Thread: We Were Meant to be Broken [El & Juno]

These were the terms of his reinstatement as a homicide detective. First, Gabriel wouldn't officially be on any cases. He would just be his partner's shadow. The captain had pushed through the paper work so that Gabriel was paired with Thomas. That was, at least, a small blessing. He wouldn't know how to act around a rookie who asked him too many fucking questions. Asking him if he was a greenhorn too. Christ. Gabriel might have ended up punching the poor sob out. Second, he had to meet with the department's shrink. Some chick named Maria Haggleton. It was the way the captain could have an official report on Gabriel's recovery from the slippery slope of alcoholism. Finally, Gabriel had to give his word that he would continue going to the AA meetings they held downtown every week or so. It wasn't an official requirement but it was something his captain glared him into. He just didn't want to see someone like Gabriel throwing away a promising, long career because of the bottle. And he sure as hell didn't want to start now. Thus, after two months of trying to get his life back together, Gabriel found himself in the cool basement of the city morgue watching the coroner observe the pale cadaver on his table. Wait, doc... I thought they called this in for Traffic. Why the hell is Homicide a part of this now? Thomas' voice was kind of fuzzy and in the background. Gabriel was too immersed in studying how bruised and puffy the guy looked and the unnatural turn of his neck. It had been a fucking brutal hit-and-run by the looks of it. The coroner - Dr. Greene - offered an unamused smile. Well, yes, so did we all. Assumption makes fools of us, Detective Anderson. However, that's why we have protocol. We won't miss something like this. The elderly man pulled down the white sheet and Gabriel watched his his gloved hand point toward the dead man's abdomen. It was hard to see because of all the external trauma. However, as I'm sure you can see, detective... there are several jagged puncture wounds on the victims body. He was stabbed? Gabriel asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he let his fingers run over the stiff wounds. Yes... I assumed that the extensive injuries from the impact of the car had been the COD. However, he was already dying when he was hit, detectives. Gabriel turned to look at Thomas. Did they recover any kind of weapon from the scene? He frowned and shook his head. No, not that I know of, Thomas said. They were pretty sure it was an open and closed case considering they caught the hit-and-run guy. Fuck, we should call and tell them not to clear up the scene yet. Thanks, Doc. Dr. Greene waved them out a bit unenthusastically while Gabriel and Thoms hurried out of the morgue. ---- Alright, so the slimey bastard is in room one and the happy widow is in room two. Who do you want to hit first? Gabriel asked, his eyes watching the Arnold Young fidget a little bit in the uncomfortable chair. He had said he was a family friend. Yeah, right. If fucking your friend's wife was what it meant to be a family friend, then shit... And the wife was looking kind of dirty too. Gabriel and Thomas had asked around at the victim's last known place before he died. It was at a bar called Rocket's. Apparently the victim liked to get smashed often and when he got too friendly with the bottle, his wife ended up with fresh new bruises. Gabriel sympathized. Perhaps it was only natural to find comfort in a kinder man... and then fuck his brains out. Of course, besides her natural hate for her husband wasn't as incriminating as the recent purchase of life insurance on the victim. Should he succumb to an untimely death, the beneficiary, Mrs. Carter, would get 100,000. A pretty tidy sum. However, Gabriel was pretty sure she hadn't worked alone. Arnold was in it somehow... They were probably going to split the money. Or maybe Arnold was just using her for the money. His business was tanking anyway. Maybe he was secretly planning on offing her next... Er, well... It was the hesitation in Thomas' voice that pulled Gabriel out of his thoughts. What is it? he asked with a frown, expecting the worse. The cap wants you to sit out on interviews for now, Thomas said, looking uncomfortable. ...Alright. So, who's going to be your partner then? Well, the department decided to send in someone. His name is Brady... Brady Fitzgerald, I think. The captain recommended him. Apparently he's a genius and good at interrogation. So... the captain thinks I could learn a few tricks? Gabriel asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. I don't know, Thomas said helplessly. Anyway, I better get going. Yeah, sure. I'll be watching out here... Gabriel knew it wasn't fair to blame Thomas. It wasn't his fault. However, he still couldn't help the flame of anger jumping in his chest when he watched him walk away.