Restoration
Chapter 55
Taking in the details of John's five-cent tour of his home, Janet can't help noticing how masculine all the furnishings are. The only exception is the shoe rack in the walk-in closet, which he confesses was an ex-girlfriend's idea. The browns and beiges say no woman looked at color swatches. But the small house is homey and comforting. She wouldn't mind spending time here at all, but the present timing is not terrific. She's rarely slept with a cop and never one under the pressure of succeeding in his rookie year. She also has to be in court tomorrow morning and he told her that he has to be up early for an unspecified special assignment.
"Want some coffee?" John offers. "The stuff at the station is pretty awful, so I invested in a decent machine for myself. My son's fiancée is a bit of a coffee connoisseur. She recommended the beans. They're not bad. And I've got cookies. You like peanut butter? I got them for, um, the hypothetical kid."
"As long as the sweetness isn't hypothetical. A night out should stick to the four food groups," Janet declares, "alcohol, fat, sugar, and caffeine."
"That sounds like sacrilege in California, home of sushi and kale," John quips.
"I'm California born and raised. I'm fine with sushi, and salad lunches are great for not leaving grease stains while I'm working, but I can't stand kale," Janet confesses. "To me, it's like someone crossbred lettuce and chewing gum."
John chuckles. "I've never heard that description before, but it's not my favorite either. You can't see it at night, but I put in a garden out back. Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini, but no kale."
Janet's face lights in what looks to be an unaccustomed smile. "Thank God. I'd hate to think that my state ruined you."
"Going by what happened lately, it came close, but so far, no exploding cigar. Thanks, really, thanks, counselor."
"Officer Nolan, you are very welcome."
The parking lot of the Redline Bar and Grill has few lights, but the customers like it that way. They can conduct their business and come and go as they please with no cameras or prying eyes. Ruben pulls into the darkest corner and waits. He can barely see the man who approaches the car, but the voice is familiar, if shaky. "What do you want, Derian?"
"I need you to do what I tell you. You've been putting on your righteous act for so long; I think you're beginning to believe it. But I know your history. I heard about the dropped guns and planted evidence. We both know that with the information I can leak, the commissioner can hang you by your balls. And with your job, very few of your brothers in blue would feel sorry for you."
Sweat dampens the veteran cop's collar. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Haig's already screwed over my brother. I want to know if I'm next. If Botts has anything on me, a sentence, a word, I need to hear about it." Through his car window, Ruben grabs his mole by the shoulder. "You're going to find out for me."
The terrified cop shakes loose. "How the hell do you expect me to do that?"
Derian shrugs. "I don't give a crap how you do it. Plant a bug. Wear a wire. Beat it out of someone. You used to be good at that. Just get it done, and get it done by tomorrow night. In 24 hours, you will meet me here with what I want to know, or you'll be in deeper sh*t than Serj."
"Twenty-four hours isn't enough!"
"It will have to be. Twenty-four hours or the bottom falls out for you, and it won't go so well for your family, either. Now get the f**k out of here!"
Sweating, the cop gets behind the wheel of a dark S.U.V. He's tempted to drive the damn thing into a tree, but that won't help his family.
Grey looks up as Commander Percy West knocks on the door of his office. He's seen a lot of the head of Internal Affairs in the past few months, but not much since Nolan was cleared. The sergeant rises as his superior enters the room. "What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Just tying up a few odds and ends regarding Nolan's case. I didn't see him on the patrol roster. Several of the other officers connected with the Derian case aren't there either. Where are they?"
Grey leans on his desk. "Special operation for the D.A.'s office. The details are need to know, and apparently, I don't need to know."
"You're their watch commander. You should be entitled to know," Percy insists.
"Only when they're under my supervision, which for this particular assignment they're not. What can I say, Commander? The orders came from the top, and that's all I can tell you."
"Can you get in touch with those officers if necessary?" Percy asks.
"Honestly, I don't know. I was instructed that short of a national emergency, I'm not supposed to try. Their complete reports on anything having to do with Serj Derian are on record, Commander. I can assign someone to help you go through them. Detective Calderone is very familiar with the investigations. Shall I call her in?"
Percy mentally crosses his fingers that Calderone will come up with something he can use. "Thanks, Grey. I'd appreciate it."
With an arm full of files, Calderone meets West in the conference room. "Commander, I brought everything we have that's connected with Serj Derian and his frame of Officer Nolan, but I don't understand what else you need to know. Two of Serj Derian's soldiers testified that he planted the money and drugs in Officer Nolan's home. Their attorney, Janet Jepson, gave that to A.D.A. Botts to negotiate a deal for her clients. They confirmed their story in court. I just got the transcript. I can make you a copy."
"Thanks, Calderone. That will button up Nolan's file. But what I'd really like to know is if Ruben Derian was implicated in any way. We've had indications of his influence over some members of the L.A.P.D., but if he was involved in Nolan's case, I could use that information."
Rita pulls the top sheets out of a folder. "I'll run this off for you, but I haven't seen anything mentioning Ruben. All of Serj's orders went through an individual known as Haig, who turned over his evidence to A.D.A. Botts. They both almost got killed in the process. So did officers Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford."
"Are Bradford and Chen back on patrol?" West inquires.
Neither one of them was at roll call. Nolan and Lopez weren't either. The rumor is that they were tagged for some special detail with the D.A.'s office, but you know how rumors are, Commander. Someone hears a couple of words and fills in the gaps."
"I understand, Detective. Get me that transcript, and I'll be out of your hair. Thank you for your help.
"Bradford, Chen, Lopez, and Nolan," Percy mutters to himself as he climbs behind the wheel of his assigned vehicle. Those are the four cops least likely to be in bed with the Derians. Botts has to know that. If he wanted someone that he could trust to go through Haig's evidence, that's who he'd pull in. The D.A.'s office, hell, maybe even Heifer himself might be thinking along the same lines. If Percy can get a line on just one of those cops, it could lead him to that evidence. Jackson rooms with Lucy Chen. If anyone would know where she is, he would. West can't see Jackson's interim T.O., whoever that is, objecting to a commander meeting up with his rookie son for a quick bite. All Percy has to do is ask dispatch for Jackson's location.
