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 "Where is Nick, Natalie?"  Captain Cohen looked across the
desk at her,  expression carefully controlled.

 "What's going on?  Why do you need to find Nick?  Did
something happen to him?"  She didn't need to feign the stark worry.
It held her in it's reptilian claws, scratching to be free.  She knew
what was wrong,  they hadn't confirmed it, not yet, but they would.
Something of Nick's had turned up at the crime scene.  Nothing else
would account for Schanke's averted glances, or the dead silence of
the bullpen when she walked through the door.

 Cohen sat back in her chair, her eyes seeming to pierce
Natalie's soul. "That's one of the reasons we need to find him.  We
don't know if he's okay.  I hoped you could tell me that.  Do you
know where he is?"

 "As of last night, he was in Paris.  I can get you the number
if you want to call him.  He's preparing his Uncle's house for our
honeymoon."  She made sure she gave him an alibi.  So what if his
stuff turned up at a grisly murder, there was no way for them to hang
this on him.  Now, to find out what evidence they had. "Why did you
think something happened to him?"

 "One of the officers found his jacket in the dumpster beside
the alley. It was covered in blood.  Since there wasn't a lot of
blood at the crime scene or on the victim, we still don't know who's
blood it is.  You've been ordered off the case, until internal
affairs clears you, I need you to stay out of the morgue.  Call me
back with his phone number.  We do need to talk with him, preferably
in person.  I'm sorry Nat.  "

 "Yeah." She clenched her jaw to keep the snarl from escaping.
"I have some things to pick up there still, and paperwork to finish
before Friday. Will I be able to do that?"

 "No. Tell officer Jenkins what you need, and he'll get it.
You'll need to answer a few of his questions, anyway. He took over
the case from Schanke. At the moment, the department cannot afford
for there to be a conflict of interest in this investigation, too
much is at stake." She closed the folder on her desk and gestured to
the door. "Go home Nat, and get me that number. Your boss has
authorized the rest of this week for paid leave. Consider it a
holiday to get ready for your bachelorette party."

 Natalie nodded and gathered up her coat. "Thanks Amanda." It
was nowhere close to what she wanted to say.  She hoped Nick would
keep up her pretense of an upcoming wedding. Providing he even showed
up. Right now, the entired world trembled around her, preparing to
crash down. She didn't even want to consider what LaCroix's reaction
was going to be.

 Officer Jenkins stood at attention outside the office. Great,
a rookie, the spit shined shoes gave it away. Cohen hadn't been
kidding, nothing like a kid fresh from the academy to keep any
questions of loyalty away from the investigation.

 "At ease soldier." She smiled at the confusion coming over
the smooth cheeks of his face. Was he old enough to be a cop? It
looked like he still plucked. There wasn't enough hair to shave.
 "Ms. Lambert, if you will follow me, we have some things we
need to discuss." He ignored her attempt at humor and motioned down
the hall to the interrogation rooms.

 "It's Doctor Lambert.  Lead the way." Two could play the
serious game, and she claimed a lot more experience than he did.
 He closed the interrogation room door after her, and turned
on the tape recorder. Wonderful. They treated her like a suspect, and
now, she was being interrogated. What was going on? She sent out a
silent plea for assistance to LaCroix.

 "DR. Lambert, will you please state your full name?" He
stressed the title, making it clear that he didn't care for her
correction.

 "Natalie Ann Lambert."

 "Thank you.  I am Officer Jenkins.  Sorry about the
inconvienance, but the cirumstances warrant it.  Dr. Lambert, why did
you leave the crime scene last night?"  She could see him
resurrecting the perfectly harmless good cop persona.  See, I'm your
friend, you can tell me anything.  Right.

 "I left for personal reasons.  Why do you ask?"  If the
innocent smile didn't reach her eyes, oh well.  She considered, but,
no. A blink might over due it.  She hoped LaCroix was on his way.
The damage control for this one needed his special talents.  `these
are not the suspects you are looking for....'

