DNA

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

A dry erase marker is an essential tool of the trade. Montoya has taken over the white board in the break room. On it is a scribbled out spreadsheet. Victims, gang or crime family affiliations, locations, murder weapons found if any, and last but not least, DNA notes. On the list are two familiar names... Andropov and Finnegan. To it, she now adds John Doe, Russian Mafia, and Rey Chaparro, Coyote Locos. The third name she adds was a Red Dragon.

Five cases total. Two in Gotham, three in Bludhaven. Dissimilar weapons, dissimilar affiliations. They all have one thing in common... DNA. The longer she looks at it, the more convinced she becomes the answer lies there.

Why these five men? Who benefits? Josie's comment from a week prior comes back to her brain. "Y'know what I've been wondering over the past couple months? If we're about to see a feeding frenzy here in Gotham." An all out gang war? Who would gain from it? Someone from outside looking to sweep in and snatch up territory? Manipulate the playing field so that your adversaries wipe each other out? The other motive she reasons is a matter of resources. A supplier could make big bucks supplying both sides with arms. Or any other needed materials.

Her eyes fall on the Red Dragon. A DNA anomaly like the others. This DNA however has an owner. Had an owner, she corrects herself. Carlos Ribeiro. Dead now four months. How did his DNA get onto that body? What's the connection? Who was Carlos Ribeiro anyway? Where did he live? What did he do for a living? Did he have family? How did he die?

Where to go from here? Montoya shakes her head. This case seems to produce more questions than answers. She'll start with Senor Ribeiro and the city of Bludhaven.

Comments

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

Unless she's given someone else to start with first.

The way the precinct is, news will travel fast whenever Harvey Dent shows up on the doorstep. The fact that he's the lawyer for Esteban Fernandez, and he's with the key witness in the murder his client is charged with might make that news travel a bit faster.

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

The Juarez case was off the board and out of her hands. With a confession and murder weapon in hand, the DA had snatched it up as a done deal. Despite her reservations, Montoya had let it go. One less case to mull over. One less case for her already heavy work load.

She's surprised to see Harvey Dent and Esperanza Gutierrez on the other side of the bullpen as she exits the break room. She drops the DNA case files on her desk and crosses to meet them.

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

It's instinctive, the slight smile he gets at the sight of Renee. It's always a brightening of his mood, if only for a few seconds at a time before the rest of their baggage follows.

Keep it professional, Harv.
I love you.
Shut UP.

"Detective, Ms. Gutierrez has some things she needs to tell you about the Juarez case."

His tone is even, actually something close to sympathetic, with his hand gently touching Esperanza's back, as a quiet show of support and togetherness on this.

Important not to look like he coerced this.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Esperanza looks nervous, but she manages to say, "That kid, Esteban. He dint shoot Theo. That was me."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Montoya is cautious. She knows that Harvey stands to gain if his client is exonerated. It would do wonders for his reputation as he establishes himself once again in his previous profession. Is this new confession by Gutierrez for real? Or has Harvey crafted an escape for his client to personally profit?

On the other hand, she herself has had doubts about Fernandez's guilt. She listens to her gut and decides to give them a chance to expound. If Fernandez is indeed innocent, she has a responsibility to see this through.

"Ms. Gutierrez, why don't you follow me?" She glances towards Harvey. He should follow as well.

She leads them back to an empty interrogation room.

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

He can see the distrust in Renee's eyes, and some part of him aches more than he should at that. Obsessions die hard.

He just nods and lets the witness... a new client, now, lead the way, and he follows behind.

Ignoring the eyes of the rest of Gotham's Finest.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

She glances at Harvey Dent as they follow Detective Montoya. "You my lawyer now?" she asks in a whisper. "I dint give you any money--"

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head.

"I told you I would help you out here. The truth is more important than money right now. We'll settle that later, if we need to."

