Collateral Victims

Steve Gauge was forced to park nearly two blocks from the actual crime scene as the normally quiet neighborhood streets were packed with vehicles. Police cruisers, the coroner's van, an ambulance, rescue unit, and nearly a dozen news trucks surrounded the small wood frame house. As he approached the side gate leading into the back yard, Gauge could here angry comments coming from the rather large crowd of onlookers who were being held back by uniformed officers. Several of the comments were directed at the police in general, but many singled out the white officers, with shouts of assassins, and raciest pigs begin heard, among other things. Gauge ignored the continuous onslaught of insults as he signed in with the officer keeping the crime scene log, then entered the rear yard.

Gauge made his way around the small house that was in desperate need of painting. The yard was quite large and lined with a chain link fence on all sides. Near the center of the yard two members of the crime scene team were examining something in the grass which they had marked with two red flags. Gauge stopped halfway between the two men and the porch on the rear of the house. The ground was soggy from the heavy rains, and Gauge wished he had worn a different pair of shoes. As news crews attempted to set up their cameras in the neighboring yard, Gauge was joined by Doug Peters, who did not seem at all pleased with the situation.

"Morning Doug," Gauge said. "What have you got?"

"A real circus is what we have," Doug answered. "The media is going crazy, and did you see that crowd out front? That could get ugly really fast."

Gauge had worked with Doug on several occasions and knew he was not a man prone to sweating the small stuff. It took a great deal to set Doug on edge, and Gauge could see this situation had already put him there, and with apparent good cause. "All I got was a preliminary report," Gauge said. "Officer involved shooting with three dead. What else can you tell me?"

"Looks bad," Doug said. "Basically we have two different stories, and they ain't even close to each other. First, we got our guy's story. Two plain clothes are off duty and having drinks down at Slim Joe's. They are heading home when they see a peeping tom down the block. When they try to question him, he rabbits and they chase. They get into this yard and the home owner opens fire with a shotgun from the porch. The buckshot hits one of the cops in the chest, basically killed him instantly, never even got to draw his weapon. The other cop returns fire and hits the guy in the throat. He died before the paramedics ever got here."

"That's two, where does victim three come into the picture?" Gauge asked.

"That would be where our two stories go their separate ways," Doug answered. "Number three is the home owner's wife. When we got here, she was on the porch, with her husband laying on top of her. She had been shot in the right eye. The cop, Daniel Keller, claims he never saw the woman until he went to the porch to make sure the gunman was down."

"What's the rest of story number two?"

"Keller's gun has been fired twice. Like I said, the woman was under the man on the porch, and there is a clear footprint from where the husband stepped in her blood."

"Which indicates she was shot first, fell, and then he was shot and fell on top of her," Gauge said.

"Exactly, but Keller swears the old man shot first," Doug said. "It was pouring down rain, and he said the yard was dark until the porch light came on. Before he knew what was happening the old man shot his partner. Keller said he had his gun drawn since they left the car and he fired twice at the silhouette on the porch. According to him, he never saw the lady on the porch. Some people are speculating Keller shot the woman first, then the husband came out shooting and got off one shot before Keller killed him too."

Gauge was instantly confused. "Wait a minute, why would Keller shot the woman?"

"Hell, you don't know who the victims are, do you?"

"Maybe its about time you tell me."

"John and Sandra Pruitt," Doug said. "Names ring a bell?"

Gauge thought for a moment before he made the connection. "They are, or were, going to be the star witnesses in a case against the department," he said. "I don't recall the cop's name they were to testify against, but they supposedly had him dead to right. Please don't tell me they were going to testify against Keller?"

"No, its not that bad, but its close," Doug said. "They were going to testify against James Robinson, a detective over at the 81^st."

"And the rest of the story is?"

"Robinson was at Slim Joe's last night, drinking with Keller and his partner."

"So to some people it looks like they may have come up here to do away with the witnesses against their buddy," Gauge said. "He shoots the wife, the husband surprises them with a lucky shot before he is killed too. This certainly isn't looking good."

"Not to be an ass, but I'm glad this is your case now," Doug said.

"What evidence do you have?"

