Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Mole
"WOW! Extreme!" Jake boasted as he arrived in work that day holding a bike helmet. He had stayed at Rosa's that night, and both had slept through their alarms, waking up with 15 minutes to get to work. Rosa had said that they would both take her bike into work, and say that Jake's car was in the shop.
"Oh, you guys are probably curious about this" He said pointing to the helmet in his hands. "It's no biggie. My car's in the shop. So, I rode in on Rosa's motorcycle" he said "I guess you could say I'm a gear head now" He started as Rosa walked in beside him, snatching the helmet from his hands
"He held on to me so tight it was like a two-mile Heimlich" Rosa said
"Those things have no walls on them!" Jake shouted, walking up to his desk "Captain?" He greeted "Why are you sitting at my desk?" Jake asked
"Lieutenant Miller from Internal Affairs is here. He's taken over my office. Apparently, someone has been leaking classified information to a criminal syndicate. The entire squad is under investigation" he said
"That's crazy. No one here's a mole" Jake said
"How can you be so sure" Holt asked
"Because I know these guys. I know everything about them" Jake said
"Well you're a poor police officer if you don't think people can surprise you" Holt said
"Not these people. Here, watch this. I know what everyone's going to do tonight. It's Thursday, so Gina's going to leave early to rehearse with her new dance group, Dancy Reagan. The First Ladies of Movement. Amy's going to be going over her weekly budget, and Charles will be attending a 'pizza for one' cooking class" Jake sad. He made sure not to mention what he and Rosa would be doing tonight, as it was certainly inappropriate.
"And if I run and leap at Terry, he will most certainly catch me in his arms" Jake said as he ran.
"NO! I'm holding coffee" Terry tried to stop him, but Jake did anyway. As as Jake predicted, he caught Jake in his arms.
Holt walked off to do his work in the break room, whilst Jake went over to Rosa and Amy, who were at Rosa's desk
"What's all this about a mole?" He asked
"I don't know, man. I arrived when you did" Rosa replied
"I don't know, but who do you think it was?" Amy
"Well. Hitchcock and Scully can't tell their hands from their legs. So yeah they'd be stupid enough to be a mole, but they don't know enough" Jake said
"You're too much of a goody-goody" Rosa replied
"Rosa's too focused on her task force" Jake said
"Peralta spends too much time playing laser tag" Rosa replied
"Sarge is-" Jake was saying then the Lieutenant walked out and called Amy in to the office
"What's this about now?" Jake asked Rosa
"He's calling us in one by one to sit down and chat" Rosa explained
"Ok. Thanks" Jake said, winking at her then walking off to find Holt in the breakroom.
"I'm about to sit down with internal affairs" Jake announced "I think I will charm them with a couple of quips about my own 'internal affairs' if you know what I mean. Talking about my tum-tum" Jake said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood
"Please don't joke around in there. I know your used to riffing with me but Internal Affair detectives rarely have my sense of humour" Holt said
"Wow! You are really worried about this investigation" Jake said, surprised. "Ok, fine I promise I will be stone cold serious in my interview. I'll even use my serious face" Jake said, before going on to explain what he was thinking about to pull such a face
Jake went in for his interview, after being called out when Amy came back. Rosa was called in after him, he had no choice but to act. He went to Amy. Hoping he would be able to solve his case-related home issue before he got found out, but was distracted by Holt walking up to him. Jake panicked, looking for an excuse to leave and in it walked. In her toad-like glory.
Rosa was excused from her interview, and returned to her paperwork, where she and Terry were working, in the briefing room on her task force. She had left a list of arrests running, to try and pin point all arrests, or reports of drugs-related behaviour, as giggle-pig like effects, in the Brooklyn Area, in local months to try and pin point hot spots.
She came back in and found Terry on the phone. She looked over at the screen as it had finished. A few dark alleys had been reported, she made sure to pin those so she could get regular patrols there. But also, one outside of a silent disco. That was when Holt walked in, looking angry.
