Author's note: Sorry for the delay, real life got in the way a bit, but just want to say thank you for all the reviews, favourites, and follows. And also a special thanks to one-cpd for reading it over for me.
Hope you like this one :)
Present Day
"Clear!"
It was the call of one of the patrol officers that Kim heard as she crept up the stairs.
"Clear!"
Platt's call was next followed by a few others, and then someone yelling for one of the occupants to get on the ground. Even though she was tempted, Kim didn't look back. She knew it was safe behind her, that at least three other officers were back there, so she continued. She kept her gun up as she reached the landing and pivoted to check the room on her left.
It was an empty bathroom so she turned her focus back to the hall. There were two more rooms to clear and another set of stairs. Kim was about to open the next door but then she heard a muffled cry from further down the hall. She paused for a moment, her eyes jumping between the door and the second set of stairs before Katie Clarke suddenly appeared at the bottom of them covered in blood.
"Put your hands up." The words were instinctive as were her actions. Kim kept her gun trained on the girl, willing her to comply, as she scanned her appearance. There were no visible injuries which meant the blood belonged to someone else. "I said put them up."
A choked sob escaped Katie's mouth as she held her hands out rather than up. "You gotta help me."
Kim had no idea if Katie had a weapon or if she was part of the reason Jay and Hailey had gone missing. All she knew was that Voight had told them to pick her up as Katie was one of the only people who might be able to shed some light on Hailey and Jay's whereabouts.
"Please, they need your help."
Kim could see the desperation in her eyes, but she couldn't risk running in blind. For all she knew Jay and Hailey were up those stairs, but this had to be done the right way. "I promise I will help you, but right now I need you to get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head."
"No, you need to come now!"
Before Kim had a chance to say anything else Katie ran back up the stairs and out of view. Kim cursed internally as she grabbed her radio. "This is Burgess, I've found Katie Clarke. She's heading up to the top floor, covered in blood, and she says people need help. Roll some ambos and send me some backup."
Kim didn't wait for any responses. Instead she clipped her radio back in place and hurried along the hall and up the stairs. As soon as she reached the top floor, she found Katie stood in the doorway of the first room.
"They uh. They're in…in here," Katie stuttered as she turned to face Kim. "Help them. Please."
If she followed the rules, Kim would have to secure Katie before she moved any further. They were sensible rules, rules designed to protect her and others, yet they didn't help when there was a good chance two of her friends were bleeding out in that room.
"Get back against that wall now and I will help them."
Katie nodded and backed up to the wall before collapsing to the floor, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry."
Based on everything she had seen so far, Kim knew whatever was in the room was not something she would ever be ready to see, but she had a job to do. So she pushed on, ignoring the smells that she only came across at crime scenes, until she was stood in the doorway of the room. She had planned to go straight in and help in any way she could, yet instead she found herself stuck in place as she processed the scene.
Three naked women, bloodied and bruised, face down on the floor. Kim wasn't one hundred percent sure who she was looking at yet given their current state, but she could guess. She had to be sure though so she knelt down on the floor next to the woman nearest to her, assessing her injuries and reassuring her that she would be okay, before grabbing her radio. As she provided the new information, Kim did her best to comprehend the situation but this one really didn't make sense. She could still remember her first catch up talking about Katie and her friends, and not in a million years would she have predicted this outcome.
One Month and Three Weeks Ago
Kim did a quick sweep of the alley, there was still no sign of anyone so she checked the time on her phone. Five minutes until their agreed upon meeting time. As far as she knew everything was going as well as could be expected so she wasn't really worried, but undercover operations were always risky, especially with a guy like Damien Clarke.
After taking a calming breath, Kim leant back against the wall as her phone screen lit up with a message from Adam. She assumed it would be related to the case, but as she read the two words she felt a smile creeping onto her face.
Dinner tonight?
They had been doing a lot of this recently. Dinners, lunches, breakfasts. Yet before she had a chance to reply she got another message from him.
Cause you did abandon me this morning.
Abandon was a strong word for leaving early to do her job, but still the smile persisted on her face. She did like their weird routine, and she had missed their usual pre-work chat, so she quickly typed out her response.
Yeah, I'll cook, you bring the drinks.
She had some things that were nearing their sell-by date which she wanted to use up and while she enjoyed the nights they went out, she actually enjoyed the ones when they stayed in the most. It probably wasn't healthy what they were doing, this weird limbo state, but she couldn't focus on that now. She needed to be one hundred percent on the case and the person jogging towards her.
"Hey," she greeted Hailey, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Enjoy your run?"
"Enjoy is a strong word," Hailey said before pushing out a long breath. "But no chance I was followed given that route."
Kim nodded, watching as Hailey took a few more deep breaths. "There's a spare coffee in the car if you want."
