Story: Sebastian (part 6 of ?)
TITLE: "Sebastian"
AUTHOR: tess_dicorsi
RATING: R
GENRE: Mystery
CHARACTERS: Ensemble
DISCLAIMER: Recognizable characters are not mine. Just playing with them and promise not to break them. There are a few original characters, they're mine. I'm also trying not to break them.
SUMMARY: An old collar from the LAPD and an angry colleague from the FBI are back and looking for Marty Deeks. Established Deeks-Kensi. Multi-chapter story.
6. "All authority is assumed and if other people don't accept your authority then you don't have it. Perhaps the critical thing to being a convincing figure of authority is actually not to try too hard." - Patrick Stewart
While there was a lot about this undercover assignment Deeks disliked, a Malibu Sunday of surfing, swimming and now cornhole toss for money with Matthew wasn't too bad. Deeks was up about $25 when he first saw the boat parked well out in water.
"I'm assuming you're seeing what I'm seeing?" Matt said.
"And here I thought I was being paranoid."
"I'll skip the line about being paranoid and people still wanting to kill you," Matt said as he sank his last shot. "And the crowd goes wild. You stay here, I'll check and see if I can get a look at the boat and who's in it."
"Boothe's boats have GPS, right?"
"Part of the parole agreement. Martin, he's got a tracker on his mountain bike and the golf cart his household staff uses around the property." Matt fished his phone out of his shorts pocket. "I'm going to pretend to get a call, you can really play with your dog." He walked to the house.
Monty found cornhole fascinating. He never quite picked up on where and why the bags disappeared after flying through the air. Deeks pulled out a bright orange tennis ball he had in his Billabong hoodie and tossed it down the beach. Monty quickly took off, hell bent on keeping up his end of the dog-ball-owner compact.
Kensi, who spent most of the day on the patio reviewing one of Arthur Winston's scripts, found her way down to the beach. She wore a bikini top, yoga pants and a Winston Productions baseball cap as she wrapped herself around him. "Hello."
He kissed her. "Is it cheating to be kissing Hollywood Chloe when I'm involved with NCIS Kensi?" he joked, whispering in her ear.
"Well, cheating on NCIS Kensi would be a mistake since she's good with guns, knives and at hand to hand combat. Besides, Hollywood Chloe is a lot more work than NCIS Kensi," Kensi kissed him back. "Hollywood Chloe got her nails done yesterday. NCIS Kensi wanted to go to the range but wet nails and fear of chipping my manicure had me doing beach yoga instead."
"Ah, such a hard life," Deeks whispered in her ear. "How can I make it better?"
Monty returned with the ball, proud of his accomplishment. Kensi pulled away from Deeks and bent over to Monty. "I'm good. We're good, aren't we Monty?" she hugged the dog, took the ball and tossed it down the beach. Monty took off again.
"Did Matthew tell you what's going on?"
"Yep. That's why I'm participating in this little public display of affection." She put her arm around his waist.
"I'm very affectionate, public or private," he said as he ran his fingers lightly up her back. He enjoyed the small shiver he felt go through her. "I'd be happy to throw Matthew out of the house and prove just how privately affectionate I can be."
"Might be fun but probably not operationally sound." Kensi smiled before kissing the one spot between his jaw and ear that guaranteed a small shiver would run though him. "Let Matt find out who's out there first. If Boothe's started to follow you, I'm going to be right next to you."
"Kens..."
"Chloe, Detective Undercover Operative," she said as she smiled at him. "Chloe Farr, technical advisor to Winston Productions."
"OK, Chloe. But we've got Matthew, I'm sorry, Mac here, I'm in a secure building at work, I'm riding the bike everywhere. If that isn't Boothe, I've still got plenty of people following my every move who don't want to hurt me."
"Do you think that's Boothe out there?" Kensi asked.
"No, I know it's Boothe out there."
"Maybe not," Matt said as he joined them on the beach. Monty made it a foursome. It was Matt's turn to throw the ball, this time into the water.
"I do not need a wet dog, Matthew," Deeks complained.
"Might be the only thing in the ocean that cares about you. According to the GPS, Boothe's boats, the Closing Bell and Trust Fund Baby, are both docked at Del Ray Yacht Club," Matt told them. "I couldn't see a name or ID number for the boat. Did see her on-board, however." Matt handed Deeks his phone.
Deeks showed Kensi telephoto shot of a woman with long, black hair pulled into a loose pony tail, a floppy black straw hat and a bikini sunbathing on the boat. "That's a motor boat, anyway. Boothe has his father's yacht and his own cigarette boat," Kensi told the two.
"Still seems sketchy to me that of the places along the beach this woman could park her boat, she's outside Casa De Martin," Matt replied.
"House of Marty, cause we know how to party," Deeks mumbled as he watched Monty join them one more time. Deeks took a step back, pulling Kensi with him. Monty dropped the ball at Matt's feet just before he shook off the ocean water. Water that landed mostly on Matt.
"Monty!" Matt feigned indignation. Turning to Deeks, he complained, "Now I smell like wet dog."
"I lived with you for months. Believe me, wet dog would have been an improvement."
"Paul was a naturalist. He didn't like the harsh chemicals like those found in personal cleaning products. He preferred natural things."
"Like weed. And Paul had no problem with the chemicals that made up Pringles," Deeks teased.
"I was hungry. Speaking of which, you two are OK on your own for a few hours tonight? Mom has a fundraiser at the Peninsula that wraps up around six. She was going home after it ended but decided she didn't want to go to an empty house. We're going to have dinner at The Belvedere. Dad's in Sacramento, Frannie's with him. so..."
"Say hello for us," Deeks said with a smile.
"I'd invite you two, Mom loves Martin," Matt said to Kensi as an aside, "but she sounded like she just wanted some family time."
"You may want to shower before you leave. Wet dog, veal chateaubriand - not a great combination," Kensi suggested. "Oh, and we won't be around tomorrow night."
"We won't?" Deeks asked.
"I was about to tell you but we have dinner plans," Kensi told him.
"The breakdown of the communal dinner is the beginning of the end of our happy home. Our little family is drifting apart," Matt's tone was that of a heartbroken man but his smile and eyes danced with humor.
"The breakdown in me making you dinner is the beginning of the end of you eating reasonably. Tuesday night, dinner at Duke's. You, me and Chloe here, unless we're eating there tomorrow."
