Patching Wounds: Chapter 4
By: The Confused One
A/N: This is turning out to be a lot longer and more popular than I expected. I guess I don't want everything to be quite so simple for them. LOL
Walking onto the eleventh floor, Bobby and Alex exchanged smiles. Heading for Deakins office, they stopped when they heard his voice behind them, "Goren, Eames. Good. I was about to call you. My office, please."
Bobby and Alex exchanged looks now and followed him in. Bobby took his customary corner, and Alex sat down, along with Deakins. Something in her gut told her something was wrong. Something told her that they needed to let him speak first. Alex finally asked, "Something wrong?"
Deakins sighed. He hated giving bad news. He started, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, IA sent up the preliminary report. That's obviously going to be fine. You should get your gun back in a couple of hours Eames. The bad news is Jonas Slaughter just called 911 about fifteen minutes ago. He claims to have found Anna murdered. That's why I was about to call you two."
Bobby was instantly worried about Alex. He wished he could see her face. She had killed Chance to protect Anna Leung-Slaughter, but he was the only one to visibly react. He almost hit the wall. He bitterly replied, "You know he did it."
Deakins sighed and nodded. He agreed, "Probably. It's why I want you two on this case. It's probably connected. Why are you two back here anyway?"
Bobby stopped dead in his tracks. His agitated pacing stopped. Not sure of what to say, he began, "We. We need to talk to you…"
Sensing what Bobby was about to say, Alex knew she couldn't let him. She quickly interrupted him, "It. It can wait till we're done with this. Don't worry about it Captain. Where was she found?"
Deakins eyed them carefully for a moment. With a sigh, he realized he wasn't going to get any more out of them. He answered, "At their home."
With a nod, Alex stood up. She informed Deakins, "Then that's where we'll be."
Walking out the door, he locked eyes with her. He was searching to make sure she was OK and an answer for why she had interrupted him. He decided to focus on the Anna's murder, for now. Reaching the elevator, he asked, "Are you OK?"
Alex nodded. Stepping into the elevator, she was relieved he had focused on this, instead of the other thing. She assured him, "I'm fine. I don't understand why she went back there, but I'm fine. I promise."
Bobby nodded in return, accepting her words. Letting that subject go, he ventured into the other subject, "I thought we were going to tell him."
Alex closed her eyes. She had been expecting that. Resisting the urge to touch him in any way, she tried to make him understand, "It wasn't the time. We can talk to him after we deal with this."
A part of Bobby was beginning to worry that something was always going to be getting in their way. Bobby silently mused that this was just another of many reasons to hate Jonas Slaughter. Bobby absently agreed, "Right."
Getting off the elevator now, Alex dared to touch his arm. She knew exactly what was going through his head, and she knew she needed to reassure him. She spoke softly, "Its going to be fine. We already know who did this, so it shouldn't take too long."
Bobby knew, intellectually, that what she was saying was true, but his gut wouldn't quite follow. He couldn't quite completely believe it, and he didn't know why. He was still worried. Trying to ignore it, he agreed, again, "Right. I'm fine. I promise."
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On his knees, Bobby moved Anna's neck around a little. He shook his head and looked up to find Alex. He could tell she was watching him. He smiled, and explained, "She was strangled with bare hands." Pointing to her hand, he added, "And she fought back. There's skin under her fingernails. She had some vodka, before she died."
Alex nodded. Watching him stand again, she suggested, "We should talk to him now."
Heading towards the other room, Bobby finally agreed, "Yeah."
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Walking into the room, they were unprepared for Jonas Slaughter's outburst. Coming at Alex, he yelled, "You! You killed my son!"
Protectively coming between Alex and Jonas, Bobby threateningly ordered him, "Back off and sit down."
Looking Bobby over, Jonas did as he was told. He noticed the look Bobby and Alex shared. Alex sat down in the chair across from him. Bobby wandered his room.
Tired of feeling any sort of guilt, Alex refused to let him engage her on what had happened. Instead, she cut to the chase, "We can skip the introductions. Where have you been this afternoon?"
Jonas, not one to back down, leaned forward and replied, "She showed up to pick up some things. We argued, and I left to cool down and take a walk."
Bobby frowned. Noticing the scratches and his aggressive behavior towards Alex, he leaned over the side of the couch and asked, "And where did those scratches come from?"
Jonas, startled, pulled away from Bobby. Indignant, he answered, "Anna scratched me before I left. She was angry about Chance. She was the aggressor. I didn't have anything to do with this Detectives."
Bobby sighed. They were getting no where with him. He looked at Alex and could tell she was thinking the same thing. They were going to need more. Frustrated, he asked, "You call 911?"
Alex kept from smiling. She knew where Bobby was going with this. She goaded a little herself, "No. I bet you let your daughter find another dead body, her mother no less, while you went out jogging."
Jonas, angry, stood up, and yelled, "No! I called 911! I found her and called!"
Bobby looked at Alex, again. He could tell she was just as surprised as he was. He decided to end it, "Alright. We'll be in touch."
Alex stood, and she was appreciative of the fact that Bobby made sure he was behind her, following her out. Reaching the car, she assured him, "We'll get his this time. There's nothing more we can do right now. We should go eat. I'm hungry."
Bobby smiled. Forgetting his worry of earlier, he got in the car and agreed, "There's a great looking Italian place near your apartment. You ever been?"
Alex smiled and got into the car. Looking over at him, she thought a second before replying, "You mean Mortcelli's? I haven't."
Nodding, Bobby suggested, "We should go there then."
Alex smiled. She teased, "You take women there often?"
Bobby laughed. He watched her start the car, and he replied, "No. I've just driven by it a lot, and I've always wanted to take you there."
Alex smiled even brighter. She was relieved. He wasn't pushing her away. After Deakins office, she had been afraid he would withdraw from her. Then, of course, his car was at her place. She refused to think like that. Getting back onto the main road, she agreed, "Mortcelli's it is."
