Case Closed

Title: Case Closed (6/?)

Author: Master F&M

Fandom: Law and Order: SVU

Rating: Mature Audience

Summary: Captains Tutuola and Stabler join forces, and departments, to close a case that affects
Fin personally. Runs within the timeline of Infinity.

Disclaimer: Law and Order: SVU and all its characters belong to Dick Wolf. I just get to play
with them.

Author’s Note: Sam is a character that does not exist on the show.

Feedback: Please give some. For entertainment purposes only.

...........................................................

CHAPTER 6

            “Enough . . . ” Gaffney pleaded with Sandoval as Mike pulled his head out of the toilet.
With his arms and legs bound behind him, there was not much else he could do. “Stop . . . ”

            “You want us to stop? Tell us what we want to know.”

            Gaffney panted, trying to catch his breath. “I don’t know anything.”

            “Wrong.”

            Sandoval shoved his head back into the water and held it there for a few seconds before
yanking him back up by the hair. He jerked Gaffney’s head around to look at him.

            “Thirty minutes ago you were daring us to try and prove our little theory about you and
Vega. Now you want us to believe there’s nothing to prove?”

            “I was lying then. I swear. I’m not working for him.”

            “You know what, Gaffney?” Sandoval leaned in close to him. “You’re full of crap.”

            He pushed Gaffney’s face back into the bowl, then flushed. This time Gaffney came up
gasping and sputtering.

            “You’re . . . killing . . . me . . . ”

            “Man, shut the hell up!” Williams strode in from the doorway and landed a solid kick to
Gaffney’s gut.

            “You came here to kill a family. Some kids and a baby.” Williams kicked at him again,
aiming for his groin.

            “You think we give a damn about you?”

            Miller watched as Gaffney writhed in agony on the floor, and nearly felt the pain himself.
He snuck a peek at Williams. He knew his partner was a good cop. An honest cop. And
although he also knew that Williams was only doing what he needed to in order to get the goods
on Vega, he still made a mental note to never piss his partner off.

            “Why don’t we just take him back to the station?” Miller suggested. “We could hold
him there for a while and spread the word that he was singing like a blue jay.”

            “There’s an idea.” Sandoval nodded appreciatively. “Then we could turn him loose and
see how he does on his own with Vega. We all know how much he likes to give people second
chances.”

            “Don’t.” Gaffney could barely get the word out. “He’ll kill me.”

            “Why?” Sandoval grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him up. “I thought you didn’t
know anything?”

            Gaffney looked at Williams, his crotch still throbbing, and knew it was over. He’d much
rather take his chances with these guys than with Vega. He gulped down a breath as he looked at
the three of them.

            “Okay. I’ll tell you everything.”

            “Good.” Sandoval nodded. “But you’ll have to wait a little longer. The Captain will
want to be in on this.”

            Mike took out his cell and punched in a number. Back at the station house, Fin quickly
answered.

            “Yeah.”

            “We got him.” Sandoval spoke into the phone looking directly at the guilty man. “He’s
ready to talk.”

            “Who was it?”

            “Gaffney.”

            Fin paused as he made his decision. “Bring him in.”

...............................................

            Munch stuck his head into Fin’s office just as his nephew-in-law stood to leave. Not
discouraged by the sight of Fin readying to go, Munch instead made his way into the room and
sat in the more comfortable chair in the corner. Fin stared at him.

            “I was just leaving.”

            Munch sighed deeply, then spoke in the whimsical tone he often used when he wanted to
narrate rather than talk.

            “We never talk anymore, you and I.”

            “I ain’t got time now, Munch. What do you want?”

            “What with your responsibilities here,” Munch continued as if he hadn’t heard, “and
wanting to spend quality time with your wife and kids- the same wife and kids, I might add, that I
helped make possible . . . ” He leaned back in his seat and gave Fin a pointed look.

            “I guess I can see where an old partner wouldn’t matter very much anymore.”

            Resigned, Fin returned the sigh and sat back down in his chair. Munch had taken credit
some time ago for bringing the couple together. During his toast to them at their wedding, he
had proudly revealed how he’d planted the seed that had bloomed into their relationship.

            Initially, Fin had balked at the idea that Munch had had anything to do with his marriage;
but after giving it some thought, he and Sam had to agree that given the circumstances, it was
more than likely that he had. Fin had been grudgingly grateful to Munch ever since - - a fact
Munch never failed to exploit to his advantage whenever he could.

            “What do you want to talk about?”

            “You catch whomever you were looking for?”

            “Who says I was looking for anybody?” Fin’s eyes strayed over to his office window.
Given the few players involved, he was going to be a very pissed off captain if word of his plan
had leaked out to the department.

            “Are you forgetting I can recognize the inner workings of a police procedure? That I was
murder police for over a decade before coming to New York?” He peered over his glasses at
him.

            “I was a detective, remember? I detected that Sgt. Sandoval hasn’t been in all morning,
and neither have two of your other men. I surmised, therefore, that there’s some sort of operation
afoot.”

            Fin frowned at him. “Sam tell you?”

            Munch chuckled. “She might have said something about it.”

            They sat in silence for a few seconds before Munch cocked an eyebrow at him. “So?
They catch your leak?”

            “Maybe.”

            “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll also take it they tuned him up a little bit?”

            Fin looked away to toy with a pen on his desk. “We don’t do that kind of stuff.”

            “Right.” Munch stood up. “And I suppose you weren’t heading out to do the heavy
lifting yourself?”

            Fin just shrugged.

            “Fine. You don’t have to say anything.” Munch reverted to his narrative tone as he went
to the door. “Only when you do, lift him a few times for me, too.”

            Fin watched as Munch left, wishing Elliot had been there to hear him. Now who, he
would have liked to have asked, is starting to sound like who?

....................................................

            Fin stopped and took a deep breath before entering the motel room where Gaffney was
being held. He needed to keep his cool. As much as he wanted to wail away on Gaffney for
going after his family, he knew he had bigger fish to fry. Vega. He needed to get as much
information out of Gaffney as possible to nail Vega’s ass for good. Gaffney would have to be,
Fin reminded himself as he entered the room, conscious in order to talk.

            Fin walked over to the table where Gaffney was sitting. Williams had untied his legs to
make walking easier, but his hands were still bound at the wrists. He stood to face Fin as his
captain made his way over, but failed to meet the angry stare Fin directed at him. He always
hated that stare.

            “Look at me.” Fin’s voice was steady and controlled.

            Gaffney gathered his courage to look Fin in the eyes, glaring at him defiantly, and got the
wind knocked out of him. None of the other three men in the room moved as Fin delivered
another punch to Gaffney’s midsection, then watched him double over, gasping for air.

            “That was from John Munch.”

            Fin sat at the table and pulled a tape recorder out of his pocket. He motioned for Gaffney
to join him.

            “You’re gonna tell me everything you know about Vega and his business, including
everything you did for him. If I ain’t happy with what I’m hearing, I’ll be forced to remember
that you went after my kids.”

            Gaffney swallowed as he watched Fin’s hands clench and unclench. He didn’t relish the
idea of getting hit by them again. He looked up as Fin continued.

            “When I’m done remembering, we’ll start all over again until it’s done right. Then you’ll
write it down and sign it.” Fin gave him a hard stare.

            “You got that?”

            “Yeah, I got it.”

            “Good.” Fin switched on the tape recorder.

            “What do you know about Giles’ murder . . . ?”