Ethan sighed in relief when the familiar Oldsmobile pulled into the parking lot. Elaine was a sweet old woman, but she was habitually late to work. By the time he reached the end of a 12-hour overnight shift, Ethan was ready to crash. He raised a hand in greeting as she ambled in, and clocked out the second he saw her pulling her vest on.

"Good night?" she asked, smiling as she took up her position behind the counter.

"Slow night," Ethan replied with a weary smile, already heading for the door. She'd talk his ear off if he let her get started, and he wanted to be in bed about four hours ago, so he hurried for the door. "Have a good one, Elaine. Bye!" He tugged on his jacket as the door swung shut behind him, the cool morning air chilling his skin.

As he walked out onto the sidewalk, Ethan stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying to conserve his body heat for the twenty-minute walk home. The sky was just starting to get lighter in the east, the most ambitious of the sun's rays reaching over the tops of the nearby buildings. There were still a lot of long shadows in the low pre-dawn light, and this wasn't the best part of town, so despite his exhaustion Ethan stayed alert, watching for people lurking in the alleys and shaded building entryways he walked past.

He was almost home when it happened, had just started to relax as his apartment complex had come into view a block down. He must not have been as alert as he thought, because one moment it seemed like there was no one around him, and the next he was being grabbed roughly, forced to the concrete as voices around him barked orders.

"Hands up! Get on the ground!" Ethan stumbled as someone slammed into him, and acted on instinct, wrenching away from the hands that grabbed at his arms.

"Do not resist! On the ground!" Something struck the back of his knee and he went down, his knees striking the sidewalk hard, arms flailing as he struggled to regain his balance. "Stop resisting!"

Ethan turned his head to the side, and finally caught a glimpse as his assailants… most of whom were in blue. Shit. He tried to put his hands up, but they were caught immediately in bruising grips, his arms wrenched around behind him until his elbows felt like they might snap. He went very still.

Cold metal snapped around his wrists as hands patted him down, checking his waistband all the way down to his shoes. He turned his head to the side, panting as he tried to process what was happening.

"I don't understand-"

"Shut up," snapped one of the men patting him down. A moment later he nodded, apparently satisfied, and two of the men hauled him up by his arms.

"You are under arrest for breaking and entering," droned a bored-sounding voice as he was led toward the waiting squad car. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one…"

Bewildered and exhausted, Ethan tuned out the voice, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead against the cool metal grate protecting the car window. After all, he knew his Miranda Rights pretty well by now.

Daniel was already on his third cup of coffee by the time Garrett made it in. He looked at his watch, at which Garrett rolled his eyes.

"Don't even. How long have you been here? You realize I'm not actually late, right?" Taking a moment to actually look at the time instead of just play-acting, Daniel had to admit he was right.

"I did an early workout this morning," he said with a shrug. "Figured I might as well go ahead and come on in."

"Right," Garrett replied, his tone saying he didn't believe that for a second. "And this has nothing to do with the Lawson case?"

"It's not just the Lawsons," Daniel pointed out. "We're up to four break-ins now, and no closer to a suspect."

"Five," called out a voice across the room. Daniel sat up straight, setting his coffee aside. Klowoski had just entered the large communal office, holding up a manila folder.

"What?"

"There was a fifth break-in last night. A few streets over from the others, but same M.O."

"And why wasn't I called?" Daniel said, gritting his teeth in frustration. This was his case, and he'd left strict instructions to-

"Captain said not to," Klowoski said, smiling apologetically as he dropped the file on Daniel's desk. "Said you'd been burning too much midnight oil recently and you were getting a night off, whether you wanted to or not." Daniel suppressed a growl, glaring over at Garrett who threw his hands up in a show of innocence.

"Wasn't me this time. Didn't need to, really," he said, shrugging. "You're here constantly for anyone to see. You need a break."

"Damn straight I do, a break in this case," Daniel replied as he snatched up the file.

"Then you'll be happy to know we made an arrest," Klowoski said, grinning. Daniel nearly dropped the folder in shock.

"What?"

"Don't get too excited," Klowoski said. "We don't have anything hard on him. It looks pretty good, though -- an eyewitness saw a man matching his description, including clothing, running away from the area the crime was committed in. Couldn't find him for a bit, but put out an APB and got a hit in the same area early this morning. Picked him up and he's been cooling his heels in Holding 2." His lips quirked up in a wry smile. "We weren't dumb enough to try to interrogate him without you." Daniel nodded.

"Good. He have a lawyer?" Klowoski shook his head.

"Nope. Read the Miranda, but he says no attorney." He shrugged. "Dumb, but what can you do?"

"Good for us," Daniel said. "Alright, I'll flip through this and be there in just a few." Klowoski gave a mock salute and headed out, leaving Daniel to read in peace. Well. Almost.

