Author's Note: Yes, I know the word "angel" is in the dictionary...but I was figuring the proper name "Angel" wouldn't be...so I went ahead with it last chapter. To those who noted it, I took a little artistic license on that one, k? I just really liked the idea of him having tried so many words, and missing by one capital letter.
Witness Protection Part 63
Securing the Evidence
I stared in fascination at the information scrolling across my computer screen, and marveled at how far Zechs Merquise had been willing to go to secure Duo's safety.
There was a lot more than a few names listed on a disk. There were bank account numbers, transaction records, lists of deposits, withdrawals and transfers--in short, the entire financial structure of Oz.
I swallowed at the sheer magnitude of data, and then grabbed a blank cd and set about making backup copies of the treasure I'd discovered.
It took most of the night. As if I could have slept if I tried? But by dawn, I had three decrypted copies of each disk along with the encrypted originals.
I'd taken great pains to not get fingerprints on them, hoping that Merquise had left his own, which would authenticate the disks and the data in a way that would satisfy whomever I surrendered them to.
But that was my next dilemma--who should I take my discovery to?
Agent Alexander seemed the most likely candidate, not because I liked him (frankly I despised the arrogant ass) but because his name was not among the crooked FBI agents on the Oz payroll.
I tried not to be disappointed by that fact.
Sims' name, on the other hand, was on the list, and I could only assume some of the other names would match the bodies retrieved from the amusement park.
I had sort of dropped the ball on that one, now that I had time to think about it. Chang and I had been so busy guarding Duo, we'd really not bothered to ask about the investigation of the amusement park ambush.
Or at least I hadn't. My partner might have, considering he was back at work and obviously more lucid than I'd been lately.
But I was catching up. I scanned and printed a couple of copies of Merquise's letter to Duo, and then sealed the originals of the letter and the cds into the manila envelope I'd gotten from the depository.
Much as I hated the thought of turning that letter, and all its personal sentiments over to the FBI, it would add to the authenticity of the cds in whatever case was brought against Oz.
Then I called my partner--the only person I could trust with a discovery of this nature.
"Chang here."
"Wufei--how would you like to watch the Oz syndicate being taken apart piece by piece?"
There was a pause. "Have you been drinking again, Yuy? You seemed so much better when I dropped you off--"
"I'm sober as a fucking judge, Chang!" I snapped out, heading for the kitchen to make coffee while we talked. "I've just been up all night long."
"And is that why you're not making sense?"
"I'm making perfect sense--but I will not discuss this over the phone. Can you get the day off?"
"I--guess. I was supposed to continue working on our reports for the time we were on our protective detail--"
"This is more important. Be here in an hour." I hung up and continued making my caffeine fix, finishing the last of Mrs. Walters' cookies, and resolving to buy something more substantial for tomorrow's breakfast.
I'd consumed two cups of coffee and taken a shower by the time Chang rapped on my door, and I was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet when I answered.
"Took you long enough!"
He walked in with a box in his hands and a sour look on his face. "Well if you didn't want me to stop for something nutritious to eat, you should have said so."
"Breakfast?" I grabbed the box and leaned in as if I were going to kiss him.
He quickly backed a step. "You are drunk!"
"Nope. Just--triumphant."
I set the food on the counter, jogged back to the door to make sure it was latched and the chain was in place, and then gestured Chang to my laptop. "Go. Sit. Read."
He warily edged past me and sank into the chair, flinching back as I leaned across him and punched a button.
Then I sat on an arm of the couch, eating a breakfast sandwich and drinking coffee as he stared in stunned fascination at the data on the screen.
At some point, I shoved the second sandwich into his hand, along with a cup of coffee, and he bit and chewed mechanically as he kept reading.
Finally, he sat back and looked up at me. "Is this legitimate?"
I nodded.
"Where the hell did you get this kind of information--this much."
"Remember when Howard came to the funeral?"
"It's hard to miss a man in a Hawaiian print shirt at a funeral," he said dryly.
