Disclaimer: I don't own Harvey, Nash, Joe, Evan, Michelle or Ronnie. They belong to CBS. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.G
Copyright 2001
Harvey Leek stumbled through his bedroom door, kicking off his shoes as he crossed the short distance to his bed. He slipped out of his colorful jacket and dropped it to the floor, revealing a white Grateful Dead t-shirt. Already half asleep, he emptied his pockets and removed his badge. He dropped the items, along with his gun, on the nightstand and fell gratefully onto the mattress. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
An annoying noise penetrated his dream and dragged him from blissful slumber. Cracking open one bleary eye, Harvey groaned. The glowing red numbers on his alarm clock read 2:38am. He'd only been asleep two hours! Finally recognizing the irritating sound, Harvey rolled over and grabbed the phone before it could ring again. "Wha?"
"Harvey?"
"Yeah. Whadya want?"
"Harv, it's Michelle. Listen, I hate to ask you but Evan said he couldn't, and I can't get Nash or Joe on the phone..."
Harvey's sleep-fogged brain couldn't seem to follow Michelle's rambling, and his eyes began to droop as she sped on.
"So, can you?"
Snapping his eyes open, Harvey rubbed his face tiredly. He must've drifted off. "Huh?"
"Harvey, are you awake?"
"Wake? Yeah. Yeah, I'm awake. Um...what was it you said?"
He could clearly hear her exasperated sigh and made an effort to pay attention.
"Harvey! I said my mother just called me. She tripped on some steps at her house and fell. I have to take her to the E.R. to make sure she didn't break her ankle. I need someone to come take over for me at the surveillance van. I know you just left a couple hours ago, but I can't get anyone else."
Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd been at his desk at the SIU at 6am yesterday, doing a trace for Nash. He'd finally finished that, only to end up doing a background check for Joe. For an off-duty case no less. Harvey still didn't know how he'd been roped into that one. As it was, he'd finished that just in time to relieve Evan at noon for his shift in the surveillance truck.
Now, Michelle was asking him to come cover HER shift.
"Michelle, I'd love to but..."
"Oh, thank you Harvey. I knew I could count on you to cover me. Listen, I'll return the favor, I promise. I gotta call my mother to tell her I'll be by to get her soon. Thanks, Harv. Bye."
"...I'm way too tired." Sighing in defeat, Harvey dropped the handset back on it's cradle and switched on the bedside lamp.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, climbed wearily to his feet, then replaced the items on the night table in their assorted pockets. He slipped on the gun holster and badge, then picked up the jacket from the floor. Shoving his arms into the sleeves, he looked around for his shoes. Finally finding both of them near the door, he sat on the bed to put them on so he wouldn't fall over. His fingers seemed to fumble over themselves as he tried to tie the shoestrings. Cursing under his breath, he finally got the stubborn things tied and snatched up his keys.
As Harvey stood on his doorstep, locking the door, he idly wondered why he bothered paying for a house. He was hardly ever there. He should just live in his car and save himself some money.
As he drove his Ranchero through the dark San Francisco streets, he had to force himself to concentrate on his driving. The streetlights were almost hypnotic as he sped past them. Fortunately the roads were fairly empty at that time of the morning, so he made the drive in less than forty minutes. He found a place to park where their prey wouldn't notice it, and silently made his way to the blue surveillance truck parked on the side of the street.
Michelle looked up from her notes when the door opened and she had to put a hand to her mouth to stifle a sudden urge to giggle. Harvey Leek stood hunched over in the small space, blinking owlishly in the dimness of the truck. She could tell by his rumpled slacks that he'd gone to sleep in his clothes. His short curly hair stood up in odd spikes on one side. What had caused her to want to laugh, however, was the fact that the sleepy man had put on his brightly colored jacket inside-out.
Clearing her throat, Michelle resisted the desire to laugh. She gathered up her notes and sweater, gesturing Harvey to the stool she'd just vacated. "Harv, thank you so much for doing this. I'm sorry I had to drag you out of bed like this, but I couldn't get the other guys. With the flu that's going around, we're so shorthanded it's impossible to get coverage from anyone else."
Dropping bonelessly onto the stool, Harvey simply nodded.
Michelle smiled and patted him on the back as she slipped past him towards the door. "Thanks again. Oh, and Harvey?"
"Yeah?"
"Your jacket's on inside-out." A smile, a small wave, and she was gone.
Looking down at his sleeves, Harvey sighed. "Dammit." He pulled off the jacket, turned it right-side-out, and slipped it back on. He almost panicked when he realized his armband was not on his sleeve anymore. Looking around wildly, he spied it underneath the seat. Rolling his eyes heavenward and heaving a huge sigh of relief, Harvey picked up the precious armband and dusted it off. He slid it back on his arm where it belonged, then checked all the monitors. Everything seemed quiet; nothing stirred from the apartment building across the street. It was going to be a long night.