Listen to yourself, Harv. You read that off a cereal box?
Shut up.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"I got what I took from Theo," she whispers, "'less they say I can't keep it."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

They reach the room without incident. Montoya gestures to the empty seats and proceeds to read the witness now turned suspect her rights. She isn't unsympathetic to the woman before her. Gutierrez looks beaten up. The condition seems to run deeper than the skin.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

Harvey clears his throat. Voice shouldn't crack.

"First things first, Detective, this needs to be made clear. My client has information that could help bring in the people above Juarez in the Latino Unified Gang, and we're expecting an offer in exchange for her cooperation."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

She looks him in the eye. Information on the Latino Unified is an enticing package. Harvey knows it.

She turns her gaze on Gutierrez. "Give us that and DA will probably bend over backwards," she says honestly.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Esperanza nods timidly. "I can tell you that. But I want protection. Don't gotta be fancy. Just away from here."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

She nods. "We'll make it happen."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Esperanza looks to Harvey for reassurance, then looks back at Montoya. "Theo was--I'd been takin' money from his deals. He'd keep some of it in my place anyway, or bring it over for countin'. I was scared he'd catch me, but I just wanted t'get outta Gotham. Away from Theo." She sniffles and rubs her cheek. "Day he died, he'd found my stash. He started hittin' me, t'teach me a lesson. That Fernandez kid, he busted in, wavin' his gun, and I got away from Theo. I thought the kid'd shoot him, and I dint want to get shot. But Theo slapped the gun outta his hand, then started slapping the kid around, and the kid was cryin' and Theo was laughin' at this kid thinkin' he could cap him. The kid, Fernandez, he kept on cryin', so I got the gun. Then I shot Theo." She rubs the back of her hand across her nose. "Dint think I'd hit him, but I did. He look real surprised. I dropped the gun. The kid grabbed it back and was lookin' all ... like I'd taken the gun away, 'stead o'Theo. He tole me that if I tole anyone I'd shot Theo, he'd cap me." Esperanza shakes her head sadly. "He dint scare me. He wasn't Theo. But I figure, he wants to say he shot Theo? That's okay with me."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Montoya listens to the story, focused on the details. It seems simple enough right up until the end. "Fernandez took it on himself," she states. "Why? It'd be easier to leave the blame on you. Who's he protecting?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Esperanza gives a short, bitter laugh. "His rep. I hear later he been tole t'kill Theo. I dunno 'f they really thought he would. The Fernandez kid, his brother nobody you wanna mess with, but the kid is nothin'. He talk big, but he just a skinny lil' punk." She shrugs fatalistically. "Guess they figger he kill Theo, then Theo dead. Theo kill the kid, the kid ain't braggin' no more. One way t'shut that mouth."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

"You heard Fernandez had been told to kill Theo," she says, repeating a portion of Gutierrez's statement. "By who? And how did you hear exactly?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Another lift of the shoulders. "My friend Estella, she hear from her guy. He Mara Salvatrucha. He tell her he s'prised the Fernandez kid killed Theo, 'cuz nobody think the kid could do it, but that what they tell him to do. Then you cops find him, and ever'body figger the kid'll go down hard for it. He just like one-a them yappy dogs, y'know? Nobody care what happen to him, long as he quiet."

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

Kinda guy I woulda shot in the face on general principle.

Shut up.

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Friend of a friend... Montoya knows that facts can sometimes change as they move from one person to the next. She keeps that in mind as she asks the next question. "Did your friend also tell you why Mara Salvantrucha would want Theo dead?"

Juarez's rap sheet wasn't a pretty business. It's possible Mara Salvantrucha didn't have a why. They may have simply sent Fernandez to be dealt with.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

She gives Montoya a sullen look. "Territory. Thass what it's always abou'. He wadn't s'posed to be sellin' on their block." The fear's gone now, and she straightens in her seat. "An' I ain't sayin' no more 'till I gets that deal."

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

The DA's here ten minutes after Montoya makes the call, and runs into the detective on her way back from getting coffee from the break room. "What have you got?" He's got the familiar look of, This better be good to drag me through Gotham traffic at this time of day.