"Definitely," Hailey said with a grateful smile before she headed off in the direction of the car as Kim followed behind.
Given how cautious Damien was, Voight had given strict instructions that information would only be exchanged face to face. Hailey and Jay were not to be contacted directly unless it was an emergency; no pictures were to be sent, no calls, nothing, because the odds of Damien checking their phones at some point was extremely high and they were not taking any chances. The FBI had offered a number of workarounds and ideas, but Voight had vetoed most of them because while it was a joint operation, it was his officers and his turf. In the end a compromise had been reached. Voight and Intelligence would handle Hailey and Jay's undercover using the FBI resources they needed while the FBI worked through some other angles, and both sides would pass on any relevant information.
Since Voight had been given free reign, he had encouraged them to go old school, at least until they had a better handle on how Damien operated. So they had planned out regular check in spots and a schedule for Hailey and Jay. Rojas and Hailey would go to the same salon once a week, Adam would have a physio appointment at the same time as Jay once a week, and Kim and Kevin had spots on their running routes. That way information could be passed back and forth as needed, and they would know everything was okay. Aside from that no one was to go anywhere near the house unless Hailey or Jay called for help.
"So how is it going?" Kim asked once they were sat inside the car and she had turned the heating on.
Hailey took a sip of her coffee and let out a sigh. "Slow. But that's to be expected."
"Anything useful?" Kim asked as she pulled out her notebook, ready to record any pertinent information.
"We had dinner with them last night, a welcome to the neighbourhood thing." Hailey shook her head gently. "He plays it so well. If I hadn't seen his file, I would have no idea what he was really like. They come across as this perfect family."
"Guess you get used to playing a role."
Hailey hummed her agreement. "Jay's managed to get a golf game organised with Damien on Saturday. They're going at 2pm to the one near us. Apparently Damien can get Jay in, seemed like he wanted to show off, and he was certainly interested to know what sort of work Jay did to afford a place in the neighbourhood."
"Did Jay tell him?"
"No, he dodged the question. We thought it was better to make Damien work for it, but Jay said he might drop some hints at the game. Just the import export business part, let Damien work the rest out on his own."
Kim nodded as she jotted down the information. The FBI had managed to take control of a business within twenty-fours hours of the whole operation kicking off. There was a fully functioning warehouse Jay could turn up to whenever he needed to make it look legit, and everyone knew he was the new boss. What had happened to the previous owner had not been disclosed to them, but clearly the FBI had enough sway to sort the situation. So while the FBI assured them it would never be an issue if Damien or his guys decided to check on the place, Kim knew she should warn them if it was getting more likely.
"Aside from that, dinner was pretty uneventful. Damien didn't give much away in regards to what he does for work. And the rest of the time he kept the conversation on light topics, you know, how long have we been together, holidays, the neighbourhood."
"Sounds thrilling." Kim said, gaining a short laugh from Hailey.
She could just imagine the situation; the family acting like they were completely normal people and Hailey and Jay acting like a newly married couple, though maybe less acting was needed on that one. She wasn't blind, she had seen how close the two of them had become over the past few years, but she knew better than to bring it up.
"Well that's the joys of building a case, can't rush these things."
"Yeah, so nothing else on Damien?" Hailey shook her head. "How about his wife?"
"Hard to say what her involvement is. From what I can tell Jill seems to spend most of her time decorating, taking classes, or dining with her friends. She mentioned something about buying a new restaurant, we didn't manage to get the name, but might be worth checking out in case it's a front for something." Kim quickly jotted down the information as Hailey took another sip of her coffee. "If I had to guess, she probably knows on some level given the amount of money they have, but I think she just lives in denial about it."
"Easy to do if you don't ever see what he's done." Hailey muttered her agreement as Kim flipped the page. There was still one other person who might be of use to them. "So what about his daughter?"
Kim was assuming she would be as involved as Jill, but given the way Hailey's posture stiffened, it was clear there was something more there.
"Did she do something at dinner?"
"No at dinner she was fine, acting like a good daughter. Well aside from flirting with Jay when she thought no one was watching. Think she has a bit of a crush on him."
"I am shocked," Kim said, catching Hailey's eye before they both let out a laugh. "I mean a woman in her early twenties with no boyfriend has a crush on her new attractive neighbour, it's not the biggest surprise in the world."
"No, the whole thing did wonders for Jay's ego."
"Oh I bet it did." She was tempted to point out that Jay clearly only had eyes for one person, but they weren't close enough for that. "So anything else?"
Kim knew there was because of how Hailey had reacted when she had mentioned Katie. And while Hailey was a private person, Kim knew her well enough to know that her original reaction was not due to Katie having a crush on Jay.
"I'm not sure yet, but there might be something more with her."
"What happened?"
