Chapter 21

He could feel her soft skin against his belly. He waited to open his eyes, just enjoying the sensation. Finally, Bobby put his hand over hers and held it as he rolled to his back. In the quiet haze of morning, he lay in the dark, blinking and happy to have her hand in his.

She sighed and he let her arm slip away as she rolled over. Bobby glanced over at her sleeping form, a smile touching his lips. He took a long, slow breath, and got out of bed. Today was Sunday, and with any luck, he'd have time to work on his apartment and pay some bills before getting back on the job tomorrow.

His thoughts continued as he headed for the kitchen and started the coffee. He'd spoken to Ross a few days ago. Bobby had to admit, as harsh as he was, Ross seemed to be doing right by him. He'd told him to complete the FMLA paperwork, that even if the time off was sporadic, it would be covered by the law. Bobby hated the idea of more paperwork, but he supposed Alex was right. He needed to know he still had a job, even if he had to take off and help his mother through her treatments.

Bobby snooped in the kitchen until he found the ingredients for a decent omelet. He poured himself a cup of coffee and started cooking.

"I missed this, too," said Alex's sleepy voice as she padded in behind him.

Bobby grinned. "I thought we could have a nice breakfast before… before I…"

Alex nodded. She didn't want him to feel guilty so early in the morning. "You've been gone a full week," she said.

"I need to go home, take care of… of things."

She nodded and kissed his cheek before reaching for a coffee cup. Bobby was relieved. It wasn't a big deal. Alex understood.

"You still need to work on your coffee-brewing skills," she teased, and he grinned. They had an easy breakfast and shared a few laughs.

Bobby gave her a gentle kiss before he picked up his bag and went home.

The place was cleaner than he'd left it, and he knew Alex had been there. Bobby tossed his bag on the couch and wandered through the apartment. She'd brought in his mail, and the plant seemed healthy. He checked the fridge and saw she'd given it a cleaning, too. She'd even bought him a few groceries.

Bobby smiled. That was certainly going to make things easier, today. He poured himself a glass of juice and turned on his computer. He had to pay the bills before he got distracted by anything else.

Bobby went straight to Human Resources in the morning. He sat with a clipboard in the reception area, scrawling frantically with his left hand, trying to fill out the forms. He read and reread the directions. He would need some of them signed by his mother's doctors. He frowned and moved on to a new page.

He was thankful when his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and saw her name on the display. "Hey."

"We got a body in Soho. Meet you over there?"

"Sure," Bobby said, turning over one of the papers in the pile on the clipboard. He scratched the address on the blank back of one of the instruction papers. "I'll see you there," he said, and hung up the phone, replacing it in his pocket. He peeled the stack of papers off the clipboard, gave the empty board back to the receptionist, and hurried out the door.

They investigated the scene and found out the female victim was high society, one of the Harrington family. They also found out she was a bit of a black sheep in the family, that she didn't play by the old money rules.

Eames was filling in the Captain when Bobby caught up to them.

"Nice to have you back on the job, Detective, everything's…uh?"

"Thanks. Everything's good," Bobby replied quietly.

Ross nodded and headed for his office. Eames brought Bobby up to speed, as they followed the Captain.

"Zoe, that's the little girl," Ross said, "I'll bet she has an inheritance now, too. Who's her father?" he asked his detectives.

"Her birth certificate says 'unknown' and nobody's stepped forward," Bobby answered.

"Dinner at home… could be an old flame. When you're done with the florist's list, take another look at her phone records," the Captain said.

They brought in an ex-boyfriend, a writer. He sifted through a ridiculously stuffed calendar and announced, "Isabel and I haven't been romantic since Bastille Day."

"Now there's a holiday that's tough on relationships," Alex snarked. Bobby put his hand over his mouth, seemingly in thought. He was really hiding a smile.

"You keep a diary of all your relationships," Bobby commented, scratching his head.

"I'm a writer. I keep notes."

Bobby nodded and reached into the man's backpack. "You're recording us," he said, withdrawing a small digital recorder.

