Crash and Burn

Chapter 24 – Looking Forward

The charges were read out before the opening arguments at the start of the new trial. As his lawyer read out his statement, Goldsmith himself sat tall; sovereign rings glinting on fingers laced together on his lap as he listened with apparent interest. As his plea of 'not guilty' was entered, he nodded confidently; as if the whole thing was just some silly misunderstanding before he turned and flashed a brilliant smile to his doting family sat behind in the public gallery.

Early on, the Patterson brothers were called to testify; Liam taking the stand first and answering both the prosecution and defence attorneys' questions in the same gruff manner. His younger brother was a less capable witness; allowing Goldsmith's lawyer to intimidate and confuse him, casting doubt on the validity of his testimony.

Ryo glanced nervously at Dee as his partner was called back to the stand. Giving the blond detective an equally nervous smile, he stood and made his way across the court on his crutches, avoiding eye contact with anyone else as he passed. Once seated, he looked directly ahead, never once turning to glance at Henry Goldsmith who was staring at him in a last-ditch attempt at intimidation.

Once under oath, Goldsmith's lawyer took to the floor with Dee in his sights. Prior to the trial, he'd been warned about the defence attorney; a nasty self-important little man called Jack Grundy who was revelling in the opportunity to defend someone as high-profile as the celebrity millionaire. The man had a reputation for his merciless interrogation of witnesses; often reducing to tears even the most confident of deponents. He spoke to Dee with an apparent tone of respect, calling him 'Detective' often and heaping praise on him for the courage with which he had endured his nightmarish kidnapping ordeal. And then he turned.

"No one," Grundy said, bellowing the word across the courtroom as he spun to face the sea of assembled faces, "can deny that Detective Latener is a tremendously brave individual." He paused for dramatic effect, his arm outstretched, pointing straight at Dee in case anyone needed reminding who he was referring to. "But what I am here to find out is why such an outstanding citizen as Detective Latener would be convinced that another outstanding citizen, by which I mean my client, Mr Henry Goldsmith, would be responsible for arranging such a monstrous crime against his own family."

It was an understatement to say Grundy was a skilled orator. His use of pause and intonation held the courtroom in the palm of his hand as Goldsmith watched him do his work, all the while looking thoroughly pleased with himself at his choice of legal representation.

"Detective Latener," the man said, stressing the 'L' sound at the start of his surname as he came to stand right in front of the witness box. "I don't want to cause you any trauma by going over your horrific experiences at the hands of that… monster," he said, shaking his head in feigned disgust. "When you were chained, tortured, had your leg shattered…"

"Objection!" DA Browning called angrily, recognising Grundy's tactic to try and unnerve Dee before he started firing questions at him. "This is irrelevant."

"Sustained," the judge replied, frowning at the defence lawyer, who looked indifferent to the criticism. "Get to the point and ask some relevant questions, Mr Grundy."

Grundy nodded, collecting his thoughts as he furrowed his brow dramatically. "Okay, I'm a little confused here, Detective Latener. You see; I have two trains of thought as to why you might think my client is guilty of plotting to have his family kidnapped so maybe you can help me out here." He paced away from the witness stand, giving Dee time to wonder what the hell he was up to. The detective was already wary; but Grundy was good.

"You told the court when Liam Patterson was tried, that you lapsed in and out of consciousness because of the infected wound on your face, am I right?"

"That's correct," Dee said clearly, his green eyes fixed on the lawyer.

"You had a fever; were you hallucinating too?"

"Yes."

"Can you remember any of the things you were hallucinating about, Detective Latener?"

Dee swallowed hard. "I – I thought things had happened to people I cared about."

"And had they?"

"No."

Grundy nodded, as if this was all very interesting to him. "So you were convinced that things had happened; that in fact hadn't happened at all?"

"Yes," Dee replied, knowing where the other man was going with his questioning but unable to prevent himself being led there.

