Chapter Eleven
The next morning Steve got up slowly. He had slept hard and sound. When he did finally get up he realized his dad must have put him to bed. That was the only reason he could figure that he had been put to bed in the guestroom. He really couldn't remember much except sitting on the deck drinking coffee with his Dad. Steve felt sure his coffee had a little something extra in it, compliments from his Dad.
Just then Mark peeked around the corner of the room and seeing Steve sitting on the side of the bed he came in and asked. "How do you feel?"
Steve pinned his dad with a glare. "I feel like someone who was tricked by a very over protective father. You put something in my coffee last night didn't you?"
Not even batting an eye or loosing his smile Mark happily confessed. "Yes I did and I am not sorry. So you can be mad all you want but you slept soundly for the first time in several days. You needed the rest and I made sure you got it. Now scoot down stairs and get a shower and dressed. I'm going to make you a western omelet like you have never tasted before."
As Steve stood and made his way past his father he grumpily said. "Just make sure that the only spice that you use is salt and pepper. I need to stay awake if I'm going to catch Edwards."
Mark chuckled as he watched his son disappear on the stairs that led to his apartment. He made his way to the front porch and picked up the morning paper. As he walked back to the kitchen he opened it up and there in bold letters was the front page headlines. "Possible Police Corruption. Detective May Be Connected to The Rooftop Bandit."
Mark nearly choked when he saw the headlines. He decided to hide the paper from Steve. He wanted to make sure that his son got a good breakfast before he headed into the precinct. Mark quickly stashed the paper into the dishwasher and started to prepare the omelet that he promised. He had it and a plate of toast setting on the table when Steve strolled in looking better than Mark could remember since this whole nightmare had begun.
Steve sat down at the table just as his Dad poured him a glass of orange juice. "Mmmm. Smells good Dad. Thanks for going to all this trouble."
Mark smiled and then asked. "Am I forgiven then for sneaking you the sedative."
"I guess so. You could have just asked me Dad."
"Well I could have. I sure could have. Would you have taken it." Mark cut his son a look.
"Of course not." Steve grinned at his father.
"I thought as much." Mark smiled as he watched Steve literally inhale his breakfast.
"You know you could choke eating that fast? Slow down." Mark grew a little concerned as he watched his son continue to wolf down his food.
"Steve I said slow down. What's your hurry." Mark admonished Steve who continued to eat at a break neck speed.
"I want to get to the station before the vultures do. If I can beat them then I won't have to answer any of their questions. Newman has banned any reporters and photographers from coming inside. Since I was given a sleeping pill, I overslept. Now I have to hurry and get there before they do." Steve tried to explain all of this while scrapping the last of the omelet into his mouth and washing it down with the remainder of his orange juice.
Mark decided not to mention the morning paper to Steve. Since he was in a hurry he hadn't asked about the paper. Mark planed to call Newman and tell him about the headlines as soon as Steve left for the station.
Just when he thought he had gotten away with Steve not seeing the paper, sure enough his son asked about it. "Dad, did you get the paper this morning?"
"Uh, no. I went to look for it a few minutes ago but it hasn't been thrown yet. Why don't you go ahead and get to the station and I'll save it and you can look at it this evening. That way you can relax and read it with out having to rush through it." Mark was all but pushing Steve out the door.
Because he was in a hurry anyway Steve never noticed his father's hurry to get him out of the house. As he was climbing into his truck his father was making a phone call to his Captain.
"He's on his way now. I didn't show him the paper." Mark spoke into the receiver.
"How long since he left?" Asked Newman.
"Just pulled out." Answered Mark
"I'll grab him as soon as he gets here and when you get here we will both tell him. You are coming aren't you?" Mark could almost hear the desperation in Newman's voice.
With a sigh he replied. "I'm leaving now. I should be right behind him. Just make sure that reporters don't surround him when he gets there. Oh and by the way, thanks for having his truck brought home last night. He might forget to thank you after we tell him about the paper."
Mark locked up the house and headed straight to the police station trying to convince himself that this wasn't going to be as bad as he anticipated. He wasn't having much luck.
