last detail, to scare off Red Robs' enemies--"

"Or maybe he cracked when he killed his brother and feels compelled to repeat his own mistake," JJ suggested. "Anyone who systematically cuts up strangers just to make a point can't be completely sane."

Drake frowned. "But if Thomas is our killer, then why the sudden gore show? Doesn't seem very smart of him. If he's kept his gang connections hidden this long, why would he go out and cut people up himself? Wouldn't he risk exposure?"

JJ grimaced suddenly. "Oh, damn. I think there's an even bigger hole in the theory. Our killer is white, all the witness statements are clear on that detail. The killer couldn't be Phil Lance's brother; he's black."

Drake cursed under his breath and hung his head in defeat.

They were both quiet for a while, contemplating.

Finally Drake straightened his back and took a sip of JJ's coffee. "I thought it sounded too easy. Well, I guess we could make a little visit to Dr. Lance's clinic, in any case. Who knows, he might still have something to do with this."

"I called there already, to ask about Phillip Lance's spleen. They said the good doctor's gone to a seminar and won't be back until tomorrow." JJ reached out his hand and Drake gave him his cup back.

"Oh, hell."

JJ drank down his coffee and stood up. "We should at least give his description to the uniforms."

Drake glanced at him questioningly. "Why? I mean, it's not a given that Thomas Lance has something to do with the case - and he wouldn't show himself if he did, he's too sneaky for that. I thought we just established that he's *not* our killer; you doubting the witness statements or what?"

"No, no. I just have a good hunch, that's all. And remember, even smart guys have stupid moments."

Drake nodded, but he still didn't seem all that sure.

JJ tried out his most convincing little smile. "Trust me on this one, okay?"

Drake bit his lip and pondered over it for a minute before sighing resolutely. "Oh, dammit, fine. But it's your paperwork." He chuckled a little, shaking his head, before returning to his own desk to make the phone call. JJ heard him mutter something about being a pushover.

JJ couldn't help smiling - he hadn't realized Drake had been aware of that attempt to charm him into things. Maybe Drake realized more than he let on. And sure enough, as if reading his thoughts, Drake gave him a playful glance as he waited for someone to answer the phone. It gave JJ a tickly feeling in his stomach. It was nice to flirt with someone and actually have them respond. He half-expected a rebuke; it had become the norm in JJ's mind.

*Well, there's at least something we have in common,* he thought and slapped himself mentally several times to be able to concentrate on the open file on his desk.


As the morning turned into afternoon, they talked to all the gang insiders they could reach without really learning anything new, and went through all the information about border skirmishes and gang wars they could find. JJ could swear his eyes were permanently crossing from all the staring at the screen. The Red Robs seemed to be a real thing, at least; there were several mentions of a west side group that had grown larger than a normal gang. But was their killer working for the Red Robs, or against them? And if the latter, for what group or gang? It was obvious he was drawing a border line with his murders, but was it to warn the eastern gangs... or the western?

Drake rubbed his eyes. "You found anything?"

"Nope, zip, nada." JJ leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms, moving his toes in his shoes. "Except that I figured out what this Red Rob means. Flip it over and it reads 'border'. Kind of logical."

"Hey, yeah. I didn't think of that."

"Any luck reaching the Lances yet?"

"I gave up hours ago. Let's try again in the evening." Drake glanced at the clock on the wall and immediately sat up straight. "It doesn't look like we're getting anywhere soon. You mind if I leave the rest to you? Because I gotta get going."

JJ made a disappointed noise. "You have to? Come on, Drake, don't do this to me. There's a pile of reports left. No, scrap that, a mountain." And an eager partner in need of attention, but he managed to bite it back.

Drake grabbed his coat. "Sorry, JJ, but I promised. We'll get back to it later, okay? If you find anything, call me."

JJ tried to pout and look rejected, but Drake had obviously made up his mind. He pocketed his cigarettes and checked his cell phone.

In the doorway, he glanced at JJ and sighed. "Oh, don't look like that. C'mere."

JJ got up and found his legs to be stiff from too much sitting. He walked slowly over to Drake, unsure of what to expect.

Whatever he had expected, though, it hadn't been the sudden feel of warm lips on his own. Drake pulled back just when JJ's initial surprise was starting to fade and looked away, his hand flying to scratch his hair nervously. "We'll get back to that later, too," he said quietly.

Screw that. Not when Drake looked so deliciously disheveled.

