New Partner Day
by Bammi & Runner
Disclaimer: No, we don't own them. We don't own the movie either.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews folks!
Ch 2
I can't do that
Heading over to Schreiber's office, Alex glanced at Bobby furtively a few times, still wondering about him. Bobby, for his part, caught these little glances out of the corner of his eye.
What kind of impression did I leave? He wondered. Did I impress her at all...? Or did I just scare away the next partner? Maybe I should try and curb myself a bit...
"Would you clue me in what Schilling said?" Alex demanded. "I want to know when I get insulted."
Bobby shrugged. "Well, he didn't really insult us... he, um, kind of asked how often he had to repeat his answer and I told him that he would have to do this until we could believe him."
"And which part did you not mention?"
He squinted down at her. "The part about dumb cops," he finally said.
"Dumb cops?" Alex bristled. "I'll show him dumb cops!"
"Um, I guess he meant just me…" Bobby took the blame. "Why don't we go see the secretary first?" Bobby suggested. Maybe I should be scared of her, he thought.
"Alright," Alex said, still a little riled up. "We'll get back with him, I'm sure."
After knocking on the door, they were invited in by a very voluptuous blue-eyed blonde. Almost immediately, her eyes roamed over Bobby, who blushed a little. Alex rolled her eyes.
Why's this guy get all the attention? she thought. First Schilling, now this... woman.
Bobby noticed the interest of the woman and took advantage of it. He approached her desk offering her a small but honest smile.
"Guten Tag, Frau Weidhase," he greeted her. "We're..."
"The detectives," she cut him short.
"Yes, we're the detectives. You knew we were coming? You know about Herrn Schreiber?"
Frau Weidhase's big blue eyes filled up with tears. "Of course. It is a very sad thing."
"How well did you know Mr. Schreiber?" Alex jumped right in.
"Oh not very well," Weidhase said. "He was married, you know."
Eames nodded. "But that doesn't mean you didn't know him..."
"Can I find his schedule in here?" Bobby asked and picked up a leather lined calendar. "We need to trace his moves from yesterday."
"What exactly are you looking for?" she asked. "He was in his office till lunch, then he left for some appointments."
"We'll need these dates," Bobby said. "Is the info in here?"
Frau Weidhaus sashayed up to him. She put one hand on the calendar, one hand on Bobby's chest.
"This is not important," she said, attempting to remove the calendar from Bobby's grasp. "Perhaps you should talk to his wife..." Her hand was now rubbing up and down his chest. Finally Bobby smiled. It was not the kind of smile that reaches one's eyes. He removed her hand.
"We will talk to his wife," Bobby said, "but right now we're going to talk to you."
Alex stared in amazement. He's playing her, she realized. He's still holding her hand, which she will enjoy, even if it's not meant this way from his side. Man, she doesn't even seem to notice what he's doing to her...
"So," Bobby said, looking into her eyes, "were you, ah, say we say, on good terms with Herrn Schreiber?"
"Good terms?" she giggled. "Do you mean, were we doing it? A lady doesn't tell. But I'm always open for new... friendships."
Alex rolled her eyes. Oh boy! she thought.
"Friendship?" Bobby laughed, surprising and irritating her, "Is that what you call it? Well, I happen to know that you were quite friendly with Herrn Schreiber."
"Nah..." she replied, now avoiding his look. "I'm not really that close to him." She giggled. " I'm not... um... acceptable for him."
"You? Not acceptable for him?" Bobby sounded incredulous. "I can hardly believe that... a woman like you...?"
A woman like her? Alex wondered. Man, he's good at lying.
"He must have had extremely unrealistic standards," Bobby continued," if you are unacceptable to him."
The woman actually blushed. "How high are your standards?" she asked, and Alex actually began to choke.
"Uh, excuse me a moment, I need to see if my partner is okay."
He let go of her hand. Behind his back Frau Weidhase glared at Alex.
"You think I need your help?" Alex whispered, as he turned to her. "You think that, you're wrong."
"I don't... my hand... it... was turning numb."
"In case you haven't noticed… I'm pretty capable of taking care of myself."
"I know," Bobby said, "I just..." Shit! Didn't plan on pissing her off already! Great start, Goren! "I'm sorry, I.."
"Forget it. Goren, your Frau Weidhase is waiting for you." There was just a tad bit of sarcasm in her voice. Bobby turned, and sure enough, Frau Weidhase was staring at him, eyelashes batting...
"So, tell me what you need and I'll see how I can help you," she purred.
