::If it wasn’t obvious when I walked it to the Chief’s office it became blatantly so the moment I opened my mouth and began rambling about how idiotic my father was for leaving anything he cherished in the hands of Martin Riggs: What the hell was he thinking, Rowland, why would he leave his badge and gun with Riggs? He hated him, hated the way the drank himself into a bottle whenever a case didn’t go his way. Did he tell you this? Did he explain anything to you? I mean you were his best friend? His partner for almost half his time here? Am I the only one struggling with this? ::I sank down into the chair across from Chief Rowland running both hands through my hair, thinking of all the scenarios that could possibly have played out in order for Riggs to get those two items instead of Rowland. Was there more going on that he didn’t tell me about? Was dad hiding thing from me and trying to deal with them himself? What the hell was going on around here. I just needed a little hint, something to push me in the right direction before I lost my mind completely.::
“Piper? I wish I could answer those questions for you but your dad and I…” ::He paused the tone of his voice telling so much more than his words did, something was off.: “...we fought about everything from cases to coffee. The last few cases we did work on were the worst, the were all the same motives and we both suspected that it was an inside job. Someone on the force or that used to work for the station. But I had given that thought up once we tested all the fingerprints we had one file. But your father wouldn’t let it go, he kept pushing and pushing, kept digging further and further. He was going crazy, Piper, losing himself in the case and at some point he lost himself completely. That night, the night of his death he wasn’t supposed to be there at all. I sent him home, told him to not even bother showing up. But somehow he ended up there before everyone else. He was dead when I arrived on scene. I acted like we had both arrived at the same time and requested backup together, I lied, Piper, to save your father’s legacy.” ::He stopped talking and just stared at me while he looked at me::
::What was I supposed to do with all this information? I didn’t even know what to say, I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing at this point. He was saying that my father had gone way off script basically accusing one of his own of killing more than half a dozen people, then when he was called off the case he went ahead and continued to investigate it? What the fuck? My head shook hoping to make some sense out of all the shit just implanted into it:: What are you talking about right now, Rowland? You’re saying my father, your Chief, went off the reservation? Is that what you’re saying? ::Anger flooded my system, my dad never EVER acted without reason, never chased a case without evidence and a whole lot of gut feeling. And his gut was always right. Years on the force gave him that gut, who was Rowland to doubt that. Unless. My eyes widened in an instant, was Rowland the man on the inside? Was my father's death even an accident? Fuck me. I couldn’t even deal with this right now. I had to shake it off and agree for the sake of myself mostly, but the others in this precinct:: Do you still have those files, Rowland? I’d like to see what drove my father over the edge? Maybe help figure out who the guy was?
“We’ve already solved it, Hart. I do however have another case.” ::He slid a file across the desk, suddenly more eager to keep me distracted than interested in solving anything to do with that case. Which only made me more interested in doing so. Maybe there was more in that box that Riggs had that those two items. Fuck. Please tell me he didn’t leave it out in the open. I took the file and opened it, immediately recognizing the face of the missing girl:: How long has she been gone? You talk to her parents yet? ::He actually rolled his eyes before he spoke letting me know that Jones and Warner had talked to her Dad but there was no sign of her mother, their notes were in the file. Then without another word he dismissed me from his office with just a wave of his hand. No thanks for stopping by, no talk of his earlier offer, nothing. It was like the talk of my dad and Riggs erased everything he offered away. Which just made him look guilty as all fuck to be honest.