Chapter One
Bobby and Alex enter the Lowell home around 5:15 AM. There are teenagers in the house and outside. All of them are high or drunk. Most of them don't know what has happened. Busloads of kids are driven to the nearest police station where they must wait until a parent or guardian picks them up.
A young girl, who has been identified as Michelle Yardley, lies on a bed in one of the rooms upstairs. There is no sign of sexual assault. After Bobby's first meeting with Richard Lowell, the eighteen-year-old senior who lives here, he is convinced that he has his murderer.
Bobby and Alex go through the usual routine of investigating the case but Bobby is not as responsive to her comments and she starts to feel that his attitude toward the teenager is of hatred.
Alex confronts him one afternoon.
"Bobby, Bobby, earth to Bobby. Goddamnit Goren answer me."
"What, I heard you, didn't you see me nod."
"I would prefer a response and maybe you could look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Jesus, alright, what." He looks at her and crosses his arms.
"Do you have some personal vendetta against this kid, there were over sixty five kids at that party and you're just focusing on Richard."
"Do you think he's innocent?"
"Right now I don't think we can say he's guilty or innocent, we have a lot more areas to cover."
"I want to bring him in, his parents too, we all need to have a talk."
"Did you even hear what I said?"
"I heard you, let's go get the them."
A wall, it's like talking to a wall.
She follows him out of the station and as usual, she drives. As it has been for the past week if Alex does not start a conversation, he just sits there in silence. This afternoon Alex is no mood for chitchat.
If he doesn't want to talk, it's ok with me.
Interrogation Room
Friday 4:30 PM
Alex starts the questioning. "Your son has a party at your home and a teenage girl is found murdered and all you can say is, that's what happens when teenagers drink too much."
"He always has a party when we go out of town." Says Mr. Lowell.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before." Says Mrs. Lowell.
"How often do you go out of town?"
"At least twice a month."
"Why don't one of you stay home or why don't you take your son with you."
"My wife is good company for me when I travel and Richard would just be bored."
Alex shakes her head in disbelief.
Bobby gets up from his chair, walks around the table, and sits directly across from Mr. Lowell.
"How many drinks have you had today, Mr. Lowell?"
"I beg your pardon."
"I want to know how much alcohol you have consumed this morning?"
"I was upset and I had two martinis."
Bobby looks at Alex. "You see when it's martinis it's alright to drink before noon."
Alex shakes her head. "Unbelievable."
"What about you Mrs. Lowell, look at yourself, you're what 40, 45 years old and you're wearing clothes most 25 year olds would be afraid to wear."
"My wife takes good care of her body she looks good in those clothes."
Bobby gets up from the chair and walks around the room.
"Does she always expose her breasts like that to men she has never meet before, I mean, Jesus Christ I can see her nipples." Looking over at Richard, "Does your Mom always show herself off like that?"
"How dare you speak to us that way," Says Mr. Lowell
"How dare I, your wife is the one sitting there with her tits hanging out and she's been flirting with me ever since she sat down."
"Linda, button up your blouse."
"Good, now I can concentrate."
Alex is starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Bobby does have an unusual way of interrogating people, but some how this feels different.
Bobby sits back down, this time between Mister and Misses Lowell.
"You don't think your son is responsible, do you?"
Mr. Lowell speaks. "No, he didn't force those kids to drink and do drugs."
"Did you know that she was only fourteen years old?"
Richard says, "No, no way there were freshman at my party."
"Are you trying to tell us," Pointing at Alex. "That you knew every kid that was there that night."
"UM, no, I guess not."
"According to the police report." Bobby opens his leather case. "There were at least 60 to 70 kids in and around your house that night."
Mrs. Lowell says. "It was an accident."
"No, it was murder, she was suffocated."
Looking at Richard, "But you already knew that didn't you?"
Richard is shaking his head. "NO!"
"You killed her you little bastard, why?"
"I didn't kill her I swear, I couldn't hurt anyone."
"Yeah, well I think you could and I know did, you knew that she was drunk and it would be easy to get back at her, you held a pillow over her face."
"No, No it wasn't me."
"Why, why did you do it, did she make fun of you, call you a dork and you couldn't take it anymore, could you? The name calling, these kids, the only reason they come to your parties is because you supply them with alcohol and drugs and after you do that for them, they still make fun of you, you just don't fit in."
Looking at Mister and Misses Lowell, "We went to your sons school, Detective Eames and I. and we couldn't find one kid who even considers themselves his friend and the only reason they go to his parties is because of the exuberate amount of alcohol and drugs that they know will be there."
"That's not true."
"The M.E. said that she was unconscious when she was suffocated, we couldn't find any skin under her fingernails, no fibers were found from the killers clothes." Looking at Richard, "When you found her lying there, you thought you could get back at her, didn't you?"
"No. I did not do that."
"Did you try to take advantage of her? The buttons to her blouse were done up wrong and her bra was unhooked in the back but we did not find any semen. Did you try to have sex with her but you couldn't get it up? So you blamed her, didn't you, got angry and then you suffocated her."
Richard is shaking his head no.
Bobby stands up and walks around the room, "Come on Richard, admit it, I know you did it."
Richard stays silent.
