I Need Them

The Killer

“Is Buck protecting you?” Maddie repeats, now demanding. “Because he has to be covering for someone.”

Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, accusing, “How the hell can you stand there and think I’d ever let Buck, my husband, and Chris’ Papa, go to prison over something I did?”

That sets Maddie back on her heels some, and Eddie goes on, “You know how I feel about him.”

Maddie can see it in his eyes, he’s telling the truth. “You’re right, I do know. I’m sorry. I’m just scared for my brother.”

That Eddie can understand, “So am I.”, and in a moment of solidarity, pulls her in for a hug.

“You know as well as I do how Eddie feels about you.” Bobby says, “And you know that little boy needs you more than ever, right when things are finally getting back to normal. Why the hell would you just give up like this?”

With every word, Buck only gets more and more agitated, as he tries or one last Hail Mary, “If I’m part of their lives, one way or another they’re going to get hurt.”

Bobby’s only more confused, “Buck, what hell are you talking about? How could they possibly get hurt?”

“This is over. I’m done.” Buck says instead, not leaving any room for argument this time. “Stop making this harder than it already is. I’m going to jail, and there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”

Sherry reads the statement again, “So according to Mr. Buckley, the gun was in your locker at the fire station.”

Eddie wishes he could just go see Buck, but knows he has to stay put for the time being, so he admits,

“Yeah, that was me. Well, actually, that was both of us.”

At this, Sherry stands up to move closer, “So when you put the gun back in the locker, when did you see it after that?”

Eddie really doesn’t want to tell her that, knowing how it’s going to sound.

But Sherry’s not having it, “Hm? You need to answer me, and you know you do. When did you see it after putting it back in the locker?”

Eddie sighs, “When I came back to the firehouse that night. I went to the hospital, went home to grab a change of clothes, then went to the firehouse.”

Sherry knows he’s stalling, “And when exactly was the last time you saw the gun?”

Eddie knows he can’t put it off, and confesses, “Buck had it. I walked over to the lockers, and Buck was holding the gun.”, tossing an apologetic look at Maddie, who looks horrified.

“What does your lawyer say about your case?” Bobby tries to distract Buck.

Buck rolls his eyes, “She wants me to fight it.”

Bobby nods in agreement, “And you know how distrustful I’ve been of any lawyers since Mackey, right?”

Buck snickers, “Yeah.”

“So when you hear me say I want you to listen to her, it’s because she knows what she’s talking about.”