Check and Checkmate Page 4

  "That's 'Captain' and 'Commissioner' to you, Sandburg," he gruffly reminded his youngest detective.

  Blair's grin only grew wider. "You really are a softy, aren't you?"

  Practically growling, Simon replied, "So soft I'm going to kick your butt all the way back to the station." Glancing back to the door, he asked, "How's forensics doing with your nametag soup?"

  "Serena's still going through it," Blair replied, "But at least the mayor and another member of the council was included on the target's list. 'The Commissioner'," Blair emphasized the name, "thinks it may have something to do with that valley development proposal he thought was suspicious and is currently investigating. This afternoon he got a lead that the backers are actually drug dealers trying to gain a foothold in that community. Apparently, the mayor and the other councilwoman had also been reluctant to pass the proposal."

  Scowling, Simon glanced out across the street. "All this for land development? What is this world coming to?"

  Blair's expression turned worried. "Any word from Jim? I heard that he chased after Yuri."

  "Ask him yourself, Sandburg," Simon pointed to his three detectives as they walked towards the dock.

  "Hey Jim!" Blair yelled as he spotted his partner. He jumped to the ground to meet him. "Did you catch Yuri?"

  "Sort of," Jim mumbled, head down.

  Blair stared wide-eyed at his friend, noticing the muddied clothes. "What'd you do? Tackle him?"

  "Not exactly," Jim quietly replied. As his nose picked up a sweet smell, he followed the scent to his partner. He stared at the large stains on his friend's shirt. "What did you do? Proposition the wrong woman?"

  Blair rolled his eyes. "No, I just solved the transmitter problem with punch. What happened to Yuri?"

  "Yuri's van spun out of control near Riverside Park and crashed into the signpost," Rafe explained. "It blew up on impact."

  "Ah, man," Blair replied, thinking that was the reason for his friend's downcast expression. "Oh well, I guess this means we don't have to worry about him anymore."

  Jim kept his eyes lowered. The same part of him that felt uneasy after Yuri's plunge into the spillway and assumed death was still making itself known. Jim wasn't going to accept that the assassin was dead until he saw a body. But he had other, more immediate matters to attend to. "Simon, can we bum a ride home?"

  Simon frowned, studying his detective. "Are you feeling all right, Jim?" He noticed the strained, innocent looks on Brown's and Rafe's faces.

  "Yeah, I'm okay, just need the ride."

  Blair had also noticed his partner's pale face and pained expression. "I'm okay to drive now, Jim. Give me back the keys, and I'll take us right home."

  Jim only shuffled his feet and wouldn't meet Blair's eyes. "We need a ride, Chief."

  Suddenly, the significance of the words hit the young detective. "WHY do we need a ride, Jim?"

  Jim finally looked his partner in the eye. "Because we can't drive the Volvo."

  "Man, Jim, what's with you and cars anyway?" Blair erupted, throwing his hands into the air. "How bad did you wreck it?"

  Jim just stared at him, a loss for words. Henri couldn't help but interject, "Well, you might want to borrow Rafe's latest Consumer Reports." Rafe jabbed an elbow into his partner's ribs, realizing this wasn't the time for jokes.

  Blair's eyes grew even wider. "You TOTALED IT? Jim! How could you?"

  "He didn't exactly total it, Sandburg," Rafe inserted, feeling a bit sorry for the senior detective. "It just kinda, well..."

  "Blew up on him," Henri supplied, trying to keep from smirking. Though the frown from his captain soon erased his mirth.

  "You blew the engine? Figures," Blair grumbled.

  "Not exactly," Rafe, Henri and Jim all replied at the same time. Jim gave his friend an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Chief. I didn't know Yuri had rigged a rocket launcher on his van."

  "ROCKET LAUNCHER!!!!" Blair shouted. "He shot a ROCKET at my car? Is there anything left?" Henri and Rafe solemnly shook their heads. Blair's own head dropped to his hands. "My poor car."

  Seeing his friend wince, Simon asked softly, "Are you really okay, Jim?"

  "Mostly just cold and sore," Jim replied, looking miserable.

  "From having to bail out of a moving vehicle into a muddy ditch before the rocket hit it," Rafe added, staring at Blair.

  "WHAT?" Blair looked up at his friend. "Damn, Jim, are you sure you're okay?"

  "Yeah," Jim rubbed his face with his hands. "I just really want to go home."

  "Then let's go," Simon replied, taking pity on his best detective. He gently guided Jim towards his car with a touch to his back.

  "A rocket launcher," Blair repeated mournfully as he followed them. "I swear, Jim, that is the LAST time you drive my car without me..."

  The End

  * * *

  Like this episode? Email the writer: spacecloud@juno.com

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