TorC8

Rachel lightly rubbed her hand over Harvey's shoulder. His visit with the child psychologist had shaken him and he was in desperate need of advice, so he called on the two people he trusted most. Nash and Rachel. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Harvey said. “Anna actually told Jerry that I was trying to replace her. Jerry actually believes that I had Anna arrested and that, if he’s bad, I’ll do the same to him.”

“Damn Harv. No wonder you’re upset. What did the doctor recommend?” Nash asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“More visits, of course,” he sighed as he looked out over the water. That wasn’t the worst. “He also wants me to try to arrange something with Anna, to see if she would be willing to reassure Jerry that wasn’t true.”

“Do you think that she will?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Rachel interjected as she looked up at Harvey sympathetically. She didn’t want to go into detail about her meeting with Anna, but she didn’t feel like she had an option. Harvey had to know. “When I was at the jail to see her, she actually accused me of stealing Jerry.”

Harvey’s mouth dropped open slightly, then he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Now she’s resorting to manipulating five year olds. What a nightmare.”

Joe approached them with purpose. “Nashman, sorry to interrupt, but Antwon just got confirmation on the OxyContin distribution location. It’s a house over on Green. The warrant’s on the way.”

“Round up the troops, Joe,” Nash ordered as they all started back inside to prepare. “We’re going to put this guy out of business. Harv, you do what you need to do with Jerry. Just keep me informed.”

“Will do.”

* * *

“SFPD! Everyone on the ground now!” Nash ordered as they burst through the front door while the second team simultaneously came through the back. Typically, the people that were inside scattered like rabbits, going for windows and doors and even running upstairs. The SIU team of uniformed officers and inspectors alike were pulling people to the ground right and left. “Sorry to break up the party, boys, but you’re all under arrest.”

Nash walked through the house to where Antwon and Harvey were standing over a suspect in the bathroom. Pills were scattered all over the floor with dozens of boxes stacked to the ceiling and even more pills floating in the toilet bowl. Nash laughed as he took in the scene. “Don’t tell me you actually thought that you could flush all of this before we got in here?” He laughed again. “What do you think, Harv?”

“I’d say, just at a glance, that most of it is here. We won’t know until we take an actual count how many hit the street.”

Nash gave Antwon a pat on the shoulder as he hauled the suspect to his feet. “Nice work Antwon.”

* * *

Nash trotted down the steps at his loft, smiling when he saw Nick and Victoria standing by the stove. Wonderful aromas were filling the air. “Hello family.” Then he stopped suddenly. When Victoria and Nick turned, they revealed a third person in their midst. Lisa. “Oh this can’t be good,” he said softly, then pasted a smile on his face. “Lisa! I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I guess not,” she said with a teasing smile. “I just came over to fix you and Nick something for dinner to make up for last night. You didn’t tell me that Victoria was living with you.”

Nash swallowed hard. He could tell by the look on Lisa’s face that this was an omission he would soon be regretting. “Well, we got interrupted before we even had the chance to talk about it,” he returned smoothly, then gave Victoria a light peck. He carefully studied her face. Same thing. “I’m dead meat, aren’t I?”

“You certainly have been a vivid topic of conversation this evening,” Nick interjected with a grin.

Nash looked around at the scrumptious feast that Lisa had prepared. “Uh, should I have someone tasting my food before eating tonight?” he asked cautiously.

Lisa laughed finally. “Oh relax. Victoria and I have been talking each other’s ears off. She told me all about her fashion designs and I hooked her up with Dimitri. If anyone can get her designs shown, it’s Dimitri.”

“Of course. Dimitri is a miracle worker,” Nash approved even though he didn’t have a clue as to whom he was recommending.

“Oh?” Victoria said, folding her arms over her slender waist. “Do I need a miracle worker to get my designs shown?”

Nash looked at Victoria, then over at Lisa who was staring up at him in similar fashion. “You’re not allowed to come over here anymore,” he told Lisa. He knew he was in a no win situation. Lisa was the first to laugh, then she turned back to her cooking.

“So how did you date go last night?” Nash asked Nick to move onto safer topics.

* * *

“I’ve got a belated birthday present for you. It looks like Samuel is in the clear,” Harvey said softly when he joined Rachel in the kitchen drying off the dinner dishes. He picked up a towel and started drying with her. He needed to do something to divert his mind from the ache inside his heart.

“Oh yeah?” she prompted.

“Antwon was the one that actually tracked it down, but I was able to confirm it was Parker Reign. Of course, I doubt that we’ll ever find him.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that Samuel is no longer a suspect.” She smiled to herself. She was really starting to sense that Samuel was trying to change.

“Jerry asked me when he could see his mom again,” Harvey blurted out as he started at the water-beaded glass sitting on the counter.

She darted a glance up at him. “What did you say?”

“I told him the truth,” he returned simply. “I said I didn’t know.” His heart was breaking for his son. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Jerry looking so depressed. “I know that he misses her, but I’m reluctant to take him to see her in jail. If it actually does turn out she’s innocent, I don’t Jerry to have that kind of memory of his mom.”

