Levon eyed his partner with suspicion. Something was going on with Joe, he was pretty sure about it. For the last three weeks Joe had stopped joining him at Chicken´s in the evenings. Perhaps the main reason was Joe´s chronic lack of financial resources. But as that had not kept Joe from any such thing before, Levon doubted it. No more games of pool, no late night talks. Perhaps there was a woman behind the changed habits. But Joe said nothing about a new love in his life and his subdued mood also spoke against it.

But what was worse was the fact that Joe was beginning to show a considerable lack of concentration and necessary focus on the job. He was never ready for work when Levon came to pick him up in the mornings. He always was tired and just trailed along when they went on work related errands and on top of that he was becoming extremely monosyllabic. Whenever they went somewhere in the Jimmy Joe would nod off as soon as Levon turned the key in the ignition. Joe was also beginning to look drawn and Joanne took Levon aside to enquire about his partner´s state. But Levon had to admit that he had no clue.

ADADADADADADADADAD

Joe tried to develop a certain strategy to survive the long nights and to minimize the acute lack of sleep. He usually would sleep between the rounds he had to do on the hour. This compensated for some missed sleep but due to the numerous interruptions it was never enough. He was well aware that he was neglecting his duties as far as the video observation was concerned. But as long as nothing unexpected happened he was confident that he would be able to cover up his own negligence. The money the job brought in proved to be the lifeline he needed to hold onto to keep him from going under financially.

But then Joe was also neglecting his duties as a cop. He was endangering his own and his partner´s life, though not on purpose. He just wasn´t able to keep up the necessary level of alertness. It was for a good reason that the detectives were always supposed to work in pairs. Normally one would compensate for the other. But even a good team would get unbalanced if one partner constantly worked far below his potential. Though Joe was faintly aware of the impending danger, he halfheartedly pushed aside any thought of the possible consequences his own behavior might have. After all, this was only meant to be for a limited time.

ADADADADADADADADAD

Well over one and a half months passed and finally Levon thought that it was high time for some straight talking, before things got seriously out of hand. Then one day the opportunity to spy on Joe presented itself.

One Friday morning Levon as usually wanted to pick Joe up at his apartment. The person that answered the door bell was not the customary apologetic late riser. Joe was still in boxers and T-shirt, tousled hair, his face haggard and pale with dark rings under his half closed eyes. His hand was pressed against his stomach.

Levon looked at the picture before him in concern. "Yah ok, LaFiamma?"

"Not really," Joe rubbed his eyes. "I tried to call you but you were probably already gone." This was a blatant lie. Joe´s phone had been cut off well over two weeks now due to the outstanding invoices. But he had taken great pains to hide the fact. "I don´t think I can come into work today. I have a terrible stomach ache."

"Mmh," Levon gave his partner a once over. "You really don´t look so well. Ok, I guess you better stay at home then." As he turned to leave, Levon looked back over his shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

Joe held on to the doorframe and looked very pale. "No, thanks Lundy. Just tell the Lieutenant that I´m sorry I can´t make it," he said meekly.

ADADADADADADADADAD

"Do you think that Joe is really sick?" their superior Lieutenant Joanne Beaumont asked inquisitively. She knew that Levon would cover for his partner in case Joe was feigning sickness.

"Yeah, he really is sick, I´m absolutely sure. I´m actually surprised this didn´t happen earlier, the way the boy has been going about in the past weeks."

"What do you think is behind this? There is something up, isn´t there?" Joanne looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, but I have to admit that I don´t have a clue. Well, I guess it´s about time to get to the bottom of things."

The day passed with the usual routine of paperwork. Then, close to the end of his shift Levon had to accompany Esteban for an interview. They got diverted to another crime scene and when they were through with the usual routine it was close to 10 p.m.

Levon´s thoughts wandered to his partner. Before signing out from the station he tried to call Joe, only to learn that his phone was disconnected. How long had it been out of service? The fact that the phone was not working also meant that Joe had lied about phoning him this morning, and that he was unable to call for help in the case of an emergency. Now Levon was acutely alarmed. Without further ado he decided to pay his partner another visit.

ADADADADADADADADAD

A strange hunch made Levon park his car some way down Joe´s street. For a short moment he just sat there trying to figure out how to confront Joe so that the boy wouldn´t clam up right away. Just when Levon was about to open his car door he held back. A cab pulled up in front of Joe´s apartment building and seconds later Joe emerged from the building and got on the cab. Without giving it a second thought, Levon started his car and followed the cab at a safe distance. The ride ended in front of a warehouse in the harbor. Joe got out of the cab and paid the driver. Then he disappeared inside the building. Levon decided to wait and see what would happen.

