Wednesday morning, Cascade General

As Jim entered Sandburg's room, his jaw clenched as he recognized the sound of Don Haas's voice. Shit, so much for keeping the knowledge of the accusations from Blair.

On the television screen, he saw a flash of Charlie Blanchard exiting his car, which was swarmed by news cameras and reporters. He heard Charlie yelling 'No comment' to the vultures as he entered the Capitol building. The next flash was at the police station, Rafe and Brown were similarly surrounded by cameras and reporters as they were about to enter the building. Brown calmly was repeating the phrase 'No comment' as he held the door for his partner.

One of the reporters yelled loudly, "What's it like to have to work with a liar and a fraud, Detectives?"

Rafe turned and started to say something back, but Brown grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the building with the final words "What part of 'no comment' do you not understand?"

Don Haas reappeared on the screen and started his editorial. "As you can see, we have not been able to get any answers from Cascade PD on the investigation into the death of DEA Agent Thomas Mallory. It's this reporter's opinion that a special board should be convened to investigate the actions taken by the Major Crimes Unit. My confidential sources tell me that the DEA is still not receiving any cooperation from the personnel at the PD. It sounds to me like there is a major cover-up being perpetrated on the public. I consider it my duty to make sure this cover-up is not allowed to continue. The facts of this case must be brought to light."

Jim could hear Blair trying to catch his breath. Between the recent chemical exposure to his lungs and the emotional backlash resulting from watching the news report, Blair's body was fighting him. He sat down on the edge of Blair's bed, he took the remote from Blair's lax fingers and turned off the television.

"Lay back and try to take some deep breaths, Chief. Your lungs cannot handle a panic attack right now, so try to relax. You're the expert on breathing, nice slow deep breaths." As he spoke, he was raising the bed so Blair was almost sitting upright. Their eyes met. Blair slowly calmed and appeared to draw strength from his partner. Jim coached him though the attack, monitoring his lungs until his friend's breathing started to settle. He waited for Blair to say something, anything to break the awkward silence, but he remained quiet.

"Chief, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out like this. I was going to tell you what's been going on, but I wanted to wait until you were out of the hospital."

"How did this happen? I didn't do anything wrong. I don't remember doing anything wrong," Blair said plaintively, trying to understand. This was worse than the dissertation fiasco.

"No, you didn't and we know that, Blair. Everyone knows that. The media hasn't gotten any of the facts of the case correct. They're listening and reporting rumors, and if they can't find a rumor, they speculate on the most sensational aspects of the case they can make up. The real story will come out. The rest of the unit is working on it. You're not in this alone, Chief."

Jim relayed all the information they had uncovered about both Mallory and Black. Blair didn't appear to be listening. He had a dazed look in his eyes, which was unnerving to see. When Jim finished, Blair asked, "So what happens now?"

"Simon is coming this afternoon with someone from IA. Don't worry. You're not in any trouble with the Department. The Chief just wants to make sure everything's done by the book. I had to give a statement directly to IA also. They wouldn't accept the one Simon took."

"And then?"

"We rest and let our friends do their job."

"You're gonna sit back and do nothing? I don't believe it!"

"Believe it, Junior. I've learned a thing or two from you over the last few years, the most important being, how to trust and lean on your friends when there's trouble."

That statement finally got a smile to lighten Blair's mood. "I taught you that, huh?"

"You are the master when it comes to friendship, my friend."

"If I'm the master, can I have the remote back?"

"NO, and just how did you get it working anyway? It was supposed to have been disabled."

"The batteries on my CD player died last night. I tried to use the batteries from the remote, but they were dead, too. I asked the night-duty nurse to pick me up batteries for my CD player. I thought that might be the problem with the TV, too, so when she brought me a four pack I tried it."

"Sorry, Blair. We were trying to help."

"It's okay, I understand." As Jim watched, his partner got an evil glint in his eye before continuing. "But if you're really sorry, you'll give me the remote," Blair said in a pitiful voice.

"I'm not that sorry."

They spent the rest of the morning either sleeping or arguing about what to watch on the TV. Uniforms had been placed at the hospital entrances and outside their room to keep the reporters away. The hospital operator was handling the multitude of phone messages asking for interviews.