Bobby sits down next to Richard. "You think you were picked on in high school wait till you get to prison, everyday they'll be some guy just waiting to fuck you in the ass."
"You can't talk to us that way, do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
Bobby stand up looks at Mr. and Mrs. Lowell. "Sure I do. A drunk, a slut, and a murderer."
Captain Deakins knocks on the window.
"We'll be right back."
"Don't you think you were a little hard on him?"
"No. What did you want me to do, kiss his ass?"
"I didn't say that."
"Why? Whose brother in law is he?"
"No one that I know of, besides that has never mattered to me, you know that, it wasn't the parents I was talking about, I meant the kid."
Kid or not he's a murderer."
"Are you really convinced that he did it?"
"Yes I am."
Alex has been quite since they went into the observation room. "You know it's funny that you never discussed with me what you were going to do in there."
"What. I have to explain everything that I do with you?"
"No not everything. I didn't know what direction you were heading, you kept changing strategies."
Very sarcastically, he says. "Well if your having trouble keeping up."
"Keeping up?" She raises her voice. "You pompous bastard, you think that I can't keep up with you?"
"Well now that you say it."
She interrupts him. "No Bobby, keep your mouth shut, it's my turn to talk. Do you think you can handle that? I mean someone else's voice besides yours? For the past week I have put up with your shitty attitude, fool moods and you barely speak to me. If there's something bothering you, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting not to care, you better do something about."
Alex turns and slams the door as she leaves the room.
The Captain is ready to say something when Bobby does the same.
Alex is at her desk putting things in order as Bobby passes and heads for the roof.
The roof of One Police Plaza has always been a haven for Bobby. He sits up against the two-foot ledge, goes into his pocket, and takes out a cigarette. Within five minutes Alex is on the roof, she walks over to him and he looks up at her.
"I'm sorry. I have a habit of saying things before my brain has a chance to catch up."
Sarcastically she says. "No, really, I've never noticed."
"You know how bright I think you are."
"Damn right."
She sits down next to him.
"When did you start smoking again?"
Last week sometime, I know it's disgusting but it calms me down.
"Well I don't think you're smoking enough."
He laughs and so does she.
"Can't get anything past you, can I?"
"No, you never have and you never will."
He looks at her. "Pompous bastard?"
"I just calls em as I sees em, besides you deserved it."
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"Of course, I really didn't mean that I don't care about what's bothering you."
He just smiles and shakes his head.
"What? What are you grinning about?"
"We're a pair, aren't we?"
He lights up another cigarette, he just looks up at the sky. Alex puts her arm through his and says nothing. She waits for him to talk.
"She's going to get away with it. I know it. She's going to beat me again."
Alex hears something in his voice that she has never heard before, self-doubt, as if his confidence has been shattered.
"I mean look at her and look at me. Do you really think they'll believe me?"
"Why shouldn't they? It's not like she's new to the courtroom scene, she's been there before. They will remember her. Bobby with your help we have arrested her three accomplices and they are all willing to testify against her and along with your testimony, she'll be convicted this time, you'll see, I'm sure of it."
He smiles at her as she moves closer to him. He puts his arms around her. He looks down at her as he traces the outline of her chin with his finger and lifts her head ever so gently. Their eyes meet, he kisses her lightly on the lips, and then he pulls away very quickly. "I'm sorry."
Before she has a chance to say anything or even respond, his lips are on hers again, she opens her mouth to let his tongue in, she runs her fingers through his hair and pulls him closer to her. He leaves her lips and starts nibbling and kissing her ear. He caresses her breasts as he starts to kiss her neck. His hands are all over her body. His hand touches her leg and he rubs the inside of her thigh as he spreads her legs apart, his hand slips between her legs.
"Bobby."
She takes a hold of his hand. He stops kissing her and lays his head down on her shoulder.
"This isn't the right place or time. Let's not do something that we might regret later."
He nods his head in agreement
"Do I have to let you go now?"
"No."
They hold each other in silence.
"Well I guess we'd better go back down."
"Yeah they might think I killed you."
He laughs. "For a moment there I don't know... you looked like you wanted to."
"Believe me it crossed my mind. And not just today."
They both laugh. Bobby stand ups. "It's so quiet up here, you almost forget all the shit that goes on down there."
"Come on Bobby let's go."
"Yeah, yeah,"
As soon as they enter the squad room, Captain Deakins notices them and exits his office quickly.
"Is everything alright?" He asks looking at Alex.
"Yes, it's been worked out." She looks at Bobby who is smiling at her.
Looking in Bobby's direction, "Carver said we had to cut the kid loose, are you alright with that?"
"Yeah, the kid didn't do it, after all the things I said to him and the personality he has, he would have admitted it, just to please me."
Alex walks from behind her desk. "When did you come to that realization?"
"About two minutes ago, ok."
"OK."
Bobby picks up his leather case. "Well I have had about enough of this place that I can take for one day. I'm outta here."
Deakins wishes them both a good night and goes back to his office.
"Alex?"
"Yeah."
"Are we ok?"
"Yeah. Bobby we're ok."
"Thanks Alex, Goodnight."
"Bobby, wait."
"What?"
"Do you want to get something to eat?"
"Sure."
They start walking toward the elevator. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Something fattening." Alex says.
He laughs.
TBC