"I went to brunch with her and some of her friends yesterday." Hailey paused as Kim shot her a questioning look. That wasn't a planned meeting. "It was a last-minute thing, apparently L dropped out, and it was brunch in public so not exactly cause for concern."
"I guess. So who's L?"
"No idea, but that's the weird thing. All her friends and her seemed pretty normal. I mean a bit spoilt for sure, but they were all polite and friendly to everyone when we were out."
"And when you were alone?"
"The way she acts with her friends, the way she talks to them, it feels off. She seems to have this weird control over them all, they all look to her for guidance and even permission for things. Oh, and there's the necklaces." Kim furrowed her brow as Hailey took a sip of coffee before continuing. "They all have these necklaces based on the nicknames she gives them. Not that they're very imaginative, it's just the first letter of their name. So Victoria is V, Beth is B, and of course she's K for Katie. And that's what they call each other, they don't use each other's names when they're together."
"So does that make you J?"
There was a small smile on Hailey's face as Kim looked up from jotting down the notes.
"No, I'm not part of the group yet. So it's still Jen for now, but apparently that's how I'll know I've made it as one of the girls."
"That uh, that sounds-"
"Like a cult."
Kim couldn't help but laugh, but it was true. Katie certainly sounded like someone who enjoyed power over others. Whether that extended further than her group of friends was yet to be seen.
"On the plus side she's invited me out to brunch again on Monday to meet some more of the girls."
"Sounds great." Unsurprisingly Hailey looked less thrilled. But it was the truth, it was good for the case to understand Katie's involvement and if she could be used to get to her father. "At least the food will be good, right?"
"It better be. Five hours with them is more than I need in a year let alone every couple of days."
"So anything else?"
Hailey shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Any chance you wanna run and I'll take the car?"
"As much as I would love to help you out-"
"I know." Hailey shot her a smile, holding up the cup and then setting it down in the cup holder. "Thanks for this though."
"Any time," Kim said as she closed her notebook, knowing they were done. Yet before Hailey opened the door, Kim had to ask the question she and Adam had been speculating about last night. "So just how amazing is the house?"
They had seen pictures provided by the FBI and they all knew the address in case they needed to respond, but none of them had been allowed anywhere near it.
"It's insane. Way bigger than any place I have ever lived or will ever live again. Some perks to it though, like the bar, the pool table, the gym, oh and the home cinema thing."
"Bet Jay's enjoying that." Kim had known Jay for a long time now, and while he was also quite a private person, she knew him well enough to know how much he would be enjoying the amenities they had been provided with.
"Yeah." Kim couldn't help but notice the way Hailey's face lit up at their discussion. "He'll probably need an adjustment period when we wrap this thing up. Anyway, I should get going. I'll see you next time."
"Stay safe," Kim said as Hailey exited the car.
"You too," Hailey said before she shut the door and walked away.
Kim watched as she restarted her jog just before she hit the road. As great as the house and undercover experience sounded, she was glad it wasn't her. Having to constantly be on guard even when you were supposed to be relaxing was more than she could handle right now. Hailey, on the other hand, was clearly made for this life because she made it seem so easy. Maybe once it was over, and she was in a more stable place in her life, Kim would talk to Hailey about her experiences and get her advice about moving forward in her career.
Present Day
"Jesus, what the hell happened here?" Platt called out as Kim pulled off her coat and placed it over the stab wound she had found on the first woman's torso. "Burgess."
Kim glanced up, fighting back the tears, as she tried to find the words to explain the scene. "I don't know. Can you check the other two? I've gotta keep pressure on here."
"Is it Hailey?" Platt asked as she moved into the room.
Kim shook her head. "It's V. I mean Victoria Martin."
The necklace around her neck, the only thing that had been left on her broken body, had allowed Kim to identify the bruised and bloodied face. She hadn't had a chance to check the other two yet though because she knew if she didn't keep pressure on the wound this woman would die.
"You," Platt called out as Kim looked over to the other women and did her best to work out if one of them was Hailey. Both were blonde and about the right size, but she couldn't be sure. "What the hell happened here?"
"I um-I-I don't know," Katie cried as Kim watched Platt kneel down next to the second woman.
"You really don't know how three of your friends ended up like this? You don't know how she was stabbed or how this woman barely has a pulse?"
"I didn't…I didn't realise," Katie said as Kim turned back to see her shaking slightly as the tears continued to stream down her face. "I didn't think he would do it-"
"Who? Who did this?" Kim asked, even though she already had a pretty good idea.
Katie shook her head and sniffed. "We just came to talk and then…they wouldn't stop. And V…and A…and J."
"Shit. Burgess." Platt called out but Kim didn't need to ask what had caused Platt's reaction because Katie had just told her exactly who the three women were.