At lunchtime, Blair received a surprise visitor when Lily Lancin walked into the room carrying a large vase of flowers in one hand and a large bag of food in the other. She wasn't wearing the nose ring, but she was wearing a large silver crucifix and matching earrings. She had on a tight red velvet blouse with an equally tight, short black leather skirt. Three-inch heels drew Blair's attention to her long, well-defined legs. Jim noticed where Blair was staring and cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "Table leg, Chief."

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Blair," Lily said with a smile as she handed the vase to Jim. "Steven was going to drop by, but Jamison and Wilson are having another one of their quarrels and Steven was forced to referee. He did manage to confirm your diet with your doctor and order you a lovely lunch from Lucille's."

"Great, I hate hospital food and I'm starving," Blair said as he sat up. He, Jim, and Steven had a really good dinner a few months back at Lucille's when that horrible woman had been stalking Steven.

For a short while, they were able to forget about the outside world and enjoy a pleasant lunch. As soon as she was done eating, Lily had to leave. Steven had given her a little extra time for lunch, but there was a major project due the following day and they would be working late already.

Blair stared again at the lower half of her retreating figure.

"Sandburg, I can arrange to have you neutered if you can't control that roving eye of yours. Remember that she's become like a little sister to Steven. If he sees you staring like that, I'm not going to protect you."

"Jim, that view is the best medicine I could have. You wouldn't begrudge me the small bit of happiness that looking gives me, would you?" Blair blinked his eyes innocently at his partner.

"You can look, but don't touch."

"Understood."

The officer from IA arrived just before dinner to take Blair's statement. The man's demeanor was a pleasant surprise to Blair. Even more surprising was that the officer allowed Jim to remain in the room, as long as he remained silent.

Once the official portion of the interview was completed, the officer stood to leave. He noticed the dejected and slightly fearful expression on Blair's face. "Don't worry about this, son. From everything I've seen and heard, you'll be completely exonerated. When the real story comes out, I'm gonna enjoy watching that hack of a reporter eat crow."

"So will I," Jim added.

The IA officer smiled. "For now, both of you keep your heads down. Let us handle the media. You're both on paid leave until we get this resolved."

Shortly after IA left, Doctor Jones arrived with the discharge papers. Simon arranged for them to avoid the gauntlet of reporters waiting outside the main entrance. He was going to act as a decoy by sitting out front of the main entrance in his car. The reporters all knew that, in addition to being their Captain, he was also their friend. Joel was picking them up at the service entrance in a laundry van. A few blocks away, Megan would be waiting to drive them home in her car.

The plan was a great success. They made it to the loft without any of the media realizing they had left, the press still waiting from them at the hospital front entrance.

It was dark when the two men finally entered the loft. The answering machine was flashing with the digital readout showing fifteen messages. Jim reached down and turned off the ringer on the phone. The messages could wait until Blair couldn't hear the playback. He suspected that most of the calls had been from reporters. Simon knew to contact them through their cell phones if he really needed to talk to them.

Blair moved to sit down on the couch and reached for the remote. As the picture brightened, Don Haas's face filled the screen.

"Isn't there any other news in the whole city? Do you mind if we leave the television off, Jim? I've heard more than I ever wanted to from that reporter," Blair requested.

"Chief, you're not listening to that crap he's spewing, are you?

"How can I not? I just can't believe this is happening. I don't think I can go through this again."

"What do you mean, Blair? Tell me what is going through that head of yours."

"This is actually worse than the media blitz caused by the dissertation. I only destroyed my own reputation. I was the only one being attacked by the press. This time, they aren't just attacking me; they're attacking Major Crimes, the entire PD, hell, even the Police Academy. This can't get any worse. I should just..."

"Blair, stop right there. I know where you're going with this. This wasn't your fault. You are not to blame. We just need a little time to get this straightened out."

"You don't really believe this mess can be resolved easily, do you? I should just make it easier on everyone and turn in my resignation now." Blair stood up and headed for the phone.

Jim blocked his path, holding one hand in front of his partner's chest. "Not this time, Sandburg. I'm not going to let you do that."

"It's not your decision, Jim." Blair attempted to move around his much larger partner.

Jim blocked again. "You are NOT going to sacrifice yourself. I won't let you. Trust me. Give me time to find another option."

Blair was too tired to continue the dance. He sat back down on the sofa, hiding his face with his large hands. "Jim, I don't want to drag everyone else down with me. I won't do that to my friends."

Jim sat down next to him, placing one arm across Blair's back. "So why would you believe YOUR friends are going to allow you to take the fall for something you don't deserve?"

