In Hot Pursuit (Nydanna & MST3K 4ever)

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia]Was he flirting with her? Cynthia was certain that she was simply being idiotic, that there was no way in the world West was flirting, but then again, she wasn't exactly an expert on it. It was amusing that she had degree in psychology and still couldn't quite figure out social behavior when it came to her personally. Now that Kevin was mentioning her nickname, she wasn't entirely sure she would mind it if it came from him, which was certainly strange given the fact that she couldn't stand being called anything but Cynthia by anyone. She immediately blamed it on the idea that she was starting to open herself up, at least a little bit, to the idea that the two of them were stuck together and there was no longer a point in trying to fight it. Shaking her head, Cynthia settled back in her seat, shooting Kevin a wicked smirk in the process. "Good thing, or else I might have to implement a no talking rule." That was impossible and she knew it, but Kevin probably would have believed anything about her at this point.

For once, Cynthia agreed to every with every word that Kevin said without a counter argument. Their suspect was no longer trying to get her and West's attention; he already had it. Any personal connection to either of them was now completely circumstantial. There were going to be more bodies, who knew how many more by the time they finally caught the killer, and there was no real way she or West could determine who could possibly be next on the killer's list. That part was disheartening in particular. Cynthia had never come across a suspect who kept her guessing the way this one was, and she certainly didn't like the idea that she couldn't even guess where he might strike next. She would have to deal with it when the time came, but for now her focus needed to be on finding out as much information about Rollands as she could, apart from her earlier run ins with the man.
The direct eye contact and Kevin's solemn vow made her fidget a bit in her seat, her eyes glancing away to catch sight of the same thing that Kevin soon pointed out to her. Their captain looked uncomfortable with his tie, and even more out of place than she or Kevin did. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to worry about it much since it would only be the three of them.

Holsted was dropped off at the door, the hostess quickly making her way back toward the front room of the restaurant. The man huffed his way to the table, dropping down into the seat beside Kevin and across from Cynthia. "Well, you got me here. God knows why I'm here. Couldn't you have arranged for a meeting somewhere else. A bar perhaps?"

Cynthia smirked, but kept silent. She didn't think the captain was an alcoholic, but every cop on the job made a habit of a drink or two one more than a few occasions. It came with the job, and it was mostly the only way to deal with their line of work without completely losing their minds. With this case, Cynthia knew she was dangerously close to stepping over the line of drinking to take the edge off and drinking just to get her mind off everything completely. The fact that she needed a glass of wine nearly every night to put herself to sleep was troubling, and knowing that she was nowhere near the edge of the case made it worse. "Because, I need you clear headed when I break the bombshell. Once you hear what I have to tell you, you can drink as much as you want. Hell, I might even join you."

They were interrupted when Mike entered the room, Cynthia nearly cringing as the man rushed over, pulled her up to her feet in order to pull her into a tight hug. "Cindy! Look at you! You haven't been here for months. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us." The man belted out in a booming voice, not at all bothering to keep quiet. Mike was on the chubby side, not exactly fat, but it was obvious he enjoyed a beer or six regularly. Although only in his early forties, he was already sporting a head full of greying hair, and some serious crow's feet around his eyes. Cynthia always thought the man looked like an aging sports caster than a cop, but she supposed that was because of the circumstances surrounding his retirement. The fact that he was a huge flirt was part of the reason that she tried not to get too personal with the man, but Mike certainly didn't share the opinion. He'd attempted to flirt with Cynthia each time she came to the restaurant, and a few times he'd asked her out, jokingly in her opinion. No matter how many times she turned him down though, the man still persisted in trying whenever he saw her.

When he finally released her, Cynthia sucked in a lung full of air and returned to her seat, regarding the man with a pained smile. "Mike. How are you? I'm hoping Jimmy filled you in on why we're here?"

He snickered, passing a menu to Kevin and attempting to give one to Holsted who waved it off with the shake of his head. "Yeah, he told me. No eyes or ear near the door. I'll keep an eye out for you. Got eyes on the parking lot too. Any vehicles you know of I should watch out for?"

"A black Audi A six. License plate two r n eight seven five. White male, approximately one hundred and seventy five pounds, six foot, blonde hair, and green eyes." Cynthia barely batted an eye as she blurted out the details, but Mike was used to her matter-of-fact behavior. He nodded his head, smirking at her. "Sounds like a real dream boat. Sure you don't want me to send him in?"
Rolling her eyes, Cynthia waved the man off, waiting for his chuckles to fade away completely before speaking to Holsted again. "Our good friend Rollands is looking good for our murders. I didn't want to brief you at the station in case there were eyes and ears listening in. West and I are going for an 'off the books' sort of approach to the situation." She waited for the inevitable response, what she got was the captain climbing to his feet and walking toward the door, muttering his explanation. "I'm getting a drink. I'm not listening to another word without a Scotch."

Left alone with Kevin, Cynthia brightened up a bit, smirking over at her partner. "Well, that went about as I expected. Question is, are you going to break the news to him that we're interviewing Haas, or am I? Either way, he's not going to like it. That case was particularly touchy for him. He was friends with one of the victims' father. Rode my ass the whole case to make sure I got the right person. I thought he was going to jump up on the bench and beat the hell out of the judge when he ruled it a mistrial. He's not going to be happy finding out we have to go opening up that mess again."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

The, what could possibly be seen a, flirting between Cynthia and Kevin made Kevin feel a bit off balance, but it wasn't something that was upsetting to him. He was actually enjoying it because Cynthia was showing a bit of her humanity and not being Robocop's sister. Not to mention Kevin had to admit she did have a killer smirk.

Holsted showing up when he did was the Universe's way of telling Kevin that it was time to get back to down to business, but that it was okay to enjoy working with Cynthia. Then the waiter Mike looked familiar to Kevin he couldn't quite place him, but maybe it was the way he carried himself that automatically made Kevin think "cop." He had a personality that certainly fit being a waiter, and when Kevin tried to introduce himself Mike was already gone. Okay then nice meeting you too. Bright side cracks about being thrown into the Shark Tank. If one more person makes a crack about Cynthia in that sense, I might have to do another Jordan shot.

Kevin's mind was quickly called back to reality when Cynthia told Holsted about Rollands. The Captain looked like he was looking at his kids for being out past curfew, and was trying to watch his language. After he left and Cynthia said her piece Kevin looked over at her and said with smirk, "True, if it was Webb he would've ordered the entire bottle and shot gunned it before we could've said anything else. Only then might he have listened to us, but this part is gonna be…" the tone of his voice shifted a bit to a bit more serious as he saw Holsted gathering his drink "difficult be there no doubt." Kevin steadied himself a bit and said, "I'll break the news to him about Haas. You broke the news to him about Rollands, and we're partners we share these kinds of responsibilities equally." Looking back to Cynthia Kevin said with another smirk, "Besides, dad likes you better anyway no need in messing that up. He sees me as a pain in the ass time for me to live up to my reputation." Kevin noticed that the playful smirks with Cynthia were becoming more natural. He added, "Oh if I ever sip and call you Cindy…" he rolled his eyes and said, "Some call me Westie and that gets under my skin." Kevin though for some reason didn't think he would mind if Cynthia called him "Westie" …well probably.

Holsted sat back down and took a swig out of his scotch. Looking at Cynthia and Kevin each for a second, and then he focused in on Kevin. Holsted asked, "You got something else to add to this don't you West?"

West nodded and said, "I'm not being sarcastic, but…" he looked at the scotch and said, "You might need another one of those right now."

Holsted was now looking at West with laser like intensity, "Get to the point..."and with a great deal of venom in his voice said, "Detective."

Kevin adjusted his glasses and for a moment he thought about passing this off to Cynthia. She might've understood and not blamed Kevin for this. However, Kevin's father taught him that when you start something you damn well better have the convictions of your beliefs to finish it. Kevin nodded and had his nerve worked up to a razor line focus. If Holsted was going to go bat-shit crazy Kevin was going to match him on it. Kevin replied, "George Haas Captain. We're going to be investigating him as well concerning his potential connection to Rollands and Cynthia."

Holsted knocked back his drink just as Mike approached the table. Mike started to say something and Holsted dropped a twenty in front of Mike without breaking his glare at Kevin. Holsted said, "Bring me a double now and keep the change." Once Mike left Holsted said to Kevin, "Explain."

Kevin told him what he and Cynthia had determined concerning the potential connection to Haas, Rollands, and Cynthia. Holsted was now in the loop all the way and for a man who had just learned things that could eventually bring down the MCU he actually was taking it fairly well. Except for the intensity he kept glaring at Kevin with. Finally, after Mike brought him his Mike could sense the tension at the table and Kevin said, "Thanks Mike we'll let you know when we're ready." Mike merely nodded and walked away.

Holsted drank half of his drink which made him break his glare from Kevin. He said to both of them in a very calm but focused voice, "Concerning Haas, do what you need to do. I can't say I'm thrilled with it but if this is where things lead to all right then go there." He took another drink and said, "Now Rollands, I would give you both the lecture as it were. Where I tell you how dangerous he is and how powerful he is in the legal community. All that being said you both know that already so there is no need for that."

Hosted looked at Cynthia and said, "You are one of the most brilliant Detectives I've ever known. If any of my kids ever decide to go to the Academy and they have a third of the accomplishments that you've had I will be so proud of the mark they've made in this profession." Looking at Kevin he said, "You are a smart ass, but your reputation as a Detective who gets the results for a conviction, without shattering the rules, is well founded. You were worth the fight for the last two years to get in here."

Taking one last swig he said, "However, all that being said you both need to know that if this thing goes sideways at any point…" Holsted shook his head and said, "You're out there on your own I can't get involved if things go wrong. I have to think of those under my command as well, and I realize I got more years in the Department behind me than in front of me so I got to make those years count. I'm sorry to sound like a Bastard, but I have to see the big picture on this one, and you two no matter how good you are aren't bigger than MCU."

