Chapter 7 – Brennan: Part 1
"Sam, she's a great cop! That's your line, remember?" Jerry threw his arms out in exasperation. "I need her, buddy."
"Find another way, Jer. You're smart, you'll figure it out," Sam replied with a few hand waves of his own.
"Okay, enough," Andy said, squeezing past the two men back into the hallway and finally letting the door close behind her. She'd spent five minutes listening to Sam and Jerry argue. It was clear that they both had a different opinion on the subject.
Jerry had explained that he'd spent the morning interviewing Brennan, who'd been talking pretty freely until "someone had reminded him of 'Candace'". This apparently was "a big mistake" since Brennan had refused to continue until he talked to Candace in person. Jerry didn't think this was a very good idea, but the interrogation had come to a dead stop. Eventually seeing no alternative, he'd gone to Boyd, thinking that the boss would never approve. Instead, Boyd had only sighed and told him that Sam and Andy had just left. So Jerry'd chased them down to discuss it. In short, Jerry was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Then there was Sam. His position was pretty uncomplicated. "No."
As for Andy, she wasn't sure what she thought. Sam and Jerry both had valid points. On one hand, she was already suspended and pushing her luck, as it was. Talking to Brennan probably wasn't the best for her career. On the other, she was a police officer, who talked to criminals all the time. This wasn't any different: talk to the bad guy and get the confession. Pretty simple.
After taking a moment to collect her self, Andy turned around to face Sam and Jerry, who were both quietly waiting for her to continue.
"You know what? I don't know," Andy shrugged. "I'm a little dazed. You both have points. But I'm hungry and kind of cold, not to mention I could use a coffee. So I just don't know."
She watched as both men absorbed her words. Jerry rocked back onto his heels and placed his hands into his pockets, nodding. Sam sighed, and his shoulders visibly relaxed.
"Fair enough," Sam said, sounding satisfied.
"I didn't mean to rush you, McNally," Jerry added, looking guilty. "Plus, it's up to you. You decide."
Forty minutes later, they had all relocated to the detectives' office and Andy had finished eating a rather good BLT from the Black Penny. She leaned back in the desk chair and drained the remains of her coffee. Sam had made feeding her a priority and thankfully she now felt a lot more level headed.
The debate about Brennan was now in full swing, again. Except now it was more of a discussion then an argument. They'd also been joined by a few extra people, who were also adding their two cents. In fact, the only one that was still holding back an opinion was her and Andy could tell that it was quickly eating away at Sam's calm.
"It seems logical to me," Dov his brow knit in thought, "I mean, we need a confession, and Brennan won't keep talking 'til he sees Andy, ergo Andy talks to Brennan. Boom Badda-Bing! It's easy."
"Yeah, Epstein, the fact that Brennan kidnapped and tortured the guy Andy was sleeping with – in blatant disregard for regulations, I might add… but won't…" Shaw paused, taking a bit of his own sandwich and then continued through the mouthful, "Anyway, none of that complicates things at all."
To conclude Oliver rolled his eyes and smacked Dov's arm. To which Dov responded, "Ow."
"Okay, new rule. Nobody and I mean nobody, gets to talk about our sex life…ever," Sam put in, dead serious.
Andy cringed a little internally. Although, she agreed with the sentiment, it was more then a little awkward hearing Sam say it out loud…at work. She held her breath a moment hoping the others would let it pass without comment. Jerry, Dov and Oliver all nodded in their own ways and said nothing. However, the last person in the room was less kind.
"Well maybe, you should have thought about that before 'compromising' your assignment," Luke said from the corner of the room, where he was sitting on the desk, completely unwelcome, but still there.
If he had left it at that, Andy might have kept silent. However Luke was an idiot, "You know, Swarek. Most people keep their sex lives out of the workplace." He finished with a smug dry laugh that pushed Andy over the edge.
She looked over and met Luke's eyes, "You know, Callaghan, you should try that sometime."
For a short moment, they continued to stare each other down, until Luke finally broke her gaze, pushed off the desk and headed out of the room with very little dignity left.
