Chapter 7: Diego's Missing
Samantha's Point of View
I vowed to avoid Ruzek as much as I possibly could. Of everyone at the academy, Olinsky had to pick him. Seriously, there was no one else that would have been able to pose as a damn druggie? I sighed sitting in the passenger seat of the car with my radio in my hand. D'Anthony had been released into his cousin's custody last night, but he came forward with helpful information. Apparently, he heard some of the older guys in his gang talking, there's supposed to be one more hit. He didn't know the target, but he did give us the name of someone who might. Xavier Green.
Xavier Green is just one of the many local drug runners working on the west side of town. Ruzek was supposed to buy from him, so we could take him into custody and question him. We sat a few cars down away from the corner Xavier and his crew were working for the day. Ruzek's silver Mazda drove past us and parked on the curb up ahead.
"So, I did some digging into Ruzek's past and you were engaged." Jay said causally. I looked at him with my jaw clenched shut. Did he ease drop on my conversation with Adam earlier?
"See, I was bored so I decided to run a light credit check on Ruzek. His past purchases revealed that he made a small purchase at a Tiffany & Co. a little over six months ago. So either he likes expensive earrings or he bought you a ring?" Jay said staring at me watching my facial expressions shift from appalled to angry to somewhat impressed. On a side note, how in the hell could he be bored with the case we are working right now? I shook my head and glared at him out of the corner of my eye.
"You told me to be a Detective, so I put my skills to good use." He said, as I scoffed and looked out the windshield to see Ruzek getting out of the car and walk over towards Xavier.
"Am I right?" Jay asked, begging like a dog with a bone. I rolled my eyes and chewed on my lip.
"Yes, you're right. Okay, happy now? We were engaged and he cheated on me and I tossed the ring into the bay. Is that what you wanted to hear?" I snapped at him harsher than I wanted too. He smirked and shook his head as the radio light up.
"Hey, what's up, gents?" We heard Ruzek ask over the radio as he approached the wannabe thugs guarding the corner ally. Jin hooked him up with nice transmitter so we would be able to listen in on the conversation.
"Need something?" Xavier asked the radio crackling on our end. Ruzek must have flashed him the cash he had on him because he replied with, "How you know I'm selling?"
"Call it a wild guess. I used to buy from Cheeto a couple blocks up, but I guess he went on vacation." Ruzek proceeded to say. Yeah, he went on a long ass vacation I thought.
"You give me that $300 and come back in, like, 20 minutes." Xavier said, trying to dick him around. I rolled my eyes and began tapping my foot. Ruzek was always a shitty liar, which made me a little nervous. I didn't want him to get found out. Jay looked at me and my leg bouncing but said nothing.
"Oh, okay, Mr. Drug Dealer, I'll just give you all my money. What could possibly go wrong? Dude, I sell an ounce a week up at USC. You want to sit here and play Barney Badass with me and break me off for 300 bucks, or would you like to make $2,000 a week? Huh?" Ruzek shot back at him like he knew what he was doing. That was shocking.
"I'll give you 4 grams for $300." Xavier finally replied after thinking the deal over in his mind. I couldn't see Ruzek anymore because they had walked down the nearby alley way out of sight. We needed the drugs in his possession before we could even move in.
"No, no, no, no. You'll give me 5 and it better not be stepped on or I guarantee I won't be back. Listen, bro, I need an answer quick, 'cause I got a Sociology midterm in 34 minutes. I'm not even joking." Ruzek announced trying to push things along. My foot continued to bounce until I felt a hand touch my knee. I snapped my eyes down to see Jay's hand rest firmly on my knee. I looked over at him as in saying that's my knee thank you very much. "It was annoying me." He finally spoke removing his hand.
"You believe this guy? Alright, man here." Xavier said as the radio crackled once again.
"We've got eyes on them, everyone move in." Lindsay instructed over the radio. Jay and I got out of the car drawing our weapons and headed down the sidewalk. Lindsay and Antonio crept up across the street to block them in on the left side. As we approached the corner I saw Voight's truck coming up the alley behind them boxing everyone in.