Holsted finished his drink and said, "What I am about to tell you both is classified. If it ever gets out, I'll know who told it and I will personally lead the Crusade to Crucify you both." Holsted leaned forward a bit and said, "The reorganization in Vice about two years ago was a result of Captain Walton going after Rollands. He thought he had him dead to right on a prostitution charge, and it was looking like Walton had him in his sights." Holsted closed his eyes and shook his head as he said, "The indictment was being drawn up everything. The Chain of Command was ready to pop champagne and do cartwheels down the hall, but Rollands being Rollands he pulled on the one loose thread he found, and I do mean thread. It was as thin as one and Rollands pulled on it and twisted the law to his favor again. The indictment was shredded. I watched it happen and saw Captain Walton turn over his shield and side arm." Holsted opened his eyes and said, "Entrapment and false pretenses Gary Walton was my friend and a thirty-year vet and his career was wiped out. Rollands agreed not to sue the department and keep it all out of the press, if The Mayor awarded him some bullshit Civic Award for his work with at risk teens and Walton's badge. Gary Walton committed suicide six months ago, and personally there's nothing more than I would rather see then you two nail Rollands to the wall. However, you're not just swimming with a shark, you're going against Jaws and wearing a chum-suit."

Kevin actually felt sympathy almost heartbreak for Holsted's story. Kevin nodded and Holsted said, "I don't think I'm too hungry right now. I think I need to take a few hours alone. I took a cab here I'll take another to O'Brien's two blocks over. My car is still at MCU I'll take another cab home." Holsted looked at Kevin and Cynthia as he stood up. He took a deep breath and said, "I heard someone once tell me this and I think it applies to you two right now; If you're walking on egg shells don't hop." He continued his look as he said, "Be careful I don't want to lose you two."

Once Holsted was gone Kevin said, "Don't hop." He nodded slowly and said, "Seriously that really did go pretty good." Looking at Cynthia he said, "It's gonna take a lot more than that to get me to walk away. Let's have dinner and then see what develops." Kevin realized what he had just said and quickly shook his head as he said, "With what you want to do next. I mean concerning the case and work and…" Kevin rolled his eyes and said, "We go from Holsted and his gravitas to me and my smooth personality." In most cases Kevin would be more embarrassed than he already was, but in this case the situation and atmosphere needed a bit of lightening up for a moment was Kevin's thought.[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia didn't need Holdsted to read her the riot act about what would happen if they were discovered investigating Rollands, or what would go down if things went to hell in a handbasket. Deniability was a given, and she would never have asked her captain to do anything that would jeopardize remainder his career. Rollands was their mess to deal with, and if they ended up getting an arrest, it would be one of the most publicized cases she'd ever dealt with. Haas' case had been big, big enough that her face was plastered over newspapers from the time she'd picked up the case till the time the man went to trial. Rollands' would be bigger than that, and every single move that her and West made would be scrutinized, analyzed, and questioned constantly.

The compliment she received might as well been a comment about the sky being blue for all Cynthia cared. What pulled her attention was what little information Holsted could give them that they didn't already know. That was two laws broken by Rollands, who seemed to be making a habit out of getting into trouble and narrowly escaping unscathed. Was that what this was about? Was he simply killing people to see if he could get away with it? If it had been anyone else, she would have doubted that could possibly be true, but this wasn't just anyone. The man was a lawyer, and knew that law inside and out. It would be right up his alley to manipulate it in his favor. What would it look like if he was caught and went to trial, and somehow managed to get himself off? His reputation as a lawyer would remain untouched, in fact, it would probably be boosted.

Frowning at Holsted's departure, she thought to lecture him about leaving in his current state of mind. Eating a gun was a rather common occurrence among cops, which was why Cynthia chose to remain emotionally distant the way that she did; not that she really had much of an options. Dead babies, violated women, innocent souls who were attacked for no reason at all other than the evil within people's hearts. They dealt with it day in and day out. Whenever they were called to a case, they were often dealing with people who were going through the worst experience of their lives. They were vulnerable, and as a cop it was their job to try to comfort them the only way that they could; by catching the person who harmed them. It was easy to become invested. It was easy to let the victims and their families get under your skin. For everyone else it was easy at least, but for Cynthia it wasn't an option. She'd been on the other side before, and knew what it was like to wait for news that the person responsible was safely locked away behind bars.

Perhaps it was the fact that she would never have the satisfaction of knowing her parents' murder was locked up for life that made it easier for her to remain detached. Or perhaps those Robocop comments about her were true. Sure, she felt things, but not nearly with the same intensity of everyone else around her. Her response to sadness was anger and a desire to lash out at the person who caused her to feel even a twinge of emotion she didn't want to. She'd nearly snapped out at West when he cried around her, which she was certain was not a normal response. For her it was.

Holsted was gone, leaving Cynthia alone with West, who was stumbling over his words a bit more than usual. She could almost picture what her partner had been like in high school, and nearly laughed at the image. "Slow down, Westie. I already knew what you were trying to say." She smirked, waving a hand to Mike who was already standing off to the side of the doorway, acting more like a bodyguard than a waiter. "The usual for me, Mike. Wine too. I think I might need a glass tonight." No, she needed a bottle tonight, but she'd have to deal with a glass until she got home. There were far too many things about this case that were knocking her off center, and the less she knew about her killer, the harder it was for her to find her balance again. She hated feeling out of control, hated not knowing what was going to happen next. Yet, at the same time the challenge was exactly what she needed to spice up the monotonous cycle of revenge killings, psychos, and the demented. Those types of cases were a walk in the park, a stick figure compared to the Mona Lisa. This killer was an artist in his own right, and Cynthia would only admit to herself that she was quite impressed with the way he kept her on her toes; she also hated him for it.

She waited for West to give his order and for Mike to disappear before speaking again. "There's not a whole lot we can develop now, Kevin. Haas is a must, although I'm doubting he'll be of much use. Digging into Rollands past shouldn't be too hard, but we'll have to be undercover for what we can find out online and through other sources." She paused, the corners of her lips tugging downward into a frown. "His parents are dead. I'm not sure how relevant that is, but Rollands has a history of trying to break the law. For all I know, he could have killed his parents and gotten away with it, and is simply continuing on from his earlier experiences. That's unlikely, but there's always a small chance it could be true."

The conversation was paused when Mike returned with her wine, Cynthia taking a quick sip before forcing the glass down before she swallowed it all in one gulp. "I'm wondering though…." She began when their waiter was out of the room, shooting a look over at West. "We need to find out if he had a juvenile record. We already know there are two crimes he hasn't been charged with but was guilty of. There has to be something else there. Someone doesn't just wake up one day and decide to start breaking the law, and with Rollands, I think there are others he pulled down along with him. Probably someone, or a few someones he might have let take the fall for him. I'm willing to bet if we can find those people, we'l have all the information we need to know about him, and then some."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

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[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

​

Watching Cynthia's reaction to Holsted walking away Kevin could tell that seeing him in pain like this was bothering her, and not just because of them going after Rollands. Haas case to Holsted was an open wound on many levels for Holsted. Every cop had their case like that somewhere in the careers. It was just a matter of how they dealt with it. Some merely moved on, some would find solace in outside interests to get their minds off of it (some of them weren't always legal), others dwelled on it for a time and then moved along. However, the fact remained that the case was still there and you did everything in power to avoid dealing with it or thinking it about it ever again. Dealing with Haas again was pouring salt in an open wound for Holsted, but he didn't tell them to leave it alone.

Kevin ordered a frozen strawberry margarita along with a lemon water. He then ordered the Chicken Parmigiana with a side salad and began nibbling on bread stick. Kevin listened as Cynthia began to lay everything out as to what their next steps were concerning Rollands and her own thoughts. Kevin couldn't really argue with her on any of it. Kevin was amazed at how quick Cynthia's mind worked and how she was able to focus in on the here and now but also see the big picture. Granted, that also meant that from time to time her lack of outside the box thinking skills would show up. That was where Kevin's strengths would show up for Cynthia and they would usually meet in the middle to form a solid working theory. Kevin would never admit it, even under the prospect of torture, but he understood why he and Cynthia were paired up as partners now.

When she finished speaking Mike showed up with Kevin's side salad. He was deep in thought about the personal information regarding Rollands, and Kevin realized that there was a pretty easy way to get the information that they wanted or needed. However, to get the information would cost Kevin dearly and he knew it, but to get things moving again and for Cynthia Kevin was willing to do it. Earlier Kevin was prepared to throw his career away for Cynthia, but what he was about to do was far more painful than he could ever imagine.

Kevin closed his eyes for a moment and said, "If this were any other situation I wouldn't dream of doing what I'm about to do, but getting the information on Rollands is too important to us. There's a way Cynthia or if nothing else it'll get things moving for us and allow us to move around quietly." Kevin opened his eyes and pulled out his phone and dialed a number on it.

He put it on speaker and looked at Cynthia. Kevin said, "I need for you to keep it quiet while I'm on the phone. I want you to hear what's going on in case I miss something during my conversation you can write it down and pass me a note." Kevin knew a Detective like Cynthia had to have a notepad and pen on her. It was in her nature that would be like wearing white to an Italian restaurant and not getting a tomato sauce stain on you. It just doesn't happen.

A voice on the other end said, "Yo this is Detective Montoya what up?"

Kevin replied, "Hey Rudy it's Kevin."

Rudy said, "Hey Kev! How's life at the MCU? Hear you're working with a real Ice Queen."

Kevin rolled his eyes and then replied, "She's not the Ice Queen. She's a damn good cop and she's got my back can't ask for more than that." He looked at Cynthia and mouthed "I'm sorry" without even thinking Kevin reached over and touched her hand gently then took it back.

Rudy said, "Yeah right whatever. What's on your mind?"

Rudy had a reputation of knowing how to play the game in the Department. If you needed something done on the down-low Rudy was your guy. He knew how to play the system almost as well as Rollands could and that was one reason Rudy was brought into the little cabal against Rollands, and Rudy loved every minute of it.

