The TV Lies
Prompt: 082 If
POV: Peregrine Black
Rating: PG
Summary: Dude... even I don't know what's happening from here. All I've got is that Mariam is in the middle of a big mess and Darren's hijacked Perry and is dragging him into the middle of it full speed. Darren... I like you... I do... but you're kinda confusing the heck outta me!
Hijacked Series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Four years hadn't much changed her. She still had long dark hair she let fall into her face. She still had those brown eyes that showed far more into her than she ever cared to admit. She still ran her mouth excessively. She still had no bloody regard for the law.
Peregrine rested his hand on the wall, looking through the one way glass at the woman in the interrogation room. So bloody much hadn't changed, but it seemed he had. He wondered if she knew, if she'd hoped he hadn't, that he'd get her out of this mess.
Not that she'd done anything 'horrible'. She had her own codes and followed them. She was no murderer, but she was a thief...and she was guilty. He had no doubt of it. He knew her too well, knew how she covered her tracks, what she might have left behind.
If anyone could pin this on her indisputably, it was him. He had no doubt O'Riley had guessed this, even if he didn't know the extent of why. The man was talking to her now. They had no right to hold her, but she was 'cooperating.' And no harm in it, since insofar as she knew they had nothing on her. That didn't make it any less bloody out of place though.
Peregrine clenched a fist at his side and pushed back off the wall. It was all he could do to not start pacing. He was not working this case to catch her.
He dropped into a chair quietly, looking back to the glass. He was bloody well here to figure out what the hell was at the bottom of it all, because he had not been kidding when he said it was deep. Deep enough that getting arrested was the least of Mariam's worries.
If only she knew that.
Everything would be so much simpler.
He looked up with a start when the door opened, O'Riley standing in the doorway and pausing to lean on the door frame. "You don't waste any time, do you?" When the only response given was a shrug on Peregrine's part the man chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."
Peregrine pushed back to his feet, brow furrowed as he looked at the man, earning yet another chuckle for his confusion. Another chuckle, but no explanation. Of course.
"So tell me, when you decided to be a cop, did you expect anything like this?"
"Not really. No." Peregrine kept pace with O'Riley as they headed out of the precinct. He really wished he had some clue what this detective was about.
"Oh?"
Peregrine narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he was going to get tired of that sort of pushing question really quickly. "It's not like I expected something like TV. I just...ah...I sort of thought it was exaggerating oddities.. not understating them."
O'Riley laughed then, hitting his shoulder. "You know, for most people that's true," he began, taking in Peregrine's eyebrow raising before he continued. "But then, most people don't search rats for evidence or steal the case files of their old friends because they think there's more to the case."
Peregrine hooked a finger on his belt rather than pushing his hands into his pockets, rolling his eyes at that.
"I'm not saying most cases have those sorts of elements to begin with, kid. You and I just seem to have lucked out there. Now. I want you to tell me what on earth you meant about this case being 'deeper'."
Peregrine shrugged. "She was working for someone. I can guarantee that. I suspect she still is. This isn't her normal routine. She should have vanished. The cooperation makes me... nervous. I'm not sure if there's information the person who hired her wants from the station, or...what."
"Huh," O'Riley said, shifting his stance a bit. "There's more."
"Why hire her to steal here? Her skill set is not exactly... ah... unique. And she would have protested a job in 'my jurisdiction'."
O'Riley looked started, but it shifted to a sly grin. "You don't see what she does, it's not happening?"
This earned a shrug. "Basically," he replied, wasting no words to try and skirt around that. "That's where I get... fuzzy though. Either her employer thought my presence might make for an ally despite her protests... or wanted her caught."
"Black...Um... that's getting annoying. Do you have any nicknames for Peregrine I could use?" He just shrugged and carried on at the glare. "Right, well, Peregrine...I think what you're describing is a confusing mess."
"I ah, could just get back off the case."
"Oh no. definitely not. You're stuck on it now, kid," O'riley replied with a grin. "I don't think our theories are too terribly far off from each other," he explained, pausing and giving a wink before he added, "You just make it sound confusing."
Peregrine paused, looking at the man, evaluating him. "You knew I was connected to it."
"Suspected, only suspected that there was someone in the Precinct. When you stole the case file copy. I guessed you. Now, between our interview last night and Mariam's reaction when I dropped your name as my partner." He shrugged. "Well, I rather doubted either of you were in on this 'connection'."
This actually earned a halt in stride. "I ah... why did you say I was your partner?"
O'Riley's grin grew a whole lot wider. "Oh, I skipped that part didn't I? Well, you're my junior partner, temporary, conditional, of course. but if you wanted to stay on I'm sure you could get slotted in for a detective's exam. I doubt any of the questions will involve rats, but I'm pretty sure you'll pass anyway."
At the lack of response from Peregrine, O'Riley slapped his back. "Come on, it's not that bad. It's what you're trying to do behind the scenes anyway."
"I don't get why," he replied in a very broken thought, finally trailing off.
"I'm a sucker for people with my kind of luck I guess. Don't worry. You'll do fine." The man turned back, looking over his shoulder to Peregrine. "We should head back. I want you to talk to your friend."
"But... ah..."
"Look. She might actually respect you as some sort of authority more than anyone else there. And I want to get whoever's behind this before things get any more messy than they already are." And with that he started walking back in the direction from whence they'd come.
This...man....was a bloody force of nature. Peregrine could only wonder if maybe he would have been better off if he'd been suspended after all.
"You coming, kid?"
