*District 21: Bullpen*
Hank, who had a file in hand, and Ana walked in from the Basement/Garage Area just as Jay and Hailey came out of the Break Room. The two Sergeants instantly clocked a tiny movement from the blonde and glanced down to see her hand lingering on the small of her partner's back. They shared a quick look before moving towards their normal areas.
"Hey, Sarge, you got a sec?" The female Detective inquired once she spotted the brunette at her desk.
"Always." Ana smiled, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. "What's up?"
"Um, I just wanted to talk to you about what happened last night." The younger woman explained, referring to how she was suppose to teach a class at the police academy but never showed.
"Is everything okay?" The elder wondered.
"Yeah, just something personal came up." Hailey shrugged.
"Anything to be concerned about?" Ana prodded, gently.
"No, it was just a dinner." The blonde shook her head. "I'm really sorry, Sarge."
"Hailey, 97% of the class still needs to be trained, you're good." Hank assured, having appeared in the doorway to his Office while they were talking.
He turned to head back inside but another voice had him staying in place.
"Guys, call came over the zone. Home invasion in progress, Goethe and Stone. Sounds like the same crew we've been tracking." Kim informed, urgently.
"All right, put us down responding." The older man ordered. "Have patrol hold down that perimeter, let's go."
He paused and glanced back at his wife, remembering the conversation they had a few weeks ago. Ana just let out a small sigh and nodded for him to go on with the rest of team. Hank hesistated, gazing at her sadly, but rushed off anyway.
*A Little While Later*
"So, the witness was spot on about the BMW. These are the best shots that we got from the doorbell cam. The small offender gets away with a bag of stolen goods. The other offender hops in this car and the tags come back to a recent stolen from Lake Forest. It's a dead end after that, my friends." Kevin informed, holding up two photos before taping them to the whiteboard.
"Well, we got an inventory of what was stolen?" Hank wondered from his usual spot next to his wife's desk.
"Well, it was insured, so list is pretty detailed. They mostly got Megan's jewelry. Peter Harper's another story. They got his Submariner Rolex. Diamond bezel and lugs." Adam listed.
"That's at least 50 dimes." Kevin pointed out.
"Yeah." The other male Officer agreed.
"Maybe those guys knew about the Rolex. You know, maybe these hits aren't random. Every place that's been hit has had a safe and specific valuables." Hailey reasoned. "These guys are obviously doing their homework. So if we figure out how, maybe we can catch them."
"All right." Hank nodded, sharing a look with Ana.
"Check out some POD footage I've been looking at." Kim spoke up, rushing over to the empty desk across from hers while everyone else gathered around.
"Okay." The brunette gestured for her to continue.
"So, this is our Beamer. Plates are confirmed, you can't see the occupants. And this is I90, 11:17 am. It's 25 minutes after the Harper robbery. The Beamer gets off at West Lawn, heads south." The female Officer explained, typing a bit while they watched the video. "Now. . . there's three pawn shops, and a couple of thrift stores within one mile radius of that exit. I don't think that's a coincidence."
"Yeah, check it out." Hank ordered, heading towards his Office.
"All right, divide and conquer." Ana added while moving back over to her desk.
*Interrogation Area: A Few Hours Later*
While checking out the pawn shops, Jay and Hailey found an owner who was willing to help out. He even had a meeting set up with their guys an everything. But, during the time he was being interviewed, the location of the meet suddenly changed.
"Where was the original meet set?" Hank wondered, coming out of the Observation Room with Ana at the same time Jay and Hailey appeared in the Hallway.
"The Bean, Millennium Park." The male Detective replied. "It's crowded."
"Now, RJ wants to meet Tolan under lower Canal off Cabrini Street." The blonde sighed.
"Okay." The brunette nodded as they rounded a corner.
"From high pedestrian traffic to desolate. The place screams hit." Jay pointed out just as the two Sergeants stopped and turned to face them. "And there's no way we can stay close enough. It's a surveillance nightmare."
"Tolan's been skimming from the top, stealing from them." Hailey revealed. "This could be payback."
"Okay, so, what's the play?" Hank inquired.
"It's too risky, and there's too many variables. We should hold him, and chase other leads." Jay suggested.
"Hailey?" Ana prodded, gently.
"It's the safest bet. If things go south, we're picking up a body." The blonde reasoned.
Kim suddenly appeared in the doorway behind the two Sergeants.