"So how can you be sure that you didn't hallucinate the telephone call that Liam Patterson is claiming you overheard? I mean, surely that could have been a figment of your fevered imagination too?"

When Dee replied; his voice was calm and controlled. "The phone call you're referring to took place before I became ill. I can clearly recall it and I know I wasn't fevered at that point."

If Grundy was surprised by the confidence of Dee's response then he didn't show it. "Thank you, Detective. That certainly clears things up in my mind, at least relating to one of my theories." He let the comment hang ominously in the air for several seconds before he continued his questioning.

"Detective Latener, you're in a gay relationship are you not?" He'd barely finished the query before Browning was on his feet again.

"Objection, Your Honour! Irrelevant questioning."

"Sustained," the Judge replied, furnishing Grundy with an all out glare. "I fail to see what Detective Latener's sexual orientation has to do with the case, Mr Grundy."

"Apologies, Your Honour," the attorney said quickly, although the smile on his face was far from contrite. "I simply wanted to clarify the Detective's relationship with his partner."

The Judge sighed. "The witness is free to answer the question if he chooses."

Grundy's attention turned to Dee, who looked not the least bit phased. "Yes, I am romantically involved with my partner at work." He glanced at Ryo who offered him a warm smile.

"I see," Grundy said, scratching his chin has if he hadn't already known, despite it being splashed across the papers for the last two months. "And is your commissioner comfortable with your relationship, Detective Latener?"

Dee frowned; his green eyes reflecting his dislike for the man in front of him. "D'you mean because we work together or because it's a homosexual relationship?"

"Both."

"He's fine with it," Dee replied, slightly defensively. "It doesn't affect our work so there isn't a problem."

Grundy nodded. "And how long has your commissioner been at the twenty-seventh precinct?"

"Almost three years," Dee replied after a quick mental calculation.

"And how long have you been there?"

More mathematics. "About eight years. Since I left the academy."

"I see. So you must have been used to the old commissioner. How did you and your colleagues feel when he was replaced by Commissioner Rose? I'm led to believe their management styles were very different."

"I can't speak for other people," Dee said in annoyance.

"Sure, but I bet it was a bit of surprise when he just turned up and announced he was the new commissioner..."

"Objection. Leading the witness."

"Sustained. Please stick to asking questions, Mr Grundy."

Grundy's bright blue eyes never left Dee's face. "How did you feel about Commissioner Rose's appointment? Did you like the man?"

Dee knew Rose was in court but under oath or not, he wasn't about to disguise his feelings. "No. No, I didn't like him."

"Can you say why?"

"I don't know; a personality clash I guess."

"Detective Latener, were you aware that Berkley Rose was bisexual?"

"Yes," Dee replied.

"And were you also aware that he was attracted to your partner; the man you ended up embarking on a relationship with?"

Dee's expression was pinched; his clear hesitation prompting the judge to speak. "Please answer the question, Detective Latener."

"Yes, I was aware of the commissioner's interest in Detective McLain."

"Were you jealous?"

"…"

"Detective?"

"Yes," Dee said abruptly.

"And once you and Detective McLain were an 'item'," Grundy said, making inverted commas with his fingers, "Did the commissioner cease in his advances towards your partner?"

"No."

"And how did that make you feel?" Grundy asked, sounding for all the world like he genuinely cared.

Dee considered the question for a moment before he started his reply. "I was angry at first but when I realised Detective McLain had no interest in the commissioner then I knew I didn't have to be jealous."

"Sure. Sure. But would you say your relationship with the commissioner was still strained?"

"Yes, I guess so."

Grundy nodded and Dee had the terrible feeling that he'd been manoeuvred into position for the attorney's next line of questioning. He took a deep breath, trying to keep focussed as Grundy strutted around in front of him, evidently loving his big day in court.

"Let me take you back to April, Detective Latener. You were working on several cases with your partner when the commissioner requested that you investigate a potential kidnapping threat against my client and his family, I understand as a favour because Commissioner Rose and my clients were good friends. Is that true?"

