ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS - CHAPTER 10

I see what he's doing. He's isolating me. Somehow he knows that I have guessed what he truly is. He's romanced Brigatti, and now he hands Winslow a high profile bust, the kind that gets noticed politically. The only thing I can't figure is why I'm still alive. If he knows about my suspicions, they why has he done the things that he has to protect me. Why call me and urge me to wear my vest one day, a day that I just happen to take one in the chest. The only thing that makes sense is that I pose absolutely no threat to him. This would mean that in addition to the police, he has co-opted the courts as well. That he has made himself invulnerable to assault. Even if I tried to expose what he is, would the papers carry it? Would my superiors believe it? If the whole thing managed to go to trial, would the judge just throw it out? Could he have neutralized me without my knowledge? God help us all if he has.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brigatti walked into McGinty's on top of the world. Both her pending cases had broken, and within fifteen minutes of each other. She was amazed at how things like that happened, you work and work and then when you just pull on the right thread, the whole thing unravels. She had heard about Winslow's bust, and that Meredith had at least one group off of her tail. She had no more stepped inside when she was grabbed around the waist from behind and picked up. "How was your day Brigatti?"

"Put me on the damn ground Hobson and I'll tell you" she yelled, a trifle put out by her undignified position.

Gary put her feet back on the ground, but before she could regain her balance, he spun her around like a ballerina and planted a kiss right on her. All of her protests just stopped being important. After a bit, she wasn't sure if it was a second, minute or hour, he pulled slightly away and looked into her eyes "you had a good day too?"

"No Hobson, I had a great day. I closed both my outstanding cases, it's just wrap up from here on out, plus I got a well done from my captain and a call from the mayor's office."

"That's great Brigatti, congratulations. Think ya might get a promotion out of all this?"

As they were talking they made their way across the bar and sat down at Gary's table. "Maybe, I've had a pretty good week, anyway how was your day Hobson, at least ya didn't end up covered in paint."

"Not bad, just busy; I think sometimes that I should try out for the Chicago Marathon with all the running I do. You hungry?"

"I could eat."

Gary waved Robin over "could we have a menu, please." She just nodded and left, when she came back with one Gary asked "good day today Robin?"

"About average, except for the rowdy newspaper people, and that arrest here; Oh, Tony wants you to try something, he wanted to add a pasta dish to the menu so he's trying this ravioli that's stuffed with Bratwurst and pizza sauce, then he covers it with cheese and bakes it. He calls it 'Chicago Ravioli' wanna try?"

Gary looked over at Toni who just shrugged "what the hell Hobson, I'm feeling adventurous." Gary just turned back and nodded at Robin, then added "bring a decent Chianti with that OK." Robin said she would and went off to take care of the order.

"So other than you closing all your cases, any excitement around the precinct?"

"Well, Winslow now thinks you hung the moon for helping with that huge guy and for taking care of that waitress of yours. He had a long chat with the guy in Memphis and it sounds like Mr. Walters is a grade A asshole. They told him to watch out, that the restraining order might put the guy off his rails."

"Really, they think he might be dangerous?"

"He could be, why?"

"Cause she's staying with Marissa, what if some psycho shows up at her door?"

'Well she's got that dog."

"Riley" Gary laughed "Riley would lick the guy to death and that's about it, maybe I should suggest that Emmet should stay over for a couple of nights."

"Assuming he isn't already" Brigatti added.

Gary almost choked on his water at the suggestion that Marissa might be fooling around before marriage, and said as much.

Brigatti just shook her head at him "she's an adult and so is he, ya never know Hobson."

Gary was spared a reply by Robin showing up with two plates of ravioli and a bottle of Chianti. Gary popped the cork and poured the wine for both of them as Robin went off to keep everything flowing well. The ravioli was pretty good, Brigatti really seemed to like it, so Gary decided it would become part of the permanent menu. They were just eating in silence, each one studying the other. Their thoughts were similar; both wondering if this could really be the one, and both afraid to say anything like that out loud. They were both finishing up and Gary had finally made up his mind to broach the subject when Marissa and Meredith came over.

Meredith was in a great mood, between the story coming out and the arrest of the goons from the Department of the Interior; she was flying high at the moment. Marissa was doing pretty good herself, having resolved the Melanie/Terssa situation, and tipping off Winslow to search the government cars. Brigatti passed on her good news and Gary detailed a couple of his saves, including big Steve. Everyone was relaxed when Brigatti looked over at Marissa "you'll want to be extra careful for the next couple of days." She then detailed what the Memphis PD had passed on to Winslow.

"Do you think we're in danger?"

"Honestly I don't Marissa, but it couldn't hurt to take a couple of extra precautions."

"Like what?"

"Well, aside from keeping Riley loose at night, you could have Emmet stay over; just in case."

Gary swore that for just a second Marissa looked embarrassed, and he wondered if Brigatti wasn't onto something.

"Anything else?"

"Just keep a baseball bat or something handy, and don't open the door to anyone you don't know, for any reason; especially anyone with a southern accent. And add my number to your speed dial; I'm not that far away."

Marissa just nodded at all of these ideas; Brigatti was making a lot of sense. "Do you think I should tell Teressa?"

"You're the shrink, not me; but if it was my call, I'd say yes. You don't want to keep secrets when you're trying to build trust."

