Carol brightened just a bit at a hand sign from a newcomer to the bar.  The man almost immediately went back out again.  "coffee break."  She murmured to the lead tender and ambled out the front door, down the front of the bar and stepped into an alley.<br/><br/>"Detective Tanner, always good to see you, Tom.  What, do I not have Internal Affairs cooties anymore?"<br/><br/>Tanner snorted "You'll always have those, Neathawk.  Until you stop the golden bullet, anyway.  The department will give you a nice funeral, cops from all over will show up."<br/><br/>"Mostly to make sure I'm really dead."  Carol countered.  "So what's going on?  Has the Captain decided I've spun my wheels enough on this missing person case?"<br/><br/>Tanner got an odd look on his face "You'd think, but no.  They've expanded the investigation. I'm head of a small task force - very small - assigned to the case.  You, me, four others, we can pull in limited backup from uniforms as needed."<br/><br/>Carol actually dropped her coffee. They both jumped back from the splash, swearing mildly. "Task force?"  She spluttered "Girl missing for six years, we have only a first name of Theresa, no last name, no known family, the wildest eyewitness accounts imaginable concerning her disappearance, abduction, flight.  Hell, Tom, we don't know if she was kidnapped, ran away from home or was just abandoned!"<br/><br/>Tanner listened to the mini-rant with mild sympathy.  "I said all of that and more.  Get this, the Deputy Police Commisionner was at the briefing with the Captain.  Somebody with pull wan'ts this kid found."<br/><br/>"Why?"  Neathawk said bluntly, "Is she a witness?  Does she know something embarrassing to somebody?  A case like this, finding her might not be in the woman's best interest."<br/><br/>Tanner just shrugged "That's why I'm lead investigator and not you.  I've had those same thoughts, but I won't let them stop me from finding her and bringing her in.  No offense."<br/><br/>"None taken."  Carol snorted a half laugh.  "Fine, I'll be a good girl."<em>When I'm being watched.</em>she added to herself.<br/><br/>"Sonofabitch!"  Tanner had stiffened and was pressing a finger against the button in his ear. "We got a report of somebody falling from a roof, getting up and running away.<br/><br/>Carol froze at that as well, but said "We gonna get every weirdness tip comes in while we're on this case, you know that."  They split up, Tanner to collect a couple of uniforms and check out the report, carol to dart inside and wrap up her shift, letting her boss know she might be scarce for a while.<br/><br/>She had the same thought Tom did:  The six year old report of a tweenager shot at point blank range, jumping out a window ten feet off the ground and running away never to be seen again.<br/>