Before Drake had the time to open the door, JJ pushed him against the doorframe and kissed him back. Taking advantage of one button left unbuttoned, he slipped his hand underneath Drake's shirt and explored the warm skin. He let Drake set the pace of the kiss, but kept him pinned. Drake groaned a little, an appreciative sound that didn't fail to feed JJ's fire. Drake's free hand wandered a little hesitatively to JJ's ass, then quickly grew bolder and soon JJ couldn't tell who had pinned whom, because he couldn't move for the life of him.

Suddenly Drake reeled back, as if he was about to fall backwards through the door. JJ broke the kiss and looked up, puzzled.


Drake chuckled breathlessly. "I hate to ask, but could you - move back a little? I can't hold this door for much longer."

JJ looked at the direction Drake nodded, and saw that he had been holding the handle down all the time, and only his grip kept the door from falling open. JJ felt laughter bubble inside him at the thought of falling out into the hallway with his hand under Drake's shirt and Drake groping his ass. He stepped back a little, allowing Drake to pull the door wholly closed. Drake's eyes didn't leave his face for a second when he straightened his coat and made an attempt to look unaffected.

JJ raised his brows questioningly.

Drake shook his head, smiling. "Dammit, you're not making this easy."

"Ah, well. You know me, the master of workplace harassment."

Drake chuckled a little. "I'm still going, though."

"I know. See you later."

"I'll call you," Drake said from the doorway before hurriedly leaving the office.


***

The office felt empty and unnaturally quiet with no Drake there. JJ finished a report of their current status before heading to the break room for late lunch company.

Dee came out of his and Ryou's office at the same time. JJ hurried to his side and smiled at him. "Are you going for lunch, senpai?"

"More like dinner, at this time. But yeah, I am - with Ryou," Dee said a little too empathically and hazarded a glance towards the turn of the hallway. "As soon as the chief's done chewing him out."

"Ryou-senpai? Surely not."

"Yeah, well, maybe not chew him out, exactly," Dee agreed, raising one eyebrow. He pulled a cigarette from behind his ear, and then lit it up. "Something about our new case. Look, uh, I'm sure you'll find Ted or someone at the break room--"

JJ couldn't help staring at the way smoke caressed Dee's lips before drifting away. "I'm off to get some bagels right now. I could bring something for you and - and Ryou-senpai, too, if you like, Dee-senpai."

Dee flashed him a rare grin. "Yeah? That'd be great, JJ, thanks. You know what I like, right? And bring some of that green Italian stuff for Ryou." He waved his hand and wandered off to the direction of the chief's office.

JJ looked after him, at the way his body moved as gracefully and carelessly as a big cat's, wondering if he would ever be able to stop *looking* at Dee. The sight of Dee no longer made his brain scream, "Must glomp now!" but even that had been hard enough to accomplish. JJ sensed the topic would come up sooner or later if he and Drake were to get somewhere, and he had no idea what he would say in that situation. It probably wouldn't go down well to admit that he still wanted Dee, still held on to a crazy daydream or two, even if all hope of ever realizing them had fled. But he didn't like the thought of lying, and he suspected it'd be all too easy for Drake to see through him. After all, they had been partners for a long time.


"JJ?"

Jumping a little at the mention of his name, JJ snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see Ted.

Ted pointed at the stairs behind him. In his other hand, he held a Big Mac. "I just heard some uniform calling for you. Says there's someone here to see you."

JJ pricked up his ears. "Downstairs?"

Ted took a gigantic bite of his burger and nodded. "Some old lady. Landers or Lance or something."

JJ flew down the stairs so quickly that he almost slipped on the worn stone. Mrs. Lance! Phillip and Thomas Lance's mother! But why had she come here? She could've simply called. When he came to the hall, he looked around, scanning the place for elderly black women. JJ frowned as he realized there were none. He walked over to ask Janet, afraid that Mrs. Lance might've changed her mind and left.

Janet recognized the name immediately. "Mrs. Lance? Yes - I think officer Sook went to get her something to drink. Poor lady, she looked like she had run all the way here. She's right over there."

JJ followed her gaze and saw a tall woman in her fifties whose hair was a shade of screeching red. Her face, blushed and worried, was covered in freckles, however, so she must've been a natural redhead. JJ glanced back at Janet, puzzled. "You're sure that's her?" If this was Lance's mother - did that mean he had been adopted?

"Sure." Janet nodded, and since her mind was like a supercomputer when it came to remembering people's faces, JJ didn't doubt her.

He went over to the woman, who jumped and fidgeted nervously. "Mrs. Lance? Hi, I'm detective Addams. I was told you were looking for me?"

