The characters of "Nash Bridges" belong to CBS, not me. Of course, if they'd belonged to me I wouldn't have cancelled the show.G This is just for fun, not for profit so don't sue me.
Copyright 2001
Melissa Roberts
The Setup
Looking up from his desk, Nash snagged Evan as he walked past. "Evan, did you go see Harvey last night?"
"Yeah, but he slept the whole time. At least, he slept in between the nurses waking him up to do stuff. I don't think a hospital is all that great for getting a good night's sleep. He's probably already planning his escape."
Chuckling, Nash shook his head. "Well, he better not be. You going to pick him up tonight?"
Walking over to his own desk, Evan nodded. "Yeah. He's supposed to be discharged about 8:00. Has anyone spotted Winwood, yet?"
Sighing, Nash rocked back in his chair. "Not yet, but we'll catch him. Joe's out at the airport right now, helping to keep an eye out for him. Harv said that Winwood mentioned a morning flight, so we should be hearing something soon."
Evan shot his boss a puzzled look as he rifled through the papers on his desk. "Where's Michelle? She still taking care of her mother?"
"No, we got a tip that one of the drivers was staying at a motel by the airport, so she went to go pick him up. Ronnie went with her."
"Who's pulling surveillance on the Harris case then?"
Nash rubbed a hand through his hair and frowned. "Auto Theft is still covering for us. I'd rather have our own people on it, though. I hate owing favors." The ringing of Nash's phone interrupted their conversation. "SIU, Captain Bridges. Okay, well bring him in. Good job, Michelle."
Evan looked up from his paperwork at the mention of Michelle's name. "She get him?"
"Yeah, they got the driver and they're bringing him in. The idiot actually had the money on him. Sometimes these bozos just make the job a little easier."
When Michelle and Ronnie returned, the driver was yelling at the top of his lungs about civil violations. He shut up pretty quickly when Nash threatened to have Ronnie toss him overboard. One look at the big, brooding cop was enough to convince the driver that he was safer if he kept his mouth shut.
Nash and Michelle took the sullen driver to interrogation, but he was taking the order to shut up pretty seriously. He steadfastly refused to say anything without a lawyer. They tossed him in lockup with the other drivers, caught the day before.
As the hours ticked past, Nash grew more and more frustrated. They should have found Winwood by now, if the man had a morning flight...even if that flight had been delayed. It was already past 1pm. He grabbed his phone and punched in Joe's number.
"Dominguez."
"Joe, where the hell is Winwood?"
"That's the question of the day, Nashman. He hasn't slipped by us, that's for sure. I think maybe he got tipped off or something. He isn't gonna show, man."
"Alright, leave the unies on it and come on in. You're probably right; he got tipped off, somehow. Well, he isn't gonna get far, bubba. We've got his credit cards and accounts tagged. He tries to access any of them, and we'll know about it. The bus and train stations are being watched. My guess is, he's gonna try to hole up somewhere and wait us out. Our next move is to find out where."
"Be back in a flash, Nashman."
Staring at the phone after hanging up, Nash rubbed his brow thoughtfully. "Evan!"
"Yeah boss?"
"Find out what phone Jack Duncan used to make his call yesterday, then pull up the records for that number from that day. I'm willing to bet that he didn't call his lawyer, but made his call to David Winwood."
Nodding his head, Evan jumped up from his desk. "I'm on it, boss. That would certainly explain why we haven't caught Winwood, yet."
It didn't take him long to run the numbers. Evan walked over to Nash with a frown, tapping a small piece of paper against his chin. He tossed the paper on the desk in disgust.
"Hey boss, I ran the numbers from the phone Duncan used. He made one call to David Winwood's cell phone. He tipped him off."
"Well, we'll just add obstruction of justice to our list of charges against Mr. Duncan."
Nash rested his chin in his hand, elbow on his desk. He thought for a moment and smiled at Evan. "Alright, take Winwood's cell number and get a list of calls made in the last two or three days. Somebody's gotta know where he's hiding."
"I'm on it, boss."
While he spent the afternoon working on the phone numbers, Joe had come in and gone back out with Michelle, looking for the remaining drivers.
It seemed to Evan that Winwood had made hundreds of calls the last three days. It took most of the day to check them and by the time he had to leave to pick up Harvey, he still had 12 numbers to go.
As Evan slipped into his tan jacket, Michelle and Joe walked in with the last armored car driver. They hustled him toward interrogation, the man protesting his innocence.
Looking at his watch as he stood to follow Joe and Michelle, Nash smiled at Evan. "You going to pick up Harvey?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way now. You want me to come back after I drop him off?"