"So if this is it on the case, are you going to take that vacation you keep putting off?" Garrett asked. Daniel held up a hand to hold off the conversation Garrett kept pursuing relentlessly. His partner was a good man and had his best interests at heart, but the man was like a dog with a bone sometimes.

"Let me close the case first, then we can talk plane tickets and cabanas." Garrett rolled his eyes but relented. Daniel skimmed the file, noting that the details of the new break-in seemed to align with the four others. No one was home, they had a security system in place but didn't go off, and thousands of dollars' worth of electronics and jewelry missing. No ransacking, no vandalism, just a straight, professional job. Forensics was still working, but it looked like it'd be just like the others: no prints, no DNA. It was frustrating, to say the least.

The file hadn't been updated with the information on the man they'd arrested, but Daniel figured the basics he'd gotten from Klowoski was enough to go on for an initial interview. He pushed away from his desk, picking up his coffee.

"Want some backup?" Garrett asked, always looking for any excuse to leave his paperwork behind.

"Nope," Daniel replied easily. "I'm good cop and bad cop all in one."

Ethan used the edge of the handcuff to scratch an itch on his wrist. He knew good and well that they didn't need to leave them on in the interview room; it was only an attempt at a power play that they'd bothered to try on him today.

He was still tired from his long shift, but the adrenaline from the arrest had set his body thrumming, and despite the long wait, he hadn't been able to settle yet. The arresting officers hadn't been willing to give any details about what crime he was supposed to have committed beyond "breaking and entering", but he knew he was innocent and had stubbornly refused to call an attorney. No reason to bring even more red tape (and bills he couldn't afford) into his life.

He just wanted to get this cleared up and go home.

Ethan looked up at the one-way mirror that dominated the wall in front of him, wondering if anyone was watching right now. These rooms were designed to make you ill at ease, he knew, and they worked perfectly. He'd almost rather be tortured than have to entertain some cowboy cop's interrogation power fantasy, but he hoped if he cooperated he could get home and get to sleep faster.

He'd zoned out again, wondering if he was going to even have time to catch a nap before his next shift at work, when the the door swung open on squeaking hinges. He sat up straighter, blinking at the form that was silhouetted in the doorway thanks to the brighter lights in the hallway. Broad shoulders, slim waist -- it was almost unfair that so many cops were so attractive. Good thing they all had shitty personalities to make them less tempting.

As the man shut the door behind him and stepped into the room, Ethan let his eyes adjust to the dimness once more, blinking as the man's features swam into view. The man was tall, with an angular jaw that had a few days' worth of scruff on it, and dark, thick, wavy hair that looked like it had only been haphazardly combed. He also had bright blue eyes -- eyes Ethan recognized.

"Danny?" he asked, his tone full of incredulity. The other man froze, eyes wide as he met Ethan's. His mouth worked for a moment, his face an image of pure shock, before he pulled himself together. His jaw clenched and his eyes went hard, a visible change coming over him.

"Daniel," he corrected, his tone cold and impersonal. "I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you here."

"That's funny, you always seemed to claim to know everything," Ethan retorted, his tone overly innocent. Daniel didn't respond, instead pulling the chair out across from Ethan and sitting. He clicked a button on the overhead mic to start recording.

"Detective Daniel Marsh, interviewing Ethan Dansen. Do I understand correctly that you have chosen to forego having an attorney present?" he asked.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Ethan replied, raising his chin stubbornly. "I don't need a suit to help me tell the truth." Daniel hesitated, glancing up at Ethan with something that might have been concern, then pushed on ahead.

"Where were you last night between 5 and 6 p.m.?" Daniel asked, his tone serious. Ethan sighed.

"Oversleeping, then throwing on clothes and rushing to work."

"Can anyone corroborate that?"

"I mean… my time clock punch at 6?" Ethan offered. "I don't have a roommate, so no, no one saw when I left or knew I was home." Danny -- Daniel, Ethan reminded himself, made no comment, scratching some notes down on the notepad in front of him.

"Where were you on Monday night, between 7 and 8 p.m.?" Daniel asked. Ethan counted back the days.

"At work," he answered confidently. "I work the night shift. I've been there from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the last five nights." Daniel made some more notes, once more not commenting. "So, how have you been, Danny?" Ethan asked, emphasizing the nickname. "Keeping busy snatching innocent men off the street?" Danny glanced up.

"I've seen your record. You're hardly innocent," he pointed out. Ethan scowled, feeling heat rise in his face.

"I haven't done any of that shit in a while," he snapped. "I'm working now, alright? I got a shitty apartment and a shitty job so your boys in blue wouldn't harass me anymore. For all the good that did," he added, glowering across the table. "Try to live right and still get shoved around and dragged in," he grumbled.

And it was true -- he'd made his share of mistakes, but for the past year he'd been working at the gas station, keeping his head down and his nose clean. Sure, sometimes trouble sought him out, but he held it at bay as much as possible, and kept to himself so he didn't get dragged into anything. He was trying, damn it, and it didn't seem to be doing a bit of good.