#2 - "Cooperation Takes Two"
The normally bustling streets of Kansas City were calm and quiet in the early hours of the morning. No one was stirring - except, of course, the two Pinkerton detectives.
Will and Kate walked down the street towards the Sheriff's office just as the sun was rising, Will grumbling the whole way there.
"I don't understand why we have to interview the suspect so early!" he complained. "It's not like they're going anywhere - they're in jail!"
"Oh, just hush and cooperate," Kate retorted. "We need to get an early start to analyze the suspect's alibi as well as the evidence we gathered yesterday. If we waited until the afternoon to do everything, it would take a week to solve a case!"
"But at least we'd be alert and attentive," he mumbled crossly.
Kate decided to ignore him.
The Sheriff's office was unlocked when they entered, but Sheriff Logan was nowhere to be seen. Only the guard, a young man whose name both detectives had forgotten, sat behind the desk, barely awake with bleary eyes.
"I-I wasn't fallin' asleep!" he cried drowsily when they walked in.
"S'alright, we just need to talk to the suspect," Will said placidly. He then winked at the guard. "You can go back to sleep now."
The guard gave a groggy nod and began to drift off again. Will was expecting Kate to turn around and yell at the two of them for being incompetent workers, but she was too busy rousing the suspect and trying to question him.
"Mr. Sloane, sorry to wake you so early but we have a few questions we need to ask," Kate said as the man quickly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"You apologize to him, but not me?" Will grumbled, and Kate once again ignored him.
Once the man, Mr. Sloane, was fully awake and alert, the two detectives questioned him about his connection and involvement in the recent murder they were investigating. Or more accurately, Kate questioned the man while Will stood behind her. He knew that she was technically the head detective, but sometimes he wished she would trust him more and actually let him do something besides just follow her around.
When Kate had finished interrogating the suspect, she nodded to Will and the both of them left.
"He's hiding something," she said immediately as the Sheriff's door closed. "His voice became very strained when I asked where he was during the time of the murder, and his eye contact was incongruous; half the time he would be staring intently into my eyes, the other half he wouldn't even look at me."
Will wasn't sure what 'incongruous' meant, but was too afraid to ask so he simply nodded.
"Maybe we should check out the crime scene again and see if there are any clues that contribute or contradict to Sloane's story," Will suggested. "Then we can-"
"We looked there yesterday," Kate interrupted, dismissing his proposal. "I'm pretty sure we didn't miss anything, plus I already made arrangements to meet with two other witnesses, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, at the Dubois and ask them what they saw that day."
Will began to feel irritated at her presumptuous tone. "And then what'll we do after we question them?"
"We'll take their stories and compare them to Mr. Sloane's, and then we'll take the gun we found left at the crime scene and..." she continued on rattling off all the plans she had made, not aware of Will's growing frustration.
Finally he stopped her, exclaiming, "Are you ever going to include me in making plans? I feel like you don't even need my help! I'm your partner, not your silent shadow!"
Kate rolled her eyes at his outburst. "Will, will you just relax and cooperate with me without throwing a temper tantrum?"
"I'm not having a tantrum! I'm saying you need to start consulting with me before you make decisions!" Will explained exasperatedly.
"Was that a threat?" Kate arched an eyebrow.
Will glowered. "No, it was an aggressive suggestion. You're always telling me to cooperate, but it takes two y'know. We're supposed to be a team."
Kate turned and glared at him, her mouth open to retort when suddenly she closed it and looked away, not saying anything at all. Will stood still, waiting for her to make a comeback, but she just turned and walked away, motioning for him to follow.
They went and met with Mr. and Mrs. Seller at the Dubios and got the information they needed, and then went back to Kate's farmhouse afterwards, their brief argument seemingly forgotten. Apparently it wasn't though, for Will had just sat down at her kitchen table when she turned to him and said, "I thought about what you said, and I'm...sorry, for earlier." She didn't meet his eyes as she apologized.
Will, however, was staring at her, mouth agap. "What?"
"I'm - I'm sorry for not treating you like a partner should. I should know better, and from now on I'll take your suggestions and considerations into account when I'm making - no, when we, are making plans."
She finally looked at Will and he could see the humbled expression on her face as she admitted her fault. He honestly hadn't thought she would listen to him, but found he was pleasantly surprised that she did.
"Well, I guess if you're making history today, I might as well too: thank you for cooperating with me, Mrs. Warne."
Kate nodded at his thanks, but then frowned as she asked, "And just how are we making history today?"
"Today is the day the history books will remember as the day Kate Warne admitted she was sorry and wrong, and Will Pinkerton forgave her and thanked her." He gave her a smirk once he finished, and just like that, they were back to normal.
"Don't make me change my mind, Pinkerton. I still am your boss," Kate boasted, all signs of sobriety gone. She returned his smirk for one of her own. "And I wouldn't put too much faith into those history books of yours - often times they're inaccurate."
Their banter continued on, and it wasn't until later that day when Will decided that Kate Warne really wasn't half as bad as he thought she was, and maybe, just maybe, they could eventually become friends.