"We can't confirm they were chasing anyone because the rain wiped out any footprints that might have been left," Doug said. "We found two forty caliber shell casings there in the yard," he continued, pointing toward the two small red flags. "I make it at just over fifty feet from firing point to impact point."

"A fairly easy shot under normal circumstances," Gauge said. "Dark, heavy rain, and someone shooting back raises the difficulty factor more than slightly."

"Keller carries a Glock 22. We have the weapon in custody, but there doesn't seem to be any doubt or dispute about it having been fired twice, or that it is the gun that killed the two civilians."

"Anything else?"

"As far as physical evidence goes, that would be it."

"Where is Keller now?"

"We had to get him away from the crowds before things really got bad," Doug said. "I had someone take him down to the 81^st and he is writing out a detailed statement. I think Stephanie Walsh is on her way to see him, but no one else is being allowed to speak with him."

"Anything else I might want to know?"

"Maybe one thing," Doug said. "Keller has somewhat of a reputation of being more that a bit of a racist. A lot of the guys are already starting to talk, won't be long before the press gets wind of it, and then things will really warm up."

"See what you can do to keep a lid on that little tid-bit for as long as possible," Gauge said. "There is already too much speculation going on around here."

"I wouldn't call it speculation," a voice said. "I would call it keen observation of the facts."

Gauge turned to see a stylishly dressed man approaching. He wore a black suit, white shirt, and red tie. He was slightly larger than the average man, and looked to be in excellent physical condition. His ebony skin was smooth and his hands neatly manicured.

"Calvin Rodgers," he said, extending his hand to Gauge.

"Rodgers, you're with the prosecuting attorney's office," Gauge said as the two men shook hands. "You handle most of the civil rights cases. Really making a name for yourself."

"You're reputation proceeds you as well lieutenant," Rodgers said. "You have, shall we say, and unorthodox method of getting results."

"That would be one way of putting it," Gauge said. "I take it you have an interest in this case."

"I had an interest in John and Sandra Pruitt. They were going to help me expose a group of racist police officers, primarily one James Robinson," Rodgers said. "That case went out the window when Keller murdered the Pruitts, so now I will have to settle for Officer Keller, and hope he rolls on Robinson."

"Presuming you have Keller."

"Presuming?" Rodgers said. "The facts speak for themselves. Sandra Pruitt was shot in the eye while standing on her back porch. Her husband comes out firing, like any of us would, and Keller shoots him in the throat. Pruitt then falls on top of his wife. If Keller's account of the events are accurate, how did Sandra Pruitt get shot before her husband? The facts speak for themselves. Keller and his partner came here to silence a pair of witnesses who were ready to testify against their friend, its very simple."

Gauge nodded to Doug who left to continue his assigned tasks. "We have one of two things here. Either Keller is telling the truth, in which case he deserves our support and sympathy for the death of his partner, or he is lying. If he is lying, the gallows would be too good for him. I do hope you will forgive me if I don't put the rope around his neck until I have had a chance to take a little closer look at the evidence. Just to be thorough."

Rodgers smiled slightly. "Of course, you must do your job," he said. "Just be certain you don't loose your objectivity."

"There seems to have been enough of that already," Gauge said. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to get to work."

Rodgers stepped aside as Gauge started toward the house. "By all means, lieutenant, but you have to know this is being watched closely, very closely."

Gauge ignored the not so veiled threat and approached the porch. The bodies had been removed but the blood stains and patterns made it easy to visualize where the bodies had been. Gauge stood on the second of the three steps as he examined the area. The porch was eight feet deep and just over twenty feet across. A single screen door led into the house and a second set of steps led to the yard on Gauge's right. There were also four windows, two on each side of the door, which overlooked the porch. A porch light mounted just to the right of the screen door burned brightly. To his left Gauge could see a spent shotgun shell on the porch. Apparently Mister Pruitt had ejected the shell and was preparing to fire a second round. Gauge was still examining the area when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Not a very pretty sight."

Gauge turned to find a familiar face. "Morning One Trip," Gauge said. "You just get here."

"I've been here about thirty minutes," the man answered. "Not a lot of evidence to collect."

