Important note: The times are in military time. Therefore, if it says 7:00, then it is 7am. If is says 19:00, then it is 7pm. (Just subtact 12.) This is comes in handy this chapter, so just wanted to clarify.
Newark, New Jersey
Damien Orlov's Hideout
21 December 2000
7:00
Danny and Caroline walked past the guards and into Orlov's hideout and saw him waiting on the steps for them.
"Right on time!" Orlov shouted.
Orlov went up to Caroline and gave her two kisses on the cheek, something that Danny thought was a very thoughtful gesture for an 'employee'.
"Are you ready my dear?" He asked her quietly.
"Uh, ready for what?" Danny piped up, playing the part of someone who has no idea what is about to happen.
Orlov smiled. "Your partner, Ms. Tillwell. How is she involved in the investigation?"
Danny froze for a second, and had to calm himself when he remembered that everything was going according to plan.
"The normal amount." Danny responded confidently. "Not as much as me."
"But enough to put a wrench in our investigation?" Orlov asked.
"Well... I mean... I guess."
"We need you to make sure that doesn't happen."
"What do you propose we do?" Danny asked.
"Well, wouldn't it be a shame if Detective Tillwell was killed in an armed break-in in her home?"
Danny paled. "You didn't say anything about killing my partner."
Orlov smiled. "Is there a problem with that, detective?"
"How 'bout the fact that she has been my partner for years? I said I would help you. Not kill anyone for you."
Orlov put on a fake frown. "It seems like the kind of work that a traitorous cop would not mind doing. Is there something you are hiding from the class?"
"I just don't want to kill anyone, Orlov!"
"Detective!" Orlov shouted breaking his cool for a moment. Everyone in the room inhaled as they watched Orlov compose himself. "Detective." He said more gentle. "You will shoot your partner in the face or I will kill her and you myself. And when I am done taking my time with you, I will kill your wife."
Orlov said all of this with an eerily calm voice, and for a moment Danny broke his calm. "You touch my wife, and I will kill you, you understand me, Damien?"
For a brief moment, the two of them stood there, sizing each other up. Caroline put her hand on Danny's shoulder. He slowly looked towards her as Orlov did the same.
"Boys, enough threats of killing one another. Back down. Now." She said that last part mainly to Danny, and he backed away, turned around, and got himself together. He ran his hands through his hair and turned back to Orlov. "I'll kill her. But not in the face. I want something left for her family to see."
Orlov shrugged, "As long as you do it."
Danny shook off Caroline's hand and stalked out of the building. "Detective!" Orlov called out. "I do not take a threat on my life lightly. Keep that in mind."
Danny stopped. Caroline frowned as she sensed him tense. "I don't make the threat lightly Orlov. Keep that in mind."
He pushed open the door and before he left shouted out one last thing, "I'll see you tomorrow. After I kill my partner." He mumbled the last part.
Caroline gave a nod towards Orlov who shouted after her. Danny was waiting by the car, and Caroline held up the 'one minute' finger to him.
Orlov spoke, and when he did, it sent shivers down his spine. "Film it. If he does not do it, kill him."
Newark, New Jersey
Grace Tillwell's Apartment
21 December 2000
8:30
Grace approached the door as she heard a knocking on it. She opened it and saw Danny and Caroline standing on the other end.
"Danny? What are you-"
Danny barged past the door. "We need to talk."
Grace rushed after him. "What about?"
Caroline followed stealthily behind, the back of her phone sticking out from her front pocket, recording everything.
"Maxwell? What's going on." Grace asked.
"Look Grace, I'm sorry." Danny said with a sad face.
"Sorry about what? Danny, you are not making any sense, just go sit down and I'll put on a pot of Joe and we can talk about this."
"No Grace." Danny said. He pulled out his service weapon and pointed it at her.
"Danny, what the hell is going on?" Grace yelled, holding her arms out.
A tear fell from Danny's eye. "I have to Grace."
"No you don't Danny, whatever it is, you don't have to do this."
Danny aimed the gun. "Yeah. I do."
