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“Look, I’m telling you I didn’t do it!”
Andrew doesn’t loosen his grip on the kid’s arm.
“And I’m telling you I don’t believe you.”
The kid goes silent at that, just as they reach the squad car. Kevin is leaning against it, taking furious notes with his usual serious expression. He looks up when Andrew slams the door shut behind the kid.
“He’s saying he didn’t do it?” Kevin asks, like a dumbass. Andrew doesn’t deign to reply. Kevin doesn’t seem to care. “Ha, like his word is better than his fingerprints at the scene, the lack of an alibi, and the missing money.”
“I don’t know why you’re telling this to me,” Andrew says, walking around the car. “I’m the one who’s the primary on this case. Of course I know this dumbass did it.”
Kevin slides into the passenger side as Andrew opens his door. Kevin is already bent over the file, pen flying across the page.
“Jesus Christ, are you really so excited to get the paperwork done that you can’t wait ‘til we’re back at the precinct?” Andrew makes sure to color his words equally with mockery and annoyance.
Kevin sighs and shoots him an irritated look. “I want to get it down as quickly as possible. You know that the human memory can’t be relied on–”
Andrew yawns. Kevin closes his mouth and turns back to his papers. Andrew looks to the back seat to check on the perp and swears when he finds it empty. Kevin whirls around and then scowls harshly at his partner.
“Goddammit Andrew, I thought you cuffed him!”
“I fucking did, alright?” Andrew runs a hand back through his hair, jaw clenched. “I don’t know how the fucker got out. Guess we’ve got a runner.”
With a sigh, Kevin turns on the comms and puts out word to look for one Neil Josten, 5’3”, brown hair and brown eyes. Andrew drives them back to the precinct in a stony silence.
“Dammit, Minyard, how’d he get away?” Dan thunders when they walk in, Kevin’s shoulders still rigid. The yogurt in her hand looks almost crushed. From beside her, Matt is eyeing the container warily.
Andrew walks past her and flops down at his desk.
“I’m talking to you!” she says, towering over his desk. Andrew meets her gaze flatly. Matt hovers uncertainly behind her.
“If I knew, he’d be here, wouldn’t he?” Andrew grinds out, waking his computer up and pulling the case file up.
“I’m not sure if interrogating him will really get us anywhere,” Matt says, patting Dan cautiously. “He’s doing his best, and Andrew is the best we’ve got. It’ll work out.”
“Fuck off, Boyd.” Andrew frowns at the report before him. From the other side of the desk, Kevin’s displeasure is palpable.
“There’s a lot of money riding on this case, Minyard,” Dan reminds him, arms crossed.
“Can you please stop yelling the familial name?” Aaron calls out, not looking away from his phone. The faint sounds of Cwazy Cupcakes can be heard, even from Andrew’s desk. “I don’t want to lose this streak.”
“Fuck off, Aaron.” Andrew continues studying the picture in front of him.
“What did I do in a past life to deserve this family?” Dan mutters pitifully into her yogurt. She takes a sad bite as Matt begins rubbing her shoulders.
“Hey, Andrew, let me know if you need any help!” Nicky offers. His words are slightly muffled by the muffin in his mouth. He is universally heard and ignored.
“Let’s just get this all cleared up before Wymack hears about it,” Kevin says firmly. Andrew rolls his eyes.
“Oh yeah, wouldn’t it be terrible for the Captain to hear that his protege failed?” Kevin tries to smother his instinctive frown. “Oh, his protege and Kevin, I guess.”
Aaron snickers.
“Stealing his Medal of Valor one time does not a protege make,” Kevin says waspishly. “You know what does? Unpaid overtime. Exquisite paperwork. Reading old cases on the weekend.”
“Shit, Kevin, do you ever go home?” Aaron asks, eyes still fixed on the pixelated cupcakes in front of him. “Wait. I just remembered that I don’t care. Don’t answer that.”
Kevin grinds his teeth audibly.
“To answer your question, Andrew, I would prefer if the Captain didn’t find out about your sloppiness, so let’s get this fixed as soon as we can.”