"Man, it's just like in a 'Tale of Two Cities', the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Don't you get it? Better me than the entire department."

Jim shook his head. Now was not the time to discuss this with Blair. This incident was bringing up too many bad memories for both of them. "It's late and I don't want to argue with you tonight. Will you wait? Sleep on it first. Don't do anything right now, just give yourself a few days."

Blair didn't answer. Jim shook the dejected shoulders, gently asking again, "Okay? Do we have a deal, Chief?"

Blair sighed. "Sure, Jim. I'll wait, but I don't think I'll change my mind."

"Go to bed, buddy. Rest, give your body and mind a little time to heal before acting on a decision that will change your entire life. Tomorrow is a new day and maybe things won't look so bleak in the morning."

Blair headed for his room, closing the door behind him. Jim heard his friend settle down on his bed, falling asleep almost immediately. Jim waited several minutes until he was sure that Blair was sleeping deeply before he picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Simon, sorry to wake you, but we have a problem..."

Blair was sure that he wasn't going to be able to sleep, but he dropped off almost right away. When he opened his eyes, instead of seeing his room he was in the jungle. At his feet was a wolf, winding around his legs like a cat.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," Blair muttered.

The wolf licked his hand, then bolted off into the jungle. Once he was about ten yards away and realized that Blair wasn't following, he turned around and barked at Blair. When Blair didn't move, the wolf trotted back over and locked his jaws around Blair's arm, pulling him, but not causing any harm.

"I got it. Follow the wolf. Now I understand why Jim wakes up so cranky after these visions. These spirit guides are really pushy."

The wolf let go and started to run. Blair took off after him. Just as he was starting to get tired, the wolf came to a halt in front of a stone temple. Standing by a pool of water next to a stone altar was Incacha. Blair slowed to a walk and approached the Chopec Shaman.

"Why are you here?" Incacha asked.

"I don't know."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I need to be?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because a pushy wolf dragged me here!"

The ends of Incacha's mouth turned up slightly as he repeated once more, "Why are you here?"

"Man, I thought Jim was the only one who got to experience these visions. Now, I know why he doesn't like these little visits. I'm lost, okay! Why don't you fill me in?"

Incacha smiled. "Enqueri knows his place within the tribe. He also understands your place. That is why you are here and he is not. You have lost your way. Why do you doubt your place within the tribe?" Incacha asked.

"I don't doubt my place with the tribe. I'm Jim's Guide. I know my place," Blair answered.

"That is not your place. More specifically, that is not your only place. You are Shaman to the Great City. Your role is more than simply being Guide to the Sentinel. The entire tribe depends on you. You do not accept this."

"I don't understand."

"Watch." Incacha waved his hand over the pool of water. Blair watched as an image of him speaking with Joel appeared. It was one of several discussions he had had with the former bomb squad Captain when he had wanted to resign from the squad after the Brackett bomb a few years ago.

With another wave of his hand, Incacha changed the image to a scene of him tutoring Daryl, who had been having trouble in school during his junior year and needed to get his grades up. With Blair's help, he brought home straight A's in his senior year.

The next image was of him talking to Megan. She had been extremely depressed not long ago. Her father had suffered a mild heart attack. Her family had been unable to reach her and, by the time they had succeeded, the crisis had passed, but she felt guilty for not being there. Another image of him appeared, consoling Rafe when his girlfriend had dumped him. He had intended to ask her to marry him right before she broke off their relationship.

Now the images were flashing much quicker from one to another. There was one of him and Jim in Peru when Simon and Daryl had been reported missing. Another of him jumping out of the helicopter after Brad Ventriss. Several of their recent cases appeared before the pool went dark.

Incacha stared at Blair. "Do you see?"

"I think so. A Shaman has to be many things to the tribe. He is a teacher, a healer of both bodies and minds, and, when necessary, he is a warrior."

The Chopec Shaman smiled at Blair. "You are opening yourself up to the possibilities."

Blair rocked back and forth on his heels as he assimilated the information Incacha was providing. "I'm starting to understand. Major Crime acts as the tribe's warriors, protecting the entire tribe. Simon would be the Chief warrior, relying on the Sentinel as the strongest of his warriors, looking to the Shaman for the moral direction. I can't walk away from this fight."