Eddie Ramierez had obtained his nickname of One Trip Eddie just days after joining the departments crime scene unit. The unit had been called out to investigate a homicide on the twenty-third floor of an apartment building. During the investigation, Eddie had been forced to return to his van five times for items he had forgotten. In the seven years since that fateful day, Eddie had never made a single trip back to the van. The multiple pockets of the cargo pants he wore were stuffed with various pieces of equipment. His vest was likewise filled with a variety of instruments and collection devices. He carried two large cases, two cameras around his neck, and his belt was lined with small pouches that contained everything from a flashlight, to pliers and scissors.

"Spray patterns on the wall and door," Gauge said, turning back toward the house. "Looks like at least two sets."

"They would have to be from the man," One trip said as he set his cases down. "The woman took a single shot to the eye, no exit wound, no large amounts of blood."

"So this is from the neck wound on the man," Gauge said. "Looks like a shadow here," he continued, pointing to a gap in the blood pattern on the wall.

"Something was between him and the wall when he was hit," One trip said. "Odd there are two streams. I would only have expected one."

Gauge carefully stepped forward, being certain not to step in any of the pools of blood on the porch. He looked closely at the pattern that traveled across the wall, and the second which was slightly higher on the screen door. After a moment, Gauge pulled the screen door open just over two feet, then positioned himself in line with the two red flags in the yard. "Maybe we don't have two," he said.

Eddie checked Gauge's alignment and nodded. "The two match up pretty close," he said. "I can check the droplet patterns and tell you what angle they hit the wall, and the door. I should be able to pinpoint exactly how far open the door was."

"But why was it open at all?"

"Doesn't fit with either story," One Trip said. "If the DA is right and Keller shot the woman first, then the man came out shooting, why would the door be open? It should have closed behind him well before he got hit."

"And if Keller is telling the truth and he never saw the woman, then,,," Gauge stopped short of finishing his sentence as he once again began examining the blood patterns. "The light came on, then the man opened fire," Gauge continued, almost whispering. "Where was she at?"

"What do you need me to do?"

"Have you found the slug yet?" Gauge asked.

"Nope, but it should be in that wall, just take a few minutes to locate it and dig it out."

"Let me know as soon as you get it," Gauge said. "I'm going to take a look at how Keller and his partner got here."

As Gauge left One Trip to his work, Doug Peters returned and did not seem pleased. "The press is all over this," Doug said as the two men walked across the yard. "Apparently some of the uniforms have been doing a little talking, letting it be known Keller didn't care for blacks."

"I suppose it was too much to hope to keep that quiet very long."

"The Pruitts apparently have a couple of grown kids who are already talking about a civil suit," Doug said. "They not only want a lot of cash, but they want Keller served up on a platter."

"Neither of those are our concern," Gauge said. "Which way did they enter the yard when they were chasing this peeping tom?"

"From the west," Doug answered. "There is an alley three houses over."

As Doug was finishing he caught sight of someone entering the yard and shook his head. "Your friend is here," Doug said. "How is it all my friends seem to look like you, and your friends look like that?"

Gauge turned to see Stephanie Walsh approaching them. She wore a pair of burgundy slacks and a matching top, both of which were rather snug fitting and showed off her considerable figure. Stephanie had a smooth, confident stride and her easy nature and charm were evident in her smile. She was one of three acting police Chaplins and made her services available to officers in times of stress or mourning. She and Gauge had worked together for nearly five years, and he had always found her to be one of the most attractive, and sexy, women he had ever known. A great many items had prevented them from becoming more than just friends, but both were now comfortable with their relationship, which was misunderstood by many casual observers. Stephanie was no stranger to crime scenes, and while she was not officially a police officer, she enjoyed certain privileges. Some were due to her friendship with Gauge, but her reputation with the rest of the department was outstanding as well. She had earned the respect of her fellow officers during a shoot out by pulling a wounded officer to safety. Stephanie had not seen her actions as heroic, but the department felt others and awarded her a special commendation for bravery. While unimpressed with the award, Stephanie was pleased with the fact many of the officers now were more willing to open up with her, which in turn allowed her to offer them more help and comfort.

"You're out early," Gauge said, as Stephanie reached them. "Did you have a talk with Officer Keller?"