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

She doesn't waste his time. It's valuable. And she's ready for this whole thing to move forward. "Juarez case. Our witness Esperanza Gutierrez just came in with Harvey Dent. Claims she killed him. Not Fernandez. She wants a deal. Says she can provide info on Latino Unified and some of their top dogs."

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

He sets his briefcase on a desk, eyes drifting to the board where JUAREZ still sits in red dry-erase marker. "What's she got that Fernandez doesn't?"

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

The wheels are already turning. Why should he slam on the brakes? Why abandon the prosecution of a guy like Fernandez to pick up a witness protection gig?

"The truth," she answers bluntly. "The facts don't match Fernandez's story. The entry angle. Distance."

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

"And yet he wants to take the rap anyway. Why shouldn't we let him? You know as well as I do no jury's going to convict a battered girlfriend. As far as they'll be concerned, she did the city a favor. We let Fernandez go because of her, he'll be back in the system inside a month."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

"So what we let him go? He's gunna be a small fish the rest of his life. Machismo. But he ain't got the balls to back it up. Talk to Gutierrez. Who knows how many of the bigger fish she can help us catch? You ain't got nothing to waste but your time."

She gives him a hard glare. It's the right thing to do and she hopes he damn well sees it.

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

He looks right back at her. "It's not my time you're wasting, it's taxpayer dollars, Detective. You have any idea how much time we waste on these lowlives every year because they can't get their damned act together?" He pauses, shifting his gaze towards the interview room. Fernandez would plea deal out, no problem. This complicates things. As far as he's concerned, it'd be one more criminal off the street, one less ongoing caseload in the neverending slush pile.

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

"Then we'll waste some dollars," she counters. "Just 'cause it's easy don't make it right. You could take him down no problem. Juries like to see gang bangers get what's comin' to 'um. Don't erase the fact that he's innocent of Juarez's murder. What if Gutierrez can come through? What if she's got what she says she's got? You wanna miss that chance?"

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

He doesn't miss a beat. "What does she want?" And is it worth what she claims she's got?

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Nothing was said about the details. "Protection."

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

He considers, then exhales. "No promises. I want to hear what she's got first."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Montoya nods. "Not a problem."

She motions down the hall towards the room holding Gutierrez and Dent.

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

The door to the interview room is opened, and he's set his briefcase down on the table before he's registered the other attorney in the room. Well, this day is just full of surprises. "Mr. Dent."

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

"Mr. Hudson."

He gives the DA an appraising look.

Tell him that office ain't his much longer.
Oh, shut UP.

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

He glances at Gutierrez, then back at Dent. He doesn't sit down just yet. "What have you got for me?"

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Montoya perceives a touch of nervousness returning to Gutierrez. "District attorney," she explains. "This is the man you wanna sell it to."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

She folds her arms. "Wan' my deal firs'."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

"Deal will come. We need something from you first. So we know you're on the up." She keeps her voice neutral. Play it straight and by the book.

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

Harvey's voice isn't quite so neutral.

"Deal first. This woman is coming clean when she didn't have to, and, no offense, but Gotham PD doesn't have a sterling reputation for honesty. I won't let my client be exploited."

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

Part of her bristles at the comment. There was a time she would have taken it as a personal insult. She knows though that Harvey's only doing what he thinks best for his client. She lets it go and addresses the problem at hand.

"Ms. Gutierrez, I can respect your position. But the DA here doesn't hand out deals on the fly. How about some general facts? No names. You protect yourself and we get an idea of what we're getting."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Esperanza pauses, her gaze flicking from Montoya to Hudson and back again. "I give you pickup joints. Crack houses. People tha' really call da shots, give da orders. All tha'."

[max-hudson.livejournal.com]

Max sits down and slides a pad of legal paper and a pen over to her. "Two names, and what they do. We'll check them out. If they're good, you'll have your deal."

[bigbadharv.livejournal.com]

Harvey gives Hudson a long look, before nodding to his client.

Trying to decide if being assigned to Fernandez was an accident, or if whoever arranged that didn't expect this turn of events. Probably wanted him to plead him out, thinking he'd be eager to make happy with the precinct...

Food for thought.