The woman looked older up close. Her eyes were moss green and full of barely contained panic. "Yes. I mean, no, I didn't come to see you specifically, I-- Well, when I came here I heard that you had been trying to contact me."

JJ nodded and gestured her to sit down on the bench. She didn't. "I wanted to ask you about your son, Thomas."

Mrs. Lance's eyes widened and her face lightened up. She grabbed JJ's arm. "Then you *are* investigating? What have you found out? Where is he?"

"Hold on a second, Mrs. Lance - your son is missing? When I called his clinic I was told that he was out of town for a meeting--"

Mrs. Lance's gripped his arm tighter. Her expression flickered from despairing to hopeful. "I thought - I thought you already knew. I'm sorry. I just thought - Thomas, he's disappeared. No one knows where he is. I called some of his friends, and they said--" Her voice broke for a second, and when she continued, she sounded as if she was about to cry. "They said they had heard nothing of him for days." She finally slumped down on the bench and let go of JJ's arm, sobbing into her hand.

Wheels were creaking and turning in JJ's head. Thomas Lance's mother seemed white enough, so it was possible that the person they were looking for was Lance, after all. And he was missing? Had been for several days? That meant he could've been anywhere. That he could be on his way to Bushwick right now.

JJ glanced up to see a uniform coming towards them, holding a mug of hot coffee. "Officer Sook?"

The man nodded.

"Okay, I want you to take care of Mrs. Lance. She's here to report a missing person. I want all details ASAP. Mrs. Lance," he then said, softening his voice and turning to the sobbing woman, "Don't worry, we will find your son. I can promise you that."

Mrs. Lance wiped her eyes, quickly recollecting herself. "Thank you, detective. I just can't help - thinking about my other son - how he--"

"Mrs. Lance," JJ said, his pulse quickening and his feet already itching to dash out of the door, "I have just one question to ask you. Your deceased son, Phillip - was he adopted?"

The stunningly green eyes widened again. "Phil...? Dear God, no - he was my son, only..." She hesitated.

"Please, this is *very* important. If Phillip was your son, he obviously was a mulatto. Was he born out of wedlock?"

Mrs. Lance averted her gaze and nodded. "Yes, I-- My husband was not his father, but loved him as his son. If only he could've been able to tell him that..."

JJ nodded. "All right, thank you. Do you have a recent picture of Thomas? Can I borrow that?" He took a good look and then offered the photo to officer Sook. "Have the witnesses take a look at this picture and tell us if they recognize the man. Call me as soon as you find out." Then he whisked away.

How had he not figured it out before? Thomas Lance hadn't killed his brother, but he hadn't been able to forget the murder. He had obviously been the good kid in the family, and tried to make Phil stop associating with the shady crowd - maybe this had been the final nail to his coffin, and he had become obsessed with revenge. Gangs had killed his brother, and therefore he would kill them by rousing them against each other. After all, there was no telling who had killed Phillip Lance, a western gang member or an eastern. It was the only explanation that made sense; the killer had to have some personal connection to gangs, but wasn't a member himself.


He ran into Dee and Ryou as he was on his way to the office to get his coat.

"Yo, JJ!" Dee called as he jogged to him. "Grab your gear and get a move on! There's a big gang fight in Brooklyn - looks like the work of those Red Robs of yours!"

"Another murder victim," Ryou explained as JJ looked at them questioningly. "An important courier - we knew him. The gangs are almost ready for war on both sides of the city. The uniforms reported at least sixty people fighting at the crime scene; it's a damn mess."

In Brooklyn? Wait a minute, that was a long way from Bushwick. The killer had broken his own pattern? That could mean something. Something like he had made a mistake, and could still be there.

JJ quickly checked his gun and threw on his coat. "All right, let's go, senpai. I take it Chief assigned you on the case."

"I did warn you," Ryou said, flashing him a quick smile. "Did you hear anything important from Mrs. Lance?"

"Oh, you have no idea, Ryou-senpai. I'll fill you in on the way."

"All right, where the hell is Drake?" Dee asked, glancing around. "Out for a smoke?"

JJ stopped suddenly. "Drake. Damn." He went through his pockets, looking for his cell phone. He realized he must've left it at the office. "You go get the car, senpai; I'll meet you outside!"

JJ ran into the office, grabbed his phone and called Drake while he walked briskly down the stairs. No one answered. Of course it stood to reason that Drake would mute his cell phone if he had something serious to discuss with his ex, but JJ couldn't help cursing under his breath. Drake had told him, "If you find anything, call me". So why didn't he answer the phone now? It would look so ugly in the report if they caught the perp this time and Drake was AWOL. He knew Drake certainly would beat himself up for it.