 "That isn't the impression you gave Detective Schanke.  He
felt you knew something about this case, and that you suggested Det.
Knight might be involved.  Do you know where Detective Knight is?
You see, no one can find him."  So much for the good cop.
 She stared at him in outrage,  the creep all but accused her
of hiding Nick...or even killing him.  This was too much.  She glared
into that smooth young face and spoke, nice and slow.  "You want to
find Nick, go for it.  If you want my help finding him, apologize."
She stood and walked to the door without waiting for a reply.

 "Wait Doctor!  We're not through yet."

 "Yes, we are.  And by the way, you can go get my purse and
chinese takeout from my office.  Captain assigned you to be my
retriever for the evening."   She turned the knob.

 He gave every appearance of wanting to throw a temper
tantrum.  His fist were balled on top of the table, his nostrils
flared, and his eyebrow formed a straight line all the way across his
protruding brow ridge.  Instead, he walked to the door and shut it.
 "You wouldn't care to explain why Knight has blood in his
refridgerator, would you?  One of the samples matches with the blood
type of Ambria Molone.  Your fingerprints are on that bottle Dr.
Lambert."

 Everything fell into horrifying place at that moment.  "Of
course they're on the bottle, I help Nick clean up from painting."
 He scribbled something down on the pad. "I wish I could
believe you, but I don't."

 "Fine.  Don't.  I want to call my lawyer."

 "What's his name?  We'll call him for you."

 "Lucien LaCroix,  he can be reached at the Raven."  She
mentally crossed her fingers.  Now was the time to put her theory to
the test.  If anyone would make her a perfect lawyer, it was him.

 "Great.  I'll get him on the phone,  in the meantime, can I
get you a cup of coffee?"

 "That stuff will kill you.  No thanks, I'll take my chances
with the chow mein.  You can get it from my office."  Even if the
thought of eating solid food made her stomach churn, she would nibble
on the stuff for hours if need be.  She wanted to delay him as long
as possible.

 When he left, he took the cassette with him;  so much for
having trust in your coworkers.  She rubbed the bridge of her nose,
thinking.  The blood in Nick's fridge was too old to be Ambria's.
The last time she'd handled a bottle was last Friday.  Ambria met her
end on Tuesday.  A simple DNA test cleared that up.  But how long
until the DNA results came back, two weeks, a month?  Until then, she
could be in lockup.  She sighed, "Nick, you chose a great time to
leave."
 

 A light rap on the door signaled officer Jenkin's return
about twenty minutes later.  He entered, carrying the styrofoam doggy
bag in one hand, the packet of paper in the other.

 "I called and left a message with your lawyer.  I don't know
when he'll get it,  he was gone at the time.  Here's your dinner, and
a warrant to search your apartment, car and purse."  He placed both
on the table in front of her.

 She stared at him, nonplussed.  "You do work fast.  Try not
to make a mess, I expect it to be clean when your crew is done.  Have
fun."  She popped open the styrofoam lid.  Inside the noodles swam in
a soggy cold heap of greasy vegetables.  "Mind getting a fork?"  If
he expected a huge reaction, she refused to give it to him.

 "Excuse me?"  Why did he sound so hostile?  His brows still
made a straight line, arching up at the corners just a little.  It
gave the appearance of a neaderthal cousin to Spock.

 "You didn't give me a fork."  She motioned to the food.

 Most of the hostility went away, at that.  Instead he started
to blush. "Sorry,  I misunderstood, I'll be right back."

 He almost walked straight into Lacroix when he opened the
door.  Not budging, LaCroix stared down at the top of the man's
head.

 Stepping back so he could crane his neck up enough to face the
intruder,  Jenkins puffed out his chest. "Who are you?  I'm in the
middle of an interrogation here."

 The gleam in LaCroix's eye did not bode well for the rookie.
Natalie stood, fast, hoping to diffuse the situation before Jenkins
became the dinner special.   "Mr. LaCroix! Thank you for coming so
soon.  Officer Jenkins, this is my lawyer, Lucien LaCroix."

  Surprise registered briefly on LaCroix's face.   He handled
it well, sticking out his hand for the introduction.  "It is always a
pleasure to meet the fine Doctor's coworkers."  The shake became a
one sided battle of wills.  LaCroix never changed his polite,
disinterested smile, while applying enough pressure to break a
glass.  "Officer, would you mind leaving me alone with my,"  He
paused,  looking directly at her, "client?"

