The Network

Chapter One

The police officers were lined up parallel to the tombstone that was laying before them. All the solemn faces stayed fixated on that coffin, knowing who was laying in there. It wasn't the first officer who died in the line of duty, rather the third. The third one in under two months and in the mind of every detective rang the same thing. The very same thing even the deceased family members thought. Murder. It had to be murder.

The close friends and their parents couldn't wrap their minds around the deaths of their colleagues. They were tangible, they were right in their sights one moment and the next, they were gone. Who, who in their right mind does such a horrid thing?

Evan Harrison felt his wife's hand grip his tightly as she was observing his silent father who stood next to her. The small hand in his left hand squeezed harder when he tried stopping himself from crying. He looked down at the pair of familiar eyes looking back at him. His daughter's soft eyes made him smile as she hugged his leg. Looking up, his blue eyes wandered throughout the scene before him until he caught sight of his older brother. Raising his chin slightly recognizing his brother, Ike Harrison turned his attention to his father. Sighing softly, Ike stared at his feet, hoping that his father hadn't seen him.

"Dad," Evan grabbed his father's arm as they walked through the cemetery. Elisa, his mother, turned back. "Do-do you want to grab a drink?"

"I don't-," Chris sighed, staring at the Hudson River. "Evan, I think Elisa wants to go home."

"Me," his wife questioned. Aubrey, Evan's wife, side glanced Elisa. "Daisy and I wanted to go to the store before heading home. Isn't that right Daisy?"

"Yeah Grandma," Daisy jumped.

"That's right," Aubrey nodded, grabbing her hand, watching Elisa tuck her arm under Chris's, leaning in towards him.

"Go sweetheart," Elisa whispered into Chris's ear. "Go."

"Sure," Chris forced a smile. "Does that mean your old man is paying?"

"This time it's on me," he smiled, placing his arm over his shoulders. As the two men walked away, their wives could only hold on to one another, hoping for the best.

Tony's Bistro was a cop joint for all the members of the 15th Precinct. The restaurant was always jam packed with cops on their breaks or off-duty cops. Ever since they were rookies on the force, there wasn't a day that Chris didn't bring his boys here.

"Here," Evan handed him a beer. "Chief said we could take a couple days. Do you want to go out? Maybe we can go up to Martha's Vineyard to the summer house for a bit?"

"No," Chris shook his head. Evan groaned silently. "I know you Evan. You want me to get off the case. Sousa put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Dad, he's the Chief," Evan leaned forward. "He's from your old precinct. He cares for you and he knows what this case means to you because it means the same to him."

"Might as well tell me now Evan," his father's cold eyes seemed to burn into him.

"He gave me total control of the case," Evan admitted, picking at the beer label. Even though he wasn't looking at his father, he could feel him staring at him. "He said he transferred a new detective to help out with the case."

"So he kicks me off and he replaces me with you and a unknown."

"He said that we know him."

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?!"

"Yes and you have any idea how much I've been trying to keep you out of danger," Evan felt his own anger raising. "You aren't thinking straight! You nearly got yourself killed last week chasing one of our leads and all those rash decisions after Ike left. What do you want me to do as your partner? I can't watch my father destroy himself!"