Written in 65 minutes. Went a bit over, but hey 3k in 65 minutes ain’t bad, right?

PCPD: Conference Room

Anna leaned against the door frame of the room, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. “I’ll accept your apology any time you’d like to offer it.”

Caldwell, standing at a whiteboard already pinned with crime scene photos and dry erase marker notes, merely glanced at her, then returned to his reports. “What do we know from the preliminary autopsy?” he wanted to know.

“I’ve got the angle of the bullets—”

“Agent Caldwell, I could be a great asset if you’d allow it—”

“Well, I’m not intending to.” Caldwell turned to face her, gripping the back of a chair. “You’re too close to this situation, and you’ve been known to fraternize with all our major suspects, especially Jason Morgan.”

Anna lifted her brows. “I fail to see how Jason is a suspect, Caldwell, seeing as how two witnesses place him inside the house and have him running towards the crime scene after. But of course, you know that — you have the statements—”

“Unfortunately, thanks to you and the delay tactics at the Quartermaine estate, I was unable to finish my interrogation of even one of those boys. I could have cracked them like a nut—”

“Yes, Jake Webber appeared to very intimidated. I know this is a sensitive topic, Caldwell, seeing as how John was a federal agent, but you are absolutely racing down the wrong street if you think Jason Morgan would execute a man this way — on his family’s property and use his sons as alibi—”

“Yes, I know, I know, the honorable mobster. I’ve heard it all before.”

“An intelligent mobster,” Anna corrected. “And there’s a difference. You must know his work with the FBI these last two years — you can’t survive inside the Pikeman organization without common sense.”

Caldwell hesitated. “I would say that this doesn’t match the profile of anything else he’s been involved in,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be willing to change his tactics if he wanted someone dead. And believe me, Commissioner, Jason Morgan wanted John Cates dead.”

Anna straightened. “Why would he care about Cates? The Pikeman deal is done. Jason is free—”

“And he wanted to stay that way.” Caldwell came towards her, reached for the door. “Thank you for your input, but we’ll take it from here.” Then closed it in her face.

Webber House: Living Room

Jason could tell from Elizabeth and Jake’s started expressions that they’d had no idea what he’d been up to while he was gone — and that working for the FBI was obviously at the bottom the list.

Elizabeth recovered sooner, shifting slightly so that she was standing next to Jake, facing him. “Cates was your handler? The entire time?”

“Yes. It’s why he was so aggressive when things went bad in March,” Jason added. “Why he was so intent on finding me. I made a deal with him to find the identity of someone, and I did that. He just wasn’t happy how things worked out.” He folded his arms, cognizant of the fact that Valentin had taken Charlotte on the run with him, and that, in a way, Jason was the reason she was gone. He didn’t want to give Jake one more reason to resent him.

“But you were done. It’s over,” Elizabeth said. “So why would they suspect you now?”

“Because Cates has been trying to get me to keep going. He didn’t get the ending for his career that he wanted,” Jason clarified, and hesitated. “I’m sorry, maybe I should have run this past you before saying anything to Jake,” he said to Elizabeth.

“No, I trust—Jake’s your son, Jason. I trust you to know what to tell him, and what not to tell him.” Elizabeth looked at their son. “Jake—”

“All that time you were gone—” Jake rubbed his mouth. “You—you were working with the government? Like—like undercover?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry—”

“So that’s why you couldn’t tell us.” Jake swallowed hard. “Because it would have blown your cover. And maybe me or Mom or anyone here would have been in danger.”

“Yes, but—”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” Jake asked, bewildered, his voice a little thready. “Why would you—you didn’t even argue with me when—” He closed his hand into a fist at his side, shook his head. “I don’t get you, Dad. I don’t. You never defend yourself. Even when you should. Danny’s mom went nuts on you like she didn’t just serve time for a murder a few years ago—”

“Jake—” Elizabeth said softly, touching his shoulder, but Jake shook his head.

“You don’t stand up for yourself, and you just let us all think these awful things—except I guess I’m the only one who did. Right? Because Mom knew you’d never leave us unless you had to, a-and Danny knew, but I didn’t—”

“Hey.” Jason stepped forward, took Jake by the shoulders. “You had every right to feel that way, Jake. Look at me,” he said, when his son dropped his eyes. Jake lifted his gaze to meet Jason’s. “I have never been here as much as I should have, and we both know that. But being away from you for two years, knowing you and your brother and your mom and my family were here, thinking I was dead, I made a promise to myself that if I could get the chance to come home, I would make you my top priority. Nothing and no one would be more important than you and Danny.”

Jake pressed his lips together, nodding. “I know. I know. A-and y-you’ve done that. I’m sorry—”

“It’s all right.” Jason jolted when Jake hugged him, squeezing tight, the way he had when he was younger. “It’s all right.”

Jake stepped back, clearing this throat, running a hand through his hair. “Um, so I guess even though me and Danny would be your alibis, they’ll probably try to talk to us again, right?”

“Right. But don’t talk to anyone unless Diane is with you. Do you have her number?” Jason wanted to know.

“I send you her contact information,” Elizabeth told her son. “You did such a good job today, Jake. Really. And I’m sorry you had to go through any of this. That you were interrogated that way—”

“It’s okay.” Jake shrugged, jerking one shoulder and shoving his hands back in his pocket. “Better than me than Danny. He’s got no chill, you know? Me, I get mad and I just start being a smart ass, like Mom. Danny? He’s his mom. Just zero to sixty rage bomb. It was kind of fun watching that guy’s vein throb.” He indicated to his neck. “You know the one? Like when he was trying to piss me off and I just asked him for a soda.”  He snorted. “Really thought he was gonna turn me against Dad because of our last name. What a dork.”

“Some people take names very seriously,” Elizabeth said, when Jason just shook his head at Jake’s nonchalant attitude towards being interrogated by a federal agent.

“But we don’t. I mean, Dad loves his mom and he doesn’t have her last name anymore, right? It’s just a label.  You make it what you wanna make it, and I’m cool with mine.” Jake lifted his brows. “Do you guys have anything else you want to run by me, or do you want me to go away so you can talk without me?”

“I—” Elizabeth looked at Jason. “I don’t have anything, do you?”

“No. No, I don’t.” Still thrown by Jake’s reaction to the news about his FBI status and being interrogated by the FBI, Jason continued, “You did a good job tonight. With any luck, they’ll get a hit on who really did this, and we won’t have to worry about any of this after tonight.”