It was a beautiful, warm afternoon outside. JJ only had time to briefly glance at the clear, already sunset-hued sky before he spotted Dee and Ryou and ran over to them, jumping on the backseat of their patrol car. Dee was driving, his fingers tapping the steering wheel in a steady rhythm whenever they were caught in the traffic lights. JJ guessed he was excited.

"Where are we heading, exactly?" he asked.

"Northern Brooklyn," Dee said. "A parking lot at the end of Martense Street. So, why don't you tell us what we're likely to run into there?"

JJ explained everything they had gathered on the case that wasn't already known to Dee and Ryou, and also what he had just realized after speaking with Mrs. Lance.

"A highly-educated, rich loony," Dee commented. "Not to mention dead set on revenge. Yeah, my favorite. This oughta be fun."

"But why the ethnic minorities? That's what I haven't figured out yet," JJ said.

Ryou turned on his seat to look at him. "Well, if it all comes down to his half-brother, whose father was black... He must've had some repressed aggressions towards blacks, since Phillip's birth must've been taxing for his family."

"Not to mention his death." JJ sighed and looked out of the window. The setting sun colored the walls of the skyscrapers in vivid red hues. "That makes all too much sense, senpai."

"Well, it looks like he got his revenge," Ryou said, pointing out of the window.


They were arriving at the parking lot. Police cars and ambulances flashed their bright red lights, uniforms ran to and fro. There were people fighting everywhere; JJ saw one of the uniforms on the ground, trying to put the cuffs on a resisting, muscular boy who couldn't have been more than sixteen. Somewhere near, a gun went off several times.

"God, it's a freakin' riot," Dee said as he parked the car and they all hopped out, guns ready.

JJ stopped the nearest uniform, a plump, wide-shouldered man with a silvery mustache, and flashed his badge. "Excuse me. What's the situation here?"

The man preened his mustache, obviously annoyed at being stopped in the middle of his duties. "We got at least thirty people on both sides. Mostly minors, but some of they're packin' some serious firepower, and even kevlar. Two officers were down before we arrived. For some reason this situation's drawn out their best troops."

"Any idea which gangs we're dealing with here?" Dee asked him. "The guy who called me said someone had been yelling the name Red Robs when the fight first broke out."

"Yeah, could be. Haven't heard 'em say that myself, but some of the kids I've seen here are Creepers, from the Manhattan area. 'Scuse me, detective, but do you mind if I go now? The fight's spreadin' all over the place." He gestured at the three cars parked at the far edge of the parking lot. The panels and the windshields had been smashed, and near one car on the ground lay an unmoving young girl, who was bleeding profusely. JJ just caught a glimpse of one or two people, who ran behind the next corner, one of them waving a spiked baseball bat. Two uniforms ran after them.

"The little fuckers," Dee hissed. "I'm gonna go check on that girl."

"Wait, Dee. Where did all this start? Where was the first body found?" Ryou asked the uniform.

"You can't get there now," the man said as he jogged away to help his colleague with a struggling gang member. "Right over there."

They all looked at the direction he gestured. The entrance to the small alley was blocked by men in blue, who tried desperately to gain control over the dozen furiously fighting youngsters in the alley. Someone raised a gun, waived it around carelessly. JJ thought he heard someone curse the Red Robs, but what with all the noise, he couldn't be sure.

"I'll check that girl, no one's gone to her yet," Dee said. Ryou nodded, and Dee ran off, his gun ready.

"I'll go see if I can find someone who's seen the body and make sure he was killed in the same way as the others," Ryou said. "Let's meet back here in ten minutes."

"Okay, senpai," JJ said and then wondered what he could do when Ryou had gone, too. There was no point in blindly rushing into the crowd, trying to help the uniforms with their struggle. He looked around. Right now, Thomas Lance could walk whistling by and he wouldn't notice. The racket and the general chaos were enough to successfully hide an elephant.

He checked the quiet alleys around the parking lot, and arrested two gang members in hiding, but saw no sign of the good doctor. Just when he was watching the uniforms take them away, his cell phone rang. Tandi Borland had said she recognized Thomas Lance from the photo. Well, that was at least something. JJ was glad that he had done as his hunch insisted and given Thomas's description to the uniforms earlier. That sped things up a little now.

Ryou came back with someone who described the body of the courier for them, and JJ didn't flinch as he listed the same details as in the previous murders. So Lance had been here. But apparently he wasn't here anymore. It was getting dark, and they had absolutely no clue where to turn next.