"Just left him," Stephanie answered. "He is, shall we say, a complex case."

"We were getting ready to take a walk. Care to join us?" Gauge asked as he started toward the fence.

The trio walked to the chain link fence and all three climbed over. As they made their way through the adjoining yard they could see two uniform officers concluding a visual search of the area.

"So, what's your initial read of Keller?" Gauge asked.

Stephanie stepped around a large puddle of water as she answered. "Since this is the first time I have talked to him, it is somewhat difficult to get a good feeling, but he does show remorse."

"For the Pruitt's?" Gauge asked.

"More for his partner," Stephanie said. "There is a great deal of anger and resentment. He doesn't like being accused of being an assassin, and he doesn't like his partner being accused either. I would say they were pretty close."

"Do you believe him?" Gauge asked as they reached a second fence, this one somewhat run down and leaning badly to one side.

"Do I think he is telling the truth about what happened?" Stephanie said. "For the most part, yes, I do."

Gauge thought he detected something in her tone that did not project total confidence. "For the most part?" he said, hoping for a bit more information. Gauge, knowing that in addition to being an ordained minister, Stephanie also held a masters degree in psychology, often relied on her judgment. Gauge respected and trusted her opinion, even if it were given in an unofficial capacity.

"Its hard for me to put my finger on it," Stephanie began, somewhat hesitantly. "He's too smooth to be lying about all of it, but there is some tension there that makes me think he is hiding something. Then again, it could be due to the traumatic events he has just gone through. As I said, I just met him, so it is hard to say anything definite."

"Did he give you any indications of being a racist?" Doug asked as they cleared the second fence and moved across the next yard.

"Touchy subject," Stephanie said. "It can be very easy to mis-read a person in that area."

"In your opinion?" Gauge said.

Stephanie sighed. "In my personal, not professional, opinion, there is something there. How deep it goes, I don't have a good feel for yet."

"Do you plan on meeting with him again?" Gauge said.

"Yes, after he has gotten some rest," Stephanie said. "Probably tomorrow, or the next day. He will be on administrative leave at least for the rest of this week, so I have some time."

Just as Stephanie finished speaking the three reached the far side of the yard. Gauge could see a fence separated the yard from the alley beyond and the unmarked police car which had not been moved from the previous night. Gauge looked back at the yards behind them, then back at the alley.

"I must have been talking," Gauge said. "I thought you said the alley was three houses over. We only crossed two yards."

"The road curves around and the lots here are pie shaped," Doug explained. "Three houses, but only two yards. Houses number two and three share a common yard. A mother and daughter I believe."

"Trying to mess with my mind," Gauge said as he climbed over the fence. "Stephanie, any chance you brought Keller's personnel jacket with you?" he continued as he carefully walked along the narrow ditch that separated the gravel alley from the yard.

"In the car," Stephanie answered. "I don't think you will find anything though. Rather boring, nothing spectacular about Keller, or his career."

"Rain was too heavy to leave anything to confirm or deny Keller's story," Gauge said as he looked for any sign of footprints near the car. "There could have been a dozen people running from them and we couldn't tell for certain."

"So, where to from here?" Doug asked.

Gauge looked up and down the alley, but there was nothing which seemed out of the ordinary. "I need to check back with One Trip," he said. "Something just doesn't feel right about either story we are being given."

Gauge walked Stephanie to her car and retrieved Keller's personnel file. As Gauge started back around the house he scanned through the papers. His first thought was the folder was rather small for someone who had been on the force as long as Keller. As he looked closer, Gauge found the only thing Keller truly excelled at was marksmanship. While he had a fair arrest record, it was far from spectacular. It would even be difficult to call it average. There were no reprimands mentioned, but no citations either. Keller, for the most part, had remained below the radar. Never getting into trouble, but never standing out either. He appeared to be, for lack of a better term, lazy. Gauge was still reading when he reached the back porch and found One Trip Eddie going through one of his cases.

"Did you locate the slug?" Gauge asked, scanning the wall for any signs of marks.

"Nope, and I'm not likely too," One Trip answered.

"What do you mean? The slug went right through Pruitt's neck. It has to be in the wall," Gauge said, stepping forward and beginning his own visual inspection.

