*District 21*
After following up on a lead from Jay's CI during an Investigation into 34 heroin ODs on the South Side, the Team arrested a man they pressumed to be a drug dealer. He later turned out to be a father, Latrell, trying to find the man who murdered his son, Sean, a few months ago.
Jay, with some help from Hank, managed to convince him to help them take down the Gangster Prophets. The ones who have been selling the heroin that has been killing all those people. They were in the middle of a bust when things went awry. Dante, the gang leader, showed up and Latrell spiralled out of control when he realized that Dante drove a silver car. The same type of car a witness had seen speeding away right after Sean's murder. Jay was forced to step in and cool things down before they could get anymore heated.
The Detective was currently standing in the Interrogation Area hallway with a file in hand. He eventually moved into the Bullpen and looked up, spotting Ana over at her desk.
"Sarge?" Jay called, making his way towards the older woman.
"What's up?" She inquired with a smile.
"I ran the plate and the VIN on the Lexus. The car definitely belonged to Dante at the time of Sean's murder. Paid for it in cash back in April." He informed.
Hank appeared in the doorway to his Office with some papers in hand before the brunette could reply.
"What are you doing, Jay?" The older man shook his head.
He moved back into the small room and the other two followed him in as well.
"Look, just hear me out." The Detective sighed, recieving a grunt in response. "Gang intel says that Dante is a major player with the Prophets. Before he started focusing on heroin, he was an enforcer down in Englewood. He's a person of interest in three unsolved shootings." The younger man revealed.
"Yeah, well, last I checked, solving old murders is Homicide's job." Hank retorted, sitting in his chair and continuing to look over the papers he was holding.
"Henry, look, I understand where you're coming from but this guy is flooding the market with poison." Ana reasoned, gently, moving over to his right. "It has already killed 34 people and that number is gonna continue growing until we take Dante out."
"So if we can't get him on the heroin, let's go after him for Sean's murder. We'll get him and the heroin off the street that way." Jay added and the brunette nodded at him in agreement.
"Why are you doing this, Jay?" Hank inquired, finally tossing the papers on his desk.
The male Sergeant already knew why his wife wanted to do this, he just wanted to see what the Detective's answer would be.
"Because that guy is hurting, and he just needs answers so he can move on with his life." The younger man explained, quietly, and hesistated before finishing his thought. "And we can all relate to that."
"Okay. Let's build a case." The elder conceded. "See if we can tie Dante to Sean's murder."
Jay immediately turned and rushed out of the small room. The couple watched him go before feeling their gazes gravitate towards one of the photos on Hank's desk. It was of him and Ana standing on other side of Justin. The brunette leant her head on her husband's shoulder and the older man wrapped an arm around her in return.
*A Little While Later*
"We pinged Dante's cell the night of Sean's murder and the phone went dark from 6:00pm to 6:00am." Kevin reported, standing near the whiteboard. "That's something a pro would do."
"Okay. So what about Sean?" Hank wondered and paced around a bit before stopping next to Ana's desk.
"Yeah, do we know anything about his movements?" She inquired, leaning back in her chair.
"Whatever he was doing there, he wasn't just passing through." Adam shook his head. "His phone puts him in Englewood for five hours before he was killed.
"And it wasn't the first time he camped out there." Kim chimed in. "Dumped his cell records, and the three months before his death, he was at that corner at least twice a week."
"That would explain the 2 grand in his bedroom." Jay muttered, referring to the money Latrell had found hidden in Sean's bedroom.
"Mm-hmm." Hank hummed in agreement.
"So with the extra cash Sean was bringing in and the cell phone evidence, it looks like he was working with Dante's crew." Hailey shrugged.
"And it's either that or he's working that corner without affiliation." Jay added.
"Which is a guarantee to catch three in the chest." Kevin finished, quietly.
"Yeah, well, it's all still speculation." Hank retorted. "We gotta know for sure."
"Do we know who's running that area for Dante now?" Ana wondered.
"Actually, you know what? We do." Adam nodded, reaching over and grabbing a file from where it was stuffed into a blue binder. "It's this cat right here."
He proceeded to pull a photo out of the file and handed it to Kevin, who then taped it up to the board.
"Okay." The older man gestured for someone to continue.
"Travis Laroc, 18, in and out of the system. Documented and self-admitted member of the Prophets. He's been in Dante's crew for about three years now." Adam informed.
"All right. So go talk to him. See what he knows." Ana ordered with a small shrug. "And nice work."
"Thanks." Hailey smiled, both in response to the brunette's words and to Adam who had just handed her the file he grabbed earlier.
Hank just turned and went inside his Office.
*Interrogation Area: A Few Hours Later*
Turns out Sean worked at a corner store and the $2,000 was what he had saved up to buy his father a new air-conditioner. It was also raining the night of the murder and the clerk saw Sean run after a girl named Erika with an umbrella, making her a key witness.