“I’m gonna go crash. Night, Mom.” He kissed his mother’s cheek, then jogged towards the stairs. “Night, Dad,” he called over his shoulder.

As if it were any other night.

Jason and Elizabeth looked at each other for a beat, then back at the stairs, and then Elizabeth sighed. “Well, he’s been unpredictable since before he was born, I don’t know why he’d change now.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Dante could hear the raised voices before he even pushed open the door, revealing Sam and Danny in the middle of an argument, Danny’s face was so florid with frustration and anger that Dante scarcely recognized him.

“You don’t get to be in charge of me!” Danny thundered.

“Whoa, whoa—” Dante tossed his keys on the desk. “What’s going on here?”

Sam whirled on him, and her expression didn’t ease one bit. “What the hell were you doing when the feds hauled Danny into the station? Why didn’t you stop them?”

Dante lifted his brows. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me! Danny’s being questioned by the FBI, and you don’t stop it, you don’t call me. What the hell, Dante? Why didn’t you protect him?”

“She’s been unhinged all night. Yeah, that’s right,” Danny retorted when Sam spun back. “I called you a raging lunatic you lunatic!”

“Danny, first—don’t talk like that to your mother, even if it’s accurate.” When Sam turned him, her nostrils flaring, Dante pointed at her. “And we’re going to start this conversation over because I sure as hell know you didn’t just accuse me of leaving Danny out to dry or demand I obstruct a federal investigation.”

Sam scowled. “Then what’s your excuse—”

“My excuse is that I didn’t know Danny was a damned witness when I got to the house,” Dante cut in, and she closed her mouth. “I follow orders, Sam. That’s what you do when you have a boss. Anna sent me and Chase down to take statements and to investigate the crime scene before the Feds took it over. No one told me Danny was a witness.”

“And the Quartermaines tried to stop it, I told you! Brook Lynn almost got arrested when they grabbed my arm—”

“They grabbed your arm—” Sam hissed. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him. I knew letting you see him was a bad idea—”

“This wasn’t Dad’s fault! I told you, crazy lady, Dad was in the house! The opposite direction, or are you so mad at him that you’ve lost your damn mind!”

“Danny,” Dante said sharply, and Danny closed his mouth, but his eyes were glittering with furious tears, and Dante softened slightly. “Danny, why don’t you go upstairs, let me and your mom sort this out.”

“It’s not fair—” Danny’s voice broke now. “My dad loves me, and I want to be with him, and you’re making it impossible. She started insulting Jake’s mom, and it’s not fair—”

“Go upstairs,” Dante said, again and this time, Danny listened, lurching towards the stairs, and thundering up the steps. A moment later, the door slammed. Dante looked at Sam, with her own tear-stained cheeks. “Where’s Scout?”

“W-What?” Sam frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“She’s still with her father. Who lives on the Quartermaine property. Who was in jail a year ago for committing crimes. If what happened today is Jason’s fault, it has to be Drew’s, too, doesn’t it? Isn’t anyone who was in the house complicit—”

“It’s not the same and you know it. Dante, damn it, we were on the same page about this—”

“We were on the same page when I wasn’t sure what Jason was gonna do when he got home. When he was asking Danny to hide him while he was a fugitive. When he was  getting shot up in the warehouse,” Dante continued, and Sam lifted her chin. “But the case is over. Jason’s deal with the FBI is done. And you know that because Carly’s charges are gone. But, hey, let’s say we’re wrong. Let’s say Jason’s still wrapped up in this life. There’s zero evidence that what happened today has anything to do with Jason. He was in the house, Sam. Unless you think Jake and Danny are lying.”

“I don’t.” Sam exhaled slowly. “I don’t,” she repeated. “And I know—I know Jason would never do something like this, involve his sons. I know all of that, but Dante, I’m not wrong. Violence always seems to find him. That explosion at the Floating Rib that put Lulu in that coma—Danny was inches from losing his life, too. I can’t forget that. I won’t.”

“No one is asking you to.” Dante went to her, kissed her forehead, and she leaned into his embrace. “But Danny’s getting at an age where you don’t get to be in charge of his world anymore. He’s going to push back at every boundary you set. And he’s not going to be nice about it. He’s got your temper.”

“I know.” Sam sighed, rubbed his arms, then stepped back. “But it’s not going to stop me from trying. I waited for years to have children, I waited for a miracle, and Danny’s my miracle. I won’t let anything get in the way of keeping him safe.”

Webber Home: Kitchen

Elizabeth set the mug of coffee down in front of Jason and slid onto the stool next to him with her own cup. “Sorry, instant isn’t nearly as good the real stuff, even if it’s Corinthos brand.”

“It’s fine.” Jason sipped, then set it on the counter. “I’m sorry. Again. For not telling you about the FBI earlier.”

Elizabeth didn’t answer right away, concentrated on stirring sugar into her coffee. “I think you probably would have told me if I’d pushed you. If I’d demanded answers.” She glanced at him. “Am I wrong?”

He thought of Sam and Carly and Sonny, all of whom had known for months because he’d had little choice but to tell them. Not that it had helped. “No. But—”

“I wanted you to tell me,” Elizabeth said, cutting him off. “Not to drag the information from you, but for you just…tell me. I’ve seen you, Jason, when people push at you. You shut down, and you start to avoid them.” Her lips curved into a slight, sad smile. “I’ve been there. And I’ve learned my lesson.”

“I—” He had no argument for that line of attack. “I know—I know that. I’m trying to be better. About…being open. I mean, if I’d told Jake sooner—” He looked towards the direction of the stairs, though he couldn’t see them from this angle. “I was never very good at telling people anything. But the last few years…” He picked up his coffee.

“Working undercover must have been difficult. Painful,” Elizabeth added.

“I was a mercenary,” he told her bluntly, but she didn’t flinch, and her eyes didn’t change, so he continued. “The job was to infiltrate Pikeman and find out the leader of the organization. To do whatever I had to do to get that name.”

“Pikeman,” Elizabeth repeated. “Valentin. That’s why Cates was angry. Because Valentin got away.” She tipped her head. “Am I supposed to think less of you, Jason, because of what you had to do? That you did what was needed so you could come home?”

“I was good at what I did,” Jason said. He met her gaze directly. “I had to be. No room for mistakes.”

