Justin gasped and Brian coolly raised an eyebrow. "Another suicide?"

One of the officers lunged at Brian, pinning him to the wall.

"Stop it!" Justin cried as Brian’s face scraped against the brick. The other officer stepped in front of Justin, putting a hand up to stop him from interfering.

"You got something to say, faggot?" the policeman hissed as he jerked Brian’s arms back to handcuff him.

"Those aren’t necessary," Horvath said, avoiding Justin’s accusing eyes.

But the officer ignored him and put them on anyway. When he yanked Brian back around and slammed his back against the wall, Justin saw a red welt spreading over Brian’s cheek where his face hit the wall.

"Carl, please!" Justin pleaded.

"Look, son, don’t make this any worse--"

"No, you look," Justin seethed, anger overriding fear. "If you want to have a job tomorrow you’ll take those cuffs off right now!" He heard the other officers chuckle and glared at Horvath as he walked to the desk and played the recorded messages on the answering machine. The blond turned it up as loud as he could so they would all hear the message Brian had gotten from the new mayor last night.

"Mr. Kinney, Marvin Deekins. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate everything you did to bring this situation with my opponent to the public and I promise you I will begin a full-scale investigation into Chief Stockwell’s handling of the Kemp murder case. I would also like to talk to you about your dismissal from his campaign staff. You did some fine work for him and I would like to offer you a position on my staff if you’re interested. Call me and we’ll set up a meeting."

Justin looked expectantly at Horvath as the machine beeped and he stopped it from playing anything else. "What do you think Mayor Deekins will have to say when I tell him that the Pittsburgh Police Department assaulted and wrongfully accused the man who exposed their corrupt Chief?"

Horvath shook his head. "We need to take him in. It’s just routine."

"Cutting his face is routine? That officer deliberately attacked Brian because he’s a homophobe, just like his boss." He looked the asshole cop in the eye as he added, "Or maybe he’s just a closet case."

For the first time since he’d been handcuffed, Brian’s stoic façade slipped and he smirked a little.

Ignoring the insulted policeman’s sneer, Justin turned back to Horvath. "Are you gonna take him like this?" he demanded, "He doesn’t have a shirt or shoes on for Christ’s sake."

Horvath sighed. "Everyone is a little wound up because of what happened. Let’s all just relax and--"

"I can prove Brian didn’t kill Stockwell right now."

"How?"

"Take the handcuffs off and get rid of those two," Justin insisted.

"Tell me--"

"Do it, or you can take him away, I’ll call Deekins, and we’ll sort it all out with the press in an hour. We both know you’re only here because Brian was the first person everyone thought of when you found the body, but you have nothing on him."

Justin could tell by Horvath’s shifting gaze that he was right. Then the detective nodded to the officers and they reluctantly uncuffed their prisoner. Brian rubbed his wrists and slumped onto a stool while Justin went to the refrigerator to get some ice for his cheek. Horvath told the uniforms to wait outside by the elevator and shut the door.

"Alright, tell me what you know."

Justin glanced at Brian. "After Brian talked to Stockwell and he left, we came up and Brian took a shower. Before I could join him, Stockwell came back."

"What?" Brian shouted angrily. This was the first he’d heard of it.

"I didn’t tell you because you were already pissed off enough. He rang the buzzer, I answered. He demanded to talk to you, I told him to fuck off. He laid on the buzzer for a few minutes, but I ignored him and eventually he left."

"That’s it?" Horvath asked impatiently.

"No," Justin huffed. "There are video cameras outside the entrances to the building now, ever since there was a series of robberies a few years ago." Justin ignored the snort Brian let out. "If you get the tapes from the building manager, you will see Brian and I came in, Stockwell showed up and then left, and Brian has been in the building all day. He couldn’t have killed Stockwell."

"Where is the manager?"

"Second floor."

When Horvath went to the door and talked to his men, Justin anxiously watched Brian. He didn’t like the passive man he saw before him. Except for the few reactions to what Justin said, the older man had completely withdrawn inside himself. "Brian--"

"I’m alright," the man replied tightly. He reached up and put his hand around Justin’s neck, giving him a little squeeze before letting his arm drop again as Horvath turned his attention back to them.

"Let’s go," the detective directed. "Get what you need."

"But--" Justin started.

"We’ll look at the tapes and if what you say is true, he’ll be home in a few hours. In the meantime, he’s got the strongest motive so we need to keep an eye on him until this is cleared up."

"Whatever," Brian muttered as he went to the bedroom to put on a shirt.

Justin followed, pulling his shoes from the closet. The blond watched his lover dress. "Is there anyone you want me to call?"

"There’s a criminal lawyer Mel recommended when John had me arrested. Tucker, call him—no wait. Can’t afford it. I guess they’ll have to appoint me one."

"Bri--"

"Call Mel. She can babysit me for the night if I need it. I’ll deal with the rest in the morning if I have to." He pecked Justin on the lips and walked back to the kitchen. "I’m ready."

Justin darted in front of Brian and the detective before Horvath opened the door. "No one touches him."

Horvath nodded. "No’s going to bother him."

Justin followed them to the elevator, but Brian gently pushed him back into the loft. "Call Mel."

The younger man silently acquiesced, pushing down the fear that clawed at his gut as Brian shut the door between them. He leaned against it, listening to the elevator gate go up and down, then the whine of the motor as it descended to the ground. Justin rushed over to the window and saw Brian get into the back of Horvath’s car. The detective talked to the other officers when they joined him a moment later. He took the videotapes they collected and sent them to their squad car. The police men pulled away and Horvath followed them. The blond watched the car until it was out of sight before he went to the phone.