“But his sister… I really need to talk to her,” Scottie said, knowing he needed to be there to support his Harley at a time like this, but the fact they’d kept their relationship secret because Reilly hated his guts… Hell, this was a mess. Anyway you looked at it.
“What will happen if he dies?” Scottie asked.
‘There will be an investigation into your fight with him,” Mitchell said. “One has already started. The rink has beencordoned off and the public has been prohibited from entering the arena. The exhibition game had to be cancelled. You really screwed the pooch, Dugan. Why were you and Flynn scuffling?”
Scottie raked his fingers through his thick brown hair, frowning as he looked at Mitchell. “My old partner, Monte Adams. Flynn was one of the officers behind his suspension. We’ve hardly said a cordial word to one another since then. And it doesn’t help that Monte now works security at the arena. He had been hanging around there watching the team practice for weeks leading up to the game. I could tell it set Flynn on edge and then today my new partner Clint Rogers made the mistake of spouting off about what a great officer Monte had been and how he didn’t deserve to lose his job, but some people had vendettas.”
“So it was Rogers who instigated the fight?” Michell said.
“Pretty much,” Scottie admitted. “I tried to get him to shut up, but he knew Flynn was responsible.”
“But according to witnesses, Chambers and McLeod, it looked like you and Flynn were the ones fighting,” Mitchell said.
“Yea, we were. Flynn came at me for not keeping my partner in line,” Scottie said. “And of course, Rogers jumped in because he had my back– like a partner should.”
“What did Monte do that caused Flynn to play a part in his suspension?” Mitchel asked. “I wasn’t the union representative then, so I didn’t know what went down. I just knew Monte Adams was on the squad and then he wasn’t.”
“Another officer accused him of taking bribes from drug dealers to look the other way,” Scottie said. “I rode with him for five years and I never saw him do anything like that, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t. I never believed the accusations, but higher ups did. Internal Affairs got involved and he was proven guilty.”
“Did Flynn make the accusation against Monte?” Mitchell asked.
“No,” Scottie said. “But he was the one that found the evidence that sank him. As I heard it, Flynn spotted Monte with a known drug dealer and he snapped photos of them talking, exchanging an envelope, which was later found in Monte’s locker at the department by IA.”
Mitchell fixed an assessing gaze on Scottie. “Yet, you don’t believe he was guilty?”
Suddenly weary from the day’s events, his lack of knowledge of what was happening and his worry over Harley had Scottie’s temper at the breaking point. “It could have been a setup,” he practically shouted, as old feelings of injustice returned. “Why would Monte leave evidence like that in his locker? I mean how stupid is that? Especially for a cop with Monte’s years of experience when he already knew that IA was looking into him?”
“That’s a good question that only he can answer,” Mitchell said dryly. “Did he?”
“He was my partner. I felt I knew him as well as my own brother. I never asked him then and I haven’t asked him since.” Scottie shook his head. “He had my back, and I had his. I’d have taken a bullet for him and I believe he’d have done the same for me.”
“But that doesn’t mean he was innocent,” Mitchell pointed out.
“Maybe not, but in my book brothers in blue should stick together,” Scottie said.
“Flynn obviously felt brothers in blue should live by higher standards or he wouldn’t have turned in the evidence he collected,” Mitchell countered.
“Heaven help me, but I didn’t mean for Flynn to get hurt,” Scottie said. “I really need to talk to his sister.”
“Why is it so important to you right now?”
Scottie looked at him. “We’re dating.”
Harley was consoledby Commander Burns who walked her away from the group to speak to her in private.
“We’ve opened an investigation against Dugan and Rogers,” he told her. “We’ll get down to the bottom of what happened. Why they were scuffling.”
“It won’t bring Reilly back,” Harley managed to say without choking on her words. “It was a foolish accident.”
“Not if it was intentional,” Burns argued.
“I can’t imagine any officer would intentionally try to hurt another,” Harley said. “Even if they were fighting. I’d really like to know what that was about.”
“We’ll find out. I assure you,” Burns said. “Do you have anyone who can stay with you tonight? Is there anyone I can call for you?”
Harley wiped her eyes; grateful she still held the pack of tissues and shook her head. “Reilly and I were alone. Our parents, who were both only children, died years ago, so no aunts or uncles, or cousins. No grandparents either. We might have a distant relative out there somewhere, but they wouldn’t be someone I’d know how to contact.”
He nodded. “Can I give you a ride home then?”
