"And then you just have to cool it for a few hours and you're good to go!" Julian said while walking behind Greg. They were back from the hospital and Julian still wasn't running out of topics to yak about.
"Oh, Sara!" Greg exclaimed. "Sorry, Julian, gotta go!" He quickly ran after Sara into ballistics.
"Alright, see you later!" Julian said with an upbeat tone in his voice. He really enjoyed the time with Greg, despite the two usually not getting along too well.
"Back already?" Sara smiled at Greg as he was rushing into the room.
"And I thought I talk much..." he said with an exhausted smile on his face.
"And you left Nick with him out there?"
"No, he's down in autopsy with our DB. What are you doing here?" Greg asked with interest.
"I brought three bullets to Bobby a few hours ago and wanted to ask him if my results are ready. But I have no idea where he went." Sara sat down.
"What's your case about?"
"Well, Catherine and I found a dead man in a back alley a few miles from the Strip. We have no motive, no suspects and, well, nothing besides those bullets. We can't even identify him." Sara looked outside the glass walls. "Where the hell's Bobby?"
A few minutes later he finally arrived.
"I'm sorry, Sara, I got held up by Julian..." Bobby rolled his eyes with a faint smile on his face. "But I got good news! These bullets belong to a registered gun."
"Wow, I didn't expect that. Who's it registered to?" Sara asked surprised.
"A... Roger Stewart." Bobby read the name from the computer and handed her a printed report.
"Wait... What?" Greg grabbed the paper before Sara's hand reached it.
"What's wrong?" Sara asked puzzled.
"Roger Stewart... That's OUR suspect!" Greg showed the report with Roger Stewart's picture on it to Sara.
Brass was interrogating Stewart after they found out a man was killed with his gun. Greg was with them, as well. Stewart was sitting in front of Brass and Greg.
"I told you already, I didn't kill my wife!" Stewart claimed.
"Actually... That's not what we're here for..." Greg pulled out pictures of the dead body Sara and Catherine found. "Your gun was used to kill this man. His time of death was estimated to be around your wife's time of death. Do you know him?"
Stewart stared at the picture. "Oh my god... That SON OF A BITCH!" Stewart stood up in rage.
Both Brass and Greg stood up, too.
"Calm down, Mr. Stewart," Brass said in a calm but determined voice and gave the police officer in the room a hand sign to stay put. Both him and Greg sat down again and made Stewart do the same.
"That's him, isn't it? He screwed my wife! We had him and his wife over to dinner several times! I trusted him! He works with my wife at the office... I... Dammit!"
Greg and Brass shared a look.
"So you're claiming you had no idea he was dead?" Greg asked suspiciously.
"OF COURSE not!" Stewart yelled at both men. "I knew Ellen had an affair... We had our problems... Like ANY couple had! But I didn't think it was someone I knew..." Tears started rolling from his cheeks.
"Mr. Stewart, you need to understand that we suspect you of murdering both your wife and him." Greg pointed at the picture. "He was shot with your gun. The one we found at your home."
After burying his crying face in his folded arms, he looked up to Greg. "But I didn't do it."
"Then how come we found the bullets from your gun inside your wife's co-worker's wounds?" Greg felt kind of bad for the man since his claims of innocence felt real. The evidence they found all pointed towards Stewart's direction, but the words coming out of his mouth just felt too sincere.
"...My lawyer advised me not to say anything 'till he gets here..."
"I know, but you need to tell us everything you know. I want to believe you, I really do. But there's overwhelming evidence pointing to you as a suspect..." Greg said in a caring voice, causing Brass to give him a confused look.
Stewart sobbed. "I didn't fire that gun for months. I only used it to practice, NEVER on humans OR animals! I swear to god! I have no idea who took it..." He claimed desperately.
"Listen. If you're innocent, we'll prove it..." Greg replied affectionately.
"Hey Sanders..." Brass said outside the interrogation room.
"Yeah?"
