Chapter Two

Subsequent Encounter

Mike starts the car, puts it into reverse and starts to back out. "Wait a minute."

"What?"

"What the hell way are we going?"

"Oh Jesus." She says as she slaps her leg. He changes gears, drives forward, and parks the car. He reaches for the door handle. She grabs his arm. "I'll go, be right back." She pushes the doorbell. The door opens and she gets lost in thought for a second.

What a sweet face.

His voice snaps her out of it. "That was quick."

She suddenly feels a little embarrassed. Two NYPD Detectives from Major Case and they forget to ask directions.

"Are you alright?" He bends his head down to catch her eye.

She looks up. "Yes." She points from left to right. "Which way is the bar?"

"That way." He smiles as he points to the left. "Three blocks on the left."

"Thank you Mister Goren." She extends her hand to him and he accepts it and shakes.

"You're welcome, Detective Eames."

Stop it Alex he's not your type at all.

Alex gets back into the car. "Its three blocks down on the left."

After about a minute of driving Mike breaks the silence, "You thought that was funny."

'"What?" Alex says as she writes some notes in her book.

"The crack about Dick Tracy."

Shaking her head from side to side, "No, not at all." She rolls her eyes and looks out the window.

"Bull shit, you can't even look at me and say that."

He's right. "I'm sorry Mike." He hears her muffled laughter. "There it is." She says as her arm crosses his face.

"I see it." He says in an annoyed voice. He parks the car across the street. Mike opens the door to Murphy's Bar. There are seven patrons inside and one bartender. Three men are at the bar and the rest are sitting at tables. No sooner do they enter seven heads turn to look. The three men sitting at the bar and a man and woman sitting at the table hurriedly take money from their pockets and lay the money down and run out the back door. Alex and Mike give each other a glance.

Mike says under his breath. "Son of a bitch."

"You two are great for my business. Thanks. What the hell do you want?"

Alex stands still as Mike walks up to the bar. "We're looking for Stewart Rollings. We understand that he comes in here from time to time. Have you seen him recently?"

Without looking at them as he cleans off the bar. "I never heard of him."

Alex walks up behind her partner and taps him on the arm. "Maybe those two."

Mike shrugs his shoulders. "It won't hurt to try."

"Excuse me." She says. The couple looks up. It is only twelve thirty in the afternoon and these two are barely able to move. She waves her hand. "Never mind."

She walks back to her partner. "Forget it, they're wasted, let's go."

Mike starts up the car. "You know maybe Goren might be able to get some of these people to talk."

"Yeah you're right. He's lived here all his life. People know him."

They turn the car around and drive back to Bobby's house. Mike is not able to park the car in the driveway this time. As they drive past the house, they notice two Harley Davidson Motorcycles parked there. He pulls the car over and parks on the street. As they walk up the driveway, the chrome is gleaming on two older model, beautifully well maintained motorcycles. Alex looks over to the right and if it was there before, she did not notice it, a red 1966 Ford Mustang. "Wow my Dad would love one of these, hell I would."

"Back so soon." He says as he turns the corner of the garage. She looks up. He changed from a blue T-shirt to a black sleeveless T-shirt. She can see a little sweat on his arms and as he cleans off his hands with a rag, his biceps are flexing and glistening in the sun.

She realizes that she has not answered him and she's staring at him. She turns away quickly. Before she speaks Mike who is making his way up the driveway after his thorough examination on the bikes, says. "You rebuilt these?"

"Yes." He smiles at her as he passes. She turns to follow him.

Wow, everything just fits in the all the right places.

She shakes her head to get the thought from her mind.

Knock it off.

Mike turns back to the bikes. "Sweet. Are you going to sell them?"

Bobby shakes his head. "No. I'm going to be buried with them." All three laugh.

In the distance, they hear. "Dad."

"Out here." He calls over his shoulder.

The three of them look to the right and running toward Bobby are two little boys.

Alex's heart sinks a little. That figures. He's married. Well I guess my original impression of him was right, a real jerk.

"Grandpa's on the phone, he wants to know if we want to go to the movies."

He puts his hand on the boys shoulder. "It's alright with me, but isn't Kenny's birthday party today?"

"No that's tomorrow, today is Thursday."

"Oh yeah that's right. Chris let your brother pick the movie this time."

"Ah, Dad." He says in almost a whinny voice. "He always picks Disney movies, he's such a baby."

"Chris."

"Oh, alright."

Alex is not listening to them her mind is thinking and she starts to get angry. Flirting with me, married with children, another slime ball.

"I am not." The younger one says as they both run back into the house.

Alex asks in an irritated voice. "So, is your wife at work?"

Bobby can see the look on her face and he is taken aback by the question. Shyly he says. "No." He pauses then looks at her. "She passed away two years ago."

She rolls her eyes and looks up at him. "I am so sorry."

"Thank you," he says as he stuffs the rag in his back pocket.

Mike has made his way up the driveway and stands next to his partner.

"So Detectives is there something you wanted."

"Yes we were wondering." Alex asks. "If you would do us a favor, talk to the bartender and some of his customers, and ask if they have seen Rollings."

"What now?"

"Yeah." Mike says. "We would really appreciate it."

"No. The word is probably out already about the two of you and the regulars won't be back there for a while and Gus, he never talks to anyone about anything."

Alex walks in front of him. "Why didn't you tell us that before?"

He looks her square in the eye. "You didn't ask." He pauses. "Look if I hear anything I'll let you know but I'm not going to look for it."

"Thank you." Mike extends his hand.

He turns to leave as Alex hands Bobby her card. "Here's my card. My cell phone number is on it." He takes the card and quickly and lightly, he strokes her finger.

"Thank you Mister Goren. Have a nice afternoon."

"You're welcome Detective Eames. Be careful out there."

She smiles at him and he smiles back. She then turns to catch up with her partner.

"What was with the attitude about his wife?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alex?"

"I made a mistake, now it's over."

One Police Plaza

As soon as she gets back to her desk Alex does a little more research into the life of Robert Goren. His wife of ten years Cathleen (nee Casey) was involved in a car accident. She was hit head on by a drunk driver.

What a shame, those two little boys.

A male voice interrupts her thoughts, "Want to get some lunch?"

"What?"

"Lunch Alex, want to go get some lunch?"

"Sure." She logs off her computer. "Let's go."

TBC