Jay and Hailey had been interviewing her but she refused to talk. Hank and Ana were watching from the Observation Room and they left when their Detectives stood up, meeting them out in the Hallway.
"She's scared. She's on probation. She doesn't wanna get jammed up." The male Detective explained in a low murmur.
"Or get her mom evicted." The blonde added as the small group began making their way towards the Bullpen.
"We got that." The older man nodded in understanding.
"So. . . now what?" The brunette wondered.
They rounded a corner and, as if on cue, Kim appeared behind them at the other end of the long hallway.
"Hey. We ran Dante's alibi. Turns out he really was in Milwaukee all week." She informed, walking over.
"Okay. Well that doesn't mean-"
"It does." The Officer sighed, interrupting Hank in the process. "We found video of him at a restaurant the time of the murder, ten minutes after the time of the shooting."
"He didn't kill Sean Wade." Jay realized.
The two Sergeants glanced at each other in response.
*Back in the Bullpen*
"Okay, so Dante was out of town in Milwaukee which means he didn't pull the trigger." Ana began, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"So who did and why?" Hank questioned.
"All right. OCD Tech Lab just finished dumping Erika's phone. I think we got something." Adam reported, walking in from the Interrogation Area and heading over to the whiteboard with a file in hand. "Found three interesting texts received the night that Sean was killed. Starting at 6:41, 'I love you, baby. More than ever.' At 7:55, 'Why you playing me, bitch?' At 8:13, 'Your boy is a dead man.'"
"It's like a five-year relationship played out in three short texts." Kim remarked.
"Yeah." Adam nodded in agreement and gestured at one of the photos taped to the board. "All of these were sent from a phone registered to one Kayvon MacLaine."
"K-Mac." Jay's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Yeah. He's one of Dante's runners." Ana murmured, thoughtfully.
"So K-Mac's dating Erika, not Dante." The male Detective summarized, glancing up at his partner who was standing by her desk with crossed arms.
"And he's jealous of Sean." Hailey continued.
"So Dante goes to Milwaukee for the weekend. K-Mac borrows his Lexus, rolls up on Sean, and shoots him." Adam finished for the both of them.
"Yeah, well, now all we gotta do is prove it." Hank pointed out.
"Think about it like this. We know a casing was two feet away from the body which means at least one of the shots was fired up close." Kevin chimed in. "It's a long shot, but maybe blood got on K-Mac's shoes. He gets in the car. I don't care how many times you wash it. You're gonna find traces."
The older man glanced down at his wife.
"Well, it's worth a shot." Ana shrugged.
"Seize and impound the vehicle." Hank ordered, turning to head into his Office.
He paused, however, when Trudy's voice sounded from the stairs.
"Hey, Jay. Your new best friend is downstairs, wants to talk to you." She informed.
"Latrell?" He guessed, walking over to the Desk Sergeant.
"Yeah, I can tell him you're on vacation." Trudy offered.
"No, it's okay." Jay shook his head, following her downstairs.
After that they were out of earshot and Ana turned around, sharing a look with her husband.
*A Little While Later*
The two Sergeants walked in to see that Hailey and Kim were the only ones in the large area.
"I just talked to Forensics. They found traces of blood on the driver's side carpet. They're checking it now." The Officer informed as the gate slammed closed down below.
"Okay, good." Ana smiled. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, about 20 texts between K-Mac and Erika. Exactly what you'd expect." The blonde replied. "Lots of love, lots of anger, lots of threats mostly directed toward Sean Wade."
"Sounds like motive to me. Find his address. Let's arrest his ass." Hank ordered.
"Good luck." The brunette smirked.
The older man just pecked her on the lips and moved towards his Office.
*Later That Night*
Ana joined the Team on scene after they found K-Mac DOA. Jay had attempted to chase down the shooter but he jumped into a car and sped off.
"You get anything?" Hank inquired as the male Detective rejoined the large group.
"I gave patrol a description of the car, told 'em to put out a flash." He replied.
"Did you get a partial?" Ana wondered, adjusting her face mask.
"No, it was too far away. He was average height, medium build. I mean, that's all I could make out." Jay sighed, glancing over his shoulder.
"What are we thinking? Dante?" Kevin inquired.
"Well, here we are. Our suspect is now a DOA." Hank shrugged.
"All right, three gunshots, close range. He's got powder burns on the back of his shirt." Adam informed. "Probably didn't see it coming."
"You're thinking revolver?" Ana guessed.
"There's no shell casings around so it's that or he policed his own brass." Adam nodded.
"Okay. For now, we're gonna assume Dante is behind it. He got nervous K-Mac might flip, and he took him out." Hank speculated. "We just gotta tie him to it."
"So check traffic cams, surveillance video, anything you can find. And start tracking Dante's inner circle too." Ana ordered. "There's still a good chance one of them could have done the hit."
Everyone scattered around to carry out their instructions and the older man walked off with his wife in tow.