For once, Andrew almost agrees with Kevin.
“You know, for somebody who claims they’re not guilty, you sure act like you’re guilty,” Andrew comments as he snaps the handcuffs on the kid’s wrists. The boy scowls.
“I didn’t do it, ok?”
“Not ok, buddy.” Andrew pushes him towards the squad car, where Kevin is talking into his radio. “First of all, we have a hell of a lot of evidence against you. Second of all, you running last time? Doesn’t earn you any favors in my book.” The boy’s scowl doesn’t lighten up. “Look, kid, if you’re not guilty, it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to come in and answer a few questions, right?”
The boy mumbles something.
“What was that?”
He shoots Andrew a glare. “I said, don’t call me kid. You’re not old enough to pull that off.” He cocks his head with a considering look. “Am I actually taller than you?”
Andrew returns the glare. “That’s enough backtalk, Josten.”
A smirk unfurls on the perp’s lips, even as Andrew cuffs him to the car.
“I told you he would catch him, Dan!” Matt cheers when Andrew and Kevin stroll in, Josten trailing behind. The teen looks around suspiciously, taking in the precinct with observant eyes. Andrew shoves him lightly into the chair beside his desk.
“Josten, we’re going to get you into the system and then take you to the interrogation room.”
The perp doesn’t respond, instead slumping down in his chair.
“Do your contacts have an actual prescription or are they just color?” Andrew asks as he types. Josten twitches in his seat.
“What?”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “I can tell you’re wearing color contacts, genius. I’m just wondering if you can take them out with no problem, or if you should keep them in.”
Josten looks even warier than he had before. Andrew wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“Just tell me your real eye color,” Andrew sighs. Josten’s mouth flattens into a straight line.
“Can I get a lawyer now?”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “We’ll get somebody in. Can you just tell me your eye color? Is that such a secret?”
Josten crosses his arms. “I’m not saying anything til I talk to a lawyer.”
Andrew grabs the phone off his desk with a sigh. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any more annoying...”
“What do you fucking mean Josten’s gone?”
Kevin looks down at the desk, like that’ll help him escape Andrew’s wrath. Fat chance.
“What do you think I mean?”
Andrew falls into his chair, leveling a glare at his partner.
“You know, as a civilian, it scares me what kind of shit can go down in this precinct,” Aaron comments conversationally. He’s stretching by his desk, apparently getting ready to go to dance practice. “How did a scrawny teen break out of the middle of a bunch of detectives?”
“I can’t fucking believe this,” Andrew sighs, leaning his head back against the chair. “How much fucking trouble can one kid be?”
“A lot of trouble,” Matt replies unhelpfully. Andrew shoots him a withering glare and Matt coughs. “I mean, I’m sure you guys will find him!”
“Fuck off, Boyd.”
“Remember, Andrew, if you need any help–”
“Fuck off, Nicky.”
“Andrew, I’m going to have to tell the Captain about this.”
“Fuck off, Kevin.”
“Andrew, you can’t just lash out at everybody and tell them–”
“Fuck off, Wilds.”
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Andrew says, pulling Josten’s arms behind his back.
For once, Josten doesn’t try to protest his innocence as Andrew leads him out of the alleyway, looking rather resigned. Kevin watches like a hawk as they get the teen into the squad car.
“Kevin, get the team at the precinct ready to watch the perp as soon as we get back there,” Andrew instructs as he sits in the driver’s seat. Kevin does as he’s told without snark, also for once.
Things may be finally looking up.
“Of course Josten won’t say anything until he talks to a lawyer,” Kevin says, dropping into his desk chair. “Are they working on something?”
“Yeah, he’s talking to somebody now.”
Kevin nods and begins typing furiously, no doubt working on a meticulous writeup of their most recent Josten-related chase.
Satisfied with their capture of Josten, Andrew leans back and stares up at the ceiling. Maybe he’ll duck out early and stop by the bakery on his way to the apartment, never mind his crushing debt.
“Minyard, Day. Do you care to explain why there is a disgruntled teen sitting in custody for the third time this week?”
“Sir!”
