Bobby's New Relatives CH 12
Emily was up bright and early the next morning. Her face was down some but she had the beginnings of a beaut of a shiner and it was half swollen shut. She kept trying to touch it then yanking her hand away. She set about packing her things up even before Bobby was halfway done with his coffee. He watched her solemnly. She sat down to have tea with him. "Don't look so upset." she told him.
"Sorry. I know you have to go back."
Emily reached over and grasped his hand with hers. "Right here, Bobby. We're right here. Hell, we're even in the same time zone. Just think, now you have someplace to go for your summer vacations. I'm always looking for help on the farm."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Emily smiled. "I feel the same way. I just don't want you to worry. I'll be fine and so will you. We are cousins and we can't be anything less ever again."
"What are you going to do about Frank?"
"Frank? Who's...oh, him. I hadn't given it any thought. I guess I'm going to wait to see what happens at home first. I don't have any authority to do anything right now. He'll have to be told, but I don't know where everything stands. And I'm certainly in no position to give him any money right now. It's still there so he's in no iminent danger of losing it. I'd guess what he never knew he had he won't miss for right now. I'll let you know before I contact him." She took a sip of tea.
"I'll be expecting you to call me from time to time." Bobby said.
"I'll be expecting you to answer. Even if just enough to say hello. You make this sound so permanent. Besides, I have a date with your captain yet and I have to see Frank, and I have those restaurant people to deal with. I'll be back so often, you'll wish I'd stay home once in a while."
"No, not that."
"I have something for you. It's something I've had for years but it's more appropriate that you have it."
"You don't have to give me anything."
"This is something I think you would have gotten anyway if circumstances would have been different."
Emily said bringing out a small box from her case. She set it on the table and slid it over to him. "It was Grandpas. It isn't much, but he put alot of store by it and family. I think he would rather you have it than Frank. You were his only two surviving grandsons and the others really wouldn't have made him proud. I think he'd want you to have it."
Bobby took the box and opened it carefully. Inside was a pocket watch on a chain. The outer casing was tarnished from years of handling, it had never been expensive to begin with.
"Open it." she urged.
He did. The watch had long since stopped at 3:06 but in the lid was a grainy photograph of a woman with three girls around her. "Grandmother?" Bobby asked.
"And the girls. I wish it had a picture of Grandpa. I remember him being a very big man. I was pretty little when he died so that might be just an illusion, but he had a booming laugh. And he used to give me candy, I remember that much."
"Do you have any at home?"
"Mmm. I might. I'll look when I get home. There's a whole box of them that I just don't have time to get through. When you come out, you're welcome to go through them with me. I guess I need to get going. I'm getting maudlin."
"Good idea, then." Bobby rose reaching for the cups to put them in the sink.
There was a knock on the apartment door. "Alex?" Emily asked.
"She'd use her key." Bobby frowned and headed for the door. He opened it. Two uniformed officers stood outside. "Yes?"
"We're looking for Emily Starks. Is she here?"
"I'm Emily." she said.
"We have a warrant for your arrest."
"Arrest? Bobby?"
"On what charge?" Bobby asked.
"Are you her husband?"
"Detective Bobby Goren, Major Case. What's the charge?"
"Assault. We have a sworn affadavit. Emily Starks, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used..."
The woman officer came over and began to put handcuffs on Emily. She was panicking. She'd never been in custody before. "Relax, Emily. I'll get it straightened out. Just do what they say." Bobby told her.
She was stricken, he wasn't sure she heard him. "Easy, guys, she's my cousin. She's not dangerous."
"It's an assault charge, detective." the male uniform said.
"It's a false charge. I was here. Emily, listen to me. I'll have you out soon."
They continued to talk read her her rights as they took her out. He could have sworn she never heard a word they were saying. She had gone glassy eyed and withdrawn. He reached for her cell phone and punched the buttons. "Stas, it's Bobby. They just arrested Emily for assault on Gary. I need you back here ASAP."
After he finished talking to Stas, he called his precinct and told them he wouldn't be in anytime soon and then he called the ADA's office and used his pull to get things started to get her bail set. He called Alex and told her what was going on. She said she'd go down and see what she could do to help with Emily's case.
Bobby flew into his suit, grabbed his gun and shield and headed for the stationhouse where Emily had been taken. She was still in booking when he got there and he was forced to cool his heels while she was being processed. He was allowed to see her before they took her to a holding cell. She was completely immobile except when being prompted to move. She didn't look at anything, or respond to him at all. "She's still high. We're going to watch for her to come down." one of the officers told Bobby.
"She's not high. She's in shock."
"We'll see. We have a tech coming to do a tox screen. We were told she takes drugs."
Gary's list of things he was going to be in big trouble for when Bobby got his hands on him was growing by the minute. There wasn't anything he could do to help her at the moment. "Has she said anything?"
"Not a word." they took her out of the room.
Alex arrived and told him. "I have a bail hearing in an hour. She'll be home by supper. She doesn't have a record and she'll be released to your custody. We'll have them tell her that."
"She won't hear them. She's withdrawn into herself. She couldn't even hear me. That bastard told them she's a drug addict and they're going to do a tox screen on her."
"That son of a bitch. He has alot to answer for." Alex said darkly.
"I'm going to go pay him a visit." Bobby said angrily.