"Correct. Your tribe is under attack. The tribe's warriors cannot defend the tribe alone. They look to the Shaman for strength and purpose. That is your role, yet you reject your place."

"I didn't mean to reject the gift you gave me. I just didn't understand it."

"Do you now? Your destiny is with the tribe, as Shaman to the tribe and Guide to the Sentinel. Both are important roles, neither of which can be forsaken. Even now the warriors are gathering, planning their attack against those that would harm the tribe. Your place is with them. Fighting by their side. Follow your heart, Shaman."

"Thank you for helping me to understand." Blair shuffled one of his feet. "Umm, I was wondering. Are we going to be meeting here on a regular basis? It would be nice to have someone to talk to about all this."

Incacha shook his head. "You don't need my guidance. Your faith and understanding will see you travel the correct path. Your Sentinel, however, requires more attention and assurances to listen to his heart than you."

"The occasional kick on the butt," Blair added.

Incacha nodded and faded back into the jungle undergrowth, leaving Blair in front of the temple with the wolf. Blair reached down to pet his spirit guide, asking, "I don't suppose you know the way home, huh, boy?"

Midnight, Cascade Waterfront

AD Black was standing at the edge of the dock, looking out on the bay. He glanced down at his watch, using the button to light the face. Agent Whitney was running late. He fingered the .38 he had in his jacket pocket, wishing that Whitney would hurry up.

He noticed a set of headlights coming down the street. He sighed with relief as he recognized Whitney's car pulling into the parking area. He turned to face his soon-to-be former partner who was coming down the walkway.

"What was so important that we had to meet tonight, sir?"

"There is a late night meeting with the Governor, the Cascade Police Commissioner and Director West. He wouldn't tell me what was happening. I found out from his secretary that he was told I was not to come."

"They know what we've been doing?"

"I'm sure of it. We need to cover our tracks and get out of town. You haven't told anyone about this operation, have you?"

"No, it was too risky. The money is stashed in those Swiss accounts you set up for me. I've got my passport and some traveling cash at the bank in a safe deposit box. As soon as the bank opens in the morning, I'll be out of town."

AD Black shook his head. "Not soon enough. I need to be sure you're out of the way tonight. Sorry about this."

Whitney noticed Black reaching into his pocket and he started to back away. "No, you can't. They don't know anything about my involvement. We made sure there were no ties to me."

"Yes, but you know about me and I can't have you telling anyone."

"I wouldn't do that. We're partners!" He tripped over some rope coiled by the edge, falling backward onto planks. He landed on his back, but quickly rolled over onto his knees, struggling to stand up.

Black aimed and fired one shot to the back of Whitney's head. Cautiously, he looked around to make sure the shot hadn't drawn any unwelcome attention. When he was sure it was safe, he rolled the body off the pier into the dark murky waters of the bay.

He had over an hour to get to the airport, where a private charter was waiting to take him to Bermuda. With the money he had stashed away there plus the money from the Swiss accounts that had been set up in both their names, without Whitney knowing about it, he could live comfortably for a very long time.

While he was passing the time away in the sun and sand, he could also begin planning his revenge. Those men and women in the Major Crimes Unit had destroyed his plans for the future. They would have to pay for their interference, and pay dearly.

Next morning, Loft

Blair slowly returned to the waking world. Last night's dream was still fresh and vivid in his mind. He wasn't sure he completely understood all he had experienced last night, but he knew that he felt much better. As he slowly sat up on his bed, every bruise, scrape and burn immediately made its presence known. He looked over at his alarm clock. How could Jim have let him sleep this late? It took him two attempts to stand, and he slowly shuffled out to the living room. It was time to face the day, which looked a lot brighter than yesterday.

Jim had been up all night. He had spent most of the time on the phone. Everything was arranged. All he had to do now was have Blair in front of the television for the noon news broadcast. At least Blair was still sleeping peacefully. He had thought Blair would have experienced several nightmares with all the stress he had been under. It was almost 10:30 AM and Blair was only now showing signs of waking.

He got a fresh pot of coffee brewing. After that, he started pulling out the pots and pans he would need to make a nice, big, unhealthy breakfast. As he opened the refrigerator door to get out the eggs, Blair shuffled out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes.

"Morning, Chief," Jim said cheerfully.

"What are you doing, Jim, and why did you let me oversleep?" Blair asked sleepily as he headed for the coffeepot.

