Chapter 2
Tracy Vetter looked at the computer screen. She and her partner were supposed to be catching up on the follow-ups of several arrest reports, but once again Nick was nowhere to be found. She looked at her watch. It was nine forty. He could at least call and let her know he would be late. She glanced over at the captain's door. Reese would walk out of his office any minute wanting to know where Knight was, and, as usual, she wouldn't be able to tell him. Then she would have to sit and listen to yet another lecture on the definition of 'partner'.
Come on, Nick. I don't want to hear it again. She looked at the door to the squad room and willed him to walk through it, but of course she was disappointed.
She set her sights back on the computer. After only a couple of minutes, the words on the screen started to blur as she looked through them and her mind wandered back to her absent partner. Nicholas Knight's reputation as one of the best cops on the force made him famous throughout the department, and from her first day at the academy, she'd heard stories about the brave, not too bad-looking, detective. She'd even heard her father, the police commissioner, praise him a couple of times, and that in itself had made the biggest impression. Detective Knight was good--very good. So when she'd found out she would have a chance to work with him, she'd been more than a little excited by the opportunity. The fact that Reese was obviously going out of his way to shield her because of who she was didn't bother her too much. If it gave her the opportunity to work with and learn from the famous Nick Knight, she wouldn't complain. She would just have to prove herself once again.
As she had expected, Nick turned out to be a terrific partner. She'd learned a great deal from him, and he'd saved her butt more than once. But above all else, he respected her and her abilities as a police officer, and that was what made their association work. The mutual respect. She really couldn't have asked for a better partner. Well, almost.
Stealing another glance at her watch, Tracy let out a short, frustrated sigh. Nick did, after all, have his faults. Those stories of bravery she'd heard as a cadet and later as a rookie had been accompanied by tales of Detective Knight's little eccentricities. He was infamous for being a little on the odd side. The whispers hadn't deterred her enthusiasm, however. A lot of exceptional people were a little on the odd side. It made life more interesting. But along with the engaging aspect of working with Knight also came the frustrating part. The first thing Tracy remembered hearing about Nick was that he worked alone. He had requested to be by himself, and amazingly, the department agreed to his request. Cops, even homicide cops, had partners. Back-up was one of the things that kept officers alive. That the department had let him work alone was very unusual indeed. And even though he had worked with Schanke for the last several years, he was still very independent when it came to the job. At his core, he was a mysterious loner and his independence was a source of agitation for those who tried to work closely with him. His moodiness didn't make life any easier, either.
A smirk tugged at the corners of Tracy's mouth as she pondered, I bet swapping 'Nick' stories with Don Schanke would have been an extremely interesting exercise. She was sure there had been times when he felt as aggravated with Nick as she did.
The grin faded, and a frown creased her brow as she thought about the dead detective. Donald Schanke had been a much-loved member of the department, and his loss was still felt by everyone, but no more acutely than by her partner. Nick never opened up about anything, much less his feelings over his friend's death, but his devastation had been obvious. She closed her eyes against the feeling of dread the memory conjured up. Tracy recalled the unbearable anguish she'd felt when she had been told Nick died as a result of the gunshot wound to his head. The short time she'd had to endure the misery had been more than enough. She couldn't imagine living with it from day to day. Pain like that lessened with time, she knew, but it never completely faded away. She had come as close to losing a partner as she ever wanted to come.
Throughout the time she'd worked with Nick, Tracy had never known him to mention anyone that she would have interpreted as a friend, other than Schanke. She'd come to believe that he had no close friends, except of course for Natalie, and everyone knew, even if they didn't seem to themselves, that Nick and Natalie were much more than close friends. But, aside from Nat, it appeared that Tracy's partner had no one, and this had confirmed the young detective's view of him as a loner.
