Narc

[toddsmitts]

Narc

The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

May 17, 2003

("Hanginaround" - Counting Crows)

Two of the three young men chuckled at the joke one of them had just cracked as they them walked up to the street corner.

The blonde-haired one on the left who’d just cracked the joke turned to the one in the middle. “So, Milo, how’s Devereaux treatin’ you so far?”

Milo, easily the tallest and thinnest of the three shrugged. “Pretty good. Guy’s a little quirky though, don’t you think?”

The joker shrugged. “Pays pretty good though, you gotta admit. A lot better than the warehouse, right?”

Milo shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, I guess.” Milo turned to the third young man, the Hispanic one on the right. “So, Hector, how’d you start working for Devereaux?” He gestured to the joker on the left. “Jay get you that job too?”

Hector looked at Milo and didn’t smile. “None of your business.”

Milo and Jay both looked at Hector for a moment with surprise before all three turned towards the lights and siren of the police cruiser pulling up in front of them.

Jay groaned and Hector simply rolled his eyes and the two officers, one male, one female, exited the car.

The brunette female officer, about their age, quickly looked them over. “Afternoon, boys. Where you headed?”

Jay quickly shrugged. “We just got off work. We were just headin’ out for a couple of drinks.”

The male officer, younger than the rest of them, stared at Jay. “You guys work at that warehouse at the end of Morgan Street?”

Jay shifted nervously. “Uhhh... no, no, not that one.”

The male officer shook his head. “Yeah, you do.” He gestured to the wall of the building next to them with his nightstick. “Hands up against the wall.” Hector sighed and placed his hands up against the wall. A moment later Jay and Milo did the same.

While the male officer started to pat Hector down, Milo gave the female officer a long look with a smile on his face. She finally noticed him staring and glared at him. “You lookin’ at something there?”

Milo shrugged as his smile turned into a smug grin. “No, just wondering if those cuffs of yours are for business or pleasure.”

Hector lowered and shook his head while Jay looked stunned. A look of fury appeared in the female officer’s eyes. “What did you say to me?” Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed Milo by the collar and pulled him away from the wall. “Keep an eye on these two for a minute.” She said to her partner as she dragged Milo around the corner into an alley.

“You got it.” He said, turning back to Hector and Jay and glaring.

***

As soon as they were out of sight of the others, the female officer brought her nightstick down hard on the side of a dumpster with a loud CLANG. Milo, who had been nowhere near where she’d struck, let out a loud cry of pain.

The officer released her grip on Milo as a smirk appeared on her face. “‘Business or pleasure?’ You come up with that one all by yourself?”

An embarrassed smile appeared on Milo’s face. “Sorry.” He said, chuckling nervously. He looked towards the corner, then back at the officer. “You think they bought it?”

She nodded and smiled. “Totally.” She gestured back at the corner. “I see your friend Jay’s as bright as ever. Who’s the quiet one?”

“He’s one of Devereaux’s pick-up guys. His name’s Hector Ortiz.” Milo gave her a serious look. “Listen, Kate, I don’t think he really trusts me yet.”

Kate nodded. “Okay. Well, be careful around him.”

“Devereaux wanted us to pick up some stuff for him tomorrow. I don’t think this is the big shipment you were talking about though.”

“No, we don’t think that’s coming for a while. Just keep your eyes open and your head down.” She gave Milo a pat on the arm and started walking off.

“Hey, Kate” He said, causing her to turn around. “We’re gonna get this guy.”

“Yeah.” Kate smiled and nodded. “We’re gonna get him.”

Kate walked out of the alley, leaving Milo standing there, smiling...

***

Milo lay sprawled across the ground in the alley, blood pooling from the bullet wounds in his back and head...

***

Lifting the box, marked HARRIS, M., the detective stacked it up with the others and walked off, sighing. Aside from giving bad news to family, packing up an unsolved case like this was probably the worst part of his job...

***

Detective Scotty Valens looked nervously at his partner Lilly Rush as they walked into the hospital. He had no idea how she felt, since the last time she'd come here, weeks earlier, it had been on a gurney with a gunshot wound. That was probably why their boss had only asked Scotty to come, though there was no convincing her to stay behind. Of course, the reason they were there today made her being there even more awkward.

“So this Wyler, you ever met her?.” Scotty finally said, breaking the silence.

“No.” Lilly simply said.

Scotty nodded and the awkward silence resumed for a few moments. “I thought Miller might’ve met her, bein’ from Narcotics, but she hadn’t either. I guess--”

“Scotty, I’m fine being here, all right?” Lilly finally said, turning to her partner.

Scotty shrugged in acknowledgment, though the unease in his face didn’t completely disappear.

The hospital waiting room was filled with cops, both uniformed and plainclothes; typical for when a cop is attacked. Among them was Lilly and Scotty’s boss, Lieutenant John Stillman, who was talking with a young black man who looked to be the only one in the room not wearing a shield.

“Boss.” Scotty said as he walked up.

“Scotty, Lil.” Stillman answered, a faint look of disapproval in his eyes at seeing Lilly there. Clearly, he didn’t want her there, but wasn’t about to saying about it in front of the others.

Before anyone could say anything else, the two large doors swung open and out came the stricken, unmoving form of Officer Kate Wyler, pushed on a gurney by orderlies. Her face and head were covered in cuts and bruises from the attack. Her right hand was being gripped by a thin, dark-haired man of about forty.

“You’re gonna be okay, Kate. You just stay with me! You hear me?” The man said before stopping in front of Stillman while the orderlies continued to wheel Kate away.

“How is she?” Stillman asked the man, as nearly every cop in the room looked up, waiting for his answer.

The man sighed and put a hand to his head. “They got her stabilized for now. They’re gonna do an MRI to check for brain damage. They’re still not sure how bad it is. They don’t know when she’s gonna wake up or if...” The man closed his eyes in pain. “I... I gotta go.” He said, gesturing towards the gurney, which was almost at the end of the hall.

Stillman nodded sympathetically. “Of course. Go on.”

Scotty looked at the man hurrying down the hall after the gurney. “Her sergeant?”

Stillman nodded. “Dan McKinley. Good cop.”

“So what did you need?” Lilly asked, seeing the look of disapproval return to Stillman’s face.

Scotty had been wondering the same thing. They were Homicide, after all. He’d feared the worst when he’d been called to the hospital after the attack on Wyler. But seeing she was still alive, if barely, he wasn’t sure why they were needed.

Stillman gestured to the young man, who, up until now, hadn’t said a word. “This is Tyrone Evans. He’s the one that found her.” He turned to Tyrone. “Just tell them what you told me.”

Tyrone nodded and turned to the detectives. “Well I was out for a run. I’m training for a marathon.” He said, smiling, before he saw a look of impatience on their face and quickly continued. “Anyway, I was running down the street when I hear some guy yelling from in an alley. I look and I see this guy wailing on that lady cop with like a metal pipe or a pole or something. She was on the ground, barely movin’, and this guy kept hittin’ her like crazy.”

“You get a look at this guy?” Scotty asked.

