Rune Alignment

Chapter 48.

"What's that?" Sledge asked as he came up on Eames at the computer printer. "I saw you standing here, like you were waiting for something to print; like you didn't want anyone to see what it is. So, what is it?"

Eames turned and looked up at Sledge. Her mind raced back to Saturday night and Sunday morning. It was wonderful, her time with him. She'd never had a date like that. He was so romantic, it was so unexpected; so different from what he was at work. The sex was over the top. "This is nothing," she said folding the paper.

Sure it is, he thought. "Let's go get some lunch; let's get out of here and get some air. Come on."

She thought a minute and then said, "Let me get my purse."

Sledge watched her walk to her desk. She's going to ask for a transfer, I bet. Deakins will never partner her with anyone else. That paper was her transfer request. "Ready?" he asked as she returned. It took all he had to not wrap his arm around her.

Martin finished reading the narratives, or parts of them, in the fifteen envelopes stored in the first box. He slid off the stool, returned the box and carried the next one back to the counter. Again, he lifted the lid, removed the first envelope, slid out the prints and clipped narrative and began to read.

Bobby swept his hand around the inside of Gleason's bag and felt one last item; he pulled out a pill bottle – Aventyl. He struggled to open the amber bottle; it was nearly empty. The refill date was more than a month ago. It had been filled at University Drugs.

He replaced the cap and set the bottle aside. He carefully returned the other items to her bag and tried to re-zip it, he couldn't get it to go, left it open and carried it back to his desk. He set her bag to the side and put the bottle beside it. He went to the bookcase holding his collection of reference books, pulled off the PDR, lugged it back to his desk and sat. He opened it to the index, flipped pages, ran his finger down a column, found what he wanted and turned to the page he was looking for.

'Aventyl (Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, UK, US) – Brand name of nortriptyline, one of several types of tricyclic drugs indicated for the treatment of depression and migraine. Side effects include lowered blood pressure and heart rate, dry mouth, and other mild to severe reactions. Contraindicated for use with MAOIs. See page 117a. for illustration.'

Bobby closed the book, pushed it aside, picked up Gleason's bag and reached for his jacket. He slipped the pill bottle into the breast pocket, turned and headed for the elevators.

"How come you were so quiet in the meeting this morning?" Sledge asked Eames.

They were at a sandwich place not far from One Police Plaza. It catered to lawyers and cops. The crowd was coming and going; most of the trade was take away – cops and lawyers on the run, administrative assistants making a lunch run for bosses.

Eames finished chewing and then said, "I had nothing to offer."

"Come on, Sugar, what's going on?"

Eames looked at Edward, can I trust him? Tell him what I'm doing? Or, will he try to talk me out of it? He's all I've got right now. "If I tell you, promise me you won't get weird."

"Deakins will never approve your transfer." Sledge said and took a bite of his sandwich.

Eames was stunned. "How . . . how . . . how did you know?"

He swallowed, wiped his mouth, reached and took her hand, "I know how you think. I know everything about you. You didn't turn it in yet, did you?"

She shook her head and said, "But I told him."

"And he said no. Did you ask for a new partner first?"

"Yes."

"And he said no. Alex, he's not going to change you two. You and Goren are too good together. Besides, who in the hell would Deakins get to partner up with that oddball?"

Sledge let go of her hand, picked up his sandwich and took another bite.

"Edward, I can't work with Bobby any more. He doesn't want me as a partner either. It's over. I destroyed the trust we had; he can't trust my judgment anymore. I'm not sure I can trust myself." She looked down and thought a minute. Sledge let her talk. "It's my fault Gleason's where she is, how she is. He loves her. I almost destroyed the one he really loves. His 'one.' That can't be forgiven."

Edward looked at Alex and his heart rose with love for her and broke with her pain. He set down the rest of his sandwich, wiped his mouth again and said plaintively, "I was the one wrong, Alex. I made the initial decision not to go pick up Elliott. I honestly didn't think he was the caller. I still don't. I think there's someone else out there. But I set everything in motion with that decision. Goren already hates me, no news there. But I'm the reason that it's bad between you now." He stared into her eyes. "Tell me why you sided with me and not your partner."

"Jerry, it's Bobby," he said into his cell phone. He was sitting in the hospital parking lot. "Listen can you pull the contact list from Gleason's cell phone?"

Jerry replied, "It'll be on your desk by the end of shift. Hey, I heard she was hurt in that shooting yesterday. How is she?"

Bobby had to pause a minute before answering, "She's not good, Jerry. Thanks for asking and for getting that list for me. Talk with you later." He flipped shut his phone and walked toward the hospital entrance.

"Here you are! Man it's like a tomb down here," Jerry said to his friend. "How's it going?"

"I'm going to go blind. Jesus, you'd think they'd spring for some decent lights down here. I've only been through one and a half boxes." Martin swiped his hand over his face.

"How many are there?"

'From what I can tell, about two dozen."

"Sheesh! Ok, tell me what we're looking for." Jerry reached and lifted an envelope from the box.

"Years ago I remember the guys talking about the narrative and voiceprints of a guy who had been picked up for doing himself in a car parked across from the court house. He was a real wacko. They found something else in the car that implicated him in something; I don't remember what it was now.

"Anyway, they taped his interview, the guy was real agitated the whole time. Kept saying he had to finish his art, had to find 'her' to finish, it wasn't done, all that kind of thing. I remember the guys who interviewed him talking about how the wacko kept getting aroused and was rubbing himself right there in front of them, like he didn't know he was doing it. The thing is, the guy had an English accent."

Bobby looked on the directory board on the wall in the lobby, next to the bank of elevators; he found ICU. He pushed the up button on at the elevator bank, waited, entered and pushed seven. The doors opened and he followed the signs to the unit. He stood at the entrance, not knowing what to do.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Bobby turned around and a woman in a colorful scrub top smiled up at him. "Uh, I'm here to see Gleason Wintermantle."

"Just one moment please," she replied and stepped to a central desk. The woman entered something into a computer, waited and said, "I need to get the doctor before you can go in."

"Is she alright?" Bobby asked.

"It won't be a moment."

Bobby looked around. He couldn't tell which cubicle was Gleason's. Nurses walked in and out of cubicles, several sat at the central desk, writing or at computer terminals. He was excited and apprehensive at the same time. He couldn't wait to see her with his own eyes, see that she was ok. Still, he was afraid of what the doctor would tell him. She had been wrong last night, so had the other doctor, Dr. Patel. Gleason has to be getting better if she came through surgery when they were sure she wasn't.

"Detective, hope you weren't waiting long," Dr. Creighton said. Bobby spun and took her outstretched hand. "I'm glad you're here. Let's talk over here."