Chapter 14

Jeremy flipped through each page of the forensics report a second time. Swiftly thumbing past the incomprehensible science jargon, he stopped when he got to the summary. There were no fingerprints found that couldn't be eliminated. There was no other blood evidence other than the trace amounts found on the coat. There were no notes, no further contact. There was just a whole lot of nothing. The black residue from the tire treads had been identified as decaying leaves. Now there was a big surprise. Finding decaying leaves in the fall - even a metropolitan area like Manhattan - there were still plenty of trees shedding their leaves.

He sighed. Fifth grade science, the trip to the arboretum. Walking all over, looking at every kind of tree there was, getting bored and wrestling with his friends, getting in trouble. They'd had a test by walking around the school and identifying trees. European beech, willow oak, crab apple, American ash, American sycamore, sweet gum and crack willows. Several of them were only in very specific areas of the city. The crab apple trees were mostly up in Riverside Park.

He turned on his dad's computer and peeked under the base of the phone for the password. Okay, so his dad wasn't a computer genius. Unless games counted, neither was he. His hands were shaking as he went to the keyboard. Pictures, he needed pictures. He went to the City website, the city arborist, the arboretum, banging on the keyboard in frustration when he hit a dead end or the net was slow.

"Hey, Jeremy. You're here." Alex said as she walked into the captain's office

Jeremy nearly jumped out of his skin. "You scared me!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to." A very tired Eames sank into a chair, explaining. "Bobby went straight over to grab us some food. Did you get some?"

"I ate a muffin. It wasn't very good. It was nice of Rhonda to bring them though. She's really upset."

"We're all upset. Have you seen Sergeant Powell?"

"Not since last night. He said he'd be back. Where were you?"

"Defending the hospital. I guess that's what we were doing. Mostly we were putting medical teams on busses and sending them to Philadelphia." They sat for few moments, staring at each other, running out of conversation. Goren spotted them through the window and came in.

"Here, Eames, we've got food. I grabbed you a little of everything,. Hey, Jeremy, help yourself to anything you want. You spend the night?"

"Yeah, the house got too quiet." Jeremy admitted as Bobby doled out the food and they ate in silence for a few minutes. "Um look, I've got a question for you. What do you know about walnut trees?"

Eames looked at him owlishly. "Walnut trees? Excuse me, Jeremy, but why do you care about walnut trees? Today, of all days?"

"Well… I … look, don't get mad. Culver left the forensics report for Powell and I was reading it." Sheepishly, Jeremy handed it across the desk. "She said the slimy stuff in the tires was decaying black walnut leaves."

"Yeah, so?" Goren said absently as he read.

"Well, according to the internet, there aren't that many of them around. They're big and messy and not used for landscaping much anymore. So I was thinking…"

Goren was already out of his chair. "Let me see that," he said, standing behind Jeremy to look at the computer.

"That's it, right over there, 851 West 43rd. Pull over." Jeremy shouted as they passed the address.

Alex shifted into reverse. Jeremy had absolutely refused to be left behind and as the two detectives got out of the car, he joined them to stand together on the sidewalk, staring up at the tree that towered over them.

Bobby checked his notes. "It's over eighty-feet tall, which I suppose is why it's a Heritage Tree. What are we, about five blocks from Mrs. What's-her-name's house?"

"About that, but this can't be the tree we need," Alex said. "It's not close enough to the street."

Bobby crossed the street and walked along the edge of the sidewalk. "Look at the gutter along here. See how there are still some leaves all mashed up in the gutter?"

"Slow down," Alex admonished. "What makes you think this muck is from a walnut tree."

Jeremy had joined them and gave her a withering look. "Duh. Maybe the pieces of hulls and shells."

Goren did a double take at the way Jeremy addressed his partner, and slowly stood up. Alex slightly shook her head as she got his attention, indicating to let it go. Eames suppressed a shudder as Jeremy's tone and words reminded her of just who his father was.

"What do you think, Eames?" Goren asked.

"We can check around," Jeremy pleaded. "We have those pictures from the guy at the arboretum guy. He said that walnut trees are mostly in older neighborhoods. We know what to look for. Wide branches, black bark – we can do this."

"Of course we will, as in Eames and I," Goren said pointedly. "You on the other hand, are staying in the car."

"But –"

Goren crowded Jeremy, looking him eye to eye. "In. The. Car. Right now."

Eames patted Jeremy sympathetically on the shoulder. "You may as well give it up, man. I used to hear it all the time. Why don't you mark the map with the locations that look promising? There's another Heritage Tree, a big one, about three blocks over. Keep track for us."

Jeremy's rebellious expression said everything. Eames started to reason him, but Goren sighed, reached for his cuffs and snicked them around Jeremy's wrist while he was concentrating on Eames.

"Don't even!" Jeremy started as Goren unceremoniously dragged him toward the car. Jeremy started to tug in the opposite direction, and Goren quickly bent the young man's arm behind his back and frog-marched him to the driver's side. He calmly snapped the other cuff around the steering wheel.

Jeremy was sputtering in anger. Goren stepped back and waved him off. "I recommend you sit down and get comfortable."

"I can't believe you're doing this!" Jeremy shouted. "This is my idea! My lead!"

"It is, and it's a good one and all we've got to go on. Jeremy, you can holler all you want, but I'd rather cramp your style than have your dad cramp mine. You lose to your dad, hands down. Come on, Eames."

"You shit! Don't you leave me here!" Jeremy shouted furiously.

"He'll get over it," Goren said, trying to appear nonchalant as they walked away.

"Sure, Goren," Eames said smirking. "Whatever you say. I can't believe you did that."

"You have a better idea?" Goren snapped.

"It's not that I don't agree. I can just see his point. How do you want to do this?"

"What else can we do? Walk it first."

They circled the block, passing by the car with its fuming occupant. "If looks could kill," Eames said. "I'm going to hide when you let him go." They worked down the opposite sidewalk, then back through the alleys, talking with everyone they could find.