Lenny read the paper smiling to himself. Reporters were so easy. You suggest one little thing and they were on it like a pack of hungry wolves. They would grab anything and run with it. He was a little surprised that it had appeared in this morning's paper though. He felt sure that they would have at least tried to confirm the story before printing it. They had about as many scruples as he did. Edwards laughed as he thought about the detective's reaction when he found out about the headlines. This was almost as much fun as seeing the look on the pig's face as he leaped away out of reach.
Steve was relieved to see that the photographers and reporters were being kept away from the station by a couple of patrolmen. He didn't waste anytime getting inside. As he made his way to his desk he decided to stop and get a cup of coffee before getting down to some serious filing. He smiled as he stirred the cream and sugar thinking about his dad spiking his coffee last night. He really wasn't as mad as he had let on. The fact was he felt better today than he had felt in several days.
Steve started towards his desk when Newman stuck his head around the door of his office and invited Steve to come in. This didn't surprise the detective since he knew that eventually he would have to meet with his superiors about some sort of plan to outsmart this 'Rooftop Bandit.' He was surprised however, when once he had settled into a chair across from Newman's desk his dad suddenly appeared in the door and settled into the chair next to him. Steve looked from his dad to his Captain in confusion.
With a look that clearly said 'Here we go again', Steve stated. "I'm not going to like this. Every time you show up down here it's something bad again. What now?"
"Steve." Newman stopped. He was unsure just how to tell his detective about the headlines in the paper. This was not the same as the others. This one actually implied that he was letting this guy get away for a piece of the take.
Mark decided to go ahead and let Steve see for himself what the papers were saying about him. He pulled the paper out from behind his back and once he had removed the coffee cup from his son's hands he replaced it with the paper. Both Newman and Mark sat and held their breath for the explosion that was inevitable once Steve read the article. To their surprise there was no explosion. There wasn't even a rumble. Now as nice as this might be to the average person, it caused a great deal of concern for both Mark and Newman. It was totally out of character for Steve to just sit there and not have some very strong opinions about the article or at the least some choice words about the parasites that had written the offending passages.
Steve sat and stared at the paper in his hand. For the third time he started to read the words again. He tried to comprehend what the paragraphs were implying. He must be reading it wrong. No way could the paper be indicating that he had anything to do with the robberies. How could they? Not one time had he ever crossed the line. His only crime was a phobia that thousands of other people suffered from as well. As he read through the article again he realized that his father and his Captain were starring at him. He knew he should say something. What could he say? This whole thing was getting out of control.
The world around him was turning a little gray around the edges. He felt like he was in a tunnel with a wind that was spinning him around and around completely out of control. He couldn't find anything to grab in order to ground himself. Everything seemed to be getting grayer. Then he could hear his father quietly talking to him. He tried to reach out a hand to grab on to him but all he could do was slip further into the tunnel. A hand went to his arm shaking him a little. He still couldn't understand the words that were being said to him but they seemed comforting. Still he seemed to be slipping further into the tunnel and then suddenly he felt something being placed across his mouth and nose. He tried to remove it but something stronger than him held it tightly in place. After a few seconds of breathing into the offending object his mind seemed to come back into focus. The gray that was surrounding him disappeared and he could actually understand the words that were being spoken to him. It was then that he saw that his dad was holding a brown paper bag over his nose and mouth. Newman was standing next to him holding his hands down in his lap. Once Mark was sure that his son was no longer hyperventilating he removed the bag and searched Steve's face for any further complications.
"How are you doing son?" The question was simple enough but the answer was anything but.
Steve nodded his head to indicate that he was fine.
"You hyperventilated Steve. You need to take slow deep breaths. Here take this." Mark tried to give his son a tablet but Steve was still too groggy to understand that it was just a mild sedative. He pushed at his dad's hand but Mark was insistent and the little pill was forced into his mouth with a glass of water following. He swallowed the pill and the water reluctantly not wanting a repeat performance of last night.
Once the water and the pill had gone down he unhappily complained to his dad about the pill. "I don't want to go to sleep again. I need to stay focused so that I can concentrate on how I can stop this guy."