Kevin said, "The files on Rollands the ones with all the personal information on him. The ones we said we'd never use I know you still got 'em Rudy. I know you and how your twisted little mind works. You saved them all despite the fact we told you to wipe 'em out."

There was a long pause and Rudy said, "Maybe I do. Let's just say for the moment that you're right and I got them what's your angle on them?"

Kevin replied, "I can't go into specifics trust me the less you know the better just know that I know you got 'em and I need 'em."

Rudy said, "Kevin don't fuck with this rattlesnake. Walk away you know what he can do to you and your partner Kevin he ain't worth it."

Kevin replied, "Rudy listen to me. We're looking into something that may have Rollands being involved, and those files will give us information that can make our lives easier. You know I wouldn't ask this if I wasn't sure and I had no other choice in the matter, but Rudy this is too big to just walk away from. If Rollands is involved in this those files will help us a long the way."

Rudy exhaled and said, "Okay you realize though that it's gonna cost you big. Those files can't be used in court and once you use 'em you gotta destroy 'em. Are you on board with it?"

Kevin nodded once and said, "Yeah I figured all that. No problem they will never see the light of day outside of me and my partner."

Rudy replied, "All right what are they worth to you, and it better be good. This ain't no I'll pay you back down the road this is a here and now situation."

Kevin closed his eyes and let out a long exhale. Reopening them he said, "The pink slip to the Harley. You do this for me it's yours. I know you've wanted it for years and years, and if you do this for me the Harley is yours."

Rudy replied, "Whoa Kev, I thought it would be something like your Springsteen set or autographed jerseys but damn son. This is way over what I expected."

Kevin asked, "Deal or not Rudy?"

Rudy replied, "Yeah sure of course."

Kevin nodded and said, "Okay you got a spare key use it. Roxy won't be there she was…"

Rudy interrupted, "Yeah I know Larry told me about it say no more. Sorry for your loss Kev."

Kevin replied, "Thanks Rudy. Anyway, the keys are on the bar we'll make it legal with the DMV and all that next week. Just drop the files on the counter, grab the keys, and lock up when you go."

Rudy said, "All right Kev. I'll drop 'em off within the hour."

Kevin replied, "Thanks Rudy take care."

Rudy replied with genuine worry and concern in his voice, "Good luck bro." The two men hung up and Kevin looked at Cynthia for a moment. He said, "We get done with dinner we'll head back to my place and go over the files. Once we look at them we destroy them we can't take any chances Cynthia." [/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Ice queen? Cynthia had heard the nickname often, and it still gave her a small twinge of emotion that wasn't quite pain, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. No, she wasn't Little Miss Sunshine, and she'd be the first to admit it. However, that didn't mean she was completely emotionless. She let herself fume over the nickname for only a minute, deciding that it was best to allow people to continue thinking what they wanted of her. Some people would have told themselves it was jealousy, but she knew it was simply a lack of understanding, and a refusal to believe that anyone could maintain a constant control over their emotions the way that she did. For now, being the Ice Queen was the least of her worries. What she needed to focus on was what information they could gather about Rollands.

She wasn't completely on board with what West was doing, worried that by taking the shortcut into investigating the man they may mess up the trial later on down the road; if it came to that. She would simply use the information as a resource and nothing more, preferring to do some heavy duty leg work in order to secure a case against Rollands if it came down to that. She wanted all her t's crossed, and her I's dotted, and if she ever went on the stand, she could answer how she got the information without having to feel guilty about dodging the question. It would certainly be a big help to have something to give them a nudge in the right direction, but that was all that she wanted it for.

The phone call was ended, Mike returning with their food her 'meal' probably a complete surprise to her partner. Rather than actual food, Cynthia had ordered a slice of cheesecake and cup of coffee. She didn't give if away ofte, but she had a huge sweet tooth. It was her one major vice, aside from her occasional wine sedative to put her to bed at night. Next to her mug of coffee was a large bottle of hazelnut coffee creamer. "Thanks, Mike. I'll let you know if I want another." She could easily put away an entire cheesecake if she'd let herself, but with West around she hoped she would have a bit more self-control.

When Mike left the room, Cynthia began to pick apart West's plan, deciding to tease the man a bit. "Your place, huh? Moving a bit quick there, aren't you Westie?" She teased, taking a quick bite of her cheesecake which she washed down with a sip of coffee. "Seriously though, I don't think we're going to get much done tonight except a longer list of people we're going to have to interview. We're going to have to pace ourselves, or we're both going to burn out before the next body ends up on our doorstep." Callous as it may sound, they both knew that there was another body coming. It was just a matter of time. They didn't have nearly enough to move in on Rollands to prevent it. The sooner they prepared themselves for the inevitable, the easier it would be to accept it when it did happen.

"We'll look over everything, but no plans. Haas is our first stop. We already warned the captain it was coming, might as well stick with it." Cynthia was honestly curious what it was about Haas that had made Rollands take him on as a client. Besides the high publicity that came along with the case, she could not see any reason that Rollands would accept Haas. He was an ass, and had the same ego as his lawyer. She was certain the two had clashed uite frequently during the trial and afterwards.

"We can destroy them tonight if you want. All I need to do is read over them once and I'll have all the information we'll need." Had Kevin been filled in on exactly who he was dealing with? She certainly doubted it. He was about to get a quick lesson on the mind of Cynthia Matthers. Whether he decided it was too much for him or not, he was stuck with her till the case was over. "Better eat quick, and I'll drive. Nothing in my system but caffeine and sugar. No point taking a chance. Besides, the last thing we need is to get pulled over with you driving with even a drop of alcohol in your system."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

Kevin enjoyed a Chicken Caesar Salad with a glass of wine for his meal. Cynthia's version of dinner was a bit of surprise to him, but Kevin wasn't going to react or say anything. Cynthia was not a paint by numbers person in the least and that intrigued Kevin to say the least. He was willing to bet about any amount of money that underneath "The Ice Queen" exterior there was someone who knew not only how to enjoy herself, but was actually a very caring compassionate person. Kevin wasn't going to try strip away that exterior, but let Cynthia show him this side of her on her terms. Even if it took the better part of the case or the next case Kevin was starting to feel like Cynthia and him would be working together for years to come.

When she called him "Westie" Kevin actually smirked at her. In most cases he would've rolled his eyes and sighed but hearing it come from Cynthia actually made Kevin feel, in a strange way, privileged. He nodded and replied, "Agreed, I don't think we're gonna suddenly crack the case tonight either. Best thing we can do is lay the ground work for the next few potential steps, and go from there." Kevin had another glass of wine and decided that was enough for the night. He wasn't proud to admit it that there were times that two glasses could become four glasses, and eventually four glasses would become Kevin putting his arm around a waitress and checking her tonsils with his tongue. It had been a while since that happened and had he gone on vacation it probably would've happened again, but strangely enough Kevin didn't feel like he was missing out on much at this point.

Once Cynthia finished making her statements Kevin pulled out the keys to his Durango and placed them in front of Cynthia. He said, "Can't argue with on that. Once it gets out that we're looking at Rollands, and if we get even within an eyelash of pinning something on him, I can see him turning up the heat on us within the Department." He shook his head and said, "Face it Cynthia the guy is connected within the Department. Inspite of all the crap he's done to Cops in this city there are those in the Department, or City Hall, who would sell their kids to the Gypsies if he asked them to."

Once they left the restaurant Kevin made a note of it. The food was good, the service was above average, and it showed him another side of Cynthia. All and all not a bad time at all for him. As they got to the loft Kevin noticed his Harley was still in its spot. Kevin's first thought was if the files weren't there then there would be no point in Cynthia staying, but on a very small level Kevin wasn't sure if he really wanted her to leave right away. Not that he was going to do anything stupid but Kevin, once again on a very small level, found himself enjoying Cynthia's company.

It was still going to take some getting used when Kevin was opening the door of Roxie not coming at him, but instead the alarm going off and Kevin quickly having to shut it down. He cut on the lights as he closed the door and saw that the files were setting on the bar with the keys lying next to them. He asked, "What in the world is going on?" Kevin made his way to the bar and saw a note on top of the files. He read the note to himself. The note said,

K,
Friends don't do to owe someone. They do because they can.
If these files can help you nail that S-O-B, then it's all worth it.
Peace Bro,
Rudy
​

Kevin showed Cynthia the note and said, "Well I'll be damned I had Rudy figured wrong. I thought for sure he'd jump at the Harley." He placed the three files on the coffee table and said, "Okay in terms of what we find in these things I know full well we can't use any of it in Court. However, if they can give us a nudge in the right direction we should be okay. Kind of like my Catherine who's a reporter would note you can use Wikipedia to start on a story, but don't cite it as a source." Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "As soon as we finish going over these files they're history." He walked over to his gas log fire place and started it. It was the first time he started it since Roxie was killed. Kevin looked at it for a moment and remembered all those times that she would lay there and just stay there all night. Kevin said, "This will be their final resting place."

Kevin shook his head briefly and then looked back to Cynthia. He said, "While you read over the files…" Kevin walked over to the dry erase board and moved it nearby. It still had many of the case notes on it and Kevin then walked over to a storage room and pulled out one more. Moving it next to the other board he said, "If you see anything that jumps out at you let me know I'll put it on this one. Then we can do some compare and contrast." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you're up for doing that for a bit."[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia drove in silence on the way back to Kevin's apartment, contemplating exactly what they should do next, but still worrying that they were in over their heads either way. Rollands wasn't going to play fair, she could agree with that. However, they had no other choice but to look into his background. There was no way in the world he wasn't going to figure out what was going on, especially if they began contacting people from his past. Someone would go running back to him to let him know that there were two people poking their noses into his business. Try as she might to play off that she wasn't worried about what would happen then, she could not deny that there wasn't some part of her that wasn't concerned.

