Alex stormed into her apartment and slammed the door behind her. She shouted in frustration. She stomped across the room to her kitchenette and began to throw open cabinets, but couldn't find anything that she wanted. She angrily searched the apartment for something that would relieve her frustration, but found nothing.
She shouted again, and began to pick up after her short rampage. She slammed the cabinet door shut and finally collapsed on the floor crying. She tried to replay the events in her head, but her anger didn't want her to- wouldn't let her. She would much rather be mad at him than face even the smallest possibility that it had been her fault. She had shut down so utterly and completely that none of those thoughts crossed her mind. She was just so upset anda total wreck. She sobbed in frustration for some time…
Bobby began to pace his apartment, deep in thought. He was so certain it had been her fault. "She's the one who brought it up!" He told himself. But he still felt guilty. It had taken him so long to even begin to express himself properly, but by the time he knew what he wanted to say, she had already become angry and upset. Robert Goren had never felt more like 'a guy' in his life.
There was one thing he was sure of though; they had to resolve this before tomorrow. They had work to do, and even if she wasn't happy with him, he needed to clear the air. He couldn't go to Barek, though. How could he talk to her now without implying that their tension had caused a fight between him and his partner? "Sorry, Carolyn, but I need to be totally clear: are you in love with me? Because Eames won't speak to me again unless I straighten things out. How soon can I push aside your feelings of affection to regain hers?" If his fight with Eames had been any kind of example, no matter how he tried to talk to Barek, it would end up coming out that way to her. She would only hear that. "Agh! Women!" he shouted.
He was so damn frustrated. How was he ever going to clear things up before they had to interview Luke Masters? But then again, why was it even his responsibility to fix things? His entire life he had done nothing but fix things that were broken. Eames was the one who had brought it up- if she didn't want to know, she shouldn't have asked…
No matter how much Bobby tried to convince himself he was in the right, and Eames had been in the wrong, he still had an overwhelming desire to fix things. He was upset at her, but knew that he loved her very much. This had all started with his tension, even if Alex had brought it up. The best thing she could do- and had just done for him- was to help him open up and face his feelings… and all he could think about now was how her helping him had hurt her… a tear leaked down his face.
Office of Luke Masters
"Mr. Masters, I'm Detective Eames, this is Detective Goren. We'd like to ask you some questions about the violin you illegally sold," she said sharply.
"I'm sorry, but like I told the other Detectives, I had no idea it was stolen," he said defensively. "I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, but I don't know how helpful I'll be." Luke Masters was a short, balding, middle-aged man with a thick Brooklyn accent. He gave the impression of being a total sleezeball.
"We'll see," Alex said skeptically. "Who did you get the violin from?"
"A trusted colleague."
"Does this trusted colleague have a name?"
"Actually, he doesn't. Part of the contract was his anonymity."
"He sold you a stolen violin- we won't even need a subpoena to revoke his 'anonymity'. I am in no mood to play games, Mr. Masters. Who sold you the violin?"
He gave her a sigh and said reluctantly and with some thought, "Markus Darrin."
Both Bobby's and Alex's eyes shot up. "You're sure that's his name?" Bobby asked.
"Yes," he said irritably.
"We're going to need his address and contact info," Alex said.
"I really don't have it. That's part of his anonymity. He won't give it to me."
Eames let out an annoyed grunt. Things just weren't going her way.
"How well do you know Mark Jones?" Bobby asked.
"I've known him since he came from Germany. He's been looking for the perfect violin for ages!" This seemed to be a subject he was interested in...
"Does he play?"
"Oh yes! Like a pro!"
"Like a pro, but not a pro?"
"No," he answered regretfully. "He told me he took an audition in Berlin some time ago, but he didn't get it. His violin was stolen just before his audition, poor guy. He freaked. So, he's been working with me to find the perfect violin. He finally found it too- damn shame it was stolen…"
"He did seem rather attached to the violin when we had to confiscate it and give it back to its rightful owner."
"Oh yes, he was attached to it. I believe he even went so far as to work out a deal with the victim's husband to buy the violin ligit he wants it so bad."
Bobby thought for a second and then said, "Thank you very much. Eames, do you have anymore questions?"
She flared her nose and gave him the look of death. "No," she hissed. Luke gave her a concerned look.
"We'll be in touch," Bobby told him, and then he left, followed by Alex.
This definitely wasn't good. They now had enough of the pieces of the puzzle to put it together and solve this one, but they couldn't because they weren't speaking.
"It's time to fix this now," Bobby decided. He knew his partner was stubborn enough to ride her anger far into the future and he didn't want that.
He wanted to solve this case, and more importantly he wanted his partner back- he wanted Alex back. It was time to swallow his pride…