His thoughts drifted to the flu Michelle had mentioned. This time it was no "Blue Flu", or sick-out, but the real thing. Half the department was out with it. Harvey had had a scratchy throat for several days, and had woken up with a strange itchy feeling in his right ear yesterday morning. Add to that the heavy feeling in his chest, and Harv knew he was in for it. In an effort to ward off the impending flu, he'd had nearly a gallon of orange juice the day before. Vitamine C was supposed to help you fight bugs and stuff. At least he hoped so.
Eight hours later, Harvey struggled to stay awake. It was getting harder and harder to do. He finally stood and paced the small space as best he could, hoping Evan would show up early for once in his disgustingly young life. Finally tiring of his pacing, he sat back down on the little stool in front of the monitors. It was 12:10. Evan was ten minutes late. Harvey gave a start when his cell phone suddenly rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open. If it was Evan...heads would roll. "Harvey Leek."
"Harvey? It's Nash. Michelle called this morning and she can't come in today. Her mother apparently broke her ankle last night and is on pain meds, so Michelle needs to stay with her today. I had to call Evan in on an armored car robbery this morning, so he's gonna be late. I need you to cover for him til he can get things wrapped up here and relieve you. It should only be a couple hours."
"Boss, I can't..."
"Thanks Harv. You're the man." Click.
"Dammit!" It was all Harvey could do to keep from hurling the offending phone across the van. Thirty hours! He'd been working for almost thirty hours! Why Nash couldn't have done that trace yesterday himself, or Joe that background check, Harv didn't know. He was tempted to have a computer class for his teammates; he was tired of doing all the work Yet it was the two young hotshots, Evan and Michelle, that got the pats on the back. Harvey was definitely starting to feel like they were taking advantage of him.
Staring at the monitors, his blue eyes reflecting the light from the screens, Harvey sat in increasing discomfort. What had been a scratchy throat yesterday, had turned into a sore throat that hurt every time he swallowed. The itchy feeling in his ear had changed to a throbbing pain. His back and joints ached, indicating a low -grade fever. Aw man, he thought miserably, I'm gonna get that darn flu after all.
It was a little after 3pm when Evan finally showed up to relieve Harvey. He carried a paper sack of sandwiches and a thermose of hot coffee. Knocking softly first to warn his partner, Evan jerked open the door and bounded into the truck with a smile. The smile died on his face when he took in the condition of the man staring back at him. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes blood-shot and ringed with bruise-like smudges from lack of sleep. He looked pale and shivered in the warm air of the surveillance van.
"Jeez, Harv, you look like hell!"
Glaring back at Evan, Harvey stood to give up his place. "Oh, really, Evan? Well, that's good...'cause I'd hate to feel this bad and not look the part." Waving an arm expansively, Harvey frowned. "It's all yours, man. I'm going home to bed, where I should've been twelve hours ago." Grumbling to himself, he flung open the door and jumped out, slamming it shut behind him.
Evan stared at the door wondering what had gotten into his usually laid-back partner. Shrugging it off as the first signs of the flu, he flopped down onto the stool and pulled out a sandwich. His cell phone rang, and Evan rolled his eyes "Now what?" He hastily swallowed the bite of sandwich he'd just taken and flipped open the phone. "Cortez."
"Evan, it's Joe. Did Harvey leave already?"
"Yeah, Joe. He just split a minute ago. Why?"
"Man, another armored car just got ripped off. We need Harvey to run over and check it out."
Remembering how miserable and tired Harvey had looked, Evan winced. "Hey, Joe, man is there anyone else you can send to do that? Can't you or Nash do it?"
"Nash has a meeting with the Chief, and I've got to go check out the drivers of that other armored car. Why? What's wrong with Harvey doing it?"
"Joe, Harvey looked like hell. I think maybe he's getting the flu, and I just think you should find someone else to check it out." He could hear Joe's sigh and could almost see him thinking about it.
"Okay, look, I'll see what I can do. We're so damned short-handed, though, it's not even funny."
"I understand that, Joe, believe me...it's just that it's almost 3:30 now, and Harv's gotta be back here to replace me at midnight. The guy needs some sleep."
"I gotcha. I'll do my best. Later man."
Closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket, Evan went back to his sandwich and the boringly quiet monitors.
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Driving slower than normal, Harvey made his careful way back to his place. He paid close attention to his driving, having almost run a red light shortly after leaving the surveillance van. Finally pulling to the curb in front of his house, he practically crawled from the car and up the steps. He shut the front door behind him and leaned against it. He couldn't decide which he needed more at the moment...food, his bed, or a shower.
