It's so easy to forget what goes through an officer's mind during situations like the one in the previous chapter. Most of the attention gets focussed on what happened instead of why it happened. It's not something most officers like to do, pulling the trigger on another person, even if the other guy draws on them. I remember reading that NYPD has issued sidearms that have high-resistance triggers – meaning that to fire the weapon, an officer has to apply ten pounds of force against the trigger. In other words, the officer has to be sure that firing his weapon is what he really wants to do.

Sorry, I was at a police ethics refresher course the other day. It's still kind of foremost on my mind. /blush/ I sound like a professor.

Something to think about, anyway.

Before I forget – which I have a bad tendency to do – I may flip-flop the radio codes, because after looking over the NYPD listing, I felt it a little lacking. Just a heads-up for you guys, so you don't think I've gone nutters or something. I'm likely to use the Maine State Police codes in place of a few NYPD codes because I'm more familiar with those, having heard them in use firsthand.

Mikey was sitting uncomfortably in a metal chair in the interrogation room, fidgeting nervously. He had no idea what was going on and Bosco was counting on that. He watched his brother from the other side of the one-way mirror, waiting for his partner to get there. She was still talking to Sergeant Christopher and a couple of guys from IAB. Bosco snorted quietly. The rat squad. They always got involved when an officer had to shoot somebody. With any luck, they'd be done soon and he could carry on his own investigation. It shouldn't take long anyway. Yokas had been on the street long enough to know how those meetings went. She'd be along any minute now.

'He say anything yet?'

'Not a word. I haven't gone in yet anyway.'

Yokas folded her arms and studied the man waiting in the other room. 'I never thought I'd see him back in one of these rooms.'

'Me neither.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, believe it or not. He said he was goin' straight.' Bosco pursed his lips, trying to keep his frustration hidden. 'Guess he lied.'

'You want me to talk to him first?'

'Yeah, he might talk to you more. I was the one who arrested him, after all.' Bosco let out a weary sigh and opened the door to the interrogation room. Mikey's head snapped up as Yokas stepped into the room, his expression immediately relieved.

'Faith! Can you get me out of this?'

'That depends.'

Mikey's relief faded quickly into wariness. 'Depends on what?'

'On what you can tell me.' Faith ignored the chair on the other side of the table for the moment. 'How well do you know Keith Staples?'

'I don't know who you're talking about.'

'I think you do. Word gets around fast on the street, you know that as well as I do.'

'I've never heard of the guy.'

'Okay. Fair enough. Maybe you recognise the guy in these pictures, then.'

Mikey stared at the crime scene photographs that Faith tossed casually onto the table in front of him. The body and the evidence markers all around it were the centre of each picture. His face lost colour as he looked at each one, until his cheeks were as white as a sheet of paper.

'I'll ask you again. How well did you know Keith Staples?'

'He's a dealer on my block. We worked for the same guy.' Mikey's eyes were riveted on the image of Staples lying in a puddle of dried blood. 'He was a decent enough guy. Always had a joke or a smoke if you wanted one.'

'You see him the night he was killed?'

'No. I was out… doin' stuff. Haven't seen him in a week.'

Faith leant forward, using the table for support. 'Come on, Mikey. You know more than that. You tell me, or we'll turn you back onto the street and put the word out you had a hand in Staples' murder.'

'I didn't – '

'You think that will matter to the guys who knew Staples too? They're probably wonderin' if somebody has been moving in on their territory. Do you really want to be the one they finger for this?'

Mikey swallowed, clearly nervous. 'I had nothin' to do with this, and I don't know anybody who does.' His face hardened. 'What's it matter, anyway? He's dead.'

Bosco's partner nodded slowly and pushed away from the table. 'Okay. If that's the way you want it, that's fine with me.' She was halfway out the door before she paused to look back. 'I'd hate to be the first guy his brother runs into when he gets into the city. Those Force Recon Marines aren't the type to mess with.'

The door swung closed, cutting off her view of Mikey's shocked face.

'Think he'll buy it?'

'What's not to buy? It's true. Staples' brother is a gunnery sergeant with the…' Faith opened a folder on the desk near the door leading back into the precinct lobby and flipped through several pages. 'He's with the 2nd Platoon, 1st Force Recon Company. Swerky has already spoken to him and says he's going to be arriving either tomorrow or Monday.' She made a face. 'I'd hate to be on the streets when this guy starts asking questions.'

Bosco shrugged indifferently. 'If it shakes loose some information about this whole mess, I really don't care who gets in the way. I just want to know Mikey's not gonna get caught in the backlash.'

'What makes you think there will be one?'

''Cause there always is.'

'All units of the Five-Five, 10-50, intersection of Arthur and Lennox. Several subjects involved.'

Bosco rolled his eyes as he spun the wheel around hard. Figures there's a fight. Tonight of all nights, when I just want it to be a quiet shift. He activated the lights and stepped down on the gas.

'Five-Five David to Central, intersection of Arthur and Lennox.'

'Ten-four, David.'

Faith pulled her nightstick into her lap. 'You think there will be a few of these when Staples' brother shows up?'

'Maybe.'

'I bet we'll get stuck with the mess he leaves.'

'Probably.'

'Mikey will be glad to know you bailed him out.'

'I guess.'

His partner sighed. 'Don't you have anything to say other than that?'

'What is there to say? He's free to do whatever he wants, just like always. As for Staples' brother, he can the biggest badass Marine that walked the earth for all I care. As long as he keeps his business from messin' up my shift, it's okay by me.' Bosco stomped on the brakes as the RMP reached the scene of the fight. He was out of the cruiser in a twinkling, his nightstick gripped tightly in his hand. Faith tumbled out after him.

'Break it up!'

There was a flash of hard black plastic and somebody went down. People were scattering as fast as they could go as 55 Charlie rolled up. Faith chased down a heavy-set man and pulled him to a sharp stop. Sully and Ty had rounded up a couple of stragglers and were placing cuffs on each. Bosco stood by his catch, a broad grin on his face. She couldn't help grinning back. For all his griping and short-temperedness, he liked his job.

'Good collar.'

'You too.'

'Hey, Sully. Glad you could join us.'

Sully smirked at Bosco. 'Funny, Bosco. Nice to see you back to normal.'

'Hey, was I ever not?'

Faith shook her head and pushed her prisoner toward the cruiser. 'C'mon, pal, there's a seat over here for you.'

'Five-Five David to Central.'

'Go ahead, David.'

'Ten-eighty-one with two.'

'Ten-four, David. Show you 10-81 at 1902.'

Bosco slid into the driver's seat and chuckled. 'You know, Yokas, maybe this isn't such a bad night after all.'