2x02: The Night General

***

Grey walks into his office with Hunter and Nolan in tow. "You ever heard of a Night General?"

"No, sir." Nolan said.

"Detective Lopez, you wanna explain?" Grey asked.

"Night General Detectives. They respond to any major crime scene after normal business hours. They work the case until it's assigned. They have to be a master in everything because they see everything." Hunter said.

"Sounds impressive." Nolan comments.

"It is. And most of them got the attitude to go with it." Grey said.

Detective Nick Armstrong enters after tapping on the doorjamb. Hunter turned around and smiled widely. "Nick? Oh my god." She breathed in shock.

"Hunter, how are you. Last I heard, you moved to New York." Armstrong said.

"Well, I moved back. Now, give me a hug." Hunter said, and hugged Armstrong before standing back beside Nolan. "Nolan, this is Nick Armstrong, he and I worked on a couple cases together with Tim a few years ago before I moved to New York." Hunter explained.

"You're my your guides?" Nick asked.

"We are it seems. This is my temporary rookie Officer John Nolan until Harper arrives." Hunter said, gesturing to Nolan, Armstrong shook his hand.

"It's been so long since I worked here." Armstrong comments.

"You never permanently worked here. You were just here when we were investigating Rosalind Dyer's murders." Hunter reminds him and then she turned to Nolan. "Detective Armstrong is our new Night Detective. He asked for a patrol officer to show him around, help him get familiar with our division." She said.

"Yeah, I just did a ten spot up in the seven-seven, so I don't know none of the players in this part of town. Hell, I don't know where to get a decent cup of coffee." Armstrong adds.

"Well, I got you covered on the coffee." Nolan said.

"I'll do my best on the rest." Hunter adds.

"Fair enough. Now when can I go and greet Tim?" Armstrong asked.

Hunter, Grey and Nolan looked at their watches. "All right, it's roll call time. You want to come?" Grey asked.

"Yeah. First day of school, might as well meet the other kids." Armstrong said.

Grey heads off to the briefing room as Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan follow him. "Were you Night General back at the seven-seven?" He asked.

"Yeah. Last five years. After my wife died, I found the nights the hardest, so I filled 'em." Armstrong said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nolan apologised.

"Married?" Armstrong asked.

"Divorced." Nolan said.

"Before or after you signed up?" Armstrong asked.

"Before. Part of the catalyst to make the change."

"Change is hard. I hate it, man. But here I am." Armstrong said.

"Life is contradictory."

"Tell me about it," Armstrong turned to Hunter. "Hunter, what about you? You and Tim seemed to have a connection that made me think you two were already dating." He said.

"Uh, no. We're platonic, always have been, always will be." Hunter said.

Armstrong and Nolan shared a look. "So, how did you meet Lopez and Bradford?" Nolan asked.

"We were investigating a rare unicorn. A female serial killer. They gout bought on a few of the scenes and Hunter was the one arrest Rosalind Dyer before she could harm anymore people." Armstrong said, sensing he didn't want to go into detail, Nolan nodded.

***

Hunter enters the briefing room and sits down between Angela and Tim, Nolan sits beside Jackson and Lucy, Armstrong stood in the doorway. "Settle down. Find a seat. First up, I'd like to congratulate Officer Jackson West on the fine pinch last night. No crook is safe from Officer West, not even his landlord." Grey says, making the cops clap as Grey hands Jackson a form.

"Letter of commendation?" Jackson guessed.

"Change of address form. Your apartment is now considered a "house of ill repute" - and under asset seizure. We need your new address by tomorrow, even if it's Mama's house," the other cops laughed and Grey moved back to the podium. "All right," Grey turned to Armstrong. "This sharp-dressed man in the doorway is Detective Nick Armstrong. He'll be in the field after hours for your detecting needs," he introduces and Angela raises her hand. "Yes, Officer Lopez?" Grey asked.

"Detective Armstrong, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "patrol friendly" and 10 is "making us guard a cleared crime scene in the pouring rain 'cause you get "a power trip off of it," where do you stand?" Angela asked.

"Lopez." Grey scolded.

"No, it's all right, Sarge. I appreciate a direct question. A lot of cops take off the uniform, they put on the suit. Suddenly, they think they're better than the officers in this room. I'm not one of them. Patrol is where it all happens. It's fast, honest, pure, raw. 85% of all crimes are solved at the patrol level. So, the way I see it, I am here to help you, not the other way around. And if that doesn't win you over, I have five dozen of the finest donuts in the break room. That's all I'm saying." Armstrong said.

"Detective, you think you can buy us with donuts?" Smitty asked.

"Absolutely not. Maybe rent you, though." Armstrong said.

