usattorney | devil you know, part 3

devil you know, part 3;
"They counted seventeen stab wounds," an exasperated Luke tells his boss upon his return to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Whoever killed Wallace hunted him down and didn't think anything of leaving his body in plain view. This is something that's going to get nasty, and I don't want to leave it for it to come back to us."

To his credit, Bryan Alexander is completely unfazed by Luke having walked straight into his office without having knocked first and by how annoyed Luke is about this. He expected some sort of an argument when Luke had informed him about Wallace's murder two hours ago. Once Luke Cameron makes up his mind, he's almost impossible to shake—and Bryan is the kind of boss who's willing to listen as long as someone can make their case. They are lawyers, after all. "What do you think you're going to do?" he asks. "The FBI has the investigation under control."

"We might be able to get at people in ways they can't." Luke takes a breath and settles his hands on his hips, thinking out loud now that he's gotten his feelings off his chest. "There's going to be a political angle to this based on Wallace's history. Some high-profile people we'll have to talk to. It might be more palatable for me to be asking than the Bureau."

Bryan can't argue with that; he knows Wallace's release created a stir in D.C. political circles because that was how he had learned the news a month ago. Seeing an FBI badge would immediately put some of those people on the defensive, while Luke would at least be able to use his own connections. But he didn't get to become U.S. Attorney without knowing how to play the game, and he's well aware that Luke Cameron does not get involved in investigations. There's an ulterior motive here that Luke hasn't copped to. "What's your real stake in this?" he says.

Luke knew he was going to have to answer that question. He'd have to explain why he was willing to put aside his own work, even if fortunately it was a light workload without an active trial, to do something he was on record as disliking and being underqualified for. He's been mulling the answer since he decided he was going to do this back at the crime scene and he's barely convinced himself. "I've known Michael Davis for eleven years," he says with a sigh. "He had the original case and it put him through the wringer. This is dragging it all back up. If I can do anything to make it easier, for him and for us, then I want to."

"I can't just not have a bureau chief here for the next week."

"I know. I'll work it around my schedule, and I'll keep my phone on me." He nods. "I'm not even sure he'll want me there very long. But this is one of our best agents and he deserves the support."

He's looking his boss dead on, trying to get a read on Bryan at the moment. Luke doesn't ask him for many favors, and the last time he had an instinct about something, it was John Wexler blowing up his own house and solving the murder of a senator's daughter. He's proven that he has his own good sense. And ironically, since he's slated to be in the office this week, he's easier to let go of than an actual investigator like Bryan Ritter, who has leads to chase on other assignments. "All right, run it out," Bryan says. "But I want daily updates, and if you have any misgivings, you clear it with me first. I don't need my top deputy making headlines."

"I might ask you for help anyway," Luke admits, shoulders relaxing now that he knows he's not about to be ordered back to his office or yelled at. "Whoever did this is somebody Wallace pissed off in more than the last month."

But that's all he says as he walks out of Bryan's office and across to his own just long enough to see if there are any emails he needs to answer or anything else that can't sit until tomorrow. Everyone is watching as Luke heads out as brusquely as he came in, stopping only to duck into the conference room where Patrick Ryden is preparing for his interviews. "What was that about?" Pat asks, having seen Luke come in and now clearly on his way back out. "Where are you going?"

"The department's gonna be yours for a couple of days," Luke explains, yanking at the knot in his tie and shoving it in his pocket. "I need to help the FBI with a murder case."

"The last time you did that, you got shot."

"Thanks for the reminder." He actually had forgotten that part and now it makes him tense just a little bit more as he rolls his neck. "Call me if you need to, but I'm going to be in and out of the office, so don't hold things up on my account. I have to figure out who killed Mark Wallace."

Now it's Ryden's turn to visibly cringe because he's seen the news reports on the TV in the bullpen. "That's an interesting list," he says. "Do they have any idea?"

"Not yet. That's what I'm going in for. I'm the last person who's still on staff from the Benton era so I'm hoping I can narrow it down. Plus, the lead investigator is Michael Davis." Luke doesn't have to explain as much to Pat as he did to Bryan. Pat knows how Luke's brain works and about his relationship to Michael. His right-hand man takes the situation in stride hearing those two facts. "I'll call if we need you," he agrees. "Take care of yourself."

Luke nods but doesn't answer as he walks out of the conference room and the office. His own well-being is the last thing he's concerned with right now. Several blocks away, Michael is having a similar and much less complicated conversation with Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Brennan. Brennan and the financial crimes team were already prepared for this thanks to Michael bringing up Wallace's release in the team meeting a month ago, and Brennan isn't dealing with someone as volatile as Luke. In fact, he's wondering why Michael isn't more perturbed by the recent turn of events. "You work this like any other case," he says. "And remember that what you did nine years ago isn't under investigation. Its only relevance is helping you get to the truth."

"Janet said the same thing." Michael chuckles humorlessly. "I just don't want to do this again."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do. Nobody's going to have the familiarity with Wallace's history that I do. I experienced things that aren't in that file." He exhales. "Luke Cameron's coming in to help me look at the political angle, but it's almost certainly related. Even if Wallace pissed someone off more recently, he had to have gone back to someone to help him get his career restarted."

"You and Luke working together ought to be a barrel of laughs," Brennan replies drily, ignoring Michael's own sarcastic look. "At least you convinced Janet not to come back from California."

"Yeah, she's going to be upset when she gets back. I know she feels responsible, same as I would for her." He sighs, a renewed pang of guilt in his heart thinking about how anxious Janet must be right now. "It's not an ideal situation, Tony. But Wallace deserves justice just like any other victim. And I'm the best person to find it."

"Let me know if you need any help. I don't mind screwing with anyone." Brennan leans back in his chair. "And if you ever don't think you can do this, you can say so."

Michael likewise won't back off but for entirely different reasons from Luke. Luke's angry about Wallace being released at all and wants to protect the people closest to him; he's taking this personally, both as a friend and as an attorney. Michael has put his own frustration about the issue aside and he feels obligated to finish what should've been done already. This isn't about him; it's about doing what's right. "You trusted me with this nine years ago," he says. "I need to see it through."