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The Heart of Stone - Chapter 16

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Pairing: Tim Rockford x OFC (Adeline Stone)

Word count: ~6.8k

Rating: M (18+, minors DNI)

Warnings/triggers: The general warnings for this series are included on the main series page. Individual chapters will also contain warnings as needed for specific triggers. This chapter continues to reveal clues in the case, so criminal activity (or implied criminal activity) is discussed. There’s also suspicions and precautions with potential safety issues (very minor in this chapter, but will be more prominent as the case continues to unfold). Mentions of food/drink; fluff and more fluff - and a bit of sexy times with a certain police accessory 😏, but nothing explicit…😉

Author’s Note: As always, please keep in mind this is a fanfic written in my free time, and is not an in-depth-super-accurate ‘how-to’ guide or anything technical with police procedures or processes. (All of the police/FBI talk, dispatch calls, surveillance, judicial processes, etc. is very freestyle) Just use your imagination - that’s what I did. 😉

As with all things on this site - if you like my work, please reblog/leave a comment so I know you enjoyed it. If you don’t care for something or the story isn’t for you, take personal responsibility for what you choose to read or not read and simply move on - no need for negativity.

Chapter 16 - Holsters & Hold-Outs

The elevator dings as the robotic voice announces their arrival on the 5th floor. Tim and Nate are walking toward the receptionist desk when Tim spots Dylan Anders coming down the hallway.

“Oh, shit,” Dylan mumbles and his stride falters for a second when he sees the two detectives.

“Mr. Anders!” Tim calls loudly, holding up a hand to wave causing others in the area look in his direction. Dylan quickly replaces his shocked expression with a forced smile and continues toward Tim, greeting him as subtly as possible.

“Detective Rockford… uh, what…what can I do for you?”

“We just had a few more questions regarding the gallery case. Is now a good time?” Tim raises an eyebrow as Dylan looks around nervously.

“Actually, I, um, I was just, uh, on my way to a meeting,” his eyes nervously dart around, falling to a closed conference room at the end of the hall . Tim can easily read Dylan’s anxiety and decides to trust his instincts, carefully planning his next move.

Tim was certain if they tried to bring Elliott Stein in for questioning now, they would be in for one hell of a fight. Even if they could lure him out of hiding, getting him to talk might not be easy, and there was no doubt Edward Stein would be ready with every lawyer at his disposal. No matter how solid their suspicion that Elliott was the man in the lobby security video, or the fact that he delivered a piece of evidence that basically proves he was somehow involved in the robbery, Tim knew they needed more solid proof to have any chance of making any charge stick.

“I’ll make you a deal, Mr. Anders,” Tim steps closer to Dylan, speaking at a lower tone as the younger man’s attention becomes more focused. Tim pulls a business card from his pocket and scribbles an address on the back before handing it to Dylan. “Meet me here at noon, and we’ll let you get going to that meeting. If for some reason you can’t make it, my phone number is on the other side of that card. Give me a call and we’ll schedule a time that works better for you.”

“Yeah, ok. I…I can do that,” Dylan gives Tim a nervous smile, slowly exhaling a sigh of relief, “Thank you.”

Tim simply nods before he taps Nate on the arm and they head to the elevator again without another word. Dylan watches as the elevator doors begin to close before he walks out of sight.

“Rather trusting of you,” Nate comments as the elevator begins its decent. “Aren’t you worried he won’t show?”

“No,” Tim says confidently as he puts his pen back in his pocket. “He knows that we know where he works and lives, and he’s terrified of being seen talking to us, so I think he’ll jump at the chance to talk to us out of view.”

“Who’s view? Edward Stein?” Nate watches as Tim nods slowly, only glancing at his partner.

The elevator bell rings as the doors open, the robotic voice announcing the ground floor before the two men make their way through the lobby toward their vehicle, Nate taking a few quick steps to try to catch up to Tim’s determined gait.

“So, exactly where did you tell him to meet us?”

