Chapter Three
"We have located George's ex-wife." Captain Deakins announces as he enters the visitors office, occupied by Goren and Eames and piles of papers.
Alex looks up from the paper that she is reading, "Is she coming in?"
"Ah….no," he closes the door. "She's bed-ridden and….lives in Connecticut. However," he stuffs his hands in his pockets. "She is willing to meet with you. Drive safe."
"Great," Alex exhales as she rubs her eyes.
"The face to face interview can be so revealing Alex," Deakins turns away from them, reaching for the doorknob, flashing a smile that neither see.
Bobby stands and immediately begins to pick up piles of papers sorting them, Alex remains still, "Are we procrastinating for a reason, Eames?"
She looks up at her partner, "Yes," she says with a scowl on her face. "I'm just not in the mood to drive to Connecticut."
Bobby closes up his case, "I'll drive," he says as he clutches the case to his chest. "You realize I do know how to drive?"
"Works for me," she says. "Let's go."
He slides into the driver's seat, her the passenger seat. After a quick glance at each other, Bobby shakes his head, frowning, "This is weird."
"I agree, want to switch?"
"Definately," he says as he hands her the keys.
The traffic is light at this hour of the morning; most of the commuters have made it to their destination. "Ok we have at least a two hour drive," she says as she steers the car onto the West Side Highway. "Tell me more of the story."
"Sure," he frowns. "Where did I leave off?"
"You had found the names of two boys from the neighborhood who had been reported by a parent as runaways and one of them matched the description of Tony."
"Yes, that's right."
The Stark Home
July 23, 1995
2 P.M.
"How are you feeling, Mister Stark?" Bobby asks with concern.
Jonathan unconsciously rubs the lump on his forehead that has since turned black and blue, "Fine, thank you Detective. I had a headache for a day or so but I'm fine."
Bobby lays out three photos, of pre-teenage boys all with dark hair and browns eyes, on the table, "I have a few photos that I would like to show you." Without hesitation, Marcia and Jonathan agree that the dark-haired, brown-eyed boy in the third photo is the boy that they encountered that morning.
"I was right he does look familiar." Marcia says proudly.
Bobby smiles at the young girl, "Yes Marcia he does attend your school. His name is Anthony Fisher; he is a grade behind you. His mother reported him as a run away five weeks ago."
"That boy has been out on the street for five weeks?" Jonathan asks surprisingly. He studies the photo, "He seemed well kept, the only thing I did notice." He sets the photo atop the other two, "His eyes, they were glassy and his pupils were the size of pin holes."
Bobby takes a quick glance at his partner, "Mister Stark, did he say anything to you? Do you remember?"
"He just mumbled that he needed money, almost as if he didn't realize that I was there. He looked calm one minute than crazed the next. I remember I kept thinking to myself this is just a little kid why is he acting like this?"
The Present
"Oh my God," Alex gasps, "He was using at eleven."
"He was just starting then, he wasn't hooked yet. We found out later, his Mom and I that a man by the name of George Pound gave him sedatives to relax him so he would be more willing to perform," he hesitates. "Sexual acts."
"Was that before all this happened?"
"Yes, it started when he was seven. Right after his father died and since Cheryl was working full time, she had to find an after school program for him. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong one, so her quilt level is still at 100 percent. George was the head of the program and…Lets just say that Tony wasn't the only one."
Alex shakes her head in disgust, "Jesus Christ the poor little guy, so what ever happened to George?"
"I have no idea; Tony has been to counseling for his anger about what happened."
"He doesn't like his counselor?"
"Try counselors, this has been going on for two years and he still harbors so much hate for…."
Alex blurts out, "George."
Bobby shakes his head, "No the world," he says solemnly.
"Oh shit," Alex exclaims.
"Oh shit what?" Bobby replies looking out the front window and then the rear.
"We….I missed the exit," she begins to turn the wheel. "Time for a U-turn," She completes her U-turn and takes a quick glance at her partner who has a look of shock on his face, "Bobby is there something wrong?"
"Well, it's just that," he points to where they came from. "That….that was illegal."