“No room to be yourself,” she murmured. His hand was loosely fisted on the counter between them, and she laid her own over it, her skin soft and smooth against the roughness of his own. “If you’d let anything slip—”

“They’d have used it against me. Killed me, come after my family, the boys, you, Monica, Michael, anyone who mattered—” Jason looked at their joined hands. “Sometimes…sometimes,” he said quietly, “I’d almost forget who I was. Where I came from. What I was trying to get back to. But then someone would say my name. The name I chose.” He met her eyes again. “Alan. Alan Jacobs.”

Her eyes filled, and her thumb stroked the back of his hand, sensations sliding up his arm, then down again. “I’m glad you came home to us. We were surviving, but it’s so much better with you.”

“All the time I spent being terrified that someone would found out about Jake, about Danny, you, Michael—” his throat felt tight. “I wasted so much time. So much of my life thrown away because of a choice I made when I was too stupid to know better. I’m done with that. All of that. I’m not going back what I used to be. I’ve got a second chance with the people that matter, and I’m not going to let anyone take it from me.”

Davis House: Kristina’s Bedroom

Kristina closed the door behind her, then leaned against it. Sam had called only a little while earlier — Danny had been released from the station, though she was worried and so was Dante — that the FBI wasn’t going to let go of Jason that easily.

She hadn’t thought about the boys being at the estate. Hadn’t thought about any thing other than somewhere she knew her father wouldn’t be, but of course Jason was there.

And maybe that would be the key.

Kristina dropped her bag on the bed, then slid her hand inside until her fingers touched velvet. Drawing out the pouch, she pulled at the string, then slid the gun out into her hands.

Could she…was it possible?

She slid her fingers over the cold metal, then looked up, finding herself in the mirror. If she didn’t find a way to keep suspicion off herself or her father —

And wasn’t it Jason’s fault John Cates had come to town at all? Isn’t that what Sam had told her in a rage? That Jason was working for Cates?

Jason had brought that man into Kristina’s world. Maybe it was time he paid for that.

+38

Written in 64 minutes. I need to go over a little, sorry 😛

Port Charles Police Department: Squad Room

He’d introduced himself as Special Supervisory Agent Edward Caldwell, but Jake hadn’t heard much after that — he’d been too busy worrying if they were waiting to talk to Danny or if his younger brother was in another room being questioned. Danny knew to be quiet, but he was also impulsive, and he had a temper. Would he handle this or would he crumble?

And how pissed was his mom going to be when she found out Jake had been hauled down to the station in the back of a squad car—

“Are you listening, young man?”

Jake blinked, focused on the man with the shiny bald head and sour expression sitting across from him. “Is my mom here yet?”

“Your mom can’t help you.” Caldwell leaned forward, his eyes dark, intense. “It’s a crime to lie to the FBI. To obstruct the investigation into the murder of a federal agent.”

Jake folded his arms on the table, leaned forward until their eyes met. “Cool story, dude. Is. My. Mother. Here. Yet.”

Caldwell clenched his jaw. “You think this is a game?”

“I think I asked if my mother was here yet.”

“Mr. Morgan—”

“My name is Jacob Webber. I don’t have my father’s name. Not that it matters to you. If you’re going to hold me against my will, you can at least address me properly. Can I get a soda or something while I’m waiting for my mom?”

“Ah, some tension between you and your father. Did he not want to give you his name—”

Jake rolled his eyes, leaned back. “Oh, man. If this is the best you can do, no wonder you’re wasting your time with me.”

“You think you’re smart, young man? Offering me nothing but attitude—”  Caldwell broke off when he heard something outside the door. Raised voices.

Jake grinned. “I think you’re about to meet my mother.”  He leaned back. “She does not like when people mess with her kids.”

“I can handle your mother—” Caldwell retorted, but then the door flung open, and Jake’s mother stormed in, the carefully coifed curls of the late morning disheveled, her cheeks flushed, and — was she wearing sneakers?  Behind her, Jake could just make out his father and Diane arguing with a couple of uniforms.

“Sorry, sir—” An agent rushed up behind Elizabeth, reached for her but the heat in her eyes had him lowering his hand. “She, uh, ducked underneath my arm and I couldn’t catch her.”

“Short but feisty,” Jake said. He got to his feet. “Hey, Mom.”

“Jake.” Elizabeth lifted her chin when Caldwell also rose, taking a step towards her. The man naturally towered her, but Elizabeth didn’t back up even a centimeter. “Let’s go, Jake. We’re leaving.”

“I’m not finished with him yet. Now go and wait outside before I have you arrested—”

“You’re not finished with him? He’s not free to go? Great.” Elizabeth looked back to the squad room. “Diane, Jake’s in custody. He needs you.” She turned back to Caldwell. “If you’ve arrested my son, then he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. We’re invoking it, aren’t we, Jake?”

“You bet.” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets, enjoying the way the federal agent swallowed hard, as if biting back something nasty.

“He’s not under arrest, but—”

“Then he’s free to go. Jake, we’re leaving.” Elizabeth gestured to Jake who started across the room, but Caldwell stepped between them. “Get out of his way and let us leave. Or you and I will leave this room so Jake can speak to his attorney alone. I know my rights.”

Caldwell reluctantly stepped aside, grimacing. “Mr. Webber, you’re free to go.”

“Don’t I know it.” Jake looked at his mother. “Danny?”

“Where’s Danny Morgan?” Elizabeth wanted to know.

“Daniel Morgan is not your son—”

“But he is mine,” his father said, stepping up behind Elizabeth. Diane wedged in between Elizabeth and the door. “And you’re getting him right now.”

“Unless he’s under arrest—”

“Simmons!” Caldwell bit out, interrupting Elizabeth. The agent who had tried to stop his mother came back to the door. “Fetch the other kid. They’re leaving.”

“Uh, okay, sir.”

Elizabeth gestured for Jake to follow them, and he gratefully exited the interrogation room. “We’ll talk outside,” she murmured to him, taking his arm, squeezing it. “But you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t in there more than a few minutes. And I mostly just gave him a headache.”

“That’s my boy,” Elizabeth said, looking back to the doorway of the room where Jason and Diane were still waiting. Jake exhaled in relief when Danny appeared a moment later, still looking bewildered.

“And Agent Caldwell—” Diane turned, smiled at him sweetly. “In addition to not speaking with Danny and Jake again without notifying me in advance, you should also consider their parents off limits.”

“Ms. Miller,” the agent said flatly.