JJ was about to voice his thoughts to Ryou when his cell phone rang again. He walked a little away from the others, and the racket of the still-going-on-strong gang fight, and answered it. "Hello?"

"JJ, you better get your ass down here." Drake's voice was so low he was practically whispering. Why was he whispering? JJ heard a strange sound, like a pained mewl or a sob, in the background. It sounded like an animal or a small child.

"Where are you?" JJ asked, glancing at Dee and Ryou. Dee was leaning against the patrol car, also talking on the phone. He was probably going through the witnesses, digging for details.

Drake sounded distressed. "I'm in Bushwick. One block away from where Borland was attacked. I can't see the building's number from here." Again, that strange sound. This time JJ was sure of it; someone was trying to muffle their sobs in the background. He frowned as Drake went on. "I think I just caught our killer red-handed. He saw me and fled. I fired a couple of shots after him but he disappeared."

"Damn."

"Yeah, exactly what I thought. Can't be helped, though."

"Did you call the 83rd Precinct?" JJ asked, knowing that the local precinct weren't going to love them for dragging them on the spot for a wild goose chase twice in the same week.

"No, not yet. I figured I'd check if you had any insight to offer. You found out anything?"

Thomas Lance was in Bushwick. JJ's mind was racing. Of course. How stupid had they been? This had all been a distraction. Lance had not left his original plan, and while they had been busy with the gang riot, he had been in Bushwick, taking care of the last landmark on his way. It would've taken some planning, and piles of cash, but Lance could've well organized something like that. Clever bastard.

"Drake, I was right; our killer is Thomas Lance. You think he's still around?"

It was a second before Drake replied; it sounded like he said something to someone else in the meantime. The sobbing sound stopped for a moment. "Not sure. I saw him run away like his ass was on fire, so I think he decided to leg it for tonight. It really is Lance? You're sure?"

"Yep. I'll explain later. Is the vic still alive?" JJ asked, trying to figure out how he could get there fastest. It was bound to take some time here yet.

"Scared out of his skin, but yeah. I have him right here. One of Stevie's playmates."




A little kid? Thank God for Drake's timing. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah, like I said, the killer fled as soon as he realized he had been spotted. I don't think he even had time to take out his kni--"

Suddenly Drake's voice was cut off, and it sounded like he had dropped the cell phone. JJ heard noise that sounded like the phone was scraping against the ground. In the background, the sobbing intensified.

"Drake?" JJ asked, a cold hand creeping towards his heart. "DRAKE? Are you there?"

He felt more than heard Ryou approach him. "JJ, is that Drake?"

JJ could still hear nothing but muffled noise from the other end. He turned his attention to his colleague for a second. "Ryou-senpai, tell Dee-senpai to get the car. This was all a hoax; Lance is in Bushwick. Drake's there, too." His voice sounded overly calm to his own ears.

Ryou span around on his heels and ran back to the car, cursing under his breath.

JJ listened to the phone. It had gone strangely quiet. "Drake?" he asked, carefully, hoping against hope.

All of a sudden, he heard someone breathing rather heavily.

"Drake! Is that you? What happened? Speak to me!" JJ couldn't believe how fast his heart was beating. Drake was out there, alone and without backup, and Lance had a good reason to eliminate him. No, this wasn't good. He quelled the panic and the fear as they started to nibble at him, and concentrated.

"JJ," Drake suddenly said, in a strange tone. No matter; he was speaking, he was alive. JJ released the breath he had been holding.

"Are you okay?"

"JJ, I'm being held at gunpoint."

JJ nodded, although he knew no one would see it. "What does he say?"

"That he wants the knife. The surgical knife. He wants that, and everything we have on it so far."

Their number one piece of evidence.

JJ saw that Dee and Ryou were waiting with the car. He couldn't make his feet move. "Okay. Where does he want us to deliver it?" He was playing for time now, but he knew it wouldn't make much difference. They were on the opposite side of the city. Lance could do anything by the time they got there.

"I dunno. Let me ask him." JJ winced as he heard the unmistakable sound of breath being knocked out of lungs. Drake's voice sounded forced when he continued. "I take it he'll contact you later."

"Wait, wait - What about the little boy? Is he part of the deal, too? We need to know."

"No, he sprinted away the second he saw Mr. Muddypants here. I guess he didn't like the smell of fish." A muffled groan of pain. JJ didn't know whether he wanted Drake to stop dropping hints or keep dropping them. Everything depended on that they would find out where Lance would take him.

