Bobby's New Relatives CH 11
"What the hell happened last night?" Alex asked Bobby when they walked into the kitchen.
"It was quite a night. I found out so much about her. She's deep, but she has alot of the same problems that I do. It seems to be genetic. I'll tell you all about it later. Just so you know she carries a gun. It's in her purse. I didn't know about it until this morning. I told her I had to know things like that and now I'm telling you. It's all legal. Any way the guy who just became CEO has been after her job for awhile now. She has some serious esteem issues. She's invited us to go with her when she goes home. I asked her to stay here a while longer."
"Go home with her? Have you forgotten we have a case? And if she stays here what's she going to do?"
"I don't know. And no, Alex, I have not forgotten we have a case."
"I'm sorry, of course you didn't. I need to call the station and see when we'll have the ME's report."
"Go ahead. I'm going to get breakfast started."
"Bobby, if you want to spend the day with Emily, I can give this one to Logan..."
"No, Alex, but we do need to eat. I just need to shower and change."
"Alright. I'll go into the bedroom and call now."
She went in and Bobby put away the groceries. He pulled out some of the meat Emily had brought and started cooking it when Alex came back. "It'll be ready at 11:00. The captain wants us to go there first then come in and brief him."
"Good. So how would you feel about that?"
"About what? Emily being here longer or you going to Michigan with her?"
"You and I going to Michigan."
"She's your cousin. You can go."
"Alex, she told me she thinks you don't trust her. Is she right?"
"I don't know, Bobby. This all seems so far fetched. I like her, I really do, but I think there's so much more to her than she's letting on."
"There is, but I promised her I'd keep it to myself."
"I think she's playing you. I know you got the DNA results and that's good, but she's complicated. I don't want to see you get hurt. You're vulnerable right now. The timing is just too convenient."
"I agree. I'm not falling for this completely. I'm keeping my guard up. I swear it. That's why I need you with me. I might just be too close to it."
"Okay, as soon as this case is over, I'll go with you to Michigan. Mmm, that smells good. So what happened last night?"
"We talked. I slept on one bed and she was on the other. She showed me pictures on her laptop of her home, the company, and the company picnic. Have you ever heard of a spatula fight?"
"A spatula fight? No."
Bobby grinned and told her about the pictures. His fingers were busily making breakfast while he talked and Alex laughed at the idea. She set the table and went into the living room to find Emily and Stas in serious conversation. "Breakfast is ready."
They glanced at her and rose to follow her into the kitchen. "Something smells heavenly." Stas said. "Bobby, I think you need to know what all is going on. You're part of it now too."
"How bad is it?" Bobby asked.
"It's business as usual for the most part. It's a power play. And they are trying to trap Emily in it."
"Why you?" Alex asked her.
"Gary is jealous and wants what he thinks I have." She looked at Stas. "So what else is on the plate? We knew he was up to something and this was part of it. What else?"
"He, um, apparently convinced the board that you were taking money from the company illegally and your accounts have been frozen pending an accounting review."
"Oh. That's all so far?"
"That's all? Are you serious? Don't you think that's enough? He's taken control of the company and he's called you a thief. Aren't you livid?" Bobby demanded.
"I haven't done anything wrong, guys, and I've covered my butt forty ways to Sunday. Yes, I'm furious with him, but you know what? When he goes to make a decision for the company he's going to get a hell of a surprise. I have the major share of stock, I have the final approval on alot of stuff and I still have enough people who know I only want what's best for the comapny and the employees that he's not going to be able to breeze through it like he hopes to."
"So you expected this?" Alex asked.
"I had hoped never to have this problem, but yes, because I've been expecting it. And what he doesn't know, is that by doing what he's done he's strapped himself down to a boatload of trouble. The vote can't be recast for a year, I have no legal ties to the company right now to make decisions as a traveling officer and all the contracts that I just negotiated are now null and void. He'll have to come and redo the deal with the restaurant group that I just spent weeks doing. And they'll want to talk to him directly. He hates to travel. And I'm not giving him my paperwork either. Plus the contracts for the drivers and loading dock workers is now up, I was going to take care of that when I got back. Plus he has no board for his departments, because that was going to come up for election too. And he's made enough enemies that he'll be lucky to have a skeleton crew to run the company until he does."
"You have this all in place?" Alex asked.
"I have the paperwork set up. The board was just luck. We've worked together for the company for years and I hope that we're on the same side. I'll just have to run with it as it comes."
"That means that my contract is up, too." Stas said.
"It is. You have the option of renegotiating it or breaking away. I was going to suggest you go out on your own and we'd work out a contract agreement so you could continue doing business for us, I mean the company. Now you have that choice. I guess I need to ask you where you stand."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you aren't officially with the company any more and therefore you aren't officially with me since I'm not with them either. What are you going to do? I'm not trying to be crude, but if you're off on your own I really shouldn't be discussing company business around you."
"I'm not going to...Emily, you're still part of the company..."
