The doctor suspected of planting the evidence on Eddie Smith taking up residency in the pediatric ward was the last thing Dani imagined would happen after she and JT left the precinct. I shouldn't be surprised he chose to run, though, she thought as JT shifted to speak with a member of the hospital's security team. People do strange things when they're facing possible jail time.
She and JT had found themselves in a number of strange situations over the years. Especially after Bright joined the team. Their first case with him as consultants was a perfect example of one such scenario. Bright not only used an axe to free their suspect, Nico, from the bomb the real killer, Carter Berkhead attached to his chair, but he offered himself up as a victim to him, as well.
Dozens of other similar situations followed. Bright joining a cult and giving himself shock therapy being one of the ones that stuck with Dani most. If there was one thing she learned since meeting the profiler, it was he had a knack for landing himself, and by extension, them in the unlikeliest scenarios.
They couldn't blame Bright for them ending up in this particular situation, though. Well, not directly, Dani amended as something, she hesitated to speculate what, banged against a wall in the ward Evan Chambers took occupancy in after fleeing from them. The reason she and JT found themselves in the middle of what potentially was a hostage situation did involve Bright, however. He just wasn't the direct cause of it.
Not this time, anyway.
Bright should be here with us, though, she silently acknowledged as she leaned around to look into the ward. He should be bouncing between JT and I and trying to talk Chambers into going back to the precinct so we can sort this mess out.
Instead of working the case with them, as he normally would be, Bright was under house arrest at his mother's house, unaware the woman, the agent from Gotham — Kean, she corrected — Sorcha called for help had brought them this potential lead when she came in that morning to meet them. Chambers was the only one who could unravel the mystery of the person who killed Eddie Smith and why. Agent Kean's notes indicated she suspected Chambers was the man shot outside Major Crimes after delivering the samples that eliminated Bright as a suspect.
If the doctor was also guilty of planting the fake blood sample and hair follicles on Eddie Smith, Dani didn't know. That was one of the things they were there to find out. Only, they hadn't managed to make an approach. Chambers bolted soon as they exited the elevator on the floor where he was doing rounds. Hence why they were situated outside the pediatric ward where the doctor sequestered himself with a group of children and handful of nurses.
"We should call Gil." Something Dani didn't want to do. Not while Gil was working with Dick Grayson on trying to locate John Watkins before the man could again get his hands on Bright. There was no choice, however. Chambers was making it clear he didn't want anything to do with them. "We need to let him know what's going on and find out what he wants us to do."
"Gil would tell us to try and get this guy talking if we can."
Dani acknowledged his point with a nod. It was what Gil would tell them. JT was right. The problem with that though...
"Chambers doesn't seem interested in talking with us."
"Guy probably figures he did his talking when he dropped off those samples to Mini-Bright."
Samples which proved Bright hadn't murdered Eddie Smith.
As she foolishly believed he had.
Guilt swirled among the frustration and fear bouncing around with the dozens of cups of coffee sloshing around in Dani's belly.
It wasn't like she wanted to believe Bright killed Eddie. When Gil told her they were going to bring Bright in on suspicion of murdering Eddie, she refused to accept it. There was no way he could have done it.
Bright wasn't a killer.
Not like his father.
Facts said different. That blood and hair sample created doubt by pointing to one person and only one person: Bright.
Endicott created suspicion. Caused mistrust and division between them and Bright. Well, she amended, hiding a grimace by ducking her head, more me than JT and Gil. Even Edrisa believed Bright innocent despite the evidence staring her in the face. Dani, though, put up a wall between her and Bright soon as the report came in. Tearing down that wall required trust. Something she struggled with.
She had to go where the facts led her, though.
Which is why they found themselves crouched outside the doors leading into the pediatric unit. Facts led them to Evan Chambers, a doctor working the night of Eddie Smith's murder. The man who either committed the murder or knew who did.
"Guy's terrified as hell." JT poked his head around the door but there was nothing to see but the same empty hallway they had been staring at for twenty minutes. "Can't rightly blame him, either. People who work for Endicott tend to end up dead once they've outlived their use."
"So do those who cross him."
Dani's belly tightened as she thought about one particular body resting on a slab in the morgue who died because she poked her nose too far into Endicott's affairs. She didn't know Eve Blanchard. Had only spoken to her a few times in passing. Her death started off a deadly chain of events. Eddie Smith attacked Martin Whitly in his cell, Martin Whitly defended himself by gouging out Eddie's eyes, Eddie was killed while here in the hospital, and Bright got framed for his murder.
Unjustly framed, she amended, by me and a lot of other people.
Soft sobs reached Dani's ears. Were followed by Chambers telling them to, "be quiet," in a thin, reedy voice. The guy was unraveling and fast. Desperate people did horrible things when desperate. She had seen that happen too many times to count. JT grunted softly as he leaned back.