"Nope. Duke's is good."
Matt kissed Kensi on the cheek and pulled Deeks into a big hug. "Thank you. Family dinners saved the Gilmores."
"The Gilmores?" Kensi was confused.
Matt started up to the house. "Richard, Emily, Lorelai, Rory - 'The Gilmore Girls' - family dinners, they brought them together."
"You're insane," Deeks chuckled as he watched Matt wave as he walked through the house. Turning to Kensi, he asked, "Where are we going to dinner tomorrow night, dear?"
"Arthur Winston takes all his new staffers to dinner. Plus, he wants to meet you. He's sort of blown away by you running a bar and an undercover operation all on your own. He's a retired Marine, likes real cops, real military, not a Hollywood guy."
"But we're going to eat somewhere like Spago or The Ivy, right?"
"Nobu down the PCH."
"Yeah, not a Hollywood guy at all." Deeks rolled his eyes.
"He told me he enjoys everything he worked for and one of the things he's worked for is a standing reservation at Nobu here on Monday nights. Takes his wife and usually someone from the office. Tomorrow it's us."
"What time?"
"Eight."
"World-class sushi, a beautiful woman and a Hollywood guy. I've spent worse evenings."
Kensi bent over and picked up the cornhole boards. "Well, Matt's gone, Broncos-Colts started about ten minutes ago and I'm hungry. Feed me and if you're good, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck aren't the only ones who are going to score tonight." Kensi handed him the boards, kissed him and made her way back to the house.
No, there were definitely parts of this undercover operation that weren't too bad.
x-x-x
Since they were going out to dinner that night, Kensi dropped Deeks off at the PAB Monday morning before driving to work herself. Carrying his suit jacket with an appropriate tie in a dry cleaning bag, his laptop messenger bag, a thermos full of coffee and a no-meat breakfast burrito from the food truck by the office, Deeks walked up to the retinal scanner outside his PAB office and saw he had a guest. Hetty was on her phone, leaning on the unused secretary desk on the other side of the door. He looked at Hetty, looked at retinal scanner, five feet off the ground, and then looked at Hetty again. Shaking his head he just walked in.
Hetty held up her hand. "I understand. Yes, Mr. Deeks is right here, I'll discuss it with him. I should be in the office shortly." Hetty ended the call and looked up at him. "Good morning, Mr. Deeks."
"Good morning, Hetty," Deeks smiled at her as he went to unlock his office door. After hanging his jacket on the hook behind the door, Deeks told her, "I'd offer you tea or something but I don't have anything in the office but what I bring in. I would like to say that whatever I did to cause you to be here at 7AM, I'm sure I have a reasonable explanation." It felt odd as he offered her the guest chair in his office. He felt like she should be behind the desk.
As he sat at his desk, there was a Post-It note on his day calendar. "Checked for listening devices. All clean. MB" Deeks saw Matthew leave when he took Monty out for a walk. He thought he was doing his personal trainer thing. Obviously not.
"I got a phone call last night from a source inside the FBI. Miss Miller learned about your visit with Boothe on Friday. She will be in town later today, no doubt demanding a full debrief."
"No doubt,", Deeks found an unopened bottled water as he stored his laptop. Offering it to Hetty, he asked, "Do you want me to give her one?"
"Yes," Hetty told him as she waved off his beverage offer. She pulled a digital recorder from her handbag. "While this office is wired to record all conversations, as far as the FBI knows, you're on your own in this office. You can record your conversation with Miss Miller, write a report and e-mail it to me with the digital file. I'll forward it to the FBI just to keep all of our bases covered."
"Killing her with paperwork unkindness," Deeks paused. "I like it!"
"Making sure you are as covered as can be if Miss Miller decides to pull anything. The more I look into her future political plans, the more I am convinced you're her biggest concern going forward."
"And it should be Sebastian Boothe."
"It should, but to the world, Sebastian Boothe served his time and is working to become a valuable part of the community. You, on the other hand, could tell one of Miss Miller's political opponents what happened during the original Sebastian Boothe investigation. Her reassignment from the VCU to New York's White Collar Division, which her mother's political advisors are positioning as an attack on Wall Street's criminals after handling violent ones, would be revealed for what it truly was."
Deeks put the digital recorder in his top desk drawer. "How are things going? I know everyone is trying to keep Kensi and me in the loop but there's a difference between reading what's going on in a report and being a part of an investigation."
"Mr. Deeks, the Sebastian Boothe investigation is our top priority. Director Vance has always appreciated your commitment to the liaison position and after last spring..."
"Yeah," Deeks stopped her. Last spring was last spring. "Did you see my notes about the strange boat outside the house last night?"
"Yes, yours, Miss Blye's and Det. Bernhart's as well. While I understand putting you close to Sebastian Boothe and both residences on the Malibu undercover location are largely secure, Mr. Hanna's biggest concern about your cover house has been the beach access."
Deeks told her, "It does have its upside."
"Yes, I can imagine you're enjoying your time there. Were you able to locate Boothe when the boat appeared?"
"Boothe's Lincoln Navigator GPS had him at Salesian High School in Boyle Heights. I checked, he put together a group of elder care lawyers, accountants, financial planners, college application experts and was there most of the day in the gym helping people get their financial houses in order and helping the students apply to colleges. All pro bono. There were photos of him at the event. He's going to New Faith Baptist Church in Compton next Saturday to do the same thing. All a part of the rehabilitation tour." He shook his head.
"Mr. Deeks?"
"It's just..." Deeks restarted. "There wasn't much after my father was sent away. Well, there wasn't much before but there was a lot less with him gone. My mother did the best she could. She worked, I worked. I mean we weren't church people but someone just figuring out how I could get extra grant money or a paid internship during school - that would have made a real difference. Now I'm working to take that from people who could really use it."
"Mr. Deeks," Hetty warned. "You said over and over again as you were reviewing the case that Sebastian Boothe presents himself one way to the world and another way to his victims."
Deeks looked down and said, "Don't tell Kensi but I remember what he looked like when he came at me with the knife. It was like he was someone else. Someone possessed. Corey Moran, the others, that's was the last thing they ever saw."
"And that's why Mr. Hanna will be at the house today with a new camera to watch the ocean from your rooftop."