"Since your hands aren't in good shape, I decided to make it easy on you and cook breakfast, which should be ready in about thirty minutes. Why don't you take a nice hot shower? I'll change those bandages when you're done," Jim suggested as he added eggs to the mixing bowl.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jim Ellison?" Blair asked, resting his hands on his hips.

"Funny, Junior. I do occasionally cook breakfast and today I was in the mood for pancakes. So, if you want breakfast, go get your shower and be back here in thirty minutes. You snooze, you lose and I get all the pancakes."

"I'm going. I'm going. I'm not about to turn down your pancakes. Are you putting fruit in them again?"

"Yep, blueberry or banana. I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted, so I'm making both."

"Cool. I'm starving. I'll be right back." Blair smiled and headed back into his bedroom, just long enough to grab some clothes and head into the bathroom. Jim heard the shower turn on and Blair climb in and start to sing. He shook his head and smiled. Blair had seemed so sad and hopeless last night before he had gone to bed. He wondered what had happened during the night to turn Blair's attitude around so completely. He finished mixing the batter as the shower was turned off. Blair was heading for the kitchen, toweling off his hair.

Jim took a break from fixing breakfast long enough to re-wrap Blair's hands. Just as he finished up, he heard Joel out in the hallway and opened the door before Joel could knock. "I see what Simon means. It's spooky when you guys do that."

Blair yelled from the kitchen, "Come on in, Joel. You're just in time for breakfast. I hope you're hungry. Jim's pancakes are some of the best I've ever tasted."

"Sandburg, coming from you, I'm not sure that is a compliment. I've heard all about your strange tastes when it comes to food," Joel laughed as he headed for the table.

When they were done eating, Jim gathered the dishes and left them in the sink to soak. He would wash them later. It was almost time for the press conference to start. He had little time to convince Blair to turn on and watch the television.

Blair and Joel had already moved into the living room and were seated on the couch in front of the television. Jim smiled as Joel was already steering Blair in the right direction. Jim sat down in the chair across from them.

"So, Jim, what do you want to do now that we have the next few days off?"

"Let's give your hands a day to heal up a little more then maybe we can go camping out at Cascade National Park. Right now I want to veg out in front of the TV and check out the scores." Jim reached for the remote and flipped on the television.

As soon as the picture and sound came on, the first thing the men heard was the announcer saying, "And now a special report. The Governor has announced a press conference. The meeting is about to start, and we take you there live.

"I'm not watching this," Sandburg announced as he started to rise from the sofa.

"Wait, Chief. I think you really need to see this," Jim said, pointing to the screen.

Blair glanced at the TV and was surprised to see a wide-angle view of the steps in front of City Hall. Standing at the top of the stairs was the Governor and the Police Commissioner, flanked by Sergeant Charlie Blanchard, Simon Banks and, to Blair's surprise, Eli Stoddard. As the camera panned over the group then down the stairs, Blair's mouth dropped open in surprise. Standing in formal dress uniforms was what had to be the full contingent of every off-duty officer in the city. He had never seen so many cops in one place.

"Who's patrolling the city?" Blair stammered out.

"Skeleton crew, drawn by lot. Everyone wanted to be at City Hall to show their support, but someone had to be on duty," Joel answered, patting Blair's knee. "Watch and learn just how much you mean to the Department, to your family, Blair."

"My tribe," Blair muttered under his breath. Joel didn't hear him, but Jim flashed him a curious look.

The Police Commissioner approached the podium. "We are here today under most unusual circumstances. Normally, the Cascade Police Department would not respond in this manner to the vicious and unsubstantiated attacks targeted towards the Department and our officers by the news media. At the request of many of our ranking officers, the instructors at the Academy and other interested parties, however, we are here today to answer the erroneous accusations that have been made to you, the public, in television news reports and in newpapers over the last twenty-four hours.

"The Cascade Police Department has been investigating this incident and we will make public our findings and provide documentation to the Governor's office and several selected members of the media at the conclusion of this press conference. I would like to remind everyone that, as a result of the police raid on that warehouse, the source of the poison that was killing our children has been stopped. I for one am very grateful to the Major Crimes Unit for their quick and decisive actions in this case. The fact that a major drug ring was taken down at that warehouse seems to have been forgotten in the wake of the frenzy generated by the fictional cover-up story perpetuated by the media.