“Good afternoon, detectives! So good to see you again,” Mr. Beasley greets Tim and Nate with a smile and friendly wave from behind the counter before he continues preparing the next order. Duke’s Deli is busy with the lunch crowd, but Tim and Nate manage to find a spot at a booth in the back. Tim smiles as he listens to the buzz of conversation in the small space, knowing it was the perfect place to have a talk with Dylan. The chatter was just loud enough to obscure what nearby voices were saying, but not so loud to make it hard to hear those around you. A waiter soon stops by their table, filling the water glasses before taking their orders. Only a few moments had passed when Tim heard the faint ring of the small bell over the door. He looks through the crowd and spots Dylan standing by the door for a moment before he spots Tim and Nate and walks toward their booth.

“Glad you could join us,” Tim motions to the seat across from them, “We just ordered if you’d like me to call the server back over.”

“Uh, no…I’m fine, thanks,” Dylan clears his throat, reaching for the glass of water in front of him. “So, um…you wanted to ask me some questions?”

Tim reaches into his pocket, pulling out the surveillance photo before sliding it across the table in front of Dylan.

“Do you recognize that tattoo?” Tim asks, carefully watching Dylan as he glances down at the photo, his eyes widening ever so slightly before he swallows hard.

“Uh, I…I don’t think so,” he begins to push the photo back toward the detectives.

“It’s a little hard to see,” Tim holds a hand up, stopping him. “Take a closer look.”

Dylan just looks at Tim for a moment, trying not to look like a deer in headlights, before he picks up the photo to take another look. Another moment passes before Dylan sets the photo back on the table.

“I…uh, I don't think I can help with that," he replies quietly, shaking his head before glancing at Tim and letting his eyes dart around the room, "What's this about anyway?"

Tim reaches across the table and grabs the photo, sliding it in front of him but still within Dylan's view, "We had a visitor at the station recently. Dropped off an envelope with…let's say, interesting contents regarding the gallery robbery."

Tim notices Dylan swallow hard again, his eyes shifting toward the photo before he catches himself and looks back at Tim.

"Interesting how?" Dylan asks quietly.

"Oh, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it's probably nothing for you to be concerned about, right?"

"Me? What…what do you mean? This isn't me, I don't have any tattoos," Dylan holds up his hands, showing front and back in a slight panic. "See?"

"Never said you did," Tim places a hand on the photo and begins to pull it toward him, preparing to put it back in his pocket. "But since you said you don't recognize the tattoo, then there's not much you can help us with, so we can just go ahead and use this new information to proceed…"

"Can…um…can I take another look?" Dylan reaches across the table, trying to hide the slight panic in his voice.

"Of course," Tim slides the photo back to him and sits back in his seat, carefully watching Dylan's internal struggle plays across his face. Tim glances as Nate as they wait, Nate biting his lip to keep from smiling at the clever phrasing and bit of mental game Tim is playing.

"What if…I'm not saying I do, but what if I did recognize this tattoo?"

"Well," Tim leans forward, placing his elbows on the table and calmly clasping his hands in front of him, "if you recognized the tattoo, maybe you would be willing to help us with a few questions. And depending on the answers to those questions, maybe you'd be able to help yourself."

Dylan's eyes snapped up at Tim, his mouth slightly agape as he glances between the detectives before he looks at his hands and clears his throat.

"I don't… I don't know how I could help…I don't know anything," Dylan sets the photo down on the table and slides it toward Tim again.

Tim lets out a loud sigh and nods slowly, "Ok, then."

"Look, you seem like a smart guy. I think you want to do the right thing. But the clock is ticking," Nate leans forward, looking directly at Dylan as he points to the photo in Tim's hands. "If you know who this is, you need to speak up now. Once we find out…and we will find out… the window for a deal closes."

Dylan sat motionless for a moment, his hands fidgeting in his lap, and Tim swore he could see beads of sweat beginning to form on his upper lip. By his actions and the evidence they had so far, Tim knew Dylan was involved in the robbery. He suspected he was just following orders from Edward Stein, who most likely had something he was holding over Dylan. Not only did this make him a perfect candidate for an accomplice in his plans, it also meant Edward had a scapegoat if things went sideways. Tim was hoping Dylan was smart enough to realize he was better off making a deal with them than risking whatever was in store continuing to follow in what Edward Stein might have planned. As the minutes ticked by, Tim was just about ready to give up on his gut instinct when Dylan finally spoke.

"Like…what kind of deal?"

"It all depends on what you know," Nate replies, still keeping a firm eye on Dylan. "But if you're involved in any of this, in any way, I can guarantee it'll be better for you if you help us."

