Josiah stood at the meeting room window, scanning the street below. His imposing silhouette created an intimidating view for anyone who might've been looking up. What they wouldn't have seen was the tension on his face and the sadness in his eyes. He felt like the weight of the world rested on his broad shoulders, and he wasn't sure they could handle this load. He was beginning to doubt anyone could.
He watched as the cause for his concern arrived. The sports car smoothly slid into its standard parking space. Josiah waited, hoping to see Ezra jump out with his usual aplomb. The door didn't open. Darkly tinted windows kept observers at bay, but Josiah didn't need to see inside to know exactly what was going on. Ezra would be leaning forward, head resting lightly on the steering wheel as he gave himself the pep talk he needed to face the world today. Trying to convince himself that it was worth the effort. That he was worth the effort.
Josiah had looked at his watch when he saw the car, and now glanced down again. Four minutes. Longer than yesterday. Longer than most days. But he'd expected that to be the case today.
"He still sitting out there? Chris asked quietly from the door.
"Almost 5 minutes."
"Damn. I told him not to come in today, but he's just too damn stubborn for his own good."
"A rather common character trait around here." Josiah answered without turning, not taking his eyes off the subject, or at least his car.
"Yeah, well he's turned it into an art form."
"You didn't really think he'd stay away today, did you?"
"I hoped he would. All but ordered him to. But no, I didn't expect it." He saw Josiah's body language shift. "He's coming?"
"Car door his open. Yes, he's out."
To a casual observer, Ezra Standish seemed the picture of style and self-assurance. Crisply dressed, wearing his almost trademarked burgundy coloured leather jacket and exuding charm as he smiled at everyone he passed. Josiah knew that he would flirt innocently with the receptionist when he entered the building and would patiently hold the elevator door for straglers.
The problem was, Josiah was not a casual observer. He was a highly trained ATF agent. He was a profiler. He was a psychologist. And most importantly, he was Ezra's friend. He saw the stiffness in the walk. He saw the weight loss that made the jacket a little less tailored. He saw the tightening of Ezra's jaw when he gave that familiar smile that was no longer lighting up his face. The others saw it too.
Buck had tried to set up double dates, or boy's-nights out, but Ezra always had a prior commitment. Weekly poker games had become a thing of the past as well. The men all agreed it was much easier on their budgets, but each dearly wished they could be losing to the card shark again.
Perhaps most telling was Ezra's absence at the ranch. He'd only been out once since they'd come back from San Francisco, not counting the night they'd actually returned. It had been when Chris had let him know the vet was coming to check on Chaucer. He wasn't eating, wasn't socializing, just basically wasn't being himself. A lot like his owner.
So, Ezra came out and had a talk with the horse, which Chris figured was at least as useful as the vet had been. Chaucer's mood seemed to lift a little, which is was more than could be said for Ezra. But at least now JD and Vin were able to take over the care of the beast, even though it was clear he was every bit as concerned as were the humans.
"My apologies for my late arrival." Ezra greeted them with what was basically a standard comment. He no longer even bothered to offer an excuse. "I have been giving some thought to the case the judge presented us with yesterday and believe Vin might be better suited to the assignment. His more casual style would likely be a better fit."
"Yeah, 'cause you can't pull off casual." Buck challenged him. Ezra turning down a job was a new wrinkle.
"I didn't say I couldn't. Only that perhaps I shouldn't. Besides, it is unwise for me to take on all of the assignments. You gentlemen are all imminently qualified, and the agency should be taking full advantage of those stellar skills."
"Ezra, the job needs a man whose urbane, cocky, self-reliant, and an expert with cards, racetracks, and any other form of gambling you could name. I'm not saying Vin couldn't handle the job –"
"But he is saying it practically describes you." Vin finished for Buck. "What gives?"
"Nothing gives. I was simply trying to offer someone else the opportunity to take on the role. If that is not an option, then perhaps I should spend some time preparing for the assignment. Unless you have something else for me to attend to today?"
"You mean like meeting with the DA from San Francisco? No Ezra. I told you, we don't want you anywhere near that case."
