Andy's office was on the western part of the North side. It was about a dozen blocks from Stark, which ran down the center. The street had a few vacant lots, a few low rent apartments and a decent number of trees. It wasn't a bad street to spend time on and it was one of the safer parts of the North ward.
Ranger parked a block away since the law office had a couple of police cars in front and an ambulance, all with their lights off. I guess there wasn't an emergency here anymore. We watched the movement for a moment.
"Let's check this out." We got out of the black SUV and approached the scene. "I have an insider on the scene." He explained and I left him to do his thing. I had dated a cop for long time and my parents had always been upstanding citizens. Therefore, I was trying hard not to think about the fact that Ranger had just told me that he had an informant in a uniform. Sometimes, I just didn't want to know.
I walked through the front room. There was a body in the center of the floor in a partially zipped black body bag. It was a young black man in dirty clothes with some sort of jagged writing across the front of his dirty light shirt. It was mostly obscured by the bag. I shook myself and continued into the main office where Andy was sitting against his desk, pale and shaken, being interrogated by an unfamiliar black officer.
"You don't know that man?" The officer gestured to the dead body, either not noticing me or ignoring me.
"No, I've never seen him before." Andy answered softly.
"Does the writing mean anything to you, sir?"
"Well, it's kind of personal, isn't it?"
"Have you had any threats before this?" The officer's tone was grating on my nerves. He was treating Andy like he was a suspect or a hostile witness, not like a man in shock. My protective feelings for Andy were kicking in.
"No, none that were as direct as this. Some vague things here and there from angry clients. But my assistant went missing this week and I think that this must be connected."
"Would that be Deedra Jones?" The officer flipped through his notebook.
"Yes, and I haven't heard anything from the investigative officers."
"It's an ongoing investigation. Why would you think that that is related? They happened at different locations."
"This kind of stuff doesn't happen to me everyday." Andy said in an unusually dry tone.
"Is there anything else that you would like to add?"
"No." Andy crossed his arms.
"We'll be in touch. Thank you for your time." The officer left with a curt nod and Andy released his breath sharply.
"Damn," He dropped his head and rubbed his eyes. I stepped closer. He reached out and pulled me against his chest. He held me there for a while then loosened his arms. I squeezed him back then slid up and sat next to him on the desk. His office was rather plain. On one wall, there was a map of Trenton and a boring calendar turned to March. Against the opposite wall was a bookshelf filled with books and a plain Jane, industrial grey filling cabinet. Andy seemed to regain himself and leaned against me. "Thanks for coming. This all could be unrelated, you know? But I don't think it is."
"I would have come anyway." I pushed back against him.
"Where's our mysterious guy?" He asked.
"Outside, shaking down some cop." Andy turned his head sharply. "It's an informant." I answered his unspoken question like it was an ordinary situation. Honestly, it was increasingly normal. "The writing?" I turned to Andy.
"The killer wrote on the kid's chest. He told me to, 'End your fucking crusades or you're going to have more problems.'"
"That is personal." I murmured. Andy just nodded. "How many crusades are you on?"
"You think my projects have something to do with all of this?"
"Unless you've turned into a serial killer, it's my best idea."
"I have fifteen pending projects." Andy sighed and walked to the filing cabinet and pulled out the middle drawer. "And I have ten projects that are in construction and twenty-two projects that are open and complete."
"I'm going to need copies of those files."
"You got it. Anything else?"
"Would it be possible to have copies of the missing clients' files?"
"That would violate attorney-client privilege." He said thoughtfully. "But maybe I could give you the histories that I have gathered. That wouldn't be involved with the open cases."
"Fair enough. You need a ride home?" I asked, afraid to leave him alone for more than one reason.
"I would never say no to your company." He sent me a shaky smile, then started pulling files out and piling them. "And I would never deny you work experience, sis." He looked pointedly at the large pile of files that needed to be copied.
"Sure thing, boss. Just let me tell my partner where I'm going to be for the rest of the week." I rolled my eyes and walked out to find Ranger. He was standing outside watching the paramedics load the body bag. "Find anything out?"
"Yeah, I have a few things to follow up. How about we put our heads together over dinner?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to make sure Andy gets home safe and help he get stuff organized around here. Sixish?"
"Make it sevenish and I'll bring the food."
"Pino's?"
"How about that new Mexican place?"
"Extra hot sauce." I stood up on the balls of my feet and kissed him. As I moved away, he caught my hand.