So she'd been both surprised and pleased when, a few months after the plane crash, it became evident that Nick had made a new friend. He'd mentioned Jacob's name in passing a couple of times, and when she'd asked who he was, Knight told her only that Simmons was the professor teaching the class he was taking. However, it soon became apparent that Professor Simmons meant more to Nick than just the teacher of a lecture. The evening Jacob and his son, Elliot, stopped by the precinct had been the only time Tracy witnessed Nick in the presence of the father and son, but it had been more than enough to show her just how close Knight had become to both of them. She'd never pictured her partner as the 'uncle' type, but seeing him interact with Elliot made her admit that not only would he make someone a good uncle, but he probably wouldn't make a shabby dad either. She remembered feeling fairly astonished by the realization.
Tracy took a third look at her watch as a thought dawned on her. Nick was probably out looking for the gift. She'd never seen him so concerned about something as simple as a birthday present--for a six-year-old, no less. A few days ago he asked her for some ideas, but hadn't seemed too thrilled by any of her suggestions.
He knows this kid better than I do. Surely he can come up with something Elliot will like. How hard can it be?
But she had to admit, when looking for a gift for a special person, sometimes nothing ever seemed to be the right thing, and Elliot Simmons was definitely a special person in Nick Knight's life.
The opening of Captain Reese's door interrupted Tracy's train of thought. Her boss stepped out of the office and quickly scanned the squad room before his eyes settled first on Nick's empty chair and then on Tracy. The scowl on his face spoke volumes, and the rookie detective braced herself for the irritated speech she was certain she was about to hear. Why is it that Nick seems to be the cause of most of these little talks, but he's never around to hear any of them?
She forced a bright smile in an effort to soothe the annoyed tension as Reese walked up to the desk she and Nick shared. But her smile didn't appear to be having the desired effect. The sour look on her superior's face hadn't softened.
Captain Reese popped an antacid into his mouth before addressing his employee. "Where's your partner, Detective Vetter? You two are supposed to be catching up on some paperwork. Together. You know what together means, don't you, detective?"
Tracy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The smile still played on her face, but happy was the last thing she felt at the moment.
Damn you, Nick.
She would cover for him, of course. Sometimes she didn't know why, but she would always cover for him. He was her partner. It was almost a reflex action. Choosing to ignore the last question, she responded, "Ah, Captain, I don't know where Nick is right now, but I'm sure he'll be here any minute. He probably just lost track of the time."
She groaned inwardly. Wonderful, Vetter. How lame was that? Her eyes moved from Reese to the squad room door, and she said a silent thank you to the Almighty as she saw her tardy partner stroll into the room. It's about time! She watched Nick make his way over to the desk. He looked a little distracted, but that seemed to be a constant state for him lately.
The captain, noticing Tracy's distraction and the relieved look on her face, turned to see his best detective join them at the table. Nick moved around the piece of furniture to stand behind his chair, resting his hands on the back.
A heavy sigh left Reese as he made a point of looking at his watch and then back to the source of his annoyance. "Do you know what time it is, detective? You and your partner should be working on some paperwork. Shouldn't you? I need those follow-ups before the end of the shift."
"I'm sorry, Captain. I know I'm late." Nick nodded as he apologized. He glanced at Tracy and then back to his boss. "We'll have the reports finished before the end of the night."
Reese's expression lost some of its severity as he accepted the apology and the reassurance. "Okay. See that you do." He looked from Nick to Tracy and then back to Nick. It appeared as if he was going to add something else, but changed his mind. Instead, he went back into his office and closed the door, mumbling all the way.
Relief moved over Tracy as Nick took his chair. She would have gotten kind of a perverse enjoyment watching her partner endure one of the lectures she had already been privy to, but she really didn't want to sit through another one herself. She was glad the captain hadn't blessed them with a sermon tonight, although she wasn't sure why they'd been spared.
Nick picked up the small stack of files Tracy had put on his desk and began leafing through them. Leaning forward in her chair, Tracy eyed Nick's bent head as she questioned him. "Have any luck with the hunt?" She was only guessing at the reason he was late, but she was sure her guess wasn't far off the mark.
