As Evil As Ignorance

AEAI 3 - That's All I Got.

I hardly think that's fair since I didn't do anything, but I just nod and leave like a good little boy. Duke is not going to cost me my job.

When I get back to my desk, my partner is already sitting in his desk chair on the other side of the conjoined workstations. "Hey Sanders," I greet him as I sit across from him. "We have anything new?"

"Yep, we just got called. A body was found in an apartment over on fifth. It's been there a couple days, might want to bring a mask," he smirks as he stands.

"These are the worst," I complain as I follow him out to the car.

Joe Sanders is a good guy. He's been a cop for going on sixteen years. He has a couple kids and a wife, but he's generally just an easy-going guy. He's taught me a lot. And he's a good guy to have around in a sticky situation - he's always calm.

We're driving when he looks over to me from the driver's seat, "So, Duke's on your case again?"

"I just don't understand him," I confess. "He's such a ass hat. I haven't done anything to him."

Sanders shakes his head, looking back at the road, "He's just one of those guys that want all the attention. You're new, you're famous-"

"I'm not famous," I interrupt. "My dads are famous. I want nothing to do with that lifestyle. And I've been on the team for over a year now."

"I get it," he says calmly. "Duke just wants attention anyway he can get it."

"I could really do without it," I tell him honestly.

He shrugs as we pull up to our destination, "He'll get over it, eventually. The Chief knows it's not you and as long as you keep it that way, you're in the clear."

When we get to the apartment we're informed on the situation: young girl in her twenties, living alone, house a mess, lock on the door broken, landlord found her when someone from her work came looking.

It's a sad story that happens too often in New York. Someone breaks in for whatever reason and panics when they get caught. Now some parents, siblings, friends, and/or lovers have to be told. The worst part of my job is informing those that are left behind.

After we get everything we need, the crime scene unit takes all the prints, DNA, and evidence they can find. It'll take all that stuff a couple days to be processed before we can start working on anything to do with the apartment.

I haven't been a detective long, but if I had to guess I would say this is a break-in gone wrong.

Here and now, I promise myself that my sisters won't ever live alone. There's a kind of safety in numbers and that's all I want for them.

We spend the day tracking down her parents and notifying them of what happened. It's a day for many tears and lots of screaming. Her mother slaps me across the face when I tell her the first time. It's happened before, but it's still a surprise.

The girl's name was Jacqueline, but they called her Jack. As usual we get the: 'We can't think of anyone that would want to harm our daughter. She's a nice girl and everyone loves - no, loved - her. Why did this happen to her? She only cared about everyone else'. The husband holds the wife to him as she cries and occasionally beats on his chest.

Everyone grieves differently. This mother is the aggressive griever - the person that has to take their emotions out on someone else. There are always the questioners - the people that ask a million questions to which we have no answers yet. There are the quiet criers - the ones that will listen and nod, but just silently let the tears run down their face. The loudest - those that think the louder they cry it may help bring back the victim. And the accepters - which creep me out the most - the ones that completely understand what's going on and will offer you tea for your troubles.

I'm not sure what kind of griever I am. When Nan passed away, I was a teenager and tried to play it cool. At the time, I guess I would have been trying to play off an accepter, but when no one was around, I was a quiet crier.

The father takes his wife up to their bedroom to lie down before returning to us. We don't stay long after that, it just isn't a place anyone wants to be. But as we leave, Sanders slips the father a business card and tells him to call if he thinks of anything. Sometimes it helps to give the parents a couple days before asking too much.

"So," my partner says as we get back into his car, "that was a rough one."

I nod and rub my cheek, "She had some force behind that hand."

He chuckles lightly, "As horrible as it all is, I can't help but think that it's a good think the parents are still married. They'll have someone to be there for them through this whole thing. Every time we have a single parent or significant other, I feel like they have it the worse. No one to grieve with, you know?"

I nod along. He's probably right, but I can't be sure. I've had plenty of girls, and guys for that matter, but I've never had an actual relationship. The thought, oddly, make me think of Henry.

As if he can read my thoughts, he says, "Have you found anyone yet?"

"I haven't found anyone in like a week," I tell him with a grin and raised eyebrows. "But that night, I found him twice."

He shakes his head with a grin and starts the car, "That's not what I mean and you know it."

"I don't know," I shrug. "I just don't think actual dating is for me. Monogamy sounds so boring."

"When you find that person," he tilts his head to the side, "it won't be boring anymore."

"In other new," I change the subject and he chuckles, "I have a new roommate."

When we stop at a red light, he looks over at me, "Ella finally get sick of you?"

"No," I laugh because she was probably sick of me years ago, "we just decided to have someone else share the rent." I pause for a second and look over at him. Just as the car starts moving again, I confess, "I have a little dilemma."

"Uh oh."

"He's probably the most attractive person I've ever seen. And I grew up with movie stars all around me."

"Wow," Sanders nods, but doesn't take his eyes off the road. After a few minutes, he says, "You probably shouldn't sleep with him. It'll make things at home weird."

"That's your advice?!" I ask him a little surprised.

He just laughs, "Yep, that's all I got."

~A/N~

It's a short one, but a little background into what Blain does.

Happy Sunday.

Robert Downey Jr as Sanders!