He decided the first thing he needed was a good dose of Nyquil. He went into the kitchen and searched the cabinets, til he finally found the right bottle. Grinning in triumph, he poured out two tablespoons of the green liquid, then thinking a moment...added a little extra. He quickly swallowed the vile-tasting stuff and grimaced. Yuck! That outta knock me out, he thought to himself happily.
He next opted for the shower and stumbled his way into the bedroom to get some clean clothes. He'd hardly made three steps into the room when the phone rang. He fumbled the handset from the cradle, and almost dropped it. "H'lo?"
"Harv? It's Joe. We've got another armored car robbery over on 5th, and we need you to run over there to check things out. I'm sorry, man. Listen, I'll keep Evan on a couple hours late to make up for it. Okay?"
This simply couldn't be happening. It was almost four in the afternoon, nearly thirty-six hours after first showing up at work yesterday morning. "Joe, I can't."
"Harv, I know you're tired. Evan said he didn't think you were feeling very well, but I just can't get anyone else."
Dropping down on the bed, Harvey leaned over and ran a hand through his hair. "Joe, I can't drive."
"What? Why?"
"I just took some cold medicine that's, like, 100 proof, man. I'm so damned sleepy, I wouldn't risk it even if I hadn't had the medicine."
There was a pause on the other end as Joe thought it over. "Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll send Ronnie to pick you up, okay? He'll be there in about twenty minutes. Alright? Good, gotta go. Thanks Harv." Click.
Stunned, Harvey simply sat and stared off into space. He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. Man, I need a vacation, he thought wearily. Deciding he had time for a quick shower, Harvey gathered some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, feeling slightly better from a hot shower, he came to the conclusion that the steam didn't help the heaviness in his chest like he'd hoped. He headed down the hall to the kitchen for a bite to eat, drying his hair with a towel and trying to get the water out of his sore ear. He'd just grabbed a cereal bar, when the doorbell rang. "Ronnie, no doubt."
Sure enough, Ronnie was standing there looking at his watch when Harvey opened the door. "Hey Ronnie. Just a minute while I grab my gun." Without waiting for a response, he went back to his room and grabbed his holster. He snagged a brown jacket from his closet and slipped it on as he made his way to the front door.
"Hey, man, thanks for picking me up. The good citizens of San Francisco wouldn't be safe with me on the road right now."
As they both trotted down the steps, Ronnie chuckled. "No problem Harvey. If you don't mind my saying so...you look like hell."
"Yeah, so I've been told."
Once in the car, Harvey fastened his seatbelt and leaned against the door with a sigh. "Ronnie, you know where we're going?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Wake me up when we get there."
Laughing softly at how quickly the Inspector drifted off to sleep, Ronnie shook his head. One thing was for sure: anytime he started complaining about the hours he worked, all he had to do was take a look at one of the undercover guys. Especially Nash or Harvey. If anyone was called to a crime scene in the middle of the night...it was usually one of those two.
Ronnie chuckled at the soft snoring coming from the passenger seat. He glanced at the sleeping man and frowned. The sound he was hearing came when Harvey breathed out, not in. It wasn't snoring, but a strange sort of rattling sound at the tail end of every expiration. "That can't be good."
Reaching across the seat, he gently place the back of his hand to Harvey's forehead without waking him. He felt slightly warm, and Ronnie made a mental note to say something to Nash. Ronnie never said much around the SIU, but he saw everything. He noticed that Harvey seemed to do most of the leg work, and nearly all the technical stuff. He doubted the others even realized it. Harvey was just so dependable, the others took it for granted. This time, though, he'd have to say something...the man was definately ill.
Making a left at the next intersection, Ronnie could see the yellow tape strung across the armored truck and the marked cars blocking the street, their lights still flashing. He pulled up to the curb a few yards from the scene and shook Harvey awake. "Hey, man, we're here."
Stretching his arms, Harvey took in the scene before him. Hopefully this wouldn't take long. He climbed from the car and walked to the two drivers of the armored truck. Writing down their statements, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew one of the drivers. The man had identified himself as Jack Duncan and he said he'd worked for Bailey Armored Escort for four months. His partner had been with Bailey's for three years.
Both men stated that they'd come out of the department store and were heading for the truck, when a car pulled up and four men, wearing masks, jumped out. All four men had been armed, and they'd taken the money the two drivers had been carrying. The robbers had jumped back in their car and taken off around the corner.
"So they made no attempt to get the money that's locked in the back?"
Duncan exchanged glances with his partner and shook his head. "No. They just took the money we were carrying and then split. I guess they didn't want to take the time to try to get the keys from us."
