Because of Me
The usual disclaimers – not my characters, yada yada. This takes place after "Bogeyman".
Cyrus Lupo walked slowly down the stairs at One PP. His ears were still ringing from the chewing out he had received from the Chief of D's for involving a "civilian" in the sting he tried to run on the Systemotics people. Damn them anyway. They were running their own private police force, stalking people, keeping files on them, intimidating them into silence when Systemotics steamed their kids to death and yet, Systemotics didn't receive so much as a warning! It was Homeland Security taken to a whole new level in the private sector.
Standing on the sidewalk, he pulled his jacket a little tighter around him. Jenny. It was always Jenny. Every time he got hauled over the carpet it was because he was drinking over Jenny's loss or failing to produce her as a witness or covering for her with his family – or including her in a sting. His mom had taken to singing "Jenny's Clown" to the tune of "Cathy's Clown" whenever she caught him following his sister in law around. The Friday night she had found him babysitting while the recently widowed Jenny was out at a show had actually involved a few hard smacks to his head. And what do you know, mom had been right. Jenny's mother had miraculously grown broad shoulders, a beard and a dick. Judging from the way the windows had steamed when she'd been dropped off, this hadn't been the man's first visit. Or maybe it had and he just couldn't accept what Jenny was like with everybody but him. . . .
Fool that he was he kept signing back up for more.
He took a tired look around the street. Head straight home? He had to. Otto was waiting. But he had no desire to spend the entire night alone with just the dog for company. He thought of all his acquaintances in New York – and then one stuck out. They weren't drop by with beer pals, especially now, but maybe they could both use the cheering up of a good buzz.
"I heard you man, I just can't believe you're telling me this," Ed Green shook his head at his former partner, then raised his beer in a mock salute. The two were sitting in Ed's apartment, Otto curled up quietly in a corner while the humans worked on matching his calm with a bit of liquid inspiration.
"What can't you believe?" Lupes gave him that patented aw-shucks grin which seemed to work on every woman that wasn't Jenny.
"I can't believe you're letting this woman interfere with your job again. That's what I can't believe."
"It wasn't deliberate. It's not like she was trying to mess with my job."
"Where was Connie?"
Lupo looked up in surprise from his deep contemplation of his beer bottle. "The ADA?"
"Yeah, the ADA. You two did good on your last sting, where was she?" Ed gave him a level look, waiting to hear a solid answer to that.
"It wasn't time to pull in the DA's yet. We were still working out if this was murder or suicide. Hell, at that point, we even had the wrong suspect."
"Was that it? Or were you maybe anxious to play husband to someone else this time? Were you thinking that maybe if it worked in pretend you could convince her to let you fill the role in real life?"
Lupes choked on his drink. "No, god, what makes you think that?"
Ed gave Lupo a long, cool look. "You mean other than that you do all the work around her house and take her kids out constantly?"
"Those are Tommy's kids, too, Ed. I want to be there for them. I don't want them forgetting they had a Dad."
"Way I hear it, they got a better Dad than ever before," Ed responded.
"She's complained about Tommy?"
"Not in so many words but while she was letting slip that she had more free time now thanks to you, it did come up that you make more time for the kids than he ever did."
"He was trying to establish his business, it's not like with our current economy you can just put up a sign and be raking in customers."
"I hear ya', I hear ya – I'm just saying if that girl hasn't seen the benefits of having you in her life by now, involving her in a sting isn't the way to go for an impression."
Lupo looked sheepish. "It's just – you know, she was saying last week how much more glamorous our jobs looked compared to hers. Most of it's just a drudge, you know that. I just wanted her to enjoy the one exciting piece for a moment. Give her some experience, I don't know, maybe show folks around the office she could do more than just carry messages."
"Instead you got your own ass chewed out and will probably catch hell for any fall out she feels come tomorrow."
Lupo gave his head a violent shake no, "No, no way. I made sure everyone knew up and down this was my idea and mine only. That she didn't want this and I brought pressure to bear to get her to go along. She won't be feeling any fall out"
"Is that the way it went down?" Ed looked at Lupes over his bottle before giving it a lift and taking another long pull.
Silence was his only answer.
"You know, it amazes me. I think you're the kind of cop could arrest your own Mama if you had to. But this girl – she could rob a bank right in front of you and you'd still be looking for another culprit or saying how she was forced to do it or worse, taking the fall for her yourself."