Tyrone shook his head. “No, man. It was dark. I could hardly see anything. I yelled at him and he ran off. Then I called 911 on my phone.”

Lilly nodded. “You probably saved her life.”

He looked down the hall where Kate had been taken. “I hope so.” He looked back at the detectives. “Anyway, before I turned that corner, I could hear him yelling stuff. I couldn’t make out most of it, but I heard him say ‘This is for Milo Harris, b itch’.”

“Milo Harris?” Scotty asked.

“I checked the name.” Stillman said. “Milo Harris was an informant for Narcotics on that Devereaux case four years ago.”

“I heard about that case.” Scotty said. “Wyler worked that one?”

Stillman nodded. “Milo was murdered the night before Devereaux was arrested. They never found the doer.”

“So maybe somebody blames her for Milo’s death?” Lilly asked.

“Maybe.” Stillman said. “Case might be worth another look.”

“And maybe findin’ out who went after him...” Scotty started.

Lilly nodded. “We can find out who went after her.”

ROLL INTRO

[boxman]

Nice! So you decided to name this "Narc", eh?? This looks like the start of a very intense case!

[irishkale]

Here's some notes I took as I read the first chapter:

--I like the dialog between Milo and Kate(the "business or pleasure" line) and how you threw in the "trick" that at first you think she's really mad at him, then you see they're working together.

--I like the way you "control information" about the victim before we get to the "fade to victim bleeding, etc." scene. You're good at giving us just the right amount of background; not too much, not too little.

--Nice touch in including the show tie-in when you referenced Lilly's shooting as her and scotty were walking into the hospital.

--Great Lily-Scotty dialog! When Lilly interrupts in with the line "Scotty, I'm fine..." That's definitely authentic to how the characters really "sound."Your Stillman dialog is good too, authentic. I like how Stillman gives Lilly a stern look.

--I like how you've thrown in alot of "suspects" in the opening sequence. There's a ton of people who are potential killers. The friends, the cop's partner, the sergeant, the marathon runner. This is what makes me want to read more, because of course, I'm already trying to figure out "whodunnit."

--Great pacing . The pre-credits sequence in the"real show" are very quick and your writing also has this same "live feel". An example of this would be how you use only one sentence to describe the vicitim's "dead state". I like this. Another would be how you use only dialog lines as it heads towards the "roll intro". It speeds up the pace towards the "awwwwww...." opening credits song.

Good work, Todd! PM me when you get the next chapter up!

[coldboneslove398]

As always Todd, I love your work XD. I can't wait till you continue it.

[r2k]

I really like it so far. As always, you give the case a good feel. I'm going to reread it so I can give you some more feedback. And there's always chat where we can discuss it even more.

[toddsmitts]

(sorry about the long delay)




NARC


Starring:
Lily Rush - KATHRYN MORRIS
Scotty Valens - DANNY PINO
John Stillman - JOHN FINN
Nick Vera - JEREMY RATCHFORD
Will Jeffries - THOM BARRY
Kat Miller - TRACIE THOMS
Milo Harris - JEREMY HOWARD
Officer Kate Wyler - ALEXANDRA LYDON
Sgt. Dan McKinley - TITUS WELLIVER
Hector Ortiz - CHRISTOPHER RIVERA
Jay Morgan - PHILLIP VAN DYKE
Greg Nathanson - BILL SMITROVICH
Henry Devereaux - ELLIS WILLIAMS
Tyrone Evans - DEANCE WYATT

Detective Will Jeffries frowned in thought as he, Scotty, and Nick Vera looked over the documents from Milo’s case file.

“Milo Harris, twenty-six.” Jeffries read aloud. “Found face-down in an alley six blocks from the warehouse owned by Henry Devereaux.”

Scotty nodded. “M.E.’s report says he was walking or running away from the doer. One bullet to the spine cripples him, another to the back of the head finished him off.”

“Not exactly the first drug informant to end up like that.” Vera said.

“What’d ballistics have to say?” Scotty asked.

Jeffries quickly leafed through the pages he was looking over. “I don’t have it.”

They both looked at Vera who looked through his own pages and shrugged. “Me neither.”

Scotty got up from his chair and dug through the remaining pages in the box, finding nothing. They spent several minutes checking and double-checking everything “How the hell could there be no ballistics report on a guy that got shot?”

“Somebody could’ve misfiled it.” Jeffries said.

“Or buried it.” Vera said, causing the other two detectives to look at him. “Devereaux was a big-time dealer. If he had Milo taken out, he could’ve made sure it never got traced back to him.”

Jeffries nodded. “He's probably worth a visit.”

Scotty glanced over at Stillman, sitting in his office. “In the mean time, somebody’s gotta tell the boss about this missing report.”

Jeffries and Scotty both looked at Vera.

“Me?” Vera said. “Why me?”

“He likes you.” Jeffries said with a smirk. “Besides, you got a face for delivering bad news.”

Scotty chuckled while Vera muttered something under his breath.

***

Scotty never liked visiting prisons and today was no exception. Maybe because it was an unpleasant reminder that all the badguys he put away still ended up somewhere. Occasionally a prison visit led to an innocent person being exonerated, like that deli worker Ricardo Muñoz or that guy Dylan Noakes, a few weeks back. Usually, however, it just meant meeting some certifiable psychopath like that cult leader Maurice Warfield or that lunatic serial killer Roy Anthony. Unfortunately, the man they were seeing reminded Scotty more of the latter two.

Born and raised in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Henry Devereaux had built up a sizeable drug ring there until the police shut it down seven years ago, at which point Devereaux relocated to Philadelphia to start over. He ended up being even more successful there, always seeming one step ahead of the cops, at least until Narcotics had managed to build a case against him with Milo’s help.

Scotty and Jeffries kept an impassive look while the guards escorted Devereaux in, a slightly heavy man with an unsettling smile.

“Milo Harris?” Devereaux said with a slight French accent when the two detectives brought him up. “Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I can’t even remember the last time I thought about him.”

“The guy who gave you up to the cops?” Scotty said with a glare. “I’m bettin’ you thought about him a lot.”

“Especially since he wound up face down in an alley the night before you got arrested.” added Jeffries.

Devereaux remained calm. “If you’re suggesting his death was some sort of retaliation on my part, you’re mistaken. I didn’t even learn of Milo’s actions until after I was incarcerated. Besides which, I have only myself to blame for my situation. I should have been more careful about who I hired.”

“Is that right?” Jeffries asked with a condescending look.

“It is.” Devereaux said. “But Milo was very straightforward and likeable. It made him seem quite trustworthy...”

***

(“How You Remind Me” - Nickelback)

Devereaux watched Jay, Milo, and the others take a few more boxes from the palettes and stack them on the shelves. After the others headed back to the truck to get another load, Devereaux called Milo over and placed a friendly had on his shoulder.

“I wanted to thank you for your help. We’d wouldn’t have been able to receive it all today without your help.”

Milo simply smiled and shrugged. “Well Jay said you were a couple of guy’s short, and I was off from my other job for a few days. I could use the money.”