Looking around, Harvey noticed the businesses that lined the street. "Yeah, well, I can see why they wouldn't want to spend any more time than neccessary standing around with masks and guns. Too many witnesses."
After dismissing the two drivers, he checked with several witnesses who'd been patronizing the many businesses. They all had pretty much the same story. Unfortunately, none of the shops lining the street near the department store had an outside video camera. No help there.
The department store manager told Harvey that they had a different pickup time every week. It was a rotating schedule. "I'm telling you, they'd had to have been watching the department store for the last three or four months to have known our schedule."
"I believe ya man. We'll check out Bailey's and see who has access to the schedule. We'll be in touch."
Having gotten all the information he could from the scene, Harvey headed back to the car. Ronnie stood patiently by the driver's side. Harvey stopped by the passenger door and stared off into space for a few minutes, tapping his pen against his cheek. He knew he'd seen Duncan somewhere. But where? He shook his head and sighed. It'd probably come to him sooner or later. He gestured to Ronnie that he was ready to leave, and slipped into the passenger seat.
"Ronnie, take me over to the SIU so I can type up this report for Nash, would ya?"
"Sure thing, Harvey."
Both men were silent during the drive to the SIU. Harvey wracked his brain trying to remember where he'd seen that driver before. He was fairly certain it was while on a case. He glanced at his watch and moaned. It was 6:30 already. Well, Joe said he'd keep Evan on later, so he probably had til about 3am to get the report done and grab some sleep. It was talking to all those witnesses that had taken so long.
The dark clouds that had been threatening rain for the last several days, finally opened up just as Ronnie pulled into the SIU parking lot. The two men jumped out and dashed for shelter, but not managing to avoid getting soaking wet. As they both stood on the deck, shaking water from their arms, Ronnie couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, well. Aren't we a pair of drowned rats?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, my week just gets better and better."
Giving the bigger man a half-smile, Harvey headed for his desk. He looked at his shoes in disgust when he made squelching noises as he walked. He dropped into his chair with a sigh of relief, and shivered. "Man, it's cold in here."
He stared at his computer screen for a few minutes, thinking about Duncan. He finally decided Nash's report could wait; he'd see what he could dig up on the driver. Searching through is own cases, he finally scored a hit. Jack Duncan had been a witness, along with his partner, of a hit and run. Only, Duncan had worked at Trust Security and Armored Services at that time. He'd had a different partner then, a guy named Jason Ivory. That name rang a bell, too.
There had been a string of armored car robberies the last five weeks. The trucks were from four different companies, and none of the drivers had been hit more than once. It had been the same every time...the armed men had only taken the money the drivers were carrying, nothing from the back.
"Curiouser, and curiouser."
Harvey decided to do a little more digging through the files of the latest robberies. On the third try he hit the jackpot. Frisco Armored Transport had been robbed last week, and one of the drivers was none other than Jason Ivory. Ivory had apparently been with the company just five months.
"Well, well, well. I think it's time to do a little creative computer searching."
Finally managing to pull up the employment records of Trust Security, he wrote down all the names of employees who'd left the company in the last six months. He then tried matching the names with the four companies that had been robbed. It took a while, but he had seven names other than Duncan and Ivory.
So that was nine Trust employees who'd gone to four other companies several months before the robberies began. That was long enough to get to know the delivery and pickup schedules.
On a hunch, Harvey dug up some financial records on Trust. Things had been going badly for the company over the last year. The owner, David Winwood, had been having his own financial troubles as well. However, over the last month, the company had begun paying it's bills on time and getting caught up. Not only that, but Trust had managed to snag a couple clients from two of the companies that had been robbed.
"That sneaky bastard. He gets his guys into the other companies, sets the competition up to be robbed and gets not only the money, but new clients. Brilliant."
Harvey printed out the employment and financial records, and looked at his watch. He couldn't believe so much time had passed; it was after 10pm. Who could he get a warrant from this time of night, he wondered. A seraphic smile spread across his face. "Judge Gordon. He has insomnia, so he should still be kickin'."
After making his phone call to Judge Gordon, who'd indeed been up and working in his office, Harvey started typing his report to Nash. The thrill of the hunt had waned, and now the effects of the cold medicine kicked into high gear. His head felt fuzzy, and it took herculean effort to stay awake and focussed long enough to get the report finished and printed. He gathered up the printed report, along with the employee and financial papers, and left them on Nash's desk with a note explaining his theory. He let Nash know that he'd already called for a warrant, and that it was on its way.
Looking around for Ronnie, Harvey realized he'd already left for the evening. Probably right after dropping Harvey off. Too tired to look for another ride home, and with only a few hours left until he had to replace Evan, he decided to just go crash in holding. He figured if he overslept, Evan would give him a call.