The other cops laughed as Smitty frowned deeply. "There's only one Detective I like and that's her," Smitty points to Hunter. "Because she's fun." Hunter chuckled, she and Smitty had a father-daughter bond. Even though Smitty annoyed Hunter to the ends of the earth, she wouldn't hear a word against him from any of the rookies, luckily none of these ones have spoken against Smitty.

"Okay, are we done? Good, 'cause we're done. Be safe out there. Bradford, let me see you a sec," Tim and Lucy pause in front of him, Grey chucks Tim a book. "Chief Williams added another book to your Sergeant's Exam reading list." He said.

"Split Second Leadership: Leading Men In The Line Of Duty." Tim read the title.

"Men?" Lucy asked.

"It's from the '60s," Tim answered, looking at her and then looking at Grey. "How is this relevant to 21st-century policing?" He asked.

"Ours is not to reason why, Officer Bradford. Read the book." Grey said.

"Yes, sir." Tim said.

***

Tim and Lucy were in their shop and Tim hands Lucy the book. "If I have to suffer, so do you. So, you're gonna read this out loud to me between calls. Only way I'm gonna get it memorized in time." He said.

"Or I could drive and you could read it to yourself." Lucy suggested with a smile.

"Nice try. Start reading." Tim said as he drove the car.

"Okay. "Chapter One. True leadership generates respect, not fear. It elevates people, rather than diminishing them." I like this book." Lucy said.

"You would. Keep reading." Tim said.

""The number-one mistake new leaders make is to think themselves suddenly infallible. The best leaders understand that even the lowliest patrol officer has something valuable to teach them." Repeat that last part back to me," Tim gives Lucy a look. "Memorizing is all about repetition. Trust me. I'm a psych major. I know this stuff." She said.

""The best leaders understand that even the lowliest patrol officer has something valuable to teach them."" Tim recites.

"Again." Lucy said.

"7-Adam-19, family disturbance at 217 Evergreen." Dispatch said.

"Thank God." Tim sighed.

Lucy picked up the radio. "7-Adam-19, copy. En route," she put the radio down and checked the laptop. "Okay, ETA three minutes," Lucy then picked to the book up. "Time to read some more. "An open mind and an open door."" She read.

***

"And that's why phase three recruits all have tan left arms." Armstrong finished.

"I am not gonna lie, the change to short sleeves has been life-altering." Tim said.

"I remember it well. Then I quickly moved into suits. I mean, it's not as hot as wool, but it's not cool, either." Armstrong said.

"How long did it take you to make the move?" Nolan asked.

"What? Detective? Four years."

Nolan looked at Armstrong in shock. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Yeah, well, I'm still the only cop who's done it. But I still wonder if I moved too quickly." Armstrong answered.

"Well, speaking as someone who wants to move up rapidly, I am officially your number-one fan. If there's any hints you can dispense, I am all ears." Nolan said.

"You hook me up on the local 4-1-1, and I'll dispense a little knowledge." Armstrong said.

"Deal. Lopez, what about you?" Nolan asked his TO, wondering when she became a Detective.

"I joined the LAPD in 2008 a year after I left the Army, made Detective in 2016 in New York, whole reason I moved, I got the tap by the NYPD and then about a year ago I got a golden ticket and moved back to patrol in the LAPD." Hunter said.

Nolan didn't have time to respond as Dispatch spoke. "All units, incoming four-fifteen. Shaw Memorial. Security fighting with unknown male."

"Nick, you wanna in?" Hunter asked.

"I haven't been in a fight in a while. Buy that call. Let's go get in some trouble." Armstrong said.

Hunter smiled and spoke into the radio. "7-Adam-20, responding." She said.

"Here we go." Armstrong said.

***

A woman, Shelley comes running out of her front yard, shouting, to meet up with the police. "They're gonna kill each other! My boys they bought these military vests off the Internet, and they wanna try them out!" Shelley yelled.

"Bulletproof vests?" Lucy asked. Tim and Lucy follow her into the yard, where two young men are pointing guns at each other as if dueling.

"Oh, I hope so. They won't listen to me," Shelly speaks to her sons. "Maybe you'll listen to them." She said.

"Ma'am, get in the house." Lucy said.

"I called the cops."

"Put the guns down! Put them down!" Tim and Lucy yelled, pointing their guns at the boys.

"3, 2, 1." The boys, Jason and J-Bag, fire at each other and both fall back on the ground.

"Drop your weapons!" Tim yelled.

"Oh, my God!" Shelly screamed.

"Stay in the house." Lucy said to Shelly.

"See, I told you they'd work." Jason said.

"Drop the guns right now!"

"Drop your weapon now!"

"Relax. We were just messing around. J-Bag bet me the vests wouldn't work." Jason said.

Tim hauls J-BAG to his feet and cuffs him. "You been drinking, or are you normally this stupid?" He asked.