"We gotta convince Chambers to either come with us or let them hostages go."
Dani agreed. There was just one thing she hadn't figured out yet.
"How?"
A frown formed between his eyes. "What'd Bright do if his skinny ass was here?"
"He'd try and talk Chambers into either coming with us or letting the kids and nurses go."
"Thinking we should try that."
Dani hummed a noncommittal reply. She didn't see either of them being able to talk the doctor into either coming with them or letting his hostages go. They needed Bright but he wasn't there to do the talking for them. He was being forced to sit on the sidelines while they worked the case. Because of the evidence Evan Chambers was either hired or blackmailed into planting on Eddie Smith to make it look like Bright was the one who murdered him.
Even if Bright hadn't been framed for Eddie's murder there was no way he could be part of this case. Not with his father and girlfriend both victims of Eddie, and by extension, Nicholas Endicott.
They didn't have Bright's particular ability to get through to suspects. Dani freely acknowledged Bright was a great profiler. She had never met someone with the ability to profile with the level of accuracy Bright had.
Course, his proficiency came from having a serial killer for a father.
Something the majority of people didn't have.
Bright's ability to profile people tended to land him in hot water quite often. Dani, as well as JT, Gil, even Sorcha had to frequently remind him it wasn't polite to go around profiling people. He tries his best not to profile people now, she mused as she debated how best to open a line of conversation with Chambers that wouldn't cause the current situation to get any worse.
The biggest issue she saw in convincing Chambers to release his hostages and come with them was they had no way to guarantee he wouldn't be shot by any of the assassins Nicholas Endicott had on his payroll the second he stepped outside the hospital.
It wasn't like they had any other option, though. They needed to defuse this situation and get Chambers to talk about his involvement in framing Bright for Eddie's murder.
"Doctor Chambers," she called out. "I'm Detective Powell. I'm with the..."
"NYPD!" Chambers hurled back. "I know who you are, Detective. I've seen you with the Whitly kid."
"Called him Whitly," JT rumbled. "Not Bright. Important distinction."
Dani agreed it was an interesting distinction for Chambers to make. Most people referred to Bright by his chosen name. That he didn't suggested a familiarity with either Bright or someone close to him. Endicott? Dani wondered. Or someone else?
"I know why you're here." A chair screeched as it was pushed across the floor. "I know what you want. You're not getting it."
"Yeah," JT grumbled as he shifted beside her, "we got that from your ass running soon as you saw us."
"All we want to do is talk," Dani told the terrified doctor. "I promise."
"Talk." Chambers barked a laugh. "That's what the detective who came here yesterday said they wanted to do. Convinced me the only way to get out of this mess was to turn over the real samples. And look what that got me! Shot!"
"Another detective came here to speak with you?" Dani's brow furrowed. "Who?"
"He said his name was Gray."
"Gray?" JT looked questioningly at Dani. "Think he means Not-Bright's husband?"
Dani shook her head. "His last name is Grayson. And I have a feeling he would have told us if he spoke with Chambers and got him to turn over the real samples."
"What was the name of that detective tailing Bright and Mini-Bright?"
It took a second for Dani to remember who JT was talking about.
"Thomas Gray."
"Maybe it was him."
Dani frowned. "Why would he convince Chambers to turn over the samples without mentioning it to either Gil or Lieutenant Brannigan?"
"Trying to do some good after the shit he put them through with those photographs he took of 'em?"
Dani grimaced. "He's got a long way to go before he can make good on that."
"I'd have knocked the guy on his ass for that shit."
"Bright's not one who resorts to violence."
Something Dani knew but still allowed evidence to convince her otherwise.
JT opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a woman screaming, "My son's in there!" Dani turned to see hospital security holding a frantic woman back. "Somebody do something! Please!"
"Guess we're standing here twiddling our thumbs."
"Don't be a dick," Dani chided as the weeping woman was led away. "She's worried about her kid."
"Gotta right to be." JT peeked into the ward again. "Don't know what this guy'll do."
Making an already tense situation even more dangerous.
"I'm calling Gil," Dani said. "We need hostage negotiation down here."
"I say skip calling in hostage situation and bring Lite-Bright here."
"Sorcha?" One brow arched. "Why?"
"Guy left those samples for her." JT glanced around the corner again. "Anybody who might get him to talk is Mini-Bright."
He has a point, Dani realized. Chambers left the samples specifically for Sorcha. He might talk to her instead of them.
"I don't know if we should call her," she said. "Not with Watkins and a Talon on the loose."
"You got any other suggestions?"
Dani made a face. "No." She pulled out her phone. "But I'm telling Gil this was your idea."
"Boss knows she's the only one who speaks Bright like Bright." JT grimaced. "Well, Not Bright speaks Bright but she's been told to sit on his skinny ass."
That was the only reason Dani dialed Sorcha's number.
A/N: Hello, all! Hope this finds you well!