Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 17

"So you found my social media. What happened next?"

"I just couldn't believe how perfect you were."

"I'm your type, huh?" Rose asked. "Pretty, blonde, lip fillers. Is that what you like?"

"Oh yeah," Orton nodded. "But you're different. "Prostitutes are one thing. They might look nice, but you know the kind of things they do for money and how low their morals must be. But you? You would have been another thing."

"You killed them quickly, then?"

"There wasn't much point keeping them around. I was practicing, pretty much."

And there it was. Rose had snuck the question under Orton's radar, and he had just effectively confessed to murdering prostitutes.

"Wow," Purrazzo gasped. "I can't believe he just said that. She's got him."

"Yeah, she has," Halstead said. "I'm pretty confident now that they'll be able to get everything out of him. We've got the son of a bitch. For all of those murders and the attempted murder of Lindsay, he's never going to see the light of day again."

"You're that sure he'll tell us everything now?"

"Not only do I think he'll do it, I think he'll get off on doing it. He'll relive what he did, and he'll fantasise about what he wanted to do to Rose."

"Sick bastard," Purrazzo snarled. "I hope he rots in prison."

About an hour before the shift was due to end, Halstead's phone rang. He was sitting at his desk, with his phone on the desktop. Erin's name was on the screen.

"It's Lindsay," he announced to Olinsky, whose desk was next to his. He answered the call, deciding it was best to keep things professional since he was in the office. "Halstead."

"Hi, Jay. They're discharging me, at last. Could you come pick me up, please?"

Ordinarily, permission would be required from the boss to leave an hour early. But Lindsay was the boss. "Of course. I can head right over."

"Thanks, Jay. I need to sort my things out, so I'll talk to you when you get here. I'll meet you out front. The fresh air will be nice."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

Ending the call, Halstead stood up and put on his coat. There were expectant faces looking his way from the rest of the team."

"How is she?" Olinsky asked on everyone's behalf.

"She's being discharged. Wants me to go pick her up and take her home. I assume I'll find out when she's likely to return to work, so I'll either get her to let you know or I'll let you know."

"Alright. She didn't seem too bad when we visited this morning, apart from that nasty bruising," Atwater said.

"Lindsay's as tough as they come," Olinsky said fondly. "The way she has rode out that shot she took from Orton, she must have a skull made of metal, too."

"I'll ask her," Halstead said with a bit of smile. "See you all in the morning."

Farewells followed him to the stairs, and within a couple of minutes he was in his car on the way to the hospital.

Erin was sitting out front of Chicago Med's main entrance, Jay saw when he drove slowly by, keeping to the low speed limit in the hospital grounds. He would have waved to her, but she was on her phone with someone and not paying attention to the traffic.

Jay pulled into the closest parking lot, and managed to find an empty spot. With that task accomplished, he walked back towards the entrance.

Erin was still sitting on the bench, no longer on the phone. She didn't notice him right away, but when she did, she waved to him and got up.