"No, you're not. You can't help Emily if you're suspended or on in a cell yourself. He'll get his. We'll have her out and home, vindicated of the drug charges and cleared of the charges before he gets out. Then we'll get him on perjury charges that'll bury him for years."
"She doesn't deserve this." he snarled.
"How many people have we vindicated that were unfairly framed for worse. We'll take her out of here and take her home, Bobby. I promise you."
He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. Alex was right, she always was. Damn it, he was a detective and he was helpless to get her out of jail sooner. He'd done everything he could. It was just waiting for the system to activate now.
His cell rang and he answered it. "Goren."
"Ross. I have a lawyer on the way to the courthouse. Judge Cordena has been notified that she is a potential witness in a case and he's going to take that into account when he hears the case."
"Thank you, Captain." Bobby said gratefully.
"I still owe her dinner and I'm not eating jailhouse food. I know about the accusations of drugs. I have never met a woman who can talk like her on drugs. We'll do everything we can, Goren."
"I appreciate it, sir."
"Take care of her and come in when you get her settled down again."
"Yes, sir."
"You here for Emily Starks?" another uniformed officer asked.
"Yes."
"Her lawyer is waiting at the courthouse for her. We're transferring her now."
"Tell her I'll meet her there, will you?"
"I'll tell her but she's in no shape to hear you." she said, walking away.
"Damn it!" Bobby said angrily. "Let's go to the courthouse."
He led the way to the car, but Alex insisted on driving. They were in the corridor outside the courtroom when it was cleared from the previous session. One of the men present was a lawyer they recognized from their workings at Major Case. "I'm not sure why I was called. The woman I'm pleading out is not fit to testify at her own hearing." Tony Musclo said.
Bobby quickly explained the situation. "Her personal lawyer is on the way here from Michigan, but I'm not sure if he'll make it in time."
"So she has a personal lawyer? I understood she has no criminal history."
"She is the CEO of a family company there. He worked for the company until the man who brought these ridiculous charges took office and now he's her personal attorney."
"So he's the CEO now?"
"Not as far as I know. He violated his company's morality clause and Emily is now back in charge. She's the major stock holder and one who started the company. This is a battle for control of a large company. It's a mud slinging match on the complainants part."
"If I can't have it you can't either kind of issue?"
"Yes." Alex said.
"And what is your relationship to her?"
"She's my cousin. She was here on business and staying at my place when he barged in and smacked her alongside her head. We have hospital records to that effect."
"I'll do my best to get her out of there. It would help if I could get her to respond when the judge asks for a plea."
"It's not guilty."
"I know that, but I need her to tell the judge. Can you talk to her?"
"I think so. I haven't been able to talk to her since she was booked."
"I'll have her brought in early. Talk to her. It's vital."
The courtroom was filling up. Bobby and Alex took a seat directly behind the indicated table so Bobby could speak to Emily. She was brought in in handcuffs still looking like a zombie. Bobby reached out to touch her arm. "Emily."
She looked at him, like she was at a distance. "Listen to me. You tell the judge Not Guilty when he asks how do you plead. Do you hear me?"
She nodded once and the lawyer turned her around to face the front. She rose with everyone else and seemed to pull herself together a bit. She listened solemnly to the charges against her. When the judge asked for her plea she said calmly. "Not guilty, your honor."
"Your honor, we ask that the charges against my client of drug usage be dropped at this time. She was given a tox screen at the booking and no illegal drugs were found in her system nor were there any records of present or past usage."
Judge Cordena looked over at the ADA. "Any objections, Mr. Harris?"
"No, your honor. But until we have a chance to investigate this case we ask that the defendent surrender her passport and be released into the custody of the relative in this courtroom that she has been residing with." the ADA said.
"Would that relative please rise."
Bobby stood up. "That would be me, your honor."
"And you are?"
"Detective Robert Goren, NYPD." Bobby said.
"Detective Goren is a highly decorated member of the NYPD, your honor..." Musclo started.
"I'm familiar with Detective Gorens record, Mr. Harris. Detective, you know the drill. I want her available for questioning and back here for her arraignment. Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, your honor." Bobby said.
"The defendent is released into your custody pending arraignment. Next case."
Emily looked at Musclo. "I can go?"
"They have to process you out, but yes. You have to stay here with Detective Goren but you're out on bail."
"I'll meet you in the back." Bobby told her.
The bailiff took her out and Bobby and Alex hurried around to the door to await her release. As they were waiting Stas hurried up. He looked like he'd thrown his clothes on on the plane here. "I got here as soon as I could. Where is the case?"
"The drug charges have been dropped. She's released into my custody." Bobby said.
"Thank God. I have information for you that will help get these charges dropped. But it can wait until she is back on an even keel. What are we waiting for?"
"They're processing her out now."
The door oopened and Emily walked out. She was staring around her, unable to react to the sounds like a normal person. She stared at Stas uncomprehendingly for a few minutes. "What-What are you doing here?" she asked.
"You're here and in trouble. Where else would I be?"
"Home."
"Home is where you are, love. Come on, let's go back to Bobbys place."
Stas put his arm around Emily. "You're cold."
"I'm fine."
Stas took off his suitcoat and draped it over her shoulders. He put his arm back around her and led her outside. Alex led the way to the car and Stas got Emily into the back and got in next to her. She curled up and buried her face into his shoulder and didn't look up. Bobby got into the rider seat and moved his mirror so he could watch Emily all the way home. She never once looked up.
TBC