"Guys. Our home invasion just upgraded to murder. Peter Harper just flatlined at Med." She informed, grimly, ducking back into the Bullpen a few seconds later.
"Well, it appears we don't have time to play it safe." The brunette observed with a sigh.
"We're using Tolan as bait." Hank decided, leaving no room for discussion.
He disappeared into the larger area with his wife right behind him. Jay and Hailey just looked at one another before heading back to grab Tolan.
*The Next Morning*
Things quickly went south at the meet when Jay, followed by Hailey, moved in on a white van after the male Detective thought he saw a gun. What it really turned out to be was a drill owned by a construction crew whose job was actually a few blocks over.
The two Sergeants were making their way upstairs from the Basement/Garage Area when Hank glanced down at his wife, suddenly remembering something.
"Hey, you should know that I talked to Hailey yesterday about what happened and she basically confirmed her and Jay being a thing so. . ." He trailed off.
"She give you any indication that that's gonna be a problem?" Ana wondered.
"Not yet. But I say we keep a close eye on them. Just in case." The older man reasoned.
"Agreed." The brunette nodded and they entered the Bullpen.
The two Detectives they had just been talking about were already at their desks and one of them was keen on getting their attention.
"Hey, hey guys, actually, I think I have something." Hailey informed, stopping Hank from entering his Office and Ana from taking a seat at her desk. "So I've been digging into the victims of the robberies and I think I found a nexus."
"Okay." The older man gestured for her to continue.
"The Rainers, Ellis Newton, Megan and Peter Harper. . . they're all members of the Riverside Athletic Club." The blonde revealed.
"That makes sense, that place is really expensive." Jay pointed out.
"50Gs just to get in the front door." Adam muttered, appearing beside Hank with a coffee mug in his hand.
"Yeah, so maybe someone who works there is helping find targets." Hailey reasoned.
"Chase it." The older man ordered.
"Yeah, you and Bluejay go talk to the victims, see if they remember anyone from the club." Ana added.
And with that, the two Sergeants dispersed back to their normal areas.
*1433 East Scott*
Hank and Ana were being led through a crime scene in the aftermath of yet another armed robbery.
"Anything on the Chrysler?" The brunette wondered.
"Patrol just found it abandoned in Navy Pier. It was stolen." Jay replied as he guided them over to Hailey who was standing over the body of a young kid. "This is all the same M.O as the other robberies. They forced the housekeeper inside and they got into the safe."
Ana swallowed and turned away, focusing on her husband's figure instead. Hank just grabbed ahold of her hand and squeezed it, gently.
"What's the boy's name?" He inquired.
"Paul Sinclair. Patrol's outside talking to the parents now. They were supposed to be out of town. Offenders must have known that." The blonde pointed out, quietly. "Explains why they were so brazen. But, Paul wasn't feeling well. Parents went to work, Paul stayed home from school. This should have never gone this far."
"You're damn right." Hank growled.
The older man turned and headed back the way he came from, taking Ana with him.
*The Next Day*
Hailey handed several copies of the same file over to Hank who then proceeded to give them out to the rest of the team.
"All right, it's a bit of a Hail Mary. But we were able to ID both offenders. We've put out active warrants, and an All-Call broadcast. So far, nothing. This is Miguel Almonte. He left his prints on a Mercedes when Atwater was chasing him." She explained, taping one of the photos to the whiteboard. "Kid's had a rough life. Dad's in prison, Mom died in a car accident. He's been in and out of the juvie system ever since. He's a lost soul looking for a home and a father figure."
"Right. We think that he might have found found that father figure in this guy. Meet Robert James Riggs, a.k.a. RJ." Jay added, taping another picture of a bald white man next to the one of the young teenager. "I sent this photo over to Tolan. He confirmed this is the guy he's been dealing with. RJ bailed Miguel out of jail last year when Miguel got pinched for shoplifting."
"RJ grew up poor in the Bronx. He's got an impressive sheet. Assault and two armed robberies in New York. He was into banks then. But he paired up with a teenager back then, too. Kid was shot and nearly killed by the police in a bust." Hailey revealed and Ana sat up a little straighter at the mention of the other state she spends most of her time in. "He did five years in Attica, was released two years ago, and has since made his way to Chicago."
"Okay, so why Chicago?" Hank wondered.
"Unclear." The blonde shook her head.
"So, a Bronx career criminal and an inner city foster kid." Ana murmured, thoughtfully. "How do they cross?"
