Chapter Seven
Friday
Alex arrives at the station a little after 8:30, no coffee and no Bobby. She looks around the room and doesn't see him. She keeps peeking over her computer for him to arrive. Almost two hours pass and she sees him enter the squad room.
"Morning."
"Morning, you look tired, are you ok."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
She gestures toward the clock.
"I know, I know."
Bobby is very quiet this morning. Alex does notice that every fifteen minutes or so he gets up and leaves his desk, she doesn't know why.
She looks up and he is off again.
What the hell is he doing?
"Morning Alex."
He startles her. "Hey Mike."
Mike picks up a few of Bobby's books that he has on his shelf next to his desk
"What are you looking for?"
"We have a suspect that's been diagnosed as Bipolar and I want to read up on it."
Alex goes back to her computer and doesn't notice when her partner comes back into the room. He walks over to his desk and speaks in a voice and manner not typical of Bobby Goren.
"What are you doing? That's a book."
"What?"
"A book."
Mike stands up with a puzzled look on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Bobby picks up a book and almost shoving it in Mike's face. "Do you want me to explain all the big words to you?"
Alex looks up as Carolyn walks over to her.
Leaning down she whispers, "What's going on?"
Alex says in a disgusted voice and shakes her head, "Testosterone city."
"If that's your attempt at humor it's not funny."
"That's the point, it's not funny."
Alex blurts out, "Bobby, what are you doing?"
Without looking at her he says, "I'm not talking to you Eames."
Alex sighs and rolls her eyes. "Oh God."
"Maybe you should listen to what your partner has to say"
"Am I supposed to have a feeling of apprehension now, oh by the way that means fear."
Before Mike has a chance to respond to Bobby's comment, Deakins walks over to the two men. "What the hell is going on?"
Neither man answers or looks away. "Knock it off, both of you, Logan my office, now."
Deakins closes the door, he sits down, and says nothing.
Logan looks over at his C.O., who is not even looking in his direction. "He purposely tried to pick a fight with me."
"I know, I heard it."
"Then what the hell am I doing in here?"
"To let Goren think about it awhile
Bobby heads for the roof, Alex is close behind him.
He walks over to the ledge. He lights up a cigarette, looks out over the city, and shakes his head. He reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out the small flask. Opens it and takes a sip.
"Hey, don't jump."
"Funny."
"You want to talk about it?"
He takes another sip of the contents in the flask.
"No."
His no's usually mean yes, but this time he really means no.
She notices the flask in his hand. "What have you got in there?"
"Just a little liquid refreshment."
She walks closer to him.
"Bobby it is your goal to lose your job today?"
He turns to face her, and almost laughing. "Yeah I've been so efficient at it lately."
"Bobby."
He turns away from her and looks out over the city.
"Alex, please just leave me alone."
Alex feels helpless, "Ok, I'll see you later."
"Yeah."
Mike walks out of Deakins office and sits at his desk. Carolyn walks over to him.
"What the hell?"
"He wanted me to take a swing at him."
"Jesus, why?"
"I have no clue."
"Did you say something to him?"
"Why do you assume it was me?"
"Well you do have a reputation for saying inappropriate things to people."
"No, I didn't say anything, it was him, I just happen to be standing there."
After about fifteen minutes on the roof, Bobby walks back into the squad room. He walks over to where Mike is sitting.
He extends his hand. "Sorry." Mike shakes his hand and Bobby turns and walks away.
He walks into one of the side offices where files are on the table concerning the Yardley case, Alex sees him go in and she follows him.
"Where is it?"
She crosses her arms waiting, patiently. He can sense her stare and he looks up at her.
"What."
"You know damn well what."
"I hid it on the roof."
"I don't believe you."
He chuckles and shrugs his shoulders, "Do you want to search me?"
"Give it to me."
He hesitates. He looks around the room to see if anyone is watching, he reaches into his pocket and hands her the flask.
"Thank you."
She walks quickly out of the room.
"Hey what are you going to do with it? Don't dump it out, oh man."
Alex enters the ladies room. She opens the flask and hesitates. Standing in front of the sink, she catches her reflection in the mirror.
"I should take this and show the Captain. After all he did make him my responsibility."
"I trust you and I trust your judgment."
"Damn this isn't fair."