"You'd better start explaining this or you'll be working for the Riker's Daily News," Alex warned.

He finally started talking, and they got a lead on who another boyfriend might be. After some checking around, Alex found a park that Isabelle frequented with her baby daughter.

They changed clothes, prepared to pose as parents at the playground. "Nice jacket," Alex said, admiring how sharp he looked in his crisp white dress shirt with the maroon coat over it.

Bobby looked down and cleared his throat, grinning. "Ah, you know, I got it from an ex-girlfriend last Bastille Day…"

She chuckled and bumped his arm. Alex buttoned up her coat and they headed for the playground.

"Isabel brought Zoe here every day," the woman told them. "She's obsessed with motherhood: music lessons, French lessons, but now…"

"Ah, we're still in shock," Alex cried.

The jacket looked nice enough, but Goren was cold. He rubbed his hands together, trying to get the blood moving again.

"You were close?" the woman asked her.

"We worked together at Vogue," Alex said. "We kept in touch."

"Isabel always said that Soho was a nice place to raise kids," Bobby added. For emphasis, he shouted out to an imaginary child, "Max! Max, play nice!" Alex smacked her hand against her leg as if she was fed up with her child's behavior. "We're thinking of moving down here," Bobby said sincerely as the women tried to find the elusive Max.

"Yeah, Isabel said she heard about a great sublet from someone on the playground…"

With a little more info, the women pointed out the Sandbox Romeo, whose real name was Dylan. One of the ladies pointed him out. "He's right over there… by the… sandbox."

"Ladies, can you watch our kid for just one second?" Bobby asked, and again the women searched for Max while Bobby and Alex got to their feet and headed for Dylan.

At the mention of Isabel's name, he started to avoid them. When he realized they were NYPD, he ran. Bobby hopped over a hedge and ran ahead, blocking his way.

"Don't make us arrest you in front of your son," Alex warned him. Finally, they had him.

They waited until the child had someone to care for him, and then escorted Dylan to a waiting patrol car. Bobby's arms were folded across his chest again, and he shivered.

"You're cold," Alex told him.

"Yeah… there's a reason she's an ex," he said with a grin.

Alex grinned too, leading the way to the SUV. "Obviously. Anyone who gives a coat as a Bastille Day gift…" She started the engine right away and got the heat going for him. As she unzipped her own coat, which was filled with goose down, he rubbed his arms and looked out the window at the people passing on the sidewalk. "And Max? Really?"

Bobby shrugged with a smile. "Maximilian… it means 'the greatest.'"

"You thought of that while we were sitting there?"

He looked at her with true affection, but he didn't answer her question.

When they reached 1PP, Bobby changed back into his suit coat and replaced his tie.

"You ready?" Alex asked. "He phoned a lawyer. We don't have much time," she said.

"Yeah, just a… just a minute," Bobby muttered. He rooted quickly through his binder and studied a picture of little Zoe. "Okay, ready," he announced, and they entered the interrogation room.

Not five minutes in, Dylan said "I had to babysit my kids."

"Oh, I love when men say they have to babysit," Alex said. She stared Dylan down. "If they're your kids, it's not babysitting. It's called being a Dad."

"How many do you have?" Bobby asked.

"Two."

"Three, though, right?" Bobby asked again. "Counting Zoe, that's three?" The man seemed shocked. "You have the same ears, got the same brow," Bobby explained. "Look, we could do a blood test," Bobby offered, and finally the man started to talk, only to be stopped by the arrival of his lawyer.

It turned out his lawyer was also his wife, and she had no idea that he'd had an affair.

"Your husband is the father of Isabel's 18 month old child," Alex announced.

The lawyer dropped her role as a lawyer immediately. She was honest with them, and Dylan had no alibi. "I'm going to go pick up our son from social services," the woman said. "And get yourself a new attorney. Two: criminal, and divorce," she growled at him.

He got to his feet and would have followed her out, but he was stopped by a snap and Bobby's pointing finger.