Devereaux chuckled. “Well if you need more money, I could always use another worker here. Maybe you’d like to stay around permanently.”

Milo’s eyebrows raised at this. “Uhhh... well I’d have to work out my schedule with my other job but that shouldn’t be too hard.”

Devereaux smiled and nodded. “Good, good.”

Milo turned to watch the other men carrying in another load of boxes. “So these collectibles you got, what are they anyway?”

Devereaux shrugged. “Lots of different things. I can get different things for different people.”

Milo started to look uneasy. “I never really thought many people in this neighborhood could afford a lot of things.”

Devereaux’s smile broadened as he watched the boxes come in. “Well, even working people need things to enjoy from to time.” He turned to Milo. “Some of my merchandise is a bit... exotic for some people. But I think people should be able to decide for themselves what they want. Would that be a problem for you?”

Milo looked at the boxes intently, as if trying to think of something, then turned back to Devereaux and shrugged. “Not really. I think people should be able to have what they want.”

“Good.” Devereaux said, nodding approvingly.

***

“Of all the people who’ve ever worked for me, I never would have imagined Milo.” He said with a wistful chuckle. “He just seemed too naive. I just have to laugh at the irony.”

Jeffries just stared. “So Milo was ratting you out and all you do is laugh it off.”

Devereaux looked around the cold, hard room and back at Jeffries. “In a place like this, you take your laughs where you can find them.” He turned to Scotty. “I honestly have no idea who was responsible for Milo’s death. That is God’s honest truth.”

“Yeah, right.” Scotty muttered as he and Jeffries stood up and headed towards the door.

“Why are you looking into this now, anyway?” Devereaux said, getting no response. “Does it have something to do with that policewoman who was attacked last night?”

That stopped them in their tracks.

“What do you know about that?” Scotty hissed.

“No more than you, I assure you.” Devereaux answered, his face dead serious. “But we’re not exactly blind, deaf, and dumb in here. We do hear what goes on in the outside world.”

Scotty stared coldly at the older man for a moment, then walked out, shaking his head.

“I’m glad you get to hear about the outside world, Henry.” Jeffries said, signaling to the guards to take Devereaux away. “Cause you sure as hell won’t be seeing it anytime soon.”

Devereaux simply sighed as the guards escorted him out of the room.

***

In the hospital hallway, Dan McKinley looked as still as Kate as he watched her in her bed through the window. He didn’t even look up at Stillman approached.

“Dan,” Stillman finally said after a moment. “You gotta get some rest.”

“I can’t leave her.” McKinley said, not taking his eyes of Kate.

“Look, I know what you’re goin’ though. Believe me I do.”

“Cause of what happened with Rush?” McKinley asked, finally looking at him. “That wasn’t your fault.”

“And this is isn’t yours.”

A cynical smile formed on McKinley’s face. “Actually it is. I was the one who signed off on using that Milo kid.”

Stillman looked at McKinley, waiting for him to continue.

“Milo knew Kate since high school. They weren’t too close but he knew she became a cop. So one day he comes in telling her he thinks his boss, Mr. Devereaux, just might be involved in drugs.” McKinley rolled his eyes, his words tinged sarcasm.

Stillman smiled slightly. “Nothin’ you didn’t already know?”

McKinley nodded. “I thought maybe the kid could give a bit of info.” He sighed and shook his head. “But Kate had another idea...”

***

(“Innocent” - Our Lady Peace)

McKinley stared through the window into the interview room, where Milo was sitting patiently, waiting for someone to come back in. He sighed and turned back to Kate.

“Kate, this kid doesn’t have anything useful. Just tell him to find a new job.”

Kate shook her head. “Look, maybe he doesn’t have anything now, but what if there’s another way he can help?”

McKinley’s eyes widened as he realized what she meant. “You gotta be kidding me, Kate. You actually wanna try and use him as an informant?”

“Why not?” Kate asked. “We’ve been trying to get an undercover inside Devereaux’s operation for a year now, and he won’t bite. Now he’s just shown up, already on the in with Devereaux? Come on!”

McKinley looked at Milo again. “Why not? The guy’s a rube. That’s why not. Yeah, maybe he’s decent enough, but he can’t handle something like that.”

“I’ll get him ready. I’ll work with him.”

McKinley rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’ll keep him focused.”

“What are you talking about?” Kate asked suspiciously.

“Come on, Kate. Did you see the way he was looking at you in there? Guy’s sweet on you.”

Kate looked in at Milo, then back at McKinley. “What? No, he’s not.”

“Oh yeah, he is.” McKinley said, chuckling. “You said you went to high school with this guy? He probably showed up here to tell us what he knew just so he could see you again.”

Kate sighed and shook her head. “Look, the point is I can work with him. I’m telling you, I think this could be our best chance to take down Devereaux.”

McKinley’s look turned to concern. “Kate...” he started.

“Dan,” she said before he could say anything else and putting her hand on his arm. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

McKinley looked at her for a moment, before sighing and lowering his head. “We’ll talk to him, see if he’s up for this and take it from there.”

Kate smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

Milo looked up as the two officers walked back into the room.

“All right, Milo,” Kate said, sitting down next to him, while McKinley stayed standing. “I was just talking to Sergeant McKinley here about what you told us.”

Kate gave him a smile. “We really appreciate you coming in and telling us what you know. In fact, we were wondering if there’s something else you’d be willing to do to help.”

Milo nodded quickly. “Yeah, sure. Anything.”

Kate started explaining to Milo what they wanted him to do. Neither noticed the growing look of unease on McKinley’s face...

***

“He wasn’t ready for something like that.” McKinley said quietly. “I should’ve listened to my gut.”

“Well he did get you enough to arrest Devereaux.” Stillman said.

McKinley gestured at Kate’s unmoving form in her bed. “Yeah, and now he’s dead and she’s in a coma. You tell me if you think that’s worth it.”

Stillman looked at McKinley’s face. He’d last seen the man only a few hours ago but he looked like he’d aged a decade since then. “Listen, Dan, you can’t stay here forever. She’s in good hands. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink at Jones’.”

McKinley shook his head with minimal effort. “I’m not leaving her like this, and I don’t drink anyway.” He walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, before looking up momentarily at Stillman. “Besides, I seem to remember you pretty much setting up camp here when Rush got shot.”

Stillman smiled slightly. “Didn’t have a lot of choice. I took a round too, remember?”

McKinley chuckled slightly.

Stillman’s smile faded. “Dan, there’s something else. We were going through case on Milo’s murder. Ballistics report’s missing though. I wondered if you had any idea what could’ve happened.”

McKinley looked up at Stillman. “You think one of us had something to do with it? For God’s sake, Lieutenant! I hand picked everyone on my team. No way anyone of them is dirty.” McKinley kept looking at him for a moment before something came to him. “There’s one possibility though.”

Stillman leaned in closer.

“Not too long after Milo died, there was this pipe leak, almost ruined a whole bunch of files.”

