SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS
Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Yes, very tough all around. Thanks, glad you enjoyed. Sorry for the long wait.
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Law and Order SVU belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own some of the plot and characters you don't recognize. Sorry this took so long. Hopefully, the update's worth the wait.
"Damn it!" Amanda shouted. How could this have happened? It just didn't make sense. They had just gotten the call. There was no way their perp could've known about this meeting so fast.
"I don't like this," Fin muttered to himself as he took a picture of the boy with his phone and sending it to the crime lab before calling for a coroner. No one outside the squad and Chicago officers who had come to help them had known about this call. And that meant they probably had a rat. However, something told him that it wasn't in either of their departments, which meant there was one or more unknowns and he didn't like this.
"Where do we start looking?" Erin asked quietly.
"I don't know," Fin admitted. Damn. I was hoping I was the only one who thought we had a rat, he thought to himself. But on the other hand, he wasn't really surprised that the young woman would draw the same conclusions. From the way she carried herself, she had obviously been around the block a time or two. Didn't mean that he had to like that his thought had been confirmed.
"I'll call the crime scene guys," Rollins offered, pulling her cell phone out and doing so. A few moments later, the officers were canvassing the neighborhood while the other unit did their job. Hopefully someone will have noticed something, Fin thought to himself. However, he didn't think that it was very likely, and his hunch was confirmed as they continually struck out. Damn it, he thought to himself after someone shut the door in their faces for the umpteenth time. Rollins blew out a breath.
"Well, this sucks," she griped.
"Don't I know it," Lindsay agreed. She had been hoping that they would finally get a bead on these guys. And yet, it hadn't worked out for them. And that scared her. What about Matt? If they couldn't figure out what was going on, what would happen to him? Would he be placed in danger? She couldn't let that happen. Okay, she needed to focus here. Fin blew out a breath and dialed Olivia's number.
"Benson," he heard a few moments later.
"Liv, it's Fin. I'm afraid we're at a dead end," he announced.
"The kid didn't give you anything?" Benson queried.
"He couldn't. Someone got to him before we did," Fin responded.
"Was there a chance that someone overheard you planning to meet the kid?" the female sergeant queried.
"Honestly, I don't know." Fin answered. "Liv, if you're suggesting what I think you are-"
"Just trying to keep all of our bases covered."
"Yeah, I know. It's just that I think Lindsay and Rollins have come up with the same theory." Sergeant Benson blew out a breath. Great. Just what they needed: a dead kid and a possible leak. Dodds was going to love this. He already thought that this precinct was a problem house and this would just add fuel to the fire. Okay, Liv. Don't freak out. Just have the others find out what you can as soon as possible, she told herself.
"Let me know what you find," she said out loud.
"You got it, Sarge," Fin responded and then hung up. "Let's start beating feet, see who can come up with what," he commented and the two women nodded and they all headed in different directions, asking people on the street what-if anything-they had seen. Unfortunately, the people they talked to didn't have any information for them.
"Great. Nothing," Erin sighed in exasperation.
"Don't people even care about him? I mean, he's just a kid," Amanda wondered.
"It's the streets, Amanda. They usually just stick to their own business," Fin answered.
"Unless of course, it's someone they trust asking the questions," Erin added. And as far as she could tell, none of these people trusted them.
"She's right, and-" the older man's voice died as he noticed an African-American woman walking up to them. "Sister Peg. Haven't seen you in a while," he commented.
"I've been keeping busy," Sister Peg answered.
"And safe too, I hope," Fin responded.
"Yes, and safe," she confirmed. "One of my girls said that you were asking about-" her voice trailed off when she saw the boy. "Oh, my-"
"Who is he?" Erin asked.
"His name is Kevin Mitchell. Fairly new to the streets," Sister Peg answered.
"Anyone have a beef with him? Was this a turf thing?" Amanda questioned.
"No, Kevin was-people on the streets looked after him. I can't imagine anyone doing this to him.
"Was he turning drinks? A john maybe?' Erin queried. At this, Sister Peg frowned in concentration.
"Yeah, he was turning tricks, but as far as I know, there weren't any problems. I mean-he never said anything to me," she finally answered. "But then again, he's only been on the streets for a few months, so-"
"He didn't know that he could trust you."
"Exactly. Plus, there have been some whispers on the street about a cop that can't be trusted and it has everyone-especially newer kids-on edge." As Fin and Sister Peg talked, Erin and Amanda looked at them. Wow. It sounds like they've known each other for a long time, Erin thought to herself. And Sister Peg reminded her of a lady that she had back in Chicago. Not that she had been all that nice to her. No, she had been too wrapped up in her own crap to give a damn about anyone. Amanda's eyes flickered as they talked. She had never seen this woman before, and to be honest, she wasn't quite sure what to think of her. In her opinion, it was a little strange that she had just shown up like this, but Fin seemed to know her pretty well, so she'd keep her mouth shut. Maybe this Sister Peg knew something more than what she had already told them. Hopefully.
"Thanks, Sister Peg. You take care and stay safe. And if anyone needs anything-" Fin began.
"I'll try to get them to call you," Sister Peg finished.
"Thank you for your help," Rollins said as the sound of a car coming up.
"Everything all right? This isn't your usual response time," Fin noted as two men walked up to them.
"We're a little backed up today," one answered as they knelt by the body.
"You already do a canvass?"
"Yeah, no witnesses and no one knows anything." Back in Chicago, the Intelligence Unit was in their office.
"Okay, let's run through this again. There has to be something we're missing," Alvin Olinsky stated.
"Peter Grossman-victim in a house fire-had a box full of kiddie porn," Antonio stated.
"Wasn't one of the pictures traced to someone in New York?" Adam queried.
