Sharon breezed into the office later that morning. "Good morning, everyone," she smiled.
"Ah, Captain," Provenza caught her attention, and she turned, "can I have a word?"
"Sure, come on in, Lieutenant."
Together they walked into her office and closed the door. "I hope you appreciate the efforts I'm making," he groused.
"Of course, and so will he once this is over."
"Alright, I'll go over my place later tonight. What do you want anyway?"
"Just pictures, that's all."
"Pictures of what?"
"Lieutenant, I have no idea what you might have. You've known him a lot longer and a lot better than I have."
"Alright, I'll see what I can find. Meanwhile..." he paused to pull an envelope out of his jacket pocket, "here's the stuff. The key is inside with the code. Please remember to set it again when you leave. I've also written the name and number of his sponsor. I've talked with him a few times. He's a good guy and he might give you what you want, just don't get too personal."
Sharon took the envelope and opened it, "Thank you, and I'll keep that in mind. What are you planning on doing to keep him occupied?"
"Well, I thought I'd take him down to Venice Beach to go shopping."
"Venice Beach?" Sharon raised her eyebrow in question.
"Look, it's different and I can guarantee his ex-wife won't be finding anything similar."
"I can imagine," Sharon replied sarcastically.
Ignoring her, Provenza pointed to the manilla envelope on her desk. "And that came while you were out. It says IA. Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not, Lieutenant."
"Alright," Provenza stood, "I'm taking the idiot within the next hour. I suggest you get going now."
"Right, and thank you again."
"Yeah, yeah..." he grumbled on his way out the door, "the things I do for you two..."
Sharon giggled to herself, then picked up the phone to call Buzz into her office. Although uncomfortable with the idea, he agreed to go with her to Andy's home.
Buzz left first and waited in the parking garage for Sharon. When she appeared she ushered him to her car and headed directly to their destination.
Andy's living room was much like she remembered. "Okay Buzz, we're making this quick. While I take the pictures out of their frames, I want you to get shots of all the children's artwork and his baseball trophy."
"Anything else?" Buzz asked wearily.
"Um... I don't know. I'll look around and tell you. I don't want to be here long."
"You and me both," he said under his breath.
"Buzz..." Sharon began, looking at him.
"Yes Captain?"
"Finish this up and take the next few days off."
Buzz looked at her suspiciously, "Are you serious?"
"Yes, even if you weren't helping me, you've earned it. It's at my discretion to decide if my staff is paid overtime or asked to take time in lieu. You take the time, and I'll find some extra hours along the way. A deal is a deal."
Smiling for the first time, Buzz nodded, "Thanks, Captain."
Sharon left Buzz to photograph everything in the living room, and proceeded to look over his kitchen, down the hall and into the bedrooms. She had a funny feeling seeing his bed disheveled, and it took a lot for her not to make it or smooth the pillows. Along the way, she pointed out items to Buzz.
"We're not going to dig into his drawers or anything, are we?"
"No, I wouldn't dream of it," she said hastily. "The items that matter to him most are the items on display. Anything put away is away for a reason."
"Good."
When the last item was photographed, Sharon looked around to see if everything was put back in it's original place. Then the two left after setting the security code again, and headed back to the office. Buzz made short work of editing his new photos and the additional items sent up from Internal Affairs, and was preparing to leave for the day.
"You heading out early?" Amy asked, all smiled and energy as usual.
"Yes, I've got plans with my sister."
"That's great. My family is in town and I can't wait to spend some quality time."
"Well, you enjoy," Buzz said, and headed to the elevator.
Sharon was in her office taking advantage of the quiet time to review the last of what Buzz had given her. Placing them artfully in her collection she looked over it to admire her composition. She knew Andy was going to love it, but there was more to be added.
Picking up the phone, she called the number of Andy's AA sponsor. "Hello, I'm calling for Sean Greene?"
When an affirmation was given on the other end, Sharon explained who she was and what she wanted. Sean agreed, with the understanding that she would only have access to limited information.
"I understand fully. Thank you for your willingness. I'm leaving the office now and should be with you in a little over thirty minutes."