"Get up." Lucy ordered.

"I-I don't feel so good." Jason said.

Lucy leans down to help Jason up and notices that he has a gunshot wound to his torso. "Tim. Tim." She called his attention.

"Look at you! You guys never listen to what I'm saying." Shelly said.

"I won the bet." J-Bag realised happily.

"What bet? He's dying!" Lucy yelled.

"It doesn't matter! It was his idea to buy the vests!" J-Bag yelled.

Lucy applies pressure to the wound while Tim calls for an ambulance and tries to keep his grip on J-Bag. "7-Adam-19. I need an ambulance. Gunshot wound to the upper torso."

"Mom, go back in the house!" J-Bag yelled.

"He's bleeding. What are you doing here?" Shelley asked.

***

Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan arrive to find a crowd gathered watching something, and a nurse pushing through them to get to the police. "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. Just came in on a 5150 hold. He got loose. He's high on something." Nurse Lisa said.

"He" is a very large man wearing nothing but a kilt and a pair of boots and flinging two security officers around and against the walls. "Whoa." Armstrong and Hunter breathed.

Nolan gets out his taser and holds it out of the man's sight. "Hey, big guy. Hey. We don't want anybody hurting you, okay?"

The big guy turns to run straight at Nolan, who deploys the taser – to no effect. The big man pins Nolan to the floor and knocks the taser out of his hand. "Tase him, tase him, tase him!" Armstrong chants.

Nolan grapples with the man as they both get up. Nolan is clinging to the man's back and trying to get him in a half-Nelson as Armstrong and Hunter use their tasers, still to no effect. Suddenly Nolan catches sight of a doctor standing nearby. "Come on, big guy. Come on. Grace?" He asked.

"John?" Grace asked.

The man flings Nolan into Armstrong and Hunter and the two look like they're getting ready for another assault. "I'm open to ideas." Nolan said.

Grace comes up behind the man in the kilt and sinks a syringe into his back. As the man weaves, Grace and an orderly push a gurney into place and catch the man as he passes out on it, face down. The spectators applaud as the man is wheeled away.

Hunter and Armstrong walk over and join their conversation. "What did you give him, and can we get some?" Hunter and Armstrong asked at the same time.

"Detective Armstrong, Detective Lopez, this is Grace." Nolan said.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. How do you know Nolan?" Hunter asked.

"We went to college together." Nolan said.

"Briefly." Grace said.

"Gunshot victim coming in!" A nurse yelled.

The gunshot victim, Jason, is rushed through on another gurney and Grace turns to hurry after him. "Good seeing you again, John. Nice to meet you, Detectives." She said.

"Nice to meet you," Hunter and Armstrong said.

"This the first time you've seen her since?" Armstrong asked.

"Yeah. She looks good." Nolan said.

***

"All right, so, what's the deal with Dr. Grace?" Armstrong asked, once the three of them are back on the road.

"What do you mean?" Nolan asked.

"Mm, Nick and I noticed a little something-something, under the surface. You didn't catch it?" Hunter asked.

"No, but I was, uh, a little preoccupied. You know, surprise, adrenaline, head trauma." Nolan lied.

"Okay." Armstrong said.

"What- What do you think it was?" Nolan asked.

"Hey, I - No idea. No idea." Hunter said.

"7-Adam-20, manually activated panic alarm. Multiple distress activations." Dispatch said.

"7-Adam-20, responding. Code 2 High." Hunter said.

***

Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan try to open the gate across the front door of the house. It doesn't open. "Is it locked?" Nolan asked.

"Let's try the side of the house first," Hunter notices something odd about the doorbell before following Nolan and Armstrong around the house. They enter through a side door, quietly, and start to cover the ground floor. Armstrong notices a smear of blood on the wall next to a door. "Hey. Look." He said.

"Police! Come on out! Show me your hands!" Hunter and Nolan yelled.

Two people fall out of the closet, bound and gagged. "I got you. I got you," Hunter said, Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan get the gags off their victims and help them to their feet. "It's okay. Oh, oh, oh. All right." Hunter said to them.

"They have Jeff. They have our son. There's - There's two of them." Matt said.

"Shh. It's okay." Marylin whispered.

"They're upstairs." Matt said.

"How long ago?" Hunter asked.

"Uh, 20 minutes, half hour." Matt said.

"Home invasion, possible 207. We're clearing the house now." Nolan said into the radio.

"Stay here." Hunter ordered.

"Okay. Okay." Matt said.

***

Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan move upstairs, checking the hall and rooms as they go, until they find a closed door. When they breach the door they find a bedroom with a young man lying dead on the floor from an apparent gunshot wound.

"Clear!" Hunter yelled.