"Detective Diaz" he greeted "Can you give me even a shred of good news about your drug task force?" Holt asked
"The good news is I can be brief. We have nothing" Rosa said, as Terry interjected by apologising for being on the phone. "The task force has made some busts, but we still haven't found any high-level dealers, or major drug stashes" Rosa said
"But we will soon" Terry promised
"Is that a promise?" Holt asked "Or just another lollipop that no one's ever going to lick" He asked referring to Terry's excuse for being on the phone "Wunch is waiting for this Task Force to fail. I need tangible results" Holt said
"Sarge and I are going undercover at electric library. It's a silent disco, everyone wears headphones. It's actually very respectful to the neighbours" Rosa said "Except for the lewd acts and vomiting" She added
"There's usually some ecstasy at these things, so hopefully we'll find some giggle pig" Terry interjected. Rosa was mildly impressed Terry could add in something when he had no idea they were even going undercover. That's what you get for being on the phone Sarge.
"Great. I hope there's a lot of drug activity there" Holt said before he realised what he was saying "Of course, ideally there would be nobody taking drugs there or anywhere else in the district, but if drugs must be found. Let them be there. PLEASE GOD let them be there.
Rosa text Jake soon after;
Have to go undercover tonight, not sure when I'll be home xx
Jake read the message and decided that they were in no rush. He loaded his files into Santiago's car, and then they drove back to Gina's place. Walking in after Jake's revelation of a key, they were horrified at the sight before them.
Still a blur, Jake arrived back at the precinct. He had found that he spent the whole day with Amy and hadn't flirted with her that much. Aside from the doughnut, which only annoyed her, and not continuing to flirt about the whole, her hooking up with Hitchcock fiasco, he found it easy to walk away, with minimal flirting.
One of Rosa's hidden likes were discos. She and Jake would go to them occasionally. It was an excuse to dress up. Wear bright clothes, highlights. No one would recognise them, and they had a great time. She had hoped to bring Jake with her, thinking that the more eyes the better, but when she rang him it went straight to voice mail. On second thought, she decided that Terry was likely to notice if they started making out. He was very vigilant Terry was.
Jake felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but was so worried about getting the files back, he ignored them, before getting caught by Miller
"Hi Peralta" He said, making Jake jump.
"Oh my God! Hi!" he replied
"What's going on here?" He asked
"Funny story, I took these files home a while ago, even though I shouldn't have and now, I'm bringing them back. Isn't that funny?" Jake asked "Are you laughing behind the mask?" He asked "no." he confirmed.
Jake went home, he needed to talk to someone, but as he walked inside, the house was cold, and the lights were off.
"Rosa?" Jake called searching the rooms
"Rosa?" He asked walking into the bedroom. He found the bed empty. He determined that she was still undercover,
"FUCK! I needed to talk to you!" Jake said to no one. He growled when he realised that he needed to talk to someone. Hitchcock and Scully were out of the question. Amy had spent most of the day boasting about her evening plans with Teddy. She was out. Charles and Gina were both out too. And Terry and Rosa were still undercover. Jake had only one place to turn.
KNOCK, KNOCK
"Kev" Jake greeted as he answered the door
"Jake, it's after midnight this had better be about a murder" Kevin greeted
"No. I wish" Jake replied "No. I'm sorry but I have to talk to Captain Holt" Jake said
"Raymond, your work life is here" Kevin greeted as he stepped aside, as Holt walked downstairs "Please, come in. Take off your shoes" Kevin greeted Jake in a false happy tone.
