Saturday, May 16th, 2011 10:40 am
Senator Bracken's New York Estate
59 Carolyn Pl
Chappaqua, NY
By the time Jackson arrived at the address, he could tell that the house was severely shot up. The only thing that was missing was a State Senator and his son. He knew that Bracken had left the capital and was at his New York residence but now there's no sign of him anywhere. What's also odd is that it's too quiet here. Upon closer inspection through many of the broken windows, he sees where the rounds that landed inside the house as well. He walks around to the back of the house and sees the garage. Looking in through a side window there are two cars still there. His Lincoln MKZ and what he thinks is his wife's MKX. Both vehicles have not moved and he doubts they will. He traverses the street and then he sees something out of place near the curb line. The grate for the catch basin is not cradled in the frame correctly and sits higher than the street level. Then there's the dirt around the edges that is disrupted. He peers down into the basin and sees fresh footprints. He can only follow them as they cross the street and onto the property directly across from Brackens home and then fade away. As he gets closer to the garage he finds that a car was recently driven away from the tire tracks that drove through a mud puddle recently. When he returns to their base he'll request security camera footage from ADT and maybe they'll get lucky. He did come prepared for this certain event. He pulls out two miniature web-enabled blue tooth cameras and places both of them facing Brackens house and his neighbor's house.
Xx
What was he thinking? He thought he could manage the pain in his abdomen. He was wrong. He had pulled out most of his stitches hauling the M134 out of the Army Terminal and into the trunk of the car he borrowed. Now he was bleeding heavily and if he keeps up this pace there will be a good chance that he will not be able to kill Bracken today.
As he drives the car he stole from the doctors parking lot at the hospital, well not stolen, more like borrowed he hopes that he is able to get the closure for Kate that she needs. He had already been to Bracken's house and could tell that someone was there before he was just by the damage, but he missed them. Now he needed to backtrack to find out where exactly he had been from the car he looks across the street and see the garage door still open for the neighbor's house. He's at a loss at what kind of car it could be until he sees a police cruiser pull up and park in front of the house. He cautiously drives up to the driver's side of the cruiser rolls his window down and tells the uniformed officer that he lives a couple of doors away and that it's odd that the garage door would be open during the day leaving everything unsecured.
The officer replies that he is here to take a police report on a stolen car. It seems that the owner's wife noticed the garage door open and the car missing when she checked on her security cameras at work.
Rick needing more information asked what kind of car it was.
"According to the wife, the car was a 2005 Cadillac DeVille sir. Silver in color with New York tag WTQ-2165."
"That's a shame officer, this neighborhood used to be so crime free." Rick said showing concern as a disturbed area homeowner.
"Don't worry sir, we will catch them and recover the car."
"Good luck to you then officer." Rick said as he drove off in his stolen but borrowed car.
Now he had a plate number make and model of the car all he had to do now is run it through NYSCIC, pull the VIN number and hope that the car has an active OnStar system. He had very few favors left to get what he need to get done so he calls up one of his last remaining favors for a friend from not long ago.
"Steven, I need you to do me a favor, a big favor and time is imperative."
"Okay Rick, what do you need?" He asked.
"I need you to run a New York state license plate. I need owner info and the VIN number. The plate is WTQ 2165."
"Rick this will take a couple of minutes just give me the time and I'll have your information for you. But after that, we're square right?"
"Yeah, we're even Steven and thanks."
After waiting less than a minute and a half Steven comes back on the line with the information he needs.
"Rick the plate comes back to one Harry Kidd. The VIN number is as follows 1G1YY36W395102569. Anything else?
"No Steven, that's all. Thanks again."
Maple Grove Cemetery
Saturday, May 16th, 2011 11:45 am
127-15 Kew Gardens Rd,
Kew Gardens, Queens, NY
Armed with this new information Rick finally had a direction to head in. But before he did that he needed to make one last stop before he committed his life, if necessary, to the woman he loves. He gets back into the borrowed stolen car and takes a ride out to the final resting place of Joanna Beckett. He's never been there before so he needs to ask the groundskeepers if they know where her grave marker is. They sadly tell him what section she is in, but it's up to him to search for her headstone from that point forward. It takes a while but after 45 minutes he finally finds where Kate's mother has been buried. He kneels down in front of her headstone ghosts the symbol of the cross between his forehead his sternum and his shoulders, clasps his hand together and does for the first thing in his life that he's never done before. He prays. When he's done with what he wants to say to the man above, he looks at the headstone benevolently.
"Mrs. Beckett my name is Richard Rodgers and I am in love with your daughter. I know we don't know each other that well, and that I love her might come as a shock to you, but I feel I know you through what your daughter has told me. If you are anything like her, you are the most extraordinary person I have ever heard about. You have given your daughter life lessons that will never be forgotten by her, or me. As I kneel here in front of your final resting place I will make you a sincere promise that she will survive what will transpire in the next few hours. I will take down the man who murdered you. The reason I'm telling you this is because if I don't take him down for his crimes, she will go head-on at him and trying to take him out herself. I cannot have this on my conscious. I will gladly give my life so that she can live on in peace. For me, it's all about honor and doing the right thing there is no gray, it's either black or white. So, Joanna what I'm trying to tell you is that while you are not able to look out for your daughter, I will do that for you."