Matt calls out as he comes upstairs. Then he sees the body. "Jeff? No -"

"I'm sorry." Nolan grabs Matt to keep him away from the body and the crime scene.

"No! Jeff! God -" Matt yelled.

"I'm sorry." Nolan said.

***

Grey has arrived along with the crime scene unit and is talking to Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan. "So, what do we got?" He asked.

"Our victim's name is Jeff Christian, 17 years old. Apparent gunshot wound to the back." Hunter said.

"Any others?' Grey asked.

"Yeah. Matt and Marilyn Christian. Parents. Both assaulted, described two masked assailants. Males, white, maybe Hispanic. 5'9 " to 5'11", medium build. The primary wore white sneakers with a red triangle. I already put out a BOLO citywide." Armstrong said.

"Can I tell you, it's nice to have a detective here from the get-go." Grey comments.

"Yeah." Armstrong said.

"Now, you want the on-call homicide dicks to respond?" Grey wondered.

"Nah, I'll take this one." Armstrong replied.

"Anything special you want them to pay attention to?" Grey asked.

"There was a piece of electrical tape covering the doorbell camera." Hunter said.

Grey nods and moves away to speak with someone else.

"Hey. 75% of cops would have missed that tape. That's a nice spot, Detective Lopez. You want to work with me on this one?" Armstrong asked.

"Yes, Nick, I do." Hunter said. "Nolan, you wanna join?"

"Hell yeah." Nolan said.

"Good. Come on." Armstrong kneels down to get at eye level with the Christians, who are sitting together on the couch. "Mr. and Mrs. Christian, I am, uh, I'm sorry. All I can offer is a promise. I will hunt the men who did this. I will hunt them to the ends of the Earth, and I will not stop until I find them." Armstrong said.

"If there's anything you need, the LAPD is here for you." Hunter said.

"Thank you." Marylin said.

"Would you excuse us?" Armstrong asked.

***

Armstrong, Hunter and Nolan go back upstairs to examine the crime scene. "What do we got?" Hunter asked.

"Is that a puncture wound on the elbow?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah. Entry wound. The bullet entered the elbow, probably bounced off the humerus bone, severed the brachial, and then came out of the back." Armstrong explained.

"What's this fluid in his mouth?" Nolan asked.

"Pulmonary edema, but let's let the coroner handle that. Any sign of struggle?" Hunter questioned.

"Not really, but how does someone get shot in the elbow?" Nolan asked.

"Reaching for a loaded gun. But what does lunging for a gun suggest?" Hunter asked.

"He was fighting back." Nolan said.

"Eventually, but why wait so long?" Hunter questioned.

"Was he trying to reason with them?" Nolan asked.

"Maybe. But maybe shooting the kid wasn't the original plan, but once he grabbed the gun, bang. No choice. But why are they in this room? The master bedroom, the parents' room, that's where all the expensive stuff is. But here -" Armstrong was saying.

"Wait a minute." Nolan takes his pen and widens a crack in a panel of the wardrobe. Something is hidden inside.

"Cubby hole. Prescription pills. Yeah," Hunter is taking a picture with her phone and filing it in the folder on her photos app that she has just for work, her other folders are day to day photos she's taken over the years. "I'm gonna have to let the lab confirm, but I'm saying that's Oxycontin." Hunter said.

"You think maybe this was the real target?" Nolan asked.

"See that piece of plastic on that nail? The baggie probably ripped when they pulled it out, and they lost a few pills." Hunter explained.

"So that explains what they were doing up here. So, what do we do next? We dig into Jeff's past, find out everybody he knew. Two of those people either killed him or know who did." Nolan said.

"Perfect. The suspect pool just shrunk from the whole world to about 200 now. Eliminate women, the very tall, short, young, old, we're talking maybe 50 names. We could have these guys ID'd before dinner." Armstrong said.

***

""Chapter Three. The healthy habits of command. Delegation is the key to leading men in times of stress. Don't ever think you can carry the load all by yourself." That is so true. Don't you think?" Lucy asked, after reading.

"It's hard enough to listen to it without you editorializing." Tim said.

"Hey, I'm happy to stop reading and catch up on paperwork. You're gonna have to re-read all of this anyway to really memorize it." Lucy said, flicking through the pages.

"No. I memorize best when I hear it." Tim said.

"Really?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." Tim said.

"Huh." Lucy said.

"Why?" Tim asked.

"Nothing." Lucy said.

"Boot." Tim said, wanting her to continue.

"You might have a learning difference." Lucy muttered.

"A what?" Tim asked.

"Technically, it's classified as a disability, but it really just means that you're wired to process information differently. In your case, through through hearing rather than reading." Lucy explained.

"I don't have a learning disability." Tim said, getting defencive.

"A lot of people have them. I bet Hunter helped you in the Academy, read through the materials with you and stuff." Lucy said.