"He brought me a note that Duo left him the day we borrowed the car."
Wufei nodded, waiting for me to elaborate.
"The note said Merquise had left a safety deposit box behind, with something in it that would keep Duo safe from Oz."
The dark eyes went back to the screen. "This?"
"Yep. Merquise was willing to take down the entire syndicate if that was the only way to protect Duo." I had to bite back my urge to say he should have done it sooner. I reminded myself that even though it was too late to save Duo, it wasn't too late to strike back on his behalf.
I held out a copy of Merquise's letter, and Chang read it with dawning realization. "Jesus Christ, Yuy--who'd have thought Zechs Merquise had it in him?"
"What--a romantic soul?"
"A heart."
"Yeah, well--as you know, Duo seemed to have a knack for bringing that out in people, didn't he?"
Wufei smiled wryly. "That he did." He gestured with the letter towards the computer screen. "So what now? What do we do with this--revelation?"
"I hate to say it, but I think Agent Alexander is the one who could best conduct the necessary investigation."
"But--he's FBI."
"He's also not on the list."
"No--but he's an arrogant, cocky bastard. While you and Duo were off with Noventa and I was explaining how we smuggled Maxwell into the courthouse, he kept pressuring the Captain to relinquish jurisdiction. He seemed far more interested in leveling federal charges against Khushrenada than he was about protecting Duo or getting a conviction in the Merquise case." His dark eyes sparked with anger. "Do you know they still have Trant somewhere in hiding? But they wouldn't allow him to speak at Khushrenada's trial--to corroborate Duo's testimony. He said they're 'saving him for the big fish.'"
I felt my jaw tighten, wishing I'd belted Alexander harder than I had--wondering if having Trant at the trial would have kept Une from striking at Duo.
But that was a waste of my energy, and so I brought my temper back in check, and took a few deep, calming breaths. "Well, Chang, as they say, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Not that I want to get all chummy with Alexander--but I do want to destroy Oz--if only to wipe the cocky smirk off Khushrenada's face."
"I suppose. The end result will be the same. Khushrenada will be dethroned and his empire dismantled. I guess it doesn't really matter who carries the ball on this one."
"No, it doesn't...though I'd like very much for Khushrenada to know that he brought this upon himself...first by killing Merquise, and then Duo."
"We'll figure out a way."
"First, though, I thought I'd leave the original disks and letter in safekeeping with Winner, give one set of copies to you, keep another myself, and then take the third set to Alexander. I'll tell him if he wants to know where the originals are, he'll have to meet my terms."
Chang's eyes brightened. "Leverage."
"Exactly."
He nodded in agreement. "It is a sound plan. You'll have enough copies in circulation to ensure they can't be found and eliminated. So even if someone in Alexander's organization found out what you brought him, they couldn't hope to recover the data from all possible sources."
"Shall we head for Winner's office then?" I asked, finishing a final cup of coffee and picking up my keys off the counter.
"Actually, he'll probably be at the courthouse. I think today is the final day of testimony, and that closing arguments begin tomorrow."
"Already?" I asked in surprise.
He nodded earnestly. "They've really been pushing on this. The judge has kept both sides on track as far as testimony--no tangents and no more wasting of time. The forensics people did a great job of lining up each piece of corroborating evidence and presenting it. Really, there's not much more to tell. Une didn't get to testify--to lie about Khushrenada's whereabouts the night of the murder. Otto's dead and Trant's in FBI custody. No one seems to know where Khushrenada's limo driver ended up--but my guess would be his body will show up in some fisherman's net some day."
"So they've really wrapped it up," I said, shaking my head. "I thought it'd take months."
"Didn't we all?"
God--if Duo were here, we'd already be making plans for where we'd go once the case was completed. I'd have only had to endure a few weeks of separation, and then he'd have been relocated, and we'd have tracked each other down. So damn close!