Dylan takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders and looks between the two detectives, his mouth opening slightly like he wants to say something.

"Tell you what," Tim tucks the photo back in his pocket, "think about it for a day or two. If you happen to remember anything, give me a call."

Dylan nods, exhaling a sigh of relief before he slides out of the booth, taking a step before he stops and turns back to the table, "Thank you."

Tim gives him a quick nod before Dylan turns again and quickly makes his way to the front door.

"Well, that was kind of a bust," Nate leans back in his seat, unwrapping the napkin from around his silverware. "I mean, it's obvious he recognized that tattoo. He has to be involved in this somehow."

"Yeah, he probably is," Tim places his own napkin in his lap before reaching for half of his sandwich, "but I think we're up against how loyal he is to his friend, how scared he is of Edward Stein, and how much he wants to save his own neck."

"Great," Nate quips sarcastically, reaching for his own sandwich, "so we just wait around while Dylan's conscience decides which way the wind blows."

Tim chuckles as he chews a bite of his lunch, Nate looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Care to clue me in, partner?"

"Well," Tim finishes chewing, "I don't plan to just wait around. You said it yourself, Dylan's a smart guy. I think he's going to try to not only save himself but save his friend in the process."

Nate's brow creases as his mind starts to put the pieces together, "Wait…are you…are you using Dylan to flush out Elliott?" Nate asks in a hushed voice, still holding his sandwich halfway to his mouth.

A small smile starts to spread across Tim's face before he looks at his partner, "Eat your lunch. We need to get back to the station soon."

Later that afternoon, Tim and Nate are back at the station, scouring the evidence from the gallery case when Tim's desk phone rings.

"Rockford," Tim answers without looking up from the file he's reading. Nate looks up when Tim lets the folder fall to his desk, his eyes widening slightly. "Just now? We'll be right there."

He hangs up the phone and stands from his desk, motioning for Nate to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"Surveillance. The phone tap just had a hit," Tim answers over his shoulder as he continues down the hallway.

"Tap? When did you get approval to tap Dylan's phone?" Nate's whisper is more of a shocked hiss, causing Tim to stop and turn toward him.

"I didn't tap Dylan's phone. I got a tap on the payphone at the deli," Tim answers quietly before continuing down the hall.

"How on earth did you get approval to do that?" Nate jogs to catch up.

"Simple. I asked the listed owner of the phone," Tim smiles over his shoulder as he opens the door, Nate stopping momentarily.

"Oh, that's what you were talking to Mr. Beasley about after lunch," Nate exclaims as he grabs the closing door and follows Tim into the room.

As soon as Nate walks through the door, he sees a man in the far corner waving them over to a wall full of equipment.

Tim walks next to him, patting him on the shoulder, "Hey, Mark, whatcha got for us?"

"Here," the older man sits back down, handing each of them a set of headphones before pushing a few buttons causing the audio to play.

Tim hears quite a bit of muffled traffic noise in the background before a man begins speaking, sounding a bit nervous.

"Hey, where are you? I thought we were going to meet up to talk about…"

A familiar sounding male voice replies, sounding much more agitated than the first, "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?! What were you thinking!?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You went to the cops?!"

"Hey, isn't that Dylan Anders?" Nate blurts out before the conversation continues, the first man stuttering, clearly flustered.

"I…how do you…"

"They came to the office, wanted to ask me more questions."

"Oh, fuck. Did my dad…"

"No, he was in a board meeting. But the cops have a photo of you."

"What?! How? I kept my face away from the cameras? And my hood was up. It went like clockwork, I mean, the guy at the counter didn't even look up!"

"Your hand tattoo."

"Shit, I…but…so they know it's me? Oh, I'm fucked…"

"Look, I don't know how much they know. They asked if I recognized the tattoo. I told them no, but…"

"But what? You didn't tell them it was me, did you?"

"Of course not! But…what was in that envelope?"

A long silence follows, Tim looks at Mark who holds up a hand, telling them to wait a moment just before the conversation continues, the voices becoming more and more agitated.

"Look, I told you. I'm done. I'm not playing his stooge any more. I can't."

"But you can't just go to the cops! You're going to get us all in trouble, man."