"We need his calendar to check his appointments," Bobby said. "We also could do with a list of his partners, clients, friends... as much as you know. And we need to see his office."
"Of course," she said, grinning at him like the Cheshire Cat but obviously thinking she was being seductive. She turned on her heels. "Come with me."
Frau Weidhase led the way, followed by Bobby and Alex. As they entered the room, she suddenly turned. "Do we really need... her?" she asked, looking down at Alex.
Alex saw red, but before she could say a word, Bobby dropped his façade. He stood even taller, a menacing look in his eye.
"My partner? We're joined at the hip... wherever I go, my partner goes, too."
Frau Weidhase looked piqued. She watched them search the office, well, she watched Bobby search the office. So Alex was free to do whatever she liked and she used this opportunity shamelessly. Out of the corners of her eye she watched her new partner dragging the woman's attention each time she was about to turn to her again. So she could have a look at different files while Bobby snooped around the office as if he wasn't interested in anything specific. He picked up this and turned that and finally rummaged through the dustbin.
"By the way," Frau Weidhase said, "do you have a warrant?"
"A...uh, a warrant?" Bobby said, stalling. He took her hand again, but she jerked it back. "No more! As much as I appreciate looking at you, and I do, I cannot allow you to search the premises without a warrant."
The partners looked at each other. Well, all good things must come to an end. They were going to have to get that warrant.
xxx
On the way to the Schreiber's residence, Bobby was very quiet. Alex glanced over at him a few times, he seemed to be in his own little world.
"Bobby..." she started, but got no response. "Bobby!"
Bobby jumped a little. "What?"
"Care to share a few thoughts on the case so far?"
"No..."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, I don't really have things...worked out..."
Alex sighed, "Didn't you just say we were partners? We share! Now start sharing, Bubba!"
Bobby just looked at her like she was out of her mind.
"Um... it's not... I mean, it's not ready to be shared."
Inwardly Alex rolled her eyes. "Just tell me what you think!" she pushed.
Bobby looked out of the side window, thinking. He was not sure what to tell her. There were several things on his mind but nothing connected so far. He just had stored information and his mind was toying with them to try and put a picture together.
"Hey!" Alex snapped. "Come down from cloud nine! I wanna talk with you!"
Bobby groaned. How to tell her, when it was all still a puzzle to him? "Eames, I…"
"I told you, it's Alex."
"Yeah, okay... you. I mean, Al... Eames. If you don't mind, I'll just call you Eames for today, okay?"
She shook her head. "Alright, just tell me what you've figured out!"
"Uh, nothing..."
"God damnit, Bobby! If I had something to throw at you..."
He really wished he could put it together in his own mind, but it wasn't coming yet.
"I'll tell you when I can," was all he offered.
Alex slammed her hands on the wheel, and Bobby thanked his lucky stars she was driving and couldn't hit him. She did look like she could handle herself pretty well...
The rest of the drive they spent in silence. When they arrived at the Schreiber's residence a woman in livery opened the door. She guided them into a smoking room and asked them to wait while she informed Mrs. Schreiber of her visitors. Then she left.
Bobby was snooping around the room at once. This time Alex became rather annoyed with him. She also took in her surroundings, but what Bobby was doing... well, he was intrusive and nothing like a traditional cop.
"Um... Bobby, exactly where did you get your cop training?" Alex asked, watching him wander around the room, picking up photographs, studying them, picking up everything he could get his hands on.
"Same place as you, Eames," he answered, "Why?"
"No reason." She sighed. Good thing we're not dusting for fingerprints, or he'd find himself in the slammer.
When the maid returned, a woman in her late thirties was in her wake. She stepped forward towards Bobby and introduced herself. "I'm Mrs. Schreiber. I take it that you're the detectives investigating the murder of my husband?"
"Yes, we are," Alex approached her before Bobby could even open his mouth to reply. She was senior detective here and she needed to show that. Not to her, but obviously to him. "I'm Detective Eames, my partner, Detective Goren." She glanced at him. He did not seem to mind, but maybe this was deceiving. "We're sorry for your loss, Mrs. Schreiber," Alex started. "But we need to ask you some questions. Do you feel up for this?"
"Yes, I do...I'm fine..." she said, gesturing to the easy chairs around a small smoking table. "Let's sit down."
Yeah, Bobby thought, she's up to do this... and something else, too. Inwardly he grinned with the thought of what she had most likely been doing.
But he sat down together with the women. Then he watched Alex take over the conversation. They exchanged some niceties before Alex started to question her about her husband's work and habits, friends and possible enemies.
"How was your relationship to your husband?" he abruptly asked.
