Innocence
Author Notes
Because every good character should have someone. Lieutenant Eddie Winslow managed to weasel his way into my heart with only a few episodes; so I decided that he deserved someone. And who better than the recently transferred Wisconsin detective, Woody Hoyt?
This is set during the events on season 01 episode 11 (Wrong Place, Wrong Time). But don't worry; this is made so even people who've never seen the series can read it.
This is the first part of 'Love in the Boston PD' series. I have planned two other stories ('The Journal' and 'Plotting Jordan') for this series; but if I think up any other storylines, I'll write more.
Disclaimer: I do not own Crossing Jordan or any of the characters. (If I did Winslow wouldn't have ever left).
Story
From my spot near the bodies I could see Doctors Jordan Cavanaugh and Garret Macy entering the bank and being approached by my new partner:
"Oh, hey there! Hi! How are ya? You guys are the medical examiners, right?"
His awkward way of talking is like crack. I can't get enough.
"I'm Doctor Macy." – He tilted his head to Jordan's side. – "This is Doctor Cavanaugh."
My Wisconsin detective took of his latex gloves and shook their hands.
Great. I'm already thinking of him as mine.
"I'm detective Hoyt."
I walk over to them.
"Jordan. Macy."
"Lieutenant." – Her voice was icy as always. I guess I deserved that.
"You know what? Let's just can all that detective and Doctor stuff. You can just call me Woody."
"So, where are you from, Woody?"
"I just transferred from Wisconsin. Little slow there so I figured I'd move to the big city once I got my shield. What was that gave me away? Was it the Wisconsin accent?"
The very hot Wisconsin accent.
"No, no. It was actually the tie."
Hey, I like that tie.
"Okay, so what we got?"
Hoyt tripped as he walked over to the place where the bank's security guard was shot. I couldn't help but rush to hold him up.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
"You probably think I'm clumsy."
"No. It's your first big murder; you're bound to be nervous."
Jordan approached me as Woody continued to explain to Macy what had happened:
"So now you care about your partners?"
"Shut up, Jordan."
"What? You don't want people to know you have a heart?"
"Shut it!"
Her mouth curled into an 'o' when she realized the truth about how I feel about Woody.
"You like him."
"Can it, Cavanaugh."
"Winslow. I don't know Woody, but I'm not letting you taint him."
Does she really think I would do that to him?
Hell, I think I could.
Not that I'd like that but, he is just so pure. Innocent, even. (How he managed to be a cop and stay that way is a mystery to me.)
And I'm so marked.
By my actions, by what I was forced to do, by what was done to me.
"No need to worry, Cavanaugh. I don't want to ruin him."
Ruining myself was enough.
Her gaze changed from the ice cold she usually reserves for me to a warm understanding one.
I think I preferred her when she hated me.
"What was that between you and…" – His eyes focused on the ceiling as he tried to remember the name. – "Jordan?"
"I was her father's partner on the force. Until I had to testify against him in an IA investigation."
"Harsh."
"Yeah."
"Would you testify against me?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
"If the alternative is you getting killed, I would testify."
He looked pensive for a moment (and isn't that a seductive sight) but then started to smile.
"I would too. I mean, for you. I mean…"
"I know what you mean, Woody."
My detective wanted to fill the M.E.s in, so we drove down to the morgue. We caught Macy and Jordan coming out of the break room.
"Uh, hi guys. Hi. I'm not catching you at a bad time, am I?"
"Nah, we were just having some girl talk."
"Uh, okay."
"We identified the woman caught in the crossfire. Sidney Wheeler. Leaves behind a husband and a three year son."
"You run the prints on the dead bank robber?"
"Oh yeah, you betcha. Bonnie Perazzo. Her record is pretty clean, nothing like armed robbery."
"We'll push the autopsy; wait for your guys to collect the bullet from the bank."
"Swell, so we'll see you guys at the precinct."
Woody moved to leave but Jordan grabbed his arm:
"What?"
"The guard is out of the hospital, he's gonna talk us through the security video. Should be pretty informative there." - He smiled and I couldn't help but do the same. – "You don't mind coming down, do you?"
"No! No. It's just that we are not used to the police being so cooperative."
Of course she would look at me while saying that.
"You two have a good one now." – My detective flashed that silly smile of his and left.
"Right back at you, Woody." – Jordan turned to Macy. – "Whatever that guy is on, I want some."
"Very thin ice, Cavanaugh."
She had the nerve to smile at me.
I smiled back.
We were all walking in the precinct's hallway, after having talked to the security guard.
"Something's seriously wrong with that video. Those two looked like they didn't know the first thing about robbing a bank."
She does have a point.
"What about all the equipment? The body armor, the machine guns?"
"Clothes don't make the man, Hoyt. We already know Bonnie was an amateur, I'm guessing Clyde was too."
"And all that trouble for eight grand? I don't think so."
Jordan is really surprised I'm agreeing with her.
