Nick walked back into his office. He sighed and sat down.
"No luck?" Louis asked.
"Yep. So much luck. Still alive. Still got this job. Still a single, twice divorced, still good looking man."
"Yeah, you probably got a year or two left of your looks."
"Ugh. I am sure that I have more than just two years."
"Okay. Three" he chuckled. "But you aren't getting any younger Nick."
Nick sighed. "I will find someone. I just have to-"
"Stop sleeping around?"
"Yes- no! No… maybe? I was going to say settle down, but whatever."
"If you stop sleeping around it makes it easier to settle."
"Whatever. How long have you been with your girl now?" he asked, feigning interest.
"Four years."
"Shit. My first marriage didn't even last fourteen months." He grabbed his cigarette pack and lighter. "Smoke break." He got up and walked outside. Lighting a cigarette, he leaned against the wall.
He sighed as the cigarette burned down to orange. He put it out against the wall. He didn't bother lighting another one. He walked back inside and was greeted by a pissed off Rupert Blum. Blum was a tall, thin man with the personality of a lemon.
"Lissoni, what's going on?"
"With what?"
"The murder. Our suspect."
"I have spoken to a few people. Uh… Ellis said he, Francis, was at the garage between seven and eight thirty. I also spoke to his roommate Keith who said he heard gunshots at six twenty."
"Anything else?"
"Still looking for leads."
"Today you do overtime. I want as much found out today as you can. Louis is going back out and I expect you to do the same."
Nick nodded. "Okay boss, I'm out." Nick walked back inside, bumping into Blum on the way.
"Nicolas, watch yourself."
"Whatever." He grabbed the keys and walked back out. All he had to do was see what other leads he could find.
He drove back to the scene. A few of the guys were still there.
"Nick" one said.
He looked around. "Yeah?"
"Is it okay if we start packing up?"
"Yeah, yeah. Do what you have to."
"Thanks Nick."
He nodded and looked what was surrounding the scene.
A park. A few small houses that looked empty. And a multi-level, 24/7 car park. Nothing much of use except the fact that the place was absolutely deserted. That was something.
But what was the motive?
Why this guy?
Who did it?
These were the questions he needed answered.
These were the things he needed to find out.
And he knew he could solve this. He just needed the right leads.
…
He hated finishing late.
He hated even just going to work.
Today had sucked.
He walked over to the liquor cabinet and grabbed the whiskey bottle, pouring himself a drink. "Just one" he murmured to himself. "One is fine. Two is bad." Who the fuck was he kidding? He wanted to get wasted. It made life easier.
He sat down on the lounge, setting the bottle on the coffee table. He leaned back in his chair, dejected. He wasn't proud of most of the things in his life. Hell, he couldn't list something he was. Everything he did ended in failure. He had no idea how he had managed to become a cop. Sheer luck and the fact that several others dropped out through training where he persevered. He wanted to finish something other than rehab.
He finished his drink and carefully poured himself another drink. He sighed and sipped at it, feeling tired from work.
"Why do I even bother?" he murmured to himself. "What is the point…" he forgot what he was rambling about and felt even more pissed off. He stood up and walked around the studio apartment, clumsily undressing himself while holding what was left of his drink. He hung his clothes over the back of a dining chair, grabbed the whiskey bottle and topped up his glass. He sighed and decided to just drink from the bottle, which he did, until he eventually passed out on the couch.
…
He woke up half way through the night, raging headache and stomach cramping. He groaned and stumbled to the bathroom, throwing up in toilet. "Fuck" he groaned. "Teach me to drink on an empty stomach" he berated himself with that line for what felt like the millionth time in his life.
He sat up and leaned against the wall, irritated with himself. He always regretted drinking. It didn't matter how many AA meetings he had been to, or how often he would drag himself to the hospital after almost passing out, he could never stop. He wasn't even sure why. He just drank, and drank and hoped that eventually, he would just come to his senses and stop. Five years too late. Since his second divorce he was even more out of it than usual. At least his coke habit was gone. Almost lost his job over that. Yayo was no longer a weakness. He thought about it occasionally, but he never bothered going out of his way to get some.
He rubbed his temples, his head throbbing more. He wanted to take asprin, but he didn't know if he could take tablets, let alone have something to eat with it. He got up, groaning, and managed to walk back to the bed. He lay in the mess of sheets, wishing he was sober.
He rolled over on his side, wrapping himself up in the sheets like a cocoon. He closed his eyes and finally found peaceful sleep.
...
Louis walked into Nick's office. "Hey man. Going out for dinner with Zoey on Friday night."
Nick looked up at him, bleary eyed and head pounding. He rolled his eyes. "So?"
"Well, you should bring someone too. Ellis maybe?"
Nick laughed loudly. "Oh man, Ellis? I can do better."
Louis raised a brow. "You're thirty five. I bet you you can't."
"I'm thirty-fuckin'-six Lois. You're betting with me?"
"I am."
"Well, I can do better than Ellis."
Louis chuckled. "Well, if you wanna come Friday night let me know."
"Well, I can do better than Ellis, but Ellis is playing hard to get" Nick sighed, leaning back on his office chair, wishing he had asprun for the damn hangover. "Told me not to bother him again when I stopped by the other day."
Louis chuckled. "Man, he really is keen on you."
"You are an idiot. I'm the last person he wants-"
"How do you know?"
"What makes you so sure? Anyway, since when were you a matchmaker?"
"Sometimes you just know" he shrugged. "Also, I know you aren't picky with who you choose to sleep with."
