I AM SO SORRY! Hi :) I have no excuses as to why this is so late - I have no idea what this chapter is - kinda a filler but also nice catch up with the intelligence unit. Please lemme know what you think and I promise I will have the next chapter up a lot quicker than this one was... so so so sorry again, please forgive me as always any and all mistakes are my own, enjoy, Vx :)
*same time as the past couple chapters*
"So what do we have?" Voight called out to his unit. They had been working on Jay's case alongside minor cases that got passed their way. But making Jay's case a priority.
"So we followed the car Mouse drove back from the hospital but lost them down a back alleyway, and can't find them before that so we're working our way through warrants for all the houses on that street to find out the house they were held in." Hailey stated.
"I spoke to Mouse and he said he didn't pay any notice to the house, just that he was focused on keeping Jay calm and getting them to a hospital." Adam added.
Voight nodded in acceptance, arms crossed over his front, "anyone heard from them?"
"Yeah," Hailey spoke up again, "Will messaged the other day saying they were getting out of the hospital and would let us know when they were up to visitors."
"Ok. Anything on Taylor? Did Mouse or Jay say anything to anyone?" Voight asked again.
"No boss. Somethings up, he wouldn't be quiet for this long." Atwater suggested.
"Ok, next week we'll give Mouse a call and ask a few questions, see if we can finally finish this once and for all."
With that the intelligence unit went back to this week's case, filing their paperwork and chasing the warrants for Jay and Mouse.
Two days later Voight called Mouse into the district, and led him in through the roll up and into his old office.
"Less eyes and questions this way." Voight told him in response to his raised brow.
"Ok. So what was so urgent you called me down here for?"
The two men sat down, Mouse leaning back in his old chair, Voight leaning forward resting on his knees.
"Well, we've been trying to track where you started off from before you got to the hospital but we lost you guys pulling out of a back street. Just needed to ask you a few questions about the area because you were the most coherent and got the two of you out of there. So Mouse, do you remember what house it was you came out of? Or what the outside looked like?"
Mouse tried to rack his brain to remember what the exterior looked like, "um I don't know, can't really remember to be honest. I was too busy trying to keep Jay awake and focus on getting us out of there. I'm sorry."
"No don't apologise! You did all you could. But really Mouse? You don't remember anything? Come on, you're good but you're not that good. I know when you're hiding something from me." Voight pushed, knowing that Mouse was avoiding eye contact.
"Come on, what is it?" he asked again after a further minute or so of silence.
"It was a grey house, the back door was black, it didn't have a gate, there was a messed up fence that was probably white at some point. It was a two storey house with a basement, two bedrooms and a bathroom, that's all I can remember." Mouse said rushed with a huff at the end.
"Why were you hiding it from me Mouse?" Voight asked gently, needing to know but not wanting to overstep.
"I just-" he cut off with a groan "we haven't spoken about it. Not once since we got back, not in the hospital or back home. I know what happened, well bits, but he won't talk to me, us. It's Jay's place to say what and why but uh - don't call it in when you find the house. Please."
Voight was slightly taken aback by the tone in Mouse's voice, wanting to ask but knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. Knowing better than to push him, Voight let it slide but would need to bring it up again in the very near future, potentially immediately after they raided the house, depending on what it was found that Mouse didn't want going over the air.
"Ok Mouse. But you're going to have to talk sooner or later. I'll keep it all in house and I'll cover for you as best as I can, but remember you have to tell me the whole truth so I can lie for you."
"Yeah Sarge, I remember. Thanks."
Mouse went to stand to head back to the apartment so that Voight and the unit could plan their raid on the house. They shook hands as he let him back out the roll up and watched as he walked with hands in his pockets down the street.
The next day the unit was out in the backstreet, standing outside the backyard of the house that Mouse had described.
"Ok guys, no calling out, we go in quiet and nothing goes over main. This stays in house, whatever we find stays in house. Got it?"
A chorus of "yes Sarge" sounded out and they all headed into their positions.
Voight, Upton and Al took the downstairs and basement, Ruzek, Burgess and Atwater took upstairs.
"Ah what the hell." Ruzek whispered, alongside Kim's "oh God" as they entered the bedroom that they assumed Jay was staying in. The drawers were open and ransacked, the bedsheets messed as if someone just fell out of them.
"Ruze, I got some blood over here." Kim called out, catching Adam's attention as they snapped photos of the room around them.
"Think this was where they slept?" Adam asked.
"I don't know, wonder what happened here. Yet at the same time I really don't want to know." Kim replied, heart hurting looking around the room that held their friend and teammate.
"I just don't understand how it happened again? We haven't seen him since we got him out that first time so what the hell has been going on?" he said, getting frustrated at not having anywhere near the full amount of information.
"I mean, that's not really for us to know, just all we really need to do is figure out what happened here, and how to help Jay. It's weird, I kinda miss his stares and silent brooding around the bullpen." Kim chuckled, Adam joining, enjoying the moment of reprieve in the middle of the shit show they found themselves in again.
