Breaking Point

Chapter Eleven

As Wes and Travis walked out of the precinct, Wes was the first to speak up as he asked skeptically, "Sutton didn't actually order you to go to the bar without me, did he?"

Travis thought about lying, but realized that Wes would see through it as he answered, "No, he didn't, but I only lied in order to try to get you to relax."

"We're partners, Travis," Wes replied in frustration. "We're supposed to work together. If I was there, I could have seen or learned something that you missed."

"I didn't want to go without you, but if a fight broke out, just as it did, then you would have gotten hurt even worse than you already are and I wouldn't have been able to help you," Travis responded. "I did it for your own good."

Wes shook his head and said, "I think I know what's best for me, but in order to stop this ridiculous argument, thank you."

Travis looked over at his partner in surprise and spoke up saying, "Wow! Nearly getting killed has made you soft. I never thought I'd hear the words, 'thank you,' come out of your mouth, at least not to me."

"I doubt it will happen again," Wes answered as they both got into the car, just as Cafferty and Laroche rode up beside them in their own car.

"We take it you guys are heading out to find your second suspect?" Laroche asked as she placed their car in park. "Would you like some more help?"

Travis looked over at Wes and said, "Ah, they came with me and fought off the scum in the bar so that I could go after Cruise. The captain actually did order me to take them along with me; I swear."

Wes glared between the women and then back at his partner and replied, "Perhaps you'd like one of them to be your partner instead?"

"Yes, both of them actually, but I'm stuck with you," Travis responded. "Come on, I thought we were done arguing?"

"We are," Wes answered as he looked over at the other detectives. "We'll let you know if we need your help. Thanks."

Cafferty replied, "No problem. Play nice, boys."

As soon as they drove away, Travis and Wes drove off themselves, as they headed to the address that their first arrestee had given them. As they expected, the man wasn't inside the worn down apartment when they arrived, but after looking around for about ten minutes, Jackson suddenly walked in. As soon as he saw the detectives, he took off running. Travis chased after him for a few blocks down the street, until Wes was finally able to catch him by ramming into him with their car as he opened its driver's side door and knocked him to the ground.

Both detectives looked down at their suspect, who was groaning in pain as he remained on the ground, as Travis said snidely, "Ow that had to hurt. Nice take down, partner!"

"It serves him right," Wes responded angrily as he grabbed Jackson by the back of his shirt and shoved him hard up against the car. "I want to know who hired you to try to kill me. You're in no position to negotiate for a deal. We already know you were inside my house thanks to your pal and I'm assuming you were one of the guys, who attacked me and my partner earlier today as well. Tell me what I want I want to know!"

"You can't make me tell you anything," Jackson snarled. "I want a lawyer."

Wes shoved him harder into the car until Travis finally intervened by gently pulling Wes back and then worked to cuff the guy's hands behind him as he spoke up saying, "Listen to me, Rick is it? My partner here has had a really rough few days thanks to you and your pals, so I really think it would be wise if you told us what we want to know because if you don't, you'll end up facing life in prison. A lawyer won't be able to help you out at all without some kind of promise of a deal from us in exchange for your cooperation."

Jackson only stared at Wes angrily as he firmly answered, "Lawyer."

Back at the station…

"I don't get it," Travis said as he and Wes were sitting once again in their captain's office after they explained to him what happened earlier when they arrested Rick Jackson. "Unless the guy is just refusing to tell us anything out of spite and hate for law enforcement, there's no good reason why he would protect the dirtbag that hired him. Jeff Scott is just a regular Joe, who's a bartender in some crappy bar in Hollywood. He's got hardly any money, no power, and no influence, so Jackson can't be afraid of him."

"How do you know that this kid has no influence over the guy?" Sutton asked. "Money isn't the only kind of motivator, you know. For all we know, Scott threatened Jackson's family, if he has one, or maybe there's a different kind of favor being traded. Maybe they're friends."

Travis rubbed his hands over his face as his own lack of sleep was beginning to wear on him. He could only imagine how Wes must be feeling by now, especially as he was still in pain on top of having even less sleep than him, but as Travis looked over at his partner, who was just staring ahead as he was deep in thought, he could see that Wes was struggling to put everything they had learned so far together. Even though it had a tendency to put a strain on their partnership, Travis couldn't help but admire how Wes' mind worked when it came to solving a case. If anyone could figure it out, it would be him.

Travis suddenly waved his hand in front of his partner's eyes to get his attention once again as he said, "Yo, earth to Wes. Hey, what could you possibly be thinking that requires you to totally blank out like that?"

Wes looked between him and their captain as he replied, "Sorry. I was just thinking that there's something I'm overlooking. There has to be something that connects Jeff to Jackson; some kind of association. Maybe Jackson's just a regular at the bar, but if that were true, then why would he hire him? It has to be deeper than that. The answer has got to be in Jeff's apartment."

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we can't get a warrant because we still have absolutely no proof that he's even involved; only a motive," Travis responded. "Damn it! Your influence is finally beginning to rub off on me. When this case is over, we need some time away from each other."

"Then, we'll have to make him slip up," Wes answered as he ignored Travis' sarcasm about their partnership.

Captain Sutton asked, "What do you mean, make him slip up? Do you mean that you want to make him give himself away?"

Travis looked at his partner in confusion as he asked, "And how do you expect us to be able to do that?"

"We dangle the worm in front of him," Wes replied.

"Come again?" Travis asked as he was even more confused than before.

Wes looked at his partner and then at their boss as he grimly responded, "Jeff wants me dead and he's already tried twice, but now, we've got both of his thugs in custody. He's desperate and out of help. We can catch him by using me as bate."

Travis shook his head and then answered, "This is crazy. Even if this could work, you're in no condition to get into a fight should something go wrong. Your drugs you finally agreed to take may be helping you for now, but he'll use your weaknesses against you in a fight."

"We don't have a choice," Wes said. "We need to stop him before he hurts anyone else trying to get to me. That crash this morning injured about a dozen people, some critically. Besides, there are also a few other people that he holds responsible for his brother's death. What if he goes after them? We need to end this, now!"

"All right, what's your plan?" Travis asked confidently, although inside felt very unsure about his partner's suggestion.