Kevin springs to his feet at the sound of Wymack’s voice, inexplicably saluting the captain. Everybody watches as Kevin immediately turns red.
“Well, you see, sir, he...is a very talented escape artist, clearly, and he keeps getting away from us,” Kevin explains awkwardly, searching and failing for a flattering way to frame their failure to hold on to Josten. “But we’ve got him now. He’s connected to the Exites break-in, you see. We think he’s behind it.”
Wymack stares at Kevin, his expression flat. “You think?”
Kevin falters. “We think, yes? There’s compelling evidence to tie him to the scene of the crime–”
“He did it,” Andrew cuts in. Kevin looks appalled at his disrespect, as per usual. “He keeps saying he didn’t, but there’s no way. It all points to him.”
“Or,” a new voice chimes in, “it points to somebody wanting us to think it was him.”
Andrew flicks Renee a cool look. She returns it.
“What makes you say that, Walker?” Wymack asks. Renee walks over from her desk, smoothing out her leather jacket on the way.
“Josten’s behavior is suspicious as hell, sure. But why does he insist he’s innocent and then keep running?” Renee shrugs. “It doesn’t add up to me. I think it could be that somebody’s framing him, somebody he doesn’t want to turn in.”
“Who would–”
“The Ravens,” Kevin whispers, a look of horror crossing his face.
“You think the Ravens are framing Josten?” Andrew repeats, slightly incredulous.
Kevin shifts, gaze flicking to Wymack and then back to Andrew. “I think we need to talk to him.”
“My client doesn’t have to answer any of your questions,” the blonde lawyer says with a dismissive flick of her hand when Andrew and Kevin open the door.
Andrew closes the door quickly, not liking the way Josten’s eyes had focused immediately on the hall behind him. Reynolds is instead watching the detectives with a skeptical look.
“We know that, Reynolds,” Andrew says with an aggressively fake smile. “We just wanted to come and see if there’s anything Mr. Josten would like to tell us. The evidence is pretty damning, but he seems convinced of his innocence, so if he’d like to convince us...”
Reynolds turns to her client. Josten looks wiped, bags under his eyes pronounced against his pale skin and dark hair. Andrew tries not to notice that the teen is actually pretty attractive.
“Look, I didn’t do it,” Josten says for the millionth time.
“There’s the Josten I know and love!” Andrew grins. Kevin scoffs. Josten looks indignant.
“I didn’t!” Josten repeats forcefully.
“Do you know who did?” Andrew asks. Josten shifts in his seat and shuts his mouth. Interesting. “Ooh, that looks to me like somebody who has something to hide.”
Josten fixes his gaze to the metal table in front of him.
“I’m sure a jury will agree with me on that.” Andrew studies the kid for another minute before turning around. “We’re around whenever you realize that you should talk to us.”
“My client would like a word with you.”
Andrew looks up from his game of ‘how many paper airplanes can he get into Nicky’s trashcan before he notices?’ to find Allison Reynolds standing beside his desk.
“Finally. Kevin, we’re up.”
Reynolds holds out a hand.
“No, not him. Just you.”
Andrew rolls his eyes. Count on this idiotic teen to make absurd requests like that.
“Let’s go, then. Kevin, I expect you to be watching from behind the mirror.”
“So I hear you’re ready to play nice,” Andrew says, following Reynolds back into the interrogation room.
“Oh, I don’t think I ever agreed to that.” Josten smirks slightly. “Just that I can answer a few questions.”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “This’ll go a lot quicker if you answer the questions directly, kid.”
Josten sighs. “What did I tell you about calling me kid? Like you can talk. You look like you’re twelve.” He crosses his arms. “Anyway, I’m twenty.”
Andrew rolls his eyes again. “Sorry I didn’t send a birthday card. I’ll be sure to next year.”
Andrew crosses to the chair across from Josten and sets the file down on the table in front of him.
“Where were you the night of August eighth?”
“So what do you make of it?” Andrew asks, sliding into the room. Kevin is leaning against the wall, still studying Josten through the wall. Kevin sighs and turns towards his partner.