"We're not talking about this." Tim snapped, but it was true Hunter had helped him at the Academy after working out he was a kinesthetic learner, but he wasn't one for talking about and would deny it whenever someone asked.

"7-Adam-19, suspicious person. Unknown male sitting in a red minivan. Possibly casing at 1966 Keegan Street." Dispatch said.

"7-Adam-19, show us responding." Tim said into the radio.

"All I'm saying is –' Tim's ignoring her and she notices. "Never mind." Tim and Lucy pull up and park near a red van. 

They get out and flank the van as its occupant opens the driver door and gets out. "Let's talk on the sidewalk," Tim recognizes the man. "Rex? You're still chasing bounty? I thought you moved to Reno."

"All my bail jumpers come to L.A. I got a tip one of 'em's down the street staying at his aunt's place." Rex said.

"We got three 911 calls about a weirdo in a minivan. Casing." Lucy comments.

"Watch your tone, Boot." Rex snapped at her.

"Oh, you don't get to call her "Boot," Rex. You're retired. She's the police now." Tim said.

"Let's see your bail bonds license and the warrant on your jumper." Lucy said.

"You let her talk to you like that?" Rex asked Tim.

Lucy looked at the warrant. "Nico Sandoval. Attempted murder? Okay, you need to call dispatch and let us know when you're out here. This guy sounds dangerous."

"I've been Code 5 on dangerous men since before you were born, little lady."

"Well, in this century, you notify local law enforcement so when you get in the weeds, we know who's out here." Lucy said.

"I don't call for help. Help calls for me." Rex said.

Lucy looks at Tim. "Maybe you need to let this guy read your book." She suggested.

"Rex, if you're gonna be out here, you gotta play by the rules." Tim said.

"Ah, come on, Tim. I call this in, someone's gonna snatch my bounty. I need that money." Rex said.

"Nico shows, you give us a call. No one's gonna "snatch your bounty."" Tim said.

"All right."

"It's good to see you, Rex." Tim said.

"It's good seeing you, too, Tim." Rex said.

***

"Detective Armstrong, Detective Lopez," Hunter and Armstrong both look at Nolan, who's walking over to the two Detectives. "I spoke to some of Jeff's friends. Turns out he did a stint in rehab three months ago."

"Wow. Funny how his family failed to mention that, and that explains the fluid you saw coming out of his mouth. The only cause for that to happen in a dead body is a bad chest cold or an opioid addiction." Hunter said.

"That's good to know." Nolan said.

"We need to get a warrant for Jeff's rehab records, see if he made any friends in there." Armstrong decides.

"Actually, I spoke to an ex-girlfriend. She told me while Jeff was in rehab, he connected with a man who was, quote, "ass cancer in a skin suit." Got Jeff to deal some drugs for him while he was in his fancy prep school." Nolan states.

"This skin suit have a name?" Armstrong asked.

"Bruno Winch. He lives over in Highland Park." Nolan answered.

***

A team of cops has surrounded Winch's place. "LAPD! Probation search! Open up!" Jackson breaks down the door with a battering ram and the cops pour in. "Bruno Winch! LAPD!" Hunter yelled.

"Clear! - Clear!" Angela yelled.

"Clear. - Clear! Clear." The cops yelled.

Armstrong and Hunter finds Winch lying on the floor in the kitchen, beaten and bloody. Grey and Nolan come up behind. "Baseball bat. Tough way to go." Grey said.

"White shoes, red triangles." Hunter leans down to check Winch's pulse and Winch suddenly gasps and opens his eyes.

***

Armstrong and Hunter arrive, interrupting Nolan and Grace's tête-à-tête. "Grace. Did Bruno make it?" Hunter asked.

"He's critical, but I think he'll live. He's in ICU." Grace said.

"Any chance for an interview?" Armstrong wondered.

"No, we had to induce a coma. There's a lot of pressure on his brain." Grace said.

"Couple days, maybe?" Nolan asked.

"Most likely, it's gonna be a week. But we bagged his clothing for you. Excuse me." Grace said. The three cops watch as she walks away.

'Yeah, see, I didn't feel anything then. Yeah, maybe I'm just making it up." Armstrong said.

"Now I think you're just giving me a hard time." Nolan answered.

"Absolutely possible." Armstrong and Hunter both grinned.

"So, what are we thinking with Bruno? He and his partner pull a home invasion to get to Jeff. Jeff probably stole something from him maybe owed him drugs, money. But then how does Bruno end up beaten half to death?" Nolan wondered.

"Don't do that - speculate. Making up stories is how innocent men go to jail and guilty men go free. Thus endeth the tip." Hunter said.

"Understood." Nolan said.

"All right," Armstrong checks his watch. "End of shift."