"Police! Get your hands up!" Jay ordered taking the lead. I came up behind him keeping my sights on one of the two men flanking Xavier. They all squirmed and jumped around searching for a way out getting ready to run for it. "Put your hands up!" I yelled along with Lindsay moving in to place cuffs on them.
"You guys are cops!" Ruzek yelled playing along. I walked over towards him as he put his hands above his head. I pushed him against the brick wall and interlocked his hands above his head then bringing them down to cuff him like the others.
"You're enjoying this a little too much." He whispered as I may or may not have forcefully pushed him forward towards the car with a small smirk etched on my lips.
Everyone reconvened back at the station after the arrest. Antonio and Jules took the lead interrogating Xavier in the interview room. I sat perched on the edge of my desk waiting for them to see if they could get anywhere with the kid we brought in. I was skeptical he would even talk to them.
I couldn't stop thinking about Jay putting his hand on my knee earlier. It had taken me by surprise that's for sure, but what surprised me more was the fact that I had actually maybe liked it a little bit. I shook the stupid 8th grade girl thoughts out of my head. I can't get involved with my partner, it's not good. Not that he would even want to get involved or that I would want too. I mean for all I know he could have a girlfriend, not that I even care. I'm swearing off all men for the time being. He was probably just annoyed like he said and I am over thinking things like always. Damn my overactive brain.
"We're looking for a Shane Cameron. Xavier says he's been in hiding since yesterday, but he has a flop house over on Addison. It might be worth checking out." Antonio said as he and Jules came around the corner. I gave Jules a smile as she slipped her jacket on. Voight leaned against the doorway to his office looking over some paper work before he looked up.
"Excellent, everyone suit up and we'll head out." Voight instructed. I hopped off my desk and followed Lindsay down the back stair well leading to the IU locker room. My locker was right next to Lindsay's.
I pulled my hair up into a high pony tail quickly so it wasn't hanging in my face before I tried to open the door to my locker. I'd unlocked it with my combination but the thing still wouldn't open. I yanked on it causing the metal to clank around. I balled my fist up and smacked it, but got nowhere. Lindsay had already opened her locker and began strapping on her vest. "Want some help with that?" She asked, holding back a small laugh. I nodded my head yes, accepting her help.
"It's jammed." I laughed scratching the top of my head.
"Nah, it's just a little difficult. We give all the newbies this one." She smirked stepping in front of me and kicking the bottom of the locker with the side of her boot and pulling the rattling door open.
"Thank you!" I whispered as she smiled and patted my shoulder stepping out of the way so I could get my gear on. I glanced over at the torn tattered business card taped to the inside of her locker as I strapped my vest on.
"How old is that card?" I asked intrigued. She looked up at the card and took a deep breath before turning to look at me once again.
"Thirteen years. The man saved my life, and here I am. " Lindsay said proudly. It must have had some sentimental value for her to keep it that long or she thought of it as a good luck charm. I had my father's old police badge that had been passed down from him to my brothers to me.
"Want to tell me about it?" I smiled intrigued. Lindsay shied away from me a bit.
"Oh if you want to know more, it's going to cost you a few drinks." She teased clearly not wanting to open up all that much. I didn't blame her though; we just met a day and a half ago. Obviously, she had a past. We all do.
"I'm in on that! I've been trying to get her to explain that card to me for weeks." Jules said across the locker room.
The card had Hank Voight's contact information engraved on it. So they have some sort of a connection to one another, maybe? I laughed and followed the girls down to the garage so we could all load up.
Jay sat waiting in the driver seat as I got inside. "Oh, I see you beat me too it today." I joked as we pulled out of the garage. He smirked and rolled his window down midway.
"I actually want to make it home tonight, and the way you drove I didn't think the odds were in my favor." He joked, causing me to scoff and shake my head at his audacity. I drove perfectly. Well, okay maybe not perfectly but I wasn't a danger on the road like him. I slammed on the imaginary brake probably fifty times since we pulled out of the garage.
We all stood outside of Shane Cameron's fading brick apartment building. It was surrounded by narrow alley ways and side streets. He was located on the third floor, apartment 3B according to his record. I retied my boot strings as Jules walked up beside me. "We're going to go knock-and-talk see if he's in there." She said, motioning for me to follow her around to the front of the building.