"You know, if I stop by my office, presumably to pick up some work to take home, I could leave one set of disks locked in my file cabinet there," Chang pointed out as he was gathering up our empty breakfast container and napkins. "That would be safer than my apartment."
"Good idea," I agreed. "I've already put my set in the velvet pouch with the ashes."
And I said that without wincing or grimacing in pain.
It hadn't been easy to make myself even go near those remains--but it seemed appropriate that the disks be with Merquise's "Angel" for safekeeping.
Wufei didn't comment on my choice of hiding places, but preceded me out into the hallway, watching with what I interpreted as approval while I locked up behind myself.
I knew it had bothered him to find the place unlocked the day he and Catherine had let themselves in.
We took my car, and I dropped Wufei in front of the station, waiting by the curb and hoping no overzealous traffic cop decided to ticket me.
But it took a surprisingly short amount of time for my partner to return, minus the disks, with a folder full of actual work he'd felt duty-bound to pick up.
I grinned as he got in. "You are a true goody two-shoes, Chang."
"I told you picking up work was a suitable cover."
"But I didn't expect you to actually pick any up."
"I was there. It made perfect sense," he sniffed, setting the folder down on the seat and looking offended.
I just shook my head and pulled back out onto the road, heading for the courthouse.
"Here's the plan. When we get to the courthouse, I want you to stay with the car...with the originals of the disks. Not that I'm paranoid--"
"Why not? I am." He glanced down at the sealed envelope and a second one I'd brought along. "I take it the other container has the 'sum of cash' Merquise mentioned in his letter?"
"Ah--yes."
"How much?"
"I stopped counting after a hundred grand," I admitted.
"You know the FBI will expect that to be handed in as well..."
"And they'll be shit out of luck!" I snapped quickly. "Merquise specifically stated in the note with the money that it was legally obtained from his honest business ventures. It was meant for Duo, and since he's not here, I think Winner should take charge of it. He can donate it to the orphanage if he feels that's what Duo would have wanted. But I'll be damned if the FBI sees a red cent of it."
He nodded, looking out the window, and then turned back to me, with a faint smile. "Well, in the event that they make a stink about it, you could always tell them there was a lot less. I noticed Merquise didn't specify the amount, did he?"
"Exactly," I agreed. "I'll give it to Winner, and if he thinks there's any question of legality, he can report what he considers a fair portion to the FBI, for tax purposes. And frankly, I think if it's going to charity, they can't even charge taxes." I shrugged as I drove. "I trust Quatre to do what's right."
"So do I."
We pulled up at the courthouse shortly after noon, and I checked my watch. "Think they'll be recessed for lunch?"
"Could be. Perhaps you can catch Winner and see if he could break away for the afternoon."
"I'll give it a shot. You don't mind waiting here and keeping an eye on things?"
He smiled. "Not a problem. Reminds me of all the stakeouts we've shared. You'd run off to get us coffee and a meal, while I kept the binoculars trained on the suspect's house. I'm very good at waiting and watching."
"You're very good at everything, Chang," I said with a shake of my head. "I got lucky when you were assigned as my partner."
He waved me away. "Go! Cut the mushy crap and go find Winner."
~*~
I was smirking as I headed into the courthouse, which in retrospect wasn't a great idea. The guys at the desk were officers I'd never met, and insisted on searching me from head to toe, saying I looked "suspicious."
I resisted the impulse to tell them if they'd been that thorough before, someone might not have succeeded in smuggling in the knife Une used to attack Duo.
When they finally ran my i.d. and were satisfied I was allowed my sidearm, they cleared me to go inside, warning me that the court was still in session, and I'd have to wait until a recess to go in.
That was fine with me, since I didn't want to see Khushrenada's smirking face any time soon. Thinking about what he'd done to both Merquise and Duo was enough to make me long to smash a fist through it--if not a bullet.
But I calmed my anger by remembering I had the ammunition to take him down legally. And it was going to be sweet revenge.