"I do not take the situation lightly. The death of the undercover DEA agent is indeed a tragedy that I wish could have been prevented. But, according to the facts and documents uncovered during our investigation, there was no possibility that the Major Crimes Unit could have known there was an undercover agent working within the drug ring. This was due to an internal miscommunication within the DEA that made that information unavailable to the Cascade PD. The DEA, in conjunction with the Governor's office, is currently investigating ways in which to prevent a similar occurrence in the future."

A murmur of voices flowed through the audience as the Commissioner paused for a moment. A volley of questions flew from the reporters who had been given front row seats.

The Commissioner held up his hands and cleared his throat, taking charge of the crowd. "Please, hold all questions until the end of our presentation. The first issue I would like to now address are the concerns with regard to the quality of cadets being graduated from the Police Academy. I would like to introduce Sergeant Charlie Blanchard from the Police Academy. He has been an instructor there for many years and is responsible for training many of the officers who are on the streets of Cascade today."

The Commissioner stepped back from the podium as the Sergeant moved forward to speak. "I'm here today to address the inaccurate portrayal rendered by the press of the training received at the Academy by today's rookie cops. As you know, I'm a sergeant in charge of a group of cadets at the Academy. There is a story about a cadet who graduated a short while ago that I now tell to all incoming cadets the first time they are at the firing range. I'd like to share that story with you. Until this particular cadet arrived at the Academy, he had never had any formal firearms training. After his first time on the range, it was obvious that he was a very good shot. One of the other instructors approached him about training for the S.W.A.T. squad.

"I've never forgotten his response. He said, 'I may be required to take this training, but I still believe that violence only begets violence. You're more likely to escalate a situation by waving a gun around. I'd rather find another option first.' When pushed on the subject, the cadet finally said that there was only one situation that he considered severe enough to use his weapon. Many of you might assume that he was referring to some type of self-defense situation. He was not. He was referring to a threat to his partner and to those with whom he serves.

"The cadet of whom I am speaking is Detective Blair Sandburg. I have followed his career since his graduation and can speak with complete honesty that he is a man of his word. Pulling a gun has always been, and will always be, the last resort with this particular officer. The accusation that he instigated the shoot-out in that warehouse is completely ludicrous to anyone who knows the man or who has bothered to check out his service record. I would be honored to serve with him, as would any other officer present here today."

Sergeant Blanchard was forced to pause because of the loud cheers and affirmations of his statements that arose from the sea of officers standing on the stairs. Jim heard his partner whisper softly, "I didn't know. How could I not know they felt this way? I figured that I wouldn't have any support left after these accusations."

"Watch and learn, Chief. Learn just what you mean to all of us." Jim turned his attention back to the TV as Charlie continued with his statement.

"What you may be unaware of, and should understand, is that cadets must pass very strict screenings in order to graduate from the Police Academy. They must demonstrate certain levels of physical prowess and knowledge of the laws that govern our society. Most importantly, they must pass several different psychological assessments. If they fail at any one of these stages, they are washed out from the program. Those individuals with a propensity for violence or a fondness for firing weapons are not allowed to reach graduation.

"Now I would like to introduce the next speaker, Doctor Eli Stoddard, formerly a professor at Rainier University."

Blair gasped as his former teacher and mentor stepped up to the podium.

"I'm here today to address the recent statements in the press that Blair Sandburg submitted a fraudulent dissertation to Rainier University in pursuit of his doctoral degree. Though I am no longer associated with Rainier and cannot officially speak for them, I am well aware of the facts surrounding that incident. Notice, I said the facts, not the erroneous story reported by the press before and after Mr. Sandburg's press conference. The University's cowardly and despicable behavior in the wake of that press conference is the reason I left Rainier. Let me make this perfectly clear: at no time did Blair Sandburg ever directly submit, nor indicate to any University official that the excerpts the publishing company released to the media would ever be submitted as, his doctoral thesis.

"It is a matter of public record that Blair Sandburg was riding along with James Ellison to collect information on a thesis covering the study of closed societies exemplified by such organizations as a police department. I can attest to this personally, as Blair sent me several sections on the subject for my opinion."

Jim raised his eyebrows and gently poked his partner.

"I sent him some drafts. I was planning to publish them as a series of papers to an Anthropology journal, but I never told him that. He just assumed that they would go in a dissertation," Blair answered.

"The University acted prematurely when they called the press conference on the word of an unknown publisher. They never verified the information with Mr. Sandburg about the contents of the information released by the publisher.