{ Next}
POV: Peregrine Black
Rating: PG
Summary: Dude... even I don't know what's happening from here. All I've got is that Mariam is in the middle of a big mess and Darren's hijacked Perry and is dragging him into the middle of it full speed. Darren... I like you... I do... but you're kinda confusing the heck outta me!
Hijacked Series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Four years hadn't much changed her. She still had long dark hair she let fall into her face. She still had those brown eyes that showed far more into her than she ever cared to admit. She still ran her mouth excessively. She still had no bloody regard for the law.
Peregrine rested his hand on the wall, looking through the one way glass at the woman in the interrogation room. So bloody much hadn't changed, but it seemed he had. He wondered if she knew, if she'd hoped he hadn't, that he'd get her out of this mess.
Not that she'd done anything 'horrible'. She had her own codes and followed them. She was no murderer, but she was a thief...and she was guilty. He had no doubt of it. He knew her too well, knew how she covered her tracks, what she might have left behind.
If anyone could pin this on her indisputably, it was him. He had no doubt O'Riley had guessed this, even if he didn't know the extent of why. The man was talking to her now. They had no right to hold her, but she was 'cooperating.' And no harm in it, since insofar as she knew they had nothing on her. That didn't make it any less bloody out of place though.
Peregrine clenched a fist at his side and pushed back off the wall. It was all he could do to not start pacing. He was not working this case to catch her.
He dropped into a chair quietly, looking back to the glass. He was bloody well here to figure out what the hell was at the bottom of it all, because he had not been kidding when he said it was deep. Deep enough that getting arrested was the least of Mariam's worries.
If only she knew that.
Everything would be so much simpler.
He looked up with a start when the door opened, O'Riley standing in the doorway and pausing to lean on the door frame. "You don't waste any time, do you?" When the only response given was a shrug on Peregrine's part the man chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."
Peregrine pushed back to his feet, brow furrowed as he looked at the man, earning yet another chuckle for his confusion. Another chuckle, but no explanation. Of course.
"So tell me, when you decided to be a cop, did you expect anything like this?"
"Not really. No." Peregrine kept pace with O'Riley as they headed out of the precinct. He really wished he had some clue what this detective was about.
"Oh?"
Peregrine narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he was going to get tired of that sort of pushing question really quickly. "It's not like I expected something like TV. I just...ah...I sort of thought it was exaggerating oddities.. not understating them."
O'Riley laughed then, hitting his shoulder. "You know, for most people that's true," he began, taking in Peregrine's eyebrow raising before he continued. "But then, most people don't search rats for evidence or steal the case files of their old friends because they think there's more to the case."
Peregrine hooked a finger on his belt rather than pushing his hands into his pockets, rolling his eyes at that.
"I'm not saying most cases have those sorts of elements to begin with, kid. You and I just seem to have lucked out there. Now. I want you to tell me what on earth you meant about this case being 'deeper'."
Peregrine shrugged. "She was working for someone. I can guarantee that. I suspect she still is. This isn't her normal routine. She should have vanished. The cooperation makes me... nervous. I'm not sure if there's information the person who hired her wants from the station, or...what."
"Huh," O'Riley said, shifting his stance a bit. "There's more."
"Why hire her to steal here? Her skill set is not exactly... ah... unique. And she would have protested a job in 'my jurisdiction'."
O'Riley looked started, but it shifted to a sly grin. "You don't see what she does, it's not happening?"
This earned a shrug. "Basically," he replied, wasting no words to try and skirt around that. "That's where I get... fuzzy though. Either her employer thought my presence might make for an ally despite her protests... or wanted her caught."
"Black...Um... that's getting annoying. Do you have any nicknames for Peregrine I could use?" He just shrugged and carried on at the glare. "Right, well, Peregrine...I think what you're describing is a confusing mess."
"I ah, could just get back off the case."
"Oh no. definitely not. You're stuck on it now, kid," O'riley replied with a grin. "I don't think our theories are too terribly far off from each other," he explained, pausing and giving a wink before he added, "You just make it sound confusing."
Peregrine paused, looking at the man, evaluating him. "You knew I was connected to it."
"Suspected, only suspected that there was someone in the Precinct. When you stole the case file copy. I guessed you. Now, between our interview last night and Mariam's reaction when I dropped your name as my partner." He shrugged. "Well, I rather doubted either of you were in on this 'connection'."
This actually earned a halt in stride. "I ah... why did you say I was your partner?"
O'Riley's grin grew a whole lot wider. "Oh, I skipped that part didn't I? Well, you're my junior partner, temporary, conditional, of course. but if you wanted to stay on I'm sure you could get slotted in for a detective's exam. I doubt any of the questions will involve rats, but I'm pretty sure you'll pass anyway."
At the lack of response from Peregrine, O'Riley slapped his back. "Come on, it's not that bad. It's what you're trying to do behind the scenes anyway."
"I don't get why," he replied in a very broken thought, finally trailing off.
"I'm a sucker for people with my kind of luck I guess. Don't worry. You'll do fine." The man turned back, looking over his shoulder to Peregrine. "We should head back. I want you to talk to your friend."
"But... ah..."
"Look. She might actually respect you as some sort of authority more than anyone else there. And I want to get whoever's behind this before things get any more messy than they already are." And with that he started walking back in the direction from whence they'd come.
This...man....was a bloody force of nature. Peregrine could only wonder if maybe he would have been better off if he'd been suspended after all.
"You coming, kid?"
{ Next}