Stillman nodded. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“Anyway, the city gets this genius idea to keep all these records at a storage place until repairs were done, thinking maybe they’ll save a few bucks. Now I don’t know anything for sure, but if I was gonna make a file disappear, that’d be the time to do it.”

“Which storage place?” Stillman asked.

“The guy who owns it’s named Greg Nathanson.” McKinley leaned in closer. “Get this though; Milo’s day job was working for Nathanson at this storage place.”

“Milo worked for this guy?”

“Yeah. So did a few of Devereaux’s other guys. Plus, from what I hear, he found out at some point Milo was working with us. He was tiffed.”

Stillman frowned in thought.

McKinley shook his head. “Look, I don’t know for sure that this guy had anything to do with Devereaux or Milo’s death, but if he did...”

Stillman nodded. “Then he was in the perfect position to sweep it under the rug.”

[coldboneslove398]

yay todd!! I really like this story a lot . Can't wait for the next chapters!!! xD

[toddsmitts]

(Sorry about the super-long delay. A new job and the holidays left me with little time or energy to work on this).




In his office at the back of the warehouse, Greg Nathanson, a round faced man of about fifty, gave the detectives an awkward smile as he placed the bag of golf clubs in the corner.

“Sorry I’m late.” He said, chuckling. “I really gotta learn to stick to nine holes on weekdays. So you said this had something to do with Milo Harris?”

“Yeah, we’re lookin’ into his murder.” Scotty said.

“We heard tell you found out that Milo was an informant.” Vera said. “And you were a little tiffed about it.”

“Who told you that?” Greg said, giving Vera a confused look. “Yes, I found out Milo was working for the cops. I told him I didn’t think it was a good idea. I thought it was too dangerous.”

“So you were just trying’ to look out for him?” Scotty said.

Greg sighed. “Look, Milo was actually a bright kid when he didn’t have his head in the clouds. Maybe I tried to look out for him a little, but I already got two kids. I wasn’t interested in taking on a third. At the end of the day, it was his decision.”

“So how’d you find out what Milo was up to?” Vera asked.

Greg glanced over at speaker on his desk and the monitors on the wall beside it. “I had cameras installed all over the lot after I caught a couple of employees with sticky fingers. Plus the place already had the intercom system set up when I bought it. Somebody left it on one afternoon when Milo came in with that lady cop. Heard a lot more than I was probably supposed to...”

***

("Losing Grip" - Avril Lavigne)

“So what happens now? Do I wear a wire the next time I see Devereaux?”

Greg turned towards the monitor at the sound of Milo’s voice coming from the speaker. He noticed Milo was standing outside one of the larger storage spaces, Number 5. Except with the broken gate on that space, there was no reason for anyone to go near it.

Kate chuckled. “I think you’ve seen a few too many movies. We just need you to give a heads up on what Devereaux’s up to. That way, the next time he picks up a shipment, we can nail him.”

“Sounds like a plan” Milo said with a hint of worry.

“You okay?” Kate asked.

Milo sighed “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m still surprised I wound up doing this. We’re a long way from lab partners in bio, huh?”

Kate shrugged slightly. “I guess so. Listen, I’d better go before somebody sees me.”

It was silent for a moment after she left. Greg was about to turn the intercom off when he heard a familiar voice call out Milo’s name.

“Hey, Jay.” Milo said to the young man walking up to him.

“What are you doin’ around here?” Jay asked. Even from the monitors, Greg could see an erratic look in Jay’s eyes. He’d seen enough addicts in the neighborhood to know what it was.

Milo paused nervously for a moment. “I uhhh... I was coming in the back way. I didn’t want Greg to see me coming in late. I had a dentist’s appointment I forgot to tell him about.”

A smirk passed over Jay’s face. “Dentist’s appoint. Sure you did. Come on. You can tell me. You hook up with somebody last night?” Jay chuckled, giving Milo a back-handed slap on the chest. “Anybody I know? She got a friend?”

Milo’s eyes narrowed. “Are you high? We’re at work, for God’s sake! You wanna get fired?”

The smile dropped from Jay’s face. “I’m fine, all right?”

Milo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you look great. Look, why don’t you just go home? I’ll tell Greg you got sick or something.”

“I said I’m fine!”

“You’re gonna get fired!”

“Not if you keep your mouth shut!” Jay snapped. “Look, I got you that job with Devereaux so you owe me. So just keep quiet if you know what’s good for you!”

Greg watched as Jay stormed off, leaving Milo shaking his head.

***

“I confronted Milo with what I’d heard. He admitted what he was doing. I didn’t think it was a good idea, but like I said, it was his decision.”

“So what ended up happening with this guy Jay?” Vera asked.

Greg shrugged. “I fired him that day. I mean the guy showed up on heroin.”

Vera turned to Scotty. “Maybe he thought Milo ratted him out. Paranoid junkie’s not exactly a stretch. On top of that, Milo being an informant against Devereaux after Jay got him a job with the guy? There’s motive to spare.”

Scotty nodded and turned back to Greg with a disapproving look. “And you didn’t think saying anything about this in the original investigation could’ve helped?”

“I did. I told that lady cop about it. Ask her.”

Scotty and Vera gave each other an uneasy look.

***

Vera and Jeffries looked around the messy, graffiti-covered apartment hallway, trying to ignore the noise and smell. Vera gestured towards a dead rat which appeared to have been hastily swept into a corner along with some other garbage. “If a rat can’t survive in a place like this, what the hell chance do we have?”

Jeffries just rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.” He banged on the apartment door in front of them.

“Who is it?” called a voice from inside.

“Police, open up!” Announced Jeffries, holding his shield up to the peep hole.

“Uhhhh... just a second.” It was silent inside the apartment for a moment, then some loud clattering noises emerged.

“Come on, pal” Vera muttered quietly. “Just hide your stash and open up.”

A moment later the door opened slightly and the head of Jay Morgan popped through. In the four years since Milo’s death, he’d grown out his hair a bit and lost some weight, which was particularly evident in the grungy tank top he was wearing.

“Is there a problem?” Jay asked, he’s eyes moving back and forth between Jeffries and Vera, but never really focusing on either.

“We got some questions about Milo Harris’ murder.” Vera said.

What looked like a half-smile appeared on Jay’s face. “Milo? I... I haven’t even thought about him in ages. Great guy.”

“Really?” Jeffries asked. “Cause we heard you blamed him for you losing your job at the warehouse and Devereaux getting arrested.”

Jay gave Jeffries a dumbfounded look. “What? No, no, no. I mean, you know, I had problems back then.” He didn’t notice the look Vera and Jeffries gave each other as he spoke. “But me and Milo, we were, like, tight. Like, after I got fired from the warehouse, I was having some problems with this dick landlord at my old building, so Milo let me crash at his place. He was totally cool. Not like that jerk Hector.”

“Hector?” Vera asked.

“This other guy I knew who worked for Devereaux. Guy gave everybody attitude. I don’t know what his problem was but he really hated Milo’s guts too.”

“Why is that?” Jeffries asked.