"You riding back to the station?" Nolan asked.

"Oh, no, I don't have to clock out like you do. I'm gonna stay here, have some questionable hospital food, see if a miracle happens and Bruno wakes up." Armstrong said.

"Okay. Later." Nolan said, going to leave.

"Later." Armstrong walks over to sit in a chair in the hallway.

Nolan is about to take the elevator down when he looks over at Armstrong. "Armstrong? I'm doing a huge renovation on a house I just bought. I could really use an extra set of hands. Pizza and beer on me."

"Pizza and beer?" Armstrong asked.

Nolan turned to his TO as Armstrong joined him. "Hunter, wanna come help?"

"Nah, I gotta go watch Top Chef with Tim and Lexi." Hunter walked out and drove back to the station.

***

Hunter was getting changed in the women's locker room when Lucy, in street clothes, comes up to her. "Hey, I was wondering if you knew anything about Tim having a learning difference?" Lucy asked.

"You mean that he's a kinesthetic learner but won't admit it?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Lucy asked.

"I attended the academy with him as you know. I figured it out when I was reading something out loud to him while he was doing exercise and then remembered it the next day." Hunter explained.

"Is there a way to help him? 'Cause he won't tell me a way to help him." Lucy said.

"I'll ask Grey for a copy of the book." Hunter said.

"Why?"

"That's for Tim and I to know." Hunter said, she then walked out. Lucy smiled at that, Hunter and Tim would do anything to protect each other and would willingly spend the rest of their lives in jail if it meant the other was safe and protected.

***

The next day, Tim and Hunter encounter Jackson rushing toward the entrance. "Running late?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, had to commute from my folks' place in Simi Valley." Jackson said.

"Half the LAPD lives in Ventura County, but they all seem to make it to work on time." Tim comments.

"Yeah, well, my dad was getting all up in my business about getting extended. Literally had to stop him from coming down here and lighting up Lopez." Jackson said with a slight chuckle.

"Look, the hole you're in has nothing to do with my sister. But she's gonna pay the price when the commander's son goes belly-up halfway through training." Hunter said.

"I told him it's not her fault." Jackson said.

"Yeah, so, tell him again. Angela bent over backwards for you. She protected your ass when any other T. O. would've sent you packing, hell when Hunter would've sent you packing herself. You owe her your career." Tim said. He never called Angela by her first name in front of workmates unless it was Hunter, Grey or Angela herself. But having known Angela since she was twelve given that Hunter had joined the army the same year sometimes it was second nature to him.

Tim knew that Emilia, Angela and Hunter's mother viewed him as a family member but always seemed to make comments about how he and Hunter would be good together or make comments about setting Tim up with one of the sister's cousins to try and get her own daughter jealous.

Hunter of course would never admit it, but her mother mentioning setting Tim up with one of her cousins always seemed to make her feel jealous, even if Tim paid more attention to her at the family gatherings she brings him to.

"I know." Jackson said.

"Good." Hunter and Tim then walked off, having decided to drive in together to save on fuel, it also helped that Hunter stayed over the night before.

***

Armstrong and Hunter were sitting at a desk going over the case when Nolan came over to them both. "Armstrong. Lopez."

"Yeah. What's up, buddy?" Armstrong asked, him and Hunter looking up at the mention of their names.

"I was just talking to Matt Christian in the lobby."

"Mm-hmm?"

"I told him if anything happened to my son, I'd be out for blood, and he just got this look. I mean, I-I could be misinterpreting it." Nolan said.

"Our job as investigators is not to speculate. It's to think about what we've seen, what we've heard, and articulate the facts. What are those facts?" Hunter asked.

"Matt paid for Jeff to go to rehab. Uh, that's where Jeff met Bruno. It's definitely possible that Matt met Bruno there when he was visiting his son. Maybe Matt recognized Bruno's voice during the home invasion?" Nolan muses.

"Let's go talk to Matt." Armstrong said.

***

Hunter, Armstrong and Nolan are sitting across from Matt in the interrogation room. "Thanks for coming by, Matt. How's Marilyn today?" Armstrong asked.

"We didn't sleep. She - She can't stop crying." Matt said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I only have a few follow-up questions, and then we'll get you back to her, okay?' Armstrong asked.

"Yeah."

"All right, was Jeff on pain medication? We found Oxy in his room."

"He tore his knee last year. Doctor gave him a couple of pills. He was hooked for a little while, but I got him clean." Matt said.

"Re-Birth Malibu." Armstrong said.

"That's right. They straightened him right out." Matt said.

"Did you ever visit him there?" Nolan asked.

"Of course. You know, when they let me." Matt said.

"Did you meet a patient named Bruno Winch?" Hunter asked.