"True, but you have that option. If you stay with the company now you'll be working for Gary, if you work for me you won't be working for the company."
"Damn, you're right. I can't make that decision right now."
"Then we'll talk about something else." Alex said. "Emily, Bobby said you showed him some pictures of your place and the company? I'd like to see them."
"That would be great. I love to show those off. I didn't remember until last night that I even had them. I look at them, but I don't show them to too many people."
"I told her about the spatula fight." Bobby said.
"You have that on your computer?" Stas asked.
"Yes, thank you very much." At Alexs questioning look she added "He took the pictures that got put on my computer."
"Someone had to. You're always behind the camera."
"For good reason." Emily threw a piece of bacon at him.
"No food fights." Bobby laughed.
Alex, Stas and Emily each reached for a piece of bacon and tossed them at him. He laughed again, ducking. "I can go to work and get this kind of abuse. I have to get ready to go."
He started to get up from the table, Emilys phone rang. She pulled it out and made a wry face. "It's Gary. Want to hear what's going on?" she asked everyone at the table. Bobby sat back down "Hello." Emily said hitting the answer button.
"DId you finish those contracts with the restaurant people? he asked without preamble.
"I told you, I won't give you warning before I give my report to the board, Gary."
"You'll have to now. I was just voted the new CEO. You report to me." there was no doubt of the triumph in his voice.
"That's funny, Gary. The meeting isn't for days yet."
"I have to be out of town so I called the meeting early. It's official. You're out and I'm the new CEO."
"What about the out of town votes?"
"They won't affect the outcome. There's not enough of them. It's official, Emily. So did you get the deal worked out?"
"I did, but it won't do you any good."
"What? Why not?"
"Because I haven't signed the papers yet, we had one more meeting to do that. Now I don't have any authorization now. I can't sign it now."
"I give you permission."
"It doesn't work that way. Since it's now official that I'm no longer the CEO I can't hold any office in the company until next year. I'm not qualified."
"Then fax me the particulars and I'll get someone to come finalize the deal."
"No."
"No. No? What do you mean no?"
"No. N-O. I won't do it. You'll have to come work it out with them yourself."
"You made that deal with them as CEO. You have to honor it."
"I'm a free agent. I don't have to and I don't have no intention of doing so even if I was allowed to."
"It's what is best for the company."
"Gary, here's the chance you've always wanted. Now you can show the whole company what you're capable of."
"You're not going to run roughshod over everyone now." Gary warned.
"What else did you want, Gary?"
"I've ordered an investigation of our bookkeeping department. I warned them specifically to watch for things that you had a hand in." he said.
"Okay. That's probably a good idea every few years."
"You know they're going to find something. I'd suggest you get a lawyer." Gary said.
Bobby bristled at the implied threat. Emily winked at him. "She has one, Gary." Stas said.
"Stas? You didn't tell me he was with you." Gary sounded indignant. "You can't be her lawyer while you're under contract to the company."
"My contract expired when Emily lost the CEO position. Sorry, Gary, I'm a free agent and I chose to go with Emily. Better start looking for a new lawyer, too."
"This will never stand up in court. I'll be contacting the Bar Association."
"Go ahead. It's all legal." Emily said calmly.
"It'll be your word against mine. And I have witnesses."
"So do we."
"Where are you at, Emily?"
"At the breakfast table. Oh, and by the way. One of the witnesses is one of the new board members and the other is a New York City Detective. Not exactly someone you can just discredit out of hand. I have to go, Gary, but I'll be seeing you really soon. I'll be home in a few days and we'll be having a meeting."
"You aren't allowed here. You're not a member of the board for a year."
"True, but I'm still owner of the company. Believe me you'll be seeing me really soon. Bye, Gary."
Emily hung up the phone and swore, softly, with great feeling and and at great length. Stas's eyebrows rose into his hairline at the harangue and the length of it. Even some of the words were new to him. "I'm going to enjoy this year off." she said with a wicked grin at Stas.
"That was impressive." Alex said. "I'm going to have to remember some of those."
"Emily, I'm going with you to Michigan. Let me solve this case and we're out of here." Bobby said. "I want to meet this Gary."
"We both do." Alex added. "Relax, enjoy the rest of your stay and we'll be ready to leave in a few days."
"I have to go back now and clean out my office." Stas said. "He said he cut off your funds. Are you okay for money or do you need a loan?"
"I'm fine. I have access to things that have nothing to do with the company. I'll be fine. Thank you for the offer."
"Is that the meeting you mentioned?" Bobby asked.
"Yes."
"You said you weren't going to do that meeting." Stas said.
"A different one."
"I'll go get dressed. Emily, go ahead and move your stuff in here. We'll settle the sleeping arrangements when I get home." Bobby said.
Alex wasn't surprised in the least. Many of her questions concerning Emily had just been answered decisively. She stood up. "Bobby said you have a gun. May I see it, please?"
"Sure."
