WHAT'S IN A NAME
Chapter One
To her mother and the nuns at school—especially if she was in trouble—she was Alexandra. To her father, she was Lexie, the child that not only followed in his footsteps but went beyond them. To her brothers, she was Alex, Allie, Twerp, Small Fry, Dweeb and Sis, depending on their moods and what she'd just done or said to them. To her sisters, she was again Alex, Allie, Twerp, Small Fry, Dweeb, and Sis, again depending on their moods and what she'd just done or said to them. To her late husband Joe, she was—all too briefly—Lex, Baby, Honey, Lover, and Sweet Potato. To her friends and most of her colleagues she was Alex. To her nephews and nieces—especially to one nephew—she was Aunt Alex. And to her partner Robert Goren, she was Eames.
When she received her gold shield and assignment to Vice, she insisted on being addressed as Detective Eames. It gave her the reputation of being a bitch among some Vice cops, but those cops called every female officer a bitch behind their backs and some to their faces. After Joe's death she gained a title she'd never wanted, that of Joe Dutton's widow. She fought anyone—her family, Joe's family, their friends—who tried to stick her with that identity. She was graceful that she'd won the brief but intense battle to keep her last name. It meant that not everyone connected her with Joe and his murder. She was never certain exactly why Major Case recruited her soon after Joe's death. She wanted to believe it was the result of her good work, but she guessed other factors were involved, including her suffering in silence the jabs and jibes of other Vice cops; the department's treatment of her father; and her husband's sacrifice. It may have been the need for Major Case to have more detectives with two X chromosomes. Whatever the reason, she sat happily in Captain James Deakins' office on her first day at Major Case. She was off the streets and in one of the NYPD's elite units. She liked Deakins. He appeared slightly uncertain of how to treat a cop of her gender, but Alex sensed she didn't have to prove herself to him as a female cop but as a cop. She took the wobbly desk in his direct line of sight as something all new members of Major Case had to deal with. Deakins teamed her with a veteran. Although he shaved his head to disguise his balding plate, Phil Jackson still moved with much of the ease and grace of his days as a basketball player. It may have been due to his involvement in one of the NYPD's first efforts to recruit minorities or because, as Alex suspected, he was simply a good and fair man, Phil Jackson was an ideal partner and guide for her early days at Major Case.
"So," Jackson asked as they headed to pick up their car on their first call out. "What should I call you?"
"I think that depends on what you want me to call you, Sir," Alex said, deferring to his seniority.
Jackson snorted. "Well, I don't want you to call me Sir. Just because I'm old enough to be your father doesn't me you have to treat me like one. Call me Phil or Jack."
"Ok," Alex smiled. "Call me Alex."
"Alex it is," Jackson held out the car keys. "So, Alex…You a good driver?"
Alex took the keys. "I have many skills as a cop. Two of them are that I'm an excellent shot and a great driver. I can show you my test results."
Phil grinned. "I'll take your word on that. I'm glad you'll drive. Gives me time to think."
They'd been partners for little over a week when Alex learned that Phil Jackson had delayed his move to a captaincy in another squad to honor Deakins' request that he partner her. "So," she asked Jackson as they waited for a perp to appear on a cold morning. "Why did I rate such special treatment? Not that I mind…not by a long shot…but I know you've waited a long time for a post like this."
"Oh, I've waited for my captain's bars for a long time," Phil said. "If only to prove to everyone that I could earn them. But I was going to do it on my own terms. I want to be able to always recognize the man that I see in the mirror. Besides, I owe your Dad. When I was a rookie, I got assigned to his station. He not only was one of the few guys there who tolerated me, but actually welcomed me." Phil sipped his coffee. "And Jimmy Deakins promised me he'd make sure the captain's spot would be open for me. And Jimmy keeps his word."
"I have a hard time thinking of Captain Deakins as Jimmy," Alex said.
"You haven't known him since he was a rookie. He's a good cop…a good man…You couldn't find a better rabbi in the Department…"
"I hear a "but"," Alex said carefully.
Phil took a long drink of his coffee. "At some point, Alex…A cop has to make a decision. Do I do what's right…Do I do what will benefit me…Do I do what the Department wants me to do. Rarely is it the same thing. And that's when you'll find out what kind of a cop and person you are. I'm not sure if Jimmy Deakins has faced that point yet. And…as good a man and cop as he is…He's such a political animal…And so tied to the Department…I don't know what he'd do…"
Alex stared into her coffee. She'd heard similar words from her father about the vastly different pulls on a cop's loyalty.
"Like I said, Alex…I think he's a good man," Phil said. "I think he'd do the right thing."
"Have you been there?" Alex asked.
"Yea…But I was lucky," Phil admitted. "It was a situation where I had some protection. Where the Brass couldn't hurt me. Most cops aren't that lucky."
"I've wondered what I'd do," Alex said. "The thought of becoming the first captain or chief in the Eames family…And one of the first women…Is an appealing one. But what I really want is to be the best cop I can be. And I know that may not mesh with being a member of the Brass."