Jason and Elizabeth hustled both boys into the parking lot, and Jake was dying to debrief the whole situation, find out what Danny was up to, reassure his parents he’d kept his mouth shut other than being a smart ass—

But they’d no sooner reached the exterior steps of the police station then Danny made a face. “Oh, damn it. Dad, it’s been nice knowing you—”

He’d spotted his mother charging towards them before anyone else, and with her flushed cheeks and glittering eyes, furious didn’t even begin to describe it. “What the hell is going on? Why were you dragged into the PCPD?”

She met them at the bottom of the steps, snagged Danny by the elbow and pulled him away from the group, towards her. “What the hell is going on, Jason? I let you take our son for one day, and you’ve got him arrested—”

“They weren’t arrested,” Diane began, but Sam silenced her with one glare.

“Mom, Dad didn’t even do anything,” Danny began.

“This wasn’t about me—” Jason said at the same time.

“You might not give a damn if our son spends time in a squad car, but I sure as hell do! I don’t want him to make the same mistakes you did and end up with a felony record,” Sam broke in. “You can’t even handle Danny with supervision, though I don’t know what I expected—didn’t Cameron get arrested?” she snarled at Elizabeth. Jake bristled but his mother just rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and I got immunity for kidnapping a few years ago—no one’s a saint here.”

“I mean, I am,” Jake said, and Elizabeth pinched. “Ow, well I am! This was my first arrest—well, fake arrest. But Danny, this is like your third trip in a squad car, yeah? Didn’t you get busted a bunch of times last year for curfew?”

Danny brightened. “Yes, yes I did. Before Dad came home,” he finished in a mumble when his mother turned her glare on him. “Well, you can’t blame him for that—”

“We’re going home, and this is the last time—”

Jason stepped in front of Sam before she could drag Danny to the parking lot. “That’s enough. I’ve done everything you’ve wanted since I got home. I’ve limited my time with my son, I’ve even let you push Jake and Elizabeth in the middle of this by agreeing to these supervised visits. I’ve done everything you’ve asked—”

“Do you want a cookie or something—”

“Nothing about today is my fault. I didn’t kill that man, and I sure as hell didn’t want the boys to be taken in for questioning—”

“What did you think would happen when the FBI found out they could question Jason Morgan’s sons?” Sam retorted. She stepped towards him. “You make their lives worse just by existing. And you know it. Elizabeth can do whatever the hell she wants with her kid, but you’re done ruining Danny’s life—”

“Mom, come on!” Danny protested. “This is so unfair! Dad wasn’t even there! He was inside—”

“Wherever he goes, violence follows. We’re done here.”

“Danny, it’s okay. For tonight,” he added when Danny looked at him, hurt. “We’ll fight about this later. Not in front of the PCPD.”

“Okay. I—they never got to talk to me, Dad,” Danny called as Sam started to drag him towards the parking lot.

Elizabeth exhaled slowly, folding her arms. “She’s lost her damn mind,” she muttered. “Jason—”

“Let’s just go,” Jason said, and started for the car. Elizabeth looked at Jake, who felt pretty awful now. His dad hadn’t done anything wrong, and Danny’s mom had just suggested it would have been better off if he’d stayed gone.

If he’d stayed dead to them.

“Can I call her a bitch now or wait for you to be out of earshot?” Jake wanted to know. Elizabeth sighed, but he saw the hint of a smile.

“Come on. I want to get out of here as much as your father does.”

Davis House: Living Room

Alexis whirled around when the door opened, and she exhaled in relief when she saw Kristina coming in. “Oh, thank God. Your phone, you didn’t answer, and I realized you left it here—”

Kristina set her bag down, and rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I was just upset. A-and—” Her eyes watered. “I went to the apartment. It…it was the first time since…and Ally’s stuff—” She closed her eyes, pressed her hands to her mouth. “It’s gone. I knew it would be, but—”

“Sweetheart.” Alexis came to her, embraced her. “I’m sorry. It’s been a lot, and God, I hate to add to it, but your sister got a call a little while ago—someone killed Cates. At the Quartermaine barbecue—”

Kristina jerked back, her eyes wide. “What? Oh my God! What was he doing there? Who did this? And oh—Sam got a call—did something happen to Dante or Danny—”

Alexis took Kristina’s hands. “Nothing. Nothing. They’re both fine. Except Danny apparently heard the gunshots, and the FBI is already involved. They went to take Danny in for questioning—”

Kristina gasped. “Oh my God! Why? Why? How could they get away with that—why aren’t you on your way to the station—”

“Jason had already called Diane, and I know she’ll get Danny out of there. And your sister was too angry to wait for me anyway.” Alexis pressed two fingers to her lips. “This is just awful. The feds will be asking you questions, they’ll be coming after me—and your father—Christ, who knows where he is—Sam said he wasn’t at the penthouse when she was looking for you earlier.”

“He’s—” Kristina stilled. “Mom, he would never do this. Not like this,” she insisted when Alexis shook her head. “I mean, the kids were there! Michael was there! He wouldn’t.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look at him for this. That’s why they took in Jake and Danny. They apparently heard the gunshots — and then saw Jason coming out of the house. They’re his alibis.”

“Oh.” Kristina hesitated. “They’re never going to believe them. The Feds. They never believe anyone connected to the family.”

“No, they won’t. It’s such a mess—and to make it worse for Jason — Elizabeth and Michael found the body, and Jason was on the scene a few minutes later. Both of them have lied for Jason before, and would again.” Alexis combed her hands through her hair. “But I can’t think about this anymore. I can’t. I just need to hear from your sister that Danny is okay.”

“She’ll call any minute. It’ll be okay.” Kristina hugged her mother with one arm. “You said it yourself. Diane will take care of everything, and Danny will have a crazy story to tell at school.”

“God willing.”

SUV: Interior

The sun had completely set by the time they were back on the road, and Elizabeth sat in the passenger seat, her mind racing. Since the moment she’d heard the gunshot until right now, she’d been on a mad adrenaline rush, with very little downtime other than standing next to a dead body.

Now that it was over, that Jake was safe, and that they were all together again — she couldn’t shut down her thoughts. She picked up the phone, slid through the contacts until she found Laura. Waiting for the call to connect, she looked at Jason, his face almost completely in shadows, lit only by a passing street light.

What was he thinking? That horrible scene with Sam—

“Elizabeth, thank Heavens. Please tell me everything is okay!”

