"Door's open, so please don't break it down," Joel called out.

Fred yanked it open. File folders were on Joel's desk, which he sat behind. Other file folders and photographs were arranged on the floor and on the other two chairs. In the corner of the room was a television and VCR on a wheeled cart. A clock on the wall indicated it was ten am. Fred slammed the newspaper down on the crowded desk.

He demanded, "What's this?"

Joel yawned, then said, "Today's newspaper. I haven't read it yet."

Nora noticed, "Joel, you've got circles under your eyes. Did you get any sleep last night?"

Joel admitted, "None. Move that stuff from those chairs."

As they did this, Joel picked up the newspaper. Fred carefully lowered himself into the chair because his ribs still hurt.

"You made the front page, Fred! Congratulations," Joel said sarcastically.

"The article claims that I went to the Lewis house to intimidate Eric. I supposedly offered to drop the minor shoplifting charge if he did extremely dangerous spying of a nearby drug house. Sharon stayed outside, watching that drug house. The drug dealers saw the clearly marked squad car and Sharon in uniform at the Lewis house. They guessed what was happening. They climbed in a car. They then did a drive-by shooting, hitting Sharon. I fired back so hastily and carelessly that I accidentally shot Eric. That is totally wrong!" Fred complained.

Joel read, then said, "This article is similar to Linda Lewis’s account, although discrepancies like Sharon being shot inside instead of outside the house have been removed and motivations added. Perhaps Mrs. Lewis and her lawyer, Mr. Shuster, spoke to the press yesterday evening."

Fred asked angrily, "Linda Lewis says this nonsense happened?"

Joel nodded and said, "More or less."

Nora said, "I advise against my clients talking to the press before the case. Any discrepancies could damage their cause."

Joel remarked, "Everybody in the department knows Mr. Shuster. He finds clients who sue us for millions for ridiculous reasons. He never wins, but fighting his cases takes a lot of our time and energy. I’ve been sued by him before. So has Fred. Even Maureen has. Once Mrs. Lewis picked him as a lawyer, it was a near certainty we’d be sued again."

Nora said, "Fred, you didn't use me when Mr. Shuster had a case against you. What was it about?"

Fred responded, "You were in Las Vegas on an insurance investigation lasting months when this happened. I was out alone in the squad car very early on New Year’s Day."

Nora asked, "Joel wasn’t with you?"

Joel said, "I was on vacation in Florida with my wife and daughter. I am allowed vacations sometimes, you know."

Fred said, "I was back here in Port City. I saw a car weaving down North Shore Road. Just what I was looking for. I turned on the cherries. Rather than pulling over, the driver accelerated. In his panic, he drove right off the cliff, flipping the car right over the guardrail and into the ocean! I nearly froze getting him out of the sinking car. Maine is not the place for swimming in January! It's no Florida! I can still feel the cold as I tell the story. I was rewarded for saving the driver’s life by being sued for five million dollars."

"Par for the course for being a police officer," Joel said without a trace of humor.

Nora asked, "Fred, how did Mr. Shuster assign blame to you?"

"He claimed that my doing the chasing in dangerous weather conditions led to the accident, not that his client was a drunk driver. The client had a point-two-two blood-alcohol as measured at the hospital," Fred said.

Nora whistled and said, "That’s over double the legal limit. That case went to trial?"

Fred remarked, "Sure did. Mr. Shuster claimed the weaving of his client’s car was merely from sliding on the icy road. On New Years in Maine, it was slippery, but that was not the cause. Mr. Shuster also petitioned that the blood test for alcohol content be disallowed since his client was unconscious from his injuries when the blood was drawn, so didn’t give consent. The judge said that was no grounds for throwing it out. I won. I’d be more worried if Mrs. Lewis selected a lawyer known for winning cases, but I still don’t look forward to the coming lawsuit."

Nora said, "Mr. Shuster has a gorgeous mansion overlooking the bay. He’s well known for being a lavish spender."

Fred suggested, "Maybe he won a big case against somebody. He always sues for many millions."

Joel added, "That’s why we always have to mount a vigorous defense, even if a silly case. If we lose against him even once, it could bankrupt the city."

Fred said, "He’d only have to win one case to be well-off. He’s just never won against the Port City Police Department so far. He finds such stupid, trivial reasons to sue us for, though. Maybe he is trying a lottery approach. Get enough tickets, and eventually you should have a winner."

Joel folded the newspaper and said in a business-like tone, "Fred, tell me what happened starting from the time you got the orders to pick up Eric Lewis."

"I told you yesterday, and you took notes," Fred grumbled.

"I'm asking again," Joel said.

Fred thought about how useful it was getting the story from suspects multiple times. Those lying sometimes did not keep their stories straight. He did not enjoy being in the role of suspect, but he patiently told his story again. This was followed by specific questions. Sometimes, Nora wouldn't let Fred answer for a legal reason.

Fred's stomach gave an audible growl. Nora looked over at the clock on the wall, which showed it was noon.

