//------------------------------//
// The Deal 
// Story: Dressed to Steal 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	This wasn't the end of surprises for us, though.  As it turned out, now Commissioner Megraw had a surprise for us as well, yet another pleasant one.  Seemed he had a rather different idea of how to handle crime and criminals...





Carmelita stood ramrod straight as she stared across the desk at the golden eagle that was glancing through paperwork, the one who had called her in.  Finally, she dared to say, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Ach, nah lass!" Megraw responded.  "Ah can see ya frim here.  Ah called ye in cause ah wanna talk to ya, ye ken?"  He set the papers aside.  "Ah understund ye gots somethin' of a connection to the Coopers?  Those files may have been thrown out as evidence, but ah still got 'em."

Carmelita swallowed convulsively.  "Y-yes sir," she stammered out.  "I understand why this may be seen as a conflict of interest-"

Megraw cut her off with a wave of a few feathers.  "Ach lass, yer on th' wrong track altogehtah!  Ah ain't got no prahblem with what ya do after hours, or with who.  But ah wan' every advantage we kin get over the villains!"  He stood up, marching around the desk.  "Walk with me," he instructed firmly as he made his way out of the office.

Confused, Carmelita followed along, doing her best to remain at attention even as they moved further and further away from the office.  "...sir?" she finally asked, hoping to get some answers.

"A moment," Megraw instructed.  "Wait here."  With no more than that, he leapt into the sky.

Confused, Carmelita glanced around, wondering what had got his attention.  Turning, she saw a young street tough racing down the street clutching a fancy purse.  Frowning, she reached for her shock pistol.

Before her hand was even halfway there, Megraw came down out of the air like a bolt of lightning, pinning the tough to the nearest wall with one talon wrapped around the toughs head, the lethal points close to his eyes.  "Now...what have we here, laddiebuck?" he growled out.  "This bag dun look yer color, no sahree..."

The tough whimpered, struggling not to look at the claw millimeters from blinding him.  "N-n-no sir..." he gasped out.

"Hmm...now if'n it ain't yers, what could ya be doin' with it?" Megraw asked carefully, tilting his head as he moved his beak toward the tough's ear.  "Oh...ah getcha.  Ye found it lost, and ye were runnin' ta the station ta hand it in so the poor lady who lost it could get it back.  Ain't that raight?"

"Y-y-yes sir!" the tough responded immediately.

"Good," Megraw purred.  "And why, thar's the station raight over there," he indicated with a jerk of his head.  "Shouldn'a take ye more than a nonce, and ah'll see the report before the day's oot."  His eyes hardened.  "Course, if'n ah don't, ah know yer face and scent boy.  Ah'll find ya, drag ya kickin' and screamin' back, and find out why ah ain't seen the report, ya ken?"

"Yes sir!" the tough wailed, no longer looking so tough.

"Mah apologies fer pinnin' ya lahk this," Megraw stated coldly.  "Everyone...makes mistakes.  Th' important thang...is we learn.  Ye can learn, can't ya?"

As soon as he released the tough, the young man made a beeline for the station.  Carmelita glanced at Megraw, confused.  "Why'd you let him go?" she asked.  "He plainly stole the purse."

"Und now he's returnin' it, and he's gonna go home and rethink his life," Megraw pointed out.  "One less thief on th' street, one more productive citizen, and no need ta bring in th' courts."  He shrugged his wings.  "That's oor goal when we wear this badge."  He tapped the badge pinned to his vest.  "Und that's wut ah wanted ta talk te ya aboot.  Ye can do th' same with the Coopers."

"I...I'm not sure I understand, sir," Carmelita responded nervously.

"Th' Coopers steal from criminals worse than 'em," Megraw explained.  "Ye know this.  Ye were using that ta bust those baddies.  Ah want ye ta keep doin' that, as an official op on the off books ta keep yer tail oota th' soup.  Ah want ye ta tell Cooper that if'n he agrees ta let us know which baddies he's goin' after and how bad they are ahead o tahm, we'll be there ta lock 'em up at day's end.  Ah wanna make use o' his talents, and yer the key ta that."

"You want to turn him into a CI?" she asked in surprise.

"Ah want him as an ally," Megraw corrected.  "Ye can hash out th' details however ya want.  Just know this is now official Interpol policy.  Coopers ain't baddies, just criminals.  Let local law worry aboot criminals...we're here ta hunt baddies.  Ya ken?"

Carmelita nodded.  "I...I think I understand."  I'm not entirely sure I believe it, though, she thought silently as she realized that exactly the arrangement they'd been trying to set up secretly to protect Coco just got handed to them on a silver platter.

"Thar's just one condition," Megraw pointed out.  "Mahn, not policy."

"...what's that?" Carmelita asked worriedly.

Megraw grinned widely.  "Ah get an invit' to tha weddin."

Carmelita blushed brightly.  "We...we aren't really...I mean-"

Megraw burst into laughter that Carmelita could only classify as 'wicked old man cackle'.  "No rush, no rush...just keep it in mahnd.  Ah noo it's cumin..."  Turning, he sauntered happily back towards the station, whistling a jaunty tune.

Carmelita stared after her superior, her mind a whirl.  ...how am I going to explain this to Sly? she thought to herself.