Jay gave an exaggerated shrug. “I dunno. He just didn’t like him. He actually showed up at Milo’s place one time. You know what? It was the day Milo died. He was tiffed about something...”

***

(“Too Bad” - Nickelback)

Jay stretched out on the couch in Milo’s living room. “Hey, man. Thanks again for this.” He said, smiling.

Milo didn’t smile back. “Don’t get too comfy. This is just until you find another place. And next time you better not stick all your rent money up your arm. I’d better not catch you doing that here either.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

He was about to roll over with his back to Milo when they both heard a knock at the door. Jay leaned over to watch Milo open the door step back as he saw Hector giving him an icy stare on the other end.

“Hector?” Milo asked nervously. “How uhhh... how do you know where I live?”

“I followed you.” Hector said coldly. “Just like I followed you ths morning and saw who you were talking to.”

The color in Milo’s face drained slightly but he kept his composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said uneasily.

“Yeah you do. Now I wanna know how much you told them.”

Milo was still for a moment, looking like he was trying to muster up some courage before answering. “I said I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now I got somewhere to be.”

Milo tried to walk past him but Hector blocked his path, pulling aside his leather jacket to reveal a gun tucked under his belt.

At this, Jay looked up from the couch. “Uhhh... hey, is everything okay?”

“Mind your own business, you nosy little junkie!” Hector snapped before grabbing Milo by the arm. “Let’s go have a little talk in private.” With that, Hector pulled Milo out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him...

***

“So Hector knew Milo was an informant?” Jeffries asked.

Jay shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that was what that was about. Listen, can I go now?” Mildly annoyed, Jeffries waved him off and Jay shut the door.

“So Hector finds out about Milo, drags him out of his apartment with a gun...” Jeffries started.

Vera nodded. “Few hours later, Milo’s face-down in an alley with a bullet in his head.”

[boxman]

Okay! You're not going to let the doer be Hector, I suppose?? That's too easy at this point! I'm wondering now how you're gonna set someone else up....

[toddsmitts]

(Again, sorry for the long delay.)


Hector eyed Kat and Scotty nervously as the two of them sat down across the table.

“Heard you had a real beef with Milo.” Kat said, leaning back in her chair. “Especially after you found out he was an informant.”

Hector looked at her, confused. “Who told you that?”

“Cut the crap, Hector!” Scotty snapped. “We got an eyewitness that puts you in Milo’s apartment leading him out at gunpoint, a couple of hours before he was killed.”

Hector gave Scotty a stunned look and shook his head. “No! It wasn’t like that!”

“Is that right?” Scotty asked skeptically.

Hector sighed. “Look, most of the guys who worked for Devereaux were bad-ass dudes, kind who’d slit your throat if you look at ‘em the wrong way, scared the hell outta me. I was just trying to look as tough as I could back then.”

“So maybe you turn the rat over to Devereuax, show him how tough you are.” Kat said.

“No, I got out of that life!” Hector said. “I’m a family man now, and I got Milo to thank for that.”

“What did Milo do for you?” Scotty asked.

“Milo was a stand-up guy.” Hector said. “Gave me a real solid when he didn’t have to...”

***

(“It’s Been Awhile” - Staind)

Hector slammed the door to Milo’s apartment and the two of them walked a few feet before Milo stopped.

“Look, you got something to say, you can say it here.” Milo said, steeling himself.

Hector glared at him. “I know you ain’t no cop but I know you’re workin’ with them. Admit it.”

Milo took a deep breath and sighed. “All right, fine. You’re right. I’m working with them. They’re gonna take down Devereaux. Nothing you do to me is gonna change that.”

Hector gave a pained look and put a hand to his head. “That great! That’s just great! I finally get a chance to make some real money and it’s about to go down the toilet!”

Milo stepped closer. “Look, Hector, you’re not like the other guys. You’re not a bad guy.”

Hector stepped back and forced a tough look on his face. “Oh yeah? What’s makes you think that?”

“Cause you’re trying to be all tough but it’s just an act. You’re trying not to let them see how scared you are. I feel the same way.” Milo gestured at the gun under Hector’s belt. “Also I know for a fact there’s no bullets in that gun.”

Hector’s eyes widened at this for a moment before he gave an embarrassed laugh. “I was too scared I’d shoot myself in the foot or something.”

Milo smiled at this. “Yeah, that’d suck.”

“So why’d you come out with me then?”

Milo gestured back at the door. “Cause Jay’s okay guy, but he can’t keep his mouth shut. How’d you get mixed up with these guys anyway?”

Hector sighed and shrugged. “I needed the money. My girl’s pregnant and she don’t want me around unless I can provide for the baby.”

“You’re not gonna be able to provide for anyone if you’re in jail. They’re gonna be closing in on Devereaux soon. They’re gonna get him when his shipment comes in tomorrow.”

Hector’s jaw went slack. “Tomorrow!?”

Milo gave him a serious nod. “Yeah. Now, unless you wanna go down with them, you’ve gotta back out now. Just get out of town for a few days until things die down.”

“Okay.” Hector nodded nervously.

Milo nodded back. “Good. Listen I gotta stop off at work for a bit, talk to somebody before things go down. Can you give me a lift?”

“Sure.” Hector said. “And thanks, man. You’re a good guy.”

Milo smiled slightly. “You too, man.”

***

Hector nodded sadly. “I’d probably be in jail right now if it wasn’t for Milo, instead of marrying my wife and raising my baby girl.” He looked up at the detectives. “She’s pregnant again, you know. If this one’s a boy, I’m gonna name him Milo.”

“So you and Milo ended up being pretty tight.” Scotty said. “Must’ve been rough when you heard he got killed.”

Hector lowered his head. “Yeah.”

“So you know anything about that officer that was attacked in the same spot where Milo was killed? Cause we hear that was supposed to be payback for his death.”

Hector suddenly looked up at Scotty with disbelief. “So if I didn’t like Milo, then I musta killed him, and if I did like him, then I attacked that cop, is that it?”

“Where were you yesterday afternoon?” Kat said, flatly.

“I was at the carnival with my little girl.” Hector said evenly. “She loves riding the little teacups. I’m sure the guy who ran the ride’s gonna remember. We went on it like six times.” He gave the detectives an annoyed look. “You know, it’s not like I was the only friend he ever had.”

“Who else was there?” Kat asked.

Hector shrugged. “What about that guy who ran the warehouse?”

“Greg Nathanson? Milo’s boss?”

“Yeah. Milo talked about him on the ride over. The guy was like a father to Milo.”

Scotty leaned back in his chair and looked away, considering this.

***

Greg shifted uneasily in his chair as Scotty gave him an icy stare from the other end of the table. As much as Scotty wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, his boss had been clear. ADA Thomas had wanted a clean case on this one. It was going to have to be by the numbers.

“I don’t what else I can tell you guys.” Greg said warily.

“We just need to clear up some inconsistencies in your story.” Scotty said calmly.

“What kind of inconsistencies?” Greg asked.

***

“That’s him.” Tyrone said on the other side of the glass.

“Are you sure?” Stillman asked.