"No, just take Harv home, make sure he's okay and go home. I'll see you in the morning. Bright and early to finish up those numbers."
"Will do. Thanks Nash."
Nash waved off the thanks, and Evan grabbed his keys off his desk. "See you in the morning, boss."
The wind blowing through his hair as he sped down the San Francisco streets, Evan felt the tension of the day slipping away. The long days were catching up to him. He couldn't wait until Harvey was back at work. Not only would it lighten the load a little for the others, but also...Evan missed his partner. He laughed. Harv had only been out a day, and already was missed. It was weird, really. Evan had two brothers and a sister, but Harvey was, in a strange sort of way, closer to him that his own family. Maybe because Harv took him as he was. No history or expectations got in the way. Evan didn't feel like he had to prove anything to his easy-going partner. Yep, it would definitely be good to have him back.
He found a parking space reasonably close to the hospital entrance and pulled in. As he walked to the front entrance, his steps were considerably lighter. It had been a long, stressful week, but things were looking up. They were getting closer to Winwood, Harvey was better and going home, and they should be able to wrap up the Harris case as soon as their prey finally showed up.
The sight that greeted him when he entered Harvey's hospital room made him burst into laughter. Harvey was pacing the floor, glaring at his watch.
"Geez, Harv, I'm only two minutes late. You in some kind of hurry or something?"
Shooting his partner and best friend a withering look, Harvey snatched his discharge papers off the bed and grabbed the duffle bag Evan had brought the night before. "Evan, a hospital is the last place you want to be if what you really need is a peaceful night's sleep. I won't even mention the food. I just want to go home, crawl into my own bed, and sleep for the next year or so."
Evan shuffled his feet and rubbed a finger against his nose. "Well, Rip Van Winkle, I'm afraid you'll have to post-pone that. Nash needs you to come to the SIU tomorrow for a line-up. We got all the drivers, but we need you to identify them. It's standard, Harv, you know that."
Sighing, Harvey nodded his agreement. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Tell him to call me when he wants me in. Just...tell him not too early, okay?"
On the drive to Harvey's house, Evan filled his partner in on what was happening at the SIU. "So, tomorrow we'll do the line-up and get the drivers transferred out. We're still looking for Winwood. We should have a place to start looking tomorrow when I finish checking out those numbers from his cell phone. I don't know what we'll do if we need the surveillance van, though. It's still out at the apartment building waiting for Pete Harris to show up. Auto is covering that for us, but Nash doesn't like it. I don't blame him. It's our case first of all, and besides...now Nash owes Rodriguez a favor."
Leaning his head against the window, Harvey just shrugged. "If you need another surveillance truck, just get the backup and dig up some extra equipment. There's plenty of computers and stuff for it lying around the SIU, if you look for it. There's a bunch of stuff we confiscated from JoJo sitting in the evidence locker. Just sign it out." Closing his eyes, Harvey drifted off to sleep.
Glancing at his partner out of the corner of his eye, Evan smiled. If they ended up having to throw together an extra surveillance vehicle, he knew good and well what person was going to have to come in and put the electronic equipment in. If they actually wanted it to work, that is.
Parking his truck behind his partner's Ranchero, Evan leaned over and nudged Harvey's shoulder. "Rise and shine, Harv, we're here."
Sitting up with a start, Harvey rubbed a hand across his face, stifling a wide yawn. "Thank goodness. If anyone wakes me up tonight, I swear I'll shoot them."
Evan chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe I should take your gun. Wouldn't want to be responsible for a homicide."
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Ev." Fishing around in his pockets as the two walked up the front steps, Harvey finally managed to find his keys. Slipping the key in the lock, he turned and frowned at Evan. "You can leave now, you know. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Yeah, right. Then how come you landed yourself in the hospital, huh?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Evan winced inwardly. He knew good and well that Harvey wouldn't have gotten quite so ill if he hadn't had to work so many hours the last week. He saw a look of utter disbelief on his partner's face, and when Harvey took a deep breath to give Evan a piece of his mind, Evan held up his hand.
"I'm sorry, Harv. I didn't mean that. Didn't think before I opened my big mouth. Listen, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll tell Nash to give you a call to let you know when to come in for the line-up."
Shaking his head as Evan beat a hasty retreat, Harvey unlocked the door and stepped inside. Shutting the door quietly, he flipped on the entry light and smiled. "Man, it feels good to be home."