"I thought you liked Jenny!"
"No, man. You wanted me to like Jenny. Maybe you should ask yourself why that was." Ed took another swig of his beer while Lupo worked on his answer.
"I dunno. Maybe cause you're both great people and I figured you could both use someone special in your life."
"Wake up and smell the coffee, man. Somewhere in that little, messed up brain of yours you know that girl is poison for you. You wanted her with me so you wouldn't be in harm's way yourself. "
Lupo raised his eyes from the beer bottle again. "So what are you saying, I feel safe when Jenny is with someone else? That I somehow subconsciously pushed her on to Tommy back when we were engaged?"
"What happened between Tom and Jenny was between them, man. But face it. If the situation had been different, you never would have made a move on Tom's woman. You aren't the kind of guy who goes after another man's woman, especially not a brother's or a friend. That's why you want me with Jenny – cause you know she's no good for you and you aren't willing to see she's no good for anyone else either." Ed took another long swig of beer, surprised when it proved to be the last one in the bottle. He ambled over to the fridge for another cold one.
"You need another one?" he asked absently as he bent in to get his own.
"I'm good, I still gotta get us home don't forget."
"You driving?" Ed looked over at him in surprise.
Cyrus nodded. With Otto, driving and walking were the only two serious options.
"So." Ed plopped himself back down in his seat. "Tell old Uncle Ed something. You hooked up with anyone since getting back here?"
Lupo shrugged. "An ex and I toyed with getting back together. It was really more a one night thing, though. Haven't really had time for anything since. Gotta admit, South Carolina sort of cured me of the desire for that." The two shared a grin. The incident in South Carolina would have cured a lot of men of the desire for easy hook ups.
"Well, I think it's time you made time, man. Give that girl at the coffee shop a call." Lupo looked at him blankly.
Ed gave a grunt of exasperation. "The coffee shop where that doctor found the hooker site? The girl with the dog named after the Island? I saw her give you her digits."
"Yeah, right. Rachel with the golden retriever named Coney."
"That's the one."
Lupo finished off his beer, then rose and threw the bottle in the recycling. "I don't know. Maybe she's not the one I'll call."
Ed gave him a dark look.
Lupes held up his hands as a mock shield, "I swear, it won't be Jenny."
"That's fine, then." Ed answered. "Make sure it isn't. You need to get that trouble outta your life."
"I will, I swear. As much as I can anyway, given the relationship." Lupo clasped Otto's leash on, and gave the dog a quick petting as it rose to its' feet.
"You sure you still don't want to talk about your future? I miss you, man. The Lieu misses you too. This new guy . . . " he let the sentence trail off into implications before he said something he'd regret.
Ed gave his head a quick shake as he opened the door for them to go. He and Lupo shook hands. "Thanks for tonight, bro. Don't be a stranger."
"You too, man. Come by sometime." Lupo and Otto headed out the door, feeling that bit more lonely as it shut behind them. Lupo took the phone out of his pocket and dialed the ADA's office number, planning to leave a message offering another Sunday afternoon in the park.
"Rubirosa."
'Connie? " He asked with surprise.
"The one and only." She answered dryly.
"Wow, I can't believe Jack's letting Cutter work you that hard."
"Mike and Jack are long gone, "she said. There was a smile in her voice. "I was actually just getting ready to head out the door. I didn't realize how late it was. Kinda scary now that I think about it."
"Want a police escort?"
"Well, sure." She sounded surprised and happy. "I'd love some police protection for the trip home."
"Give us a few minutes. We should get there in about 20." They had reached the car and Lupo was pushing Otto into the back seat.
"Us?" Connie sounded a bit more hesitant.
Lupo started the car up, did a quick check in his mirrors and merged into the street. The hour was late enough that traffic was light. "Otto and I. Police and dog protection – you couldn't get any safer."
Connie gave a warm laugh. "Sounds wonderful. I'll meet you guys out front."
"Stay in the building till you see us." Lupo ordered automatically.
"No problem. I might even be a little late. I have some papers to put away before I head out the door."
They both hung up smiling. Sometimes what you needed most at the end of the day was the sound of a friend's voice.
Fin
The incident in South Carolina is a story I intend to write sometime in the (hopefully) near future.