Tyrone nodded, never taking his eyes off Greg. “I’d know that voice anywhere.”

Stillman nodded to Jeffries, who walked out of the room.

***

“What kind of inconsistencies?” Greg repeated.

Scotty gave a slight smile. “Well, for one thing, you said you told Officer Wyler about that little confrontation between Milo and Jay. Now I know that’s not true. I guess what with her bein’ in a coma, she couldn’t contradict your story.”

Jeffries walked in and nodded to Scotty. That was all he needed.

Scotty continued, raising his voice slightly. “Also, you said you and Milo weren’t too close, but now we’re hearin’ how you were like a father to him.”

“No, no...” Greg started, looking more nervous. “Look, you guys think I hurt that lady cop?”

“They said Wyler was hit with a long metal object.” Jeffries said, glaring at him. “Kind of like a golf club.”

“Why would I do that?” Greg asked. “I didn’t even care!”

“So you’re saying you didn’t care about Milo?” Scotty asked.

“No, I mean, I did, but I...” He trailed off, looking up at Jeffries, then back at Scotty, and closed his eyes with a sigh.

“What happened, Greg?” Scotty asked with a softer tone.

“My ex took our kids down to Florida to be with her new husband.” He started, bitterness evident in his voice. “I barely ever see them. Then Milo started working for me. Bright kid, same age as my son, could’ve done anything he wanted with his life. I thought maybe we could be partners running the business someday.”

“But then Wyler recruited him as an informant.” Jeffries said.

“She didn’t care about him.” Greg said coldly. “All she cared about was her precious drug bust. The whole time he was working with her, he’d go on and on to me about how great she was, how smart she was, how pretty she was. Had him fooled completely. Had me fooled for a while too.”

“For a while?” Jeffries said.

“I heard them talking the day Milo got killed.” Greg said, shaking his head. “Turns out she was no better then the guys she was trying to take down...”

***

(“Are You Happy Now?” - Michelle Branch)

Greg had said hello when Milo came in, though Milo had to tell him he didn’t have time to talk. Greg had simply nodded and let him go. He knew Milo wasn’t there that day to work.

Greg walked back to his office, where he could see Milo in his usual spot on the monitor. The intercom was still on, though Greg had turned the volume down to an inaudible level since that first meeting of Milo’s. He figured it wasn’t any business of his.

Today though, Milo had seemed more anxious than usual when he came in. Greg wondered if something had gone wrong with the investigation or if maybe it was simply coming to an end.

His curiosity simply got the better of him, and he found himself turning up the volume dial on the intercom just as Kate Wyler walked into view.

“Hey.” Kate said, hurrying up to Milo, looking concerned. “I heard Hector Ortiz was looking for you. What happened?”

Milo sighed. “Hector figured out I was working with you.”

Kate’s eyes widened at this. “What? How?”

Milo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It's all right. He’s not gonna say anything.”

“How do you know?”

Milo shifted uneasily, clearly knowing she wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “Cause I told him to skip town until after you guys bust Devereaux.”

Kate’s face went slack. “You what!?”

“Look, he’s not gonna say anything, all right? I talked to him.”

“You don’t know that!” Kate hissed. “This is the guy just a few days ago you said doesn’t trust you. Now we’re supposed to just hope that he won’t give Devereaux or his guys a heads up? What the hell were you thinking?”

“Look, Hector is not a bad guy, all right? He’s like me. He just wants a way out of this.”

Kate put her hands to head, which she shook in disbelief. “You don’t even realize how bad you’ve screwed things up!” She turned back to Milo with a glare. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve invested in this? I was the one who brought you in. I was the one who talked my boss into using you. How am I gonna look if you blow everything now? This is my job, we’re talking about!”

Milo recoiled slightly at this. “I thought this was about taking down a drug dealer.”

“Don’t you dare get self-righteous with me!” Kate snapped. “Did you think doing all this would get you into my pants? Wake up, Milo!”

“You’re not the one I’m doing this for.” Milo said simply. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you’re gonna regret it if you blow this case.” Kate said in a dull but menacing voice. “Now you’d better get your act together if you know what’s good for you, and pray that you haven’t ruined everything for me already.”

“You know what?” Milo said, narrowing his eyes. “Then maybe I don’t remember as much about Devereaux’s operation as I thought.”

She stepped closer to Milo. “Then maybe I’ll go have a talk with Devereaux.” She said with the same dull menace. “Tell him what his newest employee’s been doing in his spare time.”

Milo just stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Without a word, he turned around and walked away. Kate simply watched him leave, shaking her head with a look of disapproval.

From in front of the monitor, Greg leaned back with his jaw dropped slightly. He kept his eyes focused on Kate until she too, turned around and walked off...

***

“She was just using him.” Greg said, shaking his head. “And the second he stopped being useful...”

“So you think she got Milo killed?” Jeffries said with more than a hint of skepticism.

Greg looked at Jeffries. “The warehouse wasn’t the only meeting place they had. Milo said there was one other. An alley about six blocks from that drug dealer’s place.”

“The alley where Milo was killed.” Jeffries said.

Greg nodded. “Milo had a pager she’d call. Depending on what number she used, that was the signal to meet her at either spot. I saw him a half an hour before he was killed.” The bitterness returned to his voice. “She paged him and signaled him to meet her in that alley.”

The two detectives were silent for a moment at this, giving each other a glance.

“So why the hell didn’t you say anything about this back then?” Scotty snapped.

“To who? You guys aren’t gonna arrest one of your own.” Greg shook his head. “I had to live with this for four years, knowing nobody else gave a damn. I’d drive by the alley there where he died every once in the while, just trying to pay my respects. Then yesterday, I’m coming back from the course and I see her there. She’s got the nerve to be there after what she did to him. Before I knew what was happening, I pulled out my six iron, got out of the car and...” He trailed off and sighed.

The two detectives were silent again for a moment, before Scotty slapped the pad and pen down in front of Greg.

“Write it.” Scotty said. “Every word.”

***

Kat walked up to Lilly, Scotty, Jeffries, and Stillman as the exited the interview room.

“He went for it?” Kat asked.

Scotty nodded.

“Well I got some more good news.” Kat said. “Kate Wyler just regained consciousness.”

Scotty shook his head. “I was almost hopin’ she didn’t wake up now.”

“Why?” Kat asked, confused.

Lilly nodded solemnly. “Cause now we’ve got to look at her for murder.”

[spirit]

I just finished reading that and all i can say is wow

That was really good, It seemed like an actual episode. I liked how you gave each flash back music like the real show does and you described everything so well i could imagine exactly how everything was.

[g13]

oooh yes cliffhanger is coming!

[boxman]

This has been very interesting, Todd! I like the twist in the lastest chapter.

[coldboneslove398]

I read this on fanfic yesterday. I can't wait for the next chapter xD

[toddsmitts]

Note: You can hear all the music in this story at the playlist here:
www.playlist.com/user/2839240/view
Just scroll down the list and be patient while a song loads.




