~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Police Headquarters - 10:28am
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chris was at the front desk in the lobby when JC escorted Janine Fatone and her small crew of lawyers to the front door.
"I'll be by to talk some more with you soon Miss Fatone." With a flip of her hair she disappeared with her entourage. JC walked over to where Chris was chatting up the desk clerk. Chris looked away from the attractive young woman to see the heavy circles under his friend's eyes.
"You ok there Josh?"
"I spent most of the night trying to figure out where her alibi came from and how I can find out how authentic it is."
"Captain not giving you a break?"
"They want a case, they got slightly smuddged prints and a gun. The Captain thinks her alibi has to have a hole. I just can't seem to find it. There are three people who will place her elsewhere at the time of the killings along with her credit card receipts and her lawyers say they can produce a digital security tape that puts her presence at the mall." They walked towards the elevators together.
"All that can be faked if you have the right sources and she certainly does. It's just a matter of finding the loop hole."
"If everyone would back off for a little bit and let me think, maybe I could come up with something. We all know that she is as slippery as every other member of her family."
"I guess you should look back at the interrogation first." Chris hoped that JC got his hint. Lance had seen something that JC hadn't, if he just looked again maybe he would see it too. "I heard about Justin. How did he seem."
"You know that you aren't supposed to know about that." JC took a big breath. "I think he was shocked when he saw who it was at the door. I tried to stay calm and I don't think that Fatone noticed anything."
"Did you tell the Captain? I think that you shouldn't take that kind of risk with his life. You are going to end up back at that house to talk to Janine so wouldn't it be playing safe to pull him out?" The two entered the elevator. "What if something slips. You both could end up dead in a flash."
"The Captain said he should stay on and keep gathering his information. They still want to pull down the family from the top and now he is in the perfect position to do so. If we can put the Fatone family out of business?"
"We all know that's an impossible dream. They have their hands in everything."
"Maybe not anymore. Stephen killed a lot of people and we don't really know what kind of control Jr. has."
"True, but are you willing to risk Justin's life on it." Chris was nearly shouting and JC couldn't understand his worry. He and Justin had been fine yesterday and he could control himself.
"I'm not worried. We can handle it and he can bring the family down." The doors opened to their floor and both men headed in their own direction. Chris sighed as he watched JC's retreating back. He had tired, now all he could do is pray.
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Christina's Diner - 1:30 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Christina's was a popular place for the crowd of policemen and women who worked at the downtown headquarters. You could expect food like mom used to make and a waitstaff that would remember the regulars' faces and names. Chris was a regular, so when he showed up it didn't cause a commotion. What did was the handsome young businessman he walked in with. After some argument amongst the waitresses, it was Christina herself that sat the two in Chris's regular booth.
"Sorry about that gentlemen. Here are your menus. Today's special is Meatloaf. Your waitress, Kate, will be right with you."
Lance looked perfectly comfortable in the Diner. It scared Chris at times how adaptable Lance seemed it didn't even look like he was carrying his guns with him today. He wouldn't want to ruin the image he was playing as the perfect businessman. It had Chris wondering who exactly was under all the layers that Lance wore.
His train of thoughts was broken when Lance spoke up, "Anything new?"
"Even you must know that she's been released. She's got an alibi."
"Are they looking in other places then or are they going to keep at her."
"The detective in charge is looking for loopholes." Chris shook his head; "You know this process like the back of your hand. I don't have anything new for you so I don't understand why we are doing this."
"This is an excuse to visit. I felt bad after our talk yesterday." Lance smiled softly. "Things are changing on the inside. They have been since Papa's death. I never put you in a position like the one I had to yesterday. You know we all go to great lengths to protect our family." Lance pulled an envelope out of his breast pocket and pushed it to the center of the table. Chris looked at it and then Lance with disdain in his eyes. "It's not another payoff. It's a key to a lock box in the bank across the street. In the lock box is money that can be used to protect your family should the need arise."
"It's a payoff." Chris was confused. Something had to be going on if Lance was making sure that his contacts were covered. It was unheard of, but did prove that even after all that had happend, Lance still did have a heart.
"It's a protection plan." Lance jumped on Chris's use of the term 'payoff'. "I told you that things are changing and I am trying to keep your family safe, the way that you help me keep my family safe. You never have to use it or do anything with it for that matter. In that way it isn't a payoff." The face Chris looked into was the closest thing to the face of the young man he met that day in the hospital. "Think about it." Chris nodded.
He looked around for their waitress. The idea of looking at food was more appealing than the idea of looking into the caring face of a man he wanted to hate, but couldn't bring himself to. He spotted Kate over by the door talking to JC Chasez. He started praying to all the gods and goddesses that existed that Kate wouldn't bring JC to his table as usual. All his prayers went unanswered.
"Chris, were you avoiding me after our talk in the elevator so that you could go out and have a business lunch?" JC said good-naturedly as he gestured towards Lance.
"Not at all Jace. I just forgot that we talked about going out for lunch today." He hoped he was giving JC his best go away look. It appeared to fail. "I guess you will have to join us then."
"If I'm interrupting?"
"You aren't interrupting anything," Lance jumped into the conversation. He proceeded to pull a business card out of his breast pocket and held it out to JC. "I'm Lance Bass. I work for Madison and Madigan, the brokerage on the third floor."