A long pause. Matt seems to think but comes across as evasive. "Doesn't ring a bell. But what's this got to do with the home invasion? That wasn't about Jeff." Matt states.

"Well, actually, we think he was the real target." Armstrong said.

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked.

"Bruno Winch is one of the men that entered your home, bound and beat you, and killed your son." Nolan said.

"I have a photo of him. Maybe you recognize him," Armstrong pulls out the photo of WINCH bloody on the floor. "Oops. Uh, that's the wrong photo. That's what he looked like yesterday when we found him, so -" Armstrong trails off.

"Is he dead?" Matt asked.

"No. He's just in the hospital. We're waiting for him to wake up so he can tell us who did that to him." Hunter said.

"I don't actually have the photo with me. Let me go get it." Armstrong exits the room.

"Matt, why didn't you mention that Jeff had a drug problem?" Hunter asked.

"Wasn't a problem anymore. And I didn't want his whole memory to be that."

"Of course. Well, that's a father's job - protect his kids." Nolan agreed.

"He was the best part of me. I failed him." Matt states.

"Matt, I know you feel guilty. Put him in rehab to straighten him out, watch him get connected with bad people who just pulled him deeper down, but that is not your fault. If you know anything that can lead us to Bruno's partner, you need to tell me. Just let us do our job." Hunter said.

Armstrong re-enters the room. "Sorry. Printer's broken. Uh, I can e-mail you the photo." He said.

"Sure. I really have to get back to my wife." Matt said.

"Of course. Of course. Come on, we'll be in touch. Soon." Armstrong said.

"Thank you." Matt exits the room.

"So, what do you think?" Nolan asked.

"He's out for revenge." Armstrong said.

"We get a surveillance team on him? If he knows who Bruno is, it's likely he knows who Bruno's partner is, and he'll go after him next." Hunter said, still sitting in her seat.

"Which is why when I stepped out, I had SIS put a tracker on Matt's car. Airship will follow." Armstrong said.

"While we hunt down the partner." Hunter and Nolan said at the same time.

"While we hunt down the partner." Armstrong agreed.

***

"Do you want me to read to you?" Lucy asked from the passenger seat.

"No." Tim said.

"Come on. You have to learn it." Lucy said.

"I can do that on my own." Tim snapped. They pull up behind the red van, which is parked in the same place as yesterday.

"What are we doing back here?" Lucy asked.

"I checked the computer. Rex didn't bring in his bounty last night, which means he's been out here this whole time." Tim said.

"So this is a welfare check?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, don't put it to him like that," Tim gets out the shop, Lucy close behind and they see the empty, damaged van. "7-Adam-19, got a broken car window, missing driver. Send backup to my location," Tim and Lucy follow a blood trail to some overgrown weeds, where REX is lying with a wound in his leg. "Rex." Tim said.

"Eh, that little punk hit me with a cheap shot." Rex shrugged.

"7-Adam-19, we need an RA to 1966 Keegan. Assault victim. Broken arm, possible concussion." Lucy spoke into the radio.

"Where'd he go?" Tim asked.

"His aunt's house. He's long gone by now, though." Rex said and Tim runs off, presumably to the aunt's house.

"We need a warrant, or backup." Lucy was saying, Tim was already out of earshot and Lucy followed after him close behind.

***

Armstrong comes up to where Nolan and Hunter are working at a desk. "Tony Craig! That's Bruno's partner. He's all over Bruno's cellphone. They even texted about the home invasion. Apartment's in Century City."

Grey comes to join them. "Matt Christian's in the wind." Grey said.

"I thought there was a tracker on his car." Nolan said.

"He ditched it at the mall. Disappeared." Grey said.

"Which mall?" Hunter asked.

"Century City." Grey answered.

"He's going after Tony." Nolan realised, he, Hunter and Armstrong stood up quickly and moved out.

***

Tim breaks down the door, weapon drawn, Lucy close behind. "Nico, where is he?" Tim asked.

"He, I don't know. He isn't here." Michelle said.

"There's blood on your front door. That's exigent circumstances, so I'm not leaving till you tell me where he is." Tim said.

"He isn't here!" Michelle yelled.

"So, you're gonna call him. Otherwise we're gonna book you for aiding and abetting a fugitive," Lucy hands Michelle a cell phone. "Do it now." Michelle makes a call as Tim and Lucy look around the house.

"Hey. What's up?" Sandoval asked.

"Cops are here. Where are you?" Michelle asked. 

Lucy hears an echo and follows the sound to a closed closet door. "I'm in Florida." She and Tim shared a look.

Tim and Lucy take aim at the door. "Nico Sandoval! You got five seconds to surrender!" Tim yelled.