Lilly and Kat gave Kate a sympathetic look as they both sat down next to her bed. Her left arm in a sling, Kate barely moved as she looked back at them

“Kate, we know about the argument you and Milo had the day he died.” Lilly said gently.

Kate shook her head. “I don’t understand.” she said in a tired, slightly raspy voice. Lilly couldn’t make out an expression on her bruised face.

“We know you threatened to tell Devereaux what Milo was doing.” Kat continued. “Look, if you were angry, we can understand that. I mean after putting so much time and effort into that case and then Milo doing something to screw it up--”

“Milo didn’t screw anything up.” Kate said, her voice suddenly showing more strength than Lilly and Kat would have expected from someone in her position. “We couldn’t have made that case without him.”

“But you did see him one last time in the alley that night” Lilly said.

Kate nodded slightly. “He called me and asked me to meet him there. I’m glad he did. We had a lot to talk about...”

***

Kate saw Milo turn to him and smile slightly as she approached him.

“I was starting to think you weren’t gonna come.” Milo said, chuckling nervously.

“You’re my informant.” Kate said evenly. “If you’ve got something to say, I’d better listen.”

“Look, Kate, I’m sorry about earlier. I- I didn’t mean what I said about forgetting what I saw.”

“I know.” Kate said, looking up at him. “You know I’d never really sell you out to Devereaux, right?”

Milo nodded. “And look, about Hector--”

Kate put a hand up. “We had a couple of guys watching Hector. He took his girl and left town a few hours ago, didn’t talk to anyone. Looks like you were right about him.” She smiled.

Milo rolled his eyes. “That’s a relief. I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself if I screwed up everything at this point.”

Kate just looked at him for a moment before saying else.

“Can I ask you something?” she finally asked.

Milo nodded.

“You said before I wasn’t the one you were doing this for. Who are you doing this for?”

Milo shrugged. “Jay.”

“Jay?”

Milo sighed. “You should’ve met him before he started using. He was the smartest guy I knew, funny as hell too. Now he’s lost his job, his apartment. I don’t know if anything’s gonna turn him around now. You know, I look at him and wonder how many other lives got ruined the same way, just so guys like Devereaux can line their pockets. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else, not in my neighborhood.”

Kate smiled and nodded. “That’s pretty much the reason I became a cop. I think I lost sight of that at some point. It’s good to have a little reminder now and then.” She put a hand on his arm. “It takes a lot of guts to do what you’re doing.”

“Look, I know you thought I just did this to get you to like me, and maybe that did have a little to do with it at first, but I just wanted you to know it was about more than that.”

Kate smiled slightly and cocked her head. “So you don’t want me to like you?”

Milo gave an embarrassed laugh for a moment and looked at her. “Kate, I mean I...” He sighed and gave a wistful smile as he confessed. “I think you’re amazing. You're the smartest person I know. You could've done anything, but you're putting yourself on the line to try and make a difference, to try and make the city a better place.” Not really noticing the smile growing on her face, he continued with a shrug. “And I know a guy like me could never--”

Milo suddenly found himself unable to say anything else as Kate had pulled herself up to him, placed her arms around him and cover his lips with her own. Even after she finally broke the kiss and pulled back, Milo still couldn’t seem to find any words.

Kate laughed for a moment before her look turned serious. “Look, you’re probably going to have to testify at the trial and this could get complicated for a while. I need you to do something for me, all right?”

“Okay.” Milo said, nodding.

“I want you to just lay low until the bust tomorrow.” She put a hand on his cheek. “And then find me afterwards, okay? We’ll talk then.”

Milo nodded. “Okay, but what do you want me to--”

Kate silenced him by placing two fingers over his lips. “Just find me afterwards, okay?”

Milo nodded again with a slight smile. “Okay.”

Kate stepped back, keeping her eyes on Milo as the two of them started off in opposite directions, each trying to hide the smile growing on their face...

***

“I don’t know what happened to him after that.” Kate blinked back tears but couldn’t keep one from rolling down her face. “It’s still hard to think about it. I hadn’t been back to that alley since he was killed. I finally worked up the nerve to go back there and...” She gestured to the bruises on her face and the sling her arm was in.

Lilly simply nodded sympathetically.

Kat leaned forward. “Wait, you said Milo called you to go there?”

Kate nodded.

Kat turned to Lilly. “Greg said Milo got a page signaling him to come to the alley.”

Lilly looked down, then back at Kat. “So someone else lured him back to the alley that night. Someone who knew about the meeting place, someone who knew the signal to send.” Suddenly feeling uneasy, she turned to Kate. “Who else knew about it?”

Kate shook her head. “Nobody. It was a secret to protect Milo.”

“Somebody else had to know it.” Lilly continued.

“Nobody. Nobody knew.” Kate continued in her raspy voice. A moment later, something passed through her mind. "Except..." A look of disbelief passed over her face.

***

Sergeant Dan McKinley turned from the two officers he’d been talking to and smiled as he saw Lilly and Stillman walking towards him from the other end of the hospital hallway.

McKinley extended his hand to Stillman. “Hey, I heard you caught the guy. I just wanted to say thanks.”

Stillman didn’t smile or take his hand. Instead he turned to the two officers. “Can you guys give us a minute?” Lilly and Stillman watched them walk off, then turned back to McKinley.

“Must’ve been hard.” Lilly finally said, with just a trace of contempt. “Seeing her beaten and unconscious like that, knowing she was paying the price for something you did.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We know somebody lured Milo to that alley.” Stillman said, giving him a cold stare. “Somebody who knew the signal to get him there, somebody who’d be in the right position to make a ballistics report disappear.”

“Wait, you think I had something to do with this?” McKinley asked with a look of disbelief.

“We’ve also heard you had a bit of a temper, especially with a couple of drinks in you.” Lilly leaned closer. “You have a couple of drinks that night?”

“Watch it.” McKinley snarled. “You’re talking to a sergeant.”

“And you’re talking to a lieutenant!” Stillman snapped. “Now you practically owed that case to Milo and you paid him back with a bullet in his skull and I wanna know why!”

“I didn’t owe him anything!” McKinley suddenly barked. “I worked for a year to bring Devereaux in! Me! You don’t get to come in at the last minute and take the credit! That doesn’t make you a hero! It doesn’t mean you deserve a girl like her!” McKinley stopped himself on the last word but Lilly and Stillman both heard it anyway.

“Her?” Lilly asked as McKinley turned away.

“Kate?” Stillman asked after a moment. “This was all about Kate?”

McKinley looked up at Stillman, then closed his eyes and looked down again. “This... this job, it killed my marriage. I never thought I’d find someone who understood the things we have to see and do. Then I met Kate. I mean, yeah, she was good-looking, but it was more than that. She understood it.” A slight smile appeared on his face and his gaze seemed to be on something far away. “I never knew anyone like her. I would’ve given anything to be with her.”

“But you were her sergeant.” Stillman said, solemnly. “You knew she’d never go for that.”

“But she would go for Milo.” added Lilly.

