Let Us Give
Thanks Part Two
By Gator_xx
A cold winter wind whipped around the abandoned swingset and the sky darkly threatened sleet as the detectives waited in front of the modest white house. A white Cavalier came to a screeching halt outside and out jumped a distraught detective Paul Falsone. Lewis jumped out of the car and ran to catch up with the smaller man, "Falsone, wait up". Mike and Terri grabbed Falsone on either side. "Paul, don't! You shouldn't be seeing this. Wait inside with Janine.", Terri told him as she struggled to hold him back. Giving a cry like a wounded animal, Paul shook off both Terri and Mike and ran like a crazed man for the M.E. preparing to crawl under the house for the body.
He shoved the M.E. out of his way with brute strength borne of desparation and lunged under the house. Wails like those of the damned came out from under the house as Falsone was confronted with the sight of his beloved son's small, still body. Still wailing Falsone emerged from under the house holding his son's body, wrapped in the black vinyl coat Paul wore. "Muh son, muh son" the bereaved detective wailed. All the detectives looked at the ground, deeply saddened and touched by Paul's anguish. No one thought to tell Paul he was contaminating the crime scene. He laid the boy's body on the seat of the Cavalier, caressing his face and wailing.
At that moment Janine came out of the front door and yelled at Falsone, "This is your fault, you scumbag! If you weren't so damn interested in being a macho-man cop then I would still have my son! I know one of the sleazes you put in jail did this!" and with that she ripped the boy from his fathers arms and took him into the house. Meldrick took Paul into his arms and bear hugged him, "Don't do it man. She ain't worth going to jail fo'". Falsone collapsed in a weeping bundle into the bigger mans arms and Lewis held him tightly. "Lets go, man. Let Mike and Terri do their job and find out who did this." With that Lewis steered Falsone to the Cavalier and back to 1701 Thames Street.
With tears in her eyes, Terri turned back to the house to interview Janine, Paul's ex and her new husband Randy Dodson.
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In a room , a quiet room that seemed almost anonymous Tim Bayliss sat contemplating the remains of his institutional turkey dinner. Turkey like cardboard and mashed potatoes like paste, served cold with a plastic spork. Too dangerous to let someone like him have something as dangerous as a real fork. Heaven knows what he would do with that. Tim was silent as usual. He was aware of everything around him but he didn't feel he had any reason for contact with anyone. Not even his mother, who had come that morning for a visit and degenerated into her usual teary state, begging him to say something, anything. Nothing really mattered anymore to him and he continued staring into the gloom....
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At dusk Barnfather had to fight his way thru the ravenous pack of reporters on the steps of the station. He stormed into the Homicide unit like a man on fire and into Gees office. "Dammit Al, what is the status of the Falsone murder. The vultures of the press are stirring up all kinds of hysteria about a child killer on the loose. I am takin' heat from the higher ups about this. Solve it NOW! I don't care what trees you have to shake and who you have to call in to do this."
Gee sat behind his desk, ever the same. He asked Barnfather, "How exactly am I supposed to do this if I only have 3 detectives? Falsone is out of his mind with grief and too close to the case to help out and that only leaves 3. How am I supposed to run a unit with so few?"
"I don't care if you have to dig up Crosetti with your bare hands! Call in the old timers, do what you have to do to close this case, the press is killing me." Barnfather bellowed as he leaned forward into Gees face to make his point. As he stormed from the office, Gee pulled out his Rolodex , picked up the phone and............
Part Three of "Let Us Give Thanks"