Chapter 25

The next case they picked up had to do with the murder of a judge. The State Senator, Maureen Pagolis was very close to it all, and her husband turned out to be their chief suspect.

In spite of a warning from Captain Ross to keep her personal feelings from clouding her judgment, Eames was having a hard time. She had admired and respected Maureen Pagolis since her academy days, when the woman was a rising star on the political scene. She was a keynote at Eames' graduation from the academy.

Eames was professional throughout it all, but Bobby caught the little looks, the droop of her shoulders, the closing of her fists when she didn't like the direction their investigation took them. Over the last week, Alex had pulled away from him. He hadn't stayed over since his last visit to his mother. He hadn't had a non-working dinner with her in three days.

Now, they had a pile of evidence pointing to Pagolis' husband, George. And they'd found out Maureen had been recording the man's conversations whenever possible. Ross had laid it out simply. If the only place she recorded him was in their home, fine; otherwise, she'd broken the law.

Tonight, Bobby and Alex found themselves at a swanky bar, hoping to talk to the coat check girl. Bobby ordered a Glenlivet, and then looked at Alex. Again, he saw the distance she was placing between them. As her phone rang and she snatched it up to answer, he asked the bartender to wait and then wondered if their little romance was at an end.

"Vodka martini double, easy on the vermouth," Alex said, and the bartender hurried away. "That was the Captain. He threatened to go public and she caved on the tapes." She sneered a little. "You happy now?"

Bobby closed his eyes and sighed. Sometimes Alex was all claw. "I want Pagolis to go down, but not if he didn't do it."

"Either way, she'll go down now. You know this will leak out. Her career's ruined."

"Well, then she shouldn't have bugged him," Bobby said, and added simply, "She should have left him." Alex looked away then, and Bobby felt the icy breeze between them. He was keeping it together, but he felt something was coming unraveled in his chest. "Are we all right?" He asked quietly, and braced himself for her answer.

Alex gave him eye contact, at least. She smiled sadly, nodded, and answered, "I hope so."

He nodded once, feeling the relief. He didn't think he could take it if he lost her now.

The coat check girl arrived, and they questioned her. This led them to the driver, who easily confessed to the murder.

Eames was still concerned for Maureen. She lamented that her husband was going to skate. Ross reminded her that they couldn't assume she had nothing to do with it and ordered them to go talk to the Senator, to find out more.

She told them about listening to her husband's affair, how it hurt but she couldn't stop herself. Bobby prodded, holding the bugged pen in the air, the one that had passed from George to the driver.

"That pen, I gave that to my husband," she said.

"And he gave it to Dave-O, who had it with him all the time."

The senator gaped. She realized her mistake.

"Even while hiring the sniper… while watching the rehearsal with the sniper… while telling the sniper to kill the guy in gray." She started to cry, and he kept talking. "You heard him, didn't you? You heard Dave-O arranging to kill your husband, didn't you?"

"Yes. On the tapes. I heard that."

In that moment, the pedestal Alex had placed Pagolis on came down with a crash.

She admitted that she decided to let the father of her children just die. When she saw that they'd traded coats, she was immobilized by fear, by trying how to keep her hands clean.

Alex offered to go with her while she dressed, but the woman's strength returned. "I'm fine, it's okay," Pagolis said.

Alex felt her own emotions bubbling over as she watched her walk up the stairs. Bobby was still there, she knew. He wasn't standing by with a quick "I told you so," or a smug grin. He was simply standing by her, giving her space to gather her own strength. He wouldn't arrest Pagolis, either. He would let Alex do that.

Bobby sent her flowers. Sometimes, Alex just needed to be a woman, and not a cop. He didn't impose on her, he only sent the flowers and then went to his neighborhood bar for a drink with Logan.

"Bobby, how's it going?"

"Okay, thanks."

"I, uh, I heard about your mother. I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do-"

"You can't."

Logan nodded, and the men ordered their drinks. "How's Eames?"

"Fine," Bobby said honestly, with a nod. "It's almost like it never happened."

"Good."

"How's Wheeler?"

"She's… she's pretty good, even if she does look just this side of fifteen."

Bobby grinned. "They don't ask people to Major Case for nothing," he said.

Mike smiled, too, and remembered how he'd suddenly been asked to transfer in. Somehow he knew Goren and Eames had something to do with it.

"Uh… hi." Bobby pressed his fingers into his closed eyes as he waited to her hear voice. It had been a week since they tried to spend any time on their relationship, on each other. After his rough day with his mother, he needed her.

"Hi."

The silence was long. Bobby, the one who'd made the call, broke it. "Uh, I thought maybe we could… maybe I should talk."

"Something's happened." Alex said. "Is it your Mom?"

He nodded, not that she would know that. "She, uh… we had to shave her head. Her hair, uh… her hair, it was f-f-falling out, and it w-was…"

"Oh, Bobby, I'm sorry… How did she take it?"

"She… she cried. She's had long hair all her life, Alex. She… I tried to save her braid, but she threw it in the trash. She didn't want it."

"Where are you, Bobby? You could come over."

"I'm… I'm at Carmel Ridge." He wouldn't be coming over.

"Did you get her a wig?"

"The-the-the nurses… they told me to… t-tomorrow. I- they put a, uhm… handkerchief, you know…"

Alex closed her eyes and frowned. She wanted to put her arms around him. "Bobby?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the need to punch something. Goren's face turned red and he balled up his free hand into a fist.

A silence fell over them, and Alex finally reached out to break it. "I wish I was with you, Bobby. At least I could… show you how I feel."

"It's… it's… yeah. Me too."

"Are you all right?"

He fidgeted. He was feeling worse than he had in weeks. "Life is pain, right?" he said quietly, then cleared his throat. "Look, yeah, forget it, I'm okay. I'm okay, Alex."

"Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure."