Provenza was alone in the office. He was holding the fort in case something happened while they went to get the boy. He was ready to doze off when Eva came by.
"What are you doing here?"
"I needed to talk to someone."
"Is it about Mackey?"
"Marco."
"Tomato, Tom-ah-to. Grab a chair and we'll talk."
"He keeps threatnening me."
"Did he call you or come to see you?"
"Neither."
"What?"
"He doesn't threaten me, himself. He has his bitches do it."
"His bitches."
"He has a slew of girls who do his dirty work. They said if I talked to the cops, they'd take care of me."
"Where can we find these 'bitches'?"
"They sell crack behind the Exxon on 14th and Sepulveda."
They'll be there tomorrow probably around 11.
Provenza wrote it down. He needed someone to buy some crack. Shouldn't be too hard?
Sherri and Damien pulled into the driveway. Fritz wanted to grab the kid now, but they held off. They wanted to wait until they had some separation. The woamn opened the car door and got out. The boy got out on the other side. Sanchez was the diversion, playing basketball on a court across the street. He threw an errant pass, sending the ball across the lawn. The boy ran to grab it. The agents stormed in. "F-B-I" they shouted as they surrounded Sherri, pulling her to the ground and cuffing her. Damien tried to run away but Fritz grabbed him. "It's okay Damien. We're going to get you home."
"She said I don't have a home. She said grandma was dead, and I had to live with her now."
"Your grandma is fine."
They had to call the paramedics. Sherri had another seizure. They took her away in an ambulance. An agent followed the car. As soon as she was stable, she was going to jail.
Fritz finally had a good phone call to make. He called Damien's grandmother. When she answered, he put the boy on the phone.
"Hello."
"Damien, you're okay." She was crying.
"Don't cry Grandma. I'm on my way home. The FBI said they're going to bring me home."
"I'm going to be on the first flight to LA."
Damien handed the phone to Fritz. "Grandma wants to talk to you."
"He's just fine. He's in good health, and he will be with us until you get here."
Fritz sighed of relief. "Finally, it's all over."
Bobby got out of work, ready to blow off some steam. He headed to the bar and got drunk with his colleagues. This was quite a week. He had to threaten to cancel his contract to get the manufacturer to overnight the correct beams. They were still arguing over damages, but that could be fixed. Bobby hired some temp workers to help get them caught up. At least some guys can get some work out of this.
Bobby skipped the beer and went straight for the tequila. Shots for everyone. He bought the first round. After a few, they were all in the mood to party. Some were chatting up the ladies. Others were telling their best bar stories, past fights, crazy exes, near death encounters.
Bobby didn't even notice when Branson and his goons came in. Bobby was loud. He hopped up on a stool and made a toast. "So I had a crap week at work," he announced to the bar. "If I wasn't yelling, I was yelled at. I was ready to rip out my hair, but it's Friday. Time to party. Let's do some shots!" Everyone cheered, and people did shots. Who doesn't want shots after a speech inspiring you to drink?
Branson rolled his eyes. This fool again. Bobby walked over to a group of women in their mid-30s. "You're missing all the action."
"We are?" They found this guy amusing, even if he seemed to be a bit of a fool.
"Of course. The tequila is this way." He led them to his group. The guys readily bought them drinks. People were flirting, laughing, dancing, eating. Everyone was having fun.
Branson hated seeing people he didn't like having fun. His thugs decided to put him in his place. One of them bumped Bobby as he walked by. Bobby paid him no mind. It was a bar. People bump. Bobby ordered a shot. The guy snatched him and downed it.
"That was my shot," Bobby spun the guy around. "You." They got into a heated argument. He refused to pay, and he spit on Bobby, so Bobby pinned him to the bar and took his wallet. He took $5 and threw the wallet in the air. It magically landed in the light fixtutre above.
Bobby cracked up. "Didn't think I'd actually get that up there." The other punk grabbed Bobby from behind. He held Bobby's arms, and the first guy got a couple of punches in, but he didn't expect Bobby to escape so quickly. Bobby grabbed him and headbutted him, putting the fool in a daze. Bobby's crew saw the fracas, and they readily jumped in, grabbing both guys and ejecting them from the bar. Branson made an exit during the fight. He knew when he was outnumbered.
The team was ecstatic to have found a boy, alive and well. They went out for drinks. Fritz and Agent Jackson took Damien to get some ice cream. Brenda was at home, relieved the case was over and was watching tv, when she got a call from Taylor.
"Hello, Chief Taylor. I put together some complaints on Branson, but I redirected my team to look for Damien."
"I'm not calling about that, well not exactly. We have a problem. There's an officer in the hospital."
"That's terrible. What happened?"
"That's the thing. Allegedly, your brother knocked him unconscious."
"What? Bobby wouldn't attack a police officer."
"Apparently, Bobby has a problem with this one. Allegedly, Bobby stole his wallet and then broke his nose."
"That's crazy. He's no thief."
"I said allegedly. The officer's partner filed the complaint, so I assumed there might be some puffery, but I thought you should know. Can you find him and get him to turn himself in? I'd rather not have to put out a warrant."
Brenda sighed. "I'll find him." She called her brother. Of course he was drunk. She told him not to go anywhere, and she would come get him.
When she got to the bar, he reeked of booze. She got him some water. "Come on, Bobby. We need to go now."
She lead him to the car and drove him to in and out. She got him a 3x3 animal style and a large fries. She also got him some gum.
He sobered up a bit by the time he got to the station. "I'm going in there with you. Don't say anything."
"I wanna tell my side."
"No, you don't. The guy you hit is unconscious, and they're looking to press assault charges."
"But he robbed me and he hit me first."
"Just once. Please, Bobby, just once, listen to me."
"Okay, Okay."
"Say it expressly and don't revoke."
"I got it Bren-DA" He sounded even drunker.
She brought him to Taylor's office. Major Crimes was celebrating and Taylor didn't want to call them in for this mess. He had an officer waiting.
"I invoke my right to silence," Bobby said, before he asked anything. Taylor looked at Brenda. She promised to bring him there. She didn't promise he'd talk.
The officer spoke. "That's my que."
"Where are you going?"
"I can't talk to him."
"Why won't your brother talk?"
"Because an officer is in the hospital, and his partner made up a ridiculous story to save their own asses."
"Are you suggesting this officer is lying?"
"If your partner started a fight and lost it, would you cover for him?"
Taylor didn't answer. He knew how it was.
"There were plenty of witnesses. Most of them neutral. I'm sure if you talk to them, you'll see the real story."
They did just that. The bartender said the guy stole Bobby's shot and spit on him. They got into it and it was basically a two on one. Bobby just won it. The girls at the bar basically said the same thing.
Taylor sighed. "What a stupid case! You're free to go."
"You did great, Bobby."
"But I didn't say anything."
"I know. Let's go home."
"Can I get something to eat?"
"Sure."
Friday night was pretty tame. Damien went to Agent Jackson's house for the night. His grandmother would be there first thing in the morning. Fritz came home to find Brenda and Bobby just getting in. "I'll explain in the morning," she told him. He just pulled her into his arms. "We couldn't have done it without you." She smiled and they went to bed. Sharon passed out at home. Tomorrow, she would deal with Marco's bitches. Today, she would sleep. Flynn and Andrea slept in their own homes. Gabriel went to Eliza's, but they just rested. He was exhausted from that week.