"I'll give Matthew a head's up." He showed Hetty the Post-It note. "He's searching for bugs."
"Like Mr. Hanna, Miss Blye, Mr. Callen and the rest, he's worried about your safety."
Deeks nodded, wishing for the thousandth time he was as worried about Corey Moran six years ago.
Hetty stood and Deeks walked her to his office door. "Oh," Hetty took a thumb drive out of her bag. "I was not expecting seventy-nine pages of a liaison manual."
"There is a lot of paperwork with this position." Deeks held the door as he and Hetty exited. "And I was bored."
"This is more than satisfactory. Please pass it along to Lt. Bates." She handed him the thumb drive.
Deeks noticed it was not the LAPD non-name thumb drive but something that looked like it belonged on a battlefield. Deeks pushed the elevator's down button. "Thanks for this and for stopping by."
As Hetty boarded the elevator, she said, "Mr. Deeks, please don't make me use that to introduce a new liaison officer in the future. You being bored means you're keeping yourself safe. Keep it up."
Deeks spent the morning e-mailing a member of NCIS's legal department and Eric trying to put together a weapons database that both NCIS and LAPD could use. He was tired of spending a half-hour every time there was an arrest to fill out a form for LAPD about confiscated weapons and then a different one for NCIS.
Grabbing a Greek yogurt and a bottled water from a convenience store nearby just after two, he was walking back into the PAB when the Desk Sergeant waved him over. "Hey Deeks," Sgt. Wetzel called, "someone's here to see you. They don't have an appointment and you weren't in your office." Sgt. Wetzel pointed to a woman standing in the building's waiting room, talking on her phone. It was Elizabeth Kelly.
"How long has she been here?"
"Not two minutes."
"When she gets off the call, log her in and send her up. Call me when she gets on the elevator."
"You got it."
Deeks hustled to his office and e-mailed both Nell and Lt. Bates's office. Just as he was finishing with them, Sgt. Wetzel called. He waited at his door for Elizabeth Kelly.
Her suit was a fitted black Armani, her bag was a black Birkin, her shoes Christian Lauboutins and her look was cool and professional. "Detective Deeks, I'm not sure if you remember me," she said as way of an introduction.
"You're Elizabeth Kelly. You're CEO of Boothe Financial and when we met, you were an up and comer at Boothe Financial and I was running Boogie's," he replied as he ushered her into his office. "I'm out of the bar business but your rise through the ranks has been remarkable."
"I must say," she told him as she sat in his guest chair, "I don't think I know what an undercover police officer should look like but I remember thinking at the time you seemed to be the perfect person to run that bar."
"That's why I was given the assignment. What can I do for you, Ms. Kelly? If I remember correctly, Boothe Financial is in Century City and traffic this time of the day would be a nightmare."
"I was attending a Women in Finance lunchtime seminar at the Palm when I realized how close I was to this building. I've never been in a police station before. Other than being interviewed after Sebastian's, Mr. Boothe's, arrest, I don't think I've ever spoken to the police."
Deeks smiled at her. "I'll be gentle, Ms. Kelly. Again, what can I do for you?"
She folded her hands in her lap and began. "I had dinner with Mr. Boothe Saturday night. He tried to put on a brave face but he frightened of you."
"Me?"
"Yes. He told me he's afraid you might be looking for revenge. That you lost your undercover career because of him."
"The reason I'm not working as an undercover cop anymore is because I got shot walking in on a convenience store heist where I use to jog. Wrong place, wrong time. Sebastian Boothe had nothing to do with that since, when they caught the robbers turned gunmen, they were two gang members. So unless Mr. Boothe joined the Southland Kings, he didn't cost me anything."
"There's also what he did to you. He said he could have killed you. He was never charged with assaulting a police officer."
"He took a deal. The DA's Office here didn't want another OJ, didn't want another Phil Spector. They can barely get Paris Hilton to do 30 days on a DUI. A man with Boothe Financial as his personal piggy bank, the DA's Office would have been at a real disadvantage. Besides, they probably would have screwed it up enough that I'd be in jail for running my neck into his lunch utensils."
Kelly gave him a small smile. "If our legal department wants to put together an agreement that states you have no further interest in pursuing Sebastian Boothe..."
Deeks put his hand up. "Mr. Boothe served his time for both attacking me and for that rather handsome stash of stolen items in his pool house. As long as he keeps to his parole agreement, I have no interest in him."
"You showed up at his house a day after he was let out of prison."
"He was looking for my undercover alias and using a hero former police officer to do it. If Steve Johnson wasn't doing the looking, I wouldn't have left the office Friday."
"Helping a fellow officer," Kelly nodded.
"Steve Johnson lost his leg when two kids under the age of ten were pinned down in a gang shootout. When he found out the kids' mother was killed in the crossfire and there was no father, Johnson and his wife adopted them. I wasn't helping a fellow officer, Ms. Kelly, I was doing the right thing for a hero. It was the least I could do."
Kelly was quiet for a minute. "So about that agreement..."
"Ms. Kelly, I'll tell you what I told Sebastian Boothe and his attorneys. Mr. Boothe served his time. As long as keeps out of trouble and isn't a suspect in any other crime, the LAPD and I have plenty of other criminals to apprehend," he repeated his undercover mantra. "And no, I'm not signing anything your legal department puts together. I'm sure the LAPD would forbid it and I don't like the implication that I'm incapable of doing my job and upholding the law."
"I met you that day a few years ago, Detective. You were quite capable of doing your job back then. I'm just concerned for Sebastian's, Mr. Boothe's future." She looked down at her folded hands. "The company had to withstand a number of investigations after his arrest even though he had almost nothing to do with our day to day business. Every government agency that could opened an investigation into Boothe Financial since the chairman was a violent thief. We were just coming out of some of the more onerous investigations when the markets crashed. Boothe Financial barely survived but we did and I'll be damned if I allow another full on assault on the company."
"Then Ms. Kelly, you probably should be talking to Sebastian Boothe and asking him to sign some document your legal department puts together."
At six, Nell sent an e-mail warning Deeks that Andrea Miller landed at LAX just after four. Since Miller had not turned on her cellphone, Nell was having a hard time tracking her. Deeks replied that sooner or later, she'd find him. He was right. Not ten minutes later, the afternoon Desk Sergeant, Frank Bradshaw, called to announce Andrea Miller was downstairs and demanding to see him
Deeks e-mailed Nell and Lt. Bates's office after telling Bradshaw to let her up. He opened the outer office door just as she walked off the elevator.