"Its all a question of angles," One Trip said. "Line up where we think Keller fired from, where we believe Pruitt was, and the position of the door, and you have your answer."

Gauge was silent for a moment. "The position of the door?" he said almost whispering. "The door was open, at least partially,,,"

Gauge once again placed himself between the door and the two red flags in the yard. In his mind he envisioned Keller firing from the yard, Pruitt standing on the porch, the screen door directly behind him. "The slug went through the door opening," he finally said.

"Bingo," One Trip said. "But before you tell me to find it inside, I already looked."

"And?"

"Angles, my man, angles," One Trip answered. "That slug went right through the kitchen, through the doorway to the living room, and out a living room window. It is now somewhere down range, and like I said, we ain't likely to find it."

"Not exactly the news I was looking for," Gauge said. "Still, if the door was open,,," he continued, then looked down at the blood stained floor and rough outlines of the two bodies that had been against the wall and screen door. "I think it is time I have a little talk with Officer Keller. Let me know if you come up with anything else," Gauge told One Trip, then started back toward his car.

It was just past noon when Gauge entered the interrogation room. The room had no exterior windows, and its walls were painted a dull green. The room's only furnishings were a medal table and two chairs. The only item which gave the room any character at all was the six foot by four foot mirror on the south wall. It was no secret the mirror concealed any number of observers as well as video and audio recording equipment. Detective Keller sat in one of the straight back chairs and showed no emotion as Gauge entered.

As Gauge introduced himself, he could see Keller's bloodshot eyes. Gauge's best guess told him Keller had been up for somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty hours. It was also evident by his expression and body movement that Keller was in a somewhat foul mood. Gauge made a quick mental evaluation as to how he wanted to approach Keller, as a friend, or as an aggressor. Both held certain advantages, as well as dis-advantages.

"I know you have been over it several times," Gauge began. "But would you mind giving me the reader's digest version of what happened last night."

"As if I have a choice," Keller said gruffly.

"As soon as we are through here, I'll have someone drive you home," Gauge said. "But I do need to ask a few questions."

Keller sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Randy and me stopped by Slim Joe's for a few beers after we got off duty, the place is a regular with a lot of the guys."

"Did you talk with James Robinson?" Gauge interrupted.

Keller nodded. "Yeah, we sat together for a while, but no, we did not conspire to murder those two old spooks."

"The Pruitts?"

"Yeah, whatever," Keller said. "Do you want to hear my statement or not?"

"Please, continue."

"We left around eleven thirty or so. I was going to drop Randy off on my way home," Keller continued. "On our way we spotted a kid peeping in a window and put the spotlight on him. When we did, he took off and we chased in the car until he jumped a fence, and we had to chase the little bastard on foot."

"Can you describe him?"

"Black, about five feet, maybe a hundred pounds. Wore a denim jacket and jeans, and some sort of ball cap, it was red, but I couldn't see any insignia on it."

"Approximate age?"

"I'd say fifteen or sixteen."

"Okay, so you are on foot chasing him through the yards. What happened next?" Gauge asked.

"We were in the middle of the yard when a light came on to our left," Keller said. "All I could see was the silhouette of a man, then there was a shot, obviously from a shotgun. Randy went down and the man pumped a new shell into the shotgun. I had drawn my weapon when I got out of the car, so I aimed and fired twice. The man staggered, dropped the gun, and fell. I checked on Randy, called for help, then went to make certain the shooter was under control. That's when I first saw the woman. Since they both appeared to be dead, I didn't touch anything and went back to Randy. That's about it."

Gauge was certain the story had had more emotion the first few times is had been told, but now it was little more than a list of events. "How long had you and Randy been partners?" Gauge asked.

"About three years, maybe a little more."

"You two close?"

"Yeah, he was a good cop, and a damn good man. Our wives are close, and our kids play ball together. He didn't deserve to die like that. Shot down in the mud like some stray dog."

"How has all this affected you, outside of loosing your partner?" Gauge said, deciding to test another angle.

Keller's eyes locked on Gauge and seemed to glow with anger that was not present only moments before. "You want to know how I feel about shooting those people," he said through clenched teeth. "You sound just like that Chaplin friend of yours, the one with the nice ass, but she asks too many questions about how I feel."