"I'll do that, and thanks Toni."

"No problem, you're a friend, and friends do for each other."

"Well then friend" Meredith spoke up "do you think you could handle having a roommate for a bit longer."

"Don't push it Carson, why would you want to be here any longer than necessary?"

"Cause the Sun-Times is offering me an editor's spot. If I took it I'd need a place until I got settled. Besides" she said while looking at the table "I feel safe with you."

Brigatti blushed at the compliment, then turned serious "OK, but you've got to work on being neater; I never realized what a neat-freak I was until you moved in."

"Deal" Meredith said, relief evident in her voice. She had expected a bit more violent reaction from the feisty Italian, but she could tell that Toni was becoming more secure in her and Gary's relationship.

Conversation waned for a bit, then Gary asked a question; "does the name Moriarty ring any bells?"

"You mean like Professor Moriarty" Marissa asked.

"I suppose, who's he?"

"Sherlock Holmes arch nemesis, the 'Napoleon of Crime', geez Hobson, didn't you read when you were a kid" Toni threw in.

"Yes I read when I was a kid, just not Sherlock Holmes. So he's some kind of super criminal."

"Yeah" Meredith answered "but what's neat about him is that no-one realizes it. Everyone just thinks he's this math teacher, but that's just his cover, no-one suspects that he's this criminal mastermind."

"All of you seem to know about him."

"I grew up listening to the movies, finally I decided to read the books and see what was being left out."

"I read them because they sort of taught me how to think, how to approach a crime logically."

"I just liked how he connected things together, just like in a good story. So why the question?"

"Armstrong called me 'Moriarty' today. I think it just slipped out, but I knew I had heard the name before, but I couldn't remember where."

The table got quiet as all three women started adding things up.

"Toni, didn't you say that Armstrong was suspicious of anything that Gary got involved in?"

"Yeah, he's real twitchy about anything Hobson touches, even stuff like that mugging you saw."

"So do you think" Marissa asked "that Armstrong truly believes that Gary is some kind of criminal mastermind?"

"That's nuts" Meredith said "as many times as Gary has saved both him and his wife, how could he think that of Gary?"

Marissa answered back and soon the two of them and Gary were discussing the situation; Toni just sat there, not even listening. Her thoughts were running at a mile a minute.

"So what do you think Toni" Meredith asked, snapping the woman out of her reverie.

"I think that's exactly what Armstrong believes. He's always asking me about people you meet, folks that show up in the bar. I know he's staked out the place a time or two. Just him looking at who's coming or going. I think he's even run background checks on most of your employees, but I can't confirm that. All of that would only make sense if he truly thought that Gary was some sort of Moriarty."

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, I'm not a criminal, I prevent crimes."

"Yeah, but do you prevent all of them? See, Armstrong would look at that and wonder why the things that happen; happen. If you stop one crime, why not all crimes. And if you don't stop the ones that occur, then there's some self-serving reason for you doing so. Armstrong's just about the most cynical person I've ever met, and with that mindset he would be forced to conclude that you stop some crimes and allow others because you are a criminal and that those crimes that do occur benefit you. He would be forced to conclude that the only way you could know about the crimes that are going to occur would be if you were part of the criminal network. There's no other explanation that fits his interpretation of the facts."

They all looked at each other in sober silence. Brigatti knew Armstrong better than anyone else at the table, better practically than anyone else period. None of them were about to dispute her conclusions because they believed that she was right.

Finally Marissa spoke up, "is there anything we can do?"

"Not really" Brigatti answered "just pray he doesn't do too much damage when he finally looses it."

"What do you mean 'loose it'?"

"Come on Marissa, you're the shrink, you know what obsessions do to the person obsessing, and what he or she can do to the object of their obsession."

Marissa sighed "yeah, I know; but I wonder if there's a way to head him off, without telling him about the paper I mean" she added when Gary started to protest.

"Well, it sound like we've got homework tonight" Meredith quipped "find a way to defuse an obsessed police detective". They all gave a rather strained laugh and started to leave.

Toni had lingered near the stairs to the loft as Marissa went to collect Teressa and Meredith went into the back room to chat some with Abby "don't worry Hobson; we'll come up with something".

"I know you will Toni, I just don't want you to get hurt, either you or your career."

"Thanks Gary, but it's my turn to take care of you now."

"I know it's just an unusual position for me to be in."

"You've got friends Hobson, let em take care of you once in a while; you don't have to be Superman all the time."

He gave her a bit of a crooked grin, "ya know that's easier said then done, I've been Superman for so long it feels like that's who I am; a lot more than Gary Hobson."

"Yeah well even Superman had Lois Lane, and I'm tougher than she was."

He gave her a full chuckle for that one "I believe that Brigatti".

Suddenly she was in his arms and for some reason, near to tears. She kissed him fiercely and gasped out "you be careful Hobson, I'm not about to loose you."

Gary was surprised by the force behind the words, and could only nod. Then he kissed her and said "You becareful too Toni, cause I don't want to loose you either; you're the brightest part of my day Brigatti."

They just stood there, holding each other and staring into each other's eyes. They said nothing because there was really nothing more to be said. They could have said 'I love you' but the words would only be a faint shadow of their feelings. Slowly, reluctantly, they parted. As Gary headed up to his loft he probably should have checked the paper one last time, but he didn't.