"Yes, as far as I'm aware, Mr Goldsmith asked the commissioner personally."

"Okay. So how did you feel about that, bearing in mind you were told to drop the other cases you were working on by a man you already had a strained relationship with?"

Dee pushed a lock of hair away from his eyes and looked straight at the other man. "I wasn't very happy about it. We were close to cracking a couple of our cases and it was frustrating to be pulled off them so suddenly, but it happens. However, it's our job to investigate any threat against innocent people so there was no question of us not taking the case, no matter where it came from," he added, sensing where Grundy was going with this questioning.

"Do you hold either Commissioner Rose or my client responsible for making you hand over those other cases and preventing you from taking the credit, as it were, for solving them?"

"Not at all," Dee said angrily, not liking the way Grundy was insinuating that either he or Ryo were glory hunters. "Like I said, it happens."

"So you were happy to take on this investigation, despite knowing it was a 'favour'?"

"Yes."

Dee expected another question but none came as the lawyer paced away to stand near his client, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. Despite everything DA Browning had said, Dee could feel himself getting irritated and he could only hope that his time on the stand was nearing an end before his patience was completely ground to dust

"Detective Latener," Grundy said suddenly, drawing Dee from his thoughts. "I understand you had quite a difficult childhood, raised in a Catholic orphanage. Could you tell me a little about the circumstances of your birth and how you came to be raised in a children's home?"

The question caught Dee off guard but he hid his shock well as the DA called his objection.

"How is this relevant to the case, Mr Grundy?" Judge Coburn asked, looking wearied by the defence lawyer's antics.

"I just want to ensure I have my facts straight, Your Honour," Grundy replied with a gleaming white smile. "I believe it is relevant to my line of questioning."

The judge didn't look hugely impressed as he said, "The witness is free to answer the question if he chooses."

Dee looked straight at Grundy; keen to show he wasn't about to be thrown off balance by his tactics. "I was abandoned as a baby and taken to the home where I was raised by Catholic nuns. There isn't really much to tell."

"That must have been tough," Grundy said with an apparent smile of sympathy.

Dee shrugged. "I don't know. I never knew any different. We were loved and cared for by the nuns. I'm sure there are children with far worse upbringings than mine."

"I'm sure," the lawyer agreed, "But I bet there wasn't much money to go around, was there?"

"No."

"Detective Latener. Would you say your upbringing has caused you to feel resentful of people with money? People who have done well for themselves and are seriously wealthy as a result?"

Dee's handsome face creased into a frown, finding the very suggestion preposterous. "No. I have no reason to feel resentful."

"I see," Grundy said thoughtfully. "It's just that two of my client's security personnel are prepared to testify that on the day you came to my client's home to interview him, they overheard you commenting that people with so much money 'are asking for this kind of shit'. They said you almost sounded pleased that something bad was happening to Mr Goldsmith and his family."

"That's ridiculous," Dee said angrily, his hands balling into fists knowing he'd never said anything of the sort, joke or otherwise. "I'd never say anyone deserved that kind of ordeal just because they had money!"

He happened to glance over at Ryo who was watching him anxiously, his dark eyes pleading with his lover to stay calm.

"You know, Detective Latener," Grundy said, pulling Dee's attention away from the man he loved more than anything in the world. "From what we've heard about the Patterson brothers, their own childhoods are similarly filled with hardship as your own." He turned on Dee suddenly, his voice getting louder as he spoke. "Could it be that, despite what Liam Patterson did to you, you identify with their struggle and support their desire to blame my client for no better reason than he'd been dealt a better hand in life than them, and you for that matter?"

"No!" Dee shouted back.

"Objection!" the DA roared, jumping to his feet as there were murmurs around the courtroom.

Already agitated, the sudden noise startled Dee and he looked frightened, still unable to cope with unexpected situations. Across the courtroom, Ryo recognised the signs of an imminent panic attack but fortunately the DA did too, having spoken extensively to both Dee and Polly before the trial.