"You told him about your gun?" Stas asked.
"He saw it when I packed at the motel. He's a cop for Gods sake, Stas. Lighten up. You're the one who told me to learn to trust people." Emily said. She retrieved her purse and pulled the gun out, keeping it safely pointed away from everyone, unloading it where Alex could see including the one in the chamber, and handed it to her butt first. Her attitude was one of respect, but competence. She wanted to Alex to see she knew how to handle the weapon.
Alex had indeed made note of it. She looked it over, the serial number had not been filed off, the trigger had not been filed for speed shooting and the barrel was clean. Alex did her the courtesy of handing the weapon back in the same manner she had received it, butt first.
Emily laid it on the table next to the ammunition. "Bobby wanted to see it, as well. Do you want to see the registration?"
"No, I believe you. Thank you."
Bobby came out tying his tie. "I'm ready. Oh, is that your weapon, Em?"
"Yes. I showed it to Alex and you said you wanted to see it."
"It's clean." Alex said. She'd made a mental note of the serial number.
"It's registered in my home county, you'll want to start your search there." Emily said calmly, loading the weapon and putting it in the holster as though she did it every day. It disappeared back inside her purse.
"I'm going to call a travel agent for the first flight home. Can you give me a ride to the airport, Emily?" Stas said.
"Of course. Good luck, you guys. Happy hunting."
"Oh, here. You'll need this." Bobby tossed Emily a key. "Use it as you need to. I'll have an irregular schedule for a few days."
"Thanks. See you when I see you."
The four of them left the apartment at the same time. Bobby and Alex in a black SUV and Emily and Stas in her truck.
Bobby saw her infrequently over the next few days, exactly as he'd said. She was sleeping on the couch and would wake up to talk to him for a few minutes when he got home, let him know anything that she thought he should know and went back to sleep so he could relax. She'd leave dinner in the oven for him, made small gestures like flowers on the table and kept his favorite beer in the frig for him along with her favorite soda. She kept her clothes packed and her personal items off to one side so she didn't interfere with his life too much. Sometimes that irritated him. He recognized the pattern that she didn't want to feel like a burden. He realized it was his frustration with the case that set off his irritation, but it bothered him just the same.
He came home one evening and found her awake typing like a demon on her laptop. She had research material all over the couch and table. She was so busy typing that she was startled when he came in. "Hi. My goodness, I didn't realize what time it was. I'll have this all cleaned up in a jiffy."
"Leave it. You don't have to hide from me." he gestured to the stuff.
"Hide from you? Oh, no I just keep my work space tidy. I'm not hiding, honestly."
"What are you working on?"
"What I use to pass the time."
"You can tell me, Emily. Haven't I proven that I trust you? Can't you trust me?"
She levelled a look at him. His nerves were raw and he was just a bit edgy. She lifted her chin and spun her computer around so he could read the screen. It was a story, a childrens story. He lifted his gaze to hers. She was a bit defensive. "I write childrens books and I'm working on a series of books for older children, but still childrens stories. I don't put sex in them, but I do put feelings in them and morals. I try to teach them things while entertaining them. The meeting I had was with my publisher. She usually comes out to me so this time I decided to surprise her and come out here. She gave me a nice royalty check and I'm well set for a while. She also wants this story by Friday and I'm trying to oblige, but I just don't write well under pressure. I've hit a writers block and a snag in the story. I'd hoped some facts would help me break through."
"Maybe I can help. Do you want to tell me the story line?"
"I have a story about a family stuck on a mountain in a snow storm. The storm is so heavy that they can't see to get down and they've called for help. The storm is knocking out the most modern instruments and the rescue equipment can't fly. In the hangar of the local airport is a squad of older planes that can make the trip, but they can't get permission to go because the administration doesn't understand that they know what they're doing. Do I have them go ahead and go and prove themselves without permission or do I have them persuade the people in charge that they can do it or does the storm ease up and they can go anyway? The moral is that things don't have to be the newest to be useful. I have the responsibility to steer the kids in the proper direction while telling them the moral. I'm just not sure how to convey that they should think for themselves yet not be disrespectful of authority figures."
"Make the most of all three. Have their CO tell them that they can do it but it's at their discretion. Let them prove that they knew all along that they could do it and they do."
"Good solution. I'll give you credit for it if you want."
"It's on the house." he grinned at her. "Did you make this up yourself?"
"It's a computer vs pencil and paper type of argument made more palatable by using airplanes instead of computers. It was my idea to use it as the moral of the story. I'm hoping to get through to some boys. Little boys are notoriously thick where morals are concerned."
"I'll give you that. Sometimes we stay that way." Bobby said dryly.
"I didn't mean that about you."
"I know that. Why couldn't you tell me about the writing? It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"No, but writing is very personal to me. I'm sensitive about it."
"And you've been criticized for it?"
"That's a part of writing. I've been told I'm overly sensitive. Tough, that's who I am."
"What else have you written?"
