chapter 91

word count:  1859

hank bowers had not felt so alone since he had lost his wife patricia to cancer just a year ago.. it seemed as though everything he touched,, as of late,, just fell apart.. 

first there was jeannie.. he had lulled himself into thinking they had a chance.. maybe even a future together.. had he been so blinded by his desire to save her (like he could not save his patricia) that he had made up the whole chemistry thing between them?? had she ever really felt about him the way he had perceived that she felt?? would she ever have really left buzz so that the two of them could be together,, and he could show her all the love she really deserved??  hank guessed,, and rightly so,, that he would never know the answers to any of these questions.. she was gone now,, and no amount of second guessing was ever gonna bring her back.. 

then there was his daughter lisa.. ever since she had met that john hunt guy, the two of them had been inseparable.. it was like this hunt guy had spirited his daughter away,, like she had no real time for hank anymore.. he had grown so close to lisa since her mother’s death,, that this not being the top man in her life was really taking a toll on him.. 

sure he wanted her to be happy.. in his heart of hearts he had always wanted lisa to find a good man,, settle down,, give his grandson erik a real home,, a real family,, but did she have to do it now?? and with that crazy woman, trudy hunt’s husband?? what did his choice in ex-wives really say about him?? was he the guy for lisa?? what kind of a father was he gonna make for erik?? his only grandson??

and now his partner,, gil bettencourt,, the guy he had always trusted to not only have his back,, but be his closest friend and confidant as well,, had taken up with that sexy officer simone from weston.. not only had his closest friend and partner ruined any chance hank may have had with simone,, but now she had put in for a transfer to new albany,, and soon he would be faced with the “love at first sight” couple every day??  that sounded too much like rubbing his nose in it to hank.. how could gil do such a thing?? just kick all they had been through together to the curb?? and for a woman?? would he ever really be able to trust gil again??

hank sat dejectedly in his cubicle in the 45^th st. precinct house,, worse for the ware,, and yet not at all wanting to go home to an empty house.. at least here he was surrounded by people.. people he had no real use for right now,, but people none the less.. 

at home it would be him,, the tv,, and a whole lot of shoulda’ woulda’ coulda’s,, and right now hank knew that would be the wrong place for him to go.. being alone right now just might send him over the edge.. so he reconfirmed his desire to stay here at work,, to at least keep his mind off of all of this as much as he could.. 

hank grabbed the first case file on the huge stack of open cases on his desk.. brenda simmons.. it wasn’t even a homicide case,, but it had hit so close to home,, that hank couldn’t help but take a personal interest in the case.. he had instructed arson to keep him up to date on any and all developments,, and seeing as the case file had made it back into his ‘to do’ pile,, some further information must have come to light on the case.. 

hank paged casually thru the file.. autopsy. dna confirmation. report on probable accelerants. simmons official police jacket.. background report.. huh.. that was new.. 

hank withdrew the stapled packet of papers that arson had compiled on simmons' family,, background and personal life.. skimming over the first few pages,, he learned a couple of things.. 

simmons had been born in ohio.. she had graduated from high school,, and was accepted at the new albany campus of baneberry college where she had graduated with honors with a major in criminal justice.. she was then accepted into the local police academy,, blew through her training with flying colors,, and had initially been assigned to a street beat with the weston pd.. hmm.. he hadn’t known that..

seems as though her weston career was somewhat uneventful,, and as soon as a position became available in new albany simmons had made the leap,, out of the country and into the city.. it was there her career really took off.. 

she had played a major role in the drug bust that had shot buzz williams to national fame.. she had actually been the “bait” on that case,, posing as a young, good looking, hooker/addict.. she had made many an important buy,, and was key in deciphering the hierarchy of the local cartel that buzz eventually brought to its knees.. 

this is where it became interesting.. seems like buzz had personally brought simmons' along on his rise to invincible stardom.  she had ridden his coat tails straight into the homicide division,, and had worked lead on several of the cases buzz had eventually received sole credit or in the eyes of the media.. what the heck?? why was this the first time hank had heard about any of this?? why on earth would she allow buzz to take full media credit for all the hard work she had put in on so many cases??

hank grabbed her jacket to investigate the possible link a little further.. maybe there were some answers there..  he thumbed back through the file,, and started at day one.. weston.. 