"Us?! What do you mean us? You weren't there that night. It's not like your prints are going to show up on any of the…"

"Calm down! Look, your dad promised if we…"

"I don't care, man! Didn't you hear me? I can't do this anymore. I…"

"Ok, ok. Look…just…stay there. I'll be there in 10 minutes."

A loud click is the last thing they hear before Mark presses another button to end the playback. Tim and Nate look at each other for a moment before Tim looks back to Mark.

"Can I get a copy of that?"

"Already done," Mark replies as he hands Tim a small thumb drive. "Ok, so this proves they're both involved, right?" Nate asks Tim as they get back to their desks.

"Not necessarily," Tim shakes his head, tapping the memory stick against his palm.

"What are you talking about? At a minimum, it proves Elliott was involved, it proves Dylan knows about what was happening, that Edward Stein is…"

"Nate, they didn't say a single name during that whole conversation. You and I know it was Dylan and Elliott, but that can't be proven…"

"…beyond a reasonable doubt." Nate chimes in as Tim finishes the sentence.

"Son of…so now what? We're still stuck at square 1?"

"No, not at all. We learned that Elliott is a prime candidate for making a deal. We learned that Dylan wasn't at the gallery that night, but he's trying to help his friend stay out of trouble. We know Edward Stein is the one pulling the strings, or at least holding something over both of them…but…something else he said worries me," Tim sits in his desk chair, his leg starting to shake nervously.

"The comment about the cameras?" Nate sits across from him at his own desk.

"You caught that, too? How the hell does he know he kept his face away from the cameras? There's cameras in that lobby even I don't know about,” Tim runs a hand across his jaw, getting lost in his thoughts.

"You think there's someone on the inside?" Nate leans on the edge of Tim’s desk.

"I don't know. He could have staked out the lobby…maybe with all his previous arrests he knows someone else who…" Tim’s voice trails off slightly before his cell phone rings, pulling him out of his thoughts. He slowly raises his phone, shifting to a slight panic as he reads the caller ID.

"Oh, shit, I completely lost track of time," he mutters to himself before he answers, "hey baby, I'm so sorry! I’m running a little late."

"Hey, honey," Adeline replies with a giggle. "I'm here a little early, so you're good. Are you still at work?"

"Yeah, I…we're just finishing up. Uh, tell you what, just use the keypad on the garage door and let yourself in. The code is my badge number backwards," Tim tells her as he starts putting file folders back together on his desk, handing a few to Nate. "Just make yourself at home and I should be there in about thirty minutes."

"Ok, sounds good. I'll get started on dinner,” she replies sweetly, “See you soon, baby."

Tim stands trying to quickly finish cleaning things off his desk as Nate returns to his own desk, “I’m supposed to be having dinner with Adeline…I need to get home…but we need to finish…”

“As you’ve told me before - there’s nothing here that won’t keep,” Nate chuckles, “go on. Tell Adeline hi.”

“I will,” Tim pats Nate on the shoulder as he walks past him, “ see you tomorrow, partner.”

"Have fun," Nate calls over his shoulder with a smirk.

Tim walks into his house, mindlessly setting his keys on the small table by the door and calling out for Adeline.

“Adeline? I'm home,” Tim smiles as he spots her shoes near the entrance and her cardigan draped across the back of the sofa as he makes his way to the kitchen, “Sorry I’m late.”

The kitchen shows signs of Adeline starting their dinner - a red bell pepper sits on the cutting board next to a small knife, a pot of water and a box of uncooked pasta sits next to the stove with a few jars of seasoning nearby. Tim opens the fridge, bending down slightly to reach for a bottle of water. He’s just about ready to call her name again when a sultry voice stops him in his tracks.

“Good evening, detective. Looking for me?”

Tim slowly stands up, his head turning to where Adeline stands in the doorway of the kitchen wearing one of his shirts.

“Whoa,” he mutters as his eyes roaming up and down her form, taking in her bare legs, the white button-down shirt that is just long enough to reach the top of her thighs, several of the top buttons undone to show off her décolletage.

She tilts her head slightly, a coy smile spreading across her face as Tim closes the fridge door, forgetting all about his drink. He slowly starts walking toward her, stopping briefly when he notices the single accessory she’s wearing.