She remained silent even after they reached Kevin's apartment, and when he offered her the files she wasted little time digging into them to see what she could find. There was quite a bit, but nothing in relation to the man's juvenile record which was where she thought she would find the most information. After about an hour into it though she found what she thought she was looking for, a rather curious piece of information that made very little sense. She knew that Rollands parents had died and left him quite a substantial amount of wealth, but the circumstances behind their deaths wasn't something she'd looked into. A huge mistake on her part. Holding up a newspaper clipping about the accident that had taken the man's parents, she glanced up at West with a frustrated look on her face. "Rollands has a brother….an older brother." There was very little information in the story about the mysterious older brother, but she had a feeling that there was a very good reason for it.

Digging into her purse, she pulled out her phone to do a quick search on Jeremy Rollands, Gregory's older brother who she quickly discovered was residing in Zephyrhills correctional institute for the rest of his natural life. There wasn't much on the trial, just what the papers decided to divulge, but even that wasn't very informative. "Apparently Rollands' brother liked slitting the throats of women who dumped him." She sighed softly, dropping her phone into her lap. "I think we're going to have to look into his trial a bit more, see if we can talk to the detectives that worked the case and find out what they didn't let get into the papers." Did Rollands think that his brother had been set up? Or was he involved in the murders as well, but allowed his only sibling to take the fall for them all without stepping forward? Cynthia had a feeling that Jeremy would be willing to open up about his brother's dirty past if he felt abandoned, but they would have to see.

Cynthia finished with the last of the files and quickly moved to toss each and every single one of them into the fireplace. "There's a few others we can go see, but considering that he went to college out of state, I don't think we're going to find too much about those years, although we should probably look into unsolved crimes during the years he was there." What she really wanted to get her hands on was his juvenile record, but she knew that would be nearly impossible considering it had been closed for over 17 years.

"We have to go up north anyway to go talk to Haas. We can make a stop in Zephyrhills and see what they can tell us while we're up there." Talking to two killers was certainly not something that Cynthia was looking forward to, but she knew that they had no choice in the matter. "Everything else is pretty useless. We could probably send some emails to his professors, find out who he might have kept in touch with and hope there's someone who moved to Florida. If not, we'll have to stick with what we have now."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

Kevin began to scribble down everything that Cynthia was saying. Trying to draw lines of conclusion to the previous victims would be, at best, time consuming and confusing. However, Kevin was starting to believe that the key to cracking this case open relied on what was in Rolland's past. When Cynthia finished burning the last of the files Kevin just stared as the last one turned into a pile of ash and soot. His last true connection to his family in Homicide was now gone. Sure he would still keep in touch with them and so forth but there were no more tangible connections for him. Cynthia really was his partner now and there was no going back from that anymore.

Turning his attention back to the dry-erase board Kevin said, "Rollands has crafted a very careful public image and image in the court room which means…" He turned back on his heels and said, "He's hiding something. Based upon my previous interactions and what you know about him and others like him…" Kevin nodded and said, "This guy is going through a lot of perfume to cover the steaming pile of shit that is his past. He is hiding something in his past and I will bet our pensions on that it's in his juvie file. Whatever it is it will put us on the fast track to cracking this case I've got no doubt about it Cynthia."


The prospect of talking to one killer wasn't exactly filling Kevin with a sense of joy, and the prospect of talking to two of them was making Kevin think about having an entire bottle of scotch. After that he might be willing to go along with it, but Cynthia was going on her instincts and Kevin trusted her. He said walking back over to his breakfast bar and pulling out a bottle of water. Opening it he said, "Now talking to Haas is gonna be hard enough and draining on us, but his older brother might be able to give us some more insight on a personal level without breaking open the Juvie file." He took a swig and looked back at Cynthia and nodded as he said, "I know, I know nice wish Westie won't happen, but it's my little momentary fantasy allow me to have it."


Kevin took another swig and said, "Okay moment's over. Yeah we're gonna have to talk to Jeremy, so let's do it." Kevin walked towards Cynthia and said, "Look getting our hands on that file won't happen, but would you settle for a peek at it?" Letting out an exhale Kevin said, "The North Star Slasher case all the evidence and everything else pointed to Mac's nephew my friend at the Courthouse. I didn't buy it something was up and Larry thought I was nuts for going against everyone. So he gave me twenty-four hours to convince him I was right. Two hours later I convinced him, and working together we had the right guy booked within twenty-four hours. Mac has access to the Records Room, because he's the Supervisor and he could get us a peek at the file if nothing else." Kevin nodded and rolled his eyes as he said, "I know we can't use any of it in court, and if any of us get caught or it gets traced back to us our careers are toast. Not to mention just out of spite Rollands doesn't kill us, assuming he is the killer, but puts us both through the legal wringer."


Looking back at Cynthia he said, "You're my partner, I won't do anything on a scale like this if you aren't on-board. If you're not say so and we walk away from this and go on with what we have. Otherwise one phone call to Mac and by this time tomorrow we will have seen a sealed court file." Just then Kevin's cell phone rang and it snapped Kevin back into reality after just looking at Cynthia. He picked up. He said, "It's Javy a friend of mine from downtown."


Kevin asked, "Yeah Javy what's on your mind?"

Javy asked, "Kev can you get down here right now, and get our partner too?"

Kevin glanced over at Cynthia and asked, "Javy, what's going on?"

Javy told him and Kevin was almost yelling, "Oh my…Son of a Bitch! We're on our way!"

Kevin hung up the phone and said, "Come on you're driving us downtown now. Holsted got busted for being drunk and disorderly in public. According to Javy witnesses say he started a small scale brawl at O'Brien's. Javy is trying to keep it as quiet as possible and delaying paperwork for as long as he can, but we gotta get him out of there now."[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia had more than her fair share of dealings with Rollands, and she was not looking forward to any more. Would his brother be any different? Cynthia couldn't really predict that. For all she knew, Jeremy could have been caught up in his sibling's crimes and be completely innocent of the charges. But way take the fall for Gregory? She wouldn't know much of anything until they found the man and actually had a conversation. As for Haas, well she already knew that he was guilty, the only question left was what his connection to Rollands was now. She doubted that a snake like Gregory would remain in contact with his most notorious client. Aside from the huge smear on his reputation, Haas hadn't even been a likeable person.

"Haas is an ass, a smug one at that. He'll huff and puff and try to give you the innocent speech, how MCU, and me specifically set him up. But he'll talk. He thinks he's one of the smartest men on the planet. He's all hot air with no substance though. Talking to him will be exhausting, but not nearly as much as listening to him will." No, she could do without listening to George Haas talk for the rest of her life and not feel as if she missed anything. Cynthia would have continued to prep West on what to expect from Haas, but the sound of his phone ringing killed the conversation, and she was forced to listen to one side of the conversation, and piece together what was going on. When she learned what was going on at the end of the call, she could have cursed out loud for their captain's choice of behavior for the night.

"Damn that man…." She grumbled, poking the flames a bit to make sure that all the paper was burned without a trace left behind. Returning the poker where it belonged, she dusted her hands off on the side of her dress. "Alright, you might want to take a minute to get yourself together too. If you show up smelling like alcohol, they'll be all over you as well."

She gave him a minute to get himself situated, deciding that it would have been better for her to go pick up the captain alone, but she didn't have her car with her, and was forced to drive her partner's. "I though he said he was getting a cab. What is going on in his head? Is he trying to get us on downtown's radar?" The woman worried about what would happen if the brass caught wind of tonight's events. The captain drunk. West showing up under the influence. It was a disaster in the making, and Cynthia wasn't looking forward to the possible aftermath.

Once West was ready, she continued to wait for him to lead the way out. "Let me have your keys again. I'll drive. At this rate, I won't be getting back to my place till tomorrow morning. We'll have to get the captain back home, and I'll bring you back here before I call a cab to get back to my place." It was going to be a long night, and with what they had to do over the next few days, she was going to be running on fumes. "Just promise me you'll buy me a coffee in the morning before you get in, and we'll be even. Deal?" She asked, turning to her partner with a smirk. "Or I'll spend the next few days calling you Westie every chance I can get."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

Kevin glanced over at Cynthia and said, "Westie, why do I have the distinct feeling I'm gonna regret you knowing about that? Coffee it is though." He smirked as he went back to his bathroom and brushed his teeth, gargled, a little more deodorant, and then went back to his bedroom. Kevin grabbed his ID, sidearm, and left his vest on his bed. Slipping on his leather jacket he said, "If you drive my car anymore this evening I might start to have you listed on my insurance."

The ride downtown was very quiet, and Kevin's buzz was giving way to stone cold sobriety. As they approached the station Kevin checked his messages and saw a text from Javy. It stated, "Come straight to my desk. The Desk Sargent thinks you're consulting on a case for me." Kevin said, "We go in report to the Desk Sargent. Javy says we're consulting on a case for him." Looking over at Cynthia he said, "My guess this is part of him trying to keep this quiet." They approached the Desk Sargent and Kevin flashed his badge. He said, "Detectives West and Matthers MCU consulting with Detective Javier Espinoza he said you would be aware of it."

The Desk Sargent looked at his notepad and then buzzed the Detectives in. He said, "Elevator on the left 3rd​ floor two doors down."

West nodded and held the gate open for Matthers. As they arrived at Javy's desk Kevin was somewhat surprised to see another gentleman standing there. He was dressed in a black and white Armani with slicked back hair and glasses.

West looked at Javy for a moment and Javy said, "This is my Captain. Captain Lou Gonzales. He was the one who told me to call you both after he talked with Holsted in the holding cell."

Gonzales stuck his hand out and said, "Pleasure to meet you both." He looked at Cynthia and said, "Rich speaks very highly of you." Looking at Kevin he said, "I finally get to meet the artist formerly known as the Boy Wonder of Homicide." He smirked at Kevin as Kevin did a slight eye roll. Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, " I'm the youngest Homicide Detective in the history of the Department. Larry started calling me that after the North Star Slasher case."