"Assistant Director, do you have an issue with calling for appointments for meetings? Early on a Sunday morning, after business hours on a Monday evening. Should I expect you on my doorstep at 2AM?"
"Since everything about you Detective now requires a national security clearance, I'm not allowed to know your address, your co-workers or your responsibilities," she told him as she walked into his office.
Deeks sat at his desk, pulling out the digital recorder. After clicking it on and placing it right in front of Miller, he said, "So good to know you spent two weeks getting nothing done. Then again, you're FBI, you're probably use to that. Why are you here?"
She eyed the digital recorder and frowned. "You know why I'm here."
"Actually, I don't and since I have dinner plans at Nobu tonight, please state your business so I can enjoy my meal."
"Dinner at Nobu? Nice step up from running a bar and sleeping in the attic over it. Actually, everything here is a nice step up from where you were working when we last met."
"The last time we met you dragged me out of bed at way too early o'clock for a surprise sunrise meeting. You're here after a long day looking for another surprise meeting. What do you want Assistant Director?"
Miller sighed. Once again, the meeting was not going her way. "You went to see Sebastian Boothe Friday. Why?"
"Boothe hired someone I respect to look for my undercover alias. I chose to make life easier for someone I respect even though everything about doing that has made life more annoying for me."
"Detective?"
"I got an earful from NCIS about approaching a convicted felon and discussing my liaison position. I got an earful from LAPD about approaching someone who injured me. I had the CEO from Boothe Financial contact me to voice her concerns about Sebastian Boothe and now I have you. Roger Bates threatened to suspend me over my visit to Boothe. In hindsight, I would have had a much better Monday if he did that."
"Because this is all about you, Detective," Miller said dismissively.
No, Deeks thought, it was about Corey Moran and the other others but she'd never get that. "Is there anything else you need, Assistant Director?"
"I want a full written report recounting your meeting with Sebastian Boothe."
"Talk to Roger Bates."
"I want to be told in advance about any other encounters you plan with Sebastian Boothe."
"Talk to Roger Bates," Deeks told her as his desk phone rang.
Answering, Deeks heard Sgt. Bradshaw again. "You running a harem up there? I got another good looking woman wanting to see you."
"Sergeant?" Deeks thought he knew who was downstairs.
"Chloe Farr is here to see you. Should I send her up?"
"Yes, send her up." Deeks hung up the phone.
"We're not done, Detective," Andrea Miller told him.
"Oh yeah, we are. Again, I have dinner plans and now have to advise both LAPD and NCIS you dropped by without an appointment so if you don't mind."
"I mind."
"I'll include that in my report to LAPD and NCIS. We're done." Deeks stood and walked to the door of his office. Through the glass door in the secretary area, he could see Kensi waving. "If you'll excuse me." Deeks opened the door and let Kensi in.
"Hey babe," she said, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek, in full Chloe-mode. "You're not dressed and the boss is expecting us." Kensi was dressed for a fancy dinner in a red sheath dress and a black blazer. The look of her in that dress with high-heel boots was worth having to wear a tie in a few minutes.
"I have someone in the office who is just leaving. Sit tight," he said, smiling, pointing to a chair in the secretary's area. Deeks walked back into his office. "You have a good evening, Assistant Director."
Obviously annoyed, she stood. "I'll be speaking to Roger Bates."
"So will I. Hetty Lange too."
Miller flounced out of the office, pausing long enough to give Kensi the once over before leaving.
"What was that about?" Kensi asked as she moved into his office.
Deeks put his laptop and the digital recorder into his messenger bag. "Talk about it later. I want to go to dinner and enjoy expensive sushi on someone else's dime."
Dinner at Nobu was magnificent. Arthur Winston's regular table in nice weather was on the deck, overlooking the ocean. While Arthur Winston and his wife Janie told great behind the scenes stories about his hit series, Winston was really interested in Deeks. He owed one of the cable networks a series and thought an undercover cop who spent a year living someone's life could fill thirteen episodes.
Deeks tried to explain that while the occasional drug bust or fight might be exciting, his year running Boogie's included nursing a leaky industrial refrigerator, finding a kitchen employee who was reliable and could clean the grease trap and trying to decide if the restaurant area of the bar should be a cellphone-free zone.
The food was as amazing as the view. Winston insisted they enjoy the Chef's Choice, promising there wasn't a bad meal to be had. He was right, not a single thing was short of amazing.
As the dessert menus arrived, Janie and Kensi as Chloe excused themselves for a ladies room trip. While the women were away, Winston pitched Deeks on spending a few hours with two of his writers who would be running his cable show. "Just to pick your brain," he promised. Winston knew he and Kensi were working a case and wouldn't push things until after it was over but he was in awe of Kensi and wanted to hire her. "She took my pain in the ass leading lady to the gun range and ever since, Chelsea has been on her best behavior whenever Chloe is around."
Deeks laughed, seeing the ladies making their way back to the table. He joked that since he met Chloe, he was on his best behavior too. Once Kensi sat next to him, she passed Deeks her cellphone under the table. Deeks looked at the screen, seeing Sebastian Boothe eating sushi at a small table near the bar.
Deeks quietly passed the phone back to her and asked Arthur's guidance about desserts, planning on enjoying the end of the meal. A careful ride to the undercover house when they were done would lead to several long conversations with Matthew, Bates, Callen and Hetty. He wanted something good before going back to work.
x-x-x
Tuesday morning, Deeks took his bike to the PAB. He and Kensi spent two hours Monday night updating LAPD and NCIS personnel about Boothe's surprise dinner appearance. Leaving Nobu, Deeks decided to not see Boothe, chatting up Janie Winston as they walked through the restaurant while holding Kensi/Chloe's hand. Kensi recorded Boothe's reaction to their departure with her cellphone tucked into an exterior pocket of her handbag.
Walking up to the retinal scanner outside his office, Deeks balanced his helmet, messenger bag, a thermos full of coffee and a no-meat breakfast burrito from the food truck by the office. He dropped the helmet when a hand clamped over his mouth and a voice whispered in his ear.
"Not a sound."