Mrs. Schreiber stared at him. "We had a good relationship. If you're trying to imply that I could have a motive, you're on the wrong track."
"Did I say that?" He grinned sheepishly. Then he got up. Slowly he strolled over to the windows. "I assume your husband had a study here? We need to see it."
"Sure," she said and stood. "Come this way..." And she led them outside into the hall.
As if he did it by accident Bobby did not follow right into the study, but turned to another door. "I'd need to go to the restroom," he said. "I can find it... Sorry." And he stumbled right through the bedroom door to find a young man in his underpants.
"I'm so sorry," Bobby said, but was not about to leave. "I was looking for the restroom."
"Well, this is the bedroom… as you can see," the man grunted, pulling his jeans on.
"I'm Detective Goren. And you are…?"
"That's not your business," Mrs. Schreiber threw in angrily. "You wanted to see my husband's study."
"It's not polite to not respond to an introduction, don't you think?" Bobby still talked to the man, who now slipped into a shirt.
"I'm Calvin Fleming," the guy replied.
"And exactly what is your relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Schreiber?" Bobby asked with a sincerity that belied the obvious.
"Detective Goren," Mrs. Schreiber said, "I have to insist that you leave Mr. Fleming alone."
"You insist?" Bobby looked at her incredulously, a smile on his lips. It broadened, until Mrs. Schreiber smiled herself. In the same second Bobby's smile vanished. "But you're not in charge of this investigation," he said. "I say we need to talk with Mr. Fleming." He turned to him. "So, Mr. Fleming, in which relation…"
"I'm the driver assigned to them," Fleming grumbled.
"Assigned by the embassy?" Alex asked.
"Yes."
"We need to talk with you, too, Mr. Fleming," Bobby said.
"I don't have anything to say."
"We'll talk about this at our office," Bobby replied. "You can come voluntarily or…" He left his sentence open, but it was clear what he meant.
"I'll call Dr. Eidson," Mrs. Schreiber told him encouragingly as he slipped on his shoes. "He'll meet you at their squad."
"Yeah," he mumbled, following them out.
"You'll have to wait a moment," Bobby declared. "We still have to have a look at Mr. Schreiber's study."
So Mrs. Schreiber showed them the way and they searched the study thoroughly. They took several items such as his calendar with them, and then left together with Mr. Fleming.
xxx
At One Police Plaza in the Major Case squad rooms, Alex and Bobby now sat with Fleming in one of the task rooms.
"Tell us more about your relationship with Mrs. Schreiber," Bobby encouraged Fleming.
The man did not respond. He just remained silent, as his right to was guaranteed by the Miranda rights.
"Not up to talking today, Mr. Fleming?" Bobby asked. "It would really be in your best interest to help us out here, you know?"
Fleming glared at him. "And just why would I want to help you out?"
"I just told you," Bobby said, rising from his seat to his full 6'4" height. "It's in your best interest."
Fleming looked up from where he sat in his chair, and literally shriveled, being confronted with these words combined with Bobby's impressive build. Then he stood up and ran to the back wall, shrieking. "Oh my God! Somebody help me!"
"Sit down!" Bobby ordered, "SIT DOWN!"
Reluctantly Fleming returned to his chair. Even more slowly he sank down onto it. He could not look up at Bobby, his eyes were fixed on the table.
"Why don't you admit that you are having an affair with Mrs. Schreiber?" Bobby asked. "You don't have to keep it a secret, now that her husband is dead."
"I want a lawyer," Fleming mumbled.
"Of course you can wait for the lawyer Mrs. Fleming wanted to call," Bobby said. "But we're just sitting here and talking. There's no need to be worried."
Still Fleming avoided looking at the detective. So Bobby bent down until he was on eye level with Fleming when he continued, "I won't talk about her or him."
"When you don't want to cooperate, you appear suspicious," Bobby said, bending closer to get into his face.
Fleming tried to look away, but each time he turned his head, Bobby was right there. Fleming clenched and unclenched his fists.
Alex watched, not a bit amused. This was bordering on abuse.
Fleming wanted to smash his fist into the side of Bobby's head. He could almost hear the bones smashing in Bobby's face, and it sounded so good...
"Mr. Fleming," Bobby interrupted his thoughts "Still with us?"
"I want my lawyer!" Fleming said, this time a little more forcefully. "I want to lodge a complaint!"
Alex rolled her eyes. Great! she thought, this is just what we need, Goren!