Lou motioned to the side and said grabbing a paper off of Javy's desk, "Walk with me Detectives." He looked at Javy and said, "Thank you Detective. Go on home and remember this never happened." Javy nodded as he started to leave he shook hands with Kevin and said, "Take it easy Bro. Don't worry Cap's a good man." Kevin nodded as he started to walk with Gonzales.

Gonzales led them to the roof top. He said, "I come up here to think and to clear my head, and when I need to talk without the walls of the office listening in." He looked at the Detectives and said, "I've known Rich for years we came up through the Academy together, served together in Homicide for a time, took a bullet for me while I was there, he's my next door neighbor, and Godfather to my kids. So you can say we're on good terms." He showed them the paper and said, "This is the arrest report from this evening." Gonzales pulled out a lighter and burned the paper. He said, "If this got up the Chain of Command Rich's career would pretty much be over. The owner of 'O'Brien's' has known Rich for years he agreed not to press charges as long as Rich pays restitution. His wife already cut the check and took him home about an hour ago. Rich is taking a few days off for (he made air quotes) food poisoning. He told me to tell you all that you're on your own for now. Go with your gut and do your job."

Kevin asked, "Thanks for your help Captain, but if everything is sown up why are we here?"

Gonzales let out a long exhale and looked to the stars for a moment. He looked back to Kevin and Cynthia and said, "I have sources at City Hall and while Holsted comes off as a hard ass with MCU there are those there and in the Chain of Command who feel Holsted is too loose with you all, he's got the best cops in the city so he doesn't have to do a thing, and he lets you all get away with too much cowboying in terms of procedures and so forth."

Kevin was shocked and all he could say was, "What?"

Gonzales replied, "It's all…all politics Detectives. You all and I know Rich Holsted has earned everything in his career and has nothing to apologize for. Bottom line though, he gives you all the credit and glory for the success of MCU. There are those who feel more credit should go to them at City Hall and in the Chain of Command, so they can look good for doing shit. They'd love to throw Holsted out but with the success of MCU the Commissioner won't even dream of it. Commissioner Lido also likes Holsted, but there are those who would love to stick someone in there that they can control. You all and I know the minute that happens MCU will become just another department and probably gone within a year. Those assholes have no clue what's going on or how to run a department like MCU the way Rich has."

Kevin asked, "Thanks for telling us all this Captain, but why?"

Gonzales replied, "Simple, you all need to know what's going on behind the scenes and how thin the ice is around you all."

Kevin asked, "You know what's going on don't you sir?"

Gonzales nodded and said, "Yeah Rich told me everything. Alcohol has that effect on him he gets a blabbermouth, but he only told me. Going after Rollands and talking to Haas if you two screw this up not only are your careers over, but MCU will be in the cross-hairs of City Hall and you better believe that they're gonna fire everything at MCU." He looked at Kevin and said, "Your feud with Miller is well known down there, but for some reason he has backed off on you. Anyway, the slightest screw up you and I both know Miller will make it his number one goal to destroy you especially."

Gonzales walked over to the Detectives and said, "He's scared more for you all than him to be honest. He's afraid of what happened to Walton happening to you two. All that being said though, he would never say it to you all but he said it to me, he believes in you both."

Kevin nodded and said, "All right sir. Thanks for the talk Cap."

Gonzales shook hands with the Detectives and said, "Good luck. Need anything call me."

The Detectives headed back to Kevin's truck and as they got in Kevin said, "Dealing with psychos and killers are so much easier than the politicians. At least with them we know they're not gonna stab us in the back." Kevin buckled up and said, "I don't about you but I doubt I'll be sleeping much right now knowing what we now know and what is to come, and I know it's gonna sound stupid and cliché but I think I could use the company right now. Someone who knows what the story is about." He looked at Cynthia and said, "You wanna stay over for a bit and decompress? I don't know about you but right now I'm not sure I can face myself alone right now knowing what I know."[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia was getting a bit tired of all the bureaucratic B.S that was going on, and no one was even aware of who they were going after yet. Holsted had messed up, but for some reason she couldn't quite buy into the idea that he had done so intentionally. Something had to have occurred to make him change his mind about the cab, the question was what. During the entire meeting Cynthia remained silent, taking in everything that was said, but her mind was focused on trying to piece together the events of the night. The captain wasn't thrilled with the idea of what was going on with Rollands, and she knew that he couldn't have been happy that they were going to go talk to Haas. But what had led him getting behind the wheel while drunk?

She and West weren't going to find out that night, so she forced herself to focus on what was going on. She scowled at the man who thought that she would screw anything up. She had yet to make a mistake, and there was a reason for that. She didn't play loose with the rules, and she never would. Haas would be difficult to talk to without telling him who they were. He already knew who she was, and he would recognize her a mile away. As for everyone involved with Rollands? Well, there were plenty of covers she could use, and no one would be the wiser.

She kept silent though, literally biting her tongue to keep it from wagging in defense. In her entire career, she had followed the rules, and in this case, she had no other choice but to make sure she watched her step. She didn't need anyone telling her what was on the line if she screwed up. She sat through the warning though, trying not to roll her eyes and certainly keeping her lips sealed. When all was said and done it was her and West's ass on the line, they didn't need to be reminded of it every opportunity.

As they left, Cynthia couldn't help that the small slip by their captain was going to be their undoing. She hadn't been entirely comfortable with filling Holsted on their moves, now that there was another captain filled in on it….well, it certainly wasn't sitting well with her. She and Kevin were both busting their asses to try and keep the feds away from the case, but the more time passed without a possible suspect, the more likely it became that the FBI would be called in. Eventually their hands were going to be forced, and the minute Rollands' became an official person of interest, the shit was going to hit the fan. That was the only way they could completely avoid the feds being called in, but they weren't quite there yet. Close, but not yet.

Getting back into the truck, Cynthia glanced over at West, raising a brow at his offer. "What will people think if they ever found out?" She questioned, trying to sound serious but ending up chuckling to herself. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting too old to pull all-nighters. It wasn't too bad in my twenties, but it's starting to kick my ass in my thirties." He was right though. She wasn't exactly ready to go home, and being alone wasn't exactly something she wanted at the moment. After the way the night went, it was definitely better if she spent the night trying to do something other than focusing on the case. "Alright, but only if you promise we'll talk about something besides this damn case. It's taken up enough of our lives as it is. I think we could both use a break from it for the night." She smirked at him, starting the engine up to drive back to his apartment. "And you still owe me a coffee. I hope you have French Vanilla creamer, or else I'm going to be very disappointed."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

​

Kevin chuckled himself at what he had suggested to Cynthia and replied, "What will they think? No clue and at this moment I really couldn't care less. Minding my own business is a 24-7 job I don't have the time to wonder what others think. Besides as long as we know the truth…" He shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter what they think. Not to mention…" Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "Contain your shock but it won't be the first time that I was in trouble for the appearance of something not looking on the up and up." Kevin nodded and said, "Although I did get a nice thank you note for the fruit basket I sent Lt. Dixon in I-A last Christmas after I was brought up on charges for accepting a bribe." Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "A guy wanted to contribute to the Widows and Orphans fund because he felt guilty over his brother killing a cop. Dixon told me Miller pressured him to do it, and there was nothing personal against me by him or anyone else in I-A. We even rang in the New Year together downtown. Tell you now, the guy can kill Margaritas like a Viking Warlord downing a pint of mead after a conquest of England. If they ever make competitive drinking an Olympic event Todd Dixon will serve our country proud."

Once they got back to Kevin's apartment he cut on the lights and said, "As of this moment…" Kevin made a sweeping gesture and said, "This is a case free zone. Violation of the zone will be a punishment of great embarrassment and humiliation to be determined by the other person, and to never leave this apartment." Kevin walked over to his bar in the kitchen and took out a top of the line Espresso machine. He said, "It was a wedding gift from Carrie's parents. When the wedding was called off I agreed to tell her parents it was all my fault if I got to keep this." Kevin shook his head and said, "I still got the better end of the deal. Besides her parents didn't like me to begin with. That's not something I say in jest or out of spite they told me that to my face. Anyway they live eight blocks over and for some reason after the break up they got pulled over for the slightest traffic violation for about six months." As he began to make Cynthia a coffee Kevin said, "It didn't help them that they did the public humiliation to me at work in front of three of my closest friends who knew the truth. Javy, who you met earlier tonight, said 'We got your back bro. We take care of our own' and that was all she wrote."

Kevin continued making the coffee and said, "Okay I don't know about you, but I could use a bit of lightening up in the conversation department. Something other than the usual 'So you like music? You like cheese?' That kind of small talk crap is so annoying." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a two-liter bottle of French Vanilla creamer and said, "Great minds think alike and have great taste in creamers. Anyway, my topic of choice dumbest perp you ever dealt with I'll go first." As Kevin continued making the coffee he said, "It was my six month on the force my partner and I, Luke Porter who I called about the cars was my first partner, anyway we got a call about a break in at this beautiful house in Key Biscayne. Little old lady looked like a stereotypical Grandmother said her house had been broken into." Kevin added the creamer and began to stir and said, "So Luke and I went over this place stem to stern. Guest houses, pool houses, garages, and the storage rooms. You name it we searched it." Kevin shook his head and said, "We found no signs of a break in nothing out of the ordinary." He set the coffee in front of Cynthia and said, "And we told her everything looked fine to us." Kevin began to make one for himself and said, "It was at that moment she had us follow her to her basement. She opened up her book shelf and it moved like it was leading us into the batcave, but anyone we go down into this room and we see a screen with a huge slash through it." Kevin held up his hand and said, "This is where it gets really good. Luke pointed to a far wall where there were four six-foot marijuana plants growing there. We looked at each other for about five seconds, and the old lady said, 'Two of them are missing'. As soon as she said that Luke and I looked at her and then back to each other and we busted her. We also used every fiber of our being to keep from laughing the whole drive to downtown."