Lucy flings the door open to find Sandoval hiding in the closet, talking into his phone. "I'm in Florida, yo." Sandoval steps out of the closet and puts down the phone. He's short and stocky and doesn't look threatening, so Tim and Lucy holster their weapons. "You guys want some of this?" Sandoval proceeds to take on both cops in a hand-to-hand fight, and he almost succeeds in taking them down, but Tim eventually pins the guy and cuffs him as he yells. "Michelle! Bail me out, okay?"

"You're coming, too. Let's go." Lucy said to Michelle.

"What?!" Michelle yelled in shock.

"Right now." Lucy grabbed Michelle's upper arm and cuffed her, she and Tim shared a look as they dragged Sandoval and Michelle out.

***

"Tony's gate is open." Hunter said as the three of them arrive at Tony Craig's building and walk inside, pulling out their guns.

"Clear. - Clear." Nolan was saying, he, Hunter and Armstrong move through the house, clearing each room.

"Matt got here before us." Hunter said, looking around at the mess that was lying around.

"He must have knew we were right behind him, took Tony someplace to finish him off." Nolan said.

"Yeah. But where?" Armstrong asked.

***

Hunter, Armstrong and Nolan have their weapons drawn as they search a large warehouse-type facility full of massive construction equipment. Nolan spots Matt standing on a machine with a wire noose in his hand. "Matt! What did you do with Tony?" Armstrong asked.

"What he deserved. And now it's over - or it's gonna be soon." Matt said.

Hunter and Armstrong both notice a cement mixer filling a vat nearby. "The cement. Matt put Tony in the cement." Hunter and Armstrong run over to search the vat.

"That criminal killed my boy." Matt said.

"I know, and he's gonna pay, okay? So, you don't have to do this. You can just come on down." Nolan said.

"You don't get it. I died in that bedroom alongside my son. The only thing keeping me alive was killing them. And now that's over." Matt said.

"Hey, Nolan! Look, I found him, but I can't get him up. Help me and Armstrong! We can only save one guy, and right now, Tony is the victim!" Hunter yelled.

Nolan is torn between helping Matt and saving Craig, but he tries one last time. "Matt, I know this seems hopeless right now, but don't make your wife bury two bodies. It will destroy her." Nolan said.

"Nolan! Help us! Come here." Armstrong yelled. 

Nolan turns his back on Matt, who fits the noose around his neck. The sound of Matt leaping to his death, the chain snapping shut, makes Nolan pause, Hunter flinches, but then he hurries over to help Armstrong and Hunter lift Craig out of the cement vat. "Come on!" Nolan yelled.

"Watch yourself. ABCs. Go," they perform CPR until Craig coughs and takes a breath. "There we go. We saved him." Armstrong said.

Hunter looks over to see Matt's feet dangling above the floor on the other side of the machine. She sighed.

***

Rex is laid up with a broken arm and other injuries. Tim steps into his room. "Hey."

"Good Lord, don't you have someplace better to be?" Rex asked.

"It's nice to see you, too." Tim said, smiling.

"Hey, thanks." Rex said.

"Look, I put the paperwork through under your name. So, you're gonna get the bounty on Nico." Tim said.

"Thank you." Rex said gratefully.

"Look, Rex, I know you're not the kind of guy that asks for help, but if you ever find yourself out here again, just give me a heads up." Tim said.

"Little professional courtesy, right?" Rex asked.

"Exactly." Tim confirmed.

"All right. Thanks, brother." Rex said.

"All right. You take care." Tim then left the hospital room.

***

Tim is working out with a punching bag when Hunter walks in. "Training for the rematch with Nico?" Hunter asked, Tim gives her a confused look. "Lucy told me." She said.

"Ah, we got him in the end." Tim said.

"Here." Hunter hands him an audio drive with earbuds attached.

"What's this?" Tim asked.

"It is Split Second Leadership: Leading Men In The Line of Duty, the audio book." Hunter replied, smiling.

"This book's out of print. There's no audio book." Tim states.

"Yeah, which is why I recorded one for you. Uh, listen, Lucy talked to me and I explained that you're a kinesthetic learner, which just means that you need to listen while you're being active in order to absorb things as I've already told you. There's no shame in it. Really. Honestly, it's probably why you excel at being a cop. I'll see you tomorrow." Hunter said.

"Yeah," Hunter started walking out. "Thanks." Hunter turned and smiled at him before leaving, Tim puts in the earbuds and resumes his workout as Hunter's voice comes out of the drive. "Split Second Leadership by Curtis Philbrick, read by your favourite person ever." Tim smiled at that.

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I have to admit I liked Nick Armstrong, until it came out that he was a dirty cop.

Also, yes, I've mentioned Rosalind Dyer early in season two because Hunter and Tim both know Nick already because of her case. In this story anyway, but It's my story so I can do whatever I like.