He dropped down on the cot in the empty cage, and covered up with the rough wool blanket. It only took seconds for him to fall asleep.
Copyright 2001
Harvey Leek stumbled through his bedroom door, kicking off his shoes as he crossed the short distance to his bed. He slipped out of his colorful jacket and dropped it to the floor, revealing a white Grateful Dead t-shirt. Already half asleep, he emptied his pockets and removed his badge. He dropped the items, along with his gun, on the nightstand and fell gratefully onto the mattress. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
An annoying noise penetrated his dream and dragged him from blissful slumber. Cracking open one bleary eye, Harvey groaned. The glowing red numbers on his alarm clock read 2:38am. He'd only been asleep two hours! Finally recognizing the irritating sound, Harvey rolled over and grabbed the phone before it could ring again. "Wha?"
"Harvey?"
"Yeah. Whadya want?"
"Harv, it's Michelle. Listen, I hate to ask you but Evan said he couldn't, and I can't get Nash or Joe on the phone..."
Harvey's sleep-fogged brain couldn't seem to follow Michelle's rambling, and his eyes began to droop as she sped on.
"So, can you?"
Snapping his eyes open, Harvey rubbed his face tiredly. He must've drifted off. "Huh?"
"Harvey, are you awake?"
"Wake? Yeah. Yeah, I'm awake. Um...what was it you said?"
He could clearly hear her exasperated sigh and made an effort to pay attention.
"Harvey! I said my mother just called me. She tripped on some steps at her house and fell. I have to take her to the E.R. to make sure she didn't break her ankle. I need someone to come take over for me at the surveillance van. I know you just left a couple hours ago, but I can't get anyone else."
Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd been at his desk at the SIU at 6am yesterday, doing a trace for Nash. He'd finally finished that, only to end up doing a background check for Joe. For an off-duty case no less. Harvey still didn't know how he'd been roped into that one. As it was, he'd finished that just in time to relieve Evan at noon for his shift in the surveillance truck.
Now, Michelle was asking him to come cover HER shift.
"Michelle, I'd love to but..."
"Oh, thank you Harvey. I knew I could count on you to cover me. Listen, I'll return the favor, I promise. I gotta call my mother to tell her I'll be by to get her soon. Thanks, Harv. Bye."
"...I'm way too tired." Sighing in defeat, Harvey dropped the handset back on it's cradle and switched on the bedside lamp.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, climbed wearily to his feet, then replaced the items on the night table in their assorted pockets. He slipped on the gun holster and badge, then picked up the jacket from the floor. Shoving his arms into the sleeves, he looked around for his shoes. Finally finding both of them near the door, he sat on the bed to put them on so he wouldn't fall over. His fingers seemed to fumble over themselves as he tried to tie the shoestrings. Cursing under his breath, he finally got the stubborn things tied and snatched up his keys.
As Harvey stood on his doorstep, locking the door, he idly wondered why he bothered paying for a house. He was hardly ever there. He should just live in his car and save himself some money.
As he drove his Ranchero through the dark San Francisco streets, he had to force himself to concentrate on his driving. The streetlights were almost hypnotic as he sped past them. Fortunately the roads were fairly empty at that time of the morning, so he made the drive in less than forty minutes. He found a place to park where their prey wouldn't notice it, and silently made his way to the blue surveillance truck parked on the side of the street.
Michelle looked up from her notes when the door opened and she had to put a hand to her mouth to stifle a sudden urge to giggle. Harvey Leek stood hunched over in the small space, blinking owlishly in the dimness of the truck. She could tell by his rumpled slacks that he'd gone to sleep in his clothes. His short curly hair stood up in odd spikes on one side. What had caused her to want to laugh, however, was the fact that the sleepy man had put on his brightly colored jacket inside-out.
Clearing her throat, Michelle resisted the desire to laugh. She gathered up her notes and sweater, gesturing Harvey to the stool she'd just vacated. "Harv, thank you so much for doing this. I'm sorry I had to drag you out of bed like this, but I couldn't get the other guys. With the flu that's going around, we're so shorthanded it's impossible to get coverage from anyone else."
Dropping bonelessly onto the stool, Harvey simply nodded.
Michelle smiled and patted him on the back as she slipped past him towards the door. "Thanks again. Oh, and Harvey?"
"Yeah?"
"Your jacket's on inside-out." A smile, a small wave, and she was gone.
Looking down at his sleeves, Harvey sighed. "Dammit." He pulled off the jacket, turned it right-side-out, and slipped it back on. He almost panicked when he realized his armband was not on his sleeve anymore. Looking around wildly, he spied it underneath the seat. Rolling his eyes heavenward and heaving a huge sigh of relief, Harvey picked up the precious armband and dusted it off. He slid it back on his arm where it belonged, then checked all the monitors. Everything seemed quiet; nothing stirred from the apartment building across the street. It was going to be a long night.
