2019-10-03 - Only the Hardest Cases

Gabriel has a case file spread out in front of him, which looks like the Karl and Pam Kruger murders from the pictures and reports. He is tapping his pen against the desk, his desk, chewing a little bit on his bottom lip. He sees something and scribbles something in his steno pad.

Voices in the hall outside Quintanilla's office. Couple of patrol officers, joined shortly by another. Rougher, soft-spoken (until he isn't). Spanish accent that he's tried to drum out, but it's fairly recognisable as Captain de la Vega, given the number of times they've interacted. The patrol officers depart shortly, and the captain raps on the door of Gabriel's office twice.

"Hola, Captain," says Gabriel, looking up from his desk and waving him into the detectives bullpen where he and the rest of the squad make their homes. "What can I help you with?" He gestures at the murder book and associated papers in front of him. "Charlie's asked me to pitch in on the Kruger hit."

Ruiz is pretty much already walking in, even before he's acknowledged by the detective. Oddly, he's not dressed for shift today; he's in one of the standard black GHPD tee shirts and dark cargo pants, with a ballcap pulled over his head and a worn look about him. It's been fairly well known that he's been down for about a week with this death flu that's been going around. Probably no longer contagious, though, which might be why he's here. "I've got a few leads I'd like your help with, with the body found on Bayside, actually." A file folder is slid onto the man's desk. "And a couple of other things, if you've got the bandwidth."

"Bayside? Yeah, sure. People are saying those have to do with the Ghoul serial killings or something?" It seems to be something that Gabriel has heard about, but that he hasn't really known that much about. "I can take it on. I'm up in the rotation, anyhow. And what are the other things?" He arches an eyebrow.

Ruiz flickers a smile at that. "Gohl," he corrects. "William Gohl." He watches the folder for a few moments, then Gabriel, and gives a little sniff like he's clearing his nose. The other things. "Lukas Collins. Turned up in a dumpster a little while ago. Some of him, anyway. Bishop's been handling that one, but I'd like more focus put on Joey Kelly and his associates. He knows something, but we're going to have to find the right leverage to make it fall out."

"Huh. All right. Felix's guys are lawyered up tight and likely aren't going to talk. But I can beat around the bushes and see what I can turn up. We have a file on this Collins guy? What might have gotten him in trouble with Kelly?" Already, the motel murder file is pushed to the side and Gabriel is scribbling notes to himself for these new cases.

Funny that Gabriel should ask. Another file folder lands on his desk, this one a bit scant on content. It's nudged closer. "Kelly claims to barely know the guy from a hole in the ground. He's hiding something, of course. And he knows that I know he'll take the fall for Monaghan, so he may not be fertile ground for digging up dirt. But you could try sniffing around Gregory Sumpter and Graham Stewart. Might be drug-related."

"Giving me the easy ones, huh, Cap?" asks Gabriel with a little smile as he takes down some more notes in response to the new information as he looks down at the file. "All right. I'll see if I can shake anything loose. Drug ones are hard to crack, especially after the first forty-eight hours, but doesn't mean I can't try to make it go down."

"I know if anyone can crack it, you can," murmurs the captain in a rare moment of not-asshole-ish-ness. He doesn't quite smile, but he does meet Gabriel's eyes for a beat. Then pushes off his desk, adjusts his cap, and heads for the door. "Feel free to text me if you stumble across any good leads. I should be back in the office next week, if I survive that long." He sniffs again. Probably exaggerating, right?

"I bet you say that to all the detectives you give the unsolvable cases to," says Gabriel, breaking the Moment with some cop humor. But the flash in his eyes suggests that he's glad for the vote of confidence. "But you got it, Cap. Just don't cough on me, huh?" Because Moments can't last forever.

Ruiz grunts something, probably in Spanish, on his way out the door. Another patrol officer accosts him on his way out the door, and a brief conversation ensues, followed by one of them clapping the other on the back, before the captain departs. Probably to return to his isolation chamber.