22. Voltage
"Hey, I'll go with you guys," Jay heard Platt say from her desk.
He turned around, although he was really hoping to get out of the building without her noticing his or the others presence. "We are going to serve a warrant. Just a lowly warrant. You sure you want to come?"
Platt shrugged as she grabbed her coat and yelled at somebody to cover the desk. "It's been awhile since I've seen the light of day. And it's only a warrant, right?"
Jay laughed. "Well, you're riding with the new guy."
Rixton scoffed as they walked outside with Platt. Hailey had already been waiting outside. "New guy, eh?"
Platt chuckled. "That's what I was counting on, Chuckles."
Hailey, Jay, Rixton and Platt were going into the yard of a pretty wrecked home when Rixton threw up his hand. They all immediately stopped dead in their tracks. "The meter on the left hand side of the house has been yanked out."
The blonde Detective looked at Platt, who just shrugged. "What does that mean?"
Rixton took out a small sized pen from his bulletproof vest. "This is a voltage test pen. Never had to use one until now." He went to the side of the house and carefully stuck the pen where the meter had been. He came back, shaking his head. "Somebody wanted that meter off. Wasn't the city. It's live. We are not going in that house."
Platt looked at the voltage meter pen. "Huh. Never seen a meter pulled off before and never seen a pen like that before. Nice work, Rixton. I'll call a squad car to come sit on the house and then call the city."
Hailey came in the door after dealing with the bomb squad most of the day. After the city got to the house to deal with the meter, an eagle eyed electrician noticed some funky wiring coming from the front door. He was smart enough not to touch it and instead called the bomb squad who confirmed that the house had been rigged to blow. Rixton being "paranoid" about the meter being off had all saved them their lives. They were very thankful for the new guy in their unit's instincts. Even Platt uttered the words "thank you."
To her surprise, sat Rojas and her boyfriend Ben, Rixton and presumably his wife, and Jay around her island. Jay stood up when he heard her come in. "Pizza is on the way. Thought we'd have a little celebration dinner for not getting blown up today."
Hailey rolled her eyes but agreed. "I do think not getting blown up and Rixton's magical voltage pen saving our lives deserves pizza." She walked up to Rixton's wife. "Hailey, you must be Alexandra."
Rixton's wife smiled. "Oh, call me Alexa. It's so nice to finally meet you all."
Hailey turned to Jay. "Where's Kim and Adam?"
Vanessa laughed. "I asked Kim and she said she had tickets for a piano bar tonight. Jay asked Adam and he said tickets for a hockey game. I think they are together tonight."
"Reasonable assumption," Hailey agreed. "And Platt?"
Jay laughed. "Also asked her. Her words were 'the old dog and I are having our weekly dinner at Hank's tonight. You kids have fun.'"
Hailey couldn't contain her laughter. "Oh Trudy."
"Oh Trudy is right," Rixton agreed.
Jay looked over at Rixton, from across the island. "A voltage meter pen is not something that most people stash in their vest. An extra flashbang or two, a knife but I've never seen that."
He shrugged in return. "Old man was an electrician. Told me one day it would save my life."
Alexa rolled your eyes. "You tell him that it did and the old man would keel over dead."
Rixton laughed. "Old man is nearing 60 and still trying to work."
Hailey looked over at Ben who really wasn't saying much but then turned to Alexa. "So, how'd you and Rixton meet?" She had heard Rixton's side of the story from Jay, but she wanted to hear it from the wife.
"A bar," Alexa replied.
Ben, Rojas's boyfriend finally spoke. "Why do I get the feeling there's something more to the story than a bar?"
Jay looked at Rixton. "Tell us the whole story. Pizza won't be here for another five minutes."
"We gotta know how a dental hygienist meets Kenny Rixton in a bar and actually falls in love with him," Hailey replied.
"Gee thanks," Rixton replied.
Alexa started telling the story and then the doorbell rang for the pizza. "Saved by the doorbell," Rixton, replied.
"Not letting you off the hook that easily," Rojas replied.
After everybody had left, everything was cleaned up, Vanessa was back at Ben's, did Hailey look at Jay and laugh. "I'll admit, I wanted to kick your ass for not telling me that everyone was coming over but that was fun."
Jay smiled. "It was. We should do it more often. Have Kim and Adam over and whenever Kev gets done his undercover."
"I like Alexa, even if she was just as unforthcoming as Rixton."
He rolled his eyes. "Probably why he married her."
Hailey reached for Jay's hand. "Let's go to bed so we can get some sleep so we don't get blown up tomorrow."
Jay looked at her. "How about we go to bed but we don't go to sleep quite just yet."
"Oh, Halstead."
Next: W; Whiplash
AN: Despite the quarantine (aka time to write) and material from Chicago PD lately; haven't been feeling the mood or inspiration to write. Here's hoping this strikes something.