His thoughts drifted to the flu Michelle had mentioned. This time it was no "Blue Flu", or sick-out, but the real thing. Half the department was out with it. Harvey had had a scratchy throat for several days, and had woken up with a strange itchy feeling in his right ear yesterday morning. Add to that the heavy feeling in his chest, and Harv knew he was in for it. In an effort to ward off the impending flu, he'd had nearly a gallon of orange juice the day before. Vitamine C was supposed to help you fight bugs and stuff. At least he hoped so.
Eight hours later, Harvey struggled to stay awake. It was getting harder and harder to do. He finally stood and paced the small space as best he could, hoping Evan would show up early for once in his disgustingly young life. Finally tiring of his pacing, he sat back down on the little stool in front of the monitors. It was 12:10. Evan was ten minutes late. Harvey gave a start when his cell phone suddenly rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open. If it was Evan...heads would roll. "Harvey Leek."
"Harvey? It's Nash. Michelle called this morning and she can't come in today. Her mother apparently broke her ankle last night and is on pain meds, so Michelle needs to stay with her today. I had to call Evan in on an armored car robbery this morning, so he's gonna be late. I need you to cover for him til he can get things wrapped up here and relieve you. It should only be a couple hours."
"Boss, I can't..."
"Thanks Harv. You're the man." Click.
"Dammit!" It was all Harvey could do to keep from hurling the offending phone across the van. Thirty hours! He'd been working for almost thirty hours! Why Nash couldn't have done that trace yesterday himself, or Joe that background check, Harv didn't know. He was tempted to have a computer class for his teammates; he was tired of doing all the work Yet it was the two young hotshots, Evan and Michelle, that got the pats on the back. Harvey was definitely starting to feel like they were taking advantage of him.
Staring at the monitors, his blue eyes reflecting the light from the screens, Harvey sat in increasing discomfort. What had been a scratchy throat yesterday, had turned into a sore throat that hurt every time he swallowed. The itchy feeling in his ear had changed to a throbbing pain. His back and joints ached, indicating a low -grade fever. Aw man, he thought miserably, I'm gonna get that darn flu after all.
It was a little after 3pm when Evan finally showed up to relieve Harvey. He carried a paper sack of sandwiches and a thermose of hot coffee. Knocking softly first to warn his partner, Evan jerked open the door and bounded into the truck with a smile. The smile died on his face when he took in the condition of the man staring back at him. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes blood-shot and ringed with bruise-like smudges from lack of sleep. He looked pale and shivered in the warm air of the surveillance van.
"Jeez, Harv, you look like hell!"
Glaring back at Evan, Harvey stood to give up his place. "Oh, really, Evan? Well, that's good...'cause I'd hate to feel this bad and not look the part." Waving an arm expansively, Harvey frowned. "It's all yours, man. I'm going home to bed, where I should've been twelve hours ago." Grumbling to himself, he flung open the door and jumped out, slamming it shut behind him.
Evan stared at the door wondering what had gotten into his usually laid-back partner. Shrugging it off as the first signs of the flu, he flopped down onto the stool and pulled out a sandwich. His cell phone rang, and Evan rolled his eyes "Now what?" He hastily swallowed the bite of sandwich he'd just taken and flipped open the phone. "Cortez."
"Evan, it's Joe. Did Harvey leave already?"
"Yeah, Joe. He just split a minute ago. Why?"
"Man, another armored car just got ripped off. We need Harvey to run over and check it out."
Remembering how miserable and tired Harvey had looked, Evan winced. "Hey, Joe, man is there anyone else you can send to do that? Can't you or Nash do it?"
"Nash has a meeting with the Chief, and I've got to go check out the drivers of that other armored car. Why? What's wrong with Harvey doing it?"
"Joe, Harvey looked like hell. I think maybe he's getting the flu, and I just think you should find someone else to check it out." He could hear Joe's sigh and could almost see him thinking about it.
"Okay, look, I'll see what I can do. We're so damned short-handed, though, it's not even funny."
"I understand that, Joe, believe me...it's just that it's almost 3:30 now, and Harv's gotta be back here to replace me at midnight. The guy needs some sleep."
"I gotcha. I'll do my best. Later man."
Closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket, Evan went back to his sandwich and the boringly quiet monitors.
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Driving slower than normal, Harvey made his careful way back to his place. He paid close attention to his driving, having almost run a red light shortly after leaving the surveillance van. Finally pulling to the curb in front of his house, he practically crawled from the car and up the steps. He shut the front door behind him and leaned against it. He couldn't decide which he needed more at the moment...food, his bed, or a shower.