“I’m starting to agree with Renee.” Andrew frowns. “No, really. It just doesn’t seem like he has a motive to stage it. And if he did, there’s no way he’s working alone, but he’s done nothing to point towards any accomplices. His shady behavior could definitely be explained if he’s trying to avoid somebody or something.”
“Like the Ravens.”
“Like the Ravens,” Kevin agrees. Andrew sighs.
“Of fucking course this goes back to the Ravens.” He turns towards the wall, watching as Josten cracks his knuckles. “Fine. Let’s see if he bites.”
“Josten, have you ever heard of the Ravens?” Andrew asks as he opens the door back up.
The immediate tensing of Josten’s shoulders speaks volumes.
“So he obviously knows about the Ravens, and they seem to want him gone, not to mention that robbing Exites makes sense for them?” Renee repeats, pacing the conference room with a furrowed brow.
“Ugh, this is all so boring now that the Ravens are involved,” Aaron complains from the couch in the corner. He’s wearing his dance clothes, despite it being 10 in the morning. “I thought it would be something interesting, like the Trojans' drug ring.”
“Oh yes, I hate it when we get closer to breaking up the mafia,” Dan agrees, shooting Aaron an impatient look. Aaron nods emphatically.
“The Ravens aren’t...nice to snitches,” Kevins says blankly, staring down into his coffee.
“No shit,” Andrew says. Kevin grimaces.
“But in this case, it’s either jail time for Houdini or risking the Ravens,” Dan points out. “Besides, if he gives up anything on the Ravens, we could give him a bit of security, especially if he gets any arrests.”
“I know he knows who planned the break-in,” Kevin mutters, clenching a fist. “We just need to get him to give it up.”
“What’re you going to do, annoy him into confessing?” Aaron scoffs. He ruffles his hair.
“That...doesn’t work.”
Andrew eyes Kevin skeptically before standing back up. “I’m going to have another chat with him.”
“Josten, if you tell us who did it, you get to walk.” Josten flinches as the door bangs shut behind Andrew. “If you tell us who did it and turn in more info on the Ravens, we can help provide you security.”
“You know, my ability to slip from you guys in the past does not exactly make me trust you with my safety.”
He’s such a sassy little shit. Andrew almost likes it.
“Think about your options realistically, Josten. Either you go off to rot in a cell for a crime you didn’t do, or you turn the Ravens in. We don’t have enough to pin this on them, not without your help, nor do we have any other leads.”
Josten glares at the table in front of him for a long moment. Andrew contemplates leaving the room again, but then weighs his alternative. Watching Josten try to incinerate the table is about as fun as listening to Kevin hyperventilate about the Ravens.
“Fine,” Josten finally sighs. “It wasn’t me. It was Riko Moriyama.”
“We have a lead, we have a lead, we have a lead!” Matt singsongs as he dances around his desk. Andrew does his best to ignore it. Kevin is glaring daggers at their colleague.
“Yes, but not enough for a conviction,” Kevin says for the hundredth time. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“I’d’ve thought you’d be pissing yourself,” Dan remarks, eyebrows approaching her hairline. “Aren’t you itching to get your hands on those bastards?”
“Kevin is an endlessly complicated individual,” Andrew tells her with a slight smirk. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze him. It’ll just make you sad.”
“How’d you get him to give that up, anyway?” Dan asks. Andrew shrugs.
“My sparkling personality.” Aaron laughs. “I said we’d keep an eye on him in case of retaliation. Somebody should probably tail him for a few days.”
“Shotgun not me!” Nicky yells.
“Hemmick, nobody would ever entrust you with Josten,” Dan tells him. Nicky shrugs. “It should probably be Minyard, no?”
“While I’m honored, I really don’t think it’s appropriate–”
“Shut the fuck up, Aaron.”
Dan eyes Andrew curiously. “It should be you, right?”
Andrew shrugs. It’s not like Josten can possibly get more annoying than he already is.
“I can’t believe you think it’s necessary to have somebody stay here overnight,” Andrew grumbles into his chocolate. Josten is curled up on the end of the couch, holding a lit cigarette but not smoking it.