“Is that my gun holster?” Tim smirks as he closes the distance between them with a few more steps. She giggles as his hands grab her hips, pulling her closer and places a kiss on her neck just under her ear. Her hands run slowly up his arms, across his shoulders and neck before her fingers weave into his hair.

“It always looks so good on you, I…” she gasps as Tim’s kisses went lower, “I thought I’d give it a try myself.”

He nudges the collar of the shirt with his nose, moving it aside slightly before kissing her clavicle, his fingers reaching for the buttons.

“I will admit,” he looks up at her as he pops a button open, “it definitely does something.” He pops the next button and looks down to see the curve of her breasts peeking out from under the fabric before she hooks a finger under his chin making him look up at her.

“Easy there, detective. You have a few more clues to find before you can solve this case,” she winks at him and tugs on his hand, leading him to his bedroom.

“You know I do enjoy a good investigation,” he adds as he follows her, unbuttoning his own shirt as soon as they get to the bedroom. He is just about to unclasp the holster around his shoulders when she turns around to face him again.

“No, wait!” Adeline grabs his hands to stop him, “you can lose the shirt, but..leave the holster on…please?”

“Well that’s a fun development in this case,” he smiles at her before she grabs the straps of his holster to pull him closer, her lips crashing into his.

“Oh, shit! Adeline, baby, are you ok?”

Adeline’s muffled laughter makes Tim smile as she pushes herself up slightly, still laughing.

“What…” she continues to laugh, dropping back to the bed and rolling onto her back, “what the hell just happened?”

Tim is now laughing with her as he takes a seat on the bed next to her, holding up the leather strap of his holster that, just minutes before, was around Adeline’s shoulders. She looks down at the remaining piece still wrapped around one of her shoulders and starts laughing even harder. “Holy shit, Tim! What did you do?”

“Me?! You’re the one who insisted we both keep these on,” Tim replies, still laughing as he drops the strap off the side of the bed and lays next to her, examining her face, placing his hand on her jaw as his thumb brushes her cheek. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Tim, honey, I dropped face first into a soft mattress. I promise I’m fine,” she leans up on an elbow, Tim helping to shimmy her arm out of the remaining leather strap of the holster.

“Did the snaps just come undone or…oh my god!” She lets out a snort of laughter as she holds the strap up to show Tim.

“Jesus, we pulled the snaps right out of the leather!” Tim’s eyes grow wide at the damage.

“Guess you had a pretty good grip,” Adeline starts giggling again.

“Guess I did,” he takes the holster from her and tosses it off the side of the bed as she rolls onto her back again.

“I’m sorry about that,” Adeline grimaces, “I didn’t think it would break.”

“Don’t worry about it. That one was pretty old,” he sits up on the end of the bed, his back to Adeline as he starts to remove the holster he’s wearing, “But I am going to take this one off so it doesn’t suffer the same fate.”

“Aww,” Adeline playfully pouts and whines, causing Tim to chuckle.

“Hey, I have to have at least one of my holsters in once piece. You know how hard it is to walk around with a gun in your waistband?”

“I can’t say I do,” she giggles, her smile shifting to biting her bottom lip as she watches Tim, the muscles flexing across his broad shoulders. He drops his holster next to the bed and turns back toward her, giving her a wink when he notices her expression.

“Enjoying the view?” he crawls closer, hovering over her.

“Very much,” she smiles briefly, before she notices a red patch on the front of Tim’s shoulder, reaching up to run her fingers across his skin. “Oh, honey, you have a mark from the strap…want me to kiss it to make it better?”

“I’d rather kiss your lips,” he leans down, pressing a light kiss against her lips, followed by a second. “Are you hungry?”

“A bit…we didn’t get very far on dinner before we got distracted, did we?” she smiles and wrinkles her nose at him.

“No we didn’t, but I’m not complaining about the distraction, either,” he kisses her again, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull him closer.

Tim waves to Nate as they both arrive to work the next morning, both stopping at the door when they they hear someone shouting their names. Adeline is walking toward them, waving with one hand and carrying a tray of drinks in the other. Nate stops reaching for the handle and follows as Tim takes a few steps toward Adeline.

“Hey guys!” Adeline says with a smile as she approaches, slightly out of breath from her speed walk, “This is lucky, I was just going to drop these off at the front desk.”

