Restoration
Chapter 59
Harper spots Percy West entering the building where Jackson and Chen share an apartment. The I.A. chief just saw Jackson at lunch. What the hell is he doing there? He couldn't get close to Nolan, so he must be going after Chen. Nyla parks and follows him in, hanging back out of sight.
After years of hearing it on his bedroom door, Jackson recognizes his father's knock. First lunch and now this? Cautiously, he opens the door. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"Actually, I have something to discuss with Officer Chen." Percy improvises. "Is she here?"
"No. She said she felt like celebrating about something. Her boyfriend Emmett took her out."
"Where?" Percy demands.
"I have no idea, Dad. But what's this about? Lucy, Officer Chen, hasn't done anything wrong. After the shootout she and Bradford had with Serj Derian's soldiers, everyone's calling her a hero. And something good must have happened today, or she wouldn't have been bouncing around after work."
"Did she tell you what it was?" Percy presses.
"She said she couldn't really talk about it but that her special assignment team found what they were looking for. I got the feeling that Nolan stumbled onto something, but that was it. I don't know anything else. But hey! You're here. So do you want to come in for coffee or something?"
"No, thanks. I need to get going. Are you sure Chen didn't say anything else at all?"
"Something about an asshole going down, but I don't know who she was talking about. That's it, Dad, really. If you want to talk to her, she'll be at roll call tomorrow."
Percy nods. "All right. Thanks, son. Maybe I will." He heads for the elevator. The senior West may not live to talk to Chen or anyone else at the Mid-Wilshire roll call tomorrow. He can tell Ruben Derian that the D.A. probably has something, but that's all he can do. It may not be enough to save his ass. But if the D.A. is on the ball, maybe he'll pull in Ruben before he can give the order to go after Percy's family. At this point, the desperate cop can only hope.
Harper tails Percy as he takes off after what was obviously another unsatisfying conversation with his son. This time Percy seems to know where he's going. Nyla checks the address when he pulls into the driveway of a modest house. She isn't surprised to find out the commander retreated to his own home. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he went inside.
"As soon as the team I'm sending shows up, consider yourself off-duty, Harper," Grey instructs when she calls him on a restricted channel. "West may be in for the night, but if he isn't, I want to make sure he has tails that can play leapfrog. As rattled as he acted, something big could be going down tonight. If it is, I'll need fresh officers on top of West."
"Agreed, Sir, but can you keep me in the loop?" Nyla requests.
"If anything happens that's worth an update, I'll make sure you get one," Grey promises.
Nolan paces restlessly between his bedroom and his living room. Sleep would be a terrific idea, one he had been looking forward to until Commander West showed up. Now his brain refuses to settle down.
What did West really want? To get the attention of Grey and Harper, it had to be something other than settling minor details of an already closed investigation. Could it have anything to do with the work he and the others were doing for Heifer? Unless it concerns a dirty cop, why would West care? Could West be that cop? Jackson said he heard a con spouting some B.S. about the senior West planting a weapon. But John could tell that Jackson wasn't entirely convinced that it was bull. Grey appears to have doubts about the man as well. So does Harper.
More than ever, John wishes he could call Janet. At 11 p.m., she's probably still up, going over case notes or researching a brief. But a late-night call to a woman who, so far, is only a casual friend, implies something John isn't ready to communicate – yet. The wounds Grace inflicted on him are still pretty raw. It's too soon to open himself up again. He just wishes it weren't.
When Percy slips out of his back door at 11:45, he has just enough time to make it to his meeting with Ruben Derian. His good night kiss to his wife when she went to bed a few minutes earlier may be the last one he'll ever have, but he'll take care of business and his family the best way he knows how.
Ruben Derian's car is parked in its usual spot at the edge of the parking lot. His window rolls down as Percy approaches. "You'd better tell me what I need to know."
"I can tell you that a special task force managed to connect you with your brother's actions, but that's all I have." Percy offers.
Derian's eyes narrow as he fingers the gun in his lap. "If you want to live through the next 30 seconds, and if you want your family to live at all, it better not be."
Percy reaches for the gun at the small of his back as Grey's surveillance team begins to move in. "There is one more thing."
"It better be good," Ruben warns.
Percy shoots through the open window, his bullet drilling into Ruben's brain. "Good enough."
The lights on two L.A.P.D. units begin to flash as officers surge forward, guns aimed at Percy. He sinks to his knees, placing his gun on the asphalt and his hands behind his head. The nearest officer cuffs him and reads the Miranda warning.
Janet Jepson stares across the table at Commander Percy Jackson. "The people of this city might have hailed you as a hero for arresting Ruben Derian. But from the accounts I've seen so far, you didn't even try. You just shot him. Why?"
"He had a gun. He was going to kill me. But that's not the reason."
"What is the reason?" Janet asks.
"To save my family. I've recorded his threats, all of them. What he said about my past is true. I'll pay for that. Gun or no gun, I might even pay for shooting Derian. But with both Ruben and Serj out of the way, the Derian organization will collapse. My family will be safe. A lot of families will be safe. And that's what cops do, right? We serve and protect."
"Commander West, I'm hoping it won't get that far, but if it does, I will try my best to make that case to a jury. I'm curious, though. Why did you call me to defend you? Your union would have provided counsel."
"Because I've seen your work. And from what I heard, you gave your all even for a couple of Serj Derian's thugs. Whatever happens, I know that you'll fight for me."
"I will," Janet assures him. "But I only have one proviso for my clients. They have to tell me the truth. I need to know the answer to every question before I ask it. If you lie to me, if you leave something out or twist it around to make yourself look better, I'm done. Got that, Commander?"
"I've got it," Ms. Jepson. "There are things I should have come clean about a long time ago."
