Chapter 2

Major Case Squad

54th Precinct

Danny walked into the squad room stopping by the coffee pot to grab a cup and reset his energy level from the case already. His partner had dropped him off to prior to running over to the lab to drop of the toothbrush for DNA comparison. He started towards his desk when he heard his CO's voice.

"Reagan." Lieutenant Craver called out from her office. She got up and stood in the doorway. "Where are we on the Trevor Williams homicide?"

"Baez is dropping of a toothbrush we got from the boyfriend to confirm DNA." Danny replied to the question setting the coffee down on his desk before he turned to face Lieutenant Craver. "Other than that we got squat. No murder weapon, no witnesses, no surveillance footage."

"What about the alibi for the boyfriend?"

"The building where he works has a badge reader. The security official said it would take until the morning to get us the records as well as surveillance footage."

"The partnership over at the law firm agreed to this." Lieutenant Craver said with a shocked look on her face.

"Took a warrant to get the footage." Danny replied with a smile.

"How about the childhood friend?"

"About to look for her now."

"Keep me updated." Lieutenant Craver said. She turned and walked into her office.

Danny took a seat and began his search for Adara Hassan. He entered the name into the database to wait for the results to come up. He saw his partner come back into the squad room. "How long did they say it would take partner?"

"Well the lab guy said they were backed up because of Chief Kent's murder trial and a request to speed up the Gomez evidence for your sister's trial." Baez said sitting down at her desk and looked over at Reagan. "But he's willing to put at the top for a price?"

"Dinner and drinks?" Danny asked as his computer beeped and he turned his attention to that.

"Dinner, drinks and a show. I'm not a show person." Baez replied with a disgusted remark. She looked over at Danny who was staring at his computer. "What you got?"

"The only record of Adara Hassan is a driver's license. There's no social media, no marriage certificate or even social security card."

"Like someone wiped her identity. I mean who doesn't have social media." Baez replied typing something into her own computer. She pulled up Trevor Williams's social media pages. "Huh?"

"Got something partner?" Danny asked getting up and walking around to his partner's desk.

"Yeah. Fred said he didn't know Adara all that well right?" Baez asked getting a nod from Danny. She blew up a picture which had a smiling trio of Trevor Williams, Fred Nicholson and Adara Hassan. "What does that look like?"

"Looks like Freddy is a liar." Danny remarked.

State Attorney's office

Manhattan, New York

"Miss Reagan?" A voice called from Erin's doorway. Erin looked up to see a middle age lawyer standing in the door frame. "I'm Michael Sorenson, attorney for Emily Gutierrez."

"Yes come in Mr. Sorenson, I was expecting you." Erin said pointing to a chair in front of her desk. She waited until the lawyer was seated. "Thank you so much Mr. Sorenson for coming in on such short notice."

"Not at all Ms. Reagan." Mr. Sorenson replied.

"The reason I asked for this meeting, is that I would like to apologize for the delay in the trial of your client. The lab has been backed since the Chief Kent murder trial received priority." Erin said looking the lawyer in the face and being honest. "I have the word that the evidence will be ready for….."

"Excuse me Ms. Reagan, but I am going to stop you right there. I am here as courtesy to you, but I don't want the excuses." Mr. Sorenson stated. He reached down into his briefcase and pulled out a blue folder and passed it over. "My motion to dismiss all charges and dismiss all evidence against my client. "

"Mr. Sorenson, I am pretty certain you know the backlog in our lab and the media sensation that the chief's murder riled up."

"I do, but your lab has had that evidence for three months, while my client has sat in jail waiting for a moment to clear her name."

"Your client shot her boyfriend in the head after she discovered him cheating on her."

"Regardless of the charges Ms. Reagan, my client has a right to a speedy trial and the system has failed her." Mr. Sorenson replied closing up the briefcase. "I'll see you in the hearing tomorrow."

Erin watched the back of the lawyer leave her office. She picked up her phone and dial a number. "Alex get me all the evidence information on the Gomez case, who collected it, who is running it, everything and I need it now."

Jamie's apartment.

Lower East Side, Manhattan.

Jamie walked into his apartment with his day bag in one hand and a pile of police manuals and notebooks in the other. His keys were in his mouth as he kicked the door closed with his foot. He set the bag down on the floor and walked to the kitchen counter where he set the notebooks and manuals down. After putting the bag in the closet, he pulled a beer out of the fridge and collect the material of the counter and set it down on the coffee table. Though he hadn't made up his mind yet, the material on his table was the exam preparation for the NYPD Sergeants exam.