McKinley’s look turned bitter. “Every once in a while, she’d bring him into the station. I’d have to listen to them telling these old high school stories, her laughin’ at his stupid jokes. I thought I could just put up with him until we cleared the case. Then we’d be done with him and we could just pass him off to the D.A.” He sighed. “Then, that night, she comes in after meeting him that last time, going on and on about him, like I wanted to hear any of it...”

Lilly nodded. “You figure maybe Milo’s gonna be sticking around.”

McKinley shook his head in disbelief. “I couldn’t take it. I went to Jones’, threw a couple back, and then I remembered I had the number for his pager.” He looked at Stillman. “I didn’t go there looking to hurt him, but when I got there...” McKinley closed his eyes as a pained look formed on his face. “He took everything from me. Without trying to, without even meaning to, he just took everything...”

***

The shots of whiskey he’d drank made it a bit harder than usual to walk straight, but McKinley kept his composure as he walked into the alley. The little patience he had was already ebbing away when Milo appeared from around the corner and rushed towards him, looking surprised to see him.

“Sergeant McKinley?” Milo asked, concern in his voice. “What’s going on? Where’s Kate? Is she all right?”

Just hearing Milo say her name seemed to make his blood boil, but he swallowed the feeling as best he could. “She’s fine. She went home.”

“Oh.” Milo sighed in relief and smiling slightly. “Then what is it?”

“Look, we need to talk.” McKinley said. “You're gonna be workin' with me on this case now, not Kate.”

“Why?” Milo answered, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

“Look, she's got a lot on her mind right now, and she doesn’t need anyone confusing her.”

“She didn’t seem confused to me.” Milo said, giving McKinley a suspicious look.

“Hey!” McKinley barked, letting his words slur a bit. “You hear what I said? You're not workin' with her anymore! I don't want you seein' her anymore!”

“What are you talking--” Milo suddenly recoiled and placed a hand over his mouth and nose as he got a whiff of McKinley’s breath. “Wow! You’re uhhh... you’re really drunk.”

“You just stay the hell away from her, all right!?” McKinley’s voice was rising noticeably in pitch. “You can’t have her!”

“What?” Milo just looked at him, unable to think of anything else to say.

“You think you deserve her cause you turned up with a few tips on your boss? Huh?” Without warning, he gave Milo a hard shove, though Milo managed to stay on his feet. “You think that makes you a hero? It doesn’t! That’s just dumb luck!”

Milo steeled himself and looked straight at McKinley. “I wasn’t doing all this to be a hero, or to get her. That’s not what this was about.”

McKinley gave him a condescending nod. “Oh, okay, smart guy. What’s it about then?”

Milo just shook his head. “Nothing a jerk like you would ever understand.”

McKinley didn’t even try to hide the anger growing on his face.

“Go home.” Milo said in a soft but serious tone. “Sleep this off.” Before McKinley could think of something to say in response, Milo had already turned away and was walking off.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” McKinley yelled to Milo, who didn’t stop or respond. “Don’t you walk away from me!” He yelled louder.

“Don’t you--” McKinley trailed off, suddenly looking down and pulling out his gun. The drinks didn’t seem to affect his aim as he pointed his weapon at Milo and fired off a round. The shot hit Milo in the spine, pitching him forward and landing face-first on to the pavement.

McKinley simply stood there, gun still in his extended hand, and watched. Milo, a blood stain on his back growing larger almost by the second, was feebly attempting to crawl away in the direction he’d been walking. His legs didn’t seem to be moving. Whether this was from being paralyzed or simply from pain, McKinley wasn’t sure. Milo didn’t say anything, his labored breathing and occasional wince of pain being the only sounds he made.

When McKinley finally found himself able to move again, he lowed his gun and walked over to Milo, knowing he had no choice. Milo didn’t look up at him, much to his relief, but instead kept trying to crawl to safely.

McKinley took several deep breaths and squared his jaw as he raised the gun again. His face had a pained look as he aimed the gun at the back of Milo’s head and squeezed the trigger...

***

(“Somewhere Out There” - Our Lady Peace)

In the lobby of the police building, Kate, still bruised and bandaged, stepped inside and watched from a distance as Scotty and Vera walked the handcuffed Greg towards the doors. His head down, ignoring glares from the other cops staring at him, Greg didn’t appear to see Kate as he passed her by. Kate’s look stayed neutral as she watched him leave, not sure what she was supposed to feel.

Turning her head back, Kate watched Stillman and Jeffries following the same path, escorting McKinley, also in handcuffs. Her neutral look melted into one of hurt and betrayal as McKinley looked up at her. He looked back at her in shame for a few moments, before lowering his head. Kate didn’t take her eyes off of him until passed through the doors...

Tyrone smiled as he ran down the street, faster and harder than usual. He wasn’t sure if the events of the past few days were what had given him this new energy or not, but he knew that marathon couldn’t come soon enough...

Sitting on the couch in his dingy apartment, Jay had a pained look on his face as he wrapped the rubber tube around his arm. The look got worse as he pulled the last vial from his hiding place, as if a part of him seemed aware of what he was doing. As Jay injected the needle into his arm, he only hoped that feeling would go away...

Getting off the teacup ride at the carnival, Hector picked up his young daughter and carried her over to a bench where the girl’s mother was waiting. Hector smiled and placed a hand on his wife’s belly just in time to feel a kick. Holding both his wife and daughter’s hands with his own, Hector walked off, content as ever...

From her car, Lilly sat, staring intently at the hospital’s emergency entrance. Finally turning away after a few moments, she forced her gaze forward, started the car, and drove off...

Pulling out a black marker, Stillman wrote the word CLOSED on the lid of the box. He stacked it in with the others and looked at it for just a moment, before walking off...

Walking into the alley with Kat and Scotty watching closely, Kate crouched down as much as her injuries would allow and placed the flowers on the pavement. She looked up to see the tall, thin young man walking by from several feet away, hands in his pockets, giving her a warm smile.

Standing up and feeling uninjured just for a moment, Kate smiled back at Milo and watched as he continued walking away, until he faded away completely.

THE END

[g13]

I knew it was a coverup from the beginning. No other suspect would cover up the bullet like a seargent would...when I read about no documentation on it it had to be someone who is as corrupt as a police seargant...

[g13]

btw todd keep it up I used the songs for the reading and it fitted nicely. I think the producers would love to get a hand on these types of scripts. Especially for the NEXT season.LOL I think the audience would be too tired of 2000s cases! Nice use of actors though...any more? You should check out some of the 70s cases and events (Ira Einhorn aka unicorn killer, Hurricane Agnes, Legionaires Disease, Christine Chubbuck (anchorwoman who committed suicide 1974))

I think a serial killer would be a good one...

[coldboneslove398]

Please continue soon, Todd!! . I can't wait for the ending xD

[g13]

cold bones ending is on page 1

[coldboneslove398]

g13 said:

cold bones ending is on page 1

ah thax ;D. I didn't know that Todd added it already. Damn, your speedy Todd

Great ending, Todd!! Are you sure you're not part of the "Cold Case" staff?

That would have made for a totally great eppy.