AN: I see that Derek Haas has been having fun torturing all the Burzek fans on twitter. So glad I grew up on daytime soap operas and do not allow the angst to drive me too crazy. It's all a part of the ride. Makes all the good scenes so much better. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. We are back to the present and heading forward from this point on. Happy Monday!
When I was younger I believed, that I could win.
Now I wonder.
There was a time when you and I, walked hand & hand.
Now I wonder.
"I Wonder" - Chris Isaak
Back to the present
Adam could already feel his mind come back online and the Canaryville part of him get ready to spin. His Mom was dressed up to the nines. It was something he had not seen in a really long time. The dinner two nights ago had been fairly casual so he wasn't sure what to make of the dress and the makeup. He could see the fear and worry in her eyes and he felt himself revert back to the 11 year old boy he use to be. He took a deep breath and made his way into the room to her side. He wrapped his arm around her and felt her return the gesture. "What are you doing here?"
The question came out of his throat on a strangled breath. The questions running through his head were coming so quickly, but he needed to figure out how to deal with the situation first. His Mom pulled out of his embrace and shook her head.
"Oh honey. I was here with a couple girlfriends. You remember Gina, right? Her boyfriend invited us. I had no idea that the Donatis were a mob family. I mean, how would I?"
Adam held his breath as he turned to look back at Voight. His boss was leaning against the door frame watching the interaction unfold. Adam walked up to Voight and prepared himself to ask for a big favor, "What do you say, Sarg? Do we need to take her to the district or would it be okay if I got her home and questioned her further?"
Adam whispered the last part to keep his mother calm. He knew that if she thought she was just going to get interrogated once they got back to her house; she would start trying to claim that she was perfectly capable of driving herself. Adam watched as Voight's eyes sized him up as if he was looking for any subterfuge on Adam's part, but he must of found what he needed.
"Sounds fine to me. I'm already on your Dad's bad side. Don't think it would help to drag his ex-wife down to the district. Besides we don't really have anything to charge her with. Just get back there as soon as you can."
With that Voight turned around and made his way back down the stairs.
"Thanks, baby."
His mom's response turned Adam's veins to ice. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten in his head and tried to keep it together. Slowly turning, he faced his mother who had lost most of the innocent act from her face.
"Lets go before I change my mind."
He watched as his mother picked up her clutch and sauntered her way out of the room. He grabbed her elbow before she could head down the front steps and guided her towards the back. Adam hoped that Olinsky kept the keys in the car and he wouldn't have to ask for those. He was not prepared to be answering any more questions tonight.
The drive to his mother's house was tense to say the least. Adam made the drive to Canaryville in about half the time it would normally take him due to the decreased traffic at this kind of hour. He thanked the heavens for that and cursed them at the same time. The sooner he could be back at the district the better, but he had to get through this conversation first and that was not going to be easy. Parking the car in the back alley of his mother's apartment building, Adam got out and walked around to open his mom's door. She got out without so much as a thank you and immediately began to walk into the building. Adam shook his head and then followed her up to her second floor apartment. Once inside, Adam watched his mother drop her clutch on the kitchen table and then kick off her shoes. All the while she didn't say a word. Adam felt his jaw muscles flex. He figured he might as well get this over with.
"Why were you there, Mom? The honest answer this time."
She turned to look at him with the innocent act back on her face. "I told you. I was with friends. Gina was there."
Adam crossed his arms and tried to keep his mind focused. "Really. I don't recall seeing Gina there. You sure about that. What's her phone number? Will she be recalling the same story?"
Adam's mom glared at her only son. "Don't be smart with me! Of course, she will. Quit interrogating me like a cop."
Adam threw his hands up in the air. "I am a cop and I just got you out of being hauled down to the district. I would like to know what else I might be finding out about you. Did this new boyfriend have anything to do with this? Because the Italian name has got me thinking."
Watching his mother roll her eyes brought Adam close to losing his shit, but his mother simply walked up and patted his arm. "Adam, dear. I think I would be crazy to deal with any more of those types of families. I'm not that dumb."
Adam watched as his mother walked away towards the back of the apartment basically calling their conversation to a close. Leaving the apartment, Adam slammed the door on his way out. His mother was a full blown liar and she was going sink him if he wasn't careful.
Kim was feeling at least a bit more relaxed now that they were back at the district. It was amazing what a quick shower and a fresh pair of clothes could do for your outlook. Well, being fully clothed helped as well. She sipped on her coffee as she was reviewing the witness statements that they had taken so far. They still had at least twenty people from the party and five of the Dolls to interview as to what they saw and how often they had dealings with the Donati's. Kim looked up from her paper work and scanned the bull pen. Something was off. It felt wrong. Adam wasn't here. The last time she had seen him was outside the house when he was putting one of the collars in the back of the paddy wagon. Kim began tapping her pen on the pages she had been scanning and eyed Olinsky. She started to open her mouth when Al beat her to the punch.