"Go, McNally!" Shaw cheered.
"I was about to defend your honour," Dov added, "but you had it in hand."
Andy ignored them and looked at Sam. She was starting to think she knew him too well, because she could tell exactly what he was thinking. He was sorry for bringing sex up with Callaghan was in the room, proud of her for standing up for her self and still anxious about the whole Brennan situation.
"Okay," Jerry piped up, "could we please get back on topic? It would be nice to make a decision sometime today."
Andy was glad that the conversation had been redirected. It was time to make a decision. She stood up, and walked over to the white board where Brennan's face along with his details where still displayed from the day before.
"Okay, here's what a think," she started, turning back toward them, "you all have a point. It's complicated, confusing and little risky. Except that it's not." Andy put up her hand, when Sam started to interrupt, "No, listen. I may be a suspended cop, but I'm still a cop. This is what I do." Andy walked over to the door and then turned to add, "Plus, the idea of talking to him in a secure interview room, with lots more cops ten feet away, really isn't that scary."
Andy could tell that with this last thought, she'd finally eased Sam's worry a little. A very little.
Sam stood and asked, "You sure?"
"Yup."
"Okay."
It was another few minutes before they'd arranged for Brennan to be brought back to the interview room.
Andy found her self waiting in the hallway, while Jerry prepared Brennan. When she'd made her decision in the office she hadn't been nervous, but now she paced slowly down the hall picking at her fingernails. Sam was close-by leaning against the wall. She could feel him watching her, but he didn't interrupt. However, every time she lifted her eyes off the floor and looked at him, he returned her gaze and smiled encouragingly.
Finally, she broke into the silence, "You're not going to try and change my mind?"
"Do you want me to?"
"No, not really," Andy contemplated for a moment. "It's only been two days since I talked to him, but it feels like forever."
"A lot's happened."
Andy stopped to look at him, again, "I'll be okay, right?"
At that he walked over and hugged her, "Of course, you will be okay. You're Andy McNally, one of the toughest cops I know. You'll be fine."
If any other cop had told her that she wouldn't have believed them, but she believed Sam.
It was then that the door opened and Jerry stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him.
"Andy, we have a problem," Jerry started.
"What is it?" Andy pulled away from Sam to face the problem head on.
"He doesn't want anyone else in the room," Jerry sounded defeated.
He probably realized that this was going to be a deal breaker for Sam. They had decided earlier that it was best if Jerry stayed in the room during the interview, since Brennan had not been forthcoming with his reasons for seeing Andy. Now, that wasn't going to be an option.
"What's the difference?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm. "You're just going to be on the other side of the glass, with a ton of other people."
Sam was right, the logic didn't make sense. Not only were Jerry and Sam going to hear the interview, but also an entire group of people that had collected in the observation room. Plus, as usual it would be recorded for posterity. Nothing Brennan said would be a secret. Absolutely nothing.
Andy took a deep breath and addressed Jerry, "He's cuffed, right?"
"Yup."
"You double checked?"
"Triple checked."
"And you searched him?"
"Thoroughly."
"Okay, let's do this," Andy proclaimed, "Unless you've decided to try and change my mind after all?"
Sam took a breath of his own and said, "I'd try, but you're too stubborn."
At that, Andy had to laugh despite the knots in her stomach.
She waited a moment while the two men left her, entering the observation room next door, which was already quite full. Andy didn't mind though, she had learned a long time ago, it was best to ignore all the people on the other side of the glass. They just made her more nervous and threw off even the simplest interviews. If she needed them they'd be there, otherwise as far as she was concerned, they didn't exist.
As soon as she entered the room, there would only be two people, her and Jamie Brennan. As she placed her hand on the silver knob it wasn't nerves that she felt; instead it was a hot stab of anger that rose up in her belly. Although, she was surprised, Andy took a steadying breath and re-centred her self. There was no place for anger in this room.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Hopefully, Part 2 will only be a couple more days. I already know what I want to say just need to get it down on paper.