He decided the first thing he needed was a good dose of Nyquil. He went into the kitchen and searched the cabinets, til he finally found the right bottle. Grinning in triumph, he poured out two tablespoons of the green liquid, then thinking a moment...added a little extra. He quickly swallowed the vile-tasting stuff and grimaced. Yuck! That outta knock me out, he thought to himself happily.
He next opted for the shower and stumbled his way into the bedroom to get some clean clothes. He'd hardly made three steps into the room when the phone rang. He fumbled the handset from the cradle, and almost dropped it. "H'lo?"
"Harv? It's Joe. We've got another armored car robbery over on 5th, and we need you to run over there to check things out. I'm sorry, man. Listen, I'll keep Evan on a couple hours late to make up for it. Okay?"
This simply couldn't be happening. It was almost four in the afternoon, nearly thirty-six hours after first showing up at work yesterday morning. "Joe, I can't."
"Harv, I know you're tired. Evan said he didn't think you were feeling very well, but I just can't get anyone else."
Dropping down on the bed, Harvey leaned over and ran a hand through his hair. "Joe, I can't drive."
"What? Why?"
"I just took some cold medicine that's, like, 100 proof, man. I'm so damned sleepy, I wouldn't risk it even if I hadn't had the medicine."
There was a pause on the other end as Joe thought it over. "Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll send Ronnie to pick you up, okay? He'll be there in about twenty minutes. Alright? Good, gotta go. Thanks Harv." Click.
Stunned, Harvey simply sat and stared off into space. He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. Man, I need a vacation, he thought wearily. Deciding he had time for a quick shower, Harvey gathered some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, feeling slightly better from a hot shower, he came to the conclusion that the steam didn't help the heaviness in his chest like he'd hoped. He headed down the hall to the kitchen for a bite to eat, drying his hair with a towel and trying to get the water out of his sore ear. He'd just grabbed a cereal bar, when the doorbell rang. "Ronnie, no doubt."
Sure enough, Ronnie was standing there looking at his watch when Harvey opened the door. "Hey Ronnie. Just a minute while I grab my gun." Without waiting for a response, he went back to his room and grabbed his holster. He snagged a brown jacket from his closet and slipped it on as he made his way to the front door.
"Hey, man, thanks for picking me up. The good citizens of San Francisco wouldn't be safe with me on the road right now."
As they both trotted down the steps, Ronnie chuckled. "No problem Harvey. If you don't mind my saying so...you look like hell."
"Yeah, so I've been told."
Once in the car, Harvey fastened his seatbelt and leaned against the door with a sigh. "Ronnie, you know where we're going?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Wake me up when we get there."
Laughing softly at how quickly the Inspector drifted off to sleep, Ronnie shook his head. One thing was for sure: anytime he started complaining about the hours he worked, all he had to do was take a look at one of the undercover guys. Especially Nash or Harvey. If anyone was called to a crime scene in the middle of the night...it was usually one of those two.
Ronnie chuckled at the soft snoring coming from the passenger seat. He glanced at the sleeping man and frowned. The sound he was hearing came when Harvey breathed out, not in. It wasn't snoring, but a strange sort of rattling sound at the tail end of every expiration. "That can't be good."
Reaching across the seat, he gently place the back of his hand to Harvey's forehead without waking him. He felt slightly warm, and Ronnie made a mental note to say something to Nash. Ronnie never said much around the SIU, but he saw everything. He noticed that Harvey seemed to do most of the leg work, and nearly all the technical stuff. He doubted the others even realized it. Harvey was just so dependable, the others took it for granted. This time, though, he'd have to say something...the man was definately ill.
Making a left at the next intersection, Ronnie could see the yellow tape strung across the armored truck and the marked cars blocking the street, their lights still flashing. He pulled up to the curb a few yards from the scene and shook Harvey awake. "Hey, man, we're here."
Stretching his arms, Harvey took in the scene before him. Hopefully this wouldn't take long. He climbed from the car and walked to the two drivers of the armored truck. Writing down their statements, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew one of the drivers. The man had identified himself as Jack Duncan and he said he'd worked for Bailey Armored Escort for four months. His partner had been with Bailey's for three years.
Both men stated that they'd come out of the department store and were heading for the truck, when a car pulled up and four men, wearing masks, jumped out. All four men had been armed, and they'd taken the money the two drivers had been carrying. The robbers had jumped back in their car and taken off around the corner.
"So they made no attempt to get the money that's locked in the back?"
Duncan exchanged glances with his partner and shook his head. "No. They just took the money we were carrying and then split. I guess they didn't want to take the time to try to get the keys from us."
Looking around, Harvey noticed the businesses that lined the street. "Yeah, well, I can see why they wouldn't want to spend any more time than neccessary standing around with masks and guns. Too many witnesses."