“Hey. We’re okay. We’ve got Jake—” Elizabeth rested her forehead on her palm. “Thank you for taking Aiden with you. I didn’t know how long things would be, and I didn’t even think about it until I saw your text—”

“No, honey, of course. You did exactly what you should have. Did you want me to run him home—”

“Can you—” She looked at Jason again, and he glanced at her, then faced forward again. Turning her attention back to Laura, she said, “Can you keep him tonight? We didn’t really have a chance to talk to Jake afterwards, and we really just want…we need to talk to him.”

“Of course. Tell Jake I love him, and let him know if he needs anything, anything at all—”

“I will, thanks.” She clicked the phone off, laid it in her lap. “Jake—”

“I didn’t say anything to him,” her son interrupted. “Ned told us at the house not to say anything until we talked to him, and, you know, I know not to say anything without Diane. It’s just—we didn’t do anything. We were just standing on the terrace.”

“They know. Your father gave a statement back at the house. He heard the shots, came out to talk to you, and then left you there. I’m sorry—” Elizabeth looked at Jason again, but his profile was still, his hands tightly wrapped around the steering wheel.

“That guy—Caldwell—you should have seen his face when he found out who we were. Like a kid on Christmas,” Jake said bitterly. “Just because of our dad, he put us in squad cars, and put me in an interrogation room.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said, speaking for the first time, his voice a bit rough, uneven. “I never—”

“I kept asking him for you, Mom, but it’s like he didn’t get it,” Jake went on. “And he tried to make me mad at you, Dad. Like, he called Mr. Morgan, and I corrected him because well, he’s an ass, but then he was like, oh, your dad didn’t love you enough to give you his name—”

“What?” Elizabeth twisted in the seat. “What?”

“Jake, that’s not—”

“Which is stupid,” Jake continued, interrupting them both. “I have Mom’s last name because she’s my mom and it was her last name. Why shouldn’t I have her name? I mean yours is fine, Dad, and I guess I don’t never thought about it. But if that’s the best he could do—”

Jason pulled the SUV up to the curb at Elizabeth’s house. “Jake—”

“I don’t care, Dad. About what he said. You should just know what he was trying to do.” Jake unsnapped his belt buckle, and slid out of the car, but his parents sat for another minute.

Elizabeth looked at Jason, her throat tight. “Jason—”

“Because of me, my sons were hauled into the station, and treated like criminals.” Jason fisted his hand, hit the steering wheel once, and then got out of the car.

Elizabeth reached for her bag, and got out as well. Jake had already unlocked the door, and Jason waited for her before he went in.  Once inside, she kicked off the uncomfortable sneakers, and tossed her bag on the chair.

Jake stopped by the sofa, looking at them both. “You told Grandma Laura that you wanted to talk. About what?”

“I—” Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at Jason who rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Jason said. “All of that—you’re right. It’s my fault—”

“What? No it’s not.” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. “Danny’s mom was way over the line with all that shit. You had nothing to do with what happened today. You were in the house.”

“I know that, and you know that,” Jason said, sounding pained, “but—”

“It doesn’t matter to them, and that’s crap. I want to tell them what I saw and I heard, and I should be able to do that, but I can’t because they don’t care. They already think they know everything, and it makes them stupid. First, you wouldn’t do what they said because it’s Grandma Monica’s house,” Jake said, “and second, me and Danny were right there, and Mom and Michael, too. Anyone who thinks all four of us have to be lying are just assholes, and if it wouldn’t give Mom a headache, I’d tell them that.”

Jason opened his mouth, but had nothing to say, so completely stunned by his son’s defense. “I—”

“Look, we got our problems, okay? I’m—” Jake looked away, and some of his bravado slipped. “We’ve got our problems,” he repeated, in a quiet voice. “But that doesn’t change the basic facts of who you are. I just think it’s shit that they don’t need anymore evidence other than you breathing the same air to accuse you. I mean, did you even really know the guy who got killed?””

“I—” Jason shook his head slightly, still thrown by the direction of the conversation, then looked at Elizabeth, who was smiling at her son, her eyes shimmering with tears. And realized he’d never told them anything about Cates. About why he’d be a suspect.

He’d never told them anything they deserved to know.

“There’s a reason they’ve put me on the list, and you—you both should have known a long time ago.” Jason paused. “The two years I was gone—I was working an informant for the FBI. And Cates was my handler.”

+49

Written in 58 minutes. This story is so much fun to write, I actually can’t wait to write another update tonight 😛

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

Elizabeth watched Michael disappear when the trail curved around a group of trees, then looked back at her hands, still streaked with blood. And barely three feet away, John Cates’ dead body lay crumpled on the terrace, his lips gone slack.

M-m-my s-son—

The sob rose so quickly in her throat that she nearly choked on it, and she had to turn away. Jason’s hands came up again, resting on the shoulders left bare by her strapless sundress. “Hey—”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—I know he wasn’t a good man—” She looked at him, feeling the hot trail of tears as they slid down her cheeks. “I know what he was d-doing to K-Kristina—and I’ve had patients die before, but—”

“He wasn’t your patient,” Jason reminded her gently, with none of the condemnation she expected reflected back at her. “And you’re not at work. You didn’t come here today expecting—” He looked past her, and even his face seemed a bit colorless. “None of us expected this.”

“His last words—they were about his son—and I just—” She waved a hand near her face as if it could stop the flood of emotions. “Oh, God, our boys were just a hundred feet away and they were just here—” She went to swipe at her eyes but inhaled sharply remembering the blood on her hands. “Damn it.”

Jason cupped her jaw gently with both hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. “When I heard the shots—all I could think about was finding Jake and Danny. I knew it came from the lake, I was afraid—” He shook his head, curled an arm around her shoulder and drew her against him. She pressed her forehead against his chest, feeling some the tension ease when she felt his heart pounding beneath her cheek. “And then he said you and Michael were down here—this isn’t supposed to happen here.”

“Who could do something like this with so many witnesses?” she murmured.

“I don’t know.” She felt his lips briefly against her forehead. “I’m so damn glad it’s not you laying on this deck. Or anyone that matters to me,” he added. His arm tightened a bit around her shoulders.

“I can’t wait to give our statements and be done with this,” she said, drawing back slightly. “I mean, they can’t possibly think of any us would be involved. You were in the house. Dozens of people must have seen you.”

Jason opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together, and reached in his pocket. “I was alone when I heard the shots. I hadn’t reached the boys yet.”

“B-but you came out of the house.” Elizabeth watched him swipe something on his phone. “Jake and Danny saw you.”

“I know. But all the same—” He lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey, Diane? Just putting you on alert. No, I’m not under arrest…”

Quartermaine Estate: Living Room

Tracy Quartermaine paced from the windows to the fireplace, then back. “I need another—” A glass of wine appeared in front of her, and she offered Sasha a reluctant nod. “Thank you.”

