Messy Fo Cho
(Coming Together)
The next morning, Cho arrived early, wanting to check something using the CBI databases. He was greeted by the smell of coffee and an open box of doughnuts on the large work table. "Morning, Cho," Jane chirped in a gruesomely cheerful manner.
Cho grunted a half civil greeting, grabbed a doughnut and headed for the coffee pot. He fired up the main terminal, the one that had access to all of the CBI databases, logged in, and started his morning research.
Jane sipped his tea and watched Cho with curiosity. Cho was not a lover of the computer, offering the opinion, several times, that foot work and interviews were the basis of good investigation, so his intensity on the terminal was out of character. Cho slightly nodded and faintly smiled. He leaned back took a big bite of the still untouched doughnut and washed it down with a good gulp of coffee. Logging out of the CBI databases, he returned to his desk with a very satisfied look on his face.
"So?" Jane stared at Cho.
Cho looked up and sort of cocked his head to one side. "Is that a question?"
The arrival of the rest of the team interrupted any answer that Cho would have made. The quickly decimated the lone box of doughnuts and emptied the coffee pot. Rigsby started a new one mentioning that this pot would have some "real" character, eliciting groans from Van Pelt and Lisbon.
"It's coffee, Wayne. Coffee. Not mud," Grace said.
Wayne turned. "You can make it weaker, but I can't make it stronger. If it's a little too strong for you, a little water solves the problem, right?" He looked satisfied with his explanation.
"OK, people. Let's focus. We do have a case in progress and the Mayor is breathing down our necks on this one." Lisbon glanced around at everyone. "I guess we should continue discussing our interviews with the witnesses."
Jane grinned. "I don't think we need to. Cho has it all figured out."
"Yes, that's funny, Jane. Really funny." Lisbon was not amused. "I'm trying to be serious."
"I'm not kidding," Jane replied. "Ask him. Go ahead ask him."
All heads turned towards Cho. Who continued sipping his coffee expressionless. "Did you tell Jane you have it figured out." Lisbon asked.
Cho sipped is coffee. "No. Never said that."
Everyone waited, but Cho just sipped his coffee reached into the empty doughnut box for a little powdered sugar.
Finally Jane spoke. "You know something, Cho. We are all on the same team. What did you discover."
Cho smiled a genuine smile. "Why I'd be happy to tell you, Patrick, since you asked." Cho was clearly enjoying knowing something that Jane had not figured out.
"When I came in, this morning, I got on the databases and cross referenced all of the witnesses for some common element. I did find a lot of information that our mayor would rather not be made public and that the councilwoman and the lobbyist would not want to become general knowledge. None of which would trigger a hit on them in such a sloppy fashion.
"The interesting thing was the second lawyer, not the one banging the mayor's daughter. His name is Rolf Anders, and he is the lawyer representing a fairly heavy hitter drug dealer in an upcoming case. Another person at the coffee shop at the time of the shooting was a Willie Acuzio. He is states evidence in this drug case. Apparently his involvement is supposed to be secret, but I found it with no problem.
"What do you bet that I'm not the only one that found it?"
"I'm impressed, Cho. I'm very impressed." Jane hosted his tea cup to Cho. "Good job! You've saved us all a lot of time."
Cho's face went instantly inscrutable. Exactly what he thought of the comment was unclear, but he did offer a polite, "Thank you." to Jane, who was as unsure as everyone else how sincere it was.
oOo
Rolf Anders's office was not in the high rent district nor was it totally shabby. His name was on the frosted glass window of the door to his office: Rolf Anders Esq., Attorney at Law.
"Right place," Jane observed to Cho.
"Yea," he answered.
Jane knocked on the door and from withing came the word, "Come!"
They entered to see a small office, Willie seated behind a nice desk that was moderately cluttered, facing the door.
As they entered, Jane stopped in his tracks. "Mr. Anders, we are not a threat to you. We are CBI and we're interested in keeping you alive." Jane turned to Cho. "Show him your badge, Cho."
"Real slow, two fingers," Anders said.
Cho nodded, understanding instantly. He retrieved his badge with two fingers and showed it to Willie.
Rolf removed his hand from beneath his desk, revealing a colt .45 auto, which he placed within easy reach on the desk. "Yes, I have a license and it's current."
"You were used and could have been as dead as Willie Acuzio was supposed to be, you know," Jane said.
Rolf sneered. "No shit, Sherlock! I figured that out all by myself. Why do you think I'm packing?"
Cho leaned forward, supporting his weight on his hands, which he'd place on the desk, putting him eye to eye with the scared lawyer. "You want to get dead or get even?" he asked.
"You're going to give me a choice?"
"You willing to work with us?"
"Not if I have to break ethics."
"You're ethical?"
"Yes, are you?" Rolf spat back.
"Fair enough," Cho said. "I was out of line. I do that sometime."
Rolf seemed mollified at Cho's apology. "What do you want me to do?"
oOOOo
More coming.....
Let me know what you think and I'll try to write fast.
Comments and suggestions are welcome.