Author/pseudonym: Cathy Roberts
Email address: huntersglenn@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Status: 1/1
Character: Robbie Hero
Date: October 8, 2002
Archive: Not without permission
Category: "Enough"
Disclaimer: "Enough" and all its characters belong to the movie studio (I wasn't able to find out who made the movie, sorry). No infringement of their copyright is intended. This story was written for the enjoyment of Noah Wyle fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your own pleasure. Contains spoilers for the movie "Enough.
Robbie looked out of his office and his breath caught in his throat as he saw her standing there, bruised. She looked his way and their eyes locked, recognition in hers and, he hoped, nothing in his own. Why was she in the station? Had Mitch found her, roughed her up and she was *finally* filing charges against him?
Robbie caught the eye of one of the uniforms who had been standing with Slim and the guy walked over to him.
"What's going on?" Robbie asked. "Anything I should know about?"
"No, sir," the officer replied. "Crazy case, but open and shut. Definitely self-defense, poor thing." The last part was said with a tender look toward Slim, who was now seated at a desk, to give her statement, no doubt.
"Self-defense?" Robbie asked.
"Her estranged husband wanted to meet with her, to discuss child custody arrangements. She got there and the bastard tried to kill her. Apparently he used to rough her up a bit so she's been taking self-defense lessons, just in case. Good thing, too, or else the guy would've killed her tonight for sure. You want to read the report, sir?" he nervously asked, apparently now not so sure that the case was open and shut.
"Yes," Robbie briskly replied. "I do." Robbie looked at the man's nametag, and then nodded. "Henderson, make sure that a counselor sees her."
"Yes, sir." Henderson turned and headed back to his partner and Slim. Robbie looked at them all for a few more moments, and then he shut his door and went back to his desk, wondering just what Slim would say. Would she implicate him in any way? And, more than anything else, what happened at Mitch's place? Robbie had no doubt that Mitch had tired to kill her; he had crossed that line of sanity months earlier. The question was how had she survived?
***************************************************
Robbie slowly read through the report, his eyes drifting over to the pictures spread out over his desk. They showed the damage done in Mitch's place, the damage done to Sly, and Mitch's body. The bitch had done a thorough job on Mitch that was for sure.
The bastard deserved every bit of it. Robbie had had quite enough of doing Mitch's dirty work, especially when it came to Slim. Oh, the early years of their relationship had been good. They had actually been friends, he and Mitch, but that had subtly changed over the years. At first, it hadn't been too noticeable, just that there would be more times when Mitch would back out of one of their scams to get a chick in bed. But once Robbie made detective, then the change had been big. Mitch began to want favors, favors that would benefit him or his business. Favors that would get Robbie fired in a heartbeat if they were ever discovered. At first Robbie refused. He wasn't one of Mitch's lackeys, hired to do his bidding. They were friends, equals. That's when Mitch revealed his darker side, a side that didn't hesitate to blackmail a friend. Although by then it was clear to Robbie that Mitch no longer considered him to be a friend. And for Robbie, Mitch lost that honor as well. He went from being friend to tormentor.
The irritating thing is that Robbie knew it was his own fault for ever giving Mitch anything that could be used as blackmail. But he had trusted Mitch, trusted their friendship. What a fool he was. Almost as much of one as that bitch Mitch married.
And now Mitch was dead because he had underestimated her. Oh, there was no doubt in Robbie's mind that there was no self-defense involved. Mitch wouldn't dirty his own hands. As a matter of fact, he had already spoken to Robbie about tracking her down again. Telling Robbie that he was sure he could do much better this time around, and that it had better be Slim and not Robbie who ended up bloodied.
Bastard.
Well, she had been bloodied a bit, Robbie noted as he looked at one of the pictures taken of her face. More than a bit. "But not as much as you, old pal," Robbie muttered.
Oh, he'd have to admit to his superiors that he had known Mitch. Tell them that Mitch had bragged about wanting to get even with his wife, who had left him, but that he hadn't taken Mitch seriously because the man had never done anything to her before, at least not that he knew about. His superiors would file that information away, determine that it really was self-defense and not pursue it.
Lying to his bosses was the least he could do since Slim never once implicated him in her story. They were both free of Mitch. Free to live their lives without the fear that he would suddenly appear and take them down, destroying everything they held dear. Robbie stacked the photos together, then put them back into the folder, looking once more at the image of Mitch's still form before closing the cover. Of course, letting her go also meant letting her get away with nearly killing him, but the cuts hadn't scared, not like the ones Mitch had given him once when he had balked at doing something.
It did suck though, that Slim had reached the point of having had enough before he had. He was the man; he should've been the one to take Mitch out. But, despite all that Mitch held over his head, Robbie knew that it didn't hold a candle to that little girl that Slim and Mitch had held so dear. Robbie smiled as he remembered her innocence on the pier, her trusting nature. Mitch would have destroyed that; Robbie had no doubt of that, especially once she had reached the age of thirteen or fourteen. Mitch had liked them young at one time, and would definitely have found his own daughter…well; it was better for her that Mitch was gone, far better.
"Sir?"
Robbie looked up to see Henderson standing there. "Yes?"
"The file, are you finished with it?" Henderson nodded toward the file still held between Robbie's hands. Henderson had left the door open, and Robbie could see Slim standing there, just beyond the open door. He knew she could hear whatever they said.
"Yes, I'm done. And you're right. It's definitely a clear case of self-defense. Has she seen a counselor yet?"
"She refused one, sir," Henderson nervously replied.
Robbie nodded. "Not much you can do about that, officer." Robbie held the file toward the man. "Have someone drive her home."
"Yes, sir." Henderson took the file and turned around, giving Robbie the chance to look directly at Slim.
They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Robbie nodded. She inclined her head slightly before turning to follow Henderson away.
Robbie watched her walk away, then reached for his phone so he could see if his boss was in. The sooner he settled the Mitch mess, the better. He didn't need any of that shit hanging over his head any longer.
The end