"Tell him he'll get his own."

"I already did."

"Drake, I'll--"

Drake's voice grew anxious and louder. "JJ, he's taking the phone away, he has at least four guys with him, they're driving a white van, he's--"

He was cut off, and JJ found himself listening to the busy signal.


JJ shoved his cell phone into his pocket as he half-ran to the car where Dee and Ryou waited. "Fuck," he said under his breath, fighting down the sudden nausea. No, he would not think of what it might've cost Drake to give him those final clues. Lance would keep him alive. There was method to his madness, and killing the hostage just wasn't part of his method. He'd have to concentrate on that.

"They have Drake," he told Dee and Ryou, even though they had probably already guessed as much. He was surprised to hear what his own voice sounded like in the confined space of the car. He sounded panicked.

"Shit!" Dee hit the steering wheel as he sped away from the parking lot. He was seething. "Fucking hell. What do they want for him?"

"The knife, I bet," Ryou put in. "Without it, we might not have enough evidence to get this case through. It's an obvious blunder for someone of Lance's calibre." He turned to Dee. "Let's go back to the station."

"What?" JJ demanded.

"We need to work up a plan. There's no way we'll reach Bushwick in time, so let's start thinking about how we're going to track them down. For a start, I better alarm the uniforms; I didn't get around to it."

Ryou reached for the radio, but Dee grabbed his hand. "No. We won't report this until we've got a plan. We're talking Drake's life here, goddammit."

Ryou's voice was edgy when he retorted, "Do you think I don't know that? How exactly is it going to help him if you won't let me call for backup?"

"Dee-senpai's right," JJ put in. It didn't exactly make him feel better, but he knew that if they went after Drake and Lance with the whole cavalry, they'd be less likely to find them in time and more likely to get Drake killed. "We better try thinking up something by ourselves first."

"But what about when Lance calls the station about the details of the exchange?" Ryou asked sharply, his gaze moving from JJ to Dee.

"He won't," JJ said. Dee opened his mouth to say something, but then waited for JJ to continue. "He didn't make Drake call the station. I think Lance wants us to strike the deal for him. He won't come out; he wants to keep it between us and him."

"Which means we'll be playing into his hand," Ryou said, undeterred.

JJ looked at Ryou appealingly. "Drake's life is hanging on that knife. Any sign that we're not going to make a deal, and he's as good as dead."

There was impending silence in the car for a while as Dee sped through the streets towards the station.


"Okay, do we have anything to work on?" Ryou asked finally. His frown could be heard in his tone. He disliked breaking regulations on principle, but even Dee and JJ realized this was a lot more serious than their general disdain of going strictly by the book. Flying free on a murder case and failing to report vital information was *trouble*. They could all lose their badges if they botched this.

"Drake did slip me some clues," JJ said thoughtfully. "About fish and mud - that must lead to the docks. And he said that they were driving a white van."

"They'd need some place to keep it in," Dee said as he parked the car and exited it. "I bet Tommy Boy doesn't keep it home in his garage."

They all slammed the doors closed a bit more forcefully than was necessary.

Ryou looked at JJ. "Let's check out all medical storages in the dock area. And see if we can get Lance's receptionist to cough up something valuable."

JJ nodded sharply, already half out of the garage door. "You do that, Ryou-senpai. I'll distract Chief somehow."

"Whoa, JJ! Hold up for a second," Dee called. "Where are *you* going?"

"To see if I can sneak my way into the armory," JJ replied, and when his comment was met with stupefied silence, he huffed impatiently. "If we are going to go after these guys by ourselves, I'm not leaving without at least an FN Rifle."

Ryou raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Oh! I almost forgot we had a sniper in our little rescue team. That could be useful."

JJ couldn't help the smile. "At your service. And I'd say we have two snipers, from the way you handle a rifle, senpai."

The look on Dee's face was still dark. "Okay, let's cut the crap and work like our asses are on fire, gentlemen. We don't have a minute of extra time."

JJ nodded swiftly, and started hurrying towards the armory.

*Dammit, Drake,* he thought as he climbed the stairs, *you better have your spleen when I see you next.*


***


It was not yet dark outside when they were finished packing things into Dee's car. Spring was indeed well on its way; evenings were getting longer and lighter. JJ wished the good visibility would hold. His snooperscope was on the backseat, just in case.

"So we're agreed?" Ryou confirmed, sitting down behind the steering wheel. "We'll call for backup right when we've arrived."