An hour passed. Then Joe emerged from the building. He was wearing a jacket that looked like the uniform of a security guard. Under the jacket he seemed to be wearing a gun and a walkie-talkie. Joe disappeared behind the building and after a while he reappeared on the other side, then went inside again.

Levon was unsure what to do but then decided to just stay and watch.

Another hour passed and Joe went through exactly the same routine as before. When yet another hour had passed and the same thing happened again, Levon had grasped the significance. Joe had a second job here. He was obviously moonlighting as night watchman. Levon mentally shook his head. What did the boy think? There was no way he could do his duty as a detective on the police force during daytime and spend the night hours on another job. It was really no wonder that Joe was in such a poor state and had been for quite a while now.

The night dragged on and Levon was still pondering his options. Then out of the blue a car pulled up on the far side of the adjourning building, way out of view of the video surveillance system. Two guys with masks got out, quickly disappearing behind the building. Some time passed and Joe exited the warehouse for his next round. When he disappeared behind the building, Levon got out of the Jimmy, and drawing his gun he quietly followed his partner. Levon was about to submerge into the shadow between the two warehouses, when he heard a muffled cry and a thud. Shit, he had been too slow. The guys must have taken Joe down. Levon held his breath and pressed into the shadow.

The two perpetrators immerged again and headed for the warehouse entrance. Using a ring of keys one of them opened the door and they both quietly slipped inside. The keys were probably those Joe had been carrying.

Levon speeded back to the Jimmy, reaching for the microphone. "92-14. I´m at the site of a break in on the harbor premises. Officer down. We need backup and an ambulance." Then he hurried to the warehouse entrance, soundlessly opening the door and slipping inside. He perceived a motion in one of the store rooms to his right and quickly moved towards it. He stepped into the doorway unnoticed, his gun drawn and its security off.

The two perps were rummaging through the storeroom, oblivious of his presence. One of them ripped open a wooden crate, reached inside and with a cry of triumph held up a machine gun.

"Now just turn around real nice and slow, boys, and keep your hands up." The guy with the machine gun turned around and his jaw dropped. The other guy looked none too pleased as he swirled around towards the unknown voice. Seeing Levon with his revolver pointing directly at them they both dropped the weapons and raised their hands. Levon unhooked the hand cuffs from his belt and first tied one, then the other guy to a heavy metal desk.

Then he turned and rapidly headed out again in search of Joe. He took the route the two perps had taken and at the backside of the warehouse came upon his partner. Joe was lying on the ground, face down, arms spread wide. Cautiously he turned Joe onto his back. The younger man moaned and stirred. There was a streak of blood on the right side of his face.

Levon felt for a pulse. Joe´s heartbeat was strong and regular. Joe´s eyes flew open and with a groan of pain squinted them shut again. "Levon?" He reopened his eyes, recognition prevailing, but then bewilderment taking over. "Where, why…?" He struggled to sit up.

Levon gently pushed him down. "Easy, boy, easy."

In the distance the sirens of the backup team and the ambulance wailed through the night.

ADADADADADADADADAD

"And why were you both there? I thought Joe was at home because he had called in sick this morning?" The expression on Joanne´s face was one of total disbelief. They were in the waiting room of the ER at Mercy General, the usual hospital for any injured officer to be taken.

"Well, it´s kind of hard to explain." Levon pinched the bridge of his nose. "You remember that we talked about Joe and that something was wrong with him?"

"You mean he is in cahoots with these guys?" Joanne sucked in the air.

"No, no, of course not." Levon just did not know how to explain this without getting Joe into more trouble than he was already in. But there was just no use. He had to tell Joanne the truth. "As I see it Joe has been working here as a night watchman for some time already. And now that gang busted the place he was working at."

Joanne looked at him in total disbelief. "What? Are you kidding me?"

"No. I think you better ask Joe about this yourself."

She thought for a moment. "Didn´t you say that they tried to rob illegal weapons that were stored at that warehouse?"

Levon shrugged. "Looks like it."

"You mean Joe was onto something and got that job because he wanted to check the place out? Why didn´t you tell me?"

The possibility sounded tempting but Levon did not want to fool his boss and former partner. "I think it was just a coincident that Joe got a job at that place."

She looked stern. "Ok. So you didn´t know about it?"

"No."

"Then why were you there?"

"I spied on Joe, because I suspected something was going on."

"But why did he work there?" Her face was one big question.

"I guess he needed the money," Levon conceded.

Joanne´s jaw dropped. "Oh, I see."