"Your Honour, may I call for a recess?" Browning asked, fixing Dee with a look that told him to hold on.

The judge looked at the detective, head bowed as his chest heaved in and out in harsh movements. "Mr Grundy?" the older man said, turning his attention to the defence lawyer. "Do you have any objections to a ten minute recess?"

Grundy looked at Dee, a faint, almost imperceptible smile twitching at his lips. "Not at all. I have no further questions, Your Honour."

Before the courtroom's occupants reacted to the news of the recess, Dee grabbed his crutches and clambered from the witness stand. Seeing his severe agitation, everyone made a path for him as he hurried, head down for the wide double doors at the back of the room. Ryo stood quickly but found his path blocked by an older couple who had no intention of moving from their seats during the recess. When he finally made it out into the corridor, Dee was already at the other end, moving quickly on his crutches towards the men's room.

"Dee, wait!" Ryo shouted, watching in dismay as his lover didn't stop as he crashed through the doors and disappeared into the room beyond. Seeing the DA next to him, Ryo shot him an anxious look. "I'll go and talk to him," he said before he hurried in the direction his lover had gone.

When he reached the men's room, he pushed the door open tentatively as there was a loud crash from the other side.

"Dee?" he said, his eyes fixing on the figure leaning heavily on the washbasin; his crutches, evidently the cause of the clatter, lying across the other side of the room. "Love?"

"What the fuck is wrong with me, Ryo?" the dark haired man cried, spinning to face his lover, his expression filled with anguish. "Why can't I…?" he never got any further as Ryo rushed forward and pulled him into his arms.

"Sssshhhhhhhhh," the blond whispered, stroking his ebony hair in soothing motions. "It's okay, love. You did really well."

He felt Dee shaking his head against his shoulder. "No I didn't. I fell for it, just like Browning warned me."

"Dee," Ryo said, pushing his lover back gently so he could look into the troubled emerald eyes. "Jack Grundy's a bastard and he's pulling out the stops to get under your skin." He stopped speaking and Dee could see how angry his lover was. "You're almost done and then it's up to the jury. I'm sure they'll see past Grundy's bullshit theories."

Dee was unable to prevent the smile that crossed his lips. "You swore twice in the space of a minute there, love. People will be saying I'm a bad influence on you."

"Oh no," Ryo responded with a warm smile as he shook his head. "You're all good."

He was glad when Dee chuckled as he pushed the strands of hair away from his deep green eyes. "Come on. Let's go and see Browning before we have to go back in."

Dee nodded as Ryo crossed the room to retrieve his crutches.

Back in court, Dee returned to the stand, feeling the burning stare of Goldsmith and his lawyer as he crossed the room and settled himself into the witness box. This time, the prosecution was asking the questions and Mr Browning used his star witness to full advantage; probing Dee for every last detail so there was no doubt as to Goldsmith's guilt. Dee answered the prosecutor's questions about the telephone conversation with confidence, holding his volatile emotions in check, despite being asked to recall an experience that he spent the majority of his time trying to forget.

To the detective's surprise, Rose was also called as a witness to the prosecution, taking the stand and describing in full how Goldsmith had tried to blackmail him into forcing Dee's silence. Questions were of course asked as to how Goldsmith was able to blackmail him, leaving the commissioner no choice but to admit to his shameful past as his detectives looked on in disbelief. Rose was a credible witness and as the trial adjourned for the day, Browning spoke of his optimism for securing a conviction, despite Dee's loss of control earlier on. Rose left almost immediately; informing Dee and Ryo that he was a due at a meeting with his superiors, presumably to decide his fate in the face of the revelations about his dubious past.

The day after, the attorneys made their closing arguments before the jury retired to consider their verdict. This time they took much longer; as if they were finding it difficult to reconcile their image of the famous millionaire with the portrait of the man painted by the many prosecution witnesses in court. For all involved it was a tense wait as the hours rolled into an entire day, then two and then three.