Dee nodded as he took his place in the front. "That'll give us about fifteen minutes before anyone can get close enough for Lance or his goons to notice. Less for you, JJ, since you'll be closer to the station than us. You've got maybe five minutes to get into position and take aim. You think that'll be enough?"

"Sure, if I can get a good view to the backdoor of that storage building." JJ jumped on the backseat again, next to the rifle case. He patted it like it was an old friend.

Ryou turned to glance at him. "You saw the map. There should be a tall enough building nearby. If and when Dee and I fail, you may have to bolt, though. You'll be a sitting duck if they come out of the backdoor armed and prepared."

JJ frowned. He didn't think Ryou had enough confidence in his abilities. JJ knew quite well how to keep himself unseen, thank you. "Let's go through the plan once again. You go meet the guy who contacted me, and try to strike a deal, using that fake knife. You demand that they bring out Drake, and when they drive out of the storage building to go pick up the knife--"

"Or to actually bring out Drake. Hey, Lance could be the world's last honest psychopath," Dee suggested, snickering.

JJ hmphed. "Right. In any case, I'll be waiting for them. I'll shoot their tires first, then try to slow them down before the uniforms arrive. Everything okay so far?"

"Yep, and if we miraculously survive the negotiations, we'll join you as soon as we can." Dee quickly checked his gun. "The meeting place is only about five minutes' run away, if we take that shortcut Ryou found."

They nodded at each other in turn. It was pretty amazing, JJ mused, that the three of them could make such an efficient team. He couldn't imagine having done something like this a year ago. Or maybe he would've, if the situation had called for it as badly as this one, but he could bet it wouldn't have gone as smoothly as now. He could keep things professional with Dee now. That had to mean something.


Ryou dropped him off at a shady corner of a street about a block away from the storage building where Lance was keeping Drake - if their educated guess was correct. JJ threw the sports bag that contained the rifle over his shoulder and jogged closer, glancing to and fro. It was pretty quiet. He sneaked so close he could peek round the corner and see the front of the storage building. It stood a little apart from the next; probably because in the two-story house near it was an old, closed-down grocery store and the storage had been built close for easy access. The front of the storage looked as he had expected - a tall building, with one door on the right. Three or four people were on the watch, leaning against the corner of the building and smoking. JJ didn't want to risk being seen, so after a brief glance, he circled to the other side of the two-story building, looking for a ladder.

The ladder was rusty and threatening to creak at every step, and JJ's nerves were seriously on the edge when he reached the rooftop. He spotted a chimney and crawled behind it, taking a few deep breaths to help himself focus. Opening the sports bag slowly, not wanting to make any noise whatsoever, he carefully sneaked a glance at the back of the storage building. The only guard, a tall, white-blonde man, was standing there like a statue. It was light enough still for JJ to see even the text on his tee-shirt: HERBIE'S HARDWARE.

He glanced at his wristwatch. Dee and Ryou were most likely calling the backup now. He better hurry up getting the rifle ready; it didn't look like the guard was particularly suspicious or even attentive at the moment. JJ could've broken the rifle down into parts and put it together again in his sleep, so it didn't take him long. The position of the chimney forced him to lie uncomfortably, but he managed to get a good angle and started to take aim at the lower part of the big doors that would burst open any moment.

First, he heard someone yell inside the storage building, and the guard glanced at the doors, obviously contemplating going inside to see what was going on. Then several other voices were raised, and it seemed like a fight had broken out inside. JJ guessed that they had been informed of Dee and Ryou's terms for the swap, and as expected, it didn't go down well.

The guard was obviously unsure of what to do. Finally, he threw open the other door and went inside. JJ held onto the rifle a little more tightly. Not long now. And he had a nice, clear view. The door was left open, and JJ could hear a bit better what was going on inside.

"What, you want us to LEAVE? Now?" demanded someone in a snarling, incredulous voice.

An obviously enraged man snapped back, "This place will be crawling with cops soon! Someone's made a big fucking mistake somewhere!"

"Look, man, how do you know that? Could be just--"

"Shut up! Just shut your fuckin' mouth and tell your men we're leaving, NOW! Start up the car."


JJ heard the engine being started and waited patiently for the car to appear. What he didn't expect was a young man running from the shadow of the building to the backdoor, shouting, "Someone's coming!"

Dee and Ryou. But they were early. Obviously the negotiations hadn't gone as they had planned. Lance had seen through their little scam. Damn, did that mean Lance wouldn't try to leave the building at all? He could turn this into one ugly hostage situation if he decided to take the chance. JJ tried not to think about it and continued to aim at the door. It was open just enough for him to make out movement inside, but not enough to really enable him to see anything.