"I saw the pictures on your desk of your kids. How old are they?" I asked as we jogged up the first flight of stairs. Jules smiled to herself at the mention of her home life. "Emmy is five going on fifty and Nathan is eight." She boasted glancing over at me as we walked.
"Is it hard being away from them like this?" I asked, wondering how she juggled police work with being a mom to two little kids. She shrugged her shoulders as we started to ascend the second flight of stairs. The apartment building had a dank smell to it causing my gag reflexes to act up. My boot stuck to the bottom step due to the gum someone disposed of.
"I miss them all day, but this is my job and I love my job as much as I love my kids. We make it work. I've got a great husband who is exceptional at helping out with the kids and he understands my need to work, you know?" She explained as I heard my radio crackle on my belt.
"That's really great. I've always wanted to have kids, but I never thought I could handle the job and being a mom. I didn't have the best role model either." I admitted as we worked our way around the corner and up to the next set of steps. My legs were already burning from the first too.
"You'd be surprised." Jules said giving me an encouraging smile. She seemed like she was a good mom, just in the way she lit up talking about her kids and her husband.
We stopped on the landing at the top of the stairs and found apartment 3B and walked over towards it just as my radio crackled again. Jewels pounded on the door while I stood a few inches behind her.
"Terminate. Pull back. Targets may be in the building." Voight's gruff voice flitted through the radio. I tapped Jules shoulder and pulled the radio off my belt when it happened...
It happened in the blink of an eye. There was no time to prepare or move out of the way. Two loud ear piercing shots rang out blasting through the wooden door knocking Jules back into me. We both hit the ground within seconds. I smacked my head into the linoleum flooring and laid there stunned for a second. A searing pain spread across the side of my face as I looked up dazed and confused. Jules lied on her side shaking. "Jules!" I screamed, scrambling to get to my feet and to her side.
Blood poured out of the side of her neck profusely soaking the floor surrounding her. "10-4 Officer Shot." I yelled into my radio, grabbing Jules by her vest and pulling her away from the door. My heart was pounding in my already ringing ears as I whipped my head up to see the hole in the wooden door. I placed my hands on her neck quickly trying to stop the blood as much as possible as she gurgled and quivered in my arms.
"It's okay, you're going to be okay." I whispered with a shaking voice. My eyes were full of tears as I heard back up coming to us.
"Let's get her outside." Antonio barked as he rushed up beside me. We bot looped our arms under her neck as Voight ran past us to enter the apartment to find the shooter.
"It's going to be okay, Jules. You stay with us!" Antonio ordered her. My hands were shaking as we met Lindsay on the landing carrying her body. She picked up her legs as we descended the staircase.
We could already hear sirens blaring as the ambulance raced to get to the scene as we got her outside. Jay, Olinsky and Ruzek took off after a black two door car that sped off just as we made it out of the apartment. Jules's face turned pale, almost stone like as she held on.
The ambulance arrived within minutes and the paramedics rushed to get her on the stretcher.
We handed Jules off to the two female paramedics and stepped back. Lindsay hopped up into the back of the rig to ride to the hospital with her. I stood there in shock next to Antonio. He was beside himself, that was his partner lying on that stretcher. I leaned down and placed my hands on my knees and shook my head as the tears fell trying to hold it all together.
"You alright?" Voight asked, forcing me to straighten up quickly. I nodded my head, "I'm fine. I'm fine." I lied shaking my head as he placed his hands on my shoulders and examined my face. I never even realized I had blood running down my cheek.
"It just clipped you; we'll get it cleaned up back at the station. Everyone move out!" Voight yelled as more officers arrived on the scene swarming like wasps around the apartment building...
My mind raced and my heart felt like it was going to explode inside my chest as I rode back to the station with Voight. I kept thinking I should have done something differently, and maybe she wouldn't have gotten shot. We shouldn't have been talking. We should have kept our minds on the task at hand. But, we had no way of knowing what was on the other side of that door.
"You need to take a few deep breaths, kid." Voight instructed from the driver seat glancing over at my distressed state. I did as he suggested and took a few long deep breaths.
"We have one suspect in custody." Jay's voice sounded off over the radio.
