CHAPTER TWO
Precinct Interview Room
Wednesday, January 18
Rob Thompson, Anna McBride's partner, was a tall, handsome black man.
Right now, he didn't look so handsome. He sat across the table from me
and Stabler, cradling a cup of cold coffee. He had been trying hard not
to cry. He wouldn't look at either of us.
"We-we called in for a dinner break. After we ordered, Anna got a call
on her cell."
"Do you know who called her?"
Thompson shook his head. "She went outside to take the call."
"And asked you to wait?"
"Yeah."
"How long was she gone?"
"Fifteen, twenty minutes, tops."
"Then what happened?"
"I went outside, back to the car, to look for her. I got her food-to go-
figured she'd still be.hungry."
"Then what?"
"I couldn't find her! She wasn't anywhere on the street! Then.Then I
got the call.Officer down.Then I knew.She was all-oh, God." He buried his
face in his hands.
I went around the table and put my hand on his shoulder. "'Sokay, Rob."
"I never shoulda let her go! If I'd 'a gone with her-but I had to have
my damn dinner!"
"It wasn't your fault," I said, softly.
"She shoulda shot 'im, man! How come she din't shoot him?"
"Officer," Stabler cleared his throat. "Do you know who your partner
might have gone off with? Someone she trusted?"
All business. Sometimes Elliot pissed me off. He wasn't always
comfortable with raw emotion.
"No!" Thompson shouted. "Man, I don't know!"
Out on the street, the wind sheared up the avenue. I turned up the
collar of my coat. "Well," I said. "We'll check her phone lugs."
Elliot shook his head. "He shouldn't have let her go off like that."
I started a slow burn. "She was a cop, Elliot, not some fragile,
Victorian maiden."
"Still-"
"Don't, Elliot," I said, sharply.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Right now? Two things. A young cop is dead. Second-you. You are
pissing me off."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Just forget it. We have to go to Brooklyn and talk to Anna
McBride's parents."
"No, you don't. Fin and Munch are going to Brooklyn. We have bigger
fish to fry."
"Something you're not telling me?"
"You're not going to like it."
"I hardly ever like it."
Elliot took a deep breath. "Major Case."
I stopped walking. "Oh, no. Oh, shit. Please don't tell me."
Elliot forced a grin. "Bobby Goren."
"He's a flake, Elliot. He's a nerd on steroids."
"He's good. His solve rate-"
"Isn't better than ours!"
"Yeah, but we got him anyway."
"Smart-aleck trickery and intimidation."
The grin grew wider. "Yeah, but look at it this way. He thinks you're
hot."
I made a face. "He what? Who said that?"
"Munch," Eliot said.
*******
"Well," Elliot said, spinning idly in his chair. "Anna McBride's phone
records show that she DID get a call from Mickey DiGiovanni at nine-
twenty."
"Boyfriend. Bingo," I said, playing with the crime-scene photos.
"Not bingo," he said. "He called from his apartment in the Village.
Forty blocks away."
"Shit. You think maybe he had someone do it for him?"
"Sure, Detective," said a quiet, amused voice behind me. "Boyfriend hires
local psychopath to whack the woman who scorned him."
Elliot frowned and narrowed his eyes. Only me and Kathy knew that look.
It was the Incredibly Pissed Off look.
"Well, well," he said tightly. "Mister Holmes. Welcome to our little
investigation."
I turned in my chair. Dag, he was standing right behind me. He was like
a freaking cat.
"Thanks, Stabler. Nice to see you, too."
"Hey," I said, looking up at him. WAY up. "What's shakin'?"
Bobby Goren raised his eyebrows at me, and smiled, just a little. "Brand-
new psycho on the block," he said, sliding around to the side of my desk
and sliding the photos around with his finger
.
"Look, Goren," Elliot said. "This could be a whole lot of things. I
don't know how they do things over at One Police, but here we go with the
evidence first."
"Oh, yeah.sure." Goren said. He was in my space. "But here.we
have.evidence." He tipped his head so he was sort of looking at the
pictures upside-down. "Evidence of a frenzy. Lust killing."
"So you say," I said.
"Didn't know you were such a good profiler," said my partner.
"I'm.a lot of things."
"Yeah, you're an asshole," Elliot muttered.
Goren looked at him for a minute. Just looked at him. "Nice to know I
have your good opinion, Detective Stabler."
"Yeah, well." Elliot twirled his pencil.
"Okay, you guys," I broke in, turning my gaze from one macho goon to the
other. "Let's not get into a pissing contest, okay?" I stood up, toe to
toe with Goren. I gave him the eye. He took two steps back, still
smiling.
"We're due in the ME's office," I said, grabbing my leather jacket and
headed for the door. I didn't wait to see if either one of them followed
me. At that moment I was pissed enough to give them each a pop in the
nose and finish the case myself.