After the young man had gone inside, someone suddenly threw the doors open all the way. JJ saw the white-blonde guard glance around, checking the surroundings, and he quickly retreated behind the chimney, cursing under his breath. That had been close. He waited a few agonizing seconds, then peeked around the chimney and resumed his uncomfortable position, trying to make out what was happening. He realized that he could now see inside the building, and could swear he saw a glimpse of Drake, but his view was blocked by a big, white van that was parked inside. JJ bit his teeth. The negotiations were off. He'd take his first chance at helping free Drake somehow.

The car was slowly moving now, backing out of the building. JJ heard footsteps from the alley to his left and immediately recognized who it was when Dee shouted, "Hold it right there!" Dee clicked the safety catch off. The sound echoed off the stone wall.

JJ seized the opportunity, took aim and easily shot the back tires of the van. Dee's gun went off at the same time; JJ guessed it was a warning shot, but it disguised JJ's shots nicely. Good - with luck, Dee would get someone to open the car doors, which would leave JJ with the relatively easy task of bringing down Lance and his underlings, should things turn ugly. Ryou must've been just behind the corner somewhere, also taking aim. Maybe this would work out, in the end.


The driver of the van cursed loudly and looked out of the window.

"This is NYPD! Thomas Lance, you're under arrest for murder," Dee announced, and walked slowly closer. JJ could see him from the corner of his eye. "Stop the vehicle and come out with your hands behind your neck!"

JJ was concentrating too hard on the doors of the van to notice in time that the driver had grabbed a pistol and pointed it at Dee. He turned his aim at the driver's window, but before he had time to do anything, the shot rang in the closed space of the alley. JJ's heart jumped into his throat and he almost dropped the rifle as he saw Dee fall down. He bit back a scream. No. Dee was not dead. He should've seen that shot coming. Dee was quicker than that. No - he... He'd have to concentrate. Ryou was still around, or at least on his way. This was not over.

"Is he dead?" asked someone down on the street.

"Quickly, check if he's got the knife," said another voice, and finally, the doors of the van were opened and a young man - the same one who had yelled the alarm before - jumped out. He went to Dee's unmoving form and roughly searched him, taking his gun first.

When the man moved out of the way, JJ saw Drake inside the van. He was leaning his head against the wall tiredly, but seemed to be awake. Behind him sat a blonde, tall man. Lance. Damn, Drake hid him mostly from view, but maybe JJ could try--

A sudden shout turned his attention back to Dee. JJ felt relief wash over him as he saw that Dee had jumped up and turned the tables to their favor. He had caught the young man by the wrists and forced them behind his back. The man looked groggy - Dee had probably knocked his breath out. Dee took his gun and aimed it at the man's head. "Now this makes odds a lot more even, huh? I'm tired of fucking around with you, Lance! Get your big, fat ass out of that van, now!"

Only gunfire answered Dee, who quickly ducked to the ground. The young man in front of him groaned once and fell down, bleeding from a dozen bullet holes in his chest and legs. There were at least three people firing from inside the van, JJ estimated, and resumed aiming at Lance, who had just moved a little forward, because Drake had shouted out and tried to break out of his hold. Good - JJ only needed a little better view and he'd get a nice, clear shot.

JJ chanced another glance at Dee, who was on his knees on the ground, both hands raised, out of his breath and fuming. Three guns were aimed at him.

"You're not gonna gain anything by killing me, guys," Dee said, and his usual grin returned to his face. "Listen, we can work out a deal. We can get you that knife of yours, quicker than you think. I know who's got it now."

"Shoot him," Lance said, but as soon as he had said it, someone fired from the other side of the alley and one of his underlings cried out and dropped his gun.

JJ reacted and disarmed another thug. That shot - it had to be Ryou, at last.

"Gimme that!" Lance grabbed the gun from the hand of a nearby man and aimed it at Dee's head, shoving Drake out of the way.

There! The chance! JJ took aim and, acting faster than he could think, fired. It was a perfect shot, a clear view. But in the next few seconds, when his mind caught up with him, JJ saw that someone else had reacted fast as well. Drake had shoved at Lance, trying to knock the gun off his hand, and got him off balance.

Breath caught in his throat, JJ saw Drake cry out as a dark red blotch started to spread on his chest. Behind him, Lance groaned as well, and fell to the floor.

As he watched, horrified and frozen to place, and saw Drake follow Lance down, JJ suddenly found himself remembering someone.

Max.