A single shot ran out and Grace fell to the floor, her face in shock. Danny looked back at Caroline and signaled her to stop the camera. She grabbed it from her pocket and turned it off.
"It's done." She said.
And at that moment, Danny gave a sigh of relief. Grace peeked a glance at Danny, and at seeing him so relaxed, began to sit up.
"How was my performance?" Grace asked smiling.
Grace's bedroom door opened and Captain Rizzo popped out, listening equipment with him and he slowly clapped his hands. "Really, you both deserve Oscars. I knew what was going on and even I was on the edge of my seat."
"Why is he here again?" Danny asked jokingly as he attempted to wipe the tears from his face. He had to put on a show for the camera, and in doing so, had to pretend like what he was doing was real. Although he knew she was okay, it still took a lot out of him to just shoot his partner point blank.
"To make sure nothing goes wrong, Detective. Can't have you and Detective Tillwell galavanting along with no supervision."
Caroline helped Grace get up and Grace looked down at her ruined shirt. "Gosh dang. This is not going to come out is it?" She asked about the fake blood running down her stomach.
"Probably not." Danny said. "That was way too real Grace."
"What can I say?" She shrugged. "I don't do half ass jobs."
Newark, New Jersey
Abandoned Warehouse
21 December 2000
4:37
(About 4 hours earlier)
Danny got out of the car and slammed the door, making Grace cringe from her seat on the passenger side. He stormed to where he saw Caroline standing and spoke loudly. "Why in the hell, am I up at this old, creaky warehouse, at four in the morning?"
Caroline did not answer him, instead handed him a hot coffee. "Here. Man up, Williams."
Danny frowned and begrudgingly accepted the coffee, and looked back as he saw Grace approach behind him. "Is that coffee?" She asked in a hopeful and quiet voice.
Caroline smiled and held out a cup to her and Grace took it in two hands and carefully brought it up to her face. "It smells so good."
"It will be even better if you drink it." Danny quipped.
"Williams," Grace responded, still staring at her coffee, "it is 4:30 in the morning, I am armed and very, very tired. Please do not test me."
"You wouldn't shoot me." Danny sad with a giant grin.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Children please." Caroline interrupted, holding a coffee of her own. "There is a reason why I called you both here this early."
"Good. For a second there I thought you just did it to annoy us." Danny muttered.
Caroline rolled her eyes and Grace not-so-lightly elbowed him in the arm. "Right. Shutting up now."
Caroline led them to their set up in the warehouse as she began to talk. "Orlov expects you at his hideout at six. I wanted to make sure that we had enough time to go over the plan."
"What plan?" Danny asked.
"The plan we had was just to send Danny in and hope it all goes well." Grace added.
"That is the plan," Caroline said getting out her binder from her bag. "But today is Danny's test."
"Test?" Danny and Grace asked simultaneously.
"Yeah test. Orlov will want to make sure that Danny really is determined to go rogue and not just some undercover cop."
Danny was confused, "which I am."
"Right, but Orlov and the people working for him don't know that."
"Orlov is a sociopath." Grace said. "How can we predict crazy?"
"We don't have to predict crazy. Just me."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked confused. He looked over at Grace and saw that she looked just as confused as he was.
"Orlov tasked me with coming up with your test." Caroline admitted.
"He did what?" Grace asked surprised.
"He put me in charge of your test. Said that since you got the better of me, I should have the opportunity to get the better of you."
Danny felt that Caroline should elaborate more, but Grace seemed satisfied with the explanation Caroline gave. "What are you going to have him do?" She asked.
"Depends." Caroline responded.
Danny was still skeptical. "On what?"
"On how good you and Detective Tillwell's acting skills are."
"I was Maria in our school's version of West Side Story..." Grace provided.
They both looked at Danny. "I was uh, tree number three in Peter Pan."
Caroline rolled her eyes and Grace laughed. Caroline sighed, "This might be more work than I thought."
Phew this one was long. Please comment, fave, and/or follow and pm me is you have any questions!
Thanks guys!
~StoneyT