It felt even better, twenty minutes later, when he crawled into his own bed for a good night's sleep for the first time in too many days. He was so tired that the act of falling asleep was like a beautiful dream.
Copyright 2001
Melissa Roberts
The Setup
Looking up from his desk, Nash snagged Evan as he walked past. "Evan, did you go see Harvey last night?"
"Yeah, but he slept the whole time. At least, he slept in between the nurses waking him up to do stuff. I don't think a hospital is all that great for getting a good night's sleep. He's probably already planning his escape."
Chuckling, Nash shook his head. "Well, he better not be. You going to pick him up tonight?"
Walking over to his own desk, Evan nodded. "Yeah. He's supposed to be discharged about 8:00. Has anyone spotted Winwood, yet?"
Sighing, Nash rocked back in his chair. "Not yet, but we'll catch him. Joe's out at the airport right now, helping to keep an eye out for him. Harv said that Winwood mentioned a morning flight, so we should be hearing something soon."
Evan shot his boss a puzzled look as he rifled through the papers on his desk. "Where's Michelle? She still taking care of her mother?"
"No, we got a tip that one of the drivers was staying at a motel by the airport, so she went to go pick him up. Ronnie went with her."
"Who's pulling surveillance on the Harris case then?"
Nash rubbed a hand through his hair and frowned. "Auto Theft is still covering for us. I'd rather have our own people on it, though. I hate owing favors." The ringing of Nash's phone interrupted their conversation. "SIU, Captain Bridges. Okay, well bring him in. Good job, Michelle."
Evan looked up from his paperwork at the mention of Michelle's name. "She get him?"
"Yeah, they got the driver and they're bringing him in. The idiot actually had the money on him. Sometimes these bozos just make the job a little easier."
When Michelle and Ronnie returned, the driver was yelling at the top of his lungs about civil violations. He shut up pretty quickly when Nash threatened to have Ronnie toss him overboard. One look at the big, brooding cop was enough to convince the driver that he was safer if he kept his mouth shut.
Nash and Michelle took the sullen driver to interrogation, but he was taking the order to shut up pretty seriously. He steadfastly refused to say anything without a lawyer. They tossed him in lockup with the other drivers, caught the day before.
As the hours ticked past, Nash grew more and more frustrated. They should have found Winwood by now, if the man had a morning flight...even if that flight had been delayed. It was already past 1pm. He grabbed his phone and punched in Joe's number.
"Dominguez."
"Joe, where the hell is Winwood?"
"That's the question of the day, Nashman. He hasn't slipped by us, that's for sure. I think maybe he got tipped off or something. He isn't gonna show, man."
"Alright, leave the unies on it and come on in. You're probably right; he got tipped off, somehow. Well, he isn't gonna get far, bubba. We've got his credit cards and accounts tagged. He tries to access any of them, and we'll know about it. The bus and train stations are being watched. My guess is, he's gonna try to hole up somewhere and wait us out. Our next move is to find out where."
"Be back in a flash, Nashman."
Staring at the phone after hanging up, Nash rubbed his brow thoughtfully. "Evan!"
"Yeah boss?"
"Find out what phone Jack Duncan used to make his call yesterday, then pull up the records for that number from that day. I'm willing to bet that he didn't call his lawyer, but made his call to David Winwood."
Nodding his head, Evan jumped up from his desk. "I'm on it, boss. That would certainly explain why we haven't caught Winwood, yet."
It didn't take him long to run the numbers. Evan walked over to Nash with a frown, tapping a small piece of paper against his chin. He tossed the paper on the desk in disgust.
"Hey boss, I ran the numbers from the phone Duncan used. He made one call to David Winwood's cell phone. He tipped him off."
"Well, we'll just add obstruction of justice to our list of charges against Mr. Duncan."
Nash rested his chin in his hand, elbow on his desk. He thought for a moment and smiled at Evan. "Alright, take Winwood's cell number and get a list of calls made in the last two or three days. Somebody's gotta know where he's hiding."
"I'm on it, boss."
While he spent the afternoon working on the phone numbers, Joe had come in and gone back out with Michelle, looking for the remaining drivers.
It seemed to Evan that Winwood had made hundreds of calls the last three days. It took most of the day to check them and by the time he had to leave to pick up Harvey, he still had 12 numbers to go.
As Evan slipped into his tan jacket, Michelle and Joe walked in with the last armored car driver. They hustled him toward interrogation, the man protesting his innocence.
Looking at his watch as he stood to follow Joe and Michelle, Nash smiled at Evan. "You going to pick up Harvey?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way now. You want me to come back after I drop him off?"
