Chapter 21

"You any better?" Logan asked, over what was left of his bowl of cereal.

"Yeah," Alex replied, sipping her coffee.

Her words didn't match her demeanor. Logan frowned. "You got something on your mind?" he prodded.

She looked over her cup at him. "Of course I do."

"Goren," he said, and Alex nodded.

"He stopped by yesterday," she said quietly, and there seemed to be a sadness in her voice.

"You two are an item, aren't you?" Logan guessed.

Alex stiffened, but Logan stared her down.

"I never thought the rumors were true," he remarked and swallowed down another spoonful of cereal.

Alex snapped. "They're not."

Logan looked at her skeptically.

Alex sighed heavily. "After you and Bobby… he was recovering, and I took care of him and I guess…"

"I don't need to know, Alex. What you and Bobby do is your own business."

"Thanks, Mike."

"But you are worried."

Alex nodded. "Everything's different, now, Logan. I would have worried before, but now…"

"For him, too. That's why he was so worked up about our trips to the mailbox."

Again, she nodded.

After a pause, Logan eased back in the chair. "So… you can sit around here, thinking about your headache and worrying about him, or we can go to the movies. Whattaya say?"

Slowly, Alex grinned. "That sounds good, Logan."

"I'll look up the listings."

The envelope landed on Ross' desk with a thud. Ross sat up slowly and turned it over in his hands before looking up at his weary detective. He saw that it was still sealed.

"They took the bait?" he asked.

Bobby nodded.

"How much?" Ross asked curiously.

"I-I don't know."

After a moment of silence, Ross tore open the envelope. He spread out the hundreds on the desk. "Two thousand dollars." Ross made a quick call and turned back to Bobby. "What now?" he asked Goren.

"I wait again. It's their game… I'm lucky to be in it."

"Accounting is on the way up. Stick around." He gestured to the chair in his office. "Don't worry," the Captain said, gesturing to the money. "I don't want to be alone with this, either."

Bobby went back to Powers' neighborhood that night. He set himself up at the local bar, watching a pool game and nursing a tumbler of whiskey. He enjoyed playing pool, but that was something else he would have to wait to do until his hand healed up. He scanned the room and took another sip.

He saw Trego come in, and watched the man work the room, greeting and bumping knuckles with most of the patrons. He was a child, really. Trego was 22 years old, and looked much younger. He was the errand boy for Powers' group, happily delivering information and supplies throughout the group. Trego recognized him, and came over.

"Oscar, I hear you're back."

Bobby nodded, but said nothing.

"I heard you're a dirty cop," Trego said with a snarky smile.

Internally, Bobby bristled, but it never showed in his expression. "I'm an old man," was all he said.

Trego looked around the room and spoke again. "Brandt says if you have anything else, to let me know and he'll meet you here at midnight. He said he's looking for names."

"Names? I just gave him names."

"He wants to know who the moles are."

Bobby remained silent. He nodded and took a drink. He watched from his peripheral vision as Trego left the bar.

"I don't have names," Bobby said to Brandt.

"Why did you waste my time, then?"
Bobby slid a piece of paper his way. "It's not a waste. I'm saving your ass." Tonight's information was a plan from ATF to bust a business meeting between Powers and his gun suppliers.

Brandt allowed himself a smile. He pulled another envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Goren. "Find us the names, you'll have a nice retirement coming," he commented just before he left.

It continued like that for several days, and finally, on the fourth night, Devin walked into the bar, his arm in a sling. He saw Bobby and joined him at the bar. Devin quietly ordered a drink and spoke without looking at the detective.

"I'm back in," Devin said.

"I think I'm getting there," Bobby replied. "They want me to find the moles."

"My guys are on it," Devin said. "They'll get you something in the office tomorrow."

Trego drifted over and Bobby acted the part. "Fucking Logan. Nearly gets me killed, and then he shoots you."

Devin grinned. "I'm all right." He tipped his glass. "Especially now. Between the pain killers and this drink, I'm feeling pretty good!" Trego and Bobby laughed with him.

"Nothing tonight," Bobby told the young man, and Trego walked away. He lowered his voice. "Go easy on that," Bobby warned. "You'll end up in the hospital again."

"I'm okay," Devin said. "Thanks." He took his drink and walked away.

Goren spent Saturday in the office, signing off on homicide reports as if he'd been working all week, in case Powers were to check up on him. By the afternoon, he was in a meeting with Ross and two ATF agents. "They want a name, you give him one."

"What?!"

"Devin's back in clean, and you're on your way."

"Bullshit. I won't do it." Bobby's face turned red as he tried to suppress his anger. They were asking him to put someone's life at risk. He looked at the ATF men, who were determined that Bobby should just choose one of Powers' gang and sentence him to death. "Captain…!" Bobby pleaded.

"You guys better come up with a better plan. I will not have one of my detectives sentencing a man to death without due process."

"You don't have to worry about that, Captain, because I won't do it."

Ross looked at the Feds, his arms folded across his chest. "Give us another option."

"No name, or your name," one of the agents suggested.

Bobby spun angrily and paced in the opposite direction. His thoughts were spinning so hard and fast that he didn't even register the Captain arguing with the agents behind him. Goren paced right out of the office and closed himself off in an interview room.