"I have known Blair Sandburg since he was sixteen years old. In my 30+ years of teaching, I have never had a student who was as dedicated to searching out the truth as Blair Sandburg. He has always been meticulous in his data collection and documentation. He's not the type of individual who would knowingly submit a fraudulent document for publication."

A roar of support arose from the officers present, drowning out the questions being called out by the reporters. Eli waited until the roar died down before continuing his portion of the presentation.

"I can see that some of you are thinking, Why would he have written a manuscript such as this? As I have never discussed the issue with Blair, I can only speak from personal experience on the existence of a document such as 'The Sentinel'. I have several such manuscripts, works of fiction based on sites I have examined or interesting myths of the tribes I have studied. I wrote them with the idea of best sellers or movies of the week. Most of my peers have similar ideas, though they would probably deny it publicly. The difference is, mine were never mistakenly presented to the world as the truth.

"Since Rainier continues to refuse to accept their responsibility for this fiasco, I can no longer stand silent and allow Blair Sandburg to be crucified for the greedy actions of others. I'm extremely proud to have counted Blair Sandburg as one of my students and have taken a great deal of pride in watching his accomplishments. With his intellect and strength of heart, I submit to you that it is in your best interest to allow this young man to continue in his chosen career as a Guardian of the city."

Jim and Blair's eyes locked at Eli's choice of words. Joel shook his head and smiled. He had met Eli the day before and had spoken for over an hour with the man about Jim and Blair. Eli had been fishing for confirmation that James Ellison was truly a Sentinel. Joel had told him nothing to confirm it, but Eli had mentioned previous debates with Blair on the topic and it was Stoddard who had given Blair the book about the Sentinels of Paraguay.

"Our final speaker for the conference is Captain Simon Banks from the Major Crimes Unit."

Simon approached the podium. Several officers stepped forward with him. Blair smiled as he identified Henri Brown, Megan Connor and LT Rafe. "There have been several accusations leveled directly at the Major Crimes Unit. As most of you know, police departments evaluate their efficiency based on the closure and conviction rates of their units. Over the last several years, Major Crimes has increased the number of closed cases by 15 percent and our conviction rate by almost 25 percent. What this means is that we have increased our success rate in tracking down those individuals who are breaking the law and have been successful in putting them behind bars.

"Major Crimes has the highest solve and conviction numbers of any unit in the State of Washington. Part of the reason for the success of our unit lies in having a diverse background of knowledge and experience in the unit. The personnel assigned to Major Crimes includes a former Army Ranger, a bomb squad captain, a foreign exchange detective from Australia and a pair of detectives who have the second highest solve rate at Cascade PD and the fifteenth highest in the State. Our most recent addition has a master's degree and has specialized in the study of different cultures and psychology.

"The most important reason for the success of the Major Crimes Unit is the manner in which these detectives standing before you conduct themselves. Teamwork is too simple a word to truly describe the actions taken on a day-to-day basis by these men and women. I'm proud to be their Captain, and I thank God each day that they protect our city, the city in which I choose to live and raise my son.

"All the evidence and documentation from our investigation and subsequent raid was submitted to the special investigator that the Governor assigned to scrutinize Major Crimes' actions and behavior. I welcomed this review. The Major Crimes Unit has nothing to fear from scrutiny. Though his investigation is not yet over, he has already submitted his report clearing the Major Crimes Unit of any responsibility in the death of Agent Mallory and is pursuing other avenues.

"While part of me is happy to know my unit has been cleared of any wrongdoing, I am extremely saddened by the need to conduct this press conference. I mistakenly believed the days of witch hunts and McCarthyism were long behind us. But those horrible phrases are the only words I can think of to describe the actions of the media over the past two days. I hope you all take a good long look at yourselves and your behavior before you pursue your next story."

The Commissioner returned to the podium. "Thank you all for attending. This press conference is over."

Jim turned off the television using the remote. His partner was speechless, not a state Jim was familiar with seeing. "Are you all right, Chief?"

"How did you...? Why did they...?" Blair couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling.

"Because, Chief, just like in the movie 'The Search for Spock', the needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many."

Blair laughed as he recalled his own literary quote the night before. "Funny, Jim. Your sense of humor is improving; my influence, no doubt. I'm serious, though. I don't know what to say."

"Think fast, everyone's dropping by as soon as they get clear of the crowd, Chief."