*Tech Office: The Next Day*
Hank walked in with Ana at his side and the brunette let out a small yawn, rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes. Kim and Adam were each sat at a computer while Jay was leaning forwards on the desk next to the female Officer.
"Talk to us." The older man demanded.
"Okay. So Jay saw the car head down Princeton then turn on 76th. Now there's nothing right there. But we were able to get something off a POD on Shields near the park." Kim explained as the two Sergeants appeared behind her.
"Bluejay?" Ana called.
"Yeah. That's definitely the car." He nodded.
"I tried pulling up the plate, but it's all grain." Kim shook her head.
"Ran the model through our system. It's a 2001 to 2004 Camaro. There's at least 200 in the city, maybe more." Adam informed as he moved in between Ana and Jay.
"We got any other angles?" Hank wondered.
"Or know what direction he's headed?" The brunette added in agreement.
"Okay, so I was able to pull one off a stadium, but look it's almost directly overhead." Kim sighed, pausing the video on a picture of the top of the car. "And while it's a clear shot, it's even less of a chance of seeing the driver or the plates. And after this, we lose him completely."
The two Sergeants exhanged a quick glance.
"All right. So we do it the old-fashioned way." Hank decided.
"Track down every single one of those models, one by one, until you get a hit." Ana ordered.
"We gotta connect Dante to that car." The older man commanded, heading back the way he came.
The brunette followed him a second later.
*Hank's Office: A Little While*
Ana walked in with Jay right behind her to find the older man at his desk, looking through some papers.
"Hey, Henry." She smiled, moving over to the couch.
The male Sergeant was about to respond with a usual greeting but quickly switched gears at the carefully disguised worried look on her face.
"Everything okay?" He wondered.
"Define 'okay.'" The brunette sighed, flopping back on the couch.
Hank placed the papers down on his desk and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap.
"What's going on?" The older man prodded, gently.
Ana just looked up at the Detective who'd, up until now, been standing eerily still in the doorway.
"Go ahead, Bluejay." She nodded, softly. "Tell him what you told me."
"Latrell killed K-Mac." Jay blurted out as if he had held it back this whole time.
"What makes you say that?" Hank inquired.
"Saw something in the surveillance video." The younger man admitted. "The dark blue car had an estimate on it, like the way mechanics put it in the dash, and that got me thinking."
"Well, you got any actual proof?" The male Sergeant wondered.
"It's sitting in his parking lot, boss, the Camaro. I saw it." Jay whispered.
Hank let out a grunt and stood up, walking towards the door. The Detective stepped forwards, moving out of his way and gazing out of the window instead. The older man closed the wooden entrance and, by that point, the two men had pretty much traded places.
"How did Latrell know we were onto K-Mac? That wasn't public information, Jay." He pointed out, crossing his arms.
Ana watched all of this, silently, merely waiting until she was needed.
"I'm not sure." The younger man fibbed, turning around and leaning back on the desk against the wall.
"You're not sure." Hank repeated, catching the white lie instantly.
"I told Latrell that Sean was killed over a girl, someone that he was working with at a grocery store in Englewood." Jay confessed, shaking his head. "So Latrell must have gone down there and found out about Erika, and then connected her back to K-Mac."
"Okay. Tell me this. Why are you really here?" The older man prompted, walking over and perching on the far corner of his desk.
"Latrell shouldn't even be in this position." The Detective pointed out. "If Homicide did their job. . .if they found the killer-"
"It's not a perfect system, Jay." Hank shrugged.
"I know it's not. But Latrell is a good guy. He loved his kid. More than anything. He just couldn't let it go. He couldn't find closure. So he just went and he did what he thought he had to do. Which is something that I might do." The younger man reasoned, looking up at the elder. "Something that I'm thinking you might do too. Or have done." His gaze flickered over to Ana.
"Bluejay. . ." She let out a sigh and leaned forwards. "You're the only one who saw that estimate on the dash. So it has to be your call."
"What would you do?" Jay wondered.
"It doesn't matter what I'd do or what Henry would do." The brunette explained, softly. "We are different people, Bluejay. You need to do what makes sense for you."
"But whatever that choice is, just make sure it's something that you can live with for the rest of your life." Hank advised, gently.
Jay swallowed and nodded, pushing off of the desk. He walked over to the door and opened it before leaving the small room.
*Later That Night*
Ironically enough, it was raining. . .just like on the night Sean was killed. Hank and Ana watched from afar as Jay guided a handcuffed Latrell to his truck, where Hailey was waiting.
The blonde opened the back door and both Detectives helped him inside before shutting it and hopping into the vehicle themselves. The two Sergeants looked at each other as the partners drove off and Ana cracked a small smile that Hank returned a second later.
The older man grabbed onto his wife's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before using his unoccupied one to restart the car. The couple proceeded to drive off into the night, unknown to the two Detectives they had been following of course.
A/N I hope you all enjoyed! Till Monday!
~Princess <3