"And just being a good cop can be tough enough," Phil said. "For what it's worth, here's what I think, Alex. Our first loyalty is to the people out there." He waved his hand towards the outside of the car. "No matter how good or bad they are…We work for them. Next your partner…Then other cops…Then the Department…Then the Brass…and then you…"
"Sounds like good advice," Alex said.
By the time Phil Jackson moved on roughly six months later, Alex Eames was a happy and valued member of Major Case. At Phil's departure party, Alex sat on a stool at her departing partner's favorite bar and watched as he accepted congratulations. Deakins approached and sat next to her.
"Good man," the Captain said.
"Yes," Alex agreed. "Thank you for teaming me with him. I learned a lot."
Deakins smiled. "I thought it might work out. Phil was happy about it, too."
"So," Alex said carefully. "Any thought as to who my new partner will be?"
The question had lingered for some time in the back of Alex's head. She suspected her new partner would be a new member of Major Case. She knew of no retirements or changes in the squad. She wasn't worried as much as she was curious. She knew from her experience in Vice that she could work with the worst of the Department, but after working with an example of the best of the Department, Alex hoped for at least a cop more like Phil Jackson.
Deakins sipped his coffee and made a face. "I wish bars would learn to make a decent cup of this." He paused. "There's a new man coming into the squad. I had to burn a few favors to get him. Other squads wanted him. He was Army CID, knows a lot of languages, and has experience profiling. Terrific record in Narcotics. And he has a Medal of Honor."
Alex frowned at the mention of profiling, but she didn't attempt to hide the fact she was impressed by the Medal of Honor. "Sounds like a good cop."
"I wouldn't want him if I didn't think he was," Deakins said.
"So…Who is he?"
"Robert Goren."
Alex stared into her drink. "I've heard about him," she said after a moment.
"Believe the good," Deakins said. "Take the bad…with a grain of salt. He has had a lot of partners…But he's been part of and the head of several very successful investigations…And the cops who've given him a chance are very loyal to him."
Alex quietly considered Deakins's words.
"And the one thing I'm sure of, is that your gender won't make any difference to him," Deakins continued. "He's worked…and worked well…with many. Eva Linder, the captain at the 82…worked with him a lot and has great things to say about him."
Alex nodded. She didn't know Eva Linder well, but the captain had offered Alex and other female cops words of advice and a good listening post.
"She was one of the Captains I had to fight for Goren," Deakins said. "She was willing to give him up because she thought Major Case would be a good place for him. I won't lie to you, Alex. Goren has a reputation for not going by the rules…for being unorthodox. It won't be easy to work with him. But it won't be because you're a woman. And I think you may be smart and tough enough to match him."
"Ok," Alex said.
Over the weekend before she met Robert Goren, Alex used her connections within the NYPD to check on her new partner. He had many titles and names, including genius, lunatic, hero, reckless, the best cop I've ever seen, and whack job. Her older brother—the one who still seemed to think and treat her like a twelve-year-old—suggested she start writing her transfer request. Tutualo Fin, a cop she didn't know but identified himself as a former partner of Goren who heard she was asking about the man, told her she was in for a rough ride. "But the guy has no prejudices," Fin said. "He's good…He's gold…If you hang on, you'll be a better cop and a better person."
The night before she was to meet Goren Alex suffered through her worst night since her arrival at Major Case. She rose early and arrived at Major Case well ahead of her usual time. As she stepped from the elevator, Alex saw a large man hunched over the wobbly desk she'd suffered at several months earlier. He seemed to be trying to hide his size, a task made difficult by the desk's small dimensions. Alex felt a brush on her shoulder, and turned to face her Captain.
"I understand he's been here a while," Deakins said. "And that's he made a good dent in the manual. C'mon, Alex…Meet your new partner."
As she approached the wobbly desk, Alex noted that Goren had already marked it as his own. Several large books with titles like FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY and THE PATHOLGY OF MENTAL ILLNESS were stacked on one corner. Goren scribbled notes on a pad in an expensive looking leather binder. In spite of his deep concentration, Goren sensed Alex and Deakins' approach. He turned to them, and began to stand, and kept rising. Alex's first impression of him was that he was big, very big in every way. He was tall, with broad shoulders, long arms and legs. His hands and feet were wide and large, and Alex thought she'd never seen such elegant fingers. His eyes were large and dark and framed by ridiculously long eyelashes. Alex's second impression was a confirmation of her earlier take that Goren tried to minimize his size, that it was an embarrassment to him. And then she really looked at and into his eyes. She'd never seen eyes that color of a deep, rich chocolate. Their combination of hope, interest, and sadness struck her with so much force that she could barely hold their gaze.
"Detective Alex Eames," Deakins said. "Detective Robert Goren."
"Please," Alex said. "Call me Alex." She stretched out her right hand.
Goren nodded and his right hand swallowed hers. "Bobby," he said in a voice as warm and deep as his eyes. "Please call me Bobby."
END CHAPTER ONE