"Oh, c'mon," Bobby chuckled, straightening up, looking hurt. "You can't be serious. Really? You consider this a threat?" He started laughing, hard. "Hear that Eames? He thinks this is a threat!" Bobby continued to laugh as Eames shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and Fleming stared at Bobby, more scared than ever. "If you think this is a threat..." he didn't continue.
Fleming started fuming. "I am serious. Get me your superior! At once."
"You can talk with him in a minute," Bobby said. He let his arms sink and didn't look threatening anymore. He looked rather boyish, a hurt little boy. "I didn't mean to scare you," he continued, approaching the man. Close to him he sat down on the edge of the table that had separated them. "It's just that it really bugs me. You know...? There really is no need to hide it anymore... and once you get started... you can also tell us why Mr. Schreiber had to die."
"I don't know!" Fleming screamed, "God help me, I don't know!" He looked around frantically. "Miss...Detective! If you don't get him out of my face...I will include you in my complaint! This man is..."
Alex suddenly decided she'd had enough. "Bobby, that's enough!"
Bobby turned to look at her, surprised. "Eames?"
"I said that's enough. The man is going to lodge a complaint against us…"
Bobby looked incredulous. "You're going to let a little thing like that get in the way of our investigation?"
A little thing like that?! Alex became furious. Maybe the next thing he'd be calling little would be her! She was not prepared to let anything more happen.
"Let us talk a moment," she snarled, and when he did not react, emphasized, "Outside."
Bobby just stared at her. He was sure that he would have his answer in a minute, an honest answer, whether it was a confession or not... at least it would be the truth. That Alex interfered now would throw or set them back.
"C'mon, Eames," Bobby said, just outside the door. "I almost had him," he added in that wonderfully soft voice.
She was distracted for just a moment. How can such a big man have such an incredibly soft voice... stop it!
"Almost had him?!" She was furious. "Almost had him?! The man is lodging a complaint against us!"
Bobby looked offended. "It's just a technicality..."
"A technicality that could get us both thrown off the case! Maybe even out of the NYPD! Do you realize I've never had a complaint lodged against me?! Ever? You…"
"Eames! Look in there!" Alex looked in the room to see Fleming with a smirk that extended well past his face. "He's trying to separate us, Eames. He knows exactly what he's doing... if we stop now... he wins."
Alex was angry, but saw his point. "Okay, we go back in. But if you start with that…"
"Just don't give up on me, okay?" he pleaded, with those incredibly soft brown eyes.
"Alright," she agreed. For now. These puppy dog eyes won't help you when you get us into real trouble.
So they went in again.
"Okay, let's quit the games," Bobby said, returning to his perch on the table. "Would you now please answer my question?"
"I don't think so," Fleming replied. "I have the right to remain silent and that's what I'll do."
That's it, Bobby thought. He'll shut down like an oyster because my partner could not follow me...
"Remain silent, huh? Is there a reason for that, Mr. Fleming?"
"Huh?" Fleming looked confused.
"It seems to me if you had nothing to hide you would be a bit more forthcoming."
"Huh?"
"See, Eames, I told you... he knows something, that's why he won't talk. If he didn't know anything, he'd prove it by talking."
Alex tried to hide her confusion and nodded. "You're right, he's guilty..."
"You son of a bitch!" Fleming snarled. He launched himself at Bobby, who smoothly side-stepped him, causing Fleming to fall to the floor.Now Alex did look confused. Bobby turned back to Fleming.
"Guilty of withholding evidence, guilty of…"
"You son of a bitch!"Fleming repeated. He jumped to his feet and tried to get to Bobby again. Once more Bobby let him run into open space. This time his speed carried him into Alex' direction and he almost hit her, but he threw her off balance.
"You don't want to attack my partner, do you?" Bobby grumbled. He grabbed Fleming by his shirt and flung him into the wall. "Cause if you want to do that I'm going to be really annoyed with you." His voice grew louder until he roared, "And you don't want me to be annoyed with you, you can believe that."
"Help!" Fleming screamed as loud as he could, even if Bobby did not so much as lay a finger onto him.
All Alex could see from where she went down was that Bobby had grabbed him. She did not see that Bobby got a nasty blow below the belt, but she could see that her new partner hit Fleming, twice, put his hands around his neck…
That was when two detectives stormed in to separate the fighters. Deakins followed in their wake.
"Goren!" he thundered. "What the hell happened? Eames?"
"I haven't seen…" she started to say, scrambling to her feet.
"I want to lodge a complaint!" Fleming was wailing. "My nose! My throat! This guy's dangerous!"
Their co-workers brought him out.
"Okay!" Deakins demanded. "Spit it out!"