"What do you think, doc?"
"I'm not the resident conspiracy theorist."
"Jordan has earned that post forever."
My detective pointed to the M.E.s:
"You two are like Scully and Mulder. Except it's switched around-" – He pointed at Jordan. – "You're more like Mulder." – He moved his finger towards the Chief Medical Examiner. – "And you're more like Scully."
I could see Garret was not the one for jokes and I was trying to hold the laughter in (Imagining him with Scully's hair is almost too much for anyone to bear), but then I looked right at Jordan's face and we broke into laughter.
We ended up holding each other (to keep from falling) and she whispered to me:
"Maybe you aren't gonna ruin him. Maybe he's the one to fix you."
I know shock is very easy to read on my face right now.
Cavanaugh and Macy found the bullet and we all went to Nigel Townsend's office. (I'm not sure but I think he has a doctorate).
"Can you trace its path?"
"I certainly can."
He pressed some keys and his computer started to calculate something.
"Now that is just plain neat."
"My little program here is calibrating its velocity and tumble ratio based on a shot fired from 15 meters." – Woody looked lost. – "Give me the entrance wound and I'll show ya."
"Her left hand. It was probably outstretched when she saw it coming."
Nigel typed a bit more and a simulation started to run.
"Look here, detective. The bullet enters through her left hand, bounces off her humorous, not very funny in this case, causes a fracture and our friend then begins its tumble: bounces off the clavicle, actually penetrates the skin on the way out, but alas bounces against the body armor and goes back in. Hits the ribs and finally exits through the abdomen."
"Body armor trapped the bullet. If she wasn't wearing it, she would've lived."
"Forensic irony is the sweetest of all."
"So either the guard knew exactly where to aim or he's the luckiest shot this side of the Pecos."
"Neither, actually. This -" – I pick up the bullet with tweezers. – "Is an AK round."
"Gold star for the Lieutenant."
Woody smiled at me, despite being confused.
We left the strange man's office as Bug Vijay came in.
(For some love, no doubt.)
Me and Jordan were taking turns answering my detective's questions.
"You're telling me this robber was killed by an AK round?"
"Yes."
"So the guard's bullet may not even have grazed her neck?"
"That's right."
"So she was killed by friendly fire? The other robber shot her?"
"Yes."
"Last question. Do you like this tie?"
"Hum… No."
"Okay. I'm going to get a new one."
"Don't. It's a nice tie. What does Jordan know?"
He flashed me a Cheshire Cat smile.
"Thanks, Winslow."
"Call me Eddie."
So, to make a long story short, another body was found and ID as the other robber. Macy thinks (and I agree with him) that the happy widower paid them to kill her and sell it as a botched bank heist. Now, me and my partner are in the interrogation room with the security guard and his lawyer; while Macy and Jordan watch from behind the one-way mirror.
"Thank you for coming down, Mister Driscoe, sorry to put you out there, we just have a few follow up questions."
"Anything I can do to help."
"Okay. Uh, what we got here? Yes, how much did Ryan Wheeler pay you to tip off his hit men?"
You go, Woody.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" – The lawyer questioned. – "My client is a hero."
As usual, I jump to his defense:
"You wanna tell me why 'Hero' needs a lawyer?"
"Don't worry, George. They're fishing."
Woody handed George a piece of paper.
"Oh, okay. While we're fishing, I'm just gonna go ahead and serve you with this warrant."
The shot guard was snippy:
"All right, search my place, I have nothing to hide!"
I exchange an evil grin with my detective before turning back towards the guard:
"Oh, no, George. It's not for your place; it's for your body."
He gave the warrant to his lawyer.
"I don't know how you got a judge to sign this thing, detective. But you can be sure I'll get it tossed in court."
My partner corrected him before I taunted both of the men being interrogated:
"Lieutenant."
"If George hasn't done anything wrong, why would we ever be in court?"
The door was opened by the people who'd been watching us from behind the glass.
"Uh, hey guys."
"Hello Doctors."
"Hey Woody, Winslow."
"Woody. Eddie." – Jordan put her latex gloves on and tapped the guard's shoulder. – "Hey, George. Mind taking off that shirt?"
Well, he didn't. And we were able to prove he shot himself and we also got him to flip on Ryan.
We let Macy get to Ryan's bar before us, so he could get some stuff out of the way. (Daddy issues, who'd known?)
"Can I arrest him?"
"Of course! It's your collar."
My detective walked up to the scumbag who paid to have his wife killed and flashed his badge:
"Hey there. How are you? This is my first arrest here in Boston, and I'm supposed to tell you that you have the right to remain silent."
He cuffed Ryan and we took him down to processing.
I was finishing the case report when he knocked on my door:
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Nah. I was just finishing up."
"Do you want to go out and celebrate?"
"Sure."
You know what? Maybe Jordan is right. Maybe he'll be the one to fix me.
He smiles at me.
I smile back.