"Ah," she scoffs. "We could be called an emergency vehicle."
"And exactly what is our emergency?"
"You know Goren I don't like this side of you at all." She catches the devilish grin on his face. His boisterous laugher fills the car and she immediately joins him. They compose themselves and then they see blinking lights from behind. "He's not after me is he?" She says with a twinge of fear in her voice.
Bobby shrugs his shoulders, "I don't think so, where the hell did he come from?"
They watch as the police cruiser passes them and continues to pick up speed. "That would have been embarrassing to say the least," Alex says.
"What would you have said to him to get out of it?"
She speaks boldly, "That we were on a case," she pauses, then she timidly says. "He's a Connecticut cop and we're from New York, he'd just give me one anyway, wouldn't he?"
"Probably," he says then points. "There's the exit."
She steers the car into the right lane and takes the 9e exit, making a right at the end of the ramp for I-84 East. "So did you visit with Cheryl that day?"
"Yes that evening."
The Fisher Home
July 23
6 P.M.
A petite woman with brown hair and eyes to match answers the door, being summer the Detectives badges are exposed. She holds her hand to her mouth, "Its Tony isn't it, is he? Is he dead?" She says with a shaky voice.
"No ma'am not that we know of," White states so matter of fact, Bobby frowns at the comment from his partner.
Bobby moves forward, "Ah, we….I'm Detective Goren this is Detective White. We just want to ask you some questions about Tony."
"Please, please come in," she says as she moves to the side allowing them to enter.
"Thank you ma'am," Bobby says as he enters the home ahead of his partner.
She closes the door then gestures for them to go into the living room, "Please sit, may I get you something to drink." They politely thank her for the offer but refuse.
"Missus Fisher, we have reason to believe that your son was involved in the assault of Mister Stark," White says impersonally. She sits down, holding her hand to her chest. "Jonathan? You think Tony was the one who hit Jonathan? But why, why would he?"
"He's a drug addict and he was in need of money."
Bobby gives a look of contempt to his partner, who is oblivious to his reaction, Cheryl is not. "We don't know that for certain," he adjusts his position to face Cheryl, she looks up into his eyes, "However Jonathan and his daughter positively identified Tony as the boy that they saw that morning."
"Why doesn't he just come home," she says through sobs.
"Was there an argument between the two of you?" Bobby asks.
"He was supposed to attend summer school because he failed Math and English. If he went to summer school he would be able to move up a grade. His answer was as always, who cares? I told him, I care." She turns her face away digging into her pockets for a tissue, there is none. She excuses herself as she stands. "I'll be right back."
The men stand as she leaves the room, White sits down while Bobby paces around the room, picking up photos of Tony at various ages, "Another day on this Goren and that's it. We have more…." Bobby is just about to retort when Cheryl returns with red eyes, and excusing herself as she blows her nose. "I'm sorry."
White stands and Bobby walks across the room, he holds out his card, "Ma'am if he comes home or calls, please call me."
She accepts the card, "I will," nodding her head, "Detective," she reads the name on the card, "Detective Goren."
They exit the home, "Go on Goren say it."
"Say what?"
"You disagree with me, come on we've been on this for two days and we have some major cases that we have left cooling off. This is not exactly the crime of the century."
The Present
"Mister tactful, wasn't he?" Alex says of Bobby's one time partner.
"He thought the case was beneath him," Bobby shrugs his shoulders. "He wanted to be investigating jewelry heists and bank robberies and he gets assigned to a runaway kid who hit a man with a pint bottle of booze. I'll tell you something though," he wags his finger in her direction. "Tony showed more shrewdness than him. Anyway, with him being the senior partner and a ten-year veteran I knew enough to keep still," he can feel her eyes burning his temples. "You can stop staring at me."
"I'm not staring at you," She grins from ear to ear, "I'm just a little surprised that you actually, at one time in your life managed to keep your mouth shut."
"Well….I didn't say anything but I wasn't going to forget about it, I had to find this kid, why?" He looks out the window, "I really wasn't sure myself."
Alex exclaims, "We're here." It startles him slightly, he checks the time. "We did that in less than two hours."
TBC