"Understandable. My involvement clearly would taint –"
"Dammit Ezra. We are not going to have that fight again." Surprisingly, it was Nathan who lost his temper on this. "You're not tainting anything. There is just no need for you to put yourself through the process."
"The process as you all call it, is a trial. Something I am more than familiar with. I have never had any trouble testifying in the past."
"Yeah? How many times have you had to testify against your brother in a murder case?"
Ezra spun to face JD. "Half-brother. And none. Although I suppose the eventuality was inevitable."
"I'm sorry Ezra. I didn't mean it the way it sounded." Ezra turned away, not responding. Getting mad at JD serve no purpose. It only negated the very image of control he was trying so hard to maintain.
"He's worried about you, s – Ezra." Josiah almost slipped again. He hadn't called Ezra's son since that day in San Francisco. He vowed to himself he was never going to do it again. Never put that connection between them.
"We're all worried about you." Chris amended. "And being here, today, is something you don't need."
"I believe I am the best judge of what I do or do not need Chris."
"No, I don't think you are. You haven't been for a while now." He took a lot of comfort in the fact they were all still in a first name basis, although he suspected it was as much from Ezra's inability to maintain his posturing as it was from anything else.
"For a while? How long would you say that was? Since I kicked my mother out of my life? Since I found that I have a slew of siblings whose very existence was a revelation to me? Since the day I killed my father? Is that the while you are referring to?" Well, so much for the pretense of control Standish, he thought to himself.
"Ezra, go home. If you don't want to do that, then go to the ranch. Take a walk. Take Chaucer for a ride. He'd like that. Just get away from here for the day. Or longer. You need it."
"I need no such thing. I've dealt with all the mandatory psychiatric reviews and have been declared fit for duty."
Buck bark out a laugh. "Fooling the ATF shrink is child's play for you Ez. Even on a bad day."
"Be that as it may, there is no reason or justification for me to take my leave today. If you are going to insist I refrain from involvement in today's – activity – I shall retire to a private space and, as indicated earlier, prepare for the next assignment." He turned and left before anyone comment.
"Well that when about as well as I'd anticipated." Chris sighed deeply.
"What did you expect Chris? He hasn't really dealt with any of this over the last two months. Now it's staring him in the face again."
"Just what the hell are we supposed to do Josiah? Every step we take is like walking into a minefield."
"We tread carefully. And be ready to catch him when he falls off that wall he keeps building, because at the rate he's going, it's gonna be a long fall."
Nathan agreed, but it didn't really help matters. "That's all great for the long-term and it really goes without saying. Question is, what do we do today?"
"Well, mostly what we've been saying. Keep him busy or get him out of here."
"Fine." Chris stood quietly for a moment. "Buck, JD, take him out for a drink – or several drinks." He was of the opinion Ezra had been doing a bit to much of that lately, but for today, right now, he was willing to set that to the side.
"Uh, Chris?" JD offered hesitantly. "It's 10 o'clock in the morning."
"If there's a bar open somewhere," Buck replied, "I can find it."
Chris glared ineffectively. "Just take him out for breakfast. Take him to lunch. Hell, take him to Disneyland. I don't care. Just keep him away from all this."
"Not going to be an issue Chris." Josiah was back at the window. "His car is gone."
Chris sighed once again. "JD, see if you can track him from his phone. Don't call him. Just – hell – just keep an eye on things."
7-7-7-7-7-7-7
The team sat impatiently in the boardroom while DA Keller went over the case for what seemed like the millionth time. When he started reviewing the order of the witnesses again, Buck snapped. "You do know we've done this kind of ship before, right? Not our first pony ride.
"This case has – complications."
"Not from our perspective."
Keller stared incredulously. "Really? The connection you all have with Trevor Standish doesn't concern you?"
"We have no connection with Trevor Standish, outside of the fact we arrested him."
"I shot him." Vin added helpfully.
"Oh yeah, and Vin shot him." Buck snarled.
"And you don't expect that his lawyer will mention your working and professional relationship with his brother?"
"Half-brother." JD echoing the sentiments expressed earlier. "And until about five minutes before all this went down, Ezra didn't even know he existed."
"So he says."
Buck was out of his seat and nose to nose with Keller in a matter of seconds. "Yeah. So he says. You have a problem with that?"
