Chapter 74

word count 1421

After leaving Gil, Hank continued his journey on the elevator to the booking department. When the doors opened, a busy world came into view. Cops filled the area, their blue shirts blurred as they rushed by, their faces grim. He two-stepped his way pushing his through the throng to arrive at the desk.

"Becker." He nodded to the cop in charge. "I want the file on Trudy Hunt. She was arrested today."

Becker shuffled through mounds of fresh paperwork and pulled up a file. "Data's not even inputted yet," he said, handing the file to Hank.

Hank studied the package, snapping through pages, gazing at Trudy's prints and noting her runaway, scrawling signature at the bottom. It strung out all the way across the sheet and over the edge to no man's land off the paper. Yeah, I think she's drunk all right, he thought. He noted her mug shot was a "beauty". Making some notes, he flipped the file closed and handed it back.

"I'm going back and see her," he said.

She was in the drunk tank, yelling at another woman. Her eye makeup ran down her face in streaks and her signature red lipstick ran up to meet it halfway. The other woman looked a strange combination of bored and frightened all at the same time.

"I LOVE HIM! I LOVE 'EM BOTH!" Trudy grabbed the lady by the shoulders and shook her. "Why doesn't anyone love me back! They're all BASTARDS!" She said the last word with enough exuberance to knock herself off balance, sending her tumbling backwards to land on a bench. The other woman, set free, ran to a far corner, ran for her life.

Hank signaled for a uniformed officer. "I'd like to have a conference with her," he said, nodding toward Trudy.

"Like to live dangerously?" the cop commented as he dug out his keys.

When he finally settled in across the table from Trudy, she'd settled down. In fact, she looked depressed. Sooner or later, the alcohol would wear off, and she'd feel worse than ever. For now she was subdued, but still tipsy.

"Trudy, do you remember me, Hank Bower?"

"Of course I do, sweetie! You're Buzz's friend and..." Tears welled as she finished. "...my Gilberto's partner."

"Yeah, Gilberto...you attacked him, right?"

"I cert...certain...CERTAINLY did. That sonofabitch was cheatin' on me." She appeared exhausted from the effort the remark required forming the words with uncooperative lips.

"Cheating on you, how so?"

"I saw him gettin' cosy with that female cop...that female whore in a uniform."

"What exactly did you see, Trudy?"

"She pu...she put her hand on his shoulder...and...and whispered in his ear."

"Hmmm, I see. On another point, Trudy, did you realize you were driving drunk to get to the station?"

"Ooooh yeah!" She chuckled. "But I wanted to see my Gil...just wanted to see him." She hiccuped. "He hasn't been com...comin' around lately, ya know."

"So you were lonely, and you came to see him. And when you did, you saw him with that female officer, and you decked her. Is that about right?"

"It shertainly...[hic] is..."

***

Afterward, Hank reached for a cigarette and felt the papers from the Simmons investigation stuffed in his pocket. Knowing Gil was in no condition for questioning anyone, he decided to interview the boss himself about how the remains in his driveway belonged to a fellow cop.

He found Buzz Miller sitting in a chair, a cane next him resting against his knee. The guy was lost in thought and didn't hear Hank enter. Hank paused to study the man, his nemesis, the one he blamed for the death of Jeannie. The boss certainly did not appear to be someone to fear, or someone to whom it would be satisfying to yell at or execute a surprise left hook to the chin. This fellow looked old, drawn, depressed. Hank found his anger at Buzz dissipating, and pity coming forward to take center stage.

"Hey, boss! How's it going?"

Buzz Miller started at the sound of Hank's voice. Upon spying him, he offered a short smile, but returned to his morose attitude just as quickly.

"I've been reinstated. I hope you're not going to get upset about that. The board felt it was an emotional misunderstanding." Hank stood back, waiting for a response.

Buzz looked him up and down. "I don't care," he said. "Jeannie liked you. She wouldn't want you to lose your job."

"Good! I'm glad that's out of the way. So, how are you doing?"

"I just found out I'm being discharged. I'm waiting for the doctor to finish writing my orders." He shot an anxious glance to the door as if looking for the nurse.

"You're going home? That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm using this cane, but that's okay. It turned out being in the hospital, albeit for another reason, gave them an opportunity to apply a rigorous physical therapy on my knees. And I tend to cooperate better in here than at home." He shot Hank a sheepish grin. “But at least I'm walking now, and no crutches!”

"How long will you be using that cane?"

"I don't know," he said, bouncing it lightly on his knee. "So, why are you here?"

"We think we found out who blew up your house."

"My God, who? I'd like to kill him, but I'll try to hold my temper. I promised Jeannie."

Hank raised his eyebrows, then continued. "Believe it or not, Brenda Simmons." He watched to see if there was any kind of reaction from Buzz. If the guy was sleeping with her, he was certain it would show. All he saw was confusion.

"What the fuck? You think she did it?"

"Hers was the only DNA evidence we could find, that and the remains of her car showed explosive material residue in its ruins...Boss, do you have any idea why she would do that?"

"None...unless..." Buzz's eyes glazed as his mind wandered.

"What is it?"

He shot Hank an uneasy smile, skittish and shallow. "It's like this, Bower...I didn't tell anyone because it is embarrassing, but that 'guy' who beat me up in my own driveway was a DAME. I couldn't see her face though. She wore a mask."

"You got beat up by a woman?" Hank could not believe his ears. Rough, tough, Buzz Miller had his clock cleaned by a woman!

"You can see why I didn't want to tell anyone it was a girl, right?"

Hank fought hard to restrain the roaring laughter deep inside that fought to be set free. "Well, we do train our women just as thoroughly as the men." He ground his teeth, restraining chuckles, making his prominent jaw jut out more than ever. "But even so, why did she beat you up?"

"All I can figure is she was up for promotion, and I ignored her and gave the job she asked me for to Tim Stevens. I heard she was fighting mad about it."

"Then she screwed up and got stuck in her own explosive revenge."

"Looks that way. I never really thought she was that angry. If she'd only come to me, we could have dealt with it."

Hank nodded. These women, he thought, always so emotional. It gets in their way. His pulse skipped a beat when he realized he sounded like a bigot or something. Considering what happened to Buzz, downgrading women, he'd have to watch that.

Next, he remembered something. "Buzz, do have any recollection of coming across any oleander lately?"

"Oleander? Isn't that a poisonous plant? Nah, I'd avoid that like the plague."

"Well, it turns out traces of it were in Jeannie's system. In her weakened state, it is what killed her. Did the doctors tell you that? And according to the doctor's report, you have oleander in your system, too. The doctors filed a police report because it is a poison, and I'm following up on it. Mrs. Dunn who, as you know, is also in this hospital, has been found to have traces, too. I'm going to stop by later and pick up Adam to have him tested."

"I can't believe it! How in hell did that happen? Hey, wait for my doctor to finish my discharge orders. I'll go with you to get Adam. I was planning to pick him up from Elliot's house and take him home anyway. We can go together to take him for his test first."

"Can you walk okay with that cane?"

"Damn right I can!"