"A few pieces that have been published under another name. They were for an older audience and my publisher didn't want it known that I wrote them. He was trying to keep my name separate from the other work.. It's a publishers trick. I get paid either way. It was their way of protecting their market."
"Ah. I never knew that."
"It's marketing. I can finish this and be out of your way."
"It's fine."
"How's your case going?"
"I can't talk about it, but I'm at an impasse. The pieces don't fit and I can't figure out why."
"You'll figure it out. Anyone who can figure out the ending of this thing, can do that. I was stumped and you walked right into it and gave me the solution. You deserve a medal."
"Now you're teasing me."
"A little." she smiled at him. "You seem a little down. I do appreciate this solution though. Maybe it's too late and I shouldn't be trying to write this late. I'm a morning person."
"I know."
"That's right you do. I'll write it tonight and then read it in the morning. Sometimes I can improve on it, sometimes my brain is more brilliant when I leave it alone and let it do it's own thing. Sometimes it does better without the other half to fight it."
"Sleeping on the problem?"
"Yeah, I guess that's the idea. Can you tell me what part has you stumped or is that like classified or something?"
"Not exactly classified." he smiled at the term. "The dead woman was killed for no reason we can figure. She was in town on business and she was killed behind Madison Square Garden."
"What was going on inside?"
"There was a coin show, an antique display, a display of Egyptian art, a dog show..."
"Which one did she go for, do you know?"
"She was in all three but she was seen at the dog show. She didn't have a dog, she apparently just went to watch. I found her on the security camera."
"It's too bad you don't have the pictures. I'd like to look at them. I didn't realize there was one in town."
"I-I have the pictures, but I'm not sure if showing you is a good idea."
"What could it hurt? I don't know from Adams left ox who the dead person is. If you don't point her out, how would I ever know? It would just be a picture. True?"
"I thought you said you don't think well when you're half asleep."
"Half my brain. The other half is in bed asleep."
Bobby decided to show her the pictures. He got his portfolio and pulled out the photographs and brought them over to her. There were no clues or markings on the pictures to indicate who anyone was. He handed them to her. She took them and moved closer to the light to see better. She studied them carefully and compared them to one another. She frowned and kept coming back to one, comparing it to one and then another. His instincts went on alert. "Did you find something?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure. This one where she was watching the class with the Labradors. Did you find anything different about her in it?"
"Not really. What did you find?" he went over and sat on the couch next to her.
"See the way her nose is here? She's alarmed about something. I'm thinking she was inhaling extra air in response to something that alarms her. In the other pictures she's calm, relaxed. She saw something here she either recognized or someone she recognized. I don't see from this angle what it is she saw, but whatever it is I'd bet it had something to do with this class or what was going on across the ring from her."
Bobby took the photo from her and looked at it closely. It was just a tiny difference but very noticeable when you really looked at it. He'd seen this photo so much that he'd overlooked that. Emily took the picture from him and placed it on the table. She used a portable scanner and loaded it into her computer. Then she brought it up on the screen. The picture was larger, more fuzzy but larger. She took a piece of paper and held it up to the screen. "Does it look like I got the angle of her gaze correctly?"
"No, it's higher." he reached out and adjusted the paper. "She saw someone she recognized. That helps. Thank you. Is there any way to print this in this size?"
"My printer is out in the truck. If you want I can get it in the morning and do it then. I'm getting really tired."
"Go ahead and go to bed. I'm going to stay up for awhile. Is it okay if I use your computer?"
"Be my guest. I'll see you in the morning." She hugged him and he hugged her back, placing a kiss on her hair that surprised her.
She went to bed and he sat back with her computer on his lap. He closed out the picture and decided to see what else she had on it. He realized he was snooping, but she had given her permission, hadn't she? He was endlessly curious about her. He went to the documents file and found her books. Some of them were the same except for chapter numbers added, some were one shot stories. Those he read and realized these were childrens books. She had a wide range of imagination. He read them and smiled. They were good, simple and promoted tolerance, morals and acceptance.
He opened one of the multichapter files and found a very explicit sex scene from the womans point of view. He'd read that kind of thing before but this was quite explicit. He blushed and decided that was something he might try. Did women really like that? He hadn't known that! He hastily closed out the file and went to the first chapter of that same file. He read the first 10 chapters and realized he was falling asleep sitting up. He put the computer back where he'd gotten it and closed the lid. His cousin had a very active imagination.
He laid over on his side to think about what he'd read and fell asleep. He woke up in the morning to see Emily looking intently on the picture again. She was intent and looked eager about something. Her entire body language was anticipation. She glanced over at him. "Morning."
"Hi. I must've fallen asleep. I ,uh, read some of the stories on your computer. I hope you don't mind."
She grinned at him. "Would it make any difference if I said yes at this point? Relax, Bobby, I would have done the same thing. I'm glad you're awake. I have something I want to show you when you've woken up. Do you want some coffee?"