Her partner turned his attention from the files, and his gaze settled on her face. His expression relayed his defeat. She was right. Nick knew exactly to what she was referring. "No. I went to a toy store and just couldn't find anything. It wasn't for lack of choices, though." He shook his head as he laid the files down and sat back in his chair. "Maybe there were too many choices. I didn't think finding a gift for a six-year-old would be this hard."
Tracy hesitated for a second. She didn't know how the man sitting across from her would take what she was about to say, but she went ahead and voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Well, Nick, if you ask me, I think you're making it a little harder than it has to be." She paused again. There was no sign of irritation in his expression, only a look of inquiry, so she continued. "I mean, let's face it. A six-year-old kid plays with a toy for a few days or weeks and then moves on to the next one. It's not like it's something he's going to have for the rest of his life. You can worry about giving those kinds of gifts when he gets a little older."
"I know, Trace. You're right." Nick accepted what she was saying to him. "It's just that this is the first birthday I'll share with Elliot, and I want to make the gift special. I know it sounds a bit silly, especially since we're talking about a young boy, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I want to give him something he'll have for the rest of his life. So I guess a toy's not such a good idea." He sat thoughtfully for a moment and then went on. "Looks like it's back to the ol' drawing board." He tossed his partner a grateful smile. "Thanks for the help, Trace. At least now I'm sure about what I'm not going to get him."
She was warmed by his gratitude and returned the smile. "No problem, Nick. Although I don't know how much help I gave you. You still don't know what you are going to get him. When is Elliot's birthday anyway?"
His expression suddenly turned sheepish. "Day after tomorrow." Tracy didn't try to hide her surprise, and Nick acknowledged his predicament. "I know. I'm cutting it pretty close, but I'm sure I'll find something."
Tracy noted the determined gleam in her partner's eyes, and she too was sure he would come up with a gift in time for the big day. She'd never seen him fail at anything, and with the concern he was putting into this project, she was certain he would disappoint neither himself nor the boy. She still marveled at the closeness the two shared. One day she hoped to see Nick and Nat settled down, and her partner doting on children of his own. A smirk lifted a corner of Tracy's mouth at the thought of miniature Knights wrapping Daddy around their little fingers.
Nick's sigh interrupted her musings. He pulled his chair closer to the deck and once again picked up the files. "Well, we'd better get cracking on the follow-ups or Reese will get cracking on us."
With a nod of agreement, Tracy turned back to her computer. "Right."
It turned out to be an excellent night to get the clean-up work done. Everything was surprisingly quiet. No new cases came in, and Nick and Tracy were able to take the completed reports to the captain around four A.M. Nick knocked on the office door. After a few seconds, a gruff, "Come in," sounded from inside. The detectives entered the room to find their leader on the phone. A minute ticked by before he hung up. Nick placed the files on his deck. "Here ya go, Cap. The hard copies are there and Tracy got everything entered into the computer. We're all up to date."
Looking satisfied, Captain Reese picked up the folders and glanced through them. "Good." He shot the officers a sarcastic smile. "I knew you two could work together if you put your minds to it." Tracy and Nick exchanged slightly abashed glances as Reese looked at his watch. "You both might as well book off a few minutes early. I can't remember when we've had such an uneventful shift. See you tonight." He lowered his attention back to the papers in front of him.
Tracy made a beeline for the door, thankful for the clean getaway. She tossed a "Thanks, Cap. See you tonight," over her shoulder as she left the office.
"Yeah, thanks, Captain." Nick turned to make his retreat but was stopped by his boss's voice.
"Ah, detective? You do know what time tonight, don't you?" Reese's face was all business, but the amusement in the captain's eye told Nick he was receiving a friendly reminder.
Detective Knight smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I think I've got it down." With that, he took his leave.
End Chapter 2