Kevin sat down at the bar and began to sip his coffee and said, "We ran her in and she gave us her nephew who was running short on cash. We nailed him three hours later."

He looked at Cynthia and said, "Your turn."[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia followed West into his apartment building, listening to him go on as if he didn't have a care in the world; at least from the way he spoke he didn't seem to. She knew better. He was obviously lonely, no longer having a partner that would talk to him, and with him about any subject. Now he was stuck with the 'Ice Queen' as she was so aptly called. She rarely offered up pointless conversation that didn't focus on the case. She was not chatty, or even warm most of the time, and she didn't attempt to be. But for the night she could at least try to act as if she wasn't the closed off person that she normally was. It was difficult. She wasn't the type to open her mouth unless she had something important that needed to be said.

She listened as he went on about his stupidest perp, smirking faintly but listened until her was finished and it was her turn. She had quite a few stories to tell, most of them occurred long before she'd made detective. "Hmm….I've had a few, but the stupidest would have to be the man who called to report a vicious dog." Cynthia actually chuckled a bit, recalling the incident with a great deal of humor. "I was on patrol with my old partner when we got a call for a ten nineteen. It was about two in the morning and animal control had everyone tied up on a gator, so they sent us over. We get to the address and we don't see a dog, but what we do see is another unit and an extremely frustrated woman. Turns out that the woman with them was the owner of the house, who had also been called at her job to let her know someone had broken in. She let us into the house, and we find this huge Doberman growling and snarling at what we later learned was a closet door. Turns out the guy had broken in and attempted to rob the house, but the dog chased him into the closet and wouldn't let him out."

Cynthia made herself a cup of coffee and took a seat, taking a quick sip of before continuing on. "I think I've had more nonsense calls during my days on patrol than serious ones. I responded to a call from a little girl who wanted to report her brother for stealing all of her animal crackers. We turned up at the house and found out that the little girl had taken the phone into the bathroom without her mother knowing. When we got there the poor woman was absolutely frantic until we told her why we were there. The little boy was only three, and the girl couldn't have been any more than five. My partner took her aside to explain why she couldn't call the police on her brother." She smirked, taking another sip from her cup. "She had the right idea, sort of. I guess at that age though stealing cookies is the worst crime you have to worry about." Cynthia went quiet after that, touching on a subject she wasn't entirely comfortable with. She only been a few years older when crime completely destroyed her life and set her on a path that led her where she was now. Who knew where she would have been if her parents had lived. There were a million possibilities, and she wouldn't have attempted to even guess.

Clearing her throat, Cynthia straightened up, realizing she had gone silent again. "Anyway….we used to get all sorts of crazy calls. I don't miss those days at all. I'd rather deal with something that puts my mind to work." The case they were on now was off limits, but even though she'd set the rule, she couldn't help but think about it. Of course it was nearly impossible to get it out of her head; it was her most challenging case to date. There were others, but none of them were on par with this one.

"Most challenging case? For me it was a serial rapist." Cynthia perked up a bit, but it wasn't because of the case. She simply had found something to talk about to keep the conversation going rather than allowing it to stall. "The guy was extremely intelligent, in every possible way. He picked high risk victims, left no DNA evidence….he even hit the girls on the back of the head to give them a concussion so they couldn't remember all the details." For a criminal, Cynthia had to give the man some credit. He had been meticulous, and if it hadn't been for the smarts of one of his victims, they may have never caught him. "He made the mistake of attacking a criminology student who happened to be stripping to pay her tuition. Before he hit her, she got a good chunk of his skin under her nails….said she reached behind when he yanked his pants down to rape her and scratched the hell out of him. Got enough DNA to catch the guy because of her. When we arrested him he still had the scratches on his thighs." Cynthia chuckled, her nose scrunching up in disgust. "He was also bald from head to toe…..shaved everything to keep from leaving evidence. It was disturbing."

She shot West a look, her lips still curled in a smirk. "What about you, Westie? What was your most difficult case?"[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

​

​

Kevin chuckled about the little girl calling the cops on her brother. He said, "Sounds like something my siblings would've done to me if they could've, or vice versa. My mom would've had conniption and then once she calmed down would've grounded us for life after the tongue lashing of a lifetime." Kevin nodded and said, "And then she would've gotten mad."

Hearing about her most difficult case made Kevin realize more than ever that Cynthia was a great detective, and that even though he was "The Boy Wonder of Homicide" Cynthia would be the queen of the Homicide Division if she weren't at MCU. Her skills and savvy at working a case was truly something to see. Kevin was impressed with her and he realized that being with her made him wanna be a better detective. He didn't wanna be known as the free loader on this partnership, and inspite of the initial misgivings he couldn't see anyone else he would rather be partnered with now. Larry was great and he loved him like he was one of his own family members, but Cynthia was taking Kevin to a whole new level, and one thing was for sure it was a trip that wasn't gonna be a boring ride.

Kevin made himself another cup but made sure that this one was Decaf. He said returning the smirk, "All right Cindy. Barring our current case of course." Sitting back at the bar and leaning against it Kevin said, "The North Star Slasher easily the hardest one on so many levels. When I first got to Homicide I struggled badly. I was no longer the big fish in the little pond concerning the Department. I got moved up quickly and some thought too quickly, but anyway we got the case and it was pretty straight forward. All the evidence pointed to Mac's nephew Sam as the killer. Sam was no Saint, but he was the starting safety at the U and a first rounder in the NFL probably top 10 or top 15 which made me wonder why he would throw everything away." Kevin nodded slowly as he took a sip of his coffee and said, "DNA, eyewitnesses, Text Messages indicating that he was trying to hook up with the four girls who were killed who turned him down, Sam had a couple of priors, and videos everything led to him. D-A wanted an indictment quick because he was up for re-election and in a tight race. The Department was reeling from the wrongful arrest of Ricky Mendes and needed something to restore the public's confidence in us. I saw it as rush to judgement because something didn't feel right, and talking to Mac I knew that we had the wrong guy. I finally told Captain Webb that if I was wrong I'd hand over my badge, so he gave me 24 hours. I first had to go to work on Larry and get him on my side."

Kevin took a sip and said, "Not easy because he was worried about the new kid dragging him down, and his pension taking a Godzilla sized hit. So I took a couple of steps back and realized that Sam was roommates with another player Jeff Ryan starting DB another first or second rounder. They were close friends but something just didn't add up with his roommate. He had solid alibies across the board I'll give him that, but he also had access to DNA in the room, his phone. Jeff was video wizard, and they looked a lot alike especially at night when the attack occurred. I did a little more digging and found out Jeff actually resented Sam because Sam transferred in and took a lot of the prestige away from Jeff. Not to mention, being the first player drafted from the National Championship team went along away with in the NFL. The body language in interviews and how his voice sounded when he talked about Sam made me realize however that something was off. I knew he was guilty Cynthia. I knew that but proving it was another issue and keep in mind the clock was ticking." Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hey, I grew up in a large Irish Catholic Family in a working class part of Pittsburgh. You learn quickly to tell who is lying and who you can trust. Larry, a fellow Catholic, then realized I was onto something with Jeff."

Kevin stood up and said, "If Ryan's last name sounds familiar yes his Father is Judge Neil Ryan, so Jeff knew the ins and outs of the legal system and how to play it all just right. Kid was smart, so not only did I have to refute the evidence but also convince everyone that we should go against a powerful and politically connected Judge's son. Once I was able to find a Judge to give us another Search Warrant Larry and I went over Jeff's side of the room and Jeff forgot one thing. He was going against someone who was far better at dealing with video than him. Jeff knew what video system we used to break down the videos, so he used an older version that didn't adapt to ours which meant we had to take the video as it was. I had the older system on my laptop and I was able to expose the videos as being forgeries, and I proved how he hacked into the Campus Security Video System to force in the video footage. Once that happened Jeff's world came tumbling down. He tried to run and we caught him in a warehouse on the waterfront preparing to steal away on a freighter. His dad…." Kevin shook his head slowly and said, "I'll never forget it Cynthia. He walked down to holding looked at Jeff and said, 'You're dead to me. I don't even wanna know of your existence.' That was the nicest thing he said to him the rest…" Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "Cynthia, there were convicts in holding who looked like they wanted to cry as Judge Ryan ripped into him. That was the case that put me on the map yeah, but it was a bitch."

Kevin took another drink of his coffee and then put it down. He was getting tired of talking about the job and things related to it, and so Kevin sat back down at the bar. He said, "Okay enough of the work related topics Cindy. How about this one; you're on a deserted island and you're allowed one book, one CD, and one movie what are they and why? And anything having to do with how to build a boat is off limits."[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia was familiar with the case West was talking about; everyone was. It had been all over the news from the time of the first crime, all the way till the end. She could appreciate the struggles that he had gone through the case, not just because of who the suspect was, but because of the media attention that was given to the case. Cases were always more difficult when you had journalists watching your every move, leaking information that you didn't want given away. She was waiting for something to slip through in their case, but so far the media circus was being kept under control, and there hadn't been any information that she hadn't want given out to the public. That wasn't going to hold up for long, and she knew it; it never did.

The change of topic was expected, and appreciated, although she was certain that West had no idea exactly what he was asking of her. She wasn't like normal people, and she doubted that he would be able to understand. "Movie? I don't think there are any movies out there that I would want to take with me. I don't really watch TV, or movies. There have been a few times I've watched movies when they were pertinent to the case, but that hasn't been too often." She was a child prodigy, and the reason for that was because she had not been exposed to television, or anything that might have distracted her away from her studies and stunted her imagination. "My father was a professor. The moment they discovered that I was a prodigy, he got rid of the television. When he died and I lived with my grandmother, she was old fashioned and thought that television corrupted. I got into the habit of not watching it, and now that everything is online, I don't really need to."