She hands them each a cup of coffee before leaning in to accept a kiss from Tim.

“Thanks, baby. That was very sweet of you,” Tim smiles warmly at her as Nate says thank you and takes a few steps back, trying to look otherwise occupied.

“Well, it was the least I could do,” she smiles, before continuing in almost a whisper, “I still feel bad about breaking your holster.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides,” he winks before leaning closer, lowering his own voice, “now every time I put my holsters on, I have a great mental image to go along with it.”

“Oh, well…” Adeline giggles, biting her bottom lip before she clears her throat, “I guess I should let you get into work. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Absolutely,” Tim grins before she gives him another kiss, Tim’s arm wrapping around her waist to hold the kiss a little longer.

Adeline pats Tim’s cheek as she steps back, leaning slightly to wave to Nate standing nearby, “Bye, Nate!”

“See ya. Thanks again for the coffee,” Nate raises his glass to her and smiles as she walks away.

Tim walks back toward the door to the precinct when Nate clears his throat, trying not to smile, “So, um…finding new uses for your holster?”

“How the…were you listening to our conversation?” Tim snips at him, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“I was trying really hard not to,” Nate gets a cocky grin across his face and is trying not to laugh, “I probably should have taken a few more steps back.”

Tim rolls his eyes and walks around him, opening the door and pulling it closed behind him before Nate has a chance to enter. Tim arrives at his desk just before Nate, sets his coffee down and takes off his jacket.

“So that one is still in tact,” Nate says as he arrives at his desk, pointing at the holster Tim is wearing. Tim stares at him with his jaw clenched, “Relax, man! I just overheard Adeline’s comment about one breaking and based on how you two were acting, I took a guess. But dude, that’s aaawwsomeeee…” Nate stretches out the last word as he starts laughing.

Tim shakes his head as he sits down, pointing a finger at his partner, “Don’t you dare say a word to anyone, or I swear…”

“Who am I going to tell? Besides, its not like I know what you were actually doing. I mean, I know what you were doing, but…”

A small pad of sticky notes hits Nate in the forehead as Tim searches for something else to throw.

“Alright, alright!” Nate holds up his hands in surrender as he continues to chuckle. Tim lets out a huff and logs into his computer without another word.

Tim spends the next few hours trying to focus on work while ignoring Nate’s occasional chuckles. He was so wrapped up in sorting through an evidence folder, he didn’t even notice Perry approaching with some paperwork in his hands.

“Hey, Tim, what’s this note,” Tim jumps slightly at the unexpected interruption before turning to face Perry, “Nora said you emailed her earlier this morning about needing to know where she orders the holsters?”

“Oh, uh…yeah, my spare holster...broke. I just wanted to order a new one.”

“Oh, well, just put in a request for one. That’s something the department buys for you.”

“No, I…I’m ok getting one on my own. It was my fault it broke, so I’m happy to pay for it”

“Those are normally pretty durable. What did you do to it?” Perry asked absentmindedly as he looks at notification on his phone.

“He got his freak on,” Nate whispers before Tim tosses a pen at him.

“What was that?” Perry looks up from his phone, looking between the two men.

“Uh, I said I was putting it on,” Tim answers quickly as he stands from his desk, taking a few steps closer to where Perry stands near Nate’s desk.

“Ok, well, I’ll have Nora get you a new one right away. I’ll probably have her get you two just in case.” Perry replies as a snort escapes Nate.

“Everything alright, Warren?”

“Just fine, sir,” Nate replies without looking up, his shoulders starting to shake as he is desperately trying not to laugh.

Tim’s eyes roll as Perry looks between the two of them again before turning to head back to his office, “Right. I’ll let you two get back to work.”

“Thanks,” Tim says as he takes another step closer to Nate, finally turning and smacking him across the back of the head.

“Sorry, man, it slipped out,” Nate was still fighting the urge to laugh, “I’m just impressed you two managed to break the damn thing.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Tim scolds his partner, while secretly agreeing with him, a small grin forming as he recalled the previous evening. Several minutes passed as Tim was half concentrating on his work while his night with Adeline continued to replay in his head. He was just about to ask Nate about lunch when Perry returned, wearing his coat and holding his keys.

“Tim, you free for a meeting with Judge Quinn?”

