Sergeant Brice sighed to himself as he trudged out of Lieutenant Anderson's office and back towards the interrogation room. It hadn't been easy on anyone ever since Lieutenant Tragg had been gravely wounded, but he had tried to bottle up his own pain. He had known Tragg for far longer than Andy had, but he didn't have the additional burden of feeling like he had to take over for Tragg and do everything just so. Nor did he have the deep-rooted issues with Perry that Andy had. If he were honest with himself, the entire encounter with Andy had really worn him out.
He wished and hoped that Tragg would be allowed to come back, especially since that was what Tragg wanted. But he wondered if that would completely fix the stress Andy was under. Would Andy feel like a failure in Tragg's eyes? Would he just keep being wound up about Perry and this case until he snapped altogether?
I wish I knew how to help him, Brice thought sadly to himself. Lieutenant Tragg would probably know, but he's not well enough to be burdened with knowing how bad off Lieutenant Anderson is getting. I can't tell him that.
He almost walked into Perry coming out of the interrogation room. "Excuse me, Sergeant," Perry apologized, gently touching Brice's arm to avoid the crash as he walked past.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mason," Brice said. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
Perry paused, really studying Brice now. "Is everything alright?"
Brice hesitated. He considered Perry his friend and he was also really quite close to Della, but he wasn't sure he would feel right telling all of his concerns about Andy to Perry. Perry was certainly aware of Andy's increasing stress, however, so for the most part Brice would not be saying anything Perry didn't know.
He realized he had hesitated too long when Perry said, "I imagine Lieutenant Anderson is very upset about this case."
"Yes," Brice said, snapping back to the present. "I'm afraid he is. It reminds him of Lieutenant Tragg, I think." He debated with himself again before adding, "And he's upset that you've taken up the defense."
Perry just nodded. "I thought as much. But I believe in the innocence of my client, Sergeant. The murderer is still out there."
"I know you figure he's innocent, Mr. Mason, and maybe he is," Brice said. "But Lieutenant Anderson is upset anyway. It's the stress from what happened to Lieutenant Tragg, really. He's never got over that. In some way, maybe he feels like putting this murderer away will vindicate him for not being able to do anything when Lieutenant Tragg was shot."
"Maybe he does," Perry agreed. "But it is not a proper attitude for a police officer. Lieutenant Anderson is treading on thin ice."
Brice looked down. "I know that. And deep down, so does he."
Now Perry hesitated. "I could talk to him, but I'm afraid he would only resent it coming from me and it wouldn't do any good."
Brice nodded. "I think it's better if you steer clear of him as much as possible."
"I will do what I can, but it won't be easy considering we're working the same case," Perry pointed out.
"I know," Brice said. "I'll try to help him calm down, but I don't think I'll be able to do too much. I haven't so far." I've probably made it worse.
"You really need another Lieutenant in the squad," Perry said. He started to walk towards the door. "It's too much for Andy to take on the responsibility of being the senior Lieutenant in addition to his own duties, all while he's stressing about Lieutenant Tragg as well."
"He doesn't want another Lieutenant," Brice explained. "Lieutenant Tragg wants to come back, and it's difficult enough talking the Captain into it. Normally someone his age is taken off the force after being seriously wounded. Lieutenant Anderson is afraid that if another Lieutenant comes in, it will make it impossible for Lieutenant Tragg to come back."
"He may not have a choice," Perry replied. "It can't go on this way much longer, Sergeant. We both know that."
"Yes," Brice said quietly.
Perry gave him a kind look. "I'll be by tomorrow to talk with my client, unless I learn something important before then."
Brice nodded. "Of course, Mr. Mason."
xxxx
Andy met Brice as he was coming back through the squad room towards Andy's office. "Well, you two certainly are chummy," he remarked.
Brice sighed. "There's no need to be hostile towards him."
"And I usually am not," Andy said. "But I haven't made him one of my best friends, either. Anyway, let's go." He moved past Brice and started towards the interrogation room.
Brice hurried after him. "You know, Thompson might not even speak to you without Mr. Mason present."
"I know," Andy said in frustration. "Perry's probably told him to insist on that. Why wasn't I told before Perry ever got here?!"
"Mr. Mason was already at the station for another reason when Thompson was brought in," Brice explained. "I went to you immediately."
"I see." Andy stopped just outside the door. "I want you to come in with me, Sergeant," he said. "Be my witness that I will conduct myself in a manner befitting the L.A.P.D. If he refuses to talk without Perry, I won't push it."
"Will you call Mr. Mason back?" Brice asked.
"What would be the point?" Andy sighed. "It would just be a constant stream of wasted questions met with 'Don't answer that.'" Weariness passed over his face. But as he opened the door and went in, the exhaustion visibly vanished. He wouldn't show his weakness to a possible murderer.
Buck Thompson looked up warily. "So what is it now?" he asked. "Who are you?"
"Lieutenant Anderson," Andy said crisply. "I'm in charge of the investigation into your case."
Brice entered quietly after his superior and shut the door, standing by it in the shadows with one hand on top of his other hand.
"So you waited until my lawyer was gone before showing up?" Thompson frowned.
"I didn't even know about your case until your lawyer was already here," Andy insisted. "Of course, you have the right to have your attorney present during questioning. I'm sure you were informed of that and your other rights."
"Yeah, I was." But Thompson didn't look any less wary. "So what are you doing here?"
"I'm wondering if you'll talk to me anyway," Andy said. "If you're innocent, you have nothing to hide."
Thompson laced his fingers on the desk. "I'm innocent and I have nothing else to say."
Andy was annoyed, but not surprised. "You certainly act shameless about having tried to rob an old man."
"A dead old man!" Thompson exclaimed. "I wanted the money for my live little girl. Is that so terrible?!"