"Neither of us want that" Jake replied stepping inside
"What is going on Peralta. This has been a long day" Holt said
"Well. I.A.B caught he returning some classified files and I am now the prime suspect for the mole investigation and Miller said I would be suspended in the morning" Jake said "But more importantly, what does the J stand for?" He asked trying to change the subject by guessing names
"My middle name is more important to you than getting suspended?" Holt asked
"If it's Jo-Jo then yes" Jake said "Look" He said trying to get back to the pressing subject before Holt kicked him out "We have to figure this thing out. Miller is sure there's a mole in the precinct, And the only way to prove it's not me is to figure out who it is" Jake said
"You said there was no mole" Holt reminded him "You said you knew everything about those people" He added
"Yeah, well it turns out, I don't. I've learned some truly horrible things tonight" Jake said "You were right and I was wrong"
"Goodness. Boyle is sleeping with Gina?" Holt asked
"What? How could you possibly know that?" Jake asked
"'You were right and I was wrong' You must have been shaken to your core to say that to me. Boyle is your most trusted friend so he has to be involved. Your use of the word 'horrible' leads me to believe the matter was sexual in nature, given your obvious immaturity. And, of course you would be most upset if Boyle would have slept with someone you knew from your childhood. Thus, the solve. Gina and Charles" Holt said
"That was amazing" Jake said Although you were wrong. Rosa was is most trusted friend Jake thought
"Come into my Study. Let's figure out who that mole is" Holt said
Rosa and Terry's undercover mission was not going as planned. That was until, she started flirting with some guy who was obviously high. Who immediately sold out Ava.
"NYPD" Rosa said walking up to her
"Fuck! Where" Ava asked
"Here" Terry said appearing behind her. She was arrested and the three walked out, arriving back at the Precinct.
"What happened Ava? I thought you said you don't drink or do drugs?" Terry asked
"I don't. Do you know how much math is involved in dealing drugs, you have to keep a clear head" She said
"Look. This doesn't have to be a big deal, just give us the name of your supplier" Rosa asked "How did you get involved with dealing giggle?" She asked
"Wait, wait" Terry said before asking her questions about her preschool.
"Sarge, the Giggle pig" Rosa reminded him as they went back to the interrogation
"Let's go through the squad one by one" Holt said "Rosa's very secretive I don't know anything about her personal life" Holt said. I know so much. I know every little detail Jake thought, but he bit his tongue, nodding along. The evening flew past, and they had something for everyone except Rosa.
"Come on Peralta, you went to the Academy, I know all about your history with her. The Squad, the 76, the Active shooter, the detective course. You must know SOMETHING about her" Holt said, starting to get frustrated with Jake denying knowing anything about her. Jake knew so much, it was hard to pin point one thing which wouldn't lead to any follow up questions.
"OH!" He said getting up excitedly. "One time, I saw Rosa eating watermelon, but when I asked her about it, she said she'd never eaten that or any other kind of melon" Jake said. "Now that I say it out loud, it doesn't seem like much" he added Holt, sleep deprived thought it was something, and told him to write it down.
Jake stormed out of Holt's house and walked home, angrily. He and Holt had fought, with some level of sleep depravity aiding them in their insults, and inability to take them well. He walked home, and straight into his and Rosa's room, to find her asleep in the bed. Rainbow highlights still in her hair. He climbed in bed beside her and kissed her shoulder. She rolled over, moaning
"Hey" She said sleepily
"I'm going to be suspended tomorrow" He said quietly
"WHAT!" She shouted sitting up, nearly hitting him as she did
"They think I'm the mole" He explained
"Why? H-How?" She asked
"Miller caught me sneaking classified files back into the precinct" Jake said
"Is that where you've been all night?" She asked
"No. I went to Holt's to try and figure out who the mole is, but we had a fight" Jake said. Rosa sighed, she turned on her light and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen
"What?" Jake asked
"We're solving this. Now" she said
"Ok" Jake said
Rosa wrote down everyone's names on the paper, except for her and Jake.
"Ok: Terry?" Rosa asked
"Wants expensive schools for his twins, which is hard on his salary. Plus, he's so into exercise, gym memberships aren't cheap, not to mention the amount of food he would be eating" Jake said
"So, you're suggesting that Terry would sell information to criminal syndicates in exchange for financial support?" She asked
"It's possible" Jake replied
"Ok. Charles?" She asked
"Well, all we know he has an expensive taste in food, things like Safron and new pans cost a lot." Jake said
"So again, financial aid" Rosa said
"Yeah I would say so" Jake said.