"In a minute. What did you find?"
"I think I found what she's looking at."
"Really? What did you see?"
"This must have been a big dog show for it to be at the Garden, correct?"
"I guess. They have smaller ones, but this was pretty big."
Emily nodded, eagerly. "Look where she's looking. She's looking over the tops of the exhibitors. She's looking at a man or a tall woman. In these other pictures the tallest ones are these two women and this man. I'd say she's looking at this man."
"Why him?"
"The way he's dressed. He's wearing a suit, but he's not dressed for the show ring. The rest of them are, because you have to run a dog around the ring in a conformation class. He's wearing work boots, see? They are not meant for running and this dog is looking at him like who the hell are you? He took this dog so he could blend in with the crowd. I'll bet he's who you're looking for. I don't know why he'd kill her for looking at him, but I'd check him out. I'd say she saw him and recognized him from somewhere."
"I'll check it out. What gave you the clue?"
"I don't know. I must have mulled it over in my mind while I was sleeping. It occurred to me that he was different from them but it was subtle. I had to think about it for awhile."
"I need to call Alex. Thank you."
"Bobby, it's 5:30 in the morning."
"It doesn't matter. That explains the discrepancies. That's what we needed. Thank you." he hurried toward the bedroom and she shrugged.
"Eames." he heard her sleepy voice say.
"I know who the killer is and why he did it. Can you come get me?"
"I'll be right there. How did you..?"
"I'll explain it when you get here."
He threw on some clothes and grabbed a couple of cups of coffee, poured some coffee in them and headed for the door. "I'll call you later. Thanks for the tip." he told her with a feral grin.
"You're welcome." Emily called to him as he bolted out the door.
He was halfway down the hall when he realized he'd forgotten his portfolio. He turned and headed back toward the apartment only to have the door open and Emily bring it out to him. "I put the pictures back inside."
"Thanks." he said gratefully.
"Go catch the bad guys." she laughed.
He met Alex downstairs and filled her in on the details while they headed for the precinct. Bobby called Captain Ross and informed him of the development. Ross agreed to meet them at the office. Several people were already working on the problem when they arrived and in short order they were on the way to the perpetrators home to take him in. It was a case well solved. The woman had been well known and well liked in her circle of acquaintances.
"So what was the trigger for this startling discovery?" Ross asked watching the uniformed officers read the man his rights.
"My cousin figured it out." Bobby admitted.
"The one from out west?"
"Michigan and yes. She saw the photos and noticed that the victim was watching him. She recognized from his body language that he was hiding in the show ring and she let me know."
"This means she'll have to be put on the list of potential witnesses." Ross demanded. "Why did you show her the pictures? Those were crime scene photos and evidence."
"She didn't see those. All she saw was the ones of the dog show classes. She recognized the action from there. I never told her who the woman was or even which one she was."
"Does she need a job?" Ross asked sarcastically. "How long is she here for?"
"She's just here temporarily. I'm going to go back to Michigan with her for a couple of weeks to take care of some business. I'll make sure she's back here for the trial."
"Bobby, you can't guarantee that." Alex said.
"I can't even guarantee that they'll call her. She'll do the right thing." Bobby told her.
"I'd like to talk to her." Ross said dubiously.
"Alright. I can bring her in later today."
"I'm heading back to the office. Give me a time you're going to bring her in and I'll be there."
"Why, do you need to talk to her, Captain?" Alex asked.
Ross gave her a sharp look. "I just don't want any surprises." he said.
"Meaning you want to know if she's anything like me?" Bobby asked, with an edge to his voice.
"Yes." Ross said, simply.
"She is but you'll be pleasantly surprised." Alex said with a small frown.''
"I expect she'll be a very interesting person to meet if she's related to you, Goren. Give me a call." Ross turned and walked away.
"What the hell is he trying to pull?" Alex demanded angrily.
"He's worried about her being odd like I am." Bobby said glumly. "How do I explain that to her?"
"I think she's smart enough to figure that out for herself, Bobby. Just tell her he wants to tell her thank you for the help."
"He'd better not make a big deal out of this." Bobby said darkly. "Captain or no captain, he'd better not hurt her feelings."
"I don't think he will. And I think she'd be big enough not to get hurt by him."
"I wasn't worried about her. It's him I'm worried about." Bobby told his partner and meant it.
Bobby called home, but there was no answer. He called her cell phone, but again no answer. He tried to call his neighbor. "Hello."
"Hi, Mrs. Cavanaugh. It's Bobby. Have you seen my cousin lately?"
"Oh, Bobby, I'm glad you called. That young lady that's been staying at your place. There's some guy with her and they've been arguing for the last 45 minutes. I don't think he's right for her."
"I'll be right home. If you hear anything different call 911."
He snapped his phone shut and hurried toward the SUV. "Emily's got some man in my apartment and Mrs. Cavanaugh says they've been arguing for 45 minutes. I'm not sure who it is. She knows Stas so that's not it." he said as he walked.
