Ed seemed startled when Pete came out of the Captain's office. Not that he should have been; Ed knew that Pete was sitting in on the meetings with the other officers. Maybe it was the fact that Pete was obviously not staying that unsettled him. Ed had been gearing himself for a confrontation with Pete. Wells' felt uneasy when Pete flashed him a grin and nodded.
"You can go in now Ed. They're waiting for you." Malloy was, in Wells' opinion, in too much of a jolly mood. Pete had to know what Ed had said to the Captain that morning, so why was he grinning? Ed's plan had been to try and have the meeting centered on Pete's threat and the incident at Malloy's apartment and less on what happened the other night. In his mind, Pete was the problem.
Ed marched into the office, intent on making them see it his way. At the Captain's direction, Ed took a seat directly in front of the desk. It was where Pete sat earlier. He instantly started in on his version of the facts. It was Pete's threatening him that was behind the later trouble with Eli. As Ed told it, he was distracted by the prospect of being removed as a training officer. That so upset him that he agreed to Fraser's suggestion that they not handcuff the kid. It was a mistake; one caused by Pete. Surely they could understand.
The Captain had let Ed have his say without interruption. To his credit, Capt. Moore kept a straight face throughout the telling. Behind Ed, Mac made no attempt to hide his shock. Did Ed really believe this? If so, he really should be fired. For the moment, Mac kept his silence. This was the Captain's issue to deal with. However, MacDonald was certain that the Captain wasn't buying any of this.
"Do you mean to tell me that what Pete said caused your bad judgement and carelessness?" If Ed knew anything about the Captain, he would know that Moore expected his officers to take responsibility for their own actions.
"Yes Sir. It isn't the first time he's stabbed me in the back. I'm a great training officer." Ed pushed right on, almost as if he didn't hear the words "bad Judgement" and "carelessness". He had to fix the blame on Pete and Fraser. "Malloy lords his position over everyone. He abuses his power. Fraser is terrified of him and he's not the only one." Mac moved to respond to that, but stopped when Moore shook his head.
"If a probationer isn't afraid of Malloy, then Pete isn't doing his job properly. I'll be sure to congratulate him on his thoroughness. Now, stop trying to blame everyone but yourself. Let's start with your practice of keeping your weapon unsecured."
"Did Malloy tell you that? I forgot to buckle my gun in, once. It's not a crime."
The rest of the meeting went along on a similar vein; everything was someone else's fault. "Fraser should have been watching the kid." "Pete started the argument in the hall." When confronted with the statements of the officers who were held at gunpoint, Ed said they lied because those officers were afraid to contradict Pete. He argued that same thing applied to the women who spoke to Miller that morning.
After an hour of this, the Captain stopped the meeting with Saint Ed. He had hoped that at some point Ed would realize that he couldn't lie his way out of this trouble. Moore had been a police officer long enough to understand that mistakes, even ones caused by a failure to meet the department's standards, did happen. Anyone can make a mistake; it was what they did after that mattered.
Ed was sent home with strict instructions to not discuss what was said at this meeting with anyone. He was also forbidden to repeat the claims he falsely made against Malloy; especially the accusations he lodged that morning about the confrontation at Pete's apartment complex. Neither Moore nor MacDonald believed Ed when he agreed to keep quiet.
When Pete left the office, his first stop was the breakroom. He was going to need a lot of caffeine to get through the day. Even on light duty, he had things that needed handling. The department was changing and some watch commander duties were being shifted onto the Senior Lead Officers. In addition to routine patrol, Pete was now responsible for coordinating meetings between patrol officers and community organizations. Any problems the patrol officers were having on the street were processed through him. He wondered how long it would be before the department pulled the SLO from routine patrol.
Reed was in the breakroom when Pete got there. The first question that came to mind was why? Jim, who wasn't scheduled to work until midnight, was half asleep, His head resting on the desk, cushioned by his arms. Pete put a hand on his partner's shoulder, gently shaking it.