"As for a book…..I can't exactly choose one, but if I had to it would probably be To Kill a Mockingbird." Cynthia smirked, slouching back in her chair. "It's a reminder that justice isn't always fair, and that sometimes the legal system is screwed up, but at the end of the day, everyone pays for their crimes in some way." She had been young when she first picked up the book, and it had always been one of her favorites. For a brief time she considered becoming a lawyer, motivated by the desire to see every criminal put away for their crimes and the innocent cleared. She had ended up in law, only now it was her job to make sure that the right person was put on trial, rather than seeing them put in jail.

"As for CD, I can't really say there is one in particular. I prefer classical, so anything really. Bach, Mozart, It's all the same really." No, she wasn't all that interesting, and she knew it. Most of her life had been spent with her nose in a book, and trying to avoid the stigma of being an orphan. In school she hadn't been bothered too much snce everyone was exactly like her, but out in the real world and in college she had avoided people like an infectious disease. "I know. I don't really have anything interesting. I doubt you'd want to hear about the psychology books I've read, or the countless hours I spent on my dissertations. That's pretty much how I spent most of my life."

Clearing her throat, she glanced around for a clock, mostly to try and ease her own growing nervousness over the conversation. There was really no getting around it though. Her partner didn't know much about her, and that was going to have to change if they were going to continue working together. "I'm not your average person, Kevin. I graduated from college before I was even old enough to enter the academy. Other than a year or two in public school when my grandmother became my guardian, I've never been part of the normal crowd. I didn't grow up worrying about whether my clothes were in style, or which sports team was going to win whatever championship game they were playing. For me it's always been about finding a problem that needed fixing and creating the best possible solution. My parents were killed, I became a cop. A criminal's on the loose, I try to put myself in their mind to figure out their next move." She sighed, reaching up to straighten her hair which really didn't need to be messed with. "Didn't they tell you any of this when they paired you with me?"[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

[fieldbox= Kevin, blue]

​

Kevin sipped his decaf as Cynthia told him everything about her. The tone of the evening had turned from business, to light personal stuff relating to the job, and now Kevin felt like he was getting to see the real Cynthia. Not only in the choices that she was making in Kevin's question, but she actually told him about herself. The layers that made up Cynthia Matthers were coming down right in front of Kevin West, and he was not only interested in hearing what she had to say but for the first time Kevin was finally understanding Cynthia. It all started to make sense now, and these were details that Kevin was going to keep to himself. It wasn't his place to share his partner's personal life but also this was information he had scrapped and clawed to get. Kevin wasn't about to let someone else have that information so readily. When it was all said and done Kevin felt that he had earned his partner's trust finally, and in turn it was time for him to come clean as well.

He looked at Cynthia and answered her question with a question. Kevin said, "What do you think? You think Downtown or the Brass really care about information like that?" He shook his head and said, "Anyway, you told me about your parent's murder I had no idea when it happened though. I should've put together that you were a child prodigy by your actions, your choices in your likes and dislikes things of that nature. Some Detective I am wow." Kevin looked down for a moment and said, "You really are something else Cynthia. It speaks volumes to whom you are that you're a Detective." Kevin looked back up and said, "I grew up with a couple back in Pittsburgh who had something similar happen to them, but they went the other way. Sought vengeance, sought to hurt others, things of that nature."

Kevin stood up and began to walk a bit. He said, "I grew up in Pittsburgh born and raised. Dad was a construction supervisor died when I was seven. On the job accident although my Grandfather Nick, a former Police Commissioner, believed until his dying day that it was no accident. That it was a mobster who he had a long running feud with who was the cause of it all." Kevin walked over to his sub-woofer of his stereo system and pulled out the backing of it. He pulled out a case file and said, "My Grandfather walked out of the precinct with this on his last day. It was the day after I graduated College and he found out I was gonna be a cop. He wanted me to continue trying to solve the case." Kevin put the file back and said, "I told him I would someday. Well that someday was about six months ago." Kevin let out a bit of an exhale and nodded slowly as he said, "He was right. The investigation was botched from the get though. Sadly, it wasn't the Detectives, the M-E, CSU, or even cops on the take that screwed it up." He looked at Cynthia and said, "It was Nick West who screwed the case up. He was so emotionally involved with it, a grieving father, and the onset of Alzheimer's caused him to miss things that even rookie wouldn't miss and his feud with the mobster." Kevin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yeah my Grandfather was his own worst enemy in this one. Up until I haven't told anyone not even my family. They don't need to know the truth besides the Statue of Limitations has already kicked in. Everyone has such a high opinion of my Grandfather in the Pittsburgh PD. To come out with what I know would be like I was taking a shit on his grave to most of them. Not to mention my family would be crushed my grandmother especially. Although at this point her lucid moments are fewer and fewer still though she doesn't need to know."

Kevin walked back to the bar and took another sip of his coffee. He said, "My mom is an RN set to retire in about 18 months. She doesn't know it but we all have pulled our resources financially and we got her a house in San Francisco so she could be near my oldest brother. She loves the grandkids and they are getting ready to graduate High-School and all that in the future, so we figured she could be close by when it happens. Besides she's been wanting to leave Pittsburgh since I left there, but couldn't because of her job and she felt like she would be betraying dad for some reason. Once she finds out what we've done and why she'll leave without hesitation." He sat down and said, "That's why I'm so protective of the Harley, because it was my Father's dream that we work on it together. It's a physical connection to him. Same with my Springsteen addiction and sports."

Taking another sip, he said, "Okay my turn. Movie 'Casablanca' the perfect movie has it all. Yeah it's dated and all that but the story makes it happen for me. CD Springsteen, contain your shock Cindy, 'Born to Run' perfection on a CD. And as for my book, I would say The Bible but there's gonna enough praying going as it is so I'll go with 'A Tale of Two Cities'. I like the theme of giving up one's life for the love of another."

Kevin looked over at Cynthia and said, "You are different Cynthia Matthers, but that is far from a bad thing. You do it very well. I'm sorry for the times that I've been a pain in your ass or let my sarcasm take over. I can't promise that won't happen from time to time, but I can promise you this I won't let you down."
[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia wasn't much for personal discussion, not one little bit. She hated sharing anything about her past, especially her parents' death. However, it was one aspect of her life that she could not avoid no matter how hard she tried. Of course she had expected that her degrees would have been something her partner was informed about, But no, he was forced to work with her going into the partnership with only her reputation and the opinions of others. No wonder he had no idea how to respond to her. Even people who were well aware of who she was as a person, and some of her history didn't fully know how to act when it came down to it. Max always ignored the chilly parts of her personality, and focused in on the ones a bit more human. Not everyone could do that, which was why she always preferred to work alone.

Unlike her, West had grown up with a family that obviously cared for him, and one that he cared for in return. She was a bit jealous at the admiration he displayed for his grandfather. He respected the man, although it wasn't entirely obvious. He had chosen to follow in the man's footsteps and become a cop. That wasn't something that anyone did without some respect. Everyone knew a cop's life was hard, but no one knew the full extent of it unless they had an up close and personal view of it. The fact that West walked into it anyway was enough to show that there was some respect for his grandfather, mental condition or not. She shrugged, not meaning to brush Kevin's assessment of his grandfather's mistakes off, but because she knew how difficult it was to work a case where personal feelings were involved. "That's going to happen, regardless. That's why we're not allowed to work cases of family members or friends. You lose focus too quick, and the only thing that matters is seeing someone punished for it, and in the heat of the moment it doesn't matter who that is."

She listened to the rest of his story in silence, even as he switched back to his original questions and began to talk about his choices. It was the final statement that finally loosened her lips a bit, despite the fact that it was uncomfortable as hell for her. "You're not that much of a pain in the ass." She admitted, almost sheepishly. "I already know I'm not the easiest person to work with. I like doing things my way, and I hate answering to anyone. It's not just you, it's people in general. I like being alone. There's a lot less complications that way." Of course that's how she would see it, and deep down she knew there was psychological reasons for it as well. Some would have said that the death of her parents during a pivotal point in her life would have caused her to isolate herself, but Cynthia knew that wasn't entirely the case with her. She spent far too much time trapped in her own mind and thoughts to really care what went on with the people around her. There was no interpersonal relationships because she chose not to pursue them, not because she was incapable of them.

"I know I pissed you off the other day at Max's. I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't handle yourself, and if that's how you took it I apologize. My problem was you and Holsted came up with a plan without informing me about it, and after what you had gone through with Roxy, you weren't exactly up for solo work." She held up her hands defensively, realizing instantly that he could have taken that as an insult as well. "I just meant you needed some time alone to grieve, and you can't very well do that when you're watching your own ass." Cynthia knew she was horrible at apologizing, but even worse at trying to sound even remotely human, especially when it came to someone she had to work with on a daily basis. "But as far as partners go, Westie, you're alright in my book." She smirked over at him, chuckling quietly. "Just don't think about picking me up on that bike of yours. I'm not really a motorcycle kind of girl."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

​

[fieldbox=Kevin, blue]

​

Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "As far Max's goes, two things. One Holsted was extorting me. Nah, that's an ugly word let's go with Blackmail. Yeah his letter of reference and keeping a certain secret under wraps in return for me doing the stakeout." Kevin smiled and said, "Two, I didn't think I would be seeing you again. I thought it was a milk run type of assignment. All that being said though, you were right. I should've at the least contacted you. They are your friends and I should've realized that I wasn't ready yet. I'm sorry too Cynthia. As far as Roxy goes…" Kevin closed his eyes and then took a deep breath. He opened them back up and said, "I've made peace with it. Something like that you never truly get over, but you find ways to endure and to try not making the same mistakes in the future."