She suggested, "Given how Fred is being treated in the newspaper, I’d like to see how the local television news covers the story."

Fred added, "On TV, they might show an interview with Mrs. Lewis or Mr. Shuster."

"I’m curious myself," Joel admitted as he stood, went to the TV, and turned it on.

An image of a tall man in a cowboy hat, fringed shirt, and string-tie appeared. He drawled about a raid at a reputed drug house the previous night.

The reporter said, "I’m Gary Alexander. That story right after this short commercial break."

As the commercials played, Joel remarked, "I haven’t seen that reporter before."

Nora said, "He started two or three months ago. Moved here from Texas."

Joel said, "His drawl certainly stands out among the New England accents. And that hat and clothes! Not many cowboys in Maine."

Fred said, "Most reporters try to speak in a neutral, Mid-western voice. He might be drawling as an attention-getting gimmick. I wonder if he’s really from Texas."

Gary Alexander reappeared on the screen. He started his report by giving a version of the events at the Lewis house very similar to what had been in the newspaper, including calling it a drive-by shooting. He interviewed Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Shuster during that segment. Mr. Shuster managed to work in his phone number three times, using the report as free advertising. He wore a three-piece pinstripe suit, which made him look good despite being slightly overweight. He talked in a rich New England accent.

After the interview, Gary told how this terrible crime led to a police raid at a reputed drug house down the street from the Lewis’s house. He said that occurred at ten p.m. He said that three suspects were taken into custody: a middle-aged man called Cards, a teenage boy called Pipe, and an unknown teenage girl. He then said that while being captured, Cards threatened a redheaded female officer with a gun. That same gun was the one that had been used earlier that day to shoot Officer Sharon Smith in the leg. This was followed by discussion of the need to have condemned houses like the one that was raided demolished to prevent occupation by drug dealers and users.

Joel shut off the TV.

Nora remarked, "I think most people who saw that are going to believe there was a drive-by shooting. Was Gary Alexander right about the recovery of the gun used to shoot Sharon?"

Joel replied, "I can’t figure out how he knows it, but he’s right."

Fred requested, "What about the rest of his report?"

Joel answered, "Everything he said about what happened at the drug house was correct. Only Maureen, Dave, Ralph, and I knew about that being the gun used to shoot Sharon."

Fred remarked, "Until Sharon joined, Ralph was our newest, youngest officer. He’s never been on a big case before. Maybe Gary Alexander conned the information out of him. I can’t see you, Maureen, or Dave spilling it."

Joel said, "I'll talk to Ralph. Even if him, I'm not going to do much to him. I've made worse mistakes in my time. It shouldn't affect the case."

Nora declared, "We don’t know that. It might damage Fred’s case. That this middle-aged guy called Cards had the gun used to shoot Sharon vastly complicates things."

Fred complained, "I've never heard of a man called Cards before today. The only people involved in yesterday’s shooting were Eric Lewis, his mother Linda, Sharon Smith, myself, and a teenage witness calling himself Pipe."

Nora suggested, "Was the older man called Cards hidden from Fred's view?"

Joel took a deep breath, let it out, then stated, "You might as well use proper names. Cards correct name is Michael Trapp. Besides having the gun used to shoot Sharon, he had on him large quantities of illegal drugs of various types. Dealer quantities."

Fred said, "I still don’t see the connection of Michael Trapp to Eric Lewis."

Joel stated, "Also at the house was Ray Newman. He’s also known as Pipe, so he’s your missing witness. He had a bag of drugs in his pocket and was smoking a pot pipe when we broke in. Very similar pipe to the one Dave recovered at the scene of the shooting. Pipe must have had more than one."

Fred said, "Ray Newman must have taken the gun from the shooting scene."

Joel then said, "The teenage girl in custody is named Beth Droughton."

Nora said, "I know the Droughton’s. They have almost as much money as Mr. Shuster."

Joel said, "Beth claims to have been Eric Lewis's girlfriend. She’s also got track marks on both forearms."

Fred said, "I hope that now that Ray Newman, the witness, is in custody, we’ll get straightened out what really happened. That should clear up any case against me."

Turning to her client, Nora said, "Fred, we've got two different potential cases to be concerned with. First, a criminal case. I hadn't thought there would be one, but that was before hearing another suspect had the weapon used to shoot Sharon. Second, a civil case. That is, if Mrs. Lewis sues. Let's concentrate on a criminal case first, as only that can send you to prison. If there is and any charges stick, the situation for a civil case is much worse. If there are no criminal charges, that would greatly weaken the chance of any lawsuit Mrs. Lewis files succeeding in civil court."

Fred's throat felt dry as he said, "A criminal case could be won, but the civil case lost. The O.J. Simpson civil case proved that."

"True," Nora acknowledged, "but that's an unusual situation. It’s rare to lose a civil case if the criminal case is won. The potential of a criminal case has to be our first priority."

Fred said, "As much as I regret shooting Eric, I certainly don't want to end up in prison for doing my job. How's the situation looking for criminal charges, Joel?"