 Free at last of the crushing grasp, a white faced Jenkins
skirted around the imposing figure of LaCroix,  darting out the
door.  "I'll go get her a fork.  Take your time."

 LaCroix closed it behind him.  "You interrupted me in the
middle of a broadcast.  This had better be good."

 "I'm about to be arrested as an accomplice to murder.  Sound
like a good enough reason for you?"  For the second time that night,
she surprised him.

 He blinked. "My, you have been naughty."  The words were
quiet, to the point, and full of menace.

 She slammed the lid shut. "No, I haven't.  If it wasn't for
you and your son, I would be happily disecting bodies, not here
eating cold chinese food in an interrogation room."

 His face steadily turned into a frown as she filled him in on
the details. When she came to the names of the victims,  he swore.

 "They are all my customers.  Ambria is a regular donor.  I'm
afraid, Doctor, that even if they do the DNA test,  it will match.
The killer chose well."  His tone held too much respect for Natalie's
taste.

 "What are you going to do?"

 "I will worry about that.  Just play along for the good
officer.  He's coming with your fork."  He looked at the leftovers
with disdain.  "You know that if you eat that, you will be quite
ill.  It might be difficult to explain why you are puking blood."

  "What?"

 LaCroix shook his head in warning, then stepped back behind
the door. She wanted to ask more, but Jenkins returned with a plastic
fork.  He walked right past LaCroix, not noticing the absence until
he made it halfway across the room.

 "Where's your lawyer?   I still have some questions to ask."

 Natalie took her que, and grabbed the fork.  "I have some
questions of my own.  Why were you searching Nick's place?  I
understand your concern for his well being, but you have to admit,
going through the fridge is a strange place to look for him."  She
watched as LaCroix eased the door shut, then she pressed on.  "Were
you really expecting to find him in a wine bottle?  You don't have a
case, and you know it."  She shoved some of the greasy mess into her
mouth and swallowed before she lost her nerve.

 "Indeed, you plucked from a very poisonous tree, Officer."

LaCroix walked around the startled police officer.  My client refuses
to answer any further questions."  LaCroix's gaze penetrated into the
man's soul.  Natalie could feel the vibrations from her seat,
including the steady thumping of the mortal's heart.  The officer's
eyes glazed over as he stared into the blank surface of the wall
beyond LaCroix's shoulder.

 Smiling softly, LaCroix continued. "She has nothing to do
with these tragic deaths, it was all a terrible misunderstanding."
LaCroix took the file from Jenkin's unresisting fingers.  After a
quick search through it, and the removal of the blood workup, he put
it back in the man's hand.  "The bottles found in Detective Knight's
residence contained pig blood.  The samples at the lab were
accidentally switched with Doctor Lambert's orginal specimens from
the victim.  You are very sorry for the inconvienance.  She is free
to leave."  LaCroix released his mind and went to stand behind
Natalie.

 Jenkins started and shook his head.  His pale, confused face
looked up at them.  "I'm terribly sorry, Doctor Lambert.  There was a
mixup at the lab, the blood samples were switched.  I don't know how
it happened, but you're free to go.  If there's anything I can do to
make up for the way you were treated, please, let me know."  He
reached up to scratch his head, still disoriented.

 Not feeling the slightest sympathy for him, Natalie rubbed it
in.  "You mean you dragged me down here, took out a warrant for my
apartment, and all but accused me of murder, over a mistake?"

 "Again, I'm sorry.  If you will excuse me, I have to tell the
Captain about the call from the lab.  She'll be relieved.  She didn't
think you would have done it, but we had to be certain."  He turned,
shook his head again, then walked slowly down the hallway.

 Natalie breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank you.  I owe you
for this one, but first we need to get down to the lab and do the
paperwork for the pig blood.  Mind sneaking me in?"

"Sunrise is in an hour, can you finish before then?"

 "You bet your undead, lilly white backside."  She tossed the
chinese food in the garbage and waltzed out, past the grinning figure
of LaCroix.

End  Chapter 6