"What was that about? You believe his act?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, it felt sincere, don't you think?"
Brass shook his head. "No. I've seen guys like him way too often to give anyone of them the benefit of the doubt, and you shouldn't, either. Don't let this act cloud your judgment, alright?"
"It won't. I just think there's a possibility he didn't do it..."
"Listen, Greg, don't be naïve. He's playing with us. It's cute that you still believe in the good in people, but it's not there. It's time to realize this. He's got a very expensive lawyer without any scruple, he'll try ANYTHING to get off! Don't give him anything he could use against us in court." Brass went off, leaving Greg wondering where the cynicism was coming from. Brass always was the cynic kind, but he never tried to disillusion others like that.
Right after the interrogation, Greg went to see Bobby in ballistics again. "Nick. You're here?"
"I called you five minutes ago, why didn't you answer?" Nick asked his younger colleague.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was in the interrogation room and didn't hear the phone. What's up?"
"You won't believe this!" Bobby chimed in. "Your victim was not shot with the husband's gun!"
Greg looked surprised but also relieved. This actually WAS good news, maybe the husband was telling the truth after all.
"She was shot with an unregistered .38 that was used in a robbery a few weeks ago. The store clerk was shot and survived, but they never found the robber," Bobby explained.
"...But what does it all mean? Stewart shot the man he allegedly didn't even know had an affair with his wife, but not his wife? It all doesn't make any sense..." Greg said confused.
"Well David said the wife was killed a day before the other guy was killed... Did you find out what his name was?" Nick asked Greg.
"It's Miles Jones. His wife is meeting Brass in an hour."
"Alright, I'll ask her some questions, then."
"No, that's okay. I'll do it." Greg left the room.
"Why didn't you report him missing?" Brass asked Stacey Jones, Miles Jones' wife. They were sitting in his office.
"Because he wasn't missing... He was supposed to be with his Brother in New Jersey. He said he wanted to surprise him for his 30th birthday..." Stacey replied while remaining her composure. It was obvious she had been crying before she met Brass, but she didn't do it now.
"Mrs. Jones, you know Ellen and Roger Stewart, right?" Greg joined the conversation.
She nodded. "What does this have to do with them?"
"Your husband was shot with Stewart's handgun," Brass answered.
"...What? I... I don't understand. Why would he...? Oh lord... No! NO! Ellen and Miles, they had an affair, right?" She said while she started crying.
Greg looked surprised that she figured it out so quick. "...We suspect that, yes."
"Oh god... I never thought Ellen would be a threat to me! I mean, she wasn't exactly... a man's dream... That's why I didn't think it was a bad idea that they spent so much time together. I thought they were just really good friends..."
"Well, do you know of anyone who might've wanted to hurt your husband?" Greg asked, causing Brass to instantly look at him.
"...Huh?"
"We didn't find any evidence yet to confirm that Mr. Stewart actually pulled the trigger. Do you know about anyone who didn't get along with your husband?"
"...No, no, I don't think so. Why do you think Roger didn't do it?"
"Mrs. Jones, thank you for your time. If we need anything or find something new about the case, I'll call you." Brass escorted her out.
When he went back in again, he closed the door behind him. "What the hell was that about?"
"What? I just asked her some questions." Greg didn't understand why Brass was so furious.
"We have a lead in this case and we'll damn well follow it! If we reach a dead end, we try other angles! Do I really have to explain your job to you?" Brass yelled.
"I AM following a lead! But it's not Stewart, it's Stewart's gun! We have to keep an open mind on this! As long as we can't place the gun in Stewart's hand, we don't know who killed our victim!"
"An open mind? Oh, cut the crap! You feel bad for the guy because he's a pretty good actor, that's all!"
"Alright, I admit it doesn't look good for him, but that doesn't mean it's impossible he's innocent, that's all I'm trying to say! I want to do this the right way," Greg explained himself.
"Well then DO IT right! Because right now it looks like you're about to do the opposite!" Brass opened the door for Greg to leave.