"So, how do you feel?" Gauge said, unconcerned with Keller's anger, hoping it would allow him to say more than he normally would have volunteered.

"Do you want me to say I feel bad about shooting those two niggers," Keller said, almost smiling. "No, I'm not sorry. That old man shot my partner in cold blood. I don't feel bad about it, in fact, I feel pretty damned good about it right now. I've told all of you what happened a hundred times, and I've answered all your questions, over and over again. If there is nothing else, I would like to get the hell out of here and get cleaned up, something to eat, and try to get some sleep. If that isn't too much trouble."

Gauge nodded. "Its no trouble," he said. "There is an officer outside who will drive you home. Try to get some rest. You know we will have more questions, but I think they can what until you are more yourself."

After walking Keller out, Gauge made his way to the observation room where he found Calvin Rodgers, Doug Peters, and Stephanie Walsh awaiting him. It was clear from Rodgers' expression he was not pleased with what he had seen.

"You are letting him go, just like that?" Rodgers asked, his tone far from sociable.

"As much as I would like to accommodate your wishes to nail Keller, I can't," Gauge said. "His story is consistent with the physical evidence."

"What? How can you say that? I can name at least..." Rodgers began, very nearly shouting, but fell silent as Gauge held up his hand.

"Let's start with Keller and Parker entering the yard," Gauge said. "The report says Parker's gun was still in its holster. Now, if you and your partner were planning to kill two people, and your partner had just shot one of them, would your gun still be in its holster, or would you have it out and ready, just in case?"

Rodgers obviously was not pleased with this scenario. "Go on."

"I got stuck in traffic on the way over and had time to look at the crime scene photos. The most interesting was the one which showed the placement of the bodies on the porch. Mrs. Pruitt lying against the screen door, and Mr. Pruitt on top of her, but slightly to the left side. This is what I think happened. Mister Pruitt is awake, for whatever reason, and either hears or sees people running through his neighbor's yard," Gauge continued. "He gets his shotgun and goes out on the porch for a better look, but he leaves the light off so they won't be able to see him. Now, Mrs. Pruitt wakes up and goes looking for her husband. Not knowing what's going on, she steps out on the porch and turns on the light. Mr. Pruitt sees Keller and Parker, and he also sees Keller's weapon. I think it may be safe to assume Pruitt is a little nervous over testifying against a dirty cop, and may be a little trigger happy. He shots once, killing Parker instantly. Keller shoots back, firing two rounds. The first shot misses everything, goes through the partially opened door and exits the window in the living room. The second bullet is on target."

"How does one bullet account for two dead," Rodgers asked." Especially when you consider Mrs. Pruitt was killed first."

"She died first, but was hit second," Gauge said. "The bullet went through Mr. Pruitt's neck, ripping apart the artery, but didn't strike any bone. It exited the back of his neck and struck Mrs. Pruitt in the eye, killing her almost instantly. There is a shadow, or break, in the blood spray from the neck wound on Mr. Pruitt. That tells us something was between him and the house when he was hit. The only logical conclusion is that it was his wife."

"Which, if true, is why Keller never saw her," Doug said, seeing where Gauge was going.

"She fell back, pushing the screen door closed, and fell in front of it," Gauge said. "Mr. Pruitt staggered, stepped in her blood, then fell on top of her. If she had been shot first and blocked the screen door, Mr. Pruitt couldn't have come out without disturbing her body. If he was hit with the first bullet, the second bullet couldn't have gone through the door without leaving a hole in the screen, which is why I believe it was the second bullet that struck Pruitt."

"Damn, you mean Keller is telling the truth," Rodgers said in disgust.

"The ME should be able to confirm if the same bullet killed both victims, but I would say yes, his account of the events matches the physical evidence."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Rodgers said. "I'm not ready to give up just yet. I'm going to call the morgue and have them put a rush on removing the bullet from Mrs. Pruitt."

Rodgers left to make his phone call, obviously displeased with the course of events. Doug nodded to Gauge. "Good job, I'm not sure I would have seen it," Doug said, as he started toward the door.

As the door closed behind Doug, Stephanie leaned against the counter and starred at Gauge. "What's wrong?" she asked after several moments.

