Chapter 28

Frank Reagan stood next to the railing of a small one-lane bridge that spanned some rather impressive rapids on a remote section of the Passaic River and stared at the roiling, cold water below. His breath was coming in short, enraged bursts and his stomach was turning, not only from the sight of the mangled green Jeep that was being pulled out of the nearby treeline by a tow truck, but also because of the rather significant pool of frozen blood that lay at his feet. Jamie's blood. His trained eye could follow the events of the night before laid out in the red trail before him. His son had been bleeding moderately from the initial blow he suffered to the right side of his head during the accident when the car struck the trees, the glass in the passenger side door was smudged in dark crimson at the base of a crack spidering outwards like a web. There was a line of small drops staggered on the ground from the vehicle door to the middle of the asphalt at the base of the bridge, and then a more substantial spatter there where Jamie had gone down the first time after been struck heavily by the butt of the gun. Then there was this larger puddle near the side where he had fallen a second time after pushing that man over the railing before he could shoot his brother, thereby saving Danny's life. It was obvious that Jamie had remained absolutely still in the dark on the cold ground in that spot for some time before the state police, who had been first to arrive at the site, rendered any first aid or the medics treated him. The officers hadn't realized there had been a passenger who walked away from the car until after they had started trying to extricate Danny.

Frank could watch as the scene played out in his mind's eye and it brought up a few more questions. What was the identity of the man who went into the river and who was it that drove the Chevelle away? Search and rescue was busy hunting through the riverbanks downstream in hopes that the first could be answered. It was highly unlikely that anyone would have survived such a fall into the icy current below.

As if he could read his boss's mind, Garrett stepped out of the SUV and walked hurriedly over while scanning a text message he had just received. Frank heard the steps of his DCPI's leather soles come across the gravel behind him but did not turn around. He could tell by the pace of the footfalls that something important was about to be divulged.

"They've found him," Garrett stated, "about three-quarters of a mile down from here, washed up on the bank."

Frank sighed in relief and pushed his sunglasses back. "Who is it?" he asked.

"No ID yet, but the sergeant on scene insists that you come down and have a look for yourself. He said it's the damndest thing he's ever seen."

Frank took one final glance at the stained ground below before moving off. There was still no news from Erin about a change in Jamie's condition, which meant of course that there was none to report yet. "Let's go then, we need to find out who this bastard was."

###

Henry Reagan straightened himself up as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out into the hallway on the fourth floor of the hospital. He had a small hand in his own and he carefully guided his little great-granddaughter towards the nearby waiting room. She was looking around inquisitively with her big blue eyes since her Pop Pop had promised that Mommy would be waiting for her. Jack and Sean followed solemnly behind, still rattled by the news that their father and uncle had been in a serious accident, and Nicki and Baker completed the entourage. One other lone man remained in the car and quickly hit a button for another floor. He smirked as the doors closed in front of him. No one paid him any mind as their thoughts were focused entirely on Jamie and Danny and their other family members who were anticipating their arrival.

Linda was awaiting them as they turned the corner and she rushed over to hug her two sons and assure them that their father was resting just down the hall and he was going to be okay. Erin peered around the corner from Jamie's room when she heard the familiar voices and smiled. She turned around and disappeared for a few seconds before coming back through the door with an arm wrapped around Eddie and the two made their way down the hallway. Henry let go of Kaylin when they were near, and the little girl ran up to her mother where she was immediately swept up in a tight hug and peppered with kisses. After greeting the women, Baker walked off to double check with the security detail that had been posted on either end of the hallway. The rest of the group turned into the large waiting area where Linda and the boys stayed there with Nicki, Kaylin and Eddie while Erin escorted her grandfather down the hall.

Henry was more than anxious to see his grandsons. They stopped in Jamie's room first where the older man sadly laid his hands on the boy and said some soft words, shaking his head in anger at the visible bruising. Erin stood next to him, arm in arm, and wiped the tears from her eyes several times. She had struggled to stay strong in front of Eddie, but allowed herself to let her emotions go a little now. Henry gently squeezed her hand before heading down the hall alone to the next room where he knew the oldest boy had to be torn up inside over what had happened, and judging from what Erin had told him, his father's reaction to it. He knew that Danny would never purposely hurt his younger brother, but the circumstances in this instance had turned out very badly and it was going to take both his son and oldest grandson some time to come to terms with it.