"No, just take Harv home, make sure he's okay and go home. I'll see you in the morning. Bright and early to finish up those numbers."
"Will do. Thanks Nash."
Nash waved off the thanks, and Evan grabbed his keys off his desk. "See you in the morning, boss."
The wind blowing through his hair as he sped down the San Francisco streets, Evan felt the tension of the day slipping away. The long days were catching up to him. He couldn't wait until Harvey was back at work. Not only would it lighten the load a little for the others, but also...Evan missed his partner. He laughed. Harv had only been out a day, and already was missed. It was weird, really. Evan had two brothers and a sister, but Harvey was, in a strange sort of way, closer to him that his own family. Maybe because Harv took him as he was. No history or expectations got in the way. Evan didn't feel like he had to prove anything to his easy-going partner. Yep, it would definitely be good to have him back.
He found a parking space reasonably close to the hospital entrance and pulled in. As he walked to the front entrance, his steps were considerably lighter. It had been a long, stressful week, but things were looking up. They were getting closer to Winwood, Harvey was better and going home, and they should be able to wrap up the Harris case as soon as their prey finally showed up.
The sight that greeted him when he entered Harvey's hospital room made him burst into laughter. Harvey was pacing the floor, glaring at his watch.
"Geez, Harv, I'm only two minutes late. You in some kind of hurry or something?"
Shooting his partner and best friend a withering look, Harvey snatched his discharge papers off the bed and grabbed the duffle bag Evan had brought the night before. "Evan, a hospital is the last place you want to be if what you really need is a peaceful night's sleep. I won't even mention the food. I just want to go home, crawl into my own bed, and sleep for the next year or so."
Evan shuffled his feet and rubbed a finger against his nose. "Well, Rip Van Winkle, I'm afraid you'll have to post-pone that. Nash needs you to come to the SIU tomorrow for a line-up. We got all the drivers, but we need you to identify them. It's standard, Harv, you know that."
Sighing, Harvey nodded his agreement. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Tell him to call me when he wants me in. Just...tell him not too early, okay?"
On the drive to Harvey's house, Evan filled his partner in on what was happening at the SIU. "So, tomorrow we'll do the line-up and get the drivers transferred out. We're still looking for Winwood. We should have a place to start looking tomorrow when I finish checking out those numbers from his cell phone. I don't know what we'll do if we need the surveillance van, though. It's still out at the apartment building waiting for Pete Harris to show up. Auto is covering that for us, but Nash doesn't like it. I don't blame him. It's our case first of all, and besides...now Nash owes Rodriguez a favor."
Leaning his head against the window, Harvey just shrugged. "If you need another surveillance truck, just get the backup and dig up some extra equipment. There's plenty of computers and stuff for it lying around the SIU, if you look for it. There's a bunch of stuff we confiscated from JoJo sitting in the evidence locker. Just sign it out." Closing his eyes, Harvey drifted off to sleep.
Glancing at his partner out of the corner of his eye, Evan smiled. If they ended up having to throw together an extra surveillance vehicle, he knew good and well what person was going to have to come in and put the electronic equipment in. If they actually wanted it to work, that is.
Parking his truck behind his partner's Ranchero, Evan leaned over and nudged Harvey's shoulder. "Rise and shine, Harv, we're here."
Sitting up with a start, Harvey rubbed a hand across his face, stifling a wide yawn. "Thank goodness. If anyone wakes me up tonight, I swear I'll shoot them."
Evan chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe I should take your gun. Wouldn't want to be responsible for a homicide."
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Ev." Fishing around in his pockets as the two walked up the front steps, Harvey finally managed to find his keys. Slipping the key in the lock, he turned and frowned at Evan. "You can leave now, you know. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Yeah, right. Then how come you landed yourself in the hospital, huh?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Evan winced inwardly. He knew good and well that Harvey wouldn't have gotten quite so ill if he hadn't had to work so many hours the last week. He saw a look of utter disbelief on his partner's face, and when Harvey took a deep breath to give Evan a piece of his mind, Evan held up his hand.
"I'm sorry, Harv. I didn't mean that. Didn't think before I opened my big mouth. Listen, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll tell Nash to give you a call to let you know when to come in for the line-up."
Shaking his head as Evan beat a hasty retreat, Harvey unlocked the door and stepped inside. Shutting the door quietly, he flipped on the entry light and smiled. "Man, it feels good to be home."
It felt even better, twenty minutes later, when he crawled into his own bed for a good night's sleep for the first time in too many days. He was so tired that the act of falling asleep was like a beautiful dream.