"Commissioner," detective Baker addressed her boss as she walked into his office. It was Tuesday morning. It was drizzling outside as could have been expected in late November. It would soon be the holiday season Frank had thought before his secretary interrupted him from his thoughts. He wondered whether he should cancel the holidays because he was in no mood to celebrate this year, but then it was the favorite time of the year for Nicki who loved the holidays.
"What is it, Abigail?" The commissioner asked the young woman as he raised his head from his desk.
"Sir, Sergeant Gormley from the 54th precinct just called to inform us that human remains have been recovered in Western Brooklyn… Sir, sergeant Gormley believes that the body might be related to your son's case..." Baker paused for a moment before she broke the news to the commissioner, "he believes it might be your son."
The commissioner just closed his eyes. He dreaded this day ever since Jamie has gone missing that awful day six years ago. Deep inside, he knew this day might have come. He knew that there was a chance that one day they will retrieve his son's body, but he always believed that they would find his son alive.
The commissioner took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.
"Where was the body found?" He asked drily as if there was no emotion left inside of him.
"Not far away from Jamie's old school...," his assistant replied with a heavy heart.
Frank just nodded his head. "Alright," he mumbled, "Baker, call my detail and tell them we're heading out," he instructed his longtime aide as he was getting ready to leave the office.
"Sir," Baker interrupted him as he was about to leave. "I don't think it's wise for you to go to the scene. Why don't you wait for the autopsy report so we know for sure it's him," she suggested carefully, minding the boundaries.
"Baker, I need to see him with my own eyes," the chief of police remained determined.
"But, sir, it has been many years, and the body will probably be in some phase of decomposition... I don't think that's something any parent should see," she tried to reason with him.
The commissioner knew she was right, but it was his child they were talking about. He had to be there when they lift his remains. It was his duty as Jamie's father.
"Baker, I need to be there," he turned to her, "especially, if it is Jamie. I need to make sure that they treat my child right." He uttered the last words with a shaking voice for had to swallow the tears that were now coming to his tired eyes.
"Then let me just got with you," Baker persisted for she wasn't going to let the commissioner go to the crime scene alone. Not when the chances were it might have been Jamie.
"Fine," he mumbled, but truth to be told he was grateful that Baker was going with him for he didn't want to be doing this alone. He originally thought about calling pops, but then he came to a conclusion that his father's heart might not withstand it.
***BB***
"So, where is he?" Frank Reagan asked his oldest son as he and detective Baker arrived at the crime scene. He was secretly glad to see Danny was on the scene too, although he wished Danny didn't have to see his brother's remains.
"Over there," Danny pointed out with a heavy sight. As a detective he has seen a lot but being at the scene with a dead body that could easily belong to his kid brother, well, that surely was a whole new story.
"You sure you want to see him?" Danny asked his dad as they were walking slowly to a shallow grave with human remains in it. "It's not a nice look."
"I have to see him, Danny!" The broken man told his son the same he previously said his assistant.
"Commissioner," the NYPD pathologist greeted him as they came closer to the scene.
"Tod," Frank nodded his head towards an old friend of his who has been working as NYPD's pathologist ever since he joined the force. The commissioner felt a little bit relieved when he found out that Jamie will be in good hands of his trusted friend and colleague.
Frank took a deep breath before he kneeled to the body. It wasn't a pleasant look. The chief of police didn't have to be a pathologist to see that the skull was perforated. He swallowed hard as he kept examining the body. Slowly, centimeter by centimeter. When he took a good look at the body, he stood up. He closed his eyes for a moment, silently saying a prayer in his head before he spoke again.
'It's not him," he announced. "That's not my boy!"
Danny just exchanged a concerned look with detective Baker and the pathologist. None of them sure what they should say to the grieving man.
"Dad...," Danny started carefully, "let's rather wait for the autopsy report before we rule out the possibility that it's him for sure," the detective suggested carefully. He knew how his father could be stubborn sometimes.
"Fine," the commissioner replied, "but I'm telling you, it's not him!"
Danny and Baker just exchanged another concerned look before Baker addressed their boss this time.
"Sir, if I may, how can you be so sure?" She asked the chief of police. Naturally, she wished nothing but that boy not to be Jamie, but the chances were against them. There were just too many similarities. The estimated age, the time of death…
"At the time, when Jamie has disappeared, he measured approximately 53 inches, he never was tall..., yet, this boy must be good 58 inches," he pointed out confidently. After all, he has been a detective for twenty-five years before he became the chief of police.
Danny just gave the pathologist a questioning look, wordlessly asking him his professional opinion.
"Well, it's possible…," the older man admitted as he too inspected the body, "but I would very much like to avoid any speculation before we have the results from the autopsy...," he stated evasively.
"Do what you have to do, but that boy is not my son...," Frank repeated. Although he felt relieved that the boy wasn't Jamie, he couldn't help but wonder whether it wouldn't be more merciful for them if they knew for sure what happened to their youngest.
He closed his eyes for a moment so he could swallow the tears which were coming to his eyes. He wasn't feeling well. His head was spinning, and his breath was fast, but he didn't want anyone to worry about him and therefore he turned to his assistant swiftly:
"We're done here," he said towards Baker, trying hard not to let anyone his emotions. He then gave the boy's remains one last sad look before he mumbled "rest in peace, little one" and left the scene with Baker in his toes.
Danny looked after them shocked not understanding how his father could be so calm when it could easily have been their Jamie? He would have to have a word with his father later, but at the moment he had work to do.
But in reality, his father was far away from being calm.
At their way back to the office he asked the driver to make a quick stop at the local cemetery where his beloved wife Mary was buried. He asked Baker to wait for him at the car as he walked alone to his wife's grave. He wasn't quite sure what made him go here at this time of the day. He just felt that he needed to talk to her.
"I'll bring him home, Mary," the chief of police whispered as he laid his hand on the tombstone when he came to her grave, "I promise!"
He stayed silently in front of his wife's grave before he returned to the car a half hour later, and without a single word, he gave his driver a single nod, letting him know that they could leave now.
On the way back to 1 PP, the commissioner kept thinking about his youngest son. Where could he be? And how come they never found him? Was his son going to be among those cases of missing children that will never be solved?
As the door to his office closed behind him, Frank could suddenly feel the uneasy feeling in his chest. His hands were shaking, and his breath was shallow. He thought he was most likely having a heart attack. He came slowly over to his desk so he could pour himself a glass of water, but his hands were shaking so badly that he spilled most of the water all over his desk. His collar felt tight, and with his left hand, he started opening the buttons of his shirt. He needed to breathe but he couldn't. He managed to press the buzzer on his desk which connected him immediately with his assistant who was sitting outside of his office.
"Baker, I need you in my office, right now," he choked out as he was fighting for every breath.
I took only a few seconds for detective Baker to come into her boss' office.
"Oh my God," she cried out as she walked in and found her boss in a state which scared the crap out of her. "Are you alright?" She asked, immediately realizing how stupid her question was for the commissioner was not alright.
"Baker, I need you to call the doctor for me. But, Abigail, do it discreetly," he pleaded her for he didn't need the whole 1PP to know that the commissioner was having health issues.
"But boss," Baker insisted, "what if you have a heart attack?" She asked as she kept looking at him with terror in her eyes.
"Baker, do as I told you." The commissioner insisted as he kept unbuttoning his shirt.
TBC