-30-
Hey - no cliffhanger last week. Needed to make up for that.
AUTHOR: tess_dicorsi
RATING: R
GENRE: Mystery
CHARACTERS: Ensemble
DISCLAIMER: Recognizable characters are not mine. Just playing with them and promise not to break them. There are a few original characters, they're mine. I'm also trying not to break them.
SUMMARY: An old collar from the LAPD and an angry colleague from the FBI are back and looking for Marty Deeks. Established Deeks-Kensi. Multi-chapter story.
6. "All authority is assumed and if other people don't accept your authority then you don't have it. Perhaps the critical thing to being a convincing figure of authority is actually not to try too hard." - Patrick Stewart
While there was a lot about this undercover assignment Deeks disliked, a Malibu Sunday of surfing, swimming and now cornhole toss for money with Matthew wasn't too bad. Deeks was up about $25 when he first saw the boat parked well out in water.
"I'm assuming you're seeing what I'm seeing?" Matt said.
"And here I thought I was being paranoid."
"I'll skip the line about being paranoid and people still wanting to kill you," Matt said as he sank his last shot. "And the crowd goes wild. You stay here, I'll check and see if I can get a look at the boat and who's in it."
"Boothe's boats have GPS, right?"
"Part of the parole agreement. Martin, he's got a tracker on his mountain bike and the golf cart his household staff uses around the property." Matt fished his phone out of his shorts pocket. "I'm going to pretend to get a call, you can really play with your dog." He walked to the house.
Monty found cornhole fascinating. He never quite picked up on where and why the bags disappeared after flying through the air. Deeks pulled out a bright orange tennis ball he had in his Billabong hoodie and tossed it down the beach. Monty quickly took off, hell bent on keeping up his end of the dog-ball-owner compact.
Kensi, who spent most of the day on the patio reviewing one of Arthur Winston's scripts, found her way down to the beach. She wore a bikini top, yoga pants and a Winston Productions baseball cap as she wrapped herself around him. "Hello."
He kissed her. "Is it cheating to be kissing Hollywood Chloe when I'm involved with NCIS Kensi?" he joked, whispering in her ear.
"Well, cheating on NCIS Kensi would be a mistake since she's good with guns, knives and at hand to hand combat. Besides, Hollywood Chloe is a lot more work than NCIS Kensi," Kensi kissed him back. "Hollywood Chloe got her nails done yesterday. NCIS Kensi wanted to go to the range but wet nails and fear of chipping my manicure had me doing beach yoga instead."
"Ah, such a hard life," Deeks whispered in her ear. "How can I make it better?"
Monty returned with the ball, proud of his accomplishment. Kensi pulled away from Deeks and bent over to Monty. "I'm good. We're good, aren't we Monty?" she hugged the dog, took the ball and tossed it down the beach. Monty took off again.
"Did Matthew tell you what's going on?"
"Yep. That's why I'm participating in this little public display of affection." She put her arm around his waist.
"I'm very affectionate, public or private," he said as he ran his fingers lightly up her back. He enjoyed the small shiver he felt go through her. "I'd be happy to throw Matthew out of the house and prove just how privately affectionate I can be."
"Might be fun but probably not operationally sound." Kensi smiled before kissing the one spot between his jaw and ear that guaranteed a small shiver would run though him. "Let Matt find out who's out there first. If Boothe's started to follow you, I'm going to be right next to you."
"Kens..."
"Chloe, Detective Undercover Operative," she said as she smiled at him. "Chloe Farr, technical advisor to Winston Productions."
"OK, Chloe. But we've got Matthew, I'm sorry, Mac here, I'm in a secure building at work, I'm riding the bike everywhere. If that isn't Boothe, I've still got plenty of people following my every move who don't want to hurt me."
"Do you think that's Boothe out there?" Kensi asked.
"No, I know it's Boothe out there."
"Maybe not," Matt said as he joined them on the beach. Monty made it a foursome. It was Matt's turn to throw the ball, this time into the water.
"I do not need a wet dog, Matthew," Deeks complained.
"Might be the only thing in the ocean that cares about you. According to the GPS, Boothe's boats, the Closing Bell and Trust Fund Baby, are both docked at Del Ray Yacht Club," Matt told them. "I couldn't see a name or ID number for the boat. Did see her on-board, however." Matt handed Deeks his phone.
Deeks showed Kensi telephoto shot of a woman with long, black hair pulled into a loose pony tail, a floppy black straw hat and a bikini sunbathing on the boat. "That's a motor boat, anyway. Boothe has his father's yacht and his own cigarette boat," Kensi told the two.
"Still seems sketchy to me that of the places along the beach this woman could park her boat, she's outside Casa De Martin," Matt replied.
"House of Marty, cause we know how to party," Deeks mumbled as he watched Monty join them one more time. Deeks took a step back, pulling Kensi with him. Monty dropped the ball at Matt's feet just before he shook off the ocean water. Water that landed mostly on Matt.
"Monty!" Matt feigned indignation. Turning to Deeks, he complained, "Now I smell like wet dog."
"I lived with you for months. Believe me, wet dog would have been an improvement."
"Paul was a naturalist. He didn't like the harsh chemicals like those found in personal cleaning products. He preferred natural things."
"Like weed. And Paul had no problem with the chemicals that made up Pringles," Deeks teased.
"I was hungry. Speaking of which, you two are OK on your own for a few hours tonight? Mom has a fundraiser at the Peninsula that wraps up around six. She was going home after it ended but decided she didn't want to go to an empty house. We're going to have dinner at The Belvedere. Dad's in Sacramento, Frannie's with him. so..."
"Say hello for us," Deeks said with a smile.
"I'd invite you two, Mom loves Martin," Matt said to Kensi as an aside, "but she sounded like she just wanted some family time."
"You may want to shower before you leave. Wet dog, veal chateaubriand - not a great combination," Kensi suggested. "Oh, and we won't be around tomorrow night."
"We won't?" Deeks asked.
"I was about to tell you but we have dinner plans," Kensi told him.
"The breakdown of the communal dinner is the beginning of the end of our happy home. Our little family is drifting apart," Matt's tone was that of a heartbroken man but his smile and eyes danced with humor.
"The breakdown in me making you dinner is the beginning of the end of you eating reasonably. Tuesday night, dinner at Duke's. You, me and Chloe here, unless we're eating there tomorrow."