END CHAPTER TWO
Rob Thompson, Anna McBride's partner, was a tall, handsome black man.
Right now, he didn't look so handsome. He sat across the table from me
and Stabler, cradling a cup of cold coffee. He had been trying hard not
to cry. He wouldn't look at either of us.
"We-we called in for a dinner break. After we ordered, Anna got a call
on her cell."
"Do you know who called her?"
Thompson shook his head. "She went outside to take the call."
"And asked you to wait?"
"Yeah."
"How long was she gone?"
"Fifteen, twenty minutes, tops."
"Then what happened?"
"I went outside, back to the car, to look for her. I got her food-to go-
figured she'd still be.hungry."
"Then what?"
"I couldn't find her! She wasn't anywhere on the street! Then.Then I
got the call.Officer down.Then I knew.She was all-oh, God." He buried his
face in his hands.
I went around the table and put my hand on his shoulder. "'Sokay, Rob."
"I never shoulda let her go! If I'd 'a gone with her-but I had to have
my damn dinner!"
"It wasn't your fault," I said, softly.
"She shoulda shot 'im, man! How come she din't shoot him?"
"Officer," Stabler cleared his throat. "Do you know who your partner
might have gone off with? Someone she trusted?"
All business. Sometimes Elliot pissed me off. He wasn't always
comfortable with raw emotion.
"No!" Thompson shouted. "Man, I don't know!"
Out on the street, the wind sheared up the avenue. I turned up the
collar of my coat. "Well," I said. "We'll check her phone lugs."
Elliot shook his head. "He shouldn't have let her go off like that."
I started a slow burn. "She was a cop, Elliot, not some fragile,
Victorian maiden."
"Still-"
"Don't, Elliot," I said, sharply.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Right now? Two things. A young cop is dead. Second-you. You are
pissing me off."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Just forget it. We have to go to Brooklyn and talk to Anna
McBride's parents."
"No, you don't. Fin and Munch are going to Brooklyn. We have bigger
fish to fry."
"Something you're not telling me?"
"You're not going to like it."
"I hardly ever like it."
Elliot took a deep breath. "Major Case."
I stopped walking. "Oh, no. Oh, shit. Please don't tell me."
Elliot forced a grin. "Bobby Goren."
"He's a flake, Elliot. He's a nerd on steroids."
"He's good. His solve rate-"
"Isn't better than ours!"
"Yeah, but we got him anyway."
"Smart-aleck trickery and intimidation."
The grin grew wider. "Yeah, but look at it this way. He thinks you're
hot."
I made a face. "He what? Who said that?"
"Munch," Eliot said.
*******
"Well," Elliot said, spinning idly in his chair. "Anna McBride's phone
records show that she DID get a call from Mickey DiGiovanni at nine-
twenty."
"Boyfriend. Bingo," I said, playing with the crime-scene photos.
"Not bingo," he said. "He called from his apartment in the Village.
Forty blocks away."
"Shit. You think maybe he had someone do it for him?"
"Sure, Detective," said a quiet, amused voice behind me. "Boyfriend hires
local psychopath to whack the woman who scorned him."
Elliot frowned and narrowed his eyes. Only me and Kathy knew that look.
It was the Incredibly Pissed Off look.
"Well, well," he said tightly. "Mister Holmes. Welcome to our little
investigation."
I turned in my chair. Dag, he was standing right behind me. He was like
a freaking cat.
"Thanks, Stabler. Nice to see you, too."
"Hey," I said, looking up at him. WAY up. "What's shakin'?"
Bobby Goren raised his eyebrows at me, and smiled, just a little. "Brand-
new psycho on the block," he said, sliding around to the side of my desk
and sliding the photos around with his finger
.
"Look, Goren," Elliot said. "This could be a whole lot of things. I
don't know how they do things over at One Police, but here we go with the
evidence first."
"Oh, yeah.sure." Goren said. He was in my space. "But here.we
have.evidence." He tipped his head so he was sort of looking at the
pictures upside-down. "Evidence of a frenzy. Lust killing."
"So you say," I said.
"Didn't know you were such a good profiler," said my partner.
"I'm.a lot of things."
"Yeah, you're an asshole," Elliot muttered.
Goren looked at him for a minute. Just looked at him. "Nice to know I
have your good opinion, Detective Stabler."
"Yeah, well." Elliot twirled his pencil.
"Okay, you guys," I broke in, turning my gaze from one macho goon to the
other. "Let's not get into a pissing contest, okay?" I stood up, toe to
toe with Goren. I gave him the eye. He took two steps back, still
smiling.
"We're due in the ME's office," I said, grabbing my leather jacket and
headed for the door. I didn't wait to see if either one of them followed
me. At that moment I was pissed enough to give them each a pop in the
nose and finish the case myself.
END CHAPTER TWO