"Real nice-"
"I will rephrase that. You aren't picky with genders, as long as they are hot. Ellis isn't too bad."
Nick sighed and leaned back. "Louis, go away."
Louis shrugged. He leaned on Nick's desk. "Just tell him you wanna go for a beer."
"No."
"I will do it for you" he smirked, grabbing Nick's phone.
"Louis!"
Louis' fingers worked quick as he texted Ellis.
Nick tackled him to the floor, which wasn't the best move for his hangover, and tried to grab the phone, but instead he knocked Louis' hand who sent the message.
"Shit Nick" Louis said, pushing Nick away.
"What did you type?" Nick gasped.
Louis shrugged. "Take it back." He passed the phone back to Nick.
Nick took the phone in his hand, looking at it like it was the most evil thing in the world. Then it vibrated. "Shit" he dropped it, sitting up from the floor. He looked at the phone and pressed on the message icon.
Louis hovered around, watching the scene unfold. "What's it say?"
"None of your fuckin' business." Nick couldn't believe the reply he received. He grinned.
Louis smiled. "Guessing it was good news?"
"Well, I will be joining you for your double date on Friday."
"Told you you should have just messaged him."
Nick scrolled up to read the message Louis had sent.
Ellis, sorry for being an asshole, join me for beer Friday night, Nicolas x debcijdjcwdcijbdwbck
Nick frowned. "What is the 'x'?"
"It's a kiss. Duh."
"What the fuck Louis?"
"He said yes, didn't he?"
"Hopefully he thought it was part of whatever the fuck that last bit was."
"That was when you tackled me." Louis slipped the phone from Nick's hand. "He didn't end his message with a kiss. 'Hi Nick, yeah, okay, Friday night would suit. Where are we meeting?' That's cute" Louis chuckled.
"Shut up."
"What are you two idiots doing?"
Nick looked up at Blum.
Louis but his lip. "Hey, uh… well, just…"
"Anything new?" Blum asked, ignoring Louis' attempt.
"Not yet Sir" said Nick, standing back up.
"Well, stop clowning around and get back to work."
"Yes Sir."
"Nick, I like you, you do your work, you get shit done, but lately you're just… you seem distracted. What is going on?"
"Nick has a boyfriend" Louis whispered.
Blum looked at Louis, slightly amused. Which Nick always thought was a creepy look on the man.
Nick pushed Louis lightly. "Ignore him, I am not seeing anyone."
"They probably wouldn't be able to put up with you anyway."
"Harsh."
Louis laughed. "Ah, man, that was great."
Blum smiled, seemingly happy his point of view was appreciated. "How is Zoey?"
"Good. She is going great."
"Good. She is Lovely girl."
"Her dad wants me to propose, but she wants to finish college before we get married."
"She is almost finished though, right?"
"She graduates this year."
Blum looked back at Nick. "I guess you advised him not to get married?"
"No. Zoey isn't like my ex's."
Blum raised a brow. "I think the problem is you, not your ex's."
Louis laughed. "That's what I say!"
"Well Louis, you're right."
Nick sighed, not appreciative of the fact his boss and work partner were laughing at him.
"But Nick does have a date."
"It's nothing like that, he is just joining-" Nick didn't want to say dinner. Dinner was a date, wasn't it? Joining him for a beer? Now that shit was manly.
"The suspense for Friday night is killing him" Louis chuckled.
Blum chuckled, which was slightly more terrifying than when he smiled.
"Look, this isn't about my love life, or lack of, we have shit to do Louis."
"That's why I have been saying" sighed Blum, waving his hands exasperatedly. "Jesus Christ."
Nick rolled his eyes and walked out, Louis hi-fiving Blum on the way out.
Nick rolled his eyes. "You're an ass Louis."
"You're just annoyed cause Blum and me are right."
"Whatever."
"So, you are keen to see Ellis?" he joked.
"Don't want to hear the name 'Ellis' again, 'kay?"
"Ellis? Ellis, Ellis, Ellis?"
"I hate you."
"No you don't. Lemme tell you, I'm keen to see Zoey again."
"Because it's been a whole six hours since you saw her last?"
"Six and a half. She had to catch an earlier bus today."
"Wow, sorry man. Must be killing you."
"Not as much as you not seeing Ellis for over thirty six hours."
"Fuck off, I don't even like him."
"Then why did you invite him to dinner tomorrow night?"
Nick looked at Louis, who seemed totally oblivious to Nick's internal breakdown fuelled by a crippling headache and general irritation with everything in his life. "You invited him! He is some sort of fuckin' help in this case, but you think I should make it romantic. I have standards. He would be scraping at the bottom of the barrel down from 'potential-'"
"You are such a drama queen."
"Well you should stop trying to set me up with a hick."
"You two are still fighting about this?" Blum asked, walking past them.
Nick groaned. "Goddammit."
Louis laughed. "Ah, bet you can't wait for dinner tomorrow now."
"I want to skip out on it."
"Aw, don't be like that. Ellis seems keen."
"He doesn't seem anything. He replied via a fucking text message. Can we just get shit done?"
"Sure. The quicker this day goes, the quicker dinner will come 'round."
"Ugh" Nick sighed. "Okay, please can we not talk about tomorrow night?"
"Fine."
...
Today had been frankly, shit. Three days and nothing. Fuckin nothing.
God this case was shit. Blum wanted someone arrested, Louis and Nick had to make sure it was the right person.