I ended up cooling my heels on a bench in the hallway for nearly an hour before the doors opened and people began filtering out of the courtroom.
Winner and Noventa were walking side by side, heads close together as they conferred.
"Counselors!"
They stopped and gave me a surprised look, and of course Winner's face lit up. "Heero! You made it. How good to see you here."
"I, uh, need to talk to you," I told him, glancing warily at Noventa. "Privately."
Quatre's eyes narrowed astutely. "I see. Um--can it wait a bit? Attorney Noventa and I need to go over our notes. It won't take long."
"Why don't you come to the office with us?" Noventa suggested. "You can wait right outside."
Ah yes. I remembered the wooden bench, though not particularly fondly. "Sure."
I followed them down the hall, and they ducked into the office without even a "so long." So I settled myself onto the bench and got reacquainted with the floor tiles, as I rested my elbows on my knees and let my hands dangle down between them.
In all fairness, it was probably less than fifteen minutes before Winner came out, telling me to just hang on while he ran back to the court clerk for a copy of part of the transcript.
Just after he dashed off, Noventa came to the door, looking me up and down, and then beckoning me into his office.
I went reluctantly, though there was no reason. It was just an office--just one of the last places I'd seen Duo alive.
And he was just an attorney--the one who happened to be walking beside Duo when he died. Not that I blamed him for that. Not really.
Well, not completely.
It wasn't his fault--what happened. If anything, it was mine--for not being alert enough--fast enough--clairvoyant--
Shit.
The District Attorney gestured me to a chair, but I shook my head and stood facing him across the desk.
"Still keeping secrets?" he said in a chiding tone.
"Sir?"
He gave an almost indulgent smile. "It didn't strike me until I saw you at the funeral. You looked like you'd lost your best friend--"
"I--"
"--or your lover," he added before I could fumble for a plausible lie.
The flush that spread up my face must have told all.
"It was then that I recalled the scene in the hallway--with you, and Relena, and Maxwell. At the time, I thought the word 'boyfriend' was a slip of the tongue or a figure of speech. But it wasn't, was it?"
I shook my head, seeing no point in trying to cover it up any longer.
"I should have realized it sooner--the way he looked at you, and depended on you--and the way you protected him. It was obvious, in retrospect." His keen eyes leveled a piercing look at me. "You were in love with him."
"I still am," I admitted.
He sighed, appearing to mull it over, and then a faint smile touched his lips. "I have to admit, there was a lot about him to love."
"Yes, there--was."
"He really impressed me--probably more than you realize." He looked up with a determined gleam in his eyes. "I intend to go in there tomorrow and finish what that young man started."
"So it's true? Closing arguments are tomorrow?"
He nodded. "And I'm going to give the best one of my life. It's going to put Khushrenada away for good."
I managed a faint smile at his tone. "I hope you succeed."
"Well, forensic evidence put him at the scene. And Winner did an admirable job of discrediting the Schbeiker girl, while Barton gave a very convincing account of the events surrounding the argument. Between that and Maxwell's testimony, we should have enough to pull off a win." He shuffled the notes on his desk and gathered them up. "I know it's not much consolation, and it doesn't make up for his death--but it's the only thing I can offer."
"It's--enough," I told him. "I think he'd be satisfied knowing that Khushrenada got his due punishment."
"I hope I can get the job done."
I tucked my hands into my pockets, put on a wise expression, and quoted a fortune cookie. "You should be able to undertake and complete anything." I managed a wistful smile. "Good luck, counselor."
As I turned away, Quatre came jogging back in the door and dropped a page onto the top of Noventa's pile. "There it is," he said with a satisfied smile. "The last nail for the coffin."
Noventa smiled up at him and nodded. "Then I'll see you tomorrow morning?"
"Wild horses couldn't keep me away." Winner turned and hooked a hand around my arm. "Now, Heero. I'm all yours," he said, tugging me out of the office.
"Don't you have to go back into the courtroom?" I asked.
