Disclaimer: Don't own Automan—wish I did. Please don't sue. All of the disclaimer see Chapter 1.

Ch. 6--Suspicions

Wally walked into the Great Falls Municipal Police Station and walked up to the main desk. A young brunette woman police officer greeted him, "Hi. How can I help you?"

"Hi. I'm looking for a Sergeant Tang." He flashed his LAPD badge.

"Sure." She picked up the receiver of a phone and dialed an internal number. After a couple seconds, she said into the receiver. "Sergeant, there is an LA police officer here. He says he's looking for you." A brief pause. "His name is Walter Nebisher."

"Nebicher," Wally automatically corrected her with an understanding smile.

"I'm sorry," she said into the receiver. "A Walter Nebicher." She listened to his response. She looked up at Wally. "He says he doesn't know you and wants to know what this is regarding."

Outwardly, Wally gave the appearance of utter confidence; inside, butterflies were flying about his stomach. "I need to discuss some information related to the Ridge-Daniels murders with him."

"He says he has some information regarding the Ridge-Daniels murders," she said into the receiver. After a brief pause, she put down the receiver. She turned to Wally. "He said he'll see you for a short while." She pointed to an adjacent corridor. "His office is right down that hallway; the second door on your right."

"Thank you," replied Wally flashing her his most heart-warming, charming smile. He headed off in the direction she indicated. He reached the second door with a cheap name plaque which read 'Sgt. Peter Tang'. He knocked on the door. He heard a soft yet commanding voice say, "Come in." He turned the knob and entered the small office.

An oriental looking man in his early thirties with dark brown hair looked up from behind a small desk semi-cluttered with paperwork. The sergeant stood up and extended his hand. "Walter Nebicher? Sergeant Tang." Wally nodded and shook his hand. "Please have a seat." The sergeant indicated a seat across from his desk next to where Wally was standing. Wally sat in the proffered chair. As the sergeant sat back down, his brown eyes tracked Wally's movements. "Now, I was told you have some information pertaining to the Ridge-Daniels case."

"Yes. I was informed you were involved with the case."

"Yes, I am. I am coordinating with Lieutenant Kovilli. He's in charge of the case."

"I knew one of the victims, John Ridge. We were good friends in high school."

"This is all very fascinating, Mr. Nebicher," replied the sergeant. "But what does this have to do with the Ridge-Daniels murders."

"He called me the day he was murdered."

"He called?" asked Tang, suddenly very interested. "From where?"

"I don't know where he was calling from, but he called the LAPD; the special section I work in. He said he was in trouble. Some crooked local cops had killed his partner and were after him."

The sergeant started to get apprehensive but tried not to let it show on his face. "Did he tell you the names of these local cops?"

"No."

"Well, thank you for informing us, Mr. Nebicher. Do you have a number where I can reach you in case I have any more questions?" He stood and Wally stood with him.

"Sure. I am currently staying at the Holiday Inn." Wally took out a business card from his wallet and wrote the name of the hotel and the telephone number on the back before handing the card to Tang.

Tang shook Wally's hand, and Wally turned to leave. Before reaching the door, Wally turned back to the sergeant.

"Something else, Mr. Nebicher?" asked Tang.

"Actually, yes. Did you happen to know John Ridge's partner, Steve Daniels?"

"No, not personally. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no particular reason. It's just John mentioned something about drugs and an argument over money. Well, nice talking to you, Sergeant."

The sergeant watched as Nebicher turned and left his office before sitting back down and going over the conversation in his mind. 'He knows about the involvement of local cops. He knows about the drugs. I better let the lieutenant know. He can decide what to do about this recent development.' Tang got up, left his office, and went to the first door in the hallway. The door plaque read: "Lt. Ted Kovilli". The sergeant knocked on the door. He heard the lieutenant say "Come in." He entered the office and closed the door behind him.

The lieutenant looked up from the paperwork he was working on to see who had entered. "Pete, what can I help you with?"

"Lieutenant, we've got a problem."

"A problem?"

"Yeah. I just talked to a LA cop, Walter Nebicher." He handed the lieutenant Nebicher's business card. "He said John called him the day before. He knows about the involvement of local cops in the murder and about the drugs."

Kovilli studied the card. He flipped the card over. "Is this where he is staying?"

"Yes."

The lieutenant thought about the best way to deal with the situation. "Hmm... That is a problem." He looked up at Tang. "I'll send a teletype to his superiors. They can recall him. Don't worry, Pete. All he has are suspicions. Nothing more."

"What if he informs someone else about his suspicions? What if he figures out what's going on?"

The lieutenant sat back in his chair mulling over the implications of the sergeant's questions. 'If he figures out what's going on, the whole setup will be ruined.' Out loud, Kovilli said, "We're going to talk to Walter Nebicher. Find out exactly what he knows and if he told anyone about what he suspects."

The lieutenant and the sergeant left the lieutenant's office. Kovilli stopped at the main desk to instruct the brunette officer there to send a teletype to LA. He told her what he wanted the teletype to say. After that task was complete, they headed out of the precinct heading for the Holiday Inn.