He chuckled a bit and said, "You on the Harley I have to admit would be interesting. I have no doubt in my mind Cynthia if you were on it you would do it justice. In terms of partners, you make me glad to be a part of MCU, You're not just a credit to MCU but you're a credit to the force." Kevin leaned against the bar and thought for a moment. He said, "True confession time. The reason I said 'I couldn't believe that I put my career on the line for you' was because…" Kevin looked back at Cynthia and said, "Jordan made a couple of cracks about you being 'The Ice Queen' and I had been hearing about it ever since I got to MCU. I had enough of people talking down about my partner so, I hit him with my right forearm. He dropped like a stone." He rolled his eyes a bit and said, "Yeah Holsted saw it and gave me a talking to about how we don't do that MCU and all that. Although he did say off the record I had a pretty good forearm shiv. That was what he agreed to keep under wraps." Kevin said, "I wanted to send the message that nobody fucks around and talks about my partner like that. Larry taught me to always back up your partner's play. Besides…" Kevin smirked and said, "you're not 'The Ice Queen' you're unique, and that's not really a bad thing. You do your job, better than about anyone I know, and you don't hurt others along the way. Not many people can say they do that now days. You're one of the ones who can. Good job Cindy." He smiled at the "Cindy" part.

Kevin finished the last of his coffee, and began to put his cup in the sink. Once he was done with that he grabbed himself a bottle of ice-water and began to sip on it. He said, "What's the one thing that scares you? I know this a pretty abrupt change in topics, but hey you're my partner and I think you have a right to know these things about me." Kevin took a sip and said, "Trust me it's not gonna be one of those, 'I'm afraid of the dark' kind of things. Although, I do have a hang up about frogs, but Roxy was pretty good about chasing those away. I'm talking in terms of what we do." He sat back down and said, "I started this line of questioning so I'll go first. For me it's always been and always will be that we manage to somehow arrest the wrong person. Not just because of the embarrassment to the department or any PR crap. Those are humiliating hits but they're not fatal in most situations." Kevin took another sip and said, "For me, it's because it means that we managed to get the hopes up of someone who was expecting us to give them closure and we failed them. That is my number one fear in doing this job. More than being shot, more than finding myself in a no win situation, it's failing a victim's family. Nothing that we can do or say can change that." Kevin took another drink and said, "I do it because I know what it's like to have something taken from you and I want to help others avoid that feeling."

Kevin looked at Cynthia and said, "Your turn. Or do you want to change the subject?"[/fieldbox]

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

[fieldbox= Cynthia, #367b85, dashed, 10, Georgia] Cynthia wasn't at all surprised to learn the way people talked about her behind her back. They had tried saying it to her face multiple times, but when she gave no reaction at all, they usually stopped. Did it hurt? Not really. She was used to it by now. That didn't mean that she enjoyed it though. "You have to get some thicker skin, Kevin. I've heard it all before, at least a dozen times, and it doesn't bother me. Just because I don't show any emotion doesn't mean I don't have them. There's a time and a place for things, and on the job is not the time to let emotions get the best of you. That's how people get killed, and the bad guys get away." Her record wasn't flawless when it came to arrests, but it was far above average. Most people tried to get to her by throwing petty insults to mask their jealousy, but she saw it for exactly what it was. "When you have a ninety sever percent arrest rate, and a ninety two percent conviction rate, people are going to get pissy. If calling me an ice queen makes them feel better, then that's on them. I go to work to do a job and get criminals off the streets. I'm not there to make friends with everyone."

"As for the stakeout thing….." She continued, giving Kevin a sharp look. "A little warning next time. I would have felt like shit if you had ended up with more than some bruises. I might not seem like the best partner, but it is my job to have your back and I'm not going to turn away from that." Cynthia wouldn't admit that she felt like it was her job to do more than watch Kevin's back. That was the other reason why she had always hated the idea of having a partner. She might not have appeared to be the protective type, but when she did let people close to her, she felt as if it was her job to protect them. Max and his wife was an example of that. Even if Max was perfectly capable of taking care of the two of them, she felt that she needed to be their protector simply because they were her friends.

Fear wasn't something Cynthia was really capable of, at least not in the sense that Kevin was talking about. It might have been a bit arrogant of her to think that arresting the wrong person wasn't something that could possibly happen, but she had never experienced it in the past, and she didn't plan on it happening in the future. "Arresting the wrong person is extremely difficult now a days, Kevin. Forensics alone makes its nearly impossible. Not to mention that everywhere you go there's someone with a phone, and cameras on nearly every street corner. I'm not saying that your fear is silly, I just don't think it's something you should worry yourself over too much." Of the two of them, West was definitely the more sensitive one, and she often times forgot he didn't take things the same way that she did. She remembered to explain herself this time, not wanting another misunderstanding while they were getting along as well as they were.

"I can't really say I have a fear." She finally replied, hefting a shoulder up in a shrug. "For a while it was that my parents' murderer would never be caught, but I've already come to terms with that possibility." She didn't think the crime would ever be solved, not unless some miracle evidence fairy turned up, and she already know that wasn't going to happen. "When I was younger, public school was my biggest fear. So many kids not caring about what the teachers were trying to teach….already knowing what they were teaching and not being able to learn anything else. But, my grandmother thought private schools and tutors was a waste of my inheritance, and it would have been put to much better use fixing up her shack of a house and keeping her shelves filled with gaudy porcelain clowns. Fortunately, my parents lawyer caught on before she could squander the entire thing, and I had enough left to go to college, if I had actually needed to pay for it."

That probably hadn't answered his question, but she was already moving on to her own question. "Dream vacation, anywhere in the world. Where would you go?" This time Cynthia managed a smile, not a smirk, but a genuine smile. "I would go to Alaska. I've always wanted to go there. It would be nice to experience real cold after spending majority of my life in Florida."[/fieldbox]

 

[MST3K 4ever]

​

[fieldbox=Kevin, blue]

​

Kevin knew that Cynthia for the most part was right for the most part about his fear of getting the wrong person, but then again they were human beings and one thing that they excelled at was making mistakes. A mistake in this profession couldn't just be blown off with a "my bad" or a nice card, and usually lives were changed forever. All that being said Cynthia's fears were more based closer to who she was. As she talked he realized that they weren't really too different at all. Cynthia was raised by a single parent. Yes, Kevin's dad was around but that was only for the first seven years of his life. After that it was only his mom and she had a handful dealing with a seven-year-old who felt in some ways cheated out of his relationship with his dad. Appointing her grandmother as her guardian, without vetting her, was a failure of the system. There were many times that the system failed Kevin's mom especially when it came to her trying to deal with the local Government on certain matters. However, once they realized Hannah West was the daughter-in-law of the Commissioner things tended to lighten up a lot on them. She didn't like playing the Father-in-Law card too often, but if she had to Nick West wasn't above answering a call for help for his family if it was justified. That was two things Kevin was taught one stand up for yourself whenever possible, and two help out others whenever possible. Bottom line though was family takes care of family. In many ways Kevin saw Cynthia was family because she was finding out things about him not many others knew, and the bond between partners was something that not everyone understood.

Kevin said with a smirk, "I speak from experience dealing with real cold is highly overrated. Growing up in Pittsburgh makes you realize how wonderful warm weather in January is." Kevin shook his shoulders a bit and said, "You have no clue how good it is down here especially during the winter months. That being said, I can understand your feeling on that one. To be honest, yeah I miss White Christmases every now and then. We usually all gather at my older brother Sam's place out in San Francisco. It's a big enough house for all of us to gather at without feeling like we're stepping on each other." He took another swig of his water and said, "Downside to a big family sometimes you feel like you're in each other's way at gatherings, and then there are some who do something at some point that threatens to tear the family down the middle. So that by the time you sit down for the family meal you are either vowing to cease all contact with one another, or in the back of the mind you hope that maybe you were adopted." Kevin smiled and said, "All that being said, we agree more than disagree and we recognize that we really do give a damn about one another."

Kevin had to think for a moment and then said, "Dream Vacation no doubt Arizona. Javy's dad owns a resort and last year arranged for him, myself, Luke, and Larry to spend a few days out there for downtime. The resort itself was wonderful, but I enjoyed jogging in the morning on the open highway." Kevin shook his head slowly and said, "Cynthia the sky at sunrise are colors you can't even find in crayon box. The spaces are so wide open I could just imagine the Harley on some of those open roads, and not to mention the people were friendly. Wouldn't wanna live there mainly because I love being on the East Coast, but shooting over there every so often I think would be good for the soul."

Kevin walked around the apartment for a moment and said, "Okay, your apartment is burning down and you can only save one item; what is it? For me it's a no brainer…" Kevin walked over to an album in a frame and pulled it down. He placed it in-front of Cynthia a framed copy of Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album "Born to Run." Upon closer inspection there was writing on the album that said "To Kevin, Let It Rock! Bruce Springsteen." It was also signed by the rest of his band and Kevin smiled as he said, "I've had that with me for a while." He said, "A little bit of nepotism got me that one. Bruce's bus was pulled over in Pittsburgh for speeding at the time. My Grandfather happened to be listening to the scanner when the call came in. He ordered the bus to be held until he got there. He got there and talked to the officer outside of the bus. He thanked the patrol officer who pulled the bus over and said that he would take care of it." Kevin chuckled a bit and said, "Once the patrol officer left my Grandfather went on the bus and told Bruce and the band that the ticket would be taken care of on one condition…" He smiled broadly and said, "An autograph for his grandson. Bruce asked for my grandfather to call our house from the bus and to get me on the phone. My grandfather got me on the phone and he told my mom to listen in as well. My grandfather passed the phone to Bruce, and I couldn't believe it I was talking to the man himself. I was 15 years old and when the conversation was over I held my mom and just wept with joy. It was five of the best minutes of my life, and I'll never forget the smile on my mom's face while it was happening. Bruce asked me for my address, and what my favorite album was of his. I thought I might get a special edition of it with unreleased material or something. Nope two weeks later at my house was my favorite album of all time signed by the man himself along with the rest of the E Street Band." Kevin sat down and said, "My grandfather hated Bruce Springsteen. His music and politics and all that. He could've been a real hard ass to him, but he was really decent. My grandfather knew though how much he meant to me, and that to me is the definition of love. You're willing to do something for someone despite your biases." [/fieldbox]