Rick once made the symbol of the cross over his body. Then he looked straight up, closed his eyes and searched for some guidance that his decision was the right one. Hearing nothing in return he got up off his knees with a heavy gasp and went back to his borrowed car. He stopped his walk halfway out of the cemetery and watched as the calm day had started to turn windy out of the blue. This, he thought, was a sign from Johanna.
Xx
"MASTER SERGEANT ESPOSITO!" Jackson yelled from the operations room.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"We have a lead. A small one but I'll lead nonetheless. It seems that Senator Bracken has decided to steal car and head to locations unknown. What I think he is doing is tying up all his loose ends. I'm not too sure if he's doing that personally or he's having someone do it for him but whatever is happening it's happening now."
"General do you know where your son is?"
"Master Sergeant I'm not sure of anything right now. But what I am sure of is that my son has taken an M134 machine gun and is going to use it to murder a certain senator. I'm just not too sure where that is going to happen. This can't happen anywhere concealed because the weapon itself would be a dead giveaway."
"With all due respect General, I think he was using the M134 as a distraction to throw us off the trail. What I think he plans on doing is going to be very up-close-and-personal. Your son is the kind of man who likes to see the life drain out of somebody when he kills them. I know that is what I would do to someone who tried to kill the woman that I love."
"You're not wrong about that master sergeant. So, what we need to do now is locate the car that Bracken has stolen and that should lead us to my son."
Xx
She needed to be out of here. There are no two ways about it. But every time she goes to move off the bed her chest hurts that much more. Trying once again she pushes up off the bed. Struggling with the pain in her chest hoping she can manage the pain, she swings her feet over the side of the bed. It doesn't matter what she tried to do because her friend is right next to her stopping her from doing anything more
"Where do you think you're going, girl? You know you've just been shot in the chest. Yes, I know you're going to tell me that you were wearing a very, very expensive bulletproof vest but the impact of that bullet put a hole in your chest. It did its job in saving your life but you are damaged. On top of the surgery that you went through less than eight hours ago, you still have three broken ribs, your collarbone was fractured and I don't even want to start on the amount of rehabilitation you're going to need for your shoulder.
"Lanie, I need to be out of here. Rich is hurt and he is going after Bracken with the intent to murder him. He cannot succeed. If he does he will be sent away for life. Because when Rick does something he does it with finality. So, we need to stop him and if you're not going to help me you can just leave right now."
"Look at you all sassy all of a sudden! I will help you on one condition Kate Beckett."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"I will get you the information you need to stop Rick. But, you are not to leave this room. You will be in charge and you will tell the people who are helping you where to go and what to do. Deal?"
"I'm not too sure that I like these terms. I can move faster I can gather intelligence quicker and I can stop him. I know I can stop him."
"Kate listen to me! Rick is on a mission. You remember what you told me when you had to stare down that suspect in front of the public library a while back?"
"Laney so much happened that day what could you be talking about?"
"Kate, Rick was in a world all of his own. He was in his zone where only he knew how and when to come out of it. He saved your life that day even though you don't want to admit it he did. And he will do this for you. Now before I go find Espo, do you have any idea where Rick might be?"
"I'm at a loss, Lanie. I do know that he would start with the basics and try to find Bracken's location. I know he has a house here somewhere in New York away from DC, but I'm not sure where."
"Alright, girlfriend. I'm going to find Javi and I'm going to get you the information you need through him. Then we will plot."
Friday, May 16th, 2011 12:30 am.
Maimonides Medical Center
4802 Tenth Avenue Brooklyn, NY
Suite 2381
"General, I need to speak with you." Javi asked.
"What is it, Esposito?"
"I have a request and a possible solution for logistics coordination."
"Explain."
"Detective Beckett requires us to provide her with intel on your son's progress. If we can give her this, she will work with our men in the field and we will be able to keep her safe here in her room."
"Woah Javi! I never agreed to something like this." Lanie told him.
"Chica, you need to understand that if she leaves the hospital grounds, she will end up dead. No bullshit, they will kill her." He tells her with anger seeping from his voice.
"Yeah, but Javi, do we really need to confine her here, what if we move her to the 12th?"
"Baby, listen to me. She just had major surgery and she will do more damage to herself. You can't bring that on her. This is the way it needs to be."
"I agree Miss parish. We will make sure that she is safe and she will work the logistical portion of this operation. My son will give his life to make sure that she has the cessation she needs."
"Excuse me General but have you ever seen people you love taken away from you?"
"Well, brothers in arms I have. Why do you ask?"
"That's not what I mean. What I mean is someone who you've been hopelessly in love with."
"No Miss Parish, I can't say that I have."
"Then you need to trust me. Kate Beckett will find a way to get around whatever additional security measures you have in place and leave this facility. I'd be surprised if she wasn't gone already."
"That had better not be the case, Miss Parish!" Jackson dispatches three men armed with AR15's to check.
Less than thirty seconds the three men return.
"Tell me!"
"She's not in her room."
"Goddamnit." Jackson is not very happy.
"Sir, if I may?"
"What is it Master Sergeant?"
"I might have a possible location for the detective."
"Do it. No delays."
"Sir, I'll need additional manpower. Who can you spare?"
'Take Roberts, Chen, and Franklin. Report back the second you find her."
'Yes, sir."
A/N: It seems that this is not the last chapter, there are just one or two chapters before this is all over.