"Wake up. It's time to go home." Reed briefly looked up at Pete before shaking his head and laying it down again. His response that he was too tired to drive prompted Pete to offer him a ride home. Jim was arguing with Pete when Daley, one of the officers working the front desk came in looking for Pete. There was a man named Henderson in the lobby asking to speak to him. Malloy was making his way to the lobby when the suddenly awake Reed took up a position on Pete's right side
Mr. Henderson turned out to be a man in his late fifties, with graying hair and a nicely tailored pin-stripe suit. As Pete introduced himself, Jim moved a few feet away from the older officer. Unless Pete was mistaken, Jim was taking up a defensive position. Why? Mr. Henderson seemed perfectly harmless.
Pete didn't recognize the name until Mr. Henderson that he wanted to speak to Pete about his youngest daughter, Cindy. That name registered. Pete hadn't had time yet to call his insurance company, but he saw no reason to not talk to the man. At Mr. Henderson's request Pete took him to see the damage his daughter did to Pete's car. Once more, Jim took up a position on Pete's right.
"I'm sure you realize that I did not give Cindy permission to drive my car. She would hit a policeman's car, no offense." So far, Pete hadn't taken any. Mr. Henderson continued on.
"My daughter said that you were at fault. That you got in the way." Apparently Pete's facial response was enough to make Mr. Henderson to doubt his daughter's veracity.
"Cindy sometimes has a problem telling the truth when she gets into trouble." Pete thought Ed Wells and Cindy needed to meet.
While he explained to Cindy's father what had actually happened, Pete sent Jim for a copy of the accident report. For some reason, his partner hesitated before leaving Pete alone with Cindy's dad. Jim's behavior was beginning to give Pete the creeps.
"Cindy will work off this debt. Believe me, Officer Malloy; I've had it with her." Mr. Henderson had agreed to pay for Pete's deductible. "Maybe having to get a real job will teach her a lesson, I hope." Mr. Henderson shook Pete's hand before leaving.
As Pete walked back to the station, Jim kept pace on his right. They were halfway there, when Pete turned on Jim. "What the hell are you doing?" Jim was attempting to look innocent. "I already have a shadow, thanks. The sun provides it for me. Now, why aren't you home?"
With a jerk of his head, Jim indicated that Pete needed to look over his shoulder. The only thing in that direction was the car Pete had sold to Ed. From what Pete could see, the car was empty. Pete's right eyebrow rose in a question; what did Ed's car have to do with Jim acting like a faithful Saint Bernard? The implied question was left unanswered when Daley summoned Pete once again. This time it was for a phone call. Jim, who resumed his spot on the right, was sure he heard Pete growl.
Pete has been gradually setting up shop in a rarely used office that adjoined the Watch Commander's. It provided a bit of privacy and a phone. He grabbed a short stack of messages for him and went inside. Jim followed. "Sit down and close the door, Fido."
Over the next thirty minutes, Pete made arrangements for a K9 officer to speak to a cub pack, fielded a complaint about an officer and politely explained to a woman that the LAPD didn't have the resources to look for a lost dog. He was on the phone with his insurance company when he heard snoring. The office only had one chair, so Jim had taken a seat in a corner on the floor and fallen asleep. Sometimes police work could be so exciting.
Pete didn't mind the added duties, but at that moment he wanted to be down the hall listening to Ed's meeting with the Captain. He left Jim sleeping on the floor and went to see if he could find some reason for Jim to be disturbed by the presence of Ed's car. Pete knew the minute he saw the car's interior; it was filled with clothes and fast food wrappers; almost as if he was living in his car.
Pete was heading back into the station when Jim came running out the door. He intended to speak to Mac and Moore, asking them if they set Jim up as his body guard. If that was the case, he wouldn't be able to dissuade Jim's hovering. Why fight it? He was humming "Me and My Shadow" as he walked back into the station.