"Nope. Duke's is good."
Matt kissed Kensi on the cheek and pulled Deeks into a big hug. "Thank you. Family dinners saved the Gilmores."
"The Gilmores?" Kensi was confused.
Matt started up to the house. "Richard, Emily, Lorelai, Rory - 'The Gilmore Girls' - family dinners, they brought them together."
"You're insane," Deeks chuckled as he watched Matt wave as he walked through the house. Turning to Kensi, he asked, "Where are we going to dinner tomorrow night, dear?"
"Arthur Winston takes all his new staffers to dinner. Plus, he wants to meet you. He's sort of blown away by you running a bar and an undercover operation all on your own. He's a retired Marine, likes real cops, real military, not a Hollywood guy."
"But we're going to eat somewhere like Spago or The Ivy, right?"
"Nobu down the PCH."
"Yeah, not a Hollywood guy at all." Deeks rolled his eyes.
"He told me he enjoys everything he worked for and one of the things he's worked for is a standing reservation at Nobu here on Monday nights. Takes his wife and usually someone from the office. Tomorrow it's us."
"What time?"
"Eight."
"World-class sushi, a beautiful woman and a Hollywood guy. I've spent worse evenings."
Kensi bent over and picked up the cornhole boards. "Well, Matt's gone, Broncos-Colts started about ten minutes ago and I'm hungry. Feed me and if you're good, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck aren't the only ones who are going to score tonight." Kensi handed him the boards, kissed him and made her way back to the house.
No, there were definitely parts of this undercover operation that weren't too bad.
x-x-x
Since they were going out to dinner that night, Kensi dropped Deeks off at the PAB Monday morning before driving to work herself. Carrying his suit jacket with an appropriate tie in a dry cleaning bag, his laptop messenger bag, a thermos full of coffee and a no-meat breakfast burrito from the food truck by the office, Deeks walked up to the retinal scanner outside his PAB office and saw he had a guest. Hetty was on her phone, leaning on the unused secretary desk on the other side of the door. He looked at Hetty, looked at retinal scanner, five feet off the ground, and then looked at Hetty again. Shaking his head he just walked in.
Hetty held up her hand. "I understand. Yes, Mr. Deeks is right here, I'll discuss it with him. I should be in the office shortly." Hetty ended the call and looked up at him. "Good morning, Mr. Deeks."
"Good morning, Hetty," Deeks smiled at her as he went to unlock his office door. After hanging his jacket on the hook behind the door, Deeks told her, "I'd offer you tea or something but I don't have anything in the office but what I bring in. I would like to say that whatever I did to cause you to be here at 7AM, I'm sure I have a reasonable explanation." It felt odd as he offered her the guest chair in his office. He felt like she should be behind the desk.
As he sat at his desk, there was a Post-It note on his day calendar. "Checked for listening devices. All clean. MB" Deeks saw Matthew leave when he took Monty out for a walk. He thought he was doing his personal trainer thing. Obviously not.
"I got a phone call last night from a source inside the FBI. Miss Miller learned about your visit with Boothe on Friday. She will be in town later today, no doubt demanding a full debrief."
"No doubt,", Deeks found an unopened bottled water as he stored his laptop. Offering it to Hetty, he asked, "Do you want me to give her one?"
"Yes," Hetty told him as she waved off his beverage offer. She pulled a digital recorder from her handbag. "While this office is wired to record all conversations, as far as the FBI knows, you're on your own in this office. You can record your conversation with Miss Miller, write a report and e-mail it to me with the digital file. I'll forward it to the FBI just to keep all of our bases covered."
"Killing her with paperwork unkindness," Deeks paused. "I like it!"
"Making sure you are as covered as can be if Miss Miller decides to pull anything. The more I look into her future political plans, the more I am convinced you're her biggest concern going forward."
"And it should be Sebastian Boothe."
"It should, but to the world, Sebastian Boothe served his time and is working to become a valuable part of the community. You, on the other hand, could tell one of Miss Miller's political opponents what happened during the original Sebastian Boothe investigation. Her reassignment from the VCU to New York's White Collar Division, which her mother's political advisors are positioning as an attack on Wall Street's criminals after handling violent ones, would be revealed for what it truly was."
Deeks put the digital recorder in his top desk drawer. "How are things going? I know everyone is trying to keep Kensi and me in the loop but there's a difference between reading what's going on in a report and being a part of an investigation."
"Mr. Deeks, the Sebastian Boothe investigation is our top priority. Director Vance has always appreciated your commitment to the liaison position and after last spring..."
"Yeah," Deeks stopped her. Last spring was last spring. "Did you see my notes about the strange boat outside the house last night?"
"Yes, yours, Miss Blye's and Det. Bernhart's as well. While I understand putting you close to Sebastian Boothe and both residences on the Malibu undercover location are largely secure, Mr. Hanna's biggest concern about your cover house has been the beach access."
Deeks told her, "It does have its upside."
"Yes, I can imagine you're enjoying your time there. Were you able to locate Boothe when the boat appeared?"
"Boothe's Lincoln Navigator GPS had him at Salesian High School in Boyle Heights. I checked, he put together a group of elder care lawyers, accountants, financial planners, college application experts and was there most of the day in the gym helping people get their financial houses in order and helping the students apply to colleges. All pro bono. There were photos of him at the event. He's going to New Faith Baptist Church in Compton next Saturday to do the same thing. All a part of the rehabilitation tour." He shook his head.
"Mr. Deeks?"
"It's just..." Deeks restarted. "There wasn't much after my father was sent away. Well, there wasn't much before but there was a lot less with him gone. My mother did the best she could. She worked, I worked. I mean we weren't church people but someone just figuring out how I could get extra grant money or a paid internship during school - that would have made a real difference. Now I'm working to take that from people who could really use it."
"Mr. Deeks," Hetty warned. "You said over and over again as you were reviewing the case that Sebastian Boothe presents himself one way to the world and another way to his victims."
Deeks looked down and said, "Don't tell Kensi but I remember what he looked like when he came at me with the knife. It was like he was someone else. Someone possessed. Corey Moran, the others, that's was the last thing they ever saw."
"And that's why Mr. Hanna will be at the house today with a new camera to watch the ocean from your rooftop."
"I'll give Matthew a head's up." He showed Hetty the Post-It note. "He's searching for bugs."