“And if she’s not?” she dared to ask. He had to understand the kind of position he was putting himself in by working on Anna’s case.

“Then we’ll deal with that when the time comes.” He didn’t want to even think about the possibility of taking Jerry to a prison to see his mom through a window of glass. “Right now, all I want to do is make sure Jerry’s going to be all right.”

“Which is why you’re such a good dad,” she complimented him.

“Some dad,” he said, letting out a burst of air in disgust. “I don’t know what to do anymore Rach,” Harvey said softly. “I just tried to reassure Jerry that I wanted him in my life no matter what and he gave me a completely blank look. Like unconditional love was some kind of foreign concept to him.” He tossed the towel onto the counter and rubbed at his face. He was already emotionally drained and he knew that they were just the beginning of the recovery of a normal childhood for Jerry. It would be a long, hard road for all of them. “I feel like he’s being robbed of his childhood and that’s the last thing that I want.”

“You know, there are things we could do to change that,” Rachel said, trying to remain positive. She knew that Harvey was bordering on exhaustion with all of the stress he was under so it was her turn to stay strong. “We can make sure he gets some quality time for starters. Kids don’t need you to buy them things or take them places. They just want some of your time and attention. Jerry’s old enough to know that we won’t be there 24/7 because of work, but he needs to know that we are seeing him and hearing him when we are there. He needs to feel secure and we can give him that.”

He felt a little of the burden lift from his shoulders. It was a relief to know that he wouldn’t be going through this alone and he was grateful that she was so willing to help. The memory of the sad look on Jerry’s face flashed in his mind and his heart lurched. “How could I have been so blind to let something like this go on with my kid?”

“How were you supposed to know?” Rachel countered. The guilt was eating away at Harvey and it made her angry to know who was behind it. Again.

“I’m his father. I should have sensed...”

“Sensed what?”

“Something. Anything.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure why you’re putting yourself through this,” she told him bluntly. She was tired of picking up the pieces after Anna. “You’re not the one at fault here. It was Anna’s twisted mind that did this. Stop beating yourself up for something that you didn’t do.” She studied his face. She could understand the guilt, but that wasn’t going to help Harvey or Jerry move on.

“That’s the whole point, Rach. I didn’t do anything. Anna wrapped my son around her little finger, used him as a bargaining chip on any number of occasions to get back at me, then ultimately kidnapped him only to have him taken off in a squad car alone. And through it all, I didn’t do a damn thing.”

“Will you listen to yourself?” She squared off on him. “She’s got you doing it again and she’s not even here.” She leaned closer to drive home her point. “Anna has sucked you right back in, Harvey. Why can’t you see that?”

“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” Harvey shot back in an angry, but hushed voice so that Jerry wouldn’t overhear. “I haven’t been sucked back into anything except for cleaning up Anna’s mess again.”

“Exactly! You don’t have to do it, Harvey. The rest of us can handle the investigation. Nash will understand if you back away.”

“What you don’t seem to understand is that I need to know the truth and I can’t imagine being satisfied with the conclusion unless I discover it for myself.”

Rachel nodded. “And what kind of a comfort is that going to be to Jerry when he finds out that his dad knows for certain that his mom is guilty and probably helped to put her behind bars by uncovering evidence?”

* * *

“So what’s the scoop?” Antwon asked as he perched on the corner of Harvey’s desk.

Harvey looked up at him blankly. He had just come in the door at the SIU and he hadn’t finished his first cup of coffee yet, so he was clueless. “You’ll have to be a little more specific than that,” he returned.

“Between you and Samuel Chon.”

Harvey froze for a split second. “What are you talking about, man?” he asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure he liked this particular topic of conversation. He glanced over at Rachel’s empty desk. He wondered if Antwon had discovered that Rachel was dropping in on Samuel that very minute.

“Rumor has it that Samuel Chon didn’t get those bruises from the fall.” Antwon leaned closer so that they could speak confidentially. “Someone said that you were pissed when he crashed Rachel’s birthday party and beat the crap out of him.”

“Oh really?” His eyebrows shot up and a smile toyed with his lips. “It helps when a hundred pound chunk of concrete lands on you too.”

“Yeah, okay.” Antwon had his doubts. “Just answer me this. Did you kick his ass before or after the quake?”

Harvey chuckled at the images he was provoking. “I’m not saying I wasn’t tempted, but it wasn’t me.”

Antwon studied him closely. “What is it with you and Samuel Chon anyway?” he asked again. “First you barge into his private offices, then he shows up at a party you’re throwing? Is this guy stalking you or something?”

His eyes darted between Antwon and Joe strolling into the SIU. “That would be or something,” he returned, then decided to put someone else in the hot seat. “Excuse me Twon. I need to talk to Joe.”

Harvey quickly crossed over to Joe’s desk. “Morning Joseph. How’s the missus?”

