Mackey Residence

  Very Late Evening

  Detective Mackey enters the living room, sliding his left arm into the sleeve of his gray suit jacket. He glances across the room at his dark trenchcoat, a solemn expression overtaking his handsome features. Madison exits the dining room, Jamie Junior held to her bosom. She crosses to where James stands in the center of the floor.

  "James?" Madison whispers, placing a hand on her weary husband's shoulder. "Baby, what's wrong? Well, as if I need to ask?"

  "It's...It's real hard, Maddie," James says, his voice low and sad. "I look at that coat...And I see years of hard work and dedication. I see victim's faces, I hear their stories, I think of all the justice rightly served. And then...I think about this case. My case. And I can't help but be a little bitter. Where is my justice. I never saw that Evelyn girl in my life. At least...Not until the night she was cruelly murdered. I had no reason to harm her. I wanted to help her. But...Everyone in the department has me pegged as some kind of exploitative creep. They really think I was attempting to extort the mayor. I can't believe Mitch Turner's word is being taken over mine. Mitch...And a couple of drunken prostitutes. It's making me question a lot of things, Maddie. Maybe Dave was right. When we were out at Nathan's Landing...Dave mentioned to Sheriff Pendergrass that justice isn't as blind as it pretends to be. That oftentimes, justice is slow and unevenly applied. Even...Unfair at times. Leeta was feeling kinda low. She'd just lost her best friend. So, she and I had a talk. I tried to convince her that Dave was just jaded from too many decades wearing the badge. But now, I worry that he may be right. I'm starting to believe the same thing. Justice is never blind. Until it's convenient."

  "Oh, James...No," Madison utters softly, turning James' head so that she can kiss him on the mouth. "No. You can't believe that. You have to keep believing, James. Please. For me. I believe in justice. Because I believe in you. You're all the proof I need that the system can work. That there is real good in the world. To offset all of the evil we see every single day. I need you to keep believing that too, James. Oh, please. Don't give up!"

  Detective Mackey offers Madison a tiny smile. He bends and kisses Jamie Junior on his soft forehead. Pulling Madison into a loose hug, James kisses her lips.

  "I've gotta go talk to a witness. I really shouldn't. I'm sort of in violation of the conditions of my bail. But...She may know something that can shed some light on what happened to Francine and Evelyn. Or...That's what I'm hoping. I can't just sit around and hope the department sees the light. I'll see you later, Hon."

  "See you later, James," Madison says. "Be careful."

  James releases Madison and heads for the front door. He turns, with his right hand on the knob, and blows Madison a kiss with his other hand.

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  "Love you, Madison."

  "Love you more," Madison says, tears choking off her voice.

  James opens the front door and sadly exits the house. Madison races to the door in time to see him descend the front steps. A brief memory of Deputy Chastain, espousing those very same words, pushes to the front of the young woman's mind. She angrily forces the memory down and away.

  "I love you, James!" Madison hollers through the screen.

  Detective Mackey turns and blows Madison another kiss before walking to his Crown Vic and climbing inside.

  -

  -

  Helsingburg Airport

  Midnight(ish)

  "Thank goodness, Dave," Octavia says, as Deputy Newsome leads her to his reserved parking spot. "Is James okay? How's Maddie holding up?"

  Dave helps Octavia into the Nissan and then hurries to his side of the vehicle. Climbing heavily into the truck, Dave grimaces in discomfort. For the past few days, he has gotten very little rest. Between red-eye flights across the country, and driving Mackey around for covert ops, the senior deputy's butt is really starting to hurt from all the sitting.

  "She's doing fine. For a woman with a newborn and a buttload of new stress on her plate. Maddie's a surprisingly resilient woman. She'd have to be after surviving Bennett and that damned Aquarius. Mack is the one I'm worried about. He's so down right now. Almost too down. I've never quite seen him like he is now. But then, again...He's always been Mr. Perfect. Or so, he likes to think. I'm sure what's happening is taking his psyche for a real spin. We know he's innocent. He knows he's innocent. But...Jeez, you should've seen the press at his arraignment. They were brutal. The savages. And Mitch Turner...That insufferable little prick...I wanted to bash his head in myself. Mackey...An extortionist? Nah. I'd believe it of my own mother before I believed it of Mackey. The guy is way too squeaky clean. He'd probably be that kid in school who runs to the principal begging for detention because he was late. Whoever was blackmailing Gunther...It wasn't Mackey."

  "I'm with you on that, Dave. So...Are we going into covert ops too?" Octavia asks, her eyes lighting up with glee.

  "You tell me, Octavia. You're the detective," Dave says, his eyes equally as bright.

  "Who should we talk to first?"

  "I've got a few ideas," Dave replies with an energetic wink.

  Dave's cellphone rings on its mount. Reading the display, Dave quickly presses SEND. He puts on his most professional voice.

  "Yeah, Chastain. What's up?"

  "Uh, Dave...You got a minute?" Morris quietly says on the other line.

  "Speak up, Morris. I can't hear you," Dave responds, irritated.

  "I can't speak up, Dave. Just listen," Morris hisses. "Forensics found a bullet fragment with Evelyn's DNA. Out near the construction site. Oh gosh. Dave, it doesn't look good. Ballistics matched the bullet found to Mackey's gun. O'Leary is considering having a judge reassess James' release. I just thought you should know. I know...You and Mack are real close."

  Dave and Octavia stare at each other as Morris swiftly ends the call.

  "Oh Jeezus!" Dave whispers to absolutely no one, despite Octavia sitting less than two feet away. "Oh man."