"You going to stare at that kid or interview him," Anita asked, wondering what had gotten into her senior detective.
"I don't think I should," Lennie replied.
"Why not?" she asked.
"He's Betty Abrahms' son," Lennie said then walked away looking upset.
Anita turned and studied the 12-year-old boy more closely.
"Damn, I should have seen it," she declared.
She sent Green in to interview the boy, then went to talk to Lennie.
"Have you called Betty?"
"Afraid to, afraid I'll jump down her throat with questions."
"Looks to me like you've got the right to at least ask one."
Prelude to a Conversation
Lennie's hand hovered over the phone while he gathered his thoughts and reined in his emotions. He punched in Betty's home number, surprised that he still remembered it.
Betty saw 27th PRCT on her caller ID and wondered if it was business or if Anita was calling to chat.
"Hello," she answered.
"Benny is being held as a material witness to a homicide. You better come down," Lennie said.
Betty heard the restraint in Lennie's voice. "Guess we've got a lot to talk about," she offered.
Silence lingered, finally he answered coldly, "We should have talked when he was born."
Waiting Will Eat You Alive
It would take Betty 30 minutes to get to the stationhouse. Lennie wasn't sure what to do while he waited. He wanted to go to the interview room and just look at Benny, but that would arouse suspicions, which wouldn't be fair to the kid. Being fair to Benny was what had to come first. Never mind that Lennie was going crazy. Why did Betty do this? Lennie had no illusions; she had gotten pregnant with his kid on purpose and never told him!
"Women, fucking bitches, screw 'em all," he said as he ran upstairs to get some air.
That's What Friends Are For
Ed was startled to hear his partner swearing and even more startled to see him running up the stairs. Running wasn't Lennie's favorite mode of transportation. Ed was torn between his duty to report his interview of the Abrahms boy to Anita and his loyalty to Lennie who seemed to be in need of a friend. Loyalty won out, as he ran up the stairs and looked around for Lennie. Ed found him sitting in front of the station house nearly hidden behind a patrol car. He sat down next to him.
"If you want to talk, I'm here."
Now You Know
Lennie appreciated what Ed was doing. He just wasn't sure he could talk. He was so raw inside. He wished he hadn't given up so many vices, because if he couldn't have a good stiff belt, at least a smoke might have helped.
Lennie found himself wondering how Benny was. He was young and he'd witnessed a murder. He was probably scared witless.
"How's the Abrahms kid?"
"A little nervous, but OK. His parents can be really proud of him for coming forward like he did."
"I am."
Ed turned quickly and stared at Lennie as he realized the situation.
Not Exactly His First Mistake
Lennie looked at Ed, wishing he could read the emotions that were playing across Ed's face. He wondered if he'd lost his partner's respect.
"Well? You just going to sit there and look at me, or have you got something to say?" Lennie asked.
"I was just wondering, what were you thinking? I mean, you have an affair with another cop, and she's married. Well, that's one thing, but you don't take any precautions against getting her pregnant?" Ed asked incredulously.
"Well, I made the classic male mistake. I trusted her when she said she was taking care of things."
Confrontation Or Not
Before Ed could ask more, Lennie was up moving towards an attractive fortyish blonde.
"Hi" was Lennie's simple greeting.
"Somehow I was expecting something more explosive than Hi," Betty replied.
"Is that what you expected or what you wanted?" Lennie asked hotly.
"I don't want a fight," she said sounding annoyed. "Let's go somewhere private and talk," she proposed.
"No, go see Benny. He's waited a long time for you and his needs should always come first," Lennie said.
"And to think I broke it off with you because I didn't think you'd make a good father."
Guess What Mom?
Betty looked at her son through the one-way mirror. Benjy was lanky like Lennie, with dark hair and skin that tanned easily. His eyes were blue grey and deep-set, the rest of Benjy's facial features matched Lennie's too. She couldn't have denied that Benjy was Lennie's son even if she'd wanted to. She opened the door and went in.
"How you doing, Benjy?"
"I'm OK, Mom."
"Why were you here in Manhattan?"
"I came to see your former partner Lennie Briscoe."
"Why?"
"I wanted to find out if he was my real father," he said, looking for her reaction.