“Happy as a lark ravaging our credit cards,” Joe returned sarcastically. “Why do you ask?”

Harvey glanced around to make sure that they couldn’t be overheard. “Actually, it’s another significant other that I’m curious about. Nash and Victoria to be specific. What is up with Nash man? He comes to Rachel’s birthday party with Victoria, then he’s having a romantic dinner with his ex-wife at his apartment? What’s that all about?”

“Oh that’s right. You were there with Cassidy. So what exactly did you see?”

“They were in each other’s arms, man. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was walking in on something extremely private. So what’s going on?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Joe returned. “Nash says there’s nothing going on between him and Lisa.”

“And what do you think?” Harvey pressed.

“I’ve always thought that Nash and Lisa were meant to be.”

* * *

Harvey and Rachel walked out of the fifth pawnshop that morning without luck. If Sarah was the one framing Anna, she had made few mistakes. He could only hope that Cassidy had come up with something while she was with Sarah at the station. “It might be a good idea to check into a few private fences,” Harvey said as they climbed back into the PT Cruiser.

“Have anyone in particular in mind?” she asked curiously.

“Well, it would have to be someone who wasn’t afraid to deal with cops.”

“Or maybe one who is,” Rachel countered. Fear was the driving force behind many elicit activities.

He bobbed his head once in ascent. “That opens the playing field back up again.”

Their conversation through the early morning had been strictly business. Anna’s presence was like a dark specter hanging over their heads, but they had spent too many years together not to know how to separate the personal from the professional. No one at work had even suspected that they had been arguing. He knew that she was only trying to protect him just as she knew that he couldn’t walk away from the investigation. It was a stalemate. The first one in their brief marriage.

After checking into a couple of private fences, Rachel paused on the steep incline back to the Cruiser to admire the view. “Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way,” she mused when Harvey stopped as well. “We’ve been checking into private fences that we know. Maybe we should be looking into private fences that Sarah Drake knows,” she suggested. “Joe said something about Sarah working down in LA.”

“Fences that she has busted in the past would be a good place to start.” Harvey smiled at her. “I think you’re onto something there McCabe. I just might keep you around for awhile.”

His first lighthearted comment of the day. She knew that was his offer of truce and she gladly accepted it. “You’d need more than a restraining order to keep me away.” Her gaze dropped to his feet and traveled slowly up his body to emphasize her point. He had everything that she wanted.

A smile inched up his lips at the images her look was provoking. “So we agree to disagree?”

Rachel nodded. “I’d say that’s a fair assessment.” He leaned closer to steal a kiss, but hesitated. When she smiled broadly, he moved in for a lingering peck.

“I can live with that.”

* * *

Antwon walked directly up to Harvey’s desk and started going through the files scattered about. He didn’t like what he was hearing, but he wanted to see the proof himself. He felt his heart drop when he saw the file. He flipped it open and saw a list of the pawnbrokers that he had checked out earlier for Nash. “What’s this?” he asked Harvey who was looking up at him curiously.

“It’s a list of pawn shops in town.” He stated the obvious, still hoping against hope that Antwon didn’t suspect.

“Yeah, it’s a list of pawn brokers who I’ve already spoken to concerning the blackout robberies.” He tossed the file back onto Harvey’s desk. “What’s up man? Is there something that I should know?”

“No, nothing,” Harvey returned hesitantly. He should have known that Antwon would pick up the signs. That was the one thing that he had noticed about his new partner; he was extremely efficient when it came to putting together the pieces.

He waited for more, but when Harvey remained silent, looking guiltily up at him, Antwon asked point blank. “Am I being investigated?”

“No. Absolutely not.” Harvey assured him quickly. “It has nothing to do with you, man.”

“Then why wasn’t I informed about it?” he asked. “The blackout burglaries is my gig. I should have been informed.”

Harvey stood up quickly when Antwon’s voice started to rise. “Let’s go talk to Nash.”

* * *

Nash sighed heavily as he scratched at his forehead. He wasn’t sure if he should be impressed with Antwon’s deductive skills or worried that he wasn’t the only one who had caught onto the investigation. He had to hope that Sarah Drake’s resources weren’t as efficient as Antwon’s. “You are right about one thing, Antwon. We are investigating a cop, but it’s no one here at the SIU. I’m sure that you understand that I can’t tell you any more than that and I have to stress the need for secrecy on this one.”

Antwon folded his arms over his chest. “You’re telling me that my case is getting investigated without my knowledge and it’s not me under suspicion?”

“That’s right.”

He shook his head. “But that doesn’t make any sense,” he argued. “I was on the blackout burglaries from the beginning. If I’m not the one being investigated, then why have the pawnbrokers been interviewed again? Who else could that...?” His voice trailed off when his last question triggered a memory. The pawnbrokers would need to be interviewed again if another suspect turned up. Anna Paxton. He looked over at Harvey. It was all starting to make sense.

* * *