once again,, pretty unremarkable first couple of years spent on the streets.. couple a nice collars,, but nothing that would cause her to stand out. passed over for promotion to detective, twice..  put in for and was accepted to the new albany pd,, just after she had passed the sergeants test.. first real promotion,, and she was assigned to vice.. 

it seemed like that is where she was when she first hooked up with buzz miller.. in fact,, it was buzz that personally requested her services on the drug bust he was working so intently on.. he had hand selected her.. here was a copy of his request.. officially filed.. a permanent part of both of their jackets.. 

hank couldn’t help but allow his mind to wander as far as the original connection between simmons and buzz.. buzz had quite the reputation as a ladies man,, even back then.. yep,, hank could remember the water cooler gossip about the conquests of the young patrol officer nearly as soon as he hit the streets in new albany.. in fact he remembered wondering just who buzz had fucked to get to the top so quickly.. sure that drug bust had been a big deal,, it had brought him full circle in the first six months he had spent on the job,, but hank had always been under the impression,, given buzzes reputation,, that there was more to the story than was actually being told.. that perhaps he had “connections” shall we say in high places??

the more hank thought about it,, the more he was sure that was the deal with buzz and simmons.. he was fucking her.. it had to be.. that bastard.. and to think jeannie had suffered in silence all those years and it was only in the recent past,, in the days that lead up to her death in fact,, that hank had finally put two and two together.. 

‘pause.. stop.. rewind..’ hank thought to himself,, he had to get his mind off jeannie and back on the case.. 

ok.. so her jacket had made the connection.. now back to her personal history.. 

“was she ever married??” hank couldn’t help but wonder, aloud,, as he thumbed through her history.. nope.. didn’t look like it.. 

‘hey!! wait a minute! wtf?? she was a lesbian??’ hold on.. hank had to go back and reread this whole entry.. 

seems as though her sexual preference was brought to light in a defamation of character suit she had filed against the weston pd after the second pass over for detective.. although it looked like she dropped the case without much ado when she decided to take the sergeants exam,, it was still here in black and white..  she had been photographed in full public view at a known lesbian bar in a blatantly sexual embrace with another woman.. 

hank grabbed the picture.. it was kind of dark.. but as he concentrated on it,, something about the picture came to life for him.. and it was not the compromising position in which simmons had been photographed,, but rather the woman that she was holding in her arms.. something about that woman just caught his eye,, and wouldn’t let him go.. 

hank decided to scan it into his computer,, blow it up and have a closer look.. something about that woman,, her eyes,, she looked so familiar..  but how could she possibly?? hank didn’t know any confirmed lesbians that he recalled.. and certainly not any that hung out in dive same sex  bars in weston.. 

hank followed the scan to his document file,, clicked up the photo,, and enlarged it.. he honed in on that face. beautiful girl,, no question about that.. long flowing blonde hair,, gorgeous blue eyes.. it was definitely those eyes.. those eyes that hank knew he had looked into,, but couldn’t place.. 

“holy shit!!” hank exclaimed aloud as those eyes finally registered,, and he knew unquestioningly where he had seen them before.. those eyes belonged to none other than weston pd officer beverly simone!!! that sexy young thing that gil was probably shacked up with right this moment!!

“holy fuck!!” hank cried aloud as the seriousness of the situation became ever clearer.. this simone was none other than simmons' lesbian lover!! they had to have been in kahoots on the explosion that ultimately took simmons' life,, and even though hank was still unclear as to motive,, his gut told him,, he had to warn gil.. and he had to warn him now!! the likelihood that all of this was just a coincidence,, was just not a chance he was willing to take..

even if gil misread his warning as a last ditch feeble effort to try and get in simone’s pants,, so be it.. it was a chance hank was willing to take.. he had to let his partner,, his best friend,, know what a lion’s den he had walked into!!

hank quickly punched up gil’s number on his cell..  it went straight to the recorder.. gil’s phone was evidently turned off.. that had to mean gil was doin’  the nasty with simone.. gil never turned his phone off at any other time.. never..

hank jumped up and nearly ran to the h.r. office.. he had to get simone’s address,, and he had to get it now!!!