Dee and Ryo were at home, lying together on the couch watching an old black and white movie when the telephone started to ring. Seeing Dee had fallen asleep, Ryo eased himself from the tangle of limbs to answer it, moving into the kitchen so as not to wake the sleeping man. When he ended the call however, he knew he'd have to rouse him but fortunately Dee was awake as he opened the kitchen door.

"That was the DA's office," Ryo said solemnly. "The jury have reached a verdict. They'll be back in court within the hour."

Dee swallowed hard and nodded, knowing this was what they'd been waiting for but fearing the outcome all the same. "We'd better get ready then," he said, pulling himself up and reaching for his crutches.

In the end however, the evidence was overwhelming and the jury unanimously convicted the stunned looking millionaire of the charges of conspiracy to kidnap and obstructing justice.

"Impossible!" Goldsmith shouted as the verdict was announced before he cast an angry glance at his attorney. Across from the room, Ryo embraced his partner before they both received a host of celebratory backslaps and hand shakes from their assembled colleagues.

"Silence, please." Judge Coburn demanded as the noise around the courtroom became unbearable. The next step was to set a date for sentencing, although the loudest gasp from around the courtroom came as the judge ordered Goldsmith to be taken straight into custody; concerned that the well-connected millionaire would try to escape justice by fleeing the country.

The verdict caused a media frenzy of historical proportions. It took almost an hour to get away from the courthouse, through the throngs of reporters and general public, all vying for a piece of one of the most high profile trials in the last few years. Fairly or not, Dee Latener was the name on everyone's lips as the man that had brought down the millionaire celebrity Henry Goldsmith and as a result, it took over twenty uniformed officers to hold back the crowds as Dee, accompanied by Ryo and Drake, made their way down the steps to the waiting police car.

They went straight home, knowing Polly would be coming around for Dee's next session. Again Ryo stayed in the bedroom as Dee talked with Polly for almost an hour. Bicky had gone bowling with Cal and some friends and wouldn't be home until later. Eventually, he heard Dee calling his name and he put down his book and padded out into the living room to where the two people were sat at the dining table.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, glancing anxiously at Polly as he sat down next to Dee and instinctively reached across for his hand. The attractive redhead offered him a warm smile.

"Everything's fine, Ryo," she said reassuringly. "We were just talking about what happens now the trial is over."

"Yes?" Ryo said, not sure what was coming next.

Polly glanced across at Dee who nodded that she could explain before she turned her attention back to Ryo. "How would you feel about having a party?"

Ryo looked surprised. "A… a party?"

Polly nodded, tucking her long wavy hair behind her ear. "Dee agreed that the verdict hasn't given him the closure he thought it would and this was one way we thought might help. Besides," she said, checking with Dee again, "I think he has a little announcement."

Ryo looked at Dee interestedly but was greeted by his lover shaking his head. "Not yet," he said with a smile. "Wait until the party."

"Okay," Ryo said thoughtfully, "Is tonight too soon?"

"Can we be ready in time?" Dee asked doubtfully.

"No problem," Ryo grinned before he turned his attention to Polly. "Will you come as our guest of honour?"

Polly smiled broadly after glancing at Dee to check it was okay. "I'd love too."

By nine o'clock the apartment was packed with friends and colleagues, all of whom had jumped at the opportunity to wish Dee well and celebrate the outcome of the trial that affected them all. Opening yet another bottle of wine, Ryo had to smile as he looked out from the kitchen and surveyed the assembled group. Having returned from bowling, Bicky and Cal were in the corner, giggling like idiots from the few sips of wine that they'd sneaked throughout the evening. Dee was sat in one of the armchairs, talking animatedly with Ted and JJ while Drake seemed to be enjoying a prolonged conversation with Polly, who smiled warmly at the detective as she did those unconsciously flirtatious mannerisms that only females could do.

JJ had been surprisingly reserved around Dee, so much so that the recovering detective had been the one to instigate physical contact, hugging the younger man as the others watched on, amused by JJ's uncharacteristic shyness. As the evening wore on, he was slowly returning to normal; hanging on Dee's every word and pouting whenever Ryo showed any signs of affection towards the man he still hoped would one day be his own.