Gauge shook his head. "There's something else there, I just can't quite put my finger on it."

"Do you think you might be wrong about the evidence?"

"No, its something else, something I should see, but I can't get it in focus," Gauge answered. "Maybe its nothing."

"Could it be you just don't like Keller?"

Gauge shrugged. "Hard to say, he is somewhat of a despicable creature."

"Yes, its sometimes hard for me to remember that God even loves the Keller's of the world," Stephanie said. "He doesn't approve of their actions, but they are still his children."

"Just remember, Keller thinks you have a nice butt," Gauge said. "That has to be worth something."

"Oh yes, as long as the racist thinks my hinny looks good, all is well with the world," Stephanie said.

"My sentiments exactly," Gauge said as they started out.

The morning papers carried the story of the shooting, the subsequent investigation, as well as the foul mood of the community. Gauge read only a portion of the story as he sat at the counter and finished his breakfast. The small diner was normally crowded, but there were several empty seats this morning. Gauge had noticed Calvin Rodgers enter and take a seat at a booth some distance away. Gauge guessed they would not be becoming good buddies anytime soon. He was certain Rodgers did not blame Gauge for the outcome of the investigation, but at the same time he did not have to associate with the messenger.

Gauge was just folding up the newspaper when someone took a seat beside him. Gauge turned and was surprised to see Keller there. It was no secret a lot of officers ate at the diner, and Gauge was a regular, but he somehow felt uncomfortable knowing Keller could apparently track him down with what had to be called, relative ease.

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?" Gauge asked. "Aren't you still on administrative leave?"

"For the rest of the week," Keller said. "But apparently thanks to you, I'm in the clear. I wanted to thank you."

"I just did my job," Gauge said.

"Yeah, well, you did more than a lot of people would have under the circumstances," Keller said. "It was fourth and long, and the other team had a nasty appetite, and I was going to be the main course. You went the extra yard to clear me. Even if you didn't do it for me intentionally, I do appreciate your efforts."

Keller extended his hand and Gauge reluctantly shook it. "Take care lieutenant," Keller said. "I hope to see you around."

Gauge barely heard Keller as his stood to leave. Gauge was still deep in thought when Rodgers approached, but did not take a seat. "You can do what you want, but it looks rather suspicious, you and Keller being so buddy buddy," Rodgers said.

Gauge was silent for several more moments as Rodgers paid his tab. He was just turning to leave when Gauge spoke. "I'm going to need your help," Gauge said.

Rodgers looked back at Gauge. "What kind of help?"

Gauge stood in the yard behind the Pruitt's home and could see several of the neighbors watching him. The area was still marked off and a uniformed officer sat in his patrol car in front of the home to keep reporters and sightseers away. The yard and home were still considered a crime scene, although the area now appeared deserted with the exception of Gauge. As he buttoned up his jacket Gauge saw a brown sedan pull up on the side street and watched as Keller climbed out. Keller ducked under the yellow police tape and approached Gauge.

"You wanted to see me Lieutenant?" Keller said.

"Yeah, just wanted to put a few things to bed before I closed the crime scene," Gauge said. "Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"No, I'm glad to help. What do you need?"

"You're pretty upset about your partner aren't you?"

"Yes, but we've already..."

"Bothers you that your mistake cost him his life, doesn't it?" Gauge said.

"My mistake, what the hell are you talking about?" Keller said, angry instantly sweeping over him.

"Hey, I guess I can't talk, I made the same mistake, I didn't notice there were four houses but only three yards," Gauge said. "That's why you weren't ready for Pruitt, you thought you had one more yard to go to get to their house."

"You're insane," Keller said. "I told you..."

"You told us you were chasing a peeping tom, yeah I know," Gauge said. "I've looked at your personnel folder. I have to tell you, I've looked at enough folders to know a lazy cop when I see one, and you are a lazy cop."

Keller was obviously angry now, but made an obvious attempt to hold his temper in check. "Did you bring me out here just to insult me, or is there a point to any of this?"

