Chapter Eight

Alex runs out of the station and gets in her car. She hits the steering wheel a few times and curses his name. She puts the key in the ignition and starts the car. She backs up, puts the car in drive and hits the gas. The tires squeal through the garage.

Laurie Daly has just put her son, Matthew, down for his afternoon nap, her husband has gone out to do some errands. She sits on the couch and clicks on the TV, puts her feet up and closes her eyes.

Quiet.

The doorbell rings.

It's Alex. In the middle of the afternoon.

"Are you busy?"

"No, come on in, it's always good to see you."

Laurie looks at her sister's face and jokingly says, "What did he do now?"

"It's not funny."

"I'm sorry."

"No, there's no reason for you to apologize."

Alex passes her sister and walks straight through to the living room.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Do you have any wine?"

"Yes I do red or white wine."

"White."

Alex looks at the clock and knows that her nephew is napping. "Can I peek on Matthew?"

"Of course."

As she looks down at the sleeping boy, she starts to cry as she touches his face ever so lightly. She wants to pick him up and hold him in her arms. She feels so lonely right now. Her sister comes into the room and puts her hand on her shoulder.

"Pick him up, you know he's a sound sleeper."

Matthew is almost 36 months old now and if he was awake she would be lucky to get a quick hug from him, he would squirm and wiggle to be let go.

She picks him up and kisses the top of his head, he smells of powder and lotion. She starts to cry again. She sits in the rocking chair in the room and holds him close to her heart. He feels so warm and he looks so beautiful. She closes her eyes and rocks with him in the chair. Laurie leaves the room.

A feeling of contentment rushes through her body. She wishes she could sit here forever. Alex sits with her nephew for almost half an hour. She kisses him on his forehead and places him back in his crib.

"I love you."

Laurie has since resumed her spot on the couch and Alex sits down next to her. She sees the wine on the table and picks it up.

"Thanks."

She takes a sip of wine and sits back on the couch.

"Well, are you going to tell me what happened? What did he do?"

Alex takes another sip of wine.

"Oh God, You know that old saying, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

Laurie nods her head.

"Well that's the way things have been going for us lately."

"Us?"

"Yeah us, why do you say it like that."

"No reason."

"But Thursday is when everything fell apart. Jesus, we are sure that this 18-year-oldkid committed this horrible crime and why he did it. As we are leaving the murdered girl's house, Bobby says that this kid most likely has done this before but he definitely will do it again."

She pauses, "Bobby was right he did, Wednesday night."

"He killed another girl?"

"No he raped this one, he murdered the other girl because he couldn't finish what he started."

"Oh my God, that's horrible."

"But yesterday, how can I explain it. Bobby can knock you out with words and he said a mouthful to Mike Logan. The Captain does not step in and I see Mike taking a swing at him, hell I would have too. He didn't actually say the word but he called him ignorant."

"Why?"

Alex shrugs her shoulder. "You know it's my nature to never leave something hanging. I always have to know why someone does something. Part of me said forget about it but the other half won and I tried to get him to talk about."

"I asked him if he wanted to talk? He said talk about what"

"I know I should have let it go then but I couldn't help myself. That man is great at avoiding personal issues, he puts up a wall and he won't let you climb over. I pushed him to talk and as it has been for the past week we got into an argument and like always he avoids the issue and changes the subject and I just got so frustrated I told him to go fuck himself."

"Whoa, what did he say?"

"It's not exactly what he said it's more of how he said it, with contempt in his voice. I'd rather you do it."

"Wow, that's nasty. What did you say?"

"I called him a bastard and slapped him across the face."

"Did it make you feel any better?"

"No, he apologized and I thought about turning back, maybe I should have, I don't know."

Alex gets up from the couch, finds the bottle of wine in the kitchen, and refills her glass. Her sister follows her and gets a glass of wine for herself. Alex sits down at the kitchen table.

Laurie stands next to the sink. She takes a sip of wine and sets the glass down on the counter.

"When are you just going to admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"Oh come on Alex you and me we've been talking about guys for close to twenty years now."

"Yeah guys!"

"God you're more stubborn than Dad."

Alex stands up and shakes her head, "No!"

"Yes, because if this was just your quote unquote partner we were talking about you would have dumped his ass last week, right? Am I right?"

"Not necessarily, we have been partners almost six years now, I couldn't just dump him like that."

"Then why aren't you telling your Captain about this, instead of me?"

Alex leaves the kitchen and Laurie follows her into the living room.

"Alex? Will you please just say it?"

"If I do everything will change."

"Everything has already changed, they changed that Wednesday morning when you went to work and he wasn't there and you not only drove us crazy you made yourself crazy with worry that you would never see him again. You forgot the nights you cried in my arms"

Alex keeps her back turned and Laurie doesn't walk any closer.

"He kissed me."

"Where? When?"

"Last week, on the roof."

"On the roof, what roof?"

"The roof at the station, he goes up there to chill out, it's very quiet and peaceful. It was a mistake. We both knew it. It certainly wasn't the right thing to do. Not at that time."

Alex makes her way back to the kitchen to get her glass of wine. She picks up Laurie's glass and as she walks back into the living room. She hands it to her sister.

"I worked very hard to get where I am in my career and I don't want him screwing it up. However, our work performance has been for shit. It's only been a week or so but I don't know how more I can take."

"But I"………Laurie walks over to her sister and the two women embrace. Alex holds her sister tight.

"He won't let me help him. I can see how much he is hurting inside but he keeps pushing me away. I don't know what to do but I know I can't let him go it alone."

At The Station

Bobby stays behind for a while. His first thought is to call her.

Say what, I'm sorry, how fucking lame is that?

Screw it.

He pushes his chair away from the desk and papers fall to the floor. He does not pick them up as he leaves the room. He places his weapon in the gun locker, grabs his jacket, takes the elevator down to the garage, and gets in his car. He lights a cigarette and drives out of the garage. His first thought is to go home but as he passes "Shorty's Pub." He decides he needs company instead. He is lucky enough to find a place to park on the street and he goes inside.

Amanda Holland is 36 years old. She is divorced and works in Advertising; she has been working on the most important account of her career. She has been working everyday and most nights on the layouts. Next Wednesday the client is coming in to look at her work. Mandy, as her friend's call her finally feels she has exactly what they want and she decides she needs to blow off some steam.

Her office building is only a block from "Shorty's Pub." She walks there leaving her car in the garage.

She walks into the Pub and there are only a few diners. There are three men at the bar. One looks like he slept here, one looks to be around 70, but one is dressed nicely, a little older but attractive. She sits down next to him.

Bobby notices a figure next to him, he looks at her and smiles and she smiles back

TBC