"Ok let's finish up in here, bag some clothes, get samples of that blood and let's go."
"Wonder how Voight and them are getting on downstairs."
Downstairs everyone was feeling pretty much the same, they breached the basement door with practiced ease.
"Hey Sarge, I got blood over here." Upton called out as she landed at the bottom step, moving forward following a nod from Voight.
"Body." She called out again.
The three slowly moved further into the room, circling the body on the floor.
"That's Taylor," Al pointed out, kicking the gun out to the side.
"Bag that gun, take photos and notes of the place for our records."
"Think they'll finally tell us what happened here, or will it be another guessing game?" Upton asked, just wanting her partner to be ok.
"Ok guys, finish up your notes and head back to the district, I'll meet you all in my office." Voight said, leading Al out and back to their car to get a head start on finding a place to keep this under wraps.
They all sat around in Voight's office, photos and notes littering his desk and the wall behind the door.
"So, we have Taylors dead body, and the gunshot wound seems to be the cause of death. Upton, you bagged the weapon, right?" she nodded, and he continued on "Atwater get that over to your buddy in forensics and get me the prints off it but tell him it's for me and off the books, I want no traces of this until we know what we're dealing with."
Atwater nodded his response, tapping Ruzek on the shoulder to get him to come with.
"Hailey, I want you to go round to the guy's apartment, both to make sure they're ok and to see if you can get them to say anything to you that would help us to figure out what happened here."
"Sarge, no offence, but I think they'll open up to you more at this point. Seems Jay is leaning away from everyone but you on this one." Hailey voiced her concern, Voight shaking his head fondly.
"I know but we need him or anyone to talk to someone else, to know they can talk to someone else."
"Alright, I'll head over now, ring Will on the way see if a coffee run is in order." She said smirking, them all knowing the way to Jay's and Mouse's hearts was through coffee.
Hank and Al sighed and looked out the door to the bullpen before looking back at each other. They both sat in comfortable silence, trying to figure out what it was they had been missing. Hank's eye caught the empty desk of his youngest yet longest serving detective.
The desk was devoid of any work, the pen holder with an American flag sticking out, his empty coffee mug with the ranger's insignia staring back at him. He shook his head solemnly when he realised that out of all the members of his unit, Jay was the one who showed the least of himself, while everyone had family photos and comforting memorabilia surrounding their computers and desks, Jay had one flag, one mug and one photo. Curiosity getting the best of him, he rose from his chair and headed out of the office to the desk and with gentle hands, reached out to turn the frame.
"Who's that?" Voight turned to see Al peering over his shoulder, glimpsing at the photo in his friends hands.
"Think it's his mom." Hank replied softly, looking down at the image of a young man and a woman in a tight hug. He assumed it to be his detective, many years younger in his army fatigues, arms wrapped around a woman with dark red hair, though he can't see their faces, he can assume they have matching smiles.
"He must really miss her," Al offered up, to fill the growing silence, also understanding how close their friend plays everything to the vest.
"Yeah. God kid, what else have you been through. I just wish he would actually open up to us, help us carry some of it. I can see how much he carries alone, how much he keeps in and how badly some cases hurt him but he won't let us know. How long has he been like this? How long has he had to be?" Hank couldn't help but wonder aloud.
"Not anymore. We won't let him this time. We got him Hank, we're going to help. Now, come on, let's go see what Trudy found out when digging through his past." Al finished with a smirk, knowing when momma bear Platt started looking into someone's past, she would need some support, especially if it was someone they all cared about deeply.
"Hey man, the reports in if you wanna head back over."
"Alright, be there soon." Atwater said before hanging up the phone. "Come on Ruze, take it to go" he said, turning to Adam, picking up their coffee, heading back to their car.
"What do you think it's going to show?" Adam couldn't help but find himself asking.
"Don't know man, I mean can only be one of three people but I'm leaning towards Mouse."
"Really? Nah, my money's on Halstead. You've seen what he's like when someone he cares about is threatened or hurt around him."
"Yeah but what state was he in? He was drugged, I mean could he even manage a shot like that? That was a clean shot."
"Fair point." Adam nodded in acceptance, "fancy a lovingly placed wager to lighten the mood a bit?"
Atwater chuckled, shaking his head at the distasteful but knew his partner and friend meant well, "sure, 20 bucks and first round at Mollys sound good to you?"
Adam whistled, "hell yeah."
Arriving at their destination, the two officers quickly found their way to Atwater's contact, skipping all pleasantries before grabbing the file and making their way back to the district, calling everyone in on their way.
"Listen up, we got the results back on the gun and blood we found. It says the majority of the blood collected from around the chair belongs to Mouse, other splatters collected from the chain was Jays and the blood from the body belongs to Taylor." Kev spoke up, pointing to the photos on the board behind him.
"So, the prints lifted of the gun match both Taylor and Jay, no trace of Mouse." Adam finished off.
The group looked around at each other, Voight nodding to himself, already having guessed.
"He killed him. Jay killed Taylor."