I felt a tiny wave of relief wash over me knowing they got the son of a bitch that shot at us, but still couldn't calm down.
"This your first 10-4?" Voight asked as I tried to pay attention to the words coming out of his mouth. I looked down at my hands to see that they were covered in Jules's blood causing my stomach to lurch. I started wiping my hands on my black skinny jeans repeatedly.
"Yes...this is a first." I told him honestly.
"Listen to me; this could have happened to any one of us. You did nothing wrong. Understand?" He said reassuringly, as we found a parking spot outside of the precinct. He looked at me sternly, but with kinder eyes. Like the kind of look my dad would give me when I scraped my knee after falling off my bike when I was younger.
"Understand?" He questioned me again placing his hand on my shoulder gently. I nodded my head.
We got out of the car and headed up the steps to the precinct as Voight's phone rang. I paused on the step beside him as he answered it, "Hello?" He answered, agitated. Officers descended the stairs in flocks heading out to get to the crime scene we'd just come from. Voight hung up the phone and lowered his head shaking it in disbelief. My heart sank as I didn't dare ask what news he'd just received.
"Jules didn't make it." He said looking at me, heartbroken.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly wishing it had been me instead. She had two kids and a husband. This shouldn't have happened...
After a second I followed Voight inside and stopped behind him as he froze catching sight of Lieutenant Belden standing at the front desk like he didn't have a care in the world. Voight had filled me in on how they knew the offender was in the building but neglected to let anyone else no, even though this was supposed to be a shared case.
If we had known to precede with more caution Jules might not have been killed in the line of Duty. "You played games and you got her killed!" Voight growled heading straight for Belden. I didn't stop him either. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him back as other officers intervened pulling my boss back. I stepped in between them and pushed Voight back some.
"Come on! You want to play? Get off of me!" Voight growled and snarled as he fought against the officers dragging him backwards away from Belden. He shoved and kicked angrily at Belden who was to chicken shit to move forward.
I glared at the man standing before me with his smug look and suit and tie and stepped forward. Before I knew I had balled my hand into a fist and swung. I didn't actually think I would connect, but I did. Belden stumbled back clutching the counter for support as a dribble of blood escaped from the gash in his lip.
"Get your damn hands off of me." Voight huffed finally breaking free from the officers grasp.
He grabbed my elbow and led me away from Belden.
"You've just lost your job kid!" Belden hollered over my shoulder as I followed Voight keeping my head down. I probably did just lose my job. It's not a wise decision to assault one of your superiors.
"Follow me; it's about time you get to see how the cage works." Voight said as I continued to follow him down a flight of stairs towards the garage of the building.
"Antonio! How are you? It's been a while." A scruffy Spanish man yelled from inside of a chain link cage on the far side of the wall. I'd seen it earlier in the day when we loaded up to head out, but really didn't give much thought of what it was used for. Antonio and Jay entered the cage and stared at the arrogant man before them.
"Pulpo, ladies and gents." Jay said as I walked forward.
Pulpo glanced and my direction and gave me a cat call whistle.
"Where are they? I want your two hit men right now." Antonio demanded shoving Pulpo up against the side of the cage forcefully. Pulpo laughed and avoided answering the question. Antonio's stance was rigid and tense as he stepped back away from Pulpo.
"You see that! That's my partner's blood!" He yelled looking at Pulpo who snickered and smirked back at us. "I don't know what you're talking about." He laughed out before he spat on the blood lacing Antonio's hands eliciting a roundhouse to the jaw. Antonio slammed him harshly against the side of the cage once again as Jay pulled him off. So this is how they do things here... I didn't have a problem with them roughing him up. By all means go right ahead.
"You need to take this, Antonio." I heard Olinsky say behind. I turned to see that Voight had disappeared. Antonio walked over and took the phone out of Olinsky's hand. "Hello?" He asked breathlessly. It was as if time stopped for Antonio. The phone hit the floor moments after he'd held it to his ear. Something terrible had happened. I could tell by the ghost like expression washing over his face. As if this day couldn't get worse, it did.
"Someone's taken my son, Diego." He announced looking around at everyone standing next to him...