Mark backed off a little but explained to Steve. "You won't go to sleep. It is a very mild tablet that will only calm you down a little. You were breathing to fast and nearly passed out. I think I like it better when you throw a hissy fit."
"I know I do. At least I know how to deal with a tantrum. Don't do that again. That's an order Lieutenant." For the first time Steve looked at his Captain and realized how pale he looked.
"I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to upset you. I guess the article in the paper just threw me off a little. Sir we have to do something about this. It sounds like I am letting him go for a part of whatever he takes."
"Calm down Steve. No one thinks that you are in on the robberies." Newman was afraid of Steve reacting the same way again.
"I am calm sir. You are wrong though. The millions of people who read that paper today are going to believe it. My reputation is at stake here. I can't be an effective officer if my integrity is in question. I have got to stop him sir, and now." Steve appeared to be calm but he had a determined tone to his voice that could not be ignored.
"First of all it's WE. You aren't alone in this. And second of all, we will catch him. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Edwards suggesting that you were in on the robberies with him to the papers. We can defuse that. I suggest that you go back to your desk and try to catch up on some of your paper work. I have some phone calls to make. And Steve, no one believes that you could possibly be involved with this guy." Newman picked up the phone to make his calls and Steve knew he was dismissed.
Mark lingered around Steve's desk for the next hour just to be sure that his son didn't suffer from any lingering affects from the episode in Newman's office earlier. After he was sure that Steve was in control of himself and doing fine he said goodbye and left for the hospital.
Mark decided to go by the two possible targets that he felt Lenny would hit. The first one was about four blocks from the hospital. It would be a good work out but not impossible. The second one seemed a more likely pick. It was about two and half blocks from the hospital and since it was a pawnshop Mark felt that it would be more appealing to the crook. He couldn't quite figure out why Edwards was leading his way to the hospital. He knew it had something to do with Steve. He couldn't help but shutter at what possible plan he had in store for his son. He only hoped that the petty thief could be stopped before he caused Steve any harm.
The next morning Steve got up slowly. He had slept hard and sound. When he did finally get up he realized his dad must have put him to bed. That was the only reason he could figure that he had been put to bed in the guestroom. He really couldn't remember much except sitting on the deck drinking coffee with his Dad. Steve felt sure his coffee had a little something extra in it, compliments from his Dad.
Just then Mark peeked around the corner of the room and seeing Steve sitting on the side of the bed he came in and asked. "How do you feel?"
Steve pinned his dad with a glare. "I feel like someone who was tricked by a very over protective father. You put something in my coffee last night didn't you?"
Not even batting an eye or loosing his smile Mark happily confessed. "Yes I did and I am not sorry. So you can be mad all you want but you slept soundly for the first time in several days. You needed the rest and I made sure you got it. Now scoot down stairs and get a shower and dressed. I'm going to make you a western omelet like you have never tasted before."
As Steve stood and made his way past his father he grumpily said. "Just make sure that the only spice that you use is salt and pepper. I need to stay awake if I'm going to catch Edwards."
Mark chuckled as he watched his son disappear on the stairs that led to his apartment. He made his way to the front porch and picked up the morning paper. As he walked back to the kitchen he opened it up and there in bold letters was the front page headlines. "Possible Police Corruption. Detective May Be Connected to The Rooftop Bandit."
Mark nearly choked when he saw the headlines. He decided to hide the paper from Steve. He wanted to make sure that his son got a good breakfast before he headed into the precinct. Mark quickly stashed the paper into the dishwasher and started to prepare the omelet that he promised. He had it and a plate of toast setting on the table when Steve strolled in looking better than Mark could remember since this whole nightmare had begun.
Steve sat down at the table just as his Dad poured him a glass of orange juice. "Mmmm. Smells good Dad. Thanks for going to all this trouble."
Mark smiled and then asked. "Am I forgiven then for sneaking you the sedative."
"I guess so. You could have just asked me Dad."
"Well I could have. I sure could have. Would you have taken it." Mark cut his son a look.