"Gary?" Alex asked.
"Probably. I don't like the sound of it."
"I'll drive. How could he know your address?"
"Emily has called him from there and had mail forwarded to her there. It would be easy to trace."
Alex jumped into the drivers seat and took off for Bobbys apartment. She drove as fast as she dared and prayed that she'd be in time for Bobby to help his cousin. Bobby called for a squad car to meet them at his apartment but not to go in until they reached the complex.
Emilys truck was still there and so were most of the vehicles of the people who lived there. Bobby was out the door before Alex could get the car all the way into park. He had his hand on his gun when he charged up the stairs. Alex was as close behind him as she could be.
Emilys angry voice was loud out of his apartment and a male voice was just as angry back at her. "I told you no. I'm not doing it, and you haven't a leg to stand on. It's done and you're stuck with it." she yelled.
"Damn it, woman, I'm the CEO."
"And I own 53 of the company. Deal with it!"
Bobby was reaching for his key to unlock the door when he heard a loud smack and Emily cry out in pain from it. Bobby drew his weapon and snap kicked the door open, charging inside. "Police, Freeze!" he bellowed. Alex was right behind him with the uniformed officers behind her.
Emily was half sitting, half laying on the couch and a seriously angry man stood over her. The man turned. He was a large man, heavy but not as tall as Bobby. He turned at glared at them. His face showed traces of excesses and cruelty. "This is a private matter." he told them angrily.
"He's Gary." Emily said angrily holding her face with one hand.
"Get your hands up." Bobby said to Gary with his gun trained on him.
"This is none of your business." Gary told him. "No one called the cops."
"Wrong! This is my apartment and you just assaulted my cousin. Step back."
Gary whirled around to Emily. "Your cousin? He's a cop?"
Bobby stepped toward Gary intending to protect Emily. Gary spun around to meet Bobby head to head. He tried to hit Bobby with his ham sized fist, but Bobby blocked it and plowed his right hand into Garys ample midsection. Gary, for all his bluster and blow was no fighter and he caved to his feet, winded. Bobby put his gun away and handcuffed the man. "You have the right to remain silent and I suggest you do just that." Bobby told him. "Get him out of here." he told the uniformed cops. "Finish reading him his rights and I'll do the paperwork."
"Are you okay?" Alex asked Emily.
"Yeah, he's good at taking a swing at women smaller than him." she said working her jaw.
"You're going to have a beaut of a shiner." Alex observed.
"That just goes to prove I'm not fighter. Glass jaw." she tried to smile and groaned with it hurt.
"We need to go have that X-Rayed." Alex told her.
"I don't have any health insurance now."
"I'll pay for it if I have to."
"No, the damned company will. I'll see to that." Emily said. "I didn't know he was coming. He just showed up. Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine. What was he after?"
"The papers for the restaurant deal. It's worth millions to the company. They won't make a second deal. He didn't want to be responsible for that big of a loss to the company. I told him no. He thinks I'm sabotaging him out of spite."
"Aren't you?"
"Sort of. He had the same chance as I did with them. They don't like him and he's mad at me for it. Ow!"
"Let's get you to the hospital." Bobby said.
"No, I..."
"Walk or I'll carry you." he warned.
Emily looked at Alex. "He means it. There's a down side to having a protective relative." she was told.
"Alright. Let me get my purse."
"You might want to leave your gun here." Bobby said.
"Good idea."
She took her gun out and Bobby put it in his gun case for her. They took her to the SUV. She was grunting softly in pain and her eye was swelling already. "I need some ice for this."
"Don't mess with it until we're at the hospital. They'll take pictures and X-rays we can use to send him to jail." Alex said.
"It hurts. Is there going to be a trial or something?"
"If you press charges and he pleads innocent he'll go before the judge. No big trial."
"And if I don't press charges?"
"He will still be spending time in jail for assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and breaking and entering my apartment. I'm going to press charges even if you don't." Bobby said firmly. "After what he did to you, you can't be worried about him."
"Not him, the company. He is the CEO. Who's going to run the company with him here? And how's it going to look to the stockholders with him accused of a crime."
"Several crimes." Alex said. "He should have thought of that before he attacked Bobby and you."
"Emily, he didn't represent the company when he attacked you. I'll try to downplay it when we charge him, but he has to be charged. He can't be allowed to get away with this."
"Okay. I'm going to shut up now." Bobby teased.
She was really starting to hurt now. "It takes that to get her to shut up?" Bobby teased.
He got swatted from both women. They spent several hours at the emergency room. Bobby got a call from Captain Ross. "Goren, where are you? I told you I wanted to talk to your cousin."
"We're at the emergency room, sir. My cousin is having x-rays. She was assaulted and I want to see how badly she's injured. I'll bring her by when she's done."
"It's not the case is it?"
"No, sir. A different one. I'll tell you about it when we come in."
"If she doesn't feel like it today..."
"I'll ask her, Captain."