“Of course. We’re all shaken up—” The Quartermaine cook hesitated. “Well, except maybe Drew—”

“Still closeted in with his damn campaign manager and Nina trying to decide how to spin the murder of a federal agent,” Ned muttered. “Took him five minutes to make this about himself.”

“That’s a record for this family,” his ex-wife Lois offered, lifting her own tumbler of liquor to her lips. “Are the cops here yet?”

Brook Lynn appeared in the doorway, a bit irritated. “You know, maybe there’s something to be said for children should be seen and not heard. I don’t think I want kids anymore.”  She frowned, noticing Jake, Danny, Rocco, and Aiden hovering by the windows, all looking out the window towards the gardens. “Hey! Didn’t you get the memo? Kids are upstairs—”

“Kids,” Danny repeated. “Not teenagers. I mean, if you want Rocco to go upstairs because he’s only thirteen—”

“For two more weeks,” Rocco argued. “No one’s making me go to the nursery!”

“Rocco,” Olivia hissed, making a beeline for her grandson. “Don’t make a scene. All of you—”

“I think maybe Danny and I need to stay down here,” Jake said, and Brook Lynn looked at them, furrowed her brow. “We’re…we’re the ones that saw Dad come out of the house. After we heard the gunshots.”

“Of course—Jason needs his sons to be his alibi—you see this is why you don’t bring criminals to the house—” Tracy began, but broke off when Laura Collins came in, with the deputy mayor, Jordan Ashford, on her heels. “Laura. Please tell me the authorities are here—”

“I know the PCPD are enroute, but I’ve just had a call from the FBI field office.” She sighed. “They’ve already been informed and will be taking over the case the second they arrive.”

The doorbell rang, and few minutes later, Anna appeared in the doorway flanked by Dante and Chase. Chase immediately headed for his wife, while Dante went to his son. “Michael is taking the uniforms down to the boathouse, but I’m told there were some witnesses up here.” She made a face. “I wish he hadn’t left the body alone—”

“Oh, he didn’t.” Tracy lifted her brows. “He left it with Jason.” She sipped her wine. “I said it was like putting the butcher in with the dairy cows, but no one thought it was funny.”

“Mother.” Ned offered her an irritated glare before looking at Anna. “Elizabeth is down there. From what Michael said, she offered first aid, but Cates was beyond her help. Jason arrived a few minutes later.”

“I’ll let Jason establish his own alibi, thank you,” Anna said dryly. “Dante, Chase, I want you to go down to the crime scene. Handle it and take statements. Uh, Chase, make sure you’re the one who takes Jason’s statement.”

Dante squeezed Danny’s shoulder before exiting the room with his partner in tow.

“Where are my other witnesses?” Anna asked.

Danny raised his hand. “Uh, that’s us. And we’re Dad’s alibi, too, I guess.”

Anna looked at them, exhaled slowly. “Just the two of you?”

“I mean, I guess so, right—” Danny looked at Jake, then back at Anna. “Why?”

“Nothing. All right, the two of you need to be separated immediately and will need to have a uniform with you at all times.”

Ned stepped in front of the boys. “That’s not really necessary, is it—”

“Either they go to separate rooms or we take them in for questioning. That’s it.”

“Questioning!” Danny repeated with a nervous laugh. “What? Why? We were just—” Jake sent him a look, and he closed his mouth.  Ned turned to them.

“That’s right. No talking,” Ned told him. He looked at Jake. “You, either. Wait for your parents.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Jake said, grimly.

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

The uniforms that had followed Michael down to the boat house had already separated Jason and Elizabeth for whatever good it did, and Dante went inside the boat house where Elizabeth was waiting, staring down at the now-dried blood on her hands.

“That’s the Quartermaines for you,” he said with a forced light one. “Never a dull moment.” She smiled weakly, then got to her feet. “So, what happened?”

“I don’t really know. I—I was with the kids on the terrace. We called them up from the lake when the sun started to set. You know, the, uh, lifeguard wasn’t there and—” She curled her fingers in her palms, not wanting to see the blood anymore. “I was getting ready to pack up.”

“Which kids were with you?” Dante asked, pulling out his notepad.

“Well, mine — Jake and Aiden. Danny and Rocco. Rocco and Aiden went into find Laura, and Michael asked me if we could talk for a few minutes.” It couldn’t have been more than hour, she thought, but it already felt like a lifetime. “We went down in the gardens, and left Jake and Danny on the terrace.”

“How far did you get with Michael?” Dante asked, scribbling.

“Oh, somewhere near the center of the rose garden, I guess. We stopped, and I think we were gonna start walking back, but then we heard the first sound.”

“And you recognized it?”

“Yes. We heard one shot, and we both started running.”

“Toward the gunfire?” Dante said dryly, and she wrinkled her nose.

“I didn’t think—for all we knew, there were just some kids leftover, Dante. I’m a nurse—” She shivered. “But it was just—it was just Agent Cates. He was alone—laying pretty much where—” She looked towards the door of the boat house. “Right where you saw him. I tried to help him—I knew it too late—” She looked at her hands. “He died. Before Michael could finish the 911 call.”

“And you didn’t see any evidence of anyone else? You didn’t hear any footsteps? Sounds in the trees of someone hiding?” Dante asked, and she looked at him. “How long did it take you to get down here?”

“Oh. God. I don’t even know. Maybe a minute? Two? I don’t know. How long does it take to walk down here? It wasn’t more than five minutes. I’m sure of that.”

“And when did Jason show up?”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “A few minutes after Michael and I did. After…after Cates took his final breath. He didn’t say anything—I mean, he just—he said ‘my son’ but even that—” She closed her eyes.

“Did you hear Jason coming?”

Puzzled, she opened her eyes, looked at him. “What?”

“Jason. Did you hear him coming through the trees? You said he came after you guys. Did you hear him?”

“I wasn’t listening. I was just—” She gestured with her hands. “But I probably wouldn’t have. They keep the pathway really clear, Dante.”

“Yeah, I know.” Dante flipped his notepad back. “But I gotta ask these questions, Liz. You know that. Otherwise, they start talking about objectivity. And the better my interview is, the less chance you got of having to do it twice.”

“What do you mean?”