"No--the judge adjourned for the day. The witnesses have all be called and interviewed, and all that remains are closing arguments. Then the jury will be sequestered until they reach a verdict."
"So it really is almost over," I breathed in awe. "That's--good."
"It's great," he said firmly. "I'll be glad to have time for Trowa again." A faint shadow darkened his eyes. "He's needed me this past couple of weeks, and I haven't really been there as much as I should."
"But what you were doing--was important," I reminded him.
"I know that. But nothing's more important than someone you love. You of all people know that."
I nodded, unable to disagree.
"Now, what did you need to talk to me about?"
"Actually--" I glanced warily around at the nearly-empty hallway. "If you're headed for your office, I'd like to conduct some business there."
"I wasn't going to--" He paused, fixing a wary look on me. "What's this about, Heero?"
"Not here," I cautioned. "I've got something I need you to safeguard. Chang's waiting in my car with it."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "You aren't trying to give back the ashes, are you--? Alexander was adamant that they go to you--"
"No, it's not that!" I said sharply. "Stop trying to second-guess me here, and just tell me you'll follow us over to your office so we can explain everything."
He nodded slowly. "All right. I'll follow you over."
We'd reached the parking area, and Winner spotted my car, with my partner leaning back comfortably in the passenger seat, hands tucked behind his head. He gave me another puzzled look. "See you at my office."
I clapped him on the shoulder and scooted around to the driver's side, slipping behind the wheel.
Chang glanced over nonchalantly. "What's he doing out here? We're not conducting business in a parking lot, are we?"
"Nope. He's done for the day. We're going to his office. I'm going to personally watch him lock up those disks in his biggest, safest vault."
"And the money," Chang reminded me with a yawn.
"And the money."
We drove to Winner's office in record time, as I was so eager to have the original disks secured that I bent the hell out of every traffic law and speed limit on the way.
Thus, Chang and I were waiting in the lobby with the snooty secretary when Winner finally made it up the elevator.
He stepped out into the reception area, looking a bit winded, and waved Chang and me in after him, as he entered his plush office.
"Now what the hell is so important that you insisted on meeting here?" he asked, with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.
I handed him the note from Duo first. "Howard gave me that at the funeral," I told him.
He read it, and then looked up with a rather sad smile. "I'm glad he knew it even then," he said warmly. "That he loved you, I mean."
"So am I."
"Touching as this is," Wufei cut in sternly, "can we move on?"
I held up the manila envelope. "I went to the depository, Quatre. I got the contents of the box." I slid one of the copies of Merquise's letter onto his desk. "That was on top."
Again Winner took a moment to read and digest the information, and then he looked up at me with raised eyebrows. "I take it that envelope contains the information?"
"Yes--the original disks and letter." I sat down on the edge of the desk, my voice a bit shaky with excitement as I shared my discovery with Winner. I told him about the encryption and how long it had taken me to discover the password, and what I found when I did. I explained the care I'd taken to keep my fingerprints from marring the ones Zechs had left behind, and how I'd made copies and put them into trusted hands.
"What I want from you, Quatre, is to lock up the originals, until I have a chance to talk to Agent Alexander and show him one set of copies. I'm not going to tell him how many copies I made, or where they are. But I'll tell him about the originals, after I get what I want."
"And what do you want?"
"I want five minutes alone with Khushrenada."
"Yuy! They won't allow--!" Chang began.
"I'm not saying I want to be in the room with him. I know perfectly well they've got him in maximum security--for his own sake as well as that of his guards. But they can give me five minutes in the visiting room--with bullet-proof glass between us."
"Why?" Quatre asked quietly.
"Because I want him to know that the reason his empire is about to be destroyed is that he let that psycho bitch kill Duo. I want him to know that if he'd just left him alone, no one would have ever found out about the disks, and his secrets would have been safe."
"You want to rub his face in it."
"I need to."