To his credit, Keller didn't even flinch. "No, I don't. But you can bet your ass the jury will. And that his lawyer will bring it up. Along with your friend's history with the FBI, and some of his other history. He's petitioned have his juvenile arrest record open for God's sake."
"Ezra has a juvenile arrest record?" JD repeated. Any further question was swallowed when he heard Buck's growl.
"What the hell for? What difference does any of that make? We've got evidence putting Trevor at the security guard's house. We've got dying comments from his own father. We've got the fucking gun."
"Circumstantial evidence, hearsay comments, and a gun found in a room shared with at least two other people. Which wasn't locked. And a number of you were in the room at the time."
It was Chris's turn to challenge him. "You saying we planted it? When the hell would we – wait? You're saying Ezra had the gun?" He took another step closer, and this time Keller did move back, just a little.
"I'm not saying anything. I'm telling you what the defence is going to do here. Whatever it takes to muddy the waters. And I intend to be ready for whatever crap they try to stir up. I should think that's what you'd want to."
Chris stared at him for a good 30 seconds, then took a step back. "We'll go over everything as many times as you need."
Keller tried to soothe the well rattled nerves. "Look gentlemen. We all have the same outcome in mind. I want a conviction. You want to protect your friend. In the long run, my success will help you, so can we try to work together?" Chris nodded, not pleased but unable to disagree. "Good. One more thing. Can you get your man to stop calling me? I'm hearing from him almost daily and it's not helping. I can't discuss this with him."
Chris blew out a long slow breath. Here was an unexpected, but not terribly surprising, item to deal with. "I'll try. He's not exactly in team player mode at the moment."
"Well get him in line on this. Like I said, I intend to win this case, and I can't risk anything interfering. It just won't help."
"I'll do what I can. Let me know when you decide for sure which of us is going to be testifying. I assume you still don't need all of us?"
"Still need to review for a few things, but likely you and Mr. Tanner. Maybe Mr. Sanchez as well."
"I can assume that my offer of assistance is once again being rejected."
The voice from the doorway startled all of them. Chris was on his feet first. "Dammit Ezra. I told you to stay clear of this."
"Yes Agent Standish. While I appreciate the offer and I'm sure you can provide some fascinating perspectives –"
"Please, save yourself the trouble. I understand my involvement will cause far more trouble than assistance. That, however does not preclude me from having a deep desire to be aware of just what the hell is going on." He was just short of shouting by the time he got to the end of the sentence. Ezra losing his temper, especially with outsiders in the room, was a rare sight. Chris was just a hair's breadth away from losing his as well.
Keller picked up his briefcase and files. "I will leave this for all of you to sort through. I'll be in touch Agent Larabee." He paused in front of Ezra. "I can't begin to understand what this is like for you, but I can guarantee you I'm going to do whatever I can to ensure everyone on our side of the law is happy with the outcome, and no one on their side is. As long as that is the final result, I don't care if you're pleased with my way of doing things are not."
Ezra watched him depart and the team was more than astonished to see a small smile come to his face. "Yes – I think he'll do nicely." He said nothing more, leaving the room to head back to his project.
"Did Ezra just approve of that guy?" Buck asked in evident disbelief.
"It would appear so." Josiah was smiling himself. "We may have just seen the first movement forward he's taken in quite a while."
"Yeah, well it still seems like it's gonna be a hell of a long trip." Vin complained, worried about Ezra.
JD couldn't get his mind off what, for him at least, had been a revelation during the meeting. "Chris, did you know Ezra had a record?"
"A juvenile record kid. Big difference."
"What for?"
Buck was surprised that the kid would care. "What does that matter?"
"It matters Buck."
"Why? Make you think different about him? Don't tell me you don't trust him now?"
"It matters," JD was determined to keep from losing his cool, "because he's our friend. And if we are going to try to understand what his family put him through, what they did to him, or made him do, then we need to know as much as we can. It matters because just maybe it will make a little easier to help him."
Buck continued to stare, then suddenly turned to Chris, grinning. "Damn Chris, hiring this kid was one of your smarter ideas."
"Unlike hiring you, you mean?"
"Nah. That was your smartest one."
tbc
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