"Babe, about that fight." I looked back at him. "Proud of you." He rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand and let me go. I smiled and walked back into Andy's office feeling much better about myself. That man has a crazy effect on me.
* * * * * * * *
We got to the apartment building by 7:08. I got off at my floor and looked back at Andy and Mrs. Bestler. She had stood between us the whole way up.
"Ladies' undergarments, please proceed with caution." Andy looked at her with that crazy look. He didn't have much experience with our resident elevator attendant.
"I can't just leave you alone." We had had this conversation before.
"I'll be fine. Really, Steph."
"No way. Come on." I stood in between the doors to keep him from refusing me. This apartment building was built in the 70s and it wasn't exactly up to code. With these files in my arms, I really was taking my life in my hands since I'm fairly sure those safety things that stopped the doors hadn't be invented yet. The doors started to close and my smart friend decided not to risk my life. He pulled me out with him. I wasn't sure if he was trying not to laugh or scowl as we walked to my door. He took the stack of files from me so I could open the door.
I was met with mild chaos. The TV was turned to cartoons and there were blankets all over the floor with Dawn nestled in the middle. Mia was running around like a chicken with her head cut off looking for something and Ranger was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, my apartment was clean. No clutter, no dust, oh, boy. Andy stopped and stared.
"What happened to your apartment?" He asked in shock.
"Mia." I answered simply and had him put the files on the table.
"Heya, Steph. I almost gave up on you!" Mia Brookline stopped in front of me. Who would have thought that the hardened detective was also a domestic diva? It was surreal.
I forced a smile. "Hey, you've been busy."
"Oh, that. I was just tidying up a little when I got home. I felt like I needed to do something for you after all that you've done for me." She smiled and trotted off to do some magic somewhere else. I looked down at Dawn, who wiggled her fingers up at me then my eyes turned to Andy. He was standing in the dining room talking to someone. Hmm…either he is losing it or he found Batman's hideout.
I walked into the kitchen to find it spotless too. Jeesh. Rex was exploring his newly cleaned cage with enthusiasm that I hadn't seen in him for a while. Ranger was sitting on the freshly mopped floor with the cage next to him and his laptop running on his bent leg. I almost giggled with the thought of Ranger hiding from Brookline. He glared up at the two of us and Mia walked back down the hallway, telling me that she needed our clothes so she could run down to the basement and do laundry.
"There's a laundry room in the basement?" I whispered to Andy and Ranger. They both shrugged and Mia started calling for us again.
"Quick! Duck!" Andy fell silently down again one of the lower cabinets and I ducked down to rest between the two of them. It wasn't so bad really. Cozy and quiet. Just as the thought of food crossed my mind, my stomach growled.
"Ugh. Food." I dropped my head back and Andy snickered at me. I whacked him. "You're hungry, too. Admit it."
"Fridge, babe." Ranger said to my left, not raising his eyes from whatever he was typing. I crawled to the fridge and silently pulled out the still warm Mexican food. Andy grabbed three forks and Ranger shut the computer and set it on the floor, in front of Rex's tank. We ate and discussed the case.
With our combined knowledge, we knew that the victim was Raul Peters. He was from the Stark Street area. It was another case of generational poverty. He had the typical rap sheet and didn't have much of a history of legal employment. He had died sometime around noon and he had been placed at the scene when Andy was out of the office.
"So he was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" I asked and Ranger confirmed. He had been thinking the same thing.
"All this to send me a message." Andy said in a sick to his stomach type way.
"Look, man, you can't be alone right now. We can't take the chance."
"I can't sleep on your couch. You have a full house." Andy pointed out to Ranger's warning.
"What's Marcus doing?" I asked.
"I'm not going to drag him into this. This city is too dangerous."
"Exactly." I grinned. He looked at me in confusion. Ranger caught on a lot faster.
"Maybe you should get out of town for a while."
"Right, I should go on vacation while someone is killing homeless people. How about the Bahamas? Oh, or I could use Mommy and Daddy's house in the Hampton's! How does that sound?" Sarcasm was dripping off his chin, I swear it.
"How about Staten Island?" I suggested.
"Oh, come on, Steph. No way! I'm not putting the Wrights in danger like that."
"Didn't you say that Marcus's dad was a cop?"
"So?"
"You are putting Marcus in danger by leaving him in the city." Ranger inserted reason into our soon to be all-out squabble.
"Damn, I hate when you do that." He looked at us.
"So, you're going?"
"I'll call Marcus and see if he is up to going home tonight. It's about an hour long drive."
"Wise choice."
"Don't push it, Leia."