"I'm Joshua Chasez, I work with Chris at the station." JC looked up from the card at the young man sitting across from Chris. Blue eyes met green and JC felt himself falling. He wasn't sure how long he was starring before Chris pulling him to sit down in the booth pierced the cloud his mind was warped in. He could hear the deep bass voice saying something to Chris and the two laughing. His mind was working in overtime. Lance was the most beautiful thing that he had seen in a long time. Suddenly JC found himself much more interested in stocks and mutual funds then he had ever been before.
Chris had seen the look in JC's eyes. When he followed the gaze across the table, it seemed as though the thought might run both ways. Chris immediately panicked. This could not happen. If JC ever associated Lance Bass of Madison and Madigan with James Lance Bass of the Fatone family then shit would hit the fan. Chris knew the idea of lunch at the diner was bad idea. If it was found out that he was eating lunch with one of the biggest names in the 'Family' businesses on the East Coast, he would be in for an extended stay at the prison of his choice. His only salvation was that James Lance Bass preferred to stay out of the central light that seemed to shine on the Fatone Family. His mind focused back on the problem at hand and he pulled JC in to the booth next to him. "You can ignore JC, he gets a little spacey all the time." He and Lance shared a laugh over that comment. For the detective and the young mobster lunch was over in a flash. Little glances ran rampart at the table and when food was passed from person to person fingers lingered longer than they needed to. Chris knew at that time, the bottom had dropped out of the hole that he had already started to bury himself in.
Just as they were finishing dessert the shrill ring of a cell phone sent all three men in search of their own. "Mine," JC called standing up and walking a few steps from the table. Lance flashed a bright smile at Chris. Chris tried his best to look as disapproving as he could even though he knew it wouldn't help. Lance pushed the envelope, still sitting on the table towards Chris. Not breaking the silence he slowly picked it up and put it in his pocket. Green eyes went back to looking at JC, who was talked animatedly on his cell phone.
"This is not a good thing." Chris voiced his earlier thoughts. There was no response from the young blond. "It's one thing to come into a place like this, but it's another thing to involve yourself." Chris was worried. JC liked the young hitman, that much was obvious. It really seemed like Lance liked him also. What would happen if Lance found out that JC was the lead detective on the Fatone case? Of course he may already know that. What if he used JC's attraction to him against JC? This was going to turn into a mess. There was the added fact that JC was Justin's partner and it seemed that Justin was truly a 'member' of the Fatone family. That and Chris liked JC; they had been friends for a long time. He also generally liked the young blond even though he was indebted to him. The slow, low chant of ::not good:: was echoing around his brain, giving him a headache.
JC closed his cell phone and made his way back to the table. "The master calls and I have to go back to the office. Chris, seeya later. Lance, it was wonderful to met you." JC held his hand out.
Lance shook it. "It was wonderful meeting you too. Give me a call sometime. My number is on that card." JC nodded and then walked out.
Chris stood up to leave shortly thereafter. "James, think about what I said. It can't happen." Lance turned back to Chris after watching JC leave. "Look here's the other stuff I know you are going to ask for. I don't care what it may cost me, but I don't want anything to do with you and him." Chris placed another envelope on the table. It was totaling up bad now. Bass suspected Justin, JC was smitten with the underboss of a powerful crime family, and Chris had, with the contents of that envelope, betrayed both sides of the equation. He walked out head facing the ground.
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Madison and Madigan - 4:20 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The ringing of the phone brought Joyce out of her daydreams of the sand and sun on the coast of California. "Madison and Madigan."
"Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Bass if he's in please."
"Just one moment while I check." Joyce placed the caller on hold and ran down the hallway to the conference room. "Mr. Madigan, sir." An older man with white hair stood up from the table and walked to where his receptionist stood in the doorway. "Sorry to disturb you sir, but you wanted to be informed if there were any called for Mr. Bass."
"Pardon me gentlemen. I shouldn't be more than a few moments. Please consider those options, you won't find a better portfolio anywhere else and it makes an excellent investment." Albert Madigan left his investor and walked down that hall towards his office. "Which line Joyce?"
"Line three Sir."
"Thank you." Two years ago the Fatone Family had come to Madison and Madigan's rescue. They had paid off a few bad investments. Albert had found his young contact with the family to bright and knowing when it came to his business. The two had talked and traded ideas several times. After each intense idea session he came home to find a check in his mailbox. Each time it was signed by one James Lance Bass. He had some idea that the young man was an important figure in the family. He learned how important when Papa Fatone himself showed up one day to met him. James had introduced Albert as one of the family's advisors.
With the full backing of the Fatone family, Albert's business skyrocketed. He found contacts and supports he had never know had existed. He had his business down to an art with contacts inside, outside, and all around. In return he had given covers to two members of the Fatone family who made sure they were always out of the family's light, James and his departed father Jim.
Sitting at his desk, Albert dialed the familiar number quickly.
"Bass."
"James, my boy, it's Albert."
"Albert, how are you doing? You aren't calling to cancel our Friday poker game are you? Joseph and I are looking forward to it."
"No, no nothing like that. It seems I have a phone call for Lance Bass on hold on one of my lines. Do you want me to forward it to you?"
"Please do. I guess I'll see you on Friday then."
"Same as always son." With all the necessary parties informed, Albert transferred the call.
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