"Like Mr. Hanna, Miss Blye, Mr. Callen and the rest, he's worried about your safety."
Deeks nodded, wishing for the thousandth time he was as worried about Corey Moran six years ago.
Hetty stood and Deeks walked her to his office door. "Oh," Hetty took a thumb drive out of her bag. "I was not expecting seventy-nine pages of a liaison manual."
"There is a lot of paperwork with this position." Deeks held the door as he and Hetty exited. "And I was bored."
"This is more than satisfactory. Please pass it along to Lt. Bates." She handed him the thumb drive.
Deeks noticed it was not the LAPD non-name thumb drive but something that looked like it belonged on a battlefield. Deeks pushed the elevator's down button. "Thanks for this and for stopping by."
As Hetty boarded the elevator, she said, "Mr. Deeks, please don't make me use that to introduce a new liaison officer in the future. You being bored means you're keeping yourself safe. Keep it up."
Deeks spent the morning e-mailing a member of NCIS's legal department and Eric trying to put together a weapons database that both NCIS and LAPD could use. He was tired of spending a half-hour every time there was an arrest to fill out a form for LAPD about confiscated weapons and then a different one for NCIS.
Grabbing a Greek yogurt and a bottled water from a convenience store nearby just after two, he was walking back into the PAB when the Desk Sergeant waved him over. "Hey Deeks," Sgt. Wetzel called, "someone's here to see you. They don't have an appointment and you weren't in your office." Sgt. Wetzel pointed to a woman standing in the building's waiting room, talking on her phone. It was Elizabeth Kelly.
"How long has she been here?"
"Not two minutes."
"When she gets off the call, log her in and send her up. Call me when she gets on the elevator."
"You got it."
Deeks hustled to his office and e-mailed both Nell and Lt. Bates's office. Just as he was finishing with them, Sgt. Wetzel called. He waited at his door for Elizabeth Kelly.
Her suit was a fitted black Armani, her bag was a black Birkin, her shoes Christian Lauboutins and her look was cool and professional. "Detective Deeks, I'm not sure if you remember me," she said as way of an introduction.
"You're Elizabeth Kelly. You're CEO of Boothe Financial and when we met, you were an up and comer at Boothe Financial and I was running Boogie's," he replied as he ushered her into his office. "I'm out of the bar business but your rise through the ranks has been remarkable."
"I must say," she told him as she sat in his guest chair, "I don't think I know what an undercover police officer should look like but I remember thinking at the time you seemed to be the perfect person to run that bar."
"That's why I was given the assignment. What can I do for you, Ms. Kelly? If I remember correctly, Boothe Financial is in Century City and traffic this time of the day would be a nightmare."
"I was attending a Women in Finance lunchtime seminar at the Palm when I realized how close I was to this building. I've never been in a police station before. Other than being interviewed after Sebastian's, Mr. Boothe's, arrest, I don't think I've ever spoken to the police."
Deeks smiled at her. "I'll be gentle, Ms. Kelly. Again, what can I do for you?"
She folded her hands in her lap and began. "I had dinner with Mr. Boothe Saturday night. He tried to put on a brave face but he frightened of you."
"Me?"
"Yes. He told me he's afraid you might be looking for revenge. That you lost your undercover career because of him."
"The reason I'm not working as an undercover cop anymore is because I got shot walking in on a convenience store heist where I use to jog. Wrong place, wrong time. Sebastian Boothe had nothing to do with that since, when they caught the robbers turned gunmen, they were two gang members. So unless Mr. Boothe joined the Southland Kings, he didn't cost me anything."
"There's also what he did to you. He said he could have killed you. He was never charged with assaulting a police officer."
"He took a deal. The DA's Office here didn't want another OJ, didn't want another Phil Spector. They can barely get Paris Hilton to do 30 days on a DUI. A man with Boothe Financial as his personal piggy bank, the DA's Office would have been at a real disadvantage. Besides, they probably would have screwed it up enough that I'd be in jail for running my neck into his lunch utensils."
Kelly gave him a small smile. "If our legal department wants to put together an agreement that states you have no further interest in pursuing Sebastian Boothe..."
Deeks put his hand up. "Mr. Boothe served his time for both attacking me and for that rather handsome stash of stolen items in his pool house. As long as he keeps to his parole agreement, I have no interest in him."
"You showed up at his house a day after he was let out of prison."
"He was looking for my undercover alias and using a hero former police officer to do it. If Steve Johnson wasn't doing the looking, I wouldn't have left the office Friday."
"Helping a fellow officer," Kelly nodded.
"Steve Johnson lost his leg when two kids under the age of ten were pinned down in a gang shootout. When he found out the kids' mother was killed in the crossfire and there was no father, Johnson and his wife adopted them. I wasn't helping a fellow officer, Ms. Kelly, I was doing the right thing for a hero. It was the least I could do."
Kelly was quiet for a minute. "So about that agreement..."
"Ms. Kelly, I'll tell you what I told Sebastian Boothe and his attorneys. Mr. Boothe served his time. As long as keeps out of trouble and isn't a suspect in any other crime, the LAPD and I have plenty of other criminals to apprehend," he repeated his undercover mantra. "And no, I'm not signing anything your legal department puts together. I'm sure the LAPD would forbid it and I don't like the implication that I'm incapable of doing my job and upholding the law."
"I met you that day a few years ago, Detective. You were quite capable of doing your job back then. I'm just concerned for Sebastian's, Mr. Boothe's future." She looked down at her folded hands. "The company had to withstand a number of investigations after his arrest even though he had almost nothing to do with our day to day business. Every government agency that could opened an investigation into Boothe Financial since the chairman was a violent thief. We were just coming out of some of the more onerous investigations when the markets crashed. Boothe Financial barely survived but we did and I'll be damned if I allow another full on assault on the company."
"Then Ms. Kelly, you probably should be talking to Sebastian Boothe and asking him to sign some document your legal department puts together."
At six, Nell sent an e-mail warning Deeks that Andrea Miller landed at LAX just after four. Since Miller had not turned on her cellphone, Nell was having a hard time tracking her. Deeks replied that sooner or later, she'd find him. He was right. Not ten minutes later, the afternoon Desk Sergeant, Frank Bradshaw, called to announce Andrea Miller was downstairs and demanding to see him
Deeks e-mailed Nell and Lt. Bates's office after telling Bradshaw to let her up. He opened the outer office door just as she walked off the elevator.