"Didn't you even consider that perhaps he had heirs to whom that money should go?" Andy countered.
"He looked pretty well-off," Thompson scowled. "I was sure they didn't need it like I did."
Andy folded his arms. "And you still insist that you didn't see this well-off old man when he was alive and think that since you needed the money more, you would simply take it from him by force?"
"Yes!" Thompson shouted. "I'm not a murderer. I could never kill anyone!"
"We'll let the jury decide that, Mr. Thompson." Andy all but spat the man's name as he turned to go.
"That's it?" Thompson blinked.
"Yes, that's it." Andy looked back to him. "If you were expecting police brutality or something else you could use in your favor, you are sadly mistaken. I won't do anything to help you get acquitted for this."
Brice opened the door and stepped into the hall, then waited while Andy came out.
"Take him back to his cell," Andy said in disgust to the officer just outside.
"Yes, Lieutenant," he nodded.
Andy looked to Brice as they walked away. "His attitude doesn't help his case any."
"I know, but that still doesn't mean he's a murderer," Brice said.
"I wish it did," Andy muttered. "I hate to think that the real killer is still out there and could kill again."
"But would you want a little girl to be without her father?" Brice said quietly. "It sounds like he's all she has."
"For that reason it would be better if he weren't the murderer, granted," Andy said wearily. "And Perry is probably going to milk that angle for all it's worth. Unfortunately, there are other children without anyone because their parents are criminals. If I start thinking about all the unhappy consequences of convicting a killer, I'll go insane. I'll leave that unpleasant task up to Perry and all the others like him. A murderer can't be allowed to go free just because he has a child!"
Brice gave a grim nod. "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going out to the scene of the crime," Andy announced. "And I want you to come with me."
Brice wasn't surprised. "Of course, Lieutenant."
"And speaking of that child, has anyone actually checked on the validity of Thompson's sob story or do they need to wait for the Okay from me to do it?"
Brice winced, but didn't comment. "It's true. I checked it out myself. She's at Rampart Emergency Hospital."
"Of course, that only makes his motivation for murder all the stronger," Andy said. "Any man can be pushed to kill another if the circumstances are right."
Brice believed that as well and kept quiet.
"And I suppose we'll probably find Perry and his crew at the murder scene when we arrive," Andy said in annoyance.
"That's probably one of the first places they'd go," Brice agreed.
"All the more reason to be quick about it." Andy increased his pace. "If there is any evidence there, we need to reach it first. If Perry gets to it, who knows if we'll ever see it until we get to court."
Brice hurried after him. "Mr. Mason always tries to get evidence to us," he protested.
"Let's say 'almost' always," Andy retorted. "I can think of a few times he didn't and still managed to not face the consequences due to technicalities. I'm sure Mr. Burger remembers as well." With that he strode out the door.
Not in the mood to argue the point, Brice decided to adopt his almost legendary silence as he followed.
xxxx
Andy was right about Perry being at the scene of the crime. Both he and Paul were walking around the area when Andy and Brice pulled up. Pressing his lips into a thin line, Andy got out of the car. A bit worried, Brice hurriedly followed.
"Why, hello, Perry, Paul," Andy greeted. He sounded pleasant enough, but there was a warning inflection to his voice that Brice most certainly noticed.
"Hello, Andy," Perry replied with a smile. Although he no doubt also heard that inflection, he made no mention of it.
"Have you found anything yet?" Andy asked. He walked over the grass as he spoke, looking about for anything that might have been overlooked by the initial response team.
"Not yet," said Perry.
"Well, I don't imagine there will be much of anything to find," Andy shrugged. "We already have the murder weapon and the murderer."
"You have the murder weapon and a person of interest," Perry corrected. "You have no way of knowing that Buck Thompson is the murderer."
Andy gave a single nod. "Fair enough. But you have no way of knowing that he isn't."
"That's true," Perry smiled. "But I intend that everyone will know at the hearing."
"One way or another, they will," Andy promised.
Paul came over to Perry as Andy and Brice started off in another direction. "Andy's pretty determined," he remarked. "You'd better be careful, Perry. He's acted more like our enemy than ever this past year."
"Andy is upset and angry, not just about Lieutenant Tragg, but because he doesn't agree with how we conduct our cases," Perry said.
"Well, I don't always agree with how you conduct our cases either," Paul retorted, "but I've learned to live with it. So has Tragg." Under his breath he added, "I almost kind of miss him being on the case."
"Andy is having a much more difficult time accepting it," Perry said. "He always has, because he has a very black-and-white view of right and wrong. But that doesn't mean I'm going to change my methods any time soon. I do whatever I feel is the right thing for my client, whether the police agree or not."
Paul sighed. "Just don't blame me if Andy really makes this one hard for you," he said. "With an old man as the victim, and Tragg still out of commission, Andy will probably be pulling out all the stops." He paused. "And what if this time your client really is guilty?"
"Then I will find out," Perry promised. "But innocent or guilty, he still deserves proper representation."
"I know, I know." Paul started to trudge away. Under his breath he muttered, "I just wonder if Andy will ever forgive you if you help a guilty man go free."
On the other hand, Paul knew that Perry wouldn't like that himself. As a defense attorney, he was committed to helping all of his clients get the best deals they could, whether they were innocent or guilty. But he never wanted to think that he had turned a dangerous person loose on society again, which was why he was so selective about the clients he took. He was almost always an amazing judge of character, something that never failed to impress and astound Paul. But unlike Della's unwavering faith, Paul wasn't sure that Perry wouldn't slip up sometime. No one could be right all the time.
Still, regardless of whether Buck Thompson was innocent or guilty, Paul had a very bad feeling about this case.