"Let me know." Ross hung up sighing.
Emily came out of the back. She stopped and got her paperwork. She came over towhere they stood waiting for her. Her face was swollen on the left side and she was feeling no pain from the medicine they gave her. "Hi. It's swollen and will be a beautiful black and blue the doctor said, but it's not broken. I just feel like I've been kicked by a mule. I have to get these prescriptions filled and a whole bucket of ice for the swelling. But I'll be fine. And these painkillers are some good stuff."
Bobby was feeling guilty. He reached over and tenderly touched the swollen part of her face. "I'm sorry. I should have been there to protect you."
"Oh, nonsense. I've known Gary since kindergarden. He's always been a bully but he was never abusive before. You couldn't know if I didn't."
"It's my job to know."
"As soon as you have met everyone in the world, I'll let you take responsibility. Until then let it go."
"Emily, as soon as you feel up to it, our Captain would like to meet you." Alex said.
"About what?"
"It can wait." Bobby said. "He said he didn't need to meet you today."
"Bobby, dear, I highly doubt that anything they give me over the counter is going to make me feel any better than the stuff they just gave me. Let me meet your captain while I can still talk and he might actually recognize me if I ever meet him again."
"Okay." Bobby was dubious.
They called him and went to the squad room. "So this is where you hang out, huh? Quaint. It needs curtains."
They weren't sure if she was serious or the medicine was affecting her. Captain Ross came out of his office and came over to greet them. Captain, this is my cousin Emily. Emily, this is Captain Dan Ross."
"How do you do, Miss..."
"You can call me Emily."
"Thank you for coming. I understand you've had some difficulty."
"I look like a lopsided basketball. Feel free to be honest, Captain." Emily laughed. "I'm on some good painkillers so I hope you'll forgive me if I babble. Bobby said you wanted to meet me. I'm assuming it is not exactly standard procedure for you to meet your officers relatives so you must have a reason for asking me to come here."
"Yes, I did. Would you like to step into my office? Detectives, I think you have work at your desks." Captain Ross said. to them. He gestured for Emily to proceed him to his office. She did and he closed the door to his office. "Please have a seat."
"Torturing your officers is not a good policy, Captain. Even if it is tempting from time to time." Emily said sitting down on the offered chair.
"What makes you think..."he asked.
Emily pegged him with a level look. "I'm the CEO of a large company, Captain. I recognize such tactics. What did you need me to do, Captain?"
"You can call me Dan. At least in here. Goren told me he showed you some pictures and you showed him the suspect?"
"I did. But he never let on who it was we were looking at or why we were looking. He didn't give me any names or any other details. I was going solely on what was in the picture and what I knew of dog shows. Honestly, he did nothing wrong."
"Are you a cop, Emily?"
"No."
"Then you can't know any of the rules. He was so close to crossing the line..."
"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand granades, Dan. Isn't that the saying?"
Dan Ross grinned at the woman. "That's how it goes. What I'm getting at is, there is a minor chance that either one or the other side might call you to testify at the trial. Will you be available?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On whether you will have dinner with me when I can chew something besides milkshakes. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt that out. Please forgive me."
"That is the most charming invitation out to dinner I have had in quite some time. It's not my usual habit to get involved with my officers families, but..."
"If it helps, I'm a cousin and I'm from out of town. That means it's just for fun. You don't have to worry about any long term problem. And it might be some time before I can chew anyway. You don't have to accept."
"I'd like that. So, Bobby has your home address and number in case you're needed?"
"Yeah. I just need 24 hour notice so I can clear my schedule and get here on time. Did I answer your questions, Captain Ross? The spoken and the unspoken?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You wanted to see if I was reliable, sane and lucid. I am, in my own way. The drugs have loosened my tongue, but my mind is still in tact. As a CEO, I need my wits about me. I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. You won't find anything in my past that would impair my ability to testify as a witness. Or eat a nice big dinner. Was there anything else you needed?"
"No, Emily, you pretty much covered everything. So what company do you work for?"
"Emfamco. It's my company. They pretty much have to hire me. You've probably never heard of it."
"I have, actually. You're the Em in the name?"
"I am, and Bobby is now a part of the company too. It's a family company. I found him through his family connections."
"That's some pretty good detective work."
"Pure dumb luck."
"Some how I seriously doubt it's all luck. Emily, it's been a real pleasure to meet you. I'll be giving you a call when you're back in town and feeling better. Thank you for coming in."
He rose and she remained seated for a minute cocking her head to look at him. Then she smiled briefly before a flare of pain made it a wince. She got up and he let her go ahead of him back out of the office. Bobby was watching for her. Ross made a note of that. "A very charming relative you have, Goren. Go home and take care of her. Eames, a moment of your time, please."
"Yes, sir."
Bobby looked at Emily. "Are you okay?"
"I think the pain medicine is starting to wear off."
"As soon as Alex is done we'll get your prescriptions filled and go home. Can I get you something in the meantime?"
