Moment in Time Part 3
Chapter 64
Fidelis Ad Mortem
Part 2
Malone picks up a folder from his desk and hands it to Kate. This is Daniel Bardot's file. I've assigned his instructor, Sergeant Ortiz, to be your liaison."
"I know Sergeant Ortiz," Kate replies, her eyes lighting up. "He was my instructor too. His brand of tough love is why I set all those records."
Ortiz taps on the frame of Malone's open door. "Come in, Sergeant," Malone invites the wiry drillmaster.
"Thank you, Sir." Ortiz makes his way to Kate. "Captain Beckett. I guess you managed not to wash out after all. I'm proud of you."
"You should be proud of yourself, Sergeant," Kate responds. "You're a big part of why the department can function. And it's good to see you. Can we go talk?"
Ortiz leads the way to his own, much smaller office.
"What can you tell me about Daniel Bardot?" Kate asks.
"He was an admirable kid, more so because he got a rough start in life. I guess you and he had something in common. You both went into police work after the violent deaths of parents. Only in Daniel's case, he lost both at a lot younger age than you were when your mother was murdered. His mother and father were killed in a robbery when he was nine."
Kate shakes her head. "That's really tough."
"More so because Daniel grew up in Hunt's Point," Ortiz adds.
"That's Irish Mafia Territory. Not many good cops come out of that hell hole."
"No, they don't," Ortiz agrees. "I went toe to toe with Lucky Jack Flanagan before I was teaching you. He controls that territory and almost everyone in it. I could never make a charge stick. No one wanted to risk going up against him. Daniel was the rare exception. He was determined to go back and clean things up. But he had a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him, not unlike another recruit I used to know. He'd rush into situations without fully evaluating the conditions. And it was worse the last couple of days."
Kate leans over Ortiz's desk. "How so?"
"He kept fumbling a tactical drill he usually aced. So I pulled him aside and asked him what was going on. He told me he'd screwed up something in his personal life and didn't know what to do. I advised him to cowboy up and set whatever it was right. Maybe I should have known more before I said that. Now I'm thinking that following my advice might have been what got him killed."
Kate's eyes blaze. "Sergeant, no one is responsible for Daniel Bardot's death except his killer. And we'll make sure that person is brought to justice."
Rick rubs his eyes and wrinkles his nose at the cold brew in his mug. Who would think so many people would want to come to Los Angeles? No wonder the traffic sucks. And concentrating on passenger manifests isn't easy. Many of the names sound familiar, just because they're common, or he's seen them in the credits of a movie or TV episode. He's spotted listings of a few celebrity arrivals, particularly one of his favorite animators. At another time, he'd delve into that, but now it's just a distraction.
Still determined, Rick gazes back at his screen. One name, Sean Cillizza, strikes a chord. He remembers that when he heard it, he thought about using it in a book for the ethnic mix. But where did he hear it? Right, Cillizza had been part of the security at the Attorney General's task force. He hadn't been an agent, just someone who checked IDs and kept out unwanted visitors. The guardian at the gate knew everyone who came and went. And he obviously escaped the purge. Sean Cillizza merits a closer look.
"These quarters are huge compared to the ones where I lived," Ryan remarks surveying Daniel Bardot's room. "The one I had as a recruit was more like a closet."
Esposito shrugs. "I wouldn't know. I didn't bunk on campus. I had enough of communal living when I was in the army. And besides, you can't bring a ménage of cop groupies to a dorm room."
"A ménage, huh?" Ryan questions. "Seems to me you had trouble holding on to one woman."
"That's different," Esposito protests. "Lanie is…."
"Who are you people?" a young woman demands, bursting through the doorway. "What are you doing here?"
Esposito holds up his badge. "We're investigating a homicide. Who are you?"
"Recruit Officer Rachel Decker."
"Did you know Daniel Bardot?" Ryan questions.
"Yes, Sir, he was in my training company."
"Do you know what he was doing last night?" Esposito asks.
"No, Sir. The company invited him to go out with us, but he begged off. Sir, if there's any way I can help with the investigation, I want in," Rachel insists.
"You forget your place, Decker?" Ortiz queries from the threshold. "You're not even a lowly uniform. What could you possibly offer these distinguished detectives?"
Kate joins the group. "As a comrade in arms, the recruit can offer insight." She locks Rachel in her gaze. "Did you train alongside Officer Bardot?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"So, you forged a bond against the evil Sergeant Ortiz," Kate assumes. "Which means that you have information on Bardot that his higher-ups do not. Is that correct, Recruit?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"So tell me," Kate prompts, "what was he struggling with? What did he need to set right?"
"I don't know," Decker claims. "I'm sorry, Ma'am."
"Then you're of no help here. You're dismissed, Recruit," Ortiz orders.
Catching a shaky breath, Rachel quickly strides out the door.
"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Kate asks Ortiz.
The Sergeant squares his shoulders. "I do not. Being put in her place is exactly what Decker needs. She's at the top of the class. Her name could replace yours on all those plaques and trophies. But she needs to learn a little humility."
As Kate's phone buzzes, she catches the eyes of Ryan and Esposito. "Lanie, did you find anything on Bardot's autopsy?"
"You and the boys got lucky. The bullet broke up when it hit a rib, and Bardot's killer didn't get all the pieces. I pulled a fragment big enough for a ballistics match from a kidney. The 9 mm that fired that round is registered to the NYPD Academy."
Kate and the detectives move to Malone's office to report their progress. "The gun is missing from the cage assigned to Bardot's company, Company 38," Ryan shares.
"The lock on the CCTV closet was jimmied open," Esposito adds. "Someone killed the security cams in the weapons room between seven-thirty and seven-thirty-five last night."
Malone nods. "At that hour, it's mostly recruits left in the building. The faculty all live off-campus. And only members of 38 have access to that weapons cage. Your killer must be a recruit in that company."
Studying a file from yet another database he hadn't known existed, Rick checks the history of Sean Cillizza. He came to his post at the AG's task force from the armed forces, where he served in Afghanistan. In fact, he'd been in the region commanded by General Reed. Exploring further, Rick finds that Cillizza served as Reed's aide for a year. That would have been more than enough time to get sucked into Reed's operation. Could Cillizza have been working as Reed's mole at the task force? The file lists a New York address for Cillizza. Also, his flight to LA originated in New York. Rick needs to tell Kate, but not when there's a chance of anyone listening in."