"What good would that do, it won't solve the problem. He will just end up with more problems. The Captain could suspend him and the way he is feeling about himself. I might as well just put a gun to his head."
She holds the flask over the sink.
"He thinks he can do everything on his own. God want a stubborn man, to proud to ask for help."
"Crazy, he's making me crazy. I mean I'm in the bathroom talking to myself."
She looks at the flask in her hand.
"He's done this once. Will he do it again? I don't think so, but what if he does?"
"Cut him loose is what I should do."
She turns to leave the room with the flask in her hand. She stops suddenly.
"No, I can't. I can't cut him loose. I can't do that to him he means to much too to me, alright you said it."
"Dump it, I'm going to dump it."
She empties the contents of the flask down the drain and tosses the container in the trash.
She returns to the room and sits down next to him.
"What did you do with it?"
"I poured it down the drain would you rather I have given it to the Captain. I could have you know, Jesus that was a stupid thing to do.'
She waits for him to respond, he does not.
"What no comment."
"What do you want me to say, thank you?" He sits back in the chair. "Thank you, I really didn't intend to get you in the middle of this, I'm sorry. It's just that I have such a hangover and it helps."
"Your judgment has been for shit lately."
Not about everything.
"Alright I don't want to talk about it anymore. Lets drop it, but don't ever do that again"
He does not answer he just nods in agreement.
They both start looking through the piles of evidence. Bobby slams the papers down on the desk. Some fall to the floor.
"There is absolutely no physical evidence to tie Richard to this murder, we'll have to get him to admit it."
"How?"
"I have no idea."
They stay silent for a while thinking.
"Anything?"
No answer.
"Bobby, anything?
She startles him "What?"
"Have you thought of anything?"
"No."
Ever since she came back into the room Alex has been dying to find out what the scene with Mike was all about, the cop in her makes her curious about everything and she needs to know the answer.
"Talk to me."
"About what?"
"You and Mike, you must have had a reason for talking to him like that."
"You see, that's it, I was talking to him, not you, and it's none of your business."
"You know Bobby it would be nice if we could actually finish a conversation without me wanting to tell you to go to hell."
"Don't be so dramatic, Jesus Christ."
"You're unbelievable I can't even talk to you anymore, you know, I don't need this shit."
She gets up from the chair and quickly leaves the room slamming the door behind her.
He calls to her "Alex, Alex. Shit."
Everyone hears her slam the door. Deakins exits his office.
Bobby is sitting at the table and he doe not notice the Captain enter the room.
"Is this going to be an every day event with you, or should I just let this pass, because you're having a bad day? Not to mention the fact that you have a hangover."
"I've had better days."
"Christ, Goren, within an hour you've managed to piss off, I don't know how many people?"
"It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't, understand."
"Yeah I understand."
Deakins turn and leaves.
Bobby gets up from the chair and exits the squad room, where he's going he's not sure. He does not return to the station that day, neither does Alex.
Since both of them missed half a day's work, they go into the station on Saturday morning, not thinking that the other one would show up.
She sees him and wants to walk back out but she continues.
"Morning."
He looks up at her, "Morning."
For the next hour, that is the extent of their conversation.
Alex breaks the silence.
"Bobby?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"Jesus Christ, you stubborn son of a bitch, you know damn well what."
"I thought we had this conversation yesterday."
"You're unbelievable, you call what we had yesterday a conversation."
"Yes, we talked and I told you to mind your own business, and you told me to go to hell, that sounds like a conversation to me."
"Frustrating," She raises her voice, "You are the most frustrating man I have ever met. Do you think you could just talk to me, one human being to another?"
"What do you call what we're doing, it sounds like we're talking."
She rises quickly from her chair, "Damn it Bobby, why is it every fucking time I try to talk to you lately, you try your best to get into an argument with me?"
He gets up from his chair and faces her, looking very serious, "You wanted to talk to me, I'm talking, what the hell more do you want."
She pounds the table with her fist and looks up at him.
"Go fuck yourself!"
"I rather you do it."
"You bastard!" She screams as she slaps him across the face. Tears start to fill her eyes, she runs from the room.
He takes two steps and in a loud voice, he calls to her, "Alex, I'm sorry."
She thinks about turning back but decides against it.
Let him wallow in it.
He pushes the chair roughly under the table and it falls down, "Fuck!" He sits down and rubs his eyes and face.
TBC