"Of course not." Steve grinned at his father.
"I thought as much." Mark smiled as he watched Steve literally inhale his breakfast.
"You know you could choke eating that fast? Slow down." Mark grew a little concerned as he watched his son continue to wolf down his food.
"Steve I said slow down. What's your hurry." Mark admonished Steve who continued to eat at a break neck speed.
"I want to get to the station before the vultures do. If I can beat them then I won't have to answer any of their questions. Newman has banned any reporters and photographers from coming inside. Since I was given a sleeping pill, I overslept. Now I have to hurry and get there before they do." Steve tried to explain all of this while scrapping the last of the omelet into his mouth and washing it down with the remainder of his orange juice.
Mark decided not to mention the morning paper to Steve. Since he was in a hurry he hadn't asked about the paper. Mark planed to call Newman and tell him about the headlines as soon as Steve left for the station.
Just when he thought he had gotten away with Steve not seeing the paper, sure enough his son asked about it. "Dad, did you get the paper this morning?"
"Uh, no. I went to look for it a few minutes ago but it hasn't been thrown yet. Why don't you go ahead and get to the station and I'll save it and you can look at it this evening. That way you can relax and read it with out having to rush through it." Mark was all but pushing Steve out the door.
Because he was in a hurry anyway Steve never noticed his father's hurry to get him out of the house. As he was climbing into his truck his father was making a phone call to his Captain.
"He's on his way now. I didn't show him the paper." Mark spoke into the receiver.
"How long since he left?" Asked Newman.
"Just pulled out." Answered Mark
"I'll grab him as soon as he gets here and when you get here we will both tell him. You are coming aren't you?" Mark could almost hear the desperation in Newman's voice.
With a sigh he replied. "I'm leaving now. I should be right behind him. Just make sure that reporters don't surround him when he gets there. Oh and by the way, thanks for having his truck brought home last night. He might forget to thank you after we tell him about the paper."
Mark locked up the house and headed straight to the police station trying to convince himself that this wasn't going to be as bad as he anticipated. He wasn't having much luck.
Lenny read the paper smiling to himself. Reporters were so easy. You suggest one little thing and they were on it like a pack of hungry wolves. They would grab anything and run with it. He was a little surprised that it had appeared in this morning's paper though. He felt sure that they would have at least tried to confirm the story before printing it. They had about as many scruples as he did. Edwards laughed as he thought about the detective's reaction when he found out about the headlines. This was almost as much fun as seeing the look on the pig's face as he leaped away out of reach.
Steve was relieved to see that the photographers and reporters were being kept away from the station by a couple of patrolmen. He didn't waste anytime getting inside. As he made his way to his desk he decided to stop and get a cup of coffee before getting down to some serious filing. He smiled as he stirred the cream and sugar thinking about his dad spiking his coffee last night. He really wasn't as mad as he had let on. The fact was he felt better today than he had felt in several days.
Steve started towards his desk when Newman stuck his head around the door of his office and invited Steve to come in. This didn't surprise the detective since he knew that eventually he would have to meet with his superiors about some sort of plan to outsmart this 'Rooftop Bandit.' He was surprised however, when once he had settled into a chair across from Newman's desk his dad suddenly appeared in the door and settled into the chair next to him. Steve looked from his dad to his Captain in confusion.
With a look that clearly said 'Here we go again', Steve stated. "I'm not going to like this. Every time you show up down here it's something bad again. What now?"
"Steve." Newman stopped. He was unsure just how to tell his detective about the headlines in the paper. This was not the same as the others. This one actually implied that he was letting this guy get away for a piece of the take.
Mark decided to go ahead and let Steve see for himself what the papers were saying about him. He pulled the paper out from behind his back and once he had removed the coffee cup from his son's hands he replaced it with the paper. Both Newman and Mark sat and held their breath for the explosion that was inevitable once Steve read the article. To their surprise there was no explosion. There wasn't even a rumble. Now as nice as this might be to the average person, it caused a great deal of concern for both Mark and Newman. It was totally out of character for Steve to just sit there and not have some very strong opinions about the article or at the least some choice words about the parasites that had written the offending passages.