"Yes. And from there, it was discovered that there were videos and a whole ring," Olinsky answered and there was a collective groan of disgust.
"How can anyone do that to a kid? I mean, why the hell would you be turned on by someone who could be your young brother or sister?" Adam wondered. It was just crazy.
"I've arrested a lot of sick bastards like this. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the why of it," Antonio advised.
"Dawson's right. Some people are sick and you'll only drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what makes them tick. Don't do that to yourself," Olinsky agreed. The kid was still pretty new to the unit and he hadn't seen all of the Chicago's dark side. And hopefully, he wouldn't. At least, not all that often anyways. He didn't want him to get jaded anytime soon. Ruzek had a freshness and an eagerness that Olinsky didn't want him to lose.
"But if these people are so dangerous, why don't the victims come forward? I mean, we're cops, we're the good guys," Kevin commented.
"I talked to some of my C.I.s earlier, and the scuttlebutt on the street is that there's some cop that they're all afraid of," Antonio answered. "Other than Voight, i mean," he added.
"All right. We need to find that cop and get him off of the streets," Alvin stated. "I want everyone on that. We're gonna send this guy a message that we don't condone cops who abuse the people's trust," he ordered.
"What about you?" Kevin asked.
"Hank asked me to keep an eye on someone for him while he's gone so I'm gonna go do that now," Alvin answered and then headed out. Once he was out of earshot of the precinct, he dialed a number. "Yeah, this is Alvin Olinsky. Could you get me a twenty on Matt Casey from firehouse Fifty-One?" While this was going on, Matt had gone to a bar where he had sat down and had ordered a drink. However, he hadn't even touched it. Instead, he had just ended up staring into the drink.
"Never figured you for a Bourbon guy." At the sound of the voice, Matt stiffened and turned to see the same man from the accident site earlier.
"What do you want, Captain?" he questioned, gripping the glass in his hands. Don't provoke him. Just let him say his piece, he reminded himself. He didn't like the guy and although him being here didn't bode well, he knew that setting him off was a bad idea. It was just better to let him do whatever he wanted.
"Just here for a drink myself," the man answered, catching the bartender's eye. "I'll have what he's having." The bartender nodded and prepared the drink and the handed it to the other man. "I understand that a mutual friend's been having some problems."
"Not on my end." The officer gave a brief smile.
"Good. That's good." As the other man leaned into him, the firefighter sat stock-still, trying to will himself not to flinch when he felt the man's breath on his ear. "You remember how this works," he said. Matt averted his gaze and started to leave his seat, only to have the man grab his wrist, forcing him closer, so that the firefighter's ear was once more close to his mouth. "It's not like anyone would believe the word of a street whore anyway," he murmured. At this, the firefighter froze again, causing the other man to chuckle. "Oh, you can dress yourself up anyway you like Matty-Boy, but it doesn't change who you are inside. Just a damn street whore junkie waiting for his next fix. Wonder what your battalion chief and your coworkers would think if they ever found out what you did." As he talked, the Captain's fingers had begun subtly tracing Matt's wrist. Feeling the slight tremor from the firefighter, the other man smirked. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant," he said loudly, placing some money down. "His drinks are on me." he told the bartender and then walked out. For a moment, Matt just sat where he was. I can't believe this. I've kept my mouth shut! Why does Cordone think he has to do this? he wondered. He wasn't stupid enough to say anything. Like he was going to risk him finding out? He hadn't said a thing to Hank in all the years he had known him and he wasn't about to start now. Sure Cordone was in jail and had been for years now, but he still had a long reach as well friends on the outside. Matt gave himself a mental shake and drank the Bourbon in one gulp. Enough of this. He didn't want to remember. He just wanted to forget. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would believe him. Like the Captain had said, no one would ever believe him. Not with his past. He signaled for another drink. The drink would help him to forget. And when it came to forgetting what had happened, the firefighter could use all the help that he could get. After downing that drink, he asked for another and got it. As he continued to drink, Matt's eyes clouded and stared into space, not noticing when the bartender picked up the phone and dialed a number, speaking softly into the phone before hanging up. Within moments, the door at the entrance of the establishment, and Alvin walked in, sitting next to him.
"What's shakin', kid?" he asked.
"What are you doing here?" the younger man queried, shooting a glare at the bartender.
"Looking out for you. Hank asked me to keep an eye on you when he went to New York. He's worried," the older man stated. I've never seen him like this, he thought to himself. Granted, he didn't know the firefighter as well as Hank did, but from what he knew of the boy, he wasn't one to give in to drink like this.
"He doesn't have to be. This has nothing to do with me," he insisted.
"That's not what Hank said," Olinsky stated and the younger man's eyes flashed.
"Just leave it alone!" Matt yelled, standing up. "I have nothing to do with this!" With that, he fumbled with his wallet, took out some money, and slapped it down on the counter before walking out. Olinsky frowned in concern as he dialed a number.
"Voight," he heard a few moments later.
"Something's not right here. Casey totally stone-walled me. I mean, granted, we're not as close as you two are, but-"
"I'll be back there as soon as I can. I just got out of a briefing with Manhattan SVU. Lindsay went with Rollins and Tutuloa to talk to a kid who had some info on the case only to come across the body of the kid they were supposed to meet."
"Anyone besides them know about the meeting?"
"Nope. There wasn't any time to tell anyone else."
"That would mean-"
"There's a cop involved."
"Maybe more than one. We hit a dead end here too, except that word on the street is that there's a cop that's scaring everyone into silence."
"Damn. I'll be on the next available flight. See what I can do."
"Good idea." The two hung up and Hank's eyes clouded in concern. This had gone on long enough. He was going to find out everything that was going on regarding Matty no matter what. It was the only way to make sure that the kid stayed safe. And he would stay safe. He'd make sure of it…