“Judge Quinn? Why?” Tim quickly closed the case file he was holding and sat up in his seat.

“She wants to talk to us about our request to unseal the Hartwicke files,” Perry’s reply and expression was more tense than normal, which piqued Tim’s interest even more.

“Yeah, ok. When…” Tim checks his watch then looks up as Perry tilts his head toward the door and begins to walk away.

“Right now. I’ll drive,” Perry’s answer is a bit short, causing Tim to quickly stand and grab for his coat.

“Need me to do anything while you’re gone?” Nate asks quietly, looking over his shoulder at Perry before looking back at Tim with some confusion.

“Uh, yeah…just make sure the Bryant Real Estate files are all ready for the DA’s office. That trial is scheduled to start soon, so I want to make sure they have everything they need,” Tim pulls on his coat and follows Perry. “I’ll be…well, I guess I’ll be back when I’m back.”

“Good luck,” Nate calls as Tim jogs toward the door to catch up with Perry.

“We missed the turn to the courthouse,” Tim points over his shoulder as Perry continues to drive.

“We’re not going to the courthouse,” Perry answers, briefly glancing at Tim. “Judge Quinn was on her way to her daughter’s school. Science fair or something like that,” Perry slows at a red light, waiting to make his turn. “Said she could give us 10 minutes. And before you ask, no…I don’t know why we’re meeting her at the school or what’s so urgent.”

Tim nods, not sure how to read Perry’s demeanor. Tim knew asking to unseal the Hartwicke case files was a long shot, but with the new evidence from the surveillance video and the phone tap recording, he was hoping the judge might be more receptive. However, he didn’t know if Perry had already shared the latest information or what happened to make Judge Quinn so quick to respond. Was this a meeting looking for more explanation? A reprimand for making the request with flimsy evidence? The scenarios swirled in Tim’s mind as they pulled into the parking lot of a single story brick building, a large banner hanging over the entrance that read ‘Galen Middle School - Art, Science & Technology Fair TODAY!’

Perry drives slowly, scanning the parked cars before he pulls into an empty spot in the far side of the parking lot. They both exit the car, Tim looking around for a moment before he joins Perry, leaning on the back bumper with his arms crossed.

The early December air is cooler than normal, and the overcast skies make the temperature seem even colder as they wait. After a few minutes, Tim rubs his hands together, wishing he had remembered to grab his gloves, when a female voice causes them to both turn their heads.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice, Chief,” Judge Quinn walks toward them, a beep from her car sounding as she presses the lock button on her key fob. “Detective Rockford, thank you for joining us.”

“Of course. Nice to see you again, Judge Quinn,” Tim reaches out to shake her hand before she offers Perry a handshake as well.

“I’m sorry for the odd venue, but I have a few things I wanted to clarify before I made my decision on your request and honestly, I felt having this discussion outside of my office might be for the best. Gentlemen, walk with me if you will,” she adjusts the purse strap over her shoulder and begins to walk toward the entrance of the school, Tim looks at Perry with a puzzled look as Perry shrugs and they both follow the judge. “Detective Rockford, Chief Russell submitted your request to unseal the Hartwicke files, and although I can certainly understand the desire to reopen a case like that, I don’t believe the available facts supports the motion.”

“There is a new piece of evidence that just came to light,” Perry motions toward Tim as they reach the sidewalk, the judge stopping in her tracks. “Someone delivered a piece of evidence to our front desk regarding the gallery robbery. The lobby surveillance captured a distinct hand tattoo that we think…”

“Do you have a photo?” Judge Quinn interrupted, eagerly looking at Tim. He reaches in his pocket, retrieving the still image from the security cameras and hands it to her.

She takes one look at the photo and begins to slightly shake her head, pursing her lips and humming, “And this evidence Elliott Stein delivered is definitely tied to the robbery?”

Tim takes the photo back from her, “We believe so. Our cyber expert thinks someone may have…” Tim stops talking, his brow creasing as he realizes what the judge just said. He looks quickly to Perry, then back to the judge, “I’m sorry, your honor…Elliott Stein?”

“Detective, Elliott Stein has been in my courtroom more times than I care to count. I’d recognize that tattoo anywhere,” she replies quietly, pointing at the photo in Tim’s hand. “Now, can you tell me what his suspected involvement in the robbery has to do with the Hartwicke case?”