After dismissing the two drivers, he checked with several witnesses who'd been patronizing the many businesses. They all had pretty much the same story. Unfortunately, none of the shops lining the street near the department store had an outside video camera. No help there.
The department store manager told Harvey that they had a different pickup time every week. It was a rotating schedule. "I'm telling you, they'd had to have been watching the department store for the last three or four months to have known our schedule."
"I believe ya man. We'll check out Bailey's and see who has access to the schedule. We'll be in touch."
Having gotten all the information he could from the scene, Harvey headed back to the car. Ronnie stood patiently by the driver's side. Harvey stopped by the passenger door and stared off into space for a few minutes, tapping his pen against his cheek. He knew he'd seen Duncan somewhere. But where? He shook his head and sighed. It'd probably come to him sooner or later. He gestured to Ronnie that he was ready to leave, and slipped into the passenger seat.
"Ronnie, take me over to the SIU so I can type up this report for Nash, would ya?"
"Sure thing, Harvey."
Both men were silent during the drive to the SIU. Harvey wracked his brain trying to remember where he'd seen that driver before. He was fairly certain it was while on a case. He glanced at his watch and moaned. It was 6:30 already. Well, Joe said he'd keep Evan on later, so he probably had til about 3am to get the report done and grab some sleep. It was talking to all those witnesses that had taken so long.
The dark clouds that had been threatening rain for the last several days, finally opened up just as Ronnie pulled into the SIU parking lot. The two men jumped out and dashed for shelter, but not managing to avoid getting soaking wet. As they both stood on the deck, shaking water from their arms, Ronnie couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, well. Aren't we a pair of drowned rats?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, my week just gets better and better."
Giving the bigger man a half-smile, Harvey headed for his desk. He looked at his shoes in disgust when he made squelching noises as he walked. He dropped into his chair with a sigh of relief, and shivered. "Man, it's cold in here."
He stared at his computer screen for a few minutes, thinking about Duncan. He finally decided Nash's report could wait; he'd see what he could dig up on the driver. Searching through is own cases, he finally scored a hit. Jack Duncan had been a witness, along with his partner, of a hit and run. Only, Duncan had worked at Trust Security and Armored Services at that time. He'd had a different partner then, a guy named Jason Ivory. That name rang a bell, too.
There had been a string of armored car robberies the last five weeks. The trucks were from four different companies, and none of the drivers had been hit more than once. It had been the same every time...the armed men had only taken the money the drivers were carrying, nothing from the back.
"Curiouser, and curiouser."
Harvey decided to do a little more digging through the files of the latest robberies. On the third try he hit the jackpot. Frisco Armored Transport had been robbed last week, and one of the drivers was none other than Jason Ivory. Ivory had apparently been with the company just five months.
"Well, well, well. I think it's time to do a little creative computer searching."
Finally managing to pull up the employment records of Trust Security, he wrote down all the names of employees who'd left the company in the last six months. He then tried matching the names with the four companies that had been robbed. It took a while, but he had seven names other than Duncan and Ivory.
So that was nine Trust employees who'd gone to four other companies several months before the robberies began. That was long enough to get to know the delivery and pickup schedules.
On a hunch, Harvey dug up some financial records on Trust. Things had been going badly for the company over the last year. The owner, David Winwood, had been having his own financial troubles as well. However, over the last month, the company had begun paying it's bills on time and getting caught up. Not only that, but Trust had managed to snag a couple clients from two of the companies that had been robbed.
"That sneaky bastard. He gets his guys into the other companies, sets the competition up to be robbed and gets not only the money, but new clients. Brilliant."
Harvey printed out the employment and financial records, and looked at his watch. He couldn't believe so much time had passed; it was after 10pm. Who could he get a warrant from this time of night, he wondered. A seraphic smile spread across his face. "Judge Gordon. He has insomnia, so he should still be kickin'."
After making his phone call to Judge Gordon, who'd indeed been up and working in his office, Harvey started typing his report to Nash. The thrill of the hunt had waned, and now the effects of the cold medicine kicked into high gear. His head felt fuzzy, and it took herculean effort to stay awake and focussed long enough to get the report finished and printed. He gathered up the printed report, along with the employee and financial papers, and left them on Nash's desk with a note explaining his theory. He let Nash know that he'd already called for a warrant, and that it was on its way.
Looking around for Ronnie, Harvey realized he'd already left for the evening. Probably right after dropping Harvey off. Too tired to look for another ride home, and with only a few hours left until he had to replace Evan, he decided to just go crash in holding. He figured if he overslept, Evan would give him a call.
He dropped down on the cot in the empty cage, and covered up with the rough wool blanket. It only took seconds for him to fall asleep.