As the hour grew later and everyone had had plenty of food and drink, Dee found his crutches and limped over to where everyone could see him. Sensing he had something to say, conversation died as they all turned to look at the man that had been through so much recently. He smiled shyly as all eyes were upon him, looking to Ryo and then Polly for support.

"Sorry to interrupt the party," he said, surveying the group, "but I just wanted to say a few words. I'm not good at speeches so I'll keep it short but first of all, I just want to thank everyone for coming. This party was about as last minute as it gets and I wouldn't have blamed any of you for not coming if you had other plans. The fact that you're all here makes me feel very special indeed. Either that, or you've all got really crap social lives."

The group laughed as Ryo looked on proudly. "I also want to say a huge thank you to you all for being there for me and Ryo during this whole mess." He paused and swallowed hard before managing a small smile. "We both appreciate it massively and will be eternally grateful to you all. It's really great to know we have such good people around us. And lastly, I just wanted to tell everyone how truly wonderful this man is," he said, reaching out and taking up Ryo's hand. "Those of you that have known and worked with us long enough will know how I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him." He glanced at him blond lover, who was blushing profusely, and smiled. "I'm so grateful that he gave me a chance to prove I was serious about him."

There were the obligatory 'awwwws' from the crowd before Dee spoke again; his tone and expression solemn. "With everything that's happened recently, Ryo has had to put up with a lot and I know I haven't been easy to live with. I'm grateful that he's stuck with me and that goes for you too Bicky," he said, searching out the boy and giving him a quick smile. "Although you're still the most infuriating teenager I know," he added, winking at the boy who laughed and stuck his tongue out in feigned annoyance.

Still smiling, Dee took a deep breath and continued. "And now my little announcement. I just wanted to say to any of my work colleagues that are sat at my desk or using my coffee mug that you'd better stop now because… I've decided to come back to work." He paused to let the information sink in, noting the many surprised expressions around the room. "As of Monday morning, Detective Dee Latener will be back on the job."

There was a spontaneous round of applause during which Dee's eyes fell on Ryo, whose anxiety was poorly masked by his smile. His attention was then drawn as Drake started to speak to him. "That's great news, Dee," the other man said, coming up and shaking Dee's hand in congratulations, "Are you sure you're ready to come back?"

Dee nodded resolutely, causing dark strands of hair to fall into his eyes. "Yeah I'm sure. Rose has given me clearance to come back any time although I'll be limited for a while because of my leg. Truth is; I'm going nuts at home so going back to work is the perfect solution."

"Well okay," Drake replied, his face split by a wide grin, "It'll be good to have you back."

"Thanks," Dee said gratefully, relieved that his good friend and colleague hadn't tried to talk him out of it. He was then ambushed by a steady stream of people all wanting to wish him well, leaving him no opportunity to speak to Ryo until much, much later when everyone had left and they were alone in bed. The blond man had been fairly quiet since Dee had announced his return to work; clearly feeling like it was too soon for his lover who'd been so damaged by recent events, but afraid to voice his opinion for fear of upsetting him.

"You're worried," Dee said as they lay together, Ryo leaning on his chest as he ran his fingers through his lover's wavy blond hair. "You don't have to be Ryo; I know what I'm doing."

Ryo looked up suddenly before leaning in and kissing Dee passionately on the lips. "I'm sorry Dee, I can't help worrying…"

"Hey," Dee said, stroking Ryo's porcelain cheek. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't worry but I promise, I wouldn't be going back if I didn't know I was up to it." Green eyes met brown as his expression changed. "Be happy for me Ryo, please?"

Ryo smiled and nodded, unable to resist Dee when he used his good looks to full effect. "I am happy. I'll look forward to working with you again, Detective Latener."

Dee chuckled as he drew Ryo in for another long and passionate kiss.

TBC…