Steve sat and stared at the paper in his hand. For the third time he started to read the words again. He tried to comprehend what the paragraphs were implying. He must be reading it wrong. No way could the paper be indicating that he had anything to do with the robberies. How could they? Not one time had he ever crossed the line. His only crime was a phobia that thousands of other people suffered from as well. As he read through the article again he realized that his father and his Captain were starring at him. He knew he should say something. What could he say? This whole thing was getting out of control.
The world around him was turning a little gray around the edges. He felt like he was in a tunnel with a wind that was spinning him around and around completely out of control. He couldn't find anything to grab in order to ground himself. Everything seemed to be getting grayer. Then he could hear his father quietly talking to him. He tried to reach out a hand to grab on to him but all he could do was slip further into the tunnel. A hand went to his arm shaking him a little. He still couldn't understand the words that were being said to him but they seemed comforting. Still he seemed to be slipping further into the tunnel and then suddenly he felt something being placed across his mouth and nose. He tried to remove it but something stronger than him held it tightly in place. After a few seconds of breathing into the offending object his mind seemed to come back into focus. The gray that was surrounding him disappeared and he could actually understand the words that were being spoken to him. It was then that he saw that his dad was holding a brown paper bag over his nose and mouth. Newman was standing next to him holding his hands down in his lap. Once Mark was sure that his son was no longer hyperventilating he removed the bag and searched Steve's face for any further complications.
"How are you doing son?" The question was simple enough but the answer was anything but.
Steve nodded his head to indicate that he was fine.
"You hyperventilated Steve. You need to take slow deep breaths. Here take this." Mark tried to give his son a tablet but Steve was still too groggy to understand that it was just a mild sedative. He pushed at his dad's hand but Mark was insistent and the little pill was forced into his mouth with a glass of water following. He swallowed the pill and the water reluctantly not wanting a repeat performance of last night.
Once the water and the pill had gone down he unhappily complained to his dad about the pill. "I don't want to go to sleep again. I need to stay focused so that I can concentrate on how I can stop this guy."
Mark backed off a little but explained to Steve. "You won't go to sleep. It is a very mild tablet that will only calm you down a little. You were breathing to fast and nearly passed out. I think I like it better when you throw a hissy fit."
"I know I do. At least I know how to deal with a tantrum. Don't do that again. That's an order Lieutenant." For the first time Steve looked at his Captain and realized how pale he looked.
"I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to upset you. I guess the article in the paper just threw me off a little. Sir we have to do something about this. It sounds like I am letting him go for a part of whatever he takes."
"Calm down Steve. No one thinks that you are in on the robberies." Newman was afraid of Steve reacting the same way again.
"I am calm sir. You are wrong though. The millions of people who read that paper today are going to believe it. My reputation is at stake here. I can't be an effective officer if my integrity is in question. I have got to stop him sir, and now." Steve appeared to be calm but he had a determined tone to his voice that could not be ignored.
"First of all it's WE. You aren't alone in this. And second of all, we will catch him. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Edwards suggesting that you were in on the robberies with him to the papers. We can defuse that. I suggest that you go back to your desk and try to catch up on some of your paper work. I have some phone calls to make. And Steve, no one believes that you could possibly be involved with this guy." Newman picked up the phone to make his calls and Steve knew he was dismissed.
Mark lingered around Steve's desk for the next hour just to be sure that his son didn't suffer from any lingering affects from the episode in Newman's office earlier. After he was sure that Steve was in control of himself and doing fine he said goodbye and left for the hospital.
Mark decided to go by the two possible targets that he felt Lenny would hit. The first one was about four blocks from the hospital. It would be a good work out but not impossible. The second one seemed a more likely pick. It was about two and half blocks from the hospital and since it was a pawnshop Mark felt that it would be more appealing to the crook. He couldn't quite figure out why Edwards was leading his way to the hospital. He knew it had something to do with Steve. He couldn't help but shutter at what possible plan he had in store for his son. He only hoped that the petty thief could be stopped before he caused Steve any harm.