"Assistant Director, do you have an issue with calling for appointments for meetings? Early on a Sunday morning, after business hours on a Monday evening. Should I expect you on my doorstep at 2AM?"
"Since everything about you Detective now requires a national security clearance, I'm not allowed to know your address, your co-workers or your responsibilities," she told him as she walked into his office.
Deeks sat at his desk, pulling out the digital recorder. After clicking it on and placing it right in front of Miller, he said, "So good to know you spent two weeks getting nothing done. Then again, you're FBI, you're probably use to that. Why are you here?"
She eyed the digital recorder and frowned. "You know why I'm here."
"Actually, I don't and since I have dinner plans at Nobu tonight, please state your business so I can enjoy my meal."
"Dinner at Nobu? Nice step up from running a bar and sleeping in the attic over it. Actually, everything here is a nice step up from where you were working when we last met."
"The last time we met you dragged me out of bed at way too early o'clock for a surprise sunrise meeting. You're here after a long day looking for another surprise meeting. What do you want Assistant Director?"
Miller sighed. Once again, the meeting was not going her way. "You went to see Sebastian Boothe Friday. Why?"
"Boothe hired someone I respect to look for my undercover alias. I chose to make life easier for someone I respect even though everything about doing that has made life more annoying for me."
"Detective?"
"I got an earful from NCIS about approaching a convicted felon and discussing my liaison position. I got an earful from LAPD about approaching someone who injured me. I had the CEO from Boothe Financial contact me to voice her concerns about Sebastian Boothe and now I have you. Roger Bates threatened to suspend me over my visit to Boothe. In hindsight, I would have had a much better Monday if he did that."
"Because this is all about you, Detective," Miller said dismissively.
No, Deeks thought, it was about Corey Moran and the other others but she'd never get that. "Is there anything else you need, Assistant Director?"
"I want a full written report recounting your meeting with Sebastian Boothe."
"Talk to Roger Bates."
"I want to be told in advance about any other encounters you plan with Sebastian Boothe."
"Talk to Roger Bates," Deeks told her as his desk phone rang.
Answering, Deeks heard Sgt. Bradshaw again. "You running a harem up there? I got another good looking woman wanting to see you."
"Sergeant?" Deeks thought he knew who was downstairs.
"Chloe Farr is here to see you. Should I send her up?"
"Yes, send her up." Deeks hung up the phone.
"We're not done, Detective," Andrea Miller told him.
"Oh yeah, we are. Again, I have dinner plans and now have to advise both LAPD and NCIS you dropped by without an appointment so if you don't mind."
"I mind."
"I'll include that in my report to LAPD and NCIS. We're done." Deeks stood and walked to the door of his office. Through the glass door in the secretary area, he could see Kensi waving. "If you'll excuse me." Deeks opened the door and let Kensi in.
"Hey babe," she said, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek, in full Chloe-mode. "You're not dressed and the boss is expecting us." Kensi was dressed for a fancy dinner in a red sheath dress and a black blazer. The look of her in that dress with high-heel boots was worth having to wear a tie in a few minutes.
"I have someone in the office who is just leaving. Sit tight," he said, smiling, pointing to a chair in the secretary's area. Deeks walked back into his office. "You have a good evening, Assistant Director."
Obviously annoyed, she stood. "I'll be speaking to Roger Bates."
"So will I. Hetty Lange too."
Miller flounced out of the office, pausing long enough to give Kensi the once over before leaving.
"What was that about?" Kensi asked as she moved into his office.
Deeks put his laptop and the digital recorder into his messenger bag. "Talk about it later. I want to go to dinner and enjoy expensive sushi on someone else's dime."
Dinner at Nobu was magnificent. Arthur Winston's regular table in nice weather was on the deck, overlooking the ocean. While Arthur Winston and his wife Janie told great behind the scenes stories about his hit series, Winston was really interested in Deeks. He owed one of the cable networks a series and thought an undercover cop who spent a year living someone's life could fill thirteen episodes.
Deeks tried to explain that while the occasional drug bust or fight might be exciting, his year running Boogie's included nursing a leaky industrial refrigerator, finding a kitchen employee who was reliable and could clean the grease trap and trying to decide if the restaurant area of the bar should be a cellphone-free zone.
The food was as amazing as the view. Winston insisted they enjoy the Chef's Choice, promising there wasn't a bad meal to be had. He was right, not a single thing was short of amazing.
As the dessert menus arrived, Janie and Kensi as Chloe excused themselves for a ladies room trip. While the women were away, Winston pitched Deeks on spending a few hours with two of his writers who would be running his cable show. "Just to pick your brain," he promised. Winston knew he and Kensi were working a case and wouldn't push things until after it was over but he was in awe of Kensi and wanted to hire her. "She took my pain in the ass leading lady to the gun range and ever since, Chelsea has been on her best behavior whenever Chloe is around."
Deeks laughed, seeing the ladies making their way back to the table. He joked that since he met Chloe, he was on his best behavior too. Once Kensi sat next to him, she passed Deeks her cellphone under the table. Deeks looked at the screen, seeing Sebastian Boothe eating sushi at a small table near the bar.
Deeks quietly passed the phone back to her and asked Arthur's guidance about desserts, planning on enjoying the end of the meal. A careful ride to the undercover house when they were done would lead to several long conversations with Matthew, Bates, Callen and Hetty. He wanted something good before going back to work.
x-x-x
Tuesday morning, Deeks took his bike to the PAB. He and Kensi spent two hours Monday night updating LAPD and NCIS personnel about Boothe's surprise dinner appearance. Leaving Nobu, Deeks decided to not see Boothe, chatting up Janie Winston as they walked through the restaurant while holding Kensi/Chloe's hand. Kensi recorded Boothe's reaction to their departure with her cellphone tucked into an exterior pocket of her handbag.
Walking up to the retinal scanner outside his office, Deeks balanced his helmet, messenger bag, a thermos full of coffee and a no-meat breakfast burrito from the food truck by the office. He dropped the helmet when a hand clamped over his mouth and a voice whispered in his ear.
"Not a sound."
-30-
Hey - no cliffhanger last week. Needed to make up for that.