CHAPTER THREE

"Oh, God," Bobby thought. "I'm sorry, Eames. I got myself in trouble again." He closed his eyes and waited for the crash of Copa's fist against his face and the resulting pain. When, after several moments, he felt neither the crash nor the pain, he opened his eyes. Instead of Copa's angry face, he saw a shocked Alex standing a few feet away from him.

"Oh, God," Bobby thought again. "Please don't let her get caught in this mess." He stared at her for a moment. "Where's Copa?" he thought. Bobby heard a strangled cry just to his right. He turned, and saw Mike Logan jamming Copa up against the brick wall.

"I…I'll report this," Copa spluttered. "Get your damn hands off me!"

Logan laughed the dark, careless laugh of a man who had nothing to lose.

"There's no one to report it to, you rat bastard," Logan snarled. "I'm the guy they're having the farewell party for."

Fear filled Copa's eyes.

"I'm just like you…a private citizen," Logan continued. "What you say we go into this alley and talk as a couple of private citizens?"

Copa shrunk several inches. "I…I don't have any beef with you…but…Goren…He cost me my job…"

"Goren's my friend," Logan said firmly. "Guy saved my life. If you got a beef with him, you got a beef with me."

Bobby eased his body from the wall and looked at the crowd. It consisted mostly of cops. He was nearly sober, but he couldn't gage the crowd's mood to tell if it was filled with Copa's friends, Logan's supporters, or curious neutral bystanders.

"Logan," Bobby said cautiously. "You don't have to…"

Logan remained focused on Copa. "Yea, I do, Goren," he said. "I wouldn't blame Goren for your troubles, Copa. I know about you. How you left your partner for a quickee with your girlfriend…"

Copa blinked and looked desperately for his friends. He saw only hostile faces, with Alex and Logan's the angriest among them. The only vaguely sympathetic face he saw belonged to Bobby Goren.

Logan shoved Copa in the direction of the alley. "And you shouldn't have been on the job anyway," he said. "And you knew it. And then you lied to protect yourself. Not only did you help get your partner killed, you lied and his killer nearly got away with it."

"Logan," Bobby said softly. "It's not worth it…It's not a big deal…Don't ruin your party by messing with this guy."

"It just might make the party for me," Logan said. "There's a lot of things I won't miss about the job…I've seen a lot of terrible things…But bad cops like you…They're the worst." Logan nodded at Bobby. "You see that guy, Copa…Take a good look at him. He's what you aren't…What you'll never be…A good cop. A great detective. A great partner. A good man. I'd rather have one cop like him backing me up than a thousand like you."

Bobby's heart pounded and his head spun. For a moment, he was afraid he'd have to lean back against the wall for support.

A figure moved through the crowd. "What's going on?" Danny Ross asked. He saw Copa, and a look of anger and disgust crossed his face.

"Logan," Alex said calmly. "Was dealing with an unwanted arrival."

Several of the cops smiled. Logan released his grip on Copa, but didn't back away.

"Get out of here, Copa," Ross said, not trying to hide his anger. "Get out of here before I let Logan at you. This party is for good cops and a good ex-cop."

Copa scuttled away, tossing frequent, fearful looks over his shoulder.

"I can't leave you three alone for a minute without you finding some trouble to get into," Ross said as the crowd broke up.

"More like trouble finds us," Alex said. She turned to Bobby. "You ok?"

He looked at her, then Logan, and then Ross. "Uh…Yea…I'm fine…"

Alex shook her head. "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…I can't let you out of my sight."

"I…I just needed some fresh air," Bobby said plaintively. "That's all…"

Ross fought against smiling. At that moment, Robert Goren reminded him of one of his teenaged sons caught doing something he wasn't sure he should be.

"It's ok, Bobby," Alex said. "I'm really angry with Logan."

"With me!" Logan said. "Hey, I'm the one who rescued your partner!"

"And deprived me of the pleasure of dealing with Copa myself," Alex said.

"You may have just saved Copa's life," Ross said.

"I shoulda let Eames at him, then," Logan grinned.

"Or you may have saved Eames' career," Bobby said softly.

Logan broke the awkward silence that followed Bobby's words. "Well, if I'm such a hero, somebody better buy me a drink."

Logan led them back into the bar. Bobby took up the rear. "I…I'm sorry," he said to Alex as he held the bar's door for her.

"Bobby," Alex said patiently. "Did you call Copa and ask him to wait for you? Did you confront him? Fight him?"

"No…"

"Well, then…Even I can't blame you for this. C'mon…I'm pretty sure I can get a margarita out of Deakins. I be you can get a Scotch out of Carver."

Bobby reluctantly followed her into the bar.

END CHAPTER THREE