"Do you really expect me to believe that you are going to jump out of your car in the middle of a rainstorm to chase some juvenile who you know that even if you catch him, will be released before you can finish the paperwork on him," Gauge said. "That doesn't fit your profile. Especially when you consider you were off duty and on your way home. Hell, I know a lot of dedicated cops who wouldn't have chased the kid for taking a peek in some window."

"You are presuming a lot, most of which is pure speculation," Keller said.

"The fact is, you aren't a dedicated cop, and you wouldn't have been jumping fences in a rainstorm to catch a kid," Gauge said. "So, if there wasn't any kid, we have to ask, what were you doing in the Pruitt's back yard in the middle of the night?"

Keller remained silent. Gauge knew Keller would not leave, not without knowing exactly what Gauge had, or thought he had. No, Keller would wait to hear it all before deciding what move to make. "I was just curious, when you went to see your partner's wife, did you tell her her husband was dead because you couldn't count. Did you tell his kids their father died because of your mistake?"

Keller's angry returned, but this time he could not hold his tongue in check. "He didn't die because of my mistake," he said, spitting the words at Gauge. "He died because that stupid nigger came out shooting. Nobody had to die, nobody was suppose to die."

"What was suppose to happen?" Gauge said.

"We were just going to explain things to them, to tell them..." Keller stopped short and shook his head. When he looked back up at Gauge, Keller smiled, but there was no humor in it. "You're good. You're damned good. You knew blaming me for Randy's death would piss me off, get me to loose my temper. An old trick I should have seen coming. Very nicely done."

"So, you did come up here to help out your buddy Robinson, to get the Pruitt's to keep quiet," Gauge said. "Things just went wrong."

"Yeah, things went wrong," Keller said. "Now you have it all figured out. We didn't chase any punk kid over here, we came here to shut-up a witness against a good cop. So what?"

"I'm not a legal expert, but I feel fairly certain you broke a few laws," Gauge said. "I'm sure your friend Rodgers will find more than a few things to charge you with."

"Based on what?" Keller said. "My confession to you? You should have saved your little show for a courtroom. As I recall, I never said anything to you, and since it is my word against yours, you don't have a case. And while your little act may have worked on me here, I wouldn't count on it working a second time. So you see, lieutenant, you solved the case, but you screwed up by playing your cards too soon. You've got nothing on me."

"I wouldn't say nothing, exactly," Gauge said, as he opened his shirt to reveal a small microphone. "I think your fellow inmates are going to enjoy your company, very much."

Keller's shoulders sagged as he realized what he had done. He turned at the sound of a door opening and saw Rodgers and several other officers coming out of the Pruitt home. From the smile on Rodger's face, it was clear he had heard everything that was said. Keller turned back to Gauge, the old angry returning.

"You would sell out a fellow officer over a couple of dead niggers," Keller said. "What kind of cop are you?"

"What kind are you?" Gauge said. "Do you have any idea what you've done to every honest police officer that will have to come into this neighborhood? Cops coming to do their job, to help and protect people, but because of you, they will be the enemy. Don't talk to me about selling out, you sold out the entire department when you crossed the line. If you expect me to feel bad about putting you away, about disgracing your partner's record, don't waste your time."

Keller was un-phased by Gauge's remarks. "How can you sleep, knowing you stabbed a brother officer in the back over this little bit of crap."

"You're no brother of mine," Gauge said. "And I bet I'll be sleeping a lot better than you. It might be wise to keep one eye open, just in case a roommate gets lonely one night."

"Officer Keller, you are under arrest," Rodgers said, obviously with a great deal of satisfaction. "Take him away."

Gauge and Rodgers watched as the officers lead their prisoner away. When Keller had been placed into a squad car, Rodgers turned back to Gauge. "Well done," Rodgers said. "You are as slick as they say."

"Did you get enough to nail Robinson as well?" Gauge asked.

"I think I have enough to take to the grand jury," Rodgers said. "We'll see how it goes from there."

"I wish you luck," Gauge said, starting toward his car.

"Thank you, lieutenant," Rodgers said. "Despite what you said to Keller, some people in this neighborhood are going to see that we did the right thing in the end. The trust will come back, slowly, but it will come back."

Gauge stopped and looked back at Rodgers. "Not for the Pruitt's," he said softly, then turned and walked away.