"Right. We think that Miguel used to live with RJ. RJ's LKA is from a year ago in Oak Park. Another family lives there now." Jay informed, gesturing to the Offender's photo while he spoke.
"So we may have something. Miguel's previous conviction was to do one year community service at an animal shelter." Hailey reported. "So he completed that six months ago, but according to the supervisor, he still goes there every Wednesday, including last week."
"Well today's Wednesday." Hank pointed out. "All right, you two head over there right now. Sit on it.
Meanwhile, remember, RJ's gotta find a new fence."
"Let's work that angle too." Ana agreed, cracking a small smile. "Good work."
*Observation Room: A While Later*
Miguel is now in custody but Jay's having a hard time getting anything out of him.
"This kid's not gonna break. Our strongest connection is still the Riverside Athletic Club. Sinclairs were members there, too." Hailey pointed out. "You think that's just a coincidence?"
Hank and Ana shared a look before moving towards the hallway.
"Keep chasing it."
*Later That Night*
Hank and Ana arrived on scene after they caught word of their two Detectives chasing and gunning down RJ. The Sergeants were currently taking a look at the body for themselves and the older man had just stood back up when the brunette spotted Jay and Hailey walking in their direction.
"Hey, are you guys okay?" Ana inquired with a worried gaze.
"Yeah, Sarge." The male Detective nodded.
"Yeah." The blonde added.
"Mom and daughter?" Hank wondered.
"Uh, they're in shock but they're all right." Hailey assured.
"You did good, you saved two lives." The older man pointed out. "All right, what happened? How'd it go down?"
Both Detectives hesistated and they glanced at each other befoee the blonde began speaking.
"I got a lead on the house. Called Jay. We arrived at the residence, looked empty, so we got out of the car to get a closer look." She reported, quietly.
"Did you go inside?" Ana prodded, gently.
They hesistated again and Jay spoke up this time.
"No, we didn't have a warrant. When we got out of the car, RJ pulled up. We exchanged shots, he got back in his car, we gave chase, that's how we ended up here." The male Detective explained
"Officer involved shooting in today's climate, eyes are gonna be all over this. So, if there's anything else we need to know. . ." Hank trailed off, glancing between the two partners.
"It was by the book, guys." Jay shook his head.
"Okay." Ana conceded, walking off with her husband in tow. "Get some rest."
The brunette knew they were lying, of course, but this was one of those rare moments where she wouldn't bring it up and preferred not to, actually.
*Even Later That Night: District 21: Parking Lot*
Ana was standing a few feet away from her husband while he signed something for another Officer. Hank was just finishing up when both Sergeants heard the sound of a car parking behind them. They didn't even need to look to know who it was.
"Something up, Hailey?" The older man wondered.
"Yeah, scene's done being processed. So I brought the pack for your signatures." She reported, holding out a file.
"Okay." He nodded, taking it from her.
"Anything else?" The blonde inquired.
"We're good." Ana assured with a smile.
"We got the son-of-a-bitch, we move on. It's been a long day." Hank pointed out. "Go home."
"Um. . ." Hailey trailed off, hesitant to continue but both Sergeants waited patiently for her to do so. "Jay and I are together. Maybe I should have said something earlier. Maybe it is affecting things." She chuckled, neevously, and the older man let out a soft grunt in return. "I don't want to mess up the best job I've ever had. This is the most steady thing I've had in my life the last four years. This job is intense, and unpredictable. That's what I love about it. That's what makes me feel. . ."
"Safe?" Ana smirked, knowingly.
"Yeah. Is that crazy?" The blonde wondered.
"Possibly, but that's what makes you good at your job." Hank replied, honestly.
"Maybe, um. . ." Hailey trailed off.
"Maybe what?" Ana prodded in a soft voice.
"Maybe I need a new partner." She sighed.
Hank glanced at his wife just to be sure and the brunette just nodded in reply.
"You and Jay are a good team, we're not splitting that up." He shook his head, giving the blonde a light tap on the arm. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, all right." She murmured, heading back towards her car.
"Hailey." Ana called, making her pause and turn around. "Just be careful, okay? We know you like to do things your own way."
"What does that mean?" The Detective demanded.
"Means we know you." Hank explained, gently. "We need Jay just the way he is."
The blonde sighed, glancing at the floor and giving the Sergeants one last small smile before getting into her SUV.
A/N I hope you all enjoyed! Till Thursday!
~Princess <3