ALL IN: MISSING SCENES 1
(If Josh Snow and Joey Frost were the same person.)
A possible conversation.
Spoilers for ALL IN and CRUISE TO NOWHERE
"You're disappointed," Alex said. Her attention focused on the road, but her words were directed to Bobby.
"Yea," he admitted after a moment. "Not surprised, really…but disappointed." He stared out the window. "I hoped he'd make it…But the odds were really against him…I mean…When your Mom sells you to the highest bidder…When you never get a chance to go to school or have anything approaching a normal life…"
"And then to lose the one person who cared for you and didn't want to make money off you," Alex said.
Bobby rubbed the back of his neck. "I lost track of him," he confessed. "I…I'd heard he'd done well in tournament poker…That he'd gotten back on his feet. And then…" Bobby shrugged. "My life fell apart…And…I lost track of a lot of things…"
"Don't blame yourself," Alex said, more sharply than she intended. She took a deep breath. "Bobby…You can't save everyone…As much as you may want to…He made his own choices…Particularly these last ones…"
Bobby shifted uncomfortably.
"And what did he do for you, Bobby?" Alex continued. "All he could think about was playing you. You did a lot for him. You helped him get a good deal with the ADA's office in that principal's death. You helped him get a good lawyer. And he never tried to contact you…"
Bobby shifted again. "He…He wasn't under any obligation…"
"Any more than you were," Alex said. "If he'd reached out to you…You would've tried to help him…Even in the middle of all of your troubles."
They were nearly at One Police Plaza.
"He might have gotten away with it," Bobby said. "If we weren't the detectives…"
"The girl told me he said he thought he caught a break when he saw we were the detectives on the case," Alex said. "A break…but not the one he thought."
"He still might have made it…But you…You're the one who said it might be personal…Made me think differently. If we'd just followed the money like he thought we would…But instead of him playing us, we played him."
"You didn't enjoy that," Alex said as she pulled the SUV into the parking garage.
"No…"
"I've always wondered," she asked cautiously. "I've played poker with you…You're pretty good…You certainly know how to handle cards…Did you ever think about…"
Bobby shook his head. "No…Never thought about making a living at it…I did pretty well when I was in the Army…Although what I really enjoyed doing was getting back at the guys who'd fleece the new guys…I suppose I was afraid I'd be like the guy I thought was my father…But…It was really the anger…I could hide it enough for low stake games…But others…I was too angry…Too many tells…"
Alex parked the SUV. "Going undercover at the games musta been hard for you."
"Not that hard." Bobby rubbed the dashboard. "I mean…I still can't really compete. But I could sit in for a hand and be pretty convincing. That's because…I'm not as angry as I used to be. You…You…especially recently…Have had a lot to do with that."
Alex gently touched Bobby's arm. "Thank you," she said softly. "Just don't lose all of it…When you use it against the bad guys, your anger can be very useful. I don't want you to lose all of it, any more than I want you to stop trying to save the world. Just ease up a bit…"
"Ok…If you promise to help…"
She smiled. "You got it."
END