Danny was sitting up, despondently pushing the food around the plate on his lunch tray when he walked in. He gave Henry a sad smile and then teared up as his grandfather walked over and grabbed the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm so sorry Pops," he whispered. "I really screwed up and let everyone down this time."

"Don't go there Danny," Henry commented. "That's a dead-end street, son. You'll see, Jamie's gonna be fine just as soon as he wakes up, and your father's going to find the SOB that did this to you both. Everything else can be fixed once you two are back up and around."

"Eddie hasn't even stepped across the hall to say hello though; she's really upset with me, isn't she?"

"She'll come around too, Danny. She's got way too much on her plate right now and she's scared. We brought Kaylin in with us and she's got her down in the waiting room. It's what she needs right now... that and having Jamie wake up. You just have to be patient with her."

"I need to see him too, Pop. It's driving me crazy knowing he's just down the hall and I can't go talk to him!"

"I know that. Once they let you get up and into a chair, he'll be waiting for you to go in there and watch the Jets game tomorrow night, eh? Maybe they'll even stick you two in a double room by then to keep each other company. Now you better cheer up a little bit. Linda's gonna be in here in a few minutes with the boys and you don't want them to see you looking all gloomy, do you?"

"Yeah, alright, Pops, I'll try," Danny conceded as he sat back and pushed the tray away. "I can't eat anything. I just wish Dad would get back so we know what's going on."

###

Frank stepped out of the car after a short drive and was directed down a small path towards the water where a yellow tarp had been pulled up over the body. Garrett followed carefully after him. The air coming off the river was damp and cold and he drew his coat a little tighter as he approached. He had been to thousands of crime scenes over the years, and so was usually able to remained professionally detached for the most part. This time, however, he felt a deep burning rage at the man that lay there unmoving, the one who had tried to kill not one, but two of his sons last night and may have succeeded in leaving irreparable harm in his wake.

"Commissioner," Sergeant Williams from the NYSP greeted him. "I'm glad you were able to come out here. I'm not sure what to make of this, sir," he said as he crouched down and pulled the corner of the cover back. Frank and Garrett both stared down at the body in disbelief. There lying in front of them on the rocky ground was a near carbon copy of Joseph Conor Reagan, from the hair right down to the face. The only reason that Frank's world didn't spin completely out of control in that instant was the fact that a rough tear could be seen across the side of the realistic latex mask the victim was wearing. It was no wonder Jamie had been convinced he had seen a ghost... from a distance in a moving car or with his vision and senses impaired by a blow to the head... it would have been difficult to tell that this was not his middle brother.

"Aw, shit. Frank, I'm so sorry," Garrett stuttered in complete shock. If he'd known what was about to be revealed, there was no way he would have let his boss be blindsided by that sight.

"You have your pictures?" Frank squawked out roughly to the sergeant, while nodding towards the forensics crew.

"Yes, sir," Williams replied.

"Then take that damn thing off and bag it," the stunned Commissioner barked. "Let's see who we've really got here." The officer did as he was told and soon the three men were staring down at a semi bloated face with dark hair and other familiar lines.

"You got an ID yet?" Garrett asked.

"No, nothing on him. Maybe when the M.E. gets him back to the morgue. He's too waterlogged at the moment for any attempts at facial recognition or fingerprints."

"No need," Frank said as he pursed his lips and swallowed hard. Things had just taken a nosedive from bad to worse. Suddenly there was no question in his mind who was behind this whole campaign against Jamie and the rest of the family, and who had driven off in the Chevelle the night before. Jamie and Danny had been right. "That's Matthew Malevsky, Sonny's younger brother. He was a detective out of the 3-1 until the Blue Templar went down. We never had anything solid on him but we cleaned house anyway and he was let go. That means his father Mason is still on the loose. He lost his credentials with the FBI when Sonny's ties to the Templar were revealed and he had to be the other person on scene last night. The two of them had intended on killing both of my boys to get back at me for Sonny's suicide."

Garrett let out a low whistle. "Damn. So he would have seen Jamie push his youngest son into the river right in front of him? If he did all of this to avenge one son's death, what's he going to do about two now?"

Frank pulled out his phone in a near panic and hit the speed dial for Abigail Baker's cell. "He's going to go after them again, Garrett, and he's not going to wait for five years and plan some big production this time. He knows that we would ID Matthew just as soon he turned up and I would come for him with everything I have. He'll try to strike first while Jamie and Danny are most vulnerable. We need to get back to the hospital now!"


Next up, the final showdown. Just who ends up in danger and will Frank's warning come in time?