“The feds are gonna take it over. But me and Chase taking these interviews — we might be able to make sure they look in the right direction.” He gestured towards the sink in the corner. “Because you and I both know, that while Jason’s gonna be on the list, there’s no way in hell he’d do any of this with you and the boys on the property, much less Michael and the rest of the family. Go wash up. I’ll see you outside.”

When she emerged from the boat house, she saw that Dante hadn’t been kidding — mingled with the PCPD uniforms, were coats with FBI emblazoned in bold yellow letters across the back. Michael and Jason had already been released and were waiting by the head of the path.

She flicked her gaze around — Cates was still laying there, photographs were being snapped. Her stomach lurched, and she knew she had to get out of there. And even more — she wanted to get Jason off the property before agents could think of a reason to detain him.

“You okay?” Jason asked when she reached them, his hand outstretched. She took it, gratefully, navigating the dirt awkwardly — one of her heels had snapped at some point, and she was limping from the uneven height.

“Yeah, I want to get the boys, and I want to get out of here,” she said.

“Before the feds decide to make all of this worse,” Michael said grimly. “Let’s go.”

Quartermaine Estate: Kitchen

Jason held the door open so that Michael and Elizabeth could go in before him. Elizabeth paused to yank off both her shoes. “So much for these,” she muttered, shoving them in a nearby trashcan.

“I’m sure we can find something to get you to wear home,” Michael said, as they traversed the long hallway towards the main sitting room. “Willow or Brook should be in your size, maybe.”

“I’m fine. I’ve got sneakers in my tote. I always—” Elizabeth broke off when they crossed the threshold into the sitting room. Tracy’s face was flush, Laura was on the phone, and Brook Lynn was in tears.

Jason looked around — and only saw Aiden and Rocco. The dread that had only started to ease when they’d made it out of the crime scene roared back. “Where are the boys?”

“W-we tried to stop them—” Brook Lynn managed, and Ned put an arm around his daughter.

“Anna tried to get them questioned here, separated them into rooms,” Olivia said, wringing her hands. “But some Fed came in here, barking orders, and the second he found out it was your boys who were witnesses—”

“Where did they take them?” Elizabeth demanded.

“The PCPD for questioning,” Tracy bit out. “And when we tried to interfere—”

“They threatened us with arrest. I thought—I thought maybe it was better not to make things worse,” Brook Lynn admitted. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

His sons had been hauled into the police station on nothing more than who they were. Jason curled his hands into fists, took a deep breath, then looked at Elizabeth who was already fishing her phone from the pocket of her sun dress.

“I’m calling Diane,” she said. “Michael—”

“You left your bag with your sneakers on the back terrace. I’ll get it.” Michael took off in that direction.

“Meet us in the car,” Jason said, and Elizabeth nodded, heading for the foyer. He snagged his keys from his pocket, and when they reached the gravel lined driveway with still no Michael in sight, Jason didn’t even hesitate. He crouched down slightly, plucked Elizabeth up, and carried her over to the SUV.

Elizabeth curled one arm around his neck for balance, and with the other — “Diane? No, he’s still not under arrest but you need to get down to the PCPD. The FBI has the boys.”

+37

Written in 57 minutes.

Monday, September 2, 2024

 Quartermaine Estate: Hallway

There had been a time when Jason would have done anything and everything to avoid this house and nearly everyone in it — and when his mere presence would have encouraged questions rather than haphazard acknowledgment as he walked his mother to the elevator installed decades earlier for his grandmother, and his offer to see her to her room was politely rebuffed.

“Go find Elizabeth and the boys, and make your escape like you’ve been planning for hours,” she said to him with a smile. “Thank you for coming.” She squeezed his hand and he kissed her cheek. When she was safely on board, and the doors closed, he headed for the library in the back of the house which led out onto the garden terrace. The boys had spent the majority of the day down at the lake, and he figured he’d run into Elizabeth at some point.

He was alone in the hallway just outside the library when he heard a muffled, but familiar sound. Pop—

He was already halfway across the library when another round of shots, louder now, sounded. Pop, pop—

He flung the doors open, startling Danny and Jake who were looking out over the edge of the terrace, and he had only a moment to take in their shaken expressions as the relief flooded through him. His sons were safe — whatever it was, it hadn’t taken them—

“You’re both all right?” He took Jake by the shoulder, forgetting that his son loathed him, and Jake obviously didn’t remember either as he nodded his head.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re good—but—” He looked out towards the gardens which stretched down to the trail leading down to the lake. “M-Mom and Michael went that way—”

Elizabeth and Michael — His stomach dropped, but he looked at Danny, his hand still on Jake’s shoulders. “You both stay right here. Do you understand me? Don’t move.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Don’t move!” Jason ordered again, and then — because it was quicker than going to the other side of the terrace where the steps were, he hopped the fence, fell to the ground in a crouch and took off towards the gardens.

Jake took a step forward, as if to follow his father, then Danny grabbed him. “If you go after him, Dad’s gonna fry you. And if he leaves anything left over, your mother will kill you.”

Jake grimaced, looked back — his father had disappeared — “Yeah, okay. But you can’t go either. Because same.”

“So we’ll stay right here. It’s all probably fine,” Danny said, weakly. “An accident or something.”

“Or something.”

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

Michael stumbled to a stop at the end of the dirt trail that connected the estate proper to the boat house and lake—then swallowed hard. On the deck outside the building, a man laid on his back, his hand raised in air in loose claws—

Oh, God. I know who that is.

Elizabeth nearly crashed into his back, then darted around him, her heeled sandals clicking across the wood, the sound breaking Michael’s stupor. He reached her side as she crouched next to the man—

“It’s Cates—” Elizabeth pressed one hand into the wound in his chest, grabbed his wrist to monitor his pulse with the other.  “Michael—”

“I’ve got it—” He fumbled for his phone, and it nearly slipped from his hands. He dialed with shaking fingers, waiting for the dispatch to pick up.

“John, John—” Elizabeth kept her voice even as she spoke the federal agent’s first name, and he looked at her, blood coming from his mouth, his chest barely moving. Just a flick of his clouded blue eyes, pupils dilated. “John, stay with me, we’re calling for help—”

Michael had turn away because he knew — he knew — the bloodstains — two shots to the gut, one to the chest — no matter how good a trauma nurse Elizabeth was, the paramedics wouldn’t be in time.

But he stepped away to give directions to the dispatcher, closing out his mind to man behind who had sworn war on his father—had his father done this, had he committed this heinous crime on Quartermaine property?

