The funny thing about seeing someone for even the briefest of time is that once you see them again you somehow lose the ability to form a cognitive thought in your head. That and losing the ability to speak so it seems.
"Mr. Westlake my name is Kate…"
The second Kate turns the corner Rick and Kate lock eyes and stare at each other once she fully enters the room. They both know that they remember who the other is from being at the cemetery yesterday. Kate does know a little more about Rick than he does about her, she thinks. She was able to find out that he was a man who just lost his mother. But she on the other hand has a job to do. And her number one suspect is sitting next to Rick talking to him about something.
"As I was saying, Mr. Westlake, I need to ask you some questions about your wife."
"Sure, please have a seat." Damien offers.
Before she does she needs to talk to Rick.
"Could you give me a minute Mr. Westlake? Mister Rogers can I have a word with you outside please." Kate requests.
The second that they are outside and clear of earshot she whispers her questions to him.
"Mister Rogers, can I ask what you are doing here?"
"Detective, Damien, and I go way back. Back to middle school to be exact."
"All right Mister Rogers. Is there anything that you want to tell me that could be pertinent to this case?
"Detective?" Rick responds in the form of a question because he doesn't know her last name.
"Beckett. Detective Kate Beckett."
"Very well detective Kate Beckett. No, I don't have anything pertinent for you. Damian and I were friends when we were in school together. I have never met Victoria so I couldn't give you any information about her."
Kate gives a slight nod of her head and walks back inside the living room. When Rick decides to follow behind her she stops puts her hand up and says this in a hushed tone,
"Mister Rogers you are here to observe, not interfere. One word out of your mouth and you're gone."
They both sit down with Rick right next to his friend Damian and Kate directly across from her suspect. She asks her basic questions to get a feel for his mood as a suspect. She sees that after about ten or so questions Mr. Rogers is starting to get a little riled up about how she questions him. But it's the next questions are the ones that put him over the top.
"Mr. Westlake, how long have you and your wife been married?"
"Five years."
"And would you characterize your relationship with her as being happy?"
The second question left her mouth Rick opened his.
"Whoa, what's going on here? Why would you need to ask him that Detective Beckett?"
Kate could only stare at him in a way that he would understand. She was pissed off, to say the least. She stood, took Rick by the forearm, and dragged him out of the living room closing the door behind him. She returned to her seat and finished her interview with Damien Westlake.
The interview is over in ten minutes. Kate walks out the front entry door out onto the street with Mr. Rogers following behind her. The second the entry door closed Rick was all over her asking questions about why she pulled him out of the room while she was questioning his friend.
"Mr. Rogers I have a tough job to do and I do my job very well. I gather all the facts, make informed decisions and I suspect everybody for the crime that was committed in that house. Be it your friend, the newspaper boy, the appliance repairman, even the mailman. I eliminate each one until I have a solid suspect. Less than ten minutes ago you questioned my authority in that room by opening your mouth. I told you it was something that I would not tolerate and yet you did it anyway. Mr. Rogers, it was nice meeting you and I don't want to see you anywhere near your friend again during this investigation. If I do catch you near his residence or his person you will be arrested for interfering with an active NYPD murder investigation. Do I make myself clear?"
All Rick could do was nod his head. Instead of making a bad situation worse he turned and walked down to the subway station at the end of the block.
Xx
At first, she felt bad for the way she treated him but he had to understand that this was her case and she would run it in any way she wanted to. She was hoping that it wasn't his friend who committed this murder but all the evidence pointed to him. After collecting some evidence that pointed them in a positive direction they had a suspect other than Rick's friend. So they brought him in to interview him.
"Mr. Morris it seems that there was an incident at the Westlake home last week. Mrs. Westlake reported a sixteen-carat diamond ring missing. And since your fingerprints are on the nail gun that killed her we are thinking that you were the one who took it using the murder to cover up the robbery."
"You've got wrong guy. Of course, my fingerprints would be on nail gun because I need it to do job. And that beside point. Mrs. Westlake had called and told me to come over two days ago. Once I did she said that she had found her sixteen-carat ring and that I was not to blame." Mr. Morris answered in a heavy Russian accent.
"All right Mr. Morris. We're going to check out your alibi, but we suggest that you stay close and don't leave New York City."
Two hours later after forensics had inventoried everything in the Westlake home related to the murder they found a sixteen-carat diamond engagement ring was in Mrs. Westlake's jewelry box. But they did find out some other interesting information. It seems that Damien had exchanged the real diamonds in his wife's setting for really good looking fake ones.
Xx
Rick was mad. But he had no one to blame but himself. She had told him that if he made one peep that he would be out on his ass, and she wasn't lying. He knows that she is a no-nonsense cop when she does her job but this is his friend that they're talking about and he knows that Damian could never kill anyone. He needed to make sure that she knew that so he decided to go and see her where she worked.
He decides that his best bet will be talking to the mayor. They met once at a fundraiser for the New York City Public Library but he hopes he will remember him. He knows that it's a long shot but he might get his foot in the door and then he will just explain what he thinks and hopefully, she will agree and that will be the end of it.
He picks up the phone and dials the mayor's office and within seconds his secretary is picking up. She's efficient and quick and in less than thirty seconds, he's on hold waiting for the mayor to answer his call.
"Mister Rogers what can I do for you?"
"Mister mayor I have a small request. I was wondering if you could help me with this."
"And that would be?"
"I'm working on something that I need professional assistance with. Something that involves the NYPD."
"Oh, then you don't need to talk to me mister Rogers you need to talk to public relations. I'm sure they could put you in touch with someone in the NYPD who can give you what you are looking for."
"Actually no I have the person in mind and I just need the address to where they are located."
"I see and this person would be?"
"It's a detective actually. Detective Beckett. I just don't know what precinct she works out of."
"She works under Captain Roy Montgomery of the 12th Precinct. I'm pretty sure you can figure out where it is since you're not that far from it the last time I checked."
"The last time you checked sir?"
"Mister Rogers, don't you think I have all the people who attend fundraisers in my honor vetted? I have to know who I'm dealing with from the start. I just didn't want you to turn out to be one of those crazies who end up shooting their way out of the ballroom. But we know that you are one of the sane ones. I'll have my secretary give the address to the 12th Precinct just hold the line, please. It was nice talking to you, Rick.
"Likewise, Bob. Have a good night."
Before he knows it his secretary is back on the line and then she gives him the address for the 12th precinct and Rick writes it down so he won't forget it. Now he's armed with where she is located all he has to do tomorrow is go and see her and then he will explain what's going on with his friend and why he thinks he can't be the killer in her case.
It's then he gets a vision of the next 3 minutes and 22 seconds. He doesn't like what he sees.
TBC
A/N: To the guests I am not able to reply to thanks for your reviews!