Bobby was pale, but not ready to tell anyone where he had been hit. Actually he was fighting sickness. He did not trust his voice and he did not trust his stomach.
Alex looked at Bobby, searching for an answer to her own questions, but she could see that she would not get one. Yet, she remained silent.
"Bobby?" Deakins queried.
"He… went crazy on me."
"Yeah, I've seen that." Deakins was quite annoyed. "What have you done?"
But Bobby did not talk. He still tried to calm down his insides.
"Alex?"
She hated to do that, but right then, she did not think that she had another choice.
"He provoked him," she said. "Then he attacked Fleming."
Bobby looked at her incredulously. He had experienced a lot during the last weeks, trying to find a partner at his new squad, but none of them had hurt him so badly like Alex just did. It had been self defense! Why did she not tell him?
"Bobby, maybe it'd be better if you call it a day. We'll talk tomorrow."
Bobby could read quite well between the lines. Tomorrow would be his last day in Major Case. He sighed.
"Yes, Sir," he said. Then he went and left the squad room without looking back once.
"I'm sorry, Alex," Deakins turned to his current lead detective. "I really thought this might work out."
"Well, it didn't," she said. "Who will be his next partner?"
He looked at her questioningly. "His next partner?"
"Yes," she nodded. "His next partner."
Deakins swallowed. This was his last chance, he thought. He's already been partnered with everyone else. But he did not voice it.
"I have paperwork to do." With that Alex returned to her desk and vanished between stacks of papers.
Now Deakins sighed. There she went out the door, Bobby's last chance. He could imagine what she was writing there.
He went back to his office and sat down at his desk. It didn't take long for Alex to appear at his door. Wordlessly she handed him an envelope. When she went back out he looked at it wearily. Then he opened it and unfolded the paper.
Dear Captain Deakins,
I know I should weigh my words more carefully, but to use my absence while I was on loan back to Vice to partner me up with such an oddball… you can't be serious!
I don't see any way for us to get attuned to each other, because Detective Goren's erratic and anti-social behavior, his volatile and bizarre interrogation techniques lead me to have doubts about his judgment and mental stability.
I'm very sorry, Sir, but I can't do that! It just crosses a line.
I kindly ask you to meet my request benevolently and to partner me again with Daffy Oafish. I thank you for your understanding.
Yours faithfully,
Alexandra Eames
Captain Deakins stared at the letter for several long minutes. Then he let it drop and hid his face behind his hands. Damn! Sometimes he hated this job.
xxx
When Angie Deakins came down the stairs about half past five in the morning she found her husband sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, staring at a piece of paper in his hands.
"Jimmie," she scolded. "What are you doing? Have you slept at all?"
"Yes, I did," he sighed. "But then I woke up early. I was too agitated to feel sleepy at all so I went down here. I didn't want to disturb you."
"What is it, Jimmie?" she gently pushed. "Trouble on the job?"
"It's because of Bobby Goren," he mumbled, looking at the paper again. "This is a letter Alex Eames gave me last evening. You remember Alex, right? She was partnered up with our newbie yesterday morning and she already wants to quit, asking for another partner."
"Oh, Jimmie."
"Yeah." He let the letter fall on the coffee table and sank back into the cushions. "I know what Bobby is capable of. He's an enrichment for the squad! That's why I want to keep him there. But since he came to join us, these six weeks Alex was off on loan to Vice, he already went through every single detective of MCS. Now, I don't feel so good when I let him go out in the field without a partner."
"You thought Alex as his partner might finally work out?"
"Yes." He stared into the fire. "Alex Eames is one branch of a whole family of cops. She's been with the force since she left high school. She's capable, witty and no-nonsense. I really thought she could handle him. I didn't think she would quit so fast."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know." Once more he sighed. "I kind of wish Voodoo would work… then I could bewitch him. I don't know in which way, but… I would only let him get away when he could finally keep a partner."
"What a pity that it doesn't work," Angie chuckled.
"Yeah."
Jimmie Deakins picked up the letter and stared at it, annoyed. "I asked her to think at least one or two days about it, but she was adamant. She said she'd rather go back to Vice, even if this would be a setback for her career."
In a rush of fury he balled the paper and threw it across the room.
"I wish damned Bobby Goren could keep his partner!" he yelled. His move was so furious and forcefully that the band of his watch opened and it slid from his wrist, flying away together with the letter.
Both landed into the fire. The paper instantly was aflame and crumpled to ashes while the glass of the watch cracked. Its hands stopped at exactly 05:59.
tbc...