“John, listen to me, I need to you focus on me,” Elizabeth said, pressing hard on the chest wound, the one dangerously close to his heart. He choked, coughed, his lips parted, as if trying to say something. “John—

“M-m-my s-son—”

“We’ll get your son to the hospital, John. Just hold on—hold on—” Her voice faltered when the blood beneath her hand stopped spurting, his eyes closed—and his body went limp. She looked up at Michael, his back turned to her, then back at the dead man laid out in front of her.

Her hands trembled as she gently laid the hand she’d used for his pulse across his chest. “Michael.”

Michael turned to her, the phone still in his hand. “He didn’t make it, did he?”

“No.” She sat back on her heels, wiped her forehead with her forearm, trying to avoid smearing her face with blood — but it was all over her hands. She stared at the red streaks, only looking up when she heard footsteps thundering up the steps, and saw Jason.

He bypassed Michael, clearly seeing the younger man was on his feet and unharmed, but he saw Elizabeth on the ground, blood on her hands before he saw the body. He reached her, nearly sliding to his knees, so he could take her shoulders. “Are you hurt—” he asked, his voice rough—and then Jason stopped, took in the full scene, and his grip on her shoulders tightened for a moment before he flexed his fingers, and released her. “It’s Cates.”

“He just—” Her voice thickened, and she curled her bloody hands into fists. “It just…I couldn’t stop it—”

Jason got to his feet, then helped her up, his hands gripping her elbows, nearly half-lifting her. He kept an arm around her waist, drew her away from the body, his eyes still on the body, taking in the damage. “What happened? What—” He looked at Michael, then at her. “What’s he doing here?”

“I d-don’t know.” She took a deep breath, gathering herself. When she spoke again, her tone was even, almost normal. “Michael and I heard—we weren’t here.”

“We were in the gardens,” Michael said, and Jason scowled.

“And you ran toward the gunshots?” he demanded.

“I wanted—I thought—there might have been kids down here—” Elizabeth looked at him, the color fading from her already pale skin, leaving her almost chalky white. “I didn’t know—” But the realization of what he said, the danger she’d put herself in with her sons just a few hundred feet away. “Probably not the smartest thing I’ve done this year.”

“You think?” he muttered, then pulled her a little closer, thinking of how reckless she could be when she thought she could help someone.  “What’s your excuse?” he demanded of his nephew.

“It’s my property,” Michael said almost fiercely. “You ran towards it, too. And unless you decided to carry a weapon to the family barbecue, you’re as unarmed as we are.”

Jason grimaced because of course, Michael was right. “You called 911?”

“Yeah, they’re on their way—and—I told them we knew who it was. They know it’s an FBI agent, so they won’t take long.” His nephew looked down at the crumpled form. “I’ll go up and direct them down here. I’d—I’d suggest Liz come with me, but we shouldn’t…I don’t feel right leaving him alone, and—”

“Jason can’t be on the crime scene alone,” Elizabeth finished with a sigh. “This is such a mess.”

“And it’s just getting started,” Michael said. “I better get up to the house.”

Davis House: Living Room

Sam closed the door, then leaned against it, finding her mother standing by the fireplace, staring at the dark ashes. “I might have made it worse.”

“Not possible.” Alexis rubbed her temple, then looked at her daughter with a weary smile. “Kristina was so angry with me when she left—I don’t know why she thinks I can work miracles. Just because these charges are ridiculous, we still have to move through the system.”

“Well, I didn’t actually find Kristina. Her cell went straight to voicemail, and she wasn’t at any of her usual places, and no one’s home at Sonny’s penthouse. Or at least that’s what the guy at the front desk said.” Sam sat on the arm of the sofa. “Molly was home, and I thought—well, she’s just always been the reasonable one. I thought I could help her see Kristina’s perspective—”

“I’m sure that went over well,” Alexis muttered. She rubbed her face with both hands. “I’m not sure it’s fair to rely on Molly being reasonable in this situation. Not with Kristina going around talking about how the baby was her daughter—and God, if Molly knew Kristina was calling her Adela—”

“I don’t think it would surprise her,” Sam said, going to her mother’s side. “Look, we just have to ride this wave. Kristina’s charges will be dismissed, and she’ll be able to take a breath. And Ava—well, who knows how long this will take to go to trial, but with any justice in the world, Ava will be found guilty. We’ll get them through this, Mom. If we just stick together.”

Alexis pulled Sam in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. “What would I do without you?”

“Good thing you don’t have to find out.”

PCPD: Squad Room

 Anna Devane stepped into the squad room, and the grave expression had Dante rising from his chair. Across from him, his partner Harrison Chase looked up with a furrowed brow, then turned to see Anna approaching them.

“Anna?” Dante asked.

“We’ve had a dispatch call from the Quartermaines. Rocco and Danny are fine—” Anna said, raising her hands as they started to talk. “As is Brook Lynn. As far as I can tell, no one from the family itself is injured. But Michael reported a shooting down by the lake, and identified the victim as…John Cates.”

“Cates?” Chase grimaced. “Oh, hell. That list of suspects is going to be awful—” He winced, looked at Dante, likely remembering some of those suspects were family members. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’re not going to be the ones handling this, are we, Anna?” Dante said to the commissioner.

“What? Why?” Chase asked.

“The murder of an FBI agent is almost always a federal case. We can respond, and uniforms and paramedics are already en route, but I can guarantee you — the FBI will be taking this case over in a matter of hours.”

“Well, what if we didn’t tell them right away?” Dante asked. “Couldn’t we—”  He winced. “Not that I’m trying to protect anyone—”

“No, I don’t like the idea of the federal government coming into our jurisdiction either, but we require their cooperation with the gambling ring and smuggling operation—I can’t be risking our ability to use their resources to buy us a few hours. I want you both to head out to the estate, get a lay of the land, and I’ll contact their office.”

“Let’s go,” Dante said to Chase, picking up his call. “Let’s get as much as we can before the feds take over.”

Anna watched him go, wondering if Dante was asking out of curiosity or self-preservation—after all—his father and sister would be at the top of the list.

Then she picked up a nearby phone and dialed a familiar number. “Yes, I need to speak with SSA Edward Caldwell. No, it’s urgent. There’s been a murder. Agent John Cates is dead.”

In case anyone cares, I looked up this law, and it’s actually true that the murder of an FBI agent is almost always treated as a federal case, which I thought would be an interesting way to approach this story for reasons that will be made clear later 😛 You know me, I always try to go for as much realism as possible. See you tomorrow for a double update!

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