“Well,” Tim clears his throat, “we believe that Stein and at least one other suspect in the robbery are both former associates of Christian Hartwicke’s. We’re hoping for some insight into their previous…”

“Detective, I’m sorry to be blunt, but is your relationship with Hartwicke’s widow driving this request in any way?”

“Ma’am?” Tim’s brow creases again, taken aback by the judge’s question.

“Word travels fast in Fox Falls, especially when it has something to do with anyone in Gypsy Hartwicke’s orbit,” Judge Quinn replies, checking her watch. “I just want to make sure you are basing this request off actual evidence and not emotion.”

“Your honor, I have worked with Detective Rockford for a long time and I can personally assure you that he is acting with the utmost professionalism and handling this case by the book,” Perry interjects, not breaking eye contact with the judge. “This request is for law enforcement eyes only. We’re not asking to officially reopen the Hartwicke case, just get a look at any past activity or connections that might provide a clue as to why Ms. Stone’s gallery was targeted.”

Tim fought the urge to smile at Perry’s firm stance and specifically calling Adeline by her name. A moment of silence passed as the judge considered her next move.

“You both understand if I unseal the records and you end up filing any charges based on information you find in those files, you will probably have one hell of a legal battle on your hands. Edward Stein is notorious for using his massive legal team for even the most minor of issues. And the Hartwicke estate is even worse.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Perry responds with a curt nod.

“Ok,” she finally said, nodding, “I’ll sign the release when I get back to my office, you should hear from my assistant by the end of the day. Hopefully you can get access to the files before the holiday break. And, strictly off the record, I can’t say I would be opposed to you reopening the Hartwicke case. I never did care for how that case was handled or how it was sealed without a proper resolution.”

Tim and Perry exchange a quick look as the judge looks down at her purse, pulling out her phone and making a note before tucking it away and looking back up at them, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a 13-year old in there who is very eager to show off her hot ice chemistry project.”

“Thank you, Judge Quinn,” Perry and Tim reply at the same time, waiting a moment as the judge walks toward the front door of the school before they turn to walk back to Perry’s vehicle.

“That was interesting…” Tim begins but is almost immediately interrupted by Perry.

“Yeah, tell me about it. She wants that whole discussion off the record, that’s the only reason I can come up with for her asking us to meet here. And that comment about reopening the case…she knows more than she’s willing to say,” Perry puts the keys into the ignition and starts the car before looking at Tim. “When that release comes through, you deal directly with Betty in the records department. Don’t discuss this with anyone else. And make sure Warren knows to keep his mouth shut, got it?”

“Understood,” Tim nods, a little uneasy with Perry’s serious tone.

The drive back to the station began in silence, but when Perry began quietly mumbling to himself, Tim knew something was wrong.

“What’s going on, Perry?”

“I don’t like it, Tim. What is Judge Quinn getting at? Why the secrecy?”

“Well, like she said - she’s had her fair share of encounters with Elliott Stein and obviously we know that Edward is right behind his son with his team of lawyers. Maybe she’s just tired of them being able to find loopholes to get Elliott’s charges dismissed,” Tim shrugs, trying to make sense of the meeting they just left.

“Do you really believe that’s all this was?” Perry glances over at Tim as they come to a stop sign.

Tim wants to say yes, but he knows there’s much more to this case than meets the eye. He also knows Perry will see right through him if he tries to lie.

“Perry, if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that nothing with this case has been what it seems. So, no…I don’t think there’s a straightforward answer to what the judge is thinking. But I’m hopeful once we get a look at the files, we’ll get a better idea of what’s going on.”

Perry sighs loudly, nodding as the light turns green and he continues the drive to the station.

“You keep me informed of everything you find, and if the time comes to officially file charges or make arrests, I want you and Nate to have tons of backup,” Perry grumbles, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Perry,” Tim teases with a smirk on his face, “are you worried about me?”

“It’s just because Jazzy and the kids would kill me if I let something happen to you,” Perry replies, trying not to smile.

“Oh sure. Jasmine and the kids,” Tim continues his teasing.

“Shut up,” Perry clips back before they both begin to laugh. “Just stay safe, alright? I’m too old to find a new best friend.”

“I’ll do my best, boss.”

Chapter 17 - coming soon

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