"No."
"Why don't you sit in her chair. She won't mind."
Eames wasn't in the captains office for long. She came out looking thoughtful. "Why don't you guys go on home? I have something I have to do and I'll catch a cab home."
"Is everything alright?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. I just need to look at something. I'll see you later."
"Okay." Bobby said but he recognized that whatever it was that she had to do it was bothering her. And he had a suspicion it was to do with Emily.
The two cousins left the police station and headed to a pharmacy near Bobbys house. "So what did the captain want?" Bobby asked casually.
"He wanted to see how much you and I were alike. I'm afraid I didn't make much of an impression. The medicine made me loopy. I did make one small inroad with him."
"Oh, really. How do you mean?"
"We have a date."
"A date?" Bobby nearly drove off the road looking at her.
"Watch out! Yes, a date. Not right away. It won't be until I'm able to chew but I asked him. I also told him he could back out."
"Whatever medicine they gave you, we need to keep you away from it." Bobby teased her.
"No, no, no. Give me more." she joked back and leaned back in the seat.
They got the medicine and went home. Emily laid down on the sofa and fell asleep almost immediately. Bobby sat and watched her and television for awhile. His phone rang and he picked it up, going into the bedroom so he didn't wake her up. "Hi, it's me." Alex said.
"Hi. What's up? What did the captain want?"
"I have to go upstate for a few days. I guess you guys are on your own."
"Now? Okay, I guess. Is there anything I can do?"
"No, not right now. I'll miss you."
"Same here."
He heard Emily's cell phone ring. "I need to go. Emily's asleep and her cell phone is ringing. Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
He hung up and went in search of Emily's phone. She had woken up and answered. "Hello. Oh, his, Stas. No, I'm just taking a nap. No, I'm fine. He did, huh? I might have known. Yes, we had words, he got mad and hit me. No, Bobby and Alex were right outside. All he did was hit me once. Stas, I'm fine, but he made the mistake of taking a swing at Bobby and he's in jail. I'm not sure for how long, but he won't be coming home any time soon."
"I don't know. Check the bylaws. I'm not exactly on top of my game right now. This kind of thing has never happened before. Gary is a criminal now, he's broken the laws of the company and he doesn't deserve to be CEO. Call a meeting and set his election aside. Let them vote someone else in. I don't care if he sues us. He's the one who committed the crime, I certainly didn't tell him to go ballistic. Stas, you're the double damned lawyer figure it out. Well, since I'm the majority share holder and the one who shovels most of the shit, I'm taking the reins again until you guys figure out which side of your body your ass is on. Vote someone else in, I don't care but shit or get off the pot. Good bye, Stas."
She snapped the phone closed, tossed it angrily on the table and leaned back against the back of the couch.
"I'm sorry. I tried to get out here in time to answer it." Bobby said to her.
"That's okay. It's my phone. Stas would've insisted he needed to talk to me anyway. Thank you for trying."
"Do you need some of your medicine?"
"Yeah, I'll get it in a minute." Bobby handed it to her and went to get her a glass of water. "You don't have to wait on me." she said. "I'm just a bit bruised. If bruises were fatal, I'd be a corpse a long time ago."
"Don't say that."
"It was just a joke."
"So what's going on with the company?"
"Gary called Stas to be his lawyer. He said no and now Gary is threatening to sue the company, claiming we set him up. He's blowing smoke, but we have to be proactive about it."
"This isn't as easy as you made it out to be." Bobby commented.
"No, not right now, it isn't. So help me, it isn't always this bad. I have to go back now, though. Even if they vote someone else in now, I think I should be there."
"I understand. I'll put in my request for vacation right away and meet you out there."
"Okay. I'll call my publisher and let her know I won't be in afterall."
"You aren't leaving today." Bobby said alarmed.
"No, tomorrow."
"You shouldn't drive with that level of painkiller in your system."
"I'll just take alot of over the counter medicine and carry a cold pack with me. I'll be fine. So we have one more night to visit. What should we do?"
"You need to rest."
"When I get home. I wish I could just pick up the company and transfer it all here. Oh, yeah, that's good. Too many cartoons when I was a kid." She giggled.
"The medicine is still in your system. We could watch some tv. Do you watch the Discovery Channel?"
"I love the two series Dirty Jobs and How It's Made. I saw the one where they made handcuffs, it was absolutely fascinating."
"I've never seen that one."
"It was good but it doesn't give away any secrets on how to unlock them."
"A key." Bobby said quickly.
"Cop." she accused, laughing.
"Civilian." he shot back.
She was startled then laughed at him' "Good one." She swivelled back around on the couch and stretched back out. "Bobby?"
"Hmm?"
"Is it okay to tell you that I love you and wish you were my brother instead of my cousin?"
"Yeah it's okay." he answered with a smile.
"Good, because I do."
She fell asleep. He covered her up from the light chill and sat for a long time in his chair.
TBC
