Life - Linstead

Chapter XI

Day 01 of work undercover
Chicago, April 12. Tuesday. Spring.

Last night, Erin knew exactly where to go to find some gang members. And now, at five in the morning, she found herself sitting on the couch where she'd tried to sleep, in the house some gang members were staying in.

Erin knew the risks of being there. She didn't want to be there. Being there messed everything up.

The hours passed, and she was still looking out the window. The day was beautiful outside, unlike her life. She used to like spring, it had a pleasant temperature.

— Hey pretty — a men spoke to her — are you awake yet?

— I couldn't sleep — she said shrugging her shoulders.

— I'm glad you're back, Erin — the men said — when I heard that the police had caught you, I felt really bad.

Erin just smiled. The men in question was different from the others. He was docile, loving. Many times Erin wondered why he was there.

—  So, what's today's job, Mike? — Erin asked 

— Today, just survive. — the men said — to start planning to steal a truck tomorrow

— why do you want a truck? — Erin asked looking at him.

— The boss wants to take the kids out of Chicago — Mike said — and a car can't take 15 kids.

Erin just nodded, not wanting to ask too much so as not to arouse suspicion. She'd leave that to find out another time.

— Shall we get some coffee? — the men asked

— Are you going to pay, Mike? I'm zeroed — erin said laughing

— let's go. I pay, but only because I like you. — Mike said laughing.

That first day, nothing happened. As Mike said, it was a day to stay alive. Erin talked to everyone in the house, there were five people there. Erin didn't ask much for obvious reasons. Two people there she knew from her latest undercover job, but the rest were new.

The day passed slowly, it was already night when everyone in the house was sitting in the living room drinking beer and smoking marijuana. Erin was just drinking beer. She would do her best not to have to use drugs, but she knew there would come a time when it would be inevitable.

— Hey Erin, what was it like spending time in jail? — one of the men asked.

— Normal, — Erin shrugged — free food is always good.

— Damn, sometimes I think about letting the police arrest me just for that — one guy said.

— I'm going to steal a loaf of bread from the market to be arrested when my money runs out — a woman said — I'm alone, so prison might be good for me

— I can't believe you're romanticizing prison — Mike said after exhaling smoke.

— You say that because you have your family supporting you — a man said after drinking his beer — if you were alone like us, you'd know what we're talking about.

They were silent for a while until the silence was broken by the same man

— Who are we working for?

— For me — Mike replied.

— And who do you work for? — The man asked.

— To anyone who offers me a good buck — Mike replied.

— And this time, who hired you — the man insisted.

— Damn, you're very interested in knowing who they are — Mike said stressed and getting up taking the gun that was on the table and pointing at the man — is there something you want to tell me?

—  No man, sorry — the man said raising his arms in surrender — it was just curiosity. It went badly. it was really bad.

But Mike didn't lower the gun. The drugs and drinks were already taking effect. They weren't sober anymore and the neurosis was kicking in.

— Mike, put the gun down — Erin said, holding the boy's shoulder — the guy already apologized

—  You're on his side, are you Erin? — Mike asked looking at her — I'm going to replace this guy tomorrow

—  I'm not on anyone's side, Mike — Erin said and rolled her eyes — now put the gun down.

—  I'm not understanding you, Erin — Mike said, putting the gun down. —  Are you with me or not?

—  Are you done with this drama or will it last until sunrise? — a man asked

— Shut your mouth — mike said and silence reigned.

The silence was broken again as they started talking as if the little argument had never taken place.

~

That same day, the Intelligence Unit continued the search for new leads. Voight was in his office studying the folder Erin had handed him. It had some very good information in that folder that made him question that she knew about it and didn't tell him and didn't intend to. He decided to share the information with his team.

— okay, listen everyone — Voight started — I have some information to pass on to you

As soon as he got everyone's attention, he started passing on important information.

— They are coming from the East towards the West. This gang has been operating in different states, such as New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and now here in Illinois. — Voight said.

— Damn, — Adam said. — That's why the FBI is in it, right?

—  In every state they passed through, they kidnapped 15 children no less than 4 years old and no more than 6 years old.

— So we have a total of 75 kids kidnapped by this gang — Hailey said.

— That's insane — Kim said — how has no one ever found them?

— So based on this new information, the baby wasn't kidnapped by this gang — Antonio said.

— So we have two cases? — Kevin said

— If the baby was really kidnapped, right? — Jay said —  the woman blamed Lindsay and vanished as if she'd never been there before.

—  Investigate, find this woman at any cost. — Voight said — I'll finish reading these reports and see if there's anything important

The Intelligence unit investigated, but to no avail. They didn't find any information about Ms. Thompson. The woman had disappeared. And the information about this gang was minimal, and none of it really helped to proceed with the investigation.

Frustrated, they went home at the end of the day.