After hanging up, Sharon went to tell Rusty she needed to run a quick errand, then left the office. Rusty was so engrossed in his chess game he hardly noticed.
Sharon easily found the coffee shop Sean had suggested, and was happy to greet him.
"So... you're the infamous Sharon Raydor," Sean said, leaning back in his seat.
"Oh dear," Sharon said looking from side to side. "Is that how I'm known?"
Sean shrugged, "Well... that's my own poetic license. I've always wondered if the legend fit the woman."
Sharon squirmed in her seat, "I wasn't aware that Lt. Flynn even spoke of me."
Sean sighed, "Oh, not much... only a time or sixty. So, what can I do for you?"
"Mmm... yes, well I've told you what I'm working on, and I was wondering if you would help me."
Sean studied her for a few moments, seemingly deciding whether or not she could be trusted. Sharon held steady under his gaze, but inwardly she was increasingly uncomfortable. This man already seemed familiar with her, but he was a complete stranger. Just as she was about to speak, Sean pulled some items out of his jacket pocket.
"You understand I'm not going to tell you anything Andy has said in confidence."
"No, I know and I completely respect that."
"Good. I can't give you anything that is directly from AA, but I can give you this." He proceeded to push a card across the table towards her.
Sharon picked it up and read the contents. "When was this written?" she asked.
"The date's on the back."
Sharon turned it over and saw the date, December 10, 1995. "Was this his final drink?" She didn't wait for an answer before reading the card again: Why do I want to stop drinking? I'm doing it for Nicole and Jeremy. I want to be a good father to my kids.
"No," Sean admitted, "but that's the date he finally started putting an effort into it. That's something I asked him to do when I became his sponsor. I used to take it out every time we met, just to remind him why he was giving up the bottle. Christmas that year was hard on him and he slipped. But after a few drinks, he called me, and he was back on track.
"Mmm..." Sharon nodded, mentally calculating how old Nicole would have been at the time. "I'll be sure to get this back to you."
"Nah, you keep it. I haven't pulled that thing out in years. He doesn't even need a sponsor now, not really. We just get together, talk over stuff and so forth. He's doing his thing and he's never going back. He's one of my success stories. Why don't you give it to him as a present."
Sharon smiled and nodded, "I will. Thank you."
"I also brought this for you. It's the receipt from when I bought him his ring. I told him I was holding on to it, and if he ever drank again he owed me the cost of the thing, plus inflation."
Sharon laughed. "2000, so this was his fifth anniversary?"
"Yup. And here's some pictures of me giving it to him. The pictures I want back and if you're going to use them would you please crop your copy so no one else can be seen?"
"Of course, you have my word."
"Good enough," Sean nodded. "So... he's really stressing about this, isn't he."
"Yes, he is. The sad part is that Nicole is just as stressed and his ex-wife is taking every opportunity to undermine their relationship."
"I hope I never meet that bitch. I'd give her a piece of my mind for sure."
Sharon chuckled, "Well, it seems she's made that impression on a few of us."
"I'm gonna tell you something I think you need to hear, and I'm breaking my own rules on this one, so keep that in mind."
"Alright, go on..." Sharon encouraged, leaning in closer to give Sean her full attention.
"She's trying to use you as a wedge issue."
Sharon nodded, "I'd heard something to that effect."
"I've known Andy for almost twenty years, and I can guarantee if he's let you know that much, then it's a lot worse than he's admitting. He takes full responsibility even when he shouldn't."
"Yes, I know. That's why I'm doing this."
"He's one of the good guys."
"Mmm..." Sharon started, then heard her phone ring. "Excuse me a moment." Hearing the voice of Lt. Provenza on the other end, she nodded. "What do we know... Time of death... You're all there now, I assume... Mmm-hmm... Okay, I'm heading back to the office. Keep me informed, Lieutenant."
"Work?" Sean asked.
"Sorry," she apologized and started to gather her things. "I have to get back to my desk, but thank you so much for meeting with me and sharing these memories. I know it will mean a lot to him."
"Good enough," Sean reached over the table and shook her hand. "And for what it's worth, I think the legend fits."
"Oh... um, thank you," she replied awkwardly, then strode out of the coffee shop.