The attorney appeared to consider that for a long moment. Then he looked up warily. "What if he leaks word to the compromised agents that their names are no longer secret?"
"He'll be too late. I'll give Alexander the list of his rogue agents and time to set the wheels in motion to apprehend them, before we set up the meeting."
"Besides," Wufei spoke up. "The only people Khushrenada will be able to communicate with are his attorneys. Any leaks of information would be traced straight back to them. I don't think Tsubarov would risk being disbarred just to help Khushrenada tip off his friends."
Winner gave a skeptical snort. "Don't be too sure about that. He's already under possible investigation for suborning perjury by enticing that Schbeiker girl to testify. Une may have made the contact and the payoff, but if it can be traced back to Tsubarov or his people, he won't be practicing law much longer."
"How nice," Wufei said with a wolfish grin. He gave me a conspiratorial look. "I see why you want to have his baby. He says the nicest things."
"What?!" yelped Quatre, looking back and forth between us.
I waved his panicked question aside. "Just an inside joke, counselor. Don't worry about it. Just tell me you'll safeguard these disks until I send Alexander to collect them. And if he can't tell you the password, it means something's not kosher."
He nodded in understanding. "Are you sure you're not being just a tad paranoid? I mean, no one knows about the disks yet. Do you really think Alexander would show up here looking for them if you hadn't sent him?"
"He knows you're Duo's attorney. Once I tell him about the disks, he could guess that I'd given the originals to you to safeguard."
"True. And what if he doesn't allow you your five minutes?"
"Then he doesn't really want to bring down Oz. I'm only going to give him the list of rogue agents, to start with. After my talk with Khushrenada, I'll hand over the copies and tell him you have the originals, and what the password is."
He finally gave a firm nod of his head, and held out a hand for the envelope, but I held up one of my own to make him wait.
"I'm also going to give you that 'sum of money' Merquise left for Duo," I told him, holding up the second envelope, in which I'd stored it. "There's a letter explaining that it was legally obtained, from Merquise's legitimate business enterprises. I don't think it's any business of the FBI; but if they come after it, I'd like you to do your best to prevent them from seizing it. I think Duo would want the Maxwell Church Orphanage to have it, don't you?"
He smiled. "I'm sure he would. And I'll be happy to put it into an escrow account until I establish legal claim to it on his behalf."
"You'll notice that Merquise did not specify the amount," Wufei pointed out.
"Yes, I noticed that," Winner agreed. "It gives the FBI very little to go on, doesn't it? And with all the offshore money they'll be able to seize from Oz during their investigation, I expect they'll have little or no interest in an honest bequest of funds."
"I'll bet Trowa loves it when you talk legalese like that," I teased, feeling a rush of invincibility as I face the possibility of throwing Khushrenada's pending defeat in his face.
Quatre blushed and stammered for a moment, and then just blew out a frustrated breath and set about documenting the items I'd given him. He had that money counted and locked up in no time at all, and then put the manila envelope with the disks into a different compartment of his large office safe, and sealed it up.
"There we go, gentlemen," he said while dusting off his hands. "I'm the only one with access to that safe. Should anything happen to me, your friend Alexander will have to wait for my estate to be settled before anyone will be authorized to access it."
I was about to protest that it would also ensure Chang and I couldn't access it, when Winner smirked at both of us. "Trowa could tell you the combination in the meantime though--it matches a certain message code he and Duo used to use."
I gaped in surprise, and Wufei blushed to the roots of his hair, recalling Duo's sexually explicit phone message.
"I--ah--got it," I stammered, taken aback by the lawyer's lewd reference. He always startled me when he did that; he just looked so damned sweet and innocent.
But then, hadn't I known what a deadly shark he could be in the courtroom? I shouldn't have been surprised that he had an earthy side to him.
He smiled in satisfaction, and stood up. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I want to get over to Trowa's and see how he's holding up. And I believe you've got an FBI agent to track down. Will I see you both at closing arguments tomorrow?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I assured him.
TBC...
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