They went through the rest of the squad. And could come up with nothing.
"URGH!" Jake complained "If it's no one in the squad, who else could it be?" He asked
"What was the guy's name?" Rosa asked
"Who?" Jake replied
"The internal affairs guy?" Rosa asked
"Lieutenant Miller" Jake replied
"Nope" Rosa said tapping some keys on the keyboard of her laptop, which she had gotten out a short while ago
"What?" Jake asked sitting up. Rosa turned her screen to him
"What am I looking at?" Jake asked
"This is a list of all NYPD employees and their roles. There is no Lieutenant Miller in Internal affairs. There is an Officer Miller though. He's in the PA and admin department, he doesn't go out investigating precincts" Rosa said
"You're telling me, that there is no mole?" Jake asked
"There's no mole. Wunch made it up" She said
"Why?" Jake asked
"We all know she has a thing on Holt. Maybe she wanted a way to keep a track on him and my task force" She said
"Holt did say that their battles extend beyond the confines of NYPD rules" Jake said
"Well there you go" She said smiling
"How do we get him to prove it?" He asked
"Give him a reason to have a meeting with Wunch, then catch them in the act" she said
"How do we do that?" He asked
"What does he want?" She asked
"Information on Holt" Jake replied
"Then give him that" she said
"Brilliant! Hey What time is it?" He asked
"Half past 6" She said
"We cracked in half an hour what Holt and I couldn't in 5" He said
"What can I say. I'm incredible" she said
"You are" He said kissing her quickly, as her alarm went off to distract them.
"You get some sleep, I'm going to get ready. I'll wake you up in an hour" she promised. Jake, now much more relaxed, was happy to sleep.
She, as promised, woke him up an hour later with a hot cup of coffee. They went to work, and Jake walked into the break room where he found Holt.
"Peralta, shouldn't you be suspended by now?" He asked
"Yes, and I know that you're mad that I'm here, but. You're about to get over it. I know who the mole is" Jake said. "I don't think he's with I.A.B at all. I think he's spying for Wunch" Jake said. Going on to explain his reasoning, which In all fairness Rosa had come up with.
"That's true, I did notice something odd when he and Wunch first met. She just nodded at him, she didn't even try and shake his hand" Holt said "She already knew he was a germaphobe" Holt added. Jake smiled. He and Rosa were working off speculation. Neither had seen that interaction between the two but that only solidified Jake's hunch
"Unfortunately, we don't have any hard proof that they're working together" Holt said
"Well, lucky for you. Proof is my middle name" Jake said before going on to once again try and guess Holt's.
"I take it you've already thought about it?" Holt asked
"Yep" Jake replied "But you're going to have to trust me" He added, pulling out a memory stick. He sat at his desk, and carried on with his work for the day. It was almost lunch time when a small icon popped up on his window. He had set a GPS inside the USB drive, and when it was on the move, Jake got a notification. He tracked it to where it stopped at a diner, and logging in to traffic cam footage, he found Wunch also on route.
"CAPTAIN!" He called and the two drove off to catch Wunch in the act, before she confessed and Jake announced the recording device also in the drive
"What isn't on that drive?" Holt asked as they walked away
Rosa, who had seen Jake and Holt rush off was desperate for some good news for her task force, when Jeffords brought it to her in the form of a file, announcing that Ava Watson was actually Rebecca Lubbock, and leads on a supplier.
Jake and Holt had just walked back into the precinct when Gina stood up to make her announcement. Jake and Charles made up, which was good. Rosa looked over and smiled. When she found out, that whole three minutes ago. She knew that Jake would be pissed. As it turns out, it appeared he already knew but she made a note to ask him later.