Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Captain Frank Roque sat in the conference room, staring intently at a report in his hand. Some police officers walked by him without saying a word. Some others glanced his way and began talking softly among themselves. Their captain was quiet, and sat there to himself. It was simply something he never did. He was what they called an interactive captain. He would associate with everyone who worked around him, including the cleaning people. He was that type of man.
Detective Peter O’Brien entered the conference room and saw the captain at the front end of the conference table looking over the report. He walked slowly over to the front end of the table, nodding silent greetings to other police officers as he passed them. He knew that they were wondering what was going on in the captain’s head, but no one worked up the courage to ask.
O’Brien was standing in next to the captain, but he couldn’t tell whether he was aware that he was standing there. He was so engrossed in the report, O’Brien could have been a naked woman begging for no strings attached sex, and the captain would have been clueless.
“Frank?” he said softly.
The captain looked up.
“You okay?”
The captain nodded.
“Is that the Cross-Over murder files?”
He nodded again.
“I bet it’s driving you nuts?”
“Don’t you have reports to fill out, O’Brien?” he replied. “Something to keep you busy?”
O’Brien nodded and sat down opposite him. “But I’d much rather be here with you.”
“Damn, looks like Nick Barnum’s wit and dry sense of humor has rubbed off on you,” said the captain. “Maybe you are hanging out with him a little too much.”
“After what he displayed at the hospital,” O’Brien said warmly. “I’ll take that as a compliment, sir.”
The captain smiled.
“I’m glad you forced me to invite him,” said O’Brien. “It would have been a big mistake had he not been there.”
“I didn’t force you,” said the captain.
O’Brien looked confused.
“You have a question?”
“You did make me call him,” O’Brien replied. “Or should I have said it was a direct order?”
“You know Pete,” the captain started. “You really wanted him there. I think it was all a front. You’re just kidding yourself if you think I’m buying that crap. I just found it hard to believe that you didn’t want him there. I knew you weren’t being honest with me when you started talking about protecting and serving. It was just... corny.”
O’Brien smiled.
“You want to go get some coffee?”
“No thanks,” he replied. “But captain, how did you know that Nick had a plan?”
The captain smiled.
“Well?”
“Oh,” the captain started. “You didn’t really know?”
“No,” he replied quietly. “I really didn’t.”
“I didn’t really know if he had any plan,” said the captain. “But I should have suspected he would try something. That’s just how Nick is.”
O’Brien nodded.
“But come on Pete, you really think that Nick wanted them to take Dr. Peres hostage in my place?” He looked quizzically at O’Brien. “Honestly? A woman hostage would be easier? Not in today’s day and age.”
“Maybe Nick didn’t want to see you hurt,” O’Brien said. “Besides your....”
“Old?”
“No, sir,” O’Brien searched for a word. “You’re the captain of police.”
“So you think saving my life was the right thing to do?” The captained asked. “And letting those guys take a doctor. A person that save lives.”
“You save lives too.”
“She’s a medical doctor!”
“I don’t really know how Nick thinks,” said O’Brien. “Maybe he thought it was the right thing to do.”
“Not Nick,” said the captain. “Titles don’t impress him.”
“But you’re the captain.”
“Again, titles don’t impress him.”
O’Brien nodded.
“Besides, if there had to be a life taken,” the captain continued. “And there was no way out for any of us, Nick would have sacrificed himself.”
O’Brien smiled thinly. “That depends, I suppose, on whether Nick would have sacrificed me instead. After all, I am not the captain of police. I’m just..”
“His friend, you idiot!”
O’Brien shot back a bit.
“I’m sorry,” said the captain. “Nick had a plan and he went for it.”
O’Brien nodded.
“Dismiss,” said the captain as he turned back to the report.
“Captain?”
“I’m busy, dismiss.”
O’Brien nodded as he stood up.
“Pete,” the captain called.
“Yes?”
“Nick Barnum is your friend, right?”
O’Brien just walked away.
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