"Voight said he sent him on an errand. He's fine."
Kim's mouth hung open and Al just raised an eyebrow. Removing the toothpick from his mouth he said, "Its not hard to figure out what you were going to ask. Its been too quiet." Kim smiled slightly as Olinsky headed back towards the holding rooms.
An hour later, as they were finishing up on the interviews she heard footsteps coming up the steps and Adam made his appearance. He looked frustrated and upset as he headed towards his desk. Kim watched as he tugged his jacket off and dropped down into his chair. Part of Kim wanted to walk up and ask him if everything was okay, but as she started to head in his direction Voight called out, "Ruzek, my office."
Adam rose and walked right past her without acknowledging her presence. Kim followed his movements and then let out a sigh. She needed to concentrate on the case and not whatever was going on with Ruzek. That's what she kept telling herself as she sat down at her desk and added the new statements to the ones she already had. She kept looking through the window at Adam as he talked with Voight. He was holding himself in a way that had Kim captivated. He looked shaken. The last time she had seen that hollow tormented look in his eyes was as she was giving him his ring back. The thought was like a punch to the gut. She looked back down at the papers on her desk and tried to push the thought back down.
Walking into Voight's office and shutting the door, Adam stood on the other side of the desk as Voight sat down. He was trying to keep himself from over thinking the situation with his mother or what he was going to say to Voight. He learned a long time ago to go with the flow and only answer the questions asked. A life growing up with a cop as a father teaches you a thing or two. Voight was leaning back in his chair assessing Adam. He knew that. Waiting for him to give something away. Adam raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want to know boss? Did my mom cop to anything? Of course not."
Voight leaned forward and placed his forearms on his desk. "Did she give you a better reason than a friend inviting her for being there?"
Adam shook his head. "Nope. Said her friend Gina invited her and that she was at the party. Did we hold anyone by that name?"
Voight responded with one word, "No."
The pregnant pause gave Adam time to think which he knew was written on his face. His mind went to all the times his mom prepped him on what to tell his dad when he went home for the weekends. He could hear it clear as day, "Tell your father I was out with Ana when he called on Wednesday. Make sure he knows I was home by ten and you were with your Aunt Katelyn. Understand?"
Adam pulled himself back to the present and saw that Voight was still looking at him. Adam shrugged his shoulders. Voight narrowed his eyes slightly, "Its possible that she left out the front before we went in. A couple cars were leaving as we came in. However, that does not explain why your mother was in the only room made to be like an office when the other rooms were not. If I get even a hint that she is involved in some way, she has to come in. I know Liz isn't the easiest person to deal with. I know you don't want to do that to your own mother, but we have a job to do. Understand?"
Adam nodded his head. Voight stood up and started to make his way around the desk. "Lets see what the others have found."
Voight's office door came open and the two men made their way out. Voight called the team together and they all started going through the findings. Everything was falling into place until they got to two points.
The first was that one of the Donati brothers was not at the house and was still at large. His name was Marco Donati. The one with no picture to go with the name. He was the behind the scenes guy. The one people heard about but never really saw. Rumors floated around about him and how dangerous he could be but beyond that the intel was spotty.
The second point of contention was when Voight ran through the names of the Dolls and women that they had picked up at the party. Kim's brain pinged when she noted one obvious omission even though every Doll statement mentioned her. She raised her papers before speaking, "Um...I didn't hear a Mary in that list."
She slowly lowered her hand and the paper when she realized that she was acting like a schoolgirl asking permission for her turn to speak.
"Mary. She was the lady that came to pick us all out. She got up close and personal with me and I almost thought I wasn't even going to make the cut for the party."
Ruzek cleared his throat and Kim directed her attention towards him. "Maybe you got the name wrong."
Kim glared at him. She may not have perfect recall, but she knew the name was right. She took a breath and continued forward, "I'm sure the name is right. She was tall, blonde, and beautiful for her age. Probably in her mid to late fifties. Really nice dress and heels. Cheap perfume. There is no way any of you could have missed her. She never would have been able to run out of there in those heels. She should have been upstairs with all the other Dolls."
Lindsey came to stand next to her and nodded in agreement. Voight just looked towards Ruzek to see his response.
"Well, she didn't show up here, so I guess she did."
Kim knew something was up, but she couldn't argue with what he said. She stared into Adam's eyes and then she saw it. The slight shift in his eyes told her that he was hiding something. Something that he did not want the rest of them to know. She knew that now was not the time to push with all eyes on the two of them.
Kim stepped back and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I can't argue with that."
The rest of the team turned back to Voight as they reviewed the rest of the evidence looking for clues to where Marco could be hiding, but Kim watched Adam. She wondered if she was making things up in her head, but her heart told her that Adam was dealing with something much bigger than just their case.