For Jamie, he was wrestling between multiple thoughts at the moment. Sign up for the exam, not tell his family, and show that the Reagans don't need to get hooks to get ahead which not of them do anyway. Another thought he wrestled with was not take the exam and wait for a promotion to detective, which too many would look like favoritism. The last thought he was wrestling with was to stay on patrol and never get promoted. The bright side to those thoughts was at least for a while he would be partnered with Eddie.

"Damn. Eddie would know the right things to say." Jamie said to himself as he took a drink from the beer. He set the beer down on the table to at least put on the TV to maybe help him think about what he wanted. Then he noticed it a particular picture sitting on the coffee table.

The picture was of him and Eddie by their squad car that a tourist had taken of them while they were patrolling in their assigned area. The tourist was even kind enough to text the picture to Jamie who made copies for him and Eddie. Then he remembered what Sarge told him a few months back. He was watching them and if the romantic feelings came up and Jamie couldn't control them, he would transfer one of them out. He buried them, but every day he saw Eddie he felt them there and they were on the rise again.

Jamie drained the beer and stood to get another one. On his way to the fridge, he went back over everything he and Eddie went through. Death of a policemen from their precinct, undercover work, multiply collars, scrutiny of their professional relationship. A friendship that was built, a small kiss they had shared. Yet for everything bad that happened to the Reagans, she was there with him, helping through it. To him, she was family, but professionally they were partners.

"I have my answer." Jamie said out loud to himself as he pulled out the beer for the fridge.

Danny and Linda's house.

Staten Island, New York

"Hey everybody I'm home." Danny said walking through the front door of his house. He saw his two boys running up to him. "Ahh my two boys. Been taking it easy on mom."

"Yes dad." Sean and Jack Reagan told their father.

"Good, finish your homework?" Danny asked.

"No they didn't." Linda said walking gingerly with the help of a cane out of the kitchen.

"Really. Go finish it before dinner. I'll check it afterwards." Danny told his boys who nodded and went upstairs. Then he walked over to his wife. "Hi hon, how are you doing?"

"She did well on PT today. Made it halfway up the stairs." Linda answered with a weak smile. Several weeks after the shooting she was still recovering. A bullet still lodged in her back, too near the spine to remove, but every day she was getting stronger, but still slept downstairs, with Danny near her every night.

"That she did Danny." Linda's friend Sharon from the hospital mentioned coming out of the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and jacket off the dining room table. She came over to give Linda a squeeze. "Dinner is in the oven. Be ready in a half-hour."

"Sharon we can't appreciate everything everyone has done for us these last few weeks." Linda told her walking over to the couch and taking a seat.

"Yeah you and everyone over at the hospital has been great." Danny echoed his wife's statement giving Sharon a hug.

"Like cops we are family, and we take care of each other." Sharon replied putting her coat on. She slung her purse over her shoulder and dug out the car keys. She opened the door. "Marissa will be here tomorrow. Remember call if you need anything."

"We will thank you and good night." They answered with Danny closing the door. After the door was closed he made his way over to the couch sitting down next to his wife. "Halfway up the stairs huh?"

"Yeah, hopefully by Friday will be all the way." Linda said with a sly smile. She knew Danny knew about her nightmares, and it helped he talked to her every day, and her friends and family. "I'm looking forward to getting back to Franks and Henry's for Sunday dinner."

"One step at a time babe." Danny replied with a kiss on his wife's lips. He slowly rubbed her back to help ease the pain and work out some of the kinks. After a couple minutes, he heard the boys coming clamoring down the stairs. "Jack pick out what veggie we want, Sean, set the table. I'm going to check on dinner."

Linda smiled as Danny got up and walked to the kitchen. She knew she was lucky to have him during this time.

Frank and Henry's house

Bay Ridge, New York

Frank walked into his house to his father in front of the stove and a wonderful amora whaffing its way through the kitchen. Frank set his coat on a hook and opened the fridge pulling out a beer. "That smells good pop, what you cooking?"

"Chicken parmigiana with angel hair pasta." Henry Reagan coming away from the stove. He looked over his son standing in front of the fridge. He saw the look on Frank's face. "What's wrong Francis?"

"Erin called me on the way home. There's been a file to dismiss the charges and evidence." Frank said taking a sip of beer. He walked over to the table. "Also city council wants a cost analysis of what it would take to permantley base NYPD officers in the city's hospitals."

"Oh for the love Christ." Henry replied coming over and taking a seat at the table. He looked at his son. "That is politicians trying to save face for what happen to Linda. Yet taking resources of the street is not going to make it any safer."

"I know that, but I will least give it some consideration." Frank answered the statement of his father. He looked over at his dad who nodded. "I rather keep the resources on the street than take them away from the people."

"I know Francis." Henry replied. He stood up and looked at his son. "Go butter some garlic bread and bring the good booze."

Frank stifled a laugh and got up from the table.