“It’s only logical, ok,” the teen– dammit, the twenty year old says defensively. “It’d make sense for them to come at night. I don’t have a roommate, and they won’t expect you guys to have cut a deal with me.”
Andrew shrugs. As much as he’s complaining and missing his own bed, it does make sense. At least Josten bought him some pity chocolate for it all.
“What’d you even do to catch their eye in the first place?” he asks, almost curious.
Josten picks at the blanket over his legs. “My dad was...one of their business partners, I guess you could say. And they wanted me to go into the family business, but I got the fuck out of dodge when I could. Now they’re trying to convince me through...other means.”
Andrew lets out a low whistle at that, feeling his respect rise the slightest bit.
“Why’d you become a cop, then?”
“You know, the usual. I just really like it when assholes get what they have coming for them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.”
Josten nods slowly, watching as his cigarette burns out.
“Well, let’s hope these Raven assholes get that.”
“Cheers to that.”
It happens in the middle of the night: a crash, a bang, a muffled shout, and then Andrew is pointing his gun straight at Riko Moriyama, who is being held to the ground by a bloody Josten.
“Hello, Riko,” Andrew says cheerily. The younger man looks pissed as fuck, blood dripping down his forehead. “I’ve heard so much about you. Now, have you had your Miranda rights read to you before?”
“It’s probably going to be even worse now that you’ve gotten Riko imprisoned,” Andrew comments, leaning against the wall outside the holding cell and watching Josten. Josten shrugs.
“Maybe, maybe not.” He picks at one of his nails. “The organization is going to be in shambles. Everything is centered around Riko. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a tail for a few more days, but it’ll die down eventually.”
“Guess I’m stuck with you for a bit longer, then.”
Josten sighs dramatically. “Unfortunately so.”
Four murder attempts later, he and Josten are eating pizza in the park.
“Well, our time officially comes to an end tonight,” Andrew comments, watching a small child chase a duck unsuccessfully. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but I’m not prone to lying.”
Josten huffs out a laugh. “Thanks for helping me not get murdered.”
Andrew squints into the distance as he chews. “Have you ever thought about becoming a cop yourself? You’ve got the speed, the observational skills, the fighting ability...”
Josten shrugs. “I’ve always been going under the radar before.” He frowns thoughtfully. “I guess I could, now. I’ve wanted to, sure.”
Andrew keeps his gaze fixed on the distance. “Well. If you ever need pointers or anything...you know where to find me.”
They sit in silence after that, a small smile playing on Josten’s lips.
“Minyard speaking.”
“Hey, Andrew, it’s Neil Josten.”
Andrew bites down on his lip and swivels out of Kevin’s inquisitive gaze.
“So you haven’t been murdered yet.”
“Surprisingly, no.”
“Truly an impressive feat for somebody with as obnoxious a personality as you’ve got.”
“I could say the same of you.”
Andrew breathes a laugh. “So what brings you to annoying me this afternoon?”
“I started police academy today.”
“Congratulations, I guess,” Andrew says, trying to hide an actual flutter of surprise and pride. “Welcome to the land of bureaucracy and a disappointingly low number of donuts.”
“Thanks. It just got me thinking that we could, you know, meet up some time to go over any advice you had, or something. Maybe eat shitty pizza.”
“That doesn’t sound terrible.”
Josten laughs. “I’m flattered. Well. Maybe you could come by my apartment...Saturday afternoon?”
“Works for me.”
When he hangs up, he looks up to find the entire team clustered around Kevin’s desk.
“Are you going on a date with the runner?” Kevin asks, incredulous.
“Get it, Andrew!” Matt whoops.
“Be careful,” Dan warns.
“Keep that gay shit out of the apartment,” Aaron says, stretching out his quads and adjusting his sweatbands.
“Fuck all of you,” Andrew sighs, turning back to his computer. “Let’s just focus on getting those Raven assholes shut down for good, ok?”
(Even with no attempted murders, Andrew finds the company almost bearable. The pizza, however, is truly shitty, and the aftertaste in Josten’s mouth is even worse. Andrew doesn’t find himself caring that much.)